With the race now only 2 weeks away, training has started to calm down quite a bit. Last week was the longest run we'll do before race day; 12 long miles! After that we start what's called "tapering" by running progressively less and less to allow our muscles to recover and give less chance for injury so close to race day. This morning we ran 7 miles in the wind and rain but next Saturday we're down to 4, then the next Saturday it's only 1 because the next day is the half marathon!! It's hard to believe it's here already, yet it seems like it's been a long time coming. 

With so many generous donations from awesome people and the funds raised from our 2ND Annual Run Like Hale 10K this past July, we are just $165 away from reaching our goal of $5,000 for The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society. How awesome is that?!? If you haven't donated yet, there is still time! Help us reach our goal before the Freep! If you've already donated, thank you again! We really appreciate your support. 

Financial gifts are always appreciated, but I wanted to take a moment to recognize those that have supported us in another, equally as important way. These are the people that have taken time out of their busy lives to spend the night at our home Friday nights so they could be there to care for our 4 children when we left for our group long runs bright and early Saturday mornings. These are the people that come over the afternoon before the race and stay overnight with our children all during the race day as well. Without them, we could have never been able to train together (which is so very important!), or have been able to train so well, or be able to run in the race at all. My mom, Debbie Kerr; Wayne's mom, Carol Wheatley; my step-mom, Susan Mann; and my sister & brother-in-law, Shawna & Jason Bradley, have all been those people. To them we extend our sincere gratitude for their unending and uplifting support, and their tireless love of our tireless children. Wayne and I thank you from the bottom of our hearts!

Race day is just 2 short weeks away. 14 days until I run in my very first half marathon; how crazy is that! An asthmatic with crappy knees who hated to run is lacing up to go 13.1 miles before the sun comes up with a bunch of other crazy folks. That's what the inspiration of knowing you can make a difference can do. Thank you to all who have helped us on this journey, financially or otherwise. We are so blessed by you all and give you a hearty "GO TEAM!"!

As I ran through my neighborhood the other day, dripping in sweat and willing myself not to stop, my thoughts kept returning to those who are too sick to run.......too weak to run.....or would have loved one more day here even if just to watch someone else run. Usually I'm not such a deep thinker in the throes of a 2 mile run in 98% humidity, but lately I have been. What changed from last year, or the year before that? What makes my mind cling to what most would think of as depressing thoughts to push me forward when I'd much rather call it quits? The difference is that this year, I Run With A Purpose.

February of 2012, a severe stomach cramp sent my husband, Wayne, to the ER. Within hours he was undergoing surgery to remove 7" of intestine which had become blocked by an inflamed lymph node. Having four young and sleeping children at home (and the fact that this all took place in the wee hours of the morning), I could not be at the hospital with Wayne. It was the next day when I was able to visit him and hear what the doctors had to say: Non-Hodgkin's Lymphoma (NHL). Needless to say, it was shocking.

What followed was a whirlwind of doctor appointments, research, doctor appointments, outpourings of support from everyone around us, doctor appointments, and treatment. That last one is what scared me the most. From what I knew about chemotherapy, it was horrible. I envisioned my husband having to leave our home to keep from contracting an infection while his immune system was compromised (remember the four young children I mentioned earlier?). I worried about my abilities to be able to take on every detail of our lives on my own on top of caring for Wayne if he was able to stay at home. I imagined the difficulty of watching my once healthy and active husband waste away from the very thing trying to save his life. It was a stressful time.

Amazingly, none of the things I was concerned about came to pass, and it was all because of a relatively new drug called Rituxan. This treatment is an infusion of antibodies that aids the body in fighting the cancer rather than killing nearly everything in the body to get at it. The news of this treatment was a game changer. Wayne started right away with the only side effects being a slight allergic reaction (easily treated with Benedryl at each infusion) and weight gain from an additional steroid. Two years later the treatment was complete and Wayne was declared cancer free, and he remains cancer free to this day. It was a miracle!

The Leukemia and Lymphoma Society exists to cure leukemia, lymphoma, Hodgkin's disease, and myeloma, and improve the quality of life of patients and their families. They raise awareness and funds to discover & develop life-changing and life-SAVING treatments every day. Dealing with NHL firsthand gave us a new appreciation for what they do and we were determined to give back and do our part to help in the fight against blood cancers.

Already being runners ourselves, Team in Training (TNT) was a perfect fit for us. Wayne signed up to run the Detroit Free Press (The Freep) half marathon with TNT in 2012 and had a blast. In 2013, he decided to run the full marathon at the Freep and to also organize his own 10K race in Hale as a fundraiser as well. Doing so enabled him to earn the honor of being the 2nd highest fundraiser for TNT in The Freep for 2013! This year, his Run Like Hale 10K race is in it's 2nd year and Wayne even convinced me to run my first 1/2 Marathon and join Team in Training myself! So that's why you can catch me running around my neighborhood most days, sporting a bright purple TNT running shirt, and contemplating all that brought me to this moment. That's also why I"m asking for your help in getting me to my fundraising goal of $2,500.00 for Team in Training because now, I Run With a Purpose.

On behalf of all people with blood cancers and their families, including my own, could you join us in our fight by donating today? Every bit helps and every bit makes a difference in people's lives. A REAL, tangible, quite possibly life-changing or even life-saving difference. Join me in helping Team in Training by donating today here, and GO TEAM!