Rest and Recovery Jarvis

Post Race Recovery – Scheduled: Post Surgery Rest
Actual – Post Surgery Rest
One week ago today I had some surgery on my wing…needles to say, it is hard to type! I have been limited to my couch but the time spent on it has given me time to recover and reflect on this great experience over the past few months.



I met many people during the marathon who were running for various great causes and ours was no different. Supporting program delivery costs; programs such as the “Ready, Willing and Able” program delivered by ParaSport Ontario to get inactive and newly injured people engaged in sport; or to help ensure that the Canadian Paralympic Team going to London in 2012 has all the resources required for the athletes to perform at their very best in striving for excellence and reaching the podium was our cause. I thank you again for all your support and remember, if you haven’t yet donated we are keeping the page live for a few more days so you can do so by clicking on the "Donate Now" button on the upper right side of the blog.

April 18: Race Day, the 115th running of the oldest annual marathon in the world, the Boston Marathon

“Never again...and this time I mean it!” Those were the first words when I found Lisa, my ‘road crew’, in the family and friends meeting area. My legs were numb, my feet hurt, I pretty much felt spent yet looking around, I seemed to be doing rather well. I’d finished and didn’t need a wheelchair or medical attention; I was still standing! Seemed I’d survived the ordeal, one that seemed like such a great idea 16 weeks ago but what my body was telling me now was a whole lot of self-inflicted pain!

It was nearly 2pm April 18 and there we stood in downtown Boston: was it really over? It had been a long day that had started nine hours earlier across the river in Cambridge, home of Harvard University. It seems that Boston is really two marathons: the pre-race tribulations and then the actual run. Strangely enough, the run was significantly shorter in duration. Also strangely enough, or perhaps not strangely considering the challenge of a marathon, the only thing that had more ups and downs than this course were my emotions for the day.

Rather early on Monday, I didn’t need an alarm for 05h00 a.m. as the doors closing in the hallway signalled that runners were up and heading down for breakfast. By 05h30, I was down in the lobby fuelling myself for the race; some eggs, porridge with yogurt, toast and P.B. with banana, all washed down with water and half cup of coffee. We piled into the car with my pre-packed race day bag and across into city, the only saving grace about the time of day being there were very few of the kamikaze taxi drivers on the road. (Really liked Boston and will return for visit recognizing the worse aspects we experienced were the obnoxious drivers and horrible roads.)

6am...smiling before the lines begin

Line to catch the bus

By 6h00, I was dropped off at Boston Common and merging with the long lines of runners queuing for the fleet of school buses that would deliver us to Hopkinton, the start of the race. The wind was brisk and decidedly chilly, despite the layers I had on, and even though a well practiced system, it did take a cold 30 minutes to get on to a bus. Grateful for the warmth, I settled into the seat and was joined by Dimitri, a twenty something Belorussian from Washington looking to run around 3 hours. We shared training stories that passed the time but the 45 minute journey and distraction of conversation did little to assuage the trepidation of distance: dang, 26 miles, or if you prefer, 42 km, is a long way in a school bus, let alone on foot!

We were conveniently disgorged from the bus in a school parking lot, a lot thoroughly enhanced by the presence of numerous ‘port-a-potties’. As much as I had no desire to get into another line, the practical implications of hydrating won the day and there I was standing in line for another 20 minutes. Off to the athlete’s village behind the school, I soon came to realize I needed to find a sheltered spot as the massive marquee, simply a canvas roof, afforded little if any protection from the wind whistling over the groups huddled under blankets or lined up for bagels, bananas and Gatorade. I retreated to the south side of school and squeezed in between others leaning against the school wall and absorbing what heat we could from the sun, like old lizards who found themselves out too early in the morning to warm their blood to a comfortable level. Pulling on the extra shirts I’d brought and tucking my sweat pants into the top of my socks, I quelled my shivering and started eating again – couple of hard boiled eggs, an energy bar and some liquids. At least I wouldn’t go hungry!

Race village

A day of lines

Staying warm before the race

After chatting to my “neighbours”, all three close to me happened to be other Canadians, I settled in with my thoughts and reflections. Training in all kinds of weather and conditions in at least a dozen different cities in six countries on three continents and it came down to this day, a breezy but soon to be warm spring day in New England. Although the same course for all of us, each journey along that road would be unique for the one travelling it; shared experiences but distinctive perspectives: I was to be just one of the 27,000 plus stories and reasons for running this exact marathon on this particular day. Of course at the time, sitting their freezing, I was far less philosophical and simply wondered if indeed I’d ‘gone off the twist’?!

At 9h00 I stood up and did the last ministrations: sorted shirt after putting on ‘nip guards’ (if you don’t know, don’t ask), realized I’d forgotten sunscreen, removed sweats, put on shades, packed up extra gear into bag to leave on bus hauling ear back to city and tied up shoes with double knot, just in case.

Another line-up or two and then at 9h20, walked the km or so to the start with the other 9000 runners in the “first wave”. It felt good just to get moving to warm up. Although the run 42.2 km in length, just over 26 miles, and with moments on that road that seemed interminable, the race also passed by in a blur....

...last minute advice from veteran of race ...”go slow at start, save legs on the downhill”...runners pulling off extra clothes...nervous chatter all around...American anthem, crowd surges forward, huge cheer and we’re off...over 3 minutes to get to start line....that is definitely a downhill....going too fast a pace, slow down....two miles in, it’s warm, pull off long-sleeve shirt and throw away...too fast still....3 miles and less than 22 minutes, should be around 23 minutes or even 26 if I listened to veteran...is that a group of bikers sitting on fence, dozens of them...high fiving little kids...quaint countryside, small town USA...road packed with runners, stretching ahead into the distance...slow down, you won’t last...wow, 10km and feeling good, this could be a great race if I don’t blow up...still lots of downhill, quick pace...take in some water, grab an orange slice from little kid holding it out as an offering...chat with a couple runners about projected times....way too fast...20km and going steady...feet start to hurt (what? I never get blisters)...what’s with the socks...half way and I think I’m faster than I was in Chicago in ’09 when ran a 3hr12min....whoa, this is fast...committed now, go for it and see how long I can hold on...did I just drop my gel?...hey Jarvis, you in for a 3hr10min time, stick with us guys from Minnesota...fun group, solid pacer...hang in...no, too fast lads, take her home, I gotta slow...25km and legs feeling dead...Newton hills ahead...get to gel station for energy boost...made 30km but now I’m bargaining with myself....walk, take it easy – no, I trained for this....guy collapsed on ground, is that blood on his forehead?...crowd yelling my name all the time, a ‘Go Jarvis’ chant starts...was putting my name on shirt such a good idea?!... kiss on the cheek of physics major as laugh, best sign among Wellesley college girls lining course...wow, are they loud...hill doesn’t look as steep as it feels...are those cheerleaders...good lord my quads are toast...second part to heartbreak hill or what?!...now it’s serious bargaining; mile water station to mile water station for fluids and short walk...was that a giant mouse that just passed me...oh my, downhill hurts even worst...just get to next mile marker...guy screaming at me that “I look great, you got this man” and I’m thinking, let me be...keep ticking off mile markers...is that only 24 miles... walk it in if you have to, what do you have to prove....no, run a little bit, just don’t repeat 2000 and destroy yourself...Fenway, bet ya’ it’s more fun at the ball game...an underpass, you kidding...walk of shame for a minute, need to find strength in legs...turn corner to finish line....looks so far...one step at a time...casualties everywhere, runners seizing up so close to end...oblivious...there, the line...whew, finally done....fluids, space blanket, finishers medal, lunch bag, snacks and handouts, gear at luggage bus...a day of line-ups!!

Post race refueling station

What a day, I vacillated between “this is amazing” to “I’m losing the will to live”. All-in-all a 3h23min run not so bad on that course when my target time was 3:20. Of course, I wish I had been done at the 30km mark as the last several km became all about survival and not much fun! As for the slow finish after fast start, it was two things: a lot of suffering in the last 12K and a lot of pulling back to avoid further suffering with the last 2km plain ugly!
I knew at around 25km when I was on a 3h11min finishing time I was in trouble, even though I felt relatively good except for my quads that started to feel 'shredded'. The course way hillier than I thought it would be and the fast downhill’s early on exacted a toll I could not pay after 30km. It was a tough run but the beer tasted rather good at dinner that night!

Of course, the race apparently not so tough for some -- a 2h3'02" world best time on this course quite inconceivable yet there it was, a record day!

Tired puppy

Overall, after eating plenty, resting some, I was pleased: I’d qualified for next year (as if I'll go??) and considering the training schedule with travel and brutal winter weather, it was respectable enough. And best of all, we raised over $10,000 for sport programs for Canadians with a disability. Maybe I’ll go out and meet some of the new athletes and advise them on what to try, likely not marathon racing!

Then again, if I change this and tweak that, add this to my training, change my running program....hmmmm, never say never!

April 17 – 1 day to go – Boston Marathon “eve”

April 17: Scheduled – rest or easy 20 min run to calm nerves.


Actual – what nerves, what anxiety?

Hotel packed with marathoners as entire town seems focused on the Monday race.
This is my last pre-race blog so very short as I need to get some shut-eye for race in morning. It’s an early start with 5h00 wake-up and 6h30 bus to Hopkinton for start at 10h00.

For info on race and to even follow runners progress such as myself (Bib 5623), simply go to www.baa.org and you’ll find a drop-down menu for participant updates.

And please do check out the blog post-race as I’ll do updates with stories from race, more videos and pictures. THANKS to everyone for your incredible support to date!!!

April 16 – 2 days to go -- 27,400 reasons for running Boston

April 16: Scheduled – rest.
Actual – ‘Eagles’ tune, take it easy!



After what seemed a rather early start -- less than 4 hours sleep will give one that perspective – we eventually arrived in what seemed to be a centre for a running cult. It wasn’t what I’d call an easy trip down to Boston even though only just over an hour flight from Montreal. Can anyone tell me why they need to scan your boarding pass 8 times when departing for USA out of Montreal? Eight times...this on top of another 6-8 visual checks of the pass. You may be able to tell that I was a little testy by time we shuffled through the interminable lines and what seemed a very inefficient system. Definitely one place one perhaps need 3 hours to clear security and customs?! We made flight, just barely, but with rather increased blood pressure.

As for the cult I spoke of, the running cult? As we drove into downtown Boston, it seemed that everyone was running; the streets were full of people running. Once we were in the very crowded sport expo, the sense of cult like status was enhanced as everything was about “the marathon”. Also impressive was the number of very fit people at the expo: everywhere you looked, there were fit, athletic people milling about.

Fire station by the finish line

Picked up race package and got my hands on the ‘bib’, the number that was my passport into the race on Patriots Day Monday, then shuffled down the line to get my participants t-shirt. If I ever had any doubts that this wasn’t official, the bib and t-shirt dispelled any doubts. It wasn’t even 10h00 but already it was getting rather crowded so we made a reasonable quick tour of the expo, checking out new shoes, picking up food samples and even getting my running gait analyzed, essentially as part of a sales pitch but painless.

Map of the course

Before we left, we ran into some old friends from Calgary that I hadn’t seen in several years that resulted in lots of excited catch up chatter. The running world is another one of those things that connects you to others – and I didn’t even know how committed a marathoner my friend was so great to share “war stories”.

Blast from the past

Worn out by the travel and the crowds, we headed off to book into hotel, have lunch and then an hour nap to try and catch up on rest a wee bit. We needed to be fresh for a night out in Beacon Hill, catching up with an old high school friend who now lives in Boston over some great food and lots of laughs. This marathon stuff is hard work!

April 15 – 3 days to go, packed up and off to airport

April 15: Scheduled – 4km at marathon pace, despite other experts who recommend easy pace at least 1 minute slower than target pace.

Actual – took 2km to get loose, ran 4.2km (2.6 miles) in 19min30sec.

As I said in some semi-lucid rambling several weeks ago in one of my blogs, training for a spring marathon in Calgary, which means training during a Canadian winter, is not the easiest path. Quite frankly, it sucks! After running into several elite runners from Newfoundland once in Boston, I of course realized that perhaps it’s what bonds us as Canadians, bad weather; and as they said, training in absolute crap conditions during the winter was good training psychologically and will make a New England spring day seem glorious!

However, heading out the door this morning into the fairly fresh -5C air and dancing (ok, more like manoeuvring stiffly) over frozen slush piles and patches of ice, I sensed I had a slight grin on my face as I knew that it was going to be less than half an hour and the last ‘snow-run’ until at least next winter...possibly July. Off down the park path, fortunately clear of snow and ice, a brilliantly quick jack rabbit flashed in front of me. The size of a small dog, I’m pretty sure it was a jack rabbit that they modelled the Easter bunny after. He certainly looked like he could carry a basket of treats on his back! Oh to have that kind of speed, then again, the parable of the tortoise and hare seems appropriate heading into a marathon.

The 4km seemed very comfortable at 4min 40sec pace, at least after the first 2km to warm-up and loosen up the cranky old ankle and right Achilles. All good, especially when you consider that the 4km is the same distance that the Titanic rests beneath the North Atlantic waves, a long, long ways down to the bottom. (99 years since the Titantic sank on April 15, 1912, just in case you were wondering about reference.) Quick shower; finish packing-up; drive out to YYC (Calgary airport); bumped from Montreal (YUL) direct flight so routed through Toronto (YYZ); arrived at hotel in Montreal at 20h30; dinner at 9h30pm; emails; and hit pillow after midnight after setting alarm for 04h15. Seems the toughest part of my life is still simply getting there. Saturday would prove to another exhilarating but exhausting day!

April 14 – 4 days to go, let it snow...and where does the money go?!

April 14: Scheduled – rest day.

Actual – rest it was, at least, rest as in no running. Awoke to a fresh white coat covering the city, 15cm of snow overnight just to remind us where we live. Canada: eight months of hockey, four months of bad ice. It certainly isn’t Hawaii! The back yard seemed far more suited to Christmas than a week before Easter and once the sun came out, it was ‘slush city’. The toughest bit of navigating was walking around the city without filling your shoes with ice-water, it was like a ‘slurpee’ machine had been unloosed upon the city piling mounds of slush everywhere. Kind of perfect for icing store feet and ankles if willing to stand outside barefoot, something apparently rather comfortable for the barefoot runner I shared a km or two during my run on Wednesday.

April 14 -- good morning!!

April 14 backyard surprise

And what of those donations being made? Firstly, thank you so much to so many for being so very generous! Humbled by the support being afforded me, I felt compelled to go and donate another $500 to the “cause” because if you don’t believe and commit to the idea personally, how could I with a good conscience continue to ask others to donate their hard earned cash?! We’re starting to accumulate some funds to the point where they will make a difference in the lives of others trough the power of sport.

Just to reassure those who have or are thinking about donating, I estimate that over 95% of the funds will go directly to support program delivery costs; programs such as the “Ready, Willing and Able” program delivered by ParaSport Ontario; or to help ensure that the Canadian Paralympic Team going to London in 2012 has all the resources required for the athletes to perform at their very best in striving for excellence and reaching the podium. The 5% spent on expenses? This is strictly to cover costs incurred in creating and upgrading the donations page for “Run Jarvis, Run” and as many of you know, we had a few glitches so thank you for your patience with this! As for the actual training and race costs (gym fees, gear, race registration, hotels, flights, etc.), this is all covered by me personally as it was my silly idea to enter the race. Tax receipts will be issued to all those who donate with our plan to send those out with a personalized note from myself sometime after the race. Of course, this means likely June as I’ll be out of commission to write or use computer for several weeks after I get my right shoulder operated on three days after the marathon; the shoulder getting repaired is the one that’s connected to the one hand I have! Bummer! Perhaps while I’m recuperating, the local park will lose its wintery cover and let the spring grasses and flowers emerge?!

Of course, I also don’t want anyone asking me how to set up and manage the blog as this has been very much a partnership with tech savvy Matt R. at ParaSport Ontario. He’s been great in bringing the blog to life and inserting some extra video clips to break up the monotony of my text. I was responsible for the writing, taking a few pictures and a couple of video clips -- more to come; be sure not to miss the video on how to tie your shoelaces with just one hand. Finally, do check out both the CPC and ParaSport Ontario websites to see the good work being done by these organizations. Until three days to go....

CPC - http://www.paralympic.ca/ ParaSport Ontario - http://www.parasportontario.ca/

April 13 – 5 days and counting : It’s about doing less now; the training is pretty much done.

April 13: Scheduled – easy 2 x 800m at 4 min/km after 2km warm-up.
Actual – once again, exactly as scheduled.
Seems that everyone I speak to can’t believe that it’s almost time for the big race and I’m thinking, it seems like it’s been a long time since I started out on this particular journey. As they say, perspective is everything and even though it was a relatively easy marathon training plan, there have been a lot of miles put in since Christmas, a lot of cold miles!
Speaking of cool, the spring like weather here in Calgary (there, I said ‘spring’ again) faded away quickly after the balmy highs of +12C on the weekend and Wednesday, even though a sunny day, was one where the mercury had trouble ticking all of +1C on the thermometer. No matter though as the paths were clear and the workout hardly that, a workout. Of course what the taper is all about is doing less, it’s about “under-doing” rather than over-doing. At this point, one can’t cram like it’s a mid-term final that one hasn’t even cracked the textbook a day or two out. The work has really been done; now it’s simply a case of rest, recovery and a bit of keeping the legs, lungs and mind tuned. Nothing approaching real exertion, more like simply keeping the bugs out and staying in the right frame of mind for running.

Once I was down along the river and into the second of the 800m repeats, it seemed the run was all over before /i really got started. Perfect! Back up the hill and home, I was at least feeling that I was ready – maybe not nearly as fast or strong as I once was but then again, it’s about perspective. And running this particular marathon will provide me with my own unique perspective, just as it will for the other 27000 runners: it’s a personal thing. Thanks for letting me share some of that perspective with you. Now it’s 5 more sleeps....

1 week Countdown, April 11: Emotions run the gamut

April 11: Scheduled – 12 km with last 2km at marathon pace (~4.7-4.8 min/km).
Actual – on a roll now!

With just one week to go, t-shirts I spotted running Chicago in October, 2009 come to the forefront of my running memories: “Seemed like a good idea 18 weeks ago”; “Who needs toenails”; and “42km – are you insane?!” There were several other very colourful phrases on participants shirts sand supporters signs but I’m far too ‘old school’ regarding gentlemanly behaviour to repeat them in such a public forum as this blog. Clearly recalled now as many of those sentiments borne proudly during that race reflect the emotions I’m feeling now as the calendar inexorably marches on to my date in Boston.

Aside from the slight guilt that has set in for seemingly not doing enough running this past week during the taper, any feelings are compounded by worry about eating too much in the last few days only because it means extra weight to carry around the course (oh yes indeed, real runners are nothing if not a tad obsessive!). And then there’s the sense of relief as in no more ridiculous long, lonely runs in the cold of winter; the anxiety of meeting expectations and performing well on the day (we’re talking running folks!); nervousness of having prepared well enough; concern over staying healthy, getting to the start on time and in my case, booking a hotel room and getting a flight to Boston. All of these thoughts and emotions coursed through my mind in the space of just over an hour while completing a relaxed yet fast finishing 12km along the Bow River pathway in Calgary.

Back near the house after 12km...the last hill the toughest!

Looking west along Bow river, centre of city...end of winter not the most colourful

Arggghhhh, hotels in Boston at this time of year!! I have been monitoring them since last October but didn’t book anything as they were already well into the high $200 range for anything central. Never one to panic about hotels or flights, the stories were starting to concern me as friends thought they got a great deal at $350 a night for a higher end hotel in downtown. Well I’m pleased to say that my hotel loyalty programs paid off and I booked a hotel late Monday for $60 / night plus a bazillion loyalty points, so now we at least have a place to sleep for 3 nights, we just need to get there!

After ticking that item off the ‘to do’ list, an auditory “ear worm” bored its way deep into my mind: went to sleep with Dave Loggins’ “Please Come to Boston” playing on an endless loop inside my brain... just seven more sleeps.

10 becomes 8 days to go, April 8 to 10: Back home in Calgary for a few days at least

April 8: Scheduled – 7 km at marathon pace for this run, that is, around 4.7-4.8 min/km.
Actual – oooops!
Had planned to get out but catching up on all the items from past 10 days of being out of the country burned away the day and by time I realized that the sun was getting low, I adjusted the training plan by a day. It happens, conflicting priorities (is that a quasi-oxymoron?) and schedule conflicts means that every now and then you have to adjust accordingly. Friday was one of those times....

April 9: Scheduled – a “make-up” day for missed sessions hence the 7 km at marathon pace.
Actual – 7.7 km (4.8 miles) in 35min35sec.
Spent a good part of the day sorting out the garage and house as still in midst of moving stuff from Lisa’s townhouse that she sold, to store in my house that we’re going to rent out starting in the summer right after we move into the townhouse we bought. Confused because I certainly am; not about the moving stuff around but rather generally how it all seemed to happen. All good, just seems busy with everything else going on. One problem at a time out of the box I say and by 5pm we had enough room in the garage to park the car and still be able to get out. Another problem solved!

Moving boxes and furniture must be some type of warm-up as once I headed off for run, I felt rather good. Still not warm enough to run in shorts and t-shirt but hints of spring in the air lightened the step.

April 10: Scheduled – what, more rest? Perhaps some stretching.
Actual – rest, watching the ‘Masters’ on tv, shoveling snow piles into spring sunshine
After building up to so much mileage during the training plan, now comes the time when one starts to wonder if they’re doing enough to maintain their fitness level and be completely ready for the big race? The first few days of the taper are easy to enjoy but then a sense of almost mild panic (there again, another oxymoron?) or guilt sets in as it seems that one needs to be out there doing more, putting in miles on the feet. It does take a conscious effort to shift from movement obsession to a stage of ‘rest and recovery’. I’m working on it; this I could get really good at given time!



How bad did I feel for the lad from Northern Ireland? With laptop strangely enough perched on my lap, it was painful to watch Rory McIlroy succumb to the unfathomable pressure of playing on the biggest golf stage in the world and “swallow the giant olive” (choke is such a harsh term). That’s what makes sport so compelling though as it’s played out in front of your eyes with numerous lessons to be learned, from the “joy of victory to the agony of defeat”. The Masters this year had tons of drama, enough to keep me inside for a couple of hours on the nicest day so far this year in Calgary. Of course, once emails under control and I could resist the urge to get outside no longer, it was outside for an hour or so to shovel snow out from the shadows and into the places where the sunshine falls; no, not to try and hurry the spring thaw along but rather to prevent the melt water from heading to my neighbours backyard and into her basement. And how good does it get, later that day it was the men’s World Curling Championships where the lads from Manitoba defended Canada’s curling pride by winning yet another world title!

Canada Wins 33rd Curling Championship - from Universal Sports - More bloopers are a click away

11 Days to go, April 7, in transit, London to Calgary – remnants of winter

Scheduled – 4 x 800m repeats.
Actual – 4 x 800m repeats on treadmill in hotel exercise room.
Can’t say that the pint and bit of wine with dinner the night before added to my enthusiasm at 07h30 to get up and run a few fast repeats. Perhaps it was the pasta sitting heavy?! No excuses allowed; it was up and at ‘em and after a lot of playing around with the machines, managed to get one of them reset and working properly. Was hoping to get out and enjoy the fine English morning but with London Heathrow runways on one side and motorways along the other, my old nemesis the treadmill would have to suffice. A bit of a warm-up -- in addition to messing with machines and vocalizing frustration over inoperative treadmills – and then it was 800m at a 4 min / km clip with 2 min of easy jogging repeated three more times after. Felt good, better than it should with all the travel but the right ankle is starting to become rather “unstable”; a bit like some of my old friends as in fragile and cranky.
Another bowl of that ubiquitous Scottish porridge and it was back to a place I should rent a closet at, London Heathrow airport. Another 9+ hours in the air and we’d be back in Calgary.


I made the best use of time on this flight as spent nearly 7 hours on the laptop; not my preferred M.O. during overseas flights but every now and then, the situation dictates communion with technology during the time in the air. As we came in for the landing, must admit that I noted it certainly wouldn’t be the weather that anyone would choose to live in Canada. With the smell of fresh apple blossoms from Windsor still in my mind, could that really be snow and ice I see from the plane window?! Ahh, life north of the 49th parallel!

12 Days to go, April 6, in transit, Turkey to Great Britain: Pint along the Thames

Scheduled – a rest day.
Actual – resting in planes and airports then dining in Windsor.
Modern jet travel doesn’t allow much for adjusting to cultural changes and time zones with the abundant availability of inexpensive air travel but with the “global village” fully manifested, cultures are becoming far more blended and sadly in many ways, more homogenous. The internet and other forms of communication have drawn us all closer which in many ways is a positive development, especially for advocates of egalitarianism, yet in many ways we are losing that uniqueness of distinct and varied peoples and cultures. All this was running through my mind as we made our way from the coast of southern Turkey, up to Istanbul and then on to London, England.

It struck me just how much more “western” Turkey was than it was the first time I visited over 26 years ago. Tied into my current running obsession, it also struck me that as an example of rapid change is when I first ran along the sea front in Baku, Azerbaijan in 2002, I never saw another “runner”; certainly lots of walkers, fishermen, and football (soccer) players but not runners. By the time of my last trip there in 2006, on an early morning run I saw several runners out along the sea wall. Perhaps the real lesson here is that as a society becomes more affluent, you have to take up formal exercise as you’re no longer doing hard, physical work – yeah, I think we become lazy, victims of disposable income. Just a theory....



Anyways, on this particular Wednesday we were winging back west and a day that started with Scottish porridge in a Turkish resort ended up with Italian pasta in the Royal English town of Windsor. As it was a rest day and the weather unusually gorgeous for England in April, a pint of old English ale suited purposes rather well. Certainly a nicer drop than Turkish coffee and no need to brush coffee grounds out of your teeth after!



And for those interested in trivia – the Royal Oak is the most popular pub name in the UK so not strange that we found one in Windsor. Maybe a quest to visit all of them would be a unique marathon? At least “hydrating” wouldn’t be an issue...or would it?!




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13 Days to go, April 5, Antalya, Turkey: Mini-vacation – from running and meetings

Scheduled – a rest day.
Actual – not exactly rest but no running and a fun filled day of playing tourists.
With the distance travelled and weekends taken up with meetings, I did what I always try to do in these circumstances and that’s to take a day or two to explore the city where I’ve ended up spending most if not all my time inside the hotel. (Another great benefit of running is that it gets you out of your hotel and is the perfect way to explore a new area.) And today’s blog is a rest day for you as it’s mainly pictures....

Tuesday was a chance to spend some time exploring the city of Antalya; and it certainly didn’t disappoint us. From the old clock tower and city icon, the Yivli Minare...

...to the Kaleici marina with its stunning views of the Toros mountains and aggressive tour boat operators, ours taking us on a one hour tour nowhere which was relaxing if nothing else...

...to the typical tourist market where it seems that every vendor speaks at least five languages.


The unique factor was the comedic and rather assertive ice cream vendor that managed to accost me with an ice cream paddle, entertain the locals toying with me and then of course charge me twice as much as the locals for the same cone of sticky, hand-made ice cream. How does one keep the energy for a day such as this – with a cup of Turkish coffee, naturally!

[Insert Antalya Turkey (40) pic]
[Insert Antalya Turkey (31) pic]

14 Days to go, April 4, Antalya, Turkey: The Red Brick Road

Scheduled – easy 10km aerobic run.
Actual – and now for “something completely different”; completed exactly what was scheduled.
Another full day of IPC meetings in the ‘Club Hotel Sera’ at Lara beach in Antalya, perhaps the most vividly decorated hotels I’ve ever stayed in hotel. Between the lighting and decor in the main meeting room, it was difficult to not conjure up images of a young John Travolta performing his best dance moves across the floor! Fortunately the content of the discussions were as lively as the colour palate and daydreams (nightmares?) of disco daze were fleeting. Certainly the views from the hotel room offset the peculiar interior decorating.



The schedule was more open than usual with a couple of free hours that allowed for a run between the end of the meetings and a dinner out with a few Paralympic colleagues in the evening. The resort was quite quiet and the beaches virtually deserted as still several weeks to tourist season: made for a nice empty path to run along next to the Mediterranean. And this path was no run of the mill boardwalk but rather 3km of bricklayers’ herculean efforts, a red brick path paralleling the beach. Not the easiest on the joints but certainly easy to follow.


It was very unusual, in my case a first, that we had meetings held at an all inclusive hotel. This type of arrangement had several perks, the selection and quality of food the most obvious. The food was certainly outstanding, Turkish food being some of my favourite cuisine and what a great combination it was for me – marathon training and endless buffets!

After dinner, what better way to relax than a bit of backgammon in the “Fun Bar”. The pictures need no words....

3 Weeks to go, Mar 28-April 3: Who knew “taper” could be such a sweet word?!

The days are disappearing; only 3 weeks to go until the big run. It seemed all so distant when I signed up last fall and even when I started the 16 week training plan, April 18 seemed to be a very distant date, well beyond the horizon. Now, it’s not months away but rather getting down to days with the race in Massachusetts on Patriot’s Day rapidly becoming a close prospect.

When the volume of miles seems to grow exponentially, the long runs become critical markers and I must admit, the prospect of 3 plus hours running became a daunting repetitive challenge that came around all too quickly every six days or so. But now, for this program, the long training runs are complete and the mileage diminishes significantly towards the last long run in the program, the important one; the race itself. The official taper began the day after the penultimate long run, and what a great feeling it was after months of steady increases in time and distance in the running shoes!

Of course the taper didn’t start so well as on the Monday when I got to London, England, I was officially fighting some type of bug. Injuries and illness are dreaded spectres for anyone training and when if one or the other becomes a reality, doubt can easily creep in. The key is to take the most appropriate steps and shift from movement to rest and recovery, something I can excel in when required.

Monday, Mar 28: Scheduled - Barefoot warm-up and Yoga.
Actual – in transit again.
Did some stretching in the galley of the plane on my way to London and then took a three hour nap in the hotel room once settled in and unpacked. Late afternoon it was off to the ‘chemist’ to get some pharmaceutical help – anti-cold and flu drugs were on the shopping list. It was going to be a very frenetic week or so even without the training so getting feeling a tad better was number one priority.

Tuesday, Mar 29: Scheduled – 3 repeats of 1500m....
Actual – day of rest.
I was still engaged in battle with flu bug so opted for another day of rest and huddled up in room with medicines and computer to catch up on numerous emails. Not exactly pure rest but certainly not training!

Being back in London for the 2012 Games Coordination Commission meetings, the evening was taken up with 3 hour in-camera IOC meeting. Speaking of time rolling off a calendar, the 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games must seem to be hurdling down on the organizers but they appear to be on top of things, as much as you can be on a project as complex and massive as this particular one budgeted in excess of $14 billion. (On my way back to London, did snap a picture from the plane of Olympic Park in east London that provides visual evidence of the progress.)

View of East London from the Plane

Wednesday: Mar 30 Scheduled – Nothing, a rest day (joys of tapering to a race)
Actual – completed training scheduled for previous day.
As I had already cashed in my rest day on Tuesday and was already feeling better, I completed the speed workout of repeat 1500m segments on the Embankment along the River Thames. The wet, cool weather meant crowds not as heavy as usual so easier crossing the bridges as well as getting past the line-ups at the London Eye.

Village of Morrin

As I did my run, couldn’t help but think about my charmed and often “Forest Gump” like life with all the experiences far removed from something I’d have dreamt about as a lad among the 200 or so denizens of my home village of Morrin. Having lunch with HRH The Princess Royal and discussing sport concussions seemed all so ‘normal’, with her stories of concussions incurred by riders in equestrian similar yet so uniquely different from ice hockey incidents. Although there are near enough some horse sized guys on the ice that could concuss another player one by falling on them; just not that common to see. With The Princess Royal being an IOC member, lunch with royalty perhaps wasn’t the biggest surprise during the week’s meals.

Thursday: Mar 31 Scheduled – 10km at marathon pace so around 4.7-4.8 min/km (7.5-7.6 min/mile)
Actual –Ended up “saving” the 10km tempo like run for Saturday as Friday was shaping up to be a crazy schedule.



I wanted to start shifting days back to align with the Monday race so decided almost wise to take another rest day; definitely not a bad thing as still not feeling 100%. And Thursday turned out to be rather full as in 2012 Games meetings and tours from 08h00 through to 19h00. The surprise at lunch today was having the “Terminator” pop in to say hello to everyone and congratulate them for all the good work everyone was doing on the 2012 Olympic Games. Surprised me a bit in that Arnold Schwarzenegger isn’t as tall as I expected him to be but he still is a rather large, powerful man. Trust me, you knew you had shaken hands when he let go.

Friday: April 1 Scheduled - Yoga.
Actual – simply became a day of managing logistics.
No “real” exercise involved but the overall schedule was pretty much exhausting: meetings until noon, a quick bite of sandwich, car to Stansted airport north of London, flight to Ankara, Turkey where after purchasing a visa, caught another plane to Antalya on the south coast of Turkey. By the time all settled, including a very confusing process of ordering room service while taking care of emails, it was after 03h00 in the morning.

Saturday: April 2 Scheduled - Can use this day to make up workouts or X-train day.
Actual – indeed was a make-up day for workouts, a day that required more stubbornness than commitment.

The 05h35 call to prayer from the local mosque was not particularly welcomed with the speaker seemingly just outside the balcony, and sadly it was sleep that seemed to over-ride any urge for spiritual redemption. The dogs fighting at 7h00 proved to be another “morning alarm” so I grudgingly acquiesced to the local auditory environs and made my way downstairs for a full day of IPC (International Paralympic Committee) meetings. Before I headed out of the room, I did open the drapes for my first glimpse of Antalya in daylight – even with the clouds, it was a sight that did not disappoint and I knew it’d be a good spot to explore.

View from the hotel in Antalya

As I sat down at lunch, I realized a run at the end of the day simply had to be done; not contemplated for any length of time as then the idea of an unscheduled rest day would become too much of a temptress. So straight after the conclusion of the meeting at 5h30, I quickly changed and got in a 44 minute, 10km run along the seafront at a pace slightly faster than called for which I blamed on the surroundings. The breeze off the Mediterranean seemed to inspire a faster pace with the simple joy of running in reasonably warm weather (18C or so) injecting extra energy into my strides. Of course, the occasional dog at the side of the road eyeing up my legs didn’t slow me down any either....

Antalya Beach

Sunday: April 3 Scheduled – rest / stretching.
Actual – stretching while in meetings.
Did manage to do a fair bit of stretching the legs while sitting in the meetings including several sessions of standing to loosen up the rather tight calves and hamstrings. Sadly may be a lost cause, loosening up the muscles in the hips and legs that is. This is good for me, right?! Did get a few looks from my IPC colleagues wondering just what my problem was with sitting still.
In the afternoon, the Governing board was invited to the opening ceremony of the International Blind Sports World Championships. Had to include this as there are times when you witness things that just simply miss the mark – most of the ceremony involved a fashion show on the floor of a large basketball arena, a show relying heavily on stunning visual presentation yet this show was an audience that was predominately visually impaired or blind. I was stunned by how inappropriate it seemed; so much for this event being athlete focused!! Of course a couple of days earlier I was told how they were painting one of the hotels where athletes were staying: someone with a black sense of humour perhaps or was it an absolute lack of comprehension? Bizarre circumstances at best; appropriate definitely not.

4 Weeks to go, Mar 21-27: Last long run lurking (Scheduled total of 52 km or 32+ miles)

Many of those who are reading this and who happen to be long distance runners are likely surprised by the relatively low overall total mileage that I’m putting in for my training. Then there are those who are wondering if “I’ve gone round the twist” by running as much as I am each week! Perhaps they know something I’m avoiding answering?!

The Beautiful Morhdorh as seen through the eyes of a hobbit

It is indeed all relative but for me, when I started out on this particular endeavour, I knew I had limited time to train based on competing priorities, a rather full travel schedule and a number of injuries I didn’t want to exacerbate with excessive mileage, so very early on the ‘less-is-more’ program became entrenched in mind and practicality. For my non-running or even non-exercising friends, less again is a relative term. At the end of this week, I faced the longest single training run I’ve ever completed – 35km lurked in the distance, casting a mental shadow across the end of a frenetic week like the dark forces looming out of Morhdorh. Now very long runs do appeal to some people; many individuals who may have some direct connection to our primordial hunting roots and envision their lengthy excursions as stalking prey across miles of open terrain, or perhaps they are simply borderline sadomasochists? Maybe one of these is a reasonable explanation for my friends who are ultra-marathoners? To me, a run over 2.5 hours has the appeal of cold, raw lima beans served on melba toast.

Another session of chilling out

And so what was the week? Simply, week 13 in the 16 week program was another iteration of the previous 12 weeks with subtle changes to speed and distance to further prepare oneself for the upcoming race. Bring on ‘Groundhog day’!

Monday, Mar 21: Scheduled - Barefoot warm-up and Yoga. Actual – Been there, not quite done that, as in missed another chance for yoga redemption. I was caught up in last minute planning for a major fundraising event we were organizing in Toronto so emails and phone calls ate up the hours and I settled for a rest day, well at least rest for my legs!

Tuesday, Mar 12: Scheduled – 3 repeats of 1500m, with an accompaniment of “easy on the speed” to save legs for Sat so once again, only around 4 minutes per km pace.
Actual – Late start as after 21h00 when started on my easy 15 min warm-up around indoor track. Once again I rallied to the cry of “mount the barricades”....errr, what I really meant was back to the treadmill (contraptions most likely designed by aforementioned sadomasochists) for repeat intervals. Finished 3x1500 at sub 4 min/km pace with regular 2 min jog in between each set and once again, felt decent at the end. That wasn’t to be the case come Sunday!

Wednesday, Mar 23: Scheduled – New body weight program; 30 reps.
Actual – back to my strength in running, that is, running for airplanes. Off to Toronto for a couple of days, specifically for event on Thursday so 05h30 departure from condo that saw me survive Calgary airport overrun with stressed out parents, excited yet exhausted children in tow, as it was start of spring break and families were frantic to escape the clutches of Calgary’s winter. Eventually I arrived in Toronto late afternoon in midst of snowstorm and mused that I could likely maintain the same pace running as I was experiencing driving down the 427 into the city!
Thursday, Mar 24: Scheduled - 8 km run at target marathon pace).
Actual – Did exactly that, 8km at target marathon pace so done after 37 minutes or so. Only disappointing part was ran on treadmill again as although bright and sunny outside, the path along Lake Ontario was covered in snow and ice that was treacherous to navigate. Run was a good warm-up for the event that evening at the Magna Golf Club as it felt intense.

Friday, Mar 25: Scheduled - Yoga.
Actual – After a few morning meetings in Toronto, it was another day of travel as I flew back to Calgary. Let’s call it a day of rest?

Saturday, Mar 26: Scheduled - Can use this day to make up workouts or X-train day.
Actual – It was essentially a repeat of previous week as still moving houses: more “up-and-down stairs and in-and-out of garages” as we moved numerous boxes and ‘stuff’ from Lisa’s place to my house. Told you it was like Groundhog Day!

Sunday: Mar 20 Scheduled – 35km, last long training run before race.
Actual – Starting off at the crack of dark, well perhaps slightly later than that as it was after 7:00am by time I stumbled out into yet once again, a fresh layer of snow in Calgary. The Maple Leafs will be golfing soon so spring in Canada must be on its way?! After 7 straight days of something called “snow grains” and fog, sunshine seemed a distant memory, which is rare in ‘sunny’ Calgary. People were becoming a tad cranky as the novelty of fresh, crisp snow has long lost its appeal in these here parts.

No birds up at his point so settled for Guangzhou bird from Games opening ceremony to brighten the day

I know another long run on icy, snow covered paths didn’t hold a magical appeal with me anymore but I did convince myself to look at the bright side by using solid Canadian logic, “well at least it’s not -25C”. The first hour involved running to the meeting point where the dependable CRR Old Dawgs gathered for yet another long Sunday run; just over an hour in a pack of seven running zealots; a wee ways as a group of three; then the final last hour on my own, shuffling my sorry old ar?@ back to the rendezvous point. It was the longest I’d ever run on my feet – 3 hours, 14 minutes for 35km in the snowy conditions, which is more than 2 minutes longer than my slowest marathon time...to this point. Boston will not be a ‘PB’, and most likely a ‘PW’ (personal worse as opposed to a personal best) as sometimes you simply have to “have the pluck to suck and set your sights low”! I was pleased as punch to see Lisa waiting in the car for me to drive me home as she had also been out for a run – only an hour or so. Back home, at least home for 4 more days, and after a large breakfast, I started to feel human once again which was good as I had to pack for my flight to London, UK.

Cool down run after the 35m not really necessary – walking seemed strenuous at this point

5 Weeks to go, Mar 14-20: Feeling like a runner again, sort of.... (Scheduled total of 48 km or 30 miles)

Even though I was introduced to running for the sake of all its benefits during the 1970’s “jogging craze” by my junior high phys-ed teacher, Mr. Vince Ryan, and running has basically been a part of my life for the last 40 years because of all the great paybacks, there are times when running has been a struggle for me. When I say struggle, I mean everything from finding the motivation to get out the door for a few miles after an extended period away from regular exercise, to modifying expectations of performance based on fitness level and effort, to dealing with nagging pains, assorted ailments and the occasional injury. And that certainly includes even in the midst of training for a marathon.

This week saw both moments of struggle, with various aches and pains and disappointing performance, to those sublime moments when all seems absolutely perfect with running; when it’s a visceral experience of rhythmic motion with graceful foot-falls providing a gentle cadence to accompany the relaxed breathing as one almost glides along effortlessly over the terrain. It’s the latter that has kept me engaged as a runner ever since Pierre Elliot Trudeau was first elected....and that is a long time ago! Perhaps I should add running to my list of things such as horse racing and romance where I’ve always said that no matter how bad it gets, there are always enough of the good moments to keep you coming back for more?!

To switch up the nature of the blog yet once again, this week I’ll still do the high level overview of the week but will expand on a couple of the days and their special offerings plus add a short section at the end on the life lessons that running provides. As I’m typing this, I can’t believe how sore my butt cheeks are parked on this chair – seems the 32km run yesterday discovered some more muscle groups to remind me that it indeed was a long, arduous run around Glenmore reservoir and beyond!



Monday, Mar 14: Scheduled - Barefoot warm-up and Yoga.
Actual – I looked at the yoga video on the web, curious as to how the instructor could actually get up and walk after some of the contortions she performed. Thought about it, deeply and almost zen like, then settled for a gentle 10-12 minutes of stretching on the living room floor. Yoga will be by next regime, after this marathon, so that I can get some flexibility back and hopefully stay active well into my octogenarian years! The barefoot warm-up, intended to get me to regain a “true” running form, would wait until time at the gym on Tuesday.



Tuesday, Mar 15: Scheduled – 3 repeats of 1000m, easy on the speed to save legs for Sat so around 4 minutes per km pace.
Actual – Easy 15 min warm-up around indoor track with a couple of strides barefoot that did draw a few looks, I think mainly from those concerned about the laundry aspect of cleaning white socks after exposure to the track. On to the treadmill for 3x1000 at sub 4 min/km pace (3:57,3:57, and 3:52) with 2 min jog in between each set and was feeling good, like a “real runner” so did a bonus of 1x500m at 3:45 pace (6 minute mile). On Sunday, that phrase about ‘saving the legs for long run’ came back to haunt me – the 500m likely not necessary.

Wednesday: Mar 16 Scheduled – New body weight program; 30 reps but only one set, light and fast.
Actual – time a bit tight with trip in evening to airport so rather than gym, this one easy enough to do at home so a light body workout at condo for 25 minutes, basically using own body weight for resistance doing step-ups, squats, and push-ups. Although with right shoulder too sore / damaged to do push-ups, basically became a leg workout routine.

Thursday: Mar 17 St. Patrick’s Day! Scheduled - 10 km aerobic run after barefoot, heart rate zone 1 (easy pace).
Actual – Incredible how ones’ day can get sucked into the vortex of working on the laptop while balancing off other things! And Thursday was a very special day being St. Patrick’s so just had to schedule in a late lunch with a few of the guys at a local Irish pub; in my case, a bit due to genetics and a lot due to namesake, so it just wouldn’t be right for me to ignore the celebration. Can you consider one pint of ‘Genius’, errrr, Guiness, carb loading? And yes my friends, it was just one pleasant pint. Of course, a good friend of mine said that’s why he doesn’t run: running makes his beer foam! The extra hour of socializing mid-day did shift the schedule back so after yet another quick trip to airport in early evening, the run was going to be later than planned, or hoped. It was nearly 10h30pm when I threw on the toque and headed off into the suburban hills of south-west Calgary under a bright, waning gibbous moon. At least the streets were well lit and very quiet on this particular winter night.

Heading north I made my way to my “old friend”, the Elkton Road hill which provided a good kick start to the run. As I often do, I made the run dual-purpose, not only for training and the associated health benefits (great mental rejuvenation) but also making it utilitarian as I used the time on my feet to scout out the neighbourhood for houses. We’ve been looking at places to live and nothing like a late night run through a neighbourhood to get a feel for noise levels and activity. Seems the only place that was reasonably lively was a pub in the local shopping plaza where everyone was celebrating being Irish, knowing someone Irish or more likely, simply celebrating having a reason to celebrate. I thought that it made for an interesting juxtaposition; revellers staggering out of the pub as I ran past in full stride, they looking as if walking was a significant challenge and the lone runner, eating up the parking lot with sure strides across the frozen asphalt.

Rounding the corner off 34th Ave to head south along 69th St, my pace unconsciously picked up slightly for I was about to hit a long, gentle downhill and it was also the case of the proverbial ‘horse heading to the barn’ syndrome. Then, quite more dramatically, I slowed then stopped abruptly, as I was about to cross paths with a critter that should cause anyone or anything to beat a hasty retreat: there in the middle of the sidewalk was no common black and white house cat, but rather a nocturnal skunk and one apparently none too pleased with my sudden appearance. Now this was slightly new, although I’ve encountered lots of wildlife during the course of my runs in and around Calgary over the years, it was my first encounter with a skunk in the middle of a sidewalk. No, not a “dead skunk in the middle of the road”…. Fortunately I was looking well ahead along my path, allowing enough time for instinct and knowledge to come to the fore. I quickly backed up a few paces and abandoned ‘Peppy la Phew’ to his own piece of real estate, crossing the street to an olfactory safe zone. Hey, this old farm boy knows when he’s ‘outgunned’!

I must say that an appearance of one of the ubiquitous neighbourhood jack rabbits bounding out from a backyard near the end of my 11km run caught my attention but fortunately, he had no large tail raised in defiance. Another safe run under the belt!

Friday: Mar 18 Scheduled - Yoga.
Actual – Ooooops, how about a day of rest?

Saturday: Mar 19 Scheduled - Can use this day to make up workouts or X-train day.
Actual – Not really formal cross-training but several hours of up-and-down stairs and in-and-out of garages as I started moving stuff from Lisa’s place to my house. We have to be out of the condo by the 31st and as I’m pretty scarce the next week or two, it was a rare chance to move a few things. The big items will be for the movers as no sense dropping a couch on my foot at this point.

Sunday: Mar 20 Scheduled – 32km with first 10km in heart rate zone 1-2, then remainder at Zone 2-3 (4.8-4.9 min/km).
Actual – Starting off at 7:15am in the dark, with 2-3cm of fresh snow, it struck me that even though Sundays are the most popular day for long runs, there were very few out and about and nary a dog walker. I was also thinking that ‘making fresh tracks’ has a whole different emotive appeal when skiing in the mountains rather than running on city sidewalks.

After an hour by myself, I circled back to the coffee shop in Glenmore landing and met up with the “Old Dawgs”, pleased to have a couple of the old boys company for the next hour and a half. The run felt very long and slow, finishing the 32km (20 miles) in 2h51min which was about 20 min slower than this same length training run back in 2009. Seemed to be one of those performance disappointments I mentioned although it didn’t put a damper on the breakfast after; funny, it never really does!

Back home I’ve never been a fan of the ice cold baths to soothe the legs so settled for a hot shower followed by couch time with my two old friends -- the two tubs of water, smoking hot and ice cold – to treat my sore right heel. My legs seemed heavy yet gelatinous the rest of the day, like walking on elephant legs made from jello; so perhaps the ice cold bath after the long run is the answer? Then again, lowering the legs into the ice cold bath doesn’t seem to be nearly as daunting as getting the rest of the attached bits lowered into the freezing water?! Colonoscopies are one thing, physicals another, but easing one’s lower body into a tub of ice water...brrrr, jello legs it is!

(If you’re a fan of Dave Barry’s hilarious writing, check out his take on colonoscopies at http://slowasiceberg.blogspot.com/2008/11/colonoscopy-humour.html)

Running’s Life Lessons:
Just a couple to start, as final ‘take-aways’ this week and I don’t mean ‘take-aways’ as in greasy fish’n’chips’ or equivalent from a fry shop in the UK. Even though I’ve been known to sample fares from a fair few fast food joints during the course of my years of travel, a steady diet of them is not good unless one is looking to achieve the first three letters of diet a little more quickly…if you get my drift.

1) Change it up: Doing the same thing over-and-over makes you very good at that particular thing as physically and mentally, you adapt specifically to that activity. So if you always run 5km at lunch or always cycle for an hour in the evening, you’ll be good at those but likely poor at other distances or other activities. Change it up; variety broadens your base fitness and ability to do other things. Go ahead, try something new, perhaps train for a half-marathon….


2) Eat a healthy breakfast: Too obvious? Mum was right; it is the most important meal of the day. A bit of protein, few carbs and you help your body recover from its overnight fast and fire it up for the day ahead. And sorry, the double-double with two doughnuts doesn’t count as a healthy breakfast, unless you’re talking double poached eggs with doughnut shaped porridge as a chaser.

6 Weeks to go, Mar 7-13: “No man is an island...” (Scheduled total of 35 km or 22 miles)

Perhaps my sub-titles are occasionally a bit too obtuse, especially when I don’t connect the title or elaborate on it later in the text of the blog? For instance, last week, probably only a few connected “Strange things done in the midnight sun”, part of a line from the Robert W. Service poem ‘The Cremation of Sam McGee’, to the bone-chilling runs endured during the first week of March in Calgary where “If our eyes we'd close, then the lashes froze till sometimes we couldn't see....” Not quite as cold as the midnight cross-country ski outing a couple of us undertook under the northern lights in the north-west corner of Alberta in ’82, but dang, last week it was rather chilly running!

And this week, the title refers to lines from John Donne’s work from 1624 that speaks of how others’ death, and for me it extends to others’ sufferings, “diminishes” us all. My runs were poignant reflections on the tragedies that have recently unfolded; my thoughts heavy with concerns for friends and strangers alike in New Zealand still dealing with their earthquake tragedy and of course, profoundly troubled by the horrific events that have occurred in Japan, a combination of multiple disasters difficult to even comprehend let alone watch, actually being stupefied by the images beamed live into ones’ living room.

I have such fond memories of both countries, indeed New Zealand which has always felt like my second home after several long trips going back as far as 1978-79 when I spent 6 months there; while Japan is a place I’ve visited at least six times and where I was always treated so graciously, experiencing hospitality difficult to describe with its complex simplicity and subtleties. Add to this mix the troubles in North Africa, including the protests in Egypt earlier in the year, which was again personal for I lived in Cairo in 1996 and still have friends there; and I felt besieged by the difficulties of others, people I felt connected to for having spent part of my life in their countries. I know that it means everyone must get on with life and that for so many, to get through their living hell they simply need to keep going, but it is sad to bear witness to so much tragedy around the world. It also causes pause to reflect on blessings, providing an undeniable perspective of just how amazing and good life is on a regular basis for so many of us! My heart goes out to all of those suffering for certainly no man, no person, is an island unto themselves if they have a soul.



One of my favourite personal running stories from Japan took place when I was in Nagano as the Canadian team Chef de Mission at the 1998 Paralympic Winter Games. As part of my routine to maintain somewhat of an even keel during an extraordinarily exciting yet frenetic schedule, I tried to get out for a short run on a daily basis. One early morning my route took me out to the fringes of the city and there I soon was, navigating between rice paddies and fields of vegetables on the outskirts of Nagano. Hopping on to one of the paths that criss-crossed the patch-work of tiny fields, more like garden plots in size, I noticed a shoe had become untied so I stopped to tie-up the offending lace. Next thing I know, a woman who was working in the field was racing towards me yelling something in Japanese, so I quickly stood up leaving the laces dangling on to the muddy path. Afraid I was trespassing or in some other way causing a personal affront, I awaited for what I was sure to be a serious scolding. To my surprise, she dropped down on one knee and started typing up my shoe. Now this exact type of thing had happened to me previously in Japan, although it was a very distinguished business man on a commuter train, so I was only momentarily surprised before I launched into my protestations regarding my capability to tie my own shoes despite having only my right hand. She was having none of it! How silly a scene it must have been, me gently pulling this elderly women to her feet, only to then bump heads with her as we both dropped on bended knee to tie-up my shoe. After a few repeats of this Laurel and Hardy routine, I was wise enough to relent to her assistance, an offer of kindness that I simply needed to accept. After lots of bowing, several ‘domo aragatos’ on my part and numerous waves, I was back on my way, my steps lightened by this simple interaction that brought a huge smile to my face, just as it does now thinking about it again.

And what about my marathon training, you ask? For a bit of a change-up, this weeks’ blog provides a simple overview of my week of training, a short description of what the training plan called for and what was actually accomplished. In my case for this year, they are certainly not exactly the same which is typical for those who have competing priorities, nursing ailments, are not full-time athletes or perhaps have adjusted their goals for undertaking a marathon? Many people avoid tackling a formal training plan for they think that to not follow it exactly means failure rather than recognizing it is all about best efforts and flexibility.

Monday, Mar 7: Scheduled - barefoot warm-up and Yoga for flexibility. Actual – took day off although some stretching at home and even tried a bit of yoga that friend sent me a link for and found “downward dog” more fun to say than to actually do!

Tuesday, Mar 8: Scheduled - 7 x 1000m speed, sub 4'/km. Actual – Rt. leg very sore, from hip to heel. Took extra day rest, rescheduled speed workout for Wednesday.

Wednesday: Scheduled - Suppose to be the rescheduled 7x 1000m. Actual – Time squeeze at club as treadmills full when I arrived so easy 3km on very curvy track then 4x1000m at sub 4'/km before having to leave to get to Joel’s hockey final (they won city championships for tier 3 midget hockey.)

Thursday: Scheduled - 10 km aerobic run after barefoot. Actual – Did x-training at gym - 35 min on bike, 15 min light run on track as was registered in a race on Saturday.

Friday: Scheduled - Yoga. Actual – Never have made effort to get to a yoga class for this program and typically do some light stretching, more like a day of rest.

Saturday: Scheduled - Can use this day to make up workouts or X-train day. Actual – Switched with aerobic run scheduled on Thursday. Did a St. Patrick’s day 10km race instead of tempo. Front ran the first 8km but no response when three surged ahead, settled for 4th place. Toughest 44 min 10km I've ever run, likely due to “detour” near start where we were sent wrong way and had t back track?!!

Sunday: Scheduled – Being a rest week, easy 14km with target heart rate zone of 1-2. Actual – Springbank Hill “hood” in SW Calgary overlooking the Elbow River Valley. Completed 15.0 km (9.4 mi) in 1h18:30,. A tad slow on the slush and dodging puddles as a Chinook had moved in so nice and warm at +8C...actually ran in shorts, woo-hooh!!


And just so you don’t have to search for John Donne’s poem, here is a copy. And perhaps do stop to say thank you for all that you have in yor life and to send thoughts and prayers to those who have such heavy burdens.....

“No man is an island,
Entire of itself.
Each is a piece of the continent,
A part of the main.
If a clod be washed away by the sea,
Europe is the less.
As well as if a promontory were.
As well as if a manor of thine own
Or of thine friend's were.
Each man's death diminishes me,
For I am involved in mankind.
Therefore, send not to know
For whom the bell tolls,
It tolls for thee.” John Donne, 1624