It's hard to believe that there are only 5 weeks standing between me and the Chicago Marathon. It seems like we just started yesterday, and yet it was a full 4 months ago! The ability to finish 26.2 has never crossed my mind having run the distance four times before. I wanted this time to be different. I played with my training schedule, ran some extra miles, and trained with a purpose. I balanced running with speed workouts, lots of cross training, and strength training with the goal of getting stronger and starting to find out what I'm capable of.

So, this weekend I ran the first of two 20 mile training runs. Yes, that's right, two 20 mile runs. I was unusually nervous before starting. I had butterflies fluttering around my stomach, allergies trying to upset the butterflies, and then there was the bug I swallowed running 2 miles before the group run. But I have great friends who started putting my mind to easy. Jessica came over smiled and said I would do awesome. Angela reminded me that I was going to a super yummy dinner the next day, and Lori and Jim were at water stops doing what they do best, handing out water, high fives, hugs, and smiles. I ran with my mentee Jaclyn, and both of us starting thinking the same thing a third of the way through, "this feels really awesome, and kind of easy. Are we going too fast?" The beautiful weather brought new possibilities to both of us, mostly that we are a lot stronger than we thought. The weather this summer has battered confidence down. It's been mostly about surviving more than anything else. This was one of the best runs in months, maybe even the best 20 miler period (20 miles in 3:18 an average of 10:03 per mile). It gave me such a needed boost of confidence going into the final weeks of training. My teammate, and fellow mentor Andy snapped a few pictures while we were running:

Sunday a new confidence was growing even more after discovering that I'm 95% of the way to my fundraising goal! I simply cannot express how much it means, and what a difference the money is making.

The $10 challenge

As most of you know, I am training to complete the Chicago Marathon with the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society's Team in Training program on October 10. In addition to training to complete 26.2 miles I have also committed to raising $2500 that will benefit the Leaukemia & Lymphoma Society's patient aid and cancer research programs. I am getting closer to my goal, but I still need to raise a little over $500. So, I am asking 50 people to donate $10 between now and August 31, 2010. Together we can do this, and to make it a little more fun each donation of $10 will be entered into a raffle for a $50 iTunes gift card!

$10 alone may not seem like a lot, but together the power of our money can save many lives!!

August 9, 2010

"So much in life seems inflexible and unchangeable, and part of the joy of running especially racing is the realization that improvement and progress can be achieved"

- Nancy Anderson, runner

It's hard to believe how close we are starting to get to Chicago. My aunt sent me this a couple of weeks ago when she was in Chicago:

I keep it next to my bed conveniently right by my alarm clock so that I remember why I'm getting up before dawn to go for a run. 63 days is all that stands between me and the Chicago Marathon. I'm getting so close with my fundraising too, but I still need your help. In the next 54 days I need to raise $1038 dollars. A donation as little as $5 can make a huge difference in the life of someone diagnoised with cancer by giving them the information they need from a patient care information packet.

July 23, 2010

It's hard to believe, but the Chicago Marathon is just under 11 /12 weeks away. That's 2 1/2 months of training done! We're getting registered for the race and our hotel and plane tickets are getting booked because we're filling out our recommitment paperwork! It's all so exciting! I would be at this point without great friends and family who have supported my crazy desire to run marathons with Team in Training. Thanks you all so much!

Last week marked the 2nd anniersary of my Uncle's death from cancer. Oddly enough we were at the same beach that we were at just a week after his death in 2008. After a great week of running, biking, and playing with the dogs at the beach I'm ready to run with the Team again. It was truely a great week! It also brought the double digit mileage. It feels really great to run nice long runs again.

June 26, 2010

Desserts for a cure!

My friend Katie and I are hosting a dessert bake off! Come join us on Thursday, July 22, 2010 at 7:00 PM for an evening of dessert sampling, beverages, and fun raffle prizes. Bring your award winning dessert and pay $10 to get in. All other are $20, kids $10 (3 and under are free). All proceeds go to Team in Training! (100% tax deductible) 515 Overbrook Dr., NW Atlanta, GA 30318

Check out our event on Facebook!

June 16, 2010

Two years ago this week I went out for a Saturday run with a good friend who helped me discover my love of running. Nothing fancy, just a nice moderate run to get ready for the Peachtree Road Race. When I got home my parents were on the phone with my Uncle Clyde who lived in San Diego. At first I didn't realize how odd this was until I started to hear some of the conversation. (calling the east coast around 10:00 AM was odd considering the time difference) He had pancreatic cancer, and in 48 hours was having surgery. He wasn't expecting to make it through the surgery, but if he did he was going to fight. At first I thought that it wasn't a big deal. That is until I started doing a little research on pancreatic cancer. Then I started to get worried. It's hard to catch because there aren't symptoms specific to it. They present as symptoms that could be a dozen different things. It's an incredibly fast growing cancer, and is the #1 leading cause of cancer death (99% fatality rate in the 1st year alone). I went off to some teacher workshops the Monday of his surgery with my phone in front of me the whole day. By lunch time he had made it through surgery and was recovering. Everything had gone well, and everything looked good. I wish I could say that it stayed that way. Everyone was on edge. There were frantic and hysterical phone calls from other family members early in the morning. After a second surgery we thought we were good. There was even talk of what his chemo treatments would be and when they might start. Sadly, things went down hill. In three weeks it will be the 2nd anniversary of my Uncle's death.

As one of my friends says "it's best to make lemonade out of lemons." Which is why I was in a Team in Training information meeting 4 days after my Uncle's death. I was tired of cancer. My Aunt had beat breast cancer. My grandmother survived colon cancer. There have been other cancer scares as well. There had to be something I could do to make a difference. Team in Training presented the perfect opportunity. My friend was running the San Antonio Rock-n-Roll Marathon, Team in Training was participating, and my Uncle's sons lived there. It was the perfect fit. The best part of the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society is that they share their research. All of the drugs developed by LLS through Team in Training dollars have been FDA approved. Gleevec has been approved for treatment in several different cancers including stomach and certain types of breast cancer. The others have started or are starting research and trials for treatment in other cancers

May 21, 2010

And we're off! We had a fantastic kick-off last week. The support staff decided to dress up mafia style in honor of our Chicago team. I had a great time meeting some of my mentees and haming it up with the rest of the support staff :-).

The first week of training has been going well. It's been tough dealing with the heat and humidity already. It's slowing me down a bit, but not nearly as much as the chest cold I seem to have come down with, which means no training until things clear up. After 3 days of sitting I'm ready to get out and run again, but I know that's still not a good idea. Hopefully I'll be back up and moving next week!

And fundraising has gotten off to a great start too! Thanks so much to those who have already donated: Lori, RaDora, Elizabeth, Renee, Aunt Sue, and Harvey. You all rock!

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Because I Can

It has been an amazing two year journey with Team in Training. Thanks to my wonderful experiences with such a wonderful community of friends I am a runner and loving every minute of it! So, I'm back for my 5th marathon, the Chicago Marathon on October 10, 2010!

Cancer has touched my family and my friends one to many times. Thankfully because of Team in Training there is something I can do about that. Every five minutes someone is diagnoised with cancer. I'm back with Team in Training to try and help make a change. A donation as small as $5 can make a huge impact by providing an information packet to a newly diagnoised cancer patient. With your help we can make a difference not only in the experience of a cancer patient, but maybe we can help provide the funding needed to find a cure!

To find out a little bit more about why I run check out this video

You can also follow my training on my blog

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