Thinking about everything that has gone on in the past few days makes me want this race to come even faster. Not only do we run for a cure for Cancer but being from Massachusetts we run for Boston.

In the next 10 days we will put in less mileage until the big day, but as we collect all our gear to go to DC we will be decorating them. In honor of loved ones, and now for our city.

I plan to have Boston Strong on my shirt and our team will be wearing blue and yellow ribbons because as runners what happened this week did effect all of us. But we will continue to run.

keeping motivated!

It is crazy how fast this race has come up. But in 19 days I will be putting on my purple and running 13.1 miles for The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society.

I am extremely appreciative of those that have donated as I am so close to my goal!

I cannot wait to run with all the Team in Training teams from across the country down in DC. When I signed up I knew that we were running in DC but didn't really think of where.

Click here to see the course. I am excited and nervous for the 28th to come and be able to run in such an amazing area.

Below is a picture after our 8 mile run last weekend in the Blue Hills which all of us will be glad to be done running. Next week we head out for 10 miles in Brookline before starting our taper and then before we know it race weekend will be here... 19 more days...

So it is just 4 weeks until race day and I have been in bed with an awesome virus. Sleep has been the thing I can do best for the past 3 days. Taking a week off from trianing wasn't on my training schedule but sometimes you have to listen to your body. So this week/weekend will be full of rest and trying to get back to feeling 100% so I can crush 13.1 miles on April 28th.

While I am recouping I do want to mention that I am so close to my fundraising goal and wanted to share 3 events that I have going on.

First my wonderful sister and mother have decided to host another 31 bags party where 20% of your purchase goes towards my fundraising goal. You can find that event here: https://www.facebook.com/#!/events/440352752708049/

Second is my amazing husband and his Survival Bracelet fundraiser! Which you can find here: https://www.facebook.com/#!/events/138997552944390/

Third is the Pickle & Harvey fundraiser! Which we are down to our last 15 sets of magents and stickers! You can find details here: https://www.facebook.com/#!/events/497827943585726/

With only a few weeks left any donation amount is appreciated so please consider even a $5 donation to this great cause and helping me reach my goal!

Right after Christmas this year I started registering for events for 2013. After a Resolution Run with Becka we stood at the TNT table where I was on the fence to sign up for this half marathon. I also was on the fence about signing up for a Goruck Challenge. So that day we made a deal that I would do the Half and she would do the Goruck.

We started training for the Half in mid January and on my non-running days I used my ruck and 6 bricks to get used to the weight in the bag on my shoulders. The Goruck being in March meant it was before the Half and I would start using the bag on some of my shorter runs. Unfortunately Becka was injured and in hopes to get her better for the Half transferred her Goruck entry until a later time.

So March 16th, 0100 rolled around a lot quicker than I thought it would. The whole week I was sort of a mental mess. I knew I was going to test my physical abilities but for some reason getting my head into the game was a lot harder than getting my body to be stronger. Now that it was just me heading into the Goruck I was nervous because it is easier to jump into something with a friend but I knew it was a team challenge so I got in my car and headed to Boston.

Being in the right place at the right time, I got into Boston and started chatting with some people from the NE Spahtens team that I had joined their facebook group to hopefully join in on some 5k OCR or something. Well at 0100 we got into our lines and I happened to fall in with this amazing team.

Embracing the suck started promptly with pushups, flutter kicks, and inchworm pushups. The challenge started with 102 people that were broken into 3 groups each with different Cadre to make this challenge different for everyone. We were placed with Cadre Chris, who I saw on Thursday at War Stories & Free Beer and was a bit at ease that at least it was a familiar face (even though Cadre Lou & Garet were the others leading the other teams who were also at WSFB)

So coming together as a team, inchworm pushup is one way to get to know your fellow teammates and also trying to move clockwise while doing them. I can honestly say that I need to work on my pushups and feel as though I may have done 1 correctly off my knees and it may have been the one to end the inchworm pushups because it was get off the ground or we keep trying...

Our first mission was to get to Fenway Park and to do so silently. As the Cadre noticed us not working together and being not so quiet people were being "wounded" and we had to carry them to our destination. With no watches and it being the early morning, we had no idea what time it was or how long it took us to get to Fenway. But we made it but failed our mission because we were too slow. PT it was, and in honor of the Red Sox and the fact that Cadre Chris missed both World Series games being deployed we did pushups, and flutter kicks in cadence in reps of 86.

With time to refuel and change out team leaders our next mission was to get 4 giant cardboard bundles from Fenway to Faneuil Hall. Cadre Chris told us how those 4 giant bundles were pieces to a nuclear weapon and we needed to get it to its destination. If i could remember the real life story I would tell it but it was 4am maybe at this point and well I can't remember it other than in the soldiers bundles it was 3 pieces- 2 parts nuclear weapon, 1 part handle of whiskey as it was basically a suicide mission.

So off we went. Compressed cardboard bundles, I will never look at them the same. They were heavy and awkward and needed at least 4 people to carry them. The words "move faster" were uttered many times as we headed to Faneuil Hall. As we approached the Swan Boat area we were told the bridge was lined with IED and that we had to go around. So into the muck we went. So what happens when a bundle falls apart and you leave part of your team behind? PT and again we were honoring the Red Sox in cadence for 86 pushup then 86 flutter kicks before getting out of the Boston Common.

I can honestly say that with everything that was going on with this mission it was a blur getting to Faneuil Hall and once we set those 4ish bundles down to end the mission and find them their final resting place in a dumpster. But Boston PD had a better plan for us. Apparently they come out of nowhere on a crowd of 30 "weirdoes" and giving us our marching orders to leave their property. So onward up to Haymarket we went trying to find these bundles a home and between random trash bins and recycling bins (and the side of the street) they did.

Now it was on to Bunker Hill like our hair was on fire and once we arrived there it was time to come together with buddy carries. Now I am not small, I am on my way to getting to my goal weight and well no lady was the same height or weight I was. So I met Steven, we were not the same size or height but we were matched up. Mission was to buddy carry each other 50/50 to the USS Constitution. The phrase "If you aren't cheating, you aren't trying" was mentioned to us and well we took advantage of that. Steven did carry me for a bit but then as we tried to switch and I give him a piggyback ride, we went down like a ton of bricks. So we took rucks, we took team weights, a road cone, and the team flag and off we went trying to keep the team in somewhat order bringing up the rear.

Longest break we had was at the US Constitution and after some food, water, and bathroom break it was time to get to Harvard Stadium, like our hair was on fire. As we weren't coming together as a team we were forced to come together. We lost strap privelages at this point and could only carry our rucks but 1 handle, then had to carry them as a team by holding 1 strap each with the person in front and behind us. Making our way through Charlestown we were working as a team in walking/fast shuffle in cadence.

Options: Get in the water waist deep to ear 1 strap back or do (you guessed it) 86 pull-ups as a team on a nearby playground. We opted for the pull-ups and came about halfway to pulling that off. So we got 1 strap back. Not it was double time like our hair was on fire to Harvard.

The Bar rule: Get a bar to serve you a drink for free and we get a break with no ruck and we get the beer. Mission accepted. Mission failed as Cambridge at whatever time it was in the morning had no bar open to even try to get a beverage.

Onward to some railroad tracks, Cadre Chris happened to find 2 railway ties hanging out which needed to get to their new home at MIT. So we separated into 2 teams by height and off we went. Yet again hearing "Move Faster" as we went down Mass Ave heading to MIT.

The final stretch (but we didn't know that at the time) was to get back to Bostom Common say it with me: LIKE OUR HAIR WAS ON FIRE. At this point we were starting to get it, keeping our formation decent, changing the team weights between us and keeping them at the front. Keeping the group together and navigating to the common. Then causalities stuck, and we were slowed down a bit, but we were making out way and finally the common and traveling the shortest distance we could to get to our destination. As part of our team was up the hill a bunch of us were killed and had to be buddy carried up the hill. Finally in a pack we start to form back into formation and Cadre Chris says the words that after 12.5 hours we weren’t sure when we were going to hear them "Congratulations you are finished" as we formed into our last formation as GORUCK Class #453 Team Bravo to receive our GORUCK TOUGH patches you could feel the energy from everyone it was amazing.

We had finished, hugs all around from 30 people that some may have known each other but in that 12.5 hours of Good Livin' came together as a team to complete an event that some would just say is plain crazy. But as I look at it now, it was a challenge that I could have not done without everyone that was there and I am extremely grateful to have gone through the challenge to learn about myself but to learn about what others can do when you work as a team. I look forward to doing more events with the NE Spahtens in the future as I have learned being part of a team is better than going at it alone.

When I was asked Saturday evening if I would ever do one again, I said no way. But when I woke up Sunday and realized what we had accomplished, I cannot wait to sign up and finish the next one.

As someone from another team put it:

"I am not as strong as I thought I was, I am stronger than I could have possibly imagined."

Now to conquer this 13.1 miles in a little over 4 weeks

Photo courtesy of Vince Rhee & NE Spahtens Website

For those that are more tactical (or should I say tacticool) my awesome husband has offer to make paracord bracelet (survival bracelet) for a minimum donation.

Here are his words:

"Hello All,

My wonderful wife, Danielle, is embarking on an adventure, and she would love all the help she can get.

After losing her father to cancer in 1999, she has done many events to help raise money for cancer research. This year she has challenged herself to do something different to raise money and awareness.

On April 28, 2013, she will be running the Nike Women's Half Marathon in Washington D.C. with Team In Training (Team In Training - Together We Train to Beat Cancer), which benefits the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society.

Follow her journey through her TNT blog page (Danielle's TNT Page) and help her raise funds to help find cures and better treatments for leukemia, lymphoma, Hodgkin’s disease, and myeloma. With your support, she can improve the quality of her life while helping to improve the quality of life for patients and their families as well.

As an added bonus, if you need something to show for your donation I am offering paracord bracelets. If you would like a paracord bracelet please make a minimum donation of $15 for one. In the message field please put NES550 and we will get you a paracord bracelet, also please include your wrist size. " (see below for picture of paracord bracelet)

Pickle & Harvey have decided that if you donate at least $15 you will receive not only a small magnet but you will also receive a sticker, and large magnet!

So that is all 3 items for a $15 donation! (plus a special surprise)

Please put “bulldog” in the comments

On Saturday I met up with the ladies from Team in Training like we do every Saturday morning. But this Saturday was for my first (any many others first) 8 mile run.

I have come to like 10k's it seems to be the best distance, enough time to warm up and get the yuck of the first 2 miles out of my system and hit a stride. So what was just 2ish more miles onto the 6.2 that I had grown to like.

So before we head out we always have a mission moment, where someone shares who they are running for or why they have joined TNT to run and raise money.

This week we ran for Ayden, an 8 year old boy who has been battling cancer for a good part of his life. We joined Ayden's Army to log in our 8 miles, as Ayden's family had to make the journey home with him from St. Jude's in TN because there are no more options for him.

8 miles seemed like nothing as I ran with friends and we navigated a terrible map of a town none of are from. As I was running thinking of Ayden and all he has gone through (and his family) that my tired legs from the horrible hill we ran up because we got lost was something that I could push through because I am training and raising money for children like Ayden. That someday with the help of LLS we will have cures for cancer and no child will be sent home with no more options.

To join Ayden's Army visit this page: https://www.facebook.com/groups/176465742461085/

Keeping the WHY in training is a good way to push through the longer runs, and when your legs get tired and you think you can't go on, think of the Ayden's in the world and push on.

Here is a picture of Ayden's TNT army from Saturday morning.

Well I have been slacking a bit on posting here but I can tell you that I have not been slacking on training. I am starting to really not like being stuck inside to run some of my miles and really enjoy Saturday morning practice with our team. Here we are last Saturday before our run:

(thank you Stingers for being an awesome sponser!)

Coming up this week is our 2 months until the big race, and to say I am not nervous is an understatement. But with the great group that I get to be apart of and what we are doing together to raise money and awareness for such a great cause is calming those nerves.

Looking forward to next Saturday!

As I started out on this journey I knew I had a handful of people to run for. It started to hit me this week as the miles have gone up really who I am running for and why I am doing this.

Back before I can really remember my grandfather (Alfred Joseph Zonghi) was diagnosed with melanoma. I was very young but I can remember him as the happy grandfather that taught all his grandkids how to play blackjack and shuffle a deck of cards. Many times visiting we would all sit around the dining room table beating grandpa at blackjack for silver dollars. I never remember him being sick, but I do remember going to the hospital late one night and everyone being sad. He had passed away from cancer in 1987. This was my first time hearing the word cancer and it would be a while before I heard it again.

In 1997 is when I heard family talking about cancer again. My father (Alfred Joseph Zonghi Jr.) was diagnosed with lung cancer, being the strong man he was he never let us know he was scared and he took on his treatment like it was just another thing in his life he needed to work hard at. He ended up having one lung removed which helped get rid of most of the cancer. But at this point the cancer was in him lymph nodes. He started chemo and radiation to conquer this also. Things were going well and he was in remission and life started to get back to normal. I can't say being in a house where someone is going through cancer treatment was easy. It meant no friends over to make sure dad didn't get sick. It was going down to 1 income and having dad home while he went through treatment. But as he always said "We will take one day at a time" and that is what we did.

In mid-1997 my uncle (Robert Zonghi) was diagnosed with lung cancer and passed away after a short battle. His wife and my aunt (Sandy Zonghi) was also diagnosed with cancer and sadly passed away in mid-1998.

Unfortunately, in late 1998 my dad's cancer also came back. This time more on his lymph nodes and on a tumor on his spine. My parents decided to use hospice care and to stop treatment and "live each day one at a time" on Christmas Day 1999 he passed away. I remember the Christmas Eve us all spending time with him and watching his favorite movie It's a Wonderful Life and our whole family just being together, not knowing that it would be our last time together. Christmas morning I will always remember the sun being so bright and our house being very quiet. But the sun will always stick in my mind, and when I am up early enough to see the sunrise (which is most mornings) there are mornings where it just seems a bit brighter and I smile.

I wish this is where my story with cancer ended but sometime in 2000 my grandmother (Mary Grandoni) was diagnosed with cancer. Being very private about what she was going through she did not share much about her sickness and I believe it was a combo of bone and lung cancer. As she learned from my dad's fight she took what was dear to her and lived one day at a time. With one of our final trips being to Hawaii to have all the family together. She passed away in June of 2001 after going through treatment and hospice care.

For all those I have lost in my life I have gained the fact that I know what cancer can do and I am not naive to what the treatments and outcomes can be. As I run for all my loved ones I have lost there is 1 loved one that I run for that has motivated me to push myself and to overcome.

That person is my older sister Kim. She was diagnosed with cervical cancer in 2006 at the age of 25. After some testing and figuring out a plan she went in for a biopsy and they removed the cancer. She has been cancer free for 6 years and 8 months. I know she believes in the "live one day at a time" motto that our father told us and this has brought her to many happy milestones. She is a new mother to a 2 month old who despite all the doctors, testing, and time, was conceived naturally, and she was never put on bed rest and he was late! Which were all things going into having a baby that her doctors and she would never had expected. He was born Dec. 1st 2012 and weighed 10 lbs. 11.5 oz. and 21.5 inches and is a very happy and healthy baby. As she goes for her checkups and adds months and years to being cancer free, I look back and think of all the things we have gone through as a family and all the research that has gone into making all types of cancer treatable.

With this journey of running a Half Marathon I hope to help with every donation find a cure or a treatment for other families that have gone through what mine has and for sunrises to be bright for those that are battling this disease so they can see milestones in their lives for many years to come.

So when I am pushing through this training on an early morning and the sun is shining just a bit brighter I know it is someone helping me get to my goal, and I hope all that comes to my page can help me reach my goal for others.

So like anyone else Monday morning workouts always seems like the hardest of the week. Well this morning I had every complaint in the world going through my head as I ran 3 miles indoors. It was hot, my socks felt too thick, my music mix wasn't good, and the list could have gone on...

As I was pushing through I remembered why I am doing this. It isn't about me and being uncomfortable. It is about training to complete something for others. Raise funds to help those who have no choice but to push through the hard times so they can enjoy another sunrise.

So as the sun came up this morning and I finished my 3 miles, I was smiling thinking about my small victory of getting through a Monday morning workout and thought of the support of friends, family, and even strangers donating and supporting me on this page that will help a lot more people in the world get through their struggle and see another sunrise.

Here is a little pep talk to get you through your Monday: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l-gQLqv9f4o

Happy Saturday!

So bright and early this morning I met up with Becka and we headed to Natick to meet up with the TNT folks at their office for our first group run. Now I had set off to use the Beginner training schedule and was happy that I got through the first week and felt good. But then realized I was taking it easy on myself. I have done multiple 5ks and run or bike every morning so why am I not challenging myself with this training? Well that ended today.

While starting our 2-mile run this morning Becka and I got to the 1-mile turn around and then decided to just keep going. We ended up doing a 3-mile run this morning and I am now switching my training over to the Intermediate schedule. In hopes to not only improve on my already improved mile time but to actually finish the Half in a time less than my goal.(goal time is under 3 hours)

I am excited to get up and do these runs with this great team and cannot wait to see how the next few months go.

Hope you are having an awesome Saturday!

So if you are reading this you have most likely been sent an email, been invited to an event, or clicked on a link from a facebook or twitter post.

Thank you for coming to my fundraising/blog page.

January 14th started training for the Nike Women's Half and well this week like any other week I wake up around 5:15am help Alan with the dogs then head up to my home gym. (nothing fancy just an elliptical & bike with gym flooring that has taken over part of our bedroom) This week is a bit different because I am adding extra running in. My normal was about 1 mile on the elliptical at high resistance. This week it has been 25 minutes or longer to get to at least 2-3 each morning. I have also taken on 3 challenges for the month of January; a push up challenge, jumping jack challenge, and a burpee challenge. So by about 7:15/7:30 I have put in a great workout.

I cannot wait for the sun to rise earlier and the days to get a bit warmer so I can move some of my training outside. I did enjoy watching the snow fall from my warm room this morning but looking out the same window at the same trees every morning does get a bit boring.

Not only am I training for the NWM but my good friend Becka (that introduced me to TNT and is also running NWM) & I have signed up for the GoRuck Challenge on March 16th in Boston. Want to learn more about this event go to: www.goruckchallenge.com

I know I am excited about this event and thus why I have kicked up my training with push-ups and burpees. Soon to start doing 2 miles with my ruck and bricks.

So training is underway and fundraising is also!

Thank you again for reading, donating, and sharing this page!

-danielle

PS. Here are the 3 challenges I am doing incase you wanted to join in!

:

Many of you know that I have taken the bull by the horns and thrown myself into this running thing. Well 2013 I have decided to push myself to some new distances.

Backstory:

Back in December of 2011 I signed up for a 2 mile local run. This was my first time running outside. I have been a self proclaimed gym rat for years but wanted to try out running in the great outdoors. Without proper clothing for the December race I layered up and borrowed some things from my sister and started the race. I couldn't run a mile... I finished the race walking in under 40 mins but was not happy that 2 miles was not something I could do without walking.

So I decided to get serious in 2012. Running was not my thing but doing races was something I really liked. So I signed up for a Warrior Dash 5k, Hoppin Mad Mud Run 10k, Lozilu 5k, Diva Dash 5k, Spartan Sprint Fenway, and a handful of other local 5ks all bringing me back to that 2 mile run I had done the year earlier. This time I not only ran the race but did it in 20 mins. In 2012 I completed 8 different races all with improving my time with each 5k I completed.

2013 has come along and I have decided to challenge myself with distance and strength. So I have signed up with Team In Training to run the Nike Women's Half Marathon in DC on April 28th.

Like the other members of TNT, I will be raising funds to help find cures and better treatments for leukemia, lymphoma, Hodgkin’s disease and myeloma. I’m improving the quality of my life by participating and with your support, I can help improve the quality of life for patients and their families as well.

I will update this page as I go through my journey of training for this event and hope that you will please make a donation in support of my efforts with Team In Training and help advance the research for cures.

Thank you!

Danielle