The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society Team In Training

Phone: 310-283-0776 (cell)

My Coaching Philosophy: You can do this. Only once (tripped on a curb) has one of the athletes of 1,000+ on my teams not finished a race they started. But to finish you must get to the start line. You have already taken the first steps! This is going to be a wonderful experience. Over the next few months we will start from square one (or square zero) and eventually we’ll all get to either square 13.1 or 26.2, in beautiful cities, with cheering friends and family, and save lives, and feel great about it! We will have clinics on all the basics. Although there will be a little bit of soreness here and there as we train and re-teach our legs their function, it is manageable. Besides, it is fun to tell your friends you are sore from running for 3 or 4 hours! (3 months from now). And it is all done at YOUR pace. No one will push you harder than you push yourself. And guess what? There will be others who are the same pace. In fact, we will no doubt tell a whole bunch of you not to push so hard! We are very injury averse and we have PLENTY of time to get ready. But for now, no worries, you will learn what a good pace is for you. Guaranteed. FYI: We will eat lots of food for energy too of course (yeah) and will learn to eat and drink properly . So…Come to practice, and GO TEAM!

My Life / TNT Philosophy: I have learned the importance of having this fit into one’s life, trying to be somewhat injury free with lots of rest and recovery, not always for speed, and ALWAYS HAVE FUN DOING IT! Much of that fun has come from the TNT experience: knowing we are beating cancer every day, from the great people I have met here, (like you), many of whom have become my dear friends. I hope the same will happen for you with your experience here. Certainly we will have fun! HINT: Get going on your fundraising right away and your biggest challenge may turn out to be not so big after all. Double your goal and your donors will respond similarly. Then we can train with less worry and stress, and the fun will just ooze out of every pore! Oh yes, there IS a little effort on your end!!

My History: At 41 years old I started running after many years of “resting”. All that resting made me tired (of resting) and, after my mom died of cancer, I was tired of being a helpless bystander. SO, I went to a Team In Training Information Meeting and joined, like YOU! My first season was very busy. After being motivated by hearing survivor Virginia (she still inspires me), I challenged myself to run a marathon and also to learn to swim, buy a bike, do a Tri, and do lots of fundraising. My training went well (except the swimming-”Badswimshaw”) and so did the fundraising. People respond when you tell them you are trying to cure cancer. I completed the Anchorage Midnight Sun Marathon (not run at midnight I discovered ), Wildflower Triathlon, and San Diego Rock ‘N Roll Marathon. Since then I have done quite a few other races (most with TNT, one way or another) and have had a “life-enhancing” & many inspiring experiences doing it!! I am looking forward to working with you and finding out what inspires you?!

Over the years with TNT I have learned to run faster (qualifying for the Boston Marathon) and learned to run longer (running three marathons in three days and two marathons in one day). I also completed many IronMan races. Since I started with TNT, I’ve run more than 50 marathons, 30 triathlons, and lots of 100 mile+ Century Cycles. And, I’ll be there again on your race day too!!!

Phone: 206-465-2676

WELCOME to one of the most amazing experiences ever! Before joining TNT, I saw people with purple shirts at marathons, and they would get great support throughout the race. Then at one marathon, I found one of those TNT coaches had to help me make it up a hill that I was struggling to conquer. Looking at the shirt, I realized he was from Team In Training to support the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society.

This cause had meaning for me as my husband, Scott, had two bouts of Hodgkin’s Disease, a form of lymphoma, and he was cancer free for 18 years. In November of 2006, he was diagnosed with another form of cancer, and he passed away in September of 2007. TNT has given me a voice in a battle I can not win alone. I not only have a way of fighting back at the disease that has taken some very precious people from this world, but I also have a wonderful supportive “family” of friends that are helping me help others still fighting to survive. I know what it is like to live every day coming face to face with the effects of cancer through my husbands struggle and as a nurse. I have met some incredible people that would not be alive without the help of medications that were developed as a result of funding by the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society. These people have impacted my life and helped support me through my husband’s illness.

It is estimated that about 100,000 Americans will be diagnosed with a form of Leukemia or Lymphoma this year. This may be your sister, brother, mother, father, son, daughter, friend, relative or you. That is the reason my e-mail address is walkinit4u@yahoo.com. We do not know who will get cancer, but finding a cure is my dream right now.

“If you can dream it. You can do it.” – Walt Disney

As you embark on this adventure, we (coaches, mentors, managers, and support staff) want to be part of helping you achieve your goal. You will make new friends as you train, endure through difficult training days, achieve what you have only dreamed of doing, and matter to those struggling to win their battle with cancer. You will find that being part of a team like this will change your life!

Phone: 626-278-3951

2 Marathons and I’m hooked!!! I was a baseball player in high school who didn’t exactly mind running “perimeters” as penalty when a teammate would screw around, and as a result of a visit to a physical therapist’s office with my brother, I elected to take Kinesiology in school to become a Kinesiotherapist. As careers go, school didn’t really reflect where I ended up, as I was able to land a position with Children’s Oncology Group, where I met Dolly. Dolly had joined the Summer ‘07 team and ran the Phoenix Rock N’ Roll Marathon, and gushed about it until I joined. I ran Summer and Summer of 2008, running in the San Diego and Phoenix Rock N’ Roll Marathons.

Now my goal is to be able to help new runners feel great as they experience mileage they’ve previously gawked at. By proper running form, slow increases in mileage, good nutrition, good gear, great friends, great environment, and a positive attitude, 26.2 miles won’t seem as daunting anymore. On top of all that, we get to make a HUGELY positive impact on other people’s lives. GO TEAM!

Phone: 323-428-4252

Hello Everyone! Welcome to Team In Training. My name is Elizabeth and I’m excited to be one of your assistant coaches this season. This will be my fifth season with the Team and my second season as an assistant coach. I’m here to help you cross that finish line so let me know how I can help…

I initially joined because I wanted to run a marathon for a good cause, even though I had never run more than 3 miles! When a friend was diagnosed with leukemia, I decided TNT was for me. Since then, I have found that many other friends and family have been affected by leukemia or lymphoma, like my great-grandmother who we lost to leukemia and my dad, a Hodgkin’s lymphoma survivor! Our mission is to cure these nasty blood cancers…

I’m sure you are going to love being part of our Team. The coaches, captains, mentors, and participants definitely keep me coming back for more. They helped me through five marathons, Rock ‘n’ Roll San Diego (twice =), P.F. Chang’s Rock ‘n’ Roll Arizona, Rock ‘n’ Roll Seattle, and Rock ‘n’ Roll Las Vegas. They supported me both physically and emotionally, and I’d love to do the same for you! I look forward to getting to know you on our trails this season… AND, the best part is when all is said and done, you get to brag about fighting blood cancers AND running/walking a full or half marathon! GO TEAM!!!

Phone: 818-790-8824

Hi there! My name is Kim Sobieck. I live in La Canada. I teach math at Arcadia High School. I joined Team in Training last summer for a couple of reasons. First, I went to an information meeting and heard Virginia speak. Need I say more?!?!? Second, my doctors kept nagging me about losing weight. I was concerned that I would not be qualified since I was so out of shape, but our team manager assured me folks at all levels of fitness participate in the program. When I showed up for training, I was intimidated by the fact that almost everyone else was young and fit and capable. There were only a handful of walkers. I was so slow and perpetually far behind. I struggled at strength training. I often could not finish the sets of tasks put before us. I felt like such a loser. I kept asking myself why I was putting myself through this. I wanted so badly to quit. But at every step along the way, the captains, coaches, and mentors kept encouraging me. “You’re here! And you’re trying! That’s half of the battle won right there.” So, I hung in there and persisted. And after awhile, an amazing transformation took place. Even though I continued to be slow, I could sense I was improving. Because the staff had faith in me, I started believing in myself. I gave myself permission to dream that I could actually do this thing. I came to be known as Kim Possible by my team. Despite some problems with my back and knees, I was ultimately able to walk in P.F. Chang’s Rock ‘n’ Roll Marathon in Phoenix, Arizona in January. AND I FINISHED!!!!! I cannot tell you what a sense of pride and accomplishment I feel. This experience with TNT has been so positive, rewarding, and life-affirming. The fact that I also fundraised to help a wonderful cause was just icing on the cake. I so look forward to working with you this season. I want to “GO TEAM” you while you are training to give you a boost as you start to tire. I want to be part of your “Tunnel of Love” at the end of your walks and runs to let you know how well you are doing and how much you are appreciated. I want to be there if any doubts or concerns creep into your consciousness and tempt you to give up. I am glad I am a walking mentor so I can support those of you bringing up the rear. I do not want you to feel forgotten back there. I say, “Bring it on! We can do ANYTHING!!!” Ü