Notes

So last week's long run really took a toll on me. 16 miles of hills that stretched up and up and up. Or at least it seemed like it. It was really nice to have my brother Tim run with me. We maintained about an 11:00/mile pace. Got done in 3 hrs 23 minutes. The last few miles I seriously doubted I could take another step. Definitely the hardest training run by far!

Tomorrow, though, is only 8 miles. So no big deal. I LOVE how an 8 mile run has become "no big deal"... A few months ago I couldn't have even imagined saying that!

I have $1,024 left to raise! Please help me!!! This weekend will be a super fundraising weekend, boot blocking and selling beads at the K.

On a more personal note, I was totally touched by the note my brother got from the family of the kid whose wish he granted last year with his fundraising. Now that kid is a TNT honored patient, and goes to my high school. Leukemia & Lymphoma affect SO MANY PEOPLE and the stories that hit close to home really help when I have zero motivation to go run - like all this week. At least I'm struggling with a 4 mile run and not a life-threatening disease!

Fundraising Update

So as of Aug. 6 at 10 pm, I've raised $2,505!! I think this is great and now I'm even more motivated to get the final $1300!!!!

Please help me... http://www.active.com/donate/tntmida/trishod. One click to the donation site and all you have to do is punch in a few credit cards numbers to get your quick and easy tax deduction!!!

Isn't that special?!

Here's one of the whole fam after the Run for Glory to benefit RACE Charities. We are one great looking, sweaty bunch!



Natasha and I all sweaty after our 8 miles in the Wichita July heat! Lots more Tash and Trish running photos to come once we get to San Fran!

Well, training is going great. I have finally gotten "the bug" and I look forward to my next run. After my hilly, hilly, hilly 14 miles at Shawnee Mission Park I am totally confident that I can do this marathon! My new Garmin Forerunner is a great training toy, I mean, Tool. Fundrasing is working, as well. I still have about $1600 to go though, so please please make those donations!

I did get an email yesterday from some random girl that found my info on Facebook. She writes...

hey, I got your email address from your site on face book when my friend
Emily joined your group. I wanted to tell you by what you are doing it has a
huge impact on many families. Mine included My little brother who will be
turning 9 next week had Leukemia and is now in remission due to the research you
are helping to fund. Just so you know be prepared for a lot of hills my mom did
the same marathon two years ago and just completed her second on last January. I
encourage you to go to the light the night walk in Topeka if you want to see
some of the families that you have helped by doing this the walk is in sept. but
there is more info on the Leukemia and Lymphoma web site. hope you the best and
keep it all up you will do great and Thanks so much for doing it
Sincerly, Janelle

Its things like this that will keep me going during my grueling 26.2 miles! Thanks for the encouragement!

WE are INCREDIBLE!

Just a couple cute photos from the trip to Disney back in June.

Trish and Tash are the real Ms. Incredible's! At least we will be after 26.2 in San Fran! What a team!

Trish and Tash waiting in line for the Tower of Terror. It was super fun! And we are too cute!

Ryan and Trish wait for Tower of Terror. Ah, brotherly love. Or something like that.

More photos from an amazing summer to come!

Run for Glory!

Saturday morning, I ran with Ryan, Tim, Natasha and several others in support of Ry's good friend Jeromy Gensch. He ran way too many miles in honor of his sister Glory, who just died from cancer. Together, they started a charity... http://www.racecharities.org/ - RACE stands for Raising Awareness of Cancer Early On. It was a very special day for me, because I finally got to run with the family. Especially my two brothers - who I know would do the very same thing for me as Jeromy is doing for Glory. To think that a year ago, things were so much different from now... We ran 8 miles in 87 degree humidity and heat, from 91st south and Broadway in Wichita to (as Tim calls it) OJ Simpson park, near Wichita South HS. Tash struggled with the heat. (Bet she's liking Wisconsin now, huh!?) I stayed with her the whole run and we had a good chance to talk. If only we took the same size steps, it would have been a lot easier to stay with her!

I am so proud of my family and how we are such a tight-knit unit. Spending the weekend with everyone in tight quarters at Nanny and Poppys was surprisingly fun. Its hard to be cranky in the morning when you get woken up by an adorable almost-3 year old who just wants you to come play with him.

As far as training goes, I've decided to invest in a Garmin Forerunner, and I'm pretty excited about getting this new training "tool". Today I run 4 miles (in tonight's heat!) and then 3 on Thursday, followed by a 14 mile team run on Saturday. I can't believe that I am actually going to run 14 miles. That's more than half of what I'll do on race day! I am a little bummed that I missed TNT's Silent Mile at the last team run, I bet that would have been pretty cool. Fundraising is going pretty well. Today, I need to get the Red White and Cure money to Helen. And then I might be at my halfway point. The girls and I are going to do a few other things...boot block, sell beads at a Royals/Chiefs game and get a party bus!! Should be fun ways to get $$!

Fundraising Update!

I have currently raised $1360. Which is awesome. I'm very excited about how well I've done so far! But... I need to be at $1900 in just a few days when "recommitment" rolls around and at $4000 in a couple months. So I need everyone's help!

Here's what you can do.
1. Send me a check.
2. Visit my fundraising website and donate online.
3. Come to "Red White and Cure" on Tuesday, July 3 at Wil Jenny's. Its going to be a great party for a great cause!
4. Tell your friends and family about my efforts.

As far as the running goes, this seems to be the easy part. I was more worried about the training, but 10 miles was pretty easy and this week we only run 6!

On another note, here's another great opportunity to help someone. Visit http://www.racecharities.org/ and learn about what family friend Jeromy Gensch and his family, especially his sister Glory, are going through. Here's a brief update....

Glory's only medical hope left is admittance to a special holistic healing
center at Santa Monica Cancer hospital. She is back in the Denver
hospital with liver failure and fluid is now even backing up into her
lungs. Her doctors feel that she'll have just enough energy next
week to make it onto a flight and get to the treatment
center. The center uses an "all natural" means of starving all
the glucose cells in the body (which Liver cancer feeds on), which is risky
in nature because it eliminates good cells, but in essence weakens the
cancer to the point where it becomes its most vulnerable after 2
weeks. Then, intensive chemo is re-introduced with a bit of
glucose and has a great chance of weakening the cancer even more at
that point.The cost of the treatment is $25,000 and unfortunately is not covered
by insurance. As such, my family is trying to raise the money as
soon as possible via RACE Charities' new GLORY GENSCH FUND. 100%
donations go directly to Glory's cause and she is in tremendous need of
getting there early next week. I started a foundation for Glory
called RACE Charities. Please visit http://www.racecharities.org/ and click on the 'SOS-Glory Needs Help' Menu to learn more as well as make a donation Online. Please spread the word about this to as many people as you can. Time is of the
essence!Note- In Glory's honor and in thanks of all the donations, I am
going to be running an endurance race of my own from Stillwater, OK to
Wichita Kansas over the next 14 days as I jog 125 miles up Highway
81. July 14th is the one year marker of the day Glory was
diagnosed and this July 14th there will be a couple
hundred runners joining me in the last few-mile leg up Highway 81 to Watson
Park, Wichita. Local media will be covering the event and the city
has already planned on blocking off streets and helping to make this event
memorable. Again, it is all in Glory's honor and to help spread
her story to as many people around the world as possible at the same time
raising the funds to get Glory the treatment she needs so much right
now.

My brother Ryan and I plan on running the last leg of Jeromy's race with him. If you are in Wichita, please come out and show your support!

The week in review

This week's workouts have been very up and down. Monday, I swam for the first (real) time. I was very impressed at how well I did. 20 down and backs at the pool at Prairie Life. Not sure how much that really is, but I was huffin' and puffin' and my heart was getting a good workout. Running with Katie on Tuesday didn't go quite so well. Our 3 miles could have gone by faster for sure! Then swimming last night was still pretty good, but tougher than the first day. Hopefully tonight's 2 miles will motivate me going in to Saturday's 10 mile run!

Speaking of, I have to run my first double digits without the team. Scary! Luckily Andrea and I (and maybe Pete and Hank) will run together in Wichita before I head out to Vegas for "Laura's Last Stand"! This promises to be a great weekend with some great girls!