No Shame in Progress – My First Triathlon

"WE DON'T GROW WHEN THINGS ARE EASY; WE GROW WHEN WE FACE CHALLENGES"

I can’t remember the exact time when I knew I wanted to train for triathlon. I remember telling my running buddy Jeannine in 2014 that my future goal was to become a triathlete. I had learned from social media that Sheri Fraser in London, Ontario was famous for training top notch athletes. In 2015, a friend of mine who was an ironman and had trained with Sheri Fraser provided me some sound advice after hearing I wanted to sign up for some triathlon races. Obviously, I was totally clueless how much more training is involved compare to training for marathon. We had coffee and he talked about his experience training with Sheri and how much that had helped him to accomplish his goals. He knew I was not a swimmer and suggested to visit the Aquatic Centre to find out how much I can swim!

I went to the Aquatic Centre with my son and my friend Jeannine who had already trained that year and had signed up for some triathlon races. I had never put my face in the water and had doggy pedaled during our summer visit to the beach! Jeannine started swimming some fast impressive laps and I jumped in too. I started swimming but got only to the middle of the pool and felt I was drowning. Wait! I was drowning! It was really embarrassing as the life guard jumped in to rescue me. Up to this day my son thinks that was the most embarrassing moment of HIS life!

In the fall of 2015, I registered with the YMCA triathlon. I learned how to blow bubbles but life took over and I didn’t continue with swim lessons. Later in the fall of 2016, I contacted Sheri expressing interest that I wanted to sign up for her coaching program. In February 2017, I started training with Scott Mallory, one of Sheri’s coaches.

I wrote in my email to Scott, I’m a runner but can’t swim and don’t know how to clip/unclip on the bike! That’s how the training got started. There were many moments in the pool that I felt frustrated, embarrassed, and panicked. But I was determined to learn and improve.

Learning how to swim with proper technique has not been easy. I’m very aware of everything that I do wrong but still, improvement is taking place very slowly. Swimmers and coaches at the Y have been very supportive.
The first night I rode with my clipless pedals, I fell many times and got lots of bruises.

I injured my left knee and even to this day I can’t really sit in one position too long with the knee bent. I need to constantly change position and massage my leg. The first night I was clueless and fearless. After those falls, I was a bit fearful. I had some practice here and there. Scott kept asking me if I was getting out on my bike practicing on the grass. I told him I had some practice but I knew it wasn’t enough. Finally, I did what I’ve always done. Talking myself out of fear and into believing that I CAN. I had to face my fear. I went to my son’s school yard and rode on the grass. I clipped and unclipped many times. Then slowly, I went to the pavement. I clipped and unclipped. I was really happy knowing I could do it without falling. I kept reminding myself I’m learning lots of new things at age 49. As long as I’m learning, it doesn’t matter how fast or how slow I’m learning it. The point is to tell your mind to shut up and face your fear. I was excited for me. That meant no more staying behind in the parking lot practicing clipping and unclipping. That meant, I could ride with the group.

On May 31, 2017, I went to my first Splash N Dash practice to learn how to swim in open water. There is always a 5K run following the swim. The weather was cloudy, the dark lake looked darker under clouds, the wind created choppy conditions or little waves. I was in the water wearing my wetsuit. All the swimmers started swimming and were gone. I really couldn’t swim. Scott was in his kayak beside me providing encouragement. He reminded me of the drills we had done in the pool, he said it’s a beautiful outdoor setting with all the nature around us, .…but I couldn’t breathe…I was panicking, the suit felt tight on my chest, I was overwhelmed. All I saw in the water was darkness…I headed back to the shore…I only swam 100 m…I couldn’t even do the full run after that swim, I just ran and walked 2.5K. I felt my chest was still heavy. That night, I had nightmares and woke up feeling like I couldn’t breathe.

Talking to Scott after my first open water swim disaster!

I told coach Sheri "I sucked!" She replied " "Each week you'll suck less!" :)

I had to face my fear. I sent an email out saying who wanted to go for a swim at the lake on Saturday. Shelley said she could. I’m forever grateful to Shelley for showing up. I told her what had happened. She is a great swimmer and a more experienced triathlete. She had started training with Scott in July 2016. When we got to the lake she coached me slowly and gave me lots of good tips. The weather was perfect. It was sunny and the water was calm. Shelley and I ended up swimming 500 meters closer to the shore. I was more comfortable although still the panic would kick in once in a while when I couldn’t breathe. But I wasn’t afraid of the lake and the open water. I was so happy she was there with me. Afterwards, we ran a short 2.5K and had a great time doing it.

Thank you Shelley!

My First Triathlon Race

Multisport Canada Race Series

I prepared for my first triathlon race (Give-It-A-Try) as I have done in the past for my running races. Scott had prepared our group for racing and had given us lots of instructions and information. But I still needed to do my own race preparation. A week prior to the race, I visited the Multisport Canada’s website and read everything I could from how to get there, what to do on the race day, and most important of all, I studied the race course and the maps. They had lots of good information from how to rack your bike, race etiquette, rules, and even the water temperature! 

In a triathlon, there are two transitions; one is from swimming to biking (T1) and the other is from biking to running (T2). The proper and efficient way of setting up one’s transition area can greatly impact the overall success of the race. Despite the fact that I had learned how to set up my transition area during training; and habitually being super fast at getting ready; I still read articles to learn more about the transition, and practiced in my living room how I wanted my transition to look like.  I set up my transition area, laid down all my race gear, took a picture, and reviewed it again making sure I had everything before I packed them up.

I have 3 little bags labeled “Swimming”, “Biking”, and “Running”. Organized packing means when setting up your transition area on race day, you are not flustered looking for items and you’ll save time opening each bag and placing them on the towel in your transition area the way you will be using them during T1 and T2. I packed everything by midday on Friday.

 

As an athlete, eating healthy and hydrating properly gets incorporated into everyday life and not just the day before a race. I kept drinking and ate 4 or 5 small portions of food as usual. I don’t eat anything after 7 pm. Every morning I have my oatmeal (with cinnamon, walnut, raisin, milk, and maple syrup). Nothing changes on race day. No special diet except if I’m racing a half or full marathon with some serious carbloading the week before my race.

"Athletes EAT and TRAIN, they don't diet and exercise."

Mentally, I visualized myself many times being happy and confident. I visualized my race from start to finish. Many things could go wrong but I didn’t think of all that but rather saw myself smiling, having fun, and being happy with the result. It is important to arrive at the race confident and prepared.

On the day of the race, I woke up at 5:30, left London at 7:00 a.m. and arrived in Welland at 9:00 a.m. My race was scheduled for 11:30. I had plenty of time to look for parking space, register, get my age written on my calf, my bib number on my arm, to get my coloured race cap based on my age group, find my designated area based on my bib number, go for a short jog to check out the race course, chat with a volunteer to get confirmation about the bike route which I already had studied, chat with those who were chatty, and to keep my distance from those who showed they didn’t want to chat…I had enough time to find a perfect spot for me and set up my transition area quickly and efficiently. I didn’t need to question or doubt myself.

Thanks Wilma for this memorable picture!

During our training, we were taught to warm up properly prior to start of the race. As a group we went for a short run, a short ride, and we swam just before the start of the race. It was a great feeling being with our group. We had trained together, we were warming up together and in a short time we would be competing together. For a few of us, this was our first ever triathlon. Some of our group members were seasoned triathletes with many accomplishments.

Scott gave us last minute instructions about the buoys and where we would start and where we would exit the water. We entered the water and I felt how it was colder than Lake Whittaker where we practice. It was much clearer than Lake Whittaker as well.  But rather than the soft sand I was used to, we had to step on slippery, slimy stones to get to the deep end. The sun was shining. It was a gorgeous and beautiful day. I wasn’t nervous. I just wanted the race to get under way.  

Fear or Courage?

Swim: 400 m - 13:47.6

During our training at Lake Whittaker, I always took my place at the very back since I was the slowest swimmer and also swimming in the middle of the pack wasn’t my thing. I did not have the necessary skills to maneuver my way between the waves and the limbs! Unfortunately, in this race, swimmers were sent out in waves based on their age group (your age as of December of 2017). I was in the 3rd wave which meant even if I positioned myself at the back, some very fast swimmers from the 4th and the last wave would swim over and around me. Swimmers were treading in the water waiting for our wave to start. Somehow I found myself right in the middle and at the front. I knew this was not where I wanted to be, but immediately I started talking to myself by saying don’t panic, everyone will pass you by and you’ll find your quiet place. Before I knew it, the horn sounded and the race began. Swimmers were all around me and the waves were hitting me left and right.

For the past 5 months at the Y, coaches have been working with me to teach me all there is to know about swimming. Yes, I have learned to swim, I have learned bilateral breathing, and just recently I started rotating my body (when I remember it!), but there are lots of technique that need correction and fine tuning. The most important element that would help me swim faster and more comfortably is my head position and breathing that I have not mastered yet. I have read many articles, watched many videos, and yes my coaches and many other swimmers have told me how I should do it but I still do it wrong. What can I say? I’m not a fast learner when it comes to swimming.

There I was in the middle of the lake with all my non efficient techniques trying to finish 400 meters of swimming. I got a severe case of vertigo and had experienced it on the lake a couple of times during our training. I had looked at the blue sky or the shorelines and top of trees to make myself feel better. But the vertigo that just happened in the middle of my race was the worst case ever. Looking up I could see the stands, the spectators were sitting but everything was still spinning. I put my face back in the water and it seemed to help. I kept swimming and kept talking to myself, “Don’t raise your head to look up again, just keep swimming and push through”. In life, we find ourselves in some very tight and uncomfortable situations, and the only way to survive is to push through and keep moving forward. Since 2014, I have used hashtag #movingforwad on my Instagram. I’m not just saying it, I’m doing it every day. I keep moving forward.

There were swimmers backstroking in my path and I had to move around them. I was slow as I kept lifting my head up, which would drop my body lower and I’d end up doing breast stroke before switching again to freestyle. I lost some time that way. I kept swimming towards the last buoy. I made the last turn and was between two other swimmers. I told myself just keep swimming and maybe a bit of drafting will help you to get to the finish line faster. For a bit I kept with them, but they were fast and gone. I did get to the finish and two race volunteers were right there to help us out by holding our hands on those slippery stones. As I was standing up, I heard my coach’s voice. Scott had the camera saying here’s Mahnaz. I was glad he was there but I wished he had not witnessed my awful swimming. As I ran in front of the spectators to go up the stairs to get back to the transition area, I told the two volunteers “This is my first race! I just finished my swim!” I realized that despite my incorrect techniques, I had overcome my fear and from a non-swimmer I was in the middle of a triathlon race!

Transition from Swim to Bike: T1 = 1:57

I quickly took off my wetsuit. I like socks, despite recommendations that it would be best for short distances to go without them. I was fast getting ready but made several mistakes here:

• I should have included electrolytes as part of my transition practice. Based on experience, I have learned that during physical activities and races I sweat more than regular people. I take salt tablets for half or full marathons. I need to hydrate even for a short 5K distance when most people even don’t need to drink or drink only a bit. I had not included hydration in my transit area and I should have. Moving forward, there will be quick sip of my electrolyte. 
• I wanted to use Strava to record my ride and run. I grabbed my phone as I had done during our training and tried to get Strava started but it was too slow! I was wasting time here.
• I had not practiced riding my bike while my phone was tucked in the pocket of my race jersey. As I headed out towards the “Bike Exit” the phone fell. I picked up the phone and as I looked up, I saw Abe, a trusted community friend, an accomplished athlete who had competed in Sprint distance that morning and not to mention he’s very fast too! With no hesitation I asked him if he could hold on to my phone and gave it to him and quickly ran with my bike to start my ride.
  

I was already flustered when I heard Scott saying “Mahnaz, you have your phone?” I replied that I wanted Strava to record. I couldn’t clip as my frustration was oozing out from head to toe. I started talking out loud saying “take a deep breath, calm down” and I clipped and off I went. T1 will be much faster for the future races!

Bike Ride – 10K (25:28)

During my ride, my head was a jumble of thoughts when I heard someone saying: “Move Over! MAHNAZ, MOVE OVER!” It was Irene, one of my teammates. Evidently, she had been trying to pass me and I was in the middle of the road drowned in my jumbled thoughts. I moved to the right and she zoomed by... I refocused and made sure to stay on the right and not in the middle. I saw familiar faces and kept telling them good job. Some were really focused, but others smiled back and said good job, Mahnaz. I was feeling my quads and wished I had hydrated. I have not mastered drinking on my borrowed Cannondale race bike. I will be practicing drinking and riding for July and August as I want to be able to ride longer and faster. I rode my indoor trainer using Zwift for a few months in the fall. I put in some good mileage and speed. I know I can reach a speed of 30 km/h and have the muscles to push faster for longer distances.

It’s just a matter of improving some basic skills like hydrating while riding! My speed could certainly improve with proper hydration and more practice on the road.  

Transition from Bike to Run – T2 = 1:10

I got to the finish line, and had told my coach that I’d rather lift my bike on my shoulder and run to the transit rather than holding on to the bike with one hand and run. But when I lifted my bike the officials told me to put it down and keep hands on your bike. So, I ran fast and told the racer in front of me “ON YOUR LEFT” and I kept running.

I racked my bike quickly, took my helmet and biking shoes, put running shoes on, and had a sip of very warm water from my bottle. There will be a small bottle of electrolyte on my towel next time!  

Run – 2.5 K – 14:37

I had set goals to run fast with a time of 12 min or less, but my run was pathetic. My legs were heavy and it felt more like I was jogging than running. I was too slow. I was thirsty and dehydrated and started having sharp pain in my left ovary. Yes, very specific! Such are the delights of being 49 and menopausal! At 1K I saw the hydration station. I took my time to drink electrolytes and wash it down with water. I saw teammates heading back saying “Great job” as we ran past each other. At the turn around I grabbed another water, drank a bit, and dumped it on my head as I was overheating (not weather related just hot flashes!) I zoomed toward the finish line and I heard Scott again saying “Great form or great run…not sure but I’m so glad he couldn’t read all my thoughts being angry with myself for my run!

Thank you Scott for capturing this!

I dashed to the finish line, and just like that the race was over! I got a handshake with I’m not sure …was that John Salt? Or someone else? I got my medal…I heard my team calling my name saying “Way to go Mahnaz”. It was nice having them there… they were cooling off in the lake…it looked like so much fun!

Then I saw Abe. It was so nice of him to stand and cheer us on after he had finished his sprint race early that morning. Then I saw Laura Wall, one of our coaches, who is also an amazing athlete and competitor herself and had raced with us that morning. She is super-fast! She asked me what I thought of the triathlon. I told her I had mix feelings and that I have lots to improve on. She smiled saying meaning you’ll do it again and I said yes.  

My plan A was to get my first triathlon race done within 45 minutes. I did not have my phone, I don’t have a watch and therefore, I did not know how I’ve done till heading back on my run I saw 12:20 something. That’s when I knew I had to run a bit faster to achieve plan B which was to finish under 1 hour.

 First Triathlon Race at age 49! -  00:56:59.1

I turned around to congratulate Shelley as she finished her race. We had exchanged a few words on the course while running and I wanted to give her a hug. We walked on the deck towards the team, I took my shoes and medal off and jumped in the water!

All the first timers had their picture taken together. It was an amazing feeling to stand there as a newbie and a first timer. A gorgeous sunny day with lots of friends and smiling faces. Many of my teammates got placed in their age group. They did amazing! I was so proud to be sitting there knowing I trained with these amazing and inspiring athletes. 

Multisport Canada: This was a great venue with many great volunteers, an awesome race shirt, and a finisher’s medal which is a huge bonus to remember your first triathlon race! The gorgeous weather made the whole experience even better. I will definitely go back next year for a race at Welland. My next race with MSC is at Lakeside in September. You can still sign up for their races this summer! 

Driving on the back roads was peaceful. I thought about the whole experience. From talking to my friend Stephan to crossing the finish line. Many people had inspired, helped, supported, encouraged, and motivated me. I was thankful to all of them for this great experience.

My coach, Scott Mallory, for being patient, supportive, and encouraging from training to racing. The fact that he was there in the early hours of the morning to cheer, support, and perhaps make notes (hahah) says that he’s one dedicated coach.

My teammates who have supported me every day knowing I was struggling with my swim. Everyone has been kind, non-judgmental, and has helped me with my swim by offering tips and sharing their knowledge. My teammates are inspiring individuals who are dedicated to their training, work hard, and support one another.

Sheri Fraser Coaching

I’m so glad I got connected with Sheri Fraser. I have attended one of her Swim Clinics and I also attend her Splash N Dash once a week for open water swim and a 5K run. She is an accomplished ironman athlete with a wealth of knowledge and experience. Listening to her, you can pick up little tips that can have major effect on how you will move forward. One of the things she mentioned at one of her clinics was an example of some international ironman who’s strokes are not that great but they have amazing strength in their kicks and therefore achieve some unbelievable fast times. When she shared this, she didn’t mean to say you don’t have to improve your stroke, rather she meant you can still finish the swim despite all the imperfections in your technique and in some cases athletes are able to finish well. That gave me hope. A twinkle of light. I am self-conscious about how I swim and I had this fear that I’d be the slowest person on the race course. Listening to her, I found a glimmer of hope that I may finish my swim with some decent time. I practiced more at the Y by myself and kept timing myself. I’m sure my technique was not proper but I practiced anyway and saw a drop in my time. Thank you Sheri for being a great mentor, developing your athletes, and providing the opportunity for all of us to achieve our goals.

"Set your goals high, and don't stop till you get there." Bo Jackson

Next? Back to the training with the tri family!

My times in all three sports were not fast by any means. But I'm happy with MY FIRST TRIATHLON race result.

 

There is no shame in progress!

~ Moving Forward ~

Follow me on Twitter and Instagram: Nomadicrunner45
on Strava: Nomadic Runner

How I Turned My Life Around - From Size 16 to 2.

Fall 2007

I am neither a nutritionist nor a personal trainer. If you want to learn how to count calories or how to measure your pulse, this blog is not for you! And most importantly, Consult with your Doctor first regarding any physical activities.


This blog is not about how to lose weight. Rather, it’s about giving you hope to motivate and to inspire you, knowing I turned my life around only by sheer determination. 

August 2008

This is my story...

It was right after a friend’s wedding in August 2009 that I looked at my own picture and became overcome with a feeling of shock. Up to that point, I had not been aware of the drastic changes in my body over the years. I had neglected myself emotionally, spiritually, and physically. Two months prior, I had just ended a 20 year marriage that had left me with more questions than answers about where my life was headed.  Here I was, a single mother of two with a decent job and no other means of support in any form or shape. It was me and only me. I wanted to look good and feel good. I wanted to do something for me and only me.  This wasn’t about society telling me I had to look a certain way. This wasn’t about impressing anyone. This was about me realizing that my health was in danger. I was someone who took pride in eating healthy and keeping fit but for many reasons I had decided to ignore that part of my life style and let go of it. I had taken nutrition courses while in college and I used to read a lot of articles pertaining to health. And here I was with back pain, shortness of breath, and aching muscles.

I don’t like to weigh myself. I even won’t remember the pounds or kilos to tell you. I don’t own a scale! I do remember being size 14-16. I had no money to join the gym nor did I like the idea of joining a gym. I had no money to go on a special diet or those programs that we are bombarded with every day. So, what did I do?

I knew a crash diet was out of the question. I can’t starve myself as years ago I had done it and just made myself sick. I even don’t like the word diet. This time around I told myself I am going to have a different approach. I will be working towards a healthier life style gradually, slowly, steadily, and with patience. I told myself for decades I have neglected myself, therefore, I think I can afford to be patient for an optimal result in a couple of years.  For the most part of my life I was size 10-12. I knew getting from a size 16 to 10 required time. I had to start with simple steps.  I was determined to eliminate the unnecessary stuff in my life and replace them with things that brought joy and health.

I started reading a lot online and soon I figured out all those articles are giving the same messages:

*Do not eat 3 big meals a day; rather eat throughout the day up to 5 to 6 times/day

*Eat almost everything you want in small portions

*Eat healthy (Canada's Food Guide)

*Don’t eat after 7 pm

*Drink plenty of water

 It sounded simple and the only requirement was my willingness to stick with it, be patient, and wanting to do it for me. I was determined to turn my life around and to be healthy. I had started having back pains, muscle aches, all sorts of problems that are associated with being overweight. I wanted to be healthy and fit.

I started paying attention to my daily routine and questioned them as to be necessary or just bad habits that I had gained gradually without paying attention.  I noticed that every morning I stopped by my favourite coffee shop and ordered a large coffee with cream and sugar; and a delicious, buttery fresh muffin.  I decided to go for the muffin every other day at first. I did not want to eliminate everything at once. I started reducing the amount of cream and sugar. Next, I replaced the cream with milk and eventually eliminated the sugar. It was gradual and I did not feel deprived or frustrated to say the hell with it, I’m going back to the way it was. I stopped buying a muffin every day. I had a habit of being hungry before coming to work. I made sure I had a healthy breakfast which for years has not changed, raisin bran cereal with 2% milk. I don’t have a fancy breakfast with all calories counting.  

Lunch time at work was either left over from the night before or rushing across the street to buy something to eat and I ate everything! I decided to buy a bag of bread which I kept in the fridge at work plus a jar of peanut butter. Why peanut butter? It was affordable, easy for lunch, enjoyed eating it, and it was a regular source of protein for me. 

For dinner, I ate anything I wanted to but started reducing my portion. 

But something else needed to be done.....I had to keep Moving....

Summer 2009

I have always enjoyed walking. I had actually come across an article in early 2000 that talked about “Walking it off”. In 2002, I started walking and shed lots of pounds. Based on experience and knowing that I enjoyed walking and it had work in the past for me, I added walking to my daily routine.

*I walked 15 min during my am break. A very fast power walk as strolling yourself has no effect!

*I walked 15 min during my pm break.

* I walked a very fast 20 min lunch walk and had 10 min to gobble down my peanut butter sandwich

*Every time I got back to work, I climbed 4 flights of stairs rather than taking the elevators. Learn how to walk! 

For a short period of time from Jan 2009 to 2010 I took up Kung Fu and boxing and loved it. I eventually bought a boxing bag to practice on my own in the basement. The bottom line is to find out what you like to do and do it. Not everyone works out in the gym! Not everyone counts their calories morning and night. Be sensible and make it easy for you and the chances are you’ll stick with it. I love boxing and it helps me tremendously to get rid of negative energy and keeps me fit. You can read many benefits of boxing here.

2009 - 2010

But what else did I do? I love dancing. I danced. Every opportunity I had, I’d play music at home and just danced away. The combination of dancing, walking and healthy eating was working faster than I expected. Again, since I don’t weigh myself, I did not realize I was shrinking till I had to use a safety pin to hold my pants up. At that point I was probably a size 8 or 10.  

Xmas 2009 

Once people started realizing my shrinkage they started asking what I was doing. I told them I’m eating healthy and I’m walking it off! When I finally decided to buy new pairs of pants as all my clothes looked ridiculously too big, I picked up two pairs of pants size 8 and headed to the fitting room.  To my surprise they were too big! I double checked the size and couldn’t understand it. The fitting room attendant said “Oh honey, I’ll bring you size 4!” I was like what? I was size four!!! In the fitting room I held my own face looking at my own body and could not believe I had gone beyond what I had intended. It was exhilarating to know I had reached my goal, and I did it without diet, or gym. That has been of one my top accomplishment in my life so far.

  

Fall 2010

I was very good in track and field throughout school years. I started reading more about my favourite athletes. I was finding my way back doing things I enjoyed, cared about and was passionate about. It was motivating to read about their accomplishments and just get excited to see their accomplishments, breaking records, and reaching their goals. I have been a huge fan of the athletics as long as I can remember.I became more motivated I started adding running gradually to my routine. 

2011

I couldn’t run far, but I felt great even for that 5 minutes. I was free. The minutes were getting longer and longer. I ran my first 5K in 30 minutes. I’m planning to do more runs and have set goals for myself.

Summer 2012

I continued steadily to a size 2, but have been sitting at a stable size 4 for 1 year now.  I try to fit walking into my daily routine. The longest walk I’ve done has been 18 Km. I can complete 4.2 Km walk in 25 to 30 minutes.  I am aiming to do bigger walks and sporting events.

I hope this blog has been able to give you hope and understanding that we are able to stay healthy and fit by doing little steps. Those little steps eventually lead you to where you want to be. 

If you have loads of money to throw a personal trainer and a dietician, go for it. If you don’t have the financial means, know that you can do it with persistence and stamina. Find out what activity you enjoy and do it. The only advice I can give you is to keep moving, eat healthy, don’t deprive yourself and most importantly do things that make you happy.

...start moving

This article was posted on Facebook today: The Ultimate Guide to Fat Loss! 

Beauties in the World

I read the email invitation from the fundraising committee for Friday night, April 27, 2012. I scanned the email very quickly and these words stood out:  “Wine”, “Art”, “Craft” and “fun”. I told myself, “This is going to be fun. I’ll get to know new people and have fun.”  On the night of the “Wind and Art” party, I had a hard time deciding what to wear! After all, it was a Wine and Art Party! I was excited. When I got there, Angie, the lady of the house greeted me with open arms. I saw some of the guests in the kitchen and soon was informed that everybody was in the basement and has already started working. As I headed downstairs I realized this was not a fancy art and wine show with women walking in their expensive gowns holding their wine glasses and critiquing art!! I saw a very organized basement full of arts and crafts stuff. I saw a table with people busy at work. We got to work. Some already were painting chimineas. We were all assigned different tasks.

As the evening progressed, I was thinking quietly about these people sitting around the table on a Friday night and volunteering their time for a great cause. They were part of the fundraising committee who have been actively meeting regularly every week and for months had put their skills, abilities and connections to work to solicit donations in the community towards “WINE, DINE, & SHOWTIME” which is Sexual Assault Centre London’s yearly fundraising event.  They had volunteered their time walking door to door, asking for donations. And here they were painting, cutting, knotting, and labelling. They could be anywhere to have fun but they chose to be there to complete the task and they were doing it while having fun. 

The basement was filled with laughter, jokes, personal stories, and just pure joy. 

I truly felt honoured to be in their company. I shared some of my personal stories and how I miss my family. And a few of them together said “We are your family now”. I had teary eyes and felt so much love and affection from these people that up to that night I only had seen their names in my emails or briefly had met. I was indeed fortunate to have met everyone that night.

 I shared with them my dilemma of choosing the right outfit that night and they all started laughing. It was pretty funny, come to think of it! Soon they started teasing me about that. We shared food and more personal stories. It was a beautiful night and we got lots done while having fun. I carry my camera everywhere with me and as I was taking their pictures I knew I had to do something to recognize their work. These women don’t expect to get anything in return. They are volunteers. But I just wanted to do something for them as they deserved to get recognition for their hard work. Without them there would be no “WINE, DINE & SHOW TIME” event!

The next day, some of us met again in the afternoon to show support for the Derby girls who were raising funds for Sexual Assault Centre London (SACL). The first thing they said when they saw me was “Did you know what to wear today? We were there from 5:30 to sometime after 9:00 pm then headed out to apk live  to celebrate with the Roller Derby girls. It was another wonderful day spent with beautiful people.

 Next Friday night I was there again. The night was filled with fun, food, laughter and I was grateful that Angie had opened up her heart and her home to us, being such a gracious wonderful hostess as well as volunteering her time.
 

The event took place on May 25, 2012. Everyone was assigned a position. Here there were again but not just as guests sitting down and enjoying themselves, but rather hard at work trying to keep everything together. They did work super hard that night and I noticed how they faced challenges that came their way with grace, kindness, and professionalism. I saw them also having fun. I also witnessed moments of triumph and sense of pride when they hugged or high-fived each other. I saw eyes making connections, smiling, nodding, and expressing relief that all their hard work paid off. I have never seen a better group than SACL’s fundraising team. What they did was the impossible. They not only made it possible, they did it with sincere love and passion that is very hard and rare to find anywhere else.   

Photos by Mike Maloney/London Community 

I made a video for our volunteers to capture the importance of their work, the priceless value that they bring to SACL and to give them recognition. I would have loved to see them being recognized at the gala but the program was already full. They did get recognition at the gala when they played the video. I was so proud of them and it made me really happy to watch and hear the reaction of all the guests when they watched the video.

I also met someone else that night.  He was another volunteer who was in charge of audio/visual for our event. When I met him, he was sitting on the floor preparing balloons with the rest of the team. 

It was very easy to get along with him. He was calm, reserved, and very smart! I have to thank him here and acknowledging that without him I would not have been able to do my part! I don’t wear a watch. As stage manager you have to know what time it is to be able to follow the program. So, I was at his side constantly asking what time it was. And soon I guess he figured why I was there and started pointing to the program and the time showing where we were. I am ever grateful for my time keeper! You rocked that night and thank you!
 

Photos by Mike Maloney/London Community 

The group has met two times after the event to discuss feedback, results, and most importantly, to celebrate their success and to validate the importance of the work they do. 

Last time we were together, we shared that it wasn’t just about fundraising and donations. It was about a group of people developing such strong bond and relationship that we can call ourselves “family”.  People who worked in that group were sincere and the love was portrayed through their hard work and the success they brought to the event.  Fundraising is not an easy task. 

I personally have never been involved with fundraising. But witnessing how much work and time it requires and the amount of energy spent, I salute these volunteers and am very proud to have been part of their work for a couple of hours. I would love to and be more than happy to participate and volunteer my time with any projects or any other volunteer work that each of them may have. I would not hesitate to give them my time as they gave their time to SACL. Life goes on, people move on, but I will never forget the love you gave me and how warmly you received me. Rest assured that what you’ll get back from me is pure love, affection, gratitude and sense of humbleness. I sincerely love all of you and will keep you in my heart wherever life takes me. Gratitude. 

Photo by: Ruthless Images

Special Thank you to Sue and Linda for their great leadership and motivating the team. You are amazing and you did a wonderful job with your "Dream Team"!

You are the beauty in the world!

 The only regret that I have is not remembering to have a group photo of all of you on the night of the gala!!!