Sunday, March 14, 2010

JOIN THE MADNESS (for a cure!)

It's that time of year, friends... NCAA MARCH MADNESS time! Today I set up an NCAA pool through CBS Sports online to benefit the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society's Team In Training. In January, I pledged to raise money and increase awareness of the blood cancer problem in our society. The ultimate goal is to find a CURE for all blood cancers. So join the madness today, set up your bracket picks and have some fun with me while raising money for a good cause! Please forward this to ANY and ALL of your friends and family. The more...the merrier!

The Rules:

This NCAA bracket/pool is set up to have FUN and raise money for The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society through Team In Training ("LLS/TNT").

The cost to join is $10 per bracket. $5 will go to the prize pool, and the other $5 will go to the LLS/TNT. The winner gets 50% of the pool at the end of the tournament. Multiple brackets are highly encouraged and welcomed!


CLICK HERE TO SIGN UP
Password: CURE (all caps)

To Sign Up:

Please click the link above, enter the password and send us your entry fee. If you do not have an CBS Sportsline account, don't worry! You can sign up for free and then join our bracket/pool.
Selection Sunday is March 14, and the tourney begins March 18, so make sure you get your picks soon! Sign-ups close at the start of the tournament. All picks must be made by the start of the tournament.


Payment Options:

1. $10 cash or check to me in person (or via mail ATTN: Lacy Ward/200 W. 15th/Edmond, Ok 73013)
or
2. Send $11 through PayPal by clicking the donation link below:


(The extra dollar helps cover the PayPal fees. If you don't have a PayPal account, just click on the word "Continue" on the left hand side of the page.)


Thanks to everyone for your continued support!
-LaceFace

Saturday, March 6, 2010

Hey remember that time...

... I was running and my pants kept falling down and showing my underwear so I basically had to run three miles while holding my pants up? Or that other time I was walking out to my car and mistook the step off the curb, twisted my ankle, fell face forward onto the pavement and thought I'd taken myself out of marathon training in the most ridiculous way ever? Or that other time I decided to try my hand at running around Lake Hefner and got lost on what is supposed to be a pretty self-explanatory jogging trail around a predominately circular lake? (That was today, btw. Disastrous to say the least. But 9.1 miles! Go me!)

Well if I haven't mentioned any of that, there ya go. Just some fun little antidotes of me being me, whilst training for a half marathon. Sheesh. Sometimes I just close my eyes for a moment, take it all in and ask God, "Why?" :) At least I entertain myself.

Well! Hello friends! I haven't been on here in quite a while. If you just so happen to be an avid reader of this here blog of mine and wait on pins and needles for the next post to come out, then I sincerely apologize to all (two) of you for this terrible delay. (Hey, mom. Hey, Aunt Rhonda.)

In all seriousness, I'd like to take this time to reflect a little bit about the last month and a half, so grab a seat and take this journey with me, will ya?

Over the course of the last few weeks, there have been some high points and low points, as there always is in life. I've been sticking with my running schedule pretty well, and have made myself get out and run when I wasn't sure I'd find the energy or time. I've made new friends, pushed myself further than I thought I ever could and tried yoga for the first time ever (which is awesome and I love it). I've listened to stories about people whose lives are affected by blood cancers and regained perspective on the purpose of all this. I've even dealt with what I like to call a "hater", who literally laughed at me when I told him what I was doing, basically declared I must not understand how long 13.1 miles is, and generally made me feel like crap. And to you, sir, all I have to say is this:

You are "the counter guy". You refinish counters for a living. At apartment complexes. Don't make fun of my intentions to better myself and others through the quite difficult art of endurance running, mk? And I'd sincerely like to tell you to keep the ten dollars you so begrudgingly handed over, while semi-jokingly stating that you were really only going to give me five now and the other five if (IF!?) I cross the finish line, except your money is going to make a difference. But honestly. Is your attitude necessary? I think not.

Ahem. Ok I'm done. Thanks for letting me get that off my chest (in an admittedly very passive-aggressive way, but off my chest, nonetheless.) Anyway, despite that guy, I've really been blessed to be apart of Team In Training and LLS and all the wonderful people I've come across. I feel pretty lucky to have the opportunity to do something that is really helping people. It's given my life a bit of purpose and direction, and I like knowing that I'm making a difference to someone. I'm also very lucky to have gotten the amount of donations I have over the last month. I most definitely couldn't have done it without you, so THANK YOU (x's infinity) to everyone who has donated to help me out.

I feel like I've had great success in my fundraising, and I've recently been encouraged to up the ante a little. So this week I raised my fundraising goal from $1,500 to $4,400 with the intentions of running another half marathon in San Diego in June. Eep! That's a big number and it makes me a little nervous. I've got some fundraising ideas that I'm going to be putting in motion, including setting up a March Madness bracket, so all the boys in my life can have a little fun and donate at the same time. Also, I've been speaking to Staci, who is the owner of S Studio Salon & Spa (where I have my hair done and they are all pretty much rockin' over there. You should check them out.) about having a wine tasting/salon night to raise money as well. So be on the lookout! I will try to make it as fun as possible!

As always, if you can't donate money but you've got some fabulous fundraising ideas, send 'em my way! I very much could use the ideas and encouragement. The wall above my desk at work is filled with the encouraging letters and notes from my friends and family and I love looking at it every day. If you'd like to take a moment to visit my fundraising page, you can do so by clicking this link.

Thanks for stopping by! Happy Saturday!

Yours 'til the cookie crumbles,

Lacy

Thursday, February 18, 2010

Can't. Feel. My. Legs.

That's a lie. I can feel my legs and they HURT. That's right. All caps HURT.

And you know what I found out yesterday? Running outside is awesome. It totally beats running on a treadmill. In fact, I love it so much that I'm going to need you to combine your efforts with mine, put those dainty little hands of yours together (maybe kneel beside your bed if you're at home and feeling frisky) and pray for this gorgeous weather to continue and/or last more than a day and a half.

Ready? Aaaand GO! Oh, and while you're there, pray for my legs. Thanks.

Ok and now I have another favor. I know, I know. I'm pretty demanding. Could be why I'm still single. Maybe. (Probably not though.)

If you've been reading my blog over the last month, you know I have recently made the commitment to help raise money on behalf of the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society (LLS) by running a half marathon with Team In Training. I've pledged to raise money to help LLS fund research to find a cure for blood related cancers and to improve the quality of life of patients and their families.

I've not had to personally deal with the pain of knowing someone who has a blood cancer, but this journey has definitely shed some light on it that I wasn't aware of before. In fact, did you know that every 10 minutes, two people learn they have Leukemia, Lymphoma, or other blood related cancers? That's more than 300 people a day. Is one of them your friend or family member?

Meet Morgan. Miss Morgan Snowden is my honored hero. She is a 9 year old girl who who was diagnosed in 2007 with Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia. This precious individual is the reason I am committing myself to this goal. With this inspiration how can I not fight my way to the finish line? It is a chance to embody a glimmer of hope for those who are battling blood cancers and to remember those who have lost their battles.

So here's where my favor comes in. I need YOU to help me raise money to find a cure. We can do it. The five year survival rate for blood cancers has has nearly quadrupled in the past 48 years for patients with leukemia. And a large part of that is due to the people like you who donate to help fund research for a cure. This past December, Morgan was able to ring the survivor's bell, signaling the end of her treatment. What a blessing!

Join me in this fight today! I'll do the hard part- training and running 13 miles (remember my legs? They hurt!) if you'll just visit my fundraising page and donate. The most honest thing I can say to you is that no donation is too small. Each dollar counts.

Click Here For My Fundraising Page


I appreciate everyone's support and I hope you'll check back often for updates. I have reached 65% of my goal, but I need your help to make it 100%. Thank you!


Yours 'til the amusement parks,

Lacy Ward

Tuesday, February 2, 2010

Everyone that donates will get a Jersey Shore fist pump in their honor when I cross the finish line

Firstly, I just have to shout out loud from the proverbial rooftops that I AM SO EXCITED TO BE AT 22% IN MY FUNDRAISING GOAL!! And I'm only two weeks into this! I mean, that is really great, and I simply couldn't have done it without all you heros! So thank you to the most wonderful people who've donated. I genuinely appreciate every single one of you who've either donated to LLS, supported or applauded my efforts in running this marathon, and/or brought me Starbucks coffee when I so desperately needed it (which turns out to be all day long, every day... thanks a lot, Starbucks. As Jake Gyllenhal so famously said in Brokeback Mountain: Starbucks, I wish I could quit you.)

Some of you might be wondering how training is going. Am I following my schedule? Or do I give the treadmill a sideways glance, shrug my shoulders and turn on American Idol instead? Well, my friends, the good news is that I am training and I've got blisters to prove it! So have faith! With every donation and word of support I become more and more determined to stay on track and meet my goals. I am taking this very seriously. I even got me some fancy new running pants!

Speaking of blisters and running pants, I discovered there are quite a lot of things that runners need that you'd never think of, like blister powder for your socks (which obviously, I've yet to purchase) and moisture wicking clothing so that when you're running you can stay mostly dry and comfortable (hence, my fancy new running pants). And let me just say I kind of feel for the male runners, because of two awkward little words that our instructors told us about at the Kickoff Party. 

Nipple Guards. 

Yeah. Nipple guards. Apparently, the guys have to wear them to prevent nipple chafing when they run and I can't help but say I find it kind of funny. I mean, the image that comes to mind when I hear "nipple guards" is pasties. I can't help it. Sometimes my immaturity prevails. Also, our coaches told us that on race day you'll see plenty of guys out there who, bless their sweet chests, didn't know nipple guards were a necessary item and will have blood trails down their shirts. Am I the only one who finds that kind of funny? Just me? Figures. Thank God for sports bras, is all I can say.

You know what else? I learned that cyclists don't wear underwear. They're going commando under all that spandex. Who knew?? TNT, you've taught me so much.

I hope all of you are having a wonderful week and are praying for sunshine as much as I am. Group training should be this week if weather permits, which will be great because we haven't had an official team training day yet. I'm ready to see my teammates! Please be on the lookout for upcoming fundraising activities! I'm hoping to come up with some pretty fun stuff.

As always, if you'd like to donate online, please visit my fundraising website at http://pages.teamintraining.org/ok/okcity10/LaceFace or mail your donation to 200 W. 15th, Edmond, Ok 73103 Attn Lacy. You all are wonderful!

Yours til the banana splits,

Lacy

Friday, January 22, 2010

Ain't nothing gonna break my stride....

.... Nobody's gonna slow me down! Oh no! I've got to keep on movin'!

I've decided that's my new motto, courtesy of Men At Work. Yeah. Bet that's going to be stuck in your head for at least two hours. Sorry in advance. Sort of. I kind of like that song.

Well hello there! Welcome to my blog! Tomorrow morning marks the official beginning of my TNT experience with the spring season kick off at the LLS Society office. I'm excited! I've already made some friends from the information meeting- first timers like me- so I'm looking forward to seeing them again. At the kickoff we get to meet our teammates and coaches, as well as getting the information about our Honored Hero. An Honored Hero is someone who is being treated for or is a survivor of a blood cancer. This person is our inspiration, a face for the cause and who we are running for. Once I get more information on who that is for my team, I'll add it to the web page!

Last night was my first attempt at the fundraising process (other than harassing some of my wonderful residents at the apartment community I work for). I sent out a mass email to everyone in my contacts folder in hopes of getting some donations rolling in. I received my first two official donations this morning, as well as plenty of response emails with questions and suggestions for fundraising! So a big thanks to Summer, Jason, and Brett for getting me from 0 to 3% on my donations goal, and to the others who I know are sending in their donations too!

However, despite the optimism I am feeling about this, I have a small inkling that I may have some doubters in my midst. I suppose it makes sense... after all, many people who know me know that I am a bit of a procrastinator and don't always finish projects I've started. For instance, I've started writing approximately three books over the course of my life. One of them I actually completed, but that was when I was 15 and the book was about Taylor Hanson falling in love with me while I toured with his family around the world for a year. True Story. Needless to say, I doubt that one is ever going to get published. Or see the light of day. The other two books I've written.... well, they're a work in progress and currently situated on a computer that won't even turn on. So there's that. Not only that, but at one point I started a scrapbook for my little sister to chronicle her senior year of high school at Putnam City North (Hi Paige!). The plan was to give it to her as a graduation gift. She could have graduated TWICE by now. And I'm only about 1/3 of the way done. So I guess I can kind of understand the strange and uncertain looks I got when I started telling people what I'm doing.

BUT, this marathon is something I'm committed to. No doubt about it, I WILL meet my goal and I WILL cross the finish line. As they say, nothing worth having comes easily right? I'm just going to have to prove all the doubters wrong!

Thanks for visiting today. I hope you keep stopping by. Please leave me comments, I'd love that! :)



Yours 'til the kitchen sinks,

Lace(Face)
My Fundraising Page: http://pages.teamintraining.org/ok/okcity10/LaceFace