I am so excited to be running 4 miles in honor of my mother at this year’s Get Your Rear in Gear – Philadelphia. She bravely and triumphantly fought Stage IV Metastatic Colon Cancer several years ago and has luckily been cancer free for 2.5 years (which is a medical miracle). I participated in GYRIG Philly’s 2013 event for the first time last year and proudly trained and survived the 10k run. I have never run that far or trained so hard in my life. Running through the beautiful city streets of Philadelphia during training was so exhilarating. However, my mind loved the experience much more than my feet and knees did!
Although the run is much shorter this year, I am going to still train hard and try to get my minute/mile time down from last year. Unfortunately, training outside in the winter is going to be a challenge this year (the Polar Vortex is intense!). However, any pain and suffering that I might endure will not hold a candle to what my mother went through. She never let cancer defeat her will and spirit. I will try to not let this unbearable cold hinder my performance and drive.
My mother was treated at the Pennsylvania Hospital and the Joan Karnell Cancer Center in Philadelphia. The surgeons, doctors, and nurses that cared after my mother were all amazing and I truly thank them for helping my mother beat cancer. I am thrilled that the money raised for the Philadelphia Get Your Rear In Gear event will be benefiting the local community where my mother received her treatment, because I hope that everyone will be able to have the same type of stellar medical care. Her miraculous story was featured in the article that I wrote for Get Your Rear in Gear’s Faces of Blue series. Please click here to read it.
Last year, I was amazed by the outpouring of support that I received at the exercise related events that I organized at Gratitude Yoga, Dig Yoga, and T Cycle X! In just several months, Team Bonded Forever managed to raise $1,435.00! I hope I can match or beat the amount this year! I have some exciting fundraising events coming up in February. Stay tuned!
During the month of February and March, Bonded Forever will be donating a portion of its proceeds to Get Your Rear in Gear Philadelphia. Please shop to support!
If you would like to make a donation directly, please go to Bonded Forever’s GYRIG Team Page.
Tagged as:
colon cancer awareness,
colon cancer coalition,
dig yoga,
faces of blue,
get your rear in gear,
gratitude yoga,
GYRIG Philly,
t cycle x
Bonded Forever/T Cycle X’s Get Your Rear in Gear fundraiser was a lot of fun! NaTasha Threadcraft, the owner and founder of T Cycle X, and I are kindred spirits. She unfortnately lost her grandmother to Colon Cancer and really felt compelled to help me raise money for a cause that has touched her personally. I’m glad and thankful that we were able to organize this event to honor her grandmother and my mother.
NaTasha was able to hold the event at her company’s gorgeous workout room in Lofts 640. Paul Thorson (from DJ DEEJAY) spun some great tunes, Tabitha Jones got the party started with a lively Zumba class, and Carolyn Kendrick cooled us all down during her restorative and relaxing Hatha yoga class. Ryan Crown’s Juice Club kept all of the participants refreshed and detoxed with his complimentary (and very delicious) fresh squeezed juices. I really enjoyed meeting all of the people that attended the event and I appreciated their enthusiasm for my cause.
Bonded Forever’s Jewelry Display for GYRIG Fundraiser at T Cycle X
If you live in the Philadelphia area and want to get/stay in shape, please consider T Cycle X. NaTasha’s company offers bootcamp, Zumba, yoga, and personal training sessions at the Lofts 640 studio. NaTasha also teaches a mean T Cycle X spin class all over the city. I love taking her class on Saturday mornings at Sweat Fitness – Center City. She especially gets the calorie burning exercise jam sessions revved up whenever she teams up with DJ DEEJAY!
My final Get Your Rear in Gear fundraiser is happening at Dig Yoga Philadelphia on March 15th at 6:30 pm. Co-owners and yoga superstars, Mariel Freeman and Sue Elkind, will be teaching a mixed levels yoga class. Sweet Freedom will be serving up some guilt free vegan/gluten free (and a whole lot of other stuff free) snacks. Please read, Get Your Rear in Gear 2013 Fundraiser Schedule for Team Bonded Forever, to learn more about the event. If you cannot attend the event and would still like to donate or sign up for the run/walk, please go to Bonded Forever’s team page.
Tagged as:
charity fundraisers,
get your rear in gear,
GYRIG,
t cycle x
#getyourrearingear
My fifth week of training was very exhilarating. I had such a surge of energy at the beginning of the week that I was able to set a new record for myself. On March 4th, I took a spinning class with the full intention of running as far as I could afterwards. During the whole class, I had my eye on the prize and couldn’t wait to jump off the bike seat so that I could go for a run in the great outdoors. I ran all the way to the Philadelphia Museum of Art and back as fast as I could. My phone unfortunately died 1/3 of the way in, so I’m not exactly positive on the exact distance or time. However, I estimate that I probably ran about four miles in 35 minutes.
Since I was so upset about not being able to accurately record how far I ran on Nike Plus, I decided to wake up early the next day and run until I thought my legs would fall off. I ended up running 7 miles in just a little over an hour. I managed to see both the Schuylkill River and the Delaware River during my journey — which is quite a feat, because I literally ran from one side of Philadelphia to the other! The urban scenery that I passed by over the course of my run was absolutely breathtaking (literally).
I spend the rest of the week recuperating. I took a lovely yoga class at Gratitude Yoga with my sister in New Jersey on Wednesday that challenged my strength, balance, and coordination. My triceps burned from the overabundance of chaturangas and arm balances. The teacher also flowed through each sequence in a very unique way. I really had to utilize my core in order to steady myself in each of the balancing postures.
I ended my week off with my Get Your Rear in Gear Fundraiser at Lofts 640. NaTasha Threadcraft, the owner of T Cycle X, helped me organize the event. I really enjoyed the Zumba class and the relaxing Hatha yoga class that followed it. Exercising for a great cause with a bunch of people that exuded positive energy was absolutely amazing!
If you would like to sign up to be on my Get Your Rear in Gear team or donate, please visit my team page.
Please follow me at @bondedforever on instagram and twitter to stay updated on my progress.
Tagged as:
cancer awareness,
charity fundraisers,
colon cancer,
colon cancer coalition,
get your rear in gear,
gratitude yoga,
GYRIG,
t cycle x
Bonded Forever has teamed up with Gratitude Yoga, T Cycle X, and Dig Yoga to help raise money for the Colon Cancer Coalition’s 2013 Get Your Rear in Gear Philadelphia run/walk event on March 17th. The suggested donation is $15 for all three events.
Bonded Forever will be raffling off a Hope Collection Stay Grounded Supporter Bracelet at all three locations. Please remember to sign up for the raffle when you arrive!
My favorite vegan/gluten-free bakery, Sweet Freedom, will be donating some yummy treats for Dig Yoga’s event. T Cycle X’s classes will both have a live DJ.
If you cannot attend one of these events and would still like to donate or sign up for the run/walk, please go to Bonded Forever’s team page.
Tagged as:
bonded forever jewelry,
dig yoga,
get your year in gear,
gratitude yoga,
GYRIG,
stay grounded supporter bracelet,
sweet freedom bakery,
t cycle x
