Here are a few of the much awaited pics from Rock'N'Roll Savannah!

Tags on my jersey (Blue for my heroes, green for all my supporters!)

The banner at the START

Me & the girls lining up at the Starting line!

Running & Rock'N'Rolling around mile 7-8

Just after crossing the finish!

We finished!!!

The Savannah Rock'N'Roll 1/2 Marathon Medal & TNT 13.1 pin!

I wanted to wait until I had some pictures ready to post to post about my total TEAM (in training) experience, but the pictures aren't quite ready yet, so here's a post full of words, to be followed ASAP by pictures of all of us in Savannah! So prepare to read for a while now!

Six months ago I embarked on a journey with 2 friends and a goal -- finishing the Savannah Rock'N'Roll Half-Marathon. When we decided to train for our very first half, I knew I would need something huge to motivate me. After all, just a few days before, I had simply walked the 3-mile course of a race for which I signed up to RUN the 5-mile course. Jennifer, Amy & I passed the TNT tent and tossed around the idea of training for our first half-marathon. I knew all about Team-in-Training because my sister had participated with the Columbia team just 2 years ago to complete her first half-marathon in Myrtle Beach. At first, I was overwhelmed by the idea of raising the money, but at that point, I couldn't even imagine the outflowing of support I would receive in the coming months. I was also overwhelmed by the task of running such a long race. Many times I had spoken the words, "who would want to run for 2+ hours straight?!?". I think the things I learned over the last six months relating to both fundraising and running can definitely be summed up in the TNT motto "TEAM - TRAIN, ENDURE, ACHIEVE, MATTER". Leading up to the race, I wore a purple bracelet with the TEAM motto to remind me what it was all about.

TRAIN - Each and every week, our coaches provided us with the opportunity to run as a group 3 times. We had two week-night "short" runs and a EARLY Saturday morning "long" run. Of course, the main goal of these runs were to train our bodies for our eventual goal. We gradually built up our mileage, all the way from 1 mile to 12 miles. As we ran, we also trained our minds to complete our race. By the time our 12-mile training run came around, I no longer doubted that I would be able to complete the 13.1 miles on race day. I knew I was trained. I had learned many important lessons.... the importance of breakfast, what to drink before/during/after a run, how early to wake up, how much to stretch, what clothes to wear, what supplies I needed with me at all times, what snacks to eat along the way, my favorite flavor of gatorade, where to find porta - potties, what to do when you couldn't find one, and how to recognize signs of trouble in myself and fellow runners. Training as a group was a great experience for me, and a successful one. Without my teammates, I wouldn't have been able to complete the training on my own.

ENDURE - Our first training started with these instructions: "Run this direction for 15 minutes, then run back...go as slow as you need to go to keep running the whole way." Looking back on that day, those 30 minutes seemed like an eternity. However, they were just a tiny FRACTION of the time we would spend on the road in the coming months. To be exact, they were less than 1/5 of my total race-day run. We slowly built up the endurance to run longer amounts of time and distances. I remember clearly the first day I ran the entire 5-miles of the Riverfront trail without worrying about whether I would make it the whole way. It was such a mental hurdle to overcome. Here are a few of the simple things I've learned about endurance: (1)long distances are easier to run early in the day, specifically, first thing. (2)attempting endurance in the middle of a heat advisory = ill-advised. (3)good company is better than any itunes playlist (4)an itunes playlist can go a long way to encourage you if good company is unavailable (5)running long distances leads you to share things you wouldn't ordinarily share with strangers (6)your brain doesn't work so well at the end of long distance running...just try doing some easy math and test yourself :) Most of all, I learned that the biggest obstacle to endurance is your MIND, not your body. I have short legs and don't run very fast, but my determined spirit took me a long way in my training. Each time I ran, I knew the total distance in my head, and didn't allow myself to quit until I had it completed. My teammates and I endured through injuries, SC's famously hot weather, rain, storms, early mornings, and many other obstacles along the way, but it was definitely well worth it when we finally crossed that finish line.

ACHIEVE - Each week in our training, we set and achieved new goals. Before joining TNT, I had never run more than 5 miles in a single stretch. Leading up to joining the team, the longest I had run in recent history was 4 miles. We began building up our mileage from 1 mile all the way to 12 miles. Each time we increased our goal, I achieved a new personal record for distance. The sense of accomplishment each week was just enough to spur me on to the next goal and the next. We also set goals for fundraising, and it seemed like each time I set a new goal, my supporters jumped on board and helped me to surpass the goal within only a matter of hours-to-days. With the help of all my generous supporters, I raised $4107.90 for LLS. At our inspiration dinner before the race, it was a great feeling to hear that the South Carolina team in Savannah had raised over $235,000, and all the TNT'ers in Savannah had raised over $1.4 Million! I'd say we achieved our fundraising goal, and then some. Ultimately, our goal is to find cures for cancer, and that $1.4 million ought to go a long way. One day, when someone finds that cure, I'll know that I had a part in that achievement.

MATTER - On race day, I had a ribbon pinned to my jersey for all of my supporters and a ribbon for each of our honored heroes who battled cancer. I was thrilled to share with fellow runners on the course what each ribbon signified. By far, my favorite moment during the race was being able to tell a runner whose mother had died of Lymphoma that the reason I was running was to help find a cure. During our training and during my race, I couldn't help but strive to honor my heroes through my efforts. Even when hardships showed up along the way, I knew it was nothing compared to the fight against cancer. TNT has another slogan "If you think training is tough, try chemo." Each time the going got tough, I could remember those people who were battling cancer, and I knew that I had to keep fighting. My efforts to raise money and awareness for LLS definitely MATTER to those who are in the fight for their lives. On race day, when I left my hotel room, there was a sign on my door with the pictures of all my honored heroes. It read "Good Luck Leslie! Never forget who you're fighting for. Your honored heroes are with you every step of the way." That was all the inspiration I needed to run the race of my life to honor each and every one of them.

Being a part of TNT was an awesome experience, and definitely taught me many lessons that I'll carry with me in the future, both for running and for life. My team was comprised of a few close friends, strangers who became friends, and some pros dedicated to teaching us what being part of this team was all about. I am ever grateful to the heroes who inspired me, the donors, family & friends who supported me, and the teammates that raced for a cure with me. I could never have done it without you.

Tomorrow we head out for Savannah, and I can hardly believe the race is finally here. Six months ago, Jennifer, Amy & I were walking in the Columbia Women's Heart & Sole race that we had signed up to RUN in. We had a few issues leading up to that race, and therefore never completed our training for the run. When we finished up the 3-mile walk, we passed by the Team-in-Training tent, and that's where our journey began.

Over the next few days, we debated the idea of training for a half-marathon, whether or not the money would be too difficult to raise, what race we would want to train for, and finally settled on the Savannah Rock'N'Roll Half-Marathon. We attended an interest meeting, and decided if they gave a good registration discount, we'd bite the bullet and sign up. With $50 off the registration fee, we were suddenly ALL IN. Before the "try-a-training" run, we picked up a few more friends to go along for the ride with us. That very first day, we met our coaches and our other teammates.

It has been such a wonderful experience to run and fund-raise alongside these men and women. I am excited to be a part of something that is MUCH bigger than myself, raising funds and awareness for those battling Leukemia & Lymphoma. The support I have received from family, friends, co-workers and even strangers has been overwhelming. Without all of you, I could never have raised over $4100 for the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society. You should all be the ones patting yourself on the back for a job well done.

I'd like to take this time to say Thank You to each and everyone of my supporters (you can see their names over to the right -- and hopefully the list will be fully complete in a few days as my last donations get posted) and especially to honor your heroes, whose names I'll be proudly pinning to my jersey for race day. Not all of these have battled Leukemia & Lymphoma, but all have BRAVELY fought some form of cancer or another.

Our heroes include: Abigail Mathias, Nicole Gerbode, Chris MacDougall ,Matt Davis, Melanie Stone, Carla Camp, Baxter Phillips, Donald Carroll, Kim Stober, Will Busby, Cindy Moore, Glenn Higginbotham, Chuck Shaw, Bobbie Price, Zach Jordal, Pam Clark, Jon Wardrep, Doug Epps, Don Price, Dave Elledge, The Hix Family, Judy & Lavern, Willburn Hewitt, Morgan Aitchison, Dale Stoudemire, Lee Bledsoe, Lee Givens, Frances Preiss, Becky Stowe, Peggy Seigler, Leslie & Bea McKenzie, Melanie Gulledge, Allen Anderson, Cheryl Hardy, Bill Shull, Hank Winter, Jimmy Anderson, and many many more family & friends who have battled with various types of cancer.

I am so grateful for each and every person who has been a part of my journey to run in my first half-marathon, and I look forward to honoring each of you & our heroes by crossing that finish line. Please keep me, my family & my teammates in your prayers this weekend as we travel, race, and enjoy the beautiful city of Savannah.

I can hardly believe it. Tonight I'll be sitting down to a giant bowl of spaghetti in preparation for my longest run EVER, 12 miles tomorrow. One part of our training instruction was to practice what we'll eat the day/night before and morning of the race. All through our training, I've tried several different meals on the night before, but since TNT will be having a pre-race dinner the night before that is serving pasta, I figured I ought to go ahead and practice that for the next two weekends. I've been eating a bagel with cheddar cheese (no peanut butter for this allergy kid), and a small cup of OJ in the mornings before we head out, and that has worked well, so that's what I plan to eat on race day, too.

Each time we have increased our mileage in our training, it has been a personal record for me. Tomorrow will be my longest run EVER, and my longest run before race day. In just two short weeks, we'll be in Savannah, Rock'N & Rollin' through 13.1 miles. I can't wait to have such an awesome accomplishment under my belt.

Some of my teammates are already talking about their next race, whether they'll train for a full marathon in the near or far future, but I'm going to wait until after this one is done to make any future plans. This has been a massive undertaking for me, but I have been spurred on by my heroes & my donors who have helped me FAR exceed my original goal and I've raised a total of $4108.70 toward finding a cure for Leukemia & Lymphoma.

It is so wonderful to be a part of a team, and especially a team who is striving to make a difference in the lives of others. I've already encouraged a few friends to try out TNT in the future and would love to talk to you about my experience if you think you'd like to try it out someday!

Thanks again for all your support!!!

Wow! It seems impossible that this long process is almost already over. Exactly one month from today, we will be travelling to Savannah and preparing to run in the half-marathon one month from tomorrow.

I am so pleased to know that I've been able to go above and beyond my goals for fundraising, and despite some setbacks, it looks like I'm also going to be able to complete the race as originally scheduled.

I got a chance to talk to a friend's sister who recently ran the Rock'N'Roll half marathon in Nashville and was greatly encouraged to hear that she had so much fun out there and hardly felt like she was running. Apparently the people-watching is awesome, not to mention the music from the bands along the way.

We've got 3 long runs left before we taper off to an 8-miler the week before the race. Can't wait to share a picture of all of us with our finishers' medals!

I'm officially back on the road again after a short "trial-run" yesterday to see if I'm recovering from my injury! It'll be a fast build up for just 6 weeks until the race, but I'm determined to finish what I started!

(Of course, if anything changes, I'll keep you updated. As with any injury, there is always the possibility that I may have to spend more time resting and recovering and won't be ready to run the November race.)

BUT, What I'm really excited about is, I have only about $150 left to reach my goal of raising $4000!!! Will you help me "RACE FOR A CURE" ????

Awesome. Thanks to all my supporters, y'all are fabulous!

If you're dropping by to check on my training progress, I'm glad you did! I've been having some pain in my left leg for a few weeks, and it finally got bad enough this weekend that I decided to go see an orthopedist before any major injuries occurred. Being only 8 short weeks away from our race, his prescription was exactly what I feared... REST!

I'm suffering from peroneal tendonitis, but the good news is, I have no stress fractures or tears in my tendons/ligaments. He recommended rest/ice/anti-inflammatories for a minimum of 2 weeks and cautioned me it may take even longer (6-8 weeks) to totally recover.

So here's where you come in... I need your prayers for a speedy recovery AND good judgment in deciding when to resume my training. If I cannot recover in time to complete my training for Savannah, I will be transferring to a spring race, either in Myrtle Beach or Disneyworld!

I'm pretty frustrated that I've been sidelined, but know that ultimately, the money I have raised is going to a wonderful cause, and those battling cancer have faced MUCH worse than my current aches and pains. I'm so thankful to all my supporters and I know you'll be behind me, even if it takes me a little longer than expected to complete my first half-marathon.

As always, I am so grateful for your support because I definitely could never do this without you!

I've told you about how far I'm running and how much money I've raised. I've talked about cancer cures, research, and improving the quality of life for patients & their families. But, just how far does your donation go? Here's a little breakdown of how your dollar counts for those who are battling Leukemia & Lymphoma...

A donation of $25 provides patients and their loved ones with FREE booklets that contain up-to-date information on their disease and help them make informed decisions about their treatment options.

A donation of $50 makes possible a Family Support group with a trained facilitator where comfort can be found and experiences can be shared among patients and family members.

A donation of $100 helps supply laboratory researchers with supplies and materials critical to carrying out their search for cures.

A donation of $150 provides financial aid to blood cancer patients to use during treatment, regardless of income, diagnosis or duration of treatment. This money can cover everything from transportation to and from treatment to the cost of a bone marrow transplant.

Most importantly, not only every dollar, but EVERY PENNY you donate counts. I've raised above and beyond my fundraising "minimum", so from here on out, every additional cent I raise is no longer about me making it to race day. It's about a cure. It's about education for those making tough decisions now. It's about helping those patients make it through a difficult time both emotionally and financially.

I'm only about $400 away from reaching a $4000 total for fundraising. That's just twenty $20 donations or four $100 donations. Consider donating today, fight alongside me against cancer and make a difference for someone who is literally fighting for their life.

I knew when I started this process, it wouldn't be all fun and games, but compared to spending your days in the hospital for chemotherapy, this has actually been pretty fun. To quote many a Team-in-Training T-shirt, "if you thinking training is tough, try chemo".

This week, I had a few set backs and didn't get my miles in during the week. Sunday morning, I was lazy and didn't get up, Tuesday night there was a storm and I didn't want to wait it out, finally I ran 5 miles on Thursday night. This morning, I paid for my SLACKness on our longest run yet of 8.26 miles. My body didn't ache, nor was I out of breath, or any other problem, I just was super sluggish, and it showed! I was last in the group, and even my friend Amy who has just recovered from a knee injury kept slowing down so I wouldn't have to run alone! The good news is, despite my sluggishness, I managed to keep a 11:23min/mile pace throughout and only stopped momentarily to walk/catch my breath at the top of a few hills.

I definitely learned my lesson. Our coaches totally have it right, all the miles during the week prepare you for that long run. Just running the long distances won't prepare you to run a half-marathon. You have to do the work in between to be sure your body is prepared to handle the major work out at the end of the week.

Today marks the 13-week countdown until we Rock'N'Roll in Savannah. We ran 8.26 miles today and our goal is to run 15-18 miles during the remainder of the week. I'll definitely be getting my miles in this week because I learned my lesson! Here's hoping next week's 8-miler will go a lot more smoothly!

Apparently I underestimated my ability to fundraise and I underestimated the incredible generosity of my supporters! So, no more tiny fundraising goals! AGAIN, I'm raising my fundraising goal, but this time, I'm raising it by $1000 to a total goal of $4000!

As of today, I have raised $3414.70 toward finding a cure for blood cancers and improving quality of life for patients & their loved ones. It is such an incredible feeling to know that with the help of generous donors, we've been able to do something of such a great impact!

With that said, I've got $585.30 to raise to meet my new goal! I have no doubt that this goal is totally attainable. Each time I've set a goal, I've reached and surpassed it within just a few days. I have several more months to fundraise, so there's no doubt in my mind that this goal can be reached.

A few of the girls and I are hosting a Premier Designs Jewelry show where part of the profits will go to LLS, so if you love great jewelry and want to give back to a great cause, mark Oct 10th on your calendar, or contact me to see the catalog!

Also, I have been enjoying DREAM DINNERS from our local Piggly Wiggly (they are home-made meals, just frozen and ready to be cooked -- all you have to do is thaw them and pair them with sides). Each month, if you order from their monthly menu, they give 30% of your total to LLS. So, if you order a $10 three-person serving, it's like getting dinner for $7 and giving $3 to LLS. You can't beat that! August menu should be coming out in the next few weeks, so email me if you're interested: LMPrxUSC(at)gmail(dot)com and I will contact you when the menu is available!