Let the countdown begin...

Not that I am rubbing it in or anything, but we only have 14 days left until we leave for our Hawaiian vacation! Both Dan and I are seriously overdue for some R&R, so we can’t help but count the days! We’ll have 3 days in Honolulu to tour Pearl Harbor, the Pineapple Plantation, Diamond Head, and other Oahu sites. Then we board the cruise ship for a 7 day inter-island cruise. Needless to say, we can’t wait!

We have had a busy end to our summer. We went to my cousin’s wedding on 8/18/07. Congratulations to Susie and Ray! Sue, you looked like a princess! Last weekend, our friends Liz & Brandon came to visit along with their 15 month old son, Luke. Luke loved our dog, Ben. And Ben was SO patient with Luke—it was adorable.

We also practiced last Saturday in the heat & humidity (104 degree heat index). I swear, I lost about 8 gallons of sweat. I have been doing well with the walk/run, though. Right now, I am on a 6/1 cycle, and it’s been going well. As my cardiovascular endurance improves, it will become easier still, and I can decrease the interval. My hope is to get to a 4-5/1 or 8/2 interval by race day. I felt less like I was going to die at this week’s practice, so that’s encouraging!

Truth be told, I haven’t been very good about training lately. I have just been so tired these past couple of weeks that it’s been hard to peel myself out of bed in the morning. Between all our running around, and stress at work, I don’t think I am sleeping properly when I get to bed. Tomorrow is my day off, so I am turning over a new leaf. I know I need to work hard to be successful. I even plan on training when we are away on vacation—I look forward to telling you all about pounding the pavement in paradise!

In fundraising news, I am proud to let you all know that I will officially be walking in honor of Noelle Naylor. Noelle may be familiar to you, since I have mentioned her in previous posts. Noelle has been battling Leukemia for most of her short life. Shortly after her third birthday in April, she received her 2nd stem cell transplant at DUKE. A few weeks ago, we learned that Noelle had relapsed again, and her parents were told that there were few treatment options left. They made the decision to return home to Wisconsin and enjoy whatever time they have left with their family. Last week, they went to Disney World, and had a wonderful time!

According to Dave’s (her dad) last post, Noelle’s doctor in Wisconsin has not given up hope, either. There is a possibility of starting some medications that are in clinical trials right now. We are all praying for Noelle’s miracle! Here is the link to Noelle's family's website: http://www.caringbridge.org/wi/noelle/index.htm

Through the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society’s Team In Training, I will be raising money in honor of Noelle Naylor. I want to help local families like hers in this time of need. I want to fund research in the hopes of finding miracles, and finding a cure. You can help! The link to the donation site will be set up very soon, so make your contribution to finding a cure!

No Gazelles were harmed during this week's training

We had a great kick off party for Team in Training the other night (pictures coming soon). One of our team heroes for the season, Dave, came to tell us his story of fighting cancer. Thanks to research funded in part by team in training, Dave was put on a pill called Glivac that put him into remission and saved his life. He has a big TNT banner that he has everyone on the team sign each season. It was really cool to see all the signatures—I was (barely) able to find some blank space to sign our names. But, after all, you’re not an official team member until you sign the banner!

Dan and I celebrated our 5th wedding anniversary this weekend IN STYLE! We stayed at The Four Seasons in Philadelphia. IT WAS SO NICE! (Really, we wanted to move in.) And the location worked out great—we had practice at Kelly Drive on Saturday morning, so we just walked the mile from the hotel to the art museum. The weather was PERFECT! There was a nice breeze early in the morning, and even though it warmed up during the day, there was zero humidity. It actually reminded me of the weather on our wedding day (thanks again, Grandma Burke!).

The first practice of the season was so much different than our first practice from last season. Not only were we wearing far fewer layers than in January, but I was so much more EXCITED than last time. The first time around, everything is so new, and you have so many self doubts that the fear kind of limits how much you enjoy yourself. Don’t get me wrong, I had a GREAT experience during training for San Diego. But now that the “fear factor” is gone, it’s ten times better!

Our assistant coach, Linda caught up with me at around the ¼ mile mark. “I was just checking to see if you still wanted to try the walk/run on for size,” she said. So we did. For the first cycle, we walked 4 minutes and ran for 1. (Let’s all keep in mind that this is pretty much the first time I have run longer than 7 seconds in a row since the sixth grade.) All in all, the first cycle wasn’t too bad. Then we hit the second cycle. I thought my chest was going to explode, and my legs were going to fall off. (We did pass several people, which probably was FAR more exciting for me than it should have been.) The next cycle, I think we stretched it out to 6 or 7 minutes and ran for 1. We finished the 3 miles at a 16:30 pace! For non-marathoners, trust me, this is awesome for me! I finished San Diego (albeit injured) at about a 19 minute pace. If I keep this up, I really will complete Disney within the time constraints! I am so proud of myself!

Linda and I were laughing about the other runners out on the Drive. Why is it that we were surrounded by all these graceful and effortless gazelles with perfect ponytails, who barely looked like they were breathing hard?? There I was, red-faced, dripping in sweat, and lumbering along like a water buffalo! Oh, how I want to be a gazelle!

This week, I took special satisfaction in being able to cheer our new teammates on! Because, even though the fear is gone, I remember it well. I remember finishing dead last at every practice and feeling like a complete doofus! So, to all those teammates who have stumbled on this journal, I encourage you to read my first entries. Trust me when I tell you that, if you listen to your coaches and put in the time, YOU WILL DO THIS! Look at how far you can come! “You can do 26.2!” “Havin’ fun with 13.1!”

Dear Reader, I need to end this entry on a sad note. My friends Matt & Cari got to know a family, whose daughter Noelle has leukemia. Noelle has gone through 2 stem cell transplants. Last week, they received the terrible news that Noelle has relapsed again. Their treatment options are all but exhausted, so the family has decided to end the torture of chemotherapy, and spend whatever time they have left enjoying their family. They spent some time last week at the beach, and next week will fly off to Disney World to have some much deserved fun.

I included this somber note to remind us all why organizations like Team In Training are so important. Someday, I want to train to celebrate THE END of diseases like leukemia. Naylor family, we’ve never met. But there are hundreds of perfect strangers all over the US and Canada (and especially here in PA) that are walking, running, and cycling for a cure. We will never give up hoping and praying for Noelle. We believe in miracles. One mile at a time.

~Sara

Just Call Me Dorothy

"I'M MELTING! I'M MELTING! Oh, What a world! What a world!" ~The Wicked Witch of the West, from The Wizard of Oz

So anyone that is in the area knows that it's been a little warm here lately. Today's heat index is 105 degrees! Ugghh! And let's not even start on the humidity. It's the kind of weather that in the morning when you go outside, you just can't breathe because it's so oppressive.

I'd like to claim that I've been too hot to blog, and that's why it's been so long since you, dear reader, had a glimpse of my musings, but I'd be lying. I've just been plain old busy-- at work, with friends visiting us on the weekends, and with TNT events during the week.

We are looking forward to our area kickoff this Thursday night. It will be a fun night with new members and old, coaches, mentors and honored team heroes. Dan and I are really looking forward to meeting our new teammates! It should be a great night.

Last night, we were over at TNT Central to help with "Call Night". This is when we all make follow up phone calls to folks that signed up for information meetings, but either were unable to attend or attended but did not register for an event. It meant alot of messages on answering machines, but it's a great way to keep people connected and help them become involved in this fantastic experience! There were about 6 of us, so the calls went pretty quickly.

We are also excited about our first team practice this Saturday. What a difference from our very first TNT practice in January. Instead of being too cold, I think we will be too hot! Dan and I will actually be staying in Philadelphia this weekend to celebrate our 5th wedding anniversary. (AAWW!) We will go to practice in the morning on Saturday and then we have tickets to see the King Tut exhibit at the museum. We're having a nice dinner out on Saturday night, and then it's back to our "real life" on Sunday. It will be nice to "get away", without really going "away"!

Thanks for checking in, as usual. As the season gets going, I am sure we'll have plenty of funny stories and pictures. But let's all remember the reason for Team in Training to begin with. We're helping to find a cure for blood cancers, one race at a time! I should have the links up for donations soon. This season, my goal is 3000$! Please help me get there if you can!

GO TEAM!
~Sara