Presidential campaigning...

Here's the lastest email from the LIVESTRONG Army...

Cancer enters the '08 political race.

Dear Andrea,

Four years ago cancer was not mentioned during the presidential election campaign. Today, the LIVESTRONG Army has made fighting cancer part of the national dialogue. For the next five days leading media, presidential candidates and citizens across the country will discuss how to stop the number one killer of all Americans under the age of 85.

Next Monday, August 27, and Tuesday, August 28, I will walk onto the stage at the U.S. Cellular Center in Cedar Rapids, Iowa, to ask the presidential hopefuls to share their ideas and strategies on how to fight cancer in the first-ever LIVESTRONG Presidential Cancer Forum. This historic event will be discussed on NBC's Meet the Press with Tim Russert, webcast live on MSNBC.com and featured on Hardball with Chris Matthews.
As a member of the LIVESTRONG Army, I need your help to make sure Americans across the country are tuned in, asking questions and demanding answers from the presidential candidates.

Watch Meet the Press with Tim Russert. I will be a guest on NBC's Meet the Press on Sunday, August 26, talking about the LIVESTRONG Presidential Cancer Forum. Check local listings for times and channels.

Watch the LIVESTRONG Presidential Cancer Forum. MSNBC will webcast the LIVESTRONG Presidential Cancer Forum live at 10:00 am CT on August 27 and 28. MSNBC's Hardball with Chris Matthews will be broadcast live from Cedar Rapids, Iowa, each night.
>> Click this link on Monday, August 27, and Tuesday, August 28, to load MSNBC.com's video player to watch the Forum.>> Check MSNBC's local listings for times and channels to view Hardball with Chris Matthews on MSNBC on Monday and Tuesday evening.


Spread the word. Click here to forward this email to friends encouraging them to tune into the LIVESTRONG Presidential Cancer Forum.

Download and post the LIVESTRONG Presidential Cancer Forum posters in offices, gyms, coffee shops and other places with high traffic.

The LIVESTRONG Presidential Cancer Forum puts critical questions about fighting cancer on a national platform. Please join me in making history by raising awareness for the LIVESTRONG Presidential Cancer Forum.

Another great story...

I received another link today from my friend Chris. I have posted the Houston Chronicle article in its entirety, but go to the link below to read the rest of the story and see the pictures that have been posted.... Definitely a tear jerker, but its so nice to see people coming together to battle cancer. All the little things really do help!

http://www.coolrunning.com/forums/Forum2/HTML/014506.shtml

Paper: Houston Chronicle
Date: Sun 08/05/2007
Section: Star
Page: 1Edition: 2 STAR

A NEIGHBORHOOD COMES TOGETHER / A COMMUNITY RUNNING ON HOPE
By JEANNIE KEVER Staff

STEPHANIE Johnson has the slim body of a long-distance runner, but that's deceptive. She's no athlete.
When she runs, it's often with her 7-year-old daughter trailing on a scooter. She swims the backstroke so she doesn't have to put her face in the water.
She even rides a Huffy, the ultimate mom-around-the-'hood bike.
But Johnson has inspired her neighbors and, along the way, she's given herself a bit of hope.
Right now, though, she's doing a slow jog on the sidewalks around her house in Spring, daughter Briannah trotting alongside as they talk about the family's new puppy, a 9-week-old chewing machine named Toby.
It hardly seems the stuff from which legacies are made, but that, too, is deceptive.
The Stephanie Johnson Triathlon will involve the entire family: Husband Greg is producing the race, and he'll compete, too, as will Stephanie and their three children: Greyson, 11; Spencer, 9, and Briannah.
They are creating a memory that, in all likelihood, will outlive Stephanie.
"It's been good for us to do something that's bigger than us," Greg Johnson says.
Triathlons have boomed in popularity during the 33 years since the sport began, and the Johnsons' has become something of a neighborhood cause in Gleannloch Farms, a stylish master-planned community off Spring-Cypress Road, designed around baseball fields, parks, swimming pools, a golf course and even an elementary school.
About 70 percent of the people competing in the Aug. 26 race are first-timers.
"You can see people out riding their bikes, and you know that's what they're doing it for," says Connie Santiago, a friend who will do her first triathlon in order to be at Stephanie's side. "People wouldn't be doing this if they didn't know the Johnsons."
But they do know the Johnsons, and they also know the story behind the triathlon.
A jolt of reality
"We were just very normal. Very average," Stephanie Johnson says of the days when it seemed that normality would last forever. "Kids. Work."
They had busy lives in a Dallas suburb - Greg had started his own company with two partners, and Stephanie had launched a business as a personal organizer - but both were careful planners, and things were unfolding just as they intended.
That changed in February 2004, when Stephanie began to have trouble swallowing. Her doctor suspected gastric reflux but ran more tests just to be sure.
Ten days later, the Johnsons had an answer.
Stephanie had stomach cancer, a disease most commonly diagnosed in people older than 65. She was 35.
Within a month, she was recovering from surgery to remove her stomach and part of her esophagus, along with 19 lymph nodes. She had four months of chemotherapy and radiation, treatments so debilitating that she spent most of her time in bed.
By the end of the year, her cancer was in remission and she was once more able to spend time with her husband and children, although she had to give up her business.
The Johnsons lived in Frisco; their earlier plans to move near Greg's business partners in Houston had been put on hold while she was treated at the University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center in Dallas. But when doctors there said they would refer her to Houston's University of Texas M.D. Anderson Cancer Center if the disease recurred - M.D. Anderson enrolls more patients in clinical trials than any other cancer program in the United States - the family headed south.
They arrived in Spring in March 2005, while Johnson's cancer remained in remission.
A routine scan five months later detected spots on her lung, and doctors later confirmed a recurrence, classified an incurable Stage IV cancer.
Johnson has exhausted conventional treatments, and doctors now hope to prolong her life and keep her symptoms from disrupting daily activities, says Jaffer Ajani, professor of gastrointestinal medical oncology at M.D. Anderson.
She is enrolled in her fourth clinical trial - one drug seemed to work for about nine months; two others apparently did not - and will find out later this month whether the latest, a drug made by Merck Pharmaceuticals known as MK-2461, has helped.
Ajani says it is "not impossible" that an experimental drug will prolong her life significantly. The odds, however, aren't good. The American Cancer Society says the five-year survival rate for people with Stage IV stomach cancer is just 3 percent.
"I think she's surpassed the odds anyway," Ajani says. "In that way, she has benefited from the previous therapy, but that is not enough."
Until the late 1930s, stomach cancer was the leading cause of cancer death in the United States, but the number of diagnosed cases dropped dramatically over the next 70 years. Researchers link the drop to people eating more fresh fruits and vegetables and fewer salted and smoked foods, along with the increased use of antibiotics, which can kill the Helicobacter pylori bacteria suspected as another cause.
Current research focuses on turning the cancer into a chronic illness that can be managed much as diabetes or high blood pressure is, Ajani says.
Through all of these treatments, the Johnsons, who met at Louisiana Tech University and married after graduation in 1990, have been sure of a couple of things.
First, cancer drew them closer as a couple and taught them to be spontaneous. "We try to treasure everything we're doing," says Johnson, who is now 38.
She updated the family scrapbooks and considered making a video in case she doesn't live to see her children grow up.
That wasn't her style, but she didn't want the milestones - a 16th birthday, prom night, graduation - to pass without her. Instead, she has written letters to each child, filled with her memories of their early lives and her hopes and advice for their futures.
The children know cancer can kill, but for now the Johnsons try not to dwell on her prognosis.
"Nobody knows when their time is," she tells her children.
The second thing the Johnsons knew was, they were not jocks.
A cause to rally around
At least, they didn't used to be.
But life in limbo is almost unbearably stressful, and a friend suggested Greg Johnson join him at a triathlon last year just for fun.
He loved it.
Triathlons give weekend athletes a tremendous sense of accomplishment, says Andy Stewart, owner of Finish Line Sports in Sugar Land.
"In the beginning, people see it as almost undoable," he says. Would-be triathletes think of the Ironman - a 2.4-mile swim, 112-mile bicycle ride and 26.2-mile run - and not the more-common shorter distances.
"When first-timers come across the finish line, they're generally hooked." Stewart says.
He sponsors the Try Andy's Tri in October, drawing 750 people to Sugar Land, but says the shorter distances of the Stephanie Johnson Triathlon - a 200-yard swim, six-mile bike ride and two-mile run - make it a perfect introduction to the sport.
Most participants will be first-timers, and more than half will be women. That mirrors the surging number of women triathletes of the past decade, something Stewart attributes in part to women-only events such as the Danskin series, which launched in 1990.
"The camaraderie of the women's events takes away the fear factor," he says. "They really encourage each other."
The Johnson triathlon is all about encouragement, drawing people through personal connection and support for the cause.
Greg Johnson says they hope to raise $40,000, to be given to M.D. Anderson for research and as stipends to cover incidental expenses for six families battling cancer.
"I figure if Stephanie can do it, I can do it," says Santiago, a stay-at-home mom whose husband, Jerry, also will participate.
Santiago is no athlete - at one point, she considered trying to swim using only her arms, in order to save her leg strength for the cycling and running portions.
Needless to say, she does not expect to win.
"My goal is to not come in last."
Rebecca McGarr is more ambitious.
She runs regularly and has ridden in the MS 150, although this is her first triathlon.
"I wanted to do something with my husband, so I signed us up," she says. "I didn't even ask him."
McGarr, 33, says her only concern is the swimming.
"That's harder to train for, particularly with all the rain," she says. "But I'm a tall person, so if worst comes to worst, I'm just going to put my feet down and walk."
After all, there's a dinner riding on it: McGarr, who works in human resources for Shell Oil Co., challenged friends who also live in Gleannloch Farms to "a neighborly duel."
She doesn't know the Johnsons, but she thought the triathlon would be a fun way to support a worthy cause.
For Johnson's closest friends, the race is more personal.
"Every time I'm exerting myself, I feel like not only am I helping with cancer research, but my body is getting stronger," says Alice Vance, who met Johnson when their sons became friends. "Watching Stephanie go through her treatments, I knew I needed to do everything I could to keep myself healthy."
Vance's husband, Mark, will volunteer at the race, and her children, Maverick, who is 11, Grayson, 10 and Nicole, 8, will compete.
Vance, 35 and a stay-at-home mom, feels changed by the challenge. More than that, she has seen Johnson change.
"I noticed about nine months ago that she started not having as much hope," Vance says. "And since this triathlon, her head's been higher. She feels stronger. You can tell there's a difference in her spirit."
A means to achieve a goal
Johnson herself is reserved, reluctant to share her most personal secrets with strangers. But she agrees that the training has given her a goal.
Eating is a struggle, and Johnson can consume only small amounts of food at a time. Fearful of burning too many calories, she had tried to avoid aerobic activities.
Now she's running, biking and swimming, determined to enjoy this period of relatively good health while the growths on her lung have not affected her breathing.
Her husband, meanwhile, is working out more than ever, preparing not only for this race but a half-Ironman in October.
"Training is my sanity," he says.
For Stephanie, it may be even more important.
"She sees that this may be the ticket," he says. "It's given her a lot of hope, getting healthier, getting physically stronger."
The triathlon is about hope, as well as making memories.
"If the doctors are right and she's got another year, we're going to cherish this," Greg Johnson says. "And even if she has more time, we're still going to cherish it."
STEPHANIE JOHNSON TRIATHLON
When: 7 a.m. Aug. 26
Where: Gleannloch Farms Competition Pool, 19828 Gleannbury Pointe Drive, Spring
Main sponsor: Tomball Cancer Hospital
Volunteer: Registration for athletes is complete, but volunteers are needed
Proceeds: University of Texas M.D. Anderson Cancer Center for research and individual grants to families fighting cancer
More information: www.signmeup.com/57370
Also check out: www.youngcancerspouses.org, an on-line support group for people whose spouses have been diagnosed with cancer at a young age. Greg Johnson is a board member.

TDF attacks....

Call him what you will, but this is a good example of how much of a bad ass Lance Armstrong really is when he's riding. Its such a shame that procycling has developed a horrible image in so many eyes. I love this sport.

Chappell Hill Pictures Part 2:

Hangin' out following the ride...

Below: leaving the State park, and a few friends along the way...

Chappell Hill Pictures Part 1:

I had a great ride yesterday, and I remembered to bring the camera and food for snacking afterward! The weather was much much cooler then the previous Sunday, but it was a little bit more windy. I think after the heat that we dealt with the previous week, I welcomed the wind, even if it was blowing straight at me.

"Ironman" Haycraft getting ready 0645 Sunday morning!

Gomez, always smiling even though he knows the pain he will experience very shortly....

Here we are, waiting for the others to arrive...

"Refueling" at the state park, Haycraft decided he was too fast for the rest of us, and I'm sure at the point when we arrived here, he was already finished....

On the way to the half way point, Washington-on-the-Brazos State Park....

I took a bunch more and I will post them tomorrow. I have an affection for cows, they have really cute faces. So, there will be cow pictures, and more country side pictures, and some of us stuffing our faces afterward. I have kept the pictures of people small... well, because the pictures of the outdoors turned out better!

I have a grand total of... (get ready).... $9545 raised, it's not reflected to the right, because I still have a few checks that need to clear. I am sooooooooo close to reaching my goal of $10000. I just need a few more donations. Maybe by the end of this week, I can reach the total. Don't be shy.... donate donate donate!

Another hilly ride....

Well, the weather report for Sunday in Chappell Hill is much cooler then last Sunday! We are also expecting scattered showers. You know what that means??? CLOUDS = SHADE! The group is once again meeting on Sunday morning, but we are starting 30 minutes earlier. I was a bad organizer last weekend, I promised to bring sandwiches for following the ride, and forgot. So this week, I have to pony up and feed the boys. We will have few newbies to the group this week too, yippee! One, more thing... I will bring my camera, so guys... wear your favorite jersey!

Rain rain and more rain!

Well, Houston is getting pelted by Tropical Storm Erin at the moment. I’m sitting at my desk, we’re having email problems and I’m looking out my window to see zero visibility. I can barely see the building next to us, and it looks like its night time. I thought about riding this afternoon when I got home from work, doubt that will happen. I hope that this other hurricane misses the US Gulf Coast all together! Memories of Katrina are still too fresh, and anytime there’s a storm in the gulf I get twitchy; plus, it will mess with my training! How am I to ride on the weekends with hurricane force winds and rain? Though, that might be better then riding in the heat.....

Can this be done on a bicycle???

Sunday ride update...

Yesterday was HOT, damn HOT! The paper this morning reported that the temp was 102 degrees, with a heat index of 112 degrees. Now, even in the morning, it was hot. I’m sure these temperatures were the highs for the day, and I’m sure we were not riding with it feeling quite like that, but it was close, I promise you. We started at 0730 as I mentioned in the blog from Friday, and we were all off to a decent start. I did have my legs with me yesterday, unlike last weekend and I felt pretty darn good for the most part. I did sweat my backside off and consumed tons of water and ‘Gu.’ About 7 miles from the end, one of the riders cramped up really bad. It’s just a reminder that even the most seasoned riders have issues in the heat; it’s nothing to take lightly! I did ride better then last week, I finished the 41 mile route 45 minutes faster then last week even though it was hotter outside.

Following the ride, we were all sitting around complaining about the heat (of course). Everyone has their own methods to beat the heat, stay hydrated, and prevent cramping. There are all sorts of products out there to keep you going, salt and electrolyte tablets, gu packs, little fizzy tablets you drop in your water, water and more water... I could go on forever. One guy even mentioned drinking de-fizzed cola, for the sugar and caffeine. Though, I’m not too sure that’s for heat, more of an energy fix when you’re exhausted. The best way to beat the heat for all practical purposes is to just stay home and in the air conditioning... or go to a friends house with a pool and drink beer all day! But, for those of us that were twisted enough to be out there in the heat we all have our own methods, what works best for us individually. This is what I try to do: 1. drink a bottle of water (16oz) every 30-45 minutes, with some sort of electrolyte replacement, (I liked the HEED, and some of the guys swear by Perpetuem, both of which are made by Hammer nutrition) 2. Eat a Gu every 30-45 minutes rather then every hour in normal temperatures, 3. Lots and lots of sunscreen, 4. Dial back the pace a few notches, 5. Pray that there’s shade along the route, 6. If need be, STOP and take a break, there’s no point in killing yourself on a training ride, and last but not least... 7. Don’t ride with a hangover!

I’m not good with remembering my camera! I really wanted to take some pictures along the ride this time around, but I once again, forgot the camera. It might have been a good thing because instead of posting pictures, I found some links to share of the areas where we rode yesterday. More information, better photography too... take a look below. Plus, we were ‘kindly’ reminded by a local Chappell Hill resident yesterday that the town goes through a lot to keep up the public areas in the town where we park to start our ride. She did tell us that there’s a donation box for us to drop in some cash to help offset the cost to the town. It’s a very good idea, and I know I really appreciate the little area which they have set aside and refurbished. I think maybe she needs to work on her public relations and delivery skills though, she came across as a little rude, but hey, it’s her town. So, if anyone plans to ride out there... take a $5 or a $10 and throw it in the box. It’s the least we can do for using the public facilities that are available and obviously maintained on private money.

http://www.chappellhilltx.com/

http://www.tpwd.state.tx.us/spdest/findadest/parks/washington_on_the_brazos/

Remembering Terry Fox; an inspirational cancer story

I received this very inspirational link from a friend this morning... wanted to share with you all!

Enjoy the read...

Ironmanlife: Remembering Terry Fox
Kevin Mackinnon remembers a Canadian Hero

Published on Friday, Aug 10, 2007 at 11:37 AM.

There is nothing quite like the north shore of Lake Superior. During the drive along the Trans Canada Highway between Sault Ste. Marie and Wawa (no, that wasn’t a typo), Ontario, you get to enjoy some of the most beautiful vistas this planet can offer.Those beautiful views come at the top of some major climbs with grades that stop the occasional cyclists you see in their tracks. Those cyclists have it easy, though, compared to a Canadian hero who ran along this highway more than 25 years ago … struggling through the Marathon of Hope. His name was Terry Fox and last week we paused during our long drive just outside of Thunder Bay to see the monument that remembers his amazing achievement.

Terry Fox was 18 years old when he had to have his right leg amputated six inches above the knee because of bone cancer. While in the hospital he decided that he would do something to raise awareness and money for cancer research. He decided he would run across Canada. He did more than 3,000 miles of training before he dipped his prosthesis in the Atlantic Ocean in Newfoundland on April 12, 1980 and started running. He had one friend along with him to grab a picture.

Each day he ran a marathon. He ran through the Atlantic Provinces and Quebec. It wasn’t until he hit Ontario that he started to garner any real attention, though. By the time he got to northern Ontario he had become a household name in Canada. There were regular reports on his progress in the newspapers and on television, and the money being raised started to grow. He hit the hills here along the north shore of Lake Superior in the heat of summer. With temperatures banging on 100 degrees Fahrenheit, he did his trademark run/ hop/ skip along the highway each and ever day for 42 km, or 26.2 miles.

I can’t even begin to imagine how difficult his journey was. Grant Darby, a close friend with a similar amputation to Fox’s, was used as a stand in for a recent movie on the Canadian hero. Darby is one of the toughest people I know and it’s hard enough for him to run 10 km in a triathlon (he’s a World Short Course Champion). How Fox ran a marathon day after day for almost six months is a mystery to me.

To give you an idea of how popular Fox became, one day, just outside of where I’m writing this column in Sault Ste. Marie, a spring snapped in Fox’s artificial leg. The local radio station reported on the mishap, and within minutes a welder was on his way along the highway to fix the prosthesis. A few days later people lined the highway to watch him take on the three km hill just outside of Wawa.

There was a huge crowd on hand to see him make another climb outside of Thunder Bay a few weeks later. As they cheered him on, though, those people didn’t know what the doctors in Sault Ste. Marie had tried to tell Fox before he ventured along the beautiful, scenic highway … there was a good chance that his cancer had progressed to his lungs.

A camera crew was waiting along the route, completely unaware that they were getting footage of the last mile of his run. On September 1, 1980, after 143 days and 3,339 miles (5,373 km), Terry Fox had to stop running. Less than a year later he was dead.

Terry Fox probably didn’t even notice how beautiful the scenery he was running through was. A lot like most of us as we fly along the Queen K on our bikes, or scream down to Keene during Ford Ironman USA Lake Placid. There are more than a few Ironman athletes who have raised lots of money through their endeavors (the Janus Charity Challenge has helped raise millions over the last few years). A few minutes at the Terry Fox monument outside Thunder Bay, Ontario, served as a very poignant reminder of what one person can do to make a difference.

Terry Fox started his Marathon of Hope in anonymity. He raised $22 million during his run and since he passed away more than $400 million has been raised in his name through the annual Terry Fox runs that take place across Canada every year.

You can reach Kevin Mackinnon at kevin@ironman.com

WOW!

I'm getting an overwhelming response from everyone! I'm so touched by how supportive everyone has been thus far. Please keep passing the link around, that seems to really be helping.

I'll be riding Saturday and Sunday this weekend. Anyone that wishes to do the Chappell Hill ride on sunday, we will be rolling out at 0730 from the church on Main Street.

It's Time for Answers

I have posted these before, so here we go again. Another email from the LAF and how they are and you can get politically active in the fight against cancer....

How is the next commander-in-chief going to fight the number one killer of Americans under 85?

Dear Andrea,

I am no longer content to let the cancer question go unanswered.

That is why the Lance Armstrong Foundation is hosting the first-ever LIVESTRONG Presidential Cancer Forum to make sure our next President knows that Americans across the country expect cancer to be a national priority. In Cedar Rapids, Iowa, on August 27 and 28, we will ask Democratic and Republican presidential candidates to go on the record with their plans to fight cancer.

As a member of the LIVESTRONG Army—and a leader in the fight against cancer—I need you to be part of the LIVESTRONG Presidential Cancer Forum, demanding answers to the cancer question. Here’s how you can get involved:

Get your tickets. The LIVESTRONG Presidential Cancer Forum is open to the public, and tickets are free. Quantities are limited and will be distributed on a first-come, first-serve basis.
Submit your questions. Lance Armstrong and MSNBC Hardball host Chris Matthews will ask candidates questions from the public.

Spread the word. Ask friends and colleagues to sign the LIVESTRONG Army petition to make it clear that our next President must be prepared to answer the cancer question.

As of this week, Democratic candidates Senator Hillary Clinton, Senator John Edwards and Governor Bill Richardson have confirmed their participation for the Democratic LIVESTRONG Presidential Candidate Forum on August 27. Republican candidates Senator Sam Brownback, Governor Mike Huckabee and Governor Tommy Thompson have confirmed their participation in the Republican LIVESTRONG Presidential Candidate Forum on August 28.

The goal is to get rid of this disease forever. The LIVESTRONG Presidential Cancer Forum gives all Americans the opportunity to ask the candidates “What's your plan? And where does cancer fit into your policies?"

Together, as the LIVESTRONG Army, we can put an end to cancer.

LIVESTRONG,

Quick update...

Since last Thursday, I have raised $2270 in donations and pledges. This will give me a total of $7620 in donations. I'm so pleased with the overwhelming response and support from everyone so far. I only have $2380 left to reach the mark. I haven't displayed the grand total to the right because some donations are in the form of checks that still need to be posted to the charity site. Anyway, I'm off for a short 30 mile ride this evening on the flat streets of Houston!!! Should be a breeze after last Sunday's ride. So, keep the donations coming in everyone, and I'll keep pedaling away...

Just an aside... Happy birthday to "Ironman" Haycraft! .....

A funny about cycling

Ok, YOUTUBE ROCKS!!!! I have yet another video to share above. This time it’s sort of cycling related. Speaking of cycling, rode with the boys again on Sunday. We did 41 miles out in Chappell Hill, Texas. Man, is it beautiful out there! Vast farms stretching as far as you can see, huge Live Oaks, tons of rolling hills, you cannot beat the beauty of the area. I must remember to take my camera with me this coming week. We are deciding to do the same route next week because it’s so challenging. I think I would have had an easier time with the ride if the first 45 minutes I wasn’t sweating out the wine I consumed the night before. I must behave myself the nights before these sorts of long hilly rides. I felt dreadful at the beginning, but eventually pedaled through the misery! It took me 3 hours 35 minutes to complete this ride. Much, much slower then my usual pace, but I guess it’s to be expected considering the prior nights activities. Average heart rate was about 151 (right on target) and I burned a whopping 2015 calories for the time spent out there. Needless to say, I never feel guilty about what I eat following rides like this one.

Anyway, think the Chappell Hill ride will be a regular training ride for me considering its difficulty. It showed me this weekend that I still need some work, but my goal of 100 miles isn’t out of reach and neither is my goal of $10,000. I’m inching closer and closer thanks to many wonderful contributions from wonderful people. Thanks to everyone that has contributed thus far and to those who have committed to a pledge. Keep ‘em coming.... I really want to try and get to that $10k mark before the end of August!

Movin' Along...

Well well, I had a very good day yesterday. Everyone that responded, responded kindly. Just yesterday I received $600 in donations! Putting me at $5950... I feel like I'm getting so close to my goal. More news... I had a really good right last night. Only did 24 miles, but there was NO RAIN, which seems to be rare as of late!

Thanks everyone that contributed yesterday, and special thanks to Mason for his 2nd donation... A relative of his was recently diagnosed with cancer in her spine. I wish her all the luck in the world for a speedy recovery. Everyday I do this and train for my ride I discover another reason why its such an important cause. Keep the dollars coming in people! At this rate I just might pass my goal, how cool would that be?

One more thing... Happy birthday tomorrow to Tom and Scott.

Jessica the Hippo

I know this isn't cycling or cancer related... or really related to anything on my blog, but I think it's so adorable! I had to share it with everyone.

Time for a push....

Alright, as I mentioned yesterday, I'm over half way to my goal of $10000. At this point I need only $4650 left to raise, and I would like to do this by the end of this month... By August 31st. So, if any of you have been thinking about donating, now is the time! I'm going to start hasseling people. Up to this point, its been just a few reminders here and there, but now I'm going to start turning up the heat. HAHA Watch out! In turn, I'm going to start turning up the training as well, more riding during the week, and longer more challenging rides on the weekends. This 100 mile ride will not be easy. Its through the hill country in central Texas, just west of Austin. Its going to be beautiful, but tough. I'm really looking forward to it actually, but help me get over those hills guys, donate and make every pedal stroke count.

oh by the way....

Oh forgot to mention... I have finally reached the halfway mark to my fundraising goal of $10,000! YIPPEE!!! Another big thanks to those of you who have contributed! I only have $4650 left to raise.

Also, I'll be riding with the boys again this sunday. Looks like we have all decided on riding a very hilly 40 mile route starting in Chappel Hill, Texas at 0730! So, if any one is reading this and wants to join, we'll be out there. Be sure to bring plenty of fluids and goodies to replenish those calories being burned.....

I got an update from Joy Hild last week about how she's doing following her surgery. I'm happy to report that she's doing well after having to go and have an additional surgery on July 20th. The first surgery didn't quite get all the cancer, but the second one had great results. She's now in for some more physical therapy as she continues to recover to her normal self. Her doctor has given her a goal to reach in October, just like I have a goal to reach in that month as well. If you're reading this Joy, thank you for the update and kind words. I'll be thinking about you; you are such and inspiration!

The Image of Professional Athletes

This past weekend I was fortunate enough to witness two greats in the baseball world inducted into the Hall of Fame in Cooperstown, NY. What a great atmosphere it was up there. An estimated 75,000 people turned up to watch and roast in sun as Cal Ripken Jr. of the Baltimore Orioles, and Tony Gwynn of the San Diego Padres took their place in baseball history. Not only were they leaders on the field, they were and continue to be leaders off the field by showing their support for their communities. Cal and Tony are model examples of how professional athletes should act on and off the field. That said, in the news recently, there have been constant reports of athletes cheating (steroids at the Tour de France, and that guy named BARRY BONDS), committing crimes (uhhhhhhh Michael Vick comes to mind), and just being all around disgraceful (the assholes on the Cincinnati Bengals football team, and A-Rod running around with that blonde tramp and getting caught...)! It used to be that when one was blessed with natural athletic ability they were proud and felt lucky to be able to make a living doing something that they loved. In recent times, many feel it is their right to play football or baseball or basketball or, whatever (take your pick)... and get paid ridiculous amount of money! I don’t even want to start on how MBA players act or the image that they seem to make an effort to display. $(@#$)(!%&$#^(@)#%()*^#$%&!

Anyway, during the induction speeches of both Ripken and Gwynn, they both touched on how they took a good look at themselves, their image, how they impacted the people around them, and all the children that looked up to them. They understood that what they did on the field or in the dug-out or out in public would be seen by thousands of children and adults alike. Their actions represented who they are and also projected a certain image of their sport. There is a need for more athletes like Cal and Tony. Their dedication, their drive, their hard work and solid values earned them a spot among baseballs elite. Congrats to Cal and Tony, and lets hope that the next generation of athletes aspire to follow in their footsteps rather then those of Mr. Bonds, Mr. Vick, or Mr. Landis.