Sunday, April 27, 2008

Danielle's 5K Report

We wanted to let you know that the 5K was a huge success!! Here's a quick rundown of the events: First and foremost, we all ran the ENTIRE thing with no walking!!!

Ellen, Seth's girlfriend, finished first amongst John's Team and even got a ribbon!! She is a runner by trade. She even came back and ran the last 1/2 mile with Seth and I again after she had already finished. Nathan was a speed daemon as well and finished an impressive 2nd on the team. Seth and I finished together although I have to say that we would have finished quicker had it not been for my um, eh, minor puke break about 200 yards from the end. Oops. Apparently speeding up during the last 1/2 mile just doesn't work for me! No worries though, I actually felt great afterwards and still finished with a bang. I was super thankful for my great team who stayed behind to give me some pats on the back.
After the 5K, my parents joined us for the Family Fun Walk which was a 1.8 mile walk through the beautiful Sarah P. Duke Gardens. We all had a wonderful time. They had a record attendance with over 3,000 people for the walk! It was inspiring to see all the teams and especially all of the survivors. And John, as the honoree, we got you a shirt like ours -- we're putting it in the mail!We won't have our team total for a few weeks so I don't know specifically who donated but we thank all of you who did from the very bottom of our hearts!! You helped make this a huge success! Thank you so very much!! John, you have so many people who are rooting for you and who love you!!!

Frank Tisch Angels Among Us 5K

Congratulatons and thanks to you all for participating in the Duke Brain Cancer 5K! You all look so fresh at the finish, judging from the photos. Looks like the distance (after a suitable recovery period) was no problem for you. Danielle, I am very impressed by your "guts" in the last few hundred yards. Ellen, congratulations on being team champion. Congrats to all of you for finishing the distance. I wish could have been there too. Maybe next year!

Thanks also to Nathan, Seth, Larry and Nita for being part of a team in my honor. I am very proud of you!

Wednesday, April 23, 2008

5K World Record

OK, I looked it up. The record is 12:37.35, run in 2004 by Kenenisa Bekele of Ethiopia. The woman's record is 14:16.63 by Meseret Defar in 2007, also of Ethiopia. This information is from IAAF (Intl Assoc of Athletics Federations) web-site. They ought to know.

Now you really have something to shoot for. Good Luck!!!!

Karen's Birthday

Happy birthday to Karen! Her Friend Mitzi and her family made dinner for us so I didn't even have to cook: shrimp pasta and garlic bread. Yummy and healthy. We are feeling strong. Karen's ankle is recovering from her fracture and is almost healed. She does have a little soreness but she's close to 100%.

Best of luck to those of you running the Tisch Duke 5k Saturday. Go John's Team. I will be with you in spirit, for sure. The world record for that distance is something just under 13 minutes. Go for it!!

Martha and Greg are coming to visit us Saturday. Karen and I can't wait!

Tuesday, April 22, 2008

Colnago Cap

I forgot to post the best photo of all of my new Colnago cap. Why, because Ashley is in the photo.

Sunday, April 20, 2008

My Hair (Revisited)



Ashley offered and I accepted to take the bull by the horns and take control of my uneven hair. Ashley grabbed Dan's electric hair clippers and fashioned me a new look. I am really pleased with the way it turned out. This may be a whole new look for me. Karen is very impressed as well. It takes years off. Judge for yourself.

Thanks, Lil A. I love you.

Also, to Greg and Martha: Thank you for the cool Colnago cap (see the pic). It fits my new hair-style to a T. BTW: the Paris-Roubaix winner was the Belgian, Tom Boonen, in a sprint over Fabian Cancellera (sp?).

Wednesday, April 16, 2008

My Hair

I am feeling great. Thank you all for your concern. I have begun to notice a little hair loss. I knew this was bound to happen. It's right on schedule and signifies the Chemo is working. Another encouraging sign!

I have been doing some spreadsheet work for Karen this evening. I should be getting paid for this. Karen will, so that's great. I enjoyed doing this for her.