Walking, and Running, and Fundraising, OH MY!

Oh my, what a month! Well, so much has been going on... First let me start by saying THANK YOU to everyone who made it out to Sweet Tomatoes to help me celebrate my Birthday and most importantly, to help support The Leukemia and Lymphoma Society. I'm not sure how much money we raised, but we did have a good time!

Well, the past month or so has been INSANE to say the least. Training has taken off full force... I will admit, I've been most nervous about the training; not the fundraising. I'm delighted to report however, the training has actually been fun! The hardest part is during the week. I have to maintain a strict training regimen our coaches have planned all week, but this is independent. The exciting part is our Saturday team training sessions. I've made some new friends, and honestly, as crazy as it sounds, I enjoy getting up at 4:30 AM to make a 6 AM run! Okay, I'll be 100% honest - I'm not exactly running yet, but I am getting into a little jogging. Regardless, we are working up to some serious mileage!

At the top of the page, the picture I put up is of a rainbow Kellie took while we were driving back home. It was after our first team training session. After the session, we had a fitness and nutrition workshop. There was so much information to digest, but when we got back in the car, we both felt we were EXACTLY where we are supposed to be! The entire experience has been amazing. I'm getting so much from this experience. Far more than I feel I'm putting into the deal.

So, fundraising... Well, I am past what the program calls our "recommit" amount. This is good! I had until the end of August to make this mark, but I'm early, so hopefully the momentum will continue! Kellie and I have teamed up on our efforts. The most recent was during the ADRL Hardee's Independence Drags IV at Heartland Park Topeka. The race team I still do PR for has been a tremendous help and supporter of the cause, so they offered their services to help us and LLS out! I'm so happy to report, we were able to raise over $1500 in just over a day! Unfortunately, the race rained out - so needless to say, we didn't do as well as we had hoped, but every dime matters. We never could have hit that amount if it wasn't for some dear friends of mine in the racing business! I want to give a big thank you to Gaylen Smith and Lenmar Motorsports, Frankie "Madman" Taylor, Mike Castalana and his team, and Keith Goolsby of Superlifts. Those teams all gave over $100!! The support of the racing community has been such an inspiration! You can read all about our efforts here - http://www.competitionplus.com/index.php/drag-racing/news/14646-barklage-brothers-racing-for-a-cause-

SO, Emotions?? Well, I miss my dear friend Michelle. She is after all the reason I've gotten involved. She is still holding her own but still in a coma. It's come to the point I can barely drag myself to the hospital. I just miss her so much. During my fundraising efforts, I've had the honor of meeting so many who have had loved ones fight blood cancer. I never knew how many people are effected. During my journey, I've discovered every four minutes, someone new in the USA is diagnosed with blood cancer and only $1000 will give 10 children cancer med's for an entire month. Kinda puts things in prospective uha??

Well, if you are so blessed to have healthy family and friends, thank the Lord for your blessings. If you are one of those who are sick or have a loved one who is sick, remember - this journey we are doing is for YOU!

Remember, if you haven't donated and you can - please visit http://pages.teamintraining.org/mid/nikesf10/ajohnsotl9

Every dime helps!

Thanks!

~AJ