Saturday's Pasta Party

The day before the marathon.....

The odd hours and the time difference were playing with me a little bit and I had decided the extra rest would do me good. So I slept in. Until 8am (which is 10am Memphis time - wow!). We were instructed to take it easy on Saturday - not a lot of walking. And to drink a LOT of water. Julie and I had a nice little breakfast and then I went down to an outdoor mall area and just looked around a bit. It wasn't long before we had to take the shuttle to the Pasta Party.

The Pasta Party.... It was just beyond amazing. I really didn't know what to expect, other than some pasta for our carb-loading. But it turned out to be an event that I will never, *EVER* forget. It was at the Town & Country Resort & Convention Center.


As we headed toward the entrance, we were greeted by a huge 'TNT cheer line'. All the coaches and LLS staff and mentors were lining both sides of the walkway. They were cheering and screaming and clapping. They had horns and cowbells and airhorns. It was the neatest thing. It was loud and just totally electric. I've got chill bumps right now as I type just thinking about it.

Nicole and I grabbed hands and just walked through the hundreds of purple clad, wildly decorated people. They were cheering for US. "Just think what tomorrow will be like," we kept saying to each other. I don't know how, but I saw George on the other side of the walk. He pushed through all the people and gave me a big high five. Ever play Where's Waldo? Let's play Where's George? ....

Then, I saw a younger woman holding a sign that said "This survivor thanks you." And she was just crying and smiling and saying 'thank you'. And that's all it took. Because then I was crying too. I honestly don't think I'll ever forget that image of her. Then I saw Andrea - big hugs. And then there was Lindy - our teammate, a leukemia survivor herself. She was the only person I had not seen yet since we arrived in San Diego. Big hugs and more tears.

Thanks to Jessica and Jacob for sharing their pictures with me. I was so totally overwhelmed by the whole thing, using my camera never entered my mind.....




The line ended at the pasta buffet. So we filled up our plates with good carbs and headed to the ballroom to find our assigned tables. There must have been 2500-3000 people in that room. All TNTers and their friends and family. WOW! But then I realized that this was just the first seating for the Pasta Party - there was another seating that afternoon at 5pm. So we're talking 5,000 people. We heard from John "The Penguin" Bingham. He's a writer for Runner's World and also a spokesman for the TNT. He was so hilareous and gave us an overview of what to expect on race day. Sadly, all of funny, silly, crazy things that he said would happen during the race, totally did.....He's called the penguin because of his 'no need for speed' approach. My kind of guy. Penguins are apparently still faster than turtles though...Our other speaker was David Monson who is the husband of Susan Butcher. She was a champion Iditarod sled dog racer who fought and lost a battle with leukemia. He was excellent. He said that the LLS had asked him to come and speak to the runners, to be an inspiration to us. He said that HE was not the inspiration, that WE were the inspiration. You could have heard a pin drop in that room. And there wasn't a dry eye in the house. I was crying so hard that I was just hoping I wouldn't make some kind of choking noise or gasping sound or have some sort of audible sobbing. Wow - he was something. Our last speaker was a VP from Elite Racing (the company that puts the race together). He said he was probably the only person in San Diego that had on a suit at that moment. And the reason he wore a suit is because his mother told him that when he met important people, he should put on a suit. (That's us - important people!)

They recognized an 84-year old woman who would be participating in her 11th marathon on Sunday. And there were several fundraising awards. The national winner raised $51,000! Wowie. They also announced that we had all raised $12.5 million!!! $12.5 MILLION. Isn't that awesome?!?!?

We left the Pasta Party totally charged. It was an incredible experience - full of emotion. Truly an unforgetable event.

Next on our agenda was the Team Meeting.....

Wowie!

Our Rock 'n Roll Team has raised $22,413 for the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society! That just totally rocks!

Thank you to my sponsors

Memphis is buzzing this weekend with the Memphis in May Barbecue Contest. Used to be my cup of tea, but now large crowds make me twitch. The weather for the weekend, however, looks great. In fact, this is the best forecast I've seen in a long time. Can you believe no rain in sight for days? Will be nice. We'll definitely be spending lots of time outside.


Tomorrow is 12 miles. Quite doable. And it feels a bit different heading into it. No pressure. No angst. No worries. It's still a LONG run. But nothing compared to last week .... We are definitely in the home stretch. Two weeks from right now, I'll be on a plane to San Diego (by way of Minneapolis). And my mind is whirling already with thoughts of the race -- what I need to pack, things I need to do, etc.

Remember my three goals that I set when I began this journey? (1) To FINISH the marathon, (2) to REMEMBER my daddy, and (3) to raise MONEY and AWARENESS for the leukemia society. I think I'm well on my way to accomplishing #1. I know that through this process I have thought about my dad so much and I hope I have helped you remember him too (goal #2). And, you all have helped me achieve goal #3. My fundraising total is $4,176! I'm so, so, SO excited about that. THANK YOU!!! I'm just so grateful and appreciative of your generosity. And I've said this many times, but I just really want you to know that you are making a difference and your gifts are helping find a cure for leukemia and other blood cancers. So, THANK YOU to all my generous sponsors. Muuuah!

Angie A.
Cindy A.
Todd & Cindy A.
Dr. Frederick A.
Kent & Jennifer B.
Carol B.
Darrell & Emily B.
Jeff B.
Carolyn C.
Julia C.
Barry & Cheryl C.
Ron C.
Matt C.
Janet C.
Sally C.
Anne & Allen C.
Anna Mae & Howard D.
Nanette F.
Dean & Sherri F.
Gayle & Al F.
Sue H.
Debby & Paul H.
Kenny H.
Cindy H.
Chris & Angela H.
Nancy H.
Neil & Lois H.
Judy H.
Curtis & Tamora J.
Dr. Robert J.
Carol K.
Tim L.
Marlene L.
Justin L.
Dr. David L.
Kelly L.
Eddie & Judy L.
Barbara M.
Molly M.
Connie & Ty M.
Bob & Pat O.
Tom & Arlene O.
Kelly & Sean P.
Allisa R.
Wendy R.
Dr. Jeffrey S.
Shannon S.
Jason & Valerie S.
Patrick T.
John & Ann T.
Maribeth & Harry T.
Patti T.
Rebecca T.
John V.
Gwen W.
Sherrill W.

The most exciting news of all

Big fat zero miles for me today. My ankles/feet/shins/calves were hurting last night and again this morning. Just felt tight and almost burning a little. Where did that come from? I got up anyway and did 45 minutes of pilates and stretches. So the morning wasn't a complete waste. It just felt like my body was saying NO THANK YOU to any running or even walking today. So I said ok. Oh well. What's a girl to do?

Now for the most exciting news of all! I MET -- AND EXCEEDED -- MY FUNDRAISING GOAL!!!!! Thanks to all of you! I'm so excited about that. My current total is $4,126. YEA!!!!! I am so appreciative of each of you and the support you have given me. I know there are so many different causes that you can choose to support and there are mortgages and tuition and light bills to pay and $4 a gallon gas to buy. So thank you so much for making your donation to the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society. For me - for my dad. I hope you know that YOU have made a DIFFERENCE. This money goes to research that just takes us one more step closer toward finding a cure for blood cancers.




I just hate leukemia. I hate the fact that any time my little innocent 5 year old son hears that somebody died, he says "Did they have leukemia?" Someone was writing a check for me yesterday and said "Help me out - I don't know how to spell leukemia." I hate the fact that I do know how to spell it. I hate the fact that it took my dad. I just hate it. I. Hate. Leukemia. And I will forever be an advocate for the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society to raise both funds and awareness for blood cancers. Here are some facts (again) about leukemia & blood cancers:

• Over 135,000 people were diagnosed wtih leukemia or another blood cancer in 2007.
• Over 52,000 people will die this year from leukemia or lymphoma.
• Every 10 minutes someone dies from a blood cancer. That's 143 people per day. That's 6 people every hour.
• There are 4 different types of leukemia. AML, the type my dad had, currently has a 20.7% five year survival rate.
  
  

I was thinking last night about the money you've donated for this Team in Training. And the money that a lot of you have also given over the last two years when we had a team for Light the Night. When you add all that up together, the total is over $10,000. TEN THOUSAND DOLLARS!!!!! In less than 2 years. I think that is AMAZING. I am certain that Daddy would just be blown away by that. He would be so humbled to know that you have all done that for him. So, I just want you all to feel good about what you have done. One day there will be a cure. And you will have had a part in that. Doesn't that feel good?!?!

OK, that's all about that for now. Thanks for reading. Thanks for supporting me. Thanks for remembering my dad.

Don't forget.... Saturday.....TWENTY MILES!!!

For a Cure

I am on the Rock 'N Roll Marathon team and there are two other groups that train with us: Country Music Marathon & Memphis in May Triathalon teams. So all three of us form the current Team in Training. In this week's update from Andrea at the Leukemia Society, she told us that the entire TEAM has raised $101,794 since we started our training and fundraising. Isn't that amazing?!?! Our team has funded two years of research by a local doctor to help find a cure for leukemia. YOU have done that!!! Doesn't that feel good? Thank you!!!

I got a gift in the mail today that put my current total at $3,001. So I'm officially over the $3,000 mark. Only $999 (OR MORE!!!) to go!!!

Now, I must get my Tiger shirt on and get my rally towel and get ready to CHEER FOR THE TIGERS!!!!! GO TIGERS!!!

100 MILES!!

Today I officially hit 100 miles that I have run since the beginning of our training in January. I'm sure I've gone over that since I don't track some of the 'runs' that were mostly 'walks'. But I am celebrating today as my 100-mile mark. Ta-da!!!

I put in 2 miles on the treadmill this morning. I actually thought once that I wished I were outside -- who would think I would ever feel that way about my treadmill. But it's so boring. And there is that constant blinking display telling you how far (or how NOT far) you've come. But I got through it with a little help from a Law & Order rerun.

My knee was hurting while I was running. What's up with that?

I am accepting the fact that it has taken me longer to recover from the half than I thought it would. It took quite a little toll on the ol' 42 year old bod. In turn, I've had to slow it down these last 10 days which makes it a bit harder to pick up again. I am catching myself thinking that I really want to RUN a large portion of the marathon. Which would be nice. But my goal is to FINISH the marathon. So when I am sidelined, or slower, or aching, I have to just continue doing what I can do, at the pace my body dictates, and keep my mind focused on the original goal.

In the fundraising arena, my total is sitting at $2,821!! You guys are amazing and I am humbled and so appreciative of your generosity and support. I know Daddy would be too. I am touched by the gifts I have received from people I do not know. I received a gift this weekend from another friend of my dad's cousin. A person whom I've never met. But she is cheering me on and supporting my effort. (Thanks Sally!) I also got a donation from someone with no connection to me or my family. She was searching online for participants in the Germantown Half Marathon, found this blog, and made a donation to my Team in Training. I am almost at a loss for words by her act of kindness. (Alissa, I don't even know if you've come back to read more...but thank you!!) I am just so thankful to all of you for your donations. It's an amazing testimony to my dad. This is all about him. And I hope that you know how humbled and grateful he would be. But most importantly I hope every one of you knows that your gift - large or small - makes a difference in the lives of people who are suffering from leukemia and other blood cancers. Each dollar is just one more step toward a cure. You really are making a difference. I hope you know that. I'm crying now, so I'll quit.

Miscellaneous Monday musings about motive

I'm glad to say that I think things are moving in a good direction for me. I'm not having the continuous pain, so that is definitely a good sign. I hope that a few more days off will just do the trick and I will be back to it in a day or so.

I'm also VERY glad to say that my fundraising total is $2,076! THANK YOU!!! That's so awesome and I'm so excited about that. I'm at 51% toward my goal of $4,000. Thanks to you all for contributing to my effort. I thought I'd share a bit more info about my cause.

Did you know...

• Over 135,000 people were diagnosed with leukemia or another blood cancer in 2007.
• Over 52,000 people will die this year from leukemia or lymphoma.
• Every 10 minutes someone dies from a blood cancer. That's 143 people per day. That's 6 people every hour.
• Leukemia causes more deaths than any other cancer among children and young adults under the age of 20.
• There are 4 different types of leukemia. AML, the type my dad had, currently has a 20.7% five year survival rate.

By the time you finish reading this post, someone will have lost their fight with a blood cancer. Sometime today, there will be people who will be told "You have leukemia." There is research on new drugs and new treatments that is being done every day. In fact, there are a few drugs that have come out since my dad's diagnosis and death that very possibly could have extended - or possibly saved - his life.

I hope if you reading this and you have not yet made a contribution toward my goal, that you will consider it today. Your gift can be large or small. (I got a very clever gift of $26.20 last week. Get it? One dollar a mile = $26.20). I am appreciative of very penny that you send my way. I just want you to know that what you are doing and what you are giving *really* makes a difference. You are helping find a cure for leukemia.

So what's my point? The rest of my life will be dedicated to raising money and awareness for the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society. One day there will be a cure. Will it be in my lifetime? Will my kids see it? Who knows. I miss my dad. I lost him to this disease. And nothing that I go through in this marathon training will even hold a candle to what he went through while he fought it. I read a quote by a Team in Training runner over the weekend that summed up the whole training thing: "Think this is hard? Try chemotherapy."

As always, thanks for checking in today. And thanks for all the support you give me - words, notes, donations. I couldn't do any of this without you.

You search -- They give

Heard about a website on the radio yesterday and really wanted to share it with you. Here is the lowdown from their site:

GoodSearch.com is a search engine which donates 50-percent of its revenue to the charities and schools designated by its users. It's a simple and compelling concept. You use GoodSearch exactly as you would any other search engine. Because it's powered by Yahoo!, you get proven search results. The money GoodSearch donates to your cause comes from its advertisers - the users and the organizations do not spend a dime!

They also have a shopping portal, GoodShop, and you just click on a partner retail site and start shopping. GoodSearch will donate a portion (from 3% to 20%) of your purchase to your designated cause. These are stores you probably already shop at online anyway - Amazon, Sephora, iTunes, Best Buy, Zappos, Target, Barnes and Noble etc. There are hundreds of stores that participate.

So, you will raise money for your favorite charity (Leukemia Society!) or school (Harding Academy!) by doing something you do every day - searching the internet. It's free money for your cause.

It will take awhile for me to break my Google habit. But this is an easy way to help raise some money for my favorite causes. Hope you'll give it a try.