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!