The Adventure

Welcome to my blog about my Team In Training Adventure!

I just ran my first marathon (LA on March 21, 2010!!!) and within a week I had signed up for my next (Nike Women's Marathon, San Francisco October 17, 2010). Crazy? Maybe. Adventurous? Definitely! Why did I choose to sign up for another marathon so soon after my first? Because I have wanted the opportunity to train with a great friend and raise money for a great organization, Team in Training. So, what is Team in Training and why would it excite me so much that I signed up while I was still in post-first marathon haze? Well, to get some raw stats you can look at the Team in Training website, but let me tell you about it from my perspective.

Team in Training (TNT) is an organization that changes the lives of people in two ways. First, as the name implies, they train people. Seeing as how I just completed my first marathon I can feel somewhat confident saying that training for a marathon changes you. TNT trains athletes for marathons, half marathons, cycling events, triathlons, and hiking adventures. The social support they provide along the way will only enhance the overall experience of running a marathon. Second, and arguably most importantly, TNT raises money for the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society (LLS). While it has grown to be the largest endurance sports training program, like most great ventures, TNT began as a grassroots attempt. In 1988, Bruce Cleland created a team to run the New York City marathon in honor of his daughter, a survivor of leukemia. The team consisted of 38 members and raised $322,000 for LLS in that first year.

So, I hope that you will join me on this adventure as I blog about my experiences with TNT and running in general. In my next blog post I will tell you more about why I consider this to be such a big adventure and what exactly I hope to accomplish along the way.

Of course, I would sincerely appreciate your support in my fundraising goals. To help me in my goal, you can donate to TNT securely online by going to my TNT personal fundraising site here: http://pages.teamintraining.org/nyc/nikesf10/jchapleau Also, a check (from US banking accounts only, made payable to The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society) can be sent to me.