thank you.

I first of all want to thank all of those who have donated so far. It means so much to me for the generous contributions and more importantly, the support. I can't do this alone! Every little bit helps, even just the words of encouragement. I finally sent out emails and letters should be going out about the middle of the week. I am getting really excited about all of this and am loving all of the training and all of my teammates. Again, thank you. Keep the encouragement coming because I am definitely going to need it in a few weeks when I start running 7 plus miles!

I also want to add that I will be also running in memory of Rebecca Johnson. She is the mother of a dear college friend, Quinn Johnson. She passed away when he was 12 years old from complications from leukemia and the treatment. Although I know they have come a long way with treatment, I still feel like they have a long way to go to find a cure! That's exactly why I am fundraising and running in this marathon. With your help, we can all help to fund the research that one day will result in a cure. My thoughts go out to Quinn and his family. Thanks for sharing your story with me.

Saturday, I also ran in my second race of all time, the Sunrise Run in Simpsonville. It was an 8k race, just a little shy of 5 miles. Most everyone from my team was running in the race since our coach was the director. I haven't had the best week of training, I've just been really tired and haven't really recovered as well as I usually do, so I was really nervous about the race. I finally met up with my team members which eased my nerves a little bit. At least I would have someone to run with. I don't think I could do it alone! My goal was under 50 minutes and Katie, who I ran with the whole time, had a goal of under an hour. We met in the middle and hit somewhere under 55 minutes. It really boosted my confidence and I felt really good the majority of the run. The beginning my legs burned, but it easily wore off as I got warm. I hit the water station at 3.5 miles and think I almost drown trying to get a sip of water. I think I was trying to keep going and get as much water as I could, but it didn't really work out like I had planned. I think I had a small sip of the glass of water the lovely water girls gave me. I'm going to have to work on that! 

I definitely walked away from that race feeling good. It made me feel like the marathon isn't going to be that bad. Check back with me after I run the marathon and see how I feel about it! I just loved being out there in a competitive environment and being around all of the runners. It's a nice feeling to be surrounded by people who share the same interest as you. Everyone is always so nice and friendly. I think I am going to stick to running for quite awhile.

I am really excited about the upcoming weeks because our long runs on Saturday will be getting, well, longer. This Saturday it will be 6 miles. And I'm pretty sure this will be the first time I've run six miles, ever. I've hit 5.5 several times, just haven't made six yet. So I'm excited about it! I am also going to be running in the Candlelight 5k Run Saturday night. I might be kicking myself in the butt on Saturday for planning on running this 5k after a 6 mile run in the morning. But I'm pretty sure I can do it. It's just 3.1 miles. My little cousin Christian is also suppose to run in this race with me. Which I'm pretty sure he'll kick my butt. But it will be a lot of fun to be able to run with family! I can't wait!