The Final Countdown!

Stacey found a fourth member for Loggie's Ladies - Welcome Helen! - so we are all set for the race that starts in just under 48 hours. Chad and I are heading from Pennington at around midday tomorrow and will meet the other Ladies up at Killington, hopefully with enough time to do a preride, which will give us a chance to check out the course.

Weatherwise it looks like there are going to be isolated thunderstorms over the weekend, hopefully they won't be isolated to the race. Luckily this race has a rain course and we are staying in a condo this year so no wet tents to worry about.

More tomorrow as we head north. Stay tuned.

Kathrin

...and then there were three

Ringwood State Park in New Jersey is a tough trail even for experienced mountain bikers. But Rachel is tough and rides over just about anything. This past weekend a fall in one of the numerous rock gardens left Rachel with some pain in her elbow. Of course being the tough chick that she is, she rode the rest of the trail insisting she'd be fine for the Killington race in two weeks. Unfortunately, she will need to stay off of it for 6 weeks to let the fracture heal as advised by her doctor.

At this point, Kathrin, Jayne and I are in search of a fourth woman to fill in for Rachel. If you know of anyone who might be interested, please contact one of us. We will still be doing the race regardless, but would love to bring another bold mountain bike chick into the mix.

And Rach: we'll miss you!

Updates from Dr. Loggie's Research

From Dr. Loggie...

A part of our most recent work with PMP is following on the heels of some important observations made on another rare disease called peritoneal mesothelioma. This has caused our expansion at a break-neck speed, which has been alarming and exciting (all at the same time). I’ve hired a talented PhD scientist to help with the identification of possible gene mutations in PMP tumors. Our major focus will be looking at the epidermal growth factor gene, but we are also looking at a number of selected genes as well as their related molecular pathways.

An additional project has begun to determine if we can develop more effective markers in the blood. We are expanding observations made on cell experiments looking into the biology of mucin which is characteristically produced by PMP tumors. This has turned up some surprises. The long and short of it is that mucin appears to be an important molecule to these cells, as opposed to being produced, expelled into the environment and forgotten. Interfering with mucin production does reduce mucin production but also slows cell growth, increases cell phase arrest, increases tumor cell death (apoptosis), and induces other changes which frankly I did not expect. We are finishing up and expanding these observations and will be working on a manuscript this summer.

Possible New Treatment Strategies
Switching from the basic sciences, I believe there is an additional promising treatment strategy available for cancer patients, specifically those with PMP. It is now timely to make hyperthermia treatment available as a unique “fourth” modality (after surgery, chemotherapy/drug therapy, and radiation therapy). Hyperthermia can be used alone to treat tumors but is typically used to enhance the effects of radiation and chemotherapy. I am of the belief that the unique biology of PMP, given the high mucin content, and therefore high water content, would lend itself to treatment with externally applied hyperthermia using microwave technology. Quite simply, hyperthermia gives us a chance to drastically expand treatment options.

Less than a month away

The count down is on...less than a month until the 24 hours of Killingon. The team is ready for the challenge and we are looking forward to the comfortable accommodations this year compared to the past years at Mud-acmuchy!

Fundraising details to follow.

Thanks for you interest.

Kathrin

Live Footage of the Evening - Rain, Rain and more Rain

Chad and I are back in Pennington now and guess what, it is sunny! Figures that it would be nice, in fact it doesn't even seem that it rained all that hard here, which makes me believe that the storms were isolated to Allamuchy.

Here is some footage of us hanging in the tent while Jayne was out slogging in the woods and really digging it. She didn't encounter the bear that was supposedly wandering out in the woods. The bear was probably just hanging out in a cave where it was dry wondering what these humans were up to.

Kathrin

Flooding at Allamuchy

I had set my alarm for 4am, thinking that I could snooze for a bit before the dawn lap, but I was awoken before that at around 3:30am by wicked thunder storm #2. I went back to sleep thinking that the rain would stop by 5am, but that was not the case. I went back to sleep with some difficulty because by that point there was water dripping from tent ceiling onto my pillow. I guess when the weatherperson said there were going to be isolated thunder storms, they meant that the storms would be isolated to Allamuchy, aka. Mudamuchy

Although I kind of like the idea of going out now, I think that would regret that decision when I am walking my bike through 10 inches of mud at mile 4. We have called it quits for this year, which makes me sad. I think that Loggie's Ladies have to find a race that isn't in August when such crazy weather is likely, or maybe racing in the desert at Moab, Utah should be a consideration!!

Thank you everybody for your support. It has been great reading the comments.

Kathrin

Warm, dry, and fast...

probably somewhere, but not Allamuchy. I had the pleasure of doing my first lap in the dusk/dark. Having a little trouble seeing, I had a few run-ins with some rocks and mud that jumped out of the trail. I'm hoping to get a chance to ride the trails in the light but the thunderstorms that started on Jayne's second lap haven't completely let up yet. Hopefully it will be dry enough tomorrow.

We have decided to give Jayne the tough girl award for doing almost her entire lap during a torrential downpour. Concerned that she was having a miserable lap we all stayed up waiting for her return. She got back about twenty minutes ago with a huge grin on her face raving about how much fun it was.

You go girl!!

Anyway, Kathrin loves the crack of dawn rides and is going to re-evaluate the weather situation at about 5am. Until then...

-Stacey

Hell is somewhere between mile 7 and 8

I was feeling really good until just past mile 7, that is when the trail from hell appears (uphill) followed by a downhill that required some really good balance and aim. It is really hot!! The folks at the medical tent had their hands full when I passed, looks like a lot of folks who were in need of water.

I really dig the course this year (with the exception of that hill from hell) but there are some sections that you can really let it rip and they (thankfully) too the really long hill that used to be at the end.

Pam is out there right now and Stacey is ready to rock. Then we head into the night. Should be fun.

Kathrin

Riding Buddy

Oh boy. Mud. Lots and lots of mud.

Spend a lot of time riding with this guy, my new mountain biking buddy...

-Jayne

and we're off!

poor jayne, she drew the short stick so she took the first lap - like champ! after overcoming our 7:30
am car/stuff logistical issues, realizing upon arrival that half of our bike rack was no longer attached to the car and that the bathroom at Quickmark was actually the stockroom, we had a successful start.

here's to staying hydrated and energetic in the 95-degree, 98% humidity-weather :)

~Pamela

On our way....

We had some minor logistical issues with loading the bikes, but Jayne, Pam and I are now on our way. The last weather report looks promising, with the thunderstorms holding off until 1pm tomorrow. Send us some positive energy!!

-Stacey

The Countdown

There are about 4 hours and 45 minutes until we get underway. It is a rather foggy morning, but that should burn off and get really hot. Pam, Stacey and Jayne should also be on their way and we are all meeting there.

I have got run, my ride, Seung, will be here any second.

'later

The Ladies Meet for PreRace Strategy Session

We finally all met tonight and figured out the logistics for the weekend. Tents, lights, bikes, getting to the race, etc. It was great to meet face to face, and we are definitely all psyched about the race on the weekend. It looks like the weather is going to clear up in time and get really hot, which is better than rain we guess :-)

The fundraising is going well. Thanks to all of our friends and family who have shown their support. Be sure to check back as the race gets underway on the weekend.

Kathrin

From Dr. Loggie ...

Thanks you for supporting research efforts into pseudomyxoma peritonei (PMP). This is a difficult and frustrating disease to treat, most especially since our therapeutic options remain relatively limited. We are trying to change that with our ongoing research program. The disease is rare enough that conventional funding sources are difficult to obtain. Fortunately, we have had strong grass roots support from patients and families. We have already been able to broaden our treatment approaches in a relatively short time. We have added people and have additional resources. We fully expect to make continued progress. We also expect that treatments arising from these will impact not just on PMP but also on more common cancers such as colon cancer, breast cancer, and lung cancer. We are looking at the disease from several different points. We have ongoing research into the associated mucin production which is a dramatic clinical manifestation of PMP. A series of experiments looking at mucin suppression using drugs formulated in our laboratory are planned to begin in September. We are looking for possible alterations in epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) at the molecular level and associated changes in cell signaling which can influence this disease. This has recently been a fruitful avenue of research for our translational research group into a very rare disease, malignant peritoneal mesothelioma.

(A web search on “loggie foster mesothelioma” should turn up recent abstracts.).

Allamuchy 2007

Loggie's Ladies are at it again!! Unfortunately Dirt Devil Donna won't be racing with us this year, however Stacey and I and hopefully a couple of additional teammates plan on rocking the course in efforts to raise money for PMP treatment research. Stay in tune as we finalize our training and hit the trails in northern NJ, where there are actually some mountains, OK maybe they are more like hills :-)

To make online donations for Racing for Research go to our fundraising site. All proceeds will go to Dr. Brian Loggie at the Creighton University Medical Center where he does research in the treatment of Psuedomyxoma Peritonei. Thanks in advance for your support.

Kathrin

Final Count = Seven Laps

Well, as you may have guessed, we did call it quits after my morning lap that ended in a deluge of rain this morning at 6:30am. The rain didn't let up and the word from the course was that things were as slippery as ever. We decided to be happy with the seven completed laps and have resolved to train in the dark and in the rain for next year. :-)

Thanks for all of the support that we got during the race; Bob, Taylor, Patrick, Donna and Annette, it was great to read your blog posts and also thanks to those who emailed to say that you were enjoying the updates. We had an international audience with folks from China to Switzerland checking out how things were going.

Also, thank you for your support of the Racing for Research fund raiser! The fund raiser was very successful and I look forward to be able to present the proceeds to Dr. Loggie and his team. All supporters will be getting a race newsletter, so look for that in your inboxes.

And finally, a big thanks to Stacey and Donna who are great riders and great teammates.

All for now, I have some sleep to catch up on!

KS

Pro Mountain Biker: Unlikely Career Path for Kathrin

One thing is for sure, I probably will never be a professional mountain biker! I had what can only be descried as a pathetic lap this morning. I got up a 4:30am and hit the trail around 4:45am. The first three miles took me forever and I was still trying to identify the root that took Donna out.

There is something very relaxing about riding in the woods, completely by yourself, in the dark. I rather enjoyed it, well until the rain started up. I was between mile 6 and 7 when the rain started this morning. Thankfully I had on an extra layer of clothing and was through most of the technical sections by then. I was inspired by the Cannondale Pro Rider, but could only keep up with her with her for a few meters before she left me in the mud and I lulled back into my biathalon approach to this race...it goes something like this - ride, try to get through tough rocky/slippery root section, spin out, dismount, run through rocks, get back on bike. Repeat 50 times and you have my lap.

It is still raining and we are kind of bummed out, so this may be the end of our race. I am going to take a hot shower and see if I another lap in these legs.

KS

Ouch

Muscles hurt that I didn't know I had. Third lap in the dark was fun but slow and exhausting. Sleep is my friend.

Chillin' at the Camp Fire

Donna and Chris just got back from the hospital. She is doing well, however has been instructed to ice her face every 30 minutes, so she and Chris are going to head home to PA. The rest of us who aren't riding at the moment are chillin' by the camp fire. Our site is right at the point where riders enter the campground so it is fun to cheer folks on as they make their way to the transition are.

KS

New Game Plan for Loggie's Ladies

Word from the hospital is that Donna has to wait for the facial surgeon since she needs stitches on her face. She is doing fine, but it is unlikely that she will be doing any more laps. Stacey and I evaluated the situation and decided that she would go for a night lap now and then we would both get some sleep before I head out tomorrow morning at 4:30am. That gives us 8 hours to complete 4 more laps hitting our goal of 10 laps. :-)

My last lap as mostly in the dark and I have discovered that I ride better when I don't see what I am riding over. In daylight you see every rock and root, however my night lights don't make every rock visible and things seem to flow better.

Stacey is tearing up the course right now and I am going to hit the sack for a bit. I hear rolling thunder in the distance, I really hope that doesn't head our way!

KS