Well, I'm not so sure how I'm doing with the whole finishing strong part....but, at least finishing is the goal! :) It's just a few weeks away from the Country Music Marathon (of which i'm running half), and I'm getting geeked! I think I'm most excited about running with my Team In Training mates who've quickly become some of my favorite people! I really look up to anyone who "sucks it up" at 6am, and gets ready in cold, rain, and even extreme winds, to go running all over Nashville!

I like how some parts of the city look while you're running by them...I have more observant eyes, than say while I'm driving (er, probably speeding) by this house or that shop. I really like some of the communities I've ran through, witnessing parents' up early playing with their kids, seeing construction crews building the next home, or restaurant, and also finding others who are up just as early running those same streets. There's something magical that happens at 7am that doesn't happen any other part of the day.

I'm hoping that as these next few weeks wisp by so quickly, that the magic continues, all the way up until the Finish Line....

Lastly, if you've finished reading this far, I'm hoping you'd consider helping me finish strong in my fundraising efforts by giving $10, $20, or whatever you feel like. Thanks so much!

So, the other day my roommates introduced me to this clothing store called:

Lululemon

Now, I had heard them talk forever, on and on, about how great it was. Truthfully, I just thought their obsession was completely unwarranted....I reasoned that they were simply succumbing to slick email marketing, along with pushy salespeople. That was, until I had my first (most certainly not my last) Lululemon experience. Don't worry, I didn't spend monies from my envelope reserved for rent or food, but I was surely tempted. I did buy a cute little watter bottle with sleeve so that I can carry it while running. The best part of the whole purchase was the bag....

Here's the quote:

"Life is full of Setbacks. Success is determined by how you handle setbacks."

How did Lululemon know I needed to hear those words on that particular day? I'm betting they didn't. But, I am betting on Providence in that particular situation. For, it is those words that are carrying my through this last stretch of running. You see, I haven't been able to run for the last couple of weeks without feeling excrutiating pain in my knee. I went to the doctor last week, and he notified me that it was my IT Band. I think he mentioned me having some sort of syndrome.....great, just what I wanted, a syndrome.

The reality of it is this...I can let this "setback" determine the course of events for the next 4+ weeks. Either I do the work of physical therapy (working on my gluteus maximus is one of the recommended exercises), stretching, and further training....or I quit. I just stop right here and say I can't do anymore....Well, I started running in part to prove to myself that I'm not a quitter, so quitting really isn't an option at this point. The only solution, the one that determines success, is the one I choose.

I choose to run (for those that can't).

I choose to keep fighting (for those who've lost the battle).

I choose to succeed.

p.s. I'm just over halfway to my fundraising goal! Any help you could give in helping me reach my goal would be appreciated!

Yesterday, I turned 33. Yes, I'm revealing my age, mainly because I spent my day doing something that I wouldn't have even considered doing at 23.

I ran a 5k. No big deal. It was just a part of my running responsibilities for the week. I have to run about 2-4 miles twice a week, before a larger run with the group on Saturdays.

Only, for me, it really was a big deal. I woke up before the sun rose, ran all around the campus of Belmont, running with college students (the event was sponsored by Belmont), and watching day break, all before I normally hit snooze on my alarm.

That, my friends, is a big deal.

Since I've signed up to run with Team In Training, I am learning about myself, what I am capable of, what are my weaknesses, and what kind of a friend I am.

I am honored to have so many friends in my life, and those that think of me on my birthday, letting me know that they appreciate me....Sure Facebook helps us remember! But, it's a person's prerogative to to send a text, tweet, or even write on someone's wall.

Thanks to all those who shared in my birthday yesterday. I believe I'm embracing my 30's finally, and I like the trajectory in which my life is heading. I think I am beginning to be okay with this getting older thing! :)

I never really was into math in school. Sure, the multiplications were cool, and I was a beast at proofs in geometry. But, overall math has never really interested me...until here lately.

I found that I absolutely loooove fractions? Why, you ask? Because, as I am training more and more for this half-marathon in April, I am measuring every mile. Just this last Saturday, I ran nearly 7 miles. Do you know what that means?

That means that I've ran pretty much 1/2 of what I will run the day of the 1/2 marathon, which is 13.1 miles. And when I train during the week, I have to run 1/3 of of 13.1 (3 or 4 miles).

So, I'm getting better and better at math everyday! I'm really beginning to like fractions!

Won't you do me a favor and donate on this page, and help out my percentages? (similiar to fractions in that it's math related!) :)

Teams are made up of individuals. Without them, there is no team.

Welcome to my Team In Training home page.

I have a mission-to help find cures and more effective treatments for blood cancers, mainly because I keep finding someone I know has been affected one way or another. To accomplish that mission, I’m training to run the Country Music Half-Marathon as a member of The Leukemia and Lymphoma Society’s (LLS) Team In Training. Like the other members of TNT, I will be raising funds to help find cures and better treatments for leukemia, lymphoma, Hodgkin’s disease and myeloma.and with your support, I can help improve the quality of life for patients and their families, running for those who can't run.

Please make a donation in support of my efforts with Team In Training and help advance the research for cures.

I can't do this by myself! I need the help other others! I need YOU!