Discussing Future Events

During the Silent Mile Training, Kristi and I – both Hodgkin Lymphoma survivors – walked six miles together. It was the first time we’ve seen each other since the race weekend last April in Nashville, and it was great to see her again. First, it is still only months since she had her second cancer diagnosis, and it was wonderful to see her in good shape and out there walking at her fast pace. Second, it was fun to “catch up.” A big part of our catching up involved talking about what our next event could be.

Kristi had been in touch with the LLS office, and had a good feel for some of the spring and summer season (2010) events. For example, the team is doing the New Orleans Mardi Gras Marathon and Half Marathon – the first time they’ve done this race since I got involved in TNT in 2005. Now that could be fun – I’ve never been to the Big Easy.

Also on deck for Team Virginia is the Seattle Marathon in June (I think), which replaces Alaska for next year. Another place I’ve never been, and frankly, being an outdoors lover, Seattle and the great Pacific Northwest has a lot more appeal to me than New Orleans. Maybe I could get in some hiking or tour Seattle. In New Orleans, I think I’d be dodging people who had partied way too hard. And having been finished with fundraising for only four months, I don’t feel ready in this economy to start bugging people in just two more months, which I will have to do I sign up for New Orleans. But for Seattle, I would not have to start fundraising until December or January. It is very tempting.

I keep thinking that I would like to do a triathlon. In fact, being a Philly boy (GO EAGLES, yeah, go ahead, yuck it up with the Michael Vick and dog jokes), I was really tempted by the Philadelphia Triathlon this next June. I mean, come on, swimming in the “Sure-Kill” River? Oh, if my mom could see me doing that, she would turn over in her grave! When she was a girl there, they didn’t catch fish in the Schuylkill River, they caught fish skeletons.

But as it turns out, TNT Virginia took that one off the docket for next year. Damn! They are doing the Tampa Bay (St. Anthony’s Triathlon) but that is in April and that means starting that fund-raising in just 2 months, plus getting a bike in two months – yikes! Will I even have a job in two months? Better make sure of that first!

Kristi is intrigued by the Nike Women’s Marathon a year from October. And I am tempted as well. First, it was number one in my poll a few months ago. Second, I got that nice Nike Winged Victory Award from LLS in June, and is that a sign or what? Third, I wouldn’t have to grit my teeth and start fundraising again until probably April. Fourth, I have a sister, two nieces, and a nephew in the Bay Area. And fifth, I would love to do an event with Kristi again, although she will walk it. If I walk it with her, she will lose me after about 10 miles, and I’d be hurting by that point to hang with her incredible walk speed. If I run big chunks of it, I will likely lose her at some point, but maybe not – she walks that fast. My point it, it would be hard for us to figure out how to do the whole thing together. But it appeals to me to have two strong survivors doing this race together with Team Virginia – as examples to each other and to our teammates.

I also told her that I would be worried about being the last guy to finish at Nike. There are only like 800 guys in the race (and about 24,000 women – talk about great scenery on the race course!) and I doubt I would be one of the faster men, unless most of the others have one leg or something like that. On the other hand, if I were to be the last guy across, so be it as long as I finish the race and have a great time. But seriously, I doubt I would be the slowest man in the race.

Then there is the possibility of a bike race – Tahoe in the spring for example. I think Kristi wants to do a century ride before she does a triathlon and I probably want to do a tri first. Either way I would have to buy a bike – no getting around that. I think both of us, as survivors, have this wild idea of getting a TNT Triple Crown before we are through. I have a good 17 years on Kristi, so I have less time to get that done than she does.

And if I decide not to do Nike, but wanted a fall event, I could see what they have for triathlons. Since they are not doing one with the summer team, certainly the fall team will do one – maybe the Nations Triathlon again. That one sounds fun, and is popular.

So there you have it – a lot to think about. I guess the key thing is that I want to do another event in 2010, stepping up both athletically and with fundraising. That fact is more important than which event, and hopefully I can have fun – and more conversations with former teammates – while making up my mind!