My Fundraising Page

I can't believe it! Race day is only two weeks away :) I can't wait. I completed my ten mile run this morning and the weather was absolutely beautiful! Hello fall, it's so nice to see you again. Ten miles is the longest I will go until the full 13.1 and today was the first time I have ever gone this distance. It really felt incredible. I may be a bit sore now, but I can't wait to go even further. Training is pretty relaxed from now until the race to let our bodies relax and my knees are the most excited.

I'm really close to my personal goal of raising $5000 and I would really appreciate any help you can offer :) It is truly going to a wonderful cause!

Zach finished his marathon last weekend in Omaha and did an amazing job! Even with cramping calves for the last 6 miles he finished in 3 hours and 46 minutes! Pretty inspiring! I was so proud :)

I don't even know what week it is anymore, maybe 16? Can you believe it?!?! We are still here and running hard. The weather has finally started to cool down and it is wonderful. Zach has decided to run the Omaha marathon, instead of San Francisco, and it is already this next weekend! He has been having some knee troubles and is keeping his fingers crossed that he will make it to the finish line. Please send positive thoughts his way! Thanks! I'm still kicking along. Life has been really busy lately so getting all of my runs in has been a challenge. I'm feeling really good though and actually seem to enjoy my long runs even better than the short runs. Who would have ever thought? I just wanted to get a quick note in so everyone knows we are still here and working hard. We hare so excited with the amount we have raised so far and could not be grateful for all of the support. It is really amazing to look at the list of donors! Thank You!

Welcome to Zach & Kate's Team In Training Website!!!

-The place for donations and updates on our training-

A quick reminder of what this whole Team In Training thing is all about...

Who? Zach & Kate (minus the dogs, Ruby and Riley)

What? Training to run a marathon and half-marathon

Where? We will run in the Nike Women's Marathon in San Francisco

When? October 17, 2010

Why? To raise money for lymphoma, leukemia, and other blood cancers.

Leukemia causes more deaths than any other cancer among children and young adults under the age of 20. The research is working. In 1960, only 4% of children diagnosed with leukemia survived. Today, 85% will survive due to research funded by people like you!

How? THROUGH YOUR DONATIONS!!!

07-12-10---Week EIGHT---(by Kate)

Geez, I guess we haven't updated for a while! Just because we haven't been writing doesn't mean we haven't been running! Actually, it has been the opposite. Zach has been really cranking up the mileage as he has been running 9 miles the last two Saturdays and will run 10 this Saturday! He has been doing a really great job and his body is handling it pretty well too! Our main issue is that we struggle to get up early on Saturday mornings and we pay for it by running in hotter temperatures---time to stop hitting snooze. My highest mileage is still five. My most exciting news though is that my knee is finally starting to feel better! I ran four miles Saturday and three today and didn't have any trouble either time. I am so grateful as I was really starting to worry about my endurance while trading runs with cross training. Today I ran in the afternoon at Elmwood Park. It was in the low 70's, overcast, and a few raindrops....perfect weather for a run. I am really hoping for a cool day on race day, but October is actually the second warmest month in San Francisco. I'll keep my fingers crossed :) Also, I have been running for longer stretches before walking. On today's run I ran for 8 minutes and then one minute of walking. I used to do four minutes running and then one walking so this is great progress in my book! My goal for the race is to run a mile and then walk a minute the whole way through. Thanks again to everyone for your support and donations! It really helps keep us motivated to keep up all the hard work!

06-20-10---Week FIVE---(written by Kate)

We are a quarter of the way done with our training and a quarter of the way to our fundraising goal! Before we know it race day will be here! As Zach mentioned last week, I am having some trouble with my knees, especially my left one. We are trying to problem solve with lots of techniques to get it back to normal, but for now I am restricted to doing all my training through cross training (biking, swimming, elliptical, etc.) Before this I never thought I would be frustrated with not being able to just go out and run, but this has been very hard for me! Hopefully I will be able to start running again this next week. Zach has really started upping his mileage. This last Saturday he ran 7 miles and said he felt good the whole way through-lucky guy! We were in Sioux Falls for the weekend so we ran on the Yankton Trails path. It is a really nice path and it was nice to have a little change too!

On the fundraising front we have been trying a lot of different things to help bring the money in for the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society. We are very proud of the amount we have raised so far, but we would really like to make our goal! And, the sooner the better! Please keep spreading the word and let us know if you have any great fundraising ideas. We are so thankful for all of the support we have already received! It is amazing!

06-13-10---Week FOUR--- (Written by Zach)

This week was a bit difficult to squeeze in a run. I was at camp for 5 straight days and the only time I had to run was early in the morning. (The camp was for kids who have or have had cancer. I was a companion to a 14 year old boy who is now cancer free.) It was tough to wake up after a long camp day of fun in sun. Thankfully, I only had two runs to complete, a three-miler and a six-miler. Further complicating things was the fact that I was technically not allowed to run outside of camp boundaries. So I had to run back and forth through the camp about 4 times total. Admittedly, I went a bit outside of the camp boundaries. I am glad I did because I ran along a dyke near the Platte River on a beautiful morning and saw deer down in the tall grass. And, I didn't have to turn around near as much. The morning I was supposed to run six miles I laid in bed and weighed the pros and cons ultimately deciding to delay it until I got home on Sunday. So when I got home from a week of camp I ran six miles. I ran from our house to Aksarben Village and back. Overall I felt really good and a tall glass of chocolate milk was my reward when I finished. So good!

Kate also had some difficulty squeezing in runs as I was at camp and she was working and taking care of the dogs and house on her own. But, she managed and I believe ran three and four milers throughout the week. Unfortunately she has been having some bilateral knee pain that is proving difficult to shake. We even went so far as to get her new shoes on Sunday (which she probably needed either way). Prophylactic Advil/Ibuprofen may be in order as well as icing and stretching. Cross-training might help too. We (Kate, I, and the trainers) are troubleshooting the problem. Kate is also digging the chocolate milk and according to our trainers it is the best recovery drink you can have.

Though we had our separate difficulties, it was a strong week 4 and we are in good spirits! Take care and thanks for reading! More updates to come!

06-05-10 ---Week THREE--- (written by Kate)

We just finished up our last run of week three. Four miles a piece. It is the first time I have run that distance since junior high! We were supposed to run with the rest of the team this morning, but when our alarm went off at 6am we were greeted by rain and lightning. After checking the radar (while half asleep) we decided we would just have to get our run in after the rain. Zach has a good friend in town so they took off on their run together around 7:30. They were greeted with some remaining ran, but they claimed it felt good. I decided to sleep in a little and ended up starting my run around 10:30. There was a cool breeze and most of my path was shaded, but the humidity was 77%! At some points my sunglasses were even fogging up. This week I want to answer a few questions for everyone that we have been getting asked a lot. Enjoy!

"How long is a marathon/half marathon?" A marathon is 26.2 miles and therefore the half is 13.1 miles.

"Kate, I didn't know you were a runner/Is Kate a runner?" No, I was not. I have always admired runners. While I ran track in junior high and enjoy working out I have never been a very strong runner. I am enjoying our training and have been impressed with my progress. I wasn't sure if I was going to make it on my four mile run today, but I felt pretty good. Right now I am training by run/walking. I run four minutes and then walk one. It is a very great technique for someone not used to endurance training and hopefully I will build up to more running and less walking. I have also become good friends with ibuprofen, frozen veggies used as ice packs, and epsom salt baths. :)

"How is your running going?" Some days are better than others. Today I felt really good. Other days I feel like the little engine that could. Just keep going! Just keep going! When I am really struggling all I have to do is think about my patients and that is plenty of inspiration. Today I thought about a lady I helped care for last night. After her treatment was over I was helping her to her car by pushing her wheelchair. While we were waiting for the elevator she said to me "I would do anything to have my health back." How could I stop running with inspiration like that?

"Do you run together?" No. Zach runs a pace about two minutes/mile faster than me. I wish we could spend the time together, but I learned quickly that it is foolish for me to run with him because I burn out really fast!

"Do you take the dogs with you?" Sometimes. Riley has arthritis so he doesn't really enjoy it. Ruby likes runs up to about three miles so she gets to come along every so often-usually with Zach. They are often included on a cool down walk!

"Where do you run?" Usually around the neighborhood. Our Saturday morning team runs are out a Lake Zorinsky. It is about a 20 minute drive from our house, but it is a beautiful setting and it is really beneficial to run with the team once a week. We also have a trail about three blocks from our house that is really nice to run. On days that I work I go to our health center and run on a treadmill after I get off work. I just can't get myself to wake up at 4am on those days and it is usually too hot for me outside at 7pm.

"How often do you run?" Four days a week. Monday, Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday. Long runs are on Saturday and the other days vary week to week.

"When does the mileage increase?" It already is. Slow, but steady wins the race! Our training is over 20 weeks so we are slowly working our way up. Thank goodness!

05-27-10 ---Week TWO---

As for the training, we are still at pretty low mileage but the heat is starting to make things a bit more challenging. We have been purchasing moisture wicking clothes in preparation and Kate just got a water bottle holder that fits around your waist. I will probably end up using it once June and July hit. Never thought I would wish cool weather back! This Saturday morning is our long run at Lake Zorinsky, 3 miles this time around. It makes for a pretty morning run and a sort of mini-vacation to west Omaha. As of last Saturday our mileage total is 19 a piece.

This last week we finished sending out our first round of letters and facebook messages. A big thank you to those who have already donated and to those who have provided kind words of encouragement. It really helps keep us going! We'd love it if you would tell your friends and family about our efforts too!

1) DONATE!!! ANYTHING helps! Believe me when I say we realize people have financial restrictions. No gift is too big or too small.

2) Keep reading this page for more updates! We are planning to share some personal stories about who/what is inspiring us to run...stay tuned.

3) Tell your friends and family about our mission.

Here is a pic from our Saturday morning team run. We had just gotten done running three miles each! It was a beautiful morning and such a great feeling when we were done.