Annie's Fundraising Page

It's official...I'm running the LA Marathon

Posted by Annie Chang on Thursday, October 20th, 2008

Welcome to my Team In Training home page! I'm training to participate in the LA Marathon in 2009 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. I am completing this event in honor of all individuals who are battling blood cancers. These people 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. Any donation, big or small, will bring a smile to my face and keep me running.

I hope you will visit my webpage often! Be sure to check back frequently to see my progress and photos as the season progresses. Thanks in advance for your support! <3

Injured? No... I'm Recovering!

Posted by Annie Chang on Thursday, November 19th, 2008

It's only the beginning of this TNT training season and already I'm injured. Actually, I'm merely on the road to recovery. I suffered a walking injury in a corn maze (details later), and have been in physical therapy for the past 4 weeks. My therapist's name is Tiger, and I'm hoping he's doing a good job in helping me rehab. Another great help has been Assistant Coach Jane Alba, who taught me how to aqua jog. I now jog happily at the local pool at CPE (Cerritos Park East).

I wanted my first post to be an update about my foot injury, but also to share a story about last weekend's practice. After a blissful 4-mile walk in Bolsa Chica, several of my LGB TNT team members went to our Honored Teammate Alyssa's home to support her endeavors with a lemonade stand. Being the overly punctual person I am, I was the first person there and was greeted warmly by the family...wearing this branded white "singlet" (running jersey) really makes me stand out in so many ways. Not only do I look more athletic (especially with my bright blue Kinesio tape on my right leg), but I look like I belong to a team. With a purpose. I'm happy to report that Alyssa had several team members come to support her...I know she was especially excited to see our Campaign Manager Kristine come by. I helped her label a cup specifically for Kristine. :)

I'm proud to be a part of TNT, and I'm looking forward to a slow but full recovery so I can run like the wind again. I love being part of a team, having a reason to train hard, and having a goal to reach. Alyssa, Celeste, and all others affected by leukemia/lymphoma, please know that we're all doing this for you. We're running for a cure! GO TEAM!

10 Mile Mark!

Posted by Annie Chang on Tuesday, December 22nd, 2008

Last Saturday, I hit a personal record of 10 miles. I've never run more than 7 miles straight...a personal best! Also noteworthy about that memorable practice along Appian Way and beautiful Long Beach, as the fact is == I haven't ran in 8 long weeks. I've been diligently aquajogging, walking, and crosstraining at the gym, but no pavement. The ground is much harder than I remember. After practice, I definitely felt the pain of impact in my joints == ankles, knees, and hips. Time to get back in the pool!

I'd like to thank all of my generous and fabulous donors. I'm within $500 of my fundraising goal, and it's hard to believe all donations have rolled in within essentially the last 30 days. My donors are awesome, and I'm overwhelmed at how consistently everyone has been checking on the status of my injury. Thank you from the bottom of my heart...you've all given me much food for thought about this run, the reasons why I run, and how I plan to stay healthy through race day.

Honored patient update! Alyssa (our lemonade stand queen) started school on December 12, after a few setbacks including blindness and partial immobility. She was supposed to attend our holiday party, but came down with a fever. Thankfully, her loving parents and grandma have kept us updated on her wellbeing, and we have great pictures of her first day at school, complete with a pimp My Little Pony backpack! Celeste (hope you got my postcard from Hawaii) has been in and out of the hospital, much like Alyssa, and was luckily able to spend the Thanksgiving holiday at home. She's been mighty brave lately, receiving rounds of shots. Best wishes for the holiday season to the patients and families!

New Running Buddies

Posted by Annie Chang on Tuesday, February 19th, 2009

Happy New Year! What a difference a new year makes. Not only do I have a new physical therapist (Jimmy Honda of Los Alamitos Physical Therapy), I have new running shoes and new teammates. Due to the date change(s) of the LA Marathon, my "Winter" team has merged with the Long Beach "Summer" team! The Summer folks are training for the Seattle Rock 'n Roll and will definitely help fill the empty spaces left by our rockstar Carlsbad teammates who are done with their season.

I think the world will be happy to know that I am running again. After a hard journey back to zer0 due to reinjury, I am on the upswing again with the help of my new physical therapist Jimmy. He has me on a rigorous schedule of strengthening and stretching exercises, breathing techniques, and more. He is also a highly respectable triathlete and Ironman, which makes my appointments with him super fun because he's a wealth of information. Here's to getting back on the road again. Thanks, Jimmy!! :)

Last month, I was walking the Surf City 1/2 Marathon. Now, I'm slowly running around local parks, beach paths, and the gym on rainy days. Next, I'm slated to *RUN* in the La Jolla 1/2 Marathon in April...who wants to come cheer me on?!