almost halfway.

I am almost half way to my goal of $4500. I have officially raised $2152.20! Thank you so much to everyone who has taken the time to donate. Every little bit means the world to me and will definitely propel me to the finish line on October 19. There's no way I'm letting you guys down! I especially love getting the notes of encouragement. They always make me smile. I am definitely holding on to them and will carry them with me to San Francisco and read them before the race. Every little note and donation means so much to me!

I have also been overwhelmed with all of the names of survivors or those who have passed away from blood cancer. A little piece of me hurts every time I read a name that is preceded by "in memory of." Hopefully with all of the money Team In Training raises, there will be a cure for these blood cancers soon!

I was excited yesterday when I received a donation in the mail from the parents of a good college friend. (Don't worry, I am excited about ALL donations, but this one was kinda cool.) Terry Thalhofer, the mom of my friend Erin, has been a participant of Team In Training for 15 years! Their whole family is very active outdoors, they live in Washington State, so I think they would be kinda crazy not to get outdoors and see the beautiful land! But anyway, I had no idea she was such an active participant. On top of just being a participant, she has also coached several seasons for the Washington/Alaska Chapter. Terry also lost her dad, Don Allen, to myeloma in 1999. She is a huge inspiration to me and I hope to follow in her footsteps and to help make a difference in so many peoples lives! She is aiming to raise $4600 to run in the Equinox Marathon on September 20. So if you have a few extra dollars to spare... check out her website http://active.com/donate/tntwaak/tlt. 

And for a little reflection - I can honestly say this has so far been one of the best experiences of my life. Just seeing the support from people and all of the encouraging words have made it so worthwhile. I have meet so many great people and continue to get to know them all with each meeting or training run. I can't even imagine where I would be today if it weren't for this entire experience. So thank you to everyone who has contributed some how to this amazing experience. I can only imagine that it is going to get better as I get closer to October 19!