Plainfield East High School Boy's Volleyball to Support Rebecca Scott in her Marathon for Melanoma

PEHS Boys Volleyball Shirt - Final Design Pending

Training Days: 26

Miles Run: 54.5

Pounds Lost: 1 (Seriously... WTH)

Death Threats During Training: 1

Best GU: Clif 'Mocha'

Best Gatorade: Lemon-Lime

$$$ Raised: $625

# Donors: 15

Plainfield East High School Boy's Volleyball to support both Marathon for Melanoma & Avon Walk for Breast Cancer

I am incredibly excited to announce that the boy's volleyball team at Plainfield East High School will be supporting my cancer fundraiser. They will host a cancer awareness night at their home game versus Romeoville on Thursday, May 10th 2012. I will be working hand-in-hand with my friend April Marlatt, who is raising money for the Avon Foundation for Women. 100% of proceeds will be split between our two charities. The sophomore game starts at 5:30 PM with varsity to follow. The boys will wear a uniform tee shirt we design. We will take pre-orders from anyone & everyone else as soon as our design is finalized. Tee shirts sold to the public will NOT include uniform numbers as shown. A limited number of tee shirts will also be available at the game itself. We hope to keep the cost to $10 per shirt. Feel free to contact me directly about ordering this unique breast cancer/melanoma awareness tee: rebecca.a.scott23@gmail.com

More about our tee shirt: black is the color for melanoma awareness, and pink represents breast cancer awareness. This is why we designed our shirts to be hot pink on black with both pink & black awareness ribbons. Additions to the design will likely include the mascots for both PEHS & RHS. Other fun activities at the game include a 50/50 raffle, freezer pop sale, lavender cancer awareness silicone bracelet sale, & a donation jar. I will announce the game & including facts about both breast cancer and melanoma. There will be something for everyone! Of course, it is always fun to support our teams as well as see the student body get excited about participating in charity work.

Training Update

Rebecca & Tommy @ Covered Bridge on Trail 4 at Turkey Run State Park

Well, well, well, it's been a great 2 weeks. I have been running, reading, & trying to figure out the source of all my aches & pains. I know I'm 38 but then again I have NEVER been so sore after working out. NEVER!!! The first time I noticed what I thought might be a real problem was over Easter Weekend when I went hiking at Turkey Run State Park with my dear son, Tommy. WOW! We had a blast & I can honestly say that this is the best hiking experience I've had in this area. We literally got to a point on our trail where we had to crawl up a field of boulders. Rugged! However, my knees hurt quite a bit all day & again, though it probably does not seem surprising to you, it was to me. I have been a runner forever, (see picture on 'So You Want to...' from 1988) so I was a bit concerned. After doing some research & speaking with my friend April Marlatt (who happens to be a certified Athletic Trainer & my fundraising partner) I probably have 'Runner's Knee'. I followed the suggestion of running with patellar tendon straps. These did the trick, but shortly after that I developed the beginnings of what I believe could be shin splints. I added OTC orthotics, & this helped as well. Still I was puzzled at all these issues because as I am completing my runs I feel great. My longest so far was 9 miles, & I honestly could have kept going. I did some more research & found a book that recommended running at a very slow pace, even at longer distances for the first few months of training. Also, apparently, I will lose more fat this way. Bingo!!! I found my solution. I do not want to give up the long runs, but I have no problem purposely slowing down my pace, especially if I am going to be burning fat in the meantime. Done! So the picture below shows my hot patellar straps & hopefully proof that I really do believe in running in short shorts. However, I'm not sure that men should be running in short shorts. I've already seen this fashion choice a few times & frankly it scares me. I have a feeling I need to get used to it because I guess this is the uniform for serious runners??? Even men???

Other fun notes: I tried to run with the Naperville Running Club. Um no... they were very very very nice people, but left me in the dust after about a mile. I believe I heard some talk of running 50Ks & several ultramarathons. I was in over my head that night. I am still planning to join them for the Chicago Marathon training program starting in June. & the gang there reassured me that there will be others joining the program at that time that will be at my level. Meanwhile, I am going to try a group (recommended by Lisa Simon) called Luna Chix. They also meet at Naperville Running Company, but on Monday's at 6:30 PM. Lisa reassured me that this group will NOT leave me in the dust.

On to the death threat: It occurred last Saturday as I was finishing up my 9 mile run at Springbrook Prairie. I was crossing Book Road at the 83rd Street light. Two cars of teenagers were on either side of the street. One car flashed their brights on me. The other heckled me with, 'Run Forest Run!' Wow. Creative. I said, 'What does it look like I'm doing?' Just to play with them a bit. The response was, 'Man, I really wanted to run her over!' What? That is not normal. Wow. Just because I am the same age as your mom but look better than you in short shorts... So, I guess I'll keep a tally of how many times people pretend or threaten to run over me. My friend Kathy Naslund said that it has happened to her once as well. The kids actually swerved to pretend to hit her. What is going on???

Going forward I will complete more of the same type of training runs over the next few weeks. I am hoping for better weather because I have two more pairs of short shorts to break in. Tonight I will cross train. Sunday I will complete a 10 mile run at SBP.

 

Fundraising Update 

2011 Jack's Team racing singlet

Quite a lot has been going in since my last post in regards to fundraising. I set up a table at the Millington United Methodist Church last Saturday & was able to earn $50 for Jack's Team in a few short hours. Thank you to my father, Kirk Scott, who is the pastor at this church & allowed me to jump in on their event at the last second. It was a touching & humbling experience for me to speak with church members about how cancer touched their lives.

Thank you to Teresa O'Brien at Jack's Team. The 2012 racing singlets have not been ordered yet, and so I asked her to send me one from last year. I thought it would help with my fundraising efforts and so far wearing it has been a great conversation starter.

Thank you to the following donors since my last blog entry:

Beth Bridwell - a great friend of my family since my days growing up in Texas

Peggy Beckman - Iota Sorority Sister (Delta Gamma forever - ITB)

Cathy Hirschauer - colleague at PEHS & always a wonderful source of moral support

Lisa Simon - colleague & accomplished Ironman & marathon runner

Brittney Smith - colleague & partner at the upcoming Chicago Rock and Roll Half

Jim & Marilyn Sirovatka - Katy's parents; two of the most fun, kindest, smartest people ever

John Zigmond - Mentor from Benedictine University's Alternate Teacher Certification Pgm
Anonymous - A dear friend that read my blog & said it inspired her; what a compliment!!!

Cancer Sucks!

Related Links

1) Rebecca's Fundraising Page: http://www.active.com/donate/12JTCHI/rebecca23

2) Millington United Methodist Church: http://www.millingtonumconthefox.org/

3) Plainfield East High School Boy's Volleyball: http://www.athletics2000.com/PlainfieldEast/Sport.aspx?nav=s

4) Turkey Run State Park: http://www.turkeyrunstatepark.com/ 

5) Springbrook Prairie: http://www.dupageforest.com/Conservation/ForestPreserves/Springbrook_Prairie.html

Katy's Iron Man for Melanoma - September 11, 2011

Katy running her first Iron Man triathlon

Katy ran the Ironman Wisconsin on September 11, 2011. She accomplished this with stage IV melanoma and set a personal record of 12:38:22. I did not realize that Katy ran her Ironman for melanoma until after I signed up to run the 2012 Chicago Marathon for charity in her honor. I found her fundraising page a few days ago, but today was the first day that I felt up to reading what Katy wrote about her personal battle with this disease. I was afraid that reading her words might make me feel sad. They did, but I am truly thankful that I read them anyway because they also made me more feel more determined than ever to accomplish my goals. Katy is an incredible person. She writes intelligently, compellingly, & beautifully about what melanoma is & what it is like to begin such a battle at only 26 years old. I think that her words will benefit others in terms of awareness and inspiration. Thank you for taking the time to read this message.

Sincerely, Rebecca Scott

 

The Ironman motto is “Anything is possible.”  I proved as much on August 31, 2008 when I crossed the line of my first Ironman triathlon, covering 140.6 miles in 13 hours.  The date marked seven years and one day after a surgeon removed the last known melanoma cancer cells from my body.  Melanoma is the most deadly form of skin cancer – totally curable when caught early, and impossibly dangerous if not.  I had been diagnosed at stage III, meaning the cancer had already spread to my lymph nodes before it was discovered.  At the age of 26, I was faced with only a 60% chance of seeing 36.  So hearing my name announced as I crossed that finish line at twilight felt like an exclamation point on my victory over the disease.  I was newly married, life looked beautiful, and I thought melanoma was permanently in my rear view mirror.

Not so.  Barely a year later, I sat in another surgeon’s office weeping hysterically when he told me that the “cyst” he had removed from my neck was actually a recurrence of that same melanoma.  Eight years later, it was back, and now it was stage IV – systemic disease with a dismal prognosis.  Even though the cancer had metastasized to the “least bad” of possible locations in my body, appearing as bumps under my skin and in my lymph nodes, the chances of living just one more year were 60%; only one in five survive five years.  To make a long story short, my loved ones mobilized with me and we fought.  For six months, I spent about a week per month in intensive care, receiving an immunotherapy regimen so brutal that it killed 2% of patients in clinical trials – and helped only 16%.  Still, it was the best available therapy.  I was among the lucky ones, and my melanoma responded.  After another surgery, I came out on top again.  No evidence of disease – NED

My reprieve lasted three months.  Last September, melanoma showed up again under my skin, and terrifyingly, in my brain.  Metastases to the brain are the most feared risk of melanoma, because median survival is as short as 4.4 months.  Radiation, a clinical trial, brain surgery, and more surgery followed.  For now, I am winning.  My most recent scans show a few things to watch, but nothing requiring immediate attention.  I shall have another three-month reprieve.  I’m going to spend it doing what I love most:  enjoying my family, living to the fullest, and racing triathlons!

In order to do an Ironman, one must register a full year in advance.  (Indeed, there are enough crazy people in the world that these races sell out within hours!)  The registration window for this year’s Wisconsin race opened up just after I’d learned of the most recent recurrence.  My husband encouraged me to register, risking the $600 entry fee, because in his words, he wanted me to have a chance.  He wanted me to have a chance to cross that line again, to live my dream, to prove that anything IS possible.

- Katy Sirovatka, June 2011

Related Links:

1) Rebecca's fundraising page for Melanoma: http://www.active.com/donate/12JTCHI/rebecca23

2) Katy's fundraising page for Melanoma:  http://www.firstgiving.com/fundraiser/katysirovatka/imwi

3) Official 2011 Iron Man Wisconsin Race Results: http://ironman.com/assets/files/results/wisconsin/2011.txt

2 Days, 11 Miles, 1 Blister, & A Mini-Cooler of Gatorade

Marathon Training Day 7 - 7 Mile Run
Today, as you can see, I successfully completed my first long-distance run, 7 miles. For now I am using the marathon training program suggested by Dawn Dais in her book. In June I will join the Chicago Marathon training group at Naperville Running Company, at which time I will switch to the Nike Intermediate Program. On July 22nd, I will run the Chicago Rock n Roll Half.

I was thrilled to actually need some of my new gear including the infamous Fuel Belt & the 'Mountain Rush' e.Gel. For those that don't know e.Gel or GU is 'nutrition' for long distance runs. It is typically recommended that runners 'eat' the GU after about 45 minutes to an hour & at similar intervals until the end of their run. The purpose is to avoid burning out or even crashing. Before this week, I had no idea that marathon runners 'ate' during their race, but more on GU later. The Fuel Belt is a glorified fanny pack. I remember when I saw Katy put on her Fuel Belt the first time. I imagine that she was training for a race, maybe even the Iron Man, at that time when she was visiting my sister Karen. Frankly I was shocked when I saw it. Later that week I privately asked Karen, 'Does Katy know that people can see that she is wearing a FANNY PACK!!!' What does it do for her? What does she put in those six little bottles? Why is it necessary? & why in the world would one run so far as to require a belt completely surrounded by water bottles? WHY??? Gosh I was ignorant. But Katy, as usual, was a positive influence on me by her example. Now, here I am, strapping on my own fanny pack. My Fuel Belt even includes a cute little insulated zippered pouch with a reflective branded patch. The pouch is for GU, jelly beans, or other nutrition. I would have posted pictures of myself wearing the fanny pack, but unfortunately, no one was around to take one. Yes I am certain, no one was available. *wink* Next, I strap on my GPS, shoes, blister-free socks, & I'm off.

I decide that instead of taking 6-ish loops around Wetlands Park that I will instead take Waubonsie Creek Trail for 3.5 miles in one direction & then turn around. I head south & eventually this trails leads to an area that I know well from my  'Skill and Body' days at Waubonsie Valley High School. Are you with me Kristin Morris?!? Lisa Brown?!? Sully Dirilten?!? I loved Fridays when our physical education assignment was to run around the pond behind the high school. Wow... & here I am doing it again 10 years later. ;) At about mile 4 I think that I am never going to make it without a bathroom break, & I start looking forward to taking this break at the park facilities just over the dam.

Unfortunately,  I discover that these restroom facilities are locked & the water fountains are not turned on. Okay. Desperately needing to use the facilities while being desperately thirsty... it's an odd experience. Since I'm stopped anyway, I decide that now is the time to try my e.Gel. I am listening to my ipod & therefore can't hear anything except Debbie Gibson singing 'Only in My Dreams'. However, I am pretty sure I made some sort of choking noise to indicate my shock because an entire family turned around & stared at me. Oops. Once I get over the fact that something that looks like Herbal Essences tastes like concentrated Mountain Dew... I like it... a lot. 'Mountain Rush' e.Gel could be MY flavor, but I would like to try 'Tropical Blast' before I commit.

At about mile 5, my small intestines start to burn. Lesson-learned: Do NOT ever again put Tapitio hot sauce on scrambled eggs the morning before a long run.

At about mile 5.5, I start to consider what it might be like to wet my pants in public. Would people notice? Would they laugh? Or, would they politely look the other way? I suddenly become grateful that I was wearing running shorts OVER my sweat pants... just in case.

At about mile 6, I decide, that there is NO WAY that I am going to pee my pants in front of my neighbors & everyone else at Wetland Park. However, this is going to require that I head home in a straight line at a dead sprint. Can I sprint a mile after running 6? Yes I can!

Marathon Training Day 8 - 4 Mile Run
Today, before my run, I went to Wal-Mart to pick up some bulk Gatorade powder for my Fuel Belt. They have Fruit Punch flavor, Glacier something-or-other (It's blue?), and Orange. Ew. What do you know; they are out of Lemon-Lime. Okay, that's cool. I will go to the fancy-ish neighborhood grocery store, Jewel, instead. (Come on... you know there is NO WAY that Whole Foods is going to have bulk Gatorade powder.) I get to the drink mix aisle, and yes, they do have Gatorade powder in Lemon-Lime, but the negative is that it is in a teeny tiny container. The positive is that this container is shaped like a mini-cooler. This thick plastic container is as environmentally unfriendly as possible. I don't care, because it is sooooo cute. Next, I think, 'What the heck, maybe I can pick up some extra 'Mountain Rush' packets.' I go to the health food aisle where Jewel has stocked, & I am not kidding, 50 types of protein shakes & mixes & 3000 types of protein bars. Therefore, I didn't think it was that ridiculous to think that they might have GU. The Sales Lady did though. When I explained to her that GU is nutrition for long-distance runs such as marathons, she looked at me like I had just asked for de-lousing shampoo or jock itch cream. Nevermind. I'll just purchase this cute little pretend cooler of Gatorade... BYE!

I gear up again, but this time, since it is sunny & in the 60's I wear my short shorts. It feels so liberating, like that first day in February when me & the other formerly southern girls break out our flip flops. Wishful thinking I know, but it works out. I decide to start in the opposite direction on Waubonsie Creek Trail in hopes that maybe I will find working restroom facilities. At about mile 2, it's time. I try the door to the facilities, & it comes as no surprise to me that the door is locked and the water fountains are not turned on. Thankfully, Aurora Firehouse #8 is in sight. I would like to give them a shout out for allowing me to use their restrooms. Holler! From here, the remainder of my run goes smoothly. After a second day of running with a bunch of gear on, I decide that I like the street cred I get when running wearing a technical shirt, GPS, & Fuel Belt. It's the same kind of respect I get from other runners when we happen upon each other on a trail at 4:30 in the morning. At that time of day, you know I mean business, & I know the same about you. It's a strange camaraderie, & I like it.

Epilogue Notes
1) I should probably also scratch 'Giant Bowl of Oatmeal' off my list of potential breakfasts before a long run.
2) I thought that breaking the Brooks in slowly would be a good idea, so I wore my old Asics today. I now have a blister on the second toe of my right foot. Asics... you are dead to me. I guess blister-free socks can only do so much.

Special Thanks
I would to thank the people that supported me with a donation to my fundraiser for Jack's Team in Honor of Katy Sirovatka since my last post. I will thank you personally. However, for now, know that your kindness, thoughtfulness, & support are greatly appreciated.

1) April Marlatt - my partner in teaching seventh hour Environmental Science
2) Liz Mays - my colleague & one of my unofficial mentors my first year teaching
3) Jennifer (Golk) Guyton - mine & Katy's classmate at WVHS  :)
4) Kim MacArthur-Self - my favorite Genetic Engineer
5) Patty Page - we went to graduate school together at Benedictine University  :)
6) Sue Zarbok - aka 'The Zarbokinator' - my partner in teaching fifth hour Environmental Science
7) Mike Dwyer - Mr. D was my AP English teacher. You deserve some credit for teaching me how to write & showing me how to teach (by doing) my own AP class (AP Environmental Science).

I love all of you!

Related Links:

1) My Chicago Marathon Charity Fundraising page for Katy: http://www.active.com/donate/12JTCHI/rebecca23

2) Naperville Running Company: http://www.runningcompany.com/Calendar/Events/Event-58/

3) Chiacgo Marathon Run for Charity Program: http://www.chicagomarathon.com/CMS400Min/Chicago_Marathon/giving_back/index.aspx?id=5041

4) Chicago Rock n Roll Half Marathon: http://runrocknroll.competitor.com/chicago

5) Aurora Fire Station #8: http://www.aurora-il.org/firedepartment/stations/station08.php