Heartbreak Ends in Hope by Karen Cole

He falls out of skies.
He falls in love.
He falls snowboarding.
He lands a devastating diagnosis.

Valentine’s Day for many of us meant time spent with our one true love. For Signal Army Warrant Officer Phillip Dieppa four years ago, it was a true nightmare. What started out as a romantic getaway with his wife at a ski resort in West Virginia ended up changing Phillip’s life forever. A snowboarding accident on the eve of Valentine’s Day later resulted in a football-sized spleen on the verge of rupturing, a condition that would have ended his life in minutes. But tests after the accident also revealed even scarier news: Phillip had cancer. 

Phillip was diagnosed with Chronic Myelogenous Leukemia and given a prognosis of just a few short years to live. Trained at hurling himself out of airplanes, this Iraq veteran had already endured more than most young people, but nothing prepared him for the battle of his life. Through it all, his wife Natasha served as his protective armor, but she also absorbed staggering heartbreak. Life with Phillip, who was just shy of 22 years old, might only last 3 to 5 more years.

Thankfully almost four years later, after countless bone marrow biopsies and grueling treatments, Valentine’s Day no longer marks the worst time of Phillip’s life. This February it reminds him of a battle fought hard and won, and finally being cancer free. Phillip and Natasha now have a brand new love – life.

Never backing down on a challenge, last summer Phillip joined Team In Training in Augusta. In November, he successfully ran the Savannah Rock 'n' Roll half marathon and raised more than $2,000 for the fight against blood cancers. Not only did he proudly complete his first race, he finished 160th out of 9,000 participants and was the first among TNT runners to cross the finish line!





Phillip with his wife after crossing the finish line in Savannah.

Now, Phillip is a Team In Training Honored Hero for the Augusta market where he serves as inspiration for others training and raising funds for LLS. He said, “I want to prove that cancer is only a temporary obstacle. Being a survivor is like being a marathoner, which is why the Team In Training program means so much to me.”

Phillip’s tenacious spirit is contagious; he gives us all great perspective in the face of any challenge, no matter how large or small:

“There are many unsolved variables in the equation that leads to finishing the half or full marathon. Are you running too fast? Will you hit your goal? Will you walk? Will you quit? Keep in mind there’s only one pace: forward. There is only one goal: the end. As long as you’re moving forward, you’re not quitting. That’s the mentality of a fighter, a soldier and a survivor.”

TNT alumni and survivor, Phillip Dieppa, completed his first event with TNT this past fall in Savannah, GA at the inaugural Savannah Rock 'n' Roll half marathon. Phillip is currently the team's Honored Hero for the Augusta market.

Story written by Karen Cole
Karen is a Public Relations Manager for UPS and has worked there for almost nine years. She completed the ING half marathon (2009) and the Nike Women's marathon (2010) as a TNT participant and served as a mentor in the fall of 2010 while training for and completing the Zooma half marathon. Karen has raised over $5,000 for TNT and now serves on our PR Committee.

Love is an Endurance Event by Jim Osterman

A few months ago in this blog one of our coaches – Joanna Berentsen – applied some of the rules of endurance-event training to the world of dating. Amazingly there were several places where preparing for a run also helped with navigating the dating world.

But some of you are saying: "Hold the phone, Jimbo. What about me? I’m off the market and getting married this spring. Can you offer me some running wisdom?" Fear not. We’ve got your back, starting with:

It’s All About Pacing – Planning a wedding does not happen in a few hours. Each decision deserves careful consideration, so create a schedule that allows for that. The venue, the menu, the dress, the vows, etc.

This has the added bonus of ensuring you will never hear a phrase like: "What about the dress? You said you were going to handle that. Didn’t you?"

Nothing New the Week Leading to the Wedding – This is a time to take some deep breaths and be in the moment. This is not the week to start a 5AM boot camp, ab-busting Pilates class. Or break down and try raw Blowfish. Or try riding a dirt bike. A big part of your life for the last few months has been planning this wedding – why jeopardize it?

Speaking of food, take it easy this week. Try not to take in too much junk, rich food, alcohol or caffeine. X-nay on the Red Bull. Get some simple carbs, fresh fruit, steamed veggies – you know the drill. And hydrate. Keep a water bottle at hand and sip all through the day.

You don’t get to lie on the couch, however. Get some relaxing walks in to de-stress and be outdoors. If you are in the gym every week, keep it up but back down the intensity. You don’t want to risk injury at this point.

Nothing New on Event Day – This is an extension of the advice for the week but with your wedding on the day’s schedule you don’t want to derail yourself. Even if it’s your regular day pass on the exercise class. No funky food. No Jell-O shooters at the bridesmaids’ breakfast. Maybe a sip of champagne. Maybe. Consider saving the bubbly for the reception.
Go easy on the fiber, too. I’ve never seen anyone call a timeout during their vows and make that awkward walk to the facilities, but I’m sure it’s happened. In the same spirit be sensible on the fluid intake.

Once the Event Has Begun – Enjoy! – When the organist begins Here Comes the Bride what’s done is done – the hay is in the barn. The flowers may not look like you requested, the vows may not be word-for-word, your lip gloss my be Euro Coral Pink instead of Misty Pastel Red – but at this point just go with it. Years from now people will recall how beautiful you looked, not the Homer Simpson groom’s cake. Then again...


Some of our participants have been known to find love within the TNT ranks. Donna and Mark Urbano met when both were doing a TNT event in 2003, started dating in 2004 and were married in 2006. Among their shared marathons have been Chicago Marathon, Alaska's Mayor's Marathon, Rock 'n' Roll San Diego and Honolulu Marathon. No guarantees – but you never know. www.teamintraining.org/ga