Lately, I've been mostly thinking about you.
When Jessica and I signed up for this event in the beginning of January, we knew we had to raise, at a minimum, $2700 each. This is the amount Team in Training asks you to commit to in order for them to provide you with your training experience and donate a significant amount to the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society. $5400 total, which was more than either of us had ever raised before. It was a daunting number to both of us. One person even told me that they doubted we'd be able to raise our minimum in this economy.
As of today, we have raised $13,755. By the time some matching donations come in, we'll have raised over $15,000.
(Pause for reflection.)
Whenever I tell people what we're doing, they say two things. The first thing they say is "It's amazing that you're doing this triathlon," followed by "It's amazing that you've raised all this money." I want to break those down.
1) "It's amazing that you're doing this triathlon."
Okay, I'll admit that I too think it's a little awesome. But I also think that the hardest thing about doing a triathlon is making the commitment to do it. I have seen people of all different shapes and sizes in all sorts of physical condition put themselves to the test during our training sessions, and watched with pride and amazement as they've pulled themselves through. Case in point: in February, Jessica went for her first run and didn't get more than two blocks without turning around because she was too out of breath to continue. Now, she tackles six miles at a time, twice a week, often after working a 12-hour night shift on her feet AND after biking for a full hour immediately prior. This is a woman who once swore the only way she'd run was if chased by someone. With a knife. She is a machine (and, if I may say so, looks phenomenal).
If any of the above puts a little hint in your head of "maybe I could do a triathlon," I say DO IT! Because you can. And if possible, do it with Team in Training. It's a huge time commitment, but it's easily the most rewarding thing I've ever done. (If you're just curious at this point, I recommend this book, recommended to me by longtime friend, mentor and triathlete Mike Graffeo.)
Granted, I haven't done my triathlon yet, and I've certainly had my share of challenges along the way -- but I'm willing to bet the farm that even if things don't turn out exactly the way I want them to, I'll have walked away (limped away?) with an amazing experience.
So yeah, it's amazing that we're doing a triathlon. But again, I think lots of people can do it.
2) "It's amazing that you've raised all this money."
Unlike training for a triathlon, not everybody can raise all this money. Fundraising can be more difficult than training; you are asking people to open up their wallets and not only believe in the cause, but to believe in you and the time and effort you'll be putting into it -- often before you've really done it yet. You're asking people to take a leap of faith with you, and put their money where their mouths are. It's a risk on both ends. Many people struggle throughout the season to raise the money, and some have dropped out as a result.
But we didn't struggle. We never struggled for a second. And it has very little to do with us, and everything to do with you.
The minute we started sending out e-mails, the donations came pouring in. Almost instantly. The first donation came fifteen minutes after our announcement e-mail. (Actually, the first donation came from a friend who saw a very subtle change I made to my Facebook page, 6 weeks before I even announced it to anyone.) People forwarded our e-mails on to their friends. They shared our blog address and spread the news on Facebook. Friends I met at Who concerts 5-10 years ago popped up and made donations. A friend who (at the time) I only knew through the Internet donated and mentioned it on Twitter, resulting in further donations from complete strangers. Jen Gembs, who sang with us at our benefit concert, sent multiple e-mails to all of her contacts, resulting not only in significant donations at the show but a number of checks from her friends who couldn't make it. (Thanks, Jen!) People affected by the cause sent us money, and people who knew and cared about us sent us money. I went to a fundraising seminar early in this process, and the biggest advice we were given was to just ask for the donations -- to ask everyone -- because you never know who has a connection to the cause and who cares about what you're doing, even if you haven't spoken to them in years. I was skeptical, but they were right.
Fundraising can be difficult, but it's surprisingly easy when you have a strong support system. And we have the strongest support system of anyone we know. We're one of the top 10 fundraisers for the NYC Triathlon. I think we're going to win a duffel bag. :) Even more exciting, we've raised enough that we get to do another triathlon with TNT for "free," and so our training doesn't end here -- on September 12th, Jessica and I will be traveling to Washington, DC for the Nation's Triathlon. (Don't worry, we're not soliciting further donations for that event!)
So yes, it's amazing that we've raised all this money. But we're not amazing. You're amazing. You are our hero, because you stepped up to the plate in so many ways and helped us reach this point. Even if you didn't have the money to donate, but you wrote and sent us a supportive message along the way -- your words of encouragement helped us get through a difficult swim or that sixth mile running in the sweltering heat after work. And I think about you when I'm on my bike, especially during this one hill on River Road in New Jersey. It's a full mile up a very steep hill. It comes exactly 22.7 miles after I've left my apartment, and I start dreading it at mile 21. I try to get an idea in my head of how I'm going to tackle it, but it often goes out the window once I actually get there. So that's when I start thinking about the faith you've put in both of us to raise this money, to do this event, to find a cure. And it gets me through that mile and on my way for the rest of the ride. (Don't get me wrong, that mile still sucks. But it sucks a little less each time.)
If you haven't donated and you'd like to donate, it's not too late. You can make a donation at Jessica & Jason's Fundraising Page (http://pages.teamintraining.
Thank you for being our hero.
Jason & Jessica
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