FREE ways to help me fundraise!

Since I had money from the Wildflower season that I didn't finish, they're letting me roll forward the funds to the Nike event so that I'll be able to go up with the team, do the amazing event weekend activities, and have an amazing race! Check out my new fundraising page with the history of Team WTF! http://pages.teamintraining.org/los/nikesf10/sharris

I'm not quite done fundraising, and even if I were, I won't stop 'til event weekend! Now I know you've heard a lot from me about asking for money in the last few months - here are FREE, simple and easy ways to help!

Please share my blog with others that may be interested in any part of my adventure! Please don't forget to click on the ads!

So far the ads have earned me almost $10, so let's see if we can make that grow!

Please keep collecting cans, bottles, and glass for me

I'm still recycling for a cure - you CAN make a difference!

Please put a widget to my fundraising page on your Facebook profile!

Write to me if you're interested!

Nike Women's Marathon magically brings out huge fundraisers because while this is a marathon weekend in the racers' lives, the fundraising fever is contagious and the momentum snowballs as people raise more and more money on behalf of LLS to help find a cure for blood cancers. People return year after year - Legacy Runners - to fundraise on behalf of LLS and run the race! People make HUGE goals and surpass them - last year's top fundraiser raised over $100,000.

Now my goals are not quite as large, but please help me raise valuable money for The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society. We are racing to save people's lives!

YOU can help be a part of a cure for cancer!

Try Tri Again!

When I first woke up, unable to sleep, the Sunday before Wildflower at 3am, I had a whirlwind of emotions going through my system.

I was EXCITED that this was the week we were going to do it - beat Nasty Grade and complete Wildflower Triathlon! I was excited that training would be done, I'd be able to return to my normal life!

I was STRESSED OUT, I hadn't even started packing and somehow I'd get it all done by Thursday- Tri Gear, Camping Gear, Kids' stuff for their trip to Dad's, oh and while working and shuttling kids to baseball games and practice.

I was IN PAIN, the reason for waking up at 3am.

I was TIRED, partially due to the hour, partially due to the tapering we were doing the week before - less exercise and I'd been sleeping a lot.

I was CURIOUS, was this pain how my body was going to respond to taper? Somehow I'd avoided a taper cold, so perhaps this pain was my body's few last words before I challenged it like I'd never been challenged before that weekend.

I was FRUSTRATED that my body waited 'til the week of to go on strike.

I was SAD, while I was over the early morning Sat. wake up calls and the crazy non-stop training schedule, I would REALLY miss my Ironteam family.

I was HAPPY SAD, every time I pictured in my head just how amazing going through the finisher's chute at Wildflower was going to be, I'd almost start crying and what I'd accomplished in the last 6 months.

So all of these emotions were flying uncontrollably through my mind as I went to Dr. after Dr. Mon. - Wed. but I also got a few more crammed in there...

I was FIERCELY OPTIMISTIC that the Dr. would figure out what was wrong, give me the magic pill and I'd recuperate and get up to Wildflower

I was FRUSTRATED feeling like a hypochondriac because I have a high tolerance for pain, especially for the pains that come with no great big black and blue bruise to show for it. I felt like I was making a bid to do over nothing AND still didn't know if I should pack or not still on Tuesday night.

I was CAUTIOUSLY REALISTIC that the more Dr.s I went to, the more days that passed without normal eating - which is crucial the week before a race - I was realizing I was just adding more challenges to an already challenging race.

I was UNDENIABLY DEFEATED once they told me that I'd better drive myself to Cedar Sinai that day to get my surgery. I had a moment in the hospital where it finally hit me, but I didn't want them thinking that I was crying over my gall bladder, since I'm usually not that wimpy, so I kept it short.

I sat incapacitated with not a whole lot to do except for track the time... Now, they're driving up to the event... Now, they're laying claim to a plot of land for their tents... Now, they're doing a test run in the lake... Now, I'd be taking off... Now, they should be finishing.

At first I wasn't horribly upset that I didn't get to do Wildflower. I did the training weekend, which is more than many people. I found that the Craftmatic Adjustable hospital bed just might be more comfortable than sleeping on the ground for several days and then doing a half-ironman. People were trying to make me feel better about the whole sad ending and it (and the Vicodin) was working.

As my body started feeling stronger, and the surge of unused adrenaline was bubbling to the surface, I started to feel anxious. I wasn't even 2 weeks out from surgery and already I was ancy to finish this. I know what it entails and what will be involved if I sign up for my next one, but if I don't, it would disappear and after the 6 months of training, I didn't want it to disappear.

You don't bring out "Oh I trained once for a half-iron" at a party unless you actually finished it. How would I feel if I didn't overcome this setback and press-on to the finish line? Still, I was already feeling the stress of training on me and the family the last 6 weeks of training, I didn't want to be completely selfish. I knew I couldn't wait til October and sign up to try to break Wildflowers back again (at least not til my kids are old enough to do it with me) because we can't endure another 6 months of training.

But the fact that baseball was ending for the kids, there was another female-only, much flatter 70.3 the same weekend and at the same race where the Ironteam will be doing their FULL and in only 12 weeks, meant that I need to just finish this and put it behind me. AND it's a benefit race to raise money to fight cancer.

SO, I've signed up for the 10th Anniversary (also I love round numbers) Barb's Race http://www.vineman.com/Barb_s_Race.htm

There was one big obstacle that I had in my way. I, along with a handful of high school friends, have signed up to do the Nike Women's Marathon. Since it's our 40th birthday year (see, more round numbers) we decided not just to do the marathon but to do it for charity so the Poway contingent of this group has signed up to do it with Team In Training. Team Titans (alias: WTF - Women, Titans, Fearless!). We were supposed to have a big fundraiser the same weekend of the race and I'm hopeful that they'll forgive me for bailing on it to do the race - it's my gall bladder's fault!

So hopefully it's a lesson learned and that I'll grow from. When you get sidetracked from your goal, try tri again!

Wildflower Send Off Video

Wildflower Send Off Video

Louis, the greatest photo captain of all time, put together this amazing video of the season and I wanted to share it with you!

If you want to do something amazing for yourself and for others, join The Team!

WILDFLOWER EVENT WEEKEND!

Well today the Ironteam swam 1.1 miles, biked 56 miles, and ran 13.1 miles. By now at 5:30pm the last people should be across the finish line and enjoying their amazing success, a few happy tears, and their mind-boggling achievement. I haven't heard from anyone because their phones are out of range and I won't get pix and calls til they come down the mountain.

...Wait, does this mean I'm not on the mountain with them?

A little thing called life interrupted my 70.3 plans and put me on the sidelines. I fought it hard all week hoping it was just side effects from stress. Nonetheless, a cute little, and not entirely necessary, organ decided to become an issue this past Sunday less than 6 days before event day.

Can you guess what the cute little purple guy shown below is? Please be warned that the following conversation has me talking a lot of crap so if that's not your thing, you may want to stop reading here.

Sunday evening, about 3:30am with a pain in my right side right under my ribs that I couldn't get comfortable around. I tried to massage, stretch, drink water, everything, and nothing would stop the ache. Finally I took Tylenol and went back to bed.

Monday, I went to urgent care convinced that I was either constipated or had a twisted intestinal blockage. Either way, I needed it fixed, we were getting close to event weekend. They took blood tests and urine tests to rule out liver issues just because of the location. Eat as much roughage as possible and drink a lot of water and hopefully it'll pass. I was hoping it was as simple as that and then I'd be able to catch my breath again.

I ate as much veggies, All Bran, drank coffee (not just for the caffeine), and drank a ton of water. So much that I was painfully full - my whole abdomen felt like it'd been kicked - and it wasn't getting better.

Tuesday, I woke up and things must have fixed themselves or redistributed themselves and there was a dull ache but it felt like a miraculous recovery. I kept eating fiber, drinking water and that, mixed with gravity, increased my discomfort again til my 1:45pm follow up where they said, scratch that plan, clear diet only meaning water, chicken broth and jello. Blood and urine came back fine, but let's take X-rays.

Determination is basically you're full of crap and air and I'm going to send you to a specialist because if anyone will have the tools to have you cleared out by Saturday, it'll be them.

Tuesday night, I'm talking to my dad on the phone from TX who immediately diagnoses me with gall bladder issues. No, Dad, I know they already tested me for that, I'm sure it's not that. But FINE Dad, I'll ask the specialist tomorrow when I see him - promise.

Wednesday 9:00am, I went to the specialist in West LA at 9am, who had posters of colon cameras all over his walls, believe me I was keeping my fingers crossed that we wouldn't have to do that. Phew! Escaped with one dignity intact. I told him the silly story of my dad diagnosing me over the phone and we chuckled.

He gave me a prescription for 4 bottles of stuff to drink that once I drink it, within 1-2 hours I should be cleaned out and ready to go. Mentally I'm thinking - do I do this while still during business hours at work just in case it's not effective, or do it after hours and risk losing another day if it's not working?! How much work am I really going to get done if I'm running to the ladies room? Or just if I'm in the extreme discomfort I'm in?

BUT, he says, before you get those filled, let me send you for a CAT scan to rule out larger things like Polyps, or tumors, or Gall Bladder issues.

10:00am, Driving to 2nd doctor for CAT scan. They're telling me to drink two 12 oz bottles of something that will glow when they shoot something else into me to make it all visible for the scan. Lady, I have so much roughage in my body I don't know that I can fit 2 12 oz bottles of nasty drink - way nastier than our protein/carbo drinks - in my stomach.

11:00am, waiting for results. The CAT scan doctor comes out and says the specialist will call me with details.

11:30am, I'm told I should get my gall bladder removed. FATHER KNOWS BEST! I have stones, the gall bladder is infected. I should drive over to Cedar Sinai right now and admit self into ER, the doctor will arrange to get a surgeon either that night or the following morning. I scramble to get someone to pick up and keep my kids overnight, fortunately there is already a plan in place for Thurs - Sun.

OK STOP! So this is where I finally realize the Triathlon is probably out for the weekend. SERIOUSLY!?! These things probably took years pearlizing and they come out NOW?! The back of my head was still hoping that if it's just laproscopic surgery, perhaps I can still go for the camping fun of the weekend and cheer on my teammates!

12:30pm I drive over to Cedar Sinai (where all the celebs go, no I didn't see any), they check me into the ER, why am I coming in through the ER? The nurse figures out that because they don't have enough beds for the number of patients, the Doctor must have known that and sent me in through ER to make sure I'd get a bed to be IV'd with antibiotics and ready to go. I may be in the hallway with my backless gown, but good thing I'm a triathlete and my butt looks better now. OK, not that I'd want that in a million years and fortunately that didn't happen.

4:30pm I finally land in a room, they'll give me as much notice for surgery, it'll probably be the next day.

7:30am the next day, they say they'll be up in about a half hour to get me for surgery. I immediately text my family with one hand while the other hand is having my regular vital statistics gathered. As soon as I hit send, the guy is there early to take me! WOWZA!

I'm taken down to pre-op, the anesthesiologist looks like Michael Vartan without my glasses, which is a great thing.

I'm just hoping I didn't embarrass myself waking up out of anesthesia. Next thing you know I'm back in my room by 1:20pm and my sister is there to keep me company!

So obviously life had plans of its own, and I'm glad my body was in great shape to handle surgery and recovery. Not the Wildflower weekend I was hoping for, but still worth the journey.

The money I raised thanks to your support will still go to excellent use for The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society, and hey, it's not too late to give. In honor of May being Cancer Research Month, please help me get to $4,000!

Thank you all for your support! Special thank you to my friends for all their well-wishes, especially those who had other things to focus on, like their race strategy for the weekend. Special thank you to my family for all their support during training but especially during this recovery time!

This is not the last 70.3 entry, just haven't figured out the next chapter...