~Update 7/1: I want to start by thanking everyone for their support. I am just about half way to the fund-raising goal I've set for myself and really appreciate everything you guys have done for me. I can't tell you how much it means to have your support! Thank you again.

Besides continuing to run, I've been hard at work fund-raising. One thing my teammates and I have been doing is selling concessions at nTelos Pavilion in Portsmouth for various concerts. It's nonstop work but a fun way to help raise money, and all the "tips" we make are donated to our fund-raising goals.

My friend Chrissie and I worked Phish. First time ever seeing them. What a great group of fans and they were so supportive of our cause. Don and I also worked at the Sheryl Crow and Colbie Calliet concert, again the support of the people we met was wonderful.

Our next big event is a Poker Tournament here in Virginia Beach on July 17. We will be hosting a no limit Texas Hold'em poker tournament at GF Keagans (soon to be the Blue Turtle) at Hilltop East from 11:00 am - 5:00 pm.

Here are some of the details: There is a $25 buy in (early round rebuys and one-time add-on also allowed at $20 each), You can preregister for a discounted entry fee of $20, if you are interested, please let me know and I will send you more details and can preregister you for the $20 rate.

We'll also have raffles, breakhands, entertainment, and general good times. Even if you don't want to play, please stop by and say hello! GF Keagans has great food and some great drink specials on Saturdays.

The race is getting so close so fast, it's getting really challenging on our Saturday runs. I don't just mean getting up at 5:30 to be there on time, but the distances are getting longer. My target is 10 miles this weekend. I'm getting really excited for it and hope to do well for this cause. I'd like to challenge you: do you think you can help me find 10 people to donate $10 this week? Please forward this email to everyone in your contact list. Research for blood related cancers isn't limited to just Leukemia and Lymphoma. The more we know about them, leads into more knowledge for cancers of all kinds.

Thank you all again for everything, You are doing amazing things for people you may never meet and it means the world to them. I hope you all have a happy Fourth!

Don and I before the beer started flowing (down our arms from all the pouring for charity)

~Update: 5/25: Well I've been training for about a month now and I can really feel myself getting stronger! I'm walking 5 miles a day now, who would have thought!?! Now to start incorporating running into that, while still building my endurance.

I headed out to the boardwalk today and realized it's about time to start working out earlier in the morning, boy was I sweating! There were several times I thought about turning back and "chilling" out at home before running all my errands for the day. But I thought about Josh, our patient mentor, he's just one of the people that LLS had helped. I thought about how hard going through chemo must have been for him, not knowing how many more "miles" he had to go for his cure and that pushed me forward. I hope that you all know how much your support means to me, but the donations you make really mean the world to so many people. We really are doing amazing things together. Thanks again, and I'll update you again soon. Have a great week everyone!

I run for my Grandpa, let me run for someone you love.

Racing to Save Lives

Welcome to my Team In Training home page.

I’ve decided to participate in the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society’s Team in Training program. I’ve been receiving information from them for the past few years, but I’ve always put it off thinking I am too busy or too out of shape. This year I turn 30 and wanted to really challenge myself. After going to an information session and hearing the stories of three people that have been helped by the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society, I realized this is exactly the kind of thing I was looking for. I’m excited to be a part of this fundraising program. Not only am I meeting great people as I train, I also get to raise money for an incredible organization.

I will be finishing the Rock n Roll Half Marathon here in Virginia Beach on September 5th. As most of you know I am not what you’d call athletic, so choosing to run a half marathon is going to be quite an adventure and not always an easy one. But every Saturday when I am up and running at 6:30 a.m. and the last mile feels so far away, I remember I am doing this for something much larger than exercise alone, I am running for a cure for blood cancers.

How can you help me complete this half marathon without going for the long run with me? Easy. My goal is to raise $2500 by July 1st. It sounds like a lot at first, but with your help I can do it. Don and I have already donated $100 and your help would be so greatly appreciated. No donation is too small, and $0.75 of each $1.00 donated to the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society goes directly into patient care and support or research.

I’d like to let you know what your donations can do:

$25 provides patients and loved ones with FREE booklets that contain up to date information on their disease and treatment options

$50 registers one person to be a bone marrow donor

$75 provides HLA bone marrow typing for a family member of a patient with leukemia

$100 helps supply lab researchers with supplies and materials to continue their research for cures

$150 provides 10 patients access to a web-conference to learn about their specific blood cancer

$300 trains 25 peer volunteers to provide emotional support to newly diagnosed patients

$500 could provide patient aid to a person with Leukemia or a related cancer for an ENTIRE YEAR

$1000 gives a patient a on-on-one conversations with health care specialists who provide information about their disease, treatment options, and helps prepare them with questions for their health care team.

Please leave me a message of support, check up on my progress, and see how the training is going, or make a donation. When you make a donation, please include the name of someone you'd like to honor. I'll be writing the names on ribbons and pinning them to my jersey the day of the race. This way when the last mile feels like its getting further away instead of closer, I will have supporters running with me reminding me why we are doing this.

If you’d rather, you can mail me a check made out to the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society (LLS). Donations are 100% tax deductible. If you donate on the website, a receipt will be sent to your email address and if you choose to send a check, I will mail you a receipt.

Please let me know also if you are interested un learning more about a corporate sponsorship, It's a great way to help out and get your company's name out there!

Thank you so much for your support and helping me reach my both of my goals! Please come back often!