Racing to Save Lives

Welcome to my Team In Training home page.

On October 17, 2010, I will attempt my very first Marathon in San Francisco as a member of The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society's (LLS) Team In Training. In case you don't know, a marathon is 26.2 MILES!!! Am I crazy? Maybe. Is it for a good cause? HECK YES! All of us on Team In Training are raising funds to help stop leukemia, lymphoma, Hodgkin lymphoma and myeloma from taking more lives. I am completing this event in honor of all individuals who are battling blood cancers. These people are the real heroes on our team, and we need your support to cross the ultimate finish line - a cure!

I am also running in honor of my dad, Glenn Jones, who battled cancer (AND WON!) and has been cancer free for over 5 years! Additionally, I am running in honor of my "second" mother, Nancy Blize, who lost her battle with cancer, and although she has been gone several years, she will never be forgotten.

Please make a donation to support my participation in Team In Training and help advance LLS's mission.

I hope you will visit my web site often. Be sure to check back frequently to see my progress. Thanks for your support!

WEEKLY LOG:

Week 1: Ran 2 miles with the Team on Saturday. Raised $25 for this cause! (Update: Ran 10 miles total this wek!)

Week 2: Ran 4 miles with the Team on Saturday. Plan to run 3 times at a half hour each this week. Raised $75 for this cause! (Update: Ran 11.5 miles total this week!)

Week 3: Ran 5 miles with the Team on Saturday. Plan to run 3 times at a half hour each this week. Raised $175 for this cause! My fundraising letters are going out this week...keep an eye on your mailbox! (Update: Due to a bothersome knee, I only ran about 8 miles total this week)

Week 4: Ran 6 miles with the Team on Saturday. Please to run 3 times at about 35 to 40 minutes each this. Raised $50 for this cause! Monday night: Ran 4 1/2 miles with my Molly dog, then walked 2 miles with my Marley boy....they're both St. Bernards, however Molly has a lot more stamina and endurance than Marley. I tried running with him last Summer and he poops out after two blocks =) But it helps both of them sleep REALLY well at night, and I sleep well knowing both me and my dogs had our exercise for the day!

June 15: Middle of the week log - I just have to say, I have met some of the most amazing people so far on this Team. Tricia, GiGi, Macey, Brad, Byron, Debbie, Jeanie, Susan, Pat, Kim, I could go on and on. I never ever thought I would be doing something like this....me, running a marathon? Even 2 months ago I would have laughed in your face. But the more I got to reading about Team in Training and the more people I talked to that have done it and STRONGLY encouraged me to do it, I knew I just had to do it. As GiGi said, "It's a Bucket List thing." But it's also more than that. We, the Team, are doing such an amazing thing! EACH PERSON has a minimum fundraising goal of $3,200. There are approximately 20 people that run with me every Saturday. 20 x $3,200=$64,000!!!!!! I am so excited to be a part of such a wonderful group of people.

My mom and I are having my fundraising yard sale on Saturday and Sunday, June 25 and 26. All the proceeds are going to my fundraising goal. Thanks mom and dad for donating your stuff for this! If you live in the Tri Cities area, come on by and say Hi!

4290 Kimberly St.

Richland, WA

I'll keep you posted!

Week 5: Ran 7 miles with the Team on Saturday morning. That was one hell of a run....lots and lots of hills, steep and some not steep but at mile 4 felt really steep =) I knew something had to be amiss last week when Coach Brad had us do a super easy, no hill 6 miler. He was definitely preparing us for this! I have started playing around with different fuels during my runs to find out what works best for me. SHOTBLOCKS DO NOT WORK FOR ME. 5 minutes after I took one, stomachache from hell. Gonna try Power Bar gel on my next run, which is tonight!

Anyway, after the run was finally over (some days are just better than others), a bunch of the Team went to breakfast. That was REALLY fun! I hadn't really gotten a chance to talk to some of the girls because they are the fast runners, whereas I tend to come in somewhere in the back of the pack. Anyway, about 12 of us went and sat there for about 2 hours, just talking and getting to know each other. Some of the girls have done the marathon before so they were telling funny stories and giving advice.

I gotta say, I absolutely LOVE my Team and am having so much fun, while raising so much money for such a great cause! Thank you everyone who has donated so far! Please keep spreading the word and help me reach my $3,200 goal!

Having a yard sale this weekend at my mom's house with all the proceeds going to the LLS. Gonna have to get my 8 mile run in at some point over the weekend. Hmmm....maybe a run along the Columbia River? I'll keep you posted =)

June 23, 2010: Went to the doctor yesterday for my bothersome left knee. Turns out it's patellafemoral syndrome. Basically my kneecap bone is rubbing weird, causing swelling and tenderness. He gave me stretches to do, told me to ice at least once a day, and NO RUNNING FOR AT LEAST A WEEK. I'm beyond bummed. I was really excited to do my 8 mile run this weekend. I can still bike though, so my running partner, Tricia, and I are going to do a spin class tomorrow morning.

Anyway, I'm supposed to bike for the next week, keep icing and stretching and see how I feel. If it feels okay, then I can start running for about a half hour and work back into my long runs. PLEASE PRAY FOR MY KNEE TO GET BETTER.

Week 6: Missed my 8 mile run because of my stupid knee....it's feeling better though and I am going to start running in the next couple of days. Attempted a spin class last Thursday at 6 am with Tricia, but I had to leave because the angle hurt my knee...grrrr. So I went on a different bike at the gym instead and got my hour workout in.

On the bright side, I had my fundraising yard sale this weekend...I made over $700!!!!!! I couldn't believe it! We were going to have it Saturday and Sunday, but by Saturday afternoon, all we had left was the junky stuff, so I went and counted the money, came out and told my mom and sister-in-law that we were done! We packed up the stuff, took it to Goodwill, returned the rented tables, and went out to a celebration dinner =)

Also, I have received numerous donations from my parent's friends, my friends, family, co-workers, strangers, and I am overwhelmed by everyone's generosity. Especially my parents. They moved recently, and instead of selling stuff on e-bay or craigslist, they donated it to my sale. So, thank you mom and dad for that, and for your support in general. I know you thought I was crazy at first, but I love knowing that whatever I need, you will help me. Thank you Jill and Paul Fitzer for the baby clothes..those sold really well! Thank you Jhoanna Jones for helping at the yard sale and taking the leftovers to Goodwill. I really appreciated you being there and helping out! Thank you to my parent's friend, Mike Runnion, for his donation of money and items for the yard sale. Everything he brought sold for good money!

I'm sure I'm forgetting people, but thank you to EVERYONE who has donated and helped me so far. I am SO CLOSE to my goal (I've raised almost $1,800 so far)! Keep checking back to follow my progress!

June 30, 2010: Went on a 25 minute run tonight to test out my knee and see how it was feeling. It was fabulous! I actually had a GREAT run, my knee felt good, my legs were super graceful and I felt like I was gliding on air! My dog Molly ran right along side me, having a blast. I cut my run a little short because 1) it was super hot, and 2) I didn't want to overdo my first run in a week and a half.

Anyway, so we get home, my dog drank about a gallon of water, came inside to hang out where it was nice and cool, and 10 minutes later? BLEH! Puked all over the tile in our entryway. Poor baby was hot and tired and stupid me had forgotten that she had eaten about 10 minutes before we went for our run! I will never make that mistake again =(

On the bright side, we have a short run this week, 6 miles, so that will be good to help get me back into it.

Week 7: It was our "down" day Saturday. ONLY 6 miles. Who would have ever thought that I would be saying 6 miles is a short day!!!! Next Saturday, 10 miles. Our 6 miler was a gorgeous run though. We went up Crescent Rim which overlooks the City and the houses look like they belong in Beverly Hills. There was one for sale, so we stopped and looked at the brochure....2.5 MILLION DOLLARS!!! As I said, the houses were gorgeous, the view was gorgeous, and it made me thankful that I started my day that way. Then on the way back it was along the Greenbelt, so just more and more beauty. I love living in Boise, in case I've never mentioned it before. It's just so beautiful and the river and the Greenbelt and just everything. It's awesome. I'm sure if I was on Mile 23, I wouldn't enjoy it as much. =) Anyway, the knee is feeling good, gonna run tonight for about 45 minutes, and I REALLY need to start doing my P90X again. Although I'm doing a lot of cardio, I want to keep up my strength as well. So, back to my strict workout schedule like I had before. No more excuses!

Week 8: Well, my 10 mile run last Saturday was a tiny disaster. Due to my stomach issues (eating breakfast before a run doesn’t work too great for me), I ate nothing before the run and by mile 7, I crashed hard. I hit the proverbial wall. I told my running partner to keep going, walked for about 15 minutes, stretched, and then finished my run.

Here’s what I love about my Team though. My coach was waiting for me at about the ½ mile mark to run the rest of the way with me. He talked to me about what happened and gave me advice. Then at the end, my running partner and 5 other Team members were waiting for me. It was awesome =)

Anyway, just need to find my “perfect” breakfast so I don’t crash and don’t have stomach problems.

We start hill training tonight at Camel’s Back Park. Run up the hill, jog down, run up, jog down, etc. etc. and I presume that will go until we drop dead =)

Thanks to everyone who has donated so far! I really appreciate it! My friend Brook is still selling these really cute hats for only $15, and she is donating $10 of every sale to my fundraising. http://www.etsy.com/listing/51080870/jaymes-lymphoma-hat

Week 9: 12 MILES BABY!!!! Yes, me the non-runner, I ran 12 miles with my Team on Saturday! I ran with Tricia, as always, and Laurie, our mentor. Lots of girl talk, lots of laughs, lots of admiring the beautiful houses around us, lots of stoplights, and most of all, lots of miles!

Thanks to Hilary Horton-Brown, Coach Brad Coats, and Jill Fitzer, I belive I have found my magic combination of food and energy fuel. Oatmeal for breakfast combined with Sport Beans instead of Gu or Power Gel, in addition to water and Gatorade. I felt amazing yesterday! LOADS of energy, no stomach issues, and I just felt great! After the run, I went home and took a shower, then a two hour nap. I woke up and went to the Boise Music Festival for a girls night with Macey and Molly. I walked around a lot which helped my sore muscles.

I'm going to toot my own horn for a second. I'm really proud of myself. I never would have thought in a million years that I would be training for a marathon. To be honest, at the beginning, I thought, "Well, I'll try it and see what happens. If it sucks, I'll just quit." Well I gotta say, at times it does SUCK BIG TIME, but no thought about quitting has passed my mind. It just makes me want to keep pushing and pushing. I have pushed myself FAR beyond what I thought I was capable of. It's amazing. And my Team! What a bunch of absolutely amazing people! Our Coach runs with us the whole time. He probably did the equivalent of a marathon on Saturday while he ran around to talk to everyone and make sure everyone was doing okay. What a stud! We always have a Mission Moment before every run to remind us why we're there and doing what we're doing. It always brings tears to my eyes and gives me additonal motivation.

We have had two hill training sessions so far. They're intense, but necessary....think San Francisco hills people....we've got to be prepared!

So we have our Patient Honoree Potluck coming up and I have invited my Dad, since he's one of my honorees. I think it would be great for him to meet my Team and see why I'm doing what I'm doing. Plus I want my Team to meet him. He's a Survivor and my hero.

ALSO, I have signed up for the Dirty Dash race! It's a 10K mud run. Me and four of my teammates have signed up and I couldn't be more excited. Go to www.thedirtydash.com to get the full scoop on this super fun run!!!

Anyway, I'm still a tad sore today. I'm hoping I can talk my husband into going to the lake with me so I can swim in cold water and ease the ache.

If you're reading this, please drop me a line and let me know what you think of all this. I love hearing from people and getting the encouraging notes. It REALLY keeps me going!

Week 10: This weekend was our Patient Honoree Potluck...it was absolutely amazing. We had several people talk about why they are doing Team in Training....one of them being the father of an 8 year old little girl who just finished her last round of chemo. My dad (one of my honorees) came into town for this potluck. Lynee asked me to give a little talk about my dad going through cancer. I got up there and started to talk and then all of a sudden it was like I was reliving the whole nightmare. I bawled. My dad got choked up. It was a crazy wonderful experience and I'm so glad he was there to share it with me.

So 14 miles coming up next Saturday...my running partner, Tricia, won't be there. I'm on my own =) Hill repeats Tuesday, Recommittment party Wednesday. This is the Point of No Return party. Once you commit, that's it! It means I'm saying I commit to raising $3,200, and if I don't, I will pay the difference! Pretty scary. But definintely motivational to get my fundraising butt in gear!

August 5, 2010: It's official. I have recommited. We had our kick as* recommitment party last night at Joe's Crab Shack. Lots of fun, lots of laughs, lots of karaoke, lots of girl time. It was amazing. I got a cool Team in Training jacket for recommiting too =)

Here's some pics from the night:

The Girls

Getting down with the Karaoke

How did I get talked into this???

My hubby joined in the fun too!

Anyway, so I am OFFICIALLY part of the Team, this is really going to happen, I'm really going to run a Marathon. YIKES! I am excited, nervous, scared, happy, motivated, and exhilirated all at the same time.

We have a 14 mile run Saturday. For those of you "non-runners", that's more than a half-Marathon. EGADS! Wish me luck all!

Week 11:

August 15, 2010: It's been a bit since I posted. Did my 14 mile run Saturday, August 7th, and for the most part it went pretty well. Other than my SCREAMING hip flexors!!!! I'm really going to have to do some yoga or something to work on that issue. They always kick up at about mile 10 or so. Anyway, after the run was done, I went down to the Boise River and sat in it for about 20 minutes, soaking my entire body. It felt fabulous! I then went home, took a hot bath, ate breakfast and began packing for vacation.

Before that, on Thursday, August 5, I went for an hour long run, which ended up being 90 minutes! I went into a subdivision to do my run, while listening to my audiobook, "Breaking Dawn" (book 4 of the Twilight series), and ended up getting lost. I couldn't find my way back to the beginning. I ended up stopping and asking for directions, and where the guy sent me, I still had 2 miles to get home, so I just kept at it and got home 30 minutes after I was supposed to get home. It was pitch black out and luckily I had on a white tank top, and my shoes have reflectors.

Robert, Riley and I went to the Oregon Coast August 8 through August 14. It was awesome. We had a blast and unfortunately, I had so much fun that I didn't run at all. But Coach said sometimes taking a break is good. I had told him about my week vacation and he said I might be ready for a break by then. Boy, was he right. Not only did I need a break physically, but mentally as well. I am now rested, body and soul and ready to take on 16 miles this coming Saturday!!!!

I had to cancel my Bunco fundraising party. I just didn't have enough people to make it financially worth it. But I have lots of ideas up my sleeve to get to my goal. I'll post again after 16 miles next Saturday =)

September 1, 2010: It's been quite some time since I wrote, but I'm still here, still training, and I am still commited to running this marathon.

First, a bit of personal news. My grandmother, Mimi, passed away August 23rd at the age of 96. She was a spunky, feisty, amazing, kind, compassionate woman and I miss her horribly. Her, my mom and I had a special bond that is hard to describe. But I know she is reunited with my grandpa and her dog, Mikey, in heaven and I will see them all again someday. For now, I miss you Mimi. You were the best grandma a girl could ask for. Thank you for all the great memories that will last me a lifetime.

On a training note...training got put to a halt again last week when I went to the Tri-Cities when I got the call to come say my goodbyes to my grandma. I packed in such a hurry that I forgot my running shoes, then ended up staying there for a whole week (sans shoes). So Sunday night when I got back, Macey and I got together and walked 10 miles (she wasn't feeling well, so she asked to walk-no problem here!). Anyway, hill training tonight. We will do a mile warm up run, then run 20 minutes straight up hill, and the beautiful part of that is the 10 minutes it takes to come back downhill =) I could run downhill forever!

On a FUNDRAISING NOTE! I have an ONLINE AUCTION....check it out and send it to everyone you know. I have some amazing items on there that you can bid on...http://jaymehofftnt.afrogs.org There's a gorgeous purse, Scentsy warmer, pizza gift certificate, Planet Beach memberships and much more. I am THISCLOSE to reaching my fundraising goal. I just need a tad bit more to get there.

On a Mission Moment note...every Saturday morning before our runs we have a mission moment to remind us why we run and why we fundraise. I somehow found this Caring Bridge website for a little girl named Haven...isn't that the most perfect name? Anyway, she is 2 years old and has Leukemia. Here is the link to her page...you can leave a note encouraging her if you wish. She is a beautiful little girl. http://www.caringbridge.org/visit/havenparker.

As always, feel free to drop me a note either on this website or to my e-mail. I love hearing from all of you!

September 20, 2010: Where to start? Well, my online auction went amazing! I made $639!!!! I am extremely happy with those results. Assuming everyone pays for their items, I will be less than $200 away from my fundraising goal! However, I have a plan to push past that goal...my running partner, Tricia, and I are going to sell orange and blue beads at the BSU game (thank you Lexi!!!) this Saturday after our 12 mile run with the Team. I'm hoping people will be really generous =) If I still haven't reached my goal after that, well, I guess I just have to suck it up and pay the difference. Yikes!

We had a mock marathon on the 11th. We ran 18 miles in 3 loops (7-4-7). At the beginning and end of every loop we were at Municipal Park. Well, as Tricia and I are running in after our first 7 mile loop, she says, "I think that's my husband...and my kids!" Then we see the purple Team in Training tent and numerous people start cheering us on! Then I hear my name and I look over and there is my friend Molly, camera in hand, and my stepson Riley, cheering me on!

So the first 7 mile loop went great, I felt good, loads of energy, then in the middle of my second loop (4 miles), my left hip, which has been bothering me for quite some time, started chattering at me. I stopped and stretched a bit and walked a bit to try to work out the kink, but it was a little too late at that point, so by the time we passed Municipal park for the second time, I told Tricia to go ahead and I walked a bit and stretched, walked and stretched. By the time I got to the top of Crescent Rim (about mile 13 or 14), I was in so much pain I couldn't even hardly stand. So I sat on a curb and bawled for about 10 minutes. However, reality kicked in and I realized that no one was going to come get me and I wasn't about to hitchhike back, so I got up, dried my tears (for the moment), and took off again. I ran/walked the remaining 5-6 miles back to Municipal park in excruciating pain and crying. I'm sure people thought i was some crazy weirdo, but I really didn't care. I finally made it back to the park...

So I am now in Physical Therapy for an IT band injury, an irritated/enflamed bursa on my femur, and the PT said my right hip is "locked", causing my left hip to do all the work, hence the injuries. The solution? Stretch, stretch, stretch. Oh yeah, and a little thing they call ASTYM treatment. This is where she rubs lotion on the end of a flat edged tool and scrapes it up and down my thigh on my IT band, and over my hip and knee. Sounds painful? That's because it is!! However, I know it is all in the name of getting me better, so I lay there, red faced and sweating, and just take it.

On a good note....I FINISHED 18 MILES!!!!!!!!!! I have been told that if I finished the 18, I could do the marathon. Hmmm....

So I know I complain about injuries a lot, but keep in mind...I had never ran before I began this journey 4 months ago. My body has rebelled and is angry at me. But I will push on. Like Jeanie said at our Dirty Dash run on Saturday, "If people can go through the pain and suffering of chemo, I can climb this damn hill!"

Speaking of the Dirty Dash...It was a 10K mud run up at Bogus Basin. FUN FUN FUN! I ran it with GiGi, Macey, Jeanie and Joncee. We had a blast!

So I suppose that's all for now...marathon is in less than 4 weeks and I'm a tad nervous. As always, your cheery notes and encouraging words are appreciated!

MARATHON WEEK!!! Holy crud. I leave for San Francisco in 6 days. To say I'm nervous and excited is completely understating it.

As you know, I've been battling injuries pretty much during my entire training. However, I have pushed through and kept running....and going to Physical Therapy =) Anyway, I am feeling strong and confident and I can't wait to get to San Francisco!

Our Team alone has raised over $85,000 this season!!!! And the Chapter (OSWIM-Oregon, Southwest Idaho, Montana) has raised over $334,000!!!!!!!! Let's give a big shout out to the OSWIM chapter!!!!!!

I just want to thank everyone who contributed items for my yard sale, donated money, gave me support, listened to me talk about this over and over and over. I want to thank my husband, Robert, for allowing (that's not the right word, but anyway) me to do this. It took a ton of time from my family and housework and he was very supportive. I love you baby. I also want to thank my parents for all their emotional and financial support through this. They donated their time and garage for storage for my fundraiser yard sale, they also listened to me over and over and over, plus they talked to their friends and co-workers about it, which in turn helped me raise quite a bit of money by those friends and co-workers donating!

I just know I'm going to cry the whole weekend. I'm emotional now and I haven't even gotten there yet. I heard a rumor that people are going to be able to track runners on the internet somehow during the race, but I'm not sure about that yet. If that's the case, I will let everyone know.

I will try to post again before the race, but if I don't, please pray for me to be strong, run a great race, and most of all to finish.

GO TEAM!!!

POST-MARATHON UPDATE: I DID IT!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Mission accomplished. I completed the full 26.2 miles! I had an amazing time, met amazing people, and proved to myself that I can do anything I put my mind to. Here are some photos of the weekend:

I decorated my running jersey =)

At the Boise airport

Banner near Niketown

My name was on the wall at Niketown!!!

Course map of the full 26.2 miles

Walking into our inspiration dinner....AMAZING!!! All these people were clapping, cheering, whisteling, hooting and hollering for all the Team in Training people!

5:30 am getting ready to do the early start!!!

Golden Gate Bridge....gorgeous!

We had the BEST cheer squads!

Talk about motivation!

Halfway there and feeling good!

THE FINISH LINE!!!!!!!!!

The Tiffany & Co. necklace for the finishers =)

Well, it's been one heck of a journey. I can't believe it's over. It was hard, and there were times throughout this whole adventure when I wanted to quit, but I am so glad I kept going. I felt amazing the whole entire race...maybe not physically, but mentally I was super strong. I enjoyed my experience, took pictures, talked to people from all over the country, and made the most of it.

Thank you everyone for your support. I couldn't have done it without you!

For pictures of me throughout the race by the professional photographers, go to THIS PAGE. I am bib number 24108. There is also video of me crossing the finish line.

GO TEAM!