Team In Training

I started running in April of 2008 after starting a diet and exercise program to lose weight. In the process I lost 56 pounds and participated in 7 races from local 5K's to a half marathon in Cortland, NY and a Turkey Trot down in Brooklyn in Prospect Park. It has been a lot of fun, and I have met many new friends along the way.

A small group of us began running every weekend at Onondaga Lake Park and eventually, to accommodate our running friends, we started a web page to communicate about when and where group runs would be held. It has been a success.

One of my new friends is John. He ran with and told me about Team In Training which organizes events for runners, bikers, walkers, hikers, and tri-athleres to raise funds for the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society. He trained for the Lake Placid Marathon in 2008 over a 4 month period and loved every minute of it.

After talking with John, I have been contemplating joining Team In Training. It took me a few weeks to make my commitment to run, but I have made the commitment. Why did I make the commitment because I resisted making the commitment until I spoke with one of my best friends.

Over the past two years my buddy, Tom, has been telling me about the plight of his sister Jane. He told me about her diagnosis with cancer and her need for a kidney transplant and her deterioration overtime. However, not until last week did he ever mention to me the actual diagnosis; not that it should matter, but in this case it did because it sealed my commitment.
Tom told me that his sister, Jane, has myeloma cancer. Myeloma cancer is a cancer of the bone marrow. The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society with Team in Training hope to raise funds to cure blood cancer, including myeloma. I told Tom what I was planning to do. He said, and Tom is not an emotional guy, "If you do this, I will support you, and it would touch my heart greatly and truly have an impact on my sister and family." I had to make the commitment.

So, here I am wondering how I'm going to obtain the fund raising goal assigned to me. I do not want to fail in my commiment because failing would mean letting down Tom and his sister Jane first and second all the other people who have blood cancer.

Please find it in your heart to support me in my attempt to bring my running full circle from being a lifestyle improvement in my life to being a life saving decision for others. Visit my Team in Training Donation page http://pages.teamintraining.org/cny/rnr09/wboyd and support the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society.

Thank you very much. I can only succeed with your help.
Bill Boyd