Hi Friends and Family!

Just a quick post to say THANK YOU! Without all of you this experience would not have been possible. Your donations and support have made it possible for me to step up to the start line in Hopkinton on Monday morning. Your donations have allowed our Boston Marathon team to raise over $900,000 for The Leukemia and Lymphoma Society! As a team we hope to hit the 1 million dollar mark and be the first ever charity team to reach that fundraising goal for the Boston Marathon!

I start at 10:40AM on Monday. My bib number is 22510 and you can track me here on the Boston Marathon website. I'll be running in honor of Joanne Palermo. Joanne was Michael's Aunt who unfortunately I never got the chance to meet. Everyone who tells stories about her shares how wonderful she was. She is greatly missed by his family and I know that on Marathon Monday running for her will be the only inspiration I will need when the going gets tough. Her name will also be on my race singlet...

It's supposed to be a hot one on Monday, temperatures are predicted to be in the 80s! Please keep me and all of the other runners in your thoughts and wish us luck!

Thank you all again for your support! Much Love!

Whitney

Thanks for visiting my Team in Training home page!

As most of you know I have a passion for running and am currently having a love affair with marathons right now. In 2009 I ran my first marathon, the NYC Marathon. I was luckily enough to be there with my parents, brother, aunt and uncle and cousin. To say the experience was touching was an understatement. It was incredible and overwhelming.

In October 2011 I ran my second marathon, the Chicago Marathon. This time I trained and raced with my boyfriend Michael. His parents joined us in the Windy City for the weekend and to cheer us on. Again, the experience was amazing and touched me in a way that I now believe only marathons can.

This April, I'll be running my third marathon. The Boston Marathon. Personally this is marathon of all marathons for me. It's the most prestigious, oldest and challening marathons around. While my friends and family will be along the course cheering me on and at the finish waiting for me I'll also be blessed to be training and running for a wonderful charity.

I've choosen to run for The Leukemia and Lymphoma Society because I've heard countless stories from a number of people of how cancer research has allowed them or their friends or their loved ones to fight cancer longer, or go into remission. They've tried new treatments and were able to spend more time with their friends and loved ones. We all have known or know someone fighting cancer right now. I want to help raise money for research to help people live longer and fight cancer so they can have more time with their loved ones and friends.

Running the Boston Marathon with Team in Training gives me the opportunity to help raise money to fight cancer. Running marathons is my passion, but it's what we do with our passions that can make a difference.

Each time I've stood at the starting line waiting to begin a marathon I've been overwhelmed by the number of people wearing shirts representing their charity. I'm touched that these people are enduring a marathon for such a great cause. Marathon morning is always emotional for me, but everytime I see these people at the start I well up with tears as I'm overwhelmed and awed by what they are accomplishing. I can only imagine how touched and overwhelmed I will be with this experience. As part of Team in Training I've been connected with a team of runner's who are committed to training hard and fundraising for a great cause. I'm excited to be one of those people wearing a charity shirt at the starting line, knowing that I didn't just train for a marathon. I assembled a group of people who believe in me and the charity and are a supporting us through their donations.

Teams are made up of individuals. Without them, there is no team.

0.75% of every dollar donated will go directly to The Leukemia and Lymphoma Society. Please make a donation in support of my efforts with Team In Training and help advance the research for cures. And know that all of you who donate will be along side me at the start of the Boston Marathon as we are a TEAM.