WE DID IT!

Thank you everyone!!!!

I ran the half marathon in San Antonio yesterday and we met the fundraising goal!

The day started out very early - buses leaving for the start line at 5:45 AM and it was really cold! I was herded into Corral #28 and waited to start. The actuial race started at 7:30 AM after the National Anthem was sung - with many voices in the crowd joining in. At about 8:10 AM, Corral #28 was was released and I started the race. At about mile marker #2, I shed my sweatshirt, gloves and hat as the weather and my body warmed up. This seemed easy so far!

At Mile 3, Richard, Amber, Alexa, Frances and Robert were all there cheering me on. It was a wonderful sight and gave me a burst of energy. Richard snapped photos and the girls ran alongside me a for a bit. What a wonderful feeling! I couldn't stop smiling for the next mile.

By Mile 5, I was slowing just a tad, so I walked just a bit and picked it up again before Mile 6. It seemed like the miles were steadily moving by.

At Mile 7, I felt pretty good, but slowed to a walk as my left knee started to protest. Then I thought of Wally and all of those who were supporting me in this and I stepped it up again. Just before Mile 9, my right foot started to complain. One of my coaches handed me some nutrition and I made it to Mile 9. Then my knee and foot would not stop screaming, so I walked, finding the most even part of the road.

With every step of the rest of the journey, I kept Wally and Frances and all of you supporting me in my mind. I chanted Wally's lesson to me in my mind over and over again - "Never Give Up!" and then a woman passed me and guess what was written on the back of her shirt - Never Give Up.

And suddenly, I was at Mile 12! It was actually overwhelming. My eyes teared up and the people on the side of the road were cheering - "Keep Going! You're almost there!"

And then the finish line was in sight. I could not get this far and walk over the finish line! I ran one more time and smiled all the way through the finish line! Wow - what a feeling! It was exhilarating and emotional and happy and sad all mixed into one.

Thank you to everyone who encouraged me, supported me and donated to this cause. It has been an experience of a lifetime that I will never forget. And it is even better knowing that it has and will help others struggling with cancer. Thank you is really not enough to express what I feelfor all of you.

Race Day is near and I am in London

It is true - I am in London - on business - and I have not been training as I should - especially with Race Day less than 2 weeks away. With that said, I do believe I can finish the race - of course I will.

Fundraising is going well thanks to so many of you who have joined the fight against cancer. I am almost to my goal of $2,800, but have about $400 to go. If you haven't donated yet - please consider doing so. It will really make a difference in other's lives and it feels good too!

I will leave another update when I am back in the USA.

Getting Closer...

Well, it is only 5 weeks away to race day. Thanks to all of you who have helped me along the way with both training and fundraising. I am almost there. I really believe I can do this thing. Not that I am a particularly good or fast runner - but I know I can cross the finish line - and that is what it is about, right?

Yesterday was Richard's 40th birthday. It was really kinda bittersweet. He went the cemetary and visited his dad. Needless to say - that was not what he invisioned at the beginning of the year. It is so painful to know that we will not hear him say "Happy Birthday" anymore or join in the chorus when we sing it or put his arms around us in one of his wonderful hugs.

This is why I am doing this - so others do not have to feel this pain and their loved ones do not have to suffer through the battle of cancer.

If you have not donated yet - please take the time to donate anything. Every little bit counts and makes a difference in this fight. I have attached the link again: http://pages.teamintraining.org/txg/rnrsa08/mmcintyre

After Ike

As you might have guessed, Hurricane Ike has slowed training a bit. Although I was up and awake by 4:30 that Saturday morning, I decided it would be best to brave the storm from within my home. We were very blessed in that we did not sustain any major damage, but we did have one tree down in the front of the house and our back tree was topped. We have since cleaned up with our neighbors and things are starting to get back to normal. The biggest blessing is that we were only without power for 5 days. Frances, my mother-in-law, and Robert, my brother-in-law, as well as my sister Cathy are still without power. In any case, we are all blessed that so few people were hurt.

So I am beginning to get back on a training schedule. This is pretty important as the race is only 6 weeks away! I feel like I am in the homestretch and I am beginning to imagine how great it will feel to cross that finish line.

The bigger finish line though is my fundraising. I am a little over halfway and still working on raising the remainder. Thank you again to all of you who have joined the fight and made a donation. If you haven't donated yet, please take a moment to think about it. Any amount will contribute to bettering someone's life prognosis and will give them hope.

If you have donated already, please tell others you know about this cause and my website. It will amaze you how many people will relate to this cause. Thank you again for your support in this cause as well. I often look at the website and draw inspiration from all of your generosity!

Milestone

Well - I recommitted last week. I think that sounds a little funny - so I have to clarify that I have not been committed, although you might think I should have. Rather, I have confirmed my commitment to the LLS cause. I have formally committed once again to raising $2800 and running a half marathon in order to help find a cure for blood cancers. There is no backing out now.

The great news is that I have raised over $1500 already thanks to the support of so many of you!

This has also been a sort of wake up call for my training. I have only 2 1/2 months before the big day. I really need to kick it into gear. So I have to run a minimum of 3 times a week, ever increasing my speed and distance. I am proud to say that I went 7.5 miles on Saturday and I ran over 4 miles of it. That is a personal best for me on the running side of things.

Olympic Inspiration

I just read this timely story and it has provided additional inspiration for me. I thought you would like it too.

Staying Motivated
Today I want to share the story of Louie Bonpua. Louie was diagnosed with Chronic Leukemia in 1997. He joined TNT as an Honored Teammate but decided he wanted to do more. He joined the Triathlon team and completed an event, then continued to train for and complete an Ironman. When asked why he was training for a triathlon, Louie said: "Because I want to show people that you can still live, even when they tell you you're going to die." In 2002 Louie was selected to run in the Olympic Torch Relay. At the time he was very sick and had been told he had only days to live, but he fought to get out of the hospital and carry the Olympic torch. The plan was for his friends to push him in a wheelchair, but to everyone's surprise, in spite of his illness and constant pain, Louie walked on his own and carried the torch for the 0.2 miles. Louie died three days later.

I'm inspired by Louie's fight, his spirit, his determination. I don't want Leukemia, Lymphoma or any other blood cancer to take a person like Louie. So thanks for donating the funds, thanks for supporting the cause, thanks for yelling "Go Team".

Click below to read more about Louie:

http://www.myhero.com/myhero/hero.asp?hero=l_bonpua
http://www.cmlsupport.com/cmlshrimplouie0202.htm
http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?file=/chronicle/archive/2002/01/27/MN58302.DTL

Alexa and Papa

I want to share with you a story surrounding Wally's death - one of many - that keeps me motivated to do this run and to raise money for LLS.

Alexa is 7 years old. Her Papa, Wally, has had cancer since before she was born. In her life, his disease is a normal part of life. It has been difficult for her to understand how serious the disease is. What she does know, is that she cannot visit her Papa when she has the sniffles. She understands that it is harder for him to do things like walking than for most people and he cannot run and play with her. She understands that sometimes he has to go to the hospital for medicine. She understands that her hugs help him to feel a little better.

Alexa also knows that her Papa would do anything for her. She loves spending time with him - whether that means watching TV, fishing, eating out or reading. And she loves his teasing and his hugs.

Recently, Papa had to go to the hospital. This time it was more serious. Alexa asked her mom if Papa was going to die and her mom was gently honest that it was a possibility. Because it was so serious, Alexa could not go to the hospital and see Papa or talk to him or give him her "feel better" hugs.

So Alexa took action. She found her "Feel Better Bear" - a hypo-allergenic Build-a-Bear - in her bedroom. Alexa hugged and hugged and hugged the bear - filling it with her love. Then she gave the bear to her mom to take to Papa in the hospital. The bear stayed by Papa's side for 4 days. On the last day, Papa went to heaven.

Alexa was heartbroken. For the next several days, she held the same "Feel Better Bear" close to her heart at all times. On the day of Papa's funeral, she placed the bear in Papa's casket.

The same day, Alexa's sister gave her another "Feel Better Bear" to help Alexa feel better. Alexa named the bear Papa and he goes everywhere with her. Alexa still talks to Papa. Even though she misses him, she tells me that he is here with her and she still feels his love.

Running poem

O-k - if you had asked me about my favorite running poem about 2 months ago - I probably would have started laughing. However, now I am on the road to becoming a full runner and I actually have a running poem that I like. I cannot say that I am the runner in the poem yet - but I can appreciate it. Maybe you can too...

Running is a road
to self awareness
and self reliance.
You can push yourself to extremes
and learn the harsh reality of
your physical and mental
limitations
or
coast quietly down
a solitary path
watching the Earth
spin at your feet.
But, when you are through,
exhilarated and exhausted,
at least for the moment
everything seems right
in the world.
-Author Unknown

Running progress

I am so excited about my progress. As you have seen in my earlier posts, I have been struggling a bit with the actual running part of this and have been walking more than running. This past week, I hit an exciting milestone as my running equalled my walking on the training route. I ran 2 1/2 miles and walked 2 1/2 miles for a grand total of 5 miles - all in one run. It felt so wonderful to know that I could go that far running. Now I know I can do more and more.

It was really thinking about Wally and everything that happened around his passing that keeps me pushing myself. I will try in the next few blogs to share with you some of the memories I have of that time to help you understand where I am at emotionally with this journey.

Richard is heading to New York City this week. He is going to visit Mickey Mantle's restaurant for his dad. Mickey Mantle was Wally's hero and he was never able to visit the restaurant. Richard is going to take some of the earth from Wally's grave there to sprinkle outside.

Nutria on the path

In case you were wondering, I do most of my training on the paths in The Woodlands. This works out well most of the time as the paths are shaded and winding and you can smell the honeysuckle along the way. There is also quite a bit of nature watching that can be done from the paths.

Usually, I run in the evenings, so I am most likely to come across a squirrel or two and maybe a bunny. Every now and then, I may see a snake or lizard sunning themsleves in the afternoon and they make a b-line for the woods as I get closer (thank heavens.)

On Saturdays, we start out very early. These days are for our long runs and we are up to 7 miles now (and I am running more and more of that.) Since the runs are so long and the heat is so stifling, we start out at 6 AM. I know that most of you are in the midst of sweet dreams at this time on a Saturday morning, but I have found that this is one of the most active times for wildlife along The Woodlands trails. Last Saturday, I saw deer grazing, and even had one along side us in the woods. I saw some very beautiful egrets.

And I also saw a family of nutria.

This was a new experience for me. I have heard that nutria are like rats on steriods, so I was glad I had never run across one. But as I saw this family of nutria swimming and gathering on the grass next to the path - oblivious to us runners by the way - I did not think they were that bad. They kind of remind me of beavers without the flat tail. I actually think they are sort of cute.

Many of my fellow teammates try to get by them as fast as possible. I actually like to look at them and see what they are doing. So now, I look forward to Saturday morning - not just for the run, but for the wildlife as well. I look forward to seeing the nutria on the path. I know - I am a bit weird.

Time is ticking

Wow, how time flies. Only 4 months until the big race and only 1 month until I have to recommit to this race. That means, I have to make a choice to quit the race because of funds, or continue training for the race and guarantee the full fundraising commitment of $2,800.00.

I know I will recommit because, to me, quitting is not an option. Wally did not have the choice to quit - and neither do I. I also know that I can meet the fundraising goal, and hopefully exceed it with your support.

This cause is so dear to me and I am working on finding ways to raise additional funds - more for the life that may save than for the race I have to run. Did you know that more and more of the treatments found through research are working for not only blood cancers, but many other types of cancer as well? That makes me understand that the work the LLS does has an even bigger impact on the lives of all cancer patients and their families.

Current and Upcoming Fundraisers:

Team In Training Raffle Tickets
I am currently selling $5 raffle tickets for a raffle to be held on August 9th. There is no need to be present and there is a multitude of prizes. The grand prize is a Wii gaming system. There are also autographed sports memorabilia, restaurant gift cards and a variety of other prizes. You can donate on my website and/or send me an e-mail with the number of tickets you would like to purchase.

Hot Dog Social
With help of family and friends, I will be hosting a Hot Dog Social. Although I do not have all of the details worked out yet (date, time, location), I can tell you it will be in September and will include games for the kids and a raffle for the adults. I will send out an eVite and I will update my site with more information as it becomes available.

Thank you again for all of your support!

Helpful Reminder

I am back from vacation, but I think my mind was still in vacation mode earlier today. I seemed to have become a little complacent. I started coming up with excuses to not get out there today - my allergies are bad, I am tired, I can do it tomorrow, etc. Richard reminded me of an important thought that I started this journey with - Wally did not have a choice to fight for his body everyday.

So I got out there and put in 5 miles, running as much of it as I could. I will be honest - I am beat and sore. But I thank God that I can feel this way. I am glad I got out there and pushed my body and my mind.

I did it for Wally and all those fighting cancer everyday. I did it because I believe in this cause. And I did it for me.

Training in Missouri

This week I have been on vacation with my family in Missouri. We have been staying with my Aunt Donna and Uncle Bob and having a wonderful time. I wish training included riding a Sea-Doo for most of the day.

Anyway, I wish I could say I was more disciplined while I was away. But I did go out and ran/walked. I had to come up with a different strategy in Missouri though. I know you might think that Texas has hills... or not. However, Missouri has real hills, steep and rolling! So my strategy there became to walk up the hills and run down. It was actually pretty effective and I was even able to get halfway up a few with the momentum I created.

The other main difference was the heat. I think the highest it got in Missouri was 94 degrees. And when I was out there training, it was only about 80 degrees. Still humid, but so much cooler. I will be back in Texas on Saturday and ready for that 6 AM run in the 92 degree heat and humidity. Home Sweat Home! - I mean Sweet.

New Challenges

When I started this adventure, I thought the hardest parts would be the actual running and fundraising. What I have unexpectedly found is that it is the emotional stuff that is the most difficult.

Of course, losing Wally has been the most difficult part of all and I cannot even come close to describing the pain we feel. So I won't even try. Just know that all of your support and thoughts and prayers are helping.

But really what has surprised me, is the range of emotions I am going through for this cause in particular. There are so many stories of people struggling and battling these diseases. Some are triumphant, but so many are tragic. In our training, we have a Mentor Moment in which someone discusses why they are involved with Team In Training. There has not been one time in which I have not been overcome by the emotion of each and every story. Too many fo these stories end sadly. It is hard to bear sometimes.

But it also drives me to keep going. It reaffirms my purpose and makes me push harder - both in training and in fundraising. I want to hear more of the positive and less of the tragic. I want to make a difference - even if it is just for one more person to be triumphant.

June 27, 2008

I am training regularly now and I am consistently run/walking (mostly walking still) 4 miles. Last week, Richard suggested we go a little further and we set off around 7:00 PM. About 2 1/2 hours later and after darkness had settled in, we completed almost 10 miles! So now the bar is raised. I am counting on Richard to help me go farther and faster every week.

Every time I start to feel this is difficult, I think of Wally climbing out of bed everyday - no matter how bad he felt, and I thank God for what I can do. It keeps it all in perspective and this is the least I can do.