One of the great things about Team in Training is that you really feel the support of the whole "Team" as part of the training. Besides, making the experience a whole lot more fun, the group and team aspect can really provide the motivation and inspiration to keep going during a long season. There are many groups that make up the team. They include Staff, Coaches, Mentors, Participants and last but not least, Honored Teammates. Over the course of the next couple of weeks, I'll do some posts about each of these different groups.
I thinks its fitting to start off with the Honored Teammates, who in reality are why we are all here doing this. The Honored Teammates have been diagnosed with cancer and often will train with the team for a particular event, either triathlon, marathon or century bike ride. If the thought of training for a triathlon or marathon on a weekly basis seems like a momentous feat, try doing it while undergoing chemotherapy. Yet many of our honored teammates do just that. Somehow, it just doesn't seem right to complain about being tired when the guy or girl next to year is running just as far and undergoing weekly treatments for Leukemia or Lymphoma at the same time.
One of the events that Team in Training organizes each season is the "Connection to the Cause." This usually takes place on a Saturday morning after a group training session for all the teams. At this event we get to hear from honored teammates and other cancer survivors about how the money we have raised for the society has directly impacted their lives. It really makes you feel that you are making a difference and provides the inspiration to keep going. Personally, I enjoy the social aspects and the physical challenges of the training, but its really nice to know that you are helping out a worthwhile cause and gives it so much more meaning than just going to gym.
There are two stories that really stood out for me that morning that I will share with you. One of the honored teammates who is training for the marathon team spoke about how the most important thing that Team in Training and the Leukemia Society provided for her was hope. She shared with us that many people, including friends and medical professionals, seemed to make statements that at best seemed insensitive and at worst callous. At the time, she was undergoing treatment she was not training with TNT, but had a friend who was training for a marathon or triathlon. After attending some of the team parties and events with her friend, the positive atmosphere and support that she felt at these events was worth more to her than any new drugs or treatments.
Another participant spoke about her personal conection to the casue. Her father passed away from cancer when she was 22 years old after being diagnosed when she was 11 years old. One of the many areas that the money raised through team in training supports is research into new drugs and treatments. While these treatments may not provide a cure for everyone, they are often instrumental in extending and providing a better quality of life. As this women explained, she wanted to give back to Team in Training and the Leukemia Society because she felt that as a result of new treatments funded by the society, she was given a second life with her father that she may never have had.
Whether it is providing money for new drugs and treatments, patient aid programs, family and peer counseling, or simply hope and inspiration; Team in Training and the Leukemia Society is providing help that is in many way unmeasurable to the families and patients fighting blood cancers. Please help the society continue in its mission to fight blood cancers and provide support to these patients and their families. If you would like to help, please click here to visit my fundraising page. Thanks to everyone who has and continues to support my efforts.
Ironically enough the NYRR Al Gordon Snowflake Run, has been canceled due to snow. To be fair, the run was not totally canceled but converted from a scored race to a fun run. However that was not enough to deter the triathletes from Team in Training who showed up in force to run through the park for the morning GTS while training for the Capital of Texas Triathlon, St. Anthony Triathlon and the Gulf Coast Half-Ironman.
Even at 8:00 in the morning the roads were pretty clear. Just a few other runners seen in the distance, that is, until the hordes from Team in Training descend upon the scene.
