tomorrow is the day! We have raised $1100.00 in all this year so far. Its not too late to donate at www.triforbethfischer.com. You can track me on the following site. Ben will have a you-tube video posted by the end of the day. Stay tuned for the link to that.
http://www.onlineraceresults.com/event/view_event.php?event_id=7015
my bib # is 2299 (lucky number)
Gary’s bib is 1641.
Dear Friends and Family,
A week from Saturday (July 30) I will be racing 70.3 miles
at Barbs race in Santa Rosa, CA – (½ Ironman triathlon) to raise money for my friend Beth Fischer. I schnookered Gary into racing as well but the swim and bike portions only – an event called the Vineman Aquabike (same course, a total of 57.2 miles – I wonder who will win???)!
We are both so excited to be able to do this race and use it to help a friend. We have trained long and hard and now the training is winding down. Training continues to teach me many lessons – among them is how important it is to be appreciative of each moment. This is also a lesson I have learned from my dear friend Beth, who continues to be an inspiration to me. Amazing spirit, heartfelt friend, multitalented artist and someone who continues to give of herself to others.
As you may know Beth is not working and hasn’t for some time now. (please see http://home.comcast.net/~lovitthere/site/ to find out about how she is doing in detail). Robert – her beloved husband reports that she has been taking 2 – 3 vitamin C drips per week which is helping boost her energy level and she reports, lowered her cancer marker by a point after only 5 treatments. It costs $75 per drip and is not covered by insurance. She awaits a second opinion on Aug 2 from an oncologist for further treatment.
Here is my proposal: Barbs race which has operated for the past 11 years is a
fundraiser for people living with cancer. You can see the story on the website http://www.vineman.com/Barb_s_Race.htm. If you are able to pledge a donation per mile ($.25/mi = 17.58; $.50/mi = 35.15; $1/mi = $70.30) OR buy Beth a vitamin C drip ($75) that would be great!! One easy way to donate is to do it on my fundraising page (www.triforbethfischer.com) or you an send money directly to Beth – her address is on her web site http://home.comcast.net/~lovitthere/site/.
If you are able to pledge or not, please send Beth your healing thoughts – and send us fast thoughts!!
You will be able to follow us and our progress on race day (July 30) in one of 2 ways. Barbs race provides an athlete tracking site and I will post my race number and the site on my blog https://triforbethfischer.wordpress.com/
the day before the race AND / OR Gary’s son Ben has agreed to video the start,
the transitions from swim to bike and bike to run as well as the finish line,
where Barb will give finishers their metal! This will be posted on you-tube and
we can send you an email with those links as they are posted during the day.
Please let me know if you wish to be on that list – email me at abbysmom1@gmail.com.
With Love, Kandy
PS If you can think of anyone who may be interested in knowing about this, please feel free to pass this on to them! Thanks!
Today marks 2 week and 4 days to go. I am ready, oh so ready to do this thing!
Actually if the truth be told this is the best part of the training. I have trained for the distance, now Jeremy has me doing shorter duration (slightly) with higher intensity! And I am loving it. Today was a bike run double brick back to back. 1/2 hr on the trainer, 15 min run and back in to do it again! This Sat will be 1 1/2 hours bike on the road with a 1/2 hr run and back out to do that again! It kinda mixes things up and dials things in.
As it looks from Beth’s web site, she is waiting to see an oncologist for a second opinion for possible treatment. In the meantime, she takes 2 vitamin c drips per week which it sounds like is helping her energy level. Each cost $75 and insurance does not cover this. I am about to send out an email blast to all to help raise money for the final push! maybe $75 each? or bid something per mile? I will be doing 70.3 miles on July 30 for Beth. What do you think?
Training training and more training. Thats what my life has become. Went to visit family in FL – trained in 85 percent humidity! Back in AZ – training in 85 – 95 degrees (its a dry heat!) at 5 -10 am!
As Beth is in a holding pattern right now, looking for what treatment if any is appropriate to her current conditions, she is gearing up to sell her artwork. Her work is so beautiful – you can see a few pieces on www.triforbethfischer.com. Then, check out the health journey update… at http://home.comcast.net/~lovitthere/site/ and look for the selling beths artwork page.
I will be making another push to raise money for beth myself here in the next week or so. She is now doing Vitamin C IV’s which it seems is making her life a little more energetic. Each cost $75 and she does 2 per week. Feel free to donate through our web site or directly to Robert. (see the health blog).
Love to all, peace to all, health to all.
Sorry I havent posted in awhile… Its been a busy time!
Two weekends ago was my last race of the season until the 1/2 Ironman July 30! It was in Tempe AZ and it was a 1500 meter swim, 24 .6 mi bike and a 6.2 mi run. I was sick to my stomach the week before but seemed to get better just in time to race so I went ahead and did it!
The swim was delightful in temope town lake. They even had wetsuit strippers so that when you come out of the lake they pull the wetsuit off for you. It was the first race that they had them. It was great! I didnt have to wrestle with the girdle like thing at all! I did the swim in 38 minutes (including the wetsuit stripping and all). I was OK with that.
I mounted the bike and off I went enjoying the bike course although it was two loops around tempe with 3 U turns in each loop, requiring more bike handling skills than I practiced! I was happy with my time of 1:33. I wasnt aware of just how hot it was getting onthe bike due to the wind created by cycling sooo…
Then the run. Oh my was it hot. About 80 degrees at the start of the run and while my first 2 miles went OK I really heated up fast. The run had 2 loops also and I was not happy on the 2nd loop but when I hit mile 4 I realized only 2 miles to go… I can do that. Those last 2 miles were so uncomfortable I began to walk and run. I was so happy to cross the finish line! It wasnt a record to say the least but I did it!
And now its back to training for Barbs race. Waking up at 4:30 isnt early enough as summer is here already. I will be like the video on youtube. Watch at your own risk!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B03dFMG8nR4.
Thankfully I am only doing a half ironman.
This Saturday and next are two more races, just to remember I know how to race, then its on to focusing on the A race goal. The 1/2 Ironman/ Ironwoman!
This Saturday is a short sprint race at Pinal Park here in Tucson. I wasnt planning on it but a friend heard that there was an extra entry I could have I said YES! I pick up my packet tonight. Strange to say that at this point, just a sprint tri is not enough to do in a day! So coach Jeremy has me riding up Mt Lemmon after the tri. Thanks coach!
Next weekend, Olympic distance! I havent raced this distance since last year. It will certainly be good to remember the longer distances. Hopefully Tempe town lake is open and we can swim in it this time.
I do get excited when I get to race. It’s certainly an adrenaline rush! AFter this event though it’s all slogging through major distances to reach the goal. So far so good, I’ll keep you posted!
PS Prayers and love to Beth with each effort. Please join me!
Last weekend I was supposed to race a sprint distance in Phoenix. So excited, another short fast event where I could “leave it all out on the course”, so they say. One way to determine if I had gotten faster is to do the short course and compare my time to last year. Olympics and 1/2 iron distances are long enough to not go too too fast but just get through it!
So it rained in the desert last weekend and they wouldn’t let us swim for fear the water was unsafe. Instead I raced my first duathlon. Run (1.5 mi), bike (12.4 mi), run (3.1 mi). I was ok but had to rethink my strategy. I ran hard at first, and did the 1.5 in 14:45! wow! Then the bike. Some folks from my friendly tri group was racing and I was playing cat and mouse with this one friend but oops, a tire flat?!? What?!? &^%$$!!?? I changed my first tire in a race, cost me 20 minutes and my mojo. I decided I would run even though I’d be the last runner for my distance and yep, I was! I finished though, and my run time was as expected for the 5k 33:45.
Now I’m reorienting to longer distances. A 70 mile bike ride seems normal for tomorrow and Sunday a 2 hour easy ride with the tri girls and then 9 mile run. More soon.
Yesterday I completed the first race of the season. I do the Susan G Komen Tri for the Cure each year as it was my very first triathlon 4 years ago. It is an all female race, super short fast and fun and I get to beat my time each year as compare to the year before. This year was no exception!
Before I went though, I donated to Beth’s fund for good luck (like noflat tires, etc).
I went to Phoenix with 10 women to do this race. We had dinner together the night before and got all excited about the race. I shared a room with one of them in a hotel accross the street from the race venue and do to some partying guests didnt sleep a wink!
4:30 comes early on race morning but we made it to the transition area in plenty of time. It was cold for a Phoenix morning and there was a cloud cover which kept it cold (like 55 degrees till the sun came up). This made the run not hot at all!
The swim was delightful! 400 meter swim in a pool. Then a long run nto the transition area where I grabbed my new tri bike and off I went on my maiden race voyage. The geometry on a tri bike – different from my road bike saves the legs for the run. I have aero bars now which allow me to look like a real cyclist! in that crouched over position. I was able to ride that way for all 8 miles but came up to sitting to turn corners (all to the right – my good side) and I averaged 17.5 mph! Another first!
The run surprised me. I noticed there were pebbles in my sock and contemplated stopping to dump them but my goal was to get under 1 hour and it was only 2 miles. I perservered on despite the stinging toe syndrome. I beat my time from last year by almost a minute ijj the run and did 2 miles in 18:35 (my watch not the official time). I eneded up taking 1 hour and 2 minutes to complete the event (again, my watch, not official) but still beat last years time by 2 1/2 minutes!
No flats so I think I’ll donate before each race:).
Last year when I was in a professional supervision group that I attend every year, a colleague asked me (as I was explaining how tough some of my training can be) “yes and when you ride your bike, do you kiss the sky?” Those words opened up a whole new world of thinking for me.
With the devastation in Japan and Beth’s illness I am reminded of just how quickly our comfort and our lives can be taken away. Last weekend when I headed out for my 13 mile run I thought to remember to kiss the sky…
What a difference a thought makes…
I love this sport. Last week was an easy recovery week with a “super saturday” group workout put on by a Tucson Tri Girl coach Jen Lynn and I remember what I love to do this! Its the camaraderie! We swam for an hour, rode bikes for 2 hours and then ran 4 miles. Sach a perfect day! I ran into a friend who is doing barbs race also and we discovered that we are the same speed! The other youngsters were way out ahead and we plodded along. It was great! I realize I’ve been training alone and have made a committment now to connect with Marlene on the weekends to do a long run.
I do feel inspired and ready to train some more. This ,prning I went up to mile 2.5 on Mount Lemmon. Besides the cold (which I will be begging for in a few months) it was a great morning! Breakfast overlooking the Sonoran Desert floor with shadows on the mountains. I did take a picture. I will post it when I get Gary to teach me how!
Beth, I hope you are having a good week! Much love and many blessings. I sent your picture to Elizabeth to say prayers for you. She is in her 3 year retreat!
 | Mr WordPress on Hello world! |
