Final Post of the TNT Season 2009

So the season has drawn to a close and fundraising has wrapped up (although it's never too late to donate, here's my link one more time: http://pages.teamintraining.org/wa/rnrseatl09/awestwood) To wrap up race day, it was HOT! And the start took forever. The RNR are very popular events and the Seattle RNR was no exception. They started us by corral, which is basically in waves and my lucky corral number was 29. Yes folks that means 28 corrals started ahead of me and there about 10 more behind me. Needless to say the race started at 7am and I crossed the starting line at 750am. The days leading up to the race were uneventful and I was doing everything by the book. I had goals for this race beyond the TNT goals. But the cards were not aligned for me this year. I was up at 230am and in Seattle by 330am to catch the first shuttle bus at 400am and yes, I was the 3rd person on. I was at the start line by 430am. Luckily there were massive numbers of porta potties and lots of food and water. So I drank...and drank...and peed...and peed...and drank some more to the point that I had time to get out of line once the race started, go to the potty and get back in line before we'd moved 3 corrals forward. Needless to say, I didn't stay off my feet long enough. I waited in line for our corral to start which put an extra hour on my legs, not too mention all the walking around I did before the race started saying hi to people. So by mile 12 I was spent. Unfortunately I didn't figure it out at mile 9 because I could have split off with the half marathoners at that point, but instead I went out on the bridge, which sapped me. All in all I finished just over 15 miles and crossed with the half'ers anyway. We picked them back up again at mile 12 so I just stayed with them at this point.

Now the good part! The fundraising was absolutely amazing this season.

$757,000 raised so far in WA/AK for Rock 'n' Roll Seattle
$965,550 raised for summer season marathon including San Diego and Mayor's
$1.5 million projected for the summer season, including the TWO triathlons that also took place the same weekend as Rock ‘N’ Roll Seattle

On the National Scale:

1400 athletes from 30 chapters taking part in the Inaugural Rock 'n' Roll Seattle
$4 million raised
$200 million raised over the course of our 12 year partnership with Elite Racing on the Rock 'n' Roll events

Everyone who donated and offered words of encouragement made this event super special for me. I'm thankful and honored to have run for people near and dear to you. I have attached a slide show of pics from race day and my jersey with all the ribbons on it!

Thanks again for making my TNT experience the best one yet!

Drawing to a Close

Wow, what an amazingly successful summer of fundraising! My event, the Seattle Rock N Roll Marathon is just a little over a week away and now I'm tapering and preparing mentally as well as physically, trying to stay low key and get my massages in.

On the fundraising front, a shout out to all that made such generous donations in this time of economic hardship. I know from my own financial situation it couldn't have been easy and thus it is appreciated with much ardor. If you haven't had a chance to donate, my website is still open and donations can be accepted until mid-July (http://pages.teamintraining.org/wa/rnrseatl09/awestwood).

Here's a little tidbit to tell what your donations can accomplish:

-$50 will register 1 person to be a bone marrow donor.

-$100 will pay for the cost of 4 patient's chemotherapy drug prescription co-payments.

-$300 will train 25 peer volunteers who can provide emotional support to newly diagnosed patients.

-$500 will provide patient aid to a person with Leukemia, Lymphoma, Myeloma or Hodgkin's disease for a year.

-$1000 allows patients to meet with health care specialists to design and discuss their disease, treatment plan and prepare them with the info they will need during the treatment process

And even $5 can make a difference! Next time you feel you need Starbuck's, remember what that one day's latte can provide! So many children and adults have been saved by even the smallest donation!

As far as the Washington/Alaska Chapter of TNT, for the summer season (which runs January to June) as of two weeks ago we had raised $770,000. The Seattle group alone running the Seattle RNR has raised a half a million dollars...yes $500,000!

And now I have a request for each of you! Cuz I haven't asked enough already, but this is super easy. Each season on my jersey I tack on ribbons for those that have been afflicted by blood cancers! My goal this year is at least 50 ribbons. So if you have a loved one that has been touched by blood cancer, whether it be directly or indirectly, please let me know so that I can wear a ribbon for them.

You are all amazing and I am so honored to be running for your friends, family and loved ones! Thanks for supporting this cause and know that many lives are being saved due to your generosity!

GO TEAM!

Taper Time!

Well, the season is drawing to close! It's been long, successful, busy, fulfilling, injury riddled and AMAZING! I reached my goal of $1000 and went over a bit but it's not too late to donate: http://pages.teamintraining.org/wa/rnrseatl09/awestwood, the team is trying to reach $1,000,000. Right now we are at $730,000.

I battled through shin splints and a cortisone injection in my foot this week, but those aches and pains are minimal compared to what a patient goes through when being treated with chemo and radiation. Especially children. Each time I think of Tyler and what his family went through as well as past honored teammates I strap on the sneaks and don't even think about the twinges of pain I'm surely just imagining.

Saturday's run was beautiful. It was at Seward Park on the shores of Lake Washington, the sun was shining, run start was a balmy 60F. My goal for the day was 18 miles if I was going to hope to complete the full marathon. So I set out at a brisk walk hoping against hope that my injuries would cooperate and allow me to do some running. This whole journey I've taken my cues and inspirations from the Universe! Starting with whether or not I should even do it. Each time I decided no, something happened to make me rethink and eventually I couldn't say no. Each time I thought I couldn't get the distance in I did! Since I started running 2 years ago I have not put this much distance in and I'm looking forward to another year of running and tri-training.

When I got to the top of the hill abutting the lake, the second team water-stop, I just took a minute and soaked in my surroundings. The sparkling lake was backdropped with an amazing view of Mt. Rainier to the south and in the way distance Mt. Baker. On the lake were rowers and yachters and it was just a breath-taking view. I was feeling strong and capable, and running of all things. As I hadn't "run" in weeks I didn't challenge myself beyond 1 minute walk/run intervals and it was working amazingly well. I got out to the point where the coaches told us to turn around before my half way point, which meant as long as I got back to the park with 40-45 minutes to spare I'd be very close to my 18 miles. I was exuberant! The trek back was feeling good and mind you I'm now 3-3.5 hours in and my body finally starts communicating to my mind. It was a good rehearsal for race day when I hit the wall at 20 or so miles. My legs started tightening up and you would have thought I'd stolen a couple off a mannequin by the time I finished (which I'm still feeling today with no doubt). The Universe sent me some company about 3 hours in and boy was that welcome. Great distraction that I most definately needed and it left me to reflect on my last 40 or so minutes. Which was my second trek around the park. My final distance was 17.7 miles and I still had two minutes to spare. I got a burger made by the amazing Skip and soaked waist deep in Lake Washington while chowing down. Having met my goal I'm now ready to start the tapering phase, allowing my body to heal and relax waiting for the big day!

I COULD NOT HAVE GOTTEN THIS FAR WITHOUT YOUR DONATIONS & SUPPORT!

GO TEAM!

Very Delayed Training Update

Many apologies for the week's of no posting. But there's lotsa good news for this post!

1. The "Team" this summer has raised $667,420 to date! How amazingly awesome is that? 400+ of us recommitted to Seattle RNR and we'll be putting on shoes for the race. My goal of $1000 has unofficially been met, still waiting on a matching donation to go through. We need more funds though so you can still donate at my fundraising webpage: http://pages.teamintraining.org/wa/rnrseatl09/awestwood.

2. Training in OK was amazing too. I got some awesome runs in of durations I never expected and almost met my 125 mile goal for the month. Unfortunately I seem to have overtrained and am now battling shinsplints. Coach Shelby says he can "dig it out" which worries me a little but I'm looking forward to finishing this marathon and hope to put in a reasonable time (for me that is).

I was riding my bike today and reflecting on this morning's mission moment delivered by Jackson. He lost his father to a blood disorder and was on an opposite coast from him during his illness. He joined Team in Training to do something positive to help other's like his dad. He related that when he got the call that his father passed away he laced up and headed out for a run. When he got to his run destination there was a "Team" there preparing for a training run, so he connected with them and mourned with "family" that morning. After having not trained with the team in several weeks I was eager to get back there this morning and Jackson's story really struck a cord with me. I personally have lost one person relatively close to me to a blood disorder. It more affected my mom than anyone else in the family as it was her best friend. When I joined TNT it was really for more selfish reasons. I needed a motivator to lose weight and I figured I could fundraise for a good cause at the same time. I figured if I was going to get something out of it I should give back. I did raise the money and didn't lose the weight but I finally realized today the many more things I did get. I've completed a marathon and not just one but two, also I've completed three half marathons and am now considering doing a triathlon. I've been known to be a "quitter" when things get tough. I think more than anyone I expected to quit running too. If you follow my training stats that would certainly seem the case. 2008 stunk as far as mileage goes. But 2009 was a bit of a renaissance for me. Training is great, I'm biking to work and I have an extended "family" that I don't think I really connected with until this year. It's been great seeing everyone on Saturday's and I'm really blessed with the new connections I've made: Stacey, Heather, Alexxx, Amy, Kim, Rebecca and getting to know Gerb better, just to name a few. The fellowship really centers a person and makes you realize why we do this. I've gained more than the $10,000 plus I've raised in friendship, fitness and motivation. I've learned that the only limitations I have are the ones I put on myself and over the years I've put "a Lot" of limitations on myself. So if you believe there's something you can't accomplish then you're probably right, but not for the reasons you think. You can accomplish whatever you set out too as long as you set out to accomplish it.

GO TEAM!

Wine, wine, wine, all you do is Brew...

So this week's run was in Columbia Valley Wine Country and we started from Redhook Brewery. Temps were okay at 45-50F and the rain managed to wait until the end of the run. One thing I forgot about this trail..it's abutted by a river and so there tends to be a lot of slugs, especially when it rains, which was apropos as I was feeling very sluggish today. As the fam was already at Grandma's for Easter I was home alone and the peace of the house plus the warm bed sure made it a challenge to rise at 545am on Saturday, but I did it and boy was I glad that I did...and why do you ask (I'm sure you were going to)? Because today the coaches and mentors planned something really cool. And had it not rained I would have tried to get some pics but alas was not in the cards...anywhoo, the really cool thing they did today was the Mission Mile. And what is this you ask? I'll tell you...for the first mile of our run today we walked in silence and on the trail was inscribed the names of all those we were running for. It was a bit overwhelming to see all the names on the trail and to think about the battles these people had to fight to survive and those that had to fight only to lose. It was a very humbling journey and made me feel lucky to be able to be there doing what I am doing to raise awareness and money. Speaking of money, I'm very close to my minimum goal of $1000. If you haven't had an opportunity yet to donate please go to my page at: http://pages.teamintraining.org/wa/rnrseatl09/awestwood

Otherwise as far as training goes, lately has been really awesome. I've been managing to get good recovery runs in on Sundays. During the week I've been managing to get up before work on Tuesday and Thursday when I've been getting just over 4 miles in. It's really affected my energy and I'm looking forward to sticking with this for awhile. I get my hill workouts in on Tuesdays and Thursdays I'm hoping to get a good morning run in and then walk in the evening with Pam, one of our mentors. Wednesdays hopefully I can start getting a run in at lunch with the running club at work. Tuesdays I do yoga at lunch with the yoga club and its been great! Look forward to another long run with the team next Saturday, then we head out to Oklahoma for a two week visit.

Urban Running

So today we trekked into Seattle and started our run from Gasworks Park. I had never been there before and was eager to see it. As we started from the parking lot though, I had to do my sight seeing post run.

The day was absolutely amazingly beautiful. After nearly a week of rain which I think was contributing to my bad attitude (well along with the PMS) it was awesome to see the sunshine. Even though I was up before the sun, I had a beautiful drive in and was teezing fritties before we got started, it didn't take long to find a rhythm, settle in and enjoy the Pacific Northwest on a sunny day. The most amazing news was that our meager team of 600 has raised nearly $400,000 to date so we've nearly reached our goal of half a million. We're still not there though so if you've yet to make your donation it's not too late (http://pages.teamintraining.org/wa/rnrseatl09/awestwood).

As for me personally, I'm experiencing my best season to date. The training is going amazingly well (I logged almost 75 miles last month, a new record) and I've started the weekday attempts at early rising to get my runs in pre-work so I have more energy during the day and more time in the evening with my family. So far I've managed to get one in, mostly because I couldn't fathom running first thing in the morning with dumping buckets of rain on me on Thursday. This week though, the goal is Tuesday am run (so I can yoga with my boss at lunch) and Thursday am run (so I can walk with one of the mentors in the pm). April's goal is 125 miles!

The fundraising though has also been fantastic! I'm bonding with my teammates on a new level and meeting some truly amazing people. This morning as I was running I encountered Stu. He came up behind me with the traditional "GO TEAM" and we proceeded to swap event histories and such. I asked him how many marathons he'd done and he told me a staggering 26. 26, I couldn't believe it! So you must assume he's a fellow in his mid 50's who got started early on but you'd be wrong. He's 76 and he didn't start running until he was 47. The guy left me in the dust. He was totally awesome and paced with me for awhile.

I've included some photos from today's run from the park and surrounding area. I didn't take my camera with me and I didn't have it in me to go back out on the course to take some shots but these are still pretty cool and hopefully entertaining.

GO TEAM!

Catching up with the pack

Well, I've been a bit remiss in my blogging concerning my training, mostly because I wanted it to be all sunshine and roses...now I'm realizing it's more like sunshine and rain (like the WA weather) or peaks & valleys may be a more apt description.

As far as running goes March has been amazing...my distance is picking up, the runs are starting to feel effortless and comfortable (only took 2 years). I attribute that to the weight loss but also to finally embracing what the running can do for me mentally. If I don't run for several days, I start to get anxious and tense, snappy and such. Two weeks ago I didn't blog because while the run was actually really great, my attitude pretty much bit it. The trail was nice, the team was great, the weather was decent, but wow, I had a bad attitude. I decided to blog about it after all simply because I imagine this must be what going through chemo is about. You may feel like the treatment went well and you had a good visit, but by the end of the day you're puking up your guts and feeling like a nuclear bomb went off inside of you. So I decided to shield the bad training days and just be completely honest about it all. That being said, this was a lazy week. I managed to get a great run in on Sunday last week that made up for the poopy Saturday run. I ran at lunch on Tuesday which was AWESOME! I'm hoping to do more of that this week. I intended to go on my long run this week...so prepared, everything laid out the night before...but I woke up at 4:30am which was an hour early, already in a mood and surprisingly (gasp) it was raining. So I turned off the alarm and decided a week to sleep in was in order...However, today the sun is shining and I'm looking forward to a good long run.

As for the fundraising, it's going great! We're at an official $700 and there is another $122 waiting to be deposited this week. That's more than 80% of our goal, but we're not there yet. We still need your help! Even if it's just $5, every little bit helps!

Peaceful Bliss

I encountered something much unexpected on this week's run...I had an epiphany. For two years I've been running and training with the TEAM, but I've always used my iPod, especially on the long runs. As the team is against iPods this season, I've been adhering to the request of no music or audiobooks and trying to enjoy the team. And today I did.

I just let my mind roam free and easy and my run was amazing! And for me to say that of today's run must mean it truly was because outside it was: 1) 40F degrees, 2) raining non-stop, and 3) on a gravelly trail. My socks were soaked through before the run even started and it took a good 20 minutes before I could feel my toes again. But once I got warmed up and hit my stride, I really didn't even realize I was trekking. The scenery was nice, typical Pacific Northwest but I was able to just reflect and occasionally visit with others when I got passed or came upon some walkers.

Our mission moment was short and sweet this morning, basically, "yes its wet & cold & rainy but you could be doing chemo instead." Nothing like a reality check right? But I did have a chance to think about why I was out at 645am on a rainy Saturday morning and the conclusion was because I could. And because I could and did, someone was getting their medication paid for, enduring a chemo treatment they might not have been able to afford or that might not have even been developed yet; a child was winning their battle and a family had a network of people that understood what they were going through. All because I was running in the rain and raising money in my sparetime.

So this week's blog is short and sweet, but very to the point. Without this Society and all it does to find new cures, aid patients in getting the ones that are available and provide support and a network to families, many more would succumb to blood cancers and their related illnesses. Many children would be without their parents, many parents would be without their children and many of us would not get to experience the joy that these people would bring to the world.

In this context think about what something as little as $5 would mean, can you spare it? Before you buy your next Monster or Red Bull or Mickey D's cheeseburger, think about what you could be doing to save someone's life. To give to the cause, please visit my website: http://pages.teamintraining.org/wa/rnrseatl09/awestwood.

You could be the difference in the next great cure!

Runner's High

So today is the 6th official week of training and we have raised...wait for it...$221,000! Even in this time of economic uncertainty the charitable nature of the human race is not uncertain...we continue to break records.

The past two seasons I have participated I have really focused on the running, more so on the healing as last season ended up just being a "get through it" run. So I'm trying a new tactic this season, just lay back and enjoy the ride. The fellowship has been great, hanging out with old friends and making new ones.

I expected today's run to kinda suck as it was snowing on my drive in but once we decided to hit the trail, the rain and snow stopped so that we could get our 110 minutes in and there was the tease of sunshine in the distance. Unfortunately the sun was distant and as we were visiting and enjoying a fantastic "Breakfast by Skip" the snow picked up again.

I didn't plug in for today's run and just enjoyed the atmosphere and the sights...the company of the other TNT'ers and the beauty of Washington. I can't wait for next week's run.

This weeks mission moment was two part:

• Sara English - one of our captains, shared her personal story of Lymphoma with us. It is really enlightening when the person running alongside you turns to you and thanks you for being there because their life was saved due to the many funds raised by this organization.
• Another member shared her story of how a little boy was laying his mom to rest today because she was unable to fight off her blood cancer. There was a fair amount of tears going around the group as she read the letter that her 8 year old niece wrote to the little boy telling him how sorry she was that his mommy was gone.

I'm thankful for every week that I walk away from practice that I have the ability to be there and foment change. I had a runner's high today that I'm still riding hours later that didn't come from the physical run itself, but from the fellowship that I encountered today. It was 40F, snow/raining and on the water but we had 50 people show up to run together to show their committment and solidarity to raising money to support blood cancer research and patient services. So to those of you that have donated or have contributed in some other way, I say thank you and know that you personally are touching lives.

Make a Smilebox slideshow

Happy Valentine's Day - Week 2 Training

First let me say Brrrr! It was 40F this morning but didn't take long to get warmed up...secondly let me say WOW! What an amazing run this morning. As I lay there in my nice warm bed cuddled up next to my sick 5 year old I thought to myself how perfect it would be to stay there. But then I thought of those that can't wager that thought when they have to be at the hospital that early in the morning to start their 8 hours of chemo. So Happy Valentine's Day to those of you capable of doing something fun & physical and a special salute to those of you who will just be trying to stay alive.

So last week I met Mark - a marathon newbie who is doing well in his training. We ran together for a bit, got the whole solidarity thing going. This week I met Annie...free-spirited and care-free. But before Annie joined me I was taking in some of the sights from the run. I had never run this route before and had never seen this side of the city (Seattle). We were on the waterfront of Puget Sound starting from the Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center. As we came upon the water I saw sights that as an Okie I never realized existed outside of the plains. I know I've lived here for over 5 years but my encounters with the water have been in either very unadulterated areas or touristy sections. This was really cool to see the docks and the big boats, even saw a houseboat up close. It was amazing to imagine someone lived that way and clearly they did as it was a very old houseboat, but decorated and had a plastic table and chairs out on it so one could have their coffee out on the deck. As I came around this corner however is when Annie came upon me and decided to pace herself with me. We had a pleasant chat and it really made the run go fast (yeah Annie). Fortunately she's a talker so I didn't have to pant-talk too much but we got to really see what this time of event is all about. Making new friends, finding a common cause to be passionate about, and saving lives.

Toward the end of the run, walking set in as this was my longest run to date...so I took in some of the sights I missed while running with Annie. Sometimes serendipity does really play a part. I was thinking to myself, why do I do this every year? What possesses me to endure this? Then I came upon a boat in it's slip and the name of it was "The Seeker". The irony was not lost on me at this point and as I began to cramp and feel pain from the hills I looked up to see a big crane type ship called "The Perserverance". At that point I began to run again and finished it out. It's really amazing how little things like that can hold so much meaning. It's not that they were boats or anything of that nature but to know that someone in their lives needed a reminder of what's important: Seek the truth, seek the reasons, seek the need for living everyday to it's fullest. And most importantly while seeking these items, perservere to always stand up and have the courage to face the answer, the task at hand, the day to day. As Tyler's family mourns his loss right now, I hope they seek what they need to help them perservere. Again this is in his honor and memory.

Next week I'll be running on my own in Sequim, where it's absolutely beautiful. I love running there as it so wildernessy (don't steal my word, Stephen Colbert) and quiet and beautiful.

It's not too late to donate either. My website is: http://pages.teamintraining.org/wa/rnrseatl09/awestwood

And you can join my Cause on Facebook: Help Fight Blood Cancers (however, do not donate on this page, use the posted links to donate on the above page).

Keep the faith, keep on running and until next week!

GO TEAM!

First Team Training of the Season

Wow! What an amazing turnout this year...I'm so excited to be back training with the team. There were close to 200 people this morning and in the two weeks since training has started we have raised over $70,000. A couple of people have already raised over $3K each! Amazing!

Some notes from this morning...

1. The mission moment was from Rick who is married to one of the coaches...5 years in remission-Go Rick! And training, how awesome. His chemo sounded so painful. They would actually tap into his spine, remove some of the spinal fluid and replace it with his chemo medicine. That stuff is nasty. Basically puts ones body on the edge of radiation poisoning.

2. This week's run was dedicated to a woman who had just joined TNT only to find out a week later that her sister was diagnosed with lymphoma. She missed training today as her sister was starting chemo.

3. Tyler was in my thoughts a lot today. I cannot imagine what his family is going through. I look at my 5 year old and cannot imagine my life without him in it. I'm thankful for everyday I have with him. I'm thankful I'm capable of running so that I may do this fundraiser for kids just like him.

And today's funny story from Coach Shelby as told during the shoe clinic (I know it sounds like a joke but it's a true story):

A Romanian couple comes into the store after a podiatrist has told the man that he should see a shoe specialist to help with his pains from running. Shelby has him walk for him so that he can see how his gait is so that he can recommend a shoe. He notices the man is overpronating so tells him, your problem is you're way overpronating. His wife looked at him aghast. Shelby kept using the phrase overpronating and finally the husband asks, "why do you keep saying that I'm overpronating." Shelby explains to him that he is turning his foot inward too much. The man responds that in his country, pronating means a male orgasm. No wonder his wife was aghast, who would have thought running could be causing all his problems?

And to end: Thanks to all who have donated! If you haven't and would like to the web address is: http://pages.teamintraining.org/wa/rnrseatl09/awestwood So far we are at $405 (it doesn't all show on the website because some of it is from checks that need to be submitted).

GO TEAM!