If you are unable to pay online, a check can be made out to the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society and mailed to me here.

Paige Balcer

18911 Margo St.

Omaha, NE 68136

October 20th, 2009

John and I successfully ran the Des Moines half marathon of Sunday! It was a great experience and I'm so glad I was a part of Team in Training. I thought about Kaitlyn several times around miles 9, 10 and 11 when I was starting to hit a wall. My leg muscles were tight and my knees wanted to give out. But I focused on her struggles and what her family goes through every day.

Today I can barely move and every single muscle in my body hurts. But it was worth it! I raised $1800 to help in the fight against blood cancers. And I got off my couch and did something this summer!

Thank you to everyone who so generously donated and supported me!

September 29th, 2009

Wow, I can't believe that the marathon is only 19 days away! My training slowed down slightly in the last month or so due to the severe shin splints I developed. So I have been taking it easy and not pushing it too much. John tells me that the adrenaline and cheering crowd on race day will get me through. I hope he's right! I am so close to my fundraising goal and am excited to be contributing to such a wonderful cause. I think about Kaitlyn, my honored hero, every time I run and hope that I am doing my part to help find a cure for Leukemia & Lymphoma.

September 3rd, 2009

I ran 8 miles last Saturday at the group training session! I have to say I was proud of myself for making it that far. Of course I have to thank John, my trusty side-kick for running with me and cheering me on. I'm starting to feel like the half-marathon is definitely do-able! Now I just need to meet my fundraising minimum!

August 18th, 2009

See that section in the right column that says "My thanks to"? I need to add a few thank you's. The names are automatically added from online donations or checks made out to LLS, but I've had some donations come in from other sources or just haven't popped up yet. I want to thank them here. So...

My thanks to:

Mary Geddes

Irene Nam

The Meade Family

Paula Anderson

In other news, I am now up to running with NO walking breaks! I did 4 miles around my neighborhood last night with only two 30 second stretching breaks. Granted, I am not running fast. In fact I think there were turtles passing me by. But I still did it! Now if I can just do 13.1 miles without walking I'll be ready for October 18th!

August 12th, 2009

Luckily my shin splints seem to be healing. I have been icing and stretching several times a day and it must be working! Last night I attended a group training session and impressed myself by running 4 miles and only walking 3 times for 2 minutes each. That might not sound very impressive. But typically I run for 5 minutes and walk for 2. But since I wanted to keep up with the group I just kept running! It's amazing how much easier training is when you are with other people. It was a very hot and sunny run, but I did it!

August 4th, 2009

The combination of shin splints and a 10 day vacation has me feeling a little behind on my training. BUT, now I am more determined than ever to get back on track and get ready for October 18th! It's also time to really ramp up my fundraising efforts.

July 22nd, 2009

A couple weeks ago I got some new running shoes. I loved them and thought they were super comfortable. But after a few training days I developed shin splints! Because I've never had shin splints and know nothing about them I just kept running. But soon the pain was unbareable. So yesterday I took my shoes back and exchanged them for another pair. Now I'm ready to get back out there and train (carefully). Time seems to be slipping by this summer and October 18th will be here before I know it!

July 10th, 2009

Dear friends and family,

You may be surprised to read that I am currently training for a half marathon! I think I have been keeping it a secret until now due to my lack of confidence that I would be able to do it. But I am fully committed now and ready to spread the word about this big event.

In April, after a long winter of sitting in my home office I was starting to feel like a blob. Spring came and I knew I needed get back into the habit of exercising. Typically my idea of being active is walking a few blocks and maybe doing an ab crunch or two. So when I got a flyer in the mail for Team in Training, I set it off to the side and told myself I could never run a half marathon. But after passing by that flyer every day, I realized that training for a half marathon while raising money for The Leukemia and Lymphoma Society might be the motivation I needed to get in shape. So I went to a meeting and signed up on the spot!

Now I have two important goals to reach.

1) To raise $1800 by September 1st for The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society

2) To cross the finish line at the Des Moines half marathon, (that is 13.1 miles!) on October 18th, in honor of everyone who has been touched by Leukemia and Lymphoma.

I have been training for about 6 weeks now, and am up to 5 miles. Only 8 more to go! I have to admit that I am pretty proud of my accomplishments in training so far. When I first started running through our neighborhood, I struggled. I was out of breath and my legs were creaky. I passed neighbors and did not even have the strength to wave or look at them. So my very first goal was to get to the point where I could run and wave at neighbors at the same time. I’m happy to announce that now I am strong enough to greet everyone I pass, most of the time with a smile!

But now that the training miles are getting longer, my goals have become more serious. As a part of Team in Training, I was matched up with an honored hero named Kaitlyn. She is 8 years old and was diagnosed with T-Cell ALL three years ago. She underwent 8 months of intense chemotherapy at Children’s Hospital in Omaha. Kaitlyn was so brave and strong during the treatments, sickness from the chemotherapy, and long hospital stays. Her treatments will end in December and she will have monthly follow-up visits for years to come. She just finished 2nd grade, likes dancing, playing with her friends, and is involved with her brownie troop.

Kaitlyn has been a constant inspiration to me as I train. As I run up a hill, lungs burning, I imagine Kaitlyn enduring painful procedures and losing her hair. If a little girl and her family can be brave and strong through a terrible sickness, surely I can dig deep and make it up a hill.

By supporting me and my fundraising goal, you will help in the fight against Leukemia and Lymphoma. Whatever you can give will make a difference! Checks can be made out to The Leukemia and Lymphoma Society. Donations can also be made securely by credit card on my website (below) or by putting your information on the donor card.

Thank you for your support!

Paige Balcer

Checks can be made out to The Leukemia and Lymphoma Society and mailed here:

Paige Balcer

18911 Margo St

Omaha, NE 68136

Below is a photo of Kaitlyn and I during one of the group training sessions.