Each and Every One of YOU Did It!!! You Helped me reach my Goal fo $2000!!! The words Thank You don't even begin to express my gratitude towards everyone who has support me through this journey thus far!

BUT........ Remember......

There is still more time for More Donations! My minimum goal was $1600. Up to that point, 75% of all proceeds went to LLS. From $1600 and Up - ONE HUNDRED PRECENT of the Proceeds go to LLS!!! 100%! How Awesome is that! If you want to see how your money can make a difference do a youtube search for videos of kids with Leukemia or Lymphoma and there are Hundreds of them! The following one was shared with our Team this week by our Coach. This is just one beautiful little girl who was infected with such a horrible cancer but because of doantions from such AWESOME people as yourselves, we will help find a cure!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Iz-asYSdFSo

It's week 11 and we did 12 miles today with the Team! Today was ALL State ALL Sport and it was AWESOME! We met up in Howard County and the Runners, Walkers, Tri's, Bikes and Hikers were all there! It was a Great turn out and afterwards we had a great cookout with everyone!

As we started our 12 miles we did a Silent Mile. There was running shoes lined up along the roadway with pictures of those who we are Running In Honor of or In Memory Of. When I first went through I was silent and just went along the route.

As I came back at the 6 miles mark I looked a little more at the pictures and I saw a very familiar one, Shannon! Of course it really hit me hard but it fueled my fire even more. This is EXACTLY why I'm out there doing this!

It really reminded me that there is so many people who can't go out and run 12 miles but I can, I can do it for them! I can accomplish the fundraising and help research and find cures for blood cancers!

SOMEDAY IS TODAY!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Iv7Np1UGApc

This was filmed last year at this time and it's Sarah, Katis sister.

Today we went out for our training, 11 Miles today! When Coach Mark asked that we go over by Katis Hand I didn't know for sure why but learned quickly that tomorrow is the anniversary of Katis passing. Coach Mark got Rick (Katis Dad) on the phone to talk to all of us this morning! WOW! I wasn't apart of TNT at the time when Kati was but we hear about her a lot and we are always giving her High Fives when we run past so it was really neat to hear from her dad today.

This was week 10 of our training! WOW, 10 Weeks I've been doing this! I am AMAZED at myself for being able to do this and do it with a smile! I can't say it's been easy, especially today, it was ROUGH! I was having a lot of aches and pains and my run was A LOT slower but there were a few BIG Hills (to include Asquithview - aka - @sskick, I even got a "Bonus Point" for doing it since it wasn't tech. part of the course today!) and I just kept telling myself that at least I am Physically able to do this when so many people can't!

My fundraising has slowed down A LOT and I'm So Close to the end! As I write this, I only have 256 more to go! I do have a couple of Super Neat things to give away (purchased and HOMEMADE) for the Next 4 People who donate $50 or more!!! Help Me Get to the Finish Line with the Fundraising and with the Running!!

Each week we get an email message from our coach(s) and our Mentor(s) and usually from our Fundraising LLS Staff person as well! (Lots of LOVE each week to keep us motivated!!) Along with the Coachs Message he usually gives us a Mission Moment, as well as on Training Days we usually have these as well. This weeks MIssion Moment had me in tears, as most of them do, but I felt so close to this one because it's about Kati. We have heard many AWESOME stories about Kati and our Training usually takes place at Arnold Station and we call it Kati's Touch because there is an AWESOME Rock there with Kati's Handprint in it and anytime we start, go by or stop there, we all give Kati a Big High Five!

So I wanted to share this weeks Mission Moment with you all

MISSION MOMENT – from a speech by Rick Fisher circa 2009

There is a saying that has floated around Team In Training for awhile, and it goes; “We Run. On the wings of a thousand angels, we run.” I am going to talk about one of those angels, my daughter Kati. But, what I am really talking about is you. You see I cannot talk about Kati without talking about Team in Training, without talking about you and who you’ve become.

In the summer of 2000 Kati was first asked to be the honored teammate for the upcoming winter season. She wound up missing that first kick off breakfast because of an infection, and was sick much of the season. But Kati did get the chance to meet the staff at the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society, and several teammates, and so began the love affair between this tiny 11 year old girl and all things Team in Training. Kati was asked to be the honored teammate again for the spring season and she was overjoyed at the chance. Her excited reaction made me ask why it was so important to her, she quickly responded, “Daddy, you know I am going to beat this, but knowing people like this are out there really makes it worth it.” Kati was talking about Team, she was talking who you’ve become.

A little later that year Kati was honorary chairman for a charity event to benefit the Make A Wish Foundation. The Foundation surprised Kati and offered her a Wish. Her first idea was to give that wish to a friend of hers who had relapsed, Kati’s logic being it was the second time her friend was sick so she should have a second wish. The folks at Make a Wish were so nice and they finally convinced Kati she deserved a chance to have a wish of her own. Kati could have gone anywhere in the world, met just about any famous person she wanted. Her wish? To go and be with her Team at their marathon. The place she wanted to be more than anywhere else was with her Team, with who you have become.

For the next two years Kati and her sister Sara got up early each Saturday so they could go to the Team trainings. Rain or shine, hot or cold they were there to help at the water stops to cheer their Team. I told them they could take weeks off but they would always insist on going, they loved their Team, someone who you have become.

It was right here in this room in 2002 that Kati gave a speech, and part of what she said was, “I KNOW THIS IS GOING TO SOUND FUNNY…BUT I FEEL LIKE HAVING LEUKEMIA HAS BEEN ALMOST A BLESSING. WHEN I THINK ABOUT ALL THE REAL LIFE HEROES, THE TEAMMATES LIKE ALL OF YOU, THAT I HAVE MET, I CAN’T HELP BUT SMILE AT BEING SO LUCKY.” This is who you’ve become.

It’s difficult for me to believe that it was five years ago last month that Kati had her bone marrow transplant. She spent four weeks in the hospital for that, and she was so excited to get out when she did because she knew the Spring Kick Off Breakfast was just a couple days away. Kati begged me to bring her, and the force of nature she was I couldn’t say no. So here she was very weak, surgical mask and gloves, but everyone could see that smile behind the mask. As it turned out that Kick Off breakfast was the last place she ever got to go, besides the hospital. And those that met her would tell you if Kati would have known it was the last place she wouldn’t have wanted it any other way, her wish was always to be here with who you’ve become, Team in Training.

Here is one of our group shots (not the whole team) from a Sat morning Training and you can see Kati's Handprint!

1. Stretch. If you stretch for 15 minutes every day you will become very flexible.

2. Read. Pick a time when you can read, without interruptions, for a solid 15 minutes each day.

3. Calisthenics. This form of exercising involves sit-ups, push-ups, trunk twists, squats, chin-ups, etc., which basically means using your own body weight as resistance.

5. Sleep. I just told you to find 15 minutes, and now I’m recommending that you sleep them away? This one is more useful during the middle of the day.

6. Cook. This might not be enough time to make an extensive meal, but it is sufficient enough to put something together.

7. Talk (aka Listen). You can use your newly found time to build solid relationships with several people, or an even closer one with one special person.

8. Draw. While 15 minutes a day, over the course of a year, may not be enough time to build a professional collection, it’s still mighty useful.

9. Journal. One of the best gifts you can give yourself is the ability to reflect upon your life.

10. Visit nature. Bask in the beauty and serenity that nature has selflessly provided us with.

11. Meditate. The research is in, and there’s no doubt that stress is a killer.

12. Plan. Spend 15 minutes planning out your day, or week, planning makes a difference.

13. Network. Whether it’s for your job, or some kind of recreational endeavor, you can use your 15 minutes to network and make friends.

14. Research. With Google at your fingertips you can find out some very useful information about your health, hobby, career, or some way to improve your life.

15. Be Charitable. Take these few minutes to read through about Leukemia and Lymphoma Society and the fundraising I’m doing in honor of my cousin who is battling this horrible cancer right now. You can donate $15 (or any amount you choose) to help the fight against all blood cancers as we reach for a Cure.