OAKS for the cure

Mom and I had an AMAZING day at Churchhill Downs. We enjoyed sitting with other breast cancer survivors and their loved ones, watching the races, placing some bets, soaking up the wonderful sunshine, drinking fresh squeezed lemonade and sporting our fabulous hats.

The Survivor Parade was an incredible experience - very moving and emotional. After the parade, Mom got to watch the race along with the other 13 survivors who received the most votes in the Winner's Circle. Each of the 14 survivors were representing one of the horses in the race and Churchhill Downs bet $1,000 to win on each horse for these survivors. The survivor of the winning horse got to cash in their bet and the money was donated to Susan G. Komen. Mom was representing It's Tea Time who, sadly, didn't win but did a wonderful job. The winner of the 136th Kentucky Oaks was Blind Luck. Appropriately so, Mom and I had some "blind luck" when placing our bets and won $34! Mom was excited to have Bo Derek standing directly behind her during the Oaks race - how cool is it that Mom had a better spot to watch the race than Bo did?!? Me and some of the other co-survivors were standing behind the rail a little way down from the Winner's Circle which was great because we got to see the horses entering and exiting the track and got to talk to the jockeys after the race. Wow - even on a dry, sunny day those guys are covered in mud after the race. Reason number 483 why I will never be a horse jockey - mud flying in face.

Ok, Mom and I are headed to bed. Today was awesome but exhausting and tomorrow is going to be even busier starting with a very early morning visit to the backside of Churchhill Downs. We're going to get to meet the horses and have a wonderful "behind the scenes tour."

(Sorry for typos - I seriously am exhausted and will edit this early next week. Until then, enjoy the stories and pics and overlook the mistakes)

LOUISVILLE for the cure

After almost 6 hours on the road, Mom and I have arrived at our hotel in Louisville. Now at nearly 3 o'clock on the morning of the 136th Kentucky Oaks we cannot get our excitement settled down to get some sleep before our day at the races.

Starting the trip - mileage 0.0

Lots more miles and memories to come.

TRAVEL for the cure

Mom and I are getting those last minute things together now (which for us - everything is a last minute item) and in a few minutes we will be on the road. LOUISVILLE HERE WE COME!!!

Hopefully I will be able to update my blog throughout the weekend with stories and pictures from the Oaks and Derby so keep checking back.

Don't forget to watch Bravo on Friday for coverage from the Kentucky Oaks and the Survivor Parade will be broadcast live at 5pm on Bravo. I'll be walking with Mom in the parade so keep an eye out for us. (Hopefully I won't pull an "Ashley" and fall face first into the dirt on the track - but the high probability of this happening is EVEN more of a reason for you to watch!)

Thanks for all the well wishes for our trip - I'm certain it won't be one we soon forget.

And, we're off....

RACE for the cure

We all made it to the finish line!

Mom's flowers in the Garden of Hope.

Some of my co-workers crossing the finish line.

Community Health Educators - Monique and I

Carpool buddies - Kristin, Melissa and I

Check out this pink hat! There was every shade of pink ever created at this event.

Garden of Hope

BUSY for the cure

"It's not so much how busy you are, but why you are busy. The bee is praised, the mosquito is swatted" ~Mary O'Connor

The past 24 hours have been filled with HOPE. Yesterday evening, Sassy and I headed to the Virginia Tech Drill Field for Relay for Life. We braved the wind and the cold to celebrate life with thousands of fellow Hokies.

While Sassy and I were walking around the track (trying desperately to stay warm) we ran into the Hokie Bird who LOVED little Miss Sassy! Sassy also thought the Hokie Bird was wonderful - I think she thought it was the biggest and best squeaky toy ever. She tried to chew his beak but only got a couple bites in before he noticed. Sassy and I stayed at Relay until around 9pm and then headed home so I could be bright-eyed and bushy-tailed for my next adventure of the weekend.

This morning I joined several ladies from work for the Inaugural Greater Roanoke Susan G. Komen Race for the Cure. Over 2,000 men, women and children attended this event and we raised over $260,000 for Susan G. Komen. What an amazing success - especially for the first year of this event - imagine what we can do next year!

One of my favorite parts of Race for the Cure was the Garden of Hope. Colorful, wooden flowers could be purchased in celebration of a loved one and they were placed in a garden together. I got 2 pretty pink tulips in celebration of my Mom and I'm excited to give her one to add to the flower beds.

This weekend has been wonderful. It is an amazing thing to be joined with thousands of people all gathered for the same purpose. I feel like my spirit has been renewed. Hopefully this feeling can keep me inspired during my continued 3-Day training and I'm already looking forward to my next event!

UPDATE for the cure:

Total Training Miles: 41

Total Sponsored Miles: 25 out of 60

Sponsor a Mile HERE!

BAT for the cure

For the 6th year, Susan G. Komen, Major League Baseball and Louisville Slugger are "Going to Bat Against Breast Cancer!"

A series of charitable activities have been planned leading up to the 80th All-Star Game including the All-Star Charity 5K & Fun Run and the 1st Annual Honorary Bat Girl Contest where individuals that embody passion and dedication for the breast cancer movement will be selected as Honorary Bat Girls for each club and will be celebrated on-field during the game.

On Mother's Day, MLB players, coaches and umpires will wear pink wristbands and pink ribbon decals. Louisville Slugger has also produced and donated pink baseball bats that hundreds of players will be using on Mother's Day. Fans can get in on the action too wearing pink attire and being in the designated "pink zones" at all home games on Mother's Day.

Another great partnership to increase breast cancer awareness and raise money to get us closer to the cure!

Here is all the info to nominate and vote.

UPDATE for the cure:
Total Training Miles: 36
Total Sponsored Miles: 25 out of 60
SPONSOR A MILE HERE!

MILES for the cure

Today has been a great training day. I started with a 3 mile walk this morning on a route that includes a couple tough hills. Luckily, I made it to the top of all the hills and kept my pace fairly well. This afternoon I was in charge of the annual Easter egg hunt at my church which is always an adventure but I was ready for another walk when I got home. Sassy decided she would join me for my evening stroll. We drove to Pandapas Pond, located a few miles outside of Blacksburg and walked the pond loop twice which totals 2 miles. She had lots of fun on the walk but was very skeptical of the geese with their loud "honks". The Pandapas trail is absolutely beautiful - I have a feeling it will become a regular spot for my training.

I am thrilled to have added 5 miles to my training total in one day. My endurance is picking up but I'm still having problems just finding time to train.

UPDATE for the cure:
Total Training Miles: 34
Total Sponsored Miles: 25 out of 60
SPONSOR A MILE OF MY 3-DAY JOURNEY BY CLICKING HERE!!!

PUPS for the cure

Sassy and I had a wonderful time at the First Annual Susan G. Komen Paws for the Cure in Roanoke a couple Saturdays ago. We were joined by my friends Krystal and Nicole and over 75 other dogs (along with lots of owners and other human supporters).

This event was a one mile walk to raise money for breast cancer research and education through Susan G. Komen. Each dog got a pink ribbon scarf to wear - luckily for Sassy, they had a variety of sizes so we found one to fit her.

Sassy met lots of other dogs, many big ones, a few small and she was especially excited to meet two other miniature dachshunds!

After the walk we visited the variety of booths (Komen gear, homemade gourmet dog treats, etc) and to my delight there was a caricaturist! She was amazing and I'm thrilled with our picture.

We had a great day for a great cause! Sassy did her part to help find a cure... how are you going to make a difference?

UPDATE for the cure:

Total Training Miles: 29

Total Sponsored Miles: 25 out of 60

SPONSOR A MILE OF MY 3-DAY JOURNEY HERE!

TRAINING for the cure

Saturday was a big day for me and my 3-day training. I was registered to participate in the Kappa Delta sorority’s Shamrock 5K on the Virginia Tech campus. You can imagine my reaction when I woke up on Saturday morning to temperatures in the mid-thirties. Why, oh why, do I live in Blacksburrrrrrrrrrrrrg?!? After getting dressed in all the underarmor clothing I own and my hot pink New Balance “Lace Up for the Cure” sneakers, I headed to campus for the race.

Although the race was only 3.1 miles, it was challenging. The freezing temperature, a number of hills, and inches and inches of mud from all the recent rain gave me and my pretty pink shoes quite the experience. Even my socks were soaked in mud by the time I reached the finish line. YUCK!

Now, keep in mind my goal for this race was simple – finish and not be last! I am happy to report my goal was met. In November, Sassy, my friend Meghan and I completed the Drumstick Dash 5K in 1 hour and 3 minutes. I crossed the Shamrock 5K finish line with 43 minutes, 17 seconds on the clock and a number of other participants behind me. I am aware this is still a very slow pace (a little under 14 minutes per mile) but it’s getting better.

26 training miles down… about 1,000 more to go before October! My shoes got a nice bath in the washing machine Saturday afternoon and they’re all dry and ready to hit the road again.

UPDATE for the cure:

Total Training Miles: 26

Total Sponsored Miles: 25 out of 60

SPONSOR A MILE OF MY 3-DAY JOURNEY HERE!

KISS for the cure

Not sure if any of you caught the Season Five premier of Gene Simmons’ Family Jewels last Sunday night but it’s worth watching. Yes, this seriously is a blog posting about the reality show following the life of the lead singer of KISS and his family. Don't judge my choice of television - we all have guilty pleasures!

Now as much as I truly enjoy the Simmons family rarely, correction – NEVER do I find myself identifying with the situation they’re facing during any given episode. That statement was true until last week.

While Gene was on tour with KISS for their new album, Shannon (Gene’s long time girlfriend and mother of his two children), Shannon’s sister and another female friend were shopping when in the fitting room Shannon felt a lump in her breast. From this moment on in the episode, I could not stop the tears. I could not control my emotions because I know all too well the horror and agony of having a loved one go through this stage of tests and waiting (and waiting and waiting and waiting). Although I know how it feels to watch someone go through this, I cannot imagine how it feels to have this awful, unwelcome mass inside your own body – in your breast – and not be able to do anything but wait. Amazingly, Shannon is also going through this period of uncertainty and fear with a television crew following her every step.

The episode really did a good job of portraying the entire sequence of events so many women and men have personally gone through (from discovery of the lump to clinical breast exams to biopsies) and very many of us only have nightmares about.

The episode ended with Shannon and Gene’s children Nick and Sophie (ages 20 and 17) accidentally reading a text message and finding out about their Mom having a biopsy done. Nick calls Gene to tell him and Gene decides to come home from tour to be with Shannon when she gets the biopsy results.

Shannon received the results during last night’s episode and thankfully, everything was benign. I did admire the way she handled the entire experience and before she even left the doctor’s office she was asking how she could help in the fight against breast cancer. The episode ended with Shannon and her teenage daughter Sophie sponsoring a day of mammograms to low-income and underserved women in the Los Angeles area through the Pink Lotus Petals Foundation.

Life lesson learned from Gene Simmons’ Family Jewels: Take responsibility for your own health and find a way to make a difference for others.


UPDATE for the cure:
Total Training Miles: 26
Total Sponsored Miles: 25 out of 60
SPONSOR A MILE OF MY 3-DAY JOURNEY HERE!