Thank you for all of your support during training! I can now say that I have run a marathon, even though it seems surreal. Besides some sore muscles, it is hard to believe that the marathon is over and that I actually finished 26.2 miles. In case you didn't know, I ran the marathon with my 3 cousins, Kim, Caryn, and Susan, who also fundraised through Team in Training. To add to it, Luke ran the marathon as well! We all finished and will all be sore for the next coming days.

Here's our finishing times:

Luke: 4:15:15

Kim: 5:18:26

Caryn: 4:42:57

Susan: 6:07:39

Me: 6:12:46

Again, thank you to everyone!

Welcome to my Team In Training fundraising page!

Family and Friends,

26.2 Miles. The Chicago Marathon on October 9th. Only about 3 months away.

It seems a little daunting and a little crazy, especially since I’ve always considered myself as someone who has better coordination swimming in water than running on land. But,

I've decided to ditch the swimsuit and pool to take up running in honor of my brother, Luke, who was recently diagnosed with Hodgkin lymphoma.

This past April, after Luke told me about his diagnosis, he said two words that I have struggled with on and off over the past couple of years: be healthy. My weight has gone up and down, back up and down, and I had never really felt like I had a handle on my health. It was only this past January that I finally felt like I had found a way to eat better and be healthier as I steadily lost weight. So when my family was first going through the initial process of Luke’s blood tests, CT scans, multiple visits to the doctor and biopsies, it seems only a little ironic that I was finding a way to become healthier while my brother has to deal with something foreign growing in his body when he is one of the healthiest person I know.

How is it that my healthy brother can have lymphoma?! The past couple of years it seems like I’m always hearing about Luke competing in yet another triathlon, marathon, or some crazy combination of triathlons that occur over the course of 3 days. I’ve watched at a distance as Luke and Matt sign up for more and more marathons and triathlons, never believing that it was something that I could do as well. Yet, here I am, committed to running the Chicago Marathon, my first ever endurance event. I’m running for myself on my journey to become healthier. More importantly, I’m running for my brother, to understand what he finds when he competes in endurance events, and to give something back to him.

I will be running the Chicago Marathon through The Leukemia and Lymphoma Society’s Team in Training program. As a member of Team in Training, as I train, I am fundraising to help support LLS’s mission to cure leukemia, lymphoma, Hodgkin's disease, and myeloma and to improve the quality of life of patients and their families. 75% of every dollar raised goes to the organization’s mission.

Please make a donation to support my participation in Team In Training and help advance LLS's mission. Donations can be made payable to The Leukemia and Lymphoma Society, sent directly to me, or you can make a donation directly through this website. Even if you are unable to make a monetary donation, a note of encouragement is greatly appreciated! I appreciate all the support that my family has received during this process! I cannot say it enough: Thank You!

Finally, you can follow Luke’s progress through his treatment as he writes about his treatment on his blog: www.lukeboote.com

Be healthy!

Sincerely,

Lydia Boote