Thursday, September 30, 2004

Event 1 Day 0

Not the score, but the current status. We have now completed Day Zero for the San Diego event. It went fantastically smooth and everyone seemed pumped to have a great event. The MotoCrew is ready, willing and able. We have our maps, radios and paraphernalia necessary and desirable for three days of providing Route Safety.

The best parts of the day were when someone came up from the long registration lines and yelled, "Moto dude!" or "Hey, I remember you!". The hugs started a day early, as far as I am concerned. I saw many walkers I remember and some I don't. It was so cool to hear people be excited that we (MotoCrew) were back again this year. What is really amazing to me is how many people I saw at multiple events. I saw people who I met at ACT in Phoenix walking around in San Diego, either as a crew member or a walker. We have Road Coaches from AZ crewing in SD, Crew Coordinators from LA crewing in AZ, and many other overlaps. This thing really gets into your blood.

And speaking of getting into your blood, my sister Lauren and my father Larry both volunteered today to help handle donations and check in. Before the day was other, Lauren had already signed on to walk next year in San Diego (my apologies now to Lauren's husband Bill and her friend Mette -- you both know why). Of course, I am already signed up to crew next year in San Diego, the only California event scheduled for 2005.

Tomorrow starts the real fun. I'll leave my friend Bethel's house at 5:00am to be at the Del Mar Race Track around 5:30am to drop off my luggage and sleeping bag at the gear truck. Opening Ceremonies will start around 6:15am with the walkers heading out on the course around 6:45am. I have been assigned the second position for the MotoCrew so I will be out on the course early, about 2 miles away from the start line. I am scheduled to have three posts tomorrow so it will be a long day. I can't wait!

Next update will be from the course tomorrow (short updates throughout they day, I hope).

Wednesday, September 29, 2004

Packed and Ready

T Minus 1 and counting. My bike is packed and tuned for the next 30 days. While I will have a few days at home between SD and LA, I need to be ready to live on the bike for the month of October.

In the air now for one last business trip to Seattle. Home late tonight, hopefully in time to join the Original Sole Sisters for dinner.

Tomorrow is Day Zero of Event One for me! I can't wait!

Tuesday, September 28, 2004

Another "Foreigner" to the Crew

From: Linda J Hammett
Subject: RE: Follow the 3-Day from a MotoCrew perspective!

Hey Michael!

Hello from Texas. I am heading over to be part of the Motocrew for the Phoenix 3-Day. I will leave Dallas on 16 Oct taking the "northern route" --- which for me is Amarillo, Albuquerque, Flagstaff (required stop over in Flag to play in the Grand Canyon 1 day) and ease on down to Phoenix on Wednesday. I may repeat the northern route back home or go "southern" -- Safford, Lordsburg, El Paso, Pecos, Abilene, Dallas.....or "10-20-30" as we call it around here -- refers to the interstates.

This will be my 4th 3-Day. I walked the first Boston (2000), the first Seattle (2001) and motocrewed the first Dallas (2002). All those were under the Avon Foundation. I am already signed up for Dallas 2005 and San Diego ( !! ) 2005. Looking forward to meeting you in Phoenix and riding with you in San Diego in 2005!

I will be on a 2003 Honda Magna 750cc -- temporarily with outriggers (MTC Voyager). I was hit by an SUV 17 Jan this year and am still rehab-ing and recover. But that's another story. I have been checked out by both my Drs and Physical Therapist and have been back on the bike for a month. Put in about 700 miles so far getting back into shape for crew.

Sorry I wasn't in Phoenix for the crew training but it was Yom Kippur. Given the events of my year, one day I didn't want to miss in synagogue!

Regards,

LJH

Monday, September 27, 2004


Day 1 Decorations... Just trying them on for size. Real pictures will be coming when the event starts on Friday!

All Crew Training -- Playing Catch-up


Time to play a little catch-up. I started this BLOG after the All-Crew Training (ACT) sessions we had in San Diego, San Francisco and Phoenix but I want to share my feelings about those events in retrospect.

Aug 28, 2004 -- San Diego ACT

This being my second year for San Diego, I got to see all of the "old timers" we met last year. Almost the entire MotoCrew is back from last year, with a few Moves, Adds and Changes. Orb and Lisa, we wish you all the best in Belize and continue excellent health. To our newer members, welcome. You will have a blast!

The ACT went as expected with Zoe, Dagmar and Jen putting on an amazing show as always. Aren't they just the cutest triplets you've ever seen? ;-) The three of them, plus several staff members and Mr. Bumble led us through our meet and greet sessions as well as the actual training events. With several hundred walkers ending their training at our Pit Stop, we had a great day!

Sep 18, 2004 -- San Francisco ACT

Another great group of folks supporting the cause. From the sunshine and heat of the San Diego and Phoenix (see next paragraph) ACTs, the cold of San Francisco was a surprise to me and others. The ACT was very well coordinated and managed which made it very enjoyable. A lot of positive, fun people too. Another group of several hundred walkers, made up in large part by the Warming Hut Hotties!, were present at our Pit Stop for a little rest, nourishment and kibitzing. It was great to see Craig, the Crew Coordinator, again and to meet my crew captain, Dee Dee.


Sep 25, 2004 -- Phoenix ACT

Um... HOT? OK, I expected Phoenix to be hot, but damn people! Stop telling me we were lucky it had cooled down. Face it, triple digits is HOT. Anyway, the event was a blast since I knew no one there -- at least I thought I didn't until I ran into Tom Tryon, Crew Coordinate for LA who is crewing PHX, and a few walkers who knew me from San Diego in 2003. "Hey, weren't you the Cat in the Hat guy?" or "Thing 1 and Thing 2, right?". Yup Yup... that's me!

The event was great and meeting everyone was a blast. Unfortunately, the ride home wasn't as much fun as I expected when my bike broke down in Gila Bend, AZ. Actually, I just broke my shift linkage -- nothing some industrial grade zip-tying couldn't fix! I rode it home (back in San Diego at 10:30pm) and got the shifter fixed on Monday. All ready for the start of the events in San Diego this week!

Speaking of getting my bike ready, props and a great big Thank You to Rough House Cycles (http://www.rhchd.com/). Not only did they squeeze me in for a 25k tune up to prepare the bike for the hard riding, parade speed 3-Day but they fixed my linkage and donated to my fund raising! Amazing, guys! Thanks so much.

Thursday, September 02, 2004

Welcome!




My name is Michael Landesman and I am creating this BLOG to chronical my amazing experiences with the Susan G. Komen Breast Cancer 3-Day Events in San Diego, Los Angeles and San Francisco, CA, as well as the closing event in Phoenix, AZ.

To learn more about the event, my fund raising and my reasons for supporting Komen and Breast Cancer Research, please check out this link


Wednesday, September 01, 2004


New Year's Eve, 1998

Sally on Merry-go-Round at Disneyland, 1998

My "Fallen Angel"