Climbing (lots of) Mountains to Save Lives

Welcome to my Team In Training home page -- the Jo Zone.

Or perhaps I should call this page Second Try's the Charm!

After a less-than-auspicious 2009, I've picked myself up, dusted myself off, and once again I'm training to ride in the Tour of the California Alps / Markleeville Death Ride as a member of The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society's (LLS) Team In Training.

If you're not familiar with the Death Ride, it's a one-day bicycle ride in mid-July that covers about 130 miles and 16,000 feet of climbing over five mountain passes. And it starts out at over a mile above sea level, and goes up from there. To say this is going to be a Personal Challenge is quite the understatement!

All of us on Team In Training are raising funds to help stop leukemia, lymphoma, Hodgkin lymphoma and myeloma from taking more lives. I'll be completing this event in honor of all the 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!

Here's the story of Colin, a swell little guy who was battling AML. I'm sorry to say we just lost Colin. I didn't know him, but his story touched me. There are way too many stories like Colin's.

Please make a donation to support my participation in Team In Training and help advance LLS's mission. And to support the heroes who are battling blood cancers, so that they may win their battles.

I'll be writing up my training adventures in my blog, callmepokey.blogspot.com -- be sure to check back frequently to see my progress, and to wish me luck (heh, I'm gonna need it).

Thanks for your support of this fine organization, and for your faith in me! I'll sure try my darndest to keep my end of the bargain this time around. - Jo.