Well, I did it! Crossed the finish line--two days, 206 miles, countless bottles of water and packs of energy chews, copious amounts of sunscreen, no flat tires, and nearly $6000 raised for the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society! I really mean that WE did it, because I have all of my supporters to thank for their generous donations. Our entire team finished the ride with over $140,000 raised for the Northern Ohio chapter. We had a few mechanical issues and only one (thankfully minor) accident, and three people on our team (whom I have dubbed "Team Insanity") finished the entire ride in ONE day.

There's still time to contribute, I have until six weeks after the event (August 25) to complete my fundraising. So act now and help me surpass my goal!

TRAIN - ENDURE - ACHIEVE - MATTER

Cathy

The last few days have been a flurry of fundraising for me, and I have all of my generous friends, family, and colleagues--YOU--to thank! In less than three days, I have seen more than $3000 pour in to put me over the fundraising minimum of $4900. While I still hope to bring in more, I can leave for the ride knowing I have reached this goal, and focus on enjoying the ride. The weather is supposed to be fabulous--just perfect for riding! Thank you ALL for your support and keep spreading the word--every dollar helps patients and families and funds important research. There's still more work to be done!

TRAIN - ENDURE - ACHIEVE - MATTER

GO TEAM!!!!

Cathy

So the week of the ride has finally arrived. I'm packing my bags, and in four days, I'll be on a plane with the Northern Ohio Team in Training cycling team, coach, and staff. In less than six days, we will be on the road and riding to honor our heroes. Some, like my niece Amanda, has survived blood cancer. Some, like my friend Gay, are living with it now. And some, like my friend and first TNT mentor Joe Zamore, lost their battles and we ride in their memory. I am so excited to embark on this journey. I'm already looking forward to a nice hot shower at the end of the ride just about a week from now.

I'm hoping that you are all excited for me, and if you have not already made a donation, please do so now. Every dollar supports research to cure these deadly diseases and supports those undergoing treatment. It's never to late to make a difference. While I will continue to fundraise for several weeks after the event, why wait? Someday is today!

Thanks to everyone for your support!

Cathy

I have been diligently working on my training, with our last training rides scheduled for this weekend. Last weekend I had a really good 70 mile ride and feel like I will be ready to complete the task when we get to Seattle.

My fundraising has been sluggish, and I had put off working on it, but was ready to dig in last Wednesday. Unfortunately, that was the day that someone decided that it was a good day to break into our condo and steal all of our computer equipment and one of my bikes (fortunately the old one, not the new one). The bike has been returned to us (abandoned less than two blocks away), but we have yet to hear if any of our computers have turned up. This happened right on the heels of a major water damage problem over Memorial Day weekend from a leak upstairs, which we have had cleaned up but haven't had time to get the holes in our wall & ceiling repaired.

I was about ready to give up and cancel the whole thing, but then I realized that this is just a challenge I need to overcome. LLS now has an app to help with fundraising, so I was able to send out another appeal via my iPad. Unfortunately, I have not seen much of a response thusfar. I am still more than $2500 short of my fundraising minimum ($4900) and thousands shy of my original goal of raising $7500. But I have confidence in my friends and colleagues and will continue to ask, ask, ask until I meet my goal. I could choose to quit instead. But my niece didn't have the choice to quit when she was undergoing chemotherapy, and I shouldn't quit now. This is just a speed bump and I can get past it and succeed.

Please send a link for this page to anyone you know who might be willing to help, and THANKS FOR YOUR SUPPORT!

Yup, that was the name of our training ride this weekend. I must confess I did not complete the full 24 miles. I followed the coach and we missed a turn. By the time we figured it out, it was getting late enough that I had to get home. I also had to walk a few of the hills, but that doesn't bother me one bit--there are no hills with a 12% grade on the Seattle to Portland route. My motto still remains, "I never met a hill I couldn't walk."

My thoughts are with all those touched by the terrible tragedy in Boston; foremost those who were injured or killed and their families and friends, but also those runners who trained long and hard for the event and were deprived of achieving their goal of finishing due to the senseless acts of an irrational few. While the Northern Ohio chapter did not send runners to Boston, I hope and pray that all the Team in Training participants in the Boston Marathon are safe and well.

Thanks again to all for your support.

TRAIN - ENDURE - ACHIEVE - MATTER

Cathy