Fall Season Week 16

And the beat goes on!

Strength does not come from physical capacity. It comes from indomitable will. - Mahatma Gandhi

Fundraising Tip
Call friends and family and ask for a donation over the phone. Remember, you are asking on behalf of patients all over the world, not for yourself! Be brave and know that you are saving lives with every phone call you make.

Training Tip
Some Things to Think About During Training and Racing 

By Jack Daniels, Ph.D., TNT National Run Coach

The most important thing to concentrate on in training or racing is the task at hand. In shorter, more intense races, you need to be a little more aware of your competitors and how far you are into the race, than is the case with marathons or even half marathons. In these longer events, the intensity of effort is not so stressful, but the duration of the event is considerably longer, so the thoughts that are dominant in your mind may vary considerably from those that are more useful in the shorter events. Still, the most important thing is to concentrate on the task at hand.

This may sound a little controversial, but sometimes concentrating on the task at hand means taking your mind off the race itself; actually letting your mind wander in long races can help pass the time. I will sometimes try to guess when 30 minutes have passed, and then try to make sure I wait at least 30 minutes to check my watch. Some other thought processes that may help you through a long training session or race include the following.

1. Think about how different parts of your body are feeling. Mentally move from the top of your head to your feet, telling yourself to relax your face, relax your jaw, relax your shoulders, relax your back and stomach, relax your hips and thighs and relax your legs and feet. Just going through this process now and then will not only help relax your breathing and all your body, but will take your mind off the physical aspects of the event and lessen anxiety about the distance you have yet to cover in getting to the finish line, of a race or prolonged workout session.

2. As alluded to in point #1, above, often think about your breathing - make sure it is a rhythmical 3-3 or 2-2 cadence (taking 3 steps while breathing in and 3 steps while breathing out, or 2 in and 2 out). Anything faster than a 2-2 breathing rhythm is too fast and means you are not relaxed or you are running too fast.

3. Periodically count your leg cadence. The ideal stride rate is about 180 steps per minute - 90 with each foot. Every 20 or 30 minutes time your stride rate, counting how many right-foot falls you have in one minute.

4. Think about how your feet are hitting the ground - feet pointing straight ahead; landing mid-footed or heel first are usually the most relaxing ways to strike the ground with your feel. Also think about being light on your feet, as if running over a field of raw eggs and you don't want to break any of them - as soon as your foot hits the ground let it rebound quickly into the air for the next step.

5. Don't drive your arms; just them balance your body. Think about your elbows being the end of a pendulum that is swinging easily back and forth as you run along. There are little weights on your elbows that pull your shoulders down and prevent them from being raised or tense. Let your hands relax, with your thumbs resting lightly on top of the fingers right next to them.

6. Learn to be an optimist regarding your running. For example, internalize your feelings about good training sessions and races - you are the person who did those good things. On the other hand, externalize poor training runs or races - that was not really you who had that bad day, it was just a bad day and not representative of your true ability. There is no such thing as a fluke good performance, but there definitely is such a thing as a fluke bad performance.

7. Something that tends to help athletes is to visualize their training or racing efforts. First you relax and close your eyes and think about a very relaxing location - maybe at the beach or in a field of wild flowers. Then you shift your thoughts to a very successful training session or race that you have experienced; go through the entire event remembering why it was so positive. Then shift to the relaxing site and after some relaxation time there, go to a training session or race that was not a positive experience. Go through this poor event and try to imagine what you could have done differently to make that poor effort a successful one. Maybe you should have gotten up earlier or eaten differently or started more conservatively; imagine whatever it would take to turn that poor event into a good event. Then go to your relaxing place again, followed by the positive training session or race, and one more time to the relaxing site, and finally back to the present. Before a demanding training session or race, quickly go through the positive aspects of your successful performance and remind yourself of all the things that made it feel so good, and that it was you who did those things and you certainly can repeat them in any new confrontation.

Possibly most important is to hang on to any positive experiences you have in training and racing and forget the not-so-positive ones. Doubt any negative experiences and believe in the good things, and most of all believe in yourself.

Frequently Asked Questions
WHY IS THERE A FUNDRAISING DEADLINE? Team In Training is first and foremost a fundraising program. The primary goal is to raise funds for leukemia research. In light of this objective, we take your commitment to raise the fundraising minimum seriously. We want all Team In Training participants to be successful in raising at least the minimum, and we have structured the program to provide as much support as possible. At the final deadline date, two weeks before your event, if you have not reached the fundraising minimum, we will place the remaining amount on your credit card. In the event that your credit card must be charged, you will have an additional month to fundraise (30 days after your event). The Society will reimburse you any additional funds collected up to the amount that you personally contributed. The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society has a national “no deals” policy. The preceding procedures are designed with the intent of maintaining the integrity of the TNT program, and to be true to our mission of finding a cure for leukemia.

Mission Moment
Kyle
Living with ALL for 4 years
Age: 6

Kyle was diagnosed with ALL (T-cell) at age 2, on February 5th. His symptoms began in October of ‘03. After going to his pediatrician several times for a swollen stomach and getting practically ignored by the nurses, he was given the wrong x-ray until I corrected them. I finally listen to my Motherly intuition and took him to a Gastrologist (thinking he was severely constipated). They did one finger prick and Kyle's white blood cell count was 265,000. That is where our journey begins.

Everything changed. I quit my teaching job to care for Kyle, we moved to a different state to be close to family and we quickly learned the true meaning of life. Kyle's leukemia was diagnosed as high risk because it was T-cell and in his central nervous system (CNS). Before he was diagnosed we noticed some developmental problems, but we ignored them because we were so focused on getting him well. After everything started becoming routine we paid attention to some odd behaviors. After seeing many developmental doctors and therapists, Kyle was diagnosed with Asperger Syndrome. This is sometimes called High Function Autism. This was another hit. Why my little boy? All of this and he is only 3! Why our family?

With God's strength and guidance we found Kyle the help he needed. He began going to a special class to help with social development. After getting that in place, we were into Kyle's 18 month of treatment. Kyle had a regular spinal tap and they found leukemia cells in his CNS. This meant he was relapsing. Why!! It was a living hell, but I had to be strong for my little boy and let him know that everything would be fine. The only time I could not be strong was when he had to receive all the shots of chemo again. I cried every time. After 8 more chemo injections Kyle got into remission again-praise the Lord!!

After Kyle relapsed we found out my husband, Kyle's dad, was diagnosed with Esophagus Cancer. This was just unbearable to hear. Kevin began a 9 month treatment plan. At one point, Kyle was going to radiation in the morning and his Daddy was going in the afternoon. God showed us he was in control. Kyle thought it was so cool his Daddy had a button (port). We made everything a family affair. Kyle saw Daddy get on the 'machine' just like he did. This really helped with Kyle's treatment. However, the sad thing is that this is not what any child should grow up to. My daughter thinks everyday we need to visit a hospital. When she gets a simple cold, she asks to go to "St.Jude". She started feeling “left out” because she did not go to the doctor. That was when it was a little too much.

Today Kyle is 5 and still receiving chemo and going to school on a daily basis, where he receives help for his developmental challenges. My husband is back at work after 9 months of treatment. I am busy during the day trying to show my daughter normal experiences. Kyle will finish his treatment July 07. Please keep my family in your prayers and be thankful if you are healthy.