Wow, it was cold this morning! My buddy, David Cox, and I started out at 8AM on the Natchez Trace, where the beautiful arched bridge crosses highway 96. I think it was in the low 30's but it felt even colder due to the drizzle. Even with nice wool socks and full leather shoes, my toes were feeling it! The rest of my body was doing ok, thanks to some cold weather riding gear, long johns, REI hiking pants and my motorcycle riding gloves. If you saw me out there, you would have revoked my cool card! Even though it was really cold, it was great to spend time in a beautiful area and have good conversation. I do look forward to the weather getting warmer, unfortunately it will be a while, and I'm going to have to look for some electric socks I can ride in. I also need to get one of those ski masks that will just add to my suave presentation on the road, I'm sure! I hope that your Holidays have been something special for you, and if you would like to donate to fight blood cancer, please do, you will help someone that is unable to help themselves.

I can't believe the first week is over! I attended a bike maintenance and gear workshop on Saturday and learned that, even though it will be summertime, it is going to be COLD (probably 40 degrees to start with) when we bike Lake Tahoe! Apparently, it is a pretty high elevation and there will still be snow at the top. So the cold weather gear that I'll be decked out in to survive the winter training rides will most likely be what I wear in the race. Brrr! I also learned that I will be putting about 1,500-2,000 miles in training miles alone. It seems like everything I'm learning is pretty daunting and I have yet to have done my first training mile! A special thanks to Ansley Carter, Courtney Enloe, Keeley Puncochar, Chloe Puncochar, Bella Puncochar, Simone Puncochar and Mr./Ms. Anonymous for helping me reach my first milestone of $250 which earned me the training jersey shown below!

Many more miles to go and many more dollars to raise, so I'm taking it one mile/donation at a time! I hope you'll make a tax deductible donation on my page and help make it a little less daunting to reach my total goal of $3,900. Remember each dollar goes directly to the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society in the fight against blood cancers.

I've finally joined something bigger than me, the fight against cancer. Over the past 20 years, I've had various friends and family affected by it, and most recently have been deeply saddened by the loss of a good friend Tim to colon cancer. For this, and other reasons, I've become especially motivated to become involved in something significant to help others. For those that know me, I love to help friends in many ways, like helping them move, helping them talk through difficult topics, and helping them eat delicious food. Those are easy for me, so now I've started something that will be difficult - I've joined The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society's (LLS) cycling Team In Training (TNT) to train for my first century bike ride, "America's Most Beautiful Bike Ride," a 100-mile journey around Lake Tahoe in Nevada and California. The ride is on June 2nd, which means have just under 6 months to not only train for 100 MILES, I will also need to raise my minimum fundraising goal of $3,900 for The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society.

This will be me

This will be the final destination of my journey

For each donation made, either here on my fundraising page, or in person with check or cash, one quarter of the donation helps me achieve my personal training goal, while the remaining three-quarters go directly to The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society's core mission: Research, Patient Services, and Advocacy. Not only does this non-profit organization fund valuable research for blood cancer treatments, they also provide invaluable patient services such as deductible assistance for blood cancer patients who can't afford their treatments, family and friend support resources, and they will assist patients with finding the right doctor for their condition. Did you know that one in every three people have a direct connection to blood cancer? When my wife, Keeley, trained for her first half marathon with Team In Training last season, we both thought we were among the lucky two with no connections. However, as she continued to spread the word about what she was doing, and why she was raising money, we learned a lot about ourselves. She lost her Grandfather Reed to Acute Leukemia, and I lost my Great Uncle Don to Lymphoma. This was a very emotional experience for us, and gave us an even greater connection to the cause. It was no longer about helping Keeley reach her personal running goal. More and more friends and co-workers started sharing their stories about people they knew affected by blood cancer, and we realized that this "Greater Purpose" was even greater than we knew.

To make a difference in the fight against blood cancers (which by the way include Leukemia, Lymphomca, Hodgkins Disease and Myeloma) is beyond overwhelming to do on my own, which is why I am doing it as part of a team. Among the Tennessee Chapter for TNT, I will be training (and most importantly, raising money) with others who are running or walking half and full marathons, triathlons, and "America's Most Beautiful Bike Ride." To do this as part of a team is not only empowering, it is all inclusive. You don't have to train by my side to help be a part of the Team. You can participate WITH ME by making a donation today. Today, RIGHT NOW, you can help someone who needs the help they can't get on their own. I'm committed to all the training it will take to complete this 100 mile bike ride, and I appreciate your commitment to fight cancer with me.

Today, is my 41st Birthday. If making a donation to help someone in need isn't enough motivation for you, please consider making a donation in support of my personal challenge. Consider it a birthday gift, knowing that three quarters of that gift will make someone else's day in addition to my own! Any donation amount is greatly appreciated. Any donation of 41 or more will be even more special!

I hope you'll return to my page throughout my journey and keep up with my blog. You can reach this page anytime by visiting Jon.isinTraining.org.