13.1 miles, 2 countries and 1 great cause!

A quick update to first thank so many of you for contributing to our charity run for Gilda's Club. This wonderful organization supports people and their families who are affected by cancer. They believe no one should have to fight cancer alone and I hear story after story on how much Gilda's Club was there for people when they were in for the fight of their lives.

By the way, even though the race is over, if you'd still like to donate, you can by going to www.firstgiving.com/janetandlinda

Now a brief update on the race. It was AWESOME. Jess and I ran the Detroit 1/2 marathon and the course went from Detroit into Canada and back into Detroit. Yep, we ran from one country to another and it was a really cool experience. The race began at 7:15am and we hit the ambassador bridge that takes you over to Canada at about 7:45am. As we ascended up the bridge and crossed over to Canada, the sun was peeking over the skyline of Detroit. The city looked breathtaking and it was an image I will not soon forget. And then after our stroll (6 miles) through Canada, we headed back to the US via the tunnel that goes under the Detroit river. Even though it was 40 degrees, the heat that you felt in the tunnel was intense. One of my favorite moments was seeing both country's flags at the center of the tunnel and high-fiving the US flag as I crossed back over to US soil. As soon as we reached the opening of the tunnel, we were greeted by thousands of Detroiters cheering us on. It may have been just a runner's high, but I felt very proud to be an American.

Both Jess and I finished 7 minutes better than our previous half marathon and we could not have been more happy with those results. The weather was perfect and the scenery magical and breathtaking.

After we celebrated with the best chewy granola bar I've ever had, we watched my buddy Joe absolutely destroy the full marathon at a blistering time of 3 hours and 11minutes. With that time, he qualified for the big daddy of them all: The Boston Marathon.

From there, it was back home to rest and recuperate before heading over to Gilda's Club to indulge in some fried chicken while sharing war stories from the day's events.

Thanks again to everyone for your love, support and generosity. Along with our friends Bill Crawford, Julie Pfitzenmaier, Joe Hart and Tim Edwards, we raised over $6,000 for Gilda's Club Metro Detroit. That goes a long way in making sure nobody has to face cancer alone.

big love,

Team Perlman