25%!!!

I have officially raised over 25% of my money for the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society!!! As of last night I have raised $1603!!! That's just over 26% of the total goal that I set for myself which is actually much more than what I have to have for the marathon. Please visit my fundraising website... see the link on the right and check it out!

Thank you everyone for your continued support. I really appreciate it!

10 miles tomorrow... I'm actually looking forward to it. AND, Kelly [sister in law!] is coming to visit TODAY! I get to leave work today at noon and she'll be here at 3:00pm!! :)

I'll have a report after the group training session later this weekend.
Until then,
Melissa

Harder, Better, Faster, Stronger

Every time I hear this Kanye West song I think about this new running adventure that I am on. I know that the song has nothing to do with this and isn't even that wonderful if you read the lyrics, but still...

Harder - Each week from here on out is going to get harder and harder.
Better - Each week from here on out I am going to feel better and better about my ability to finish the marathon.
Faster - Each week from here on out I am going to get faster [as evidenced by my performance on Sunday!!!]
Stronger - Each week from here on out I am going to get stronger... I can already feel myself becoming more toned and having more strength in day to day activities, not to mention while running.


Work it harder, make it better,
do it faster, makes us stronger,
more than ever, never over,
Our work here is never over.

Mardi Gras Marathon - Pictures

The following are pictures of our awesome Sunday morning in New Orleans :)

Us at the starting line... before.

Karen and me, before! Go Tigers!


Karen and me... AFTER :)

Three girls, with beer, after :)

Karen!!!

We also had lots of professional pictures by MarathonFoto but the proofs are SO tiny online you can't save them and see them really at all. There's a funny one of me at the finish line, though :) Haha.

Until next time,
Love,
Melissa

New Orleans Half Marathon!!!

What a fabulous weekend! First, college baseball started at LSU on Friday and at Clemson on Saturday. Clemson won the series, Wil Boyd hit a home run, and I missed every single minute of it. But I'll be listening during the week!

Second, and the biggest news, is that I ran in the Mardi Gras Half Marathon in New Orleans, and I got a PR [personal record] by 2:15!!! Last January I ran 2:23.45 and TODAY I ran 2:21.32!!!! The chip time is actually 2:23.15 but that's because I waited in line for a portapotty for about 1:00 and then got back on the course after about 2:00 total. I stopped my watch to do that, so my watch reflects the time [2:21.32] that I was actually running. It was so fabulous. I felt SO STRONG, so happy, and so confident!

Marcelle and her friends were waiting for me around mile 10-11, and they had a sign that said "GO MELISSA, ASHLEY, AND KAREN." I was so happy to see her! It was so sweet of her to have a sign for us, that was so awesome.

I was technically there with those two sweet girls but we all ended up running at different paces so we just met up at the end! Ashley was cheering for me and then after I finished she and I cheered for Karen! It was so great. The whole time I was running I was wondering where I would see Mauri, our TNT coach, and I finally saw her at Mile 11.25ish. That was so fabulous! It was great to see her and when I told her I KNEW I was going to get a best time, I really did know it for sure.

We spent about an hour and a half [after a Subway and two beers and Chee-Wees!] cheering on the marathon finishers. It was incredible. We saw one girl who was really in trouble medically when she crossed the finish line. They had to put her in a wheelchair and all but we never heard sirens or anything so we hope she was alright. It was pretty scary though. We were standing there watching marathoners finish and all of a sudden Ashley realized that a TNT teammate of ours, Rose, was finishing the half marathon. We started jumping up and down and screaming Go Rose! Go Rose! It was awesome!!!

Other sights we saw were a daddy holding his three-week old baby after running the half marathon, the most beautiful blonde curly haired 19-month old named Wyatt :) whose Mommy had just run it, and a woman who was sobbing while embracing her husband after finishing the marathon. It is always such an emotion-filled place to be. I just love it.

So then we walked back to the hotel, via a pit stop in Dominic's Bar for bloody marys for them and an Abita Amber for me. We showered, checked out, and then went to Chili's for lunch/dinner/snack, whatever it was.

I've just been home resting ever since. It was such a wonderful weekend. I am actually looking forward to running my 10 miles on Saturday. I really do think this is the beginning of something wonderful this Spring. We shall see :)

Until then,
Love always,
Melissa

Washed by the Water

Even when the rain falls
Even when the flood starts rising
Even when the storm comes
I am washed by the water

Daddy was a preacher
She was his wife
Just tryin' to make the world a little better
You know, shine a light
People started talking
Trying to hear their own voice
Those people tried to accuse my father
Said he made the wrong choice
Though it might be painful
You know that time will always tell
Those people have long since gone
My father never failed

Even if the Earth crumbles under my feet
Even if the ones I love turn around and crucify me
I won’t never ever let you down
I won’t fall
I won’t fall
I won’t fall as long as you’re around me!

-- Washed by the Water, needtobreathe, from the album The Heat. Also the title line of my blog comes from this song. It's raining all day today and I've had it in my head. Look up needtobreathe if you don't know them. They are fabulous! www.needtobreathe.net

Love,
Melissa

$1000!!!!

I wanted to let everyone know that I have raised my first $1000 as of this afternoon! Actually, over $1100 after I checked the mail this evening. I am so thrilled because that means that over $750 of that goes directly to research and treatment of blood cancers through the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society!!! How amazing. I am so thankful for each of you who has contributed so far. Thank you from the bottom of my heart.

I also wanted to let you know that with this first $1000 came my first "dedication" as well. I mentioned in all of my letters that I'd love for all of you to let me know about people in your life who have been affected by blood cancers or cancer in general. I'd really like to dedicate my run in honor and memory of these people. Well, this week I received a donation from my cousin Genie Hill in Charleston. Her husband Bob died in 2003 of carcinoid cancer, and she asked that I dedicate my run to him. I am honored to run for Bob and for Genie and for each of you. Please keep the stories coming.


More soon. Until then enjoy this incredible weather that we've been having, as well as this exciting week... hehe... college baseball opening week!!

Love always,
Melissa.

BEAUtiful Day.

Today was the most perfect Saturday EVER. I spent it with Remy, which was incredible. I woke up at 5:30 and took him outside, then took him back upstairs to sleep with Tony while I got dressed and went to meet the Team in Training folks for our 6:30a.m. group training session. They had been saying all week that it was going to be horrible weather today, but I think someone got that very wrong. It was cloudy and chilly and windy at 6:30a.m., but I had taken my long sleeve shirt off after about a mile and a half. I ran with Ashley, Kelly, and Maydel until Kelly and Maydel broke off to do about one mile less than Ashley and me. Ashley and I are running in the Mardi Gras Half Marathon next weekend, so we thought we'd need to do a 10k today in preparation for next week's 20-ish-k :) I'm not too sure how that's going to go next week, but that's a different topic for another day. I'm supposed to be writing about the BEAUtiful day we had today! After our 6.2ish miles, a wonderful breakfast, and a spontaneous group shopping spree at Fleet Feet, I came home and Remy and I went outside and sat for about an hour and a half. Well, I laid on a towel and he laid on my chest and I fell asleep in the sun. It was wonderful. We checked the mail before coming inside, and I had three donations in there, totaling $226.20!! That brings the running total of donations to just under $950. I am so excited!

So after hanging out outside we came in and watched the Ford Ironman World Championships [well a replay of it on NBC] from Kona, Hawaii. That consists of swimming 2.4 miles, biking a zillion, and running a marathon. Wow. The chick who won was just someone who picked up running to lose weight however many years ago and look at her now. Wow. :) After that we "watched" golf, meaning we took another nap until about 5:30. We woke up and there was an infomercial on, haha.

So tonight Tony is finally coming home from studio and we're going to watch Rush Hour 3 that just came from Blockbuster Online. It really was a BEAUtiful day today and I can't believe it's only mid-February! I hope tomorrow isn't as yucky as they say it's going to be, but it probably will be...

Until next time...
Love always,
Melissa

BIRTHDAY day

Today is my birthday :) And it's my week to have a half-day off of work today. Fabulous! I plan on going to Target and then going home to take a nap with Remy. Then tonight we're celebrating with some friends and going to bed early, since we have our weekly group run at 6:30am tomorrow! :)

As a fundraising report, I'm proud to announce that I have over $500 now! $562 to be exact. I received an unsolicited donation from a good friend, as well as a check in the mail yesterday from the Grattans. I can't wait to run with the group tomorrow and to check in with everyone's training and fundraising progress!

They say the rain is supposed to hold off so that's a good thing! I plan on having a lazy Saturday tomorrow with Remy after the run and breakfast. Hopefully that's what I'll get to do :)

Clemson baseball countdown... 1 week until Opening Day. [For those of you who don't know, I am a huge fan of college baseball, as of about 5 years ago. I just really love it, and it starts in a ONE WEEK so I am really excited about that].

Until next time,
Love.

Birthday Week

Yes, it is my Birthday Week! I am going to be 26 on Friday, February 15th. It's also Valentine's Day week, of course, but we're going to focus on it being Birthday Week :) After the ridiculous "run" I had on Sunday, I took Monday off instead of going to yoga, mainly because Tony was coming home from New York on Monday. So, the first time I ran since Sunday was yesterday, Tuesday, after work. I ran 3 very strong miles and was very happy about it. Not as fast as I'd like, but quite strong so it was great! Also, I was wearing shorts which some of you know I hate, so that didn't help I don't think ;-) Tonight I'll be running 4 miles after work, it promises to be a strong 4 miles as well. Hopefully. Then tomorrow it's 3 miles again, then rest on Friday [Birthday day!], then 6.2 with the Team on Saturday morning. T-minus 11 days until the Mardi Gras Half Marathon in New Orleans! Yay.

On a fundraising note, I am up to $437!!! Keep it coming, y'all! Still awaiting almost 70 envelopes from South Carolina, so that promises to be successful.

Until the weekend,
Melissa

Bonk.

Well, the Sunday afternoon long run that was supposed to be 9 miles didn't exactly turn out that way. I was running with Marcelle and Ashley, which promised to be wonderful. However, after the first two miles [which felt amazing to me, by the way!!] they said my face looked really red and I was starting to feel sick to my stomach. I made it all the way to the three mile mark where the water fountain is at The Chapel, and there decided that I was not going to make it. So, I peeled off from the other two girls and promised to text them when I got back to my car. It was from then on that I knew something was really wrong, because I stopped sweating around mile 4. At that point I was walking more than I was running. Neither of those things has happened to me in my [albeit young] two year running career. When I stopped sweating I knew I was dehydrated. I was so mad that I had let myself get like that. I thought I had prepared appropriately but I guess I hadn't. It was 2:00pm and not a cloud in the sky. I was really hot, but I'm always hot while running when other people are just comfortable. So... I got in my car and went home disappointed, but happy I guess that I had gotten at least 5ish miles in. Oh well. This coming weekend we'll be back at 6:30am and doing 6.2 miles together [me and Ashley anyway]. We decided after my episode yesterday that we don't need to be going in the afternoons at all anymore. Looking forward to 6:30am Saturday for sure!!!

As for a fundraising update, I already have $358! I am excited. Keep it up, those of you who haven't donated yet. If you can, we really need your support! And please let me know of the people you'd like me to run in honor of... it makes each step that we take during our training mean so much more!

Until next time,
Love always,
Melissa

Donations and Weekend Update

I received three checks in the mail in the past two days! One was for $26.20, one for $52.40, and one for $100.00!! I hope this is only the beginning of a very good few months. Also, today [Saturday] I went to Counter Culture [sorta like a TCBY, sorta] and saw a display with holes for quarters and realized it was for the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society. I have never paid attention to what those are for, but have seen them all my life [at Never On Sunday in Greenville especially!] Well I put the three quarters that I had in my wallet at the time in there, and decided that I will always do that. I am embarrassed that causes like this and so many others have gone somewhat unnoticed by me thus far, but this campaign is helping to change that! I guess you could say it already has!

Today, Kim and I went to New Orleans to volunteer with Operation Playground. Our team painted a basketball court [half of one at least] on the expansive asphalt "play yard." It helped make a huge difference in the play yard itself. The school was an awesome, very old New Orleans school building located in the Garden District [7th and Constance]. The assistant principal spoke, and a little first grader named DaWayne said the Pledge of Allegiance, as well as a few other very sweet things about respect, etc., that they have them memorize and recite every morning before school. It was so sweet, I teared up, I must admit. He definitely inspired us to work for 3.5 hours in the hot [even though it's February!] sun. I am really, really glad that Kim and I went. It was great!

Tomorrow I am substituting in the toddler room at the Chapel, and then Ashley, Marcelle, and I are running 8-9 miles. Then I'm going to watch Clemson basketball with Danny and Karen, so I am really excited about that! Maybe one year Clemson will win in Chapel Hill... and now seems like a good time to start.

I'm gonna go play with Remy now... until next time,
Melissa

First Donation!

Today I received my first donation! Well, sort of. I did about an hour and a half of Photoshop work for someone on Sunday and I convinced him to pay me via a check made out to the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society! So that is my first official donation, and I will have it in my hands tomorrow. I hope it's only the first of very many.

Today is a 3 mile run day. We don't have work today because it's Mardi Gras, and it is about 80 degrees and 75% humidity. So I will go running sometime this afternoon [not excited about the heat though!!] before I go babysit baby Ian Morgan tonight. I also plan to put any babysitting money that I earn between now and June towards my campaign.

More soon.
Until then,
Melissa

Team in Training Website

My Team in Training website can be found at:

www.active.com/donate/tntla/tntlaMThreatt

You can visit it anytime to check up on my progress or to donate to this cause.

Thanks in advance for your support! :)

Love,
Melissa

First Group Training Run

Today is Saturday, February 2nd, 2008, and today was our first training run. I hope that some of my supporters, friends, and family are reading this blog and will check back regularly to read about my progress. I promise to write often!

Now, about today. I arrived at Baton Rouge Beach right before 7:00 a.m. and saw a few ladies standing together. I saw Mauri so I knew I was in the right place. It was really cold, about 38 degrees I think, and I was wearing my LSU sweatshirt and hated to leave it behind in the car. We split up into a few groups, some running 4 miles, some walking, and some running 6 miles. I ended up running with Ashley, which was wonderful! We were a part of the 6 mile crowd. I always thought I couldn't talk while running, and while yes it's quite difficult and take awhile to get a thought across, I was able to this morning. We got to know each other a little, and when we rejoined the group after finishing, we got to know the other ladies a little bit as well. I agree with what Mauri said - this is definitely a great group! See below for a few pictures :)

The team's first official injury!

Kelly stretching after her 6 mile run!
The group! Kizzie [sorry, I don't know how to spell it yet!], Jessica, Ashley, Melissa, Mauri, Katrina, Kelly, and Rose! We missed everyone who wasn't there today and I hope to see them in two weeks for sure!

So now I am just at home resting, cleaning a little, and being with my puppy. He's asleep right next to me right now. I'll probably be taking a nap in a little while as well!

Until next time,
Love,
Melissa

Why I'm creating this blog...

I have been wanting to write a blog for awhile, but other than the arrival of little Remy into our family this past October, I haven't had a reason to. Until this week. This week I mailed out letters of support announcing that I will be participating in the Rock'n'Roll Marathon in San Diego, California on June 1. All along the way, I will be raising money for the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society, to help research and treat blood cancers. We have an honored teammate in whose honor we will be running. Her name is Chloe and she lives outside of New Orleans in Harvey, Louisiana. Her family is living with the reality of blood cancers every day. We hope that the money that we raise over the next few months will go towards helping make their lives, and the lives of millions of others living with cancer, a lot easier.

This morning we had our first group training run/walk. We took and group picture and that made me realize that I should begin to blog about my experiences over the next 4 months. So here we go...