Racing to Save Lives

Welcome to Beth's Team In Training home page.

As a member of the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society (LLS) - Team In Training , I am training to run my very first marathon, the Marine Corps Marathon, on October 25, 2009. All of us on the Team In Training are raising funds to help stop Leukemia, Lymphoma, Hodgkin's disease and Myeloma from taking more lives.

Why did I decide to run a marathon at this point in time? A good question deserves a good answer...I am turning 50 this year..and I have jokingly said that I would run a marathon when I turned 50..well..this is my year to do it! I can not think of a better cause to raise money for and celebrate life at the same time (50 years, hence the $5,000 personal fundraising goal. That equals $100 for every year that I have lived).

I am completing this event in honor of five special people whose lives have been affected by cancer. My personal honored teammates include: Wendy Glabman, a dear college friend from North Carolina School of the Arts, Dwight Borgstrand, my Sunday School teacher at Faith Evangelical Presbyterian Church, Uncle "Buck" Sylvester Hall , Aunt Oceile Poage, and my sister-in law, Anne Mayes. This is my way of honoring them and others as well.

My Running Journey:

• Thank you for your support, encouragement and prayers.
• With the checks that have come in, but have not been processed yet (it takes about 3 weeks), my personal fundraising goal will have reached well over 50% !!!! That is over $2,500.00! Thank you to all who have contributed. Together, we will help find a cure for Blood Cancers like Leukemia, Lymphoma, Hodgkin's disease and Myeloma.
• Two days left till race day. It is hard to believe that I started training 5 months ago for this endurance event ! I look forward to this opportunity and to see the list of my friends and family that have contributed to LLS - really encourages me.
• "The will to win means nothing without the will to prepare." Juma Ikangaa, winner of the 1989 NY City marathon.
• Marathon Day -October 25th- I finished the race around 12:50 pm, feeling strong and a smile on my face!!!!! It was a beautiful day , people cheered me along the way and Team In Training had TNT coaches at various places on the course. They ran certain stretches of the race cheering me on and checking in to see how I was doing.
• Things could not have been better for a novice marathon runner like myself. I was focused and did the sport energy jelly beans and gu packs throughout the run. It was great having my husband, Karl and my son, Russell meet me at 3 locations along the run (replenishing my Gatorade and stash of snacks).
• I know...by now you are asking yourself...well did she win? After all, it is a race. .. Together, we won. My personal team mates were constantly on my mind. I often thought of Dwight's and Wendy's courage with their cancers. Every day for them, was like a marathon just to live and they never gave up. Nor will we, until a cure is found.
• Thank you to my list of contributers to the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society. You had faith in me to be able to complete this event. Your encouraging notes and calls gave me strength to do this.

To make an On-line donation: http://pages.teamintraining.org/nca/corps09/bmailand

or www.capitolharp.com (click the Leukemia tab on the right)

Thanks for your financial support and your prayers!

Always Running,

Beth