I'll be using this space periodically to update my friends and others on this site about my participation in the Lake Placid Half Marathon on June 15, 2008, in, amazingly enough, Lake Placid, NY. I'm running 13.1 miles with Team in Training to raise funds for the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society.

Donors (Heroes) so far:

• LadyChaplain
• Sean Crotty
• Dave Blank and family
• Donna McDonnell
• Jackie Russell
• Bonnie B. (Derby)

Thanks guys--way to make Western NY look good. :)

• And from someone unexpected, a great big thank you to EngineCo13(Mike)--thanks big guy

I'd also like to give a big fat shout-out to Sean Crotty and Dave Blank for being my guardian angels and working so hard to muster up donations. I love you guys...you're the best.

Training has gotten off to an interesting start. We had a group run this past weekend, the first "official" group run (the weekend prior was the kickoff run, and no one counts that due to the low mileage and the general silliness that takes place before, during and after)of the Spring teams season. I crawled out of bed at 6 am on Saturday morning, after hurling my alarm clock across the room (note to self, purchase new and sturdier alarm clock). As I stood there impatiently watching the coffee pot waiting for my infusion of caffeine, my phone rang, my co-runner Maureen wanting to know if I had looked out the window yet....

As my eyelids were still at half mast, I stumbled to the window (I'm really not a morning person) to see a sheet of ice coating everything in sight. "Do you think we're still running today?" I asked her....."I don't know, what do you think?" she replied.

The general consensus thus became...."Screw it, we're already up, let's go".

The bike path (our normal training locale---it runs alongside the Mohawk river) was well nigh impassible, unless you happened to have a pair of figure skates with you, so we opted to run River Road....also icy, but not as bad as the bike path. So there we are, amid 30 or so other runners (the majority of the Team made the better decision to wait until Sunday to run) gingerly shuffling down the road....and that's when Johnny Law paid us a visit....lights, no sirens.

Apparently passing motorists were concerned for the welfare of the pack of morons running alongside a busy road in an ice storm (and rightfully so) ,, or so ticked off at our stupidity, and the police department had received so many "stupid @#$% runners" calls that they sent a couple of patrol cars to investigate. We were politely told that perhaps the route we were running wasn't the best idea and now would be a dandy time to turn back.

On the upside....I didn't fall on the ice. THAT is a major coup for me.

Next week: The Satan Shoes

Inspired to donate? You can visit my fundraising page at

http://www.active.com/donate/tntnyvt/tntnyvtMShea1