#werunDC

This is LONG overdue - as in almost 2 months but we did it...we ran DC on Sunday, April 28, 2014.  It was a weekend full of emotions - lots of laughter and a few tears were shed along the way.

This was Will's first season as a coach for Team in Training.  Half our team participated in Rock & Roll Dallas Half marathon in March and the other half came to DC with us.  Of course there was tons of sight seeing - we have so many photos I can't post them all so I'll just stick with one of my favorites : )

Jessica and I ran the entire race together...and had #selfiesunday at every major monument along the course. But our favorite photo was by the Cherry Blossoms because it was the one photo Grant asked his mom to take : )

For LLS, the Nike Women’s Marathon Series attracted more than 44,000 participants in Team In Training (TNT), which is the flagship fundraising campaign that is celebrating 25 years as the original charity sports training program. TNT trained 1,500 runners this year for the D.C. race.  It was a SEA OF PURPLE to say the least.  We were proud to be a part of it...and even more proud to wear our Tiffany necklace.  The Nike DC race series gives a Tiffany necklace instead of a traditional race medal.

But the BEST part of the weekend was being there to celebrate Team Lainey.  Lainey was diagnosed on August 28, 2013 with leukemia and has undergone the last eight months of treatment...but still has roughly 18 months until treatment is complete.  However, two weeks before this event, Kelly (Lainey's mom) was diagnosed with breast cancer.   Kelly was surrounded by six of her dearest friends who also fundraised and ran the race.  

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Drink Beer for the Greater Good

Please join us to "Drink Beer for the Greater Good" on Saturday, March 15 at Community Beer Company while helping raise money for the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society.  The event is come &  go so you don't have to stay the entire time.  For a $10 admission you receive 3 beer tickets (full glasses not tasters) and a wonderful afternoon with friends.

Help us spread the word...invite friends and family as this is our final fundraiser for Nike DC Half Marathon. Jessica, Robin and I will receive $1.00 for each person who attends! GO TEAM!

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Bacons for a Cause has HEART & SOLE!

Bacons for a Cause is back FUNDRAISING!!!  But I've got two of my closest friends and we've formed a team called Heart & Sole! Myself, Robin Strong & Jessica Watkins are determined to combine efforts to save lives and run the Nike DC Half Marathon on April 27, 2014!

Due to Robin having her first baby, my disc herniation & neck surgery  and Jessica having a third baby...each of us had to take some time off from training and fundraising but come this Spring season we are back and to help make us stronger we formed Heart & Sole.

What is so cool about this season is that Will (my husband) is coaching! Robin is the Team Captain and Jessica is a mentor (crazy pregnant and due in January)!

The name is simple yet the meaning huge...and nothing sums it up better than this:

"When our legs can't run anymore, we run with our hearts."

Our goal is to raise $8,700, but we need your help! Every single dollar helps...it not only puts a smile on our face because it shows your support but it truly makes a difference in those fighting blood cancer or any cancer for that matter. It's natural for all of us to only pay attention to the cancer that's impacted us or a family member...but we ask, what about a cancer that primarily targets our children? And as mothers we are passionate about that!

We're all after the same thing: a CURE! Since none of us knows where the next breakthrough will come from or what society/organization will find it or how it can affect the cancer we care about...we are putting our funds and OUR HEARTS into the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society through Team in Training and we're asking you to do the same!

>>>See that DONATE BUTTON to the right...click it now and make a donation!

We aren't new at this and honestly we won't stop until there is a CURE!Together we are raising funds to help find cures & more effective treatment for leukemia, lymphoma, Hodgkin’s disease and myeloma.

Don't forget to come back and follow our training & progress here on the blog!

From our hearts to the soles of our running shoes....THANK YOU!

Dianna, Robin & Jessica

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The Bacons Want YOU!

It has been over four months since I've last trained...while at times it has been nice not to wake up at 4:45 am to hit the pavement or spin class...I've also missed my workouts terribly. The bad news is I still have another 2-3 months off...but the good news is when I'm ready to come back Will (my husband) will be the coach of the Spring North Cities Run/Walk Marathon team - so how exciting is that?! 

Speaking of Will...his training has been jammed back...two-a-day workouts consisting of running, cycling, swimming and strength training.  This weekend he will be with the North Texas Triathlon team participating in the Kerrville quarter and half distance triathlons.  Come late October he will be completing his first official Ironman event - the Longhorn Ironman 70.3 in Austin which will lead him right up to Ironman Cozumel 140.6 in December...that's a full IM event (2.4 mile swim, 112 mile bike and 26.2 mile run).  It's a daunting task to train & complete that type of endurance event working full time and having two young children with endless activities on the weekends...at times it is hard to keep a good work/life balance but Will and I believe that all things fall into place as they should and with my time off this was the perfect time for him to achieve his Ironman goal. 

So back to what the original post was about...WE WANT YOU to join us for the Spring Run/Walk TEAM! Many of you have asked how to get involved with Team in Training or how to start running or train for a half marathon, well NOW IS THE TIME!  Team in Training is celebrating its 25th anniversary and in that 25 years over 570,000 participants have crossed the finish line helping LLS invest more than $875 million in blood cancer research. But the fight isn't over till we have a cure...and I do believe one day we will.

It's natural for all of us to only pay attention to the cancer that's impacted us or a family member and with October days away every store will be covered in pink...but I ask what about a cancer that primarily targets our children?  What about pediatric cancers as a whole who receive so little funding?  The fact is; we're all after the same thing: a CURE! Since none of us knows where the next breakthrough will come from or what society/organization will find it or how it can affect the cancer we care about...I'm putting my funds and my heart into the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society and I'm asking you to do the same!  The scientists LLS funds are proving that a cure can be found...and you can see that in this video.

THE FACTS:  

• Collectively, the blood cancers — leukemia, lymphoma and myeloma — account for 9.5 percent of all cancers deaths, making them the second most common cause of cancer death, behind only lung cancer. Collectively, they also account for 9 percent of all new diagnoses in the U.S., making them the fourth most commonly occurring cancers behind lung, prostate and breast cancer.
  
• More than a million adults in the U.S. are living with a blood cancer. The incidence of lymphoma has more than doubled since the 1970s. Scientists don't know why.
  
• In children, leukemia and lymphoma account for nearly half of all childhood cancers. 

The Spring season is training for 2 HALF MARATHONS (season begins November 16):

1. Dallas Rock and Roll Half Marathon - Sunday, March 23 (fundraising $1700)

2. Nike DC Half Marathon - late April official date not released yet (fundraising $2900)

What does your fundraising cover...first and foremost you will be guided through a comprehensive 4-6 month training program that will help you reach that finish line - walking, running or a combination of both. You will receive a training jersey and a race day jersey as well as your entry into the event.  The DC event also includes your hotel stay while in DC (airfare is not included). Throughout your experience you will gain friendships and confidence and more important you will know that you have a made a difference in the lives of those affected by blood cancers or any cancer for that matter because drugs funded by LLS are now used to treatment many other types of cancer and diseases. 

You are invited to come to an information meeting and/or try out a training.  The info meetings are spread around the metroplex so you can attend one up North or closer to your work or you can simply give us a call or email and we'd be happy to explain more.  

We would be STOKED to have you on the TEAM!  I've said it before...you will not regret the decision to be a part of Team in Training and help support & fundraise for the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society.   





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