Vibram FiveFingers

After finishing the 2010 Dallas Fort Worth 3-Day without having any foot issues, I've been thinking about doing the 2011 walk using Vibram's FiveFingers (or as I call them, Hobbit Feet). 

I'm not sure what my fascination is with these shoes, but one of my good friends absolutely loves them and recommends them to his fitness clients.  I think they would be wonderful conversation starters during my training sessions and may open up the doors for new donations.  These shoes are absolutely ridiculous looking, who wouldn't want to know more?!

The one thing that I lack is a good source of information about these particular shoes and how well they held up during similar adventures.  Has anyone walked all 60 miles in these shoes?  How was the journey?  Did you bring a pair of sneakers just in case?  Did you wear socks?

I ask all of these questions to help me in my decision making process, as I walked in a pair of New Balance shoes and had zero problems (not even a blister).  I hesitate when it comes to major changes and I can't think of a larger change when it comes to a 60 mile walk than a shoe swap.

I've tried to contact the company directly with no luck, so I turn to the my fellow 3-Day walkers for guidance.

Take 2

Did you find fundraising for your second walk to be a bit more challenging?  Did the awe factor wear off when the same people that donated to walk number 1 received a letter that you were going to do it again and needed their support?  Did you find that you had to do a bit more work the second year to raise the necessary funds?

Although the cause is the same from the previous year, I have a hunch that raising the money will be more of a trial.  The same fundraising tactic that worked last year, may not have the same dramatic effect as it did last year.  I want to ensure those that donate understand the real reason I am walking, so I need to get to work revising my initial fundraising letter.

While my mother is still the inspiration and the reason that I walk, there is so much more that I can talk about having last year’s walk now under my belt.  I’d like to focus on the community involvement (A.K.A the cheering stations), the friendships that were forged on the walk, the stories that people shared about loved ones.  This is the real reason for the walk.  We all have a person that has impacted our lives and it is important to make a stand against this disease.

I walk because others can’t.  I want to ensure that when you donate to my walk, that your voice is heard.  Your money will be going to help fund breast cancer research and bring us all one step closer to finding a cure.  I’m not asking you to walk 60 miles with me and camp in the freezing cold, I’m just asking that you help the millions of women (and men) that suffer from breast cancer.  I’ll do the heavy lifting.

This holiday season, I do not want gifts that will simply collect dust, just donations.  This donation is your gift to me and the millions of others that you will bless.

The Web

In an effort to better spread the word about this blog, I’ve signed up for an account on Technorati.  Now, I am not sure what type of activity will stem from such an affair, however, one of the steps is to “claim your blog”.  To verify that you are actually who you say you are, you must place a key inside one of your posts.

If you are not familiar with Technorati and have a blog set up, I highly recommend that you sign up for a free account and go through the claim process.  It can’t hurt to start spreading the word and draw more visitors to your site.

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Another way that really helps draw attention to your site and your cause is cross-linking.  If anyone else has a blog relating to breast cancer awareness or the Susan G. Komen 3-Day for the Cure and would like to “share” links, please let me know and let’s start networking!

I figured instead of trying to find a zany way of placing that key and relating it to the 3-Day or breast cancer, I might as well do a post about posting.  You won’t see any more of these in the future, however, I felt it was important to draw as much traffic to the site as possible.  Not for my own recognition of course, but to help increase the awareness of breast cancer, as well as a selfish plug for donations for my 2011 3-Day journey.  These are tax deductible of course!

There I did it, I was able to relate a technical post to breast cancer!

Thankful

Although thanks should always be given throughout the year, the Thanksgiving holiday serves as a reminder for this very sentiment.  We are all so busy with the hustle and bustle of daily life that often times we forget to step back and give thanks for all we have been provided.  The increased usage of smart phones doesn’t seem to actually be increasing my smarts!  In fact, I let it serve as one of the many distractions that keeps me from giving thanks on a recurring basis.

Although Thanksgiving is just one day, I urge you to put down your distractions for a bit and look around.  Look at all of the things that you have to be thankful for.  I have a beautiful wife and two wonderful children.  Although they should serve as a constant reminder to me, there are times that I take all of it for granted.  Oh yes, I admit it, there are times when I “expect” certain things and when those things don’t occur in a timely manner, my irritability meter rises.

I dedicate this post to my family, who have inspired me, walked with me, cheered me on, and have challenged me to help fight the cause of breast cancer in 2010 and again in 2011.  Thank you for your help, your inspiration, and the time you’ve taken to allow me to train for the event.  You are truly a gift.  I thank all of my past donors who allowed me the ability to walk 60 miles in 2010 and pray that existing and new donors will be able to join me in the cause in 2011.

During this Thanksgiving season, remember all of the people you are thankful for.  I challenge you to think of someone who has been affected by breast cancer and be thankful that they have impacted your life.  And now it is your turn, take some time this Thanksgiving to make a real difference.  Help donate to the my 60 mile journey in 2011.  All donations are tax-deductible and with your donation, please provide a name of why you decided to donate.  This name will be donned on my living cape and will serve as a reminder of how people never forget those that have impacted their lives.

Perspective

Not to get too deep with you on a blog, but I’ve been thinking a lot about perspective lately and how having the right perspective could solve most of the problems we experience on a regular basis.

Let’s take some fairly common examples that can easily escalate to mental meltdowns.  Yes, I’m being dramatic, but it is all to prove a point.  Let’s take the common cold or even escalate it to the flu.  Albeit an annoyance and something that shouldn’t necessarily be taken lightly (well, at least influenza), it makes us feel completely miserable.  I’m not going to dismiss the way an illness can make us feel, however, I wonder how often we just take a step back and think about the people that are going through illnesses much worse than the ones mentioned above and how they must be feeling?  I’ll admit I don’t.  However, that is the whole reason behind this post.

During this Thanksgiving season (and going forward), I want to ensure that I maintain a proper perspective.  I can’t imagine what my mother was going through, physically and mentally, when she was diagnosed with breast cancer.  How difficult it must have been to take care of her day to day activities as best she could, while still maintaining her daily routine as much as possible.  How selfish must I have been (granted, I was a high school boy) to complain about my common cold, or a stomach ache, while she was going through such turmoil.

Such perspective is a kick in the rear for me, making me realize that others are out there fighting such a terrible disease, while I was sitting back without a care in the world.  This was the reason I walked 60 miles in 2010 and plan to walk an additional 60 miles in 2011.  I want to stand among others that are taking an initiative and focusing on the important things in life.

Help me accomplish my goal by donating to the Susan G. Komen 3-Day for the cure.  I need to raise a minimum of $2300.00 in order to participate.  Let’s work together to help reduce these statistics:

• About 1 in 8 women in the United States (between 12 and 13%) will develop invasive breast cancer over the course of her lifetime.
  
• In 2010, an estimated 207,090 new cases of invasive breast cancer are expected to be diagnosed in women in the U.S., along with 54,010 new cases of non-invasive (in situ) breast cancer.

The Real Super Heroes

In the 2010 DFW 3-Day for the Cure, I was sporting a pink cape for all 60 miles.  The real reason behind this accessory is that I didn’t have anything pink going into the walk, so Team Tiara’s captain D’Lyn graciously allowed me to sport her treasured wardrobe item.  I was much appreciated, as it provided me some inspiration for the 2011 walk.

When you think about a cape, what is the first thing that comes to mind?  Is it Superman, Zorro, or maybe Wonder Woman?  Not sure who comes to your mind, but for me, images of superheroes quickly come to mind.  With that imagery in place, I realize that I am not the one who should be portraying the superhero, but those that have personally affected by breast cancer.  They are the real heroes, providing us encouragement, inspiration, and hope.  We walk, cry, and raise a boat load of money for these heroes and I want to do my part to honor them.

In 2011, for every donation I receive towards the walk, I would like you to submit a name of a person that inspired the donation.  Please let me know if they are a survivor, or are no longer with us, as I would like to honor them during the walk.  For each name I receive, I will create a ribbon that will be applied to next year’s cape.  This cape will be a reminder of the real super heroes in our lives and will serve as an inspiration to our other walkers on the 60 mile journey.   Reminding them that although they may in temporary pain, it doesn’t compare to the constant barrage of treatments that those listed on the ribbons have gone through.

I will list all of the names on this blog, so we can keep them in the forefront of our minds as we take this journey together.  Thank you in advanced and let’s honor those super heroes by making a donation to the Susan G. Komen 3-Day for the Cure.

A Challenge

As you sit in your comfortable house, or in your office, or even on your mobile device reading this post, do you ever think what it would be like walking 60 miles in 3 days?  Does it sound easy to you?  Would it be a perfect milestone for the physical goals you have set for yourself or plan on setting for yourself during this next year of more broken New Year’s resolutions?  Have you been looking for a way to make an impact?

More often than not, the thought of walking 60 miles in 3 days has not even entered the minds of the masses, however, I would like to change that and issue a challenge to you.  Join me next year for the 2011 DFW Susan G. Komen 3-Day for the Cure.  Walk alongside me and our 3,500 closest friends in an effort to raise money for breast cancer research. 

Most of us have been personally been affected by this terrible disease and now you’re given a chance to honor, to thank,  or to memorialize those individuals that have made an impact in your life.  It may be a family member, a close friend, a co-worker, or maybe…it is you.  I would like you to take a few moments to think about those around you who have been impacted by breast cancer.  Picture their faces, their smiles, now write their name(s) down on a piece of paper.  After you write down those that touched your life, I want you to look down at that piece of paper and let each person know that you are going to do something to honor them in 2011.

Not only are you going to honor them, but you are going to do something insane.  You are going to walk 60 miles in 3 days for them!  But you won’t be doing this alone, you will have the full support of the Susan G. Komen foundation, the 3,500 other DFW walkers, and the entire DFW community.

I’d like to challenge you to sign up for the 2011 DFW 3-Day for the Cure.  Why wait?  Registration is open now!  While you are going through the sign-up process, go ahead and register under the ‘Team Tiara’ name.  You won’t believe the amount of support that this team will provide you before, during, and after the event.

If you are on the fence, please don’t hesitate to contact me and I’ll be more than happy to share my experience with you.  If the walk sounds too daunting for you, no worries, I have other avenues in which you can participate.  Please feel free to donate to the cause.  As a walker, I need to raise a minimum of $2300.00 to participate and every little bit helps.  When you donate, please include the name of a person that has been impacted by breast cancer.  I will be doing something to honor that individual during the walk (more details to come in a later post). 

Please check with your HR department to see if your company participates in a matching gift!

The 2010 DFW 3-Day Overview

(An overview written by the the3day.org team)

The 2010 Susan G. Komen Dallas/Fort Worth 3-Day for the Cure began on a chilly morning with an emotional Opening Ceremony at Collin Creek Mall. We were greeted right out of the gates by the first of 11 private cheering stations at the University of Texas at Dallas. Along the route, the Richardson fire department was out cheering and taking pictures with their pink t-shirts. We passed 4 local elementary schools throughout the day with children out to cheer. Lunch was at beautiful Valley View Park and was followed by a walk along the White Rock Creek Trail before we arrived at camp, our home away from home for the weekend.

We arose early on Saturday morning after a chilly night, ready to hit the Brookhaven College jogging trail. After pit stop 1 we crossed the first of 3 pedestrian bridges, where Citibank was cheering us on. There was a huge outpouring of community support along the way - more than 21 private cheering stations. The New Balance cheerleaders greeted us at pit stop 2 along with the school mascot of DeGolyer Elementary. Lunch was hosted at the Hockaday School grounds, and students were out cheering and helping direct traffic. As we passed the last public cheering station at Valley View Mall, we strolled by a continuous mile of private cheering stations - very invigorating! Next we headed into the town of Addison and into the Komen Corral at pit stop 4. We crossed the Addison suspension bridge and were on to the final stretch. That evening, we gathered back at camp for a Candy Coburn concert.

We began our final day of walking with a warm bus ride to Ursuline Academy. Sunrise brought warmer weather in the 70s and bright skies. We enjoyed a scenic route through the gorgeous Highland Park area and another tremendous day of community support all along the route. We received many treats, stickers, bracelets, beads, water, candy and doughnuts. Lunch was at the beautiful Reverchon Park with a pink fire truck for all of us to sign and take pictures with. We exited lunch on Katy Trail and crossed into the historic West End. We passed the American Airlines Center, the JFK Memorial and Pioneer Plaza into pit stop 4 at Main Street Garden. The final miles took us through Deep Ellum and our incredible journey ended with a celebratory Closing Ceremony at Cotton Bowl Plaza with our friends and family there to greet us.

The money we raised will help Susan G. Komen for the Cure® save lives.

Tiara in Training

In a previous post, I talked about the main reason I got started walking in the 2010 3-Day for the Cure, however, there are many other ancillary reasons.  One of those reasons is for my daughter (Julia – 4.5 years old – shown to the right wearing her official Team Tiara “hair pretties”).

Although I would love her to join the team to help find a cure for breast cancer, I also hope that she won’t need to.  I can’t imagine a life without my daughter and am so thankful for the research that has been done to this date that increases the survival rate.  When I think of my daughter, I think of innocence, joy, love, kindness, and many other wonderful attributes.  I’ll be honest, I don’t ponder the thoughts of her being diagnosed with breast cancer, but with such alarming stats, we can’t just put on blinders.

Can you imagine that this year alone, it is estimated that about 207,090 new cases of breast cancer will be diagnosed in women just in the United States?  Men aren’t excluded from these stats, albeit much lower, it still does happen.  It is estimated that 1,970 new cases of male breast cancer will be diagnosed this year in the US.  For more information, please visit komen.org or call 877-GO-KOMEN.

Although I don’t sit around and fret about my daughter getting diagnosed, I do want to be proactive in helping the cause and increasing the mortality rate of those that do become infected with this disease.  I’d like to be a positive influence and while I can do that in many ways, the direction I have chosen is to partner with thousands of other walkers in the Dallas 3-Day for the Cure.  I don’t want my daughter to become another statistic and I am doing everything I can to aid in that fight.

I am currently saving up the funds necessary to register for the 2011 Susan G. Komen 3-Day for the Cure in Dallas.  Once I have the registration complete, I will share with you all on how you too can be a part of the effort!  I’ll do the hard part and all I need from you is your support and prayers.

Why Team Tiara

During the 3-Day, one of the most common questions that came about during conversations was how I found Team Tiara. 

I believe most teams are formed from a bond someone has with another person, whether it be a family member, a personal friend, a coworker, etc., however, I was a stranger in a strange land when it came to choosing a team to walk with.  But why choose a team at all you ask?  For me, this was a no-brainer; I don’t enjoy doing activities alone.  I do better when I have others with me, whether pushing or pulling me along and I knew I would need this type of motivation to walk 60 miles.  With that in mind, I went out randomly to the 3-Day site and found Team Tiara.

However, I didn’t just want to join a team for the sake of joining a team.  I did have certain criteria in mind when performing my search.  The first thing I was looking for was a group that had a similar faith base.  It was important to me to find a team of others that I could pray with and for.  When I read through the team’s Web site, it was clear that these members walked for the same reason I was walking.

Secondly, I wanted a team that had done the event before, that could take me under their wings and mentor me.  Team Tiara has been around since 2005 and has been walking ever since.  This was great, not only did I have a group of faith-based walkers, but a group that had been around since the inaugural DFW 3-Day!  I figured two for two on the criteria, so I went ahead and sent the coordinator, D’Lynn Biggs,  an e-mail out of the blue, just asking a few questions to see what type of initiation was required to join their team.  Unfortunately, I am not allowed to disclose the trials that I had to endure to become an official member of Team Tiara, but they were well worth it!

After I joined the team, I realized the one criteria that I left out was location.  The team was centralized in the Houston area, while I was in the DFW area.  Although not a huge trek, I did realize that I would be unable to partake in all of their local fundraising events.  At first, I thought, great…who am I going to train with?!  This was solved by utilizing the tools provided by the 3-Day website to locate training walks around your area.  During these walks with Team Steps, I ran into two other Tiaras; Shannon and Alexia.  This year, I think I might lead some training walks in the Frisco area as an extension of Team Tiara.

So, now you know why I joined Team Tiara and after getting to know the men and women involved with the team personally, I knew I made the right choice.  Not only did they support one another, but they went above and beyond by making sure all of their team members had everything the needed (including bling) to make their 3-Day event that much more enjoyable.  I can’t thank them enough for their dedication to the cause and look forward to walking with them once again in 2011.

If you are new to the 3-Day event, or a veteran that is looking to join a group, please check out Team Tiara and should you have any questions, I will be more than willing to answer them.

Who is this Masked Man

Being that I am new to the 3-Day Blogging scene, I wanted to take this opportunity to tell you a little bit about myself (a five minute synopsis).  The portrait to the right is a self portrait, so don’t hold it against me.

My name is Aaron Corcoran and I was born and raised in St. Louis, MO.  After graduating from high school in 1995, I moved to Baton Rouge, LA to begin my college career.  During my undergraduate years at Louisiana State University, I fell in love with my wife-to-be, Lora.  We courted for a few years prior to our engagement, then married in May 2003.  We continued our graduate studies at LSU.

A few years later (April 2006), we had our first child, Julia.  She is the epitome of frilliness.  If she could wear a princess dress on a daily basis, she would without hesitation.

During this timeframe, it was impressed in our heart to move out of Louisiana, so we packed up and moved to Dallas, TX (Frisco for those that are familiar with the area).  Although it was difficult moving away from my family and our church family, we knew it was the right place for us to plant our roots.

We became involved in the local church, met wonderful friends, and truly feel at home.

After settling into Frisco, we had our second child, Aaron Jr. (October (Halloween) 2008).  He is the complete opposite of Julia and is a boy’s boy.  Destruction and messiness follows him wherever he goes.  He is my little tornado of love, as he is such a caring and loving boy.

So what does this have to do with the 3-Day?  Well, you’ve already read my first post, but there are so many other reason’s I walk.  I can’t imagine what my life would be should my wife, my daughter, or even my son contracted such a horrible disease.  I walk so they won’t have to!  I want them to grow up where a cure exists, so I joined an amazing group of people (Team Tiara) who share the same vision and with the help of friends and loved ones, I was able to raise the necessary amount to walk in the 2010 Susan G. Komen 3-Day for the Cure in Dallas.

After that, I realized I can’t just stop there.  Although we (the DFW walk) raised over 7 million dollars that will aid in this vision, so much more is needed.  I am now saving up to register for the 2011 walk ($90 registration fee) and will begin my fundraising to once again walk for those who have been impacted by this horrible disease.

Why I Walk 60 Miles in 3 Days

The main reason I do the Susan G. Komen 3-Day for the Cure is to honor of my mother, Maureen Corcoran, a breast cancer survivor. During my final years in high school, my mother was diagnosed with breast cancer. At the time, I really had no idea how what was in store for her. When she started with her radiation treatments, it appeared to be just another routine trip to the doctor’s office, unbeknownst to me that this was just the beginning her of war with the disease.

It wasn’t until Chemo began where I really started to see the havoc that this menace really causes to the person. My mother’s energy levels were at an all time low, food, when desired, wouldn’t stay down, tears filled her eyes each and every day as she realized that even the simplest things in life were now monumental tasks. I am sure negative thoughts constantly barraged her mind; however, she was/is a warrior and always kept a positive attitude, never letting the anguish show to her friends and family. I love you Mom, you have always been a hero in my eyes and I’m glad that I have a chance to tell you that.

I hold very fond memories of her trying on wigs after her long raven hair fell out and laughing alongside her as she decided that she wasn’t going to hide her condition under a wig. She went bald for the remainder of her treatments, standing tall and proud. I think she enjoyed it so much, that even after she won her battle, she decided to keep her hair short. Although I’m sure it was for convenience sake, I know it also acted as a daily reminder of the battle she just won. She has a heart of gold and has reached out to other women to aid them through their battles.

I’m a blessed one, my mother is still around and able to play with her grandchildren.