All this time, our blogs have been focusing on ourselves as we prepare for our race in Lake Placid in July 2008. We have written about who we are, why we are doing this webumentary and many of the important milestones that we have accomplished along the way. During some of our long runs and bike rides, Chris and I have had a chance to reflect and we have recounted some of the more amazing things that have happened to us. It truly has given us a sense of pride and a wonderful feeling of accomplishment.
But, in those same conversations, we are quick to point out that there are others in our community doing just as remarkable things in their own right. I am so fortunate to be affiliated with such a group and I want to share their story. They are all my heroes for what they have done and will be doing in the month of June. Let me tell you about this team.
As I have mentioned, I have been fortunate to be a marathon and half marathon coach this season for the Team In Training group out of Yorba Linda. My team of runners and walkers started their journey 17 weeks ago in February. They came to Team In Training with all different backgrounds and all different shapes and sizes. They came to do the training necessary to cross the finish line of a marathon or a half marathon scheduled in June.
Most of our team had never done anything physically like this before. Most thought only elite athletes or crazy people ever did a race this long. But, lucky for TNT, they decided to take a chance and do something their family and friends thought impossible. Besides the miles and miles of training, they would also be asked to fundraise for the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society. The funds they would raise would go to LLS to help the organization continue to fund research so that someday a cure for blood cancer may be found. The heart to give back to society and the tenacity to accomplish something this grueling physically clearly set these every day athletes apart from the crowd.
So for 17 weeks they progressed from a short 30 minutes of running or walking the first week to their longest day where they ran or walked from Yorba Linda to Huntington Beach, covering slightly over 20 miles. To make this happen, each of them made the commitment to add training to their already busy lives. And, if that weren’t enough, they went on a mission of asking their family and friends to support them in their quest by donating money to The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society. Each of them personally committed to raising nearly $3,000. Seems impossible, but, not to this team!
Who were these people that would commit to putting their bodies through such rigorous training as well as raising funds through their own personal fundraising campaigns? Our team truly mirrored our community. We had family members such as, a mother and her daughters, as well as groups of sisters. We had the youngsters who were fun and fast. We had husbands and wives, and athletes representing the baby boomers. They came together as one team, with one very important goal, raise money to find a cure for cancer.
So, you can see why these are my heroes. This team not only will have a chance to showcase their amazing fitness prowess in the month of June, but they have collectively raised over $115,000 for the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society. That is not a misprint. It is absolutely amazing!
So in the month of June, when all of you are enjoying your normal Sunday routines, I ask you to think of this team. Say a good luck mantra for our group of 37 athletes. They set goals for themselves and have individually accomplished them all. They have made staying physically fit an important part of their lives and they are helping to save lives through their fundraising efforts. And, someday, when a cure for cancer is finally found, these athletes will be able to say with pride, - I did my share in helping to fund the research that brought these terrible diseases to an end.- That is why they are my heroes! I wish them all the best race possible.
Saturday, May 24, 2008
Wednesday, May 21, 2008
We are Back.... Weekly Update 5/19/08
For those of you that have been visiting our website looking for weekly updates, let me be the first to apologize to you. Chris and I are realizing how difficult it is trying to hold down full time jobs, train for this event, fundraise for LLS, coach on Saturdays’ for Team In Training, and still maintain our all important family relationships. We are being pulled in every direction.
Suffice to say, our training has been going along with only a few hitches. Luckily, nothing serious that some rest, Ibuprofen and Bio Freeze can’t resolve. We are in week 17 of the 26 week program. The countdown has begun. Our training time has exponentially increased since our last recovery week. We are training an average of 2.5 hours during the week and the weekend bike rides have hit 4 plus hours.
This week, we will be swimming three days covering 3,200 to 3,400 yards per workout. Our running frequency has increased to 5 days per week. Some are only 30 minutes long following a swim or bike ride but our long run planned for Thursday will be 16 miles. I still don’t know how we do our long runs and then go to work for a full day. Mid- day forces us to decide between eating lunch or taking a short nap. I try to get both done over my hour break.
We are riding 3 days per week as well. Our Tuesday ride of 1.5 hours is on a stationary bike that drives our heart rates through the roof. Friday is our fast interval ride of 3.5 hours. During the ride we will put in 20 minutes at race pace followed by a short 5 minute recovery before repeating over and over again. We end the week with our Sunday long ride. For the past 5 weeks, we have been driving to Glendora, Ca to ride 44 miles into the mountains to Mount Baldy. It is all climbing to the ski resort for the first 22 miles. The ride back to our cars is very fast as it is all down hill. Last Sunday, we varied our routine and rode from Yorba Regional Park, over Santiago Highway, down El Toro Road to Laguna Beach, up PCH to Huntington Beach and back the final 21 miles on the river trail. It was 74 miles start to finish. Sorry for those of you not familiar with the area but it is a mix of fast flats and lots of big hills. We were pleased with our average of 18.5 miles per hour for the 4 hours. We are both faster on our bikes than our last Ironman.
We have visited our middle school kids with the ‘Adopt an Athlete’ program a couple of times. The last visit we discussed running technique and equipment then we ran with the kids. They are doing great in fulfilling their personal goals. One student has reported losing 9 pounds by making healthier food choices. Another student wanting to improve his mile time from 8 minutes to 7:30 per mile was recently timed by Ms. Kato at 7:00 per mile. How exciting it is for us to see these students working hard to achieve their own ‘Ironman’ goals.
Well, time to get to bed so that I am not dragging during my workout tomorrow. Again, thanks for checking in with us and we will try to do a better job of keeping you informed as we come down to the final few weeks.
Suffice to say, our training has been going along with only a few hitches. Luckily, nothing serious that some rest, Ibuprofen and Bio Freeze can’t resolve. We are in week 17 of the 26 week program. The countdown has begun. Our training time has exponentially increased since our last recovery week. We are training an average of 2.5 hours during the week and the weekend bike rides have hit 4 plus hours.
This week, we will be swimming three days covering 3,200 to 3,400 yards per workout. Our running frequency has increased to 5 days per week. Some are only 30 minutes long following a swim or bike ride but our long run planned for Thursday will be 16 miles. I still don’t know how we do our long runs and then go to work for a full day. Mid- day forces us to decide between eating lunch or taking a short nap. I try to get both done over my hour break.
We are riding 3 days per week as well. Our Tuesday ride of 1.5 hours is on a stationary bike that drives our heart rates through the roof. Friday is our fast interval ride of 3.5 hours. During the ride we will put in 20 minutes at race pace followed by a short 5 minute recovery before repeating over and over again. We end the week with our Sunday long ride. For the past 5 weeks, we have been driving to Glendora, Ca to ride 44 miles into the mountains to Mount Baldy. It is all climbing to the ski resort for the first 22 miles. The ride back to our cars is very fast as it is all down hill. Last Sunday, we varied our routine and rode from Yorba Regional Park, over Santiago Highway, down El Toro Road to Laguna Beach, up PCH to Huntington Beach and back the final 21 miles on the river trail. It was 74 miles start to finish. Sorry for those of you not familiar with the area but it is a mix of fast flats and lots of big hills. We were pleased with our average of 18.5 miles per hour for the 4 hours. We are both faster on our bikes than our last Ironman.
We have visited our middle school kids with the ‘Adopt an Athlete’ program a couple of times. The last visit we discussed running technique and equipment then we ran with the kids. They are doing great in fulfilling their personal goals. One student has reported losing 9 pounds by making healthier food choices. Another student wanting to improve his mile time from 8 minutes to 7:30 per mile was recently timed by Ms. Kato at 7:00 per mile. How exciting it is for us to see these students working hard to achieve their own ‘Ironman’ goals.
Well, time to get to bed so that I am not dragging during my workout tomorrow. Again, thanks for checking in with us and we will try to do a better job of keeping you informed as we come down to the final few weeks.
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