TSM in the news...

Marin IJ - July 15, 2004

Sisterhood and Survival

Women's group urges wellness with fitness and exercise
by Geoff Lepper, Marin IJ

TRAINING BUDDIES: Tiburon Triathlon competitor Nancy Weninger (left) is coaching a group of women who are participating and training to raise awareness about cancer. Penny Noble (center) and Joyce Thomson are among the survivors.

You can practically see Joyce Thomson's glow, even over the phone.

"I just came off climbing a 14,000 foot mountain, and I feel fantastic," said Thomson, a 60-year-old breast cancer survivor from Mill Valley who spend last week on Mt. Shasta in the Climb Against the Odds, a fundraising event for The Breast Cancer Fund. "I've never felt better."

That's music to the ears of Nancy Weninger. The Larkspur resident recently formed Team Survivor Marin, a group that helps women with cancer use exercise to combat aftereffects of the disease and its treatments.

Thomson and Weninger are two of several Marin athletes who have been training with TSM in preparation for the Tiburon Triathlon -- a half-mile swim, a 9-mile bike ride and a 2-mile run -- on July 25.

"More and more research is showing exercise during treatment is helpful for cancer patients," said Weninger, a retired elementary-school teacher who earned her personal trainer certification as part of the TSM project. "It just improves women's sense of quality of life and has physical and psychological benefits."

According to the new book "Cancer Fitness" by Anna Schwartz, an associate professor of nursing at the University of Washington and cancer survivor, "Fatigue is the number one side effect of cancer and its treatment. It is the most pervasive and disruptive side effect of cancer treatment and affects nearly 100 percent of patients."

But, Schwartz says, exercise -- even as little as 10 minutes every other day -- reduces the chronic tiredness that comes with the disease.

That's where TSM, one of 20 local branches of the national Team Survivor organization, comes in with its free services.

"I have more physical energy and endurance", Thomson said. "I think my psychological outlook is more happy and content, and that's got to affect your immune system."

Said Weninger: "The whole premise behind Team Survivor is, it's not just about physical fitness. It's empowerment. It tells women that life after cancer can be good, that you can take control of your life and health and do things you never thought possible. There's something about the discipline of training and the sense of power you get from doing the training like that."

Given county residents' affinity for physical activity and the elevated rates of cancer in women, Team Survivor seems like a natural for Marin. But there wasn't a local chapter until May 2002, when Weninger met with three other women -- Lynn Goehner, Molly McCormick and Penny Noble -- to form TSM.

"I talked to everybody I knew and told them what I was doing; most everyone knew somebody who thought they would benefit from this," said Weninger, who hasn't had cancer but suffers from strength-sapping Addison's disease.

Noble, already an accomplished triathlete from Mill Valley, didn't need much guidance from the TSM group in preparing for the Tiburon Triathlon. But the two-time breast cancer survivor said that training with fellow survivors held benefits that training with other teams would not.

"First of all, there's a real comaraderie among people who are cancer survivors, in general," said Noble, who mentored some of the less experienced Tiburon athletes. "It's much easier to talk about what you've gone through, and with the rapport you have, it's easier to be part of a team. It doesn't take long before you're a team... It's a hard way to get there, but it's a good experience, if that makes sense."

Team Survivor Marin is open only to women -- Weninger's most heart-wrenching moment was having to turn away some men, referred by a group unclear on TSM's mission -- but welcomes those who have suffered from any form of cancer.

TRAINING WITH A PURPOSE: Nancy Weninger (left) trains with Penny Noble (center) and Joyce Thomson for the Tiburon Triathlon July 25. Noble and Thomson are cancer survivors.

Since many cancer sufferers grew up before the advent of Title IX and aren't so comfortable with the world of triathlons, TSM is also hoping to institute "Walk and Talk" and or "Hike and Talk" geared for women who are looking to improve their fitness in a more unhurried pace.

"We're not just way-out-there mountain climbing," Weninger said. "We do easier stuff, too."

Explained Thomson: "Not everybody's going to be competing in every event, but you know they'll all be there to support you and help in your training."

For more information on Team Survivor Marin, visit www.teamsurvivormarin.org, email batsmarin@yahoo.com or call 924-6887. For more information on the Tiburon Triathlon, visit members.aol.com/triathlon.