37 Days Left!

I almost died today! (Not really) 

Today we did the Pacific Crest bicycle portion on a computrainer; which is a computer program that adjusts resistance of a stationary bike according to what the actual course will be like. We did 28.2 miles! 

My hamstrings were tight so I did my first ice bath... which was painful.

Tomorrow we are going back into the lake for more open water swim practice. Wish me luck!

A big thank you to April and all her friends and family who have donated this week! Thank you to  Marla, April, Paul, Margaret, and Lisa, for bringing me another step closer to my LLS funraising goal!

To help raise money to find the cure for blood cancers please make a donation on my donation website: http://pages.teamintraining.org/wa/pctri09/mtimmermann

A donation of $25 will be so helpful and very much appreciated! 

Throughout all this training I have had a lot of time to think about sacrifices. For those of you who know me well, you know that I do not like to get up in the morning. =) Waking up at 6 am to jump into freezing cold water is not something I enjoy doing. But I realize that it is a small sacrifice on my part to help those suffering from cancer undertake bigger sacrifices. It is not easy to undergo many of the treatments available today, and then there is always the chance that it will not be enough . LLS strives to continue research so that we have a better means of fighting cancer, so that survival rates will go up and to someday produce less destructive treatments. This is the goal for which I am trying to raise money. I cannot do it own my own which is why I am asking for the support of my family and friends. Thank you for taking the time to read this and I ask that you also make a small sacrifice to help in the battle against cancer by donating now!

Thank you and God Bless,

Matt

43 Days Left!!

Today was our first lake practice; the water was 60 degrees. We were trying out our new wetsuits. It was actually scary because being in that cold water was very disorienting. 

Since the water was so cold I underwent the 'gas effect' and hyperventilated which made me dizzy. 

I'm glad that we got to experience it before the actual triathlon. 

I still have a lot of work to do!  

44 Days Left!!

Today we went on the velodrome at Marymoor Park. 

We did a warm up run then a mock 'race'. For the swim we ran 4 laps, then biked 10 laps, and finally ran 4 laps. I was beat! 

René came today with Maggie (our dog) to cheer me on and took some pictures.

My right knee is still giving me problems, but Kimberly (one of my coaches) gave me some good stretching techniques and said to ice it. 

 

After the workout we got our wetsuits, which we will be using in the swim. Sunday we are doing our first open water swim in Green Lake. 

Still have $2400 to raise in 43 days!! But with your help I can do it! Please donate by clicking here.

My warrior face!!

Days Left: 48!

This is our team training in the rain! This is also the day I was donated new shoes =) Thanks Casey!

Thanks to everyone who has donated so far this month: Ken and Brooke, Matt and Pam, Patricia, Nicky, Abdullah, Wendy and Liz.

Right now I am at $1465 thanks to you guys!

Feel free to share this website and our cause with your friends and family. Every donation makes a difference.

Thank you for all your love and support!
-Matt

Days Left: 54!

Since last I wrote I have not been training. Before you start thinking I am slacking I do have an excuse. I have had flu-like symptoms (oink oink) since the beginning of the week (maybe it was the bike ride). At any rate, I hope to start training again soon.

Thank you to all my supporters and commenters. =)

Days Left: 58!

On Thursday, 30APR09:
Beautiful day, sun shining (unusual for Seattle)
Ran 1 mile repeats 3 times.
Mile 1: 7:20
Mile 2: 7:50
Mile 3: 8:15
Much improvement needed =)
Left knee started hurting so I need to stretch more after training.

On Saturday, 02MAY09:
33 mile bike ride.
Longest bike ride yet. I took forever....
One of my awesome coaches donated riding gear so I finally have a set to wear!
58 days left!

The Reason

Hello, my name is Matt Timmermann. I am currently a full time student in college, in Washington. At the beginning of the year I began training with a group called Team In Training (TNT). TNT is a part of the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society (LLS). The purpose of LLS is to raise money for blood related cancer research and to help families battling blood related cancers.



An estimated 894,543 Americans are living with leukemia, lymphoma and myeloma.



When I first signed up, my main reason for being a part of TNT was to train for a triathlon. After hearing just a few of the experiences that cancer survivors had been through, my main reason for training became to help find a cure for cancer. The best way I can help at this stage in my life is to participate in TNT and raise funds for research.



The survival rates have improved significantly in the past 40 years, but it is still not enough, it is still not 100%. Even those who do survive have usually undergone a series of treatments that devastate their bodies and cause massive pain. That is why TNT keeps going, that is why month after month and year after year they keep raising money: so that one day cancer will not hinder us and the treatments will not be a test of endurance for survival.



Each individual team has an honored team member that they represent. Our honored team member is a 6 year old girl whose name is Megan. Megan has Accute Lymphocitic Leukemia, which is currently in remission. Sometimes when I think I cannot wake up and go to training or I cannot keep going during practices, I think about what people, like Megan, are going through with their treatments, and then my 'pain' does not seem so bad anymore.



On this page I will be keeping a record of my workouts and how my fundraising is going.



Please feel free to donate in support of finding a cure for cancer!



Thank you for your time and support,



Matt