The Run for Dillon

My journey to the finish line.

2009-04-20T12:49:00.000-07:00

I went into Saturday with little sleep and nerves that never seemed to settle down. As I stepped out the door, I felt the air hit my skin and refresh my energy. The car ride was quite and relaxing. I did not speak, I pondered about the race. The unknown had my mind racing it's own marathon. "Would I finish? How will my body handle this challenge? What if I do not make it to the finish line?" Those were some of the many thoughts that crossed my mind on the way to the start line.

The sound of the trax train and my music was all that I heard on my way to the beginning of a long run. I visualized myself running a good race and tried to block out any negative thoughts that were trying to consume my mind. Exiting the trax train I could feel the similarities with others that I was feeling myself.

I waited in the long line to use the bathroom before the air horn was to go off. I spoke with others about the race. Some were scared, some were nervous and others were excited. Trying to keep my body warm, I kept my running pants and jacket on. As I grew closer to the bathroom I decided it was time to shed the clothing and get ready for this race. I don't know if I kept the warm clothes on to keep me warm or if I kept them on because I did not want to feel the reality that I was about to run 26.2 miles.

I opened up the new bottle of sunscreen. I sprayed the lotion on my legs, arms and then my face. Have you ever had sun tan lotion in your eyes? It is not the best feeling in the world. In the distance I heard my team, "Kevan! Were about to start! Hurry up!" Making my way to the start line with my right sleeve cleaning out the sun screen from my eye I heard a lady ask me, "Are you crying?" I laughed and explained what happened between the sunscreen and I. I replied, "I'm sure I will cry some where along this course."

The air horn sounded, I looked down to start and realized two important things I had forgotten to do. 1. Stretch and 2. To tie my shoes. I went to the side of the road and proceeded to tie my shoes. I could here the running steps of what seemed to be 1,000 people. Worries started to cloud my mind, "You are being left behind. All these people are going to finish sooner than you."

At this time, I remembered what my Uncle had told me. "Don't let the start get to you. Take it slow. Don't run over your pace."

I started my pace out about 1 minute and thirty seconds over my regular pace. At mile 1, I decided it would be a wise idea to stretch and I am thankful I did. I worked my way back onto the course feeling good and loose. As I was running, I heard two girls behind me whispering and then one asked me, "Are you running this race for Dillon Hofeling?" On the back of my jersey I wrote, "Running for Dillon." I answered their question and they expressed to me how nice that was. At that moment, I recalled exactly what I was running for and all those nerves in the beginning shadowed my purpose for running this race. The awakening was well needed.

Miles 1-13:

From what I heard, these miles were not very hard due to the energy that is present in the beginning of the race. I caught up with my team at about mile 10 and ran with Coach Te Koi to about mile 13 or so. He went back to get some other teammates and I continued on my journey to the finish line.

Miles 14-20:

My family was to meet me at mile 20. Everything felt fine. I called my sister at mile 15 and told her I would be to mile 20 in about an hour or so. If I could take anything back during this race, it would have been that call. I was so anxious to see my family that I out did myself and ran a faster pace time than I should have. Mile 17 seemed to take forever and at the time, I was beginning to think my watch was off. Of course,I was trying to confince myself that there must be something wrong and that is why the miles were not going fast like 1-13 did. I threw on some running music, mostly the soundtrack from, "Rocky IV" and next thing I knew, there was my family. They suprised me with a visit at about mile 19. I cannot explain how much that helped. I stopped and talked to them for about 5 minutes and then went on my way.

Miles 20-21

I believe I explained in a previous post about hitting the, "Runner's wall." I tried to turn up my music and sing out loud, that did not help. All I could think about was a quote I heard while watching a movie about marathons. The runner said,

"At some point in a marathon, the distance is greater than the human ability to physically transcend it."

I hit that point on mile 21. I saw my pace was falling behind and realized at one point, I was walking and not even jogging. My mind was in one zone and my body was in another. During this mile, this is where I knew I had to figure something out or else I wasn't going to finish. I leaned up against a fence and pondered about Dillon, I pondered about the miles I had conquered, I also pondered about the finish line. There wasn't one thing that really helped me finish, it was quanity of little things that helped me. I stretched a little and continued on my way.

Mile 22-24:

"Just make it to that light and then you can walk. Just make it to that cop car and you can walk for a little." Those were things that pushed me during the race. I recall trying to make it to a cop car and stopping about 20 feet before and I started walking and then forced myself to keep running. My body was spent and I started to wonder how I was going to finish this race. On the side of the road I saw some people handing out water. I drank about three cups of water and then I saw a man hand me a big orange slice. At the time, I thought this man was an angel. Oranges never tasted so good. I then grabbed another one from a lady that was about 30 feet behind the first guy. I felt those oranges give me a little bit of energy. I had pushed my body so far that it had no energy left. Without those oranges, I am sure I would have shut down completely. At about mile 24 there was a gentleman handing out pretzels. Those tasted just as good as the oranges. That little boost of energy carried me forward to mile 25.

Mile 25:

I turned the corner and saw that mile 25 was uphill. "Why not?" I thought. I tried to run that hill and I struggled with it. I ended up walking the hill and then ran on and off until I made it up that hill. I cannot express how excited I was to know that I was only 1 mile away from finishing this marathon. Coach Tammy saw me and cheered me on and her excitement carried me forward.

Mile 26.2

I could hear the crowds cheers as I was finishing my last mile. One more block to go and I'm in the home stretch. Once I heard those cheers, those feelings of being tired and beat were no longer there. I felt energy that I could have never imagined during this race. People that I have never met, seen or will most likely never see again were cheering me on. I looked over in the distance and there was the finish line and my family. I wish I could express to you the way I felt when I saw that. It's something you have to experience for yourself. All the days of training, ITBS issues, sore legs, feeling tired, running in the wind and the cold, all of these things crossed my mind and then I thought, "I DID IT! I FINISHED!" I cried the whole way across the finish line. So many emotions were going through me. I did not lie to that lady at the start. I did end up crying some where along the course but little did I know at that time, it would be at the finish line.

One last post before the race.

2009-04-17T08:11:00.000-07:00

Over $50,000 raised for the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society.

It's hard to believe that the marathon is only one day away. The time flew by with this training and now I am worried I didn't train hard enough. I'm sure the worries that I have are normal. I have worries of not being able to finish. I have worries about how my body will handle this long distance challenge. I think my biggest worry is trying to get past what runners call, "The Wall." That's when your body tells you it cannot go any further and wants to shut down. You have to find some way to tell your mind that it can continue on. I have loaded up my Ipod with some motivational music and will only use it when times get tough on the course.

Running in the cold, snow and some times rain, going home tired and sore, fighting through issues with my IT bands and even trying to find the motivation to get out and run, I wouldn't take this back for anything. I have learned a very valuable lesson with this training and if there were marathon Gods, they sure didn't take it easy on me with this training. I remember the days having a hard time walking and the pain I had to endure with my IT bands. All of this is nothing compared to what cancer patients go through. My pain is temporary, their pain is permanent until there is a cure.

I have learned many lessons along the way with this training. I have met many great people and have made many friends that will be with me through the rest of my life. I believe the biggest lesson I learned was to put Kevan aside and concentrate my energy on something that was more important and that was my friend Dillon. There are times on my runs where I get tired and I feel I need to stop. Certain things have pushed me through that but the one thought that helped the most was, "This is not for you. Stop being so selfish and realize you are doing this for Dillon and others. Push yourself! You can do it! You're almost there. Find whatever it is inside of you to keep going." Would I say those things out loud while running on roads where there was no soul in site? I would.

I am very grateful that I decided to do this marathon. I recall when I was debating on whether to do this or not. I am very glad I said yes to this. I remember my boss saying, "Well now you have to do this. You have committed yourself. You will look stupid if you back out." Without this training, I wouldn't be the person I am right now. I wouldn't say I have a different appearance. The biggest changes have happened inside. Changes I cannot explain and that are only felt.

My quest to run a marathon was about 5-6 years ago. Throughout all those years, I some how managed to stop training and got side tracked by other things. One day I went to the gateway on a Saturday and saw them setting up the finish line for the marathon. I had so much regret that day and it ate at me. It still eats at me to this day. Team in Training was the best thing for me with my training. It taught me to run for some one other than myself. Without this team, I wouldn't be where I am at now and once again I would see this marathon continue on without me. To know that I will be participating this year is an amazing feeling. I have trained hard and I have committed myself to this.

I know this may sound weird to some but I am some what excited to push my body to it's limit. At some point in a marathon, the distance is greater than the human ability to physically transcend it. It will be interesting to see just how far I can go and how it will feel when I cross that finish line. I am sure I will be emotional. I am already emotional just thinking about it. I am sure I will cry like a little baby. Some may not understand that. But after all this training and crossing that finish line for Dillon and others will be very overwhelming to me.

"Once you cross that finish line, no matter how slow, no matter how fast, it will change your life forever."

-Dick Beardsley-

Windy running

2009-03-04T08:46:00.000-08:00

I've decided that running in the wind is not a lot of fun. The wind out here has picked up a lot the last couple of days. I should look at the bright side, at least the weather is warmer than what it has been. Running against the wind has been helping my training. I can feel how tired my legs get but in a good way. Kind of like when you lift weights. My last two runs haven't been so bad. My run on Monday which was 3 miles was harder than I thought. My legs were tired from Saturdays run. My legs were also sore but that run and yesterdays run took the soreness away.

I had a very good run last night. About 5 miles and I ran the whole way and didn't stop. I ran against the wind for about 3.25 of the 5 miles. It was a great workout. I told myself that once I got to a certain point, I could walk. Once I got to that point and realized I wasn't running against the wind anymore, it was easy to finish out the rest of the miles. I've been working on my speed as well during my runs. I run about a ten minute mile which is absolutely horrible and I'm hoping I can at least contain a 8 minute mile for the marathon. During my running, about the last mile I usually try to keep that mile under 9 minutes. With time, I think I will get there.

Tonights run will be 6 miles. I can feel my legs getting tired already but the good thing about this is I know I am building up my endurance and my body will eventually get use to it. Thursday is a well needed rest day. My goal today is to finish out strong with these 6 miles knowing that I can rest tomorrow. I want to wear myself out on the run today and rest tomorrow because Friday's run is 3 miles and if I work hard on all these miles this week, those 3 miles won't seem so bad. Saturday's run will be 12 miles. I'm thankful for the time that my coaches put in to lay out the training schedule for us. The workouts are hard but you can tell how they are working. Every day gets a little easier.

Saturday's run...

2009-03-02T13:03:00.000-08:00

Like I said in my previous post, it's been a while since I've updated my blog. My running was some what at a stand still due to my ITBS and then I got a cold that caused a lot of congestion in my chest. That and I got distracted by doing other things and I feel horrible that I have let them get in my way but it has woken me up and has put me back where I need to be.

I did a few runs towards the end of February. Nothing big. I did about 2 miles and the next day I did 4 miles. The funny thing, my IT bands were a little tight but I could tell that they were getting better and that really excited me. I'm guessing those things that distracted me, happened for a reason and I received some well needed rest.

I was receiving emails from my coaches about Saturday's run and I about dropped my phone when they said it was scheduled to go 18 miles. My first thought was, "There is no way 18 miles is going to happen." I then started to worry because the marathon is a little over a month away. Thoughts of, "If you can't even do 18 miles now, how are you going to do 26.2 in a month?" I can't explain how stressed out I got about it. The only thing I could do was try my best and see what happened. I was literally praying the night before that my IT bands would not cause me problems.

I wake up Saturday morning feeling pretty good. I meet my team at Sugarhouse park, get in some good stretches, start my watch and I'm off. I was getting pretty tired and looked down at my watch and it reads, 0.90 miles. "This thing must be broke." I thought. The harsh reality is that it wasn't broke. About mile 2 I started to feel good. Mile 4 felt good as well. I got to my aid station at about mile 4. Loaded up on a energy gel pack and some gatorade and water and kept going. The IT bands the whole time did not bother me. I was expecting them to but they never did. About mile 8 I felt myself hit what we call, "our wall". Basically you feel like you are completely out of energy and your body is telling you to stop. This is when mind over matter comes in to play. My coach, his name is Te Koi, really helped me out during that time. I was running by myself and if he wasn't there, there's no way I would have been able to finish. He encouraged me along the way and gave me nothing but positive feedback. We also talked a bit and laughed.

After mile 10 and 11, the miles just started to roll. My watch beeped at me every mile. The miles were going so fast that I thought my watch had to have been broken but it wasn't. Next thing I knew, I was at mile 15. I felt tired but I was more excited about not having pain in my IT bands and I couldn't help but think about Dillon and others fighting this disease. I really focused on why I was running and that was for others and not for myself. I enjoyed every single second of my run, even had a smile on my face believe it or not.

Little did I know that mile 16 would not be my best friend. Like I said above, I was the only one running that day and Te Koi was meeting me at every aid station. Some how I ended up getting confused and lost my way. I had no idea where I was going or where I was at. I asked for directions and of course, 3 out of the 4 people I asked gave me wrong directions. After much back tracking, I asked a lady that was running and she got me back on course, should have asked a runner to begin with but with that many miles already, I couldn't catch any of them.

To say the least, I made my way back to Sugarhouse park where the run began. My coaches were worried and it made me feel good to know that they take this seriously. I was certain they were going to be mad at me but they were not. When I got back to Sugarhouse, I looked at my watch and it said 19 miles. I couldn't believe my eyes. It still does not feel like I ran that long and to me it hasn't hit me how long that is and I don't think it ever will because I had such a great time running.

This training has really given me a new perspective on life. Sure there are plenty of things to complain about in life but I am learning what is worth complaining and what is not worth complaining about. During my run when I would start to feel tired and the miles started to get to me, I would look up at the mountains and enjoy the scenery around me. I would think about why I was running to begin with. I've learned to look past some of the discomforts in life and focus on the bigger picture which is being happy no matter what you are doing. I'm not perfect with that but I am growing.

Just some thoughts...

2009-03-02T12:54:00.000-08:00

Where to begin? It's been some time since I've updated everyone about my training. Maybe no one really reads this and it's just me. haha! If so, that's ok. It's nice to have some memories of this. This training by far has been one of the best things I could have done in my life. I've always wanted to run a marathon and at the time, I thought this cause would give me a good reason. I have now realized that this isn't about me anymore and I love that feeling. Sure it feels good to go out and run and be in shape but my mind only concentrates on one thing when I'm running and that is the strength of my friend Dillon and others who struggle with this disease every single day.

Every time I talk to Dillon, he never brings up his health. I'm always the one that has to ask him. It amazes me every single time I get done talking to him. He has such a great attitude with what he has been dealt. I'm pretty sure if I talked to him and we spoke for 2 hours and I didn't bring up his health, he would never mention it. That's not who Dillon is. He doesn't need the attention and to me, he would rather see people smile than for them to be concerned about him. There are still so many other things I have to learn from him and I cherish every talk or laugh we have ever had.

I feel this training has brought me closer to my friend and has given me a better understanding of exactly what he's going through.

Night run.

2009-02-03T14:52:00.001-08:00

I didn't get a chance to run in the morning due to having an early dentist appointment. I had a big dinner last night and then had to wait longer to run. The best thing about living in Stansbury is there are some good roads to run on that not a lot of cars travel on. It makes me feel a little safer when I do have to get a run in at night.

I'm glad it's finally starting to warm up a little. I'm sure it won't last. When I was doing my cool down last night, I started pondering about the marathon and realized that this thing is right around the corner. April 18th. Feelings of being nervous and anxiety ran through my body and still run through my body right now. I ponder if I will be able to run it with no problems or be one of those runners that has many problems during the race. I wonder if my mind will be ready for the race and if I have the notorious, "Mind over matter" skill.

Last night I did get a little tired during my run and felt like I needed to stop. My body was telling me it was tired and I could feel it in my legs. I just about stopped but then quickly realized that I have to push myself because it will help me come marathon time. I was able to continue my entire run without stopping and I felt good at the end of my run. Hopefully I can mantain that same ability throughout the race.

A good run.

2009-02-03T14:44:00.001-08:00

Saturday's run (01/31/09) went really well. It was a little cold to begin with but about 10 minutes into the run, I got warmed up pretty quickly. We ran by Gardner Village. The photo was some of the other teammates I run with. All of them are great! It's fun running with a group like this that have the same cause in mind. These weren't the only ones that ran on Saturday. This was just a quick little photo we took while we were at one of our aid stations.

My IT bands held up very well. The time I took off was very well needed. I purchased a new thing called, "The Stick". It is like a massager for all sorts of muscles. This thing has been wonderful! I wish I would have bought one along time ago. It definetly helps with deep tissue massaging.

I did notice on my run that my fitness isn't where it needs to be. I wasn't breathing as easily during my run but I'll take that over pain in the legs any day. At least I can build up my fitness with time.

2009-01-14T08:42:00.000-08:00

It's been a while since I've made a post on here. Sorry for slacking off. Maybe the reason I haven't really posted anything is because I have been taking it easy for the last couple of weeks. I did however run two weeks ago on Saturday. It was suppose to be a 10 mile run with my team. I only made it about 3 miles due to my ITBS flaring up. I also ran last Saturday but once again was limited to only 3 miles. I ran and then walked a little bit. I haven't ran since Saturday as I feel my body needs rest and other things to help it recover. The good news, they didn't seem to bother me so much after my runs like they use to. Baby steps as they say.

Now I have a new game plan. I'm going to lay off the running for a little bit and do some cross training like swimming and biking. That way my legs can get back in shape and stronger and I won't be putting so much stress on my IT bands. I'm also doing a lot of exercises to strengthen the muscles in my legs. Stretching and icing and using the foam roller are also contributing to my recovery.

I will get past this stupid ITBS issue I've been having. I finally just got sick of it and want my body back the way it use to be. I have ordered some IT straps that wrap around your thigh about 2 inches above the knee cap. They are suppose to keep the IT band from rubbing against the femur bone. I'm willing to try anything at this point. I know I'm making progress cause they don't bother me while I'm not running as where before, I had pain pretty much throughout the day. My body just needs some rest from the impact of running and I'm certain the exercises and cross training are exactly what I need.

I do worry a lot about falling behind in the training program. My team will be running 12 miles this Saturday and I already know I will not be able to make that. Well I could but it would put me so far back in my recovery. I do however consider myself grateful. I looked at the forum on Runnersworld.com and there were some runners on there that got ITBS about 2 weeks before their marathons. I would rather fall behind in the training right now when I still have a ways to go until the marathon than having all this happen two weeks before. I just have to take my time with this issue and realize this rest and the other above mentioned things are going to pay off come marathon time.

Getting excited.

2008-12-31T08:58:00.000-08:00

The IT bands are feeling great! The pain is hardly there in the morning and they don't really bother me when I walk. Stairs were usually a lot of pain but not anymore. I'm getting very excited because it seems like they are getting under control. I'm just hoping they stay that way. Some residents here in Stansbury went on a run this morning. I was tempted to go run 4 miles with them but last night, I had to keep myself from doing that. I don't want to rush myself and then have issues again with my IT bands.

I believe the medication I was prescribes and the 2 weeks off is exactly what I needed. I am still stretching and icing and doing excercises to strengthen my legs. I'm going to do a small run on Friday. Maybe 1 to 2 miles to see how they hold up. I am very anxious for Friday. If I run and they don't bother me, then I know I will be good to go. However, if they do bother me, I guess it's like that saying goes, "Back to the old drawing board."

Thankful for this experience

2008-12-30T08:22:00.000-08:00

I took my Sunday nap and woke up due to quite a bit of pain on my right IT band. I decided I needed to goto a sports medicine doctor. I was diagnosed with severe inflammation. He prescribed me a steroid called Medrol. The purpose is to get rid of the inflammation. So, not only am I going to get better but bigger! That's a joke. It's not that high of a dose. It comes in a pack and you take it for 6 days. I had to take 6 pills last night and this morning, I actually felt a lot better. Usually in the morning, I have to stretch before I get out of bed because it tightens up over night. I'm hoping this medication will continue to take care of my pain and inflammation.

Although I've been in a lot of pain, this experience has already been so humbling for me. I think about what I'm going through and I can't help but think what Dillon and others are going through with the pain that they have. It doesn't compare to what I'm going through. I emailed my run coach and expressed my frustration about my injury. I think about that now and I feel very selfish for doing that. Here I am complaining about something that will go away with medication and rest. My pain compares little if nothing at all to Leukemia. For all of you reading this, I'm sorry if I have come across as a complainer. That was never my intention. I will continue to keep everyone posted on the injury.

I'm very thankful for having Dillon in my life. If it wasn't for him, I wouldn't be able to have all these unforgetable experiences. Dillon is such a great example to every one He comes in contact with. Not once have I ever heard him complain. Not once has he ever said, "This sucks! Why me?" He has handled what he has been dealt extremely well. It humbles me to be his friend. I know that if every one could have an attitude or the same attributes as Dillon, this world would be a better place. Dillon, you are an example to us all. I'm sure your attitude and strength has helped numerous people. I know it has for me. I'm thankful that I have been blessed to have you in my life and I'm even more thankful for the strength you have given me to be a better person.

I'm so glad that I have decided to participate with Team in Training. It feels good to exercise but it feels even better to be a part of such a wonderful cause. This has already changed my life in so many ways. I have such a different perspective on life now. It is short, it can be difficult and some times easy but to me, what matters most in life is the attitude that we have with what we are dealt with. We can either sit back and complain or we can find a way for it to benefit us and others.

Saturday's run, not so good....

2008-12-22T08:58:00.000-08:00

Due to the weather over the weekend, I decided not to drive to Draper where our run was being held. I decided I would run my 10 miles out here in Tooele. Of course the IT bands were still tender. I've pretty much become use to having them sore most of the time. However, they didn't feel all that bad. I started my run from Stansbury and worked my way up to Tooele. I thought once I hit 5 miles, I will just turn around. Well by about mile 4 the IT bands started to bother me and I knew that if I stopped to turn around, I wouldn't be able to run again due to the pain. I thought it would be easier to just run 10 miles in one direction and then call a family member for a ride back home. I knew the highway from Stansbury to Tooele was some what of an incline but when you're in a vehicle, you don't realize how much. Trust me, when you're running, it's an incline, not too bad but it goes for about 2 to 3 miles. The IT bands and that incline did not get along at all. I made my way into Tooele and got a little bit past Macey's and then had to stop due to the pain. It was 8 miles. I was very disappointed in myself that I couldn't make the whole 10 but I was very nervous of injuring myself further.

I guess my only option is to take 2 weeks off and get the rest that my IT bands need. I took a week off and that helped but not much. I figure I will be able to keep up with my team if I take 2 weeks off. I would rather do that than keep running in pain. It's hard having to take a break but I have been trying to look at the benefits. If I can't even reach 10 miles without pain, how am I going to make it 26.2 miles? It just won't happen. Rest is what my body needs now. It's almost as if I can hear it telling me that. So, I will give the break my body needs. I'm hoping that rest, stretching, icing and heating will do the trick.

10 miles tomorrow.

2008-12-19T11:29:00.000-08:00

Some times it hits me and I think that I may be in over my head with this much mileage but then I remember what I'm running for and that I'm running with a team and this team has the same goal in mind and that is to help save lives. I actually look forward to this run tomorrow. I know it will be hard but I have such a great team that pushes me to keep going. As I hear their stories of why they are running, it reminds me why I am running and it keeps me going. When I would run before, I always just ran by myself and I preferred it that way but now I love running with my team. It makes the run not seem so long. Just to hear some one ask, "How are you doing?" or, "You hanging in there?" it makes a huge difference.

I heard the weather is suppose to be great tomorrow! (sarcasm) Running in the cold isn't too bad because once you get going, you obviously are going to warm up. I'm a little worried about my IT bands though. Especially the one on my right. I haven't ran since Monday like mentioned before. It hasn't felt too bad. I'm starting to believe that it is just tight. It tends to tighten up and then once I stretch it, it feels fine. Hopefully it won't decide to tighten up on me tomorrow. I did buy what the running world calls a, "Foam Roller." It's a piece of round foam and you put your body weight on your IT bands and roll up and down. It feels....well it hurts! But it pays off in the long run. That thing has been my worst enemy and my best friend at the same time.

My new watch arrived yesterday and I'm pretty excited to see how it works on my long run tomorrow. It tracks your mileage by GPS. It also has a heart rate monitor and keeps track of your pace for every mile and will alert you if you fall behind in your previous mile. By no means is this thing convenient when it comes to size. It's a big watch. Something you would only want to wear while running.

I'll post an update first thing on Monday about how my run went on Saturday. Hope everyone has a good weekend!

Good news!

2008-12-17T10:03:00.000-08:00

I received a call from Dillon this morning. He had some tests done about 2 weeks ago and was told that he is in remission. This news has made my day! Once again, his strength is unbelievable and I know that his faithfulness to the Lord is blessing his life in so many ways including his health. As we all know, this road he has to travel is long but in order to travel this road, you need to take steps and the news of his remission is a huge step he has just taken. Thanks for being such a great example of strength Dillon!

Monday morning run.

2008-12-15T09:39:00.001-08:00

The IT bands seemed a little tight this morning before my run but I decided to run anyways. I did a lot of stretching and warming up before I took off. This morning was 4 miles. My IT bands bothered me pretty much the whole way but I ran through it. It wasn't a pain where I had to limp or anything. At about mile 3 they really started to tighten up on me. I decided to stretch them out. When I got done stretching I went to run again and I couldn't. I looked like a baby giraffe trying to walk for the first time. Both of them tightened up so badly that I could barely even bend my knees. It was really odd. I kept walking and tried to push myself to run but I just couldn't due to the pain in my right knee. Earlier in the run at about mile 1, my body was telling me to take it easy and just go 1 mile but I didn't listen. The body is an amazing creation. You can only push it so far before it can't take anymore.

I learned a very valuable lesson this morning and that is to listen to what my body is telling me. I felt pretty helpless walking that 1 mile home and I don't ever want to go through that again. My IT bands are not sore but just tight. I have decided I will take a whole week off of running and get these things stretched out and hit up my big 10 mile run on Saturday.

8 mile run....

2008-12-15T08:54:00.000-08:00

On Saturday, our team met up at Sugarhouse Park I was prepared for a day of running in the snow but it didn't seem to be coming down. We started our run and worked our way up to the zoo. It's an equal 4 miles up and an equal 4 miles down. The run up was a little rough due to it being all up hill. At about mile 3 my left IT band started to get a little tight which I thought was normal due to it being cold and running up hill. It didn't bother me all that much. Along the way I did some stretches and that seemed to help.
The only thing that was hard about the last four miles was the snow. That's when it really started to hit us hard. Most of the time we had to run with our heads down due to the fact the snow was blowing right in our faces. The run was great! I was a little worried doing all those miles but it wasn't all that hard. It gave me a lot of confidence for my training.

When I got to my car, my IT bands started to tighten up. I decided it's probably time for a new pair of shoes. I went to the running store and was fitted for new shoes. I will take Sunday off from running and start up again on Monday.

(photo: Running coach Te Koi and I)

Eric and Macaila

2008-12-12T08:45:00.001-08:00

The team I am running with, "Team in Training" has two honoree's.

Eric is 5 years old and was diagnosed with Lymphoblastic Leukemia on 07/20/2007. Eric has 3 brothers and 1 sister. Eric was only 3 1/2 years old when Doctor's told his mother and father that he had Leukemia. She says that she noticed he was looking pale and that's what prompted her to take him to the hospital. As they did tests on Eric they noticed his spleen seemed to be enlarged as well.

Eric had 28 days of chemotherapy. Here is something Eric's mom has shared about her son,

"He will be a cute little bald boy who has been entertaining all the nurses with the flute he found and his “Let me ask you a question” stories. He is having a grand time – except for the
IV line in his hand. He wants that out and he is about done being cooperative with all the people who want to examine him and take his vitals. You would never guess what he’s in for by looking at him."

Macaila is 8 years old and was diagnosed with Acute Lymphocytic Leukemia on December 12, 2006. She has one brother.

Macaila's leukemia has been in remission for 4 months. Macaila's dad has explained that Macaila has had a rough time with many reactions to the chemo, such as diabetes from the Dexamethasone and spasms from the Methotrexte. She has been in the hospital some 15 times in the past 2 1/2 years.

I cannot comprehend the strength that these kids have. Their examples of the way they live their lives and how they have such great attitudes are amazing to me. People like Eric and Macaila are the real heroes in this world. I hope that one day I can some how gain the same strength that these two have.

Any donation that you make will go towards patients like Eric and Macaila and will provide help for them in this fight against Leukemia.

http://pages.teamintraining.org/dm/slc09/kblackburn

No run this morning. : (

2008-12-12T08:07:00.000-08:00

I had to talk myself out of going on my run this morning. Today would have been 6 miles and then tomorrow would be 8 miles. My IT bands were pretty tender last night and this morning. I spent the majority of the morning trying to find a way to stretch them out. For some reason all the stretches that I have found online haven't done much for me. I did find one stretch that seemed to help out. I have now been taking Vitamin I for the pain. (Ibuprofen) : ) The inflammation is going down. I will rest today and then hit up my big run tomorrow. I feel that once I get those annoying IT bands stretched out, I should be perfectly fine.

Back on track....Maybe.

2008-12-11T10:18:00.000-08:00

The pain in my left knee was pretty bad. I did seek the help of a physical therapist and was told the cause of my pain was from my IT band and it is most likely because I didn't build up to the mileage that I have been running. I was advised by them and my running coach to take a couple of days off. The days off were well needed and the pain I was feeling, there was no way I could have ran. I took 3 days off. My right one started to act up a little bit but nothing to problamatic. I felt very good last night and decided I would go for a run first thing in the morning. I spent a good 25 minutes stretching and then walked about 5 minutes to warm things up.

The run for the first couple of miles didn't go too bad. I was enjoying the scene and the fresh air. After about 2.5 miles, both IT bands started to cause some discomfort. Now a while back I would have most likely stopped and walked but all I could think about was that my pain was nothing compared to what cancer patients go through. I also had thoughts of the people who have donated money for this cause. Once I realized this training wasn't so much about me but about others, it helped immensley. Those two simple things kept me going for the other 1.5 miles.

When I arrived at work, they were both very sore to the point of limping. I have been grateful that my work office is located right next door to a physical therapy office. Everyone over there is great and the head physical therapist, Kim is awesome! She helped me with some stretches and let me borrow an ice pack. The knees are already feeling better so all in all, it hasn't been as bad as I thought.

Depending on how I feel for the rest of the day and night will determine if I need to take a day off for Friday. I have to remember that the team will be doing a 8 mile run on Saturday and running 8 miles with discomfort cannot be good.

Bad idea.

2008-12-11T10:13:00.000-08:00

The day after my 6 mile run my knee was very sore. The stubborn person that I am, I thought, "Just run through the pain." So on 12/07 I decided to go for a run. As I ran it was very uncomfortable and after only 1.5 miles, I was in quite a bit of pain. All in all, I should have taken the day off. I have paid dearly for this mistake. ; )

First training day.

2008-12-11T10:05:00.000-08:00

As you can see, I have just started this blog as of today. I thought it would be a good idea so people who have donated and who are thinking about donating can see the progress in training. My first training day with my team was on 12/06. We met at Gardner Village at 7am and ran 6 miles. I was very nervous the night before because I have not ran in months. I met a lot of good people there one of which is a cancer survivor. I heard stories from other runners of why they were running. I heard some who had lost fathers, brothers, sisters and even cousins to this disease. Running along side these people for the same cause was an amazing feeling I will never forget. I did make the 6 mile jog although some where along the way I did get lost on the trail but found my way back to the team. : )

Reason for training.

2008-12-11T09:36:00.000-08:00

I met Dillon about 4 years ago while working at Verizon Wireless. He seemed like he was the only cool person in that training class that I could talk to. I introduced myself to him and at the time, He thought I was very odd for doing that. You can ask him that today and he will confirm. I'm glad I did get the courage to speak with him on that day.

Our friendship has grown over the years. Him and I both have been through a lot and we have always been there for eachother. I felt a void in my life while he was serving his LDS mission. We kept in touch writing back and forth but it wasn't the same. It was always good to hear from him and to hear how things were going while he was serving.

I recall the day clearly when I listened to a voicemail he left me while I was on my way to work. Dillon explained to me that he would be coming home in a couple of days and that he was diagnosed with Leukemia. I will be honest, at the time I didn't know the severity of the situation. As I researched online I realized there was not yet a cure for what Dillon had. I never really worried too much about him because he has always been a strong person and he played it off with confidence that everything would be just fine.

A couple of weeks ago I called to check up on him and he said that he was not doing well. After our conversation I was about to send him a text letting him know that if he needed anything, I would be more than happy to help. At that time it hit me that I couldn't offer anything to help my friend in his time of need other than comfort.

I sat and I pondered and I felt completely helpless and it was a horrible feeling to have to sit back and watch a friend suffer. As I pondered, I remembered my Uncle running a Marathon for one of his friends who's life was taken by cancer. Although young at the time, I remember it having an effect on my life. The marathon was not about my Uncle but about his good friend and in honor of his good friend. He worked hard and raised money to help fight this disease and donated it all for finding a cure.

So as you can see, I have come up with the crazy idea to do the same thing for Dillon. I will be participating with a group called Team in Training. I will be running the Salt Lake City marathon on April 18th, 2009. I will be raising $1,700 that will be donated to The Leukemia and Lymphoma Society. They will then use that money to help with finding a cure and helping cancer patients with the assistance that they need to fight this horrible disease.

I have an online fundraising website where you can join the fight against this disease. It only takes but a minute. I appreciate your time and your effort in joining this fight!

http://pages.teamintraining.org/dm/slc09/kblackburn