Some Stats, and More Q&A

Update and Fund Raising Message of December 11, 2007

Hello with my last TNT update for 2007. Merry Christmas and Happy Chanukah to all! In this update, I’ll talk about a few fun statistics about training and fund raising, and answer a few more questions. First, a couple of quick updates.

Fund raising has gone really well since my last update a few weeks ago, and I am now at 64% of my goal! I am excited about this, because I am starting to see that my goal is reachable, even though it is a challenge. If you want to read about what I am doing, see more updates, make a donation online, or see my honoree list, just go out to my website:

http://www.active.com/donate/tntva/tntvaARitter2007

If you want to make a donation by check, just contact me and I will give you the details.

Training was going really well. I celebrated 5 years in remission from lymphoma this weekend by walking 20 miles, giving myself bursitis in the right hip in the process. It is way too painful to train right now, and I am a little stressed about it with the marathon just one month away.

Here are some stats (to date) about this season, just for the fun of it, and for a change of pace in these notes.

Stats about Fund Raising (I am grateful for all donations of any amount):
Total dollars raised: $9,976.75 (Who will put me over $10,000?)
# of people / couples making donations: 102
Largest donation: $1,000 by Computer Resource Team
# of people making more than one donation: 6
Most unusual donation amounts: $155.55 (1% of my goal); $26.20
Most common donation amounts: $25 (37 donors); $50 (24); $100 (19)

Stats about Training:
Longest training at one time: 20.5 miles
Most miles before work: 12 miles; 10 miles (twice)
Most miles after work: 10 miles
Most unusual training: To the NC border and back from Back Bay, 19.6 miles
Weeks of training lost due to injury or illness: 8 counting this week
Weeks lost due to a training related injury: 1 week
Earliest training start: 4:15 AM
Lowest temperature while training: about 25 degrees
Highest temperature while training: about 90 degrees

Now, on to some more questions I sometimes get asked about my involvement in Team and Training.

What was your best TNT moment? There have been so many amazing moments, but I think my best was about mile 25 of the Anchorage Marathon in 2005. I was soaked and cold, had been going with blisters on both feet for about 12 miles, and everything from the hips down hurt. Standing in the rain, obviously for hours, was a lady holding a big sign that read “Leukemia Survivor – Thanks!”. That one person, and one moment, made everything totally worthwhile.

Are you walking or running the marathon? I am walking it for the most part. I’ve had so many injury setbacks this year that I’ve not been able to run as much as I’d originally hoped. So at this point, I am walking the whole thing with the possible exceptions of a few minutes now and then when I need a change of pace. Walking a marathon is not as hard as running a marathon, but it is plenty hard enough for me.

How fast do you walk? Well, this week, very slowly with the bursitis. In fact, a snail passed me today, leaving me in the dust, sneering at me as he raced by. But when I am not injured, I walk at somewhere between a 13.75 and 14.5 minute mile pace. My last marathon, if you take out time for waiting in porta potty lines, my pace would have been about 13.8 minutes per mile average for 26.2 miles. For short distances, say under 7 miles, I can average about 13.25 to 13.5 minutes per mile but have not been able to sustain that for long distances.

How much is the marathon fee and is it refundable if you are not able to be in the race? The marathon fee is three gallons of sweat, a dozen blisters, two hours in ice water baths, and 60 hours of sleep missed while sane people are still in bed. Sometimes, you can negotiate a “black toe” in exchange for the blisters, but since it takes about 10 months for the toenail to grow back, it is probably better to go with the blisters. None of these fees are refundable.

Do you really take ice water baths? I do after long training walks, say 15 miles and longer, and after the marathon. It is miserable for about 10 seconds and then not so bad, and really helps with soreness the next day by removing a lot of inflammation. I stay in the ice water for about 15 minutes. I always have a little fear that I will get too cold to get out of the tub and get hypothermia. Wouldn’t that make a great headline in the Richmond Times Dispatch? But so far, I have always been motivated enough to get out of the tub.

Well, thanks for reading my update, and for those of you that have donated, many thanks beyond that!

Carpe Diem!
Art