I am running to raise money for blood cancer research, and most of all, to help prevent cancer from taking more lives.

Saturday, December 26, 2009

Day 26-Day After Christmas/still under the weather

Ho Ho Ho Merry Christmas! The Christmas season is one of my favorite seasons followed by July 4th. We had Christmas Eve dinner with my Aunt Linda and the Spires, Butterworth and Davis Families. It was such a treat to see all of them and to spend much needed quality family time together.  I am still under the weather; I hope the benadryl and popsicles will start to work soon. I feel so behind in running. I guess the next couple of weeks will be the true test when I jump back into running. No more excuses for not running: running gear-check, shoes-check, places to run-check. I hope Santa was good to all of you and remember the reason for the season. Thank you for good health and good family and friends. Have a wonderful New Year!

Day 24th-Christmas Eve-I'm under the weather

Merry Christmas Eve to all! Okay let me do my best to catch you up. Last Friday the 18th was an interesting day. I go to work at 8:30am and find out that the snow is coming my way (about 2 feet but whose counting). My coworkers told me to go home and pack and jump on the road. After 12 1/2 hours of being in the car, driving through snow and rain my old cat and I made it home safely. Whooo-hooo to safe driving!

I ran that Sunday morning and nearly froze my buns off (it was super cold)! My mom and I made a run to Dick's and Sports Academy for more running gear (running tights, under armour and socks). It was a fun time Christmas shopping with my mom. Unfortunately since buying the gear I haven't been able to go running because I have been sick sinus troubles. Oh how I miss my allergy free days! Kleenex, cough drops and benadryl have been my best buds lately.

While I have been home I have had the opportunity to talk up TNT and LLS. I hope that by spreading the word and the mission of The Leukemia and Lymphoma Society that more and more will want to give.

Merry Christmas to you all! Here's to a happy and healthy New Year!

Wednesday, December 16, 2009

Day 16-The mission moments continue



Howdy Howdy readers, every week we get an email from our Mission Captain. Its her job to keep us in the loop about the people that we are trying to help. Today she sent an email about a little boy was passed away in the 3rd grade who was a dear friend to one our teammates. It really hits home when I think of my 5 month old niece. She is so precious and I couldn't image my life without her.  She is another reason why I am running the marathon and not because she has a blood cancer but because I want to end the pain for all families who have to watch their little youngster or family member fight such an illness. I am running for all the babies, kiddos and adults that are unable to run for themselves.
(And you too Ms. Sheridan.)


The picture to the right is one of my teammates Lindsey. We are best buds so I bet there will be lots of her on here. This was taken during our fundraising expo and after the run. This was first time that Lindsey has had a banana in a few years so we were really proud of her for taking the plunge. Stay tuned...I will update more tomorrow.

Tuesday, December 15, 2009

Day 15- Running shoes are great

A quick update for you guys: the running shoes are a hit. I did about a mile and half yesterday as part of my easy run and the shoes did their job. Now the true test will come this Saturday when I run the 4 miler.

Day 12-New Running Shoes & 3 miles Check

So this past weekend, we had our first team training in Bethesda, MD. The whole Maryland team met up together and we got to meet our team mentors as well as the rest of the crew. I must say that getting up at 6:30am on a Saturday morning is quite dreadful but then I remember that I am running for those that can't run anymore so my attitude changed quickly. At our meeting, we also met a physical therapist and a representative named Cathy from Pacers, the running store. I must say that Cathy knew her stuff when it came to sizing me up for shoes. She did a quick shoe analysis on my feet and told me that a neutral shoe would be best for my feet.

After the shoe analysis, I ran my 3 miles in 25 degree weather in 40 minutes. It was a small milestone but one of many to come! I ended up going to Pacers on Saturday with my friend Lindsey to get new shoes. I was kind of embarrassed when the salesman named Chris asked me how long I had had my current shoes and I sheepishly said 3 years. He said yeah they needed to be replaced. I walked out with a pair of Nike Bowerman Series shoes. We will have to see how they perform during my next run. Stay tuned!

Thursday, December 10, 2009

Day 9- Running and Talking LLS up!

Alrighty folks so its Day 9 and the cold and windy weather is starting to sett in up here in the DC area. I recently went out and purchased a hat, a long sleeve dri-fit shirt and dri-fit socks (the feet are very important to keep happy). Shoes are coming this weekend and tights I will have to order online. By now I am drinking 90-120 oz of water a day. I need to start drinking Gatorade (I will have to jump on that) for the electrolytes. I am also realizing that pasta is my new best friend.

Through talking with my co-workers, I am realizing that the connection to leukemia, lymphoma and other blood cancers is closer to home. One of my co-workers shared with me that her late husband died of lymphoma. "Every 4 minutes one person is diagnosed with a blood cancer" - this statistic blows me away. "Every ten minutes, someone dies from a blood cancer. This statistic represents nearly 146 people each day, or more than six people every hour" - this one does too. This is the reason that I am running. I consider my family to be very lucky that we haven't had to face this nasty illness. We are truly blessed. I am running for all of who can’t run because donating or racing is easier than having to endure chemotherapy.

The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society is celebrating 60 years of helping patients live better, longer lives. We are, and always will be, committed to our critical mission: Cure leukemia, lymphoma, Hodgkin's disease and myeloma, and improve the quality of life of patients and their families.

Help me and The Leukemia and Lymphoma Society find a cure for all blood cancers. Please visit my donation page to the left if you wish to make a contribution. Thanks you guys! Check back for more posts!

Day 7 Curing the blood cancers one mile at a time baby!

Alrighty, so the schedule has started and I am trying to stick to it as much as possible. Monday and Fridays are the official days off and I think I can live with that. I do love a Friday evening with family and friends to hang out with. I ran my 2 miles and managed my way through it. I am trying to run without an Ipod or anything in my hears in order to prepare myself for the actual event in April. I am thinking that a new pair of shoes is in order for this weekend. So it shall be done in order to pass on the blisters! I have been surfing the web for running gear. I had no idea that running tights were 75 bucks. I guess I will have to stick to Amazon for some great deals. Check back for more juicy gossip as I prepare to train for the marathon.

Tuesday, December 8, 2009

Day 6 My first run wasn't so bad

On Sunday December 6th, I started my training for running the marathon. Let me just say that I was slightly nervous about running because it had snowed the day before and left about 5 inches of snow on the ground. With that in mind, I decided that it would be best for me to just run at the gym for my safety. So I did 26 minutes at an easy pace and realized that maybe running wouldn't be so bad. Did I mention that I had a flat screen tv in front of me to keep entertained? I was told that we can't have ear buds while running due to competition rules so no Ipod here to listen to.

First Run down-Check
Day off tomorrow
Shopping for run gear

off to working on my thesis....yes its still a work in progress.

Day 5- Kick off Celebration

Howdy Howdy! On Saturday Dec 5th I went to the Kick-off celebration for the Spring season in Rosalyn. I got to meet some incredible people from Team in Training (TNT)i.e. the triathletes and the dedicated people who work for The Leukemia and Lymphoma Society (LLS). I also got to meet some of my teammates. In no particular order, there is Jenn (my mentor), Alex (my coach), Shannon (my coach) and teammates: Bruce, Pat, Cathy and Robby. I know there are more on my team so I will have to update you guys after I meet them.

The Kick-off celebration was a great introduction to whom I committed the 5 months of my life to: the Honored Teammates, the true heroes of the organization. My team's honored teammate is Hunter and he is 10 years old and a happy and healthy boy. He was diagnosed at the age of 10 months with leukemia. He underwent numerous treatments before finding a treatment that worked for him. We are thankful that Hunter can be our Honored Teammate and we are extremely thankful for the medical researchers and doctors that saved his life.

I started my training on Sunday Dec 6th. I will update you guys with more details soon. Pictures soon to come...keep on checking back for more updates.

Thursday, December 3, 2009

Day One-I made the commitment

Howdy Howdy Folks...Welcome to my blog. First things first a big thank you goes out to YOU for reading this blog. My purpose for writing this blog is to give you a daily account of my training for the Country Music Marathon in April 2010. I am attempting to run my first marathon with the National Capital Area Chapter of The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society's Team in Training. Team in Training (TNT) is the number one endurance training program in the world (so I think I am in good hands when it comes to training for the event). There are two parts to this marathon: one I have to run and two I have made a commitment to raise $3,000 to go towards The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society to find a cure for leukemia, lymphoma, Hodgkin's disease and myeloma and to improve the quality of life for patients and their families.

With that said, the commitment begins...

Paperwork filled out-Check
Kick off Celebration-Saturday (looking forward to meeting my teammates and honored teammate)
My first run-Dec 12th

I don't think I mentioned that its starting to get cold outside (we are expecting snow on Saturday) so the first run might be somewhat difficult. Go TNT!