Never give up.

My first event was a success. I have raised $1,155 and have $845 more to raise to meet my $2000 goal.

Now that my "Why I Joined the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society Team In Training" video was shown at my first event. I'd like to share the video that my very talented friend Mike Reid and my love Brandon Blake helped produce. Enjoy and please share!

Upcoming event.

Finally the reveal! The owner of Blue Iguana, Ian Purcell, has graciously supported me in hosting the next LLS Team In Training event. You don’t want to miss it! J Not only will your donations support cancer research…  it will be a great event to get together and have fun. We are going to have a DJ, raffle items (Blue Iguana, Ford’s Fish Shack, Don Tito, A-Town…  more to come) and awesome specials.

 

More raffle items will be added to my blog and events page as the event approaches, so please check back!

Training.

My first half marathon complete. Wahoo!

 

 

I went to the Health and Lifestyle Expo to pick up my packet and signed the Marine Corps Historic Half banner... here is a close up of the banner on race day. See if you can spot my message :) ... GO TEAM IN TRAINING!!!

 

 

The morning of the race... we were up at 4 a.m. The suggested arrival time was 6 a.m., an hour before the race. 

The hills were as tough as my runner friends told me haha.

 

I received some good advice to pace myself in the beginning and not start out too fast. I was prepared for a hill at near the 9 mile mark and the hills appeared that way on the elevation map. However, I warn anyone doing this race in the future that the tough steep hills are towards the first half of the race, which was unexpected for me. I actually felt that the gradual incline at the end was not too bad. Just my opinion, but others may feel differently!

 

 

 

I found my favorite gu to date and was my fuel for the half marathon. Not too thick, great flavor, and tasted like a fruit roll up. I like sweets occasionally, but not a huge fan, so it took some time to find one that I liked.

... FINISHED! Conquered Hospital Hill and no injuries. I did feel emotional about this accomplishment.... not at the finish line, but after I went to the meet up area to find Brandon. Just started sinking in. All my hard work and training had paid off... all for an AMAZING cause.  I thought if I could do this... I'm ahead of schedule and confident about the training ahead. :) 

Finally, it was awesome to have Brandon there to cheer me on and run around the last 4 miles with me... my rock. 

 

 

 

#RunWithTheMarines #GoLLSTeamInTraining

 

 

Celebrated at Potomac Point Vineyard and Winery. Cheers!

 

 

Fundraising.

Click here to make a donation OR click the LLS Team in Training logo/donate now link in the right pane of this blog. I need to fundraise at least $2000 to meet my goal.

Please share my blog link with anyone you know that can fill a state on my map... $1 could fill a state. I am going to fill each state on the map below and update on my blog as I receive support, so my blog followers can see my progress. VA, DC, DE, and NC filled so far!

 

Thanks for following/sharing my blog! Please feel free to comment. I enjoy receiving your comments and suggestions. :)

Run now, wine later.

Busy week! Only two weeks before my first fundraising event and I am hoping for a successful turnout. The video is ready, all raffle items picked up, and last touches being planned.

Upcoming event.

Don’t miss it! My event team has contributed several games (board games and video games) to keep us entertained and there will be food and wine/beer provided.

Click here to view a larger version.

Raffle items include (totals over $500):

• 6 piece wine glass set made in France
• Two $25 gift cards Pacer’s
• Two $25 gift cards Whole Food’s
• Two $25 gift cards from Sweet Fire Donna’s
• Brunch for 4 from Murphy’s Irish Pub
• $75 gift card from Los Cuates
• Two week unlimited classed from Pure Barre ($125 value)

My training week 4/20 - 4/26.

1^st Run – Old Town Alexandria Pacers Fun Run, 4 miles. I had a Honey Stinger Waffle before the run, so yummy! On my fave list.

2^nd Run –  Old Town Alexandria Pacers Fun Run, 5.3 miles.  We tried a Citrus Cliff Energy Gel that Brandon bought this week. We liked that it was more of liquid like consistency vs. the thicker gu's.

Weekend Run – George Washington Parkway Classic, 10 miles. I tried the Pomegranate Honey Stinger Energy Chews before my run and they were so delicious. Perfect snack before the run.

Also tried the Honey Stinger Strawberry Kiwi Energy Gels at mile 5 and was not a fan of the flavor.

 

Love brunch and drinks as a reward after crossing the finish line! Chadwicks is a favorite spot in Old Town, Alexandria for brunch.

Fundraising.

Click here to make a donation OR click the LLS Team in Training logo/donate now link in the right pane of this blog. I need to fundraise at least $2000 to meet my goal.

Please share my blog link with anyone you know that can fill a state on my map... $1 could fill a state. I am going to fill each state on the map below and update on my blog as I receive support, so my blog followers can see my progress.

Thanks for following/sharing my blog! Please feel free to comment. I enjoy receiving your comments and suggestions. :)

Run as if someone’s life depends on it.

For The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society (LLS), now is the most momentous time in cancer research. LLS's mission is to cure leukemia, lymphoma, Hodgkin's disease and myeloma, and improve the quality of life of patients and their families. Here is living proof that LLS is making someday, today:



Go Team In Training!

Training on a schedule has been helpful and I can feel my endurance getting stronger every day. This weekend was pretty exciting because I hit the over 9 mile point. So thankful that I’ve had Brandon and Pacer’s to train with. Makes training fun! Also, I was excited to recognize several runners on my weekend long run route with LLS Team In Training t-shirts. Brandon chuckled as I hollered “Go Team In Training” to a group of strangers, although I felt connected to them, as they ran by in the other direction. In mid-May, I will be meeting the rest of the team, but I have already met a team member by stopping by the office and through our group page that Liz, my campaign manager, created. I plan on joining the team in long runs and cross training in the future as my schedule allows.

It’s a wrap.

I ended the weekend taping an introductory video for my fundraising events with one of my best guy friends Mike and Brandon’s assistance. THANK YOU MIKE!!! YOU ROCK. That was an adventure haha. We went down by the waterfront in Old Town, Alexandria and the wind was just not cooperating, so we ended up taping in the courtyard. Mike: “ok you are putting me to sleep… peppy!” After we avoided the wind and got a good rhythm between Brandon running the script on the teleprompter and my pep haha… it was a wrap! Looking forwarded to sharing the video at my event.

Upcoming event.

I submitted my flyer to Meridian at Carlyle today to advertise my first fundraising event throughout the building. Click here to view a larger version.

 

Over $500 in raffle items include:

• 6 piece wine glass set made in France
• Two $25 gift cards Pacer’s
• Two $25 gift cards Whole Food’s
• Two $25 gift cards from Sweet Fire Donna’s
• Brunch for 4 from Murphy’s Irish Pub
• $75 gift card from Los Cuates
• Two week unlimited classed from Pure Barre ($125 value)

My training week 4/13 - 4/19

1^st Run – Eisenhower Avenue, 3 miles.

2^nd Run –  Old Town Alexandria Pacers Fun Run, 4 miles.

 

Weekend Run – Old Town Alexandria Pacers Long Run, 9.16 miles. Started at Roosevelt Island into Rosslyn and across the Key Bridge along the canal. We tried the Gatorade Gu's at mile 5 - salted watermelon and strawberry banana flavors. The strawberry banana was pretty good, a thick consistency and kept us going. A little different, but not bad. As Pacers recommended, I am going to continue to try different gu's until I find a favorite. :)

 

Fundraising.

Click here to make a donation OR click the LLS Team in Training logo/donate now link in the right pane of this blog. I need to fundraise at least $2000 to meet my goal.

Please share my blog link with anyone you know that can fill a state on my map... $1 could fill a state. I am going to fill each state on the map below and update on my blog as I receive support, so my blog followers can see my progress.

Thanks for following/sharing my blog! Please feel free to comment and have a great week. :)

 

Run Hard. Be Resilient. Don't Quit.

Hope everyone had a great week and enjoyed the weather. I was sooo ready for some sunshine this week! Haha.

Brandon and I met my Team in Training Campaign Manager, Liz Ovits and as an added treat I was able to see my friend Ellen, the School and Youth Campaign Manager for LLS’s NCA chapter while visiting.  :) Liz gave some further insight on the research being done, training tools, shared materials, and what to expect through the fundraising process. I love that the research being done will benefit all cancers, in addition to blood cancers. As she explained, blood cancers are easier to test on and extract, while tumors can be more difficult.

Events.

This week, I was happy to send out an invite on Facebook to my first game night fundraising event. Flyer for the event:

 Click here to for a larger view of the flyer. Hope you can join! 





My training week 4/6 - 4/12.

1^st Run - Shirlington Pacers Fun Run, 3 miles. Rainy day, but finished before it poured. The hills were challenging.

 

2^st Run –  Old Town Alexandria Pacers Fun Run, 3 miles. Received lots of tips on race fuel (Gu energy gels)  and they had a great sale, which allowed me to purchase four pairs of my favorite Pacer’s run socks.

Weekend Run – Gravelly Point Park trail to D.C. Gorgeous day and enjoyed a water break to take photos and enjoy the Cherry Blossoms, 6 miles.

 

 

 

 

Weekend Hike – Great Falls Park, another day of great weather that we took advantage of by packing a picnic to enjoy after our hike.

 

Marathon Training Guide.

"Why We Run Marathons" statistics from the Ultimate Training Guide by Hal Higdon:

• Had been running shorter distances; moved up - 11.5%
• For motivation: “If I can do this, I can do anything” - 11.5%
• Inspired by others who ran marathons 10.3%
• To get in shape for health reasons - 9.2%
• To lose weight - 5.8%
• To cope with divorce or other traumatic lifestyle change - 5.8%
• For the love of running - 5.8%
• In memory of someone - 5.8%
• Bucket list: something I always wanted to do - 4.6%
• For mental health - 4.6%
• To challenge myself - 3.5%

Statistics included the most popular combined responses from runners for running marathons and shockingly, raising money for charity did not make the list. My personal motivation for running a marathon is raising money for cancer research after my awareness from seeing my best friend beat cancer, to challenge myself, and being inspired by others.

Fundraising.

Click here to make a donation OR click the LLS Team in Training logo/donate now link in the right pane of this blog. I need to fundraise at least $2000 to meet my goal.

Please share my blog link with anyone you know that can fill a state on my map... $1 could fill a state. I am going to fill each state on the map below and update on my blog as I receive support, so my blog followers can see my progress.

 Thanks for following/sharing my blog! Please feel free to comment. I enjoy receiving your comments and suggestions. :) 

References:

Higdon, H. (2011). Marathon: The Ultimate Training Guide Advice, Plan, and Programs for Half and Full Marathons. (4th ed.). (pp. 1-294). New York, NY: Runner's World, Rodale Inc.