And so it begins...

Today was our first day of training for the IRONMAN Couer d'Alene. We met up in Playa Del Rey for an easy run (40 mins) and a fundraising pep talk. Naturally it was beautiful as we ran along the strand next to the beach...I'm talking 80 degrees outside beautiful! Our run consisted of getting to know our teammates and a few drills guaranteed to make you look like a whack-a-saurus. It was definitely a fun time and I'm looking foward to many more workouts with my teammates.

A little background for those who have "stumbled" upon my blog. I have teamed up with the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society’s Team in Training program for the IRONMAN Couer d'Alene on June 24, 2007. And I have committed to raising $10,000 to help find a cure and provide assistance to those fighting leukemia, Hodgkin’s Disease, lymphoma, and myeloma.

So you're probably asking yourself, "Why would anyone want to do all that?" Well, here are just a few of my reasons:

- Leukemia, lymphoma and myeloma are cancers of the bone marrow, lymphatic tissue or blood.
- Every five minutes someone in the U.S. will learn he or she has a blood cancer – more than 300 people a day. Every ten minutes, another child or adult is expected to die from a blood cancer.
- Leukemia is still the leading cause of disease death in children under the age of 20. However, it kills 10 times more adults than children.

I hope that you'll enjoy tracking my progress over the next eight months on my blog!


I'd like to encourage everyone to visit my website to make a donation: http://www.active.com/donate/tntgla/jenharmon
Remember, every dollar donated is one dollar closer to finding a cure!