fewer words, more miles!

it's been toooo long since i posted last. but then it's been quite a few miles since i posted last too.

this weekend was somewhat... epic.

since my stupid foot injury has healed, i'm just playing catch-up to my team which has separated me from the pack, so i run more alone these days. it isn't as fun but i do get to explore more instead of doing loops in central park. on sunday i did a short run with my friend karen who just ran in rome two weeks ago and it was AWESOME of her to be so supportive and help me kick-start my saturday morning. she's not even a morning person but she got up and got me going. her IT band was giving her trouble (during her marathon and on saturday some) so she didn't get to run the whole distance with me because she was smart about listening to her body. that's a common place for runners (especially ladies) to get injured and we like our bodies to last our whole lives thank-you-very-much.

but meeting up with karen was nice because she lives in the east village so the route went from the park along the FDR, under the williamsburg bridge, the manhattan bridge, the brooklyn bridge then down around the southern tip of manhattan (wave hi to the statue of liberty), up through battery park and past chelsea piers on the west side highway and then back home to my neighborhood of hell's kitchen where some of my neighborhood looks like a shiny knew stainless steel kitchen and some of it looks like that greasy dust back behind the refrigerator coils. [it was amazingly windy but that's good for me right? i felt like i was running backwards by the time i got to the staten island ferry terminal.] all told, almost 9 miles (thank you google maps!). then i took a nap even though there was construction next door. i slept gooood.

sunday i needed to do some real distance so i geared up, but started late in the day but it was a purrrfect day. the west side greenway is a thing of beauty and there were people everywhere... for the first 8 or so miles were full of people having picnics, playing basketball and volleye ball under the hudson river drive in harlem, fishing at the foot of the george washington bridge and when i hit the cloisters/fort tryon park it was practically silent save for the sound of traffic. i was on a path below the glorious view of the cloisters with the heather gardens but i was on the riverfront where you can actually see the waterfowl. all six of 'em. as a bone fide new yorker, i have found holding my nose is a habit (read: commute through times square and riding subways) but somewhere along that route there stopped being restaurant garbage and i saw flowers: forsythia, tulips, crocusses (croci?), bluebonnets (none of which are noted for their perfume) but THEN i smelled lilacs! ...i couldn't find the lilacs but i smelled them... they are one of my favorite parts of spring. it's a little early for them, but perhaps there's a magical mystical lilac impersonator out there. (or a scientific and realistic one which i'm sure my botanist friends will explain to me later.)

did i mention this trip was WORK? it may sound all pretty and fun but there was the whole distance part. my friend shawn told me once of going great distances: you just go til you think you can't go any further... then you turn around and go home. so i went to the bronx, or rather the foot of the bronx. i mean, the only path from inwood hill park to the bronx is the henry hudson parkway (a toll road, no thanks) and some train tracks (also, no thanks). but it was nice getting to the tip of the island and seeing all there was so see. the very tip of manhattan is about ten miles from my apt as best as i can tell. google maps doesn't calculate running through parks really.

and then i went back home, through the baseballs fields with the churro vendors and mangoes on a stick to the silent dirt path next to the train tracks where i could sing (when i could sing/pant) harmonies along with my ipod without bothering anyone. i have a guilty pleasure of certain musics when i run. note: that path does some funky stuff. it's hard to figure out what the sign means when it says "park closes at 10pm) but the park ends before you can get off of the path. next thing i knew i had two options: a hole in the fence to the railroad tracks, or scrambling rocks until i could climb my way back to the upper trail when it swung to the foot of the george washington bridge. call it an adventure.

going back home seemed shorter than going up but from the greenway i could see the signs on the parkway-- "next right, 125th st" which was a cruel deception to a person on foot. you're not really all that near to 125th street if you're not going 45 mph. i'm just sayin'. even though i left for my trip late, i stuck the landing perfectly, just as the sun was going down and turning back away from the river to the city as the evening lights came up and just like flowers face the sun, people face up to the lights of times square, collecting some of their energy for the next few hours.

me, i was wiped. i didn't run enough of the trip (sorry but i walked too much) but i did the mileage (approx 20) which isn't nothing, but isn't enough. i have a marathon to run in a few weeks. people keep asking "are you ready"? to them i say: "i don't have to run 26.2 miles until the first weekend of may, so i'll be ready when the time comes." the time is nearing...

oh, and my feet. OWWWW. i mean i can still use them and my legs are sore but i kicked off my shoes at the door and headed to an epsome salt soak immediately. perhaps a little too immediately. never, never walk barefoot on a very practical front door rug when your feet are sore. those are made for traction and dirt-trapping, not cushioning and happy-making.

so that's how training is going. as far as fundraising-- that's another story. i definitely owe some shout-outs (the blog to immediately follow this one!) and am planning a dinner party and a show in the near future.

but as always, life is good.

love,
chel


ps i need to research greenways on the east side. this weekend i think i made it about 2/3 of the way around manhattan, maybe next i need to close the loop entirely...

rockin'

what can i say, it's spring time in new york? we all skipped an hour of sleep last night, i woke up in the mood for cleaning (my kitchen shines) and the wicked snow storm we had last weekend has sublimated into nothingness. it's in the 60's already. the kids across the street are playing basketball in shorts and tee shirts.

i tested out my awesome left foot this morning. and all my careful taking of calcium magnesium has paid off. i ran 6 miles. oh, no, scratch that and thank you google maps-- 7.5 miles. and another 1 of cool-off. should be back up to speed in no time. i am so very, very sad that i won't be running a marathon by march 22nd, but so very, very optimistic about running my marathon a few weeks later at a faster rate.

looks like i might have a cleaning gig (fingers crossed) and am looking to book a musical gig in the near future. stay tuned for more details.

wheeeee! i love me some sunshine.

Moving on up, moving on over... (and as ever, Shout-outs)

Well my friends, family and other curious strangers... (and don't be a stranger for too long. I'm friendly. introduce yourself!)

Here's where we stand: My not-broken toe has hindered my progress. I've found all sorts of clever ways of working out without, say, running on it (or at least running on it much). I can still do my favorite ass-kicking work out at the gym and it's entirely possible without bending the middle of my foot- I don't have to stand on the ball of my foot, heel stays to the ground. But it's not marathon running. It's practice for a marathon. It's working out. It's kicking butt. Plus, I heal well. I am nothing if not lucky. Cheers to that. Now what does one DO with good luckiness? Whatever good I can do. Karma will smell like kimchi if you just leave them there. I gotta keep on moving, paying forward, etc.

So practice I shall continue to do, but my marathon run is now officially postponed until May. Sadness set in. The optimism rebounded! There's still a marathon, there's still fundraising to END blood cancers. There's you and me making good things happen.

So that's where we stand. Running, running, running. Raising, raising, raising. Blogging... blogging... And I will refrain from singing " Ain't nothing gonna break my stride... Nobody's gonna slow me down... Oh no, I've got to keep on moving..." Hellllp! It's stuck in my head and I can't get it out!

Anyway, more good things to come. And less cheesy music. (Good music: ever try running to the band Tally Hall? I recommend it. But always, always, always start your workout with Everybody's Got Something To Hide Except For Me And My Monkey. The cowbell is the best. kickstart. ever.)

Shout-outs go to Shanna Weinberg. I didn't see her name when I last updated my list. And GoGoPedro who is incomparably kind. Also, talented and fun. Thank you, thank you, thank you.

-the most grateful version of chel yet. version 2.0 to arrive soon.

Housecleaning to Fight Cancer

Ladies and Gentlemen,

I am announcing another phase of my fundraising for the Leukemia Lymphoma Society so I can run this marathon!

In addition to being fast on my feet I've also got cleaning skills... like you wish you had but kinda don't want to develop because let's face it... cleaning is always more fun when it's done by another person. And I am an EXCELLENT other person.

Have you ever seen the look of love on your husband/wife’s face (or roommate or best friend) when you surprise them with the gift of “no you don’t have to do that hard work”? Have you ever treated yourself to help cleaning/organizing your home? Or just really needed to?

Best of all, have you ever had the pleasure of writing off your spring cleaning service as a tax-deductible donation? Would ya like to?

I’m desperate to make my fundraising deadline AND I possess killer elbow grease/ home organizational skills. I’m setting dates already for Saturdays & Sundays in the very near future.

I come with references. See below.

Call me, email me or talk to me in person: 602-432-8611 or chel_oreilly@yahoo.com we can work out dates/costs/job parameters.

Thank you!

chel


"Upon move-in, my shower looked like it had never been cleaned. Chel scrubbed out every speck of black, hard water or various other colored stains, leaving us with a shower that looked brand new. I was impressed and a little fearful." –C. H.


“Chel has cleaned circles around me. Truly.
She has created space where I thought there was none.
The range of her organizing hand in my life went from how to store contact lenses to shoes in the closet to the best way to fold towels.
I had no idea my bookcases looked bad... until they didn't anymore.
Chel is a whip smart, design conscious, pragmatic whirling dervish.
She's fast. Thorough.
She is the person you want to hire to get it together.
And she's offering her services to a special group of the public (she usually only does this for friends!) to raise money for cancer research!
Anything you pay her will go to charity. So you can even make it a tax deduction. How about that for a win/win/win situation?!

Hire Chel!
She'll make your life swell!"

Sincerely,
Jennifer Prediger
Chel's Friend, Fan and Beneficiary of Chel's Overwhelmingly Wonderful Organizing/Cleaning Services

Shout-out to Marxie!

Another Shout-out goes to the fabulous conglomerate Marxie! Seriously, the two of you are amazing. You should get married or something.

xoxo

Progress & Anonymous. And Shout-Outs!

So my toe ain't broke. I can keep my record of "never broke a bone in my body" which either means I'm tough as nails or I don't really do anything interesting like snowboard.

But like the nurse said, the pinky toe is one thing but all the other bones/ tendons/ ligaments & muscles in the foot are pretty related. A pinky toe injury means that somehow the top of my whole foot gets bruised when I run on it. BUT it bruises less every time I work out now. Don't worry I've found a way to get some serious, low-impact cardio in as I re-build my foot's running capacity.

So running is picking up again now. It's crazy how quickly the body can fall apart and rebuild. It wasn't long ago I could run 14 miles and shortly thereafter I couldn't (well, did, but it turned out to be a Very Bad Idea) walk that distance. And this morning I felt like a rock star the gym. I felt GOOD when I was done. I feel capable!

But actually most importantly: shout-outs. Thank you to both of my Anonymous donors. If there were more people like you, I'd be less inclined to panic. You are amazing and you know who you are.

much love,
chel

awwww who's a little baby now? who's a little baby?

my toe is a little baby. it's cute and tiny and... maybe broken. i can't get an x-ray til i'm back from california, so we'll see. in the mean time i'm trying to work with it, test what i can and can't do. i've never broken a bone in my body so i'm either unbreakable or experiencing something new. i hope to god i can still participate in the marathon, because i'm still raising funds and still planning on running again very soon. rumor has it i will have an ugly toe from now on though. as if they were all pretty before. bleh.

another shout-out!

it's amazing what hanging out late at TED can do. thanks to mike lundgren! you rock, i run! that's a good match!

shout-out!

shout out to allison duncan-- who is sweet, has the same color green eyes as my little bro (her beau) and donated even though she's a broke college student. what a superstar!

xo!

progress & shout-outs!

Happiness!

In San Diego now at the hosting of the ever-supportive Kate, where I will be able to run (& skip & play & hike aka "cross-train") as soon at the thrice-annual rain stops. Seriously, it never rains in southern California... except for now. What gives?

It didn't rain, however, in Palm Springs. I'm not a desert person *at all*, but the fact it's February didn't hurt and the company I've had this past week has inspired me in so many ways. I needed to run a lot of miles, but I also had people to run with, so I'd generally pre-run then return to the hotel and meet friends to run again. Friends & fellow TEDsters to run with included the afore mentioned Dan, Leigh & Jennifer but also grew to include the absolute sweetheart and thoroughly talented author Evan Schwartz who is great company in so many ways. AND he get a shout-out for donating to Our Cause. One other shout-out goes to Eduardo Frias (another TEDster) who jumped at the chance to pitch-in and cheer me on in this aspiration.

Again with the optimists of fellow TEDsters from Palm Springs I have a few more partners to propel forward on the journey: Glenn Gleason (survivor extraordinaire) who loaned me his Live Strong band without blinking- the one he's worn through his trials and tribulations- so that I may have some of his strength when I run) and Lisa Honig Buksbaum of Soaringwords who is partnering with us to give signed blankets to kids with cancer so that we may say: "we are working to make your life better, that it will be complete and want to wrap you in all the love, happiness and joy of support we can give."

So much to do, so much to do. Feel free to help me in any way you can, especially fundraising ;) Deadlines loom, fiscal challenges are getting dire for me to participate. The chart doesn't show it, but I'm fronting college tuition money as a "hold" until I get somewhere fast!

Blessings,
chel o.

making the jet lag work for you!

hey waking up early is a side effect of flying west! i ran twice this morning! once at the treadmill here at the hotel (they call it a resort but i have trouble saying that... it sounds uppity. but it IS a little uppity)-- then once more with my friends here at TED. so my shout outs this morning go to:

dan
jennifer &
leigh

thanks for tacking on some mileage.

i didn't like running in the desert when i lived in arizona, but it's not so bad in palm springs in february. i'm counting this business trip as a blessing too, so thanks grey. i'm blogging from www.greyatted.com all week...

strange, that

ok, today's run wasn't a long-form (that's tomorrow), it was a quick one-off, a half hour. i didn't feel too good. apparently jet-lag has some side effects. also, if christine will kindly not have another surprise 30th birthday party the night before a business trip, that would be great of you.

tomorrow, we rock.

future perfect

hey y'all, time for another update.  didn't get to run my long distance on saturday because i was prepping for my day of travel (flight to palm springs with brief layover in san fran... AND i'm checking luggage for what i think is the first time ever... please oh please arrive with me...) and the obligatory Freak Out that i'm going to TED@PalmSprings.  i'll be blogging from there too, www.greyatted.com. you will not get to hear about me getting out-of-breath and kicking butt on the treadmill at that blog, but it will still be a fun read, i hope.  

and now (drumroll please) it's time again for shout-outs.  ok, get this.  john cooper, my music prof from college in maine, sent in a donation while on sabbatical.  of all the things one is not obliged to do while away from school is think about students he had a dozen years ago and support their endeavors.  he kinda supported me a lot already, ya know?  awesome then, awesome now.

next: clare anderson i used to babysit you!  you're so grown up now- so very grown up (it was very cool to hang out with you in nyc when you visited and we went to see the Cangelosi Cards play their jazz music...). so very grown up i felt a tad old that plus x years since i 'sat for you means that you and i both are plus x years older.  thank you for your contrib.  that's very cool of you.

lastly and largely, john anderson, for sending my blagging email to the college of the atlantic community.  that had some results, didn't it?  it was unnecessarily great of you to send it forward...

also, a thank you to cora rose lewicki for taking care of my apt while i travel.  and for promising to help a little with the fundraising.  we rock stars gotta stick together...

one two three and off i go to train from the desert for a little while.

as ever, thank you for helping so much i can't even thank you all enough.

blessings,

chel

Shout-Outs in a neighborly way

A long time ago, in a town far away, I lived on the corner of a busy street and a tiny one. On the tiny one there were just a few houses, but in one of them was Dawn Radke.

We live a thousand+ miles apart now-- she's down in Florida, and she just made that big seem like not a distance at all. She's very neighbor-like.

She donated to the marathon fund AND got her boss at MacLan Corp to donate too. Hot damn, that was a lovely envelope to come home to in the mail. Plus the note said "Kick some cancer ass" which has a nice ring to it. I'm putting the checks in the LLS fundraiser bucket and the note on the fridge.

Rock on,
chel

Shout-Outs (there's always more to be thankful for...)

This morning I woke up to an email saying I got a donation from Kerri & Brad West. They're amazing because not only did they donate, thus furthering the cause of fighting Leukemia/Lymphoma, but because they've already given... in the form of supporting their (successful!) cancer-defeating daughter-in-law, Steph West. You may remember that Steph is the person who I am honoring with my run. She's amazing and blows me away with her strength. She wasn't born a West but she makes a great one: you are a strong and good-hearted people. Thank you!

Also, another thank you and for this I say, "duh, Chel, how could you have forgotten to mention before?" Todd Scheifele, for the music. He helped with my running-music-library after that Unfortunate iTune and iPod Issue We Don't Like To Talk About. But the thing is with Todd is that he's just one of those people who's always there for you. I can always count on him for a little emotional support and I hope I can be as good a friend to him. Thanks, Todd. Your music is just one of many ways your support here is appreciated.

Today: Workout & SHOUT-OUTS

About a workout, is it wrong to say “not so good” after logging ten miles? Only when you’re training for a marathon.

(Last week I wussed out because it was around 3 degrees so I felt justified… and humbled by my teammates who DID run outdoors anyway!)

This week my favorite running partner, Karen, and I did indoor running to see if the temperature went a little easier on Karen’s asthma, which it did, which is great. Alas a marathon on a treadmill is NOT a marathon on the street, so it can’t be the only training, but it’s nice to go easy on the knees sometimes. Also, Karen’s a great cheerleader so running with her is a treat. Who wouldn’t want their own personal “you’re awesome” running next to them? I try to return the favor as often as possible.

Anyway, this week was a run, but since I didn’t make all ten miles running I feel badly, or behind. I am a tortoise not a hare it seems. I’m also going to figure out how to manage my calories better because I hate eating before exercising but the more we exercise the more we need to eat, just a little before at least. Karen’s Luna Bars to the rescue!

Drum roll please… it’s time for this week’s Shout-Outs!

Here’s how cool people are:

Mom & Pop are loaning me their iPod nano with the video so I can watch TED talks on treadmill days (when I’m not doing it in person woo-hoo!) Who says hours on a treadmill are boring? (Pretty much everyone, actually, but to them I say ‘la la la I can’t hear you la la la I have headphones on’.)

Christine Hart wins the prize for biggest donation (as of yet) because she’s… Christine. I’ve known her since we were *this* big and if you did too, you wouldn’t be surprised that she’s generous either. Just thankful, like me. Also, she's uber talented.

Sarah Howell donated even though I haven’t seen her in a month of Sundays and that’s a sweet way to stay in touch (though I wouldn’t mind buying you a beer when you come up to the city next)!


It’s funny as I was walking home from my practice-then-errands how much there is to be thankful for and how everyone around you gives you a little push when you need it. And, no, I’m not talking about boarding the 6 train. I don’t know where my shout-outs begin and end. There are my fiscal supporters. (Keep it coming guys! We’re fighting cancer!) My emotional supporters (I *heart* the rah-rahs).

And then there are the people who make my life easier and in so, remind me that I have a life good enough to pay-it-forward. There are the people who go a little out of their way to help me when I’m tired. (Sample checklist: strange woman on the street helped me find a cab just to be nice; hairdresser who let me sleep in her chair this morning after I zonked out post-run today; Matt at the video store who cut me a break because ‘I likes the cold and you like to run so we’ve got to be nice to each other.’)

Summary for a Saturday that isn’t nearly over yet: happy, tired, encouraged. That’s a good way to start a weekend.

Love,
Chel

Weekend Wrap-Up

It's been a long weekend and I totally wussed and ran INdoors on Saturday morning. It was a lovely long run but I missed running with Karen and cheering each other on. It was warmer than 10 degrees in my gym though, so that's a plus.

It is a slightly nice feeling to be on my treadmill when someone gets on the one next to me... and still on when he's gone and the next person shows up, and then still going when she's gone... I wish I could read and run at the same time. Or watch TED talks, but my iPod video has gone the way of the NYC sticky-hands club. Shuffling through my anonymous library isn't bad, it's just a different kind of fun.

Our team has been having weekly bake sales at the office (thousands of dollars to go, one awesome cookie at a time...) so I spent a large portion of time making granola bars and popcorn balls. There's GOT to be an easier way. But I didn't sign up for easy. I signed up for kick-ass. So there we go.

Speaking of kick-ass, another round of Shout Outs (there should be a musical theme for this, no?):

Jack Benedict. Thanks for donating!

Also, more music library contribs- Dante Desole, Andy LaPlant & Ryan Hobler endowed me with James Brown, Sleater Kinney & Sunroom and more).

More later,
chel

Shout-outs (even more!)

You know what's cool? Randomly finding out that people are making donations to the cause. Thanks to my cousin Kath, my sister Cricket (I mean, Barbara)...

For contributions in other ways... I have to thank Don McNally for juicing my iPod shuffle with some Beatles because things were really hard after The Incident Involving A Dead External Drive Containing My Music Library That We Don't Like To Talk About. If you ever don't feel like going for a run turn on Everybody's Got Something To Hide Except Me and My Monkey. It will change you.

We've been doing these crazy bake carts at the office. People who aren't even involved in the process are volunteering to bake! To my talented co-workers: Coleen, Patrician, Mary, Caroline, Jessica, your work doesn't go unappreciated- you are wonderful and we thank you!

Tomorrow....

I have a strange habit of coming home and wanting to fall back asleep after the early Saturday jaunts in the park. Is it the mileage? Or the temperature? Because tomorrow it's supposed to be ten degrees when I leave my apartment in the morning. Should I wuss out and run in the gym or get all giddy from the shared insanity of runners in Central Park? I shall ponder now. I will let you know how much of a wuss I am soon...

-chel "didn't live in maine once?" "yeah, but you left" o'reilly

Shout-Outs, Part Deux

It's time for some friendly neighborly shout-outs:

My cousin Mary (who is cheerful and encouraging)
My Aunt Barb & Uncle Mark (merry christmas!)
My friend Christi (who is an amazing teammate)

Thank you all for bringing me closer to my goal-- especially since my goal is bigger than what I'm doing, it's what we're doing, all of us, for the individuals who fight leukemia/lymphoma and their families/friends who struggle with them. We can all rise to our challenges.

Rock on,
chel

Back Online!

WHEW! That password issue is taken care of! I love google, but being automatically signed in is supposed to be a good thing, but in my case for this blog... not so much. So. Word on the street: training is going well. I'm not awesome as I was five years ago, but then I'm no so young anymore. I heard that turning 30 makes things a little hard, but I wouldn't believe it until
happened. No I'm a believer....

Going for a run with Karen today. She's my good luck charm. We try to alternate being tired so that we can alternate being the one to say "come on you can do it!" Another one of my teammates, Dominick, says things like "just remember it's 90% mental and 30% physical"! I like my teammates a lot.

And it's another Saturday morning. Current temp: 27F, "feels like 19" It's amazing how much a run warms you up though. It's not so bad, really. Plus, I don't get my coffee until after my run, so that's a goal to run towards if ever there were one.

Rock on,
chel

Shout Outs

I think some shout-outs are a good thing to do here. If you make a donation and would NOT like me to crow from the roof-tops about you, let me know and I'll keep your gifts on the down-low between you and me.

If, however, you don't mind me sharing the love, I'd love to love you out loud. So, I have to say:

• Thanks Mom & Pop for the first 1%. That's a great way to kick things off. I like your math.
  
• Thanks also to John Anderson, college prof/mentor/right-up-there-with-parents (what-with all the knowledge and guidance since our first debate on campus __ years ago).
• Thanks to Aunt Barb & Uncle Mark whose presents of Xmas '07 & Bday '08 have been allocated to the cause. I put that money there by check, so it's taking a little longer to show up on the tally.

Progress Report: Working out is hard. I mean fun. And by "fun" I mean "hard".

Training status. We work out as a both a team and individuals. We’ve been going at it for a few weeks now and I’ve been a little shy to talk about it as pride is a factor: I want to do the well and am afraid that my best won’t be good enough.

Now, pride’s out the window and it’s pedal to the metal folks. As a team we meet on Tuesdays for technique exercises and Saturday mornings for longer runs in Central Park. There are individual workouts on other days of the week. Have you noticed that here in the northern hemisphere it’s winter? It’s cold out. I’m not complaining. I’m not bragging. I’m just saying. Cold. Also, there’s cardio exercise involved. I hear that’s good for a person, but, oh goodness, that leaves a girl tired.

I like to pair up with a teammate who doesn’t mind my pace so we can cheer each other on when the idea of walking instead of running is appealing. This week my co-worker Aayesha, aka Rock Star, kept my pace up and my legs moving. Also, she’s nice to talk to as we make our rounds in the park. It was a good workout. After that, it was a great day. I’ve got my family, my health, my friends—I’m a lucky girl. But at the end of the day, I tired!

Please share this donation letter

Please feel free to share this message: cut-n-paste this into an email or print it out - any thing you to can do to help spread this message is appreciated!

Dear Friends, Family, And Colleagues:

To the point: I am running a marathon to raise money for cancer research and I am asking for your support. It is the end of the year and a wonderful opportunity to make your donations count (doubly or even more if your company has a gift matching program). It is the holiday season and gift giving is a joyful thing, especially when a gift can be so generous as to benefit both the receiver and a greater good. No matter how or why you may donate to this cause, you can’t lose-- and someone else has a chance at a win of beating cancer.

Now, to tell you a little more about what I am doing and how this works: When my best friend’s younger brother got married this past year, his wife was diagnosed with lymphatic cancer just days later. “In sickness and in health…” – no truer words were spoken. I followed their journey everyday as they updated their blog, where they let family and friends know the ups and downs of treatment and how they could be helped. Stephanie West has not only survived the difficult treatment, she has survived cancer. She used to be a runner and told me recently she’s not sure if she’ll be up to that again. I believe she will, but in the mean time… I’ll run for her instead.

I am running for Stephanie West- I will be running the Rome Marathon with Team in Training, the fundraising arm of the Leukemia Lymphoma Society. Over the next few months I will be out in Central Park in the cold, wearing my shoes out. Also, I will be out among friends, family and colleagues doing everything I can to raise $5,900 (or more!) for this cause.

Since its inception twenty years ago, Team in Training has raised hundreds of millions of dollars for blood cancer research. What does that money do? Twenty years ago the survival rate for these types of cancer was less than ten percent. Now, the survival rate is near NINETY percent. That’s the kind of good that can be done. But I won’t give up on the marathon at any point less than 26.2 miles and we won’t stop fighting battle until the survival rate is this: everyone lives. Of the money being raised three-quarters goes directly to blood cancer research and patient support- the last portion goes to overhead costs.

There are many ways to give: the easiest way is through this shortcut: http://tinyurl.com/runchelrun, which will direct you to my fundraiser website. You may also write checks made out to The Leukemia Lymphoma Society and mail them- email me at chel_oreilly@yahoo.com to request that address. And feel free—especially please do—forward this to other people in your life that they may be moved to donate as well. The help of every and any person is greatly appreciated.

If you want to cheer me on or see how sore I am after practices I will be periodically updating a blog about my experiences and progress too. That’s at http://runchelrun.blogspot.com

I cannot thank you enough. And there are others who are even more grateful than I can say.

All the best to you and yours this holiday season,
Chel O’Reilly

chel_oreilly@yahoo.com
602-432-8611

Running a Marathon for the Leukemia Lymphoma Society

Hello,

My name is Chel O’Reilly and I am training to run the Rome Marathon with Team in Training and in so doing will be logging a few hundred miles on my sneakers and will be raising almost $6,000 for The Leukemia Lymphoma Society. Here I will be chronicling that journey. You help by leaving me cheerful messages and donating at my LLS website, I’ve made a shortcut link: http://tinlyurl.com/runchelrun

I’m scared, overwhelmed, and up early every Saturday morning* just to makes sure that others who have more to be scared and overwhelmed about than myself can have it easier. I will do this in their honor. My grandmother and uncle succumbed to Chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL) within a few months of each other; Stephanie West survived Hodgkin's Lymphoma, having been diagnosed a just days after marrying my best friend’s brother. I’m running in honor of those who have lost and those who have won.

Almost anyone can think of a family member or friend who has had to battle a blood-related cancer. If you could donate in honor of those people, you too can do something good for those who have lost and won.

Donations are best made through our secure website link above but may also be mailed in. Please email me for directions on how to do that.

All the best to you and yours this holiday season and thank you,
Chel O’Reilly
Motivated marathon runner and LLS enthusiast

*not just Saturdays, but that’s the morning for which I forfeit my Friday nights (sigh)