10 Miles!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Yes my friends, tis true, I ran 10 miles on Saturday. And with a smile on my face! DOUBLE DIGITS!!!
AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH

Ok, enough with the screaming. It was a pretty awesome feeling though, especially coming off of my knee issues. I took things really slow the first 2 miles and could still feel my knee a bit. But, after a good stretch at the 2 mile water stop my knee felt great and on I went for the next 8 miles!

13.1 miles doesn't seems as daunting anymore.

I want to send a shout out to Terri Dean for running with me most of the way. THANKS! There is definitely a benefit to have someone to talk to when running... otherwise you start to get lost in your own head and my head gets bored sometimes :)

This is a post-run, post-pb&j smile :)

T-Minus 10 days till the race! Oi! Oi! Oi!

$2700!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

THANK YOU LINDSAY !!!

I just wanted to send a HUGE shout out to my old roomie/England buddy/Clay Aiken fan Lindsay Feller for getting me to my fundraising goal of $2700 to find a cure for cancer!!! YOU ROCK!

Brenda Donato Rainbow Run

On Sunday my parents drove up to Walnut Creek to meet me for the 1st Annual Brenda Donato Rainbow 5k Fun run/walk. Brenda Donato is one of our honorees on the East Bay Team who we lost a year ago to a battle with Leukemia.

Brenda was diagnosed in February 2005 with acute myeloid leukemia (AML). She spent 3 months in the hospital before receiving an autologous stem-cell transplant (with her own stem-cells). After leaving the hospital, she became very active with Team In Training and completed the Nike Women’s Half Marathon in October 2005, the P.F. Chang’s Rock ‘N’ Roll Marathon in January 2006 and the Wildflower Olympic Distance Triathlon in May 2006. Still feeling healthy, she began to train for the June 2006 Alaska half marathon.

On June 9, 2006, she found out that her cancer had returned. After using her own stem cells for a transplant in 2005 she would require a foreign donor's cells for another stem-cell transplant. Most fortunately, a 9 out of 10 match was found and Brenda had that transplant on September 20 2006.

While recovering, Brenda faced many physical and mental challenges. 110 days after her transplant, Brenda developed graft vs. host disease of the lungs. She bravely battled this new obstacle that reduced her lung capacity to 20% of normal. She passed away on April 14, 2007, surrounded by her loving family and friends.

Just 2 days before she passed away, she posted this final message:

Through these years I have absolutely NO regrets. I worked hard and played even harder.

I never said a swear word, always went to school on time, and won the PE award in high school. In fact, 3 days ago I just crawled up the stairs.

And now, I'm back in bed still hooked up, still using a commode, and wearing a purple t-shirt that says (in orange writing) "freakishly strong" while covered with a wonderful TNT blanket that was knitted for me just weeks ago. Now I peacefully await and end the battle that has attacked my 36-year-old body surrounded by my most beautiful family and friends. Surreal, but true, this is really happening.

We all wait. Me, my family and friends that are here now, and all of you. Even though you're not here with me physically (it would simply be impossible for all of you to fit in this room), I want you to know I feel you and know you're here. I love all of you.

Thank you for loving and supporting me. Please continue to pour it out on my three boys.

Brenda has a lot of history with the East Bay team and I was honored to take part in the celebration of her life on Sunday with my fellow teammates and parents.

Even though I was fresh off my knee boo-boo, I decided my knee felt strong enough to walk the 5k with my parents. We even had supportive hecklers behind us the whole way. Thanks Tori, Aiden, and Sarah!

3 more days!!!

3 more days to donate!!! That's right, with the race just around the corner, the last of the donations are to be sent in by April 17th. I am just short of my $2700 goal! If you haven't donated yet and still want to, now is the time. Just go here: http://www.active.com/donate/tntgsf/tntgsfLKeenan

It is super easy, 100% tax-deductible, and you can sleep well at night knowing your $$ is going to help cure cancer. Every dollar counts!

I will even thank you in advance.... Can it get any better?

Watch out for escalators... they are out to get you!

Training has been going well. Last weekend we ran 5 miles. It was really cold out... but I guess I would rather it be cold and windy than hot and humid. Normally I participate in the Tuesday morning buddy run , but this past Tuesday waking up at 5:15am was too much for my body to handle, so I missed the run and went out on my own after work. My run wasn't so bad, until my shin started bothering me. Damn you shin splints!

On Wednesday I went out and got a proper shin splint wrap for my leg since, until then, I had only been using an ace bandage. I also started icing and stretching my calves and shins more so I don't have to deal with shin pain on race day... which is only 22 days away!!!! Eeep!

Thursday came along with a hard core morning workout at the track with Coach Al. It was a combination of hill running and circuit training (crunches, push-ups, supermans, and squats). OI OI OI! Or more appropriately, OW OW OW! It was rough, not going to lie. But I was pretty pleased with myself that I didn't pass out in the middle of it. Also, my new shin splint wrap seemed to work really well.

So, then we come to the end of my workday on Thursday... As usual I rush down to the Bart to catch my train to get home in time for German croissants at the Thursdays Farmers Market. But, as I stepped down the escalator... POW! Sharp pain in my left knee! I think to myself... NOOOOO, sharp pain is bad! Sharp pain means injury! As expected, panic set in. I could feel the pain in my knee as I walked home from Bart and knew things couldn't be good. I spent all night icing my knee and taking anti-inflammatory pills hoping that it would all be cured by the time I woke up in the morning. No such luck. I woke up with more knee pain. I could feel the creaking in my knee as I tried to move it around. Again panic set in and I had a mild meltdown when my roommate asked me why I was driving to work and not walking. All I could think of was that I wouldn't be able to run in my race, or maybe never even run again and all my hard word would be wasted!

Thankfully my doctors office gives same-day appointments so I was able to see a doctor by 9:30 in the morning. AND I GOT GOOD NEWS!!! I didn't break my knee in a million pieces like I feared. The doctor said my tendons and ligaments were all in order. She said likely I hyper extended my knee on the escalator and the cartilage in my knee was inflamed. She gave me some strong anti-inflammatory pills and told me to stay off my knee for a few days, then slowly get back into things like stationary bikes and swimming for a week. This means 1 week of no running. With only 3 weeks until the race, it isn't the greatest news, but I am ready to take on the set-back and push on! She also said my hamstrings were super tight and I should work on massaging my IT band which I have now been doing both of those twice a day and I can already feel the difference.

I do not like scares like that, but man oh man am I glad it wasn't a serious injury. I was surprised as it is that my knees had held up so well with all the running I have been doing... then to injure them on an escalator? Just by stepping down it? That is so something I would do.

Honoree: Louis Lai

Hi Everyone. I know I have spent a lot of time talking about myself and my training for the half marathon, so I wanted to take the time to introduce you to the people I am running for. My teams honorees. So to start things off, I would like to introduce you to Louis who is currently training with the team for the Avenue of the Giants Half and San Diego Full Marathon and let him tell you his story...

Diagnosis: Multiple Myeloma in August of 2004

Team in training does a tremendous job raising funds for research to find new cures for blood cancers. I would not be here today without the new treatments developed for Multiple Myeloma in the past 5 years.

I will be training with the team for the Avenue of the Giants Half Marathon or the Rock’n’Roll Marathon in San Diego.

I decided to become an honoree because it’s another chance to give back to the community that has helped me through my cancer ordeal, as well as give hope to cancer survivors currently in treatment.

I am motivated by my wife and my son. The opportunity to learn and experience new things, to enjoy and appreciate the people in my life, to be a positive influence people’s lives. It’s not often you get a 2^nd chance at life.

I love all types of food – Italian, Chinese, French, Japanese, Thai, Korean, Mexican… anything except hospital food. My favorite movie is “Old School.” With my free time, I like to sleep, play sports, watch movies, attend sporting events, go to museums, travel… most of all spend time with friends and family. If I could do anything in the world, I would travel around the world.

I was diagnosed in 2004 with Multiple Myeloma and after years of treatment (3 therapies, 2 of which were clinical trials, and 2 stem cell transplants) I achieved a complete remission.

I started my 1st treatment, a clinical trail for Velcade, 1 week after my diagnosis at the Alta Bates Cancer Center. After 5 cycles of Velcade, with limited response, my doctor took me off the treatment because I was suffering from severe neuropathy (numbness and pain in my legs and feet). I could not walk or stand without severe pain and had difficulty sleeping. After a brief break to recover from the neuropathy, I started my 2nd treatment, Thalidomide. After several cycles of Thalidomide, and having reached a partial remission, we decided to go ahead with a stem cell transplant in April 2005. I was the 500th bone marrow/stem cell transplant patient at Alta Bates Hospital. Although the procedure and recovery went much better than expected, the results did not last. 3 months post transplant, my Myeloma indicators started to rise and we knew I would have to undergo additional treatment. I started my 3rd treatment, a clinical trial for Revlimid, soon after. After several cycles of Revlimid, I had a complete response and discussed having a second stem cell transplant to consolidate and prolong my remission. In May 2006, I had my 2nd stem cell transplant at Alta Bates. Thankfully, the second transplant went as smoothly as the first.

I am one of the lucky survivors. There are so many other cancer patients who deserve to have the same result that I have. I would not be here today without the continued research into new treatments and cures for blood cancers.

** Latest update from Louis: 8 weeks into training and I continue to be inspired by the effort and dedication of everyone on the team. The Emerald 12k was amazing, especially seeing everyone from our team running strong from start to finish. I have thoroughly enjoyed training with and getting to know my teammates and can't wait to run the Avenue of the Giants.

Runner get's homeless on right track

PHILADELPHIA, Pennsylvania (CNN) -- At 5 a.m. on any given day, Anne Mahlum could be found running the dark streets of Philadelphia -- with homeless men cheering her on as she passed their shelter. But one morning last spring, she stopped in her tracks.

"Why am I running past these guys?" recalls Mahlum, 27. "I'm moving my life forward every day -- and these guys are standing in the same spot."

Instead of continuing to pass them by, the veteran marathoner sprang into action so they could join her.

She contacted the shelter, got donations of running gear, and in July 2007 the "Back On My Feet" running club hit the streets.

The first day, Mahlum led nine shelter residents in a mile-long run. Today, Back on My Feet has teams in three Philadelphia shelters, including 54 homeless members and more than 250 volunteers. The group has logged more than 5,000 miles.

Requirements for shelter residents to join are simple -- they must live in an affiliated facility and be clean and sober for 30 days. Members receive new shoes and running clothes, and teams run together three times a week between 5:30 and 6 a.m.

The runners are diverse -- doctors, janitors, students and shelter residents -- but such distinctions aren't apparent.

"All you can tell is who's the fastest," says Mahlum. "You can't tell who's homeless and who's not."

For Mahlum and others, Back On My Feet is more than a running club.

"We're a community of support, love, respect," she says.

Runners greet each other with hugs and words of encouragement. While members say they've lost weight, quit smoking and have more energy, Mahlum believes they're also learning important life skills such as discipline and goal-setting that can help them get on the road to self-sufficiency.

"Running really is a metaphor for life," she says. "There is always another mile. You just have to take it one step at a time."

That's something Mahlum herself has learned over the past 10 years as she's dealt with her father's alcoholism. Running has been her therapy, she says.

"I'm learning more about my life through all of this."

Back On My Feet also has a job training program for a partner. Three members are taking classes, learning computer and interview skills, while three others have found jobs.

Mike Solomon, an original member, is one of the group's success stories. A former crack user who spent his youth in and out of trouble on the streets of Wilmington, Delaware, Solomon is employed, in school and training to run a marathon in his hometown. He considers Back on My Feet part of his support group.

"Anne is helping people see the hero in themselves," says Solomon.

Mahlum aims to have Back On My Feet in 10 local shelters by the end of the year and expand beyond Philadelphia in 2009. She believes her approach could be part of a solution to homelessness.

"Do we need homes? Yes. We need jobs? Yes," she says. "But imagine if you didn't have anybody in your life who said, 'I'm really proud of you.' Back On My Feet does just that."

Link to article: http://www.cnn.com/2008/LIVING/04/02/heroes.mahlum/index.html