Tuesday, May 4, 2010

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.

Sunday, May 2, 2010

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