Rhonda Kottke, is our Team In Training "patient-honoree". Rhonda is coming up on her 5-year stem-cell transplant anniversary (click here for her personal documentation of the process) and is currently cancer free! Rhonda is doing great and currently training with us for the Chicago Marathon but not all of her friends are as lucky. Recently she took a picture of the team on a rainy Saturday morning before our first eight-mile run. She wanted to show it to her friend Bob, who also was battling leukemia, hoping it would provide him inspiration. Unfortunately, Bob passed away yesterday. Through his battle his family maintained a website to share the story of his 3 stem-cell transplants and 2 cord-blood transplants. Please feel free to check it out.
Stories like Bob's (and Rhonda's) are important to not only stress the importance of the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society, but to encourage people to go out and make a difference.
Due to the rainy weather, not everyone showed up this Saturday, but here is a picture of the City-North Team in Training! We are out there every Saturday because of people like Bob, and together so far the IL team training for the Chicago Marathon has raised over $226,000!
Dinner Plans!
Last summer I spent two weeks in Poland, volunteering for Habitat for Humanity. It was an awesome experience, and while I was there I learned a lot...and made a lot of new friends. One of those friends, Julia, also lives in Chicago. She and I are both have Polish backgrounds and while in Poland both loved the food - not everyone appreciated it as much as we did, thats for sure! We have met up a few times since we got back, and try to hit Polish restaurants to bring back the good times :) Tonight she and I are meeting at Czerwone Jabluszko (Red Apple) Restaurant. I am so excited! There are two things that are awesome about this place: 1) ITS A BUFFET 2) ICE CREAM INCLUDED. So, hopefully its ok when training for a Marathon to eat a billion pierogis' and potato pancakes...follwed by ice-cream. If not, I dont care! Its PIEROGI TIME BABY.
Training Log
Time: 21.27 minutes Distance:2.02 miles Pace: 10:38min/mi
Today is the usual, studying, training and complaining. The run today was only supposed to be 20 minutes at an easy pace...so I decided it was time again to venture out with Wrigley.
Wrigley, after taking care of business, treeing a squirrel and sniffing a pile of leaves and miscelaneous trash was ready for her run. She started out strong, but definitly got tired at the end. She was veering for puddles and any sign of wet pavement trying to get a drink. We came across one water bowl in front of a store, but it was empty. We found another one, and she put her face in and blew bubbles with her nose - didnt drink a drop! It was a short run, and fairly easy for both of us. As we came down our street, she picked up the pace and charged for the gate. Once inside, she picked up her ball and stared at me. Does this dog have no limits? I turned the sprinkler on for her, so she could cool off, and thought it would distract her. She hung out in the sprinkler for a bit, then grabbed her ball again and came after me. So, after the run (because I am a sucker) we played fetch for a while. This dog has no idea how good she has it. Progress Made
- Went out for a run with the dog, maintained both my limbs and my sanity
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