26.2 Deja Vu- We Have All Been Here Before.

I'm baaaaaack! :) It's time for marathon #2! Welcome to my NEW Team in Training webpage!

9/26

20 miler has come and gone! WOOHOO!! I did it in just a little four hours- my goal was to take it easy, slow and steady to avoid any injury, but to get my body used to the long miles (again).

Race day is just over two weeks away, and I am SO EXCITED! I'll try to post updates while I'm there and will definitely provide a race report!

I had to take a bit of time off from training to recover from a mole biopsy in my foot. :( Not fun, but necessary nontheless. Results were negative, so I'm thankful for that.

As you may know, I ran marathon #1 in January, the PF Chang's Rock N' Roll Marathon. Now I'm training for the Nike Women's Marathon in San Francisco! (Yes, I'll probably wear flowers in my hair). I'm also a Team Captain for this season, which means I'll be helping other teammates achieve their fundraising goals as well as my own.

What's so great about this race is that the ENTIRE marathon is held to solely benefit the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society- we are all running to that ultimate finish line: A CURE.

Every 10 minutes, someone passes away from a blood-related cancer and two more are diagnosed. That means that during the time it took me to complete the PF Chang's marathon, 62 people died and 124 were diagnosed. That is TOO MANY!

I am also running in memory of two personal heroes. My uncle, Ralph Smith, was diagnosed with Acute Myelogenous Leukemia in July of 1993. In 2000, my granddad, Bill Hoggatt, lost his battle with Non-Hodgkin Lymphoma. (To learn more about Uncle Ralph and Granddad, please visit my blog! ) I think of them every day, and as I train for this event, I am inspired by them and all of our honored teammates and heroes who have won or lost their battles with these diseases.

I have committed to raise $2,925 for the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society. Here's where you come in, and where YOU become a hero; by donating to the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society, you are providing patients with services they so desperately need and also funding vital research which will bring us that much closer to finding a cure.

What's more, 100% of your donation is tax-deductible, and over 75% of the $2500 will go directly towards research and patient services, as will 100% of the amount that I reach above and beyond my goal. so please make a donation to support my participation in Team In Training and help advance LLS's mission. We're all facing hard economic times, especially the LLS, so every penny counts.

If you would like me to dedicate a mile of my race to someone or if you would like to make your donation in celebration of someone, let me know and I will add their name to my race jersey, and will have them with me through this journey!

I've also set up a blog so you can track my progress and journey as I make my way to the starting line . You can find me at:

http://see-elsbeth-run.blogspot.com/

I hope you will visit my web site often. Be sure to check back frequently to see my progress. Thanks for your support!