Team in Training Donation letter

Dear Family and Friends-

Let's face it: I've gone nuts.

I mean, what sane person would decide to get up off the couch and go do a IRONMAN? And not just an IRONMAN, but the VINEMAN: a 2.4 mile swim in, then a hilly 112 mile bike ride, and then a marathon (26.2 mile run) in the blazing sun. Pros find this race challenging, for Pete's sake. What kind of guy decides, "Hey, this all sounds like a hoot?”

Well, yours truly, for one. I've joined with the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society's Team In Training program. I have committed to raising $8000 and doing this IRONMAN. In return, Team In Training will coach me and my teammates and give us the support we need to meet our race goal. Now I need your support to meet my fundraising goal.

To date, members of Team In Training raised over $680 million dollars for the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society in its fight against leukemia, Hodgkin's Disease, lymphoma, and myeloma. These diseases affect blood-forming tissues like the spleen, lymph nodes and bone marrow, and cause them to produce abnormal blood cells, preventing the production of normal cells. An estimated 100,000 Americans are diagnosed with one of these blood-related cancers, and every week 1,100 of them die. Leukemia is the number one killing disease in children, and it affects 10 times as many adults.

I’ve decided to take on this challenge for numerous reasons. Simply stated, I want to make a difference. Then of course there is the physical challenge of completing an IRONMAN, and most importantly I am doing this in honor of some very special people: My brother, John Daniel Leist, who passed away after fighting Leukemia for 18 months and Mr. Richard Shumsky, father of my very dear friend. Mr. Shumsky is battling leukemia and is continuing to fight. (GO, MR. SHUMSKY!) Plus, all others who have fought and continue to fight this horrible disease. This is for you.

75% of my pledged amount of $8,000 goes directly to research. All donations are 100% tax deductible, and our tax ID is 13-5644916. Feel free to pass this along to your friends & family. Also check to see if your company has a matching gifts program, it’s an easy way to double your donation!

If you would like to donate online please go to my donation web page at:
http://www.active.com/donate/tntgla/Rleist

I will also be keeping a blog that will document my training and thoughts at: runrichrun.blogspot.com

Rowdy cheers, band aids, ice packs and chicken burritos (no beans) are just as welcome and appreciated.

SMILE,


Rich

Week 1 Ironman Training

So I have officially committed my time, body, and mind to doing the Ironman. I am actually doing a race called Vineman. The race takes place August 2, 2008. The thought of having this long to train is both exciting and daunting. I have never trained for 10 months for anything I have ever competed in. Granted, I have never trained for an event that makes you swim 2.4 miles, bike 112 miles, then run a marathon (26.2 miles) back to back to back. I am training with Team in Training and raising money for Leukemia & Lymphoma Society. I have committed myself to raise $8,000. I believe that both physically and financially I will complete this goal with flying colors.

I have a coach and teamates through Team in Training who not only provide me with a schedule, but keep me focused on the job at hand. For my first week of training it has been fairly light. According to my training schedule Mondays and Fridays are my off days, but I am fairly crazy so I go to bootcamp on one of my off days. So Monday was bootcamp, Tuesday was light jog where I ran 6 miles, Wednesday was an hours bike ride where I rode 16.5 miles, Thursday was a coached swim practice, Friday I rested, Saturday I ran a 5k and ran after the race then hit the Gym, Sunday was a swim day.

So far I feel like a million dollars and am looking forward to the future months.

Feel free to comment.

Smile.

My Asics Shoe Review

Since the Summer of June 2005 I have been committed to one brand of running shoe, ASICS. Before this I had always run in Nikes. I ran in Nikes because I was sucked into there marketing campaigns and how I thought running shoes should feel. I was way off. I met an Asics representative, Bill Logee, at a friends backyard BBQ summer party and he had heard that I had just completed LA marathon 05 and knew that I was planning on running 2 more that year. He asked me what brand of shoe I wear and I told him Nike. He asked if I would be willing to try Asics if he sent me a free pair and I told him I will try anything if it is free. I received 2 free pairs of shoes, GT-2100, and some Asics gear within the month. From the first time I ran in them I knew that I would be a Asics runner for life. The first time I did my long run in Asics I figured out what real running shoes should feel like.

This brings me to my review of three Asics shoes out on the market now.

1. Asics GT-2120- I was hoping that the 2120 would be the same as the 2100 that I had fallen in love with, but I never got quite comfortable in them. I do not know if they were exactly built for my foot. I liked them enough to buy 2 pair and run through both of them. I think the shoe is great for someone who pronates and values stability over cushion. It seems to me that the shoe is built for the more common runner. I would run between 35-50 miles a week and found that the soles held up wonderfully, but the stitching at the base of the shoe was not strong enough for the pounding it was taking. I do not consider myself to have a wide foot nor do the shoe salespeople at the store, but this shoe made me feel I did. Also the midsole was made different than the 2100 I had grown so used to. I think this shoe is great for the casual runner or walker who is just starting to find their running style or they want something for running errands.

2. Asics Kayano- The shoe seems built for stability and people who pronate. There is extra cushion in the soul which I love. To me cushion is key. Still the shoes does not have as much cushion as I would like. I like to feel the bounce in the heel when I run and not feel after 15 miles that I am running on straight cement. The fabric around the balls of the feet is stronger than the 2120's which prevents tears. The shoe has a nice widebase which make it great if you ever take your runs off road. The Kayano is now one of Asics best selling shoes. All in all Great Shoe.

3.Asics Nimbus 9- Just the name of the shoe makes it sound like it should be worn by Harry Potter while playing Quidditch at Hogwarts. This shoe is made for the everyday runner who does not a pronater and enjoys cushion. The shoe is very light and comfortable and is padded around the souls with electric yellow gel. I used to think that the gel was just a placebo to give the look it was very soft. Well the look is true.... very soft. The shoe gave me the bounce in my step from mile 1 to 20. The shoes fabric cover all areas with extra reinforcement around the balls of the feet where I have had problems in the past (Asics 2120). After a long run in these I felt like my legs were tired and not that my feet hurt which was a great feeling. These are definetly the shoes for me.

"No one knows what he can do until he tries."
Publius Syrus, Ancient Roman Mime

Singing Sensations dazzle crowd at El Torito, Sherman Oaks

The Night: Saturday June 23rd
The Place: El Torito Sherman Oaks
The Reason: To rock the Mic

The Story: (Names have been changed or made up because I don't really know them)

Saturday night I was out with a beautiful young woman for dinner. After dinner we kicked around ideas of things to do the rest of the night. Many ideas were given but after hearing Karaoke we were set on finding the best dive Karaoke place in town. What we found could go under the term "Karaoke Gold" at El Torito, Sherman Oaks. Once we arrived we were greeted by a security guard who looked at the ID's of the men and tried to guess the age of the women. To me that method sounds a little risky, but when you have the charm or lack of abilty to speak clear English it works. As we walked in the bar and took in our surrounding we realized that we had discovered a gem. The karaoke host was none other than the lovable old James wearing his trademark thick corduroy pants and a tucked in silk shirt. He was ecstatic to see two young good looking people ready to have a good time. Other patrons of the bar included a table of big boned single Russian women, 2 single women who clearly brought there own karaoke CD's and had crushes on the host, and DRE a 500+ lb gentleman with 17 chains hanging from his hip and a chicken wing dangling from his mouth. (chicken wing had no meat on it. just the bone.) We each sang 3 songs and the audience was shocked that 2 people with that much talent and performance value would honor El Torito with their presence. Singing classics from Billy Joel to Madonna to Grease, the crowd could not get enough. For the last song of our set Mo wowed the crowd with Bon Jovi, "Dead Or Alive." With a brilliant improv with the lyrics she, "saw a million faces at El Torito and she rocked them all" and that she did. Just before our exit Carlton, the shy quiet guy who had been watching and drinking water all night, poured his heart out to the Karaoke crowd by wowing us with his rendition of "Hot in Herre." Upon hearing the song selection the lovely Mo and myself mustered up the last bit of energy we had and lit up the dance floor. After the song it was time to make our exit. The crowd seemed sad to see us go, but was appreciative of the time we shared.

Thank you El Torito, Sherman Oaks.

The Weekend

Another beautiful day in LA. I am sitting in my office thinking about what the weekend has in store and for the first time in a long time I have no obligations. It actually feels great knowing that no one is counting on me for something. I know that Sunday I will do my usual Sunday routine, wake up around 8 and go to Santa Monica and run for a couple hours. I hope to run 15 miles this weekend and bike about 30 then go home and "relax". I use "relax" loosely because it probably means doing laundry, cleaning my apt., or going out with my friends. One of my favorite things to do on Saturday mornings is go grocery shopping and eat the free samples and drink the free coffee. It is a perfect example of portion control. It is great to leave Trader Joe's feeling not hungry, have a slight coffee buzz, and a basket full of groceries. To me, that is the perfect way to kick off the weekend.

"Running is the greatest metaphor for life because you get out of it what you put into it"

Oprah Winfrey

Summer Solstice

Today is the first official day of summer. This means that it is the longest day of the year. I sometimes forget that summer is not all year round because of living in LA. For the past few weeks the weather has been fantastic. On a sidenote, I went to Floyd's barbershop and got my head shaved last night. It was not something I planned to do but I was riding my motorcycle home and had the idea to do it. So I did. I love doing things spur of the moment without giving much of a chance to question the cons of the idea. This morning I got up at 7am, because the sun was burning through my eyelids, and went on a quick 4 mile run. For the past couple months I decided that I don't like closing my blinds in my room because it is so refreshing to wake up to the sun rather than a painful buzzing alarm clock. I was actually planning on sleeping in today but once I stepped onto my porch and realized how beautiful and warm it was I ran to get my shoes and shorts and ran out the door. It felt so good to be able to run with my shirt off and feel the wind on my freshly buzzed scalp. There is something about the summer air and feeling that I get from the sun that always makes me happy. I have a feeling that this summer is going to be one of the best summers ever.

So with a freshly buzzed head and a skip in my step I wish everyone a great day and hope each day after gets better and better. Cheers to Summer!

My quest to be an Ironman

I have begun my quest to be an Ironman. My goal is to complete the Ironman by the time I am 30. I am approaching my 28th birthday so I feel this is an attainable goal. I just added biking and swimming to my workout routine. Ever since my first marathon I decided that I want to challenge my physical endurance in every way possible. The best way I see to do this is by conditioning myself to be an Ironman. I have signed up for my first triathlon in September 07 , The Nautica Malibu Triathlon. I bought a new Megaboss bike. It is a Scattante CFR Comp. I had never been into biking, unless it was a bmx and I was 12, but this bike makes you feel like you are gliding. I am now going to Bootcamp 3 to 4 times a week, biking 2 twice a week, running 3 times a week including long run, and swimming once a week. I am finding that swimming is not as fun as I used to find it in my back yard. While I am doing this I can not lose sight that I also have 2 marathons in the Fall. I am planning on running both the Chicago and New York Marathon.

As for the Ironman, I am looking at entering the Wisconsin Ironman next September.
Stay tuned for more updates.