Just a guy named "Frank" and a girl named "Typhoid Mary"

"You're a nurse? Awesome! I LOVE NURSES!"

That was one of the first things that an average guy named Frank said to me. After only a couple of hours, though, I learned that he wasn't just an average guy, he was my hero. Frank is one of our Team In Training heroes, and came to our practice at Valley Forge last weekend. Frank is about our age, just an ordinary guy who went to his doctor for a checkup a few years ago. When he pointed out a lump, he expected his physician to just reassure him. He ended up with a diagnosis of Hodgkin's Lymphoma. Frank and his wife walked in the Anchorage Half Marathon last June. The whole team was really honored that Frank came to our practice; it helped to remind us why we were out on another COLD weekend morning!

I started out slower than the rest of the group-- again! I was so frustrated! It seems like the first 2 miles is hardest for me. Once I get there, I have discovered that I pretty much feel like I could walk for 4 more days. But so much of my journey so far has been in my head. My self doubt is a really hard thing to overcome! I really struggle in deciding between the half and full marathon distances. I walked a good bit of the way with my fundraising mentor, Cheryl, who told me about her experiences in training for the Walt Disney World Half Marathon last month. (It is now my life's goal to walk the Disney Marathon too, but one race at a time...) I was able to complete 4 of the 5 miles.

On the way back, our hero Frank walked with us. It was so great to get to talk to him, and learn a little bit more about him and his family, and their battle with Lymphoma. Frank said that he understood how I felt about the half vs. full issue. But he pointed out that the half is JUST as great as the full. It's a full 13.1 miles, and that's a long freakin' way! Frank talked about all the help that he got from the Society when he was too sick to work. And that needs to be my goal-- not 13 miles or 26 miles or 500 miles. My goal is to raise money to help other ordinary guys like Frank. So that someday, guys like Frank won't have to know what it is to fight for their lives against an enemy they can't even see. So I'll put one foot right in front of the other one, and no matter HOW long it takes me, half or full, I'll cross the finish line for all the average guys!

Sadly, my training has not been going very well this week. I unfortunately came down with a cold last weekend. I was feeling semi-crummy on Friday, but stuck it out for practice on Saturday. My theory was, if I wasn't willing to cancel my lunch plans with my friend Nicole, that I wasn't willing to stay home from practice. But by Saturday night, it was clear that I was really sick. On Monday morning, I called out sick from work, and went to the doctor. He gave me some antibiotics, and I called the office to cancel all my patients for Tuesday. By Weds., my fever was about 103.5 and I was completely miserable. I told Dan that if I started seeing pink orangutans swinging from the stairs that he needed to take me to the hospital! Luckily, we were the only primates in the house for the rest of the week. I went back to the doctor on Weds., I have new antibiotics and a fancy inhaler, and a diagnosis of probably pneumonia. My friend Heidi has nicknamed me "Typhoid Mary" this week. So needless to say, the only walking I have been doing is the trail between the bed and the couch!

Well, dear friends, sorry it's been so long since there's been an update. The fundraising letters should be all finished by Saturday- so check your mailboxes! I have to look at the practice schedule to update our total mileage. I look forward to updating the fundraising numbers as well! Thanks everyone for all your support!

-Sara