Congratulations to Team Home for Our Troops! This past Monday a dedicated team of 25 people ran the Boston Marathon in support of this charity. The team was made up of active and retired military members as well as a few civilians.
The program is different from other charity teams in that members come from all over the USA and beyond, paying their own way to get to Boston to run the marathon in addition to all the money they raise. It’s a lot of work training for a marthon plus doing all of the fundraising, and this team excelled at both. Together the group raised over $87,000 to provide specially adapted homes for our most severely injured troops.
Marie Curie Cancer Care is best known for their network of nurses working in the community to provide end-of-life care for patients in their own homes. They have 10 hospices across England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland. and run the world-renowned Marie Curie Research Institute, which investigates the causes and treatments of cancer.
The Great Daffodil Appeal raises funds to support the charity and its programs.
Several Daffodil walks took place during the month of March, including one in Sunderland. There’s another walk coming up in Northern Ireland on April 26 called the Devoted to Life Walk.
Marie Curie also has a program that lets you choose your own “ultimate challenge.” With running events, swimming, cycling, marathoning, parachuting, and international events like the Kilimanjaro trek, there’s something for everyone.
I walked a marathon in Anchorage Alaska after several months of training in proper racewalk technique. Yes, there’s a technique to marathon walking. In order to walk efficiently and as fast as possible you have to use specific waking techniques. I was lucky enough to benefit from a trainer when I participated in Team in Training. If you participate in such a program or can find a trainer that really understands racewalking technique, you’ll be at a great advantage in preparing for a marathon.
Jo Ann Taylor of The Walking Connection has a great article on Walking Technique and Form. There are two other great websites that have a lot of information: Marathon Walking has a lot of great articles and Racewalk.com has a lot of specific technique tips and race plans.
So why would you walk a marathon instead of running one? Well I don’t think walkers really have to justify their love of walking. But a few reasons someone might choose to walk include health issues that make running more dangerous or uncomfortable such as arthritis, asthma or someone who has not been exercising regularly. Personally I get too winded when I run and prefer to walk. It’s just more fun to me. Another option would be to run/walk in specific intervals, which I did for a half marathon race. This strategy also requires some preparation in training, so you know how many minutes to run and how many to walk.
So what do you think… are you ready to walk a marathon?
A few weeks back Amy Hunold-VanGundy of the Runner’s Lounge blog wrote Everyone Should Run A Half Marathon and co-blogger Tom Green posted a follow-up with some other great points.
Many people who join charity marathon programs really do want to support the cause but are somewhat nervous about doing a long distance event. Some of them are beginners, others see themselves as “slow runners” as Amy mentioned and others may have health concerns that make long distances iffy. If so the half-marathon, 13.1 miles, could be the perfect answer. Read more… »
On the Runners Lounge Tom starts his post In Praise of Running Plans off by saying “People with a plan do better than people without a plan.” Very true! Having a plan for training for an athletic event is critical for success. You need to have on the calendar how many miles to run (or walk) each day of the week. This training calendar should be planned for the 4-6 months that lead up to a long distance race (half marathon, marathon or longer).
This is one advantage of charity training programs such as Team in Training or Train to End Stroke. These programs help first time marathoners by providing a training calendar. The group training sessions also help participants stick to the schedule.
If you are looking for more support when running or walking an endurance event consider one of the charity programs available. I know how much they help a first timer - my first (and so far only) marathon I did with Team in Training, walking the Anchorage Alaska Marathon. Since then I have done a half-marathon and several shorter distance events. The skills and discipline I learned in TNT made a big difference in training and being successful on race day.
On April 21 thousands of elite runners and charity entrants will participate in the Boston Marathon. Current Republican presidential hopeful and former governor of Arkansas Mike Huckabee will be running in the famous race. He is joining Team Hoyt which is led by Dick and Rick Hoyt, a father-and-son team from Massachusetts. Even though son Rick is wheelchair bound the duo compete in marathons and other events all across the country.
Now here’s the real question…when Huckabee leaves the starting line in Boston four months from now will he still be in the Presidential race as well?
This year the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society’s Team in Training program, one of the first endurance events benefiting a charitable cause, celebrates its 20th Anniversary. I participated in TNT in 2001 and walked the Anchorage Alaska Marathon. In fact this is what I had to say about the program:
While I had walked 5K’s and done other type of fundraising, Team in Training is what really got me hooked on fundraising events. There are so many great things about TNT, I cannot begin to describe it!
Crossing the finish line at that marathon is still one of the best moments of my life. Even though I have done other events since then that was my first biggie and will always be remembered fondly. It impacts the participants and most importantly helps the Society make strides in research and services for people going through Leukemia & Lymphoma.
Check out this video that shows the history and impact that the program has made.
Congratulations to Team Home for Our Troops! This past Monday a dedicated team of 25 people ran the Boston Marathon in support of this charity. The team was made up of active and retired military members as well as a few civilians.
Marie Curie Cancer Care is best known for their network of nurses working in the community to provide end-of-life care for patients in their own homes. They have 10 hospices across England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland. and run the world-renowned Marie Curie Research Institute, which investigates the causes and treatments of cancer.