Goal Achieved!

Two months after signing up for Team Diabetes, I am pleased to report that my goal of raising $12,000 for the Canadian Diabetes Association has been reached!  What a great Christmas present!  I am so grateful to all my donors for their generosity.  With your help, more funds can be given to diabetes research, community outreach, and helping kids with Type 1 attend summer camp.  Thank you!

I am pleased to show the final poster that was completed and printed this week as well.  I will be distributing copies to my 42 donors, and around the community.  Please show your support for the businesses who donated to my campaign, and mention that you saw them on the poster.

The Edinburgh Marathon is quickly becoming a reality!  I am really looking forward to the event.  My training is progressing well.  I stepped back a bit this week on my long run mileage to give myself a bit of a break for the holidays.  I completed at 12.5km run this morning.  Back to 22km next week, then slowly progressing to 42km.  I will have to work in some speed drills soon, as well, to improve my race time.  It is getting colder and windier, but I am fully equipped with winter gear.  It is quite difficult on some days to go out for my run, but I just have to think about the cause, and about my supporters, and that gets me going!

Have a wonderful Christmas and Happy New Year!

Jack

Poster Complete!

Wow, where has the time gone since my last post???  Between regular work, running and fundraising, the days have flown by and here we are a week out from Christmas.

First, I am very pleased to report that my fundraising poster has been completed!  All 42 squares are now filled thanks to the generosity of my donors.  The final design is being completed, and as soon as it is ready, it will be uploaded to this site, and 200 copies will be printed and distributed.  My fundraising total is now $11,350, with more funds to come in the early part of the New Year. The goal of $12,000 should be reached by mid-January.

Second, my training for the marathon is going well!  It is 23 weeks until the race, and I am well ahead of schedule, since I have maintained the half-marathon distance that I built up for the Detroit Half Marathon in October.  I am still contemplating training plans, and am leaning towards the Hal Higdon Personal Best plan, which is suggested for those trying to qualify for the Boston Marathon.  I am planning to put together a training schedule using this plan over the weekend.

I will have to decide how far to run this coming Sunday - probably another 22km.  Last weekend, I ran 22km, and 20km the week before.  The weather has been strange for December.  It is supposed to rain this Sunday, and those aren't very pleasant conditions for a 2 hour run.  However, I've always believed you have to train in any conditions since you never know what the weather is going to be like on race day.  This is a picture of me after the 20km run 2 weeks ago.  It was pouring rain the entire time.  My feet were wet within 2km, but I made it!

I am finding that the more I do the long runs, the better and more conditioned I feel to the distance.  I've felt great after my last 3 long runs - I wasn't sore all day like I was in October-November when just getting up to the 20km distances.  That is a benefit to having so much time to get ready for a May marathon - I can increase my distances slowly and be less prone to injury and fatigue.

I've also been incorporating yoga into my training on my rest days, which has greatly helped my soreness.  I've also been seeing a chiropractor once a week (one of my poster sponsors, Dr. Deb Stanley in Stouffville) to help with some imbalance in my hips that have caused me some pain.  After a few weeks of treatments, I had my best running week - fast times and little soreness.

Thanks, as always, for reading and if you haven't already done so, please make a donation to my campaign by clicking here! Jack's Team Diabetes Donation Page

Jack

Winter Running

After a major flurry of fundraising and activities, things went back to a somewhat normal pace last week.  Tasks that were postponed to allow for fundraising had to be addressed.  Now that we are in the last week of November and Diabetes Awareness Month, I am aiming to finalize the last sponsors of my poster campaign so that we can print the posters and start distributing them.  Just 8 more to go and the 42 squares will be filled!

My fundraising total is just coming up on $10,000 now, not including the cash generated from the garage sale and silent auction that will be donated shortly.  I have set a new target of $12,200 which will double my minimum fundraising requirement.

In November, one of my sponsors, Moksha Yoga Stouffville will be donating the proceeds from their Friday evening "Karma" classes to the fundraising.  I still have an unlimited 6-month membership available for bid that was donated by Moksha Yoga Stouffville.  If you live in the area, and are interested, please contact me at jaminacs@rogers.com.  It's an amazing value - 6 month unlimited membership, yoga mat, mat towel and some yoga clothing.  Value of $900, minimum bid is $150.  As I've posted before, yoga is fantastic exercise and a great way to deal with daily stresses.  I continue to practice yoga on my days off from running.  I come in the studio stiff and sore, and always leave pain-free and full of endorphins!  Give this gift to yourself or someone for Christmas!

My training is going well.  I just completed a 26km run on Sunday in winter conditions.  The temperature was in the -2 Celsius range, with a -8 windchill.  About 30 minutes into the run, the clear sky gave way to light snow and visibility was fairly low.  However, being early on a Sunday morning, it was quite beautiful to run in these conditions and car traffic was very light on my route. After about 2km, I was quite warm and the temperature didn't bother me at all.  Having the right gear helps, too.

Here's a snapshot of the map generated by my GPS watch following my run. My average pace was 5:27/km, ascending 483m and descending 470m and burning 1932 calories!  Sometimes after my run, I will drive past one part of the route and try to remember passing a certain landmark - but with such a long run, I can't always remember every landmark!  It sometimes feels like part of the run was a dream, especially when I start so early in the morning!

I also picked up some new shoes before my long run a week ago when I ran 24km.  The week before that, after running 22km, I had a fair amount of foot and knee pain for the day of the run. After examining the shoes I have been running in since February, I determined that a replacement was necessary.  The experts at the Running Room suggested 2 pairs of shoes to be used on alternate days in order to allow the absorption properties of the shoes to recover and provide optimal support.  It made me feel like a professional runner!  So far in November, I have run 18 times and covered 191.72km!  Wow!  I wouldn't be honest if I didn't admit that some days it is really tough to get on the shoes and gear and get out there (especially those cold, dark early mornings!), but having all my supporters behind me, as well as the cause I am supporting gets me going.

As always, thank you for reading, thank you for your interest, and if you would be so kind to sponsor my mission by donating to the Canadian Diabetes Association to allow them to continue their great work, I would greatly appreciate it.  You can sponsor me via this link which takes you to a secure website:  https://ocp.diabetes.ca/Pledge/csPersonalPage.asp?prId=td&tId=19089&oId=15555744#.UIqt-D7ImMk.email.  If you have already made a donation on my behalf - thank you, and please pass along a request to someone you know who would be willing to support me, too.  Help me reach that $12,200 goal.

Jack

World Diabetes Day

Today is being recognized around the world as World Diabetes Day in commemoration of the birthday of Sir Frederick Banting, the Canadian co-discoverer of insulin.  Like all families affected by diabetes, we are humbled and grateful for his contribution and thanks to him and his team, our daughter is able to live a healthy, productive life.  What a gift to the world he gave.  My parents are in Europe this month, and were able to buy blue ribbons in Barcelona, Spain to commemorate WDD and Banting's birthday.  A wonderful Canadian legacy.

I was excited to be invited to appear as a guest today on the "Fresh" show on WHistle FM Radio in Stouffville, Ontario to talk about World Diabetes Day and my fundraising for Team Diabetes.  This is a photo of me in studio with the host, Brenda Masson.  I am wearing one of the blue ribbons we made to commemorate Diabetes Awareness Month and World Diabetes Day.

It was really neat being on a radio show!  They had the studio set up like we were sitting around a kitchen table having a chat.  The words came effortlessly, and the discussion felt natural.  I was invited to appear again closer to the Marathon, and afterwards.  Unfortunately, Sarah couldn't join me today because of some important schoolwork she couldn't miss - hopefully she will make it next time!

The program will be repeated on Sunday at 12:00pm-2:00pm.  My appearance will be around 1:30-2:00.  You can listen online at http://whistleradio.ca/listen-to-whistle-radio-live/.

I am now up to 33 confirmed sponsors on my poster - only 9 more to go until we can go to print!  Fundraising is at 93% of the goal this morning!  If you haven't done so already, I would really appreciate a donation to the cause at https://ocp.diabetes.ca/Pledge/csPersonalPage.asp?prId=td&tId=19089&oId=15555744#.UIqt-D7ImMk.email.

Thank you for following my progress!

Jack

Busy Week!

I apologize for the long time between posts!  I read alot of blogs, and sometimes I wonder why the blogger hasn't posted more frequently.  Now I understand!

This has been a busy week, culminating in a garage sale/fundraising event at our home yesterday, where we were able to raise over $500, with all proceeds going towards the Team Diabetes initiative.  Our local paper, the Stouffville Sun-Tribune wrote a story about our garage sale/fundraiser, and we put signs around the neighbourhood.  The turnout was good, and we had pretty good weather for November - no rain or snow, at least!  Unfortunately, I was so busy with the sale, I didn't have a chance to take a photo and post it here!  However, the Snap newspaper publication came by and took a shot which will appear in their next edition, so I will link it here.  As luck would have it, I was out for a few moments helping a purchaser of some furniture, and am not even in the photo!  Besides our family, we had two high school friends of Sarah's helping out.  Everyone pitched in, from making signs, to organizing the goods, to greeting visitors.  Our basement is now much cleaner, and our fundraising total has increased, thanks to this initiative.

We had a silent auction, and had donated items from our sponsors the Oshawa Generals hockey club, Moksha Yoga Stouffville, and a signed cookbook from celebrity chef Mark McEwan.  My wife Amanda and our kids made some ribbons to offer to visitors, to commemorate Diabetes Awareness Month.  They were a big hit!  We all wore them, and many of our visitors walked away with a ribbon, and more awareness about diabetes.

Today, our fundraising total is over the 75% mark of our newly revised (higher) goal of $10,000 within 4 weeks of starting this journey!  On the fundraising poster, there are 30 confirmed sponsors out of the 42 available squares!  We are all very touched by the outpouring of generosity.

This coming week should be another exciting one.  I finished a 22km run this morning on a new route that was nice and tough.  Unfortunately, I forgot my camera again, so I couldn't show you the nice views.  In contrast to last Sunday, it felt like a spring day today with temperatures over 10 degrees F in the morning.  I was a little overdressed, unfortunately.  The exciting event this week is the appearance of me and Sarah on a radio program in Stouffville on Wednesday morning around 11:15am.  If you have a chance, listen to WHistle Radio at http://whistleradio.ca/listen-to-whistle-radio-live/ on Wednesday!

I must admit, I'm quite tired and a little sore from the run today, and the busy day yesterday! I am looking forward to yoga tomorrow and some chiropractic treatment.  I have recently incorporated chiropractic care in my training to keep me injury free.  More on that in the next post!

Thanks for following.  To make a donation, please visit https://ocp.diabetes.ca/Pledge/csPersonalPage.asp?prId=td&tId=19089&oId=15555744#.UIqt-D7ImMk.email.

Jack

Karma!

Well, I made it through a 20km run this morning.  The cold weather has reached Southern Ontario, and the temperature was 0 Celsius when I began my run.  It was a beautiful morning, though, and I really enjoyed being outdoors.  My long runs tend to be outside the urban part of our town, and there are some beautiful views!  I will take a camera on my next run and get some shots.  Today, I came home along a road that I have never run on, only driven, and there are some beautiful skyline views of Toronto that I slowed down to enjoy.

One of my sponsors for the Team Diabetes fundraising is Moksha Yoga Stouffville (http://bit.ly/TsoVFu).  I have heard about the benefits of yoga for runners, and in general for years, and have intended to try it out for many years, but never made it past the front door.  Well, this fall, I finally gave it a try on the urging of my wife, Amanda, who started practicing yoga the week before.  All I can say is, Wow, give it a try!  It is an excellent complement to any sport, in my case, long distance running.  I have been consistently practicing yoga twice a week on my rest days from running for about 7 weeks now.  I look forward to the hour in a hot practice room.  The heat helps my muscles and joints relax, and the poses I've learned are excellent stretches and conditioning.  It's really addictive, and after a few weeks, I feel like I know what I am doing.  If you have been thinking about trying yoga but haven't yet, go and give it a try!  You won't regret it.  And if you thought it was easy, it is actually very challenging, in a good way.

In the November newsletter just sent out today, Moksha Yoga Stouffville announced that the "karma" classes for the month of December will be dedicated to the Canadian Diabetes Association and my fundraising.  Each Moksha Yoga has karma classes on Friday evenings and all the fees go to a charity.  I am so pleased that CDA has been selected!  I am also being provided with a 6-month unlimited pass which I will be offering at a silent auction on Saturday, November 10 at a fundraiser/garage sale we are having with all proceeds going to the CDA.

A big thank you to my sponsor, Moksha Yoga Stouffville!

Thanks for following my progress!  If you haven't already done so, please make a donation to the Canadian Diabetes Association on my behalf at http://bit.ly/SfQ9A0.  I would appreciate any contribution to the cause!

Jack

Gratitude

As I've mentioned in my first post, I was a bit intimidated by the fundraising goal of $6,100 when I joined Team Diabetes less than 3 weeks ago.  I was worried that I would be so consumed by the pressures of fundraising, my marathon training would suffer.

Tonight, less than 3 weeks since registering, I reached 80% of my total fundraising goal!  I am so full of gratitude for my family, friends, colleagues and others who have stepped forward and donated to the Canadian Diabetes Association on my behalf.  Thank you, thank you, thank you!

Even though I am close to my goal, this is going to be a very busy week of fundraising. Today, we started preparations for a garage sale/fundraiser at our home next Saturday, November 10 with all proceeds going to the CDA.  I was lucky enough to be interviewed by another one of our local newspapers and there will be a mention in their issue this week about the event.  We have some donated gifts, and will be having a silent auction, as well as accepting donations from those who stop by.  The main floor of our house is currently overloaded with items that will be sold, making it hard to get around!

Please help me exceed my fundraising goal.  The Canadian Diabetes Association does such amazing work, supporting millions of Canadians, including my daughter.  Her experience at D-Camps was so important to her coming to terms with her diagnosis of Type I Diabetes.  I am humbled by the significant improvements in diabetic care, but we have a long way to go.  Help us find a cure in Sarah's lifetime.  Please visit https://ocp.diabetes.ca/Pledge/csPersonalPage.asp?prId=td&tId=19089&oId=15555744#.UIqt-D7ImMk.email to contribute.  We are grateful for whatever you can pledge.

Tonight, we turn our clocks back one hour as Daylight Savings Time ends.  I am pleased about that, as I have my long run early tomorrow morning.  Back to 20km after a 2 week rest since the Detroit Half-Marathon.

Thanks for following, and for your support.

Jack

Diabetes Awareness Month

Today, November 1 marks the start of Diabetes Awareness Month.  I am pleased to kick off this important month with my fundraising poster campaign.  To help me raise funds for the Canadian Diabetes Association, I have worked with a designer who donated her time and expertise, Mariachristina Designs (www.mariachristinadesign.com), to create a poster that divides the 42km marathon into 42 squares, each of which can be sponsored by businesses or individuals.

My goal for Diabetes Awareness Month is to find 42 sponsors to fill all the squares on the poster.  At the end of the month, another generous donor, The Helicopter Group (www.thehelicoptergroup.com) will be donating the printing of these posters and I will be distributing them amongst my donors, and posting them in other prominent locations in the community.

I have attached the poster design.  If you would be willing to donate $150 or more to the campaign, you can have your logo or your name added to the poster.  Please click on the pledge site http://bit.ly/SfQ9A0 or contact me for more details at jaminacs@rogers.com.  I will be updating the poster as more sponsors are added!

Here are some facts about diabetes to acknowledge the importance of this month:

• Diabetes has become a global epidemic.  An estimated 285 million people worldwide are affected by diabetes. With a further 7 million people developing diabetes each year, this number is expected to hit 438 million by 2030 
• More than 3 million Canadians live with diabetes and 6 million live with pre-diabetes, a condition that, if left unchecked, puts you at risk for developing type 2 diabetes
• More than 20 people are diagnosed with diabetes every hour of every day
• There is no proven way to prevent type 1 diabetes. The onset of type 2 diabetes may be prevented or delayed, through increased physical activity, healthy eating and weight loss. Taking these steps now can lead to a healthier future
• People with diabetes incur medical costs that are two to three times higher than those without diabetes. A person with diabetes can face direct costs for medication and supplies ranging from $1,000 to $15,000 a year.

Thank you for your support!

Jack

A big THANK YOU to all my sponsors!

Publicity!

When I signed up for Team Diabetes two weeks ago, I wanted to let my community know about my mission and the cause we are supporting.  I reached out to one of our local publications, The Stouffville Free Press and asked if there might be interest in featuring our story.  I heard back immediately, and met with their reporter, Kinjal Dagli-Shah within a few days.

Today, the story was posted on the newspaper website, and copies should be appearing in mailboxes all over Stouffville starting this week.  I am grateful for the publicity and look forward to hearing from members of my community.

Here is a link to the article:  http://www.stouffvillefreepress.com/articles-2/featured/a-marathon-effort-to-combat-diabetes/.

Tomorrow marks the start of Diabetes Awareness Month.  November 14 is World Diabetes Day and also marks the birthday of Dr. Frederick Banting, the Canadian physician who discovered insulin.  Help me support the Canadian Diabetes Association and the 9 million Canadians with diabetes or pre-diabetes by sponsoring me for a Marathon in May 2013:  https://ocp.diabetes.ca/Pledge/csPersonalPage.asp?prId=td&tId=19089&oId=15555744#.UIqt-D7ImMk.email

Thanks for following!

Jack
@jac_mi

The blue circle logo represents positivity, life and health.  A blue circle is now recognized as a global symbol of diabetes and signifies the unity of the global diabetes community in response to the diabetes pandemic.

Fundraising & Training Momentum

Well, I just passed the 2 week mark of signing up for the Team Diabetes initiative and committing to the fundraising goal of $6,100 and the training goal of a full 42km Marathon in Edinburgh, Scotland.  Things are proceeding well.

I am beginning to make my plans for the Marathon training.  I just completed a Half Marathon (21km) on October 21 in Detroit after an 18-week training program that started in July.  This was the second time I had done this event.  It is quite unique being an international event, starting in Detroit, crossing the Ambassador Bridge into Windsor, Ontario then across the riverfront in Windsor and back through the Tunnel into Detroit.  I ran with my brother-in-law and regular race partner, Chris (that's him on the right), and we finished just shy of our mark set in 2010 (about 1 hour 40 minutes).  Not bad for a couple of masters athletes!

My challenge now is maintaining my current training level, and transitioning into full Marathon training. I don't want to start too early, and then peak before May.  I don't want to start too late either and lose the fitness level I've built up since July.  I am looking into training plans developed by Hal Hidgon, a well-known running coach (www.halhigdon.com).  I have a dream of running in the Boston Marathon in the next few years - maybe 2014, if I can qualify.  At my age, I will have to complete a qualifying race in 3 hours 15 minutes and even at that result, entry is not guaranteed.  The faster you run, the better your chances of gaining entry to Boston.  Therefore, I am leaning towards the Advanced programs on Hal Hidgon's site.  That will mean training 6 days a week with some pretty technical and intense runs.  For now, I am running 5 days a week, keeping my long runs around 20km, and beginning to increase some intensity for developing speed.

On the fundraising side, things are progressing well.  I've been busy contacting family, friends, colleagues and other acquaintances, asking for a contribution to the cause.  It's a great feeling when I get those automated e-mails from the Canadian Diabetes Association confirming that a donation has been made.  I've become a little bit addicted to them now!  I am also working on a poster concept with a local designer, Mariachristina Design (www.mariachristinadesign.com) who has donated her time and expertise to assist me.  We have designed a poster that divides the 42km run into 42 squares, each of which can be sponsored for a donation.  Look for the poster to be uploaded here on the blog on November 1 to mark the beginning on Diabetes Awareness Month.  I've had 9 sponsors come forward so far, without even seeing the concept!  I am also planning a garage sale/fundraiser this month with all proceeds going to the fundraising.  Let's hope the weather holds out. We had heavy winds and rain from the post-tropical Hurricane Sandy this past couple of days.  I even deferred my early morning run today because of the high winds.

Stay tuned for the poster preview this week.  If you would like to donate to the campaign, please visit my pledge page at:  https://ocp.diabetes.ca/Pledge/csPersonalPage.asp?prId=td&tId=19089&oId=15555744#.UIqt-D7ImMk.email.

Thanks for following my progress.

Jack

The Journey Begins

Last week, I committed to raise funds to help the Canadian Diabetes Association by joining their Team Diabetes. My goal is to raise $6,100 and run in a Marathon in Edinburgh, Scotland in May 2013.

As an avid runner, I think I am more intimidated by the fundraising goal than the marathon distance! However, the inspiration for this undertaking is my daughter, Sarah, who was diagnosed with Type I Diabetes in August 2011 at the age of 12. Her diagnosis came out of nowhere and has forever changed her life. In the past year, we have received a lot of support from the Canadian Diabetes Association and we live everyday hoping for a cure to this horrible condition.

One of the greatest contributions of the Canadian Diabetes Association is supporting research. But that is not all they do. They also run summer camps for young people with Type I Diabetes. Sarah attended their Camp Huronda this summer, and had a fantastic experience. She bonded with other kids with Type I Diabetes, and learned more about how to manage her Diabetes independently. This was a turning point for her to start to come to terms with her lifelong condition. Here is a video she made about her camp experience:

Like the millions of other Canadians affected by Diabetes, we hope desperately with the generosity of donations that this does not need to remain a lifelong condition, and that a cure might be found in Sarah's lifetime.

If you would be so kind as to support my mission, please click https://ocp.diabetes.ca/Pledge/csPersonalPage.asp?prId=td&tId=19089&oId=15555744.  I would be grateful for whatever support you could provide.

While I have a long training path ahead, I will cross a finish line on May 26, 2013 and my run will be over. But Sarah doesn't have a finish line and will always be working harder at managing her diabetes than I ever will training for a marathon. Help us support this important cause.

I will be blogging throughout my training and fundraising between now and May. I hope you will follow my progress, and enjoy the journey along with me.

Thank you! Jack