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