The Leukemia Cup Regatta

Last Sunday, Carey completed his goal of learning how to sail and competing in the Leukemia Cup Regatta, all while fundraising for the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society. Go Carey! His boat (sail #212) led his division for the majority of the race, only to be passed at the finish line when their boat hit an area where there was no wind. :(

Other highlights of my day on the observer boat included meeting 1998 Olympic ski champion, Jonny Moseley, and seeing the monstrous Maltese Falcon sailing the SF Bay.

Warming up before the regatta (#212 in the middle)

Scout (sail #212)


Carey (second from the right)

Sailboats just coming off the start line

A spinnaker

Sail 7080: Sail crew included Jonny Moseley

The Maltese Falcon on San Francisco Bay

The Maltese Falcon

For more pictures from the Regatta, please see my Flickr site.

Also, it's not too late to donate to the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society! Please see Carey's fundraising website for more info...

Help cure cancer!!!

As many of you know, I ran a half-marathon in May 2008 with Team in Training, a non-profit organization which helps train people to complete endurance events. In exchange, the participants help fundraise for the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society. For me, it was an additional way for me to support all of the hematology / oncology patients and families that I've had the honor to take care of during my pediatrics residency.

This season, a few of my good friends and family are taking on sporting challenges. Please help me support their efforts and donate to the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society!

Carey Barker
My husband, Carey Barker, is participating in one of the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society's new ventures... Sail for a Cure. During the next few months, he will work to obtain his sailing certification, then participate in the Leukemia Cup Regatta on the San Francisco Bay on October 5, 2008. Please visit his fundraising website to donate!

Sarah Crawford
Sarah was my awesome mentor during my half-marathon training. After having completed 3 half-marathons over the past couple of years, she has decided to tackle Solvang's Finest Century, a 100-mile bike ride on November 15, 2008. To learn more about Sarah's adventures in cycling, please visit her blog or fundraising website.

Belinda Agamaite
My other wonderful TNT mentor, Belinda, is also commiting to complete an Ironman event (= 2.4 mile swim + 112 mile bike ride + 26.2 mile run!!!) on August 1, 2009. To donate to her, please go to her fundraising website.

Kieran King
Kieran is also training for Solvang's Finest Century with Sarah. To give to the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society on behalf of Kieran, please visit her fundraising website.

Thank you to everyone for your support!

I did it!

Yep... Sunday I completed my half-marathon (13.1 miles) at the Avenue of the Giants in Humboldt County!

Here's a recap of the weekend:

Saturday night: Carbo Loading
After a meal of pasta, bread, salad, beets (yum!) and fruit, the East Bay - Bay Side team got together for our customary pre-race shout-outs, moment of silence, then cheers... Can I get a "Go Team!"

East Bay ROCKS

Sunday morning: Race time!
Pre-race warm up...

At the start line...

And they're off!

We couldn't have asked for a better day... it wasn't too hot or cold, and the giant redwoods were beautiful (though I must say that I spent most of my time looking at the road to make sure I didn't trip on the uneven and sometimes pot-holed surface)!

The first 10 miles were comfortable. In fact, when we reached the 9 mile mark, I told Anglea that I already missed all the training and running. 

Then came mile 10... 11... 12... and 13. With the exception of the pain in my feet and hips, I couldn't feel my legs. During the last few miles, it seemed like an eternity to get between the mile markers. But, just as we reached the 13 mile mark, we could hear the crowd cheering and Belinda ran Angela and me in to the finish line! They announced our names and finish times over the PA system... so exciting!

After collecting our medals and taking pictures, I ate 1.5 PB&J sandwiches, a banana, and a bag of pretzels! I was hungry!

Today, I'm just a little bit sore... I've been expecting it to get worse, but so far... so good. (I may have just jinxed myself). People are already asking what race next... anyone up for the San Francisco half-marathon in August?

Thank you to everyone for all of your support!  A special THANK YOU goes out to Carey, Lynn, Chris, Fred and Lucy for making the drive up to Humboldt County to cheer me on.  Thanks also to my TNT teammates, and especially to my mentors (Belinda and Sarah), Angela, Leslie and Carla for their moral support throughout the season and for getting me across the finish line!!!

"Pimp Your Singlet" Party

On Tuesday night, my mentor hosted a "Pimp Your Singlet" party, complete with fabric pens, ribbons, puffy paints, and photos of our team honorees. I feel like I'm official now that my race jersey is all decked out!







Yippee! Can't wait!

"Pup" and Circumstance

Doggie classmates from left to right: Scooby, Chili, Fred, and Kuma (Fred's sister).

It was a big week for Fred! On Tuesday, he graduated from Puppy 2. We are such proud parents!!!


Today, we also took Fred to Tomales Bay State Park (Millerton Point), where he got to go off-leash for a bit and play in the marsh!!!






Only 1 more week left until my half-marathon! We've started tapering, which means no more long strenuous workouts until the actual race. Yesterday, it was a 35 minute run at Dillon Beach, also part of the Tomales Bay State Park.

Thanks for reading! Hope you all have a good week!

Brrrr!

Yesterday's run was at Point Isabel / Richmond Marina in the cold, WINDY weather. It didn't take us too much time to warm up though... and eventually, we ran our highest mileage to date: 10 miles! At mile 9.5 or so, as I was sprinting to the finish line, I felt as though my legs were totally detached from my body, like those Looney Toons cartoons where the Roadrunner's body is in focus, but his legs are just a blur ("mheep mheep").

When I got home, I took the advice of my running friends, and finally got up the courage to take an ice bath, which is supposed to reduce swelling and inflammation. For those of you who aren't familiar with ice baths, basically you fill a tub with cool water, then empty bags of ice into it and sit there for about 15 minutes. TORTURE! But, I'm finding today that maybe it's worth it... my legs feel pretty good!

Fred also seemed to enjoy the ice bath, but more for a nice, cool refreshing drink!

The Avenue of Giants half-marathon is just 2 weeks away! It's hard to believe that it's so close! Can't wait!

Inspiration point?

Yesterday, Carey and Nick (my TNT friend Angela's husband) graciously volunteered to be the water boys at yesterday's Coach Run. Carey very fondly nicknamed their water stop "inspiration point". Those of you who know Carey may understand the humor... In any case, I just wanted to thank Carey and Nick for getting up at 6:00 AM so that they could "hand out" water for 4 hours in the hot sun.

I ran 9 miles yesterdayat the San Leandro Marina! We have one more 10 mile run next weekend before we start tapering down. I can't believe that there are only 20 days left before the race! Yikes!

Just a reminder that if you haven't donated, it's not to late! Please visit my fundraising site... THANKS!

Fred also had a bunch of puppy play dates this weekend. Last night, Lucy (who is so big now!)came over, and today we went for a walk with Heather and Nico around Lake Merritt.

Fred and Lucy

Fred and Nico at Lake Merritt

Busy day!

Today was the first day that I missed a group run with Team in Training. :( Because we had an appointment to take Fred to his first resource training appointment with Sandra Mannion of The Village Dog, I couldn't make it to the mentor led run at the Alameda Creek. Instead, I ran two laps around Lake Merritt (= 6.4 miles), plus walked to and from our house to the lake (an additional 1 mile or so) all by my lonesome. I must say... long runs are much more enjoyable when you have friends to run and chat with!

We also stopped by my friend Sruti's house to see her and her adorable dog Buckley, who was recently diagnosed with metastatic perianal adenocarcinoma. He's a little bit weaker, but has incredible spirit, and was able to go on a walk with all of us today. I'll think of him too before my training runs.

A few recent pictures of Fred:


Fred (right) and his brother Rufus (left)


Fred chewing on his new octopus toy

By the way, I got a shout-out in the last team manager's email for being a fundraising superstar! To date, I have raised over $6000, which I think is more than anyone else on the East Bay Bay Side team! I feel a little bit like a fraud because it's all of you who have donated who should be getting the credit! So, THANK YOU for being so supportive of me and the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society!!!

If you haven't donated, it's not too late... my fundraising deadline is Thursday, April 17. To donate, please go to my fundraising website. Thanks for your support!!!

Honorees

Every season, each team picks a few people to recognize as their team honorees. Our team has 6 honorees, each which who have had very personal experiences with blood cancers or lymphomas. Here they are in no particular order...

Louis Lai

Diagnosed with multiple myeloma in August 2004, Louis is now 2 years cancer-free after receiving a second stem cell transplant. Besides being a cancer survivor, Louis is also amazing because he is on our run team, training to run either the Avenue of the Giants Half-Marathon or the San Diego Rock 'n' Roll Marathon! I've had the pleasure of running with Louis and have found out that underneath his somewhat shy personality is a very kind soul.

Michael Friedman

In July 2000, Michael was diagnosed with chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL), just 4 months after running his 5th marathon. Since then, he has been placed on 4 different drugs and now has been in remission since February 2004. As a cancer "survivor" (he refuses to be called a cancer patient), he continues to run endurance events, including 3 additional marathons and 2 more half-marathons.

Cole Regan

Cole was diagnosed with acute myeloid leukemia (AML) at just 7 weeks of age in December 2002. After undergoing several rounds of chemotherapy, blood transfusions, antibiotics, ventilator support, and more than 75 procedures (surgery, imaging requiring anesthesia, bone marrow aspirations, etc.), unfortunately, Cole took his last breath in July 2004 after sustaining 3 strokes. However, Cole's memory lives on in Cole's mom, Brandy, who continues to be a "honoree mom" for Team in Training.

Brenda Donato

Brenda was diagnosed with acute myeloid leukemia (AML) in February 2005. After 3 months in the hospital and receiving a stem-cell transplant, she became very active with Team in Training, and eventually went on to complete 1 marathon, 1 half-marathon, 1 triathlon, and was training for another half-marathon with TNT before passing away in April 2007.

Brenda was an avid blogger and documented her life on My Space.

She is also being remembered in the Brenda Donato Rainbow 5K Fun Run and Walk on April 13, 2008 in Walnut Creek, CA.

Michael Parrott

Matt is currently a Ph.D. student at UC Berkeley in Philosophy. He was diagnosed with Stage 4 Non-Hodgkins Lymphoma in July 2007. He is currently in remission.

Adrianna Tucker

Adrianne was 9 years old when she was diagnosed with acute myelogenous leukemia (AML). Now at age 11, she is doing much better and enjoys playing soccer and doing karate. She is a true inspiration as she continues to help raise funds for Children's Hospital Oakland. If she could do anything in the world, she would "save all the animals and end the war".

In addition to our team honorees, thank you to all of you who have given me names of your loved ones so that I may run in their honor. I think of them before every run when we do our team "shout-outs" and moment of silence.

And even though I cannot list all my patients' names because of hospital confidentiality laws, they are a constant reminder and motivation for my runs...

8 miles!

We ran 8 miles yesterday at the Alameda Ferry Terminal. It's hard to imagine that less than 2 months ago, we had our first run here and had to walk a good part of the 4 miles. It's nice to see how far we've come...

As of today, my training totals over 75 miles run and over 20 cross-training / strength training days.

Other fun events from the past month
Gu Tasting and Screening of "Runner's High" - March 10, 2008

My mentor, Sarah, hosted this event where we tasted several types of Gu (energy gels) and watched "Runner's High", a documentary about Students Run Oakland, a non-profit, non-competitive athletic and mentoring program in Oakland, California, that trains low-income students from inner-city public high schools to run a 26.2-mile marathon. Our TNT coach, Alphonzo Jackson, is also the coach for SRO.

Cause For Celebration - March 19, 2008 @ Oakland Zoo

Wingate, Olivia (team captain), and me
This was a mid-season event that reconnected us to the cause. We heard speakers talk about TNT and registering for the National Bone Marrow Registry. If you aren't already on the national registry, I strongly encourage you to do it! All it takes is a simple swab of your cheek (much easier than donating blood)! They especially need minorities and people of mixed ethnic background to register.

And thanks to everyone again for your generous donations! It's because of all of you that I have surpassed my goal AGAIN! So... I'm raising it again! If you haven't donated, but would still like to... it's not too late! My fundraising deadline is April 17. To donate, go to my TNT fundraising website.

I'm (Emerald) Nuts!

We did it! Angela, Leslie and I successfully RAN the Emerald Nuts Across the Bay 12K race today! It was actually pretty humorous... We were waiting in line for the port-a-potties, so missed the race start (crossed the start line more than 2 minutes after the official start). And then, we were all so excited that the weather was so beautiful and the scenery was so nice that Leslie tripped on a street reflector, fell and sprained her ankle. But, Leslie is a ROCK STAR and finished the entire race... sprained ankle and all!!!

Here are some pictures from the race: