A year ago today...

A year ago today, my younger (by three years) sister Julie was diagnosed with Stage 3C Ovarian cancer. She is now a cancer survivor, and while we never know what tomorrow will bring, she is strong and healthy with few, if any, substantive side effects. She has been strong and positive, even through the tough times, and with G-d's help, will continue to be the wife, mom, sister, daughter, friend and family member that she would like to be.

A year ago today I decided to dedicate my 2011 triathlon and endurance event racing schedule raising money for the National Ovarian cancer Coalition, to raise money for  ovarian cancer research and to raise awareness of this insidious disease. To date we have raised about $31,000 - all from the generosity of family, friends, colleagues, and patients in my practice. The support and love shown to Julie (and me by proxy) has been so humbling and inspiring, that when the going gets tough in my races, I think about those that survived, those that didn't and those that supported to get me to the finish line. They truly motivate me to continue.

I have 3 more races left till the end of the year - a sprint triathlon Oct 30, a half iron distance trialthlon in Miami Nov 13 and a yet to be determined 10K in December. I'll try to keep all updated and in the know - so if you want to come watch or run, let me know.

And don't forget to donate at

http://tinyurl.com/3r63zp5


Thanks! Here's to another year of survivorship for Julie,  early detection and better yet a cure!

Did You Miss Me? We have raised $30,883 since January!

Well, it's been almost 3 and a half months since my last post. While I have been keeping up my training and racing to raise money for the NOCC, we've had such a busy summer that even a monthly post got away from me.

Julie has now gone almost six months since her last chemo and her ports have all been removed. Her hair is growing back and she no longer wears the wig. Best of all she's been cancer free at each check up. The one year mark for her diagnosis/surgery is just a little under 2 months away.

The financial/fundraising  and emotional/friendship support from our family, friends, patients and colleagues has been amazing. I continue to be humbled by the outpouring of love and the enthusiasm with which people cheer me on for my races, and Julie for her fight agains cancer.

I am 60% towards my fundraising goal with 4 months to go, so it's still doable. Please support and give what you can:  

http://nocc.kintera.org/faf/donorReg/donorPledge.asp?supId=0&ievent=464587&lis=1&kntae464587=3113AF1801654333A445FD2122AA831A&team=

So here's the races completed since May (we've had a couple of schedule changes):


June 4 Playtri swim races 
300m Lake Swim- 4:39
750m Lake Swim - 13:00
1500m Lake Swim- 27:45

June 11 Metroplex Sprint Triathlon 

400m Lake Swim 11 mile Bike 2 mile Run - 1:04:48

July 17  

Disco Olympic Triathlon 

1500m Lake Swim, 23 mile Bike, 6.2 mile Run - 3:14:47

Aug 21  

Take on Heat Sprint Triathlon

350 m Lake Swim, 12 mile Bike – 3.1 mile Run - 1:15:28

Next up, Austin Olympic Distance Triathlon on Labor Day !

What a Great Day for a 10K, a Bagel and a Birthday!

Sunday, May 15, was my 52nd birthday. We couldn't have paid for better weather, and the crowd at the 25th annual JCC Bagel Run was large and ready to help me celebrate. My sister, Julie, walked the short course as part of her healthy survivorship. After all, she's the reason I'm doing all this blogging and fundraising.
And as an added surprise, my office team (Thank you Nancy, Kristen, Inga, Paula, Kristin, Monica, Stefani, Angie, Cheryl and Nechole!) as well as our friends periodontists Dr. Steve Bass & Dr. Ellen Hall, donated generously to the NOCC in support of the fundraiser as a birthday present to me. I was touched, humbled and honored.
 Thanks to Jon Mize at the JCC, and Mark Kreditor, race director, I was able to race on a comped entry fee of $25, which I will donated to the NOCC.
Please keep the good flow going and donate to the NOCC  - Click HERE

The Most Historic Thing About The Historic McKinney Kiwanis Triathlon...

The Most Historic Thing About The Historic McKinney Kiwanis Triathlon...was the weather. As the swim was getting underway at a little after 7:30 am this morning, a storm of near epic proportions blew in - according to the race volunteers the winds were 50 mph. Heavy rain, thunder, lightning and high winds postponed the race after the first 60 or so triathletes started on the swim, and many of those on the course reported short bursts of hail. Fifteen or twenty minutes later we got started again, but the winds were still strong - slowing up both the bike and the run. Ultimately, the late starters were prevented from getting to run at all, as a new storm cell was blowing through the area.
Nevertheless, I finished upright and with no damage to my bike or my body, only my run and bike splits, which weren't as fast as I'd hoped.
Oh well, we're still doing good things raising money for the NOCC and this week actually got our first story published in the print media - you  can see it HERE
And as always, you can donate in support of my races and in honor of Julie's cancer fight by clicking HERE.
Thank you for your continued support!

Something Ironic about Racing the King Tut Triathlon...

...On the eve of Passover, when my ancestors ran like crazy from the Pharoah in the Exodus from Egypt. Fortunately, nowadays, it's symbolic, but I swam, biked and ran like crazy yesterday at the King Tut Sprint Triathlon. It took the Israelites 40 years to reach their destination; it took me 1 hour and 20 minutes to finish my race.

But if they hadn't done their job, I'd be building pyramids instead of racing to raise money to combat ovarian cancer. I'll take it.

To be free to do good for others, to be free to help prevent oppression and protect the downtrodden and to appreciate the amazing freedoms we have here in the USA, and for my sister being currently free from cancer - who could run from that?

To those who celebrate, have a joyous and meaningful Passover, and thanks for helping us with our cause - racing to erase ovarian cancer!

First Triathlon of the Year - King Tut Sprint on Sunday and We're Almost to $13K

Today I sent a blast email to all my patients who we have email addresses for - asking for their support for my endurance fundraiser this year. I got the most amazing response - over 25% of the money we've raised so far came in today!

I have the most amazing and supportive patient base. I'll keep racing, y'all keep supporting and together we WILL make a difference!

Tour of Dallas - And We're Over $10K!!

TOUR OF DALLAS APRIL 2, 2011

Friends (l-r) Arlene, Lisa, Lee and me after the Tour of Dallas

Just to make sure I could get in some kind of endurance event in April, (senior prom is the night before the King Tut Sprint on April 17) I decided to ride in the Tour of Dallas this weekend. It was a 30 mile loop from downtown around White Rock Lake and back to downtown. Tack on the extra 15 miles or so each way it took to get to and from downtown, it was right at a 60 mile day.

Most of it was at a pretty easy pace, except for the loop around the lake when I got behind Lee & Lisa on their tandem and we picked up a couple of other folks and had a mini peloton going.

On the ride back to the house, we stopped for lunch at a new place on the Katy Trail called the Katy Trail Ice House. Great outside, shady seating and an atmosphere very Austin - like and reminiscent of an old Dallas favorite hangout called Cardinal Puffs. If I hadn't been on my bike, I'd have definitely hung out for a cold beer or 2.

We're making strides on the fundraising to help detect Ovarian Cancer early at the NOCC: http://nocc.kintera.org/faf/home/default.asp?ievent=464587

Click on the link if you'd like to make a donation and help us continue on our goal of raising $50,000. We're over 20% there. I sure appreciate all the kind words of support and monetary gifts to the NOCC.

Julie has decided to do one more round of chemo and try as best as they can to knock her cancer out for good. She starts that tomorrow so by next week she'll be all done for now.

Chilly, Windy and Cloudy; Perfect Half Rock N Roll Marathon Weather

(l-r)  My son, Adam, My mom sally, My sister Julie, Me, Julie's husband Rob, My Nieces Simone and Marissa, My friend Susy and her son Josh, my godson at the finish line. The kids call me Tio Jefe - Uncle Chief in Spanish

Over 15,000 runners, joggers and walkers set off from Dallas City Hall on the Dallas Rock N Roll Half Marathon yesterday. 13.1 miles later, on a cool, cloudy, damp morning, there was a Brett Michaels concert and lots of food and drink at the Fair Park finish line. All accounts had this to be a well organized and well run race.

I was pretty pleased with my 2 hour 16 minute and 15 second time, as 10 days ago I was sick with a flu bug and unable to get out of bed. My son Adam, sister Julie, her husband and twin girls, our mom and my godson and his mom were all on hand to cheer me on at the finish. This is the first event of the 12 planned in my Race to Erase Ovarian cancer that Julie could attend, because the first 2 came on the heels of her chemotherapy, and she wasn't up to it. Good that she could this time - her birthday was the day before, and we hope she has many more.

Many people were racing in honor and/or memory of their loved ones lost to breast cancer, so it put in perspective how lucky I am to be able to do this fundraiser to help spread awareness and promote healthy survivorship of ovarian cancer in Julie's honor, and that Julie just had a birthday.

Here's a link directly to the fundraising page http://nocc.kintera.org/faf/home/default.asp?ievent=464587 - help us raise awareness to catch ovarian cancer in it's early stages and promote healthy survivorship. Thanks to all for helping with the fundraising efforts - we're almost at $9000 so far - on our way to 50K by the end of the year.

Rock N Roll Dallas Half Marathon Is Next - Sunday 3/27

The next challenge is this weekend, the Dallas Rock N Roll Half Marathon. Sunday looks like it will be a beautiful day for a nice long run - a little over 2 hours. The course starts at City Hall downtown, and finishes at Fair Park. In between it goes west of downtown, up through Highland Park, over towards White Rock Lake and then through East Dallas to the fairgrounds.

The last couple of weeks have been pretty crazy. We helped chaperone the ESD senior class trip to Cancun, at a really nice resort call Dreams. All inclusive, it had good food, nice rooms, a great spa and workout facility and a beautiful beach. The five days we were there were spent enjoying the Mayan Riviera and the beautiful weather. The kids and all the adults had a great time. I got to run on the beach, bike into the town a few miles away, and swim in the ocean in preparation for my upcoming endurance events.

Our whole household, however, passed around a pretty nasty stomach bug starting a couple of days before we got home. It kept me out of the office for 3 days, and away from my workouts for 6 days. But I'm back on track and feeling well and rested for Sunday's jog in the (Fair) park.

We've had a great result from the fundraiser so far - in the last 2 months we've raised almost $9000 and we're really just getting started. So come out and watch the race, enjoy the beautiful weather and help us raise awareness ans save lives in the process!

Latest From My Sister Julie's Chemotherapy...

Julie has now come towards the end of the every three week course of chemotherapy. According to her journal entry on Caringbridge.com, she is in remission. The next steps are to finish the last part of this last round next week and then go on monthly maintenance with a drug called Taxol. Taxol can be pretty tough to handle but she's handled all the other meds well so she's going to take it one round at a time - a 12 round heavyweight bout. Hopefully at the end she'll still be standing and she can take the next steps to a healthy survivorship.
All prayers, support and otherwise good wishes are still needed and appreciated, but the news so far is as good as we could have hoped for. We're all hopeful.

Read Julie's Caringbridge entries here: http://www.caringbridge.org/visit/julieshrell

Texas Motor Speedway Duathlon - In the Books!

It was a great day to be up early at the Texas Motor Speedway. Mike Kerber came over at 5:45 (AM!), we loaded up the bikes and drove to the just north of Fort Worth. The temperature was 62 degrees but it was a little windy - which factored big time into how the race played out.

Race Report:

The first run leg was 2 times around a 1 mile loop inside the TMS. It's a big place - and with a 15-25 mile an hour wind at our backs on the backstretch, the middle half of each loop was FAST. I was running at a 7:30 minute/mile pace (at times I have a tough time doing that on the bike). On the front leg, however, it was different story - more like a 9:30 pace. So on the first run, I averaged 8:15 and was feeling good into transition and getting on the bike.

The bike was supposed to be 15 miles and ended up being 16 miles - 3 loops around the outside of the complex. And it seemed like we were with the wind only about 1/3 of the time - how does THAT happen? I got up to 29.5 mph with the wind at my back, averaging about 14 mph into the wind, for an average of 18.5 mph for the bike.

But I guess I must have pushed a little too hard on the bike 'cause the second run leg of two 1 mile loops was significantly slower - I averaged 9:21, over a minute slower than the first run leg. My coach had targeted me at 8:30 the first run leg and 8:15 the second, so I ended up a little over 2 minutes slower than anticipated - 1:30 for the whole race, including transitions. A good start to the first multisport event of the year.

I had a good time, Mike did great and now we'll look forward to the next event - the Dallas Rock N Roll Half Marathon on March 27.

By then my sister Julie will be through with her chemo and hopefully will be able to come cheer us on at the finish line.

We've done great so far with our fundraising - over $5800 so far with no publicity beyond Facebook and  a few emails to friends and family. The NOCC is planning to help spread the word through their chapters nationwide and we will are now working on getting corporate sponsorships - with any luck, my racing singlets and triathlon suits will make me look like a NASCAR driver.

You can donate to the NOCC HERE

You can find out about Ovarian Cancer Signs & Symptoms HERE

Thanks for your support - The positive responses and encouragement keep my legs moving on those tough stretches in a race and keep Julie going through those tough patches during her fight with cancer.

Here's a picture of me and Mike Kerber at the end of the TMS Duathlon:

Texas Motor Speedway Duathlon This Sunday

Coming this week is the first Multisport event of the year, the TMS Duathlon. We'll run 2 miles in around the racetrack, transition to our bikes, ride 15 miles in the surrounding area, then transition back to the run for 2 more miles. It;s a pretty cool venue. The race is put on by Ironhead Race productions (http://www.ironheadrp.com/), and they always put on a good event.

We're well on our way, closing in on 10% of my goal of $50,000 raised for the National Ovarian Cancer Coalition (www.ovarian.org), So if you know of anyone who'd like to join me in the races, support at the finish line or in a donation, the more the merrier, as we promote the cause - early detection and eradication of Ovarian Cancer.

Because of the race, the training this week isn't too tough, which is good. After the last 2 weeks, I've been fairly sore, as my workouts have upped the intensity level a bit. Good thing for Dr Ron Tribendis, outstanding triathlete and better chiropractor, who gave me a pre-race tune up today.

The more people that I reach out to about my sister's cancer and my fundraising, the more I find out how many lives cancer affects daily. In the last 2 weeks, 2 friends of mine have succumbed after long fights, and another was diagnosed for the second time last week. Not a day goes by that a friend, colleague, or acquaintance  doesn't tell me of a friend or loved one who's had cancer.

But on the good side all the time doctors and researchers are beginning new trials and finding more successful treatments, and people are surviving longer, stronger and healthier. There's more hope for more patients with more kinds of cancer for healthy survivorship than ever before.

I'll be back after the race and now a pause for the cause - Donate to the NOCC  in Julie's honor
HERE and click on the General Donation Button above the picture of the speedy triathlete in the yellow hat!

Over $3000 donated

Thanks so much to everyone who has contributed to the cause so far!

We're now a little over $3000 and we really haven't gone "viral" yet.

The NOCC is planning on doing some PR to publicize the endeavor, and I'm planning a few things myself, so I feel like we are off to a great start.

In the meantime, I've been working real hard with the folks at the NOCC to create an easy way to log and record the donations from all the generous people who have given to this fine organization in support of Julie's fight against ovarian cancer, and my efforts to raise funds to help their mission.

We now have a dedicated page that tracks and lists the total amount given to the cause and also has a separate scrolling list to acknowledge the donors. We're working on jazzing it  up a little, but the key thing is that every donation made through his page is linked to Julie's fight and my fundraising.

You can access the site to donate HERE.

The next race is the Sunday, February 20th, at the Texas Motor Speedway Duathlon, where we will run 2 miles, bike 15 and run 2 more. It's all done in and around the track at the TMS - so it's a pretty cool venue and should be a pretty fast track.

Hope to see you there!

Today Is World Cancer Day

Today Is World Cancer Day - and we have a crucial opportunity to shine a spotlight on the global impact of cancer and share our support with the 28 million cancer survivors worldwide.
Through the few short weeks I've been trying to get the word out about my efforts on my sister, Julie's, behalf, I've come to find out just how many friends, loved ones, acquaintances and colleagues have had their lives impacted by cancer in it's so many different forms.
As I've mentioned before in my blog here, early detection and early treatment are crucial to long-term survivorship.
But as important are the efforts by the foundations, research facilities, physicians, scientists and therapists of all kinds who are making surviving and long-term survivorship possible and healthy. And always searching for new ways to eradicate cancer or find ways to improve the lot of those who are surviving.
So help celebrate World Cancer Day by celebrating the success we are having, but knowing how much further we have to go. Educate yourselves and your loved ones about the things we can do to live a healthy lifestyle that will help stave off cancer's ravages. 
And find ways to help those who are on the front lines. Put some money toward the battles at the National Ovarian Cancer Coalition (NOCC - the one I'm supporting for those with Ovarian Cancer), Livestrong or the charity of your choice - every bit helps enormously.
NOCC
Livestrong

GHS Fillie Trot 10K is in the Books

Yesterday morning I ran in the Grapevine High Fillie Trot 10K - it was a beautiful morning about 45 degrees and the sun was out, through a tree-lined, creek-lined and lake-lined path around Lake Grapevine.

There were the Grapevine High Drill team members (the Fillies) cheering us on and directing traffic to make sure that we went the right direction - very important if you want to post a good time.

But best of all was my high school classmate Mike Kerber, who came out to run the event as well, support of my fundraising and because he's a great guy. Especially impressive since it's tax season, Mike is a CPA, and they work so long and hard at this time of the year, that they rarely get a chance to do anything for fun until after April 15th. Mike ran a great race and met his time goal right on the money.

I had hoped to run the race in under an hour and I was successful doing that. In fact, I set a personal best of 53:30. That's 8:37/mile. For those of you that know me, they generally time me with a calendar, so that's blazing fast for me. And no, the course was not downhill all the way.

Thanks again to everyone that has supported us so far. Julie is responding well to her chemo, and is 3/4 of the way through it now. She continues to have a good attitude and is taking care of herself well.

Here's picture of Mike Kerber and me after the race:

Next up - the TMS Duathlon at TexasMotor Speedway on February 20th. See you there!

My First Event Is This Saturday!

I'll be running in the Grapevine High School Fillies Trot 10K on Saturday, January 29.

http://www.active.com/running/grapevine-tx/ghs-fillie-trot-2011


Should be fun. My goal is 59 minutes or under, about a 9:30 pace.

For you early risers out there - come and watch or better yet, enter the race, too. Odds are you'll beat me to the finish line!

Then it will off to watch my nephew Max in the State Prep Wrestling championships.

Here's My Race Schedule

Over the next 12 months, my plan is to do 1 race a month to raise money and awareness to fight Ovarian Cancer in honor of my sister Julie's battle against this silent killer.

RACES

Grapevine 10k Run Jan29

TMS Duathlon  (Run-Bike-Run) Feb 20

Rock and Roll Dallas 13.1 Half Marathon March 27

King Tut Sprint Triathlon April 17

Playtri Kiwanis Sprint Triathlon May 1

Playtri swim races June 4

Playtri Festival Olympic Triathlon June 5

Disco Sprint Triathlon July 17

Playtri Benbrook Sprint Triathlon Aug 14

Augusta Sept 25 (or Miami Oct 30) Half Ironman Triathlon

Monster Sprint Triathlon Denton/Keller Oct

TMS Duathlon (Run-Bike-Run) Nov 13

5K or 10K Run December

These are all local (except the half ironman - and that is subject to change) so those of you in the metroplex can join me in the races, you can come cheer me on, but most importantly, DONATE in honor of Julie Genecov Shrell at www.ovarian.org

Raising Money for the National Ovarian Cancer Coalition

My first race will be a 10K in Grapevine January 29. I'm shooting for under an hour - we'll see how the first race of the year goes.

Here's a link to the National Ovarian Cancer Coalition : www.ovarian.org


Here's their mission statement:


The mission of the NOCC is to raise awareness and promote education about ovarian cancer. The Coalition is committed to improving the survival rate and quality of life for women with ovarian cancer.


My sister Julie, who's fight against ovarian cancer I am honoring in this fundraising endeavor, has determined that her mission, in addition to fighting her personal cancer battle, is to make women aware of the importance of early detection and knowing the signs and symptoms. 


So raising money for the NOCC is a good fit, and I'll be in ever better shape as a result.


I'll be posting my races, my times, and the amount of money raised as we go along.


Thanks for helping save lives and wipe out this dreadful disease.