1 day

I'm here. 20 hours from now, if all goes well I should be crossing the finish line. That's right, I'm projecting 3:30, but I'll be happy just to finish.....and under 4 hours. I feel excited and nervous. I barely slept last night think about 26.2 miles. I've been perusing stories of inspiration and motivation in running magazines and thinking about my own story; how my life has changed and what a role running has played in it. Jesus. I'm starting to tear up.

Okay...get a grip.

But this IS truly emotional for me. It's been almost a year since I quit smoking, drinking, and started to run. When I put "run a marathon" on the list, I really didn't believe that it would come this soon. In this year, I've become a better person. I feel that running lead the way in that process. It has given me a new lease on life in everything and taught me how to overcome adversity. Life has presented some pretty strange and difficult challenges to me and I realize that I could've taken a very dark path but running in many ways saved my life.

It has also become one of my best friends and shown me the true beauty of my surroundings. The beautiful old houses of Ontario St, silent snowy mornings on the Red Mile in Calgary where I touched the Saddledome for good luck while my bandmates/Canucks fans slept, rediscovering all those great Ontario bands while running through the trails of Thunder Bay, feeling in the presence of God himself along the Seawall, the beautiful and challenging hills and fjords of Norway, feeling like Terry Fox on the highway from Cumberland to Courtenay, building my leg back to full strength in Las Vegas, exploring Copenhagen and Stockholm from a runner's point of view, running along side my brother in my first race (however briefly.....Go Frey!), and solving the problems of the world, well mine anyways, by putting one leg in front of the other.

I truly give thanks on this thanksgiving weekend for the ability to run and for all the wonderful support from my friends and family.

2 days

This was shaping up to be a frustrating week. I layed off one week since I felt the pain in my calf, so basically Wednesday to Tuesday and then went for a short run from Granville to Oak and back. Not bad. I could feel my calf a tiny bit, but I think it had kind of healed. So, the next day I decided to go out for 20 minutes or so. Got about 10 minutes into it and got the f#$#ng side stitches again. Ok....don't panic.....you didn't eat much today.....no gatorade or water or anything......it's probably just food.

SO...

Today was the true test. It was to be my last run before Sunday. First I needed to fuel, so I walked down to my little indian restaurant (i thought veggies and basmati rice would be a good carb up). On the WALK down, I could feel the side stitches. Jesus. I ate up and then went home and put on my duds and hit the street.

Nothing for about 10 minutes then my RIGHT side started acting up which was strange, it's usually my left. I switched up the breathing and after 15 more minutes, I was running injury free. Bring it on Victoria, I'm coming for ya.

9 days

It's 9 days till the marathon and I'm injured....let's back up a bit.

After coming back from Europe things got busy. The usual September student organizing as well as the wedding season still alive made things a bit hectic. I managed to get out a little but I was definitely feeling a bit unprepared for a marathon. And in the short runs I was doing as of a couple weeks ago I was getting the side stitches again. My self diagnosis was that I was a bit out of shape (4 or 5 days between runs) and my eating was a bit infrequent. I decided that I would do a couple short runs and make sure that I was properly carbing up. SO, last Thursday I went for a shorty (40 min), then a medium (1 hour 20 min) on Friday, and on Sunday which is exactly 2 weeks before the marathon and knew that this would be the last long run I was allowed before the marathon and I would begin my taper the next day, I went for "The BIg One". It was a 3+ hour haul, probably about 21 miles (all the literature told me that 23 miles should be the longest one before the marathon). In coming around the final stretch, I felt a pain in my right calf not unlike the injury I suffered before Christmas last year. I walked in, not because of the injury, but to cool down and thought it was interesting that my calf started to hurt at the very end of the run.

SO...

On Wednesday, the intention was to do a very short (30 min) run and after about 15 min I got that biting pain in the calf and I stopped immediately and walked it in. When this happened last year, it took 10 days of recovery and a new pair of shoes. At that point, I was using pronating shoes when I was in fact a neutral runner. Perhaps that forever injured me. It doesn't matter I guess. I just simply have to take it easy between now and next week and still keep the cardio UP! Biking and swimming are gonna be the life savers this week and I'll hold off any running until Wednesday I'm thinking. Maybe a 5 minuter on Tuesday, then 10 to 15 on and Wednesday and Thursday and 30 minutes on Friday. That's the plan....for now.

Side stitches, technology, and learning how to breathe

So for the past couple of months I've been having a little bit of pain in my upper right abdominal when I run sometimes. Since the half marathon it's become more frequent and so I decided that 1:47 was a job well done and I could frankly allow for some time off and recover. So after about a week off I went out the other day. After about 6 blocks, it was if someone stuck a dagger into my side. I walked back home and had thoughts of ulcers and tumours running through my head. When I got home, I googled "running and abdominal pain". I came across a fascinating sports medicine site that described what's commonly known as "side stiches".

http://www.sportsinjurybulletin.com/archive/side-stitches.html

It described all of my symptoms and the solution seemed too easy to be true. Exhale on your left foot instead of the dominant right. If you're a regular reader of my blogs, you've probably come across my "Cause and Effect" rant. I was determined to prove this stupid solution wrong, so I put my shoes back on and went out again. I came back 2 and a half hours later. It was incredible. No pain at all, except for when I switched back to breathing on my right.

If any of you runners suffer from side stitches or any of the other symptoms, read that article and start breathing correctly!!!!!!!

I'm now back to my old self. 30 - 40 miles a week and focused on the Victoria marathon now in October.

Scotiabank Half Marathon

My first race!

So the night before I had a gig and it was almost two gigs (including the graveyard shift at the yale 12:30 - 3:00). So I got home at 1:00 and was promptly up at 4:30....ugh. I didn't carb load that much the night before, but in the morning I managed to have a bagel with peanut butter, a banana loaf, and a protein bar along with a steady stream of gatorade and water. So much of this sport is eating.

My brother did the race with me and before it began he asked me if I had any predictions. I said that I'd be happy with 2 hours or less. Well I ended up with 1:47, putting me 524th out of 4000; so needless to say, I was pretty proud. Lee ended up with 1:29, putting him 81st overall. What a freak.

Never being in a race before, I didn't know what to expect. The coolest thing happened after the gun went. Everybody was totally silent, except the sound of shoes on pavement. 4000 pairs. What a crazy sound!

So next up is the Victoria Marathon. 26.2 miles. This race put that number into perspective a little. I feel confident I can do it, but I've got a lot of training over the next 16 weeks.

Thunder Bay

Never running in Ontario before, I was excited to see what Thunder Bay could offer a runner. Earlier that day I visited the local Starbucks/Chapters/Wal-Mart/Future Shop/Warehouse One etc. (you know the strip mall, it's the same one right across the country) and noticed that although friendly, the good people of Thunder Bay didn't seem exactly health concious if you know what I mean. So when I asked the front desk girl at the hotel (who clearly wasn't a runner either....not that there's anything wrong with that) if there was anywhere "cool to run", I was surprised to hear that there was some designated trails and paths close by. It was actually a pretty nice little path cut through some typical 60's style houses that reminded me of my old neighbourhood in Calgary a lot. About halfway through I suddenly got a real "sense" of Ontario. The vegetation, the landscapes, the look...I felt a lot closer to some of the music that I loved from Ontario: Rush, the Tragically Hip, Neil Young, etc. I don't know if that was the endorphins from runner's high or the music in the ipod, but I was moved.

Speaking of ipod, still looking for a decent set of headphones for running. I just bought some digital maxell ear buds, but they keep falling out of my ears. Think I'm gonna have to go for the wrap arounds.

Ipod

I recently bought an ipod. I have been resisting running with music until I can run with ALL of my music. I've been holding off buying an ipod until I can buy the big ass 60 GB that would accomodate my collection. So on Sunday I went for my first run with music. Seems odd doesn't it that someone who's so into running and so into music hadn't found a way to put this peanut butter and chocolate together earlier. Anyways....it has changed everything. Life is different now. Runs were already reflective and epic, but now there is a completely new dimension. So awesome. Here's the first Running Mix:


Running Mix 1:

And You and I.........Yes
I Can See For Miles......The Who
The Kids are Alright.....The Who
Two Hearts Beat as One........U2
Giftshop......The Tragically Hip
Sowing the Seeds of Love.......Tears for Fears
Mother Nature's Son.....Sheryl Crow
People of the Sun.......Rage against the Machine
Fake Plastic Trees......Radiohead
Mull of Kintyre......Wings
B-Boy Stance.....K-os
Take Me Out.......Franz Ferdinand
Badge.......Cream
B Boys Makin' WIth the Freak Freak.....Beastie Boys
Custard Pie.......Led Zeppelin
Everybody's Got Something to Hide Except Me and My Monkey.......The Beatles
Head over Heels......Tears for Fears
I'm Not Down......The Clash
Immigrant Song.....Led Zeppelin
In My Place.....Coldplay
It's a Long Way to the Top If You Wanna Rock and Roll.....AC/DC
Lilac Wine.....Jeff Buckley
Lucky Man......The Verve
On the Horizon.....Sloan
One Thing....Amerie
Stay Together For the Kids......Blink 182
The Dark of the Matinee......Franz Ferdinand
The Righteous and the Wicked.......Red Hot Chili Peppers
The Scientist......Coldplay
We Can Work it Out.....The Beatles

Running Mix 2:

'It's A Good Life If You Don't Weaken' The Tragically Hip
I've Seen All Good People Yes
And The Cradle Will Rock... Van Halen
Mean Street Van Halen
Trip Through Your Wires U2
Something On The Tragically Hip
If It Feels Good Do It Sloan
Let Down Radiohead
What A Life Juliana Hatfield
Manic Depression Jimi Hendrix
Mojo Pin Jeff Buckley
Is There Something I Should Know Duran Duran
Straight To Hell The Clash
Preaching The End Of The World Chris Cornell
I Bombed Korea Cake
The Distance Cake
Race Car Ya-Yas Cake
Getting Better The Beatles
Lady Madonna The Beatles
Two Of Us The Beatles
I've Got A Feeling The Beatles
Invisible Ink Aimee Mann
Black Market Weather Report
Aja Steely Dan
Run To The Hills Iron Maiden
The Marquee and the Moon Sloan
Delivering Maybes Sloan
Rock The Casbah The Clash
Little Guitars Van Halen
GZ And Hustlas Snoop Dogg
Fight The Power Public Enemy
Float On Modest Mouse
Thugs The Tragically Hip
Inevitability Of Death The Tragically Hip
Titanic Terrarium The Tragically Hip
Impossibilium The Tragically Hip
Super Disco Breakin' The Beastie Boys
The Scoop The Beastie Boys
All Apologies Nirvana
Brain Stew Green Day
The Sound of Settling Death Cab For Cutie
B-Boy Stance k-os
Grindin' Clipse
Tom Sawyer Rush
My Music At Work The Tragically Hip
Money City Maniacs Sloan
In Bloom Nirvana
War Pigs/Luke's Wall Black Sabbath
Looking Down The Barrel Of A Gun The Beastie Boys
Always On The Run Lenny Kravitz
Poses Rufus Wainwright
Pretty Penny Stone Temple Pilots
Fight The Tragically Hip
Saturn Stevie Wonder
Doing It To Death James Brown
Perk Seamus Blake
Square Dance Eminem
The Enemies Of Energy Kurt Rosenwinkel
Transatlanticism Death Cab For Cutie
Lets Stay Engaged The Tragically Hip
Some Days Are Better Than Others U2
Numb U2

The tempos were weird at first, but then I started playing a game of polyrhythms against my running tempo (GEEK!!!!).