3 Dash 4 the 'Stache Events this Weekend, Baltimore & Raleigh!!!

Check out the following events happening this weekend!!  We are busy finding the most fun and meaningful ways to reach out the the community - join us in supporting the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society, and spreading awareness of blood cancers and the research necessary to finding a cure!

Mo-vember Happy Hour @ Bad Decisions, Baltimore MD

Yardsale @ Tim & Leslie's, Raleigh NC

Benefit Concert @ Sadlack's Heroes, Raleigh NC

What Will My Donation Do?

Encourage scientists to pursue blood cancer research. Grants to young scientists help grow research talent even as federal research funding becomes increasingly limited.

Develop "targeted therapies" that kill cancer cells selectively. By hitting specific molecular targets, these treatments don't harm patients' healthy cells, resulting in fewer dangerous side effects.

Test immunotherapies. Immunotherapies strengthen a patient's own immune system so it can better fight infections and attack cancer cells, reducing the need for damaging chemotherapy.

Improve the safety of today's cures. LLS funds research to predict, manage and prevent complications in patients most at risk for long-term and late effects of treatment.

Help patients and their families make informed decisions. LLS supplies information and counseling to help guide patients through their cancer journey and access current treatment and clinical trial options.

Provide financial aid and co-pay assistance. A cancer diagnosis is hard enough without having to deal with its financial burden. We provide programs to help relieve the economic strain of a blood cancer diagnosis.

Offer community services. Among the wide array of programs LLS provides are those that link newly diagnosed patients with trained volunteers and that help young cancer patients return to school after an absence resulting from treatment.

Encourage our state and federal legislators to support blood cancer issues. With your help, LLS brings to the attention of lawmakers the urgent need for increased government funding and support of research and patient access to affordable treatment and quality care.

Source: http://www.lls.org/#/waystohelp/whygive/

********REMEMBER TO DONATE AND JOIN IN THE FIGHT!********

Team Dash still needs your help!

Visit our Team page:http://pages.teamintraining.org/md/wdw13/thedashforthestache 

and help in the fight against blood cancers!

No donation is too small

and all donations are 100% tax deductible!

Mustaches Unite!

The DC Movember (Indoor) Triathlon RECAP!

Team Dash held its second fundraiser at the H Street Country Club in Washington, DC this past Monday night!

A great time was had by all as our teams put the skills to the test in the fine art of skee ball, Jenga, and of course - miniature golf. H Street has a growing reputation for its fine beverage selection as well as it's phenomenal indoor 8-hole putting course: an homage to all things DC and H-Street Corridor glamor, including...

King Kong atop the Washington  Monument.

The Reflection Pool leading to the Lincoln Memorial.

DC's most attentive: The Parking Meter Maid.

The National Cathedral Grotesques (including Darth Vader)

It came down to Team Selleck vs. Team Dali and the winner was...

TEAM DALI!

Congratulations to everyone who came out! We managed to raise some more funds, putting Team Dash that much closer to our fundraising goal!

Be sure to join us this Friday, NOVEMBER 30th for our BALTIMORE event at Bad Decisions in Fells Point. Drink specials, raffles and the final contest to determine the finest 'stache in the city will be held!

Spread the word and we'll see you there!!

Dash 4 the Stache - Pittsburgh Fundraising Event, 11/17/12

DASH for the STACHE - Pittsburgh Fundraising Event

Saturday, November 17, 2012

~RECAP~

What an AMAZING family we have!  It's incredible to see what can happen when a loving, compassionate community comes together to support people, ideas, and causes that they care about.  People can truly affect those around them through exercising positivity and hope!

I am so proud of my family, and namely my two younger cousins, Brittany and Natalie.  We suggested to them that a fundraising event in Pittsburgh, Uncle Dennis's home town, would be a wonderful way to reach out to those that really know and love him and his family.  After that, our cousins and their entire community took it upon themselves to host the most motivating and inspiring fundraising party, consisting of friends, neighbors, college roommates, aunts, uncles, cousins, grandmas, and smiling strangers excited to support our cause.  

The night's activities included 50/50 raffles, auctions, t-shirt sales, fake mustaches, and the bar donating a portion of the evening's funds to the cause.  Laughter and hugs abounded.

Brittany and Natalie are two amazing women that I am so fortunate to call my family, and they and their community are full of so much love and positive energy that Uncle Dennis has the most gracious and inspiring support system imaginable.  Go Team Dash!!!

Team Dash for the 'Stache - the Giarnelli family!!  The first cousins + Grandma

The restaurant was packed!!  Thanks so much, Cafe Supreme!

 So many people donated beautifully amazing gifts for the auctions!!

 The t-shirts and baseball shirts were a big hit!

 Grandma!!!  The most amazing woman - the matriarch of our glorious family!

********REMEMBER TO DONATE AND JOIN IN THE FIGHT!********

Team Dash still needs your help!

Visit our Team page:http://pages.teamintraining.org/md/wdw13/thedashforthestache 

and help in the fight against blood cancers!

No donation is too small

and all donations are 100% tax deductible!

Mustaches Unite!

An 8-Mile Track List

We're getting closer and closer to the January event and the Baltimore half of Team Dash has been ramping up their long distance training runs!

This weekend Tony and Adj (yours truly) will be running along the NCR Trail north of the city for 8 MILES!

Yes, you read that right the first time.

People often ask what we do on these long runs, especially now that these outings can be well over an hour in length!

Mostly, Tony and I take in the scenery - autumn in the D/M/V (that's DC/Maryland/Virginia for the unfamiliar) is breathtaking in terms of foliage and occasional temperature drops.

But, really, there's only so much green Tony & Adj can take and conversation can be difficult to maintain when you're trying to catch your breath, so I'm a fan of playlists. Tony has a shuffle and I have a Droid, so it's easy enough to keep some tunes on hand as the miles pile on.

So here for you, loyal Dasher, are some of our recommendations for an 8-mile Track List:







(That last one is particularly good for HIIT intervals...)

Really, anything that has a good tempo is useful. If you're looking for something to distract you while you're hitting the pavement, we suggest plugging into some podcasts:




So lace up and plug in (not too loudly! You need to be aware of your surroundings, people.) and we'll see you on the asphalt!

Love,
Adj & Tony
(Team Dash - The Baltimore Edition)

******************REMEMBER TO DONATE AND JOIN IN THE FIGHT!**************

Team Dash still needs your help!

Visit our Team page: http://pages.teamintraining.org/md/wdw13/thedashforthestache 

and help in the fight against blood cancers!

No donation is too small

and all donations are 100% tax deductible!

Mustaches Unite!

Celebrate Mo-vember in STYLE!

November is known for many things: turkey dinners, autumn leaves, football...

and mustaches.

That's right! Since 2004 November has also served as the month-long cancer awareness project known as "Movember."

As the members of Team Dash are nothing if not fashionably conscious, we've decided to host a few Movember-themed fundraisers of our own. Check us out...!

If you're in the Pittsburgh area, we'll be guest bar tending at Cafe Supreme in Irwin, PA from 5pm - 9pm. Event details can be found at https://www.facebook.com/events/420317511357278/

If you're in the DC area, we'll be hosting the Movember Indoor Triathlon at the H Street Country Club. Grab 2 buddies, set up a team, and come prepared to try for Movember gold!! More info at  https://www.facebook.com/events/331945930236091/

Finally, if you're in the Baltimore are, we'll be co-hosting a night of contests, drink specials and raffles at Bad Decisions in the Fells Point neighborhood of Baltimore from 5pm on. Check out deets at https://www.facebook.com/events/364158007004469/

There's something for everyone so come on out, bring your friends, and show your love and support while enjoying some good times, good drinks and good prizes!

Be sure to come armed with your finest whiskers! For guidance on facial hair how-to, we offer advice from one of the best celebrity staches around: Mr. Nick Offerman

Why run for a cause?

Why do people run for a cause?  Why is it that so many nonprofit organizations utilize athletic activities as fundraising strategies?  In 2006, over $1.5 billion dollars were raised in the US for various causes through athletic fundraising events!!!  That's a bunch of super effective sweating!!!  

In fact, the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society's main source of revenue is through the Team in Training Program (the same through which Dash for the 'Stache is running in January), which just goes to show how important our upcoming race is - it is so much more than a run.

There is a lot more research I would like to do about fundraising through athletic events, but  every time I get my shoes on and run, I reflect on why I am actually doing this.  Sure, signing up for a big commitment such as a half-marathon that one has to raise $3600/person to even participate in puts some fire in the engine, but it's not really about being able to run.  For me, the running is a time of focus, a way to remember why you're running.

I've run many 5k races, the type that are usually themed around something fun and entertaining, and I really sign up for the people-watching more than for the opportunity to run.  

Tim and I take off for the
Day of the Dead 5K

For example, Tim and I ran in Centro's "Day of the Dead" 5k this past weekend in Raleigh, and, being a sucker for dressing up in costume, and for the beautiful history surrounding the celebration of the Day of the Dead, we were sure to have fun.  All it took was a $25 entry fee and we got nice tech shirts and a morning full of fun and fellowship, with all proceeds going toward the Boys and Girls Club in Raleigh.  

This run was amazing, with a wonderful celebration for both the adults and the kids alike, and I feel like the event really reflected on the beautiful mission of the Boys and Girls Club to "inspire and enable all young people to realize their full potential as productive, responsible, and caring citizens" of their communities.  

Kids' Fun Run about to start

Kids Fun Run blastoff! 

I feel that runs like that are very important tools for raising tons of funds and bringing communities together, but the scale of the run and the fundraising for the Disney Half-Marathon causes me to reflect on athletic activity fundraising in a very different way.  For me, this run is requiring such a different level of focus and dedication - every step I take I think of how lucky I am to have a body fit enough to do these strenuous activities, I think of how short and precious life is, and how I am running for so many whose bodies are too weak from their battles to be able to do what they enjoy doing.  Every day that I run and pile on more miles, what it means to me changes and grows, and I look forward to the journey to come!!

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Help us help others strike back against cancer and help make a difference in other peoples lives!  Donate to Team Dash for the 'Stache today!!

Autumn Running + Inspiration

Running is hard!  I've always thought I couldn't do it, always thought my knees were those of an 80 year old woman (yet there are plenty of women more than twice my age that are more than twice as fit as me!), always thought running was a high-impact, joint-ruining waste of time.  Yet so many people around me loved it, and put stickers all over their car for it, and would get up with the morning song birds before dawn and wear neon tights just to go do it every day.  What were these people thinking?


Today was one of the best runs I've ever had, and I went farther than I have ever gone - 5 miles!  May not seem like much, but to me it is a universe away from what I thought I could do.  But why and how did I get started doing this in the first place?  The run we're doing in January is the obvious driver, but we're running for much so more than to say that we've done a half-marathon.  My reasons, and I'm sure my teammates' are similar, are much deeper and farther reaching, and still being discovered every day.

I've been in and out of exercise my whole life, mostly diving into activities that allow me to be outdoors or to get from point A to B (functional exercise).  With regard to organized events, I've participated in a small handful of 5K's and short bike races, but my first real appreciation for large, organized fundraising athletic events was with the Bike MS ride in New Bern, NC to raise funds for research to help fight MS and find a cure.  My good friend Grayson was my amazing riding partner, and we did 50 miles for 2 days in a row, for a total of 100 miles in one weekend on a bike!!  My bottom hurt more than my quads, but my heart was full of encouragement and inspiration with regard to not only long distance athletic ventures, but for a critical mass of warm hearts coming together to make change happen.


So, how is the running compared to the biking?  This time, the event I'm running toward is very much closer to my heart, affording a boat-load of motivation and internal emotional support for the early morning runs.  However, I'm starting to discover, after months of bike training, and more than a month of gradual and well supported run training (go TNT!), that ... I ... actually ... LOVE RUNNING!!!  

It's glorious - endorphins pumping, sleeping better at night, seeing gorgeous countryside on bright and crisp fall mornings, meeting amazing people.  It's splendid - and running with Team in Training - hearing their Mission Moments each week as to why each individual is part of this team, what motivates and inspires them - makes me so proud to be a part of this.  What's more, my cousins and my husband and I, along with the whole family behind us, are coming together and doing so much more together than we could have done alone.  And our regular skype dates are pretty rad too!

So, kids, lesson is - 

• GIVE RUNNING A TRY!  
• GIVE YOURSELF TO A CAUSE!!
• COME TOGETHER WITH THOSE YOU LOVE TO DO AMAZING THINGS!!!

Mucho love ~ Leslie

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Help us help others strike back against cancer and help make a difference in other peoples lives!  Donate to Team Dash for the 'Stache today!!