Tessa Runs for Cancer

Missing My Saturday Runs!

2009-03-21T15:12:00.000-07:00

Going on 2 weekends of missing my TNT team! Last weekend was good times in p-town and I DID manage to motivate myself to run on my own :) 80 minutes in the pouring rain around Lindsay's place and a super soggy st. pat's day dash downtown. Felt good at the time but now I'm SICK and missed the weekday run and the long run today. Feeling pretty annoyed and behind in my training...

Can't wait for our party next weekend on the 28th!! Hope there are tons of people there, we've got pretty awesome prizes for the beer pong winners and I think it's just going to be a great time in general!

Also have my fingers crossed for a big crowd at the concert! I've got 4 bands that I'm really excited about hearing! www.concertcure.com

Back to resting and dreaming of feeling better soon...

Shopping to Save Lives!

2009-03-08T20:59:00.000-07:00

Kristin Friesen is a local Seattle jewelry designer and an all around nice person who has offered to lend a hand in my fundraising! She makes amazing jewelry that is one of a kind and made by hand. It is extremely afforable and SUPER cute, you'll probably want to buy everything you see! Get something for yourself, a friend, a wife, girlfriend, etc... you'll get something out of it AND help support a good cause!
Visit her page at http://www.etsy.com/shop.php?user_id=5365727
Here's how you'll be able to help Team in Training:
Mention "Team in Training" in the notes to seller box during check out and 30% of your total order (less shipping) will be donated to Tessa Garrels for Team in Training. You will need to create an Etsy account if you do not already have one, signing up is free and easy. If you have any questions you may use the "contact" link on Kristin's shop page or contact her directly by email at kristinfriesen@gmail.com

Sore, tired, hungry!

2009-03-08T01:22:00.000-08:00

Another 80 minute run at 7:30 a.m. this morning, luckily it stopped POURING right before our run! Feeling stronger every saturday! Afterwards, new TNT friend Steve and I made the rounds in Ballard to collect donations for "lushes for leukemia" prizes. Who wants to win an azteca gift card? Gracias Azteca! It was definitely a long day and I came home tired, bum leg draggin' and soooo hungry! Apparently when you run for 80 minutes you need at least 2 lunches :)

Concert Raffle Items!

2009-03-06T15:35:00.000-08:00

Exciting news on the raffle front!

Donations are starting to come in...
-Lucky Labrador Brewing Co. hat and shirt
http://www.luckylab.com/
-Curious Comedy show tickets
http://www.curiouscomedy.org/curious/onstage.html
-Laurelwood Brewpub gift card
http://www.laurelwoodbrewpub.com/

Fabulous Saturday Morning

2009-02-28T11:18:00.000-08:00

What better way to start the weekend then an 80 minute run through the U-District? We lucked out with another morning of chilly weather but no rain! After our run the marathon team gathered for breakfast and chatting with new sweaty friends :)

We had a great mission moment this morning about joining the bone marrow registry to help those suffering with Leukemia. It is such an important thing to register for because matches are so rare. Check out how to join and what it would mean if you were ever needed for a donation:
http://www.marrow.org/HELP/Join_the_Donor_Registry/FAQs_about_Joining_the_Registry/index.html

When is the last time you donated blood? Here's some information from our last newsletter that may inspire you to call up your local blood bank!
Here is an example of what an Acute Myelogenous Leukemia (AML) patient received during his treatment from 1992 - 1993.
Full RBC units: 11
BRC Pedicpaks: 22
Pooled platelets: 103
Apheresis platelets: 21
FFP: 2
Cryoprecipitate: 19

Most of us have NO IDEA what all that means (thank goodness). But here 's a little stat to put things into perspective.

It takes 6 separate whole blood donors to pool a unit of platelets - That's 744 donors!!
It takes 5 separate whole blood donors to pool a unit of cryoprecipitate, total of 95 donors.

Just imagine how many adult donors gave blood to keep this little boy alive.

Such an easy thing to do, but lifesaving!

Fundraising Event Update!
The April 3rd Concert for a Cure will now feature 3 Portland bands/Performers! I'm really excited about this event, hopefully everyone will spread the word and make this a really fun evening!

Thanks for the continued support!

Snowy Run

2009-02-26T20:33:00.000-08:00

Another 40 minute run down! Definitely a very chilly 40 minutes since it snowed this morning, but somewhat easier since our legs were numb! Thankfully the time went by quickly as I jogged and chatted with Coach Kim. It's so nice to have such wonderful people to train with!

The best news is that things have totally come together for my Concert for a Cure on April 3rd! Local Portland band, North Head, has agreed to play and I'm really excited to have them! Check out their website at: http://www.myspace.com/northhead

Check out the venue at http://www.macadamsbarandgrill.com/

I'm so thankful to have both Nathan and North Head performing and such a great bar to host it at! I've already got one raffle item and now I can focus on adding more. Bring your moolah, you could be the winner of a gift card to the Laurelwood Brewery! http://www.laurelwoodbrewpub.com/

I'm so thankful to everyone that has helped!! I'll have lots of kind words of support to think of as I run my 80 minutes at 7:30 a.m. tomorrow!
Tessa

Beautiful Morning, Long Run

2009-02-21T23:27:00.000-08:00

Started of the day bright and EARLY this morning! After meeting at Seward Park at 7:30, we took off on a 70 minute run. What a great way to start the day, jogging along the shimmering lake with an amazing view of the mountains (and gorgeous I-90). I came home tired and pretty sore (and still sore) but feeling good. Our saturday training runs are building up in time so this is just the beginning! GREAT fundraising news this week!!! Kristin has agreed to donate a percentage of sales on her website to my fundraising when Team in Training is mentioned! She also designed some super cute purple Team in Training earrings! I made another $200ish this week in donations which puts me at around $500, so a HUGE thank you to everyone who has donated so far! My benefit concert for APRIL 3rd in PORTLAND is coming along! I had faith that something would come through band wise and I think it has, nothing 100% yet but it looks good! I'll keep you posted! Our Beer Pong Tourney at Claire and Brock's has been scheduled for the last weekend in March. We're thinking a $15 buy in per pair and we'll supply you with a set of cups. We'll have several tables going at once and then some sort of bracket to determine a winner. The winner will get a cash prize plus a glorious trophy and bragging rights :) We're thinking of some other things to add to the night as well, so mark your calendar! Eric's mom is going to knit some beanies and we'll split the profit so if you are interested in a cute homemade beanie, let me know! So many events!!Although it's a lot of work to fundraise, it is going to such a great cause that it makes it worth it. I think it has also been amazing to see how many friends have been supportive with donations, offering their time or services, asking people for things, etc. I'm pretty blown away by what people are willing to do. I really think that most people do want to help, they just need an opportunity. Ask and you shall receive! Hopefully that continues to be true as I brave the corporate world to ask for raffle item donations!!

Go Team!
Tessa

A Little Boost

2009-02-11T16:55:00.000-08:00

It's been a great 2 days in the world of fundraising! Because of wonderful friends, I raised my first $230! It is great to open my email and see a giant list of notifications that I've had a donation!

In other great news, I now have a location for my benefit concert!
Friday, April 3rd at Macadam's Bar and Grill in Portland!
More details to follow!

Fundraising and Inspiration

2009-02-09T15:39:00.001-08:00

Getting up early on a chilly and dark Saturday morning is definitely not easy but once you're out when the sun has come up, running for a reason and chatting with new friends, all that other stuff just doesn't seem important!

Saturday we had our second big group training run. Before every Saturday run we have a mission moment where we remember why we are running and working so hard to fundraise. A husband of one of our coaches spoke about his battle with Lymphoma. He talked about how training for a marathon and beating cancer are very similar in many ways including always looking ahead toward the finish line and knowing when to ask for help. He talked about the struggles with treatment and the importance of staying positive during painful procedures. We also heard about a team member who signed up for our marathon team and then last week found out her sister was diagnosed with Leukemia. She began her chemo on Saturday and so we thought of her as we ran. It's scary to think about how many people are diagnosed and how young they are. Just in talking with people about doing this fundraising, I've found out about a friend's family member who is currently in treatment, another friend's friend who is a survivor and a friend's family member who passed away as a child. It becomes a more important cause as you find out how many people around you this disease has affected.

In good news, I collected $75 in donations today which definitely made me feel like I can meet my goal of $1800 by June and make a difference!

Just as our honored member mentioned, you have to know when to ask for help and now is when I'm asking! http://pages.teamintraining.org/wa/rnrseatl09/tgarrels

Happy Monday,
Tessa

Benefit Concert

2009-02-07T18:50:00.000-08:00

I'm moving forward with my benefit concert idea! My friend Nathan has agreed to perform and I'm working through Allison on getting her boyfriend's band to play. Ideally I would like to have it in the near future so I can get rolling with my fundraising.
But I need help!
If you have any ideas of bars/places to rent to host a concert, let me know!
Know anybody that plays an instrument or is in a band?

This could be amazing if I can get it moving!

It's easy to help and a little goes a long way!
http://pages.teamintraining.org/wa/rnrseatl09/tgarrels

Training

2009-02-03T21:23:00.000-08:00

Phase 2 of my training: Adult Beginner Tap Class. Yeah, believe it. I think it'll be a nice addition to the running. Recital in June....Half Marathon in June.... things just got crazy. Maybe the people in my tap class will donate :)

The Journey Begins

2009-01-31T21:58:00.000-08:00

Today marked our first run for Team in Training! So far it's been a great experience, and we've only had 2 events! Last night we met our "team" and mentor, we are just a small group in a big sea of runners! I think there are a few hundred marathon/half marathoners in all. We heard an amazing speech from a cancer survivor. He was diagnosed when he was only 29 and had 3 young children. Now he's been cancer free for about 10 years and has ridden in several 100 mile bike races! Just shows you the power of the human spirit. Today our marathon honored member talked about his battle with cancer as well. Even while continuing to battle chemotherapy, he shows up with a huge grin on his face. I think the hardest part last night was when they showed a tribute to a young boy who died of cancer. I think that is what pushes you the most to want to raise the money, when you see kids that are suffering. Training for a half marathon might be hard, but seeing pictures and hearing stories about chemotherapy and bone marrow transplants makes it worth the sweat.

I definitely have my own, somewhat selfish, reasons for running this half marathon (4 weddings this summer, wanting an event that would push me to train, making new friends) but in hearing stories and meeting people just in the first 2 days of the program it kind of changes your motivation. I don't think there is any way you can walk away and not be inspired to go the extra mile in your runs and in your attempts to raise money to help increase the quality of life for those suffering with Leukemia and Lymphoma.

I'll post my journey here as I learn more about the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society and pound the pavement towards that 13.1 miles at the (1st Ever!!) Rock and Roll Marathon in June. Check back to see where this journey takes me and how you can help me reach my goal!

How you can help:
* EVERY little bit helps! Go to my fundraising website http://pages.teamintraining.org/wa/rnrseatl09/tgarrels to donate!

*Check my blog for upcoming events (I'm thinking Luau for Leukemia, Keg for a Cure, a benefit concert...who knows! Got any good idea? Send them my way!)

As we say in training, Go Team!