More Inspirational reading

My friend Chris sent me this link today about a woman who won a lottery spot to do the Ironman World Championships in Kona, Hawaii. She started doing triathlons for her youngest son with Leukemia. Of course... I cried after reading it, but its a "feel good" story. Read on....

Legislation update...

OK... apparently sending thousands of emails to your representatives actually works! Here's the lastest message from the LAF regarding the bills to be put to vote on November 6, 2007 here in Texas:

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TEXAS VICTORY

What a proud moment for Texas. And we have YOU to thank for it. During the past weeks the citizens of Texas sent a loud and clear message to their elected officials prompting the Texas Cancer Initiative (House Joint Resolution 90 and its companion bill, House Bill 14) to pass through the Texas House and Senate.

While I am proud of what we have accomplished thus far, we must now set our sights on the public vote. Over the course of the next 6 months we will have a tremendous opportunity to unite the citizens of the Lone Star state to make Texas a worldwide leader in the fight against cancer. The November 6th vote will offer Texans an opportunity to approve $3 billion in general obligation bonds that would provide $300 million a year for cancer research and programs.
If passed by the voters, the money will go to the newly established Cancer Prevention and Research Institute of Texas which would fund research to prevent, detect and treat cancer, while also expanding important cancer prevention, early detection and control programs funded by the Texas Cancer Council.

To stay updated on this effort and take the fight to the national stage, join the LIVESTRONG Army today.

LIVESTRONG,
Lance Armstrong
LIVESTRONG Army

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Being overly emotional?

It has been a week since my last long post. I have wanted to put something down on paper, but unfortunately, my thoughts have been all over the place. There really has been no set subject that I have wanted to discuss either, there have been many. How do I compile all that random thinking into a blog entry? Well... I have started taking notes, sounds silly I guess, but it has been helping. One thing in particular that I want to touch on is how much the media bombards us with sadness. Maybe I’m overly sensitive. I do seem to cry easily, but then again I am a woman and I think that is embedded in our genetic code. Ha Anyway, let me start here... I was watching ESPN a couple weeks ago. They frequently show programs about athlete’s personal lives and personal “struggles” etc etc. They play moving dramatic music, and have interviews and show pictures on and on and on. During this particular spot, ESPN was interviewing Los Angeles Lakers forward, Lamar Odom about his losses and his ability to move on and continue to play basketball. I knew this was going to be a tear jerker, I should have turned it off, but I think sometimes I’m a glutton for punishment. The program came right out and mentioned that he lost his mother to cancer at a young age (I got teary of course...), then went on to really drive it home by mentioning his latest tragedy, he lost his 6 ½ month old son to sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS). I completely lost composure! I walked into my kitchen sobbing looking for a tissue and cursing myself for crying yet again over ESPN’s documentary style reporting. I was thinking to myself that I’m a complete retard for letting my emotions get the best of me again.

Over the last year hearing or seeing anything cancer related has stirred up the ‘ol emotions, even the reference to the astrological sign. I have seen billboards advertising money for those with Stage 4 Cancer to do experimental treatments. Billboards! I start crying over those too. There are always programs on TV, or commercials advertising the best in treatment at this or that facility. If you search cancer online, there are millions of hits. I’m not sure if I’m overly sensitive or I’m just more in tune to the realities of this disease. Here are some statistics... on average 1 in 4 deaths in the U.S. are from cancer. That’s about 1500 people per day that die. I saw a projection in a medical article that about 559,000 people will pass this year in the States alone, because of cancer. Cancer is the second leading cause of death in the U.S. behind heart disease. I maybe emotional for personal reasons, but the cancer issue in this country should make everyone emotional.

RIP Pinkerton!

My old friend's dalmation passed away this past Friday. I loved that dog!!!




Above: Pink the dalmation with my old dog Camden in 2001.

Training update

I haven't written that much over the last week or so, but I have been training. I took Thursday and Friday off last week because I did more hill sprints on Wednesday evening at Hermann Park. Saturday I didn't ride and went to do a leg workout instead. Squats and other blissful leg exercises prevented me from walking normal on Sunday morning! hahahahaha In fact, I wasn't walking normal on Monday morning either. Oh well... here's what was done and what is planned for this week: Monday, spin class with the bulldog... (only 45 minutes, had to leave early to meet people out for dinner); Tuesday, another lifting day, back and shoulders this time, with other core strengthening exercises mixed in there. Tonight we are headed to the Park again for cardio and sprints. Thursday I think I'll do another light lifting day, and maybe run on the treadmill. Friday... no way... I'm off on Friday nights. Well... maybe I'll swim a few hundred yards at the pool, but nothing too exciting. That's all for now... I don't want to think about this weekend too much because I have too many things to do that involve eating and drinking. Memorial day weekend after all... might as well enjoy as much as I can. Bye for now... quick reminder... DONATE DONATE DONATE... I'm putting myself through all this for a good cause!

Making your voice heard!!

The LAF sends out frequent emails regarding getting involved with the local Texas government. The organization as a whole keeps in front of our policy makers nationwide to make them aware of how important it is to find ways to treat and prevent cancer, and to enhance the lives of those living with cancer. I got an email today that reminded me that I should start posting these emails... I'm going to try and do my part in spreading the word... I have tried to include the links that will take you to the form letters to send to the local Texas delegates. If you would like to get the regular emails from the LAF, then you can just go to the website and sign up. www.livestrong.org


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We've come too far to stop now!


Dear Andrea :


Last week, advocates just like you flooded the Texas Senate with emails and demanded change in the way our state deals with cancer. I'm proud to say that they heard you, and the bills passed out of the Senate Finance Committee Friday night with a unanimous vote! Thank you for your help, but we're not done yet. I need you to do it again. Please send one last message to your State Senator to make sure the Senate passes this bill with equal support this week.

This critical legislation will allow Texas to invest three billion dollars over the next ten years for cutting edge cancer research and programs. The bills are now on their way to the floor of the Senate and you have one more opportunity to tell your elected officials how you feel about this legislation. Most importantly, share your story with them; tell them why investing in cancer prevention and research means so much to you. Send a message to your State Senator TODAY.

I was at the Senate Finance Committee meeting late Friday night to testify to make sure that the voices of survivors were heard. You can find a link to my testimony at the May 19 Senate Finance Committee here. (The committee meeting was an hour and a half, if you fast forward to 40 minutes you'll see my testimony)

I talked about how we're not doing enough to battle cancer, we've come a long way, but we're not there yet. The system is broken, and we have a unique opportunity to fix it here in our own state. We have a chance to make Texas a global leader in fighting cancer.

I really feel that the fight against cancer is at a tipping point in Texas. The first step is to get this passed out of the Senate and signed by the Governor. Then we have to make our case to the people of Texas. I'm in this for the long haul, I'm ready for the fight and I hope you'll join me. If you haven't yet, send a message to your State Senator.

LIVESTRONG,

Lance Armstrong
LIVESTRONG Army


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Training update and other bits....

I have had two great evenings of workouts the past couple of days. Also, I have had many people comment to me more and more about the blog itself. So, I thought I would elaborate on both.

First the comments...

I have to say, I have been getting some very positive feedback from those of you who have actually bothered to comment. Thank you thank you thank you. It’s nice to know that my comments and the method by which I’m delivering them are well received. I have by one person been asked for more pictures. To be honest, I’m not quite sure why... but I will do my best to accommodate. I hope that all those who are reading this consistently will help support my effort to raise the $10k. So don’t forget ... donate, donate, donate..... :)

Alright now for the rest, the exercise update. Monday, spin class with Ashley. I have to say that was one of the best spin classes she has come out with. The music was great and the workout itself was an ass kicker! In fact, I think she kicked her own butt because she was breathing just as hard as the rest of us. I maintained average heart rate of 154bpm over 56 minutes, and burned approximately 560 calories. I love those classes... its hard to beat the amount of work you put out in such a short period of time. There’s no bullshit, you get straight to the point! Tuesday was a lifting day. I warmed up with 10 minutes on the elliptical machine, and then did back, shoulders, and biceps. I’m well on my way to being able to do a pull ups without the assistance of the ‘gravitron’. I think if I lost more weight it would help tremendously as well, but that will come in time. My cool down was an easy 5 minute walk on the treadmill.

If you have ever seen the movie Legally Blonde there’s a scene in there where Reese Witherspoon’s character is describing how exercise makes you happy. I love that scene; she says something along the lines of how exercise releases endorphins that make you happy. Amen sister! I always feel good and happy and surprisingly more awake after a good workout. It’s one of the best methods of mental therapy known to man. If only more people would be open to the idea of more exercise.

Losing a Parent

My friend Rhonda's father has multiple sclerosis. She and I were talking on Friday night about the fear of losing a parent, and her father's continuing struggle. We were sitting at Minute Maid Park of all places when the conversation started. I'm usually so into a baseball game that my attention never turns toward anything else, but I could easily see the fear and grief in her eyes when she was talking, it pained me and I lost all interest in the game. I have been thinking a lot about how scared Rhonda looked Friday when we were talking. Only word of advice that I could really give her was to make the most of what time she has with her father.

The day my mother called to tell me she had cancer was April 10, 2006. I remember having that same feeling that Rhonda seems to have, an overwhelming fear of the future and the unknown. I remember thinking to myself, "how much time does she have left; will she get through this; how much fight does she have in her; how am I going to take care of her; what's going to happen; what's going to happen; what's going to happen..... ?" What happened was I did what I could in the very short time she had left. We had long conversations on the phone and she told me what she was going through and how she was feeling. I think I provided her with a sounding board. As unbelievable as this may sound, she took everything so well. Her strength is what kept me sane.

After stewing over this for a few days now and trying to think exactly how I wanted to finish this entry, ultimately I came to this conclusion, and I have finally put a finger on that feeling that I have tried so long to describe in words, that ‘unknown’. I think when one comes to a point in their life when they face losing a parent, what you really face is losing that sense of security, and that feeling of unconditional love. Half of my physiological security blanket was ripped from me the day she died. She was always there for me no matter what the issue was or how utterly stupid my actions were. I hold now to my father, that other half of the “security blanket” like there’s no tomorrow. Your parents are you’re only connection to those days of innocence and pure bliss when you were a kid. I am very fortunate to have been able to grow up in a loving family with parents that went the extra mile for my brother and me. They have given me the tools necessary to go out in the world. They knew when to let out the leash a little bit and knew when to let me off the leash all together. A parent’s unconditional love for their child gives that child security, regardless of how old that child becomes. I miss that from my mother, and I'm sure all those that have lost a parent feel the same. But, all and all, it’s ok to let go of that security blanket, even if it’s just a little bit at a time. It’s a way of growing and a natural progression in life. I feel better, I’m healing.

Weekend Training!

Alright, I did ride this weekend, but it was slow going. I haven't been on my bike in 3 weeks, and it showed. I only rode 25 miles, a very slow 25 miles. I averaged about 16-17 mph for the time I was out on Sunday morning. It was hot, and I was probably still feeling the effects of too much indulgence on Friday night at the Astro's game. Otherwise, that's about it for this weekend.

Jim and I rode with our good friend Gomez. He's really the one that got me into cycling. What an inspiration this man is to everyone around him. He's lost about 60 lbs over the last couple years by doing it the correct, healthy way; lots of exercise and eating right! LOVE HIM! Oh... and he does triathlons too...

Tonight, spin class with Ashley. She's and amazing instructor, and I'm sure she will kick my tail if yesterday was any indication of my physical abilities right now.

(Gomez and I at the MS150 - Bike to the Beach, San Antonio to Corpus Christi, October 2005)

Texas Rain

I love Texas thunder storms! The cooling breeze, the light show, the noise, and the smell of the rain, it's all just completely amazing. When I lived in the northeast growing up, we would only get rains like ones last night in the middle of the summer when it was super hot. Down here, its a regular occurrence. Well... Its super hot most of the year here in Houston, and we are relatively close to a large body of warm water.

I was sitting on my patio last night, enjoying my newly sodded back yard, with beer in hand just looking up at the sky watching the incredible lightening show. It went on for quite a while before it decided to let loose and completely soak my little green footprint. It's nights like last night that make me so happy to be healthy and able to enjoy nature. I get a similar feeling when I'm out on my bicycle riding for miles on some back country Texas road, looking at bluebonnets in the spring, going through the hills of central Texas, and watching beautiful birds fly by or perch on a fence post. It's just an all around good feeling.

What adds to this feeling is riding with purpose! I'm riding this summer for a cure for cancer. I'm riding to better the lives of people living with cancer. I'm riding in memory of my mother, uncle, aunt and all those who have lost their lives to cancer. I'm riding to raise money and raise awareness of this disease. I need support and donations to fall on me like the Texas rain falls in my back yard. I need to be flooded... support the cause, fight cancer.

Running night

Last night's exercise was sprint training. I don't know how many people truly like to run, I know I don't, but this was pretty fun. Jim and I took the boxer to Hermann park and sprinted up the hill over by the outdoor theater. Great for glutes, hamstring, and calf strength. Sprinting is a relative term I guess, all depends on the person. One thing is for sure, I'm good for endurance, but speed... forget it! Jim was up the hill and ready to jog back down as I was about half way there to the top. ARGGGGGGGGGG! Oh well, I know it will only make me stronger and faster by doing these regularly. Jim swears by them. The dog on the other had was pulling me up the hill for about half of the time. The other half of the time he decided he was done and I had to pull him up the rest of the way. After he decided he wanted to sit in the middle of one, Jim and I had to trade off so his lazy ass could sit there, wag his little nub of a tail and greet us with slimy lick when we reached the bottom.

We did 12 of these "sprints" over about 15-20 minutes, and then walked and lightly jogged for about another 40 minutes. I maintained an average heart rate over that time of about 135 bpm, burned approximately 355 calories, and generally felt plenty good. All the statistics were as per my trusty-dusty heart rate monitor of course.

Another part of the evening was a romp around the playground. I love playgrounds! I can never imagine how, when I was little, I swung like an ape from different parts of the contraption. I never realized how much back strength it took to hang from "monkey-bars" and make my way across. This just makes me realize that when I was little, pound for pound, I was a little machine. Now a days.. no way, how embarrassing! I need to work on my core strength too I guess. I would like to be able to do a couple of pull-ups without the assistance of someone pushing up on my knees or the "gravitron" at the gym that counteracts my weight.

OH... I got my first official donation today from my friend and colleague, Mason Cardwell. Thanks Mason for the $250 donation!!!!

Another thing, I have added a links section to the blog. I have a few cancer blogs and a website from the Discovery Channel that allows people to post a quick blurb about their connections to cancer. Check it out... I will add to the collage too, but I want to dig through my pictures and get some of my mom when she was younger and my brother and I were little.

That's all for now....

Training...

I haven't been on my bike since the MS 150 over the weekend of April 21-22. I have seriously slacked! The week of being away visiting my family didn't help either. I ate too much and drink too many beers. Not good for someone that wants to complete a 100 mile ride in the hills around Austin, Tx. The only form of exercise I experienced while away was golf, and frankly that doesn't count when you're riding in a cart. I have to admit, I was pleased with how I played. I gage my performance by they number of balls I lose on the course. For 3 1/2 rounds I lost only 3 balls. That's monumental! I will not admit to my score, but for those of you who know me well and have seen me play... well... you know what my score probably was. Although content with my golfing over the last week, I think the most important thing right now is to concentrate on my cycling and strength training.

Even since I have been back home I haven't even been to the gym. The drive is definitely there, mentally, but the physical part hasn't been. Monday night... sloth, Tuesday night... sloth while shopping for groceries, and well last night wasn't any better even though I did mow the lawn. (I'm not sure you can count that either) This weekend I'm due for a ride. Maybe I'll do an easy 30 or 40 miles on Saturday morning.

I have decided also... that my blog has been very depressing as of the last couple of entries. Too much talking about death, and not enough on keep the hope alive for helping those living with cancer. I need to be more positive in my approach toward this whole task. Also, I need to start hitting the fundraising hard as well. I have a long way to go before reaching the $10000 goal. That's a lot of money to raise.

That's it for now... don't forget to donate!

Wenche Trondsen 1947 ~ 2007

Another was lost last week. I was just informed that a fellow Aggie and friend, Diana Trondsen lost her mother to Pancreatic Cancer on Wednesday, May 2. This will continue until more is done to combat this disease. My prayers go out to Diana and her family, deepest sympathies to you all.

Following is her obituary:

"WENCHE TRONDSEN 1947 ~ 2007
Beloved wife and devoted mother, WENCHE TRONDSEN, 60, passed away peacefully at home in Nassau Bay, Texas on Wednesday, May 2, 2007. Wenche was born, March 3, 1947, in Tønsberg Norway. She married the love of her life, Eigil, in 1967 and they moved to the United States in 1973. After teaching herself English, Wenche established her own business in 1985. She was loved by all who knew her; friends, staff, and especially her family. Wenche battled pancreatic cancer with courage and strength of spirit that set her apart in her personal and professional life. She is survived by her loving husband, Eigil, two devoted daughters, Tone and Hege Diana, and her brother, Tom Kongelf, and his family in Norway. A memorial service will be held on Thursday, May 10, 2007, at 6:30 p.m. at the Norwegian Seaman's Church on 4309 Young Street, Pasadena, Texas 77504, (281) 998-8366. In lieu of flowers, the family suggests contributions to pancreatic cancer research; The Methodist Hospital Foundation, Post Office Box 4384, Houston, Texas 77210-4384."

Over the hump....

OK, Saturday was a day of mixed emotions. Started the day at my Uncle's house after a night out in Baltimore watching the Orioles beat the Indians! We sat in the kitchen, drank too much coffee and talked about remodeling homes and my inability to be "handy." I believe the handy thing will come in time though.... Dad came to pick up Jim and I and we went to play a very slow 9 holes of golf! I'll elaborate on my golfing later. During the golf I noticed I was thinking about Mom a lot and caught myself staring off into space quite a few times.

I think I have finally accepted her death, but not sure I am comfortable just yet with the whole deal. Its been a year, hard to comprehend the speed in which time goes past us when we carry on regular living. I think that's all that can be done really... just carry on as usual. Much to my dismay, I can't turn back time and bring her back or fix what happened.

One day last week I asked my father how long he thought she had been sick without knowing. He said it would be hard to tell. My mother was very stubborn when it comes to health issues. She hated going to the doctor, no matter how she felt. She would always just suffer through whatever pain she was feeling. Ah... there I go again... thinking about how if I just would have encouraged her more to get regular check ups, maybe this would have been conquered.

I have gone off on a tangent... I need to finish my story of how my Saturday went.... After golf, we to the grocery store to get some staples for the "cookout" we were to have later that evening back at my Uncle's house. I emphasize "cookout" that way because that's what the intention was, but it was too cold to actually spend any reasonable amount of time outside. I was going to make a big batch of guacamole. My Nana loves my guacamole. Now, we are a family of Irish/German decent, guacamole to us used to be that ugly green goop that you would see in a can in the grocery store. I learned to make it after living in Texas over several years, and now everyone is a guacamole convert! YIPPEE... So, the grocery store trip was spent combing the isles of a "Yankee" grocery store for the fresh ingredients of my Nana's favorite green goop. Oh, I bought strawberries too... needed to make dessert later.

Once we got back to my Uncle's house the cooking lesson began. I really enjoy cooking and sharing with others tips and recipes. I think this passion for cooking comes from growing up in a family that cooked nearly every day! I used to help mom a lot in the kitchen, but mostly just got in the way and ate out of the pans before dinner was ready. I was just "testing", really... I realized as Patty and Nana were there watching me assemble the various ingredients, and Dad was taking seeds out of the tomatoes, that I was surrounded by the people I loved the most in this world. Although I fought back tears most of the day, I felt like the luckiest person on the face of the planet. That happy feeling was in some way complementary to the emptiness I was experiencing as well. On the one year anniversary of my mothers death, I could not have been in a more comforting atmosphere.

I left the next day and when Jim and I finally got home after picking up the dogs and fighting our way through the baggage claim, I watched Koppel on Discovery: Living with Cancer program on the Discovery channel. I cried a lot. But, after listening to the panel of Lance Armstrong, Elizabeth Edwards, and Leroy Sievers, I took yet another perspective of the disease. Another one, of a list of many ideas I have about cancer. My thoughts on that program are another post in itself. But, Ted Koppel summed up the show by saying that life itself is terminal. Its what we do with the time that we are given that moves and shapes the world and those around us. I'm sure I'm butchering what he meant to say, and I would love to quote him on this blog if only I had the words in some sort of transcript. But, alas, I don't and I'll just have to make due with the memory of what he said. It was very meaningful, and struck a cord in my soul. (Yet another reason to continue to write this blog.) I realize that life itself is terminal and that sometimes people are dealt with a better hand then others. I'm going to do the best I can with the time I am given and play the hand I'm dealt for as long as I can stay in the game. I'm over that hump of the first anniversary, and it wasn't as bad as I originally thought.

- ps... if there's any chance, visit Leroy Sievers blog which i linked above, or read the page dedicated to the show i saw... I hope there's a rerun... both are very enlightening