Racing to Save Lives

A few weeks ago, I decided that I wanted to become a runner. Looking for a goal, I started looking for races to participate in, and within a few days, a �STeam in Training� (TNT) flyer showed up in my mailbox. Originally, I figured I�"d sign up for some local 5K and go it alone, but learning about TNT changed my mind.

In May, I will be running my first-ever race, and it will be a half marathon (13.1 miles). And in the process of training with other TNT coaches and participants, I will be raising money for a fantastic cause: the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society.

Leukemia and lymphoma are blood cancers, and they know no age limitations. These cancers are the leading cause of cancer related deaths for children and for men under the age of 35. It is also considered one of the most curable cancers, in part due to research money raised by TNT.

The money that TNT members raise will fund research and help current patients receive the support and treatment they need to survive. Please consider donating $2 for each mile I run in the mini-marathon � or $26 dollars. Any amount helps, and this web site allows you to select an amount that is right for you.

Each TNT group is paired with an �Shonored hero� who is a current patient or survivor. In the coming weeks, I hope to update this site with information about our honoree.

Thank you for taking the time to look over this site and I hope you consider making a donation!

Sincerely,

Joy Keltner

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UPDATE: 2/5/09

Training is going great so far. I've run over 10 miles this week alone. One of my coaches is also a French speaker, so we're excited about practicing together. Another coach was in AFROTC at Georgia Tech for a while, so we were chatting about that during our group training session (GTS).

Our Honored Hero, Cyndi, is actually one of our walk team coaches.

Right now I'm just brainstorming fundraising ideas. The cool part is that a lot of people at work are going to help me out!

Off to work for now! Thanks for stopping by to read the update and feel free to leave comments!

2/13/09

Last week we ran at the Chattahoochee River. I love runnig by the river because you can hear the water over the rocks and see all the animals. Tomorrow, we're running 4 miles starting at the Peach running store. They're going to have a shoe clinic where they'll watch us run and help us learn to pick the right kind of shoes... and the right shoes make all the difference in the world!

My work is going to help me out with fundraising. We're going to have a "Lunch & Listen" in a few weeks where people will donate a few bucks to come and listen to their coworkers play music at lunch time. It'll be fun!

3/1/09

I took a few days off this week because my ankle was bothering me a bit, but after talking with my coaches, I kept it iced & wore a brace and it's feeling much better now.

Yesterday, I went to the all-sport GTS (group training session) and ran 4 miles and felt great afterward! It's so hard to believe how good I feel after running now (especially with the right shoes!) and how much more I like running now than I used to.

I've got a fundraiser going on selling coffee right now. It's going pretty well, but a little slowly.

3/15/09

One mile at a time... rain or shine. Running in the rain isn't so bad... once you get wet! Once you're wet, you don't have to worry about getting wet anymore, and then the rain feels nice because it cools you off! I'm up to running 5 miles at one time... and soon it'll be 6!

3/28/09

We did a "Lunch & Listen" at work on Wednesday (notice the new photo?) and it went really well! Everyone's been super-busy at the plant, so turn out was a little low, but I was still able to raise a good bit of money & everyone had fun too.

I went for a 5 mile run in the rain today. It would have been 6 miles except it started thundering... It felt good to run again since I've been taking a few days to rest a sore muscle!

4/5/09

I'm pretty stoked because I ran 8 MILES yesterday! That's the first time I've EVER run more than 6 miles. And overall, I feel great, though my legs feel a little shaky walking the stairs right now. I'm sure they'll get used to it :)

5/13/09

It's been too long since I've updated. I'm now running over 10 miles at a time and I'm really excited about it. In January, the idea of running a 5K sounded like a huge & daunting goal, but two weeks ago, we ran the Big Peach 5K and ran past the finish line for another 7 miles. It's pretty awesome at this point to be able to laugh and say "oh we're only running 8 miles this Saturday". San Diego is 17 days away and my fundraising money is due next week... so now more than ever, pass the word to everyone you know!

5/20/09

We got our race shirts and logistics details about traveling! It's getting close! Last night, we had track training, and the highlight of track training is going to Figo afterwards for pasta! We had a great time and we're all looking forward to the race.