Last February I decided to take on the challenge of competing in the Wildflower Triathlon, one of the nations most difficult Triathlons,which took place in May of 2006. The distance I would cover included a 1.5K (1 mile) Open Water Swim, followed by an intense 40K (25 Mile) bike ride and finishing off with a 10K (6 Mile) Run. I finished this race in 5 hours, since then I have continued to document my journey. http://www.active.com/donate/tntsvmb/tntsvmbSButler

Wednesday, March 08, 2006

Week 3 Newsletter - Making It hard On Myself

Hi Everyone

Training has been fun, painful, difficult, eventful, and inspiring. On Thursday we did a timed 2 mile run after we ran a mile and did some calisthenics which reminded me of my high school days. Do you remember planks, pushups, squats, lunges, high knees...? I had blocked all of that stuff out of my mind too. Its all quickly coming back. All I could say about my time in the 2 mile is that I could only get better from here and I actually had fun running. Whoever thought that I would say that?

On Saturday we did a timed 12 mile bike ride through Los Altos Hills. Not only did I get lost for about 6 miles but when I was finished I realized that my brake pad had been rubbing against my tire during the entire ride. I should have known their was something wrong with my bike but I just thought my legs were sore from all the workouts I did throughout the week. After the bike ride we did a timed 100 meter swim at Mountain View High School. It felt really good but a little awkward since I decided that morning to change my stroke. Later I realized that the change that I made to my swim stroke shaved 25 seconds off my 100!!!

Now I'm working out 6 days a week and feel stronger and stronger. Here is my schedule if you are curious:

Mondays - Swim/Strength Training
Tuesdays - Bike
Wednesdays - Swim/Run
Thursdays - Track Practice
Fridays - Day Of Rest
Saturdays - Group long bike ride and swim practice
Sundays - Group trail run

Pretty soon I'll be able to convince myself that I won't be the last one through the finish.
I was just complaining about how sore I was from Saturday's workout when I received this update from my little Friend Ethan Marley's mother. Yesterday he had his radiation set up and on Thursday he had a lumbar puncture.
If you have already donated to Team in Training I thank you very much. If you have not had a chance to do so please schedule a time to go to my team in training link:











Ethan Continues with His Treatments
Andrea Marley

TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 07, 2006 09:23 PM, CST
Hi, Everyone!
Ethan had his labs today, and his numbers look good, so looks like we're a go for his lumbar puncture and chemo tomorrow! He had a very good day with a lot of smiles and laughter! He did start off the day with some coughing, but has seemed fine the rest of the day. We would appreciate prayer that Ethan's cough wouldn't get worse, as that could delay his lumbar puncture because they wouldn't want to use anaesthesia if he had a bad cough.

So, the plan tomorrow is for Ethan to have a lumbar puncture at around 12:00 noon,. After he recovers from the anaesthesia, he will go to the day hospital to have two chemo treatments, one of which takes several hours to administer. He's had these drugs before, and has done okay, but does get nauseous and lose his appetite. He has anti-nausea medicine for this that helps a lot. Please pray that he will tolerate these treatments well, and that they will be effective in doing what they're supposed to do!

The following three days, he will need a chemo injection that we have been able to give him at home before, and will try again. (It's called ARA-C) We would appreciate prayer that his port would stay accessed (the needle staying in place) so that we will be able to give it at home and so Ethan wouldn't have to be re-accessed.
Our meeting yesterday with the radiation doctor went very well, and Greg and I left feeling like we understood a lot better what to expect. We're waiting for them to call with the appointment times and dates, and we'll post them when we hear. We're expecting to start next week, and to have an appointment prior to starting where they do planning and set-up (this includes making a mask that will hold Ethan's head in place, and he will be put under anaesthesia for that.)
Thanks for your prayers for us and for Ethan's little buddy, Christian. We visited Christian today, and he is progressing well! We appreciate your continued prayers and support!
Thanks for checking in!!
Blessings,
Andrea (for the Marleys)

THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 09, 2006 11:38 PM, CST
Hello, All!
We had a very long day at the hospital yesterday, but Ethan did very well. He had his lumbar puncture, and then we spent about 8 hours in the day hospital while Ethan got his chemo followed by several hours of hydration. While we were there, we visited with another patient in the room (a very friendly teenage girl also having chemo) and enjoyed a visit from a "Pet Therapy" dog named "Willow". Ethan enjoyed watching and petting Willow, and also played with toys and watched videos to pass the time. He finally took a "nap" starting around 9:00pm! Greg and I were able to each go up and visit little Christian and family also. Christian continues to progress, which is wonderful, and his parents, David and Margaret, continue to amaze us with how they handle the stress of new twins, a son with a new heart transplant, homeschooling two older boys, and being separated every night! Their faith in the Lord is truly inspiring and a wonderful example for us to follow!
After finally getting authorization straightened out, we now have Ethan scheduled for his radiation, which will be starting next week. He will go in on Monday for the "set up" where they measure everything and make a kind of mask that they will put on him each time he has the radiation. His radiation will start on Feb.15th, and will continue for nine more weekdays after that. We would appreciate your prayers for protection for Ethan during this time. Also, that the radiation would do what it's meant to do and keep Ethan from ever having a relapse.
Thank you again for checking in on us, and for your continued prayers! We appreciate them more than you know!
Blessings,

MONDAY, FEBRUARY 13, 2006 11:39 PM, CST
Hi, Everyone!
Ethan had his radiation set up appointment today, and it seemed to go well. The hardest part for him was before it started because he really wanted to eat! Poor little guy had just had it! He finally got to eat around 3:30pm and was very happy after that!

Little Chritian is continuing to progress, and may get out of the hospital this week! It's so good to see him doing so well!

Unfortunately, we have some other friends (from our homeschool group) whose little 20 month old, David, has ended up in ICU at Lucille Packard for a blood disorder that has caused some serious problems. Please keep this little guy in your prayers as well!

In addition, my little 15 month old nephew, Ben, (Sabrina's son) is in another hospital with pneumonia! We're hoping he'll get to go home tomorrow. This is his second night in the hospital. It seems when it rains it pours! Please keep them in your prayers as well!

Ethan is scheduled to begin 10 days (only weekdays) of cranial radiation therapy on Wednesday, the 15th. It's scheduled for 7:30am each day. We really appreciate your prayers, especially over the next couple weeks!
Thanks so much for checking in on us, and for your continued support!

Blessings,
Andrea (for the Marleys)


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