The race is over, but the search for a cure continues

Greetings all..

Sad but true, race day has come and gone. There was a whole lot of walking (inside the world's longest convention centre... had to walk at least a mile to get from the entrance to the race expo!!), a whole lot of eating (gumbo, jambalaya, po'boys, beignets & chicory coffee, Zapps "crawtator" potato chips, king cake... and the TNT pre-race inspiration pasta dinner, of course)... there was a whole lot of sunshine and wind and gatorade and potholes and cheering for teammates out on the race course. And then there was the stress and worry about whether or not we were going to make it home during the horrendous snow storm.

Two days post race, I'm still feeling a little dehydrated, but am not as stiff and sore as I feared I would be. I don't appear to be at risk of losing any toenails. And I have some shiny new gear to show off!!

Although the race is over, the search to find a cure for blood cancers continues... so, my fundraising site will remain open for a couple more weeks.

And, no sooner has one TNT season ended, but the next one has started already. This time, a triathlon... I'm somewhat terrified.

I'll tell you all about it as I go along. Thanks for being with me on the journey.

it's all about the numbers

So... since I started training for this marathon (having not run at all in about 7 months), I have run a little more than 200 miles.

By the time race day comes, and I hit the finish line... I will have run more than 450 miles.

I need to raise another $1700 for the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society by race day.

Race day is just 64 days away.

A marathon is 26.2 miles.

If I raise $26.2 per day between now and race day, I'll just about make my fundraising goal.



If you want to help me reach my fundraising goal, you can help by donating here:  and by asking your friends and family if they would like to donate too.

Progress in research to find a cure for blood cancers can only be made if we help to make it happen.

how did the month slip by already?

it's been a very hectic month... turmoil at work, mostly.  so i've been coming home knackered, walking with the dogs, tending to my gardens, and trying to get my mid-week runs in once the temperatures have dropped a little in the evenings. this means i've been running at dusk, with the bats and cicadas for company...

this morning was the usual Saturday morning run with the team. now that the miles are getting up there, it will be more and more important to make it to the team runs. we had a cool and drizzly 14 miles along the Chesapeake & Ohio Canal, starting at Fletcher's Boathouse...

i struggled a bit for the first 8 miles, but then i found my stride, and the last 6 was great.... i like running there. it's pretty shaded, slow and steady incline on the way out means a slow and steady decline on the way back, which allows for a fast finish :-)  always good for the spirits!

long drive, short run...

because of the geographic make up of the National Capital Area team... we do a lot of trying to please everybody at least part of the time. that means not only finding trails with parking and access for water stops (and toilets if we're lucky), and the capacity to handle a large group of runners... but also finding them in places that are convenient to northern Virginia and Maryland.

essentially, it means a lot of driving to get to and from training... most of the time. for me, at least.

last Saturday was no exception... it took me an hour and a half (leaving at 6am) to get to the site of our team run in Maryland... then an hour and a half of running, a little parking lot post run chatter, and then an hour and a half to get home. oof!

but, i so appreciate the support and camaraderie of training with a team... i need that.

it's been hot and humid, with makes me feel lethargic and unmotivated. having the team to be accountable to makes training possible.. for me, at least.

tonight, it will be a hot and steamy 5 mile run on my own. next Saturday, we're up to 10 miles.
it's all going so fast! October will be here before we know it.

must start to make the push on my fundraising. that's the hardest part for me... i just have to keep reminding myself, i'm not asking for money for me... i'm asking for people who are fighting for their lives, or for their families who are struggling to pay hospital bills and mortgages... they really need it, and i can help.

so can you. if you are able, please click on the link to my fundraising page and make a donation. all donations are tax deductible. every little bit helps.

thank you...

recruiting is big on my agenda these days...

so, now that i'm all set up as a mentor for spring season, i'm trying to get some of the easiest mentor obligations out of the way so that i'm not trying to cram them in when we're in the thick of the really long runs and madly trying to reach fundraising deadlines.

last night i was at a TNT info meeting... it was pouring rain, there were oodles of accidents and sirens and flashing lights... and the bus was late. but i made it in the end... me and more staff and volunteers than potential participants... but of the 8 that showed up, 5 signed up right away... and the others went away saying things like "i just need to check with my husband.." so we could still get one or two of them on board.

the night before last i spent a few hours in the TNT office making calls to people who had expressed even the remotest bit of interest in joining over years past... had a few people ask me to take them off the list... got a lot of answering machines... but a couple people said that yes they were interested and to please send them details on upcoming info nights. wooppeee!

feeling so productive!

and in other recruiting news...

i've started fundraising, and i started my efforts by recruiting my friends to ask their friends to sponsor me... you know, since i've already asked them all for the last two seasons.... time to move on to the friends of friends.

i just sent that e-mail out yesterday, and already i've received two donations!

(Thank you, Cecile... you too, Dave!!)

feel free to spread the word on my behalf.

reflections on training for a marathon... and fundraising update.

here i am, on the eve of my last group training run before the marathon... gear all packed up and ready for tomorrow morning. it's hard to believe that this time next week i will be packed up and ready to go to Virginia Beach and run a marathon.

even harder to believe that this time three months ago i was struggling to finish a 6 mile run -- never mind get my head around running 20 miles further.

it's been a period of personal growth... i've learned a lot about motivation and follow through... i've learned how to eat & drink while running (something i frequently have difficulty doing without making a mess when i'm sitting still, never mind whilst moving!)... i've learned how to push myself onward through tough runs, and how to forgive myself for not finishing or even not getting out there when what i needed was a break...

i'm proud of myself for getting this far.

have to admit to having some fear about maybe not being able to finish the whole marathon... what with the stresses of the last few weeks, and the humbling digestive issues of my 20 mile run... but, come race day i'm going to try... what more can i ask of myself?

**

a quick note on my fundraising efforts to date...

even though it looks rather dire (just $850 raised of my $1900 goal) when you look at my fundraising website, i've actually almost achieved my fundraising goal. i am still waiting on $400 worth of raffle tickets that should have posted to my page weeks ago... that puts me at $1250.
and once the IHOP fundraising money is added (they're still doing the calculations but it should be around $200 per shift, i did three shifts..) i will be at $1850... just $50 shy of my goal.

i've got a week to find an extra $50... i think i can do it!


ps.. a big thank you to my cousin Patty for her donation this afternoon!

Mercedes-Benz wants to give you a new car...

I have raffle tickets.

Not everyone will be excited about the idea of buying raffle tickets... however, on the off chance that YOU like to take a chance on the odds, here's the details:




Mercedes-Benz is the raffle presenting sponsor for the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society's Ball. Each raffle ticket purchased offers you the chance to win one of two brand new Mercedes-Benz cars. The first is a 2009 CLK350 Cabriolet , and the second is a 2010 GLK350 SUV.




Tickets are $100 (US) each, and only 6000 tickets will be sold. That means chances of winning are 1:3000. And ticket holders need not be present to win.


So, drop me a line if you are interested in purchasing a ticket or two, and I will send you a copy of the ticket order form. All tickets I sell will go towards my fundraising for the the Shamrock Marathon.

no run today

i'm scheduled to have a day off today... and i'm missing it!




to me, this means the running part of joining Team In Training is going well.

what isn't go so well is the fundraising part of joining Team In Training. times are tight, the holiday season is a particularly draining time on the old bank account... so i'm hoping that over the next couple of months things pick up, or it is going to be a very costly marathon for me!!!

got any fundraising inspirational ideas for me?

the first donation is in!

After my training run this evening I checked in on my fundraising page, as has become my nightly ritual -- check the e-mails, check the weather for tomorrow, check the fundraising -- and was delighted to see that as of this evening I have raised $75. It is a far cry from the $1,900 that is my goal... but already my fundraising efforts (and your contributions) have amazing potential.

$75 is the average cost of tissue typing to become a bone marrow donor.

So, thank you, anonymous donor... look what your contribution alone can do.