For Austin's 1/2 Marathon, my precious daughter came to Austin all the way from the frozen tundra of Indiana. We parted ways at the starting line. I ran the 13.1 miles, Ashley walked. When I reached the finish line, there she was, cheering me across. She'd only been waiting for me for 20 minutes. Another laugh out loud moment.

I was apprehensive about doing the San Diego run, so I asked Laura, "Will you go with me?" She said, "Of course, I will!" For no other reason than to hold my hand, Laura is raising $2,900, flying to San Diego and running 13.1 miles. Some might call her crazy . . . I call her my friend.

Laura's family was very close to Josh and they've had their own battles with cancer. Their son, Josh's bestfriend, had 2 surgeries for a brain tumor. Laura had breast cancer plus brain surgery to remove a tumor.

Because of the outpouring of such generous support, I have met my goal! If you would still like to be part of our team, please considering donating at Laura's webpage . . . so that she can be there to hold my hand . . . 'cuz she's my friend.

Click on the link below to go to Laura's page:

http://pages.teamintraining.org/sctx/rnr11/LauraPainter

Doug wanted to know why he donated twice and wondered WHAT he had donated. “Well,” I explained, “this time, you donated big $. This time, you donated $1, cuz I wanted to make sure that it went through the system. Every dollar counts! And everyone who wants to be part of this journey, I want them to be able to join me!”

To begin with, I’m a slow runner. During the last few miles of Austin’s ½ Marathon, I slowed waaaay down. Passing by a water station, a gust of wind came up and blew hundreds of paper cups alongside me. A spectator cupped his hands and yelled, “Hey! Those cups are moving faster than you are!”

It was a LOL moment.

With no small amount of trepidation, I signed up for the San Diego fundraiser 1/2 marathon in memory of Josh. And yes, I bit off more than I could chew. To assure myself that I could finish, I completed the 1/2 marathon here in Austin as training for the San Diego run. If Ashley, my daughter, hadn't been flying in, I would have bailed months ago. Nothing like the price of an airline ticket for motivation. This was my physical hurdle. I needed to know that I could finish the race independent of an ambulance ride. Because the San Diego run is in memory of Josh, it's my emotional hurdle. One milestone down, one to go.

It is has been almost five years since we suddenly lost our 22 year old son,

Officer Joshua Rosenthal, to Acute Myelogenous Leukemia.

Joshua's cancer was 98% curable . . . as long as it didn't present in the brain. Joshua's did. His cancer went completely undetected until it was too late.

The Honor Guard Commander at Joshua's funeral introduced me to The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society's Team In Training, TNT.

• By sponsoring endurance events, TNT funds research to find a cure for blood cancers.
• TNT has directly funded the research responsible for some of the most aggressive cancer medications currently available.
• 75% of all funds raised for TNT go directly to research and patient services.

Since the funeral, I have wanted to participate in TNT, but have only now found the courage to step out and try. I have committed to raise $2,900 towards the Half Marathon in San Diego on June 5th.

Please consider joining me on this journey by making a tax deductible donation supporting my participation in Team In Training. I'm running not only in memory of Josh, but hoping that together we can cross the finish line for a cure. And one day no one loses a loved one to cancer!

I hope you visit this page often and virtually run with me as I blog my way through training. Thanks for your prayers and support!

Click on the link below for a short slide show of

Josh Rosenthal