Twitter Motivation

Lately it’s been hard to get a lunch workout in while I’m at work.  This semester I have a class from 12-1 4 days a week and it takes up all of my time that I usually have for a workout.  As intriguing as bioanalytical chemistry is, I’d much rather be putting some miles behind me.  However, today class was cancelled so I got to head up to the workout room.  

I went into change my clothes and after a few minutes, I realized I was missing something; my running shoes.  I was about to call it quits when i realized that I could probably just use my regular work shoes and go on the stationary bike.  The fashion would be hideous, but I thought it might make a for a good picture to put on Twitter and hopefully get some more followers and hopefully attract some more people to my blog.  So, away I went with my horribly clashing blue workout socks, that the Huntsman Hometown Heroes gave to me, and my brown leather work shoes.  On their own, each is quite attractive, but put the two together and you get some nice chuckles from coworkers as they gawk at you in the hallway.

I got my 30 minutes on the bike in and took a nice perspective picture with my phone to share with everyone.

My super fashionable exercise socks and super fashionable work shoes.
Not so fashionable together.

While running outside is certainly much more preferable, Myriad has a pretty nice gym set up for those days when you don’t feel like going outside and braving the cold like these guys.  

Picture

The room is triangle shaped and has a panoramic view of the whole Salt Lake Valley.  On a clear day you can see all the way past the Oquirrh mountains as well as mount Olympus.  On a not so clear day when there is an inversion you get to see the lovely smog cloud that rivals anything Los Angeles has to deal with and your glad to be running inside with filtered air.  I tried to take a panoramic picture of the view from the stationary bike.  I hope you like it.

Panoramic view of our workout room

I just got word that HHH is going to come to Myriad and do a group picture of us as well as take some video interviews of why people are participating and raising money.  I should be able to get a few of those up.  In the mean time, here is another video that HHH has produced that shows some of our runners out doing their thing.  This video is from the first training run in 2011.

A soggy 12 miles

Today's run was wet and rainy.  Utah has been unseasonably warm lately.  Today's run would normally have been done in a snowstorm, but since it was 50 degrees this morning, we got to run in the rain.  The run was made a little more difficult by the fact that it wasn't a consistent rain.  Just when you got used to the wetness, it would stop raining and then you'd start to over heat.  Off comes the hat and gloves.  A few minutes later and the wind picks up so you have to put the hat and gloves back on.  Kind of frustrating.

Many people decided to get their running done today on the treadmill, but we still had a good turnout.  Not quite the usual 50+ people that turn out on Saturday, but we probably still had about 30 show up or so.  It surprises me that that many people would choose to run on a treadmill instead of outside.  The longest distance I've run on a treadmill is 10 miles, and I just about died of boredom.  Even with the rain and cold, it's way better to be outside.

There was so much rain today that as we ran along 1500 south, one of our more common routes, we pretty much had a babbling brook in the gutter.  It was kind of nice to have a different noise to listen to rather than the sound of car engines.  The sound of running water is rather soothing.  It was kind of like running next to a creek for a good two miles.

It was still a great run.  Any time you go out and battle the elements on a day like today makes you feel more confident in your abilities as a runner.  Races don't always happen on sunny warm days, especially here in Utah.  There's a pretty decent chance with the spring races here that race day could be in the middle of rainstorm.  I wouldn't even necessarily cross out snow either.

So, how wet was it today?  Check out the video below and you'll what we were dealing with.  I'm holding my hat in my hand.

I Run Because I Live

Jodi Vargas is one of our team members and is a previvor of cancer.  She wanted to share her story below.  Read her story below and then make a donation at http://bit.ly/yZjEXK

I Run Because I Live…

If you’ve read the “our Background” post from January 14, you are aware of the intent of Myriad employees running in part to spend time interacting with their “customers.” I read that, too, and wondered exactly who they were referring to. Turns out, I am one of those customers. The thing is…I don’t feel like a customer at all. I am a patient, a “previvor” (Google it), an advocate. I am one of the people whose life has been changed forever by the kind of research we are raising money and awareness to support.

My name is Jodi Vargas. I’m probably better known, though as Henry’s Mom. My son Henry is 19 now, and still, my favorite thing to be called is Henry’s Mom.

HENRY

Henry’s dad, my husband Alan, died when Henry was only 7 years old. He became ill when I was pregnant with Henry, so Henry only ever knew a sick dad.

JODI, HENRY & ALAN 1995

I was only thirty when I became a widow.

Five years later, my own mother died of ovarian cancer after an eight year horrific battle with that terrible disease.

MY MOM, DIANE 1973

I began asking my doctor about testing even before my mother died. I had witnessed first-hand how deadly ovarian cancer could be, and I was terrified of leaving Henry. I could not bear the thought of putting him through another parent with a long illness – or worse – the death of his only remaining parent. My doctor assured me, however, that I didn’t need to worry about being tested. She said that the tests were generally unreliable, and that since I was only in my early 30’s, I had plenty of time to live without the worry of breast and ovarian cancer. I trusted my doctor, yet each visit to her, I asked about testing again. Over and over, she reassured me that I didn’t need to worry so much.

I tried not to worry. My life was moving forward in amazing ways. In July 2007, I married my husband, Jason, in Hawaii. Henry gave me away at our wedding.

HENRY, JODI & JASON

JULY 2007

Late November 2008 I went to see a family practice doctor because I was having severe allergies. As I was waiting in the exam room for the doctor, I noticed a poster on her wall about BRCA testing. I asked if I could have the test, and without much discussion, my blood was drawn. I got the call on December 12, 2008, two days before my 39^th birthday. I have the BRCA1 mutation, which made me very likely to get breast and ovarian cancer.

I had my BSO and hysterectomy on January 20, and my prophylactic bilateral mastectomy on April 2 of 2009.

Losing both my first husband and my mother after long illnesses has taught me many things. The most important of those is to never take time for granted.

I am proof that being tested made a difference. I get to continue to be Henry’s Mom for a very long time.

PLEASE CONSIDER HELPING US RAISE AWARENESS AND FUNDS FOR MORE RESEARCH. IT LITERALLY SAVED MY LIFE!


To make a donation to the Huntsman Cancer Foundation and help support Jodi and her vision to find a cure for cancer, visit : http://bit.ly/yZjEXK