training on my own

This Saturday will be the official kick-off gathering for the Team in Training season.  Since Molly will be down here for her birthday, she's going to come to the meeting with me!

I've been going to the gym on my own to get my heart used to the idea of actually having to do some work, and it's been really fun.  And thank goodness for Jason who goes with me and is uber supportive about it.

But I thought I might share this website with anybody who runs:  www.mapmyrun.com

Rachel showed it to me and you can use an interactive map to map out your runs, walks, hikes or whatever.  It shows you the distance and lets you keep track of all the different routes you take.  It's fun to see exactly how far you're actually going, and other people can post routes in your area so you can borrow ideas.  If you use it, enjoy!

Fundraising

Part of Team in Training is just training yourself to be able to run a marathon, but the main part is the fundraising. In order to maintain their financial integrity of 3/4 of their earnings going straight to research, that means that whatever Team in Training spends on sending me to the marathon and signing me up for it has to be 1/4 of how much money I contribute to them. Which means I have to raise a lot of money.

I am signed up for the Seattle Rock n' Roll Marathon (for its very first year!), which means I am raising $3,900 by May 27.  A staggering number at first, but I have so much faith and confidence in this organization that I know it is worth it.

I am going to set up fundraisers at home and at school to raise the money (bake sale anybody?), but I also have a website for online donations! If you or anybody you know has been affected by blood cancers I would appreciate it if you could pass on my site.  One of the beautiful things about Team in Training is that it gives lots of people chances to help in any way they can or want to.  I know I am not doing this alone, and could not.  I feel confident that I'll be able to raise enough money, but I'd also love to hear any stories that will help to motivate me. I know how many people are affected by cancer, and I think that the more people I can run for the better.  Thanks to Mom and Grandma who have already told me about members of my family who were diagnosed with blood cancers - your support means a lot to me!

Your soon-to-be favorite website:  Sarah's Fundraising Site!

Team in Training

I went to the Santa Barbara chapter of Team in Training's informational meeting tonight with my friend, Rachel. We watched a video with testimonials, listened to experiences of people who have run/walked marathons and half marathons, and got to hear a guest speaker. An adorable pregnant woman came to talk and told us that the medication that has put her into remission was a product of a lab funded by Team in Training money. Pretty intense.

If I had any doubt that this is for a good cause, I now know it's worth it.

Team in Training is a part of the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society, an organization that is working towards amazing things in blood cancer treatment. In its 20 years it has donated over $600 million toward research. It is an incredible nonprofit in that it gives nearly 75% of all the money it raises to its cause. (The 27.1% of the money that does not get donated is broken down to 17.6% fundraising and 9.5% general management) Pretty impressive. Which means that every dollar I earn, 73 cents is going directly toward saving someone's life!

Some quick facts:
- There is no cure.
- Leukemia and lymphoma are the leading fatal cancers in young men under 35.
- Leukemia is a leading cause of cancer related death in children.
- Every five minutes, someone is newly diagnosed with a blood cancer.
- Every ten minutes, another child or adult is expected to die from a blood-related cancer.
- 823,000 Americans are presently living with leukemia, lymphoma, Hodgkin's disease or myeloma

- The five-year survival rate for children with the most common form of leukemia was 4% in 1960... now it is 85%
- Gleevec (the drug responsible for saving the life of our guest speaker) has made the relative five-year survival rate for chronic myelogenous leukemia patients 74.8%


The goal: By 2015, all blood cancers will be curable.

Where the money has gone: over 350 grantees and 124 institutions of research. The donations have also been the catalyst for treatments of Hodgkin's disease, lymphomas and other common kinds of cancer, including stomach, breast and lung cancer.


I am sooo excited to be a part of this organization. I started looking into it for the training for the marathon, but now I think I'll be inspired by the cause behind it.