$ 3,338

133%

$ 2,500

New Year, New Race

 

Running is a big question mark that's there each and every day. It asks you, 'Are you going to be a wimp or are you going to be strong today?' Peter Maher, Sub-2:12 marathoner

 

☺☻☺☻☺☻☺☻☺☻☺☻☺☻☺☻☺

 

May 19, 2008: WOW!  What an incredible - and exhausting - weekend.  Despite the threat of rain, Sunday dawned chilly, but bright.  The 4 loops of the marathon were mentally exhausting, but luckily I had my coach, mentor and fellow trainees there to keep me going when I wanted to quit and my amazingly supportive fiancé and parents on the sidelines with whatever I needed whenever I ran, walked or hobbled by.  In the end, it all comes down to the finish, which I did: strong, with a smile on my face and forty minutes faster than my last marathon.  I'd call that a success ...

 

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Thank you sponsors!

 

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May 12, 2008: Well, the last two weekends have flown by with a couple of easy 10 & 8 mile runs, respectively.  (Even though I've done this before, getting to the point where eight and ten mile runs are easy still just blows my mind!) With 6 days left until the marathon, my focus this week is stretching and icing my IT band, staying loose and eating healthy.  One thing I don't have to worry about is fundraising.  Thanks to all of you, I beat my fundraising goal by more than $300!  So, wish me good luck, send some happy thoughts my way and do the anti-rain-dance for Sunday.

 

April 29, 2008: Less than 3 weeks before the marathon and I couldn't be more excited or in better shape for the race ... well, I could, but I'd have to miraculously shoot up 6 inches or so and get rid of these hobbit legs :-)

My 20 last weekend was even better than my 16 the week before and now it's just a matter of fine-tuning all the accessory issues: pre-race food, race gear and race day logistics. One thing I don't have to worry about: I've already scheduled my post-race massage. Woo-hoo!

 

April 20, 2008: Sixteen miles this weekend flew by (ok, so flew is a slight exaggeration) in the gorgeous weather.  I even annihilated my previous 16 mile time ... now that's satisfying!  20 coming up this weekend will be the true test and the last hard run before our taper.

 

April 7, 2008: 9 miserable miles in the driving wind and rain this weekend. Blehyuck!

 

April 1, 2008: 16 miles never felt so good!  A little experiment broke the mileage up over Saturday and Sunday and my legs are still thanking me for it.  Plus my new favorite Cherry Sport Beans with caffeine didn't hurt either!

 

March 18, 2008: Well, let’s just say that the first 10 miles of my 14-miler this Saturday were my best so far: I shaved 7 minutes off my previous best 10-mile time … woo-hoo!

 

March 3, 2008: So I totally felt like the postman on Saturday: wind, rain and sleet couldn’t stop me from completing my 12-miler. Plus, I’m continuing to improve on my time from the last marathon and starting to figure out all the bells and whistles on my running watch ...

 

February 20, 2008: 10 miles this weekend ... better than the 8 I ran on my birthday now that I'm fully recovered from a nasty head cold.

 

January 29, 2008: Despite having to nurse along a fussy IT band toward the end of my 6 miles last weekend, Dan, Kitt and I managed to squeeze in a couple of tempo runs and a good average pace. So, lots of ice and stretching this week and I should be ready for 8 miles on my birthday this weekend.

 

January 4, 2008: Last year I finished my first marathon - in the land "Where Dreams Come True" no less - and my first adventure with Team in Training.  This year I'll be sticking close to home for my second marathon, but the cause is the same: to help fight and cure the #1 disease-killer of children under 15 (leukemia) and the leading killer of men and women under 35 (lymphoma).

 

With the marathon only 4 months away (and counting!), I am 30 miles into my training with more than 400 more miles to run before the starting gun goes off on May 18th. So, I am going to be racking up the miles on the asphalt and asking all of y’all for your help: my goal is to raise $2,500 by April 18th for the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society (LLS). Last year, I was overwhelmed by your support, but, unfortunately, the big race hasn’t ended yet; we haven’t yet crossed the finish line to a cure. Every mile run, though, every penny earned, keeps us moving toward our goal.

 

Almost everyone that participates in TNT has someone they're running for and a lot of what keeps you motivated during the grueling 26.2 miles of the race is thinking about them and hearing the survivors there along the course yelling things like "Go purple!" and "Thank you Team!" and "You can do it!" Leukemia and lymphoma sufferers and survivors are out there for you - telling you that you can do it.

 

That's when the magnitude of what you're helping the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society do really sets in: it's about perseverance and hope.

 

With Team in Training celebrating twenty years of saving lives in 2008, it’s evident now, more than ever, what a difference your support makes; the strides we’ve made in that time are staggering. In 1987, the five-year survival rate for someone diagnosed with chronic myelogenous leukemia was less than 5.5%. Last year, five-year survival reached 95% with the help of new drug treatments. In 2007, the money you donated during my last race helped the LLS provide financial assistance to 16,958 patients nationwide. 
 

If you choose to do so, making a donation will help me meet my fundraising goal and help the Society continue to work toward a cure. Plus, the great thing about LLS is that your donation is completely tax deductible and 75% of what the Society spends goes directly to patient services and research.  Thank you so much for your support!