Team Transplant, UWMC

So great to be back in touch!   Our spring season starts this weekend…and I couldn’t be more excited!   The Seattle Rock’n Roll Half Marathon was an incredible experience last year, and I’m so thrilled to have you all on board for the 2010 event!    But as you all know…Team Transplant isn’t just about the race…it’s about the journey.  And a big part of that journey is the training….and a big part of the training is the practices…and a big part of the practices is the people…so with that said…I look forward to starting the journey with all of you tomorrow morning at 8:00am at Green Lake!

Here’s what’s going on so far…

Saturday, March 13th, 8:00am….Green Lake dirt track…our first official practice!   We’ll meet in the West parking lot between the tennis courts and the dirt track (aka, the newly renovated soccer field)   Directions should be on the sheet I sent out earlier this week.  Let me know if you didn’t get it!

Saturday, March 20th, 8:00am…Montlake Community Center…We will be having our first of what we hope to make annual spring season kick-off breakfast potluck!  Please contact Janette Morantes (morantes@u.washington.edu) and Susan Bussell (bussells@u.washington.edu) if you’d like to help out…
…and speaking of helping out…

We can always use more water station volunteers.  Contact Susan Bussell at bussells@u.washington.edu if you’re interested!   We will also have a sign up sheet at practice tomorrow.
Training schedules…
I sent ‘em out on Monday so please let me know if you did NOT receive them….I’ve been playing around with the e-mail list so if I missed you…It was not intentional!
Transplant Olympics…
Transplant recipients and donors!  If you’re interested in being a part of the Transplant Olympics, contact the Team Northwest  team manager, Kristie Lemmon at  team.akorwa@gmail.com
We will have brochures for you at practice…but in the mean time, for more information, go to www.teamnorthwest.org or www.transplantgames.org
Superstar of the Not so Off-Season…

Mr. Sam Patterson!    I was out running out along the Interurban Trail up in Shoreline a couple of Sundays ago…In fact, it was the same Sunday as the USA/Canada hockey game.  As I made my way up the strip that runs along Aurora heading toward Skye Nursery, I saw a flash of bright yellow ahead of me.  As I got closer…I realized there was something very familiar about this particular bright yellow…It wasn’t just any bright yellow.  No…It was THE bright yellow belonging to the sweatshirt of one Mr. Sam Patterson!  He was out working off some energy after the hockey game…you can be sure Sam had been watching the game!  Of our encounter, Sam writes…
You’d think that wasabi green (apparently I was wearing my Team Transplant shirt) and fluorescent yellow-green would knock the eye balls off anyone  .Even at dusk…off Aurora Avenue,of all places.
Turns out Sam’s been doing a little training on his own…And while he has decided to opt out of this spring’s half marathon, he still plans to join us for practices and has a schedule of 5k’s lined up for the next few months in an effort to concentrate on improving his speed.   Can’t wait to see how his hard work pays off!
Training Tips…Rules of the Road…Safety Tips to keep in mind for practices…

•    Remember to sign-in/sign-out…We will have a table at with the Team Transplant banner at our start/finish locations with a notebook for you to sign in when you arrive for practice and to sign out when you leave.  If you forget to sign out or decide to cut a workout short, please call us on the Team Transplant phone so that we know that you’re okay and accounted for…
•    Try to stay on  the course we’ve laid out.  This is the best way we have of keeping track of everyone and of making sure you’re all doing okay!
•    Make sure that we have the correct phone number listed on the sign-in/sign out sheet.  It should be the number for the cell phone that you carry with you!
•    Carry your cell phone with you:
◦    Be sure you have the Team Transplant phone number with you
◦    Remember…This is not just for you but is also a way for you to call for help if something happens to someone around you during practice!
◦    Call us if you need assistance during your workout; if you get lost or can’t find us; or if you forget to sign in or sign out.
◦    If you are or someone you’re training with is having chest pains, shortness of breath, or collapses, call 911 first…Then call us!
•    Use the workouts to practice your hydration and nutrition regimen for race day!
•    If blood sugar control is an issue, make sure you carry some kind of carbohydrate along with you…and please remember your glucometer so that you can track what your levels are doing.
•    Ask questions!  We are here to support you!