RACING TO SAVE LIVES, ONE MILE AT A TIME!!!

Hello & Welcome to my Team In Training home page!!!

My name is Erika and I am training to participate in the Disney Half Marathon September 5, 2010 as a member of The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society's (LLS) Team In Training. I must admit that the thought of running a half marathon for the first time ever does sound a little overwhelming but I have the strength and the support of my friends on the Team that I will be able to make this race happen. 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!

A little about me: I have lived in Southern California my entire life and have become very passionate about finding a cure for cancer. How I came to Team in Training is that I witnessed a friend lose her mother to Leukemia and seeing that happen to someone so close affected me on a very deep level. I lost both grandfathers to cancer and my goal is to help raise money to put an overall end to this terrible disease. This is where I need your help everyone. With your help and support, not only are you doing something good for yourself, but you are also saving someones life. The next time you are having a "bad day" stop for a moment and consider what cancer patients go through, from painful chemo treatments to blood transfusions, interferon therapy to slow the reproduction of leukemia cells and promote the immune system's anti-leukemia activity; radiation therapy to kill cancer cells by exposure to high-energy radiation; stem cell transplantation (SCT) to enable treatment with high doses of chemotherapy and radiation therapy; and surgery to remove an enlarged spleen or to install a venous access device (large plastic tube) to give medications and withdraw blood samples nothing can ever amount to the physical and emotional ride these couragous people go through. So, I ask that you please make a donation for more birthdays and an ultimate end to cancer.

Please make a donation to support my participation in Team In Training and help advance LLS's mission. Every penny counts and I really do appreciate your support in the fight against cancer.

I hope you will visit my web site often. Be sure to check back frequently to see my progress. Thank you for your support and remember that every donation you make is 100% tax deductible!!! Donate Today!

June 12th - Ran 7 miles with the Team and finished strong.

June 14th &16th Mid-week practice with the Team and geared up for more fun and training!!!

June 19th - Ran hill repeats x3 and ran 2 miles- finished strong.

June 21st & 23rd - Mid-week practice with the Team, and practiced technique for Saturdays meet.

June 26th- Ran 8 miles at 3-2 (ran for 3 minutes, walked for 2 minutes) . Endurance is building and feel myself getting stronger with each meet.

June 28th & 30th - Another round of midweeks and practicing intervals total of 6 miles.

July 3rd - Ran 5 miles feeling great knowing that I am helping save lives 1 mile at a time.

July 5th and 7th- Midweeks with the Team, ready for Saturday

July 10th - Ran 8 miles feeling strong.

July 12th and 15th- Midweeks with the Team, prep for Saturday's 10 mile run.

July 17th - 10 Mile run in the hills. Had a fun run and enjoyed the sights. Finished strong with the double digit mileage.

July 19th & 21st. - Midweek practicing at the park and hills with the Team. Who knew that the month of hill repeats would be so beneficial to running up and down hills?

July 24th - Ran 8 miles up and down hills and finished strong knowing that this month of hills will benefit me from now on when I run.

July 26th - Midweek practice time with the Team.

July 28th - Rest!!!!

July 31st- Back at our old stomping grounds! Hellloo 9 miles!!!

August 2nd & 4th- Midweeks with the fabulous team.

August 7th- Double digit miles again, breezed through 10 miles with my team.

August 9th and 11th- Midweeks!!

August 14th- 12 miles down!! only 1 more to go and I have my half marathon mileage under my feet. Go Team!

August 16th and 18th- Midweek practice with the Team and with each mile, closer and closer to a cure and to the finish line.

August 21st -Early morning Saturday run- 8 miles

August 23rd & 25th -Midweeks at the park! BIG EVENT RIGHT AROUND THE CORNER!!!

September 5th- DISNEY HALF MARATHON! Successfully completed my first half marathon and couldn't have done it without all the amazing support and training that I received over the past 4 months. Truly happy to be part of such an a amazing organization. GO TEAM!!!!!!

"Success is a journey, not a destination"- Ben Sweetland