Kristen Boscia - Leukemia and Lymphoma Society

Kristen's Racing for a Cause Page

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These past few weeks of training and fundraising have been great. Not only have I raised $1400 (thanks to those who have already donated. I really appreciate all of your support) , I've swam 3 miles, biked 90 miles and ran 33 miles. The schedule has been very busy and it's all for a wonderful cause.

I have thirteen more weeks of training to go and I'm looking forward to every mile. The swimming has been my most challenging which has been hard for me as I've always been a great swimmer. What I didn't realize is that I have been breathing the wrong way all of these years.

On my second training week with my coach, she noticed that I keep my head above the water. I don't allow my head to go under and up to breathe properly. I've become so use to swimming like this that it never bothered me. The best part was she asked if I played waterpolo. I thought about my answer hoping if I said yes, she would let me continue with this technique or would she throw me a ball and ask me to show her a few tricks. I of course said no and started to retrain myself on how to breathe properly. I'm slowly starting to get it. I guess it's true that it's hard to teach an old dog new tricks but if this dog wants to complete a .9 mile swim in the Potomac River, she better learn ;-D

Now the other two areas of the triathlon have been better for me as I don't need to worry about breathing underwater unless they change the bike and run course. I've enjoyed participating in 5ks races all the way up to two full marathons. The run for the triathlon will have me running for 6.2 miles. I didn't think this would be too hard as I have put in a lot of miles over the years. The only new part will be to complete this run after swimming and biking. I must admit after my first long bike ride, I jumped off my bike and went right into the run. My legs did feel like jello for the first ten minutes but thankfully, that feeling soon passed and I was able to get into my groove. With more weeks of training ahead of me, I know that I will get the strength to make my transitions that much smoother. 

Biking has been a lot of fun. My first day out, I thought that I was in the Kentucky Derby as my team was very energized and took off as if we were in a race. I did manage to catch up with them that first week and rode for 13 miles. The next two weeks have had me in the hills, Laguna Hills that is. This is definitely where my strength is thanks to all those spinning classes. I would like to thank all of my instructors for pushing me to increase my tension all of those years. It finally has paid off ;-D

The most important part of this triathlon is raising awareness and funds for The Leukemia and Lymphoma Society. 

Every dollar really does make a difference. If you can only give a little, you are really giving a lot to be a part of something even bigger to help those who are in need.

More updates coming soon :-D.

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Breaking news: I’m going to do a triathlon!!!!!

Now I know you’re thinking, “Kristen, you’ve run before but can you swim and bike in the same the race! How are you going to do this?” I’ll tell you how: I joined The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society’s Team In Training program, and I’m super excited!!

Why am I doing this? Because every 4 minutes one person is diagnosed with a blood cancer. Every 10 minutes someone will lose their battle with a blood cancer. Leukemia causes more deaths than any other leading cancer among children and young adults under the age of 20. An estimated 912,938 people in the United States are living with, or are in remission from a blood cancer. The only way to reduce these statistics is to provide the funds needed to the brightest researchers and to provide resources to allow patients to receive the care they so urgently need. The best thing about Team In Training is that 75% of all funds raised go directly to research, education, and patient services, one of the best ratios of all charitable organizations!

This program enables me to challenge myself physically while making a financial impact for the benefit of cancer research. I also have the added benefit of supportive team members who make sure I stay on track with my training. I will be participating in TheNation’s Triathlon on Sunday, September 12th in Washington D.C. The triathlon consists of a .9 mile swim in the Potomac River, 25 mile bike and 6.2 mile run. I’m not doing all three legs of the race for myself, but for a special person.

John Gronnel is my team’s honored team mate. He was first diagnosed with Non-Hodgkin’s Lymphoma in 1999. John was in remission for 10 years and in March 2010 while serving as an assistant coach, something wasn’t right with his stomach. Unfortunately, doctors found a mass in his abdomen. He is now being treated for the cancer again. Hearing what John has been through gives me my daily motivation to wake up at 5 AM to train for this event

Please make a donation to support my participation in Team In Training and help advance LLS's mission. Every dollar makes a difference.

I hope you will visit my web site often. Be sure to check back frequently to see my progress. Thanks for your support!