You Buy It. You Name It.

So, here’s the story. As part of my fundraising for LLS, I thought it would be cool to put together a musical fundraiser. Basically get some guys together and play a bunch of covers. And so far we’ve done it twice and it’s worked out really well. When I tell people about this, a lot of them say “You’re in a band?” And my reply is, well, I’m not sure you can call it a band. It’s a group of us that get together and play covers once a year. To qualify as a band you need to be rehearsing and playing regularly. At least that’s what it says in the Cool Guy In A Band handbook.

Anyway, Mary Ellen, who sings in our “band” posted on FB that she “loves being in a band.” And someone said “What’s your band’s name?” And I replied “Yeah, what’s your band’s name?” (see what I did there? Funny huh?).

We have no name, cuz I never really thought of us as a band. We’re sort of a collection of friends who play songs together. Until now. Cuz now we’re going to play a second show within a 12 month period. Actually within 7 month period. And at a real bar-type venue. Yeah. We’re now a regular, playing, touring (from Berkly to Birmingham baby!) band. So we need a proper name.

But I’ve never liked the naming process. There’s one of two ways you can go. First, there’s the completely overly-introspective, self-obsessive naming process. As in “Dude…this name has to reflect our being! Our essence! It tells the world what we stand for! This is art we’re making here. Our name must reflect that!”. This is not really me. The other route is to pick something totally random that has no meaning. In this case, the weirder and more random the better. What better way to show the world your creativity!

I guess I’m gonna go with the latter, cuz here’s what I’m proposing. An auction to name the band. All the money from the auction goes to LLS. And the winner gets to name the band. Maybe we’ll even find a way to make t-shirts (anyone know a way to get free or nearly free t-shirts).

What do you think?

Let's Try Something Different

By the time you add up all the blogs, Twitter feeds, Facebook posts, YouTube videos and other miscellaneous consumer-generated-content out there…well, I’m not sure you even could or should bother trying. Let’s just say it’s a LOT.

I’ve come to realize I have no special gift for humor, no specialized knowledge of triathlon training, no unique perspective into the soul of mankind. But what I do have, whether unique or not, is a never-ending stream of consciousness conversation with myself during which I debate, ponder and sometimes agonize over, the stuff of life. Big and small. Call it an active imagination for the mundane and everyday.

Which brings me to my point (and I do have one). I’m going to start laying out what goes on in my life, and in my head, in all its ugly, honest glory (gory?). If for no other reason than so I can go back and have a look from time to time and see what’s going on, maybe laugh, probably grimace and hopefully learn and improve (insert your own self-awareness/improvement/image/actualization joke here).

Those are the real “Adventures of Triathpete.” The everyday challenges, trivial annoyances, and unexpected joys of a middle-aged, back-of-the-pack athlete, husband, father of three girls.

That’s what’s in my head today. Until next time.

Spin AT Intervals

Trying to get myself back into a consistent schedule of training. It's not easy when you have to be out of bed by 4:30 am. Because I'm a slow awakener, I set the alarm for 4:05 then hit the snooze button about 3 times. Much to my wife's chagrin.

So today I got over to LTF for spin class where we did AT intervals. Now the important thing when doing a class like this is to know your anaerobic threshold. I've got a rough idea of what mine is, but not an exact measurement. There are lots of tests out there to try and measure your AT, but I've never done any of them. Maybe I should...

Anyway, this is a particularly popular class - 5:15 on Tuesdays. It's not uncommon for all the bikes to be taken by 5:05. So I have to get there early to get a bike. Got my bike and had a good workout. I always enjoy spin class. After which I was a disgusting sweaty mess. But hey, that's how it goes.

Went out and did some core work. I'm trying to do core every day for the month of May (OK, I missed May 1, but every day starting May 2).

So, that's my day. Tomorrow is strength and a short swim. See you then.

Amazing Support!

Hey everyone. Well we've reached the end of another very successful fundraising effort for The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society.

When I kicked off this year's event I thought it would be cool to tap into my little social network and try to reach out to a whole new group of people. Well it worked! You guys did an amazing job! Here are the stats:

- Total raised: $5,687
- Number of donors: 227
- First-time donors: 146
- Networked donors (people who came in through another donor): 83

Pretty impressive! A really great effort from so many people to help get the word out, expand the network and raise a significant amount of money to support the fight against cancer. And this doesn’t even count all the people who showed up to our musical fundraiser. I don’t actually have a count, but there were probably 150 people or so who showed up throughout the night! We raised an additional $3,500 that night which was shared with other Team In Training teammates who hadn’t quite reached their fundraising goals yet.

And it’s a good thing too because the fight against cancer is never-ending. In fact, since I started this fundraising effort in January, the number of people I know dealing with cancer has expanded quite a bit. A friend. A neighbor. The loved one of a friend. Cancer. It doesn’t rest. It doesn’t slow down. It knows no limits. It knows no boundaries. It never quits. Which is why we can never let up. It’s an ongoing and constant effort. There’s no other way to stop it. Thankfully a great deal of progress has been made. New treatments. Increased survivor rates. But there is still much work to be done.

So, I want to express my sincere and deep appreciation for the help you all have provided. You’ve made a significant difference in the fight against cancer. Your donation is helping The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society to achieve their mission: Cure leukemia, lymphoma, Hodgkin's disease and myeloma, and improve the quality of life of patients and their families. Since the first funding in 1954, LLS has awarded more than $680 million in research funding. So thank you all very much for helping the LLS to continue their important work!!

A special thanks to my TNT teammates, coaches and mentors! And to my awesome bandmates who put together yet another rockin’ good time.

Last, but certainly not least, I would like to thank my wife Carol, and my girls Paige, Claire and Ella. Without their support and understanding of my crazy schedule, I’d never be able to do this.

Wishing you all health and happiness!

Pete

Why Your Support Matters

I recently received this email and wanted to share it with all of you. This is just one example of how you're contributions to The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society assist the patients and families fighting these terrible diseases. Feel good know that you're making a real difference!







You are receiving this email because of your support for the mission of LLS. If you ever prefer to stop receiving these emails, you can unsubscribe, but we hope you won't. We believe that hearing about the ways in which your support affects patients will confirm your belief in the importance of your generosity.

Today, I'm sharing a story about a man who, in sickness and in health, has been a friend to others, and has found his generosity reciprocated at a time when he needs it most.

David Burns is a lover and a fighter. Even before his initial diagnosis with acute myelogenous leukemia (AML) at age 35, he dedicated his life to teaching martial arts and the value of physical and mental fitness. Following treatment in the form of two bone marrow transplants, David went back to work and became an active community volunteer. His love and service for others has always shown through and for years, as a cancer survivor, he spent time motivating others who were going through treatment. He also gave back by participating in Team In Training, completing a hundred-mile bike ride and raising $5,300 for cancer research. People often say, "If you think training for an endurance sport is difficult, imagine what treatment for cancer must be like." David is one of those very special individuals who doesn't have to imagine, having experienced both. Tragically, after 14 years David's cancer came back. Recent chemotherapy has put him back in remission, but the thoughts of a third bone marrow transplant in his future, are now part of his daily life. Still, he retains his optimism, living each day to the fullest and doing the things that make him happy which, of course, involve people. He expresses gratitude for the support of many people in his community, who are rallying 'round in this new phase of his cancer treatment; and to The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society (LLS) as well. "Over the years," David says, "I think I've read every piece of literature LLS publishes on AML. The more information the better when it comes to battling cancer. And last year, we received a check from LLS to help pay for treatment-related expenses. Since I am not currently working, those dollars were very helpful."

Your support makes a difference. For more information about LLS's vital work, visit www.LLS.org .

Wishing you the best of health,

John E. Walter
President & CEO

Here's a great example of how supporting LLS really makes a difference.

Since the first funding in 1954, the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society has awarded more than $600 million in research grants.. it was through these dollars raised and the research that was done that scientists were able to discover the life saving drug- Gleevac.

Since it’s introduction, approximately 28,000 people have been diagnosed with chronic phase CML- before Gleevac, approximately 6,600 would have died within 5 years; with Gleevac, that number has been reduced to approximately 980- that’s 5,620 lives saved and counting!!

Because the drug is available in pill form and singles out cancer cells, a patient can manage CML while living with a high quality of life.

Without support of people like you, the discovery of drugs like Gleevac would not be possible. But Gleevac is just one drug.. and we still have work to do. Thank you for your support - you’re doing something wonderful.

Ran Today - Fighting a cold

It's been an interesting few weeks. Training has been up and down. Last 3 days I've been fighting a cold. Still lingering but decided to run today. Glad I did. had a good run. Ran 4.5 miles at 8:15 pace. So, hopefully that means I'll be able to run 8:30 in the tri. Only time will tell.

Why I Fight Cancer

So I figured it might be worthwhile to share with everyone why I participate in Team In Training. Well, it’s both a short story and a long story.

The short story is I lost a good friend and mentor to cancer. The long story is what an incredible person he was. I met John Sloan in 1996 when he came to work at Doner. Over the next ten years, he would become one of the most influential people in my life. In addition to being a smart, funny and friendly guy, he just had a way of bringing out the best in people. Over the ten years that I knew him, John encouraged me, taught me and helped me develop as a person both professionally and personally. I am where I am today largely as a result of his support and friendship. I miss him and think of him often. In fact, I just went back and re-read his Carepages posts. I really enjoyed the combination of candor, humor and humanity that comes through in each of his posts. It’s not often you meet someone like John. And that is what motivated me to take up the cause of fighting cancer with the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society.

My first event was in 2007. I raised about $6,000. But something else happened. I met some really incredible people. My teammates were all incredible, and most got involved for the same reason I did. One was even a cancer survivor who celebrated 5 years of remission on our race day. How incredible is that? I also learned how unbelievably prevalent cancer is in the lives of so many people. As I reached out to my friends for donations, many of them shared how cancer had touched them personally – a parent, sibling or friend; or sometimes even themselves. I became even more motivated and I knew that I was part of something bigger than me that was making a difference.

My next event was in 2009. I raised about $6,000. I met more people, heard more stories and really invested myself in the cause. I’ll confess there’s something selfish about all of this. I enjoy the personal satisfaction of supporting LLS, I enjoy the friendships and camaraderie of Team In Training, I enjoy taking trips to cool locations to participate in races. And along the way, I spend a lot of time on what is mostly a personal endeavor, which means I’m taking away from another very, very important part of my life – my family.

So, this time, I decided to try a different approach. I decided I’d participate virtually. I decided I would follow along with the training schedule, but do it on my own, and miss the group workout sessions. I’d fundraise with email and social media and limit the number of in-person/group fundraising. This makes me considerably less socially attached to Team In Training, and less supportive of my teammates. But it also has allowed me to fundraise and train while making time for my family. I’m home early on Saturday mornings so I can hang out with the girls. I’m home on weekday nights (unless I’m working) so I can help with homework and school projects. It’s not a perfect system, but it’s working pretty well so far. I’m about halfway to my fundraising goal as I write this.

In the end, no matter how I go about it, I’m fundraising for the same reason as when I started. Because a really great person was taken away by cancer. And that’s while I’ll probably do it again.

If you'd like to help me, please visit http://pages.teamintraining.org/mi/anttry10/pspender

It's been a while. But things are happening.

So while I've been pretty bad about posting anything to this blog, I have been pretty busy. Finally got over my cold and the feeling that my head was floating in a vat of viscous fluid (nice huh?). And I think I'm pretty much back to normal.

Had some good workouts this weekend. And I took advantage of the fact that my girls are on vacation this week, so I could actually sleep an extra 45 minutes or so and still get in a really good workout today. Woo Hoo!

Also, I read this really inspiring account from a leukemia survivor and just thought I should share it with you. This is just one more reason I'm committed to LLS.



John Haluck became part of the LLS family almost a decade ago. He is now a trustee of the Greater Sacramento Area chapter and is not only a survivor but is a huge supporter of LLS.

“When I was diagnosed with chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL) in 2000, I was no stranger to leukemia, having lost a good friend to the disease. Still, going in for a routine physical and finding out I had an "incurable" form of cancer was a massive shock to both me and my family. I looked at my three kids and I wondered if I would be around to see any of them graduate from college or get married. It was the worst weekend of my life.

My doctor recommended a "watch and wait" approach, since my form of leukemia was chronic, not acute, and some people have lived twenty years with CLL.

However, my cancer progressed much faster than my hematologist could foresee. By 2004, he recommended that I start chemotherapy soon, as the cancerous lymphocytes were increasing in number and could cause a stroke. He told me that there was no hope for a cure and advised me against looking for a clinical trial.

By this time, I was volunteering with my local chapter of The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society, chairing and helping organize the annual Light The Night Walk. I also learned about a doctor who has been funded by LLS and does leading edge research in CLL - Michael Keating, MD, at the MD Anderson Cancer Center in Houston. I contacted him and heard back immediately - he would see me as soon as I was ready.

The morning after the Light The Night Walk, I boarded a Southwest flight for Houston. After a battery of tests, I waited to see Dr. Keating. In walked this big, burly man (a rugby player, no less) who grabbed my hand and then gave me a big bear-hug. To my surprise, he said, "John, I think that we have a very promising treatment for you!"

I called my wife, who flew in, and I started a clinical trial the next day of a new targeted drug, Rituxan®, which was developed with the help of funding from LLS. The rest is history. After four days of therapy, my white cell count had dropped to normal! A week later, the lumpy cancerous lymphocytes had disappeared from my lymph nodes. It was happening just as Dr. Keating had described.

Now I've had 53 months in complete remission. I feel a debt of gratitude to Dr. Keating and LLS, whose funding helped make Rituxan a reality. I have my life, and am able to enjoy it. And I have hope!”

-- John Haluck

Happy Friday. Tell Me Something.

Hope everyone is having an awesome Friday. So far I am.

I thought I'd just put a call out for comments - just to get a sense of whether anyone is out there, and what you think, what you'd like to hear about, whatever.

Just a Friday call-out! Happy Weekend.

What Happens When You Get Sick?

Training during the winter months is fraught with all types of peril. Running on slippery streets, jumping into a chilly pool on a cold winter morning (indoors of course, but it's still cold), training in the dark, putting on five layers of clothing, and then sweating through all of them.

But there is one risk that outweighs them all - it's more vexing, more troublesome, more frustrating and downright annoying than anything else. It's the dreaded head cold.

The headaches, sore throat, congested sinus, fatigue, coughing fits, low-grade fever... Oh it's a regular picnic. And of course it's always at it's worst when you first get up in the morning - making it that much harder to get any training in.

So what happens when you get sick? Well, in my case, basically nothing. I've been run-down and feeling crummy since Sunday. I managed to get a swim in on Sunday, but nothing since. Each night I hope to wake up feeling like myself again, but each morning I feel like doo-doo. But, that's how it goes. Sometimes life throws you a curve ball and you just have to deal with it.

Hopefully tomorrow will be the day I get back in the swing of things. If I can just clear up my stuffy ear.

Some REALLY Good News

(I'm always a little cautious about using the names of real people when talking about personal matters - especially health. This is a real story, but I'm leaving out the names. Sorry if that makes it hard to follow, but I think you'll understand).

About two months ago or so, a friend of mine came to see me. She told me that a good friend of hers had just been diagnosed with lymphoma. She knew that I had done some fundraising for LLS and wanted to see what I knew about the disease. I told her what I knew - which was just a little - and we talked a bit.

As the days and weeks went by, she and I kept in touch about how her friend was doing. She told me about the plans for chemo; how he was feeling; what was going on; stuff like that.

Well, yesterday she shared some really great news. Her friend was officially declared in remission! How awesome is that?!

Cancer is such a horrible disease. It's so wonderful when you can share some good news!

A lot of early mornings

I tend to get up early - it's the best way to get my workouts in while not interfering with my family schedule. Saturday was a good example.

Usually Saturday's are Brick workouts - a bike plus a run. I'm trying to work up the distance of my bricks to approximate the distance of my race - 25 miles on the bike and 6 on the run. Normally I get started at 7am, which seems pretty darn early for a Saturday. But this Saturday, Carol, Paige and Claire had plans to attend a Girl Scout function. I needed to be done with my workout by about 8:15 so I could help get breakfast and get the girls ready. Sooooo, that means getting up pretty early.

I dragged my bike trainer out Friday night, and got all my things together. Got up at 5:30 Saturday and was on the bike by 6:00. What am I doing? This is madness. After 90 minutes on the bike, I changed and headed out for my run. It was actually nice to run outside - usually I run on the treadmill at LTF. Had a nice run, and was home at about 8:20. A little sweaty and stinky, but in time to help get the girls off to their field trip.

Crazy I know, but I guess it's just what I do. Today was a little better - slept until about 6:20. Tomorrow I'll actually sleep in - I'm gonna take a rest day.

Anyway, that's it for now. I'll try to come up with something more interesting for next time.

FRIDAY FRIDAY FRIDAY!

Wow, I can't remember the last time I was this happy for a Friday. And at the same time I'm a bit bummed. Normally I hate all that TGIF crap. Always makes me think of Dolly Parton and Lilly Tomlin in 9 to 5. Totally lame. Except maybe for when they find a way to actually get through the day. Today was that kind of day.

Starts out with no workout - cuz I had my annual physical scheduled, but my doc canceled. I guess I should be glad, cuz I'm approaching the age where a physical can be a little awkward (if you know what I mean.)

Anyway, this was a particularly long, arduous week. Just a lot going on. And it was all a little taxing. (wah, wah, wah). Look, my life is pretty good - I'm pretty damn lucky overall, so I've got almost no room to complain. But every once in a while, I'll bitch about something. Sorry for my self-indulgence.

So in addition to my own issues, Matt MacDonell ups and leaves. Well, not UP and leaves, but today was his last day and that kinda sucks.

So, the weekend is here. Tomorrow I'll do something productive with my time. I'll let you know. Right now...as I sit here with my beer and my laptop...I'm just glad it's Friday.

p.s. I'm going to be looking for a "workout of the week." I'll pick whatever is sent in and I WILL DO IT. So if you've got something in mind, send it to me at phspender@yahoo.com.

Day 2 - It's Wednesday!

So this is day 2 of my blog. Which at this point no one is reading. But hopefully soon many, many, many people will be reading and will be rejoicing in the merriment of my meandering musings.

Anyway, today was a rest day. Just needed some extra sleep and had a long day ahead so I decided to move Wednesday to Friday. Tomorrow I'll get up early and run and do some strength.

About strength, I've discovered something recently, and that is that I have none. Man, 42 years old and pathetic. I'm actually kind of pissed at myself. So I'm gonna work on in and soon, I'll look like Arnold Schwarzenegger in Conan or maybe Sylvester Stallone in Rambo. Or more likely Kevin Bacon in Footloose. That'd be ok.

Still working on getting the fundraising up and running. If you're reading this and you've got an idea, please feel free to share. I'd love any and all suggestions.

Good night from Houston.

5X1K; Give 5/Get 1; Find 1,000 (*)

This will be my third event with Team In Training. Cancer is such a devastating and unbelievably prevalent disease that I’m always drawn back to supporting The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society. I’m as excited and motivated as ever to help support LLS, to raise a lot of money for the society, and to have a lot of fun in the process.

So, this being my third time around, and recognizing that economically things are, shall we say, challenging for many of us, I felt like I needed a new way to fundraise. Something that could be fun, would be easy for people to participate in, could reach many people, and could raise a lot of money in the process.

Now, we’re all painfully aware of social media. Twitter this, Facebook that, text, pix, email, SMS, MMS, bloggy-blog, blah, blah, blah. BUT – it got me thinking. There are a lot of people out there that I’m connected to. And all of those people are connected to a lot of people. And so when you think about it, we all sort of become connected to each other by one or two other people. Sort of like that old bit about Six Degrees of Separation – or my personal favorite version Six Degrees of Kevin Bacon.

That’s a lot of people! What if I could reach 1,000 of them?! What if I could get $5 from 1,000 people?! How cool would that be?! Sort of like Ashton Kutcher getting 1,000,000 followers on Twitter – only on a slightly smaller scale.

So, I decided this time I would launch a campaign to raise $5,000 by finding 1,000 people to each donate $5. Pretty awesome right? I know!

Want to help?! You just need to do two things. First, donate $5 to my campaign. Second, find one other person and convince them to do the same thing. That means that person donates $5 and also finds another person…and so on and so on… Then use your own social media to spread the word. Tell the world that you’re fighting cancer in your Facebook status, your Twitter feed, or whatever forum you prefer.

And to keep track of all the awesome people who donate and all our sprawling connections, I’ve put together a special Facebook page. Throw a post on the page and let us know who got you connected, and who you’ve reached out to (and for you advanced FB users, be sure to tag people in the process). Hopefully we’ll see a never-ending string of posts showing all the great people who have joined our little movement.

So, get your spouse, your sibiling, your college roommate, that kid you know from High School but haven’t talked to in a while – and get them to join you.

I don’t think anyone would disagree that cancer is a really horrible disease. Together, we can all make a difference. It’s simple: give $5 and get 1 person. Who’s with me?

(*) Decoding

5X1K = 5 times 1,000

Give 5/Get 1 = Give $5 and Get 1 Person to repeat the process

Find 1,000 = Help find 1,000 people who will fight cancer