53 Weeks and Counting...

Next weekend I'll be in Florida...to vacation a little, to volunteer, to cheer on friends and teammates from Montgomery, AL and to sign up for Ironman Florida 2013. It seems like only yesterday that I was one week out from my second attempt (and first victory) at the elusive 140.6 miles that makes an Ironman triathlon. But my last 140.6 was three years ago. Oh how the times (and my body/fitness) have changed! I have a lot of hard work ahead.

This time is different, of course. The fire in my belly of doing something "New" is gone. I have new motivations - Get back my triathlon fitness, Find some new inner strength, Connect with my local TRI group. But truthfully the fear and nerves are still there. My biggest *known* nemesis for the Ironman Florida course is the 2.4 mile ocean swim. It SCARES me!! I used to be scared of the unknown of swimming 2.4 miles but that passed after doing it 3 times successfully. Maybe not very quickly but fast enough to beat the requisite 2:20 cutoff in a variety of conditions [perfect, fast current and epic seasickness swells] and that is what matters on race day...

BUT that was three year ago....and this is the Gulf of Mexico. I have witnessed Ironman Florida with epic rough swims (2006) and I have seen this race with beautiful swim conditions (2007). Like any triathlon, you get what you get on race day. It's what you do with it that matters. That is what I have to remind myself, every day for the next 373 days.

"You get what you get on race day. It is what you do with it that matters!"

You had better believe that I will be doing a lot of open water ocean swims and shorter distance triathlons for the next 53 weeks, in addition to pool time. Oh and of course, some long biking and running with a side of Crossfit to keep me strong, fit and injury-free.

Injury-free. Presumably I am there but after some tendon issues...I had to cancel my Goofy Challenge goals for Jan 2013. I am deferring to next year. Doing another Ironman means more to me right now and I am easing back into the running very slowly. I am 2 weeks out from being release from the cast (forced rest for my tendon) and not having any pain so the next step is to bring back the swimming and biking for two weeks, adjust the volume of walking and then slowly ease into running and Crossfit again. One careful, calculated step at a time over the next 53 weeks (and 1 day).

My goal here is to blog at least weekly. To keep track of my progress, to maintain accountability and document my Ironman Florida 2013 journey.

I am still FUNDRAISING for Team FIGHT! Only the race has changed, not the over all goal!


My goal is $20,000.00 by November 1, 2013. Make a donation and join me in the FIGHT AGAINST CANCER - IN HONOR AND SUPPORT of the CANCER to 5K Training Program and the Ulman Cancer Fund for Young Adults.

I was 34-years-old when I was diagnosed with Stage III Melanoma. To be in my mid-30s and diagnosed with cancer was shocking. Walk into an oncologist office and you are surrounded by fellow patients in their 50s, 60s, 70s and beyond.  There is no organization as dear to my heart as the Ulman Cancer Fund for Young Adults. The programs that they offer Young Adult Cancer Survivors and their families make a difference in the lives of those of us diagnosed in that middle age, "too young for cancer."  This year, more than 70,000 young adults will be diagnosed with cancer in the United States.

The Ulman Cancer Fund's goal is to enhance lives by supporting, educating and connecting young adults, and their loved ones, affected by cancer.

Join me in the FIGHT to raise $20,000.00 to support the Ulman Cancer Fund for Young Adults so we can keep amazing programs like Patient Navigation Services, One-on-One Cancer Support, CANCER to 5K, College Scholarship Programs and YACS going and growing strong!

NOTE: Not one dime from the money raise will go towards my actual participation in Ironman Florida 2013. It all goes to the Ulman Cancer Fund for Young Adults! I am paying the costs for my travel, training, accommodations and race registration. There is no "fundraising minimum" of any kind except the one that I have determined - $20,000! My intentions are to raise awareness and money for thie amazing programs that the Ulman Cancer Fund brings to so many young adult survivors and their families. So please GIVE GENEROUSLY and SHARE MY BLOG and FUNDRAISING PAGE with everybody you know! Every Donation, no matter the amount Will Make A Difference!

Let's Start at the Very Beginning...

"Lets start at the very beginning,
a very good place to start.
When you read you begin with A_B_C
When you RUN you begin with 1_2_3...

1_2_3...

The first three [miles] just happen to be 1_2_3"

With apologies to my favorite musical "The Sound of Music" but the play on lyrics for this moment in my life are perfect.

I have an mild ankle sprain. At least that is what my podiatrist says. I'm not a podiatrist (and I don't play one on TV) but a recent increase in new activities [Crossfit] and the timing of a new pair of running shoes that are not working well with my orthotics [Brooks Ghosts 5 - damn you Brooks for changing the shoe style again!] has resulted in my left foot/ankle being sore and weak... so I have had to agree something is up.  Rx was lots of Aleive and two-weeks of Complete Rest. No Exercise that would involved running or walking or balancing on my feet, only walking as related to everyday activity and even that should be cut back. He wanted to put me in a soft cast or air boot. I admit it, I revolted against both but I have stuck to the exercise restrictions and kept my foot elevated.

Yeah, I know, at times I can be a crappy patient.

It's been a week and I would say based on my pain level, I'm about 90% recovered. Just another week to go and I should be 100% again. And then what?

There is never a good time to get injured. I have big plans looming ahead. January 2013 is GOOFY Weekend in Walt Disney World with some amazing family, friends and teammates. I'm looking at 3 days and 3 races: 5K (3.1 miles), Half Marathon (13.1) and a Full Marathon (26.2). Then I have 11 months to prepare for my next Ironman challenge. Ironman Florida in November 2013.

So WHAT am I going to do?

Well I have sat and really thought this through and I am going to do something that I don't usually do but I tell my friends and fellow teammates to do all the time. I am going to START at the VERY BEGINNING.

During an orientation at Crossfit, [which I am going to have to take again, due to said foot pain...] they gave some excellent advice: "Leave your EGO at the Door."

LEAVE YOUR EGO AT THE DOOR!

This means, in essence, put aside all that you have accomplished to this very point and accept that this is something new, that your not going to be perfect and that in order to stay safe and uninjured, you will need to work your way up through the new activities and exercise. Don't be ashamed to be a Beginner. Hmmm... sounds familiar??!!

So next week, when the DR clears me to exercise again. I am going to pull out my books and I am going to START at the VERY BEGINNING. I'm going to pull out my own CANCER to 5K training program and get started there. It's a good start, I know over 60 amazing Survivors who have used it to get their starts! And then in 4 weeks, I'll evaluate my running pace, endurance, my foot and my goals and course correct from there.

If that means that I will walk 50% of the Goofy Challenge at 15-16:00 miles in order to keep myself from getting injured before leading into base Ironman training, so be it! There is no shame in walking and I will have plenty of company. 

There is no shame in Starting Over...EVER!

Life is Good! LiveSTRONG!

Getting Back to Basics...Again!

First of all THANK YOU to Zina LB. & Ellie H. for the donations towards my "$20,000.00 Ironman Lake Placid - Team FIGHT Challenge" in support of the Ulman Cancer Fund for Young Adults! If you want to make a donation too - CLICK HERE!

This weekend was the first time, since mid January, that I found myself doing a Long Bike and Long Run workout back to back. Here is what my weekend looked like:

Saturday: 31 miles with Team MMS (local TRI team) and my husband Jim - I was thrilled to average a 15mph average pace since I really thought that I would be looking at 13mph average, max. The course was moderately rolling hills and simply great company! There were a few times that I was pushing well outside of Zone 2 but I really just wanted to keep up with the group and not be the cyclist holding everybody back so I would say that most of the ride was in Zone 3-4. Not very efficient heart-rate training but it was my first Long Ride back and "ego" took over. (I paid for that hubris...)

Sunday: 1-hour of Run/Walk intervals (4 miles total) on legs that felt more like "waterlogged driftwood." There was no making my body go any faster.  I even gave myself a break and skipped every steep hill in my local running route. The goal was TIME and not DISTANCE but of course I was hoping to average closer to 12-13-minute miles as opposed to 15-minute miles.

Monday: Rest Day

Tuesday (Today): I did my "Holly's Hilly H*ll 5K" [* = e] route through the neighborhood across the street with 2/1 Run/Walk Intervals and it took me 50-minutes. There was some recovery from taking a rest day yesterday but not very much - I have done this 5K route faster in weeks past, but it was not meant to be today...ARG!!

SLAP OF REALITY IN THE FACE!

I am so out of condition and I have such a long, long road ahead over the next 14 months.  I mean on paper, I already knew that I had a long road ahead, and I knew that I was really out of condition when it comes to my fitness but that was "on paper"...there was a part of me who was going along, happy, skippy, dumb singing "Nah, Nah, NahNah...I'm going to do another Ironman....Nah, Nah, NahNah...I have not been on my bike in six months...Nah, Nah, NahNah...I am 30 pounds heavier...Nah, Nah, NahNah...I ran/walked 2 Half Marathons this year so I'll be just fine."

Let me tell you something: (that some of you will undoubtedly already know) there is such a thing as the hubris of "resting on your Ironman laurels..." and over the last 2.5 years I have definitely succumb to it. Did I have a hard year this past year? Yes, I will cut myself some slack for July 2011- Jan 2012 (A period of time filled with a nasty case of Plantar Fasciatis, a week in the hospital with multiple pulmonary embolisms, 6-months on blood thinners, which meant 6 months off my bike)

HOWEVER...the place that I find myself now is cumulative. While many of my TRI friends have been taking a month or two off and then jumping back into the cycle of Swim/Bike/Run - I've spend the last 2.5 years dabbling in my sport. Holding onto just enough running fitness to be able to pull off a few Half Marathons - the motivation for which came solely from helping my wonderful friend Amanda reach her own goal of a first Half Marathon. (Thank God for friends like Amanda or I would probably be hurting even more now than I do!)

So I find myself in a place where truly, I must start over.  Not quite from "scratch" but pretty darn close. There are two things that keep me upbeat and motivated [despite the down tone of this post] and those are:

1.) I have the tools, the knowledge, and the love and support of my family and friends to get back my fitness, to regain a fit body, mind and soul...

2.) This is so much easier than anything that I had to go through in 2005 & 2006... (Not very much is hard when you compare it to a year of Chemotherapy...) This is so much easier than what many of my friends and teammates from CANCER to 5K and the Ulman Cancer Fund for Young Adults have gone through...

I may be slow right now but my "fitness" glass is still HALF FULL!

Life is Good! LiveSTRONG!

CANCER CHANGES LIVES...AND SO CAN WE!

The road to Ironman is L-O-N-G and it is also kind of a "selfish" endeavor. A lot of time spent dedicated to swimming, biking, running, resting and unless your family and friends are into the same sports, there is not much time for socializing.

So with my second Ironman; I wanted to add something to my endeavor to change the nature of my Ironman experience. Ironman is BIG and so I wanted to do something BIG with it this time around. What I am doing is nothing "new", people all around me have done similar things, perhaps even bigger but this endeavor is "BIG" for me and so important to me, that it leaves me shaking in my shoes; just as my first Ironman did.

I am feeling the same feelings of doubt and insecurity that I felt before "Can I really do this?" "Have a I set a Goal that is over my head?" ...but I have experience and passion on my side. And I have never been one to back away from a FIGHT that I believe in so very much...

It is with pride and fear that I invite you all to join me on my road to Ironman Lake Placid 2013. I'll be spending the next 14 months training and blogging and doing just a little bit more...

 My name is Holly Shoemaker, I am a Stage III Melanoma survivor and I TRI to FIGHT! I am heading to Ironman Lake Placid in 2013 to represent Team FIGHT, The Ulman Cancer Fund and the CANCER to 5K program.

NOTE: Not one dime from the money raise will go towards my actual participation in Ironman Lake Placid 2013. It all goes to the Ulman Cancer Fund for Young Adults! I am paying the costs for my travel, training, accommodations and race registration. There is no "fundraising minimum" of any kind except the one that I have determined - $20,000! My intentions are to raise awareness and money for thie amazing programs that the Ulman Cancer Fund brings to so many young adult survivors and their families. So please GIVE GENEROUSLY and SHARE MY BLOG and FUNDRAISING PAGE with everybody you know! Every Donation, no matter the amount Will Make A Difference!

My goal is $20,000.00 by July 26, 2013. (My 43rd birthday) Make a donation and join me in the FIGHT AGAINST CANCER - IN HONOR AND SUPPORT of the Ulman Cancer Fund for Young Adults. 

I was 34-years-old when I was diagnosed with Stage III Melnoma. To be in my mid-30s and diagnosed with cancer was shocking. Walk into an oncologist office and you are surrounded by fellow patients in their 50s, 60s, 70s and beyond.  I had nobody to turn to and nobody to relate to both as a young adult and as a runner/triathlete. Being a young adult with Cancer is a lonely place to be. Your either the oldest one in treatment; getting treatment in the Pediatric Oncology Unit (if your in your late teens/ early 20s) or your "too young" to have cancer and you must fight to make informed decisions with the goal of "long term survivor-ship" in mind. (in your 20s, 30s, 40s) The voice of young adult cancer survivors and their families needs to be recognized, heard and supported. This is where the Ulman Cancer Fund for Young Adults makes a difference every day!

There is no organization as dear to my heart as the Ulman Cancer Fund for Young Adults. The programs that they offer Young Adult Cancer Survivors and their families make a difference in the lives of those of us diagnosed in that middle age, "too young for cancer."  This year, more than 70,000 young adults will be diagnosed with cancer in the United States.

70,000 new diagnosed cancer survivors who deserve support, who deserve a voice.

The Ulman Cancer Fund's goal is to enhance lives by supporting, educating and connecting young adults, and their loved ones, affected by cancer.

Join me in the FIGHT to raise $20,000.00 to support the Ulman Cancer Fund for Young Adults so we can keep amazing programs like Patient Navigation Services, One-on-One Cancer Support, CANCER to 5K, College Scholorship Programs and YACS going and growing strong!

Thank you for your support, your donations and welcome along on the journey to my second Ironman - IN HONOR AND SUPPORT of the Ulman Cancer Fund for Young Adults!

Life is Good! LiveSTRONG!

Happy Cancer-versary to me!

7 years ago today, I heard the words "You have cancer" over the phone as I sat at my office desk.

6 years ago today, I was 8 months into a year of chemotherapy and so tired but also so grateful.

5 years ago today, I was drafting my CANCER to 5K program ideas into a proposal.

4 years ago today, I was working with Coach Bob and recruiting for our first CT5K Spring Team!

3 years ago today, I was running my 5th Myrtle Beach Half Marathon (literally! It was on 2/14/09!)

2 years ago today, the Ulman Cancer Fund was getting our second CT5K - Howard Country Team underway and I celebrated a huge milestone as a Melanoma survivor - 5 years cancer free!

1 year ago today,  I was preparing for a move from DC to Alabama and wondering what surprises life had in store for me next...

TODAY, I am officially a 7-year Stage III Melanoma Survivor!

Today is a good day indeed!

I hope you never forget that Life is Good, LiveSTRONG!

Race Report: 2012 MS BLUE Half Marathon

MS BLUES Half Marathon
January 6, 2012 - Jackson, MS
2012 Chip Time: 3:14:13
(2011 Finish: 3:04:07)

Well this race is fast becoming one of my favorite hilly half marathons and one of these days, I'll actually have an uneventful late summer/early fall and actually run the full Marathon distance on this course. Maybe...

So this time my attempt to train for the full Marathon was pushed aside by a week in the hospital due to multiple pulmonary emboli in late August. Of course, instead of considering doing nothing at all, I simply switched from the full Marathon to a Half Marathon training plan. (I've let very little get in the way of races over the years, ya know...) It helped that my friend Amanda wanted to train for her first Half Marathon in February and asked me to join her for her race. Now I had an enthusiastic training partner for long runs every weekend and an early season goal race to get the year started right.

Now there were two "unknowns" going into this race day:

1.) How fast could I run this race, considering that all my "long run" training has been about 2-minutes per mile slower than my average "long run" pace?

2.) How much of an impact is being 15 pounds heavier going to have on my pace, in general?

and I got my answers...

1.) As fast as I expected and 2.) jury is still out this but I will conceed that, of course, losing weight will make me faster, in the long term.

Race Summary:

I was high on optimism that I could run this hilly half marathon at exactly the pace that I ran it last year. (3:04:17) and I nearly did.  The first 9 miles I was on pace for my goal and having absolutely no problems with my nutrition and energy. The next 5 miles, were another story all together. Heading into Mile 10, my pace was beginning to slow but my spirits were high. My left arch started aching with every stride.  I walk a little bit, stopping to loosen up my left shoelace and that seem to ease the problem. I did a little "self talk" and told myself "That was my bad mile, every race has a bad mile...Keep pushing" and picked up the pace - stopping briefly for a port-o-potty break.

Things improved until midway through Mile 11 when my right hip decided, "I have had enough!" and cramped up nice and tight on me. I took an extra minute to try to walk it out on my next walk break but it seemed every attempt to begin running brought on another round of cramps. My IT band was not happy and I think it was contributing to some hip cramping. It was at this point that I let go of my "Finish Time" goal and just focused on simply getting to the Finish Line. It took me until Mile 12 to figure out that if I really slowed my pace down, I could at least "jog" a little bit for 4 minutes at a time.  I wont lie, it really pissed me off that I could not catch the "walkers" who were less than 200 yards in front of me, even when I was "jogging" for 4-minutes at a time but I just kept on moving toward that finish line.

The TREAT for this race was having the pleasure to cheer on my friend Christine Rocky, whom I met through my sister Heather, as she took 2nd Place Overall for the Women's Marathon!  She passed me in the last 300 yards and once again I marveled at just how FAST other people can run. Christine finished 26.2 miles in 3:13:31...13.1 miles and 1-minute ahead of me.

At the finish line with Christine!

Am I disappointed in this race result?

Actually the answer is NO. (realizing that surprised me too!) All things considered, it was a beautiful day on a hilly challenging course and up until I had some physical pain, I was running exactly the pace that I imagined myself currently capable of.  It's not my best Half Marathon performance by far (my PR for the Half Distance is 2005 Myrtle Beach at 2:42) but I came away from this race knowing that I controlled what I could (my pace early on), accepted what I could not control (hip cramps) and push through to finish what I started.

Mentally, I had my "Race Face" on and never let the negative thoughts take up more than a moment's time before I put them away and got back to the task at hand. That is a far, far cry from the triathlete that I was back in January 2009. I can say without a doubt that my year of Ironman distance training and racing changed me as an athlete, for the better. I am not afraid to push and I am able to shut down the negative voices in my head, that knowledge/ability is "PR worthy" and the time will come when I can put that together with some speed and have an amazing race day.

This Finisher's Medal made the last 2 miles seem less sucky! LOL

For now, though, I am content.  It is just the first week of January 2012 and I already a Half Marathon in the books!

Life is GOOD! LiveSTRONG!