#TNTBECAUSE: Meet Dana Howe

Here is our fifth in a series of posts leading up to the BMW Dallas Marathon. Today we are interviewing Dana Howe.  Dana has been involved with LLS since 2010 when she was diagnosed with Stage IV Non-Hodgkin's Lymphoma.  Read on to hear why she is doing the Dallas Marathon.

1. What made you decide to run the BMW Dallas Marathon?

I was training for the Big Dam 100 Century ride and a staff person (Mariel) came to our training and asked if anyone would be interested in the relay.  Several of us said yes – in fact, five of us said yes.   So we formed a marathon relay team from five cyclists.  This will be my third Triple Crown and my son’s (Donnie Constantine) first Triple Crown.  I crossed the finish line with the cycling team and began training with the marathon team the following Saturday.

2. What does it mean to you that the BMW Dallas Marathon has been named a national event for Team In Training?
 I am so proud to be part of Team in Training knowing the impact they have made on the lives of so many cancer patients and their families.  The LLS staff works tirelessly to provide the best event options, fantastic coaches, and an overall amazing experience for every participant.  I am very pleased that this marathon has been designated as a national event.

3. What got you involved with Team In Training?

I was diagnosed with Stage IV Non-Hodgkin’s Lymphoma in October of 2009.  While I was undergoing treatment my brother-in-law registered and trained for America’s Most Beautiful Bike Ride.  After he successfully completed the ride he challenged my husband and I to join him the following year.  Six months after I went into remission I began training and fell in love with the people and the mission.  I have since completed two marathon events, four century cycling events, and three triathlons.  TNT has become a family mission.

4. Finish this sentence, I do “TNTBecause…”
 I want to pay it forward.  LLS funded research for a drug called Rituxan.  Rituxan was one of the drugs that saved my life and has kept me in remission.  Someone was training and fundraising years ago before I had ever heard of TNT.  Those individuals were directly responsible for the drugs available to me that allowed my recovery.  I am grateful and want to help someone else who is diagnosed.   I am committed to participate in at least one event per year until we have a cure.

5. Tell us about the team you’ve formed to run the relay with.  
My relay team consists of my good friend, Teresa Keenan, my son, Donnie Constantine, his fiancé Ana Valdez Moeller and her sister Daniella Valdez Moeller.  We just couldn’t finish one event without having our sites on the next.  We are already looking to 2017 for a TNT event to follow the BMW Dallas Marathon.  We have named our relay team “Team Kristen” in memory of a friend’s daughter who passed away from a blood cancer.  While there is so much positive news about survival rates and improved treatments we have not won the battle.  We need to stay focused and encouraged until we have a cure.

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Did you know?

• BMW Dallas Marathon is the longest running race in the state of Texas
• More than 40 different bands are on the course for your entertainment
• Stay 2 nights at the TNT hotel and you can skip expo lines and have your packet waiting in your hotel room!
• Earn Awesome Fundraising Incentives

Join the Dallas Marathon TNT Team or join the 5 Person Relay!  150 people have already taken the challenge.  Contact Mariel Bongiovanni for more details. 

www.teamintraining.org/ntx

Meet Staci Brode

Playtri owner, Staci Brode, has been involved with The Leukemia and Lymphoma Society for over 15 years.  Staci says, "I continue to be involved with Team In Training because I love everything about it.  Losing my dad in 2012, brought me back to LLS because I now have a very deep personal connection."  Sarah Sherman, Team In Training Campaign Staff, sat down with Staci for a little walk down memory lane.  Here's their conversation. 

Why did you originally get involved with LLS / TNT?

     I had recently moved to Dallas and I received a flyer in the mail about the Hawaii marathon.  I was new to the area, looking to get in shape, and meet people.  I went to the info session and decided that 26.2 miles was a long way to run.  Then the Triathlon coach stood up and started talking about the triathlon options and I thought that sounded more fun.  I didn’t really know much about the sport but was anxious to learn.   I didn’t even have a bike yet.  At the season kick off, they gave us a list of everything that we would ever need for a triathlon and off I went to the bike store. I met our team captains there and they fitted me on an entry level road bike and loaded me up with everything imaginable for the sport. I went out and rode a bike for the first time in about 18 years.   

Why is LLS important to you?

     I participated in the St. Anthony’s Triathlon in 2001 with TNT and had an unbelievable experience with all of the training and all the people that I met. I then fell in love with the mission by meeting the people that were literally dealing with these blood cancers.  It was an amazing combination of getting in shape, meeting new people and feeling great about myself.

     Getting to meet the honored heroes throughout the season was key for me connecting to the mission. It made it so much more personal.  At the time, TNT was the only game in town. I didn’t know of anything else like it. They were the crucial to the growth of the sport. The timing was right and TNT was doing great things. 

     I finished my first race and I immediately signed up for my next event.  Over the next few years I served as a mentor, captain and then a triathlon coach. It seems like everyone who has worked for me at Playtri (race coordinators, volunteer coordinators) all started with TNT. It’s amazing to me how many people have been touched by TNT in the sport of Triathlon.

      I lost my dad in 2012 to Multiple Myeloma so LLS became very important to me because I now was personally impacted by a blood cancer.  That is why I enjoy working with LLS  now.  I want to give back and support the mission because it has affected me on a very personal level.  The sport has changed but I still think LLS play a crucial role in the sport and giving back to those patients.

  

What experience does TNT offer that you can’t get anywhere else?
All the triathlon clubs now are social. Everyone likes to feel like they belong to a group when they go to an event. Training partners are a nice bonus also. TNT gave all that meaning. TNT gave us the ability to do something that you love and get to give back to others at the same time. Nobody has duplicated that even though many have tried. TNT has been around for so long and they know how to do it so well. I think that TNT was the pioneer in that style of fundraising.

What exercise / training product could you not live without?

Favorite exercise product is my bike.  The QR PRSix.  It’s fast and looks pretty.  It’s way faster than I am but I can look good even if I’m at the back of the pack. 

Favorite flavor of GU is Salted Carmel

Favorite drink is Gu Brew Watermelon Flavor

Meet the Coach: Will Bacon

Will Bacon's schedule is often packed with work obligations and family commitments but he always makes time for his Team In Training (TNT) triathlon participants.  Will is a USAT Certified coach and an ironman, making him the perfect person to help new and seasoned triathletes train for and complete their events.  He has a close connection to the mission of The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society (LLS) and works hard to keep the ultimate goal of a world without blood cancers in his participant's minds during trainings.

What is something special about the Redman Triathlon that people would not know from reading the event brochure?
There is nothing like participating in and finishing a triathlon.  The overwhelming sense of accomplishment along with the feeling of camaraderie you have with the other athletes is really something special.

Tell us about how a specific participant inspired you during the last season you coached.
All participants inspire me.  Last season there were several that really took me by surprise by how hard they trained, fundraised, set goals and did it all with a smile.   I have been truly blessed with the participants that have signed up over the last couple seasons.

Tell us about a specific moment during a training that made you realize just how special it is to be part of Team In Training.
One very early morning in particular, as I was driving to put coolers out for the day along our run course, I really just wanted to go home and go back to bed.  It had been a really long week at work, kid's activities and weeknight trainings.  As I was pulling into the parking lot, I saw our group waiting to get going.  At that moment everything sort of went away for me and I was happy to be there with my team and was ready to go have a great morning.

Team In Training is often called a participant's second family.  When was a time you felt like your participants were more like family than a bunch of strangers training together?
When the people that you meet through TNT become the people you call to have dinner with, bring their kids over to play with your kids, and train with after the season is over - you know it is something special and more than just strangers.

Share a quote that helps to keep you motivated during difficult trainings.
"I don't HAVE to do this, I GET to do this!"  Everything in life is about perspective.

If you've ever considered competing in a triathlon, this is your chance!  Register today at www.teamintraining.org/ntx and get started with Coach Will.

Meet the Coach: Cole Bryan

Team In Training (TNT) in North Texas is celebrating another first.  Cole Bryan has signed on as a coach for the triathlon team this summer season, making him the first Kona IRONMAN World Championship finisher to accept this role in North Texas.  Ever considered competing in a triathlon?  Why not learn from a man who's completed the "grand-daddy" of all triathlons?  We sat down with Cole and he answered a couple questions about his coaching style.

How long have you been coaching with TNT and what was your first event?
This is my first time coaching with TNT and I am very excited.  My first TNT event was the Honored Hero Run in Fort Worth, TX.

What is your style of coaching?
I will work as much with each person as they want.  I am high on encouraging people to go after their goals.

Some people are intimidated by the idea of training for a triathlon.  What advice would you give them?
You can do it!  If you put in the day to day work, anything is possible.

Is there an Honored Hero who has left a lasting impact on you?  Who and why?
Don Armstrong and Alex W.  Don had a serious battle with leukemia but won his battle and is living every day with a zest for life.  He shows me it is possible.  Alex W. is still going through lymphoma treatments, which have been going on for more than a year.  I look at him and wish we had better cures so others do not have to go through what he has to go through.

What is the best kept secret about TNT?
You can have fun and achieve greatness (both fundraising and athletically) at the same time.

What is the best training advice you have ever received?
Day to day consistency is the greatest secret to success.

Register today to join Cole at the Life Time Tri CapTex this May.