Luke posing for a before shot with me

Lauryn, Dea and Becca about to start the shaving

I’m Bald, Totally Baldacious that is.   On Saturday TNT people and some friends attended the silent auction and kick of the “Keep Andy Baldacious” challenge.  The silent auction raised almost $700 and I am still waiting to hear the final number for how much BW3’s is going to be able to donate.  All in all, it was a very successful event!

Honored Hero’s Luke and Lauryn were there to celebrate.  Unfortunately, Luke wasn’t feeling so great from his treatment and had to go home early, and I know we all hope he is feeling better now.  Lauryn was feeling great and chipper and kicked off the shaving of my head with a great big swipe down the middle, she would come back for another few later!

Lauryn taking the clippers right down the middle!

The damage is done, no turning back now. Look how proud of herself Lauryn is.

After Lauryn, a lot of people paid $5 to take a swipe at my head.

Before you knew it all that was left was a “patch work” haircut.

Prepare to see this look on the Paris and New York fashion runways any time

Many thanks to Becca for taking pitty on me and buzzing the rest off.

In addition to many thanks for everyone who came and bid on auction items, Becca, Mallory, her sister, and Erin who showed up early and helped me setup get an even bigger “Thank you so much.”  I had fun and I hope everyone else did too, plus we raised a good chunk of change for LLS.

Tom (Lauryn's Grandfather) & I

After hanging out a while longer and going over to one of the TNTers house for board games, fun and food, Becca took a razor to my scalp and shaved my head the rest of the way to make me Totally Baldacious.

My head shaved smooth!

The new “look” is taking a while to get used too.  My head is ghostly white and do a double take when I see my reflection, but being bald also is much cooler and everyone tells me I have a good shaped head.

With the donations I have received so far, and true to my word, I have sponsorships to keep me shaved through August 14.  Its just a small price to pay to help raise awareness for the LLS’ cause and show support to those who loose their hair from battling cancer.

Quick Link: Facebook Event Page

Schedule of Events

Castleton Buffalo Wild Wings

Auction Opens 3:00

Shaving: 4:00

Auction Ends: 4:30

Its to be 70 and Sunny and we’ll be outside on the BW3’s patio.  The auction Items are set, The clippers are ready and by 5:00 tomorrow I will be completely bald.    Want to help do the damage?  We’ll be selling clippers swipes for $5!

The Shaving Tools

By my current calculations, I am committed to keeping my head shaved for 119 days, or until Friday, August 6.  not including donations I will be taking in tomorrow or future donations.  That is a long time and as my co-worker, Ed, is quick to remind me “You know, at your age, it might not come back.”  But I am actually excited about it because it will hopefully allow for a segue to talk about why my head is bald and tell people about my experience with Team In Training and how my shaved head is small nod of support for the cancer patients who loose their hair and have it grow back, only to loose it again during another round of chemo, year after year.

On a lighter note, tomorrow is going to be a lot of fun.  If you come you can laugh, bid, hang out with some great people from the Team, the honored heros, my friends from Millersville Masonic Lodge, Ambassador Solutions and who knows who else will show up!

The Silent Auction has items to support my fundraising efforts as well as fellow Team Mates: Rebecca Scheer, Mallory Underwood and Sara Blunck.

Up for auction are: Tri Gear, Fitness Concepts Massage & Classes, Lunch Gift Certificates, local art and more.

The Auction Goods

Don’t forget 10% of food sales goes to LLS!

Oh, and once all the fun is done at BW3’s and everyone has gone their own way, I’ll be taking a razor to my scalp to finish up and become TOTALLY BALDACIOUS.

BW3’s is donating 10% of the food purchases to LLS.

But Wait There is More! There are some fun items to bid on (Daddy Jack’s Lunches, McAlester’s Lunches, Wine & Glasses, Rowing Lessons, Artwork from local artists and maybe more!).

But Wait There is More! My head will be getting shaved for Totally Baldacious (http://totallybaldacious.llsevent.org/) in solidarity with the patients and survivors.

But Wait There is More! Our Honored Super Heros, Lauryn and Luke might be making an appearance if they are feeling up to it and their busy super hero schedule permits!

Its going to be a blast! and who doesn’t want to eat some wings! I hope to see all of you there! GO TEAM!

Say tuned for the current tally to see how long I will have to keep my head shaved for.  It might be a while…..

Today I decided to go for a run after work.  Running is my weakness but gradually I have increased my distance from one to two and now to just over 6 miles.  Usually I wear my nice running socks.  They fit my feet really well, cushion nicely and I have not gotten a single blister when wearing them.  Well I figured my feat were doing okay and I had, in my Monday morning fog, forgot to pack them.  However, I did have a normal pair of cotton (evil) gym socks so I figured why not, one time wont hurt and its only an hour. Oh my silly running arrogance.  This logic could not have been more wrong and this picture is the humbling proof.

This is what happens when you wear bad socks and go running. Sorry its a little gruesome.

Consider this picture your warning always WEAR THE RIGHT SOCKS!

Here is my work in progress attempting to add to wonder woman's cape...this craftiness is way more challenging than any training I've done so far!

The honored heros’ of the Tri team are Luke and Lauryn.  Luke is a huge Spiderman fan and Lauryn is aspiring to grow up and become wonder woman.  The team has two super hero capes that get passed around to one team mate a week.  It goes to whomever did something noteworthy.  One person raised a ton of money another trained really well and this past week I got the cape because I kept up on a rather long and hard bike ride.  We each are adding a small trinket to the cape and then at the end of the season were going to give it to the honored heros (my addition is Wonder Woman’s Lasso of Truth).

What was really exiting this week, was that Dea, Lauryns mom and one of the coaches, brought Lauryn to practice on Wednesday and she told us that she only has one more round of treatment!  She is very excited to be done and throw all of the yucky pills away.  Its also existing because Luke is going to be done very shortly as well, about a month or two after Lauryn.

Team In Training helps bring people, like myself, closer to patients who are battling cancer and it adds a whole new depth to what they are going through.  I am so honored to be inspirited by these two kids who’s spirit never stops and can’t wait celebrate these two super heros’ victory over cancer in just a few short months.

Am I still tired? you bet.  Am I still sore? without a doubt.  Am I enjoying and feeling good because of the workouts? Absolutely.

When you first start training for an event, especially if you were a couch potato, your body is use to being idle.  It is normal for it to not have to work hard and you haven’t built the muscles and cardio foundation to be able to work out hard.  You’re heart rate still goes up, you feel sore, tired and worn out.  It is a struggle to push yourself to finish the workout.   Blow by blow, your muscles start coming around and your heart gets used to working.  Once you get about a month and a half in you begin to be able to work hard.  This means working so that you feel like you are really pushing yourself, and really tired, but still able to keep going.  You feel the heavy breathing and you focus on going harder or faster and to begin to really “feel the burn.”  The feeling of a hard workout at your threshold is completely different feeling than the “get off the couch workout” and it is great!

The first months hurt, a lot, and drain you.  You begin to get in shape and feel energized.  Keep pushing through and you will actually feel worse when you don’t workout than when you do.

Find You’re Venue

Before anything else figure out where you will hold your event.  Do it early!  Most restaurants, bars, or other places where you can have a social gathering will be more than happy to help you out.   The Key 1) Have your elevator speech about what you are doing and 2) Provide them a written page on TNT letter head with your desired date and time frame.

Don’t settle for the first place that offers to have it.   You will be able to find a place that will contribute 5-10% of food sales for your event as well IF YOU ASK.  Make sure you GO to the place, in person.  Talk to the manager in the off hours (ie: not lunch time or dinner time).

Promote Your Event

As soon as you have a time and a place setup start promoting your event.  Make post cards and include them in your fund raising letters.   Tell ALL of your friends, even the ones that don’t donate.  Everyone is up for food and drinks so the more the better!  Also post it on Facebook and Twitter.  Make sure all you friends are telling their friends too.

Help your team mates out and ask them to bring auction items to help them meet their fundraising targets.  In turn they promote your event, their friends eat food, and you get the revenue.

Ask For Donations

There are LOTS of fundraisers happening and most businesses are getting hit up left and right for donations, in some cases two or three times a day.  Thats okay, keep asking.  It will take a lot of asking but you will get some good stuff.  Just like approaching a venue for the event,  print out 1 page information about LLS mission and another “cover letter” style page that is ASKING them to do something.

After talking with the manager “make the ask” with your elevator speech.  Wait for their response, its a game of chicken and the next person to say something looses.  Sometimes they will offer up a donation on the spot but most likely they will say that they will look it over and think about it.

If you don’t have a donation in a week or two.  Call them back and follow up.

THANK YOU NOTES

Send a hand written thank you to whomever donates.  It means more if its hand written and its worth the $1.00 for a card and $.44 for a stamp.  This will go a long way and leave a good taste for when your asking for donations to LLS next year!

Good luck with your fundraising and let me know if you have any questions.

Today, it was 12 degrees when I woke up.  It was 14 when we got out of Becca’s care to start the run.  There is NO WAY anyone in their right mind would get up at 6:30 on a Saturday morning to go running in 12 degree weather.  It was cold, it was brutal, it was actually fun.   It was not the awesome weather, the great post work out feeling or the internal drive to get in shape which made this possible, let alone fun.  It was the team.

Here I am at Eagle Creek during group training. No I haven't gone grey, thats ice.

I have been reflecting on the importance of relationships in human evolution.  Mankind learned to slay huge animals with only spears, conquered enemies and developed technologies that were unbelievable only a few years ago because we have an ability to rely and support each other.  We have been dependent on each other for protection and support, necessary for survival. That dependance has not changed.  As much as some of would like to think we can do everything ourselves, we simply cannot.  We might accomplish something, but that accomplishment would be an even greater achievement when you are part of a team.

If you are trying to move from a couch potato to a lean and fit individual, you will likely fail if you try to do it alone.  You will make some progress but your accomplishments will fall short of what they cold be as part of a team.

The team pushed me to run 4 miles, instead of 3.  The team pushed me to put up my fastest mile time ever.  The team pushed me to show up in the freezing cold.  It is the team that makes it fun.

BW3s is donating 10% of food purchases to the LLS during the Keep Andy Bald kickoff

The Event is set at 3:00 on April 10. It will be at the Castleton BW3’s.   Shaving will be at approximately 4:00.  We will also be having a drawing and maybe even a silent auction (still working out those details).

If seeing me get my head shaved isn’t enough of a reason for you to come out, 10% of your food purchases will be donated to the LLS. Consider this an invitation to anyone who loves wings and wants to support the LLS.

Directions

Here is the Map

Buffalo Wild Wings Grill & Bar

8440 Castleton Corner Drive

Indianapolis, IN 46250-3579

(317) 577-2999

]]> http://www.hoffmantri.com/2010/02/keep-andy-bald-save-the-date/feed/ 0 http://www.hoffmantri.com/2010/02/team-in-training-week-one-done/ http://www.hoffmantri.com/2010/02/team-in-training-week-one-done/#comments Thu, 11 Feb 2010 23:53:56 +0000 Andy http://www.hoffmantri.com/?p=67 I have made it through my first week of practices, and as far as I know so has everyone else.  The first practice was the morning after we had 6 inches of snow!  We were more reliable than the postal service and ran outside.   It was hard, but we all stayed arm and made it through and then had a running equipment info session at the Running Company.  After that we had a swim clinic where we went over the drills.  The Team In Training staff members and coaches are making sure we get the clinics and information sessions to learn to train safely.

The point of this week was to get off the couch and realize “yeah! I can do this” and that is exactly how I am feeling.  We will gradually be building up the distance, but for the first couple weeks its a nice steady climb to get our bodies ready for the hard training.

I remember all of the great times I had back as part of the swim team and I had forgotten how wonderful it is to train as part of a team.   Everyone is working toward a common goal – physically and more importantly doing their part to help the mission of the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society.    The road (and lake) ahead may be challenging, but I can’t wait for more because it has already been so much fun.