Spotlight on Steph: Running for a Cure with TNT

Meet Steph.  

She is my cousin, my best friend and a recent addition to the Team in Training NYC Chapter.  On March 17, 2013 she will run the NYC Half Marathon and complete her first half marathon.  Steph will be training and fundraising for the next three months so that she can raise money to support the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society, an incredible organization that works to fight blood cancers.  I couldn't be more excited for or proud of Steph for having the courage to take on this incredible challenge.  Both the training and fundraising will certainly be tough but ridiculously rewarding!  Please join me in supporting her (both emotionally & financially) and stay tuned to continue following Steph's story here on PB&P!

For now, let's get to know Steph a little bit better:

Tell us a little about yourself.

My name is Stephanie Meyering, I’m a 26 year-old publicist and I live in Astoria, New York with my boyfriend, Kevin and our energetic puppy, Kirra. I love to cook, entertain, and spend time with Kim and my other amazing friends!

What’s your current level of exercise? 

I was a competitive cheerleader for about 18 years and was able to stay in shape for a few years after college. But at the moment my level of exercise is probably not as up to what it should be! I sit at a desk for probably 8-10 hours a day and I’ve been running on and off for about 6 months but have definitely not committed myself to a training program – until now!

What inspired you to sign up for a Half Marathon through Team in Training?

Believe it or not, I’ve had a few inspirations for signing up for Team in Training:

• First and foremost, in October a colleague of mine, Ellen Kushman lost her battle with blood cancer. A group of my colleagues and others that loved Ellen decided that joining Team in Training to raise money to find a cure for leukemia, lymphoma, Hodgkin's disease and myeloma. 
• Secondly, as you know, my cousin and uncle are huge runners! Reading this blog alone, you come away inspired. Their love of running is contagious and I hope to catch the bug! 
•  Last June, my boyfriend participated in the Ride to Montauk with Team In Training. He fund raised about $3,000 for the cause and rode a 100-mile bike ride! Seeing Kevin meet new people and grow through the process was also a huge inspiration to sign up. 

Raising $1,600 is a big challenge!  That's a lot of money. Are you worried you won’t be able to meet your goal?

Well, yes! But Team In Training provides you with support to discuss fundraising ideas and help you plan any fundraising activities you’d like. In addition, my team has already begun planning our fundraisers and we’re ready and rearing to go! As a team we want to beat our goal of $15,400 and give LLS as much support as possible.

So, how are you feeling as you head into this crazy fitness & fundraising journey?

I’m nervous and excited about this! My first official training run is tomorrow and it kind of feels like the first day of school! This past week there was a kick-off meeting and we met our coaches and now I’m ready to go! I’m sure there will be good days and bad days but I am just going to think about who I’m running for and that by running I  will be helping others!

Besides crossing the finish line on 3/17/13, what are you hoping to get out of this experience?

Through training for this half marathon and fundraising for LLS, I hope to become a better person! This will be a challenge for me physically and mentally and I can’t wait to take it on!

Last but definitely not least...What can we help support you and TNT?

If you’re interested in supporting the cause, you can check out my Team in Training Page here: http://pages.teamintraining.org/nyc/halfnyc13/stephaniemeyering  

Because I am a part of  Team Ellen we also have a team page, you can check it out here: http://pages.teamintraining.org/nyc/halfnyc13/teamellen 

In addition to collecting donations on the site, Steph will also be documenting her training and fundraising here on PB&P.  Please donate what you can, help us spread the word and check back to see how she's doing!