This morning was the Team In Training kick off meeting. I was one of approximately three hundred people from Central Florida (Polk, Osceola, Brevard, Seminole, Orange, The Villages) who have signed up to raise funds for the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society by training to run a marathon (or half marathon, depending on your program) through TNT. It was overwhelming and encouraging to see so many people, knowing that they are my teammates and will likely become very important people, from a support and encouragement standpoint, in my life as I train to run the Disney Marathon in January.

I received a packet on information about fundraising for LLS, met some of my team mates, received a very nice wicking running shirt with the TNT logo, met my mentor, met my coach, received a TNT water bottle, obtained the training schedule, and met some of our honored heroes (people who are currently or have already fought one of these horrible blood cancers). I asked my husband to join me at the kick off because I am overly shy and extremely uncomfortable in social situations so that he could hear about TNT and understand what I’m doing and why. I found the event to be quite encouraging.

Before the meeting part of the event kicked off, after I had already visited all the tables to retrieve the information I needed, sherlock and I were talking about things I will need to invest in. Like clothes that wick moisture and a new pair of shoes. Good shoes are important, so I’m told, if you’re going to try to run a marathon. And I believe it. My current running shoes are good shoes, but when I hit about four miles, the bottoms of my feet start to ache. Four miles. A marathon is twenty-six miles. So I was thinking of trying to find some decent inserts since new shoes really aren’t in the budget right away.

At some point, some random person handed out raffle tickets. During the meeting, they pulled four tickets out of a box and gave four lucky people fabulous prizes, including gift cards for running shoes to three or four different running stores and one pair of running shoes. Can you believe they drew my number?! I received a gift certificate to Fleet Feet for a pair of running shoes! I’m over the moon about this, what a wonderful gift! Shoes really are not in our budget.

After the meeting, I went up to thank the representative from Fleet Feet and asked some questions. They do a really thorough fitting for your feet. They apparently take several measurements, and then make you walk on a treadmill, which they video tape (sounds embarrassing), so they can verify that I walk on the outsides of my feet and help me find the perfect shoe to accommodate my improper stride. That could make such a difference in how my body copes with me running! Truly, a blessing. I am so lucky to have been one of the four people to win shoes!

My team trains three times per week. I am going to try to make the Monday and Saturday training sessions. The other is going to be on Thursdays. Thursdays are RTY nights, so I’m not sure if they’re feasible. However, the Thursday runs are supposed to be on this side of town, so it might be easier to get to than, say, the Monday sessions. We’ll see.

I am very excited. And I still need to ask you to be my partner. Please help me raise the funds to help fund research for blood cancers. The money I raise also goes to families who are coping with the expense of medical treatment. There are eight Honored Heroes that my team is running for. Me running a marathon is a cake walk compared to them going through chemotherapy. Please help me raise money for them.

I am roughly one-fifth of the way to my goal. In twelve weeks, I have to be half way there. I can do this, with your help. Five dollars goes a long way, kids. Please. Give.
(my original TNT post is here)

Ha ha ha! As I have typed this, the men’s marathon has been on the television from the Olympics. The gold medal winner ran the marathon in 2:06 and change. Um, yeah. I won’t completing the marathon in two hours! At my current pace, I am looking at just under six hours. Let’s hope my pace improves and I can get under five hours! Here’s the course map, if you’re interested. This morning, someone who has run this event said to me, “if you can get through MGM, you’ll have no problem. Just get to MGM.” I scoffed, “what, is that 26.0?” He laughed and replied, “no, it’s 22 miles. After MGM, you’ll get an adrenaline jolt that will carry you the rest of the way.”

We can only hope!

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