Look. Sitting on the couch is neat. Sitting on the couch for weeks can become addicting.
Over the last several months, I've discovered I have an addictive personality.
Sure, I've tried to 'getoffthecouchandfinish', but what I've mostly managed to finish are old television shows, some really cool (and some not so cool) movies and my meals. I've barely had to leave the couch for any of those activities and my spot was usually still warm by the time I resumed my position.
Something else I've discovered recently – while I was doing all this couch lounging, the clothes I've had neatly tucked away in drawers and closets were busy shrinking. I wasn't aware they could do that on their own. But when I finally got off the couch, there they were. Glaring at me. Daring me to boldly attempt to squeeze myself into them without bursting a button or seam.
I refused to play their game.
So, here I am. Ready to take on the challenge and meander off the couch again. Not only because I simply cannot afford a whole new wardrobe, but also because cancer has touched closer to home than ever for me this year.
I've decided to join forces, this time not only with Team in Training, but also with Mary Caulder, Valerie Antkowiak and Mark Pallone. With my three teammates and friends, we've formed the Ride for Dads team and will work throughout the upcoming TNT event seasons to raise over $100,000. In doing so, the RFD team will receive a grant in Mary's father's name. After almost 30 years of battling the cancer in many shapes and forms, Jack Caulder succumbed to the disease in April, 2017.
In 2006, Valerie lost her father to the same non-hodgkins lymphoma diagnosis he'd received more than ten years prior. After reaching our initial goal of $100,000, the RFD team will continue to work towards our ultimate goal of reaching over $200,000. Once we get to that amount, we will receive another $100,000 research grant in Jerry Antkowiak's name.
We are starting now and will continue to raise funds up until the day of America's Most Beautiful Bike Ride (AMBBR) on June 3, 2018. The grants will be recognized and presented the evening prior to this event.
This will be my fifth season training with TNT and I will be completing my second triathlon and riding for the fifth time around Lake Tahoe with their support and training.
Like most people reading this, I have seen the effects cancer can have on, not only the diagnosed individual, but their friends and family, as well. This is why I was eager to join forces with Mary, Valerie and Mark in an effort to raise enough money (and more!) to fund cancer research grants in Jack and Jerry's names.
You can help. If you are already training with a TNT team, chances are, you can join Ride for Dads and your fundraising will be combined with ours and put toward our team's goal. The funds you raise will still be included in your own fundraising goal, but they will be 'counted' in our team's total, as well.
If you're not already on a Team in Training team, you can join one and join our team at the same time! Just click here and head to our web page to get a glimpse of the events offered.
There are several event options – hike, triathlon and cycle, to name a few. If you've never done any events like this because you feel as if you would not be able to make it to the finish line or it all sounds too difficult or time consuming, then you're in the same place I was before I decided to take a leap of faith and attend my first TNT info meeting in 2012.
That is exactly how I felt. Until I trained for and completed my first 100 mile ride around Lake Tahoe. Then I did it three more times (one more 100 and two 72 mile routes around the lake) and I'm planning my fifth in 2018.
I didn't stop there, however. As I've said, I'll be doing my second triathlon with TNT and I've also completed the Nike Women's Half Marathon and two Spartans with the support of TNT staff, teammates and coaches.
If you are still unsure about doing the actual event, but are interested in supporting our Ride for Dads team's efforts and training, you can sign up to be a 'Virtual Rider' for AMBBR.
As a Virtual Rider, you would receive your own fundraising page – along with a fundraising toolbox and support from other teammates and the TNT staff. You can request donations from anyone you know; friends, family, that cute guy in the checkout line or the gal who hands you your cup of morning joe at the local coffee shop. You get the idea.
Your fundraising goal as a VR would be $250 and you'll have until mid-May, 2018, to reach that amount. Then, on June 3rd, 2018, while we're riding in America's Most Beautiful Bike Ride, you simply hop on your bike, walk, jog or do some sort of activity for any distance on your own or with friends or family. That's it. Simple, right? And you will have done it all to support a great cause and help us to rid our world of cancer, the side effects of its treatment and the fear it instills in all of us, at some point in our lives.
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