Making the Connection

If you talk with any Team In Training alumni, they will tell you that it was one of the best experiences they've ever had in their life. Whether blood cancer has impacted your life or not prior to joining the Team, you finish the program with a renewed sense of life, valuing what you have more than ever before. Finishing one event is not nearly enough for most TNT participants; how could it be?? You have the most incredible 4 months of your life...and you have an opportunity to do it all over again? It's a no brainer for many TNT participants to sign up for another event, and thus we have grown our alumni network by the thousands for the last 25 years that the program has existed. Participants get involved for a variety of different reasons, but in the end, they are all training for the same end result: a cure for cancer. Cycling coach and TNT Triple Crown Recipient Brian Dubois tells his TNT story, a story for those who are not directly connected to blood cancer at this time, to know that you don't need to wait for trouble to come knocking on your door before you start making a difference to change the lives of others. And it's a story of how it only takes one purple shirt to become a TNT alum for life.

This all started for me in 2008. My family and I had just moved back to Rhode Island from New Hampshire and we met our new neighbors. One of our neighbors have a son who was battling Leukemia. His father was involved with Team in Training and I was curious so I started to ask some questions. Before I knew it I was signed up for the Seacoast Century ride in Hampton Beach New Hampshire.  I chose the century ride because the idea of running turned me off at the time.  I had a great time, and met some incredible people.  I watched what they were doing and started to “wonder” what I could do.  In 2009 and 2010, I participated in the NYC Nautica Triathlon. I wasn't sure how it would go, but swimming came easy to me.  The running was a constant battle, but my teammates kept me moving, and that’s really all it takes.  Through the people I met, I began to realize that anything was possible.  In 2011, I earned my Triple Crown with the COX Providence Half Marathon.  I have since completed a handful of half-ironman distance races, and this past fall, my first marathon.

{Brian, making triathlons look easy!}

But that is only part of the story.  What really keeps me going are the people and their stories.  I do what I can for those who cannot.  There is one story that I have heard over the years that rings in my head like it was yesterday.  It was at the inspiration dinner for the 2010 NYC Nautica Triathlon.  The speaker went by Murph, which was his last name, and he was a survivor.  He shared his story and struggles with a room of over 500 people and the quiet that came over the ballroom was chilling.  He has a daughter who was old enough to start asking questions about her father’s past illness, and he answered them very candidly.  One day his daughter asked him if he could “keep her safe,” and Murph’s answer was no.  As I sat there pondering his answer and thinking about the unbiased nature with which cancer chooses it’s patients, I looked to my right and caught my daughter’s eye.  I then continue to look further right and made eye contact with my wife who was pregnant with our second child at the time.  That is when the immeasurable gravity of Murph’s words hit me.  I felt helpless.  If cancer wants to find it’s way into my life, I cannot stop it.  The helplessness was thankfully short lived.  In a matter of seconds, I realized the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society, through Team in Training, is my way to keep my family and others “safe”.  This is what fuels my fire and keeps me involved.  See you out there.  GO TEAM!!!! 

     ~Brian Dubois

{Brian with his daughter Hunter}

Egg-cellent!

With Easter right around the corner, we want to talk about one of our favorite foods as an athlete: EGGS! Often times eggs get a bad rap due to it's effect on cholesterol levels, but the rumors aren't all they're cracked up to be! (a little egg humor, if you will) What many consumers overlook is the fact that the body does need cholesterol to function, and the egg is one of the healthiest sources. Cholesterol helps the body with numerous important functions, including hormone synthesis to help regulate the body, as well as bile acid synthesis to aid in the process of digestion. So rather than choosing fried foods and margarine to get your daily dose of cholesterol, which are very high in saturated and trans fats, choose the incredible, edible EGG! For athletes especially, eggs are classified as a superfood, possessing 6g of protein and 13 essential vitamins and minerals per egg! Don't get overzealous with your egg consumption, you only need one egg a day or a few eggs several times a week for a healthy balance.  The protein, vitamins, and minerals in the egg with help with muscle repair and injury prevention, making you a happy, healthy athlete throughout training! 

We want to see your egg-cellent creativity!! Send your best purple-painted eggs to Alexandra.Hollenbeck@lls.org!! GO TEAM!!

Make a Difference

When you join Team In Training, it is for more reasons than one. You train for a purpose, you train for a cure. TNT brings together people of all different backgrounds and athletic abilities, yet by the end of the journey, you find that you are all the same. You've sacrificed social outings, you can't remember what sleeping in feels like, and you find yourself spending your Saturday nights mending your blisters and bonding with your foam roller. You've asked everyone you know to support you, carrying fundraising letters around with you for months, your fundraising link burned in your brain. When crossing that finish line and hitting your fundraising commitment, you feel like the champion that you are, and knowing that what you've done is making a difference in the lives of many.  However, sometimes the end result of everything you worked for during your training season is not so transparent.  Perhaps your best friend is still going through treatment after you complete your first TNT event, or maybe you completed an event in memory of a loved one, wishing that a cure had been discovered a decade ago. We wish that completing our event could solve all of the problems immediately, anxiously awaiting the day when we see headlines read "Cancer Cured."

{An excited Maya on her last day of chemo!}

Oftentimes we overlook the fact that each and every one of our efforts are an essential puzzle piece that make up the bigger picture. You are the unsung heroes of advancements in blood cancer research, you are a part of the cure that is so close to being discovered. And what keeps us motivated? Success stories, tales of great spirit and strength, of survivorship and tough battles won. Every TNT event you complete helps more and more patients cross their own finish line, and last week, after a two-year battle against leukemia, TNT honored patient Maya Spadano crossed the finish line into remission!! The treatments Maya underwent and the support she received can be traced back to every single TNT participant who ever signed up for an event and dedicated four months out of their life to save the life of another. Maya's mother, Sherri, recently wrote a post to announce the family's exciting news, and below is an excerpt from her post that filled us with hope and inspiration here at TNT:

We were given her port to take home. It is purple!! Crazy! Only Maya would have her favorite color port in her chest! Looking at it signifies so much......our journey, our blessings, Maya' amazing fight for her life and our strength as a family!! It is the culmination of the end and the start of a new, brighter beginning!!! We are so blessed!!!
                                                                   

{Bob with Teammates Nikki and Linda after the Disney 1/2!}

Maya's father, Bob, ran the Walt Disney World Half Marathon with TNT in January, making it in the top ten fundraisers nationally in honor of Maya, raising over $9,000 for LLS! His positivity and drive throughout the season left us in awe of the strength  and determination possessed by a family affected by blood cancer. The TNT purple runs deep, much deeper than we thought, as evidenced by Maya's port. When you cross your own finish line, know that what you accomplished made a difference. Know that incredible patients like Maya can return to a normal, cancer-free life because of those of you who wear the purple.

This fall we have an exciting new opportunity for you to help us get one step closer to a cure for cancer; the Chicago Marathon!! Realize your dreams of accomplishing a marathon while helping heroes like Maya live healthy and happy. You may think that there is no better feeling than crossing the finish line of a race, but there is. Crossing the finish line of a race while wearing your purple is the best feeling in the world, hearing shouts of "Go Team!!!" coming from all sides, hugging fellow TNT finishers and high-fiving because you just completed 26.2 miles in hopes that,someday soon cancer will be a thing of the past. Join 40,000 runners and walkers in Chicago this year, as we paint the windy city purple and race for a cure!

{Join us in Chicago on October 13, 2013!!}

Email Alexandra.Hollenbeck@lls.org for more information or to submit a post!
http://www.teamintraining.org/ri/

Let's Get Flexible!

Running, biking, and swimming is just one part of training with TNT. There are numerous other factors that go into a successful training season, and we like our participants to know that they are getting the whole package deal! Recently our summer season Teams learned the importance of strength and flexibility training, bright and early on a Saturday morning in Pawtucket! What else would we be doing??



{Getting strong at Foundation!}



Each season, Foundation Performance, a prominent sports medicine company in Pawtucket, RI, puts on a fabulous strength and conditioning clinic for our participants! The clinic, led by the professionals at Foundation, explains to our participants the importance of stretching, strength, and flexibility in daily training and how to incorporate these exercises in each of your workouts. From dynamic stretches, to core strengthening exercises, those who attended left the clinic feeling loose and refreshed, gaining all kinds of new knowledge on how to enhance their training routine! Foundation Performance specializes in sports medicine, helping athletes stay injury free and reach their full potential while training for an event. We can't thank them enough for their incredible support for our Team In Training program and our participants! Look for the clinic next season, and stay healthy!

Misson Monday: Zach Baccari

Each season, Team In Training honors a hero who has battled blood cancer to serve as a beacon of hope and inspiration to all of our participants. Our honored patients help remind participants why they train day after day: to find a cure for cancer. Just when the going gets tough, at the end of the long weekend run, going up that mountainous hill while cycling, getting through the final mile when walking a marathon, the stories of our honored patients and all those we train in honor and memory of is what gets them to the finish. This season, we are so privileged to have Zach Baccari as our honored patient, a brave young man who’s positivity and strength has inspired us all here at TNT.

Zach Baccari was 15 years old, going into his sophomore year at Hendricken High School, when he was diagnosed with Burkitts Lymphoma. This type of non-hodgkins lymphoma is rare and aggressive; doctors in Rhode Island say they normally only seem two cases per year. Zach was in the hospital for 112 consecutive days with many complications. Due to the Burkitts Lymphoma Zach had to have his spleen and part of his pancreas removed. Luckily, he was released from the hospital on December 23^rd, 2011, just in time for Christmas! Zach was never afraid and had the attitude of "you can’t let it control you". After 12 long rounds of chemotherapy, the Baccari family is happy to report that Zach’s last day of treatment was on June 6, 2012! Zach is now back in school, enjoying being a kid again!



{Zack and his sister enjoying a day out!}


The Baccari family has been a part of Team In Training for nearly a year, showing incredible spirit and perseverance through the completion of the Cox Providence Rhode Races in honor of Zach last May. Zach’s mother and grandmother, Lisa and Peggy, went on to complete yet another TNT event in the same year at the Nike Women’s Half Marathon last October! Zach and his family embody the mission of LLS, and we are thrilled to be honoring him this season!

See Zach's incredibly powerful speech here given at our summer season kick-off. Introduced by his nurse and TNT particpant Tammy Poission, Zach reminded us all that why we train: for a world without cancer.

Go Team!

From 5k to Marathon

Running a marathon is a common find on the average person's bucket list, but the idea of running a marathon is much easier to grasp than actually beginning to train. Where do I start?? 26.2 miles?? Four months of training?? For many of our beginner TNT participants, the 5k is recommended as an excellent starting point, where our supportive coaches and teammates will help you learn to love to run before attempting to tackle the marathon. The 5k training plan is manageable and basic, it is a shorter time period and provides participants with the confidence that they can accomplish anything they set their mind to. In 2012, TNT participant Jo-Anne Serydynski began with the 5k Race for a Cure in May and went on to cross "marathon" off of her bucket list by October. Read Jo-Anne's story and be inspired to start your journey to the marathon distance!

I am a non-athlete, and was nearing my 50^th birthday. The round of family and friends celebrating this same milestone had begun and I found myself searching for a more meaningful and significant way to mark the occasion, beyond the customary celebration of over indulgence of course.

Team in Training is the best, providing me with a great cause to request birthday gift donations to, while training me to become an athlete. I set out to run the Cox 5K, using the training plan developed by my coaches, and with the support of team members. By May I was runner, and still only 49, I set my sights on a marathon. After the Cox 5k, I rejoined the team as a marathon hopeful.

With the guidance of Coach Doyle, and the support of the team and everyone in the LLS office, I finished the Nike Women’s Marathon in October. When I fell behind in my training, Coach Doyle provided me with individual attention, and was right there to help me alter the plan to catch up safely.

A marathon is a huge undertaking, but with TNT, I was able to go from a non-athlete to a 5K runner and then to a marathoner in just a year’s time.

~Jo-Anne Serydynski

Go Team!!!

Homemade PB Energy Bites!

Every athlete needs that little extra boost before and after a workout, but do you always need to scarf down a pricey energy bar that packs in nearly 300 calories? Not anymore! In an attempt to battle the high prices and mystery contents of commerical energy bars, we developed a quick and easy recipe to solve your energy crisis! 2013: new year, new you, new recipes!!

It's important to fuel your body before exercising so that you have enough carbohydrates to get through your workout, and it's just as vital to refuel post-workout to replenish lost carbs and repair muscle. These little Peanut Butter Energy Bites get the job done! All ingredients can be purchased at your local grocery store and the recipe does not require any baking!

Store in a refrigerated location at home or work for easy access before and after your workouts, or for a quick snack to get you through the day! YUM!

Peanut Butter Energy Bites!
Makes 16 Bites 

Ingredients:1/2 cup natural peanut butter
1/4 cup nonfat dry milk powder
1/4 cup flaked coconut
1/3 cup rolled oats
1/4 cup wheat germ
1/4 cup honey

Add in any of your other favorite ingredients, like mini dark chocolate chips or raisins for a boost of antioxidants!

  

Directions:

1. Combine peanut butter, milk powder, and coconut in a large mixing bowl.

2. Stir in oats, wheat germ, and honey until thoroughly combined.

3. Roll into sixteen 1-inch balls and place on a lined cookie sheet 4. Refrigerate for two hours, and enjoy!

Here are a few of the essential nutrients your workouts and recovery depend on, which you can find in our little peanut butter energy bites:

Nutrition Facts: For 1 bite—if recipe makes 16 bites (adjust if you make more/less)

Total Calories:

100

CHO: 10g

Protein: 4g  

Unsaturated Fat: 15g



The Most Magical Race on Earth

Last weekend TNT RI ventured out of the cold New England weather and headed down to the place where dreams come true: Disney World! For the last four months, our Team of 13 runners and walkers have been training for the 20th Anniversary of the Disney World Marathon and Half Marathon, a race for the kid inside of all of us. For five days, I had the pleasure of spending every waking minute with this inspiring, spirited group of participants; and we weren't alone! With just over 1,000 participants down for the race, we painted Disney purple. From the airport to the race expo, it was big smiles and cheers of "Go Team!" all weekend long, with purple shirts that had traveled from all across the country to take part in the most magical race on earth.

{Our half marathoners on race morning!! Ready to go!}

The weekend began on the red carpet, where race day nerves were no match for the Inspiration dinner on the eve of the half marathon, as powerful guest speakers captured the attention of the audience and brought most of the room to tears. The ballroom was full of passionate runners, walkers, coaches, staff, family, and friends, all brought together for a common goal: a cure. The room erupted with cheers and applause as it was announced that this group raised $3.4 million for LLS, an overwhelming number going towards blood cancer research and patient services. Once enough pasta was consumed and race day reminders were covered, it was time for our Team to retire to their rooms for the night and rest up for their 5:30am start!

{3am and all smiles!!}

The schedule was the same for both days, the half marathon held on Saturday morning and the full marathon held on Sunday morning. With sun nowhere near rising, the rest of our resort was woken up by cheers and laughter just before heading to the starting line. A 5:30am race start means a 3:30am shuttle to get there; what fun! The weather was kind to the runners at the start and held a comfortable 60 degrees for most of the race, allowing for shorts and sleeveless shirts, a style our participants haven't fashioned in months! Despite the rising heat as the sun came up, each and every TNT participant was helped by the dozens of TNT coaches that spanned the course, and making sure everyone reached the finish. At the finish line it was all hugs and tears, our teammates flashing their well-deserved medals to family and friends, posing for dozens of victory pictures! And our Team quickly discovered the best part about finishing a race is the relaxing that comes after it!



{Leah after her first marathon!}

Reflecting back on the experience, our Team found that it was hard not to be excited all throughout the race. With beloved Disney characters lining the entire course and TNT cheer teams every few miles with whistles and cowbells, waving wildly to everyone wearing purple, the energy out on the course was unbelievable. Shouts of "Go Team!" filled the air every step of the way, driving participants to complete their goal. Season after season, TNT participants finish the race with the same life-changing experience our Disney Team had. Just as you're starting to hit the wall during the race, ready to flag down a volunteer to drive you to the finish, you remember why you are there: for a world without cancer. Suddenly the pain vanishes and your second wind powers you through to the finish line, fists in the air, a smile on your face. Whether you finish in your best time or your worst, you made a difference.

A huge thank you to our incredible Disney Team for fundraising over $50,000 for LLS this season and for completing their race!! They are rockstars!! Thank you to our participants Liz Perry, Jackie Price, Patricia Sprague, Dan Sprague, Gretchen DeLue, Stephanie Oles, Thea Cerio, Linda Fagundes, Nikki Fagundes, Gwynne Coupe, Leah Lewis, Matt Hoxsie, and our top fundraiser, who was also in the top ten fundraisers nationally, Bob Spadano! And a thank you to our fabulous run and walk coaches, Dianna Glass, Bob Dagesse, Alan Barrington, Jim Doyle, and Cynthia Tanzi for coaching our team to the top this season!! GO TEAM!!

~Alex

{Nikki, Linda, and Bob showing off their medals!}



{Coaches with the last TNT participant! Incredible!}