Shanna is racing to save lives!

A Half Ironman Triathlon

What?

I am participating in the New Balance Half Ironman Triathlon through Team in Training to benefit The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society. At the end of October I wasn't even really sure what a half Ironman was! It's a 1.2 mile swim, 56 mile bike, and 13 mile run... all on the same day, one right after another. I recently completed my first half marathon that honestly seems easy compared to the challenge I have ahead of me. I've heard everything from "You're crazy" to "Wow, that is really awesome". I think both are true. It is really awesome, and I am crazy. I have decided to embark on what I consider the hardest personal task I have ever attempted.

Why?

To do something greater than myself and help all those that have been affected by cancer. I am completing this event in honor of all individuals who are battling blood cancers. Joelle is our honored team mate who was diagnosed with Hodgkin's Lymphoma when she was a senior in college. She spent most of her senior year in the hospital doing chemotherapy and radiation. She is a direct recipient of the work that Team in Training does. Team in Training helped aid the research for most of the medications that kept her alive as well as paying for the research the doctor's needed to come up with her chemo treatment. The great news is that she has been in remission since July 2001. These people are the real heroes on our team, and we need your support to cross the ultimate finish line - a cure!

When: June 21, 2009

Where: Victoria, BC.

How: Five months of training in the cold and wet Pacific Northwest weather, and your support!

What is Leukemia? It's a cancer of the blood or of the blood-forming tissues (bone marrow, lymph nodes, and spleen). Its causes are unknown. It begins as an uncontrolled multiplication of abnormal white blood cells. Those millions of abnormal and useless cells accumulate and prevent the production of normal, healthy blood cells. Blood cancers will strike over 100,000 Americans this year. Every five minutes, someone in the United States is diagnosed with a blood cancer. And every ten minutes, someone loses their fight against it.

How you can help..

I have set some aggressive goals goals for myself for this event.....raising $3,900 for cancer research while training six days a week (in the cold and wet winter months of Seattle). I'll need the support of my family and friends to reach my fundraising goal. I hope that you will agree that this is an important cause and consider making a contribution...it's a powerful way to be involved and make a difference . Your entire donation to LLS is 100% tax deductible, and 75% of your donation goes directly toward funding research, patient support, and physician education.

Please make a donation to support my participation in Team In Training and help advance LLS's mission.

I hope you will visit my web site often. Be sure to check back frequently to see my progress. Thanks for your support!!

You can also see Scott's progress at http://pages.teamintraining.org/wa/nbhtri09/sgriffiham

Updates:

1/10/09 - I just finished my first BRICK work out! For those of you unsure what a BRICK work out is (as I was not so long ago) it is where you bike then run. So we biked on the Burke-Gilman for an hour then we ran about 4 miles. This was probably my 4th time on a bike outside since Junior High so it was an experience. Running after biking is harder than I thought it would be! My legs were a little wobbly for the first mile. Overall, training is going good. Each Monday night I'm at the pool and then I am either running or biking most other days of the week. I've spent a lot of time indoors with the cold weather we have had. Since it is warming up a bit we've headed back outdoors. Thanks for your support!!