Racing to Save Lives

Welcome to my Team In Training home page!

If you've known me for any length of time, you're probably pretty surprised I'm training for a half marathon.

Honestly? I'm surprised too!

2009 was a strange year. Wonderful in many ways, but also very challenging and heartbreaking.

Early this year, I was laid off from a job I loved. It was confusing and frustrating. I felt pretty lost and wasn't sure what to do with myself. Luckily, having a toddler doesn't leave much time for feeling sorry for yourself. I dedicated myself to taking better care of my health, since I had put myself on the back burner while being a working mom.

In July, one of my friends suggested we train for a 5K together. Considering I couldn't even run for five minutes straight, I was a little doubtful I'd be able to complete a race.

Then, in August, I started contributing to an online health and fitness blog/site, The Sisterhood of the Shrinking Jeans. Our group is comprised of a bunch of ladies and one guy from all over the US. It is hugely rewarding in several ways: I am inspired to push myself, I get to inspire OTHERS, and I've met some amazing people.

By the time my 5K rolled around in September, I was not only able to finish the race, I averaged under 12 minutes per mile!

I've run a few more 5K's since then, but in the back of my mind, I've been toying with the idea of a longer race. I just wasn't sure how to go about preparing.

Well, it seems that I wasn't the only one thinking about training for something longer, because to challenge ourselves and others, The Sisterhood has decided we are going to train for a 1/2 marathon - the San Diego Rock n Roll 1/2 Marathon, which will take place on June 6.

We chose to train as members of the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society's (LLS) Team In Training. Cancer has touched my life twice this year, and though my experience is with metastatic breast cancer (my high school friend Colleen who lost her battle in October) and lung cancer (my mother in law, who has repsonded beautifully to treatment and continues to fight), I believe raising money for cancer research, in any form, is beneficial to finding the cure for ALL forms of cancer.

All of us on Team In Training are raising funds to help stop leukemia, lymphoma, Hodgkin lymphoma and myeloma from taking more lives. I am completing this event in honor of all individuals who are battling blood cancers. These people are the real heroes on our team, and we need your support to cross the ultimate finish line - a cure!

Please make a donation to support my participation in Team In Training and help advance LLS's mission.

I hope you will visit my web site often. Be sure to check back frequently to see my progress. Thanks for your support!