2008 LIVESTRONG Challenge Portland

This weekend was our Livestrong weekend starting on Saturday for the Livestrong Village for packet pick-up and again then the actual event today, both at Nike World Headquarters in Beaverton.

Yesterday we had an opportunity to meet former World Champion Time Trial Cyclist Mari Holden - she also won a silver medal in the Sydney Australia Olympics also in time trial both in 2000. Today she actually rode the 70 mile route, leaving between 7:30 and 8:00 this morning as was back at Nike by 11:30...CRAZY!

RUN OR RIDE?

At first when I suggested doing the 5K to Tom it was because the volunteer opportunities had not yet been posted on Livestrong just yet. Crazy me decided a 5K would be fun. Really though, after several weeks into the training I realized that this challenge will be really special because we had to put so much into it. Last week when I was finally able to run 30 minutes straight this running thing started to stick! So, in the end the training was well worth it and I feel better and have more energy. Now running will be a regular part of our physical fitness routine

LIVESTRONG Challenge Day

This morning we made our way over to the Nike Campus and had to park at least a half a mile away from where the staging area was....that was a really good warm up to our run. Another cool thing is just how many people actually do the 5K run/walk - hundreds! The start was slow, but once we got going we just kept a steady pace so that I would still have enough umph at the end to make a strong finish. I thought the route was pretty good, mostly flat which had a stretch in the shade - with the temps so high yesterday, the streets were still quite warm. As a cancer survivor my finish was in a different lane than Tom so I could receive my yellow rose. Once I received that I just plain ol' stopped. I was done! I DID IT!! Our approximate finish time was 40:37-ish, not bad for a first time 5K-er! (actual time was 39:47)

POST EVENT

We essentially had our lunch at 9:30 this morning which included beer. I did not partake in the brew, but opted for the FRS and water instead. We didn't eat before we left and had a couple of Shot Blocks when we returned to the car so we were good and ready to eat! Salmon Burger and Apple for me and LOTS of water! It was nice to hang out and people watch for a while. Since Lance would not be arriving until 12:30 we decided to head home as I was starting to get a little too much sun - although it felt good. There is always next year!

The day was so amazing and I reached my goal. With my success today I look forward to running in other events and hopefully improving my time and running again in the 2009 Livestrong Challenge!

LIVESTRONG CHALLENGE 2007

The Livestrong Challenge this weekend our last organized ride for 2007...and it was a WET WET WET ride! We were soaked BEFORE we even started the ride.

There were 3,000 very dedicated riders, runners and walkers that turned out for the event and a total of 1.7 million raised for all things cancer.

The ride took us 2 hrs 51min. We had a pretty good average MPH (14.7) until we reached North Plains then it was raining AND windy. It was crazy!

LIVESTRONG CHALLENGE FUND RAISING

This year's Livestrong Challenge will be September 29 & 30. My goal is to raise at least $2500. Please read on...

On April 9, 2007 I will have a routine MRI to see if there are changes in the tumor cavity in my brain. The 9th is significant to me because 3 years ago on that date a neurosurgeon came and visited me in my hospital room to inform me that I had a brain tumor. I would be another month before I knew that it was malignant…cancer.

Since that date I have been thru two surgeries, six weeks of radiation and 12 cycles of oral chemotherapy and many MRIs…too many to count. I have a pretty cool scar – and my hair is thinner than before my surgeries and radiation. Oh and I have fond memories of taking a handful of medications for 5 consecutive days a month every 4 weeks. That was the worst! I spent most treatment weeks not feeling, throwing up all night and not eating well. I still feel a certain amount of fatigue, but overall I guess it was worth it as the tumor is no longer detectable…but I have also learned that there are still abnormal cells that cannot be seen. However, with each passing MRI that is clear the chances of having a recurrent tumor becomes less and less. I am hoping that there will not be a third surgery down the road sometime, but there is always the possibility.

My routine now is that I will continue to have MRIs once a quarter thru the end of September or October. After that I will have an opportunity to cut back the frequency of the scans…maybe once every 4 or 5 months, but that will be for me and my doctor to discuss later this year.
The one thing that I had the hardest time with, was giving up my bike in between my surgeries and during my radiation – that was not cool. I did have a friend come and ride with me on some early mornings – THAT was cool. I rode my bike as much as I was able during my chemotherapy. That was good for my mind to do that; I wasn’t focusing totally on my cancer – just staying healthy. All that riding during my chemo helped me ride the 40 miles for the first LIVESTRONG ride which I did one month after I completed my last chemo treatment. I ride to stay healthy, focused on what is good and for the LIVESTRONG Challenge – which will be September 29 & 30, 2007 in Portland, OR.

My challenge to you would be to consider supporting me financially as I look forward to another 40 miles of riding bliss! The first year I raised over $800 for the Lance Armstrong Foundation and over $1000 last year. This year I hope to raise $2500. Please give generously…donations in any amount will be very much appreciated.

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http://portland07.livestrong.org/ciclodiva

LIVESTRONG CHALLENGE 2007

Unless the dates get changed again this year, the next Livestrong Challenge will be the weekend of September 29 & 30, 2007. As before, we are signed up to ride the 40 mile route. I am hoping that this year will be a little more interesting route than last year, although riding Marine Drive is always fun for me!

Here is a link to my personal page...I haven't edited it yet, but feel free to check out what I have so far.

http://portland07.livestrong.org/ciclodiva