Okay, so maybe I didn't quite "win, win" but I finished and that's winning enough for me :)

Hello dear friends!

Sorry I haven't been by to update you sooner, but I did finish the White Rock Half Marathon about a week and a half ago and it went surprisingly well. If you happened to be in the Dallas/Ft. Worth area the first weekend of December (marathon weekend) you would know that we were covered with rain off and on both Saturday and Sunday. Sunday, December 4 was the official race day and it was cold and rainy... even rainer once the race started at 8am CST. Now I have run in the rain and I've run in cold weather, but never the two together. I really wasn't sure how well I'd do and was super nervous the week leading up to the big run. All the same I was super excited and ready to take on the challenge on behalf of battling leukemia and lymphoma. We even had an Inspiration Dinner the night before as a team and one of the families I mentioned before, Kiersa and Keith Williams spoke about their son, Bennett, who is 21-months-old and battling ALL. Kiersa did a beautiful job sharing their story and what Bennett does when he goes to Children's for his treatments. He is a remarkable and handsome little boy. You'd never guess he was battling cancer other than his bald head. He has so much joy on his face and energy in his spirit. He is truly a hero and truly inspirational to me.

I finished my first half marathon (13.1 miles for those of you who are unaware) in 2 hours, 1 minute, and 21 seconds. I ran my fastest pace and although I was predicting a 2 hour and 20 minute finish time, so I was ecstatic to know I beat my prediction by 19 minutes. I could not have done it without the support of my Coach, Joe Bacon and mentor, Monica Taylor. Belinda Kinney, Kiersa and Keith Williams also played a significant role in keeping me going through the weeks and months leading up to race day. It has been a true joy to get to know everyone on my team, to build a bond with them and share one of the most challenging moments in my life. The funny thing is I spent so many early mornings training for this and in a matter of 2 hours it was all done. For Bennett Williams and others battling cancer when they hear that news it's a longer battle and challenge than they could ever anticipate and unfortunately for some they lose that battle. But with your help and continued donations you can partner with LLS to make a difference in research for cancer and help increase the survival rate of those who suffer.

Thank you for all your help and prayers not just for me and my team as we trained, but especially for the families and patients battling cancer.

With Gratitude,

Cristyn

Hello Friends and Happy Wednesday!!

I hope this update finds you all well and gearing up for the holiday season. Our team is mere 3 1/2 weeks away from race day!! I am so excited, this is a challenge I've never endured and I'm thrilled to be doing it. Of course, it's nothing compared to the challenge the families who are battling cancer have. It is truly an honor to be running for these heroes and being able to raise money for further cancer research.

I'm close to my goal, but still $900 away and November 22 is the deadline. Have you donated yet? If not, I come 3 more reasons to donate to this great cause... Prizes!!

Stacey Moore at One True Art has graciously donated a photo session ($250 value) to be raffled off. It includes a 1.5 hour outside photo session within the DFW metro area, 1 CD of edited images mailed to your home 2 weeks after your shoot (includes 10+ large resolution print quality professionally edited images, plus smaller resolution images for web/social media use), 2 8x10 prints, and a personal use license is granted for all your images in your package in order to reprint photos however and whenver you wish).

Stacey is an amazing photographer and even did some of my pictures in the Fall of last year. You can check out her website at OneTrueArt.com.

In addition to that amazing prize, I will also raffle off 2 Massage Gift Certificates ($80 value/each). The most wonderful Massage Therapist, Mon Flores has graciously donated a 1 hour massage and will travel to your home. Mon is amazing and well experienced in Sports & Massage Therapy... perfect for any athlete or if you just need some time to relax!

You are automatically entered into the photo session raffle with any $10-$15 donation through my TNT web page. If you donate $5-$10 you are automatically entered into the raffle for the Massage Gift Certificates. Any donation of $15+ will be automatically entered for both prizes (more money, greater chance of winning something).

Make your donation between tonight (11/09/11) thru next Friday (11/19/11) and I will announce the winner on Saturday (11/20/11).

Thank you for helping me raise money for a great cause and best of luck to all of you who are entered into the raffle!!

Blessings,

Cristyn

Hello Friends!

Sorry I haven't updated recently. October has been a crazy busy month.

Over the last couple of weeks I have had the privelege of running with Kirsa and Keith Williams. They are Bennett's parents, the little boy I shared about a couple posts ago. Bennett has recently gone through another round of medication and along with that has been placed on steroids as well. As we've run the last couple of weeks, Kirsa and Keith have shared stories about Bennett and although the meds and steroids have caused him to have sleepless nights and multiple mood swings, they are grateful for the advancement so that their sweet little boy is given a greater chance to fight ALL (Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia). Because of donations such as the ones you all have made, or will make to Team in Training, Bennett and others facing blood cancer will have a greater opporunity to fight as well.

This coming Friday night, October 28 you have the opportunity to donate in a significant way and have fun doing it. This Friday night from 6pm to 9pm at Black Finn in Addison, Texas I will be hosting a Halloween Happy Hour. Come dressed in your best costume and win first prize! $10 will get you in with drink and food specials all evening. Bring your friends and co-workers and enjoy a night meeting new people and helping a great cause!

Race day is a mere 6 weeks away and as I'm getting psyched up to run the furtherest I've ever run in my entire life, I remember why I'm doing this and why I will continue to serve alongside TNT long after race day is over. I've seen what our donations can do first hand and I'm honored to be a part of something GREAT!!

Well... I'm so glad you asked : )

As you know, the money The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society raises helps blood cancer patients and their families by funding research to find cures and better therapies, and provide information and support so that they have the best possible outcomes throughout their cancer experience.

To give you a better idea of a breakdown in how your donation can help families in need I've posted a list below of some examples:

• A donation of $25 provides patients and their loved ones with FREE booklets that contain up-to-date information on their disease and help them make informed decisions about their treatment options.
• A donation of $50 makes possible a Family Support group with a trained facilitator where comfort can be found and experiences can be shared among patients and family members.
• A donation of $100 helps supply laboratory researchers with supplies and materials critical to carrying out their search for cures.
• A donation of $1,000 makes possible one- on-one conversations with health care specialists who provide patients with information about their disease, treatment options, and helps prepare them with questions for their health care team.

Pretty amazing to see the breakdown isn't it? Those who have given are playing a vital role in helping patients like Bennett and Elle, the young girl I mentioned a few weeks ago to win the battle against cancer. Don't you want to be a part of that amazing team? I sure hope so. This isn't all for nothing and it's definitely not to see if I can finish this race or not. My hope and prayer in all this is that there will come a day sooner than later that we won't have to fight this fight any longer (whether personally or on the sidelines). But for now I will do whatever I can to help Bennett and Elle fight the fight laid out before them.

**Save the Dates**

Friday, October 28 (6:00pm - 9:00pm): Halloween Happy Hour at Black Finn in Addison. Come decked out in your best Halloween duds and win the prize for Best Dressed. In addition there will be an opportunity to enter a raffle to win other prizes. Entry is $10 and 100% of it goes directly to the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society. Entry gets you drink and food specials through the evening (6-9pm). Bring your friends and co-workers, it is bound to be a fun filled evening. If you have any further questions, don't hesitate to contact me at rohloff.cristyn@gmail.com

Saturday, November 5 (7:00am): Mock Race at White Rock Lake... it's an early rise to watch our team as we race around the lake, but we would love to have you there to cheer us on as race day nears. There will be BBQ afterwards for all to enjoy!! Hope to see you there.

Blessings,

Cristyn

Well Friends, my team and I have been training now for 6 weeks and we've got 10 more to go before race week. Are you excited? I am! I'm up to 14 miles as of last week and this week we'll run a total of 16 miles. I can't explain it but it is a rush of adrenaline and has pushed me so much further than I thought I could ever go. I usually run in the early mornings before the rest of the world is awake, but today since I took the day off from work I got a later start and ran as the sun was coming up over the hill by the lake. It is so breathtaking to see the calmness of the lake along with the downtown skyline. God sure is purposeful in His creation. Speaking of creation, I wanted you to meet Bennett. Or rather see a picture of him.

Bennett is the little boy in blue and his dad, Keith is holding him. The lady standing next to me (I'm in my white baseball cap & tourquoise running shirt) is my pace coach, Monica. She's great and inspirational and a lot of fun. Everyone else you see makes up our training team. We may not all be training for the same race, but we're doing it together and we're fighting cancer together. Bennett is a sweet little boy and at 19-months-old he is already charming the ladies by blowing kisses. His dad even told us on Saturday that when Bennett is at the hospital he goes around to all the nurse's stations blowing kisses. He starts another round of medication this week and his mom, Kirsa said it will be the hardest one to date. He receives 4 medications in the morning alone and somewhere around Halloween they predict his immune system to drop to non-existent. Please continue to pray for our team's buddy. Pray also for his family, his parents and two big sisters. This little guy is quite the champ and it is truly an honor for me to run for him.

I hope this update finds you all well. Thank you again for all your support, I'm really looking forward to December 4th and accomplishing this goal... more than that I look forward to seeing us all help fight to end cancer.

Talk to you soon!

~ Cristyn