hey :)

Hey there, friends :)  Remember this site??  I pulled something off it today to use at my women's Bible Study... and wanted to say that I'm thinking of you all and sending you hugs.  It's been almost 3 months since we ran together.  Wow - lots has happened in those 3 months! :)  Seems like almost a year ago (especially if I was to have to run 13.1 miles in the next week!)

Hoping that you are finding joy and peace - whether you are running/walking or not :)  Lots of love to you :)

P.S. when's our next reunion?

A Final Thank You

It has been three weeks since the seven of us ran/walked the race we'd been training for since March. I think I speak for us all when I say, it was an incredible experience and we owe a gigantic THANK YOU to all the people that supported us along the way! Thank you for reading our updates, visiting our websites, listening to our complaints, tending to our aches and pains, providing childcare, offering encouragement, training with us, inspiring us with your stories, allowing us to run in honor of your loved ones, and donating $29,826.15 to the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society on our behalf! Wow! Add that to the money raised across the country and $18 million will make quite a difference in the lives of so many facing cancer. That's worth running for and we could not have done it without you. Thank you for choosing to participate in this journey.

And to my fellow teammates, thank you for sharing this with me.

Until next time...

Amy's Weekend/Race Report

My report of the weekend and race can be found here. I can't wait to read yours whether posted here or sent via email. I have a million questions that I never got to ask Sunday night:

Were you nervous at the start?
Did you ever experience the runner's high?
Did you hit the wall or a "bite me zone?"
How did you feel half way through your race?
How did you feel as you crossed the finish line?
How does it feel now that you're a marathoner?
When's your next race? (I'm only asking this because so many of you have already started talking about it!)

Those are just a few of the things I'd wished I asked in SF but hope to hear all about soon. Again, CONGRATULATIONS ON THIS AMAZING ACCOMPLISHMENT!!

WE DID IT!!!! Go Team!

And They're Off!

Dear family, friends and internet strangers,

We are off to our marathon weekend! Wish us luck as we travel to San Francisco to complete the Nike Women's Marathon/Half Marathon! It's so exciting! And I can't stop using exclamation points! I'm not sure about the others but I am not bringing my computer in an attempt to just enjoy the experience. However, there will be plenty of recaps and stories to tell when we return next week!

Thanks again for following our journey, for financially supporting us through the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society and for encouraging us to keep going! We are SO grateful for you!

Send your good thoughts and prayers out on our behalf on Sunday morning!

GO TEAM!

Dog Tags

Tonight was our team send-off dinner.  It was great fun, filled with energy, laughter, and lots of info.  Coaches gave out silly certificates for different things...best team smile, best jokes, etc.  I guess you can say the team honored patient is/was a man named Pete.  He's always mentioned at team runs, his sons are big TNT participants.  Pete died a few years ago just weeks before an event.  In his honor, the Long Island Chapter has dog tags (3 sets) that have Pete's mantra on it "ucandoit" as well as his name.  At each send-off the coaches/mentors/TC's vote on who they want to wear the tags at the events being run.  The criteria is "TNT spirit, someone who 'get's it', someone who represents why we run, why we train, why we do this."  That TNT member wears Pete's tags at the event, then returns them so the next team member can wear them at the next race.  You can imagine my surprise and my tears when they handed them to me.  I'm honored, I'm humbled, I'm shocked.  I wear them proudly.

The tears have started already and I'm still in NY.  I told you I was going to be a sloppy mess through all this!

The Mental Game

Below are some things I've found inspirational and/or motivating and will be repeating over and over this week as well as during the race. Use what inspires you.

Songs:

I Run For Life
Written By Melissa Etheridge
2005, The Greatest Hits The Road Less Traveled

It's been years since they told her about it
The darkness her body possessed
And the scars are still there in the mirror
Everyday that she gets herself dressed
Though the pain is miles and miles behind her
And the fear is now a docile beast
If you ask her why she is still running
She'll tell you it makes her complete

CHORUS

I run for hope
I run to feel
I run for the truth
For all that is real
I run for your mother your sister your wife
I run for you and me my friend I run for life

It's a blur since they told me about it
How the darkness had taken its toll
And they cut into my skin and they cut into my body
But they will never get a piece of my soul
And now I'm still learning the lesson
To waken when I hear the call
And if you ask me why I am still running
I'll tell you I run for us all

CHORUS

And someday if they tell you about it
If the darkness knocks on your door
Remember her remember me
We will be running as we have before
Running for answers
Running for more

Survivor
Written by Beyonce Knowles, Anthony Dent & Matthew Knowles
2001, Survivor, Destiny's Child

I'm a survivor
I'm not gonna give up
I'm not gon' stop
I'm gonna work harder
I'm a survivor
I'm gonna make it
I will survive
Keep on survivin'
I'm a survivor
I'm not gonna give up
I'm not gon' stop
I'm gonna work harder
I'm a survivor
I'm gonna make it
I will survive
Keep on survivin'

Matras:

I am strong.
I will not quit.
If he/she can survive chemo & radiation, I can surely finish this little walk.
My only job is to endure.
Just one foot in front of the other.
After this, I can have a cupcake. After this, I can have a cupcake. After this, I can have a cupcake. Make that ten cupcakes. (Courtesy of my friend, Mary.)
Have you hit a brick wall? Aim higher and jump over it.

Quotes:

Run the first part with your head, the middle part with your personality, and the last part with your heart. -Mike Fanelli
It hurts up to a point and then it doesn't get any worse. -Ann Trason
Pain is temporary. It may last a minute, or an hour, or a day, or a year, but eventually it will subside and something else will take its place. If I quit, however, it lasts forever. - Lance Armstrong
My thighs may not be the prettiest or the fastest out here on this...road, but when I ask them to move, they move. They’re getting me where I need to go and for that, I love them. -Melissa W.
Look here for more great running quotes!

Things that make me laugh:

Girl, please, my mascara runs faster than you. (Courtesy of my Melissa Wallenbeck)
Shunderwear (Courtesy of Katie Kane)
Girl runners are hot! (Courtesy of Heidi Slouffman)