About a year and a half ago, I joined Team in Training for the first time. I admit, that first time, I had a lot of reasons besides the Cause. I thought coaches might help me improve my running, I was looking for company out on the trails, I was hoping to find new places to run. And I wanted to fight cancer, but it wasn't my only priority--not even my first priority.

But a season with the Team changed me for good.

I found out about the work the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society is doing. The LLS spends a lot of money funding research and researchers. It costs a lot to develop a new drug, and to get a promising drug from the lab bench to the hospital. (Which of course means funding a lot of promising drugs that don't quite make it.) More than that, the LLS works directly with people who're being treated for blood cancer, and with their families. People who're faced with a frightening diagnosis don't have to go through it alone--the LLS is there for them.

And I know this, because I've met our team "honorees". People who've had to face that diagnosis, people who've gone through the treatment. They've talked with us, volunteered at our runs. Some of them have trained with us. One man ran a marathon my first season, while being treated for stage 3 lymphoma. (And he ran it a lot faster than I did.)

One of them told us that ten years before his diagnosis, people with his kind of cancer would've been told it was fatal and incurable. By the time he was diagnosed, it was almost always curable. What made the difference? A drug whose development had been sponsored by the LLS.

We've made a lot of progress. I know a lot of people who've gotten that diagnosis, and beaten cancer. But we're not done yet.

I've lost friends to cancer--more this past year. Some of our honorees don't make it. Some of the ones I've met won't make it.

They can't just call it quits. So I won't, either. I'm back for my fourth season with the Team. This time, I'm training for the Seattle Rock & Roll Marathon, June 26th. I've had some good marathons and some bad ones. I'm hoping this will be one of the good ones, but either way, I'm going to get it done.

After that first season, I became a volunteer for Team in Training. I help with internet chores (posting our coaches' workouts on a team site), I take pictures and share them with the team, I help out wherever else I'm needed. And because I'm a volunteer, I don't have to fundraise every time. (There's only so many times I can hit up my friends.) But this time I do, and I am.

I know times are tough for a lot of us. I certainly understand if you don't have anything to spare, especially if you've got another cause that's important to you.

But--okay, I'll guiltload pretty bluntly here--cancer patients can't just put the disease on hold until the economy picks up. So if you can spare something, a little or a lot, I really hope you will.

Thanks for reading this. And... I'll see you at the finish line!

P.S. Would you prefer to donate by check? Not a problem! This form has all the information you need.

Update [3/27]

Hey, I meant to update this page more, didn't I? Sorry about that! I'm doing volunteer work for the team, so that means I'm spending lots of time on other webby stuff, less time here. But I'll try to keep posting updates!

We're about halfway through training. The first couple of months was cold and dark, but the mileage was short. Tougher for the newer runners, but I've done this before, so it wasn't too stressful. But I gotta say, while running in the rain has its charms, I'm happy to be in spring training now!

And now the runs are getting longer. I just did a ten-mile run, which takes a chunk of time, but I'm used to that. But soon I'll be getting to the runs I've never quite gotten used to--when the runs get to longer than two hours, it just seems to take over my weekend.

I've gotten to hear some more inspiring stories from our honorees. And I've been really impressed and humbled by the way my friends are supporting me in this.

My next landmark, I guess, will be the Avenue of the Giants Half-Marathon. For a lot of the team, that's the season's goal event. For me, it'll be more like a training run--but I'll get to tag along with the team and go to the party afterwards!

I'll try to keep posting with word on how training is going. The marathon is in 13 weeks--I'll be ready!