how if you're ever gonna donate to anything, do it for this

this is from my amazing friend tommy:

Hi Everyone,

We had another very successful year in 2007 with our health and happiness and our continued support for the LLS to find a cure. Christine passed her 4 year mark with flying colors and we now have November 13th to look forward to so we can finally utter those words she has shied away from until that day. There are already 15 rooms booked for the cruise and that is going to be a crazy trip in Feb of 2009! We are going to party like its 10 years earlier! (1999)

I've done a lot of different things to help support the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society over he last 4 years and have had good success with the help of many of you reading this right now. While attending a meeting during the end of 2007 though, I was inspired to do something drastically different. (read on:-)

Having been a football player and baseball player my whole life, I NEVER EVER liked to run more than a sprint. Even training for those sports, at most, I'd run 2 to 3 miles and I rarely ever did that. Hey, I'm 250 pounds for goodness sake! Running was always the punishment for going offsides or being late to practice. It made me look at running distance as the perennial punishment! That's all about to change...

On April 26th, I will embark on a life changing event for myself. I've taken on the challenge of running 13.1 miles in the Country Music Half Marathon in Nashville, TN. (Did I mention 13.1 miles of non-stop running!) I've decided to take on this challenge to honor my wife Christine and friend Mike who have fought leukemia and are still fighting the daily battles bone marrow transplants bring. They will both be my honorary teammates for the event.

I'm running as part of the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society's Team in Training and have already started my workouts. I've gone from the couch to running at least 2 times a week and I'm starting to build up some endurance. On top of the training I also have a fund-raising goal as part of the program. I promise that if you can help me reach my fund-raising goal, I will train my butt off and make it through the 13.1 miles smiling...or maybe trying to smile.

For those of you who are able to help me with a donation, I'll be sending out regular e-mails on my workout progress. I figure if you're generous enough to donate the money, I'm generous enough to share the description of my agony!

Thanks in advance for any support you can send my way. Wish me luck with the training!

Please help me reach my goal by making an on-line donation here.

Tommy



and if you need a reference on how amazing this is, check out my own marathon for the same amazing inspiration and honorary teammate.

thanks.