Losing the Battle Winning the War

It's been a very hard month for Northern New Jersey Team In Training and our battle against Blood Cancers.

Christopher Barron


On July 23rd, 9 year old Christopher Barron, of Glen Rock, NJ, nephew of our running coach Melissa, passed away. He had a passion and zest for life and just wanted to be an ordinary kid. He loved to ski, play baseball, swim at the Glen Rock pool and do tae kwon do. Christopher was an avid Mets fan and loved spiderman. He also liked to paint and write comic books. He couldn't wait to go to fourth grade and be with his friends again.

Although he lost his fight, he truly fought with everything he had until the bitter end. He was, and continues to be, an inspiration to many including his dear family. Thankfully he was only in pain near the end and now his suffering his over.

Joey Cialkowski

Joey with Coach David in Spring 2003

Joey has been with the TNT family for the last 9 years. At 5 years old he was diagnosed with acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL), and battled that for 3 years from 1998 to 2000. As a result of the radiation needed to save his life, he suffered 2 subsequent brain tumors in 2005 and again in February this year 2007.

Joey has always been strong for his family and friends, and two weeks ago decided that he would end his chemotherapy. He said to his parents that it is almost time for him to go to heaven, and then on Saturday morning, he slipped into a coma.

Joey is at home, and in no pain. He is surrounded by his beloved family and friends, and a hospice team who are the best.

Pat Beck said that Tuesday morning, Joey woke up, told his family, Arlene and Frank and Michael that he loved them, and that heaven was beautiful. He then slipped back into a coma. How amazing and what a wonderful gift to his family, that he was able to awaken to be able to do this.

Joey has touched so many lives in the last 9 years, anyone who came to know Joey is a better person for having known him. Joey was the honored patient for our Spring 2003 season, and again in Spring 2006, when his Dad, Frank, walked the Alaska marathon.

We ask that you keep Joey and his family in your thoughts and prayers as his time draws near, and keep the wonderful story of how this amazing 14 year old young man has bravely fought blood cancers for over 9 years.

Reach out and tell your own friends and family how much you love them and how important they are to you.

We may lose a battle every now and again, but with your help, we can win the war against blood cancers.

Coach David

Celebrity Marathoners

It's always fun to compare yourself to celebrities, whether actors, politicians or athletes. Now that you guys are athletes, why not compare yourself to those athletes amongst the celebrities who have taken on the marathon?

In a fun article I found today, Mark Iocchelli researched those celebs that have run 26.2. Wikipedia has done an even more extensive review which you can check here.

Amongst the famous are:
Will Ferrell Boston Marathon 2003 (3:56:12)
Oprah Winfrey Marine Corps Marathon 1994 (4:29:20)
William Baldwin, New York City Marathon 1992 (3:24:29)
Freddie Prinze, Jr. Los Angeles Marathon 2006 (5:50:49)
Sean Combs New York City Marathon 2002 (4:14:54)
David Lee Roth New York City Marathon 1987 (6:04:43)
Pat Tillman Arizona Cardinals Avenue of the Giants_Marathon 2000(3:48)
Lance Armstrong New York City Marathon 2006 (2:59:36)
Michael Waltrip Las Vegas Marathon 2005, Kiawah Island 1999 and Boston 2000
Kyle Petty Las Vegas Marathon 2005 (4:18:34)
George W. Bush Houston Marathon 1993(3:44:52)
John Edwards Marine Corps 1983 (3:30:18)
Al Gore Marine Corps Marathon 1997 (4:58:25)
Mike Huckabee Little Rock Marathon 2005 (4:39:04)

Michael Watson, a former boxer from the UK, ran/walked the London Marathon in 2003. Michael suffered a serious brain injury in a fight with Chris Eubank and went into a coma for 40 days. Over a period of two years he finally began to recover the ability to walk, and finished his marathon in 6 days.

Also Danny Wallace, former Manchester Utd and England International Footballer did the London Marathon in 2006. Danny now suffers from Mutiple Sclerosis and also took 6 days to complete the event.

Tune In, Turn Off, Don't Drop Out

As I ran my regular 3mile loop around Prospect Park in Brooklyn today, I did a count of the number of those wearing headphones against those without. Of the 82 runners I came across, 67 of them wear wearing headphones. Over 80%.

We tell our runners with Team In Training to not run with headphones. But we are all adults. And as our runs lengthen, we often end up running on our own, and having headphones is understandable.

There are the obvious safety reasons for not wearing headphones. You cannot hear safety instructions from officials or police during races, cannot hear people coming up behind you, whether other athletes or potential assailants.

There are the obvious reasons to wear headphones.... I do myself on my midweek recovery runs... it is wonderfully motivating to hear upbeat or favorite music while you are working out.

However, if you are an avid headphone wearer, obvious stuff aside, there are two major reasons to at least run some of the time without headphones. This can be either whole runs, or just portions of runs.
i) In April this year, the US Track and Field association (USATF) upgraded their ruling from recommending, to explicitly banning headphones from their accredited races:
USATF Rule 144.3(b):
The visible possession or use by athletes of video or audio cassette recorders or players, TVs, CD or DVD players, radio transmitters or receivers, mobile phones, computers, or any similar devices in the competition area shall not be permitted.

Numerous races have already adopted the rule, including Grandma's Marathon. Previously, race directors had been reluctant to adopt the USATF recommendation, but since it has now been upgraded to a mandatory ruling, you will find many more races adopting it. The Chicago marathon have ruled that headphones are prohibited on the course.
So.... get used to running without headphones.

ii) Association: It is important to 'check in with yourself' every now and again during a run. Listen to how your breathing is going, listen to your body, concentrate on how your arms are swinging, concentrate on your cadence, concentrate on how it changes uphill and downhill. This is called association, internalizing how you are running. Concentrating on your body as you run, can really help you improve your performance, since your body is your very best feedback. Disassociation, where you pay more attention to your surroundings or to the beat of the music tends to dictate your run pace and upset your rhythm. I personally find it extremely difficult to breath steady and keep the same pace from one upbeat song to the next.

So.... during your training, please put at least some of your training miles in without headphones... or perhaps just 'check in with yourself' every mile or so, to listen to how you are doing. And expect to not have your headphones during your race event itself.

regards,
Coach David.

RRCA Coaching Class

Our Northern New Jersey Head Running Coach Bill Gahwyler and myself recently took a Coaching Class with the Road Runners Club of America (RRCA). It was a pretty intensive two day class down in Maryland.

The coach was taught by Mike Broderick and Janet Hamilton of Running Strong. Mike is a coach and personal trainer with the National Strength & Conditioning Association, a member of the American College of Sports Medicine and National Strength Professionals Association. While Janet is a Registered Clinical Exercise Physiologist (RCEP) with American College of Sports Medicine (ACSM) and Certified Strength and Conditioning Specialist (CSCS)
with the National Strength and Conditioning Association as well. So they both had lots to offer.

We went through a lot of the regular information on sports science, the basics of overloading and specificity, physiology, nutrition, injury prevention and psychology. The second day was spent putting training programs together for athletes preparing for marathons.

There were many pearls of wisdom I learned from the weekend, which I'd love to share on this blog over the next few weeks, but in summary:

• muscle, circulatory, pulmonary, skeletal and neurological systems are all trainable, but at different rates.
• you will get faster without running faster due to adaptation (at least for the first few years of your running career).
• look for the perpetrator of the injury, not the victim - e.g. IT Band trouble often caused by tight hamstrings or gluts, not by the IT band itself.
• the value of association while you are running - turn off the iPod and listen to your body every now and again.
  
• train at your current fitness level, not your target level - adaptation will help you get there.
• be wary of drugs that effect energy systems - benedryl, insulin, NSAIDs, Acetaminaphine.
  
  "Do not believe in anything simply because YOU have heard it. Do not believe in traditions because they have been handed down for many generations. Do not believe in anything because it is spoken and rumored by many. Do not believe in anything simply because it is found written in your books. Do not believe in anything merely on the authority of your teachers and elders. But after observation and analysis, when you find that anything agrees with reason... then accept it and live up to it" - The Buddha
  
  Blogging again soon.
  Coach David.

Marathoning Physiology

I was out running with a number of people in Liberty State Park today, and one of the runners said to me that her breathing had gotten a little easier over the last few weeks. This makes common sense, but actually makes a good introduction to the two major principles of endurance training.

Overload
Overload means exercising at a level which causes the body to adapt to function more efficiently. It doesn't mean overtraining. Think of a rubberband - as more pull is applied it stretches more and becomes easier to stretch, but too much pull can cause it to snap. To avoid breaking, i.e., becoming injured or ill, overload must always be used in conjunction with rest. Overload and rest form the basis for what is known as the "hard/easy" training approach. This technique uses variations in frequency, intensity and duration to achieve cycles of overload and rest. Frequency is how often you run, intensity is the pace at which the workout is conducted and duration is the time spent on any single run. In a program of increasing mileage or of building basic endurance, "hard" may be a long slow run while "easy" may be a shorter distance run at the same effort. For the experienced runner with an established mileage base, "hard" might be a shorter workout of increased intensity such as hill work, fartlek or some kind of interval training. After a hard workout, rest or an easy workout is important because it allows the muscles and other tissues a chance to rebuild and adapt to the stress. This is the basis of overload training.

Specificity
Specificity refers to adaptations of both metabolic and physiologic systems, depending on the type of overload used. Specific exercise brings about changes in those systems used in that particular exercise. Running is obviously the specific training for running. Different adaptations result from different kinds of running using variations of frequency, intensity, duration and terrain to utilize different sources of energy. This is where long term goal setting is so important: you need a running program designed for the specific type of races you want to run. This approach will assist you to maximize performance and eliminate wasted effort. Specific endurance training with its resultant physiologic adaptations is essential for marathons.

So much of your body is adaptable.... i.e. trainable.... but different systems adapt at different rates....... your circulatory system, pulmonary and neuromuscular systems may well start adapting in 4-6 weeks of training.... meaning you will be increasing your blood volume, strenghtening your heart muscle, lowering your heart rate, improving your lung volume, reducing fatigue and creating new muscle pathways.... but your skeletal system tends to lag behind in adaption, and improve only aftert 6-8 weeks of training.

As a result, we often find athletes feeling great and pushing themselves to new limits four weeks in, and then breaking down with stress fractures, and hurting joints midseason.

So..... the key is to increase your mileage slowly.... no more than 10% total miles increase each week, to allow your body to adapt fairly evenly.

"Jogging is very beneficial. It's good for your legs and your feet. It's also very good for the ground. It makes it feel needed." ~Charles Schulz, Peanuts

Have a great week.
Coach David

article thanks to Warren and Patti Finke @ Team Orgegan for the article.

Resting Heartrate

You can use your Resting Heart Rate as a good measure of your improvement and adapatation to your training.

Measure your Resting Heart Rate (RHR) every morning for a week, and take the average. It will give you a good starting fitness point.

Every four weeks or so, take it for a week again, measure the average. Hopefully, you'll find that your RHR is getting lower. This would indicate that you are getting fitter. Why? Because when you are unfit your heart has to work a lot harder which increases your heart rate. So the number of beats per minute will be higher. The best time to take your RHR is first thing in the morning when you wake up. Ideally, when you've woken without an alarm clock ( e.g. on a weekend), and you've got an empty stomach. If you've woken up with an alarm clock, wait a couple of minutes before you take the measurement.

If you find over time that you get a spike in your RHR, can be a good indication that you are overtraining, because your body is fighting too hard to adapt to the stress that you are putting on it. Or it may be a sign that you are getting a cold or stress, since an increase in Heart Rate is one of the first signs that your body is fighting off something.

Since so many factors can affect an individual reading, I recommend taking it as an average over a week. You can take an individual reading as your result if you think it is a good indication.

If anyone is getting a reading of less than 35, then give Lance Armstrong's team a call. His was 32-34!!
regards,
Coach David

Garmin Marathon

hey runners, Garmin are sponsoring a bunch of races in 2007, include Chicago and the Rock and Roll 1/2 in Virginia Beach.

Through MotionBased, they are giving runners in-depth analysis and mapping for each race. You can check out street maps, topological, elevation, finishing lines, where the cheering sections are, pot holes to watch out for, where dogs are most likely to come onto the course and chase you, how far in front of the sweeper truck you will be, when they will be running out of water, and far more completely useless, irrevelent info this far before race day.

http://www8.garmin.com/marathon/marathons/

I think it would be dead cool if somehow Garmin could get a feed from our chips during the race and post them on the website. People could then track you virtually through the city, even on webphones, know much better when you are coming around the bend.

have fun.
Coach David.

Man v Horse v Mountain

You hear of some wild and wackey stories in this Running life and Racing life. A couple I heard of this week particularly stood up. One celebrating life and competiveness, the other celebrating life and penance.

Man Versus Horse

Picked up from the BBC Website, is the story of this wonderful race in Llanwrtyd Wells, in Powys, Wales.

The race is over 22 miles of cross country terrain. A man beat all the horses for the first time ever three years ago. This year two men actually beat the horses. It has been going for 28 years, and only 3 people have beaten all the horses in that time.

I guess that as the race becomes known, it attracts a more competitive runner, and eventually Paula Radcliffe will be racing them for $100,000.

There was similar story in the US, except over a shorter distance, where Chad Johnson, the Cincinnati Bengals all-pro wide receiver raced a horse at River Downs in Cincinnati, Ohio on Belmont Stakes Day, June 9, as a fund-raiser for Feed the Children.
Johnson was given a 100 yard head start and beat Restore the Roar easily, who had to run/gallop approximately 200 yards (one-eighth-mile).

Man versus Mountain
A more humbling story this time. In Japan, Buddhist monk, Genshin Fujinami, run up a holy moutain for more than seven years.

For 1,000 days, rising well before dawn, Fujinami embarked alone, rain or shine, on his journey, running or briskly walking each day, wearing white robes, a pair of straw sandals, a long straw hat, candles, a shovel, a length of rope and a short sword.

The rope and sword weren’t for survival - if for some reason he could not complete his daily trek, he was to use them to kill himself.

Since 1885, only 48 "marathon monks" of Buddhism’s Tendai sect have accomplished the ritual. Those who do earn the title of "dai-ajari," or living saint. At least one of the monks to attempt the trial is known to have killed himself in modern times, Fujinami said.

The quest dates to the eighth century and is believed to be a path to enlightenment. Monks carry a little book of prayers and incantations, which they offer at about 300 temples and sacred spots along the way. Other than that, they don’t stop for breaks.

"You don’t go on the trails to train, you go to offer prayers," he said. "Athletes do it for awards. We do it to grow spiritually."

A strict regimen dictates that in each of the journey’s first three years, the pilgrim must rise at midnight for 100 consecutive days to pray and run along an 29-kilometre trail around Mount Hiei, on the outskirts of the ancient capital of Kyoto. Fujinami left his temple at 1 in the morning, and returned about nine hours later to spend the rest of the day praying, cleaning or doing other chores.

He slept three or four hours a night.

In the next two years, he had to extend his runs to 200 days. In the winter, the pilgrim runner gets to take a break.

Fujinami said the time spent on the trails is spread out over seven years not because of the rigours, but to allow for time to reflect.

"You learn how to see your real self," he said. "You learn to understand what is important and what isn’t."

Fujinami said his most difficult trial came during the fifth year, when he had to sit in the lotus position before a raging fire and chant mantras for nine days without food, water or sleep in an esoteric ritual called "doiri," or "entering the temple."

In the sixth year, Fujinami covered 60 kilometres every day for 100 days. And in the seventh year, he went 52½ miles for 100 days and then 29 kilometres for another 100 days.

This latter story has been published in a lot of magazines around the world. Yet I still think it may be a hoax. It seems just a tad too fanciful.

I could quite believe it if there was a little bit of Monkey Magic !

Let's Go TNT !!!
Coach David.

High Bridge run

One of my favorite places to run in Northern New Jersey is the Columbia Trails out in High Bridge. The full run is a 14 mile out and back on a nicely shaded, loose gravel path. It is so well shaded that even on a hot day like Saturday, it comfortable to run on.

It was our team's first proper run of the season, after last week's kickoff. We had a great turnout of at least 20 people, doing up to 7 miles, at all different sorts of paces. I went out with speedy Steve, and come back at a nice and easy with Cheryl and Danielle. And in between, we had plenty of runners who were going further than they had ever run before.

The Way I See It #259

Our fellow TNT Northern New Jersey Chicago team member, John Kellenyi is now quoted in the Starbucks campaign, "The Way I See It". If you are lucky enough to get cup #259, you'll see John's quote:

"People say, oh I could never do that! But when you meet cancer patients you understand the bravery and spirit those people show each and every day. Their struggles and spirit motivate you to test the limits of your endurance to cross that finish line. You'll be surprised at what you can do".

Thanks to John Kellenyi for helping inspiring others to make a difference!

Let's Go TNT.
Run Coach David.

Would I still be a Runner.....

If I had all the money I could possibly dream of..........

This Audi R10 TDI racing car that become the first ever diesel powered car to triumph at Le Mans 24-hour race, is parked in the showroom next to where I work

Or would I chose some other sport, and fight cancer through philanthropic means?

Hmmmm............ I'll ponder that as I dream tonight.

Yours,
Driving Coach David

Learning To Swim & Learning To Run

I'm going to finally learn to swim this summer.

I've never been able to feel confident and relaxed in water. As a kid, I was dead scared of going to the swimming pool. I used to bunk off Sports Class and go around my Nan's house for Baked Beans on Toast. Having to take off my glasses and not being able to see anything was my excuse for years. Another one of my excuses is my family's non-swimming gene. None I my family can swim either.

I've been trying to learn for several years now. I'm in what is probably my sixth season of classes at the YMCA. I've been going again since the Winter, and can swim up to a length, and then I get knackered. I'm in Class 2A. If it was a children's class it would probably be called the Goldfish level. But calling it that is way too embarrassing for an adult.

So... this summer... I'm going for the breakthrough. My target for the end of this year is to swim 10 lengths non-stop.

Going to classes once a week has been helpful. I've gotten instruction. I can practice for one and a half hours. But I'm really making the progress I expect. Those epiphany moments are not coming very fast.

My wife, Tricia, recommended that I have to make it a priority. I have to go more often. Go to the Adult free swim. Practice on my own what I've learned in class.

I went last Monday. I was dead scared. I was in a pool with real 'swimmers'. I was sure I was getting in their way. I was too embarrassed to use the kick-board in front of adults. And after 15 minutes, I feigned some reason for getting out of the pool, and I went and sat in the sauna instead.

Sitting in the sauna I realized how my experience compared to first time TNT runners:
- I'm an adult beginner swimmer.
- I'm embarrassed about not knowing how to swim, being too slow and making a fool of myself.
- I've signed up for a program that will help me to learn.
- I've made a commitment to myself to learn this year and reach a particular goal.

But to take that parallel further (if I may), key to making significant progress is:
- The more you go, the more comfortable you will become. Go running/swimming more often that just the one class per week.
- Practice what you've learned from the coach until you are comfortable yourself.
- Do not look at and worry about other swimmers/runners when you are training. It will only server to bring negativity into your head.

So, as we progress our running season, I'll be progressing my swimming at my local Y. I hope I'm able to see running through beginner's eyes better due to my swimming experience.

All the best,
Coach David.

Which Superhero are You?

I am The Flash



Click here to take the Superhero Personality Quiz

Happy Birthday Paul McClure

Thankyou Paul and Lisa Marie

There is something about the rush you get from a good run, that when you see something really nice, it seems to be as the most wonderful thing in the world.

Running home from work today, and across the Brooklyn Bridge, I was already in a great mood. And then I saw the rather cute scene of this couple sitting on a bench, surrounded by potted plants, rubber ducks, and pots of sweets and treats. It turns out that Paul McClure and Lisa Marie Palmieri (I hope I spelled your names correctly) were celebrating Paul's birthday by being giving candy away to passers-by.

It stuck me as the most generous gift imaginable. While any number of tourists and New Yorkers might have wandered by wondering who these weirdos were. I'm sure that there were many others, like me, touched by this wonderful gift to complete strangers.

Paul's fish

Now, I wonder if my reaction would have been quite as overwhelmed if I'd not already been in a fantastic mood. A bit like flying on E and suddenly everyone who smiles at you is the most beautiful creature on earth. Or my Gu rush at Mile 9 in the Vancouver Half Marathon, and suddenly seeing Bald Eagles and Forget-Me-Nots was the most wonderful manifestation of nature imaginable. If I'd been a regular New York commuter rushing to get home, would I have just considered them weird?

Anyhow, that is to take nothing away from Paul and Lisa Marie. You made my day. You made a New York story for many visitors. And I hope you both had a wonderful day. Happy Birthday.

"We cannot do great things on this Earth, only small things with great love" - Mother Teresa

TNT Northern New Jersey Summer Kicks Off

What a beautiful weekend we had in the North East, and our Summer Season started for the Northern New Jersey runners. We had 65 people out with us. Many thanks to the Mike Conforti and the Sneaker Factory in Millburn for hosting us. Mike laid on the bagels, the shade and the 10% Team In Trainin (TNT) discount in the store, and Coach Bill laid on the Powerade and water for the athletes.

It was great to put some faces to some names, but when faced with 65 new people, I'm sure I'll be asking for those names several times before they get remembered. I read once about Bill Clinton's technique, which is to write down at the end of each day, everything he can remember about a person he met. Next time he is due to meet them, he gen's up on their info, and that person is stunned that big Bill can remember not only their name, but their wife, their pet dog and their important projects.

Although our first run was primarily about getting to know each other, and running or run/walking a few miles, we had athletes that ran further than they had ever ran before. It is going to be an amazing season of accomplishment for those folk. Talk about pushing outside your comfort zone! Fantastic.

It was also great to hear so many stories of how people had gotten involved with TNT. Unfortunately many of the stories were about people who had lost loved ones to blood cancers. But all of the stories were inspiring people to push themselves beyond themselves to honor and remember.

"To run and leap, to dart about with sweat pouring from your body, to expend your last ounce of energy and afterward to stand beneath a hot shower-how few things in life can give such enjoyment."
-Yukio Mishima, novelist

Common leukaemia linked to inherited gene mutation

Blood smear showing CLL cells

As reported in New Scientist and the Daily Mail newspaper.

A gene that dramatically increases the risk of adult leukaemia has been identified. The researchers say the risk of a person with the gene getting the most common form of adult leukaemia is equivalent to that faced by those with the BRCA1 gene for breast cancer.

A close genetic analysis of one family hard-hit by adult leukaemia found that those members who carried a tiny genetic mutation all developed chronic lymphocytic leukaemia (CLL), the most common adult form. Researchers speculate that mutations in this gene may elevate the risk of adult leukaemia by seven-fold.

CLL causes a gradual but deadly increase in immune cells in the bone marrow which become cancerous. Eventually these cancerous immune cells spread to the blood, with fatal consequences.

Christoph Plass at Ohio State University in Columbus, US, and colleagues tested one family in
which the father, four sons, a grandson and distant female relative had all developed CLL.

Researchers took blood samples from the five family members with CLL who were still alive, as well as from another five close relatives without the disorder. A genetic analysis of these samples revealed that only those suffering from CLL had a small, single-letter change in their DNA sequence.

The tiny mutation was in the gene that codes for a protein known as death-associated protein kinase 1 (DAPK1). Earlier work has shown that this protein helps cells die at the correct time. Without this type of programmed death, cells can become cancerous.

Further lab tests revealed that the mutation in DAPK1 causes it to become coated in methyl groups which switches off the gene. As a result "the cells don't know when to die", Plass says.

"The importance of this kind of discovery is huge," says Carl Alston, a spokesman for the Chicago-based Leukemia Research Foundation. "To have something this concrete is one more step closer to finding a cure."

Clear path to treatment

It is unknown how widespread the specific gene mutation found in this family might be in the general population. But Plass says there may be many other mutations in this gene which could elevate the risk of CLL.

Researchers stress the new finding will likely have a big impact on the treatment of adult leukaemia.

"It gives us a clear path to a potentially effective treatment for CLL," says Deborah Banker at the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society (LLS), based just outside of New York, US.

For example, Plass suggests that drugs that remove the methyl coating of genes could switch DAPK1 back on in CLL patients, and perhaps cure their condition.

Get Free Gas and Help Save a Life

As the summer travel season approaches the skyrocketing gas prices may be putting the brakes on Americans' vacation plans. The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society is doing its part to provide some relief by offering free gas cards and a chance to win an all-expenses paid vacation.

Participants in online fundraising for Light The Night^® Walk, the Society's annual evening fundraising walk campaign, can earn $50 worth of free gas for every $500 they raise during July and August. For every $250 raised, $15 gas cards will be earned. The cards will be available while supplies last. As a bonus, the top online Light The Night fundraiser in July and August will win a special grand prize: a vacation for four at one of the luxurious Marriott Vacation Club International's Orlando Resort properties, including air transportation, courtesy of American Airlines.

"Light The Night is the nation's opportunity to pay tribute to and commemorate lives touched by blood cancer and the goal of finding cures and helping patients is a great motivator, in and of itself," said Dwayne Howell, Society president and CEO. "But with gas prices so high this summer, the Society saw this ‘Save at the Pump' promotion as a great added incentive to do something good and get something good!"

Light The Night Walk events will take place in communities around the country in the fall, with teams of co-workers, families and friends walking together in twilight holding illuminated balloons - white for survivors and red for supporters. The funds raised help the Society support leading-edge research and provide much-needed patient services.

For more information about the gas promotion or to learn more about Light The Night, contact the Society at (877) LTN-WALK or visit www.lightthenight.org/freegas.

TNT Season Kick-Off Run

For our New Jersey Fall TNT teams training for the Virginia Beach Half, Chicago, Marine Corps and Nike San Fran, our first team run is this Saturday.

Joining an organized team to train together can be daunting, especially for a beginner runner. But much like joining a gym and then never going, we find that a lot of runners will join our team, and not show up to the group runs.

It's quite understandable though. The beginner you is about to show yourself in front of a bunch of strangers. How are you feeling about yourself and your current level of fitness? Are you planning to skip that first team run? Not ready for it yet? Are you planning on getting a bit fitter on your own, and then going out with the team? You may be feeling out of shape, overweight, think you’re going to be too slow for everyone else? You don’t want to embarrass yourself in front of other people. Everyone else must already be a runner and you’re not. They will all be finished and waiting for you to come in. The coach will have to run with you at the back of the pack and everyone else will be on their own. Or worse, you’ll be on my own at the back. It will be terrible.

I’m sure you’ve had gym instructors, teachers, and parents telling you all your life, not to worry. It will all be OK when you get there. Unfortunately, you are all adults, and so I cannot get away with convincing you in such a simple way. Because it is not all going to be OK. This is going to be hard. This is going to be a challenge. You are undertaking an endurance program. You have signed up to do something that less that one-tenth of one percent of people in the USA has ever done. If it was simple then everyone would be doing it. Every single person that has ever done a Half or Full Marathon has found it hard. That is part of why we are doing it. It is a personal challenge for all of us.

However, what I can tell you is, by doing this as part of a team, the challenge does become easier. We get people drop out of our teams every season. It is very rare for anyone who is active in the team runs to drop out. That is because the team helps them through, not just the individual.

Team In Training groups typically run at around 12min/mile pace. Some run faster, some slower. Some run/walk, maybe running 3 minutes and walking 1 minute. We have large groups training together in Northern New Jersey, so there is a good chance of finding someone else running at a similar pace.

So... congrats again for undertaking your endurance program. Congrats on signing up to make a difference to people's lives. And I hope you are to join the team for the runs.

"Courage is more exhilarating than fear and in the long run it is easier. We do not have to become heroes overnight. Just a step at a time, meeting each thing that comes up, seeing it is not as dreadful as it appeared, discovering we have the strength to stare it down." - Eleanor Roosevelt

Let's Go TNT.
Coach David.

The Yahoo Group Experience

As part of our communications between our training team, we create Yahoo groups to share emails, photos, concerns and questions.... I often hear that new participants struggle with Yahoo groups to sign up for. So one of our coaches, Glenn Bachmann, did some research on the signing up process and put the following steps together in case any of you got lost (or frustrated) in the process.

1. The process starts when a coach adds a new member to the Yahoo group, this results in an automatic email invitation to the participant.

2. The recipient opens the email and clicks on the embedded link to gain access to the new Yahoo Groups web page

3. If the participant already has a Yahoo ID, they see a screen which guesses at their user ID and prompts them for a password. If the participant
knows their password, they enter it, and voila, they are in the new Yahoo groups main page.

4. If the participant does NOT have a Yahoo ID, they instead see a screen which allows them to sign up and get a Yahoo ID. Unfortunately the screen doesn't really tell them that they need to create a new ID in order to get to the yahoo group, but hopefully the participant will realize this. So they click "Don't have a Yahoo ID"

5. Now they see a screen that asks them for their name, password, security questions, and that they accept the terms of service. They are required to fill this form out.

6. If they are successful in filling out the form they are now at the Registration Completed screen which tells them their YahooID, and it also
lists their Yahoo email address (this latter is to me a point of confusion)

7. Now they click the Continue button, which brings them to another screen which requires them to agree to enable Web Access (don't know what this is but apparently its required for yahoo groups)

8. Now they are on the yahoo groups main page, BUT they need to now enter their email address. What is bound to be confusing is do they enter their real-world email address they use at work or home, OR do they enter the Yahoo email address which they were just given? The correct answer is to enter their real world email address so that they will receive yahoo groups communications, but the wording on the screen does not explain this.

9. Now they are prompted for their Yahoo password again. If successful, they are informed that a verification email was sent to the email address they just entered (if they goofed in entering the wrong email address they will never get this verification email). They still cant get into the group until
they go BACK to their email and open the verification email.

10. In the verification email is a link "Important! Please click here to verify this email address for your account!"

11. This brings you into the yahoo group web page, and when you click continue you are finally IN.

Wow, no wonder people struggle with Yahoo groups.

However, we haven't explored any other choices to Yahoo groups yet. Can anyone recommend an alternative that is pretty easy for signing up, using, sharing info and photos?

Joey Did Good

Joey Cialkowski, from Park Ridge, NJ, has been fighting leukemia since he was 5 years old. He was my honored patient in 2003 when I was coaching the Alaska team. He was in remission for several years but unfortunately, the very treatment that saved his life then led directly to the developing of a brain tumor.

He fought that off, but got another bought of brain cancer this year. He came out of surgery in February but was not given a good prognosis by his doctors. They haven't given Joey or his family much hope.

On the Sunday evening after the kickoff, I got a call from Pat Beck, our walking coach, who has been very close to Joey over these years. Arlene, Joey's mum, had called and said that at Joey's most recent check-up, the doctors said that he his tumor had reduced in size by 80%. It is no longer putting pressure on his spinal cord. It is wonderful news. The doctors were amazed.

The tumor is still carcinogenic. It is not begin. But we should celebrate along with Joey every piece of good news.

If you are a Team In Training athlete, or indeed, any cancer charity athlete, please think of Joey's fight and honor it in your way.

I'll try to keep you updated on his progress, and we all hope for the best.

"They were nothing more than people, by themselves. Even paired, any pairing, they would have been nothing more than people by themselves. But all together, they have become the heart and muscles and mind of something perilous and new, something strange and growing and great. Together, all together, they are the instruments of change". - Keri Hulme, The Bone People

Getting out of the Door

Hopefully getting out of your door will not look like this !

The training season for our Northern New Jersey runners starts on June 2nd with a nice and easy 3 miler at the Sneaker Factory in Millburn. Before the training season proper starts, just like the baseball players it is always a good idea to get in a little Spring pre-season training.

Getting out of the Door:
Whether you are a seasoned runner or new at this game, the key goal at the beginning of any training season is to make going out and running a habit, rather than a chore. Try and get out of the door and go for exercise at least four times per week, no matter whether it is simply a jog for up to thirty minutes or so. The key thing is to make it something you do regularly. Make it part of your routine. If it remains a chore, something you have to squeeze into your day, then it will be a battle for you from now until the day of the big event.

If you need a schedule, then the following would be a basic start for you, no matter whether you are doing a 10miler, a Half or a Full Marathon:

Warm-up: Before each workout, do a warm-up of walking 5 minutes easy pace.
Cool-down: After each workout, do a cool-down of walking 5 minutes easy pace, then 15mins of stretching

Mondays – An easy run at an easy conversational pace, for as long as if comfortable, up to 30mins.
Tuesdays – Cross-training; bike ride, swimming, gym workout, spin class, etc.
Wednesday – Rest day, go for a walk, recover
Thursday – Run at a faster pace than your Monday run. Whatever is comfortable for you, but something like this would be good: Slow for 10mins, faster for 20mins, slow again for 10mins.
Friday - Just like Monday, a nice easy run.
Saturday/Sunday – Here is your long run. Long run one day, rest the other day. Depending on your current running experience, do somewhere between 45mins and 1 hour. Increase by 10/15mins each week if you can. Take walking breaks if you need to.

Notice I've put five workout in here. This is ideal. If you can do four, you will be fine. Just make sure you don't skip the long run. That is going to be our staple diet.

Gear
Welcome to a sport where you really don't need a lot of gear. Whether you already own what you would consider a good pair of running shoes or not, I would recommend that you take a trip to a good running store and get both your shoes, and your feet checked out. Take your shoes with you, and the store will be able to 'read' your existing shoes, to tell how you have been wearing them down. They should then check your feet out, and be able to match you with a good pair of shoes for your foot type. If you cannot find a good running store, then get in touch, and I'll send you a list.

Last note... Take it easy. We'll start this slowly, and build up by around 10-15% per week. If you make jumps in mileage too quickly, you'll get injured.

Feedback, ideas, questions? All welcome?

"Always bear in mind that your own resolution to succeed is more important than any other one thing"

- Abraham Lincoln

Let's Go TNT!

David Leech
TNT Running Coach

Leukemia Facts 2006-2007

Facts about Blood Cancers

• Leukemia, lymphoma and myeloma are cancers that originate in the bone marrow or lymphatic tissue as the result of an acquired genetic injury to the DNA of a single cell. The cell then becomes malignant and multiplies continuously. This abnormal accumulation interferes with the production of healthy blood cells.
• An estimated 785,829 Americans are living with blood cancers.

Leukemia

• In the United States, 208,080 people are living with or in remission from leukemia.
• Leukemia causes more deaths than any other cancer among children and young adults under the age of 20.
• The relative five-year survival rate for patients with leukemia has more than tripled in the past 46 years.

Lymphoma

• There are 519,473 people today living with lymphoma: 133,819 have or are in remission from Hodgkin lymphoma; 385,654 have or are in remission from non-Hodgkin lymphoma (NHL).
• Non-Hodgkin lymphoma is the sixth most common cancer in the United States, and its age-adjusted incidence rose 76 percent from 1975 to 2003.
• The five-year relative survival rate for patients with Hodgkin lymphoma rose from 73 percent in 1975 to 86 percent in 2002.
• The five-year relative survival rate for NHL patients rose from 48 percent in 1975 to 63 percent in 2002.

Myeloma

• In 2006, 16,570 new cases of myeloma will be diagnosed in the United States.
• Overall five-year survival rate has shown significant improvement since the 1960's, but was still only 33 percent in 2002.

Taken from a Leukemia & Lymphoma Society fact sheet.

This is the serious end of what we are doing, and this is increase in the survival rates are a direct response to the fundraising efforts for people who care to make a difference; the doctors, the not-for-profits and the fundraisers.

Bone Marrow Drive

Christopher Barron
Another speaker at our Kick-Off, one of our assistant running coaches, Melissa Muilenberg, spoke about her 9 year old nephew, Christopher Barron, who has had leukemia since he was 3. His initial battle against Acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL) has know regressed into a fight against the more aggressive Acute myeloid leukemia (AML). Doctors determined last month that he was no longer curable through chemotherapy, and that a bone marrow transplant would be his best hope.

The Marrow organisation provide swab kits in the mail for anyone that signs up for their registry. Melissa spoke about mother she had spoken to, whose child did not find a donor match, and passed away. But the donor drive to find a match for her son, ended up providing 10 matches for other people, who could get life saving transplants.

There are currently 6,000 people seeking a match on for a bone marrow transplant. Only 2 in every 10 find a match. What better way to make a real difference to the survival of a fellow human than to donate directly in this way.

I hope anyone that reads this at least checks out the Marrow donation webpage and hopefully signs up as a donor.

Why We Do This Running Malarky

The Fall Season kickoff was excellent. The TNT office gang made it interactive and fun as much as possible. The enthusiasm and energy was high. But so too was the message of why we are doing this. We had two of our three honored patients with us, Mary and Sami, and we heard from another young child searching for a bone marrow transplant, Christopher.

Mary Ascherl
Mary was diagnosed with Chronic Myeloid Leukemia (CML) in Feb 2006. CML is a form of chronic leukemia characterized by an unregulated growth of cancerous cells coming from bone marrow (myeloid). One of the huge breakthroughs in fighting blood cancer in this century has been the discovery of the drug Gleevac, and fortunately for Mary, CML is one of the forms of Leukemia that Gleevac has turned from a death sentence, to a controlled status, but not cured. Before Gleevac, Mary would have had 3-4 years left to live. But now, although she'll have to take Gleevac forever, she'll be able to be strong, and help others understand about Leukemia for a very long time.

Sami Stanley
Sami was diagnosed with cancer in the stomach when she was 18 years old. When she was told she had cancer, she was part of her high school musical, not long before testing for her black belt, and living the life of a regular teenager. Sami's diagnosis was "Lymphoproliferation Disorder" which causes one cell to grow rapidly, causing huge immune deficiencies. Sami had 40-50 ulcers in her stomach from it when she was diagnosed.
She was hospitalized for much of the next two years.
During one release from hospital she went to her prom, wearing a wig to cover her bald head. The Lymphoma moved to her sinus and her eye was swollen shut. But she was able to be released again and attended graduation wearing a baseball cap (but no wig this time). She missed half of her senior year, but was admitted again, as her Lymphoma had turned into Leukemia and required a bone marrow donation from her sister.
After 18 months in and out of hospital, and after 3 relapses while going through treatment, Sami is in remission, and now after passing her 21st birthday, has realised what being a survivor means.
Sami's message to everyone was that the fundraising we are doing to beat these blood cancers, more than just putting money into research, it is giving people a second chance at life. There is a big difference to just living and being alive.

The new season for Northern New Jersey has over 100 athletes signed up to run and walk marathons and half marathon, to ride the 100 mile bike rides, and to take on Olympic distance marathons. If you are interested in joining one of our teams, whether you are from Northern New Jersey, or any other state in the US or in Canada, then check out our organisation's website.

Here We Go Again

Tomorrow morning the 2007 Fall season starts... it's always an exciting time. There is a great deal of energy developed at the beginning of the season, and the challenge is to keep it as long as possible through the season. There is always a mid-season low, and it is a test of how well the team bonds that determines how far that low is pushed out.

Let's hope this blog will help keep the communication flowing and the fun higher. If it does, it will be a success.

Welcome to the Blog

For those of you visiting this blog, welcome. This is post number one. I thought it might be fun to try out a blog for the Fall Season 2007 for the Northern New Jersey Team In Training run and walk teams.

I've never blogged before, so this will be a fun experience.

We've used Yahoo groups in the past, and they've done pretty well. Maybe this will be better, maybe worse, but let's find out.