I have been running with the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society’s Team in Training for about 18 months now and this weekend opened my eyes to what a huge difference a day can make in how participants feel about their training experience.

Last year I felt as though I discovered a whole new level of running when I joined TNT and went out to run my first Marathon in San Diego.  After Fundraising and Finishing the marathon I stayed on with the Team as a Mentor.  Two of the ladies I have been Mentoring this spring will be running the Fairfield Half Marathon in a few weeks and this weekend was the longest run.  The downside was that neither of the ladies could make the same run so I decided Back-to-Back long runs would be a good test for the training I will need to do later this year in preparation for the Goofy Race & a Half Challenge at Disney.

Early Saturday morning I drove to my now familiar running area to meet Meredith and the other TNT runners gearing up for the Fairfield Half.   Everyone signed in, the Coach handed out laminated cards providing us turn by turn directions of the running route that also included water stop locations and the mileage at each turn.  By 7:11 am we began our journey.

A few hours later runners were making their way back to the parking lot where each broke through a mock finish line ribbon and replenised the calories they exerted with a variety of Cookies, Breads or Fruit and had a choice of water or sports drinks.  Participants cars were also decorated with Purple Ribbons and Ballons, the TNT colors.

Sunday morning the experience was completely different.  I drove 45 minutes in the opposite direction to meet Jennifer at a TNT group run that would expose us to the actual course of the Half Marahon.  The scheduled 7:30 run was not as organized as we have been accustom to and it took nearly a half hour before we were underway.  There were a few course maps but instead of really following the course we started off on some side street near mile 4.    To top it off we were told there would be no water stops until we looped around and returned to the parking area.  After the loop we arrived back to find NO WATER but fortunately we both had supplies in our cars.

The next leg of the course was even more confusing and the streets we were suppose to follow were not all shown on the map. After running a mile out of our way we asked a dog walker for directions which was extremely helpful.  At mile 10 on this humid morning signs of dehydration were setting in and Jennifer mentioned if I hadn’t been there she’d be frightend and crying since we were kind of lost without any support.  We decided to turn back which would leave us only about 3/4 of a mile short of the planned 13 mile run.

As we arrived back at the starting point it dawned on us that we never even signed in and the event hosts were probally clueless as to who was lost on the course.  Talking to other teammates it became appearent that most people made wrong turns at some point along the route due to the lack of quality instructions. 

So my back-to-back long runs gave me a unique perspective from a TNT participants viewpoint.  One tired and sore but feeling insprired by all the effort that coaches and mentors put into created a memorable long run and one feeling disgusted by the chaos and lack of preperation that left her lost and thristy on a 13 miler.

It is that time again as one TNT season winds down and another is about to begin for the Connecticut Chapter of the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society’s Team in Training.   In a few weeks I will be doing  the Fairfield Half Marathon for the third time.  My first was on my own and last year I ran with TNT after the Rock-n-Roll Marathon in San Diego so my legs were not quite ready for the Fairfield hills.  Hopefully this year will be cooler less humid day.

After Fairfield my running schedule starts back up for the fall events. This season I was planning to run the Marine Corps Marathon but my name was pulled in the lottery so I will be running through the 5 burrows in the New York Marathon instead of heading to our nations Capitol.   

If you have any questions about TNT feel free to email me,  Dan@CummingsTeam.com and if I cannot answer your question I will put you in touch with someone that can.   Fall is a great time to run in New England so my plan is to follow the Marine Corps Marathon training schedule,  Run the Hartford Half with TNT and hop a train into the city for the New York Marathon on November 1st.  Sign up today and have some fun on the run!

Yes… After all these years I still recall the advertising done by K-Mart for their Blue Light Specials. It was a great marketing gimmick for a store that did not survive in Connecticut.

THE GAP on the other hand including their affiliate stores BANANA REPUBLIC and OLD NAVY have done well offering value to consumers. In an effort the help stimulate your purchasing power the Give & Get event will be offered for the next 4 days giving you 30% off purchases and they will donate 5% of the amount you spend to The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society.

Just print the coupon and shop at one of the participating stores between March 12-15, 2009.

There has been quite a bit of news coverage lately regarding Leukemia. One story the sticks in my mind broke a few weeks ago about a 9 year old girl in Texas who had her dying wish of a wedding fulfilled.  For many families Leukemia is an unfortunate reality but there are thousands of runners that work hard each year to help bring and end to this disease.

In the Greater New Haven area Jill Alward is one of the Team in Training runners that is hard at work raising money for the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society.  As a team member she has committed to running 26.2 miles at the San Diego Rock-n-Roll Marathon and is required to raise over $4000 to secure her spot on the roster.

Every week Jill braves the elements to condition her body so she will be ready for race day.  Many times after an exhausting run her day continues into the night raising money in these difficult economic times.  On Wednesday March 11, 2009 she is hosting a FUNdraiser at Friendly’s on Universal Drive in North Haven.

We all have to eat so if you plan to dine at Friendly’s you will also be helping a good cause.  10% of your meal on Wednesday between 5-8 pm will be dontated to the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society.

If you cannot make it out Wednesday Night for Dinner or Ice Cream you can still support the cause with an easy on-line donation.

Friendly’s Restaurant – 140 Universal Drive – North Haven, CT  06473

Whenever I’m running a race and happen by an area playing T.N.T. it brings a smile to my face and sends a shiver down my spine.  Last year at this time I joined the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society’s Team in Training ( TNT ) to run my first marathon.  I crossed the finish line on June 1st, 2008 at the Rock-n-Roll Marathon in San Diego and a year later I’m still running with TNT.

The names and faces change each season but the work remains the same.  Our primary goal is to raise money for Blood Cancer Research and during these tough economic times all the TNT participants have to work a little harder to meet the fund raising requirements to remain on the team.

This season I am taking a break from fund raising and instead working as a Mentor.  I feel fortunate because as in the  lyrics of the AC/DC song I have “Women to the left of me and Woman to my right“  Five young ladies to be exact and I’d like the see each one of them reach the fund raising minimum with the least amount of stress so they can concentrate on training.

If you know any of these running woman or are just in the mood to spread a little goodness feel free to give generously.

Jill Alward

Jennifer C

Jill Alward will be Running the Rock-n-Roll Marathon in San Diego on May 31,   2009.  Click Here to read more on her fund raising page.

Jennifer Charbonneau is training to run the Fairfield Half Marathon which is a tough course.  Click Here to support her.

Meredith

Meredith Corvo will also be tackling the tough course in Fairfield on June 28th. To help her raise money Click Here.

Linda

Linda Stuckman is heading out to San Diego to run her first Half Marathon.  Click Here to learn more about her fund raising.

Jennifer T.

Jennifer Trasko will be part of TNT at the Fairfield Half Marathon. To help her finish off the fund raising visit her site by Clicking Here.

For more information on TNT visit the Team in Training Site.

As the end of the year approaches I am looking forward to another season with the Connecticut Chapter of The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society’s Team in Training.   This year my role will not be that of a fundraising participant but instead volunteering as a Mentor to help new members achieve their goal of raising money for research and crossing the finish line of their chosen event.

My first exposure to TNT came in January when I attended an information meeting.  The year prior I had run my first distance event on my own  at the Fairfield Half Marathon and since I planned to run again I thought it would be beneficial to hear about the coaching provided by the Leukemia Society.

Well.. at that meeting I decided to raise the bar and run the big one!   I committed to run the Rock-n-Roll Marathon in San Diego.  The Team experience opened my eyes to a whole new level of running and I stayed with the group to run Fairfield and Hartford.

Next month a series of informational sessions will begin the recruit members for the Spring Season.  Events include Running, Cycling or a combo of the two plus a Triathlon to add a little swimming.

Connecitcut Team in Training Events - Spring 2009

If you have any questions about TNT feel free to email me,  Dan@CummingsTeam.com and if I cannot answer your question I will put you in touch with someone that can.

Here is a list of Info Meetings throughout the State of Connecticut during January 2009.  I will be attending the Meriden Meeting but will miss the Season Kickoff Celebration because I’m heading to Miami for my first marathon without TNT.

Training for the Rock ‘n’ Roll Marathon on June 1st has past the halfway point and fortunately the worst of the winter weather is behind us. Running outdoors in Connecticut during the months of February and March can be unpredictable.

This year snow was somewhat scarce along the shoreline but February of 2008 saw record breaking rainfall. One of our training runs was canceled due to ice and another was postponed because of lighting but we had our share of running in the rain. March winds also gave us quite a chill coming off of Long Island Sound.

Below is the longest run so far, 14 miles! Training has been bumped up to 5 days per week with a mile per week added to our Saturday long run until we do a 20 miler two weeks before race day.

With all this running time slips away but the main focus of Team in Training is to raise money to help find a cure for Blood Cancers. Donations are still needed! As of today I have raised $3115.

Please help by making a tax-deductible donation to The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society. A secure web-site accepts credit card contributions or you can email Dan@CummingsTeam.com for postal mailing instructions if you’d prefer to send a check.

My first month with the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society’s Team in Training has been hectic. Being in the Real Estate Business gave me one big advantage over some of my other teammates. Since being a Realtor involves a fair amount of marketing I already had systems in place to deal with mass mailings. The first week I spent composing a letter and printing my initial mailing to 150 friends and past clients. Concurrently I submitted a press release to a few local newspapers and both acted fast in publishing the news about my fundraising effort.

Since I am so heavily involved in on-line activities I was surprised by the reluctance of some people to contribute using a credit card on the secure donation site but learned during my second week at the TNT fund-raiser workshop that we should include a return envelope in our mailing. My second batch of letters went out to 150 relatives, neighbors and acquaintances along with a return envelope but the response rate was not substantially different. So far it looks good for reaching my Goal by April 1…

With all this fund-raising activity and the rainiest February on record I have managed to run 100 miles since joining the team. I also finally learned how to produce a YouTube show. Hope this inspires donations!

Please help by making a tax-deductible donation to The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society. A secure web-site accepts credit card contributions or you can email Dan@CummingsTeam.com for postal mailing instructions if you’d prefer to send a check.

Valentine’s Day marks the four week point since I joined The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society’s Team in Training. The majority of my free time has been consumed with fund-raising efforts. Fortunately my Real Estate background has given me an edge to jump start my fund-raising.

Initially my thought was to use on-line marketing to minimize my expenses so I emailed around 50 contacts and included a direct link to my TNT Contribution Site. Surprisingly a few people responded that they would send a check and were reluctant to use the on-line site for their donation.

My next project was to send a press release to a few of the local newspapers and write a fund-raising letter to be sent to my list of contacts. This is where my real estate experience really helped because I already had a good contact list of friends, family and business associates that contained about 250 names. The donation rate of about 10% of my contacts was discouraging but I’m expecting more to contribute as I send a second or third reminder.

My press release was given quick attention by both newspapers and was published in the North Haven Advisor and The Guilford Courier on February 7, 2008.

At this stage raising money requires more time than running my training miles. That will shift in the next few months so I hope to have my fund-raising complete by April 1, 2008. Please visit the secure web site to make a tax-deductible DONATION. Contributions can also be made by cash, check or money order payable to : The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society mailed to my office.

Dan Cummings – William Raveis Real Estate

21 Whitfield Street – Guilford, CT 06437

Thanks in advance for your support and check back soon for updates. I will try to make an entry ever few weeks.

On January 1st when I sat in my office waiting to run the Frosty 5k in Guilford my running goal for the year was not clearly defined. One of the first pieces of mail I received in 2008 was from The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society inviting me to learn more about their Team in Training. After less than an hour at the informational session my direction was decided.

The decision was to run against the crowd in my milestone birth year, shortly after turning 50 when most men are slowing down I will be running 26.2 miles with TNT in San Diego’s Rock ‘n’ Roll Marathon.

In addition to building my strength to compete in a marathon which Lance Armstrong described as “without a doubt the hardest physical thing I have ever done.” I have committed to raising money for the Leukemia Society.

My goal is to raise $5000. Every donation regardless of size puts me a little closer to achieving success and encourages me to continue running the many many miles of training required to reach the finish line. CONTRIBUTIONS of any amount are being accepted now!

Please make a donation to support my participation in Team In Training and help advance the Society’s mission to find a cure. Unfortunately, the reality is that every 5 minutes someone is diagnosed and every 10 minutes one person dies from a blood cancer but with generous support research is close enough that many of these diseases may be treatable within 10 years.

Contact Dan Cummings – The Running Realtor via email to Dan@CummingsTeam.com if you would prefer to send a check for your tax deductible contribution to The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society.