Lisa Davis ran a marathon...for life!
** Read Update Below **
26.2 miles. Been there, ran that!
I have started training to run in a marathon as a member of The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society's Team In Training. All of us on Team In Training are raising funds to help stop leukemia, lymphoma, Hodgkin lymphoma and myeloma from taking more lives. Many of you know that my Uncle John Collaretti, at only 49 years old, recently lost a short battle with cancer. Although he suffered from a different type of cancer, it is his memory and his always optimistic outlook on life that will inspire me to complete this challenge and help to raise funds that will help to save lives. He is the real hero on our team, and we need your support to cross the ultimate finish line - a cure! I hope you will consider making a donation to support my participation in Team In Training and help advance the Society's mission. I realize there are many excellent charities that you may already be involved with, so please don't feel obligated to give. Please visit my web site often for updates on my progress. Up until now, I have only completed 5k (3.1 mile) races. Over the next 5 months I will be training to complete a full marathon (26.2 miles)! Thanks for your support! Lisa 1/13/07 Update Copy and paste the link below into your browser to view my marathon weekend slide show. http://smilebox.com/play/4d6a497a4e5441334f413d3d0d0a&sb=1 1/07/07 Update – I can still see the look on my parent's faces. They were visiting us in Florida last July and were at my house when I got home from the informational Team In Training meeting. I came bolting through the door with a giant package of literature, a Team In Training hat, a water bottle and a positive attitude…I didn’t even say hello, I just proudly stated, “I am going to run a marathon in January!” The response wasn’t exactly what I had expected. Silence and cricket noises followed by more silence. My Mom finally gave me that polite combination “smile-with-a-nod” she gives people when she doesn’t believe them and she said, “that’s great honey.” Now that got me really fired up and I was talking a mile a minute, “No Mom, really, I am going to run a marathon and raise more than $2,400 for cancer research and you guys can come watch me cross the finish line in Disney World and it’s going to be SO cool.” But all I received were more polite smiles from my Dad and Jeff this time. Well, guess who just arrived in Florida and is almost as excited as I am? Yep, the parents have arrived and even Jeff is going to take his first journey to Disney World since his senior class trip! Christy and Mike Thatcher are coming from NJ with their children Tyler and Felicity. Kristen and Vicki from Florida are making the trip to Orlando too! No pressure, right?! This past week I’ve been focusing on getting back to basics, short distance running at my own pace, with good form and plenty of hydrating. I’ve also been getting back to the basics of why I decided to do this in the first place. My Uncle John will be heavily on my mind during the marathon. When I feel like I am getting tired, it will be him carrying me to the finish line. I will also be running along side of teammates Michael Carver and Dan Yaffe, cancer survivors who have battled back and are strong enough to take on the challenge of running a full marathon while raising money for others. I will have John’s name on my race jersey and ribbons for Michael and Dan as well. So, how exactly do I plan to run 26.2 miles? Below is my coach’s 3-part race day strategy that I plan to stick to: RUN THE FIRST PART WITH YOUR HEAD (miles 1 - 10): Go out slow, have fun and stay focused. RUN THE SECOND PART WITH YOUR PERSONALITY (miles 11 - 20): Was the first part comfortable and easy? Go a little faster or the same. Get to know the people around you. More than likely they will be with you till the end. RUN THE THIRD PART WITH YOUR HEART (the last 6.2 miles - This is where you really have to carry me Unc.) OK, THIS IS ALL YOU, WHATEVER YOU HAVE IN YOUR BODY. Smile at every mile marker. It is one more that you have accomplished and one less that you have to do! So that's it...that's all she wrote. Okay, well you know I'll write more when I get back, but for now, I am off and running! Thank you again so very much for supporting my marathon efforts and the efforts of the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society. You have helped me raise $3,185 and my team of 65 participants have raised more than $150,000! This year the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society is on target to hit the $1-billion mark and it’s all because of you! Feet don’t fail me now...I am going to Disney World!
