Jared's TnT Fundraising

Donate Now For a 2010 Tax Cut

Jared — Mon, 06 Dec 2010 19:02:08 +0000

If you’re like me, you may be looking at ways that you can cut your 2010 tax bill right now while still doing some good. Well, donating to the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society through my fundraising account can do just that. Because LLS is a certified 501(c)(3) non-profit, you can deduct the amount that you donate from your taxable income. That means if you’re in the 30% tax bracket, a donation of $100 can save you $30 on your tax bill. Not bad! You get to help out a worthy non-profit, support me in my training, and get a tax break.

I’m no accountant so you probably want to check with the IRS but most people will qualify as long as you itemize your deductions. You can read more about Tax Deductions for Charitable Donations.

With all this good knowledge you now have and these free resources that I’ve spent hours digging up for you, what are you waiting for? I know, I know, a $100 isn’t that much so feel free to donate more and get an even bigger tax deduction. Get your 2010 tax bill reduced before it’s too late.

Thank you!
Jared

First Swim Training In A Year

Jared — Tue, 30 Nov 2010 18:25:26 +0000

I had my first swim training in a year last week and I have to say, it was a lot better than what I thought it was going to be. Coach Anne put together a 1,800 yard workout for me that she had done the day before and I was off. I was still sore from a boot camp workout on Monday so I swapped out the recommended butterfly for some back stroke.

Everything felt good but I ended up swallowing a fair amount of water. Guess I need to fine tune my breathing. Even though my whole body was sore just about the whole time, I felt like I kept a pretty good pace and I felt like I got a great workout after.

It’s amazing how your body remembers something like swimming where you can jump back into it so quickly. Muscle memorization is definitely my friend after taking so much time off. Training seems to be going along pretty well now so I just have to focus on the fundraising now! Anyone want to help out? =)

Jared

Over-Icing Leads to Frostbite

Jared — Wed, 24 Nov 2010 05:34:17 +0000

Well, I did something stupid today. My knee hurt so I pulled out an ice pack and I iced it like I’ve done hundreds of times before. I even thought of how some people have received frost bite from icing their legs (even getting black skin that peeled off) so I made sure to only do it for 15 minutes.

When I pulled off the ice pack I immediately knew something was wrong because I had white spots around my knee and on touching them I could feel that they were spots that were frozen solid. I did start freaking out so I warmed up my leg with my hands and after the skin, put the heating pad on it, then thought it might be okay. I stood up to go make some food and noticed that my knee was now swollen. I then noticed my knee was getting swollen where it was frozen.

I talked to Dr. Holli, my girlfriend and doctor, and she said to get in a warm bath. That’s when my leg looked the worst! In addition to the swelling it was looking purple. Prognosis from Holli is that it looks like second degree frostbite.

Now 3 hours later my leg feels pretty good and the swelling is down but it looks like I have a bad birth mark. The doc says it may turn purple or black over the next 2 weeks, which I’m not too excited for. Hopefully it won’t ’cause that could turn out to be really bad.

Lessons learned

Always put something between your leg and the ice
Ice packs might be a lot colder for longer than just ice in a plastic baggie
I probably don’t need to ice past the point of going numb
Frostbite isn’t funny…

All I have to say is be careful and maybe I shouldn’t do ice baths either!

Jared

First Training Run

Jared — Wed, 24 Nov 2010 03:58:55 +0000

It’s been awhile since I have run. In fact it’s been multiple months and many pounds ago since I’ve ran but yesterday I laced up my shoes for a run in downtown Detroit last night. I ran down Woodward, past Campus Martius where they were getting ready for the tree lighting ceremony, down past Hart Plaza to the River Walk. It was cold, windy, and my legs felt like I hadn’t used them in months (imagine that). I could feel my heart rate climbing quickly but it felt great.

Even though it was really slow, I felt the beginning’s of that runner’s high I get on really great runs. I felt that competitive edge I feel when I really start running well. I felt that another 4 weeks or so of running and I’m going to be running pretty well.

All in all it was good to get out and get going. I’m excited about training for St. Anthony’s triathlon with Team in Training and for raising money for LLS.

Jared