Winter Season - Week 14

"A journey of a thousand miles begins with one step." ~ Lao-Tzu

Fundraising Tip:
Gimme 5. This is a great way to get larger quantities of people to donate just a little and spread the word to all of their friends to donate. This is what your email will say:
Gimme 5 minutes of your time – Go to my website at (put your website address here) and read about what I'm is doing. Gimme $5 (or $10) – Just donate online. Five dollars for a great cause – and hey if you want to donate more, fantastic!! Gimme 5 friends – Send this to five friends and help spread the word! 5 is the age of McKynna, our honored patient. I am running for her. She was diagnosed 2 years ago and is still in treatment. Every 5 minutes someone new is diagnosed with a blood cancer – money for research is desperately needed – so please donate now.

Training Tip:
The long run is the most important component of marathon training because it teaches the body to both mentally and physically tackle the challenges presented in completing the 26.2-mile event. Physiologically, the body must learn to tap into and utilize energy reserves from fat storage sites after the glycogen (fuel stores in the muscles, converted over from carbohydrate food sources) have been depleted. Through long run training, the capacity to store more glycogen within the muscles increases. An increase in glycogen stores translates into the ability to maintain one's pace during the marathon and delay the onset of fatigue. Conversely, trouble is on the horizon when you run out of glycogen, as your pace will significantly decrease. One must also be accustomed to running for very long periods of time, and the mental toughness that develops from completing long training runs pays off handsome dividends during the actual marathon. The long run also provides an excellent opportunity to experiment with a variety of issues and concerns (e.g., shoes, nutrition, pacing, etc.). Above all, marathon training schedules must be designed so that runners are adequately rested prior to undertaking their long runs. One who completes at least two long runs of 20 miles or longer prior to his or her marathon will no doubt reduce the possibility of visiting the dreaded "wall" (the point in time when glycogen stores within the muscles have been depleted and as a result, the runner's pace slows considerably, oftentimes to a walk).

Frequently Asked Question:
WHO LOVES THIER MENTORS?
Your Mentor is a special Team Member who has successfully completed his or her training and fundraising aspects of the program, and loves TNT so much that they just can’t stand to leave it! They have been in contact with you on a regular basis. Mentors are one of your best resources. They have “been in your shoes” and have great advice. Mentors share fundraising ideas and have often trained together with you. They help us to ensure that you have a positive, enjoyable Team In Training experience. PLEASE email me at kari.may@lls.org to let me know what your mentor has meant to you this season!

TNT In The News:
The Boston Globe
www.boston.com
Circulation – 264,105
Visitors Per Month – 1,200,000

Pay it Forward
http://www.boston.com/news/local/articles/2009/11/15/pay_it_forward/
By Cindy Cantrell
Television news anchor Kevin Walsh was living in Honolulu in the spring of 1996 when he covered the stories of two local leukemia patients - a 46-year-old man and 2-year-old girl - searching for life-saving bone marrow matches. Walsh, who signed up as a potential donor at one of their registration drives, says he was shocked when he received a call four years later that he was a match for a 16-year-old boy in St. Louis. Sadly, Walsh learned six months after his donation that the teenager had died from an infection just three weeks following the transplant. To honor the lives of the boy and other leukemia patients, Walsh ran in the Honolulu Marathon in December 2000 as a member of the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society’s Team in Training. Walsh, who now lives in Wellesley, has written a book, “The Marrow in Me,’’ about his experience as a donor and the series of coincidences that brought him to that day. “My greatest hope is that someone will be inspired to register as a potential donor and turn up as a match for someone somewhere in the world,’’ he said. “I didn’t get my perfect ending, so I want someone else to have it.’’

Mission Moment:
In Memory Of Firouz
CA United States
male
Lived with AML for 3 months

My father was diagnosed with AML in July at the age of 66. He underwent chemo, achieved remission, but relapsed within 3 weeks. We unsuccessfully tried another treatment, and my father passed away about 3 months after diagnosis. We live our lives expecting tomorrow, without truly appreciating today. If there's any good that came out of my dad's illness, it's that we had a chance to appreciate today as a family, knowing that we may not have tomorrow. My dad left this life knowing how loved he truly was and we were reminded of how much my dad loves us. This was my father's final gift to his family and friends. He is greatly missed!