Remember When...

I started running?

Oh, how that day sticks in my memory. The sheer awfulness of running that first minute. Feeling like I might pass out or vomit or both. Ah yes, I remember it well...especially as I'm hoofing it through the last five minutes of a 40-minute run these days. I remember that feeling and how much better I feel now.

So yeah, I have stuck with the running. My sister and I plugged away at our slow-but-sure 8-week training program and by mid-April, we were running 30 continuous minutes. Right away, we started on the next part of the plan - a 4-week pre-training program meant to get us up to running for 40 minutes.

What plan? Pre-training for what? I'll tell you.

My goal for 2008 was to join Team in Training (TNT). By doing this, I made two commitments:

1. To raise $4200 for the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society
2. To run the Nike Women's Marathon in San Francisco on October 19th, 2008.

Each year TNT trains 35,000+ athletes for the event of their choice (marathon, ½ marathon, century bike ride, or triathlon). Coaches provide daily training schedules, advising on gear and nutrition, organize group runs and track workouts, and motivate all the participants with regular e-mails. By October, I will be ready for the 26.2-mile journey. The money I raise helps fund research and support for blood cancer patients and their families.

Iiiiiii know! I'm crazy, right? But I am SO excited for all this. We had our kickoff meeting last Saturday where we met our Honored Patients (local blood cancer patients and survivors), our coaches, all the other participants, received our training schedule (looking ahead (not recommended) to the miles we are supposed log in September is just scary), and were generally just wowed by the awesome Team in Training organization.

I have moments where I'm so excited for the whole thing I can hardly stand it (when I hear the encouraging stories of the honored patients, when I look at the details about the amazing marathon, when I run longer than I think I can)...and then there are moments where all I can think is "what the CRAP did I get myself into?" (when I think about training for a marathon...in the desert...in the summer, when I see the five months of 5am Saturday group-training runs). But mostly, I'm excited to be doing something. Something in the fight against blood cancer - my Grandpa Larson died of Lymphoma when I was 9 and the mother of my sister's best friend died of Lymphoma when my sister was in high school. Something for my physical well being (still thinking back on that first day of running...). And to be on the road to accomplishing a goal I've been thinking about for a very long time.

And now what (I'm sure) you've all been waiting for: to donate electronically, you can go HERE. Whether you can donate $20 or $200 or even just a few words of encouragement, every little bit truly helps!

I'll keep you updated - wish me luck! :)