WEEK #12 (already!)

CUTLER UPDATE: Not a whole lot to report this week as the Fricke's home computer has been down. But rest assured, Cutler is continually improving, especially after his most recent hospital stay! He's still having some difficulty swallowing though, so your prayers for that specifically would be appreciated! Makes me realize how something so basic can be so easily taken for granted...

TRAINING UPDATE: After last week's longest run of the season, we got to taper back this week to 'just' 10 miles, or in my case, 9.3 MILES as part of the Germanfest Fun Run/15k in Muenster, TX. On the upside, the weather was great and the scenery was awesome. On the downside, it was a fairly hilly course but worse than the hills was the wind! I managed to finish in 1:32 and I'm happy with that - not my best but not bad either. We hung around afterward and enjoyed some beer & brats (okay, "German sausage" is what the menu said, and I might've had Bud Light instead of Spaten!) and we had a great afternoon. Well worth the drive, and definitely a fun challenge!
FUNDRAISING UPDATE: Another $25 this week bring us up to $4,656! We are only a few weeks away from my final fundraising deadline, so keep up the great work! I am grateful beyond words...

My husband and I also held our 1st of 2 fundraising garage sales and managed to earn a couple hundred bucks. Feel free to stop by our house for sale #2 this Saturday, May 1st :o) And thanks again to Melanie, Kim, Donna, Gretchen (& Avery!), Mom & Dad, and Debbie for donating items for the sale!

WEEK #11

CUTLER UPDATE: Great news! Cutler's surgery (to remove his central line) went well, he was released from the hospital last Wednesday, and all is returning to normal at the Fricke house. Whew! Thanks for the continued prayers, and please keep on praying! Cutler still needs to improve on his eating in order for the feeding tube to come out next...

TRAINING UPDATE: Who ran 17 MILES in 2 hours & 43 minutes on Saturday? This girl did!!! :o) All in all it was a great run. No shin pains, no major issues. The balls of my feet were sore, and my legs were achey, but it wasn't anything some ibuprofen and a cold shower (sorry, too wimpy for the ice bath!) couldn't fix. This was my longest training run of the season so far, but thankfully we taper back down to 10, 12 and 14 miles over the next few weeks before THE 'biggie' (20 miles) on the 15th, yikes!

FUNDRAISING UPDATE: Folks, we're now at a flabbergasting $4,631 - thanks to another $150 that came in this week! Big thanks to my most recent donors (you know who you are), and thanks again to all 56 of you who are my 'veteran' supporters from late January through March! You ROCK!

WEEK #10

CUTLER UPDATE: Last week there was a bit of a scare, but thankfully it wasn't directly related to the leukemia. After several bouts of vomiting, an early morning (wee hours) trip to the hospital exposed a bacterial infection in Cutler's central line... It is being taken out at this very moment (1:10p CT on Tuesday). Please pray for a speedy recovery and discharge from the hospital!
TRAINING UPDATE: As some of you know, my hubby and I spent the weekend celebrating our 5th anniversary in New York City. Since I still had to run my 12 MILES, I decided to run them in Central Park! It was great weather and I made great time. The only 'bad' thing was I ended up running an extra 1.3 miles because I wasn't exactly familiar with my surroundings. So essentially I ran a half marathon in just over 2 hours. WOOT!
FUNDRAISING UPDATE: Another $50 came in, bringing the total up to $4,481 (can I get a 'Go TEAM'?)! Your generosity continues to blow me away... and helps keep me focused on my 'why'. So keep it coming and thanks again! :o) Oh and a special thanks to those of you who've donated items for our upcoming garage sale.

WEEK #9 / Happy Easter!

CUTLER UPDATE: To quote the Fricke's blog, Cutler's doctor said he has "the blood of a healthy boy" after reviewing his latest test results!!! They were also told that his spinal fluid is completely clean - first time since their journey began back in September. I couldn't be happier for the Fricke family! AND, to top it off, I got to meet the little guy this weekend! Seeing him in person and holding him in my arms truly made my day. What a little angel!

TRAINING UPDATE: To say that I 'only' had to run 10 MILES this week just shows how a person's mentality changes when training for an endurance event! :) Our TNT coaches, mentors and staff prepared an Amazing Race-style training for us, complete with trivia questions, physical challenges (other than running!) and a visit from the Easter bunny! I had some new shin-related pain this week so I slowed down my pace a bit and gave my legs a little break. I have become close friends with an ice pack.

FUNDRAISING UPDATE: Thanks to the PepsiCo Foundation, I was pleasantly surprised to see another $200 added to my fundraising account in the form of matching gifts. The grand total is now at a whopping $4,431! Wahooooo! We'll be at $5,000 in no time. Thanks again, everyone!