Team In Training

So instead of talking about the training that I am not doing right now I figure I will just talk about the fundraising that I am doing instead. So far the grand total funds raised is $4885.00. On March 15th we will be having the 4th Annual Fundraising benefit in Winnipeg, MB. Last year the event raised approx. $6500.00 all by itself. This year we are also running a raffle at the same time and will be giving away a 42″ plasma TV, a home theatre system, and a GPS system. The winners of the raffle will be drawn at the fundraiser. The fundraiser is a St Patrick’s Day event, so it is always entertaining to say the very least. It is nothing short of a party.

Ok. To the training. Well. There hasn’t been any training in the last three weeks. A few short runs, a couple of bike rides and that is about all I have to report. I could pull out my violin right now and cry all the reasons why I haven’t been training, but I will spare you the details. The level of commitment that is required to train on a daily basis is more than I can give at this point. I hope to report better news in the training department the next time I sign on.

 Darin

Well. So far the training has not gone as planned. If you knew me at all. That wouldn’t be a surprise. The people in this world that find a way to fit a regular fitness program into their lives and stick to it are truly my heroes. I have been trying for four years to do it now, and I keep getting the same result. It is a nothing short of a lifestyle change and it is a change that I have not been able to fully commit to.

 Having said that. I have been swimming at least once a week, and I have been in the gym at least three times a week. The running still presents the biggest problem as it does not seem to be progressing at all. I believe it is time to seek professional help to solve the running problem.

 The fundraising is in full swing. Last year we came up with the idea of having a St Patrick’s Day party to help raise money and it ended up being one of the best fundraisers that we have had to date. After that night we decided that the St Patrick’s Day weekend would be the annual fundraising date in Winnipeg. This year the event will be held on March 15th. Each year any one of the events will raise anywhere from $5000.00 to our biggest at $17,000.00. We have started selling tickets for a raffle where we will give away a 42 inch plasma TV, a home theatre system, and a portable GPS system. We will sell the tickets from now until the day of the fundraiser and then we will draw the winners at the actual fundraiser.

 Still a long way to go until race day and so much to do. My biggest goal at this point is to meet the fundraising goal sooner than later so that I can take one more thing off my plate. If anybody ever told you that any of this was easy…….they were lying. Fundraising and participating in endurance events is a full time commitment to say the least. That is why it is so rewarding, and that is why I continue to do it.

The last time I posted anything I was on my way to Mexico and I was a little concerned as to how the training was actually going to go while on an all inclusive resort for a whole week. The truth is that is actually went really well. For five of the seven days I was up at 6:30am to go for a 45 minute run. Two of those five days I actually ran once in the morning and again in the afternoon. The amazing part to all of this is not really the fact that I was able to behave myself enough to get up at 6:30 every morning. The truly amazing part was the fact that I could actually run. Period!

My history as a runner is this. I wanted to get involved with the Team in Training program in 2006 and the only way I could do that in Canada was to run a marathon. My training consisted of running for 10 minutes at a time. That is correct. Ten minutes at a time. Not to mixed up with the highly technical running term of ten and ones, meaning that you run for ten minutes and walk for one. I just ran for ten minutes and walked for the rest. That was it. One of my legs would not allow me to do anymore than just that. So with all my training in 2006, or lack there of, I set out for San Diego to try and run a marathon. The good news is that I finished it. Barely. My body still hurts from that day. Seriously. I have a hip injury that will probably follow me to my grave from the lack of training for that event. Needless to say that the problem I had then is still a problem today and no matter what changes I make it just does not seem to want to go away. With the exception of that week in Mexico. For one week there was no tension that in my lower leg that prevented me from running for longer than ten minutes at a time. Your guess is as good as mine because as soon as I stepped on a treadmill back in Canada which was two days after I got back, the very same problem reared it’s ugly head and I found myself walking again after 15 minutes of running.

So Mexico ended up being great for training at the end of it all. Then Christmas showed up and ruined everything. To say that I have gotten off of the training program these last couple of weeks would be an understatement. There is good news at the end of it all though. There always is! I got back on the bike last week and have been on it every day for the last six for a minimum of an hour every day. Tonight I will be on the bike again for an hour and then it is off to the pool I go tomorrow.

 Anyways. Just a quick note to wish you all happiness, good health, and all the very best in 2008!!

So I really don’t have a whole pile to report from the past couple of weeks. The last time I wrote I had great intentions of starting the training program early and getting a bit of a head start on things. I did in fact get that head start, but it pretty much all came to a screaming halt when I got sick about a week and a half ago. It felt like I was finally coming up to the tail end of the cold today, so I am hoping that I wake up tomorrow morning full of energy and ready to run.

To make a bad situation worse, I leave for Mexico on Thursday morning for a week. Will be a real challenge to stick to the program while I am down there. Feel sorry for me yet?

 I will keep you posted and let you know how it went………………..with the training of course. Later!

Hi! My name is Darin Gooda and I have been forced to tell you all about the trials and tribulations of being a fundraising participant with The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society’s Team In Training program this year. Kidding. I was politely asked the first time and when I said no, they then forced me to do it by threatening to break both of my legs. I know what you’re thinking, but really, it’s not as bad as it sounds. They really are kind and caring people at The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society. They just have a different way of showing it. i.e. Raising funds to help with continued research in order to help prolong the lives of people like me who live with the disease.

 At the age of 30 years old I was diagnosed with leukemia on April 1st, 2004. That’s right. April fools day. Guess what? I am now one of the very few humans on this planet that gets a free pass on that day! When I was diagnosed I did a lot of thinking over the course of the first couple of months as to how I was going to deal with this new situation of mine and the best that I could come up with was riding a bike. Mr Armstrong certainly played his part in getting me started, and once I did get started it was exactly what I needed to get my head in the right place sooner than later. The thing with being on a bike or doing any type of endurance sport for that matter is that you are always making forward progress. Whether you are doing it at lightening speed or as slow as myself, you are still making forward progress, and for as long as that is happening in your head you can’t help but feel that it is happening to your body as well. Thus providing me with a sense of victory every single time I turned over the pedals or put one foot in front of the other in an effort to pretend to be a runner!

 I first got involved with The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society in November of 2005 when I went to an information meeting in Calgary to sign up to participate in the San Diego Rock ‘n’ Roll Marathon in June of 2006. There is an obvious connection here between the LLS and myself, so if running a marathon was the only endurance event option available to me then a marathon it would have to be. It was a great idea and a great experience for me, but I forgot to do one small thing before I went down to San Diego that year……………..I forgot to train. I ended up finishing the marathon, but not without some serious long term pain and injuries. I vowed never to do another marathon again, and I won’t! Not because I don’t think it is a good idea for anybody to run one of those things, but mainly due to the fact that I am far to lazy to train to run that far ever again. Once I recovered from my marathon I called up Alicia at the LLS and begged her to find me another option in order to continue to be a part of the Team In Training program. She was very pleased to tell me that there was a triathlon option  available and it was to take place in May of 2007 in Hawaii. Fantastic! I’ll take it! Another great idea and a great experience for me. Just one thing I forgot to do before I went down there. Yup. Train. I was advised to avoid participating in the Olympic distance triathlon, based on my fantastic display of athletisism in San Diego the year before, and to maybe try the Sprint distance instead. After many days of pondering and one team swim in the ocean I decided to listen to their advice and do the sprint. Swimming is not as easy as it looks folks!!!! haha! I ended up barely gettting out of the water alive! I was insanely fast on the bike (No really. I was!), and then I very slowly jogged my way across the finish line that Sunday morning in Honolulu. I ended up enjoying the triathlon and the experience so much that I have decided to go back down and take a stab at the Olympic distance in 2008.

Ok. That’s about enough for now. I am off to ride my bike for 45 mins. Just like my training schedule told me to!

By the way. Just one last thing. I live in Winnipeg, MB. Still wondering why I had a hard time staying motivated to train for a triathlon in May when the big training months are December, January, February, and March?

Welcome to Darin’s blog - an active participant in Team In Training! Darin is training for the Honolulu Triathlon in May 08 (starting in Dec.).

Check back in early December to follow Darin as he writes about his fund raising, training, and experience completing Team In Training!

He is committed to raising $7000 for the Society.