One week till the Terry Fox Run! A couple months ago, I *could* have run a 10k...slowly. Very slowly. And I don't want to run too slowly next Sunday. The sooner I finish the race, the sooner my boyfriend will be able to buy me waffles at our local greasy spoon.
So on account of my desire to eat waffles sooner rather than later, I've been taking this 10 km training pretty seriously. My first step was to choose a training program. To do this, I used the highly scientific method of googling "training for a 10km run" and choosing the program I liked best. To be honest, the training programs all look pretty much the same - some hill and sprint training, some slow jogs, some cross-training, and the occasional day off. I think the program I chose came from Runner's World, but don't quote me on that.
I realize that following an online training program without any personal interaction isn't for everyone, but for me it's worked like a charm. Years ago, when I had more money, I worked with a personal trainer - I loved the structure of it, and working with someone who knew how hard to push me. The online training program is the next best thing. I am highly motivated, and I respond well to structure, so obeying instructions on a printed-out training program isn't that difficult.
Because I only decided to do the Terry Fox Run in mid-August, and I was already in pretty good shape, I condensed a 6-week training program down to 4 weeks. My weekly schedule looks something like this:
-long slow run
- hill intervals
- yoga
- race pace run
- sprint intervals
- day off
- race pace run
I also do two weight training sessions a week - not because I'm a great person, but because my hip flexors tend to hurt if I don't incorporate quad and hamstring exercises into my routine.
I'm 3/4 of the way through my program, and I'm really happy with my progress. My weakness has always been speed, but I've noticed a remarkable increase in the speeds I'm able to reach during my sprint intervals. Hopefully this will translate into a faster race time, and faster waffle gratification.
As far as weight loss goes...well, that hasn't been my goal. I have an athletic build, and I know my legs are stronger and more toned than they were a month ago. I'll never be a super-svelte, wispy reed of a woman, and I wasn't expecting this training to change that. However, I'm pretty sure that my legs are strong enough to snap Taylor Swift in half if I was ever given the chance. This is enough for me.
But of course, the goal of this race isn't to inflict suffering on Taylor Swift - it is to raise money for cancer research! As always, if you want to make a contribution to the Terry Fox Foundation, here is a link to my pledge page:
Krista's Terry Fox Run Page
Sunday, September 9, 2012
Friday, September 7, 2012
9 more days!
We are 9 days away from the Terry Fox Run, and I'm happy to say I've nearly reached my fundraising goal. If you'd still like to make a donation, please visit my pledge site. Thanks for your support!
Krista's Terry Fox Run pledge page
Krista's Terry Fox Run pledge page
I am not cynical about Shinerama
I had entirely forgotten about Shinerama until a group of friendly but fast-talking freshmen approached me on the corner of Bank and Sunnyside. While I'm not about to succumb to the ravages of old age, I'm also too old to be approached by hordes of 18 year old boys; I knew something was up! Then they started to talk about cystic fibrosis, and I noticed their matching shirts (far less gaudy and conspicuous than when I was in undergrad). I felt the fall breeze on my skin and remembered - it's Shinerama season!
Nostalgia and misty-eyes ensued. "Ohhhh, I remember Shinerama. I did that when I was YOUR age!" The young men were polite about my brief lapse into condescension, and waited for me to fish some loose change out of my laptop bag.
For the uninitiated, Shinerama is the largest charitable fundraising campaign in Canada's university system. Since 1961, Shinerama has raised over 20 million dollars for Cystic Fibrosis Canada. As someone who did her undergrad at Laurier, I can safely say that I am among the initiated. Shinerama started at Laurier, and there is a great amount of fervour surrounding the event. As incoming frosh, we were expected to have an enthusiasm for Shinerama that bordered on cult-like. The zealous atmosphere surrounding Shinerama, and it's pairing with the "rah rah" frosh rallies that littered the campus all week, led some of my cohort to be cynical about the whole affair.
Shinerama has had more serious problems than eye-rolling undergrads in the last years. In 2008, Carleton University decided to ditch Shinerama on account of the cause. Cystic fibrosis, the student council argued, is primarily a disease affecting Caucasian males - the council wanted to support a cause that was more, shall we say, "diverse". This decision was later reversed, but not before a whack of media coverage briefly thrust Shinerama (and Carleton itself) into the spotlight.
I am not cynical about Shinerama, and here are some reasons why.
1. Regarding the Carleton fiasco - the story of cystic fibrosis is more complicated than Carleton's student council initially presented it. This has been well documented, and I don't wish to dredge up old controversies. The primary point to make here is that "Caucasian" and "white" aren't synonymous. I love Carleton's critical edge and concern with issues of diversity, but this wasn't the school's most effective demonstration of these qualities.
2. As far as the social pressure put on students to participate...by the time kids hit university, they have undergone greater social pressure to engage in lesser activities.
3. For students who do want to participate, it's a positive and effective way of meeting other people. You get to spend time out in what might be a new city, being giddy, making new friends, flirting, people-watching, and (hopefully) giving community members a positive impression of "young people today".
4. Speaking of "positive impression", Shinerama volunteers are generally well-trained. They are polite and thank donors profusely. They are sometimes annoyingly chipper or flighty or obsequious, but they are also young adults going through an extremely socially stressful life transition. So some slack is required. Plus, their unbridled giddiness can be fun to watch. Today I saw a herd of young women dancing to Aqua's "Barbie Girl" - in the Glebe. Ridiculous, but also kind of adorable.(Again with the condescension!)
5. The best thing about about Shinerama - They give donors a "I contributed to Shinerama" sticker so that you're not inundated with requests for money all day long. They may not offer them, but they should. I always ask, and I complain if they don't have any.
Of course, in all the excitement of fundraising and adding each other on Facebook, Shinerama volunteers can easily forget the "reason for the season", as they say. I was impressed today when the guys who approached me started by talking about cystic fibrosis - asking me open-ended questions about what I know rather than immediately asking me for change. This doesn't happen often, though. I find that most students know some basic facts about the disease, but few can tell you WHERE your donation is going, exactly. ("For cystic fibrosis!" is not a useful answer.) They should give students a blurb about the research that Cystic Fibrosis Canada does, or a breakdown of how donations are spent, or something beyond the "fast facts" that they usually throw at you.
That criticism aside, I believe Shinerama is a worthy fundraising event that ultimately benefits people living with CF, as well as the student volunteers and the communities in which they're situated. If you run across Shinerama volunteers this weekend, give some change their way! And try not to bore them with misty-eyed stories of your undergrad days like I did.
Nostalgia and misty-eyes ensued. "Ohhhh, I remember Shinerama. I did that when I was YOUR age!" The young men were polite about my brief lapse into condescension, and waited for me to fish some loose change out of my laptop bag.
For the uninitiated, Shinerama is the largest charitable fundraising campaign in Canada's university system. Since 1961, Shinerama has raised over 20 million dollars for Cystic Fibrosis Canada. As someone who did her undergrad at Laurier, I can safely say that I am among the initiated. Shinerama started at Laurier, and there is a great amount of fervour surrounding the event. As incoming frosh, we were expected to have an enthusiasm for Shinerama that bordered on cult-like. The zealous atmosphere surrounding Shinerama, and it's pairing with the "rah rah" frosh rallies that littered the campus all week, led some of my cohort to be cynical about the whole affair.
Shinerama has had more serious problems than eye-rolling undergrads in the last years. In 2008, Carleton University decided to ditch Shinerama on account of the cause. Cystic fibrosis, the student council argued, is primarily a disease affecting Caucasian males - the council wanted to support a cause that was more, shall we say, "diverse". This decision was later reversed, but not before a whack of media coverage briefly thrust Shinerama (and Carleton itself) into the spotlight.
I am not cynical about Shinerama, and here are some reasons why.
1. Regarding the Carleton fiasco - the story of cystic fibrosis is more complicated than Carleton's student council initially presented it. This has been well documented, and I don't wish to dredge up old controversies. The primary point to make here is that "Caucasian" and "white" aren't synonymous. I love Carleton's critical edge and concern with issues of diversity, but this wasn't the school's most effective demonstration of these qualities.
2. As far as the social pressure put on students to participate...by the time kids hit university, they have undergone greater social pressure to engage in lesser activities.
3. For students who do want to participate, it's a positive and effective way of meeting other people. You get to spend time out in what might be a new city, being giddy, making new friends, flirting, people-watching, and (hopefully) giving community members a positive impression of "young people today".
4. Speaking of "positive impression", Shinerama volunteers are generally well-trained. They are polite and thank donors profusely. They are sometimes annoyingly chipper or flighty or obsequious, but they are also young adults going through an extremely socially stressful life transition. So some slack is required. Plus, their unbridled giddiness can be fun to watch. Today I saw a herd of young women dancing to Aqua's "Barbie Girl" - in the Glebe. Ridiculous, but also kind of adorable.(Again with the condescension!)
5. The best thing about about Shinerama - They give donors a "I contributed to Shinerama" sticker so that you're not inundated with requests for money all day long. They may not offer them, but they should. I always ask, and I complain if they don't have any.
Of course, in all the excitement of fundraising and adding each other on Facebook, Shinerama volunteers can easily forget the "reason for the season", as they say. I was impressed today when the guys who approached me started by talking about cystic fibrosis - asking me open-ended questions about what I know rather than immediately asking me for change. This doesn't happen often, though. I find that most students know some basic facts about the disease, but few can tell you WHERE your donation is going, exactly. ("For cystic fibrosis!" is not a useful answer.) They should give students a blurb about the research that Cystic Fibrosis Canada does, or a breakdown of how donations are spent, or something beyond the "fast facts" that they usually throw at you.
That criticism aside, I believe Shinerama is a worthy fundraising event that ultimately benefits people living with CF, as well as the student volunteers and the communities in which they're situated. If you run across Shinerama volunteers this weekend, give some change their way! And try not to bore them with misty-eyed stories of your undergrad days like I did.
Saturday, August 25, 2012
Keeping up with the Seven-Year-Olds
I've been running since I was 14, but this will be my first time participating in an organized running event. This is primarily because I have a strong aversion to running along-side throngs of people.Actually, I have a strong aversion to throngs of people, period. I don't like crowds, and they're generally no more appealing after they've been sweating and panting for an hour.
I am also cursed with a keen awareness that, in any running event, someone must come dead last. And frankly, there's no reason to believe it won't be me. Watching the wonderful Paula Findlay at the Olympic triathlon earlier this month did nothing to assuage this fear. If it could happen to Paula, who could out-run (or bike or swim) me any day, it could definitely happen to me.
Of course, the Terry Fox Run is non-competitive, so I shouldn't be stressed out about this. Still, it would be nice to avoid total humiliation if at all possible. So, I've decided to set a running pace goal of 6.3 mph, which will have me finishing the 10 km in just under one hour. This isn't a particularly ambitious goal, but it should keep me from being out-paced by 7-year-olds. Hopefully.
I am also cursed with a keen awareness that, in any running event, someone must come dead last. And frankly, there's no reason to believe it won't be me. Watching the wonderful Paula Findlay at the Olympic triathlon earlier this month did nothing to assuage this fear. If it could happen to Paula, who could out-run (or bike or swim) me any day, it could definitely happen to me.
Of course, the Terry Fox Run is non-competitive, so I shouldn't be stressed out about this. Still, it would be nice to avoid total humiliation if at all possible. So, I've decided to set a running pace goal of 6.3 mph, which will have me finishing the 10 km in just under one hour. This isn't a particularly ambitious goal, but it should keep me from being out-paced by 7-year-olds. Hopefully.
Thursday, August 23, 2012
A word on fundraising goals
Here we are three hours later, and I've already reached my fundraising goal! This is, I believe, a testament to how many people remember Bryan fondly, and want to support this endeavour in his name. It is also a testament to the fact that cancer has touched so many people's lives. It's also a testament to the fact that I set a crazy low fundraising goal.
A word about that. You may well be thinking, "Krista is a moron. Why did she set such a low fundraising goal?" If you know anything about nonprofit fundraising, you are definitely thinking "Krista is a moron. Why did she set such a low fundraising goal?" If you work at a nonprofit organization, you are probably thinking, "I may hire Krista for our next fundraising campaign, provided all the Cocker Spaniels in town are otherwise occupied."
That...is a fair reaction. I did set the bar low. This is partly because I hate asking people for money. Not because I feel this cause isn't worthwhile, but because of the proliferation of fundraising campaigns that already barrage people every day. Ads on the bus encourage us to "text" a 5$ donation to a homeless shelter, and grocery clerks ask us to give 2$ to the Make A Wish Foundation. I feel like people are solicited enough without being met with my pleas every time they sign into Facebook. So that's part of it.
The other reason I set the fundraising bar low is because I wanted to meet my goal quickly; I wanted people to be able to donate without the pressure of an external "goal" goading people into giving a certain amount. Fundraising goals stress me out. They remind me of watching Fawlty Towers marathons with my dad during PBS's telethon season. Basil would be yelled at by his wife, the credits would roll, and an earnest man with a tote bag would prattle off all the reasons why I SHOULD be donating to public television AT THIS VERY MINUTE. I felt like he was talking to me and me alone. That by sitting on the couch eating Zoodles, I was not only letting him down, but the entire Western Civilization. It was all very stressful for an overly-sensitive seven year old.
But I've had feedback from people saying I should raise my goal, and they may be right. I seem to be letting my own hangups fundraising get in the way of the generosity of others. People are being exceedingly generous, and I should accept that generosity and chill out. Just because I have hangups about fundraising doesn't mean that others do. Obviously.
So, I will raise my fundraising goal to 250$. The same rules apply - I appreciate all donations, regardless of the size. Thank you again for your support, and for reading this.
A word about that. You may well be thinking, "Krista is a moron. Why did she set such a low fundraising goal?" If you know anything about nonprofit fundraising, you are definitely thinking "Krista is a moron. Why did she set such a low fundraising goal?" If you work at a nonprofit organization, you are probably thinking, "I may hire Krista for our next fundraising campaign, provided all the Cocker Spaniels in town are otherwise occupied."
That...is a fair reaction. I did set the bar low. This is partly because I hate asking people for money. Not because I feel this cause isn't worthwhile, but because of the proliferation of fundraising campaigns that already barrage people every day. Ads on the bus encourage us to "text" a 5$ donation to a homeless shelter, and grocery clerks ask us to give 2$ to the Make A Wish Foundation. I feel like people are solicited enough without being met with my pleas every time they sign into Facebook. So that's part of it.
The other reason I set the fundraising bar low is because I wanted to meet my goal quickly; I wanted people to be able to donate without the pressure of an external "goal" goading people into giving a certain amount. Fundraising goals stress me out. They remind me of watching Fawlty Towers marathons with my dad during PBS's telethon season. Basil would be yelled at by his wife, the credits would roll, and an earnest man with a tote bag would prattle off all the reasons why I SHOULD be donating to public television AT THIS VERY MINUTE. I felt like he was talking to me and me alone. That by sitting on the couch eating Zoodles, I was not only letting him down, but the entire Western Civilization. It was all very stressful for an overly-sensitive seven year old.
But I've had feedback from people saying I should raise my goal, and they may be right. I seem to be letting my own hangups fundraising get in the way of the generosity of others. People are being exceedingly generous, and I should accept that generosity and chill out. Just because I have hangups about fundraising doesn't mean that others do. Obviously.
So, I will raise my fundraising goal to 250$. The same rules apply - I appreciate all donations, regardless of the size. Thank you again for your support, and for reading this.
Link to my fundraising page
It's entirely possible that you want to make a donation without reading my thoughts on cancer, charity, and Costco*. Does this describe you? Then here's a direct link to my fundraising page:
Krista's Fundraising Page
*With any luck, Costco won't be making any more appearances in this blog. I will try to stay on topic, and keep my disdain in check.
Krista's Fundraising Page
*With any luck, Costco won't be making any more appearances in this blog. I will try to stay on topic, and keep my disdain in check.
The Terry Fox 10km
This is my first time participating in
a Terry Fox Run, and my first time fundraising since elementary
school. Like so many young children, I was often enlisted to fund raise
for nebulous school-related causes. The purpose of our efforts
was never explained to us kids; we just dutifully marched off and sold
wrapping paper to our parents, and cookie dough to our neighbors.
OK, that's a lie. I never actually sold any of the cookie dough to
our neighbors. I did, however, eat a lot of cookie dough, a skill
that I've maintained to this day. Running for cancer research with
the Terry Fox Foundation will undoubtedly be a more useful
endeavour – not to mention less preservative-laden.
There are a number of reasons I'm
participating in the Terry Fox Run. The most important reason is this guy:
I only knew Bryan for a little under two years, but he made a sizable impact in my life. Participating in the Terry Fox Run is one small way I feel I can honor his memory. I may write more about him later, provided it doesn't seem too maudlin. I'm not interested in carving out a narcissistic sob story, but in remembering a life that was, I believe, excellently lived.
So why the Terry Fox Run, instead of any of the other myriad cancer fundraising endeavors out there? Allow me to prelude my answer with a full disclosure: I am a grad student who studies charities. This doesn't mean I'm The Definitive Judge of Charitable Worth (though that would be an awesome title). It does, however, mean that I spend a good portion of my days reading and thinking about charities, often with a fairly critical edge.
Everything I've read about The Terry Fox Foundation leads me to believe it is a very trustworthy organization. Their website (http://www.terryfox.org/ ) provides an transparent breakdown of all the research projects that receive funding. I entered a few terms in their searchable database, and was impressed with the variety of work receiving their support. Moreover, 84 cents of every dollar raised by the Foundation goes to cancer research - an extremely impressive proportion!
As far as the Terry Fox Run itself goes, I like the fact that there's no entry fee to participate. At the risk of sounding like a horrible person, I hate when organizations charge you to raise money for them. To use an imperfect metaphor, it feels like charging someone to shop at your store. (Which is of course what Costco does, but this blog is not about how much I hate Costco, so let's move on.)
Finally, I appreciate the fact that the Terry Fox Run doesn't set a minimum fundraising goal for it's participants. I like this not because I am a cheapskate, but because I am a wuss who hates asking people for money. It also helps democratize the Run. This, and the fore-mentioned free entry, allow pretty much anyone to participate in the run or donate to the Foundation.
Speaking of which...I have set the fairly low fundraising goal of 50$. At the bottom of this post I'll put a link to my fundraising page; please consider donating if you have the money, time and inclination. If not, please check back here from time to time. I will continue to write about running, charities, Bryan, or other things that may seem relevant as the days progress. I'd also love it if you left a comment, either here or on my fundraising page. Thanks for taking the time to read this, and come back soon!
Krista's fundraising page
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)