Walked 2 miles today, then Sara & I mowed the yard since Leo is off duty! I had quite a workout today...the mowing took over an hour.

Went at 7:00 this morning to have a group run (walk!) on the Mopac Trail with Coach Rachel & others (only 3). I was all decked out with my new clothes, shoes, water bottle belt. The others went for a 5 mile run, but I did 3 miles & was very proud of it. Rachel was nice enough to stay with me at a slower pace. She showed me some stretching to do before & after a walk. I iced my knees afterwards & took a blast of ibuprofen & was pretty tired. Since I was able to walk the 3 miles today, I've decided to commit to this - so I'll start telling people now.

Sara & I made another attempt today to shop for a sports bra for me. This was a bit better & by some miracle I got in AND out of one - so I bought it. Also, I bought a water belt - an elastic waist band that holds 2 bottles of water & a small pouch to hold my cell phone, keys, & driver's license. Today was my rest day for walking.

I went to the kick-off meeting for Team In Training. It was a small group. We heard more about fundraising, etc. I got my "dry fit" workout shirt...woo hoo! Afterwards I walked 2 miles ! and again iced my knees & took ibuprofen.

Did the same walk with the same results - ice & ibuprofen.

I officially started my training today. I went to the bike trail off of Old Cheney close to our house. Rachel had sent me a great link to a track & field website where you can create your own route & map distances on a mapquest program - then switch to a satellite mode & find identifying houses, buildings, trees, etc. so you know when the 1/2 mile marker is or the 1 mile, etc. So I walked 1/2 mile & turned around & walked back. It seemed like a pretty long ways. I came home & iced my knees & took 3 ibroprofen. I obviously have a long ways to go with this project. I'm not going to tell anyone about this until I see if this marathon is even a possibility. I'd still just be out $50 & a good pair of shoes.

I was supposed to start (officially) my training today, but didn't due to my knees. My knees got better this afternoon so I went to Kohl's & bought a pair of running (walking!) capri pants - very comfy. Sara was with me to help me determine what was right. Also, I had the traumatic experience of ATTEMPTING to try on a sports bra. Holy crap! I couldn't get any of the damn things over my head! I about strangled myself. At one point I didn't think I was going to get one back over my head...I couldn't get it on...I couldn't get it off. So with my arms flailing over my head, I reached for my cell phone and called Sara who was outside the changing room & asked her if you're supposed to STEP INTO these damn contraptions or what. She just laughed hysterically. By the time I got out of that changing room with failed attempts with 5 different sports bras, I had already had my cardio workout for the day! It was a good thing I hadn't walked this morning.

Leo has had a great week - back to work & doing fine. Today was a little rough - that Neulasta shot that he got last Saturday, finally kicked in. It's a shot that helps stimulate the production of white blood cells in the bone marrow. With chemo, the white blood cell count goes way down & the immune system can be compromised. This shot helps them recover, but by doing so, it causes pain in the back, hips, ribs, etc. But Leo just took it easy & it was improving by this evening.
This morning I went to a store called The Lincoln Running company where Rachel told me to go to get a good pair of WALKING shoes. A young man there helped me - he was very nice & helpful. I brought in my old pair of shoes (to show the wear of how I walk) & then he had me walk barefoot so he could assess my feet. He determined that my foot rotated out...a nice way of saying I walk crooked! He fit me into a pair of shoes that feel great & I got new socks. Rachel said do NOT get cotton socks - so I got some fancy moisture-wicking socks. There is so much to learn about this! By this afternoon my knees were shot from the 1 1/2 mile walk last night - that's bad news. I hobbled all day & iced my knees, but it wasn't good. I hope I can overcome this to be able to do this marathon.

Leo, Sara, and I went on a slow hike on a bike trail & we walked 1 1/2 miles. I did ok. Leo was starting to get pain in his bones a bit..a common side effect from the Neulasta shot he got the day after chemo.

I went to the Team in Training informational meeting & found out several things. First of all, the Des Moines "walk" is actually a full blown marathon, but you can walk it, BUT you have to be able to keep a pace of 16 or 17 minutes per mile. Good thing they are going to let the walkers start 1 hour early - so I will need to keep a pace of 18 minutes per mile. With the extra hour, the race will last 8 hours & then they take down the cones & remove the policemen that stops traffic along the way & then you're on your own. Next fact I found out is that I am the only walker from Lincoln...the others are traditional marathon runners. And oh...I am definitely the oldest - by maybe 30 some years! I truly wondered what the hell I was getting myself into, but I paid the $50 to get signed up anyway. I may have temporarily lost my mind. I met my personal coach, Rachel, & she seems very nice. I told her I was new to all of this & she said that was fine & hoped that I would join the team. I don't think she had any idea of how "new" I meant. I tried to explain to her that not only do I not run, but I don't walk. This didn't daunt her. And then I said I know nothing of stretching/conditioning & she said that's OK, too, that she would help. BUT, it finally sunk in when she was talking about nutrition & the need for lots of carbs & I told her I was on a low carb diet. She just started blankly at me, unable to speak for a minute, then said "that will have to change". I think she finally understood me! So I signed on the dotted line, realizing full well that there may be some hitches to this scheme - but if it didn't work out, at least the $50 would go to a good cause.

Leo got through the 3 critical days just fine - no problems. His blood work & kidney function was all well - VERY good news!. He's off to a great start!

Leo had his first round of chemo - 6 hours worth. He went in there with such strength, & a fantastic positive attitude, determined to conquer this. They took his blood pressure shortly before starting & it was amazingly low which showed his calmness. He got along great with no problems. This is the critical chemo treatment, as the first one eliminates 60%-98% of the cancerous tumor - which is huge and covers his entire belly & about 2 1/2" thick in some areas. So the danger is how well the kidneys can process things & slough off the eliminated cells. He needs to drink lots of water & then have blood work done tomorrow, Sunday & Monday.

Starting off

Sara talked to me today about the possibility of me doing a fundraiser/walk for the Leukemia Lymphoma Society. She happened to find information about it very shortly after Leo was diagnosed with non-Hodgkins Lymphoma cancer - which was less than a week ago. So Sara is going to sign up for a fundraiser for lymphoma research where she rides a bike in a "century" race - in Maryland -going 100 miles! She is truly amazing! The group is called Team in Training and they provide a coach, mentors, help in fundraising. Sara has agreed to fundraise a phenomenal amount...$4,300 !! She thinks it's do-able & she's excited to get the training. More power to her! So where I come in is that this same Team in Training has other events that you can fundraise for...and the one she told me that I might be interested in is a walk in Des Moines. Oddly, I remembered a pamphlet coming in the mail a few weeks earlier about a Team in Training. I dug it out from under the mail pile & looked at it. Holy crap! That Des Moines walk is 26 miles!! But here's the deal - in 3 days Leo is going to start his first round of chemo. If he can do that, I can walk a measly 26 miles to show my support & also do fundriasing for a cause that just recently became very important to us. I will need to raise $1,800 & I have no idea how to do that. So I'll go to one of the information meetings & check this all out. No promises, but I'll check it out.