You Asked My Opinion

~On December 29th, we're having a fundraiser night at Orange Leaf Stillwater!  10% of sales from 6pm - 9pm will go to Team in Training.  Join us!! ~Need a tax write off?  Coincidentally, I need to raise money by December 31st.  You can donate here: http://pages.teamintraining.org/vtnt/starwr15/knealf ~My  sister-in-law donated a lovely scarf which I then forgot to take with me to the raffle event.  The next person who donates at least $10 through the websiste gets a bonus scarf!! (here's the link if you need it:  http://pages.teamintraining.org/vtnt/starwr15/knealf ) ~The 46 people on my TNT Flex Team for the Star Wars Half have donated $98,010, and our fundraising deadline isn't until next week.  Go Team!  Check out my amazing teammates: http://pages.teamintraining.org/ho/starwr15   I just found this page and I love it!  It shows all of my teammates, with links to our individual teams.  Spoiler alert- they're all f...

Want a copy of my latest fundraising letter?  You could have this in your hands.  With BONUS Star Wars stickers!!  Send me your address and I'll send real, tactile mail.   Donate you must.  Encourage you will. Have you heard? I’ve signed up to complete the Star Wars Half Marathon at Disneyland on January 18, 2015. I’m working with Team in Training (TNT) to help fund cancer support and research through The Leukemia and Lymphoma Society.    The mission of TNT and LLS is to cure blood cancers and improve the quality of life for patients and their families. They are making great strides in the survivorship rate for blood cancers by funding over 200 researchers worldwide. They are developing miracle drugs, such as Gleevec (funded solely by TNT participants). This is a successful alternative to traditional chemotherapy, and it is also being positively tested on many other forms of cancer . My financial goal is to raise $2,500.00 of ...

On Saturday night I did my long "run".  I walked it.  Coach Lauren says that's ok, because I walk faster than I run.  Awesome (read that in sarcasm font).  Whatevs.  Here's the super duper extra incredibly cool thing: my last miles were my fastest.  Yay!  For once I didn't start fast (of course, "fast" is a relative term) and slog my way to the finish.  Seriously.  This is HUGE!  My last long run when I did 10 miles I nearly cried the last 1.5.  Brandon had to come get me and encourage me on.  Saturday night I finished strong and could have done more.  Really huge. I am so very, very proud of me.  Also.  The long run on Saturday was cool because I didn't have to spend all day on Sunday recovering.  The schedule doesn't always work for me to spend 3 hours "running" on Saturday, but it's nice when it works out.  Although, I have had some lovely Sunday mornings too. I'm going to have to get fa...

Tonight I was tired, cold, head is starting to hurt and I was supposed to do 5 miles.   I did the thing where I say, ok, just one lap (1.1 miles).  Just one, then you can quit.   I did 2 laps.  Yay.   Not 5 miles.  But today getting off the couch was a win.  Go me.  

These will be raffled off on Friday, November 14th.  If you want half price tickets, make a donation before 4pm on Friday at http://pages.teamintraining.org/vtnt/starwr15/knealf If you make a donation, please email, call, text, or leave a comment and tell me where you want to put your tickets.  I want you to be able to have some control over what you win.  You do not need to be present to win!  If you make a donation from anywhere in the world, you get raffle tickets!! As of 10:00 pm on Thursday night, here are the items I KNOW are included:  Handmade lap quilt. It's incredibly beautiful.  Han Solo Crayons.  Seriously.  Love them.   Ewok coin purse.  Ohmygoodness so cute!!   Handmade scarf, little girl not included   Also likely (but not yet in my hands, so I am not promising): -Art from Wine and Palette, the ones the "real" artists do -Various gift cards -Possibly other fun stuf...

Here are ways you can currently make a difference in the lives of people with leukemia, lymphoma and their families:   1. Join us for a Wine and Palette event in Stillwater, OK on November 14, 6:00pm - 8:00 pm.  Here is a link to register: http://www.wineandpalette.com/Class_Detail.asp?CalID=3604  $20 of your registration goes directly to Team in Training.    We are going to paint this on Friday.  Yes, you can do it.  No, it will not look exactly like this.  Yes, it will still be something you love and can be proud of.       By the way, if you are not in Oklahoma, YOU CAN STILL HELP!!!  Everything else I am going to list here you can do from the comfort of your home in your jammies, with a cat on your lap (is that just me? )      2. If you're reading this, and it is still November 12, go check out my Stella and Dot Trunk Show at http://www.stelladot.com/ts/2o426 The show ends today, b...

    How do you get an Ewok coin purse?  (You'll notice a striking similarity to the Han crayons, thanks Kristen!)   1) Go visit my teammate Kristen's fundraising page at http://pages.teamintraining.org/vtnt/starwr15/kmcguigecg   She made them and will either sell you one or tell you how to get one.  She makes them in different colors.    2) Make a donation to MY fundraising page at http://pages.teamintraining.org/vtnt/starwr15/knealf   Every dollar donated between now and 4:00 pm (central) on Friday, November 14th is a raffle ticket.  $1 = 1 ticket.  If you wait until Friday night, raffle tickets go up to $2 each.  Double your chances and get a raffle ticket now!    If you donate $5 or more, you get 5 raffle tickets AND a donation letter for tax deductions.  Whoohoo.   Oh, and you help fight cancer.  There is that amazingly awesome perk too. 

You can't tell me these aren't the coolest things you've ever seen.  How do you get them?  Glad you asked.    1) Go visit my teammate Kristen's fundraising page at http://pages.teamintraining.org/vtnt/starwr15/kmcguigecg   She made them and will either sell you some or tell you how to get them.   2) Make a donation to MY fundraising page at http://pages.teamintraining.org/vtnt/starwr15/knealf   Every dollar donated between now and 4:00 pm (central) on Friday, November 14th is a raffle ticket.  $1 = 1 ticket.  If you wait until Friday night, raffle tickets go up to $2 each.  Double your chances and get a raffle ticket now!    If you donate $5 or more, you get 5 raffle tickets AND a donation letter for tax deductions.  Whoohoo.   Oh, and you help fight cancer.  There is that amazingly awesome perk too. 

http://youtu.be/6pttqFUviWs I thought I was joking when I said today my only plans were to "run" 10 miles and then recover.  I did 9 last week with no rest after.  Surely 10 would be fine.  Nope.  Nope.  Nope. 

Oh, here's the deal.  I have some really incredible things to raffle off at the Wine and Palette fundraiser on November 14.  If you're anywhere near Stillwater, Oklahoma, you should really join us.  We're going to paint this: I am super excited.  I love Starry Night, but always thought the tree in the foreground is a little scary.  This one is warm and cozy.  Or cold and snowy, however you want to think about it.  Register here: http://www.wineandpalette.com/Class_Detail.asp?CalID=3604   I'll even take some requests for snacks.  Back to that raffle, some of our raffle prizes are AWESOME!  I have some very kind and generous donors (I'm looking at YOU Kristen McGuigan and Carrie Daigle!!).  At the event raffle tickets will be $2 per ticket.  I can take cash, checks and credit cards!  (That whole credit card thing kinda changed my life.  It's awesome.)  If you buy at least $5, y...

Eek.  How did I get so behind at updating you on mileage?!?  Sorry. October 15, 2014- 4.40 miles in 1:16:27 October 17, 2014- 4.00 miles in 1:12:57 October 19, 2014- 8 .01 miles in 2:31 October 22, 2014- 3.01 miles in 0:56 October 23, 2014- 1:64 miles in 0:27:42 October   24, 2014- 1.50 0:26:53 ( walked to Walkaround, but didn't log Walkaround time and walking home) October 25- walked the homecoming parade quite briskly October 26, 2014- 5.01 miles in 1:26:59 Pretty lousy excursion.  October 28, 2014- 5.10 miles in 1:34:30  Throw in 1:30 of ballet/jazz/contemporary on Thursdays and 1:15is of belly dance on Fridays. Total since I started in September: 63.2 miles. Total calories burned in running: 10,263 Total time run: 19:13:23 Not too shabby.

Saturday October 4, 2014: 2.44 miles Sunday October 5, 2014: 6.90 miles  !! I know, right?  I'm just as shocked as everyone else.  AND my pace got better as I went longer.  Whoohoo Tuesday October 7, 2014: 4.21 miles And even better than the miles?  I feel like a runner! For those of you keeping track at home, that's at total of 22.2 miles since September 21st.  If you donated a dollar for every mile of training, we would be well on our way to helping to save lives and fund research.  If you donated $0.25 for every mile we would still be well on our way to saving lives and funding research.  See how that works?  It doesn't matter how much you give, because every little bit helps.  Use The Force to fight blood cancers.  Turn away from the Dark Side. Since The Force isn't very reliable for research funding, you can donate here:  http://pages.teamintraining.org/vtnt/starwr15/knealf

http://youtu.be/petqFm94osQ I'm tired.  Everything is sore from dance and my uncomfortable bed.  It's cold.   But if I only run on days I feel good, I'll never get stronger. Ready to hit that 19:00 mark where everything is awesome.   http://youtu.be/rGnH6JPsv7E

Hello!   I recently decided I need a goal and a project. I also know I do best with BIG goals and projects. I decided to help find a cure for cancer with The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society (LLS) and joined their training and fundraising program called Team in Training (TNT). As part of TNT, on January 18 I will run 13.1 miles at the Star Wars Half Marathon at Disneyland in California! The mission of TNT and LLS is to cure leukemia, lymphoma, Hodgkin’s disease and myeloma, and improve the quality of life for patients and their families. They are making wonderful strides in the survivorship rate for blood cancers by funding over 200 select researchers worldwide. They are developing miracle drugs, such as Gleevec (funded solely by TNT participants). This is a successful alternative to traditional chemotherapy for chronic myelogenous leukemia patients, and it is also being positively tested on many other forms of cancer. My goal is to raise $2,500.00 of which 100% is t...

Just want to make sure you know where to go to make a donation: http://pages.teamintraining.org/vtnt/starwr15/knealf Did you know, if you go to www.teamintraining.org , you can search for me and find my fundraising page that way too. Thanks bunches and bunches!

Thursday I had to run on a hotel treadmill. Ugh.  I've never liked treadmills and hotel ones are the worst.  Let me rephrase that.  I am completely awkward on treadmills.  I'm sure that treadmill was perfectly fine.  The problem with treadmills is I am constantly either going too fast or too slow.  The extra problem with hotel treadmills, or any foreign treadmill, is I'm never on it long enough or frequently enough to figure out how to not be awkward.  Oh well.  I walked briskly and didn't really vary my speed much, but I worked the incline.  That's gotta count for something, right? I made that incline my b*tch.

A girl needed a project and a goal and a reason to get off the couch.   Ten Reasons to Donate to my Team in Training Goal http://pages.teamintraining.org/vtnt/starwr15/knealf 1. Leukemia and Lymphoma Society ( http://www.lls.org/ ) provides academic grants, continuing education and drug development partnerships. 2. The quicker I reach my fundraising goal, the quicker I can focus on running training. http://pages.teamintraining.org/vtnt/starwr15/knealf 3. "LLS research grants have funded many of today's most promising advances, including targeted therapies and immunotherapies and some of the therapies first approved for blood cancer patients are now helping patients with other types of cancers and other serious diseases. " - http://www.lls.org/#/aboutlls/researchsuccesses/ 4. The quicker I reach my fundraising goal, the more funds get donated to LLS.  http://pages.teamintraining.org/vtnt/starwr15/knealf 5. "...helping patients with other types of cancers a...