Hi, everyone.

I was really worried that I was never going to be able to finish this half-marathon because I was running SO SLOW. A friend of mine (a lot of you know Kim), told me about the Goofy Shame Train that follows behind the last runner and picks up those who cannot keep the required pace (about a 16 minute mile). Well, I've been running only about a 16 minute mile myself, and was starting to get a little worried that I wasn't going to be able to stay ahead of Goofy, especially since my oldest (Sarah) can run 3 miles in less time than I was taking to run 2.

Well, HOORAY! This morning I was able to run 3 miles at an average of just under 14 minutes a mile! What a relief! I know that I'm really new to this, and I guess I should have expected that with training my pace would improve, but it sure felt great to actually SEE it. I have no idea what my average pace will be when we're running significant distances, but right now I'm just going to work on adding 1 mile at a time.

Ellie got a fever this weekend, and of course my first thought was, "what if the cancer's come back?" I took her to the doctor, and it's only a virus, thank God. But that got me thinking about those people who never really go into remission, and can never be called "cured," such as patients with Non-Hodgkin's Lymphoma. Every month is a question mark. The best they can hope for is to keep the cancer at bay for as long as possible. If you haven't made a contribution yet, I can't tell you how much support your donation provides to those patients. It really means a lot to them to know that total strangers understand their challenges and are willing to reach out and make a sacrifice to help them. Please consider making a donation. And thank you to all of you who have already. You are truly a blessing.

DeeAnn

Hi, friends and family!

We had our first group run in Royal Oak on Saturday (Aug. 7). Wow! How incredibly motivating to meet all these people who are running, most of them for the very first time. I thought I must be a nut to try to run a half-marathon when I've never even run a 5k, but almost all the people on the team are doing the same thing. And everyone has their story about one of the blood cancers and why they are doing this. The stories are amazing. All I can say is that our family, and our Ellie are very blessed. Even though it was a very difficult time for us, it pales in comparison to what some people have gone through, or are going through right now. Their strength is amazing.

I am blown away by the generosity of people. I went out yesterday soliciting the businesses along Woodward for donations for an auction I'm planning, and everyone was so receptive. I only had 2 people say "No, thanks." Everyone else either donated something or asked me to write a letter along with the LLS letter and they would give me something. And here, again, everyone had their story about a family member or friend who had been touched by a blood cancer. People want to help. We find communities of people where-ever we look. We just have to look.

Thank you so much to those people who have donated to my fundraising effort already. A very special thanks to Eric Scicluna who donated within about 4 minutes of my sending out my first email. That was a huge enoucouragement to me. Please watch for my upcoming auction. I'm hoping to do it online so anyone, anywhere can take part. Yes, I will ship.

Thanks for taking the time to read my blog. And if you haven't done so already, please seriously consider donating to LLS. You probably know someone who has been touched by a blood cancer, and you may not even know it. Do it for them.

Thanks,

DeeAnn

Hi, Friends. I am blown away by the amount of support I have received already! So many people have responded to my Facebook page and my email. Thank you so much. That's the kind of thing I will keep in mind when I'm training in November and December, dodging icy puddles and snowbanks!

Thanks to those who have already donated. You are wonderful. Please consider donating to this very worthy cause. If you would rather donate by check, please shoot me an email (duhlarik@att.net) and I will send you my address. Make checks out to The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society.

Thanks again to all of you!

DeeAnn

Racing to Save Lives

Welcome to my first Team In Training home page.

I'm training to participate in the Walt Disney World Half-Marathon as a member of The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society's (LLS) Team In Training. All of us on Team In Training are raising funds to help stop leukemia, lymphoma, Hodgkin lymphoma and myeloma from taking more lives. I am completing this event in honor of my daughter Eleanor who is 2 years in remission from leukemia, my father-in-law who died of lymphoma, and all individuals who are battling blood cancers. These people are the real heroes on our team, and we need your support to cross the ultimate finish line - a cure!

Please make a donation to support my participation in Team In Training and help advance LLS's mission.

I hope you will visit my web site often. Be sure to check back frequently to see my progress. Thanks for your support!