Hello Friends and Family:

Welcome to my Team In Training home page!

I hope that you will support my efforts to raise awareness and funding for cancer research and patient assistance by sponsoring me as I run the 2012 L.A. Marathon on March 18, 2012. This will be the fourth time I've participated in this great event. I will be running from Dodger Stadium to the Santa Monica pier. (No problem, right?)

Tax-Deductible Donations Needed: Please help me meet my fundraising goal by making a tax deductible donation! You get to help others in need and get a tax break too, what could be better? I am raising funds to assist those who are living with cancer now, and also to help researchers make breakthroughs to defeat this disease. Small or large, any size donation is appreciated and will make a difference! Since the race is 26.2 miles, the trendy donation is $26.20!

Why Am I Running? I'm a dedicated member of Team in Training (TNT), the primary fundraising arm of the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society's (LLS). All of us are raising funds to help stop cancers of all types, but particularly leukemia, lymphoma, Hodgkin lymphoma and myeloma from taking more lives. I am competing in honor of my life-long friend and second Dad, Pete Vella, who passed away from cancer in 2009. I am running for my friend and mentor, Adrian Guidotti, who is battling leukemia now and has recently undergone several rounds of chemotherapy. (There is a saying: "If you think a marathon is hard, try chemo. . . ") We are all hoping that this latest round will help her achieve full remission. I am running for my TNT teammate of last year, Brandon Sosa, who despite living with leukemia finished the 2011 LA Marathon. (Oh, and he's a new Dad too!) I am running for Logan Nobriga, who is 7 years old and despite his leukemia diagnosis loves playing soccer, going to school, enjoying the outdoors and following his beloved Boston Red Sox. He especially loves his mom and grandma! I am also running for Linda Moshier, loving mother of Angela, who is battling B Cell Lymphoma up in Tacoma, Washington. She is also undergoing chemo, and we are sending her and her family our best wishes as well. Lastly, I am running to honor the life and memory of my long-time friend, law school classmate and co-worker, Julie Covell-Garfinkel, who passed away this month after a valiant 10 year battle with breast cancer. In tribute to each of them, I will have their names displayed on my jersey on race day.

In short, I'm running for all individuals who are battling all types of cancers, young and old, and their loving families, in order to provide funds and hope for a brighter future.

Why LLS? Because they are the best at what they do. Their researchers and doctors have made significant breakthroughs, like developing the medicine called Gleevec, which has made certain types of leukemia treatable where they were considered death sentences just a few years ago. (Laker great Kareem Abdul-Jabbar is alive today because of Gleevic.) Truly amazing. The patients and researchers are the real heroes on our team, and we need your support to cross the ultimate finish line - a cure!

Thanks for your support!

Scott

For more information, please check out: www.lls.org and www.teamintraining.org

Updates:

December 10, 2011 - Logged 8 miles. It felt good, but I learned that you really feel your age on those cold, crisp Saturday mornings!

December 14, 2011 - Thanks to Esther, Laurel, Floyd and Elizabeth for responding to my first e-mail with their generous donations! I'm on my way to meeting my fundraising goal.

January 7, 2012 - Ran 13 miles in the morning fog. I was so tired afterwards that I had a great "slobber on the pillow", deep-sleep nap afterwards.

January 14, 2012 - It's a drag to have weeks like this one. I feel old, out of shape, slow and disheartened. I got in 10 long, dreadful miles. Little kids on tricycles were passing me. (OK, I made that last part up, but it sure felt that way.) I'm also starting to add hill training to my workouts.

January 28, 2012 - A heartfelt "thank you" to all of you who have donated so generously. I am proud and relieved to have reached, and now surpassed, my original fundraising goal. My new goal is to get as many individual donors as possible. Can I get 40? 50? More? Every donation, big or small, really counts! I am truly inspired.

February 4, 2012 - I'm finally feeling like I've turned the corner on my training. I ran 16 miles and had extra energy at the end. One interesting observation: cancer has no politics. On my run, my teammates and I talk about lots of things. It helps pass the time. Sometimes the topic turns to what's happening in local and national politics. Some love Obama. Some love Romney. Some love Gingrich. I realized that we all have our own opinions about our country and the political landscape. The amazing thing about Team in Training is that it has no political or religious affiliation. It is independent. It has the amazing power of bridging differences and bringing people of all walks of life together for one purpose: to help cure cancer. In doing so, they inspire, they provide money, they provide research, they provide compassion, they provide support, they provide love, they provide hope. What a great organization.

February 11, 2012 - Logged another 14 miles with my team in preparation for race day. I'm so glad to be back in touch with Adrian (her cell phone does not work well at the hospital). I'm also happy to report that she is feeling better and is tolerating her chemo like a champ. She is, and always has been, one tough cookie.

February 18, 2012 - Some weeks are harder than others. This one was especially hard. Chris, the 35 year old husband of one of my teammates, passed away this week due to complications from his fight with leukemia. Only a few weeks ago, he came to our practice and they both spoke to our group about what they were going through. We call the sharing of our personal stories our "Mission Moment". He leaves behind his loving wife, Cecilia, and young daughter. There is a profound sadness amongst the entire team. It really brings the message and the mission of TNT/LLS to heart. I logged 16 miles, but this time it was brutal. For some reason, miles 12-14 just dragged. Really sore. Some great, big foot blisters too. Multi-colored and everything! I did finally get a second wind and the last two miles were better. It is worth putting in the miles and hard work now, so that my mind and body will be ready to run the full 26.2 miles, to honor my team and those patients and families I'm running in honor of and in support of, on race day. Exactly one month away now! Thanks to all of you who have generously donated. Together we are fighting the good fight!

February 25, 2012 - While my mother is no longer with us (she died in 1983), today would have been her birthday. Thinking of you Mom. Happy Birthday. Today I ran 18 miles in Griffith Park with my team. The change of scenery was nice. I felt really good from Mile 1 to about Mile 15, and then all of a sudden I got really fatigued and had to walk for a while. I think it was because I ran 10 hill repeats on the 22nd or 23rd and kinda overdid it. My teammates Stacey and Krista really rocked it today -- they finished strong. (Ah, to be young again.) 18 miles is the longest training distance we will do this season to prepare for the LA Marathon, and we will begin to taper back the mileage from here until race day in about 3 weeks. I am blessed and honored to report that I now have 60 (count'em SIXTY!) individual donors now, by far the most I have ever had for this event. What a great turnout for a great cause. With that said, the new goal is 70. ;-) A huge "thank you" to all who have donated. Go Team!

March 3, 2012 - I had a great visit this week with Adrian at the hospital. She is dealing with her situation with a calm, centered grace. She is one tough cookie and a real inspiration. I really enjoyed seeing her and catching up a bit. Early next week, I'll be donating a pint of my "O neg" blood for her and her recovery. On the running side of things, we are starting to taper back the mileage now so we'll be fresh for race day. It is kind of funny to say, but we ran "only 10 miles" today. I felt good and the run went quickly. We ran in Santa Monica -- following the last 5 miles of the LA Marathon race course from Bundy and San Vicente to the Santa Monica Pier (once each way). It was an amazingly beautiful day. Blue skies. Calm surf. Low to mid 70s. Cool breeze. From the bluff above PCH, you could see from Palos Verdes to Malibu, and Catalina Island too. It was one of those days when you are reminded of how blessed you are to live in Southern California. I'll be making my last fundraising push this coming week. I'll be eating better, trying to get more sleep, and continuing with light training. The LA Marathon is in only two weeks! Gotta also work on compiling my favorite running songs for my iPod. Things are coming together. Starting to watch the long distance weather reports for race day. Hoping for overcast and cool temperatures . . .

March 8, 2012 - Great news to report! The final results of Adrian's recent bone marrow biopsy confirm that she is now in remission. Go Adrian! While her treatment and recovery will continue, this is wonderful news.

March 10, 2012 - Bittersweet. That's all I can say. Today I received two pieces of information, one sweet and one very bitter. The sweet news is that Adrian has been discharged from the hospital! After two months of being in the hospital, she is ecstatic to go home, be with her husband, Dave, and eat roasted chicken, salads and other non-hospital food. She still has doctor visits and a transplant ahead of her, but things are definitely looking up for her. On the other side of the spectrum, I learned that my long-time friend and co-worker, Julie Covell-Garfinkel, passed away after a 10 year battle with breast cancer. Her memorial is next Tuesday. I will be there. I helped introduce her to her husband, Gregg, a great friend of mine, and I cannot imagine his grief at this time. Sending love and condolences to Gregg, his two young sons, and their entire family.