"The miracle isn't that I finished. The miracle is that I had the courage to start."

-John Bingham

On April 16, 2012, I will be running the world’s oldest and most legendary, Boston Marathon with Team In Training (TNT), benefiting The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society (LLS).

My first experience with Team in Training and The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society in 2008 is something I’ll never forget. Initially the organization was a way for me to make friends and get the training support I would need to succeed at my first marathon. Then I met the survivors, people who were living with these diseases. Some just visited the training sessions to inspire. Some were quietly training right alongside me. Some were neighbors but they all became my friends. My life has been forever changed by the lives that have touched me, lifelong friends I have met, and the inspiration I have received with this program.

This race will hold a significant and special place in my heart as I will be training and running in honor of my Mother, Laurie, 1-year and counting cancer free and my Stepmother, Patty, 5-years and counting cancer free!!!!

In 2006, my stepmother was diagnosed with breast cancer; she underwent multiple surgeries and a mastectomy. Early detection saved her life as more undetected cancer was found during the surgeries. At the time, I remember how scared I was for her but most importantly, I remember how Patty made every effort to maintain a positive attitude, she handled both the news and the treatment with grace, strength and courage and I will always admire her for that.

In May of 2010, just weeks after my permanent return to the East Coast my mother was diagnosed with uterine cancer. Hearing the words “I have cancer” again was more than I was ready to deal with but I was and am still so thankful to have been in close proximity to her as she underwent surgery, radiation and months of chemotherapy. I experienced first-hand how mentally, emotionally and physically draining the treatment was on her, myself and our family. During all of this, my mom remained strong, always had a smile on her face for our visits, and never let cancer take over her life – she was a fighter and continues to be an inspiration.

My life experiences along with my TNT experiences have not only made me stronger as an individual but fuel my mission to rid the world of cancer. I’m improving my quality of life by participating, and with your support, I can help improve the quality of life for patients and their families as well.

To date, I have raised $5,876 for LLS through TNT and hope to bring my lifetime fundraising total to $10,000 this season! All I need for you to do is make a donation, small or large, to support a cause that is very important to me.

I am hoping to provide updates on my website so I hope you will check back in to follow me on my journey to Boston Marathon 2012! Thank you in advance, your support means more than you could possibly know.

Cheers and let's kick cancers A$!

WEEK 1: And so it begins...

This Saturday was our first week of practice and it felt great to be back with TNT. Lot's of new faces to meet and miles to be covered. The best part about it was not that I survived a 3 mile run in 38 degree weather but that I had the opportunity to meet the teams honored heros, Michael Jr., Tucker and Cord.

Michael was diagnosed with ALL at the age of 2 and after being treated with chemotherapy Michael went into remission, only to relapse a short time later. He talked to us about his father becoming involved with TNT and running 10 Boston Marathons in his honor. Last year Michael turned 18 and became a teammate himself, completing the 2011 Boston Marathon side by side with his dad. While Michael is now off at college he is genuinely grateful for the commitment people like myself have made. In return, I am grateful for the endless support I've received from, you, my donors during my time with LLS.

I also got to meet Tucker and Cord (ages 5 and 5 1/2, depending on which one you ask) . Just 2 days before Thanksgiving in 2009 Tucker was diagnosed with ALL at the age of 3 and has been receiving treatments ever since. On Dec 15th Tucker will reach a celebratory milestone, receiving his last treatment and officially being in remission! Tucker's Aunt (a TNT alum) explained to us the challenges and effects that a cancer diagnosis and treatment can have on siblings, specifically twins, and the family.

These are just 2 of the reasons why I continue to run and raise money for LLS. If these remarkable families can survive multiple cancer diagnoses with grace, kindness and love, I know I can get through 5 months of training in a Boston winter!

In order to make Boston more special, I would love to fill my race day singlets with ribbons in honor of YOUR friends and family who have been affected by cancer. Please write a comment or drop me a line if you would like me to train and run Boston in honor or memory of a loved one.

~Smiles across the miles~

WEEK 6: Newton Hills, oh my!

It was great to be back with the team this weekend after the holiday break. Even though there were less group training sessions I still made sure to get my long runs in and keep up with my cross-training during this busy time of year. Cancer doesn't take the holidays off so neither would I! It's hard to beleive that I am already up to double digits in my long runs, no more single digit runs until April 8th, imagine that!

WEEK 8: Heartbreak & Inspiration

Saturday's run was an interesting yet very inspiring training run. I must admit I have been pretty spoiled with such a mild winter compared to last years nightmare so when I saw real snow in the forecast I began to mentally psych myself out. How does one run in the snow? I had visions of falling, slipping, having wet feet, numbness and honestly thought that maybe I wasn't cut out for it.

Now every morning before we go out for our training runs we have a Mission Moment, where someone from our team will speak to us about a personal connection. This mission moment was like no other story I had every heard and brought me to tears as I was listening. It was a young couple, not much older than me, who had given birth to a beautiful baby boy, Tucker, not long ago. Unfortunately, this was not a story of survival as Tucker was diagnosed with infant ALL and died within one week of his diagnosis at 5 weeks old. My heart ached for this couple as they went on to tell us that infant ALL is so rare that the odds are 1 in a million. I can't even imagine the pain they felt having to say goodbye to their first born so soon after he entered the world. After hearing their story my thoughts about running in the snow quickly came into perspective and reminded me that I can do it and I would do it in memory of Tucker. Tucker didn't have the option to live so no matter how tough it got out there, I was not going to give up!

Running in the snow didn't turn out to be so bad. While it was definitely a challange I just had to go back to the basics... remember to put one foot in front of the other, take it nice and slow and focus at the task at hand... getting through 12 miles. Oh yea, I may have forgot to mention I was also so lucky to be introduced to Heartbreak Hill today. At least I know that come Marathon Monday in April, if there happens to be a snow storm (it's happened before) I'll still be able to fnish and be better off for it!