Getting Fit While Raising Funds to Fight Blood Cancer

In mid-2008, my mother-in-law was diagnosed with multiple myeloma, an incurable blood cancer. When we heard the news, our family felt shocked and helpless. We thought we could do nothing except offer emotional support. That was when my wife heard of the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society's Team in Training program, helping our family find a triple-win solution.

Multiple Myeloma, Incurable but Treatable
Multiple myeloma attacks plasma cells, a type of white blood cell. As the disease progresses, more and more plasma cells become malignant, disrupting blood cell production and destroying normal bone tissue. In 2009 over 20,000 Americans are expected to be diagnosed, and over 10,000 are expected to die of this blood cancer¹. Multiple myeloma is currently incurable, but is treatable², with a five-year survival rate over 37%¹.

The Leukemia and Lymphoma Society's Team in Training - Is It for Me?
Since 1949, LLS has provided over $680 million dollars to blood cancer research³, helping develop some of the very chemotherapy drugs prescribed for my mother in law. In 1988, a team of 38 runners formed by one Bruce Cleland trained to run in the NYC Marathon, raising over $322,000 for the Westchester/Hudson Valley LLS chapter in honor of Cleland's daughter, a leukemia survivor. Team in Training (TNT) was created based on that experience⁴. Since then, over 390,000 people have trained with TNT for endurance events such as half and full marathons, 100-mile (century) bike rides, triathlons, and hiking events³, collectively raising about $1 billion for LLS.

This all sounded very promising, but we still had some concerns. First and foremost, can non-athletes really go from couch potato to marathoner or 100-mile bike rider in a few short months? Second, is this another of those so-called charities that line their own pockets, draining the majority of donations through inflated administrative and other costs? Finally, is this something we'd want to get involved in?

From Couch Potato to (Almost) Athlete
In May 2009, my wife, who had never before been a runner, ran the Frederick Half-Marathon with TNT, raising over $3000 for LLS. She then challenged me to participate too. Running is not my thing, so I signed up for the Seagull Century bike ride instead. Our son, a college student, joined me in creating "Team Ganel" for the ride. Going from couch potato to being in shape for a century ride doesn't just happen. From June to September we trained with TNT, riding ever longer rides, the longest about 80 miles. Whether the day started a chilly 40F, or maxed at a heat index over 100F, we rode both with the team and individually.

During our training I learned several valuable lessons. (1) Most serious cyclists seeing someone ride over 50 miles on a $350 hybrid bike shake their head and gently suggest an upgrade. The less restrained simply crack up. (2) When climbing hills, being calorically-challenged makes it tough to keep up with those with better power-to-weight ratios. (3) Every down-hill you speed down guarantees a painful uphill, usually sooner rather than later, and since going down is faster, the misery outlasts the exhilaration. (4) Almost independent of bikes, my son gets there first, wherever 'there' happens to be (I wonder if that has something to do with a 27 year and 20 lbs difference). (5) Even ignoring the commitment to the mission, the satisfaction of breaking another personal record, in distance, average speed, or calories burned, makes the soreness pale to insignificance.

After toughing out rides on my poor hybrid for more than a month, I grudgingly decided to buy a road bike, but said I'd do so after losing 10 lbs. Once I lost some weight, I reasoned, maybe my bike should go on a diet too. I didn't expect that to happen quickly, if at all. "If you want to make G-d laugh, tell him your plans," goes the saying. Less than a week later my weight loss reached 12 lbs. Sigh. Well over $1000 later I was the proud owner of a lightly-used Klein Q Pro Carbon road bike.

Flat tires are a pain, so I replaced the perfectly good tires with Bontrager Hard-Case ones, reinforced to resist flats. Guess what? The first flat tire of the season for the entire Howard County team was one of my new Hard-Cases, adding an unplanned stop, with my tire repair as the main attraction. Ah well. The training, just like the rides, had its ups and downs.

Raising Funds to Fight Blood Cancers
The LLS is an efficient charity. Of the $2000 minimum each TNT Seagull Century rider has to raise, 75% goes to the mission. Of the remaining $500 or so, most covers participation costs such as hotel rooms (two riders per room), pre-event carb-loading dinner, ride registration, TNT biking jersey, etc. What is even more gratifying, once you meet your fund-raising minimum, 100% of all additional funds raised go directly to the mission.

This frugality with raised funds made it easy for me to ask relatives, friends, and colleagues to donate to the LLS. We sent weekly email updates to over 200 contacts, asking for their support. Poking fun at myself in a blog-like tone⁵ made the emails entertaining enough that rather than ask me to stop bothering them, some actively encouraged me to send more updates. Said one "Keep it up and keep me laughing even though this is such a serious ride." With a month to go, my son and I met our $4000 minimum fund-raising goal, and set our sights higher, trying to reach $8000 by ride day.

Do I Want to Get Involved with Team in Training, or Personal Benefits of Training with TNT
The people involved with TNT, be they staff, coaches, mentors, or participants, were all supportive and enthusiastic. There was a feeling of a joint mission being accomplished one mile and one dollar at a time. This esprit-de-corps is an integral part of the entire process.

In the final analysis, training with the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society's Team in Training was a triple-win. First, we were able to give a concrete expression of our love and support to my mother-in-law as she fights multiple myeloma. Second, we raised thousands of dollars for the mission of the LLS, to eradicate blood cancers. Third, the training has helped my personal health and fitness.

In a three month period, my weight dropped 14 pounds (and counting). My blood chemistry changed, allowing me to stop taking statins. My fitness improved to the point that I'm able to ride 5 or 6 hours, covering distances that just a few weeks earlier seemed unattainable. Riding with TNT has also taken me from a mostly sedentary lifestyle to a much healthier, active one, doing something I enjoy and plan to continue for decades to come. As my experience proves, doing good can be very good for you.

Sources:

[1] http://www.leukemia-lymphoma.org/all_page?item_id=6989

[2] http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/multiplemyeloma.html

[3] http://www.teamintraining.org/

[4] http://www.teamintraining.org/firsttimehere/themissionandhistory/

[5] http://pages.teamintraining.org/md/seagull09/TeamGanel