Getting my legs back

The mileage is really starting to increase now for my long training runs that I do with the TEAM on the weekend.  Today I completed 8 miles! Whoo!  It's been well over a year and a half since I ran that far.  It felt pretty good today and I had some great running buddies who kept me going.  I am adjusting to changes though, and running is a little different than it was before.  I'm getting use to accepting that I'm not as fast as I was pre-baby.  My body is not the same and I huff and puff more.  I just keep reminding myself that's OK, though.  The important part is that I finish the race, both with my running and my fundraising.

A couple of weeks ago I went up to work with a friend who works in the children's oncology section of one of the hospitals in the area.  We went up there after just completing 6 miles.  And, while we thought we had accomplished a great feat that day, visiting the hospital really put things in perspective and reminded me why I'm doing this.  Those children, who are such fighters, really inspire me to keep on running for them.  Their spirits are high and they are determined.  I realized my six miles was nothing!  They are the real marathoners and I'm going to keep raising money and run for them so that they can win the fight and no longer have to worry about the next round of chemo but only about what they are going to bring to their next show and tell at school.

Road to Denver: Week 3

This Saturday was the third official TEAM training for my road to the Denver marathon.  I'm finding training much more difficult than in seasons past.  Having a young baby and trying to fit in marathon training is not the easiest thing by any means.  Add onto that the "baby weight" that I'm trying to shed and my speed is certainly not what it was last year.  That's OK though.  The cause is plenty to keep me motivated.  Every Saturday morning, before we head out for our run, we do something called a "Mission Moment".  It's usually led by someone who is telling their story about their battle with cancer, or perhaps that of a close friend or family members.  Hearing about the struggles of battling such a horrible disease really puts the run ahead of me into perspective.  I mean, I've got the easy part.  The brave individuals who are battling their illness day in and day out are what I call the real marathoners.  One of my favorite sayings that I've heard during a mission moment and seen on a few TNT t-shirts now is "Think a marathon is hard? Try chemo".  And, that, my friends is all I need to remember that I can do this.  I can do the training and the fundraising because it's not as hard as what some friends and family members of my own have had to deal with in battling a blood cancer.

Just keep on keepin' on.
Taylor

Back in Action

I'm back in action, training for a marathon in Team in Training.  Check out April's training update below. Sign up to receive blog updates through email.  Just enter your email address in the box to the right and click submit.

Make a Donation | Follow Taylor's blog | Share on Facebook Taylor's Training Update | April 2011 I'm back in action A little over a year ago, this was me running in the Cowtown half marathon. I finished in 2:07. Over the past year, a lot has happened. I gave birth to my amazing son, Wyatt, and as you can imagine, I got "off the horse" for a while. Wyatt is 4 months old now. It is time to get back into shape and start racing to save lives once again! What's my next conquest? The Denver Rock n' Roll marathon on October 9, 2011. That's my training goal. But, the more important goal here is fundraising to support the powerful work of the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society (LLS). To date I have raised over $7,000 for the LLS while participating in Team in Training endurance events. Help me make that $10,000! Your donation helps accelerate finding a cure for leukemia, lymphoma and myeloma, in addition to funding patient programs to help those in need of medical help now. Please join me on my mission by making a tax-deductible gift toward my fundraising campaign. I greatly appreciate your generosity! Go TEAM, Taylor Did you know? An estimated 957,902 people in the United States are living with, or are in remission from, leukemia, Hodgkin lymphoma, non-Hodgkin lymphoma or myeloma. Every four minutes, someone new is diagnosed with blood cancer. My personal mission: To raise money for those who need it most while promoting health and fitness. Want to donate by check? If you prefer to donate by check, please send me an email. Visit my blog | Contact me