Joshua Wang

Rome Marathon Update Updates are still pending. Perhaps I'm just waiting for the perfect time to write an epic post about an epic trip. Nevertheless, the entire experience from Rome remains burned in my mind and heart. In the meantime, for those of you who have me on facebook , I have photos uploaded. I even took the camera along the race, snapping photos along my run! Here's a photo from a friend's album snapped of me (above). Qualifying for Boston As I crossed the finish line in Rome (at 4:24), I was in excruciating pain, muttering to myself, "never again!" After 3 ice baths and the runner's high kicking in, I lay on my bed the next day craving more . In fact, I could not sleep from all the excitement. Upon my arrival in Toronto, I immediately looked for opportunities to run. An opportunity opened up to be a Pace Rabbit for the Toronto GoodLife Marathon (I'll be the 4:30 Pace Rabbit). I have paced a Half Marathon (2:30 Rabbit), but I was just getti...

Hey friends! I'm back from Rome and had a great experience! I will be updating my blog in the next few days with some post-marathon reflections. At present, I'm catching up with some school work. Stay tuned! Josh

I came, I saw, I conquered! Those were the words that ended our Inspirational Dinner tonight. After the talk, we had our pasta dinner, which was our opportunity to carb load for our race tomorrow. But let me back up a bit :) This morning, I was supposed to meet some other people at 9am to go for a run. I arrived at 9:10am, later finding out they left at 9:05am :P I ended up grabbing some water and fuel and went for an adventure. This morning's adventure lasted a couple hours and involved wandering around Rome, seeing the Colosseum, the ancient ruins, and the National Museum. As I mentioned, I'll upload the photos when I have better access to Wi-Fi (currently limited on downloads and time). However, here are two photos that I picked up: The first one (top) is of the Colosseum, with the Arch in the background, and the second one (bottom) is a shot of the ruins. I feel fairly ready for tomorrow. Adequate energy levels, injuries under management, and excited for the big day! I'...

** Note : Apparently Internet at this hotel either costs $$ or has limited / sporadic service in the lobby. So while I'll try to keep this updated, content will be limited based on time. I'll upload photos on facebook when I have access to more reliable Internet. The flight from Amsterdam to Rome was 2 hours. Most of us barely had any sleep - perhaps an hour at most on our 8 hour flight from Toronto. However, en route to Rome, we passed over the Swiss Alps. This was an absolutely breathtaking sight. Unfortunately, the picture does not do it justice. Upon arriving in Rome, we dragged our tired bodies to the hotel, desperately hoping for some sleep - even a quick nap. My tired body definitely needed it. But we were in Rome! In Italy! Our minds were deceiving our tired bodies. So we decided to see the Expo. While we already had our race packets delivered to us at the hotel, we made the trip via the Metro to visit the expo. And wow ... I'll let facebook do the talking, since e...

I just arrived in Amsterdam after a most amazing flight on KLM! Despite being in a squishy area, I had an aisle seat and had ample opportunity to walk around. The food was delicious - the best airplane food I've had! The pasta, salad, ...., they even served complimentary wine (I had the merlot). The picture above is with one of our mentors, Kathy . We just arrived at our gate in Amsterdam, having tried to get some sleep, but managing to get almost an hour of sleep? I'm in the Netherlands ! I'm incredibly excited to be here and the airport is so cool! I didn't have my camera handy, so the webcam photos will have to suffice for now. The photo below is Nasim with her cup of coffee. While it smelled delicious, that medium-sized cup cost $5 USD ... and I'm off coffee for the next while :)

Sitting in Terminal 3, excited for my flight to Amsterdam. I'll be arriving around 8am (i.e. 2am in Toronto) and will arrive in Rome around 11am (5am Toronto). Some captions that come to mind when I see that picture: "Rome! SWEEET!" "Amsterdam! Europe! Rome! :D :D :D" "Gahh! Thesis!" ... yes, my wonderful "friend" will be joining me along for the trip. Thank you all once again for your incredible support, encouragement, prayers, and smiles =)

Hey friends Thank you so much for your support so far, be it through your encouragements and/or donations. To-date, I've raised $3,789 and have received donations from 80 sponsors! With your help, I've reached 63% of my big fundraising goal of $6,000! If you were planning on donating, it's still not too late! You can donate online here and follow my blog here . Here are some updates: 1. I leave for Rome this Thursday, March 17! My flight departs at 6:45pm from Terminal 3. I am incredibly excited! 2. My first marathon will be this Sunday, March 20. The marathon starts and finishes at the Coliseum! I feel like a Gladiator! I've never run 42.2 km before. While the distance is a bit daunting, I've done my best to prepare. 3. I have a bit of time for sight-seeing and photos. If you've donated or supported my cause in any way, I would love to send you a postcard as a small token of appreciation. Please send me your address by this Wednesday, 5pm, if you would like a ...

My next (and final) fundraising milestone is $6,000 - due Feb 11 (this Friday). This post is a quick entry on my journey so far. Where I came from I started off with no donations, having never raised so much money before. The idea of raising $6,000 frankly scared me. I remember the feeling when I got my first donation - I was ecstatic! Even still, every donation does a lot to encourage me in my fight against blood cancer. And in terms of running, I have been running for fun the past few years and have done a few half marathons. However, this is my first full marathon and the first race where I'm using (and need to use) a training plan. 42.2km - respect the distance =) Where I am I'm currently sitting at my dining table at home typing this blog post =) I'm now at $2,814 (47% of my goal) ... I'm blown away! And not only gracious donors, but I've had some great friends who have volunteered their time to help me organize different initiatives to help raise money. Some o...

Lymphatic Volcanoes During CCF on Friday night, a friend came up to me, told me to turn to the side, and pointed at my pimply neck. She noted that I needed more sleep and that I had a lymph node around that area. I ended up sleeping in the afternoon today, and to my pleasant surprise, the volcanoes have become dormant. Sleep is helpful for recovery, be it for muscle, mind, and even skin! Long Run I was supposed to go running Saturday morning. Upon waking up at 6am, I felt fairly sick with a sore throat. Recalling my need of sleep, I decided to skip the group run with Team in Training and get some more sleep. To my delight, I woke up feeling much more refreshed. It has been a busy week. I was supposed to run 27km on Saturday with the Team. I ended up running much shorter distances to ease myself back into training. After helping out with the Iron Dragons tryout, I went running with Andy - around 45 min at an easy pace around the AC track. This morning (Sunday) I woke up feeling a bit so...

Here's a quick post before I head off to the CCF office. I went to the running room today and bought a fuel belt. Yes, I gave in. Running in my environmentally friendly canteen simply didn't cut it. The bottle's weight over the course of a few hours really adds up. The main reason, however, is the bottle is made of metal. And holding a metal bottle in this weather ... is not fun. I picked it up at the Running Room. At first I got a size Large. After running with it, I realized that it was too big. So after my meeting with some friends from CCF (who are helping me out with this super cool initiative ... its tentative name being Photos for a Purpose ... more details in a future post), I returned to the Running Room. They graciously understood my predicament and switched the belt with a Medium size. On my way out, one of the Running Room staff says "I don't run with that thing". I was a little taken aback, since I thought he would be trying to sell it to me. (I...

Hey friends! Thank you so much for your support! I recently had a Tag Day this past Saturday at the LCBO. The donations from the Tag Day + the recent donations from friends bring me to 42% of my goal - that's $2,500 raised to date! Only $3,500 left! Haha =) Life on the Edge =) Okay, back to work! Smile with Lots of Love, Josh

I just got home after CCF's Social Justice Coffeehouse and I'm excited for my first Tag Day tomorrow at the LCBO! I'll be outside to help raise funds to fight blood cancer. It's definitely chilly, with tomorrow's forecast ranging between -16 C and -9 C! But, it's for a good cause. If you look carefully, I'm also sporting a new hairstyle! Comb-overs are the way of the future! =) Smile and L.O.L. ( lots of love ) --Josh

Hey there! I'm training for the Rome Marathon to raise funds for cancer. One of the things I'm doing is trading service for donations. If you're interested, you can contact me directly at joshuahy.wang@gmail.com. Interested in helping out by donating your time? Contact me too! Here's a preliminary list - let me know if you have any other ideas! Knitting a Scarf: Suggested Donation $100 / scarf Yes, I can knit :) This picture is me knitting in Port Authority (NYC) en route back to Toronto from Washington, D.C. The final product is shown in the picture above. Personal Training: Suggested Donation $50 / hour I am passionate about fitness and helping people reach their goals. While I'm not certified, I have some experience in fitness and coaching. Personal Chef: Suggested Donation $50 / person Yes, I'll cook for you :) While not a professional, I love cooking and Tour Guide: Suggested Donation $50 / hour The options here are endless. Running tours to explore our l...

Photo credits: Kenneth Leung, UTCCF Winter Retreat Looking Up Looking back at my facebook photos, I found this picture, which captures how I am feeling at present. I'm tired. Sick. In pain. Desperate. And needing to look up. Needing to look to Jesus instead of myself or those around me. Yesterday's Lethargic Run at the AC I went to the AC yesterday to do some running and light weights. I quickly realized how weak I have become, likely due to the combined effect of my sickness and lack of energy recently. I was quite tired and was passed several times by New Dragons athletes, other runners, girls (!), and a speed walker! I would break into coughs after a few laps and my body would be quickly tired. No excuses I am usually not one to make excuses and have the reputation of pushing myself beyond my limits, often beyond what is good for me. In this case, this was the best I could manage in my given state of health. I thought about my sponsors who believe in me. About the people wh...

Yesterday, I went running with TNT (Team in Training). We were scheduled to run 23km (Saturdays are "long run" days). I ended up running only 5km, having to turn back partway due to my coughing fits. My coaches said I get an A for effort! I went to GTS (Group Training Session) knowing that I was already sick and would likely have trouble finishing the entire course. I even bought a pack of triple strength Halls before the run. I give credit to these Halls for helping me get through 5km. So, knowing this already, why did I go run? Am I crazy? "Josh, don't you know that your health is more important?" The word that comes to mind is Nevertheless . One of my favorite characters in the Bible is David, a warrior and a king. There are several instances that would describe his issues or challenging situations. This would be followed by something like, "nevertheless, David ..." [insert super-awesome-epic feat]. My health is important. That is why I turned back....

Just got back from Hong Kong / Beijing! The photo above is taken in the Water Cube in the Beijing Olympic Park. They have this really cool water slide that has a steep drop and a crazy loop (the red slide) Anyways, the fun 's over and more "fun" is about to begin. With $4,000+ to fundraise in less than a month and a 20+ km run tomorrow, I'll be playing Catch Up! More updates to follow soon!

Hey friends, Welcome to my blog. As you may know, I am training for the Rome Marathon to raise funds for blood cancer research and patient services. Here's a sample of how your dollars will be used to help those battling blood cancers: A donation of $25 provides patients and their loved ones with FREE booklets that contain up-to-date information on their disease and help them make informed decisions about their treatment options. A donation of $50 makes possible a Family Support group with a trained facilitator where comfort can be found and experiences can be shared among patients and family members. A donation of $100 helps supply laboratory researchers with supplies and materials critical to carrying out their search for cures. A donation of $1,000 makes possible one-on-one conversations with health care specialists who provide patients with information about their disease, treatment options, and helps prepare them with questions for their health care team. But ... does my m...

Thursday, Dec 23, 2010: Wow ... I made the 1st milestone: $1,500! I am so excited! I'm confirmed for Rome! "Just" $4500 left :) Tuesday, Dec 21, 2010: It's been a week since my last update. Just did some cross training this morning and will run later today (7k Easy). Still need to work on fundraising if I'm going to make it to Rome. Another option is to run the Around the Bay 30K race, which has a lower fundraising requirement, but will still need some work. Tuesday, Dec 14, 2010: Updated photo - group photo from Group Training Session before our 12k long run. Enjoyed my much needed rest days. Time for a new week to begin. Today is a 6 km easy run =) Looking forward to it! Saturday, Dec 11, 2010: Had a great run today! Today's run was the 12km long run. I paced with Alan, who could have ran much faster. I'm grateful for the running buddy. Now I need to make sure I do all my training during the week so I don't slow him down on Saturday. Oh! And today...

Here's a moving story sent to me from a friend: Three years ago, a little boy and his grandmother came to see Santa at Mayfair Mall in Wisconsin . The child climbed up on his lap, holding a picture of a little girl. "Who is this?" asked Santa, smiling, "Your friend? Your sister?" "Yes, Santa," he replied. "My sister, Sarah, who is very sick," he said sadly. Santa glanced over at the grandmother who was waiting nearby, and saw her dabbing her eyes with a tissue. "She wanted to come with me to see you, oh, so very much, Santa!" the child exclaimed. "She misses you," he added softly. Santa tried to be cheerful and encouraged a smile to the boy's face, asking him what he wanted Santa to bring him for Christmas. When they finished their visit, the Grandmother came over to help the child off his lap, and started to say something to Santa, but halted. "What is it?" Santa asked warmly. "Well, I know it's rea...

Hey friends! For those who are new to my blog, welcome! My blog chronicles the journeys I've been having and the exploits along the way. I'll share some of my adventures from two of my recent journeys: Train for the Rome Marathon to raise money for blood cancer research and patient services. You can donate here . Living a Coffee-Free Life Journey to Rome I started off on this journey with a love for running, an excitement for travel (Rome!), and a desire to run for a cause bigger than my own. As I have continued to train, I am amazed by the stories I hear of people who have lost loved ones to cancer, friends who are fighting the good fight, and stories of survivors, who are the real heroes of this fight. As the cause becomes closer to home, I've been motivated to train harder and to do the things that my body doesn't always want to do. I realize that there are others who have it far worse than I. And the fight I fight pales in comparison to the fight many fight with can...