Kathruun's Place

2006-02-08T19:25:00.000-08:00

What beautiful weather we had during last Sunday's Inspiration Point run, in Berkeley. Was a day for all of us to get inspired...

2006-01-22T19:43:00.000-08:00

5th Annual Louie Olympic Distance Triathlon

http://shrimplouie.com/
0.9 mi. Swim, 26 mi. Bike, and 6.2 mi. Run

Sunday:
6:30 AM Yeek, the alarm goes off
6:45 Finally out of bed
7 Eat a bagel with crème cheese and coffee, get dressed and load car
7:30 Depart to Treasure Island for the big day
8 Arrive, unpack car and setup transition area
8:30 Lube the bod and get into wetsuit

9 Pre-race debriefing

9:10 Walk to swim start

9:15 Attempt to warm-up in 56 degree open water

9:20 Wave (#2) my swim begins

10:05 Yahoo, swim ends! Water was cold! Run to transition area
10:15 T1 (transition 1) done, dressed w/ lots of layers & depart for bike
11:45 Yahoo, bike done

11:50 T2 (transition 1) done, depart for run

12:30ish While on run, I get the best water from Team Honoree, sweet Larissa...
http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/object/article?f=/c/a/2006/01/23/BAG35GRGPH1.DTL&o=0

1 PM Right on, the run/triathlon done!

Some thoughts about the day...

What I learned:
- What a great loving guy Team Honoree Louie was and I met his wonderful family
- Got to meet the South Bay IronTeam folks
- Love to pee in wetsuit (warms you up during a cold open-water swim)
- Got to see last year’s IronTeam participants

Things that went right:
- Packing the night before
- Swim: spent time warming-up in the frigged 56 degree water
- Bike, bike, bike, the bike, and the bike!
- Today was a beautifully fun day

Things that I could have done differently:
- Review my pre-race checklist (because I forgot baby powder)
- Drank salt water during swim & had to stop swimming for a bit
- Drink more ... drink more...

Pictures from the day...

2006-01-17T10:06:00.000-08:00

Ultra runner Gary Neel, a two-time finisher of the Western States 100 mile ultramarathon, passed away on January 11, 2006 at the age of 51. He had been given a late diagnosis of cancer and aggressive treatments failed. Originally from Texas, Gary had lived in Marin County for more than 15 years. He was an excellent runner, and was at his best at 50km and 50 miles. With a completion time of 22:13 at Western States, he was clearly no slouch at longer distances either. He was frequently a pacer for fellow ultrarunner Ann Trason during her 13-win streak at Western States. A pharmacist by trade, Gary was a friendly low-key guy with a laconic sense of humor and a quick smile. Much condolences to his wife, Dana Snyder.

2006-01-13T15:48:00.000-08:00

The Worst Part of Being an MD
Doctors Learn How to Say What No One Wants to Hear http://www.nytimes.com/2006/01/10/health/10teac.html?emc=eta1 By Abigail Zuger In one room, a woman sobs into her hands after learning that her breast cancer has spread to her liver. Next door, a young man cured of lymphoma two years ago listens impassively to the news that his disease is back. Down the hall, a grizzled middle-aged hardware store owner hears that despite radiation treatment his prostate cancer is now in his bones. It could be any hospital's outpatient clinic. Instead, it is a small experiment in teaching cancer doctors to do the hardest part of their job: not doling out radiation and chemotherapy but caring for the patients who fail these treatments. The patients in this case are actors but the doctors are all real: young oncologists who converged at this off-season ski resort for a five-day course in how to talk to patients about the worst possible news. All doctors have these talks from time to time, but cancer doctors face more than their share. According to one estimate, over the course of a career an oncologist will break bad news to patients about 20,000 times, from the first shocking facts of the diagnosis to the news that death is near. Despite all the practice, it is the rare doctor who is any good at these discussions. And while some medical schools now offer basic communication courses, more sophisticated training for specialists is uncommon. One recent survey found that less than a third of oncology training programs attempted any form of communication training; only about 5 percent of practicing oncologists have had any.

2006-01-13T14:10:00.000-08:00

21 thoughts of goodwill for 2006, better yet FOREVER:
1. Give people more than they expect and do it cheerfully.
2. Marry a man/woman you love to talk to. As you get older, theirconversational skills will be as important as any other.
3. Don't believe all you hear, spend all you have or sleep all you want.
4. When you say, "I love you," mean it
5. When you say, "I'm sorry," look the person in the eye.
6. Be engaged at least six months before you get married.
7. Believe in love at first sight.
8. Never laugh at anyone's dream. People who don't have dreams don'thave much.
9. Love deeply and passionately. You might get hurt but it's the only wayto live life completely.
10. In disagreements, fight fairly. No name calling.
11. Don't judge people by their relatives.
12. Talk slowly but think quickly.
13. When someone asks you a question you don't want to answer, smileand ask, "Why do you want to know?"
14. Remember that great love and great achievements involve greatrisk.
15. Say "bless you" when you hear someone sneeze.
16. When you lose, don't lose the lesson
17. Remember the three R's: Respect for self; Respect for others; andresponsibility for all your actions.
18. Don't let a little dispute injure a great friendship.
19. When you realize you've made a mistake, take immediate steps tocorrect it.
20. Smile when picking up the phone. The caller will hear it in yourvoice.
21. Spend some, but not all your, time alone.

2006-01-10T22:26:00.000-08:00

Kathryn presents a table during a holiday fair…
I had the great opportunity to have a table during the Holiday Fair at my office in Sacramento. I met many new and existing friends that day. I heard some amazing stories about many phenomenal people that either are battling or were overcome by a blood-related cancer. Folks were very generous by contributing financially toward my fundraising campaign to help find a cure for leukemia and lymphoma. As a “thank you” folks received a gift box of Buckeye candies (they taste much like Reese’s peanut butter cups). I am very grateful to say that the day was a huge success.

2006-01-09T10:44:00.000-08:00

Helping Each Other Along Life's Course By Stephen Clark
By mile 18 of the 2003 San Diego Rock 'n' Roll Marathon, first-timer Daniella Ruiz, 36, had reached her breaking point. With a blister the size of a golf ball on the sole of her left foot and virtually nothing left in her tank, she plopped down onto the pavement, pulled out her cellphone and called her mother, Iris Ruiz, who was waiting for her at the last mile. "Mom, I can't take another step," she said, sobbing. "Yes, you can," said the elder Ruiz, who had recently endured four months of chemotherapy - losing her hair, losing weight and losing her strength - after being diagnosed with non-Hodgkin's lymphoma, which was now in remission. She had prevailed, she said, and her daughter could too. "I'm going to send angels to lift you up on your feet, and I'll be waiting for you at the finish line. If I endured those days at the hospital, there's no reason why you can't get up and walk to the finish line." Daniella Ruiz tucked away her phone, got up and limped the final eight miles to the finish line. There, she fell into her mother's arms. Since then, mother and daughter have gotten through seven more marathons, traveling as far as Honolulu. Daniella does the running. Her mother gets her to the finish line, meeting her in the final mile. Together, the two walk hand in hand to the end. For Iris and Daniella, the last mile of each marathon gives them a chance to show the power of holding on despite the odds. Family members often run or walk races in honor of their loved ones, but "it's very uncommon for the patient to be able to participate in such a wonderful way," said Liz Olsen, national spokeswoman for the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society, the beneficiary of the national team Daniella runs on. "The patient is often at home, unable to participate in the last mile."

2006-01-09T10:16:00.000-08:00

SF Chapter Team in Training Goes to New Orleans to Assist Katrina Victims... Marathon Women Generous in Katrina Contributions Letter to the Editor - by Val Streit
http://www.dailyworld.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20060101/OPINION03/601010312/1014/OPINION
This past Oct. 23 in San Francisco I had the opportunity to meet some of the great people of Louisiana at The Nike Women's Marathon. The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society's Team in Training program in Louisiana sent a team to San Francisco after Hurricane Katrina to compete in their marathon. Alumni and participants from the Westside Marathon team in Los Angeles contributed items to put together "goodie bags" for those who came. A Relief Effort was started and we got the San Francisco Chapter on board to help send clothes and needed items out to our Team in Training family in Louisiana. Some of these incredible people lost everything, yet they still made it to their event. They have truly become our heroes and I think they should be recognized.

2006-01-05T13:11:00.000-08:00

Tea Kills Leukemia...
Green tea extract 'is cancer aid' The tea, discovered in China nearly 5,000 years ago, has long been thought to have health benefits. But the team from the Mayo Clinic in the US found it appeared to improve the condition of four patients with chronic lymphocytic leukaemia (CLL). http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/health/4551748.stm

2006-01-04T09:43:00.000-08:00

WHY I TRI: Cancer Claims Life of Recent HS Grad
http://www.keepmecurrent.com/Community/story.cfm?storyID=13324
By Mike Higgins
Brittany Dahms, who graduated from Westbrook High School last June in the midst of a more than year-long battle with leukemia, died Tuesday morning. Dahms, 19, who battled leukemia for more than a year, died early Tuesday morning at a Portland hospital with her family by her side. That softer side was evident last spring at the finish line of the Boston Marathon where Brittany Dahms and her mother waited for Tim Walker, Westbrook High School's director of student services. Walker was running in honor of Dahms as a member of the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society’s “Team in Training,” a group that organizes runners in races across the country to raise money for leukemia research. Walker said he has already registered for the 2006 Boston Marathon and will be running in Dahms’ honor once again. He said he knows Dahms will be on his mind during the race. “I’m going to miss her tremendously,” Walker said. “She was truly courageous.”

2006-01-03T10:12:00.000-08:00

My vision is to:
dream big; work hard; get it done; play fair; have fun; and make a difference...

2006-01-02T19:51:00.000-08:00

How you can help find a cure for blood-related cancers... http://www.active.com/donations/fundraise_public.cfm?key=tntgsfKODell1