Two Weeks and Counting

The SPRING 2008 CANCER to 5K team is two weeks out from race day!

It was perfect timing then, that the interview I did last fall was published this April 2008 in the American Journal of Clinical Oncology:

The Healing Power of Physical Activity?

As the article mentions, the CANCER to 5K team will be racing the 3 mile option of the Survivor Harbor 7 race in Baltimore, MD on Sunday, June 8th.

The race is still open...you can register HERE!

What are you waiting for? Life is GOOD! Live STRONG!

Write2Fight...

Some Bloggers like Bolder in Boulder are doing an amazing thing and I took time to share my story...I know your out there, lurking...Time to share your stories too!

Kim from Iowa....Heather...Carver...Mellisa...(you need a BLOG girlfriend!) Miss Melanoma...MPIP Bulletin Board Crew...

This one is for all of you!



LiveSTRONG!

Make a difference today!

Some local Metro DC LiveSTRONG Events...

	Margaret	Townsend	Yogis fighting against cancer	Alexandria	VA	05/13/2008
	Paula	Potts	Arlington Free Clinic Celebrates LiveStrong Day 2008	Arlington	VA	05/13/2008
	Eric	Swenson	University of Chicago Livestrong Bake Sale and Fundraiser	Chicago	IL	05/17/2008
	Jillian	Bernstein	Cookies Fight Cancer	Rockville	MD	05/13/2008
	Bernadette	Dailey	Children's LiveSTRONG Day	Washington	DC	05/20/2008
	Nicole	Bender	LIVESTRONG Day DC Capitol Hill Happy Hour at Union Pub	Washington	DC	05/13/2008
	Russ	Dudley	Spinning on the Mall!	Washington	DC	05/13/2008
	Liz	Skree	YACS-DC LIVESTRONG Day Happy Hour	Washington	DC	05/13/2008
	Zoya	Naskova	Livestrong with FlexAware: Fitness, Music and Celebration	Washington, DC	DC	05/13/2008

Drugs are Bad....M'Kaaaaaayyy

Grommette has no self-control when it comes to her addictions....

No foot is safe from Grommette when she is high on Nip....

Don't let this happen to you cats...Talk to them about the dangers of drugs!

HAVE A GREAT WEEKEND!

May Is Melanoma Awareness Month....

Today let's talk about PREVENTION. Here are 4 things that you can do STARTING RIGHT NOW to prevent you and your family from Skin Cancer in the future....

• Use sunscreens rated 15 or higher DAILY

- Doesn't matter if you are going to the beach, school or work. If you are going to be outside for more than 15 minutes put on that sunscreen! Many moisturizers now come with UVF/UVB protection already in them - so take a few minutes and lather up!

• Avoid unnecessary sun exposure

- This doesn't mean avoid the sun altogether but when you are outside and there is the option to stand in the Shade, take it. If you have a hat...wear it, if you have sunglasses...put them on. Be SMART not PARANOID.

• Teach your children good sun protection habits at an early age. The damage that leads to adult skin cancers starts in childhood.

- The statistics are frightening: More than 90% of Skin Cancers are due to sun exposure and only ONE blistering sunburn in childhood more than doubles a person's chances of developing melanoma later in life. My Melanoma was on a spot on my back that has significant sun damage. I can hardly count the number of sunburns that I had as a young kid and a teen because I couldn't be bothered to stand still for 5 minutes too put on sunscreen. Teach your children both BY EXAMPLE and through talking to them, that Sunscreen is part of being outside in the Sun. That one routine could save their lives someday!

• Stay away from tanning booths!

- Seriously, if you need to have a "tan" to feel sexy, use a self-tanner or go get sprayed. There are plenty of NON_UVF options. Of course you should feel sexy no matter what your skin-tone. SEXY comes from WITHIN!

I SWAM FOR THE FIRST TIME IN 10 MONTHS!!

As you may (or may not...) recall, I have been recovering from a torn rotator cuff injury for a long time now. I have been putting off surgery as an absolute *last option.*

Last night I started my 6-week class on Stroke Development at the local REC Center near my house. The class lasts about an hour and it is a small group of 4 adults, so already, I am getting good tips on improving my kick (not really needed in triathlon) and my basic stroke techniques. We probably did about 400 yards max. By the end of the workout, my right shoulder was definitely sore. I took some advil and still last night I had a continuing dream last night that I was in an accident and I broke my neck.

I woke up with a fierce headache that started at the base of the right side of my neck but by the time I got out of the shower, the headache was gone. Must have slept funny on it continuously all night.

MORE IMPORTANTLY - I had NO SORENESS in my right shoulder this morning!!

I am going to go to the pool twice more this week before next Mondays class to practice my drills and am going to keep it to a MAX of 400 yards to start but I AM SO EXCITED!!!

Jim and I were sitting at home last night and I surprised myself when I admitted that I actually missed smelling like chlorine. It's has got to be a geek-triathlon thing.

Life IS Good says a Very, Very Happy Holly!!!

RR: GW Parkway Classic 5K

Sunday, April 27, 2008
5K race distance
Chip Time: 36.17
Pace: 11:41 - That's SUB:12 minute miles BABY!!


If ever there was better weather for a late April race, I can't remember it. This morning it was high 50s and overcast with very little wind. PERFECT RACE WEATHER!

I decided to do the 5K distance for this race and wait for my friend Monica at the finish, who was racing the 10 Mile distance. Because the race start was less than 2 miles from my house, I had Jim drop me off about 2 blocks from Belle Haven Marina instead of heading to Old Towne Alexandria and the Finish Line area and taking the bus to the start.

I picked up my chip, did about a 5 minute warm-up jog and stretched and drank an 10 oz bottle of water and ate 3 Margarita Cliff Blocks while waiting for the race start (I did eat breakfast, a bagel with PB at about 6:30 AM).

The race started at 8:08AM with the 5K and the 10 miler starting simultaneously. The 5K course (part of the 10 mile course) was rolling hills that ran the end of the GW Parkway and then turned left up a steep hill and then down along Union Street through Old Towne Alexandria to Onorco Street and the park near the rail road crossing as the Finish Line.

My goal for the race today was to come in under 36:00 for the 5K distance which would give me a solid pace under 12:00 minute miles and I felt pretty sure that I was going to be able to maintain that pace. My focus was on running each mile with walk breaks ONLY at the mile markers and a brief walk at the water station to make sure I actually drank some water (instead of spilling it down the front of me...)

SPLITS:
Mile 1: 11:22
Mile 2: 12:14
Mile 3: 11:32
1/10 - 1:13

Mile 1 felt great! I just settled into the middle of the pack and did my thing - focusing on being FREE and EASY. At the mile marker the race clock said 11:30. The pace was a little faster than I thought I wanted to go but I knew some hills were coming so I figured it would even out.

Mile 2 was alot of up and down with one steep climb and a FUN DOWNHILL that turned right onto Union Street. The water stop was just before the big climb so I took the time to grab a cup of water and drink it down. I was pretty surprised when we got to the second timing clock and I realized that I was under 24:00 overall - The surprise was that I was still feeling pretty good so I only took a 30 second walk break at Mile 2 - no need to waste the extra seconds.

From the time you get on Union Street and you have started that final Mile, you can see the finish line way off in the distance. I just focused on that bringing that finish line closer and closer. I worked on picking up my speed when my GPS watch beeped at me and looked down to see I had just passed Mile 3 (no clock on the course). With 1/10 of a mile to go, I was at 35:09.

Could I run 1/10 of a mile in under a minute?

I had no idea but I was sure going to try. I just kept my eyes up and pushed as hard as I could, watching that FINISH LINE clock above the banner count down the seconds...35:15, 35:30, 35:45, 35:59, 36:00...

My final finish time was 36:22 (unofficial, no CHIP TIME available yet) - so essentially I did not meet my SUB 36:00 goal however I DID meet my sub 12:00 minute mile goal by averaging 11:36 per mile and I put everything I had into that last 1/10 of a mile to the finish. The GPS confirms that I was averaging a 9:20 running pace in that last 1:12 minutes.

That is a VERY SUCCESSFUL RACE DAY IN MY BOOK!

May Is Melanoma Awareness Month!

Did you know?

1. More than 90% of skin cancer is caused by sun exposure.

The UV rays of the sun are responsible for non-melanoma skin cancers. Unprotected exposure to these rays can be from being outdoors, tanning booths, and even through your car or home windows.

2. Each hour, 1 person dies from skin cancer.

About 2,800 people will die of non-melanoma skin cancer and about 8,000 will die of melanoma in the U.S. this year. The sad thing is that many of these deaths could have been prevented by simply protecting ones self from the sun.

3. Skin cancer accounts for more than 50% of all cancers combined.

Skin cancer is the most commonly diagnosed type of cancer among men and women.

4. More than one million cases of skin cancer will be diagnosed this year.

The American Cancer Society estimates that 1.5 million cases of skin cancer will be diagnosed this year.

5. Skin cancer is most deadly for African Americans, Asians, and Latinos.

Although the risk factor is rather low for African Americans, Asians, and Latinos, skin cancer can be the most deadly for these groups.

6. 1 in 3 Caucasians will be diagnosed with skin cancer sometime in their life.

1 in 5 Americans will be diagnosed in their lifetime with skin cancer. The risk factor is higher for Caucasians, with it being in 1 in 3.

7. One bad burn in childhood doubles the risk factor for melanoma later in life.

Protecting children against UV exposure is essential for skin health into adulthood. A blistering sun burn during childhood increases the risk of melanoma as an adult. Melanoma is the deadliest form of skin cancer.