Congratulations! You did it! Yes, YOU all - my friends, family and colleagues - have been incredibly supportive and generous, and it has paid off. If you look to the right of my fundraising page, you'll see that I have raised $2900, which was my goal. In fact, I will have surpassed this goal when all is said and done, because there are a few checks still being processed. Final total will be around $2980.

I am so, so proud of this, and so very grateful to all of you. Fundraising is a very challenging aspect of the TNT program, and the staff is very helpful in suggesting ways to raise money. Some people conducted raffles, others held happy hours, and some people had to supplement their fundraising totals out of their own pockets, or count on hefty donations from people in their networks. While these are all perfectly legitimate and effective ways to reach the fundraising minimum, I am pleased that I didn't have to do any of those things. All I had to do was ask. It is a testament to the kindness and generosity of all of you that I was able to reach my goal. Just a little bit from a lot of people went a long way - no one had to plunk down a multi-hundred donation. $50 here, $10 there, $100 here, $25 there - and we made it! This money is going to make a real difference in the lives of real people, suffering from a very real disease.

I could not be more thrilled with the results of my fundraising campaign. Thank you all for not only putting up with my incessant emails and facebook posts on the subject, but for responding and contributing, swiftly and selflessly. This heartwarming and life-affirming response will be with me all the way to the finish line and beyond. I am privileged to have such caring and generous people in my life. Thank you.

While your work is done, I have only one week left to go until the big day - RACE DAY! I'm a little nervous, but I feel ready. The TNT coaches and mentors have been awesome in helping me prepare for this event, and now I know, against all odds (well, maybe not ALL odds, but at least against asthma, weak ankles, and laziness), that I am perfectly capable of running 13.1 miles. I am looking forward to the event and to being in Arizona with my new TNT friends and my awesome family!

My next update will be from the other side of the finish line!!! Talk to you then.

Caitlin

Hello Friends,

The big day is almost here! RACE DAY! I am so excited to go to Arizona and knock out this half marathon. I still have a very intense training schedule over the next few weeks, but I feel mentally and physically prepared to take it on.

The only thing left to do is reach my fundraising goal! Every little bit helps - look at all the support I have gotten already! Truly incredible.

We're almost there...GO TEAM!

Caitlin

Hello Peeps!

Thank you, by the way, for reading this. I know it's not that exciting, hearing my lame training updates all the time. But, since you're here, I might as well tell you about last night's Group Training Session.

We ran a timed 5k last night...we were supposed to be comparing our times to a 5k from earlier in the season on the same course, but I had missed that practice, so I didn't have anything to compare it to except my time from last week's Turkey Trot. And, believe it or not, I shaved 3 full minutes off of that time! I was running at a much faster pace than usual. Granted, my Turkey Trot course was much hillier, but still - I was pretty psyched. Although I was not psyched about the big fat rabid raccoons that haunt Central Park at night...I had to dodge a couple of them that decided to cross the street in front of me. "OHHHH MY GOSH YOU'RE SCARY!" I yelled at them as I leapt by them (I went way faster at those parts). They were indifferent to my screeching and continued their waddling search for discarded hot dog buns or whatever Central Park raccoons eat.

The only rough patch was the last tenth of a mile. I don't know if it's psychological or what, but the last part of the race is always the hardest. And the last part of this 5k was a steep incline - not ideal. I was literally yards away from the finish line, I could see Coach Steve with the timer - and my body started to shut down. I felt for a moment like I was going to be sick. I had to stop by a tree to put my head down and catch my breath for about 10 seconds before I could continue. After that I was fine - so weird! I emailed Coach Peter today and he said not to worry about it - says it just means I must have been running really hard!

I am also really happy about the progress my fundraising page has made lately - everyone is being SO amazingly generous and supportive. It's really humbling to see these donations come through. I hope you all know what a great cause you are contributing to.

To my anonymous donor - I am so impressed by you. I can't send you a thank-you note, because I don't know your address, so I will have to tell you here - thank you, so much, for your selflessness.

Thank you all.

Love, Caitlin

Happy Thanksgiving, everyone! I hope you all had a wonderful holiday. I ran a 5k turkey trot in Virginia, and then baked two pies - apple and pecan - which probably offset the workout entirely!

Thanksgiving gave me the opportunity to reflect on the real reason I am raising money for this cause. As I learn more about blood cancers and meet more and more people whose lives have been affected by them, the more thankful I am for my own health and the health of my family. Since beginning my fundraising campaign, I've even discovered that several people I know have had loved ones affected by blood cancers. It really can strike anyone, young or old, rich or poor, regardless of race, gender, or a multitude of other factors. That's why it's such an important cause, and why you should feel good about donating - you are helping to fund research that will lead to earlier detection, more effective treatment, and more comprehensive services for patients and their families.

In my last blog post I was getting kind of worried about my fundraising, focusing only on the goal rather than the cause behind it. Now I think I've gained some perspective. It's not just about meeting the fundraising goal in time for race day. It's about bringing attention to this important cause, and trying in our own small way to contribute. Because it's not enough to just be thankful.

Love, Caitlin

Hi Friends,

Good news first - I ran EIGHT MILES last weekend! I never thought I would be able to run that far, but I did! We ran across the GW bridge into New Jersey, down into Palisades Park and back. And it was a blast, except for this one really horrible hill. Afterwards we ate at Dinosaur BBQ, which is right down the hill from my house and is my favorite BBQ place in the city - maybe the world! So it was definitely worth the effort!

Now for the kind of meh news: I am stuck in a rut with my fundraising. I have been so amazed with the outpouring of support thus far, and I am SO grateful to all of those who have already donated! However, in the past couple of weeks it's kind of slowed down a bit and I appear to be stuck around 52%. It's not a terrible place to be stuck - I'm very happy with the progress I've made! But with only about 6 weeks until the fundraising deadline, I am starting to get a little worried. How am I going to make up the rest of the amount? If anyone has any brilliant fundraising ideas, please let me know.

I hope everyone has a safe and happy Thanksgiving holiday. Don't forget to give thanks for your health. Is anyone else planning to run a 5k Turkey Trot? My mom and I are running one together in her neighborhood...and then I'm baking an apple pie!

Happy Thanksgiving!

Caitlin