Day 2 in Anchorage

It's the day before the race and when you are as pumped up as I am for an event, it's imperative to keep yourself distracted and avoid getting too excited! Still on Ontario time, I was awake at 3:30am and it was starting to get light outside! Not a good start! I had more than 4 hours to fill before our guided tour of Anchorage.

It was a cloudy morning so the scenic outlooks on the tour didn't pan out for us:

From the top of the popular Flattop Hill, Donavan is pointing directly at Anchorage. Too bad we are stuck in the clouds!

Being the day before the marathon, we decided it wouldn't be a grea idea to go on the most popular and steepest vertical hike available in Anchorage. So we just went up the first few steps and called it a good photo opp!
 

This hiking trail ascends something like 1,280ft in about 2.4km. We went up 10 steps!

 

     We caught a ride back to town on the 'Pack Moose Express'. For some reason we were getting a lot of stares. The Moose dropped us off in Bear Square where we rubbed the bear's belly!






"Legend has it that when you rub the bear's
tummy it will bring you good luck"



This evening we attended the Inspiration dinner where 103 Team In Training participants, their families, some honourees and all the coaches etc got together to carb-load and pump up our energy levels!

6 of the top 10 fundraisers were from Canada. 5 are showing here. Our friend Kristen raised over $6,000 but wasn't
on the list. :-(

Donavan and I have already made a lot of new friends on our trip. Here is a picture of with part of Team Canada!

Donavan; Rita from Montreal; Me; Stef and Kristen from Halifax.

Gotta get some sleep now! Race is tomorrow at 8am Alaska time (Noon Eastern time)
-Craig



Arriving in Alaska

Day 1 in Anchorage, Alaska. Here is a quick recap of our trip so far!

Downtown Alaska. Checking out how far away the rest of the world is!

After about 1,500kms of training over the past 6 months the day to head out to Alaska finally arrived! Preparing for a big race is nothing new to me since it is something I do 20-30 times a year! But this one is something different as it carries mearning to people other than me! Normally I will mentally set a target based on the course, my training preparation, and how my body is feeling that week. What actually happens doesn't matter to anyone else!

This time there are so many people who actually KNOW I am racing on Saturday, who have supported my fundraising efforts, and who will want to know how I did! And at the core of why I am doing this are my honourees Aaron Offord and Darren Bishop. I've undertaken this journey to raise money and awareness for the fight again blood cancers like the Leukemia that has changed their lives! This race is a little more important than anything I have done before!

I'm choosing to look at this situation as a development opportunity to on how to deal with a greater amount of pressure! LOL! This development opportunity started sooner than I thought. I'll explain:

In the weeks leading up to today many people asked me when I was running to Alaska. I would laugh and tell them that I was not running to Alaska, but running IN Alaska! Running 4,000 miles is a much bigger commitment than running 42.2km!!!

Well, I didn't have to run the full 4,000 miles, but despite arriving at the airport 2 hours prior to my flight, I got stuck in some very long lines and ended up running from security to the gate with my shoe laces untied and my belt in hand! I was so late that I had no time to deal consider such proprieties as 'dressing' since the plane was full and (hopefully!) waiting for me!

With Donavan Montanario moments after I made it on the plane

 Our flights to Seattle and then Achorage were uneventful although Donavan and I met a friendly couple who were also travelling to the Mayor's Marathon and a gentleman from the US Military who is going to be climbing Mt. McKinley - the highest point in North America at 20,320 ft! It will take him at least 22 days to summit!

The view out the window on our descent to Anchorage

 Once we got to Anchorage we walked the city, booked some tours for Friday and Sunday, and went to the Race Expo to get our race bibs!
 

Hmm....this looks like a good tour!



Donavan taking a breather outside a local shop!



Working on my Video Report at the Race Expo



The beer I am looking forward to on
Saturday night!



Since Alaska is 4 hours behind Ontario, we were in bed by 8am local time and I managed to sleep until 3am! We're not here long enough to get our bodies adjusted. Besides, at this time of year there is daylight from about 4am to 11pm!

I'll post again on Friday!

-Craig

Article in the Ancaster News / Hamilton Mountain News

If you read the article that was recently published in the Ancaster News or Hamilton Mountain News, THANK YOU for taking the time to visit my blog. If you scroll down below you can learn more about my 'Road to Alaska' and the 'Team in Training' Program. If you'd simply like to sponsor me on my journey, you can do so by clicking on this link: Craig's DONATION page. Donations of any amount are welcome!

If you'd like to learn more about Team in Training, (and maybe even sign up!) click here: http://www.teamintraining.ca/on.

If you have any questions about this journey, feel free to leave a comment on this blog or e-mail me at craig@cassars.ca

THANK YOU!
-Craig

Running 21kms is Tough, but Nothing Compared to Aaron's 21 Days!

Today I ran a half marathon which is just over 21 kilometers. I was done in well under 2 hours. In 2010, my friend and co-worker Aaron Offord was diagnosed with Leukemia and spent 21 days enduring induction chemotherapy (blasting cancer out of his body) and receiving a bone marrow transplant. This was the only way he would ever have a future.

In this video you'll get a sense of how tough it is to race 21 km on foot. You can see how I look worse and worse as the race progresses. I could hardly think straight at the finish line! But all of this is nothing compared to the 21 days that Aaron had after his Leukemia diagnosis. And that was just the beginning of his recovery.

My accomplishment today was satisfying, but inconsequential. Aaron's achievement was about saving his life! Please make our efforts worthwhile and make a donation to help find a cure for blood cancer!

You can Click here to MAKE A DONATION and support my journey on the Road to Alaska with Team in Training. Even better, please click here to sign-up and join my team so you can fundraise yourself and then race with me on June 22nd!

Train with 'Team in Training'

Welcome to the 3rd installment of my 'Road to Alaska' video series where I am documenting my journey to the Mayor's Marathon in Anchorage, Alaska with Team in Training (TNT) on June 22, 2013!! This entry is all about the TNT TRAINING PROGRAM: your training plan, your coach, mentors, and group training sessions. Scroll down further to see my posts describing what TNT is all about, and my inspiration for making this journey.

I'm looking for people like YOU to join me! There's still time for you to join Craig's Team and stand at the start line of the Mayor's Marathon (and half marathon)! Whether you're a beginner who has never run a 5K, or a seasoned marathon runner looking to tackle an epic destination marathon, you can join my team!! The TNT training program will get you to the start with confidence and in great shape!

After you watch the video go to http://www.teamintraining.ca and sign up. During the sign-up process make sure you join "Craig's Team"!!

If you're not up for that, I'd love to have you support my team's fundraising efforts. If this is something you'd like to do, please go to my fundraising page to make a donation- any amount would be appreciated! Your dollars are used to support research into a cure for blood cancers. Now click on the video below to dive into the training program offered by Team in Training!

-Craig

All About the 'Team in Training' Program

Thanks for checking out the second installment of my 'Road to Alaska' video series where I am documenting my journey to the Mayor's Marathon in Anchorage, Alaska with Team in Training (TNT) on June 22, 2013!! Throughout this video series I'll be sharing my experiences of training, fundraising, traveling, and of course racing, with Team in Training!!

This video covers just about everything you need to know about TNT in order to sign up and join me in Alaska! That's right - I'm looking for people like YOU to join me! Watch the video to learn all the details AND to see what Get Out There Magazine is going to throw in for people who sign up on my team!!

So, after you watch the video go to http://www.teamintraining.ca and sign up. During the sign-up process make sure you join "Craig's Team" and you'll get the goodie bag I show in my video!! I can't wait to have you join my team!

But, if you're not up for that, I'd love to have you support my fundraising efforts. If this is more your cup of tea, please go to my fundraising page to make a donation- any amount would be appreciated! Your dollars are used to support research into a cure for blood cancers. Now click on the video below to learn all about TNT!

-Craig

P.S. In the video I mention that Feb 2nd is the start date for training, but that is NOT a deadline for signing up. If you're reading this in February or March you still have time to train and fundraise, so I'd love to have you on my team!!

My Inspiration for Joining Team in Training

Hi everyone,
I'm really excited about ROAD to ALASKA! First off, I want to tell you about my inspiration to join Team in Training (TNT) and embark on this journey. It is the story of two of my co-workers, Aaron Offord and Darren Bishop. Both were diagnosed with Leukemia in their mid-20s.

Aaron had a successful bone marrow transplant and returned to work in 2012. As Aaron was getting back on his feet, Darren was diagnosed with Leukemia, and actually experienced the initial symptoms while training for the 2012 'Ride to Conquer Cancer'. I'm happy to report that he has just recently received a bone marrow transplant and is now making his own journey along the path to recovery.

Often we hear sad stories about strangers in the news and we don't think twice about flipping the channel to something else. Less often we'll be confronted with grave news about people closer to us - a neighbour, a friend, a family member...or a co-worker. These are events that give us pause and can leave us feeling helpless. That's how I felt when I heard about Aaron, and then Darren.

I did register with 'One Match Stem Cell and Marrow Network', to see if I was a suitable donor, but it didn't really feel like enough. Through TNT and 'ROAD to ALASKA' I am able to do much more. I offer you the same opportunity. Many of you will have, unfortunately, been touched by cancer. Please join me on this journey. My goal is for 10 of you to join CRAIG'S TEAM and register with TNT for the Mayor's Marathon (or half marathon) on June 22, 2013 in Anchorage! We'll train, fundraise, and race together with the rest of TNT! Click here to learn more or SIGN UP!

Where that is not possible, I'd ask you to visit my fundraising page and make a donation - any amount will make a difference! As you consider these options please reflect on these facts:

• Leukemia is the number one disease killer of children
• A blood cancer diagnosis is made in Canada every 33 minutes
• Every 76 minutes someone dies from blood cancer

Your dollars will support research into curing these diseases and support patients and their families who steadfastly march through their daily ordeal of living with cancer.

Look for part two in my video series, 'ROAD to ALASKA' in a week or so! I'll be giving you the scoop on TNT and what you can expect from the experience. You'll be able to find the video in this blog, so be sure to check back!

Thanks for reading and I'd love to hear from you. You can reach me on Twitter @CraigCassar, or leave a comment below!

-Craig