Big Thanks and Big Accomplishments!

I have a ton of thanks to give to everyone who helped me reach my fundraising goal of $1,500 – THANK YOU SO MUCH!! And now that I’ve reached that goal (and already surpassed it), I’ve done what any reasonable person would do and raise it! Now that I’ve blown past the minimum for my event, everything I raise from here on out is just extra money to help to ‘crush cancer,’ as my mentor puts it. So again, THANK YOU to everyone who has already given. Those who haven’t given, don’t worry! There is still plenty of time to help me reach my new goal of $2,000 

And now for some running updates: I have officially hit the portion of the training where I’m running more than I ever have in my life. Last Saturday we did 7 miles. SEVEN MILES! A year ago, heck, 6 months ago, I never would have thought I could do that. Granted it was HARD but I got through it. And as you can see below, I was ‘sore but elated!’

What gets me through these training runs you ask? Well, a little bit of this:

My trusty orthopedic shoes, my iPhone (used to take this artistic picture), my water bottle and some 'tasty' Gu.

But all the equipment and fancy gadgets can't make up for the fact that you have to WANT it. You have to be brave enough to get out there on a cold or dreary morning and just get those miles in. And that's where this little gem comes into play: Courage.

Two weeks ago, during our ‘Mission Moment,’ a woman on the team talked about how sometimes you need something tangible to remind you of what you’re running for and why. She brought all these lovely gems out and each color had a meaning, courage, strength, etc. She asked that we each take a gem that would remind us that we’re training not only for our benefit, but also to raise money for cancer patients and their families.

I chose the courage gem for several reasons. I can’t truly fathom the amount of courage it takes to face cancer or the courage you’d need to help a loved one battle the disease. And on a more personal note, I’ve never really considered myself brave; I’m not spontaneous, I don’t want to jump out of airplanes, and up until very recently I didn’t think I had the guts to train for an endurance race. I keep this gem in the pocket of my water bottle and when the training runs get hard, or I find myself slacking, I feel that gem and remember that I have the courage to accomplish this and every (longer) training run that comes up. If children can face down cancer and come out stronger on the other side, I can face down 8 miles this Saturday.

59 days until my race; it still doesn't feel real. Keep checking in for more updates, especially when we hit double digits in our training runs!

xoxo,

Elizabeth

So this is what my alarm looked like this morning:

Woof. Granted, I don’t run EVERY morning, nor do I typically run THAT early – but I had to get into the office early to set up a breakfast, and since I have concert tickets tonight, I sort of just had to put on my big girl pants (aka my running tights) and get it over with. I made sure to wear my TNT tech shirt this am because it helps me feel motivated - however I did not look this chipper at 4:50am.

So, I ran 4 miles before the sun came up, what have you done today? :)

Training has been going well, despite the early mornings. When I start to feel overwhelmed or scared about what I’m undertaking I try to remember:

A) Hard is relative.

B) Running is a privilege – for which I should be thankful.

A lot of our honored teammates, cancer patients and their families don’t have the physical strength, the time, or the luxury to get up at before the sun rises and run 4 miles. Was I tired? Yup. But knowing that I’m able to train and push my body in this way, and to do it for such a worthwhile cause, helps me get through the tough moments. Throughout my training I’ll try to keep touching on the two points above (without writing too much of a downer post) to help keep my head in the game and hopefully inspire some people to donate to TNT or get involved any way they can.

That’s all for now – hope everyone is having a great week!

GO TEAM!

xoxo,

Elizabeth

Merry Merry!

Well, I’m fully in the holiday spirit – lots of stuff going on and I’ve got a bunch to catch my faithful readers up on (are you out there? Surely someone reads this, yes?) – So this might be a long one, but there are photos to keep you entertained!

Last weekend, my Step Mom and I had a girl date to a fundraiser held by the Salvation Army. It was at the Willard, which is always lovely, and featured the National Capitol Band. It was so much fun. I’ve always loved putting money in the kettles around Christmas time and it was so nice to meet the people behind such a great organization. Specifically, I had the pleasure of meeting Jacqulyn Reckline, a Major with the Salvation Army. Both she and her husband have been part of the organization for years (it truly operates in a similar fashion to the military, they are assigned to posts all over the country and move around as needed), and it was so interesting to learn more about their experiences in the service. We had a lovely chat about charitable giving and the holidays and it was, as she put it, a ‘divine moment.’

Also getting me in the holiday spirit was my Jingle Bell 5k this past Saturday. My roommate bailed on me last minute (cough, cough, nudge, nudge) so this was the first race I’ve ever run ‘alone.’ I was determined to do it though, even if it meant I had to stand around awkwardly by myself. So I threw on my Christmas socks, tied bells to my shoes, and headed out. The race started waaaaay late and it was pretty cold standing around but I was happy I stuck it out – I got in under my goal time and pushed myself, which is what I wanted to do (especially since I was missing our first TNT training run). And seriously, how cute are the socks?

And, just for fun, here is my ‘tacky Christmas’ outfit I rocked at my friend Ann’s party Saturday night (Ann is the fantastic friend I referenced that ran her first half with TNT):

I don't always go to theme parties, but when I do, I really commit.

I hope everyone is having a wonderful holiday season – check back in to see how my first ‘long run’ with the team goes this weekend!

GO TEAM!

xoxo,

Elizabeth

While this is something I NEVER thought I would say, I’m training to run a half marathon. The Rock n Roll Half Marathon, to be exact – on March 16th, 2013. What have I gotten myself into?! But after this weekend’s Season Kick Off Event, I have to say I’m SO EXCITED that I decided to run with Team in Training. Sure, I’d seen the posters, walked past the tables outside the grocery store but I never really thought much about TNT until I had a friend train for her first half marathon with them. She (along with another baller runner friend of mine) became a huge running inspiration for me when I started doing 5ks and 10ks; so after I decided to run a half, I began pegging her with questions about the whole program and while I thought I understood, I didn’t really ‘get it’ until this weekend. Meeting my coaches and mentors and hearing the stories from the survivors and patients made me really start to grasp what it is that TNT does to fight against blood cancers and I’m really excited to get things moving forward in my fundraising for this great cause.

And speaking of fundraising, this is the part where I start to ask you, cherished reader, for some help (and yes, money). I, and TNT can’t do this without your help. As you can see, on the side of this little blog is a conveniently located button that you can push to donate – ANY amount helps. Once you make a donation, pat yourself on the back and pass this blog around to anyone you’d like – the more the merrier (tis the season for giving, right?)!

What else is this blog good for? Holding ME accountable. I’ll update this while I go through my training which I’m sure will make for some entertainment, especially when we get to the ‘I’m now running farther than I ever have in my life, EVERY Saturday’ portion of the training. Fair warning – I’m not a blogger so I can’t promise every post will hilarious or insightful or moving, but I’ll do my best to keep it semi-interesting for those of you who stick around long enough to read more than just this one post…

So here I go – off on a new adventure as my family says. I’m going to push myself more than I ever have both physically and I’m sure mentally as well. I’m nervous; I’m afraid it’ll hurt, or I’ll be the slowest in my running group, or I won’t have any friends on the team, the list goes on and on… But I’m gaining confidence knowing that I’m doing this for a cause I believe in and that does fantastic work at fighting cancer and making the lives of patients and their families better. I hope you’ll join me.

GO TEAM!

xoxo,

Elizabeth

Teams are made up of individuals. Without them, there is no team.

Welcome to my Team In Training home page.

I have a mission-to help find cures and more effective treatments for blood cancers. To accomplish that mission, I’m participating in a sports endurance event as a member of The Leukemia and Lymphoma Society’s (LLS) Team In Training. 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.

Please make a donation in support of my efforts with Team In Training and help advance the research for cures.