Blog Posts
Blog Posts: 334
Good morning...sorry it's been awhile since an update! I've been so busy between work, training and getting ready to go, I haven't had time to do this! So this may be a long blog to get caught up, 
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WOW, so much has happened, where to begin?! There are two big things...we did a practice Tri and I got my wetsuit! YIPPEE! I actually swam about 1300 meters in Boerne Lake! PHEW...that was a huge accomplishment for me! Okay, it took me awhile and I thought I was going to turn in to a prune because I was in the water soooooo long, but I got it done! With no wetsuit or fins, just me and my terrible breathing! 
Then we did a 15 mile bike ride and a 3 mile run. Those two events almost seemed easy after the swim! 
It did take me awhile on the bike to catch my breath though! I'm sure I'll have to do that in DC too. Hopefully I can get some pics loaded up here tomorrow.
My next big item is that I've got my wetsuit! Went swimming last Saturday in the Comal River with it, what a BIG difference! I don't have to worry about sinking, that's for sure! I feel like one of those little yellow plastic ducks bobbing in water! It is a lot harder to swim and breath in the thing! I'm already slow and I felt like my arms were in even slower motion than before! I guess the good side was that I got to see lots of fish below me in the river since my arms were moving so slow! Since it was so tight on my arms and that was our last open swim, I decided to go to the outdoor pool at Ft Sam Houston last Sunday to see if it would get looser. It felt a lot better on the arms. Maybe it was because I was able to get more water inside of it, not sure. But it's still tight! The plus side is it makes me look skinnier! Of course, being able to breath easy is an issue, but I'm hoping it'll loosen up the more I wear it! I did swim 600 meters with it in about 40 minutes, so it will probably take me awhile to swim 1500 meters in the river! 
We had our send off party Monday night and had a great time while we were eating awesome food! Got all of out tickets for the event, my hubby, daughter and her BF will be there! I can't wait, I'm so excited! We were going to have one last swim in the river Tuesday night but it rained us out! 
Guess I'll have to wear the wetsuit in the hotel rooms while we're driving to DC in the hope I can stretch it out!
We left Wednesday morning about 0930, drove through patches of rain and stopped in north Little Rock, Ark for the night. One day closer to DC! I was too pooped to put my wet suit on though! On a positive note, we did get 42 mpg in out VW Jetta TDI! LOVED that! More later and hopefully I can get some pics up here soon!
Blessings for a wonderful day, Mo
What a year it has been. Last year at this time I was overweight but other than that I was healthy. Now I am dealing with a lifetime illness that if I don't keep in check will take my life. This is the first year that I was kind of excited to see my birthday. Before it was just another day that came and went with little cause for celebration. I have realized that I have to live my life for me not for my parents, my kids, my husband, but just for me. I need to find things that make me happy and healthy. I need to find myself. Who I am and where I want to be. Good thing I am my whole life in front of me!)
Triathlete Magazine Features TNT Champion in Team In Training
Posted by Christine Lazzari Sep 8, 2009
Browse your nearest magazine stand this month and you'll see 28-time Ironman finisher, inventor and entrepreneur Vinu Malik gracing the cover of Triathlete Magazine.
We're proud to note that the over-achieving Vinu is founder and CEO of FuelBelt, a Team In Training Product Partner.
The Triathlete Magazine cover story chronicles Vinu's rise to success as a family man, an entreprenuer and yes, as a long-time triathlete. It's the sort of interview that reminds you that there are few goals you can't accomplish if you have your priorities in place. Vinu clearly lives his philosophy and just as clearly thrives on proving it true!
Check out these excerpts:
On being an young entreprenuer..." Nothing in life is free and there's no easy way. I made my decisions when I had the least amount of money. People see a successful business on the outside, but they have no idea how much I put on the line to get it off the ground."
On balancing priorities..."Family time is always my number 1 priority because it makes everything else in life seem easy."
On training..."Training for a triathlon is definitely hard work and time management is key...when people say they don't have time, they are making excuses. My schedule is not for everyone, but it goes to show you that you can have a very rich life if you focus on family first."
Vinu's winning spirit and terrific outlook are a perfect match for Team In Training, a program that transforms the lives of participants and the patients they serve simultaneously.
Read the article about Vinu in Triathlete Magazine and then sign up for that Team In Training event you always dreamed of. Vinu's outlook will remind you that any goal worth setting is worth accomplishing. Team In Training will help you get there.
As summer comes to an end, we're passing winter right by to tell you about three new, exciting spring Team In Training events. If you've been waiting for a new TNT experience, you're in luck! Train with TNT and take your pick: Rock ‘n’ Roll in the Big Easy, Be Princess for a Day or run through the splendor that is Paris!
Rock 'n' Roll Mardi Gras Marathon (R) -- February 28, 2010
Rock ‘n’ Roll through the Big Easy! Celebrate the conclusion of Mardi Gras with the Rock 'n' Roll Mardi Gras Marathon and 1/2 Marathon. The party will be winding down as your tour through historic New Orleans begins. You'll be right in the heart of the action where each mile is marked with a live band, and it's all followed by a post-race concert. Learn More
Disney's Princess Half Marathon Weekend
Join us for a weekend fit for a princess. Disney's Princess Half Marathon Weekend will remind you that every woman is a princess. In fact, the Disney Princesses are the inspiration for the weekend's events and will focus on the attributes every princess possesses: commitment, courage, determination, fantasy, perseverance, and strength. Learn More
Marathon de Paris -- April 11, 2010
Experience Paris like few others have. This timed marathon through The City of Love is a competitive event design for serious marathoners. The route passes the Louvre and the Eiffel Tower, around the Place de la Bastille, meanders along the Siene and passes through the heart of Paris. If you're ready for the experience of a lifetime, get your passport ready and sign up for the Marathon de Paris. Learn More
And don't forget, all Team In Training programs offer:
- Great people. Great times. Certified coaches provide exceptional training and teammates bring the fun, friendship and encouragement.
- Fundraising support. Your own Web page plus fundraising help from our staff and alumni mentors.
- A fabulous weekend. Travel, lodging and entry fees are all part of the package. Plus, you’ll spend the weekend in a fabulous setting, no matter which event you decide on.
- A lifesaving cause. Maybe the greatest benefit of all is knowing that you’ll be raising funds to help cure blood cancers.
New collaboration supports LLS while making more great seats available to the summer’s most sought-after concerts.
The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society has partnered with Tickets-for-Charity® to offer fans a convenient way to purchase great seats to high-demand concerts – Coldplay, Billy Joel & Elton John, Kenny Chesney, Counting Crows and many more – while supporting the fight against blood cancers. Seats on Tickets-for-Charity’s website are available at face value plus a separate donation amount that now may also directly benefit LLS. Learn more
Tickets-for-Charity connects with artists, managers, venues and promoters to set aside an allotment of seats to be sold on its website for typically the same price or better than fans would pay elsewhere. The difference with Tickets-for-Charity is that 100% of the benefit above face value goes directly to supporting partner charities, including LLS, and the original face value of the ticket is paid back to the artist. Tickets-for-Charity charges an industry standard service fee to help maintain the platform and facilitate all donation processing.
Recently profiled in The Wall Street Journal, Tickets-for-Charity CEO Jord Poster notes that the purpose of Tickets-for-Charity is to give concertgoers the opportunity to help others. "All we're doing is creating a socially positive option for consumers when they can't find what they want," Poster says. "Rather than paying $400 to a broker or scalper, they can pay $400 to Tickets-for-Charity. The difference is that most of the benefit is going to charity rather than a secondary reseller."
Visit ticketsforcharity.com when you're looking for your seats to the next hot concert -- and know you can easily support life-saving cancer research when you do.
Gap Give & Get Campaign shoppers - the results are in! in @LLS
Posted by Christine Lazzari Aug 28, 2009
Yeah, I actually swam without getting tired out in the first 25 meters! We did about 1300meters in the Comal River and I changed my breathing strategy. I tried breathing every other arm stroke instead of every fourth...and it worked! Plus I slowed down instead of trying to be fast. The combination worked, thank goodness, and I wasn't so tired when we finished! Okay, you "real swimmers" out there reading this...I know what you're thinking, but hey, if it gets me through my first Olympic length triathlon, I'm all for it! 
Maybe when I finish, then I'll work on extending my breathing. I can't wait to get my wetsuit. There's only a couple of us who don't have it, they ordered my wrong size. For those that know me, you know I'd never fit in a SS, except in my dreams! Hopefully it'll come in tomorrow so I can practice with it a couple times before we leave to get use to it. They say it helps keep one bouyant...I hope so, as I need all the help I can get! More swim and breathing practice this week.
If you're in Manhattan on September 12th, watch out as the city will be stormed with brides and grooms on the hunt for diamonds! Michael C. Fina and Tacori, leaders in the jewelry and bridal industry, have partnered to host a diamond scavenger hunt. Proceeds from “Diamond Dash: Dash for a Diamond & a Cure” will support The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society (LLS).
The dashers will race down the streets of NYC, solving clues sent via SMS, and stopping at various wedding-related destinations throughout the city. The first couple to reach each destination will be awarded with a prize valued up to $3,500! And, the couple that reaches the final destination first will be awarded an incredible Grand Prize.
Grand prize winners of the Diamond Dash will receive a beautiful handcrafted Tacori engagement ring setting, matched with a Tacori Diamond, both valued at approximately $20,000, as well as a honeymoon package to Waikoloa Beach Resort on Hawaii's Big Island, including roundtrip airfare and four nights hotel accommodations at Hilton Waikoloa Village. The dash will culminate with a once-in-a-lifetime proposal opportunity.
Think you know all there is to know about NYC's wedding hot-spots and trivia? Do you and your special someone Want a chance to grab some prizes? Sign up for the event at www.diamondsmakeadifference.com. We're limited to 1,000 teams, so act fast.
Hello,I am newly diagnois with Essential Thrombocytois and Refactory Anemia with Sideroblasts[rars]. Myelodysplastis/Myeloproliferative neoplasm unclassified.Any one out there with the same illness. I am having a lot of symtoms. Dizzness ,nausea etc.I just started Procrit to get my blood levels up.I seem to be feeling better sometime and other times worse .Any Ideas.
New Online Chat for Chronic Myelogenous Leukemia Patients in The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society Blog
Posted by Samantha Mills Aug 24, 2009
Thanks for visiting my training blog! I ran out of room to continue my training log on my original website, so I started a blog here.
YIPPEE! It's official, I'm a Triathlete! I completed my first Triathlon on Ft Sam Houston last Sunday, 16 Aug. It was a mini-length, with a 400 meter swim, 15 mile bike ride and a 2 mile run. WOW! It was quite an experience! Needless to say the swim was my weakest event. It seemed like it took me forever to get out that pool! The pool was a 50m length, so I only had to four complete laps! After the first 25 meters, I was totally out of breath! Guess I still need to work on my breathing! I ended up doing the crawl, side stroke and even the dog-paddle to get through the swim! Hopefully I'll do better when I swim in the Potomac River next month! My transition to the bike took awhile since I was still out of breath from the swim. I was just leaving the transition area when the leader was completing his first loop of the bike route! I managed to finish not too far behind the pack! I was able to change in to the running gear quicker, not so tired! I thought the run would be relatively easy since it was short, but I didn't take in to account getting off a bike and running up a little hill! I had a few cramps in the calves, but eventually they went away as I continued. I'm so glad I got one under my belt before my big event! I need to thank my co-worker Tina, who was there to share all of her tips and tricks! Granted the event next month is quite abit longer, but I feel more confident now. On to a new week of training and working on my swimming/breathing!