Hard to believe the August long weekend is already behind us. The Olympics start this week, the Blue Jays are out of playoff contention, teachers and students are counting down the days until the first bell rings, and I am now inside three months to Ironman Florida.
FUNDRAISING UPDATE
$22,000!
That is where we are. With out target efforts now achieving 220% of our goal, we have raised the stakes. Our new target is:
$50,000!
Go hard or go home right?! To help us achieve this, we are holding a Family Fun Day at Brampton's Chinguacousy Park. With a bunch of stuff to do, prizes, BBQ etc. it will be both an event of celebration and appreciation. There will be much more coming on this but please keep SATURDAY SEPTEMBER 20TH open on your calendar.
There is a group of very dedicated and committed people working on getting us to the big 5-0. It will be a fun 3 months.
TRAINING UPDATE
Training and racing this season have been going well. This past weekend I did the K-Town Triathlon, which was my last scheduled race until the big dance in November. It was a solid outing building on the 1/2 Ironman I did in Peterborough a few weeks ago. After improving my time in Peterborough by over 20 minutes I was excited, motivated and completely prepared to really race Kingston hard. My plan was to race the swim hard and hopefully stick with a fast group so I could get on the bike course and let’er fly like I did in Peterborough where I had my fastest ever bike split regardless of distance. Hopefully I would have enough gas in the tank to hang onto the run.
So I did get into a fast group for the swim but one in which I probably shouldn’t have been in. I had to work too hard and realized that as I got to the turnaround and then out of the water with my heart already racing and not a lot of time gained, this race was going to hurt. The bike was much the same although the crosswinds proved to be challenging for everyone. Out on the run I focused on keeping my legs turning over and was able to reel some people in. When it was all said and done I was happy with my race and the lesson learned that trying to rev up too early does not lead to getting time in the bank but rather just a painful day of racing!
I plan on providing more frequent updates as things get closer to November. The kind words, emails and encouragement I have been getting as Racing for SickKids gathers steam has been awesome and humbling. I would be lying if I didn't say the thought of others knowing what we are building towards wasn't a source of energy and motivation when I am hurting the most in my races and workouts. Thank you!
Tuesday, August 5, 2008
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THE CAUSE
Regardless of what brought you to our site, we welcome you. Simply put, Racing for SickKids – Ironman Florida 2008 exists for a sole purpose: to raise as much money as we can to support Cardiac Care at the Hospital for Sick Children in Toronto.
The division of Cardiology at SickKids was established over 60 years ago and is now one of the largest and most successful of its kind. Like many of the Hospitals’ departments and programs they are world-class innovators, teachers and caregivers. But the real reason SickKids and the Cardiology group is so important to me among the many, many other causes and charities is what they did for my friend, Jonathan Holiday.
I am using the platform of training for and racing in an Ironman Triathlon to share his story. The physical challenges are quantifiable: I will swim 3.9km, cycle 180km and run 42km – consecutively. I will be racing 226km (140 miles) or approximately the distance from Toronto to Parry Sound in a single day. While daunting, I find the mental obstacles far more intimidating, notably having the discipline to fit 15 to 20+ hours of training a week into “life” while avoiding injuries and too many trips to the buffet table. While there is certainly a degree of physical and emotional pain in all of this, it pales in comparison to what the kids and their families are forced to endure every day at SickKids.
Jon was one of these kids. To me he was friend, student, and partner-in-crime. To others he was son, brother, grandson, nephew, classmate, teammate, boy friend. To most, he was better known as “Lawnboy”. For all, he was a special person who, at only 17 years old, left us far too early.
100% of the money we raise will support the Jonathan Holiday Fund to support Cardiology at SickKids. Please follow the link at the top right of the page or click HERE to make a secure online donation.
The division of Cardiology at SickKids was established over 60 years ago and is now one of the largest and most successful of its kind. Like many of the Hospitals’ departments and programs they are world-class innovators, teachers and caregivers. But the real reason SickKids and the Cardiology group is so important to me among the many, many other causes and charities is what they did for my friend, Jonathan Holiday.
I am using the platform of training for and racing in an Ironman Triathlon to share his story. The physical challenges are quantifiable: I will swim 3.9km, cycle 180km and run 42km – consecutively. I will be racing 226km (140 miles) or approximately the distance from Toronto to Parry Sound in a single day. While daunting, I find the mental obstacles far more intimidating, notably having the discipline to fit 15 to 20+ hours of training a week into “life” while avoiding injuries and too many trips to the buffet table. While there is certainly a degree of physical and emotional pain in all of this, it pales in comparison to what the kids and their families are forced to endure every day at SickKids.
Jon was one of these kids. To me he was friend, student, and partner-in-crime. To others he was son, brother, grandson, nephew, classmate, teammate, boy friend. To most, he was better known as “Lawnboy”. For all, he was a special person who, at only 17 years old, left us far too early.
100% of the money we raise will support the Jonathan Holiday Fund to support Cardiology at SickKids. Please follow the link at the top right of the page or click HERE to make a secure online donation.
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