Allison in Training

A Life-Saving Adventure

Thanks for visiting! I'll be using this site to update my progress, both financial and physical. To start from the beginning, scroll down.

I did it!

Last Sunday I completed all 26.2 miles, crossed the finish line, snagged my Tiffany necklace, and became an official finisher of the 2009 Nike Women's Marathon. It was an incredible experience, though, I hope, not once in a lifetime. We saw much evidence all weekend long of the good that the LLS has done and continues to do, and I fully intend to participate with Team in Training again. Heartfelt thanks to everyone who supported me and, more importantly, the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society.This year's race raised $14 million! Kudos to us all.

9/29: The Hard Part

Yes, the last time I posted I was feeling something behind my knees. And feeling it, and feeling it, and feeling it. The next long run was 12, though I called it after a slow, crampy 10 and still moved like a 700 year-old woman for a week afterwards. I was also persuaded to sit down halfway through the intended 20-mile run, and while I know that was wiser, I've been a little distressed. But I've also taken action, and today I had a good if short run, complete with new shoes and a thoroughly treated hamstring. I'll continue PT three times a week until race day (18 days and counting), and one way or the other, I'll be ready.

9/13: One More

Yesterday I completed 18 miles, six of it on hills-- and yes, I'm feeling that part behind my knees today. It was more humid than it has been, and that always slows me down, but I maintained my "good enough" pace overall. 26.2 seems completely do-able now, so much so that I signed up to do a half marathon next May! What a life-changing experience TNT has been. With five weeks to go, there's only one more long run--20 miles-- on the schedule except, of course, for the race!

Our group trainings are not, of course, competitive, but the class of the field is always our honored teammate, Travis. He runs faster and more easily than I ever could; he finished third in his first TNT half marathon this summer. But if it weren't for the treatments that research dollars helped discover, this athletic young man wouldn't be here. That is the bottom line. Please give.

8/28: One finish line crossed. . .

Woo hoo! As you can see, I have met my fund raising minimum, fulfilling my commitment to Team in Training. Thank you for helping me meet my goal, and, more importantly, for helping the LLS complete its mission. 100% of all donations collected in excess of $3950 will go directly to research (with no administrative costs subtracted), so I still welcome contributions in any amount.

8/24: Now it's getting serious

As I close in on my fund raising goal (wow!) , my attention turns to getting the miles done and trying to do them faster. This past Saturday required "only" 10 miles, but this week is another milestone-- sixteen. Here's hoping this cooler, less humid weather continues. Running is so much less difficult (I don't think I'll ever say "easier") when there's air to breathe!

8/15: Change of scenery

The best part of today's 14 miles in Forest Park (the perimeter of the park, twice, plus two more miles) was finishing without being on my last legs. I'm tired now, but I felt good and could have gone further: that tells me I can do the 16, then the 20, then the 26 (and the .2). The training works. Kick-off for the winter TNT events was today, but it's not too late to join and do something big, both for yourself and for everyone affected by blood cancers.

8/14: Now it's getting exciting

With the donations I'm about to mail in, my total now stands at $3780-- only $170 to go! Wow! I'll take that excitement to help me make it through at least 13 miles tomorrow (and through the first Friday of the school year today). I admit that I've kind of dreaded the challenge of this week, but I got myself out the door for each of my 4 training runs and feel better for it.

8/7: Closer all the time

First, let me clarify that the $494 donation was the proceeds from my Grizzlies fund raiser. I didn't claim the money; my name on it here is a data entry error by the processor. Regardless, I am now just a few hundred dollars from my goal. I also have my official race entry form in hand: I should have expected that entering an event sponsored by Nike requires disclosing the brand of ones's shoes. (First Mizuno, now Asics, and my battered toes and I still feel as if I'm on a quest for *the* pair).

Today's Friday, a rest day before tomorrow's long run, and I'm trying to get in the mood for pasta for dinner-- gotta practice the carbo loading, too. I'm also trying to figure out how to route my miles so I can create my own water/Gatorade stops since it's a non-group-training weekend. Usually Sharon, our coach, takes care of that; doing it myself makes me appreciate her effort even more!

7/30: Goodbye Summer

Maybe not on the calendar, but in my reality, for sure. I've already been back to school, freshman orientation is Monday, and I'm beginning to think about how my running time will fit into the Fall schedule. One way or the other! My next long run is 13 miles at Forest Park on August 15, which is the Saturday of my first week of school. Any other year, I'd sleep until noon, but with the marathon growing closer, there's no time for that now.

I am also closer to my fund raising goal: after the Grizzlies game, my total stands at $3270, only $680 away from my goal. Not a bad summer's work! Thank you for helping make this happen.

7/25: Double Digits

Since I posted here last, something amazing has happened: 8 miles now qualifies as a "short" run! A week ago today, I covered ten miles at our group training, and today I did twelve. Last week was cooler and more overcast, but even in today's humdity I (eventually) got it done. I appreciate the company, advice, and encouragement of our coach, Sharon Schmitz. Perhaps because of an inadvertently 15-mile bike ride with my daughter on Friday (the difference between being 12 and being 40? recovery time!), I was tired today and when I'm alone it's easy to go too slow. Myt goal for this week is to remember that, at a certain point, walking hurts and running doesn't and that it's better to just keep going!

Other new milestones include my getting first black toenails (yuck, yuck, yuck), wearing out and replacing my first pair of running shoes, and taking my first ice bath (more on that later). Commitment isn't always glamorous, but it is satisfying.

7/4: Eight miles in the rain

Although this week was easier, training in the heat has been a struggle, and it has felt like I've been losing ground. That all turned around at this morning's group training. Today was my longest run, ever, and it was also the best. I took a few walk breaks but mostly ran, ran further continuously than I ever have, and, maybe most importantly, felt great at the end--better than I did at the start. Frankly, I'm thrilled.

6/20: For the record, it is easier to run when there is actually air to breathe! Weather.com claimed 85% humidity today, but I think they were lowballing it. Whew. Today was a long 5 miles with more walking than I'd like, but, I did it.

6/17: Today was the first truly hot day of summer: so I ran in the air conditioning at the Y, figuring (justifying?) that San Francisco won't be 95 degrees with 95 % humidty in October. Let's hope Climate Change doesn't prove me wrong. I've had some aches and pains that I've been trying to figure out the last week or so--not getting hurt is a primary concern--but yesterday and today were better.

In other news, I will be participating in my neighborhood yard sale (June 27, if you're very local) as a fund raiser, as well as hosting a group at the local Frontier League game, described above. I continue to receive checks and wonderfully supportive notes in the mail; they each motivate me to go out and try some more!

Current total: $2195

6/3: Back inside

Given that I just claimed that summer is here, it's only natural that today was cold and rainy== so I headed back to the indoor track at the Y to do my 3 miles, lowering the median age by at least 20 years. Do you think it was not-really-a-peer pressure that made that jeans-wearing gentleman start running the straightaways when we were the only two left?

After today's mail, I'm edging closer to the halfway point. My current total is $1865, and I so appreciate everyone's generosity.

6/1: Summer arrives

At least by the thermometer== it's currently 94 degrees, and the humidity has returned. Our group trainings will now be held at 6:30 a.m. in an attempt to beat the heat. In the next week or so, my weekend mileage will increase past what I'd normally do by myself== up to 5 miles and then steadily beyond. I choose to trust the training schedule and believe that I'll eventually be able to do more than 5 times that distance. (Wow!) To be clear, I'm not running it all, but I am running further each time and that feels like an accomplishment. As the quote on the June training calendar say, "Most people's incredible feats are accomplished becasue they had the guts to try, not because of their skill and ability."

Now that school is out I'm beginning to work on some ideas for larger fund raisers, but I'm excited that my SASEs continue to come in. Once those checks are posted here, my total will be $1795!

5/27: Rained Out?

Although somewhere near eight inches of rain have fallen this week==so far==I've been fairly lucky on the timing and have managed to both stay dry and do my miles. At the moment, however, I'm waiting for a thunderstorm to pass. Here's hoping the weather will allow at least some time on the teeny track at the Y (and not in one of the "storm shelter" rooms ). Meanwhile, I'm about to send off a total of 18 checks which, together with my online donations, bring my fund raising total to $1590!

5/22: Mail Call

Earlier today I checked the mail as I returned from my 3 miles in the park and was excited to discover six checks made out to the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society, the first returns from the fund raising letters I sent out earlier this week. Together we have given $1290 already; thank you sincerely for making a difference!

If you also prefer to contribute off-line, please send a check payable to the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society to me at 516 E. Lake Drive, Edwardsville, IL, 62025, and I'll forward it on. Let me know, and I'll even send you a SASE.

5/21: Discovery

Another good day! Much fund raising and encouragement and a good run at Joe Glik with the family for company. I also discovered that listening to music as I run the trail in the park is MUCH BETTER than listening to myself breathe. The iPod armband gadget is totally worth it.

5/20: A good day!

I did another three miles (running and walking) on another beautiful afternoon (remind me of that in July) and received another $200 in contributions. The checks I've received and the funds from a dress-casual fund raiser at work don't yet appear in the website total, so I'm really up to $1215! Given that the July 24 recommitment minimum is $1300, I'm VERY excited. Thank you for your support!

5/18 Update

I did ten miles and change today. Of course, I was on my bike. Mondays are designated as rest or cross-training days, so I've been using Mondays to ride. Tonight I went a different direction and discovered a route that will also work when I need to rack up longer training distances. According to my calendar, I'll do 2 or 3 miles every day but Mondays and Fridays for the next couple of weeks. We had a group training run yesterday and will meet again May 31; those weekneds are generally the time for longer distances. I am gradually running more and feeling great. I also feel great about having $800 so far (some checks won't post here for a while)! The generous donations and comments from friends, family, and people I don't even know are so encouraging. Together, we will do a great thing!

5/16: Look at You! Click to see a map of my supporters. How exciting!

Thought for the day, any day and every day:

"You may not know," wrote my friend, as she shared something I'd never heard. "Jeff is a survivor of non-Hodgkins lymphoma. Eventually a bone marrow transplant saved his life." And there it was, crystalized. In two sentences: everything. A man who is a force for good in the world, a husband, a father, a Packer fan, a pastor, a brother, a friend, is here, perhaps not only but primarily, because of advances in medicine. A method that was once impossible became his cure: that is what this is about.

5/9/09: First Group Training

This morning I made it to Collinsville by the crack of 7 a.m., met my teammates, and did my 2 miles. I am a walk/runner, current emphasis on walk, but I ran further than I usually do despite running into the wind. Peer pressure can be good.

5/6/09: Why and How

Sure, I just turned 40, but this is not a midlife crisis. Instead it is an opportunity and an adventure that I cannot complete without your help.

I'm training to participate in the 2009 Nike Women's Marathon-yes, marathon-as a member of The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society's (LLS) 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. Completing 26.2 miles will be a challenge, but one that pales in comparison to the challenges faced by individuals who are battling blood cancers, including Travis, a young middle school principal who is the honored teammate of our group. People like Travis, who is 90% cured thanks to the advances in treatment that the LLS helps support, are the real heroes on our team, and we need your support to cross the ultimate finish line - a cure!

Please make a donation to support my participation in Team In Training and help advance LLS's mission.

Please check back to see my progress and feel free to share this web address with anyone who may be interested in supporting my efforts.

Thank you for making a difference!