So impressed!

I’ve been so impressed with the efforts of Captain Mehmet Danis in his race across the Atacama Desert to raise money for the United Way Toronto.

Mehmet, not only do your efforts raise money for the United Way, they motivate others to go out and help raise money! Thank you!

Checkout more and donate to Mehmet’s funraiser here.

A few changes coming soon

One Million in 12 is starting to pick up the pace… literally and figuratively.  Practice climb times have been inching downwards and a few of the tools to the fund raising are being put in place.  First off, the background above was taken by Gareth.  You can read the story behind the photo here.

You’ll also be able to track quick updates on Twitter by following the user OneMillionIn12 .  Enjoy the climb!

The Importance of Feeling Full

Part of my training for climbing the CN Tower in under 12 minutes involves losing fat weight to make it easier to zip up stairs quickly. This has made me focus on what I’m eating throughout the day.

It is very easy in North America to consume large amounts of calories yet still feel hungry. Being hungry early in the day may lead to a binge later in the day, followed by a slump in energy. Lack of energy makes it more difficult to concentrate, leading to lower grades (for those in school) or worse performance at work.

One of the United Way Toronto’s programs is breakfast for children in school. This keeps them full, which helps them focus, and helps them develop into productive, happy, creative adults.

Cold Nights

Last night and today were incredibly cold. I decided to write here now so that I wouldn’t forget how cold it is to be outside. Even the short walk from the subway station to the car was really unpleasant. The wind really bit you.

There are those that are still on the street on a night like last night. Which policies are needed to keep people off the streets isn’t something I’d have the background to comment on, however, I do know that there need to be options.

What clicked was the significance of what the United Way has to offer on nights like last night. Whether because of mental disability, abject poverty, or poor choices, the United Way creates options for people to get out of the cold or stay out of the cold in the first place.

Getting the hang of training

It’s going to take a bit of effort to get my climb into the top percentile of CN Tower climbers.  My first climb was a tortoise-like 23:53 and my second was a little more brisk, but still brick 18:59.  The CN Tower is 1,774 steps – so to get to 11:59 (just under 12 minutes) is about 2 1/2 steps per second on average.  Whoo!

My first instinct was to hit the step mill and just practice stair climbing.  For the past two months, every week or two, I’ve been pushing up the step mill and doing the equivalent of a climb up the Tower.  I’ve been plateau-ing just under 16 minutes. It seems that after 9 or 10 minutes of pushing myself at the maximum pace of the machine (which would only bring me in at a 13 minute climb), I hit a wall and have to slow down.

These next few weeks, the focus is going to be on building endurance.  This means long cardio sessions on the elliptical.  Since the past month has been a climb every week, I’m going to move that out to every other week and start tapering down the pace before I hit the wall.

Of course, all this climbing couldn’t happen without healthy eating, including breakfast.  That’s something the United Way Toronto provides for hundreds of kids each school day.

What is One Million in 12?

$1,000,000 in 12 minutes?

Yes, it’s possible.  National debts are accrued much more quickly.  That amount is traded in much less time at any given moment. However, can $1 Million be raised for the United Way Toronto in that amount of time?

Every year, thousands gather at the base of the CN Tower in Toronto to raise money for the United Way.  Although most have the goal of just making it to the top, my goal for October 2009 is to do so in under 12 minutes.  That would bring me into the 99th percentile of shortest climb times.

We only have a finite number of opportunities in this life time to do something extraordinary.  This small fete, in the grand scheme, can dramatic improve the lives of hundreds or thousands of underpriveleged living in Toronto.

The United Way Toronto supports thousands of non-profit, community organizations.   This blog will track my progress in training for the event as well as my efforts in raising $1,000,000 for the United Way.

For more in the meantime, checkout OneMillionin12 on Squidoo.