What's this all about?

Blood cancer statistics indicate that almost every 10 minutes, someone in the United States dies of blood cancer. It is estimated that about 54,020 people in the United States will lose their lives to one of myeloma, leukemia or lymphoma this year.

In June, I'm attempting something I've never done before. A triathlon. And I've decided that I want my effort to benefit the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society. Your support could be the difference not only in the mission to find cures and more effective treatments for blood cancers, but it could also be the difference in me successfully completing the race!

Like the other members of LLS's Team in Training, I will be raising funds to help find cures and better treatments for leukemia, lymphoma, Hodgkin’s disease and myeloma. I’m achieving a life-long goal, and improving the quality of my life by doing this triathlon. With your support, I can help improve the quality of life for patients and their families as well.

Please make a donation in support of my efforts with Team In Training and help advance the research for cures. Even just a few dollars helps - no donation is too small! Your donation is 100% tax deductible, as the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society is a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization.

If you'd like to donate without using a credit card, please contact me on my cell phone at 412-889-6371, or email me at dbelkofer@yahoo.com, and I can give you all the details on how to do that.

Come back to this page for updates on how my training is going, and other news as the event approaches! Everything below here will be dated updates.

June 9, 2012:

Day before the race. We did almost the full swim, and then 8.5 miles on the bike. Packet pickup, then checked our bikes into the transition area. Inspiration Dinner with all of the other TNT athletes and their family/friends. And that's it - we're almost there. I'm off to bed, but want to thank all of you for your support again! I leave you with another beautiful sunset picture!

June 8, 2012:

I was up early, mainly due to jet lag. Like 5am early. After trying to go back to sleep for almost an hour. So at about 5:25 I get a text - but my phone isn't reachable. I'm in bed, but I know I won't be getting back to sleep. So I get up and go to my phone. It's from Alisha - "I'm thinking about going for a swim". I text back "Yeah - I'm up too - see you at the beach at 6:15ish". We met up with several people from other TNT chapters, and did a nice, leisurely swim, maybe 600 yards or so. Got a feel for what it's like to swim in the ocean here at the time of the race. Headed back after, showered, and then road my bike to the hardware store to get cable ties to mount my bike computer to my rental bike. All of this before 10:45am. So I decided it was time to relax by the pool for a while, which I did until around 1:15 when it started getting too hot. Came back to the room, took a nap, then met the rest of the flex team to adjust/fit our bikes. Then we met up with a few other chapters from Anchorage, Alaska, Spokane, WA, and Seattle, WA and had pizza for dinner. And that was how my first full day in Maui went.

Tomorrow we're doing the swim again at 6am, then a walk-through of the transition area, then a 6-8 mile bike ride to see the second transition area and learn a bit about the bike and run courses. Then we pick up our race packets between 9:15-10:30, and drop our bikes at the transition area between 1-3pm. Then the TNT Inspiration Dinner at 5:30, and probably off to bed shortly after since we'll be getting up at 4am on race day to grab some breakfast, setup the transition area, and head over to the beach for the start of the race at 6am.

A lot of training and hard work is coming to a conclusion in a couple of days! Thank you all for your support, I couldn't have done this without you!

June 7, 2012:

Mentor Alisha Backus & Me at the beach after picking up our bikes

I left for Maui today, arrived about 3pm local time. Picked up my bag, caught a cab to the hotel, then three of us from the flex chapter caught a cab to the bike shop to pick up our rental bikes. Then a leisurely ride back to the hotel, and then we did a short open water swim in the ocean.

Sunset from South Maui

June 6, 2012:

Well, the time has come - I get on a plane tomorrow to Maui, and my triathlon is on Sunday! But more importantly - I'VE REACHED MY FUNDRAISING GOAL!!!! Thank you SOOOOO much to all of you that donated. So now what? Well, I set a new goal, of course! Donations can still be made until close to the end of June, and 100% of every dollar above my original goal of $5,200 goes directly to fighting blood cancers and improving the lives of blood cancer patients.

I promise to post daily updates from now through Monday of next week, and I'll try to include pictures too!

May 22, 2012:

So *last* Monday I thought I finally learned how to swim. Nope - not even close. I did improve my form, but I was still wrong, wrong, wrong. Last night I finally got it! But it's changed the timing of my breathing, so I'm going to have to learn that all over again!

This morning I set out on what was going to be a 5 mile run. I felt so good about 3 miles in that I decided to make it a full 10K. And that was at 7:15am! Anyone who knew me before would *not* believe that I would be out running 6.2 miles that early in the morning!

Also, I must say that I am absolutely THRILLED with my fundraising results this past week or so. All of you that have donated have blown me away with your generosity!! I was sort of freaking out a couple of weeks ago, and now I really feel like I can do this! And it makes me feel awesome that over 75% of the money goes directly to the efforts to find cures for blood cancers, and to making the lives of those with blood cancers easier and better.

A huge, sincere THANK YOU to all of my donors!!!

And if you haven't donated yet, please, please, please donate. Even a few dollars makes a difference!!!

May 18, 2012:

Another week of training done:

• An hour swimming on Monday, finally learning how to breathe on both sides, and fixing my form and technique.
• Took Tuesday off due to some pain in my left knee - didn't think a 6 mile run would be a very good idea - the last thing I need this close to the race is an injury.
• 2,000 yard open water swim on Wednesday
• 5K run early Thursday morning, and a little over 20 mile bike ride Thursday evening

The race is just over 3 weeks away - it's on June 10th. My fundraising deadline is also just around the corner - May 28th. I'm still not there yet - if you can help by donating, it's GREATLY appreciated!!

May 13, 2012

I've been training with the local LLS Team in Training chapter, the North Texas Triathlon team. Many of them did the Head to the Hills Bike Rally yesterday, and I joined them. Most of us were supposed to do the 41 mile route. Even that length would have been my longest ride ever - in fact, close to doubling my longest ride. But it gets better - due to misdirection from one of the police officers on the course, about 200 of us got routed in the wrong direction, and did over 8 1/2 miles extra near the start of the rally. A little under 3 hours later, I crossed the finish line, having ridden 50 1/4 miles. And it gets even better than that - I actually felt great. Like I could have done another 20 miles. I'm still wrapping my mind around how far I rode - it seems like I just imagined it.

This morning, Mother's Day, I woke up about 8:30, and started mapping out a 20 mile bike route circling around DFW, to be followed by a 5 mile run in a big loop from my apartment. In triathlon circles, this type of workout is called a "brick" workout - when you do two or more types of training back-to-back, and you practice the transition just like you'd do it in a race. You do this to learn what it's really like to bike right after swimming, to run right after biking. The swim to bike transition, while still significant, is usually easier on most people since the swim is upper-body focused, and biking is mostly lower-body focused. The second transition, however, is a bigger deal, since running is also lower-body focused. Basically, your legs feel like jello for the first 10-15 minutes right after biking. My bike ride went well - I averaged 17.5 miles an hour. It was in line with recent workouts - for example in the rally I averaged 18 miles an hour. My run however, didn't go as well. I started out too fast, and burned out about 2 1/2 miles in. In the last 2 1/2 miles, I ended up walking a little over a mile, spread out through the rest of the run. I would have liked it to have gone better, but, I learned from it. I need to *really* focus on keeping my pace extra slow at the start of the run. My original goal was just to finish - now I want to finish without walking any part of the run. In about 3 hours. I'm shooting for less than 40 minutes in the swim, about an hour and a quarter in the run, and I'm hoping to finish the run in less than an hour

I have less than a month before the race. And I'm feeling pretty confident I can accomplish my goals. Thank you all for your support!

May 8, 2010:

Last week was busy - 10K run on Tuesday, 2,150 yards swimming Wednesday night, and on Thursday I did a 5K during the day, and did about 15 1/2 miles on my bike at Texas Motor Speedway that night. Oh - not on the actual track - on the roads surrounding the parking lots - 3 laps at 5 miles each. Right back at it this week - 2,100 yards of swimming last night, and I'm hoping to find a way to get at least a 10K run in today. Open water swim again in Grapevine Lake tomorrow, and then probably about 15-20 miles on my bike on Thursday. Have to take it somewhat easy - doing a 40 mile bike race on Saturday morning!

I know that some of you who know me are like "Who is this athletic guy, and what has he done with Doug?" I find myself thinking the same thing sometimes. I never would have imagined that I'd enjoy these workouts as much as I do. A big part of it is also knowing that I'm supported by so many great friends and family. I love it when I see another donation notification email show up in my inbox! Knowing that not only am I accomplishing a major goal, I'm also helping out a great cause is great inspiration to complete the workouts.

I keep checking to see if the pictures from the Caveman Triathlon are up - I promise to post some of those as soon as I can get them!

April 30, 2012:

Well, my training is progressing well. I was in Pittsburgh at the end of the week last week to attend a couple of fundraising events for my race, and on Friday I completed my longest, non-stop run ever - 7.7 miles. In about 67 minutes. And I can still feel it in my legs...

I did my first actual triathlon on April 22. It was the Caveman Triathlon, which is a sprint triathlon, kinda like a "mini" version of the one I'm doing in June. It was a 275yd swim, which I did in about 6 minutes, followed by a 13 mile bike ride, which I did in about 44 minutes, and then a 5K run, which I did in about 26 minutes, for a total time of about an hour and 21 minutes. It was quite an experience, and I learned a lot.

I also did my first open water swim in Grapevine Lake last week. I was expecting it to be different than the pool, but I have to say, I was not prepared for how different it was. Murky, cold water, the wind blowing in our faces in one direction, and the difficulty of trying to swim in a straight line. Definitely *way* different than being in a pool!

March 10, 2012:

I've been in Buenos Aires for work for the past week, and have another week here. It's been interesting keeping up with my workouts while here - running hasn't been a problem, but I'm stuck on a stationary bike in the fitness center for cycling, and swimming has been the worst. My hotel pool is tiny. Like 10 yards long. So I've been doing upper body strength training and core strengthening exercises instead. Today's training was a 50 minute run. No prescribed distance, just 50 minutes of running. I did over 5 1/2 miles, and was happy that I did in fact keep going the entire time - no stopping, no walking. Tomorrow it's an hour on the stationary bike. Going to take some perseverence to get through that!

March 4, 2012:

Did my second brick workout today - 13.2 miles on the bike, followed immediately by a 2 mile run. Felt pretty good through all of it, but I think I started out too fast on the run. Bike was just over 43 minutes, and run was 16:33, so all 15+ miles in just over an hour. Still feeling really good about the bike & run parts of this. Back to swimming tomorrow evening!

Next month's brick workout is 15 miles bike then 3 mile run...

February 25, 2012:

Today was our first day cycling as a group - and a couple of cycling teams were there as well - so all told, we had about 40 people I think. I did just under 18 1/2 miles in just over an hour, and I could have easily gone farther. I'm very fortunate that while I'm not officially a part of the North Texas Summer Triathlon team, they are letting me train with them, which is huge. I feel like I'm part of two teams - one here, and another more "virtual" one.

(that's me, second from the right - you can't see my full outfit and bike, but man do I look like I have been cycling for years - but it's just that - a look. Buying cool gear can make you look the part!)

I'm really not worried much about the biking and running parts - it's the swim that worries me. But we start team swims every week on Monday, so that will get better. Oh, and I'll also admit that putting all three together back to back is also something I don't think I'm ready for just yet. I'm looking forward to my first "brick" training next weekend, when I'll ride about 12 miles, then immediately run 2 right after. Should be interesting to see how that goes!

February 18, 2012:

This was a big day - we had clinics in the morning about gear - swim gear, running shoes, and all about bikes. Then we headed over to Keller Natatorium and did an hour and a half swimming. First worked on technique, then did about 30-40 minutes of workout. My shoulders and arms are going to be sore tomorrow...

After having lunch with some of the team, I headed over to Bicycles, Inc, and I spent about 2 1/2 hours buying a bike and all of the associated gear, and getting fitted. Bikes are expensive! And I spent almost as much again on shoes, pedals, computer, flat repair tools & tube, bottle holders, bike shorts, a jersey, helmet, and an air pump. Almost fully equipment-ready now - just need some new running shoes, and some swim stuff. This is slowly starting to get more and more real...

February 15, 2012:

Training is picking up - doing something almost every day now. So far this week I did 30 minutes bike on Monday, 30 minutes running on Tuesday, and 35 minutes bike today. Tomorrow will be a 30 minute run, and Saturday is going to be several hours of learning about bikes, shoes, and a swim clinic. I already thought I was in decent shape, but I suspect I'm going to be in the best shape of my life come June.

Thanks again to all of my supporters! Your donations are greatly appreciated! I still have a long way to go both in my training, and in reaching my fundraising goal. If you haven't donated, please consider even a small donation - and you can make it anonymous if you're worried about being compared! Every dollar - literally every dollar - helps immensely!

February 10, 2012:

Tomorrow I have my first team training with the local team in training folks. Looking forward to it - I have rarely run with other people. On an unrelated note, I wanted to pass on a bit of my connection with cancer, and in particular with blood cancer. I have various relatives that have had cancer. I should point out that I didn't know about all this until family members started bringing it up when I contacted them about my efforts for this cause. Notably:

• My grandmother on my Dad's side had uterine cancer.
• My Aunt Bonnie, who was my Dad's sister, died of ovarian cancer.
• One of my great-grandmothers died from cancer.
• My grandfather on my Dad's side had lymphoma, which likely contributed to his death.

So I have personal connections behind my decision to work for this cause. And I've met more since starting on this journey. I hope that many of you are able to support me through your donations - every little bit helps!

February 3, 2012:

Went for a 5K run today, and was struggling a bit at a few points. Started thinking about the cause, and the fact that people are supporting me in this effort. Helped me push through and keep going. Tomorrow morning is the big LLS Team in Training Kickoff Event. Looking forward to it!

January 31, 2012:

Back in April 2011 I started running again on a regular basis. For the first time in over 25 years. Since then I've done several 5K's, and some longer mud runs. I thought a half marathon might be a possibility someday. Now I've found a way to take this part of my life and create some good. Contribute to a cause. And accomplish something I never, ever would have imagined I could do.

A friend of mine told me that she was planning on doing a triathlon this summer. After hearing the details, I was intrigued. But it was a triathlon. No way I could do that! Heck, a marathon seemed completely out of reach. Then I found out that this triathlon is "Olympic distance". 1500 meter swim, 40K bike ride, 10K run. Suddenly it seemed possible, if I trained right. And if I can inspire people to support me in this cause because I'm attempting something that even I think is crazy, then I'm in. Let's do this!

My friend also told me she's doing this triathlon in support of The Leukemia and Lymphoma Society (LLS). I realized this very worthy cause would be just the additional motivation I would need to actually succeed in this crazy goal!

Thanks for the inspiration A.B. :-)