Freak Out Moment

Okay y'all. I had a serious freak out moment a few days ago. Why? Because I watched this video :

For as long as I could remember, I had a mole on the back of me leg. I was never really concerned about it because I have freckles so to me it was just a larger freckle. Well, back in 2008 my friend Angi posted something about a discolored toenail she was concerned about. I looked into what she was talking about and become concerned about the mole. I went to my mom (a nurse for 25+ years) and told her that I thought it was melanoma. She wasn't concerned and said that it wasn't anything. So I forgot about it and that was that. Well, that is until June 2011.

While running the San Diego Rock 'n' Roll Marathon in June, I forgot to put sunscreen on my legs and I paid for it with second degree burns. When I made it home, my oh-so-loving mother was there to take care of me. While she was draining my blisters, spreading burn cream on my legs, and wrapping them in gauze she saw my mole. She asked me about it and I told her that it had been there for as long as I could remember and she said that it never looked like that before. (Just so y'all know, the mole was not on part of my leg that got sunburned.) She told me that when my legs healed she wanted me to set up an appointment with the dermatologist to have it looked at, I said okay.

I pushed off setting up the appointment and my mom kept the pressure on me telling me I needed to have it looked at and it needed to be done before my insurance ran up at the end of August when I would be removed from their plan since I would be turning 26 early that month. I made it to the dermatologist on August 3 where the mole was examined by the Dr, who said "Does it look like melanoma? No, but I want to be sure so we are going to go ahead and remove it." I left the appointment feeling confident that it was nothing.

Two weeks later I received a phone call from my Dr. I didn't think it was strange that she was calling because she sounded so chipper. Then she spilled the beans and told me that it did come back positive for melanoma. She told me that I would need to have surgery to have it removed and that she would be referring me to another doctor to perform the surgery because she felt he did a better job when it came to the leg and would leave minimal scarring. I explained my insurance situation to her and they were able to get me in for the surgery just in the nick of time, August 31.

My initial biopsy was about the size of a dime and for the surgery they had to remove about 5mm around the initial spot. He partially closed it with a purse string stitch by going around the wound weaving the stitch in and out and then pulled it tight, reducing the size of the opening but leaving a hole the size of a small egg. Two weeks later they called and told me that they had removed all the cancerous cells.

I felt relieved but at the same time I need to go to the oncologist. I need to be sure that it didn't spread and that nothing was missed. I mean, yes, the Dr. told me I was in the clear but we're all human right? No harm in double checking.

The biggest frustration of this whole thing was that I have never been one to tan so I never laid out in the sun or went to tanning beds, and I almost always wear jeans during the summer. I have childish moments saying its not fair, but cancer does not discriminate. And although I didn't tan easily, I can recall burning pretty badly a few times. So for all of you that have had a serious burn once in their life, lay in the sun or use tanning beds on a regular basis, please keep an eye on your skin! If you see a mole that is changing shape and color, contact a dermatologist. There is no harm in having it looked at. It's better to be safe than sorry.

Five Tips Learned at the Marathon

My previous post didn't include a lot of the events that transpired before, during, and after the San Diego Rock 'n' Roll Marathon. I wanted to keep it about the marathon its self and not about the other things... You'll see what I mean.

Tip # 1 : Travel with Friends
If you're doing an endurance event and it requires traveling, I strongly suggest finding a friend to do the event with you or just go along for support. I would not have had such an amazing time if it wasn't for my friends. Not only did I get to travel with them but we also ran together. AND you never know when you'll need someones help.

Tip # 2 : Be Sure Your Roommate Sets Their Alarm
I always use my phone for my alarm clock. It doesn't matter if I am at home or if I am traveling. My phone alarm clock is always there and never fails. This was not the case on race day! We were to be in the lobby at 4am. Yes, you read that correctly. 4. a. m. I set my alarm for sometime around 3am, plugged the charger into my phone and then into the wall across the room (so I actually had to get out of bed to hit the snooze), and crawled into bed. I randomly woke up and hadn't heard my alarm yet so I thought I was doing good, until I rolled over and took a look at the hotels alarm clock and had the red numbers reading "4:00" peering at me. I frantically woke up gathered our belongings, throwing clothes on quickly, and ran down stairs to the lobby with shoes untied. Erika didn't set her alarm. When I asked her why she didn't she said, "well, you set yours." haha. It's all good. We didn't miss our bus!

Tip # 3 : Layout Your Gear for Race Day
This was a lifesaver for Erika and I. Because we had taken the time the night before to get our race gear together, we didn't have to worry about finding everything we needed. It was already in a pile, ready to go. If we hadn't taken the time to do that, we probably would have missed our bus.

Tip # 4 : Pack ALL the Fuel You Need
On our race course, it was said that at mile markers 13 and 17 that there would be GU aid stations. I did the math and calculated how many GUs I would need for the marathon but subtracted the two stations out so I didn't have to carry so much. Bad idea. Very bad idea. When I made it to mile marker 13 they were ALL out of GUs! I needed to take one then but since they were out, I thought they would be out at mile 17 as well so I went into conservation mode. I decided I would wait until about mile 15 to take my next GU. You might think, what can two miles really do. Well, prolonging taking the GU caused my body to start shutting down because it didn't have the fuel it needed. That is NOT what you need when you still have half the race to go!

Tip # 5 : Do NOT forget Sunscreen
So, you would probably think that a 25-year-old, pale skinned woman would know such a common sense thing: wearing sunscreen. Well, I do, I'm not blond (although I did dye my hair blondish during the summer). I guess the early morning wake up along with a frantic run for the door made me lose some logic at the same time. I had plenty of time to apply sunscreen while we were waiting in the park to line up for the race and I did apply it to my face, ears, neck, and arms. For some illogical reason I didn't think my legs would burn. I mean, they never get color in Indiana, so why would they in California? I figured my legs could use a little bit of color. Well, they got color alright, along with a few nice big ol' polka dots (blisters)! I didn't know you could custom order a sunburn! Needless to say, this cost me severe swelling in my calves and feet, blisters that were growing by the second, and unimaginable pain. I was diagnosed with second degree burns when I returned home. Yes, that's right, I flew home from sunny California with second degree burns that were getting worse. I noticed they were red in the morning when we were getting ready to leave but I didn't have blisters until we made it to the San Diego Airport to catch our flight to Denver, and even then they were pretty small. On our flight, I could feel the blisters growing and by time we got off my legs were huge, feet were swollen, and I had very large blisters on my legs. (I have pictures of what it looked like if you're interested alli dot bulmahn @ gmail dot com. I thought I would spare those that wished not to see.) Thankfully, there was a nurse on my team that was able to pop and drain the blisters, and then wrap my legs with gauze so I could get home. I was then unable to really do anything but lay on the couch for the following week. It was torture.

Do you have any pre-race day or race day tips you have learned?

Rock 'n' Rolling in San Diego

I have done several endurance events, three mini-marathons to be exact, over the past three years. The first event I had completed was done with a team called Team in Training (TNT). I have posted about what the team does in a previous post that you can find here.

This year I decided to participate in the San Diego Rock 'n' Roll Marathon. Yes, you read that right. Marathon. Not a Half or Mini Marathon but a Marathon!  Y'all must be thinking I'm crazy, and you would be right. This is the craziest thing I have attempted. I mean, who in their right mind would want to run 26.2 miles? Um, I guess this girl. Because I am clearly out of my mind.

The night before our endurance event, TNT hosts an insperational pasta party so the participants and their family/guests can load up on carbs and insperation for race day. I have included some pictures from our way to the pasta party as well as a video of what it like going into one, and of course pictures from the race (well, what I could get before my silly camera died!). 

Elise and Sydney

Dan and Erika

Us girls up early and ready to go!

The Fort Wayne Team

Waiting in our corral ready to start the 26.2 mile adventure! I don't even think you can see the start line in this picture!

The sun joined us in the morning. It was welcomed so we could warm up!

We were running this race in honor of our beloved Ed. We wrote his name on our hands to keep us motivated when our bodies were tired and we just wanted to quit and to remind us of the reason we were out there : to kick blood cancer in the butt!

We met this guy on the course. He saw our hands and decided to dedicate his pectorals to our friends Ed and Greg. 

He also dedicated his scapulas to the two children that we know that are battling blood cancer. His girlfriend, Brittany,  is the reason he was running. She was in remission when we met him. AND, if you dare to look closely, he was a bit on the crazy side. He had PINNED his number to his back! OUCH!

Almost time to Rock 'n' Roll!

Random picture snapped along the course.

I thought this was really pretty. If you look closely you can see that there is an organ filling the arch of this building.

The San Diego Metropolitan Transit System

The outside of the San Diego Padres stadium, major league baseball that calls up from my hometowns minor league : Fort Wayne Tin Caps.

The inside of their stadium.

Yes, you are seeing clearly. We are running on a HIGHWAY. I would like to know who had this bright idea!

Yay! We made it to mile 10! Only 16.2 left to go!

I may not look like it because I'm upright and have somewhat of a smile on my face, but I'm about to die here. This was taken somewhere around mile 22-24 on the brutal island with no shade. Once again, who had this bright idea?

Oh, thank God! The finish line at 7:10:35!! I sprinted to the end, from about a few hundred feet back. But I did manage to run it in from the 25 mile marker with the help of our wonderful coaches on the course!

Proud and happy to be DONE!

All of us girls together! Dan is way fast for us, he finished like 3 hours before we did. Ya, he rocks.

While I was running in, I was looking along the sidelines for my friends that live in Cali that said they were going to come see me. I didn't see them and I got a little sad. I thought maybe they had left because I was taking so long and she had three children with her. After taking the above picture, you go around a corner into the parking lot where they had tents set up for you to refuel on food and fluids. I could barely walk (I did just complete 26.2 miles) around the corner but the minute I saw my friends sitting behind the fence waiting for me, I ran. I don't know where that came from but it was in me. It made my day to see them and I finally broke down in tears. I was elated. I think it just took me a while for it to all sink in. I did it. I really completed a marathon. Granted, I didn't run the whole thing nor get the time I was shooting for, but it was more important for me to stay with my friends and make some memories. And boy did we make some memories along our sunshiny, 7+ hour, 26.2 mile day. I may not have been able to say this at the time, but I loved every minute of it. All the pain, laughs, and tears. Not only did I complete the event, but I did it for Ed, Greg, Gavin, Saige, and everyone else battling blood cancer and for those that have lost their battles.

The Past Six Months

My life has been somewhat, ok, really hectic these past six months and I have quite a bit to share with you. I have wanted to post about these for months, but haven't been able to due to some unforeseen circumstances that have occurred in the mean time.

In short, here is what the past six months have looked like :

JUNE
- Leave for San Diego
- Completed a full marathon
- Got second degree burns on the back of my calves
JULY
- Bridesmaid in my friends wedding
- Went to a Keith Urban concert
AUGUST
- Had mole removed on the back of my leg and biopsied
- Visited my sister
- Biopsy results came back : positive for melanoma
- Applied for a new job that was full time and offered benefits
- Interview for potential job number one
- Surgery to hopefully remove the cancerous cells and biopsied
- Removed from my parents health insurance as I reached age 26
SEPTEMBER
- Interview for potential job number two and received job offer for it two hours later
- Interviewed a second time for potential job number one but accepted job offer for job number two
- Received test results back : removed 100% of the cancerous cells
- Started 6 weeks of training for new job that requires passing the Series 6 within three attempts
OCTOBER
- Attended my friends wedding
- Attended another friends baby shower
NOVEMBER
- Grandpa died
- Attempt number one at Series 6 : Fail
- First day on new job
- Thanksgiving
DECEMBER
- Attempt number two at Series 6 : PASS

So, there was a lot going on in my life these past six months and I had to try and remain focused on the requirements for my new job, as I really need a job. So some of the more leisure activities were pushed aside And if you don't think that looks like a crazy few months, then you live a crazy life. I normally work, eat, sleep, and repeat with the occasional trip to the grocery store in there. I don't need a cram packed life to feel like I'm living life. Actually, if I had a schedule like that I think I would go crazy.

I plan to play catch up on my blog regarding some of the above mentioned activities, so stay tuned if you're interested. And if there is something you are particularly interested in knowing more about, feel free to submit your requests.

Team in Training

I have been a participant with Team in Training since January 2009. Around new years time I decided that I wanted to train for a mini-marathon to help motivate me to get into shape. Shortly into the new year I received some information in the mail about Team in Training. I attended one of their "recruiting" meetings to see what it was all about and I decided to give it a shot.

Team in Training (TNT) began in 1988 when a man from NY formed a team that raised funds and trained to run the New York City Marathon. The team of 38 runners raised a total of $322,000 (To read more of the back story click here.) TNT has trained over a half a million runners, walkers, triathletes, cyclists and hikers that have come together to raise over $1.2 billion for the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society.

Over the course of the past three seasons I have met some wonderful people from my teammates, honored heroes (those that are a survivor of a blood cancer or those that are currently undergoing treatment) and their families, to the office staff. Some of these people have become my closest friends.

Before every race TNT puts together a Pasta Inspiration Dinner where ALL TNT participants and their families come together to listen to the touching stories of those who lives have been forever changed because of blood cancers. I have come to realize that cancer does not discriminate; however, the cancer has an extreme battle to overcome as I am always amazed of how little kids and even adults can face such a horrible thing but face it with a smile on their face. This dinner is a reminder of what we set out to do and its what keeps us going at mile 12 when all we want to do is stop. I always remind myself that that little kid doesn't have a choice to not get treatment, doesn't have a choice to not have cancer, so I don't have a choice to stop running. I fight for families so they don't have to fight - so they can focus on the care and supporting their loved ones.

I have been blessed to be able to participate with such a team while I give back to those who need it the most and I have no plans to stop pounding the pavement to train for events until a cure is found.

If you are interested in being involved with TNT, please visit their website to see what you can do to help!

The Bible in One Year

I found the reading plan on The One Year Bible Online website.

They offer a simple One Year Reading plan which goes from cover to cover, and a Chronological Reading plan that has you read the bible in the order the events actually occurred. Both plans are on their website as well as links to each month's reading plan, or the option for the 7 Day Readings which allows you to choose your start date of reading and will pull up what reading you are on for today. There are some other neat links on their page so check it out.
I have chosen to do the Chronological Reading plan as it will help tie everything together as one fluent story rather than having it broken up. I guess you could save the chronological plan is like watching a movie where as the basic one year plan is like watching a movie that has a million flashbacks. Flashbacks can be tricky, especially when you're piecing it together over a year.

Hatch / Neal Family Support

**The following post was primarily written by my friend, Angi. She composed this in a way I could not have. Full credit is given to her for the words below-- I did edit the email address to reflect mine. Thank you for reading!**

Dear Friends,

My blog is not typically a very serious blog, so I hope that you can realize the seriousness of this post.


Maria, Stephen, and Kim Hatch
Photo credit: Maria - Facebook

 The family of a dear friend of mine was involved in a very tragic airplane crash on June 24, 2011. You can read the news stories here, here, and here. I highly suggest you read them.

In the crash, Maria's mother Kim, and father Stephen, both died, and her 16-year-old brother AJ was critically injured. At this time he is still in a medically induced coma. Maria and her husband, Jason, sister Brittnee, and brother Austin are all undoubtedly in a great deal of pain. Maria is due to give birth to her first child at Christmastime.

It is a miracle that AJ survived this plane crash, but it is even more unbelievable to know that this is the second plane crash he has survived.

I personally, am at a loss for what to do, or even where to start. I don't really even know how to write this post.

I've been brainstorming with Allison on how to help them out, and we want to help in any way we can.

Kim and Stephen Hatch
Photo credit: Maria - Facebook

We felt that doing a gift card drive would be the best route for us to go. I would hate to inconvenience anyone by causing them to sit around and wait for us to deliver meals, so if we were to get them gift cards to specific restaurants, grocery stores, or even Visa gift cards, they could make their own decisions about what they would like to eat.

I understand that asking for donations via the internet can be sketchy at best, especially since most of you don't know me, but I need to get this out there anyway, in the event that you can and want to help.

We know that we cannot take away their pain, but if we can bring even a small amount of comfort to them by showing we care, that is what we intend to do.

Kim, Stephen, AJ, and Maria Hatch
Photo credit: Maria - Facebook

If you are interested in helping, please contact me by email at alli.bulmahn @ gmail (dot) com, and I can get you the details of where to mail your donation to. If you feel negatively about our collection, please keep your thoughts to yourself, as we are only trying to help and be positive.

We will collect as long as you want to donate. Please, read the news stories and try to imagine how you would feel, and how much you would appreciate the help.

Thank you,
Angi & Allison

**Update June 27, 2011**

Dear Friends,

We understand that there may be many of you that would love to give but are hesitant due to not knowing us and the increased number of internet scams. So, Angi and I are currently in the process of finding out if their local church and/or school has set up a memorial fund yet. If not, we will find a way to get one in place for the family.

We are still collecting gift cards for the family and would appreciate any donation you can and are willing to give. We will hand deliver these to Maria.

If you do not know us are you are wanting to give but are hesitant because of that fact, please check back periodically for the memorial donation information.

Thank you in advance for your donations and thank you again for your continued prayers for the Hatch/Neal family!

Sincerely,
Allison and Angi