I did it. I completed the 25k Tour of Anchorage. It was absolutely the hardest thing I've ever done. But it was a stroll through the woods compared to cancer.

Anchorage is one of the most beautiful places I've ever been. When not hidden by low cloud cover, the mountains surrounding the city are breathtaking. Every day of our trip was met with overcast skies and temps around the mid-teens. Not race day. We woke up Sunday morning to blue bird skies and calm winds. The sun was shining bright all along the course. I truly believe the heavens opened up to thank us for all our hard work and dedication.

I thanked every single person who donated to me on that trail. Through laughter, smiles, and even tears, I continued on to finish. Your support has directly helped me cross the finish line. This has been a season filled with difficulty, and I would be lying if I said I was sad it's over. I am not lying about loving all my teammates. I am dead serious about this cause and I know I will return.

Thank you all, and may we never lose sight of the mission.

Super special shout out to all the donations coming in from fans and friends of Kung Fu Mike. Proof that the internet can be used for something more than fart jokes and poking fun at local news. I'll be wearing the New England seacoast on me somewhere during the race.

Actually, I think I know exactly what's coming with me to the race....

YOU ALL ROCK!

I can't belive it's almost time to head to Anchorage. We're working on our form, putting in the mileage, and thanking our honored teammates for pushing us to be relentless.

Here's a refresher on what I'm doing, and why:

After a couple years off, the call has come to me. The call to help find a cure for blood cancer. The call to help save the quality of life for leukemia, lymphoma, Hodgkin’s disease and myeloma patients. But also - the call of the WILD!

I will be working with Team in Training to participate in my first ever cross-country ski marathon! Here's the kicker - I've never even been on skis! It's going to be a long, hard journey. But it's nothing compared to battling cancer.

With your generous donation, you can help support me in my quest, while supporting the thousands of people the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society help every day.

That was way back in October! The team has met our fundraising goal, but there's still time to raise more. My personal fundraising deadline is this week, but I can continue to pull in funds to save lives for up to 30 days. On this Valentine's Day, please spread the word about my journey to Alaska and the fight to end blood cancer.

Keep the fire burning, and let's save some lives!

If you've already donated but would like to do something fun, how about a Cookiegram? Specialty's is donating $1 for every Cookiegram sold during the month of February to the LLS. Check it out here! http://www.specialtys.com/CookieGram.aspx

With just two team trainings to go, I am on a roll and finally enjoying my time on the trails. Bear Valley was beautiful last week, and I had the joy of chatting with honored teammate Lior Jacobson. She was happy to report that a recent scan she had for some pain in her side yielded no cancer reoccurrence. She's moving forward with the watch and wait mentality, but for now she's happy and healthy.

The team set out to get in some distance, and I was finally able to push myself. I practiced hills, and WON. I put in some km's, and ENJOYED it. I pushed myself further than I have before, and came home VICTORIOUS!

I am excited to head up again this weekend and shoot for 20km. Our fundraising deadline looms ahead, but I have no fear. Our team is strong and has raised a ton of money for the LLS. We march on, to March!

We had our first trail training at Tahoe Donner this weekend! I had a really tough time with the hills, and spent a lot of time on my bum. Once we were set loose on the trails I had an amazing time. My striding is getting better and better, and I'm even able to glide a bit up hills. The climbs are tough, but it's all worth it to spend some quality time out in nature. At one point I turned a corner and saw a beautiful vista. I slowed down, took a deep breath, and soaked it all in. Snow covered hills spilled out for miles. It was a moment of rest and reflection, and it was all mine.

This journey has been incredible so far, and I'm only halfway through. We have a bit more than a month to go in our training, and I think things are about to become much more intense. We shared the stories of friends and family who have battled cancers of any kind, and I feel like the realization of what we're fighting for has really hit home. Standing alone in the snow, I thought about my grandfather, who passed last August. I thought about the grandmother I never knew, who I've been told died of cancer. I thought about one of my dear friends, who has a special colleague battling lymphoma right now.

Most importantly, I recommitted myself to the cause, the hard work, the fundraising, and the responsibility. My fundraising deadline is February 15th, and I still have some work to do. I am forever greatful to everyone who has donated to date, and I urge any of you who are on the fence to take a step now. We can and will make a difference in the lives of cancer patients and their families. Thank you all so much for sticking with me on this trek!

We waited, we hoped and we prayed...and the snow came! Finally after weeks of nothing, a huge storm blew in from the north and brought inches of snow with it. We had our SECOND team ski at Bear Valley and the conditions were insane. Wet, fluffy snow was coming down quickly, which led to an interesting training day.

Even though we haven't had a lot of time on the snow, the team is learning quickly. I felt confident, and took some time to sit back, watch the snow, and reflect on this amazing opportunity. To date our team has raised over $71,500 for blood cancer research and patient advocacy. We continue to learn about what the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society is doing to push forward with this fight. Standing there in the snow, watching my teammates, I felt a special moment of connection to the cause.

Keep doing those snow dances, because the season is only halfway through!

There is a very special event that brings all the Bay Area teams together once a season. There are snacks, and drinks, and lots of friends. Cause for Celebration is a time to get together with teammates and remember why we're so focused on the cause. This was my second Cause for Celebration, and I knew there would be a guest speaker. This season's speaker was a woman named Ana, who began her journey feeling ordinary.

(I apologize in advance for the length of this, I promise it's worth it.)

A young woman, working in HR, was asked to help with an event about bone marrow donations. She began her ordinary day, at her ordinary job, asking her fellow coworkers to have their cheeks swabbed by Be the Match for the chance to save a life. Be the Match is an outstanding program that finds heros. In its 25th year, Be the Match organizes drives to find and match bone marrow transplants. It was a small action that led to a major event.

Ana's life became less ordinary when she was contacted months later, and told she was a match. She worked with her coordinator, headed to Stanford, and began the process. She left the hospital, and went back to her ordinary world. Convinced she was made for something big, Ana joined the Fremont run team, and began training for the Nike Women's Marathon. That Summer during training, she got another call. Suddenly her life was everything but ordinary.

A man, 26 years old, had leukemia. That's all the info she had. He needed treatment, and he needed her. The process was explained to Ana by her Stanford specialist. The date was chosen, changed, and chosen again. Finally it came, she went to Palo Alto ordinary, and returned to Fremont a hero. Ana was back to normal in a couple days, back to work, back to her ordinary life. She completed the Nike Women's Marathon, and thought about the life she saved at every mile.

Ana's life was no longer ordinary. She was a part of the nation's largest sports fundraising program, she was a marathoner, and she had saved the life of a young man she had never met. Until a few months ago. Coordinators on both ends contacted Ana and the man she saved. She Googled his name, and found the blog he had written explaining his battle with leukemia. After a few days of waiting, she emailed him. A few days after that, he responded. They were reunited like long lost friends. A date was set, and the meeting planned.

After a road trip down to Los Angeles, Ana met Luis. It had been over a year since their procedure, and two days after Christmas. Luis finally met the woman who had saved his life.

Everyone knows I'm a sap, but this is where I lost it. An ordinary girl, an ordinary guy, brought together by extraordinaty circumstances. A battle against cancer, and a battle FOR the human spirit. Grab a tissue, and watch their meeting: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Hi14ug_8_pA&feature=colike

Ana is still reeling from finally meeting Luis, especially now that her mother has been diagnosed with lung cancer, and she needs her friend more than ever.

Cause for Celebration is a strange name for an event about cancer. We join each other to celebrate our cause and have a good time, but mostly we gather to stay connected. To remember why we're here, what we're doing, and to never lose sight of the goal.

A world without cancer.

If you're interested in reading Luis' blog, check it out here: http://lmonzon.blogforacure.com/weblog

If you're like me, there's nothing more refreshing after a rough training day than a pint of beer. This season, my teammate Seana had the brilliant idea of taking this feeling and merging it with fundraising. Join us on January 29th at 6pm at the Chieftan Irish Pub. The Chieftain has generously been able to provide a keg of Stella, and each pint for $4 goes towards our fundraising efforts.

This Sunday is also the NFL All Star game, so you'll be in for a treat. Check out the event page on Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/events/193039460794383/

Keep doing those snow dances folks, it's finally working!

How about that unseasonably warm weather? While patiently waiting for snow, we decided to go ice skating this last weekend. The team gathered at the Oakland Ice Center for a three hour session. I spent a lot of time at ice rinks growing up, and luckily the skills came back to me. Ice skating is a great way to work similar muscle groups for cross-country skiing. The balance and coordination required sure gives you a good workout! I was huffing and puffing and shedding layers. After about two and a half hours I was ready for a rest.

We got together after the workout at a local pub to talk about training, waiting for snow, and some stories of Anchorage. One year it was 40 below at night, can you imagine?! We all discussed our fundraising and heard the great news that our team has collectively raised over $50,000. We're all working hard to keep bringing in the donations that will enrich and possibly even save lives.

As the New Year hits us, I'm ready to continue taking on this challenge. I've recommited to the team and my own goals, and I can't wait to see what's in store. Thank you for all your continued support!

****Congratulations to my fellow teammate Barb Florin for winning the card! Thank you to everyone who donated.****

As a special New Years offer, I'm extending my Slanted Door gift card raffle AND lowering the price.

$10 donation gives you one entry

$25 donation gives you three entries

The raffle has been pushed to January 5th. For those of you who have already donated $25, congrats, because you now have an advantage! So donate, and comment "Slanted Door" or just shoot me an email/message to let me know you're in!

Spread the word, and get ready to enjoy some amazing food.