My honorees: Ned Jimmerson and Sam Weis

A quick training update: Training has begun! I am feeling out the "intermediate" training schedule to see how it goes. So far, so good. We will be running 8-10 miles on Saturday already, and I'm averaging about 12 miles a week plus two 30 min cross-training sessions a week. Yesterday, we held our first team run on the Lock and Dam #1 to work on hills. This is a HILL - a quarter mile one way (down), half mile up and down. Great training for the marathon, believe me!

Now that that's out of the way, it's time to introduce you to my personal honorees: Ned Jimmerson and Sam Weis.

I'm running in memory of my dad, Ned Jimmerson. He passed away about a year and a half ago at the age of 59 of complications from a massive stroke that occurred a few years earlier and diabetes. Dad loved the arts, particularly the stage - he was an actor and director at the local community theatre - and singing with the local community choir. While he did not suffer from blood cancer, I knew I wanted to accomplish something difficult in his memory - something that would require a great deal of dedication and that would benefit others. A couple of years ago, I learned about Team In Training but wasn't able to commit the time for training, and was worried about how successful I could be meeting the fundraising goals. Last year seemed the right year. And my concerns about fundraising - well, you all proved me wrong there! I am so happy to be able to run in Dad's memory again this year.

This year, I'm tremendously privileged to also be running in honor of my colleague, Sam Weis. Sam is a smart, talented guy in his mid-twenties who works for a Wisconsin environmental nonprofit, working for public policy to ensure clean air and clean water for future generations. Sam was diagnosed with acute lymphoblastic leukemia in 2008, and only in January of this year received the good news that he is in maintenance. What's more, Sam's mom also overcame leukemia only a few years earlier. Sam informs me that he's gradually regaining his physical fitness, and was recently hiking in the Porcupine Mountains.

You can read more about Sam's experiences over the last year and a half on his blog, Blog Strong: The Leukemic Adventures of Sam Weis.


It's such an honor and a privilege to be able to run in memory and in honor of two such extraordinary individuals. One more hill, one more pushup, one more step at a time, we'll make it across that finish line in October!!