I'm sharing my thoughts about committing to a new season of training and fundraising with the North Texas Team In Training. For anyone reading this blog, I'd love to hear your thoughts, perspectives, stories or advice on making this commitment. Be forewarned: Should I commit, it won't be long before I'm back asking for your support!
Serious consideration...
TNT is a big commitment for every participant. It supports a great cause. It demands the support those closest to me and it involves my asking nearly everyone I know to lend their financial support.
Connecting everyone to the cause...
The cause is always there, in the background, during every Saturday morning training and during the exciting moments in which we cheer fellow teammates across the finish line. TNT walks the line of educating without preaching and of exposing the issues without forcing the issue. I want to be able to do the same. I want to learn more about how this disease comes about and how medical science, patients, non-profits and the rest of us each play our various roles to combat and win battles against these cancers. I hope to provide some level of amplification for the message coming from patients, medical science and the non-profit groups like LLS in support these groups.
Connecting supporters to the journey...
Is there something compelling for all of us about dozens of regular folks embarking on endurance sports training in support of cancer research and patient care? I think there is.
I'm trying to envision effective ways uncover and report on the stories and the underlying personal narratives that push forward these long seasons and huge efforts - and not my own primarily - so that everyone involved gets a bit more out of this wonderfully crazy concept of "saving lives one mile at a time."
Selfish reasons...
I want to train and complete a Half IronMan distance race. I would go back to the LoneStar Triathlon in Galveston.
I have a borderline obsessive interest in new media (Web logs or blogs, podcasting, and other social media) and I want to use fundraising and training with TNT as an excuse to experiment in and produce these new media, not just consume them as I've been doing.
December 2007 will mark our third year in Fort Worth. We're still relative newbies in this town and in North Texas and TNT gives us a great way to participate with and contribute to the local community.
While I don't have a personal story of a loved one or immediate family member with a blood cancer, LLS leads an important front against caner in general; and the odds suggest that either I or someone close to me will battle cancer in my lifetime and I want to get a head start in that fight!
What do you think?
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2 comments:
Hey Jonathan, Andy Benkert here. Saw the link to your blog on your LinkedIn profile, and thought I would drop by. I hope your arm is healing well!
Sounds like you don't need much convincing on the TNT front. Seems like something you feel passionate about and have interest in. I guess it's a matter of whether it will fit in with your schedule and other racing/training plans and goals.
One other thing - you might want to check your feed, as I tried to sub to your RSS and the entry in my Google Reader had no title and no content. Not quite sure how that happens.
Thanks Andy - you'll be sure to get a fundraising email from me!
Thanks for heads up on the RSS feed too.
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