Sunday, May 10, 2015

One Week to the Tour de Cure!

Meadow at Mile 24 Along the Neuse River Trail

Happy Mother’s Day to all!  

Time is flying by….since my last update, I have ramped up my cycling over the last 3 weeks, starting with two 40-mile rides the first week, (one day in between), to two 50-mile rides the second week, and rides of 60 and 67 miles last week!  that will toughen up your kiester.  The Tour de Cure is less than a week away.  I rode a short 20 mile spin this morning before church just to keep the callouses firm - I will do a couple of back-to-back rides this week to get into final form for the 200 mile grind this coming weekend.  I’ve been doing most of my training rides on the Neuse River Greenway, a beautiful 33-mile long resource, safe from lunatic drivers on the highways who have anger management issues :-)

As soon as the bike ride is over I will begin training for the third leg of the Triple Play, an 18 mile day-hike through the heart of Yosemite - starting at 4,000 foot elevation in the valley, then soaring (on foot) 3,800 feet to the top of the cliffs at Glacier Point, then hugging the cliff tops until we descend again back to the valley along the John Muir Trail - it will be a happy reunion between me and that special trail, even if only for a few miles.  Altogether we will hike 18 miles, if all goes according to the plans of men ;-)

A heartfelt  THANK YOU!!  to those of you who have made a contribution to the cause of curing blood cancers.  There is still time to make a donation to the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society, the charity that I run, cycle, and hike for.  It’s a wonderful organization, committed to making deadly blood cancers a thing of the past.  Remember, leukemia is the #1 childhood cancer.  

Thanks for your support - here is the link to my fund raising page - God bless you and yours and have a GREAT Mother’s Day!!  Dan 

Dan’s Page:  

Monday, April 27, 2015

Rocked the Half Marathon!! Double Century is Up Next!


Hello Friends and Family!  Well this update is overdue but the big news is that the first leg of the Triple Play is successfully completed!  I “ran” the Raleigh Rock and Roll half marathon in 2 hours and 25 minutes.  I was able to run through the halfway point, but somewhere around mile 8 or 9 I found myself walking up some of the hills in downtown Raleigh.  I didn’t make a conscious decision to walk, my body just stopped running and started walking!  All in all, I think I ran about 10 or 11 out of the 13.1.  Not bad, all things considered. 
The inspiration dinner the night before the race was wonderful, and I was fortunate enough to be honored as the top fund raiser for the Team in Training!  All thanks to all of you!!! 


Well now my attention turns to cycling.  It took me a few days to work out the stiffness and soreness from the run, but by Wednesday I was back on my stairmaster, 40 minutes a day.  Today will be my first cycling workout since the Half.  I will be riding today with Rob Allan, a fellow Tour de Cure participant and my team captain.  The Tour is going to be upon me very soon – 3 weeks fro Saturday, so I need to train intensively.  I will keep you posted.  Thanks for all your encouragement and support!  GO TEAM!!  Dan
Approaching the Start

Sunday, April 5, 2015

First Post of 2015

Cozumel, January 2015 with Renee, Rachel, and Alex
         
          Wow, friends and family, I'm not sure what to say about a 6-month hiatus from blog posting.  It's not that nothing has happened, and I'm not coming back to the keyboard because there's anything momentous to report.  It's just been too darn long and I have no excuses.  First, on the medical front, since I last posted in September, I've been to MD Anderson for my 3-year check-up, and everything checked out fine again.  Many of you know that, and I hope that those of you who didn't assumed that no news was good news.  I am now coming to the 3 year anniversary of the date when I was first told that I was cancer-free, about 4 months after my transplant.  For Richter's transformation patients, being alive after 3 years is something that only a small minority experience.  I am blessed to be here.  More than that, I am blessed to be a disciple of the Savior, Jesus Christ, whose resurrection we celebrate today.
            I have not been bothered by my Mycobacterium Avium Complex (MAC) which I was diagnosed with last July or August.  I've been training for a half-marathon which is coming up next Sunday (Rock and Roll Raleigh Marathon and half-Marathon), and while I still use the inhaler occasionally, I'm pretty fit for a guy my age.  I've committed to what I am calling the "2015 Triple Play" for my blood cancer fund-raising project this year.  In addition to the Marathon on April 12th, I am planning to ride in a bicycle event called the NC Tour de Cure, which is a 'double century', 100 miles on May 16 and another 100 on May 17th.  Finally, I plan to join another Team in Training (TNT) event in Yosemite National Park on June 13th, and complete a 20 mile day hike.  I'm doing the fund raising for these 3 events combined, so I have one web page and one goal of $30,000.  If you want to donate, the link is http://pages.teamintraining.org/vtnt/Yosemit15/drooker  As always, the donations go directly to the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society, which funds research dedicated to finding a cure for blood cancers.
             So for the last 2 months I have been training to some extent for all 3 events - I have advanced from a 3 mile jog up to a 7 mile run.  I will do one more run before next Sunday's race.  I expect to be able to run at least 10 miles out of the 13 on race day, and I am not hung up on 'performance' as some would like me to be.  I just want to cross the finish line before they pick up all the cones :-).
            I have also been walking the golf course once a week while carrying my bag to keep my 'hiking feet' in some semblance of readiness.  I have used my "Runkeeper" app while I play so I know that the entire course comes out to just under 7 miles, and that's with about 30 pounds of clubs and equipment on my back.
           Finally I have been riding my road bike at least once a week, usually for between 35 and 45 miles.  Once I get past the half marathon I will focus much harder on the cycling.
           27 people have donated to my cause so far, for a total of $14,550.  Every dollar helps, but I want to give an honorable mention to Eddy Tsang, who, for the third time, has donated $10,000 to a TNT event of mine.  I have known Eddy for almost 20 years now and while I can share many of his great qualities with you, his generosity speaks for itself.  Thanks Eddy!
           On April 24th I will be the keynote speaker, giving a survivor's perspective, at the North Carolina LLS Chapter's Annual Blood Cancer Conference.  Details here:    https://www.facebook.com/events/1406636796308021/

            Well, the Triple Play and the Blood Cancer Conference are the "big things" coming up.  Every day is a blessing and the rest of the family is doing well.  I hope and pray that this post finds you well and I look forward to hearing from you via calls, emails, or comments here on my blog - Happy Easter everyone.  Dan