I can now say I've run a marathon! 26.2 miles over 4hrs 18mins through the streets of beautiful Paris! There were about 40,000 runners and 250,000 spectators. Absoultely amazing on so many levels. I've been trying to come up with the words to describe it and I just can't (some of it may be jet lag but mainly I think it's just one of those things it takes a Thoreau or Keats to put on paper). It was definitely one of the highlights of my life and something I will always remember.

Actually, this whole experience has been amazing: the training, the fundraising, the people (runners, coaches, friends, family, donors), Paris! One of the best decisions I've made in my life. Thank you all so much for being a part of it! Your support was amazing! The encouragement and cheerleading was awesome and thanks to your generous contributions our chapter of TNT raised over $200,000 in the fight against cancer!

I'm kinda sad this is coming to an end. Well, actually, I know I can beat 4hrs and 18 minutes....

Feel free to reach out to me if you'd like to hear more about my trip or learn about Team in Training. rich_heine@hotmail.com

A couple more pics...

Race day is almost here! I leave for Paris tomorrow, Apr 6, and the race is this Sunday Apr 10! It's crazy how fast this has come up. I feel good and am ready to do this!

The fundraising effort was amazing thanks to you all! As you can see on the right I met my goal of $5,900 and the team overall is closing in on its goal of $190k! Your support is greatly appreciated. Thank you for making a difference in people's lives!

Here's where I add the obligatory apology for being the world's worst blogger. Next time I'll do better!

I'll post again after the race, probably not until I get back to the states though. I'll also put up a picture of me at the race.

Thanks again for your support.

Wish you all the best,

Rich

So, I am long overdue for an update! All this running and fundraising takes a lot of time! Training is going great. Luckily the Northwest weather has been kind as of late and it hasn't been too cold or rainy, knock on wood. The team I am training with is fantastic. They're all great people and make it much easier to get up for a run even on those days the couch looks much more enticing. We train 5 days a week with our long run on Saturday mornings. My longest run to date was about 12 miles and I felt really strong. Which is good, becuase they keep getting longer!

The fundraising piece is coming along nicely as well. Thanks to all of you! Including commitments I'm about $700 away from my goal of $5,900! There have been a couple really cool and succesful events as part of the fundraising effort to this point. The first was a soup lunch that was devised, organized and hosted by the curatorial division at the Seattle Art Museum (SAM). Everyone in the division made amazing soups and tasty treats, brought them into work and invited the staff to partake for $5 a bowl. There was a great turn out and it raised $750! And if that wasn't enough, that incredibly creative department created a cookbook of everything from the lunch which is selling for $5 a piece (please let me know if you would like a copy). I can't thank this group enough! They really blew me away. Here is a picture of the amazing curatorial group at SAM!

The next event was a Midwinter Break themed party at a condo in Belltown generously donated to the cause by Sarah Berman. We had food, drink, DJ, pool, hot tub... Probably had around 40 people come through and it looked like everyone had a great time. I definitely did! It was awesome hanging out with all those folks. I also managed to double my investment in the evening with all proceeds going to the LLS.

This is turning out to be one of those incredible times in one's life that you know will always be special. Thank you team members, fundraisers, contributors, everybody!

Hello! Hope you all are having a wonderful holiday season! I realize I haven't posted in a while. I'm going to get better! (And I will get a photo up sometime soon.) Training is going well and I'm feeling pretty good about where I am at this point. Though, next week is when we really start hitting it. I'm looking forward to the challenge!

Fundraising has been going really good thanks to you all! I'm a third of the way to my goal as I write this. I still have a ways to go though so all contributions and/or ideas are welcome! I am having a Midwinter Break party on January 22nd in downtown Seattle. I am providing the food and beverages, guests provide a $20 cover with all proceeds going to this effort. There is a heated pool and hot tub so swim suits are encouraged, but not required. If you havent' received a facebook or e-mail invite and would like to attend please shoot me an e-mail at rich_heine@hotmail.com.

Thanks again for all of your support! Hope your holidays are fantastic and that the new year is all that you hope for.

Thank you so much to those that have donated! You've helped get things off to a great start! Hope you all had a great Thanksgiving holiday. I spent mine up in Vancouver BC with the family and had a great time. Running last week in the Northwest was interesting to say the least. Lots of snow/slush and abnorminally cold temperatures. It mixes things up though so its not all bad. In some ways a nice change of pace. Training is good and fundraising is coming together. It definitely helps to have your support!