The soup du jour

Dear Family and Friends,

I hope this finds you well.

As you know I am training for the Ironman Lake Placid on Sunday, July 25, 2010; and this year, I’ve set my sights high as I aim to raise $10,000 for Gilda’s Club Rochester, a free-of-charge, nonprofit support community that strives to ensure that all people touched by cancer are empowered by knowledge, strengthened by action and sustained by community.

I’ve been an active volunteer at Gilda’s club since 2008 when I served as a trainer for the Gilda’s Gang Marathon Training Program – a 16-week marathon training program, which provides cancer survivors and community members a chance to learn how to live a healthy lifestyle while training to walk/run the Rochester marathon.

Training for a triathlon is physically, mentally and emotionally challenging, but it pales in comparison to the challenges faced every day by people living with cancer in our community. They are the true warriors; their desire to fight and live is truly inspiring.

Thus, I’m asking you to consider making a tax-deductible donation in support Gilda’s Club’s nearly 2,000 members and volunteers living with cancer. No gift is too large, or too small ($10.00), and every gift matters!

For more information and to make a donation, please visit

https://www.kintera.org/faf/donorreg/donorpledge.asp?ievent=322488&supID=190154246

This year, I’m swimming, biking and running in memory of my mother.
Your generosity will help ensure that no one has to face cancer alone.

Thanks in advance for your support.

All my best,
Alex Tong

P.S. Please feel free to pass this along!

For the first time in months, I am writing a post.

Wow it’s been a month since the last time I updated this site. I have no excuse, other than I am just simply lazy. The goods news for the month is I closed my townhouse last Friday. I spent my entire weekend working on it. Hopefully by the end of the month I will have all new floors install in the new home.

Oh I also finished the Chicago marathon couple weeks ago, I am not going to get into too much detail, all I can say is my result was quite embarrassing. Oh well, I am not too upset about it since I have a much bigger fish to fried next July.

Stay tune for the new home pictures

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Things been a bit crazy the past few weeks, the latest big news is I am buying a townhouse in Brighton off of French Rd; my closing date is on Oct 16th.

Chicago marathon training is a complete mess, I was planning on setting a new PR, but with all the things happened the past few weeks, I think just finishing it will be sufficient.
Especially now that I know I am doing ironman again next summer, Chicago suddenly become very insignificant.

Work had been very busy lately, but busy is good, because busy means job security. I am also taking on some new responsibility; it forces me to step outside of my comfort zone a bit to see how much more I can learn and grow. ???????? ????????? ????

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First these are not walker friendly shoes, and if you are a heavy heel striker and don’t plan on changing that style of running, these shoes
are not for you.

The first time I ran in the newton, I only did 2 miles. Afterwards my lower legs and calves were pretty much in pain for the next 3 days, main reason
being that was the first 2 miles in my life that I strike on my midfoot to forefoot area, my calve muscle were just not in shape for that kinda workout.

Anyway I took my time, slowly working at it and let my lower leg muscles to adapt to the shoes, and the new form of forefoot running. I am happy to say I was able to run 10 miles in them this morning.

I am not going to say these shoes with make you a faster runner, but it has definitely help me lighten up my strides, and I feel more efficient in my running. While my 10 mile time was pretty much same as the past 5 years, but I feel that I used 25% less energy due to forefoot striking.

To justify the 175.00 cost, most people say Newton will last a couple hundred miles more than normal shoes, I can see that statement being true, only if you are using it the way it meant to be use (Forefoot striking) But if you land on your heels a lot, you will trash these shoes pretty quick, since the heel part of the shoe are pretty soft.

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