10 Mile Run

Hi all!

This past weekend, we dipped back down to ten miles which was refreshing after the 14 mile run the weekend before. I made much better time and was able to run the whole time with no problems from my knee! Now, I'm trying to mentally prepare myself for the 16 mile run that is coming up this weekend. We're meeting at Austin High School, and I'm hoping we don't run the hills around Lake Austin again for this long mileage. Also, our runs were moved from 7:30 to 7:00 in the morning on Saturdays from now until the marathon, so my Friday nights are officially gone! :(

Since my run from last weekend was so uneventful, I thought I would talk more about the cancer aspect of the marathon in this post. I just read, "Every Second Counts" by Lance Armstrong, a cancer survivor and 7 time (which is a record) winner of the Tour de France (the most difficult athletic competition), who has also raised tens of millions of dollars for cancer research and aid to cancer patients through the Lance Armstrong Foundation.

One thing Armstrong gives to cancer patients is hope. By various doctors, Armstrong was told he had a 20%, 30%, and 50% chance of surviving his cancer. At times, this amazing athlete was sleeping 20 plus hours a night and still didn't have energy to make it to the bathroom. When he ultimately won his battle with cancer, he decided he would live his life to the fullest and that is when he went on the win 7 Tour de France titles and form his foundation.

One of my favorite things that Armstrong said in his book was that "pain is temporary, but quitting lasts forever." This is something he lived by both as he battled cancer and as he competed in these grueling athletic events. However, his battle with cancer was much harder than any race he has ever done. He was in immense amounts of pain, but he knew that if he gave up or lost hope, it would last forever and he would never have a chance to live his life. This is something I try to keep in mind now as I'm running. In cases such as cancer, the "pain is temporary, but quitting lasts forever." At Team in Training, we're all running for the same goal - to help save lives. We keep going even through joint problems, fatigue, and other ailments, because we know that what we're doing doesn't even compare to the battle that Leukemia and Lymphoma patients are fighting all over the world.

Since the beginning of training for the marathon, I have worn a LIVESTRONG bracelet in memory of Terry O'Brien, who lost his battle to leukemia. His mother and father were on the mission trip to Guatemala I went on last year and they continue to give back to those in need. His mother, Anna, told me that Terry bought a LIVESTRONG bracelet the day he was diagnosed and wore it all five years of his struggle. When I'm running and feel tired or want to quit because my legs hurt or I'm dehydrated, I look at this bracelet and remember that what I'm running for is so important and so much bigger than this marathon. She sent me this bracelet, along with a pin with his picture on it that I will wear the day of the race for inspiration to push harder and never give up so that one day we will have the technology to help young people like Terry beat this disease.

Again, thanks to all for your continued support! Though it is not reflected on my fundraising page yet, I have raised about $4,600, which means I'm $400 from my goal! Please spread the word about this wonderful cause to anyone you think would be interested in donating!

All my best,

Lisa