Welcome to my Team In Training home page, and to my fifth Cancer Kickin' Campaign!

Eight years and a couple of months after getting diagnosed with Hodgkin from lymphoma, I participated in my fifth Team in Training event in an effort to give back. I ran the Seattle Half-Marathon on June 26th as a member of The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society's (LLS) Team In Training. All of us on Team In Training are raising funds to help stop leukemia, lymphoma, Hodgkin lymphoma and myeloma from taking more lives. On behalf of myself, and on the behalf of cancer survivors everywhere, I want to thank everyone who so generously donated to my fundraising efforts.

The race, and entire experience in Seattle, was a blast. I have prepared some stories about the event, along with photos, on my Racing for a Cure Blog:

Go Team! in Seattle - I talk about our team coming together in Seattle, Washington, with pictures of team activities before the race.

Color my Disappointment Purple - my attempt to color my hair bright purple for the race doesn't come out quite like expected, despite getting up at 3AM.

The Dawn of the Race - I, and the team, deal with the pre-race butterflies and just sitting around. You can also see the honoree names written on my race jersey here.

Survivor in Seattle - I have a great time going 13.1 miles on foot, and setting a half marathon personal record in the process, thanks to great coaching help along the way from Coach Chuck

Racing for Cures Rocks - I meet fellow blogger, cancer survivor, and TNT Marathoner Julie after the race after a year and a half of following each other's blogs

My Honoree List - Who I ran for this year

Mount Rainier Hiking - Photos and descriptions of my scenic Mount Rainier hikes

Then there are these stories about seeing a bit of Seattle.

The Flight In - my first sights of Washington State

Striding in Seattle - going for a walk-about around parts of the city

Seeing Bainbridge Island - taking the ferry out to this scenic island

The Space Needle - is there anything more iconic about Seattle than this amazing structure?

Below: Coach Chuck and me celebrate completing the Seattle Rock 'n' Roll Half Marathon together.

Click here for prior campaign updates on my blog, or read these stories:

Training Updates: An Ill-Timed Muscle Tear;Trying Something Different; Last Training with the San Diego Ladies; The Fox, the Pheasant, and the Furrybunny; Double Digit Day; A Cool Morning Run; The Race for Pace;Eight Miles in Spotty Weather; Nine and a Half Weeks;The Hills of Hollywood; Mixing it Up a Bit; Lapping the Lake; Training with Lelia; Ukrops Monument Avenue 10K;Just for the Hill of It; First Day of Spring;Back to Back Runs; The Silent Mile; Summer Team but Unsummer-Like Weather; Two Teams; Workout Doldrums;

Mission: Someone is Waiting;Blair's Tale; The Limits of Cancer; Our Team's February Miracle Girls; Relentless; The Little Nashville Girl with Leukemia; Cancer is Nasty and Sneaky; Model Survivors; Keeping the Faith; A Candle Snuffed Out Too Soon; Survivor Tales;

For Your Amusement: The Cold That Roared; My Future World Record Marathon; Have You Talked to Your Doctor About Goteamtra?; North vs. South; Art is Retiring from TNT Forever!;My Sense of Da Feet!

Fundraising Updates:Fundraising Progress Report; Recommitting at the Halfway Point;Thank you, Silent Auction Donors;Hopping to IHOP; Raindrops to Rivers; The Thank-You Letter I Hope to Write

Musings: Tales from Hollywood; Lessons From the 10K; Why the Half Marathon?; My Summer Event; I'm Joining the Summer Team;

Team Spirit: Good Luck, Amber; Shamrock On!

Did you know that EVERY 10 MINUTES someone in the United States dies from a blood cancer? Without cancer research, I would have been one of them. Instead, nearly eight years after being so ill, I'm preparing for another long distance race for Team in Training. I am using my gratitude for being a survivor to do something about blood cancer! You can read about my cancer story here.

My honorees: With my TNT efforts, I always want to honor those who have faced cancer. You can go to this section of my blog to view the names of my honorees. I will also write these names on my race shirt when the time comes. It is very important for all of us to remember those who have faced cancer.

Please make a donation to join me in helping to advance the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society's mission. If you make a donation and want to honor or memorialize a loved one who has or has had any type of cancer, E-mail their name to me, and I will write their name on my race singlet. If you would rather make a donation by check instead of an online contribution, please e-mail me using the link above and I will get you the easy instructions on how to do so.

I hope you will visit my web site often, and share this information about what I am doing with friends. Thanks for your support!

"Far better it is to dare mighty things, to win glorious triumphs, even though checkered by failure, than to take rank with those poor spirits who neither enjoy nor suffer much, because they live in the gray twilight that knows neither victory nor defeat." == Theodore Roosevelt