Racing to Save Lives

Yep I am at it again! This time is extra special because my family and friends will actually be with me as I cross the finish line after running 26.2 miles at the Houston Marathon. It has been a tough beginning with my tailbone injury but I know that I have nothing to complain about!

I know that you probably think as you receive my emails “I just donated to her awhile back….why is she bugging me again???” You are right, I ask everyone to donate in the hopes that one day there will be a cure for cancer. That one day, people like me, can sit on the couch like most everyone else and watch cartoons this next Saturday morning instead of being at the park at 5:30am beginning my 12 miles of training that day.

But guess what….there is still not a cure for cancer. So……here I am again, asking for each of you to donate.

Please support me by visiting my website often as I put up my progress, donating, and passing this along.

Just the other day I was telling Mike Evans, the Honored Teammate for the West Houston TNT group, that I felt very strong about letting him know that every moment of volunteering I do for LLS and every step that I will be taking in Houston this winter is in honor of individuals such as him who are fighting battles larger than I can imagine. I don’t know if you have ever done a marathon, but if you have you know that when you reach the “wall” there has to be something bigger than yourself that keeps you going……….you have to be doing it for a reason, a cause…..or in honor of someone else. In 2007 it was a very special young man named Ryan that got me past the bike part of my first ever triathlon, and it was Ryan that I was thinking about as I looked down to see my foot cross the finish line; it was Ryan's name I had on the back of my shirt. Unfortunately Ryan was not able to see me do this so I swam, biked, and ran in his memory.

As soon as I crossed the finish line I signed up for more, and more, and more. Throughout the years I have known too many Ryans, but more uplifting met even more survivors like Mathew (a sweet 14yr old), Christine (an awesome mom!), Emma (a very spunky 7yr old), and the countless survivors whom I dedicate this run to.

Emma is a little girl who is 8 and has the most adorable bunch of freckles over her nose, but who also takes a pill every morning for her chemo treatment. I will also be thinking of Mike and his story of how he keeps battling cancer over and over again and his wonderful family who each time rally behind him to let him know just how much he is loved….it is individuals such as this that I will think of while running 26.2 miles here in Houston January 30th.

Thanks for all your support!