Research funded by LLS has us *this close* to a cure for lymphoma. And a cure for blood cancers can mean that we find a cure for all cancers.

As a member of Team In Training, I pledge to raise $3500 for LLS while training for the Nike Women's Marathon on October 17th in San Francisco. I will get up at 4:30 and run 20 miles and I will run 26.2 miles on October 17th, you don't have need to do these things. All I ask is for your assistance with this great cause.

As part of my fundraising for LLS, I am raffling off two quilts I've made, pictured below. Both a lap quilt-sized, with the Land & Sea (blue & green) measuring approx 46" x 52" and the Raspberry Limeade (pink & green) measuring approx 42" x 60". Every $10 donated to this cause gets you 1 raffle entry, and each $50 gets you an additional entry. Example: donate $30, get 3 entries; donate $50, get 6 entries; and donate $100, get 12 entries. Winners for each quilt will be drawn at random August 1st.

And your donation and raffle entry is 100% tax-deductible. For more information about this great cause or to make you donation and enter the raffle, please visit http://pages.teamintraining.org/dm/nikesf10/jennifer.
 

(More photos of the Land & Sea quilt can be found here and another photo of the Raspberry Limeade quilt can be found here.)

I run and train in honor and in memory of all those that have fought cancer. I would love to train in honor or memory of your loved ones too. My personal honored teammate is my grandma Lorraine, who has fought multiple myeloma for the better part of the last decade. Read more about her and the other honored teammates at http://pages.teamintraining.org/dm/nikesf10/jennifer.

I blog about my training and fundraising effort both on my fundraising page at http://pages.teamintraining.org/dm/nikesf10/jennifer and at http://tntjennifer.blogspot.com/.

Thanks for reading and considering this great cause.

Reason We Run

Why Team In Training and Leukemia & Lymphoma Society?

What is Team In Training?

In 1988, a team of 38 runners in West Chester County, NY train for the New York City Marathon while raising $320,000 for the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society. Their nickname Team In Training (TNT) stuck. Since 1988, over 340,000 people have raised over $800 million in support of TNT’s mission: cure leukemia, lymphoma, Hodgkin’s disease and myeloma, and improve the quality of life for patients and their families. Participants train for an endurance event - marathon, half marathon, triathlon or century (100-mile) bicycle ride - while raising money for the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society. Each participant is paired with an Honored Teammate, someone locally whose life has been affected by a blood related cancer.
1-800-482-TEAM

teamintraining.org


The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society

The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society (LLS) is the world's largest voluntary health organization dedicated to funding blood cancer research, education and patient services. The mission of LLS is to cure leukemia, lymphoma, Hodgkin's disease and myeloma, and improve the quality of life of patients and their families. Since its founding in 1949, LLS has invested more than $550 million for research specifically targeting blood cancers. The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society has 68 chapters throughout the US & Canada and is headquartered in White Plains, NY.
http://www.lls.org/
888-HELP-LLS


Your 100% Tax-Deductible Donation
The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society uses the donations for a variety of purposes.“The Society is committed to curing leukemia, lymphoma and myeloma, and helping patients and their families. The support you provide is invested wisely.

Source: http://www.teamintraining.org/firsttimehere/themissionandhistory/wherethemoneygoes/


Why I Joined Team In Training

Joining Team In Training is something I wanted to do for quite some time. My mom, Linda Schiefelbein, participated with the Phoenix-area chapter for the past year.Throughout my life, I’ve known a few people whose lives were affected by one of the blood cancers, most notably my step-grandmother Lorraine. She’s battled multiple myeloma for the past several years. My training for the Nike Women’s Marathon is nothing compared to the marathon fight she’s been through.I can only hope to be as strong as her. She is with me in spirit each time I run for this cause and she will be with me when I cross the finish line of the Nike Women’s Marathon on October 17th in San Francisco.I raise money for LLS so other families do not have to endure what Lorraine has gone through.I run and train in honor and memory of your loved ones. Please share their names with me & I will carry them with me as I run.

How YOU can help
MAKE A DONATION TO THE LEUKEMIA & LYMPHOMA SOCIETY!
Check the cushions of your couch, I’ll bet you find some change. Every dollar can make a difference! Please look in your heart (and wallet) to find $5, $10 or $20 to donate.

I committed to raising at least $3500 for LLS, and I appreciate all the assistance. I would love for you to donate $50 but $5 is all I am asking. Please join me in this effort to help save lives and find a cure for blood cancers.

There are 2 easy ways to donate by July 20*:
1. Visit my donation page at http://pages.teamintraining.org/dm/nikesf10/jennifer
2. Email me at jennifer.wellborn@gmail.com and I will send you a form you can fill out and mail back to me with your check to LLS.

I would love to run in honor or in memory of your loved ones. Please let me know your loved ones names and I will carry them with me throughout training and race day. (jennifer.wellborn@gmail.com)


*Donations can be made after July 20 but I want to make my fundraising goal early so I can focus on training.

26.2 miles COMPLETE!!!

Tucson Team

Thank you to everyone for your support and encouragement. Together, we raised over $3,000 for the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society! The Tucson Team raised over $69,000 and over $14 million was raised for LLS at the Nike Women's Marathon!!!

Finding my name on the Niketown window

Overall, it was a great weekend in San Francisco. The weather was perfect - not too hot, not too cold, not too windy! (It rained on Monday when we were leaving but otherwise the weather was gorgeous all weekend.)

Riding the cable cars with Jennifer, Crystal & Elsbeth

We started the race at Union Square and I was able to start with 3 of my teammates from Tucson - Jennifer Henderson (J-Hen), Elsbeth and Amanda. The weather was warm enough that we all turned in our jackets at the gear check bus and then the wind decided to pick up while we waited in line for the bathroom. Oh well, a little bonding via a huddle for warmth! The 4 of us ran together for the first few miles and then we lost Amanda to a pit stop. I continued with J-Hen & Elsbeth for the first half of the race.

Hills... what can I say about them? I must have a mental block about the hills from last year because we ran the same course but I do not remember some of those hills being that steep or that long! And now I will block them out again :-) For the most part, once you got to the top of a hill, you get a great view of the city, the bay, the ocean, a nice neighborhood or something that made it worth the climb!

Hill by Ghiradelli Square, very steep!

The Golden Gate Bridge decided to be under fog the morning of our run, only the supports peaked out at us through the fog. I snapped a couple photos of the supports but didn't stop to take a picture by the bridge like last year since it was hiding. I did get a couple great shots the day before when we took the cable cars to Fisherman's Wharf & Ghiradelli Square (yes, I brought chocolate home!).

Can you see it? The Golden Gate Bridge is in there somewhere (my head at the bottom right)

At the top of a long, brutal hill we found our coach Ashley. Our coaches have a way of showing up just when you need them! Ashley ran with us for a couple miles, through a neighborhood with plenty of rolling hills. Then it was just the 3 of us for the next couple miles until we broke apart from each other around the half way point.

Coach Ashley running with the other Jennifer

Going into the race, I didn't know if my hip would give me trouble like it had during training. I was mentally prepared to take the half marathon cut-off (we all start together and then between mile 10 & 11, we break apart) but knew that I wanted to do the full marathon if my body permitted me to do it! When I broke apart from the other ladies, I was really tired and wondered if I made the right decision...

I made my way through Golden Gate Park on the way to the Great Highway. Just before the Great Highway, the sun peaked through the clouds and marine layer. I thought to myself " this is going to suck if it's sunny today." Luckily, the sun went back behind the clouds for the rest of my run!

Nothing much to report from the Great Highway, part 1. It was pretty flat and there were a number of spectactor so that helped me keep moving. There is a steep hill at the end of the Great Highway that leads into Lake Merced. The lake nearly killed me last year and I didn't want the same to happen again this year.

Just as I was about to turn into the lake, I looked up and found Coach Glin!!! Like I said, just when you need them, our coaches are there! I told Glin I wasn't going to let the lake conquer me this year...


I was cruising along the lake - which is the worst part of the marathon, nothing to look at and none of the cheerleaders or bands from earlier in the course - I passed my roommate for the weekend Susan. She was kicking butt! I cheered her on and kept going. Around mile 21, I found our coordinator Louanne and gave her a big hug! She was part of a TNT cheer group that was dressed in hula skirts so I found her at mile 4 and mile 21! A little after I passed Louanne, I got my Ghardelli chocolate squares (put them in my pocket, there's no way I could have eaten them then) and then I saw my mentee Michelle. She was also doing great so I said hi and cheered for her. Still cruising along...

Until just before mile 22! My hamstrings had been tight all weekend and were tight during the race. I guess they made my quads work overtime because heading up a hill to the mile 22 sign, my lower quads (near the knees) started cramping up. I told myself, "let's make it to the top of this hill and then deal with the cramping." My quads had a different idea than I did. They seized up about halfway up the hill. I hobbled off to the side and stretched them. I made it to the top of the hill and just on the other side, I spotted Coach Ashley again!!! Just when I really needed her. I told her about my quads and she gave me some salt - which helped some.


The lake got me when I had just over a mile and a half before I got back to the Great Highway! I conquered part of it this year. One of my teammates described it as a soul sucker and it really is. That part of the marathon is tough already because it is where most people hit their "wall" anyway. About 3/4 of a mile before I got back to the Great Highway, I spotted Coach Glin again! He ran with me for a minute or so and told me I was almost out of the lake.


There's another steep hill coming out of the lake to get back onto the Great Highway. I ran as much of it as my quads would allow and then powerwalked the rest. I had to run as far as I could and then take a walk break for the rest of the marathon.


During the marathon, I texted my husband Dan with my location & how I was feeling. I love having a qwerty keyboard with my phone! For example, "10 full" meant I passed mile 10 and I planned to do the full. Other texts were "14 tiiired" and "22 cramping" (except I missed the "m" so he got a whole different meaning!). A couple of times I texted him my mileage and time - "18 in 3:21" and "21 in 3:56". He gave me encouraging feedback and also told me how I was doing in fantasy football (I won!) and also said "if you pick it up a bit, you can break 5 hours". My brain was incapable of doing math (I knew I was making good time but not my exact pace) at that point and what he said really stuck with me.

For the last 3 miles of the race, I kept looking at my watch, trying to figure out if I could break the ever-ellusive 5 hour mark. Before race day, my fastest marathon was my first (Nike '09 was my 6th) with a time of 5:02:47... I kept up my run as far as possible then walk quickly for a bit. But what Dan said kept nagging at me. I couldn't figure out if I could do it or not...

For those of you that have never run a marathon or half-marathon, there are spectators & volunteers that think they are encouraging and supportive by telling you that you are almost there. More often than not, you are NOT almost there. So when I heard someone say "the finishline is just up ahead" I didn't know whether to believe them or not. I couldn't see the finish line, I had about 3 minutes (according to my watch) to finish under 5 hours and I only had so much left in me at that point. The spectators had moved onto the street so only a couple runners could fit through at a time and it blocked the view of the finishline.

I decided to believe that guy and picked up my pace. I saw the finishline ahead of me and I had just under 2 minutes to cross that finishline. I used up every last bit of strength and energy I had left and booked it to the finishline. I passed several people on my way there and I finished in...


...wait for it...








...wait for it...


4:59:17!!!!!! I finished 43 seconds under 5 hours and set a PR (personal record)! I broke my 2006 Tucson Marathon time by 3 minutes and 30 seconds. If that finishline had been 100 feet further away, I might not have made it or might have given myself an asthma attack but I made it!

Getting my Tiffany's finisher's necklace from the fire fighter

The entire Tucson team had a great day too!!! Everyone finished!

Amanda, Michelle, Elsbeth (top row) Jennifer (J-Hen), me, Ashley (bottom row)

Photos from the weekend can be seen here: http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2042551&id=1177912287&l=81474e3dfe There are over 160 of them!

Almost there!!!

Whew! It's been awhile since I posted and a number of things have happened since my last post.

Here are the things that are "almost there":

1. Fundraising - I am very close to my fundraising being finished but still need a few more donations. Please check those couch cushions for me! http://pages.teamintraining.org/dm/nikesf09/jwellborn

2. Training - this Saturday is our loooongest training run. 20 miles!!! 2 weeks ago was our 18 mile training run and it was a decent run, especially considering my recent injuries (more about this later).

3. THE MARATHON - it is just over 3 weeks away!!! On October 18th, twenty thousand runners will run in the Nike Womens Marathon and Half Marathon.

Also, the hair was finally cut off and donated to Locks of Love. Above is a before & after shot of the hair. It is nice to have a cooler neck but I've had to get creative to keep it off my face when I run. I have been pulling it up into two half ponytails or two half frnech braids. Basically, I give myself a hairdo you might see on a small child but it works! Below is a photo of my at the end of our 18 miler.
The end of August, on our 14 mile run, I started having pain in my hip joint. I took a couple runs off and the next Saturday run, my knee on the same leg started giving me trouble on the hills. I am working on recovering from the injury now and have been trying to stretch and exercise both areas. I WILL run in San Francisco in honor and memory of those with blodd cancers. But this is nothing compared to chemo, right?

Please help save lives by making a donation to the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society http://pages.teamintraining.org/dm/nikesf09/jwellborn

The end of a long head of hair and more hill training

Uggg, it's been a crazy few weeks around here. I've been meaning to post something but haven't had/made the time. In addition to running and fundraising, I also have been making weddding and birthday quilt gifts (some pics can be found on my craft blog). I also always forget how busy the end of July & beginning of August are at work.

I will NOT be shaving my head. I will be donating approximately 12 inches of hair to Locks of Love. We did not make the $5,000 fundraising deadline in time but there is still time to make a donation to this fantastic cause!

I'll post some pictures of the new 'do as soon as I get it later this week. I am still debating on long, sideswept bangs or no bangs. I had bangs a couple years ago and like them in pictures but I also remember how much of a pain they can be... I have until Thursday after work to figure it out!

Here's a picture of the current 'do (more photos here). You can also follow the link to see pictures of the time I ACTUALLY shaved my head. It was back in 1998 and a little cold during the Flagstaff winter. And there were many different awkward stages while it grew back in...

Please help save lives by making a donation to the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society! http://pages.teamintraining.org/dm/nikesf09/jwellborn We still are only 1/2 way to the $5,000 fundraising goal. Please share this blog with your friends and family.

We met at Sabino Canyon this Saturday and did 12 miles of hill training. We ran to the top (3.7 miles), back down to the Mile 1 marker, back up to the Mile 3 marker and then ran back to the parking lot. It ended up being about 11.7 miles total, partially because I always forget where the 3rd mile marker is and went up and extra (steeeeep) hill!

Here are a couple photos I snapped with my phone. We arrived before the sun and got to see the sun come up over the canyon. And the moon stayed out to play with us even after the sun was high in the morning sky. Mornings like these with views like this make me happy to live here :-)

Sunrise over Sabino Canyon (taken while running = blurry)

Mile marker at the top (3.7 miles of mainly uphill, a little downhill)

The moon was still up even though the sun was getting high in the sky. Photo taken on the way down from the top.

Please help save lives by making a donation to the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society! http://pages.teamintraining.org/dm/nikesf09/jwellborn We still are only 1/2 way to the $5,000 fundraising goal. Please share this blog with your friends and family.

Yard Sale SUCCESS!

Our yard sales, yes SALES, this past weekend were a success!!! All totaled, 4 TNT members raised over $1150 for the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society. Our friends and family provided so much support and made so many donations that we had to split the yard sale between two locations. Nora & I were stationed at my house & Michelle and Jen were at Michelle's house. Nora & I raised just under $500 for LLS on Saturday and Michelle & Jen raised over $650 on Saturday and Sunday.

Below are some photos of the "stuff" that my friends, family and Team In Training members donated for our yard sale. And these photos are without the stuff Nora brought over. I still can't believe she sold her old golf clubs for just $25, including the bag! But it all went to a great cause :-)

Thanks to the following people that made donations to me for this fantastic fundraiser: Mom & Dad, Joseph, Patty, Tiffany & Justin, Carolyn, Rick, Dennis & Anne, Louanne, Dan's boss & wife, and anyone else I might have forgotten.

Notice my "helper" Rory in the photo above. This is what our living looked like the night before - even before I sorted through the large moving box of stuff Dan got from his boss. There was barely room to walk in the living room by the time I went to bed. The picture below is our guest room/office. It was completely full!

More photos can be seen at http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2031703&id=1177912287&l=2b16c0cf00

Also, if you would like to help find a cure for blood cancers, you can make a donation at: http://pages.teamintraining.org/dm/nikesf09/jwellborn. Every quarter, $1, $20, $100 helps!

Yard Sale

This Saturday, a few of us TNTers (Team In Training participants) are having a yard sale at my house.

If you live in the Tucson area and have items you'd like to donate, they'd be greatly appreciated!!! If you want to swing by on Saturday morning and check out the bargains, we'll be at the corner of Kelso & 15th Ave - just off Oracle and Glenn, by Nash Elementary.

We have so much stuff to sell we've expanded to a second location. The second location is: 3033 W. Treeline Dr. 85741. Cross streets are Orange Grove and Shannon. Just north of Org Grove on Shannon. Turn west on Positano and then east on Treeline.

You can also make a donation to the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society at: http://pages.teamintraining.org/dm/nikesf09/jwellborn

Honored Teammate Lorraine Anderson

Lorraine, aka Grandma Raine, is my honored teammate. Lorraine came into my life when I was about 8 years old and has been a part of our lives for the past twenty-plus years. My own grandmother passed away when I was 4 so Lorraine is the only grandmother I've really known.

Lorraine was diagnosed with multiple myeloma eight years ago. She has been through countless rounds of chemo and radiation. She is a fighter and I believe has done her own marathon several times over. I am constantly impressed by her strength and determination.

We recently got fantastic news that Lorraine's cancer is in remission! Let's hope it stays that way forever!!! She has been in and out of remission ever since she was diagnosed.

Last year, when I trained with Team In Training for the first time, Lorraine wrote me this note that still touches me each time I read it:

Dear Jennifer,

Your e-mail has touched me in so many ways. I'd be so proud of you & your running accomplishments regardless of the cause. The fact that you are running in my honor & doing so to help me and others battle cancer makes this much more than an athletic feat. You make me so proud of your strength and commitment that it adds to my own. We will be sending a donation shortly and hopefully, more in the future.

Love, GrandmaRaine

She is proud of ME? In my mind, she is the one that we should all be proud of, not the other way around.

Sabino Canyon

This weekend we ran at Sabino Canyon. Even though the runs at Sabino are harder (3.7 miles of uphill and then 3.7 miles of downhill), it great to run in the middle of our beautiful desert! The scenery at Sabino makes the extra work worth it. I am looking forward to later in the summer when the mountain stream is running again and we get to run through the nice cool water several times. Running with wet shoes and socks can be a bit of a departure from normal but the cold/cool water definitely helps keep you cool. Maybe it's time to go do a rain dance to get those monsoon storms to visit Tucson and bring our desert some much needed rain :-)



And a reminder of the reason we run - to bring an end to cancer! Your tax-deductible donation can help! We are over 15% of our way to our goal of raising $5000 but every penny, nickle, dime, dollar, fifty-dollars, hundred-dollars helps!



Please help save lives http://pages.teamintraining.org/dm/nikesf09/jwellborn

Running is a drug

Running is a drug. Kinda. You get a lot of the same effects from running that people get from using drugs. So running is my "drug of choice."

I found this article on CNN today about a guy that was a 20-yr addict that couldn't kick the habit until he found running and triathlons. Now he's clean and he's done an Iron Man event! An Iron Man is 2.4 miles of swimming, a 112-mile bike ride AND a 26.2 mile (a.k.a. marathon) run. Nuts!

Tomorrow is our third group run! I am excited for the 6:30am start since it should be cooler than our runs the last couple weeks. And I get to see the other "addicts."

And I am still totally psyched that "Grandma Raine" is in REMISSION!!! She still has 3 months of chemo left but we love, love, love the word remission!

Please help find a cure for cancer. Make a donation at http://pages.teamintraining.org/dm/nikesf09/jwellborn

Update on the head shaving: $195 with "keep it" in the lead. We've got a long way to go to get to $5000 by July 31st. Please help.

On the good news front...

A quote from my Aunt Kathy, regarding Grandma Raine's health:
"GOOD NEWS!! Mom has been on the new chemotherapy for 3 months now and the results are good! It's working and the marker that the doctor looks at (M or T spike) is down 60% and her proteins are down 50%. Woo-hoo!! Her chemo doctor wants her to have another 3 months of treatment to assure that she remains in remission. The chemo is very hard on her but it is saving her life."

Let's keep the good news coming!

Won't you help save lives? Make a donation to the Leukemia & Lymhoma Society at http://pages.teamintraining.org/dm/nikesf09/jwellborn

Shaving it for cancer...

Have you ever seen a grown woman shave her head? This is your opportunity!

If we raise $5000 by July 31, 2009 for the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society (LLS), you may get to see me shave my head. I know some people do not want to see me shave my head, so whichever side raises the most money for LLS will make the decision!

Head to http://pages.teamintraining.org/dm/nikesf09/jwellborn to make a donation to this great cause! In the comment box, put “shave it” or “keep it” when you make your donation.

Right now, I have approximately 21 inches of hair that will be donated to Locks of Love – an organization that makes wigs for kids with cancer. So we are raising money for cancer support and research and donating hair to help kids with cancer too!

Make your vote & donation count!!!

(You can also make an unofficial vote on the right side of the page. Only donations count towards the decision!)

Back Again!

(For those close to my age, I totally have Backstreet Boys "Backstreet's Back" running through my head. And I wasn't even a BB fan... NKOTB all the way!!!)

Anway, I'M BACK!!!

This year, I joined Team In Training (TNT) as a "Team Captain." This means I am raising money for the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society to help cure blood cancers! But I am also helping other members of Tucson TNT with their fundraising.

Please help those with blood cancers and their families by making a donation to the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society at http://pages.teamintraining.org/dm/nikesf09/jwellborn

Reason We Run

Why Team In Training and Leukemia & Lymphoma Society?

What is Team In Training?
In 1988, a team of 38 runners in West Chester County, NY train for the New York City Marathon while raising $320,000 for the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society. Their nickname Team In Training (TNT) stuck. Since 1988, over 340,000 people have raised over $800 million in support of TNT’s mission: cure leukemia, lymphoma, Hodgkin’s disease and myeloma, and improve the quality of life for patients and their families. Participants train for an endurance event - marathon, half marathon, triathlon or century (100-mile) bicycle ride - while raising money for the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society. Each participant is paired with an Honored Teammate, someone locally whose life has been affected by a blood related cancer.

1-800-482-TEAM
teamintraining.org


The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society

The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society (LLS) is the world's largest voluntary health organization dedicated to funding blood cancer research, education and patient services. The mission of LLS is to cure leukemia, lymphoma, Hodgkin's disease and myeloma, and improve the quality of life of patients and their families. Since its founding in 1949, LLS has invested more than $550 million for research specifically targeting blood cancers. The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society has 68 chapters throughout the US & Canada and is headquartered in White Plains, NY.

http://www.lls.org/
888-HELP-LLS


Your 100% Tax-Deductible Donation

The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society uses the donations for a variety of purposes.“The Society is committed to curing leukemia, lymphoma and myeloma, and helping patients and their families. The support you provide is invested wisely.
Source: http://www.teamintraining.org/firsttimehere/themissionandhistory/wherethemoneygoes/


Why I Joined Team In Training

Joining Team In Training is something I wanted to do for quite some time. My mom, Linda Schiefelbein, participated with the Phoenix-area chapter for the past year.Throughout my life, I’ve known a few people whose lives were affected by one of the blood cancers, most notably my step-grandmother Lorraine. She’s battled multiple myeloma for the past several years. My training for the Nike Women’s Marathon is nothing compared to the marathon fight she’s been through.I can only hope to be as strong as her. She is with me in spirit each time I run for this cause and she will be with me when I cross the finish line of the Nike Women’s Marathon on October 18th in San Francisco.I raise money for LLS so other families do not have to endure what Lorraine has gone through.I run and train in honor and memory of your loved ones. Please share their names with me & I will carry them with me as I run.


How YOU can help

MAKE A DONATION TO THE LEUKEMIA & LYMPHOMA SOCIETY!

Check the cushions of your couch, I’ll bet you find some change. Every dollar can make a difference! Please look in your heart (and wallet) to find $5, $10 or $20 to donate.

I committed to raising at least $5000 for LLS, and I appreciate all the assistance. I would love for you to donate $50 but $5 is all I am asking. Please join me in this effort to help save lives and find a cure for blood cancers.

There are 2 easy ways to donate by July 31*:
1. Visit my donation page at http://pages.teamintraining.org/dm/nikesf09/jwellborn
2. Email me at jennifer.wellborn@gmail.com and I will send you a form you can fill out and mail back to me with your check to LLS.

I would love to run in honor or in memory of your loved ones. Please let me know your loved ones names and I will carry them with me throughout training and race day. (jennifer.wellborn@gmail.com)

*Donations can be made after July 31 but I want to make my fundraising goal early so I can focus on training.

Over $4700 raised and 26.2 miles complete!!!

Team Tucson - on our way to the Pasta Party

Whew! It feels good to say that we raised over $4700 together for the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society. Oh yeah, and I completed all 26.2 miles of the Nike Women's Marathon. Both were an uphill battle but definitely worth the effort!

On October 19, 2008, over 20,000 runners completed the Nike Women's Marathon or Half Marathon. Team Tucson had a great, but challenging, day! Our Team Marisa ran in honor of Marisa Gallego who lost her battle just six months before the marathon. We all carried Marisa in our hearts and minds throughout the day and I am happy to say that all 6 members of Team Marisa showed us their hearts that day and completed either the marathon or half marathon. I am still in awe of their strength.

I decided not to give you a blow-by-blow report of the day but give you a few highlights and some photos. I am also including a couple links to more photos: http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2009947&l=4db53&id=1177912287 and http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2009980&l=38ccc&id=1177912287.

Even though we did hill training and I knew it was hilly San Francisco, I was more challenged by the hills than I expected. However, the hills were definitely worth the views. We started before sunrise in Union Square in downtown San Francisco, ran to the Embarcadero, then ran along the bay to Golden Gate Park. At the top of a challenging hill, we got our first glimpse of the Golden Gate Bridge. We were so lucky that the bridge was not fogged over and we got several great views as we ran closer and closer. I ran the first half (or so) of the race with my mentor Kristin and we stopped to take a couple pictures of ourselves in front of the Golden Gate Bridge. My friend Tracey says this makes me a penguin (as in a John Bingham penguin) and I told her that I've never denied I was a penguin. I think never completing a marathon in less than 5 hours probably means that you will always be a penguin. Like John says, waddle on friends! John Bingham was one of our speakers for the Team In Training pasta party the night before the race along with renowned women's marathoner Joan Benoit Samuelson (1984 Olympic Gold medalist).

I finished the marathon in 5 hours, 27 minutes and 53 seconds (check out my results here). About 28 minutes slower than my goal of finishing in under 5 hours but I was so happy to see the finish line, I didn't even care. I struggled during the second half of the marathon. It was hard not to have my family, especially my husband Dan, there to cheer me on but my second family (Team In Training) provided great support. Over the last few miles of the race, I ran with or saw all 4 of the Tucson coaches and coach Ryan ran most of the last 2 miles of the race with me. I don't know that my butt could have made it across the finish line in the time it did if it hadn't been for them. And my mentor Kristin's dad was a fantastic substitute for my own dad. Kristin made sign for each of us and her dad stood along the race route holding the signs and cheering for all of us. He even decorated his jacket with our honored teammates! I got choked up seeing him around mile 16. It was also great to see the survivors out cheering for us. I think we all should cheer for them instead. I can run 26.2 but I don't know if I could make it through chemo.

I am sad to say that from the time I started training with Team In Training in late May, two of my honored teammates lost their battles, one in August and the other in November.

Kidnapped! Need your help ASAP!

My brother's beloved stuffed panda bear was kidnapped and is being held for $1,000,000,000 ransom. My brother is unable to pay the full amount. Won't you please help?

Ransom (aka a donation) can be paid at http://pages.teamintraining.org/dm/nikesf08/jwellborn

We've got Spirit, yes we do!

16 Miles Down... 26.2 still to go!!!

We completed our 16 mile run. I am not going to say it was easy but... 3 of us completed all 16 miles. I ran further on the Rillito River path than I've ever run before. I have run further distances a few times but I usually doubled back in a section to complete the miles. This time, we ran all the way to Swan. One of the bridges over the river had a pretty steep incline and decline so that was an interesting challenge when you are at about 9 or 10 miles into the run. I guess it's good practice for San Francisco, right? There were a few people that are doing the marathon that only did 14 miles instead of the 16 (our mileage for the day was 14-16 but I usually do the longest distance). I kept thinking to myself after I heard that that those people will have a harder time in a couple weeks when we are supposed to do 18 miles.

After our 16 miler, our coaches greeted me with the "Spirit Quilt". A friend of TNT makes a quilt for each traning "season" and the one you see pictured above is the one for the fall season. Most of the people I am training with are doing the Nike Women's Marathon or half marathon but we have a couple people doing the Maui Half Marathon. So this is our quilt for our season. It must have taken a ton of work because it actually mimics the logo for the Nike Women's Marathon. Also featured on it is our honored teammate, Marisa Gallego. As I mentioned in one of my previous blogs, our training is dedicated to her memory. She lost her battle in April and several of her family members are training with us for Nike. I get to keep the quilt for a week and then it goes to someone else.

Also, some of our Saturday runs with Team in Training have been at Sabino Canyon. Since Dan & I moved to Tucson over 4 years ago, we have a list of local places that we keep meaning to visit but have not yet. Sabino Canyon is one of those places. Well, now I have been but it's still on Dan's list. Literally, we run in the canyon, which has a paved path for 3.7 miles. However, it's hilly. And did I mention we have to run through water? Because it is a canyon, at certain times of the year, the water runs over the man-made bridges. This was the case with 2 of the 8(?) bridges and we ended up running through the water 6 times to get our 10 miles in for the day. The first time I went through it, I was kind of mad. I could feel the water sloshing around in my shoes and I was worried about blisters. But as the run/walk (there are some HILLS) went on, I found the water refreshing. We'll be going back one more time, I think. I missed the first couple visits there because they happened to be when Dan & I were on vacation. Next time, I will bring my camera so you can see the beauty. Oh, and since we are in the canyon, nearly all of the run is shady. I love shade!

I am fast like Michael Phelps?

Photo courtesy of Mark Schiefelbein

Like most Americans, watching the Olympics on TV has filled much of my free time during the past week & a half. So much so, I found myself staying up until 11:30pm or midnight to watch swimming, gymnastics, etc and found myself exhausted and not wanting to get up to run at 5am. I also found myself with a sinus infection this past week which gave me horrible sinus pressure, so bad at one point it made me nausous (no, I am NOT pregnant!). I am trying to get rid of it with over-the-counter medication so that I don't have to take antibiotics if I don't need to.

Speaking of the Olympics, I am insanely jealous that my brother Mark & my sister-in-law Didi are there. Mark got to see Michael Phelps win his last 3 medals and has some amazing photos of the events he's attended (visit Didi's blog at http://mychinajourney.blogspot.com/ to see some of his photos). Didi is working for the Associated Press and by the end of August will have spent 4 months in Beijing covering the Olympics & other stories leading up to the Games.

So back to my headline... I ran on Saturday with Team In Training for the first time in three weeks. (I was on vacation for 2 Saturday runs & missed last weeks because I felt like I was coming with a cold or something.) Our scheduled run for Nike full-marathoners was 12-14 miles and I usually try to push myself to go the furthest distance. My occasional running buddy Emily was not there so I took off by myself. Even though we meet at 5:30am, it was another hot and humid morning. I was getting tired toward the last 3-4 miles but I made myself keep moving - partially because I found it's easier to keep running than walk and try to get moving again & partially because it was sunny (not a cloud in the sky) and hot so I wanted to get back as soon as I could.

What we typically do is run one way to a certain point, turn around & run to another point and then come back to where we started to get our full mileage. About halfway through the mileage, I hadn't seen another TNT person or coach for a couple miles. I was worried that I had heard the trunaround points wrong. Once I got close to the second turnaround point, I saw our water station and was a little less concerned. Usually I see other people during the course of my run but had only seen Carolyn (a Maui half-marathoner who runs different distances than the rest of us) about 3 miles before the turnaround point. Once I turned around, I expected to see other TNT runners within a few minutes. I did not see anyone for over a mile after I turned around! Which meant I was over 2 miles ahead of everyone! I was shocked since I felt like I had slowed down after my first 3-4 miles and usually was much closer to the other TNT members.

I finished my 14 miles in about 2:50 (my watch didn't pick up the satellite until I was already running for a couple minutes so I don't know my exact time). This is a little over a 12-minute mile pace, a pace I have run faster than other times. However, I finished about 20-25 minutes before any of the other marathoners. How am I that much faster than the rest of them? I've seen some of the other participants finish ahead of me and usually the mentors finish ahead of me too.

So am I fast like Michael Phelps? No! But apparently I am faster than the other Tucson TNT participants, at least on August 16th I was.

Now for the fundraising update: I received a donation in the mail from my grandpa & step-grandma this week. If I didn't know it would cause more trouble, I would mail it back to her. After all, I am doing this for her and others like her! The $250 check also included a note that made me tear up a bit.

Another $80 this past week came from Dan's birthday party (aka The Beer Olympics). Dan decided that the money people gave for the keg should go to LLS. So if you came to the party & didn't contribute to the keg, make a donation on my website at http://pages.teamintraining.org/dm/nikesf08/jwellborn.

Thanks to everyone for their support & contributions. It's not too late to make a dontation to the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society! We are still only halfway to our goal!

New Honored Teammates & Technical Issues

I planned to write an update before Dan's and my vacation to the upper Midwest but time was not my friend. So this blog covers about 3 weeks.

First, the newest honored teammates:

Cindy Wool - my dentist's good friend is at TMC awaiting a bone marrow match after her recent leukemia diagnosis

(name to be added, can't remember) - my co-worker Joseph Espinoza-Gonzales' cousin who lost his battle with leukemia last week

Both of these stories touched me when I heard about them. Joseph's family was hopeful when his cousin first received the diagnosis a couple months ago. These lives and the lives of others just like them is why we need to find a cure for blood cancers (and ALL cancers). No more lives should be cut short by a cancer diagnosis! Together, we can make a difference through the donations we make towards research, patient & family support and the advocacy we do to get the word out to those around us. If you'd like to make a small difference today, you can make a donation to the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society at http://pages.teamintraining.org/dm/nikesf08/jwellborn

And now I will get down from my soap box and fill you in on the recent training experiences. Let me start by saying I thought the recent summer monsoons & accompanying humidity would prepare me for my visit to Wisconsin & Iowa. It kind of did...

On the first day of our trip to Wisconsin, I intended to get up & run the planned 12-14 miles. I got up at about 6:30am Wisconsin time (my usual 4:30am Tucson time) and left my Aunt Jan's house for my run. At the end of her street, I glanced down at my Garmin & it was off, which was weird because it had been on outside her house when I hit "start" at the beginning of my run. I charged my Garmin overnight before we left so I wouldn't need to bring the charger with me on the trip - we had enough charger between the cell phones, digital camera, etc. I turned it back on and it immediately died. I'd gotten the "low battery" warning when it turned on but have run for 4 hours after the low battery warning before so I figured I could make it through this run & some of the shorter ones. Boy was I wrong! Since I hadn't mapped a route in her neighborhood, figuring I would use my Garmin to figure out distance and make up a route as I went, I moved on to plan B. I figured if I ran for about 2 hours, I should be close to the 2 hour mark. About 2-3 miles (as best I can figure) from her house, I realized I hadn't brought GU or a Luna Bar with me so I had nothing to refuel my body halfway through my run. So I moved to plan C and decided to run for an hour to hour and a half. I think I ended up running about 6 miles but I am not sure. I wasn't able to drive my route later to check.

Needless to say, since Dan & I were visiting family & staying with them, I didn't run as much as I planned.

This past Friday, the day before gorgeous bride Inga's wedding to Soren, I ran with my father-in-law Dennis, my brother-in-law Trevor (aka the Marine), and the father of the groom Rex. I told Dennis that I needed to do a 10 to 12 mile run & he told me he had a route planned in McGregor. We met at 6:30am, although I didn't get as much sleep as I'd planned since we spent a lot of time the night before hanging out at the Hattery's (Dan's mom's side of the family) Riverhouse on the Mississippi. I was greeted by heavy humidity (I was ON the Mississippi so I should have expected it) and a pack of runners a bit faster than myself. I was contantly bringing up the rear but resisted the urge to try to keep up because I knew that would only spell trouble. After we ran down picturesque Main Street McGregor, we ran through some of the surrounding neighborhoods and up an insane hill. I felt like I was crawling up the hill but couldn't keep my breath steady (I guess even though I missed our Sabino Canyon training, I got my own hill training). Since the hill also was curvy, there were times when I couldn't see the others. However, when I got to the top they were all waiting & cheering for me. I really appreciated their support, even though I am sure Dan's brother was annoyed by my slowness. He's used to PT with the Marine Corps and I couldn't keep up with the rest.

That morning, the humidity really zapped me. I struggled through the second half of the 11 miles I eventually ran, even walking for about a 1/3 to 1/2 mile stretch. But I finished & finished strong. I purposely planned the run for Friday so I would be fresh & rested for the wedding & reception on Saturday. What a great time we had. It was fantastic to see Inga & Soren get married. I love those two, they are awesome. Since the very first time I met Inga, I loved her and it's impossible not to love her (and Soren). I am sad the DJ did not have Perry Como's "Papa Loves Mambo" for Dan & I to dedicate to them. There's a special memory of the 4 of us tied to that song.

I resolve to complete the rest of my training program in it's entirety. I can't keep cutting corners & skipping days of training. Those with cancer don't get to skip a day, why should I? Remember, you can make a difference & donate to the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society. Please see the blog titled " Newsletter Vol. 1" for more information about Leukemia & Lymphoma Society & Team In Training

Dan during the Leinenkugel''s Brewery Tour
Me during the New Galrus Brewery tour (no, I didn't partake in the tasting)
Dan's happy place - boating on the Mississippi
Dan & our niece Alex
The Riverhouse
Inga & Soren as husband & wife
Lynn (mother of the bride), Inga & Alex

Soren, Inga, Dan & me (Is it just me or do I look chubby?)