Running Without Music

TNT Scrapbook

Posted by Marvin Tabangay under photos, websites

Last year was Team in Training’s 20th anniversary. I don’t know how I missed this one, but it’s their special 20th anniversary website. They have a scrapbook you can browse through with some interesting photos about the Team and its experiences.

Website Optimized TNT Site

Posted by Marvin Tabangay under videos, websites

I have a huge interest in online marketing, web design, and running. This video covers all three. Sure, it’s a marketing video trying to get people to use the Google Website Optimizer, but it was some great insight by the VP of eMarketing of LLS on why certain aspects of the TNT website exist. I bet you never knew how much effort is put into a website like that?

Westside LA TNT Summer Season

Posted by Marvin Tabangay under experiences, training

The Westside LA Chapter of Team in Training is now accepting participants! I will be the Web Captain for this season and I can’t wait to get started! If you’re interested, below is where you can get more information.

• San Diego Rock ‘N’ Roll Marathon and Half Marathon- May 31st
• Mayor’s Marathon and Half Marathon Alaska- June 20th
• Seattle Rock ‘N’ Roll Marathon and Half Marathon- June 27th

Please join us for one of our upcoming information meetings to learn more about our fundraising and training program.

Upcoming information meetings:

Tuesday, January 13th at 7:00 pm
Sporteve
3849 Main St, Culver City

Sunday, January 18th at 10:30 am
Niketown
9560 Wilshire Blvd, Beverly Hills

Wednesday, January 21st at 6:30 pm
Will and Ariel Durant Library
7140 W. Sunset Blvd, West Hollywood

Sunday, January 24th at 10:30 am
Montana Branch Library
1704 Montana Ave, Santa Monica

If you cannot attend the meeting or would like more information about Team In Training please contact Kristen McManus at (310) 846-4727.

Together we are saving lives one mile at a time!

I’m a TNT Web Captain / Mentor!

Posted by Marvin Tabangay under experiences

A few days ago, I was notified that I got accepted to be a Team In Training Web Captain / Mentor! Wonder what that slash is for? I guess I’m a hybrid position because captains are not supposed to have any mentees, but I will (but half as many as the other mentors). I get the best of both worlds I guess.

What does a Web Captain do? Basically I will create and update the team’s website such as: team news, staff bios, fundraising, information about the cause, links, events, and more. In the next few weeks I will be working hard to redesign the site (as with Running Without Music’s layout), but not only just the design, but rethink the UI navigation, and think of ways to make the site a little more automated and easy to update. The challenge? I don’t have full access to the hosting that it’s on, so I’ll have to be creative about that.

When I was a mentor a few seasons ago, I pretty much held the same position but I was officially a mentor with online duties. I was thinking, this position was mainly about updating the site, and pushing information to the team. This time around? I want to evolve the position into something a little more than that. I’ll tie in social media tools such as Twitter, MySpace, and Facebook to connect all our team, so that information can easily be communicated. There is a wealth of knowledge across not only our LA team, but across the USA with all the TNT chapters out there. Why not use it? I’ve already contacted some TNT folks from New York, San Francisco, and Florida to help brainstorm new ideas for fundraising. We’re living in an Internet age, let’s use it to it’s full potential.

Running Song for TNT

Posted by Marvin Tabangay under videos

I stumbled upon this music video by Erin Sholl aka Lady Southpaw while searching for running or TNT related videos on YouTube. This is one great example that not all efforts outside of training has to go towards fundraising. It’s about helping people get motivated. It’s more than just running, and it’s more about inspiration. Her event and fundraising is done, but I’m sure this video will still continue to inspire others, and it’s great to see creative ways people promote the cause.

The Rome Marathon

Posted by Marvin Tabangay under videos

The Silicon Valley & Monterey Bay chapter of Team in Training ran the Rome Marathon on 3/18/07, and here’s their highlight video.

TNT on Twitter!

Posted by Marvin Tabangay under websites

That’s right, Team In Training is now on Twitter. Don’t know what Twitter is? According to the Twitter website, “Twitter is a service for friends, family, and co–workers to communicate and stay connected through the exchange of quick, frequent answers to one simple question: What are you doing?” I use it on a daily basis, microblogging what I’m doing, and sharing ideas, opinions, websites, and like-minded people. I will soon compile a list of TNT and marathon twitters to follow if you have an account.

The Team In Training twitter is seriously one valuable resource for important TNT updates, survivor stories, fundraising tips, and discovering/interacting with other people from Team In Training. Even if you don’t have a Twitter account, it’s actually a useful news feed outside of your local chapter and main TNT website.

Follow in Team In Training via Twitter now!

Use The Restroom

Posted by Marvin Tabangay under events

… even if you don’t have to. That is one lesson learned from yesterday’s San Jose Rock N Roll Half Marathon. You see, 4 miles into the Half Marathon, I had that urge to go pee. Usually I’d go find a bush on the side the road, but the San Jose course was primarily residential, so I waited until the next port-o-potty, which was at the end of a Farmer’s Market. 4 restrooms, BUT only one was operational, and the rest had padlocks on them. What?!? So the line was extremely long. By the time I was back on course, it was mainly the walkers. (Not that there’s anything wrong with walkers, but I started at a mid-area corral, and I just wanted to illustrate how much has passed)

I did play a little catch up, picking up my pace, but after a while I just realized that it’s not going to do me any good, and I wouldn’t want to risk any injury, so I continued to enjoy the course. It was pretty much flat the whole way. Tree-lined residential streets, great crowd support, and perfect weather. I couldn’t ask for anything more. This wasn’t a “TNT” event, so many of us who registered came into it thinking it’s just a “fun run”. Who would’ve thought 13.1 miles is considered “fun”? Well, I finished in 2:52:12. I was a bit disappointed, but hey, I’m just glad I finished injury-free (especially since I have not ran since the Disneyland Half / Nike+ race a month ago!)

View my photos from the San Jose Rock N Roll Half Marathon

Vanae

Posted by Marvin Tabangay under fundraising

It’s really great to hear that one of my good friends, Vanae, has recently joined Team In Training up north to train for the Hawaii Full Marathon in December. She told me that my friends and I were her inspiration to give TNT a shot. Are we really that inspiring? Maybe because they know we didn’t like to run or work out, let alone run a marathon? Whatever the reason is, TNT has that viral marketing effect because so many great experiences come out of it.

She writes:

Hey guys, it’s Vanae.

You know me. I don’t run. Heck, I don’t even remember the last time I excercised! But I was really inspired by close friends who recently completed the Team in Training.

Vanae is also the founder for Rock Your Awareness, and I met her a couple years ago at her “Date a Rockstar” fundraiser, so she’s no stranger to philanthropy. Since then we’ve gone to NY with friends, and we try to make the LA / SF connection time to time. I’m really excited for her since this is her first ever marathon, so check out her fundraising page here:

http://pages.teamintraining.org/sj/honolulu08/vtran

What’s a Dollar To You?

Posted by Marvin Tabangay under fundraising

Gas prices are up, rent is up, food is expensive, and clothes don’t come cheap. You sit there and think, where is my dollar going? We consume all types of products day to day, and even buying small little things here and there add up to big bills and a dent in your wallet. We even lose loose change in our cars, our couches so easily. We tip our waiters, our bartenders, our restroom attendants, our hosts just like that. Do you know where your money is going?

One of my good friends, Erin, is a mentor in this season’s Westside TNT Chapter, and she’s taking the “power by numbers” approach. She calls it The $1 Project. She only asks each person to donate $1, but at the same time to tell your friends, family, and the rest of your network. This will only work if everyone participates. I’ve sent her link around yesterday, and I know a few people already donated, and some interested in helping her out. You never know who wants to help unless you try.

Dear family, friends and friends of friends….Hi!

I am doing a little experiment here on the concept of social activism mixed with “The Tipping Point” and I need to run it by you. Here is the gist:

Last year I joined Team In Training/TNT (a marathon group who raises money for the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society/LLS) to run in memory of my grandmother and in honor of Donna and Ricky. I crossed the San Diego Rock ‘N Roll Marathon finish line and decided to do it again in Honolulu and Arizona.

Normally in these programs people will send out letters or emails to EVERYONE they know asking for as generous a donation as they can spare in order to help them reach a specific goal. That was me last season, and it worked, but it’s not quite my style.

See, I joined TNT to make a point. I want to spread the word. Educate. Kick major ass. I’ve realized though, that you are only as big as the sum of all your parts. If my parts include myself and 20 other donors then kudos to us for raising it all, but it’s not big enough. Not enough people will be touched. We need major coverage here people, so I’ve come up with another idea.

Check it out – The $1 Project