Running on Love

Just when you think you have it all planned…

2010-07-27T00:40:00Z

The universe says not so fast!

Joggin and Bloggin: 7/26/10

I went to the trails this morning just after 6am for one of my shorter training runs, about 3 ½ miles. About 20 minutes into my run I was deep in meditation about what I would write in today’s joggin and bloggin when I thought I had it all worked out. I had created in my mind a fabulous and profound message to share with you today.

I reached the end of the trail halfway through my run and into a housing development onto the pavement. A stone had apparently lodged into my sneaker so I reached down to flick it away. I reached into my fuel belt and went to take a swig of my Powerade when I smelled that smell. The one you don’t want to smell when you are ingesting anything! I realized what I had flicked away with my finger was none other than Dog Poop! Ugh!! I have a fairly clean vocabulary; however, poop was not the 4 letter word that came to my mind at that moment.

I had a choice to make. Will I curse a blue streak and think terrible thoughts about every dog owner in the area? Engage in thoughts about how inconsiderate it was that someone didn’t clean up after their pet? I could allow it to be something that put me in a terrible mood and let it ruin my morning run…or, I could move right along. Hmmm, is there a lesson here to be learned? A clever metaphor I can extract from stepping in dog manure? Is the universe trying to teach me something?

After using the one tissue I had to wipe my hand I saw the bottom of the shoe was so covered, one tissue was not going to help. I headed back to my car knowing I needed to be totally present, and in the moment. It was key for me to remember to keep my right hand away from my face and G-d forbid I should forget what happened and take a swig from my ill-fated bottle of Powerade!

When I got back to my car, I reached for a box of tissues to clean off my shoe before I would get in. To my surprise I looked to find the bottom of my sneaker was completely clean. There was not a trace of the offense! Amazing I thought. You would never know what had happened here this morning.

Just when I had my day’s blog all figured out this unforeseen annoyance had to happen. What I planned to write was now forgotten. I now had something new to write now. I began to wonder about the expression “Stepping in it”. Why has something rather disgusting come to mean something good?

My top 7 reasons “stepping in it” now means something good to me:

7. I have learned that I may think I have it all planned, but the universe has another one.

6. I’ve learned if something annoying happens I can still put my best foot forward.

5. I’ve learned that running, is like life, I must practice staying present and alert, or I will miss out
on something or possibly step in it!

4. Moving forward, and pushing away negative thoughts is always my choice.

3. I can take any rude and disgusting situation manage to find something humorous about it or even possibly a lesson.

    2. If I just put one foot in front of the other, continue in forward motion, eventually I will manage to leave all the poop behind!

    1. Finally, the number 1 reason “Stepping in It” now means something good to me:

        Because I choose it!

Why in the world am I running a marathon at 50?

2010-07-22T17:49:00Z

The view of from the trails in Randolph

When I head out for a run these days I began to realize that I don't even need to listen to music anymore. That’s because I spend my time thinking about what I would share with others if they would listen. With every step I take on my little run, I have a deep and wonderful conversation in my mind about the sort of things I would love to discuss with my friends, family, or anyone who would care to talk with me. There have been times where I pause and think, “wow, that was really profound, I should write that down."

So here you go folks. This is what I now call joggin and bloggin. I hope you will comment and give your thoughts too! J

This mornings Joggin and Bloggin:

You may think training for a marathon is easy for someone like me. You may think, “Oh Lori, I know you have done this 4 times over and you are in great shape, it’s a piece of cake for someone like you.” My answer to that is, ha ha ha. I have you all fooled! I am nothing of the sort and what you may also not realize is just because you have run a marathon before doesn’t mean it gets any easier...especially as you get a little older every year!

This morning I woke up at 5:45am, not from my alarm clock, but from my own inner alarm. I saw the time and said to myself, "Ugh! I am soooo tired. Can’t I just lie here for another 15 minutes?" Every minute I stayed in bed the good Lori’s voice in me would shout “Get up! Get up already will you!” Finally I dragged my big behind out of bed and took my sorry, tired, 50 year old bag of bones to the trails.

I started with a slow trot and with every step I took I began thinking “Good grief, this really hurts. Why am I doing this? All I want to do is stay in bed and I am out here in 75 degree weather with 100 percent humidity pounding my body.” After 1 ½ miles I am sweating like an extremely large man. No, I don’t have the pleasure of glowing like the other ladies… I sweat!

As I am doing my little training run the pain and discomfort starts to fade a bit and it feels better. Suddenly I am heading down hill and I catch a cool breeze. Ah that feels better. At this point I am thinking about what I would write in my blog today.

It was then that it dawned on me that I was out there running even though every part of my body wanted to be in my cozy bed. Why in the world was I doing this? Any of this? I could be home getting an extra hour of shut eye in the comfort of my air conditioning. What do I need this for? Why must I run a marathon? Even more so, why at the age of 50 did I start a non-profit called Running on Love and decide to devote my time and energy to get other people to do this with me?

Last year it felt like the universe dropped a grenade on my head. It shook me up, turned me upside down and inside out. I had been losing my hearing for almost 10 years but suddenly my hearing dropped to a level that caused me to see myself losing it all. I mean that very literally. My ears were going rapidly. I felt that my entire connection to my family, friends, all of my relationships, my ability to earn an income, were now in jeopardy. I’ve been in sales and marketing most of my career and now the universe decided suddenly “Hey Lori, you think you are such a hot shot sales professional, try doing it without your ears!”

Suddenly I found myself at mile 20 of my own life’s marathon. I hit the proverbial wall that marathon runners talk about all the time. There were no water stops for me there either. No food to nibble on. I felt desperate, anxious, and full of fear. Fear that I would lose it all. I suddenly found myself questioning something I had never questioned before…myself.

My self-talk sounded something like this:

I don"t know if I can do this…a life without my ears?
Will I need to learn to sign?
Will I be forced to leave the hearing world I grew up in and become part of a new one?
Will speaking with my kids, husband, friends and relatives become so difficult that they would find me simply not worth the timeand energy?
Will my business disappear and clients find me less than the person I was before?
My kids are all musical, will I be able to hear them perform?

I hit rock bottom before I woke up and started my slow journey back. Back to being Lori again. Back to the Lori that knows my family will always be there for me and that I am not alone. Back to the Lori that fearlessly plunges head first into an opportunity without looking back. Am I her yet? Not quite, I am still working out the bugs.

The truth is, like this morning, I still wake up questioning “why the heck are you running this marathon? Will anyone understand, join or even support your new Non-profit and Run on Love with you? Why are you even bothering?” And my answer is…because I must!

Without a doubt, I could go back to doing the same old, same old. Work hard, pay bills, squeak out a vacation here or there. But I need to do more now. I need to show my kids that life is going to toss them lemons, and in my case grenades. What are you going to do when this happens? And I assure you it will.

I don’t know what anyone else does but I will tell you what I plan to do. I will turn my lemons into lemonade and proceed in forward motion placing one foot after the other, one step at a time. I will Run on Love, finish this 26.2 mile marathon, and get my finishers medal and do this all for love. It won’t always be pretty. There may be some blood, sweat and tears along the way, but in the end I will have learned, grown, and expressed my deep love to the people I hold dear while hopefully having made a difference in someone else’s life.

I learned through my other charity runs that true joy comes from deep within. It comes to you when you are in a state of gratitude and devoted to giving of yourself unconditionally in the name of love. My deep sense of personal loss this past year was an awakening and I can no longer do business as usual. I must reach for more, and be more than I ever thought I could be. I hope to share this journey with you. When they pack me up and send me back to wherever I came from, I want my four letter name to be equal to another four letter word, Love. <3

Please Support Running on Love:
To donate to support Lori's marathon run: http://www.active.com/donate/ROLforHLA-NJ/Lori
Visit: www.runningonlove.org
Become a fan: Facebook

Running on Love for The Hearing Loss Association of NJ

2010-07-02T16:19:00Z

Running The Rehoboth Beach Marathon

on December 11th, 2010

Lori coming to the finish of the
2008 NYC Marathon

Hello Everyone! I will be Running on Love in the Rehoboth Beach Marathon in Delaware on December 11th 2010. This 26.2 mile run will be a charity event to raise awareness about hearing loss and in support of the NJ Chapter of the Hearing Loss Association of America. I will be completing this fundraising endurance event in loving honor of my husband Jeff and our three children, Melissa, David and Jillian. They are the lights of my life and I love them with all my heart and all my soul.

My Compelling Reason Why
For almost 10 years I have been losing my hearing. Many of you reading this may find this surprising but there are many who know the challenges I have gone through. My family has supported me through thick and thin and so it is fitting that this run be a tribute to them.

My Hearing Loss
My hearing loss came on suddenly almost 10 years ago and has been steadily declining ever since. Approximately one year ago my hearing plummeted dramatically to a level where I knew I was going deaf. This was the beginning of a frightening and life changing journey. I began wearing hearing aids a couple of years ago which gave me some relief at first and helped me function. One year ago my hearing got so bad that I no longer received any benefit from an aid in my right ear.

After a hearing test on June 30th, 2010, we learned that my right ear suffered another dramatic loss and is no longer able to discern speech. My left ear now discerns about 60 percent of speech and is my only connection to the hearing world. The speed in which the loss has progressed in the past year shook me up and dropped me to my knees. It was the beginning of a life journey that stopped me in my tracks and caused me to rethink just about everything in my life. Everything that is with one exception, my love for my family.

My intention is to bring light where there has been darkness. Life dealt me a few lemons this past year and I intend to make lemonade! Over the next several months as I train for my 5th marathon at the tender age of 50, I will keep a blog and communicate my experiences. Hearing Loss, though not life threatening is life changing. A loss is a loss and we all can relate to that. It is my desire to share with the world my experiences, some valuable life lessons I have learned, and to give love, help and hope to everyone in need. Please visit my blog at http://blog.runningonlove.org to read my story and follow my journey.

Please show your support by:
*Making a contribution: www.active.com/donate/ROLforHLA-NJ/Lori
*Continue to follow me and read my blog: Lori's Blog
*Become a fan of Running on Love: Facebook Fan Page
*Forward this page to friends, family: Lori's Fundraising Page

The Hearing Loss Association of America (HLAA) is the nation’s leading organization representing people with hearing loss. According to the National Center for Health Statistics 36 million (17%) American adults have some degree of hearing loss making it a public health issue third in line after heart disease and arthritis.

HLAA provides assistance and resources for people with hearing loss and their families to learn how to adjust to living with hearing loss. HLAA is working to eradicate the stigma associated with hearing loss and raise public awareness about the need for prevention and the importance of regular hearing screenings throughout life.

The Hearing Loss Association of NJ has the following stated mission:
*To serve as an extension of the Hearing Loss Association of America organization in creating awareness of hearing loss issues within the state of New Jersey.
* To develop a statewide network to help with outreach, advocacy, legislative and equal access issues that affect people with hearing loss.
* To network cooperatively with other organizations within the state which are concerned with hearing loss.

Please help make this a successful charitable event and make a contribution. Please donate by visiting: www.active.com/donate/ROLforHLA-NJ/Lori . Thank you for your help!

Team Running on Love - Our First Event - The Philadelphia Half Marathon on November 22, 2009

2009-11-13T17:59:00Z

Running The Philadelphia Half-Marathon in support of
Taylor Buonadonna and her family.

The first official fundraising endurance event of www.RunningOnLove.org, dedicated to its mission to Give Love…Touch Lives, will be The Philadelphia Half-Marathon on November 22nd, 2009. Our mission is to raise funds for brave 16-year-old Taylor Buonadonna, to help her defeat osteosarcoma—a rare form of bone cancer that she was diagnosed with, at the age of 13.

Taylor is one of 6 children. Her parents, West and Maria, are waging a valiant fight to conquer this disease, with the hope and prayer of helping Taylor live a long, healthy and happy life. Taylor has undergone experimental treatment in Texas, accompanied by West who was there caring for her. She continues to be treated at the Children's Hospital of Philadelphia.

Please join us in supporting Taylor and her family by making a generous donation. It is our hope that with your generous support, we can ease the financial burden on the Buonadonnas in this time of great need, as they tirelessly work for a cure.

Here is Taylor’s emotional story of courage, hope and faith,
in the words of her father, West Buonadonna.

At first glance, Taylor Buonnadonna is a normal 16 year-old girl. She’s an excellent student, plays the flute and has lots of friends. She was born in South Philadelphia, and now lives in Washington Township, NJ, with her five siblings, parents, grandmother, two dogs, two cats and two hamsters.

One day, while playing on the trampoline, Taylor banged her knee. After a few days, she complained that her knee was still hurting her. Believing this to just be a normal bruise, we told her to put ice on it and the pain would go away. It did. However, about two months later she banged the same knee in the same way. This time the pain did not go away. We felt like someone was trying to tell us something. We took her for an x-ray, which to our horror, revealed a tumor.

In June 2006, at the tender age of 13, Taylor was diagnosed with a bone cancer called osteosarcoma. Of all childhood cancers, osteosarcoma is rare, but it is the most common bone tumor in children; it affects approximately 400 children under age 20 every year.

Taylor began her treatment at Children's Hospital of Philadelphia (CHOP). This treatment included high doses of chemotherapy for nearly a year. She also endured a surgical procedure called limb salvage surgery, where the affected bone was removed from her right leg. For almost two years, we thought Taylor had gone into remission. But we were wrong. The osteosarcoma returned, and this time it was found in her left knee and had spread into her lungs.

After a second limb salvage surgery on the left knee, we brought her to Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center in New York for two different clinical trials of chemotherapy. Unfortunately, both of those trials failed to stabilize her disease. By this time, the disease had spread into both of her lungs and multiple bone joints.

Taylor was treated by one of the nation’s leading oncology doctors at The University of Texas’, MD Anderson Cancer Center, hoping to give Taylor a better quality of life. She has since returned home to be near family and friends and continues her treatment plan at CHOP or Sloan Kettering.

We often wish that Taylor’s story could be told on a larger scale. By the kindness of so many that have helped us along the way, her story is now being told. Someday we hope to fulfill Taylor’s wish to publish her story, with all the proceeds going to research for her disease.

Thank you for your kind concern,

Supporting Team IBD Kids of Mount Sinai Hospital in NYC

2008-07-02T18:35:00Z

Lori Sperber and Debbie Shapiro

Running in the NYC Marathon on November 2^nd, 2008 with my lifelong friend Debbie Shapiro
I will be running my 4^th marathon, the NYC Marathon on November 2^nd, 2008. This next marathon event is a “must do” for most marathoners. For me, always a Brooklyn Girl at heart, it will be quite special. I will be running and supporting the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society as I have for my past 3 marathons with the additional goal of raising money for Team IBD Kids. I will be joining my lifelong friend, Debbie Shapiro in this fundraising effort. To support Team IBD Kids please donate now.

What is IBD?
Crohn’s Disease and Ulcerative Colitis, known as IBD, are the most common chronic and serious gastrointestinal disorders affecting children. Both Crohn’s and Colitis tend to strike during childhood at an average age of 12 years old. The cause of these conditions is still unknown. UC can be cured by surgery to remove the entire large intestine. CD can not be cured by surgery. Both are treated with a variety of medications and other therapies.

Imagine what it is like to be a kid with IBD:
• Eating becomes a struggle and not a source of enjoyment like it is for everyone else
• You are not like all the other healthy kids who eat anything they want, you are different
• Frequent trips to doctors and hospitalizations
• Needles and IVs become commonplace in your life
• During the hospital stays you are surrounded by sadness and other seriously ill children
• Having a lowered immunity you are prone to catch other illnesses more easily than other children
• You often become labeled as “the sick kid”
• It is not uncommon for normal growth and the ability to mature to be stunted because of your illness, the results of which many children carry into their adult life
• Missing a lot of school causing added stress and pressure to try to catch up
• Needing special permission from the school to use the lavatory when needed because of the frequency
• Swallowing dozens of pills trying to hopefully find a combination that works
• Receiving intravenous medications that are administered in the hospital
• Living with the threat of major surgery
• Living with the permanent scar, both physically and mentally, after surgery

Having a child with IBD is a life changing experience, bringing a great deal of anxiety and stress to the families who have been touched by this. Please help support families who are suffering the way our family did. Please make a generous donation to Team IBD Kids. Donate now.

To Donate by check: Check payable to: Team IBD Kids (Downloadable pdf form)

Team IBD Kids — THE MISSION
The mission of the Children’s IBD Center at Mount Sinai is to provide state of the art comprehensive medical care, in a compassionate environment to children with IBD and their families. The center provides:
• On-going educational lectures and support groups
• Website
• Newsletters
• Trained parent volunteers who are available to talk to families
• Ongoing research

Racing to Save Lives in the San Diego Rock-N-Roll Marathon, June 1st, 2008

2008-01-04T20:05:00Z

In Loving Memory of Ben Strauss

It has been one year since I signed up for my first Team in Training fundraising event for the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society. It was so rewarding and life-changing that running marathons and fundraising for Team in Training is now an important part of my life. After completing both the NJ and Marine Corps Marathons in 2007, I have committed myself and my time to be a mentor for the team and run in the San Diego Rock-N-Roll Marathon on June 1st, 2008.

I am dedicating and running this marathon in loving memory of Ben Strauss, an extraordinary, kind and loving man, and a dear member of our family. Ben recently lost his brave battle with Non-Hodgkin’s Lymphoma. By completing this event in Ben's honor, I hope to help keep his beautiful spirit alive in our hearts and minds.

I have chosen this next event in San Diego at the urging of my family who have been my cheering section at every event and have been inspired by my participation in Team in Training. Aunt Margie, Uncle Bill, Uncle Jeff and Cousins Allie and Steven Strauss live in San Diego and Jeff and I along with our 3 children are thrilled about visiting with them. Our son David is also anxious to challenge his Uncle Bill to a chicken wing eating contest...Sorry David, you don't have a chance!

Vacation in Hawaii, August 2007

(left to right: Jillian, Melissa, Lori, David, and Jeff)

Our children are all helping me fundraise in their own way. Our oldest, Melissa, is an aspiring singer and songwriter who will be offering her new CD online with proceeds being donated to Team in Training. You can hear her tunes by visiting www.myspace.com/melissasperber.

Our son David is so supportive that he has decided to help me with my fundraising for this event as part of his community service requirement for his upcoming Bar Mitzvah. The Rock-n-Roll Marathon is an especially fitting event since David is an awesome guitar player and a huge fan of classic rock.

Jillian, our youngest child, created a fundraising poster and walked the parking lot with me at Giant's Stadium to collect donations from the awesome football fans who were there tailgating before the Giants-Patriots game. The response was generous and overwhelming!

My husband Jeff supports me in everything I do. To keep pace, Jeff now runs anywhere from 2-6 miles a day on the treadmill. He has lost almost 40 pounds and has improved his own health exponentially!

We are fundraising as a family team. I am blessed to have the support of my amazing husband and 3 children. For this next event we are Team Sperber for Team in Training! There are many ways to help us with our fundraising goal. For more information please visit www.runningonlove.org.

Every five minutes, someone new is diagnosed with blood cancer. Every 10 minutes, someone dies. Leukemia causes more deaths than any other cancer among children and young adults under the age of 20. All of us on Team In Training are raising funds to help stop leukemia, lymphoma, Hodgkin lymphoma and myeloma from taking more lives. I'm completing this event in honor of all individuals who are battling blood cancers. These people are the real heroes on our team, and we need your support to cross the ultimate finish line - a cure!

I hope you'll visit my web site often. Be sure to check back frequently to see my progress. Thanks for your support!

NY York Marathon - Escort for Elite Athletes

2007-11-06T21:20:00Z

Almost as great as running one!

On Sunday, November 4th, my coach from Team in Training, Les Helfman, invited me along with a few of my teammates, to join him by volunteering to escort the Elite Athletes to the starting line of the NY York Marathon. I jumped at the honor of doing this and I am so glad I did. This will be remembered as one of the most wonderful mornings in my life!

As we were escorting these athletes one of my teammates, Carrie, nudged me to see Lance Armstrong join the group. I started snapping pictures of him and then he stopped and stood there staring at me. I couldn't resist...I asked Lance to take a picture with me and quickly passed my camera to Carrie. She snapped the below photo.

Lance posing for a photo with me,
               what a nice guy!

My next goal was to cheer for my buddy Debbie Shapiro who was running that morning, and try to get a photo of her. One of Coach Les's friends Ray joked with me that it was a huge long shot that I would ever see her cross the start line in light of the fact that there were 35-40,000 runners there that morning. He bet me $1,000 that I wouldn't see her. Knowing the kind of luck I was having that morning, I should have taken him up on his wager!

Debbie toasting me with her water bottle,
just after she came across the starting line!

As if escorting the world's fastest men and women marathon runners, meeting Lance Armstrong, getting to cheer for my lifelong friend wasn't memorable enough, it was all topped off by having my "1 second of fame" by being on NBC channel 4 as I escorted the men to the start! My son David memorialized this by snapping a photo of the freeze frame on TV.

                  My 1 second of fame!

                       Coach Les and me

My heartfelt thanks to the man who made this all possible. My dear Team in Training Coach, mentor and friend, Les, you're the best!!!

Marine Corps Marathon

2007-10-31T15:06:00Z

"Put it in the Books!"

On Sunday, October 28th, 2007, one very beautiful fall morning, I was determined to complete my second marathon run for the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society's Team in Training in loving memory of Marty and Sue Sperber my beloved in-laws. Well I am pleased to announce you can now "Put it in the Books!"

The weather angels were on call on Saturday and did their job to perfection. The weather driving down to DC on Friday was raining and awful and Saturday was equally miserable. My weather angels did not miss a beat and brought us what was said to be the most beautiful weather the Marine Corps Marathon has ever had in its 32 year existence. Clear, cool, and gorgeous. Coincidence? Fat chance!!

I was so discombobulated when we were leaving the house to head to Washington with all of the tell tale signs of pre-marathon jitters that I forgot to pack the Yahrzeit memorial candle to light in memory of my mother-in-law on the eve of the race. As many already know, October 27th was the official date for her candle lighting...just another NON-Coincidence. So Saturday morning my husband Jeff went on a mad search to find candles. At every supermarket in DC they looked at him like he had 4 heads when he asked where the Yahrzeit candles were. As luck would have it we were meeting our phenomenal cousins, the Pauls and VanValkenburghs from Maryland for a pre-marathon lunch on Saturday. Mindy and Joy came to the rescue with candles on hand, calamity averted!

Seeing our thoughtful cousins in DC was so special. I thought it was curious that I was getting the 3rd degree about what just exactly I was planning to eat for breakfast just before the marathon. That was until we went back to the hotel room that evening to find a basket of fresh fruit, breakfast bars and water bottles. Put a double exclamation point after "our thoughtful cousins!! This certainly took the edge off of having to find food at 5 am before heading out to the start and gave me time for a few extra stretches. Something that still hurts to do right now!

                   I am on my way...a very long way!

                   Running past the Washington Memorial

The Sperber cheering section chased me all over Washington with cameras on hand. They tried to get some of the national monuments in the photos. I am glad they did because after mile 15 or so I didn't notice many of them myself...I was busy looking for that finish line! Ughh!

It was truly inspiring to run with the Marines. They were there at every water stop encouraging us, calling us by name, and ready with a high five. This event is known as "The People's Marathon" and there are no elite runners paid to enter this race. All the winners are ordinary Americans just proud to take part. For much of the race I was running with men carrying the American flag the entire way. It was very inspiring and made us all feel so proud to be participants.

At the long intervals between spotting me on the course, Jeff and the kids took advantage of the amazing sites in DC. As you can see, it was a most beautiful day!

            Jeff and David in front of the Lincoln Memorial

      Jeff and Jillian with the White House in the background

As only the Marines would have it, the final 1/4 mile to the finish line was straight up hill! This made it even sweeter to cross that finish line while being greeted by dozens of fine young marines! My official finishing time was 5:45:49 which is a new personal record, 10 minutes quicker than the NJ Marathon.

                         Running "up hill" to the finish line!

To watch video of me crossing the finish please wait for the video ad to end and move the scroll bar to 6:05:48.

      David, Jillian and me in front of the Iwo Jima Memorial
                         after the marathon finish

After making my way through the finish line with my emotions getting the best of me, my finishers' medal was placed around my neck by a young marine. I continued on and made my way to the sweetest part of all...the loving arms of my family. The best place to be in the entire world!

The NYC Half Marathon and more...

2007-08-13T19:28:00Z

Training Update - Marine Corps Marathon

There is only 2 1/2 months left until the big day, October 28th, The Marine Corps Marathon in Washington DC. I have been training since early June and I don't know why I thought that this time around it would be easier...it is not! I pretty much know what I am in for but as in life, there are always some surprises. Here are the cliff notes to my past 2 months of training:

The first Training run in Milburn: I ran 5 miles at a 10 minute pace knocking at least 3 minutes per mile off of my NJ Marathon pace. Looking good right? Hmmmm...
Trail run in Lafayette NJ: This run was on a trail that was quite rocky and full of debris. The schedule called for 8 miles that day. At mile 2 I tripped and I found myself face down in the dirt. I stood up muddy, bleeding from my forehead and hands. I had to decide "do I go on or do I turn back?" I thought, "hey I'm training with the Marines! I am going on!" At the water stop my teammates helped me wipe away the mud and the blood and I went on to run my 8 miles that day. The silver lining: there were massive piles of horse manure all throughout the trail. It could have been MUCH worse!
Knee Injury...oh no! After getting home from Lafayette I removed my training clothes to assess the damage and found that my right knee was severely bruised. Coincidentally (or not) soon after this accident my right knee started giving me problems. So much so that I wound up back at my acupuncturist and chiropractor and putting a halt on my training runs for a few weeks. Oh no, here I go again! ughhhh!
I found my Chi! By late July I was feeling better and resumed my training. I found a book called Chi Running which talks about learning how to run from your "Chi" which is easier on your knee(s) as well as other body parts. Hey, I like the sound of that!

The NYC 1/2 Marathon: Fast forward to August 5th, 2007. I entered to run in the NYC Half Marathon with my life long friend, Debbie Shapiro. It was also her birthday so we were celebrating our friendship and her birthday by running in this event together.

Debbie Shapiro and me the day before the NYC Half Marathon

We went into NY the day before to stay overnight, celebrate Debbie's birthday, and be there in the starter's corral in Central Park at 6:15am sharp. The morning of the race I was pretty nervous about not having run more than 9 miles since April and having taken so much time off from my training. There was a 3 hour time limit for the runners. My goal was simple this time: Finish in under 3 hours without getting injured and before the meat wagon picks me up!

I had the Sperber cheering section on hand in Central Park all decked out in Running on Love T-shirts. Central Park in my humble opinion was one gigantic hill. I couldn't wait to get out of there! As I headed out of the park towards Times Square we had the NYPD Blue on their bull horns yelling at us in thick NY accents: "Hey you runners, its 8:30am and you're running down Times Square! It don't get better than that!" I couldn't agree more.

At mile 11 the muscle cramps were setting in and I felt like I did at the end of the full marathon. Maybe worse! I began stopping and stretching periodically. I stopped at the last water stop and some guy tried to hand me a water cup and his fingers were sticking deep inside the cup. I reached past him politely to grab a different cup and he started yelling at me "Hey Lori!!!" I turned in disbelief and it was Jack, my Team in Training Mentor! We are still having a good laugh over this one.

So, did I meet my goal? Absolutely! There will be no meat wagons for Lori Sperber!

Here I am looking very chipper and ahead of my
unnamed opponent!!

From left to right: Jillian Sperber, David Sperber, my
sister-in-law Margie Strauss and nephew Steven

Check out the gorgeous weather in these photos. This race day was delightful, cool, clear and perfect running weather. The day before this race and the day after this race it was sweltering into the 90's and severely humid. On this day, the weather was just what the running doctor ordered! I do believe I was being protected by a couple of weather angels!

From left to right: Our son David, my husband Jeff, a very
tired and sore Lori, and our daughter Jillian
(FYI: Our daughter Melissa was traveling and touring Chicago that day)

The race ended in Battery Park. My chip time was 7 minutes better than it was in the Brooklyn Half Marathon in April. I guess you could say this is now my PR or Personal Record. I believe running is a great sport because your only true competition is yourself. Oh what a beautiful feeling...to finish a 1/2 marathon (13.1 miles) and celebrate with the people that you love! Just amazing!

Why those of us on Team in Training are so passionate about what we are doing...

2007-07-26T16:24:00Z

Christopher

It is with a very heavy heart that I pass along sad news. One of my coaches in Team in Training, Melissa Muilenberg, has lost her nephew Christopher to his long courageous battle against Leukemia on Monday evening. Christopher was just 9 years old. He spent the last month in the hospital battling to get into remission long enough to be able to receive a bone marrow transplant. Christopher was a sweet boy who never complained much and always put on a brave face. He was a loyal NY Mets fan, just like my kids.

The news was sent to us yesterday and with it Melissa has passed along a request to all of us on Team in Training that I would like to pass along to all of you:

"When you get home tonight or if you are home when you are reading this . . . give your kids and the rest of your family a big hug and be thankful for their good health."

This is a somber reminder, particularly when news like this hits home, that for all the progress in the treatment of blood-related cancers, there is still much work to be done. You may not be aware, but Leukemia is the #1 disease killer of children under the age of fifteen.

Please help in any way that you can to support and donate to the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society by returning to www.runningonlove.org Perhaps someday we can prevent other families from suffering this unthinkable grief.

Thank you for your support!

All my best,
Lori

Racing to Save Lives

2007-07-13T20:12:00Z

In Loving Memory and Honor of Sue and Marty Sperber

Well good things can become an addiction too! After the incredible journey I had experienced as a member of Team in Training and completing the NJ Marathon in April, I just couldn’t help myself. As many of my dear friends and family predicted, I am doing it all again!

I am now training to run in the Marine Corps Marathon on October 28th in Washington DC as a proud member of The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society’s Team in Training. I will be doing this event in loving memory and honor of Sue and Marty Sperber, my dear in-laws who have now both passed on. It is with great honor, love and joy that I dedicate myself to complete this fundraising effort as a tribute to two of the kindest and most loving people I have ever known.

They Were the Definition of Love
In my life, I have been extremely blessed. One of the sweetest blessings I have enjoyed is receiving unconditional love from the two most wonderful people, Martin and Sue Sperber. These two loving and devoted parents and grandparents, showered us all with love and affection whenever they could. They never missed an opportunity to send us cards on every occasion, to be there in our time of need, or to rejoice in our happiness. They embraced me immediately and always treated me like their daughter. There was always a card for me on Mother’s Day, Valentine’s Day, Birthdays, and Anniversaries and they always read “Dear Daughter”, never "Daughter-in-law". They gave their love and devotion fully and unconditionally, without any expectation of receiving or needing anything in return, not even a thank you. Our needs and happiness were always paramount and placed ahead of their own. I will always cherish their beautiful memory and will be forever grateful for having had them in my life.

As I passed the 20 mile mark during my NJ Marathon run, it was incredibly tough to keep going. I found that it was difficult to even drink water let alone take in nutrition that I needed for fuel. What kept me going when I was running on empty? In a word, Love. When I am running the Marine Corps Marathon my inspiration will be my love for Mama Sue and Papa Marty. I have no doubt that my love and admiration for them will carry me all the way to the finish line .

Cancer, regardless of what type it may be, does not discriminate on who it shall strike next. All of us have been touched by this in our lives and can relate to the pain it causes families all over the world. Let's work together to do what we can to help those in their time of need. All of us on Team in Training are raising funds to help stop leukemia, lymphoma, Hodgkin lymphoma and myeloma from taking more lives. Please make a donation to support my participation in Team in Training and help advance the Society's mission.

I hope you'll visit my web site often. Be sure to check back frequently to see my progress.

Thanks for your support!