Thursday, July 29, 2010

Faith Goes A Long Way

Recommitment day was last week. What that basically means is that it's the last day to stay on board with Team In Training or bow out gracefully if you feel you won't be able to reach the fundraising minimum. In the days leading up to recommitment, I grew restless and worried. I no longer feared the miles that were ahead of me, but more the idea of making others believe in the cause. I did not sleep thinking about what I was going to be giving up if I opted out. It wasn't just the opportunity to train every Saturday that I would have given up, but it was also the experience of being part of something greater than myself all the while knowing my efforts were helping others. There are so many people to thank for pushing me to continue on, people who believed in ME, who looked me in the eye and said, "You can do this Julie!" Those people know who they are and I have come up to them, hugged them and just said "Thank you!" This entry is for everyone who has supported me along the way. My wonderful mentor Julie who cheered me on from day one and reminds me all the time how AWESOME she thinks I am! My coaches who come up to me during the runs and ask how I'm doing. If I can answer back, it means I'm good :) Melanie...there is a reason they call you Sunshine. Miss Whitney...your enthusiasm is infectious whether via e-mail or in person. Thank you for your guidance. My teammates who have the strength to say "Go team!" as we are climbing a hill in our seventh plus mile. My family has also been tremendous in all of this, aunts, uncles, cousins, I love you guys! Mom, thank you will never be enough for all that you have done in this. To my dad for pestering his co-workers...it all added up! :) Shaun, thank you for being patient with me. Your love carries me through life's hectic moments and I appreciate you so much. And to each and every one of you who have donated. Whether it's been a pretzel purchase, a pie, a raffle entry, $5, $10, $25, ANY monetary amount, items for my yard sale coming up, attended a LONG TV taping--whatever you so generously donated, your time, money, you name it, I would not be here at 75% of my goal! We're saving lives here and you can all be proud of that! This week's lesson, faith goes a long way. Thank you all for believing in me! I am more grateful than you will ever know!

Saturday, July 17, 2010

10 miles!!!!

10 miles today!!!! Never in my life have I ran that many miles all at once! What a rush! Our Disney Half is 13.1 so just a few more miles and there would have been my marathon. I've met some great people along the way who have been nothing but supportive and incredibly encouraging. Whether it's running alongisde each other yelling, "Go team!" as the miles seem to wear you out, or simply saying, "Hey, what a great fundraiser! How can I do that?" It's a journey that we've all taken on together, for individual reasons, yet one common goal. We believe in the cause, push ourselves mile per mile, dollar for dollar for LLS. Thanks to everyone who has donated, who has cheered me on, or for simply believing in me. I am three days away from recommitment--the day we need to tell Team in Training whether or not we want to continue our race or back out if we feel we cannot make the fundraising goal. Within the last few days, some of you have come through strong and it means the world to me. I don't want to give up this mission...I was the girl who jogged 3 miles a few times a week. My first day with TNT I thought, "How on earth am I going to run more than that?!?!?" Today I did 10 and I feel great! The way I see it, my pain will last a little less than two hours. The pain of a cancer patient can last months, years, or even result in death. My two hour battle is nothing compared to that. To all those fighting the battle or who have lost, my runs are for you! You are all heroes! GO TEAM!

Friday, July 16, 2010

Courage



I got to see Sammy today....wow! What a little ball of courage this little girl is! She told me about how she’s had the chance to meet famous people, go to Dodger games, talk on the radio about her experience, and do all these fun things. This little young lady has not let her battle bring her down, but has turned into something positive! She is someone to be proud of…Sammy you give me strength and courage! You are my hero!

I learned something about courage today. It's something you don't expect to see in someone at such a young age. You think of the word courage and you envision an athlete, a boxer, a basketball player...courage took on a different meaning for me, it was in the form of a seven year old little girl named Sammy and all those others fighting to stay alive.

Pictured left to right: Me, Sammy, and Sammy's mom Grace