Scenes from Mississauga...

CONGRATS to Hubby who successfully completed his 12th marathon! What a great weekend; seems like all we did was run & eat... and eat... and eat. Accompanied by such a fun group of friends, I really couldn't have asked for more. Hope you enjoy these few pics from the Mississauga Marathon Weekend...

jag's post-10km salute

jag & shiny gold medal (in my mind, I came in first :-))

Mississauga marathoner friends (l-r: jim, heather, mark & Hubby)

more medallists (Hubby, John & Vanessa)

the Mississauga Gang (l-r: jim, lin, jag, ros, Hubby, john & vanessa)

Pace e bene,

Pushing the limits...

I just ran my first 10K race and it felt amazing! *I* feel amazing!! I am so pleased with my accomplishment. The farthest I had run before was 8K last fall in Philadelphia, but now, I have a new "record" for distance. As soon as I passed the 8K marker, I let out a little whoop! because I knew that anything above that was new territory for me.

I'm especially pleased with how consistent I was during the run. I finished in 1:04:19 and managed to sustain an even pace throughout the entire race. Although I don't have a timing breakdown for each kilometre, I believe my last one was my fastest. There's just something that kicks in when the finish line is in sight and people are cheering. I have to say, I enjoy the race environment!

Tomorrow is an equally exciting day because Hubby will be running his 12th marathon. We have several friends who are here as well, running the marathon and the half-marathon, and I also look forward to celebrating all their successes. Pics to follow once we get home...


Pace e bene,

Stillness...

"Some say that busyness is a form of laziness.

Because you're too lazy to work out what not to do." - Michael Bungay Stanier

I tend to read a lot of blogs... and I receive several e-newsletters... and every once in a while, I read something that makes me gasp. That's what happened when I read the provocative statement by Bungay Stanier. I think it's brilliant! We wear our busyness as a badge of honour, while in fact, it may simply point to our inability to reflect on our priorities and make meaningful (and often difficult) choices.

His assertion came as part of a short article in his e-newsletter called The Power of Standing Still. He states that:
1. Stillness gives you power, and
2. Stillness influences the system.

As a meditator, I was intrigued by how this message can apply to my worklife. For a vivid demonstration of how stillness can affect our environment, it was suggested to check out this 2-minute video from ImprovEverywhere. (Apparently it's been around for a while, but it was new to me - and it gave me chills!)

Now, because I strive for a balanced life, this weekend will be all about movement. :-) Hubby & I are off to Hamilton for the Around the Bay Road Race. He'll run the 30K while I'll be happy with finishing my 5K. There will be plenty of time for stillness after that, I'm sure!

Pace e bene,

Disney on the run...

"I'm sorry, all of our cast members are busy making magical memories, please hold."

I just got off the phone with Hubby in Florida. As it turns out, their first two nights are at a different Disney property than expected, a couple of hours from Orlando. Poor guy, he's forced to stay at Disney's Vero Beach Resort located right on the ocean. Apparently he got a bit too much sun by the pool today. Ask me if I feel sorry for him. :-)

Tomorrow, they head to Orlando - staying at another Disney property not too far from the race location. Then early on Saturday, he runs the Disney Half-Marathon, from Epcot Center to the Magical Kingdom and back again. How cool is that?! I've never been to Disney World, but I remember the music and the images from all those Wonderful World of Disney episodes on TV. You remember, don't you? Can you hear it...? Maybe this will help!

Although certainly less exotic, I had a great run on the treadmill today. I think I've found the perfect running companion: Stuart McLean at the Vinyl Café. I now subscribe to the podcasts and found it was the perfect distraction from the tediousness of running on the treadmill. Who knew?!

Pace e bene,

Fulfilling its iPurpose...

That tiny, wafer-thin piece of technology has fulfilled its iPurpose today... For the first time, I used it while running on the dreaded treadmill - a.k.a. "the dreadmill".

Last winter, it became clear to me that I am a fair-weather runner. Of course, it helped that we didn't get any snow until January. But that is certainly not the case this year!! Winter doesn't officially begin until this coming weekend, but I just finished shovelling our driveway yet AGAIN. The snow banks on either side of the path are higher than my waist, which makes shovelling a little challenging. Don't get me wrong - it's absolutely beautiful! I'll take this winter wonderland over rain or a greenish-brown Christmas any day. And, although I love walking in this weather, I'm none too crazy about running in it. Hence, the dreadmill...

Last winter, I found running on the treadmill excrutiatingly boring, and quickly found excuses to avoid it. That's when I first heard the whisper of the iPod: "I could make this bearable..." I have to admit, it was! It was an exercise in humility though. At one point at the gym today, I was in the groove: I had a good rhythm going... good posture... good pace... I may even have looked sorta cool. That's when my hand got caught in the wire for my earplugs and the iPod came tumbling off the little ledge. I bobbled it from hand to hand as I tried to catch it. Of course, a treadmill doesn't stop or slow down when you lose your stride. It becomes the enemy.

I managed a quick little triple step and a little lunge to the left, then regained my balance without being flung against the back wall of the gym. Phewf - that was close! Who's looking cool now?! :-) Oh, to be humbled by a treadmill... To think these guys make it look so easy!

Pace e bene,

Running on...

Something really weird and - dare I say it - exciting happened to me during my run today. For the first time that I can remember, I felt like I could keep on running! I was out during my lunch hour, so I had a set route and timeframe. When I reached the end of my run, I was disappointed that I had to stop... What's THAT all about?!! Usually, I'm struggling to get to the end, but not today. I guess the energy was simply available to me. I'm grateful for that feeling...

I had a wonderful run of about 35 minutes. I'm so fortunate to work downtown, with access to such beautiful running routes. I ran across the river to the Quebec side and followed the Voyageur Pathway to the Museum of Civilization. Then I crossed back to Ottawa with the amazing view of the back of Parliament Hill. I slipped down to the Rideau Canal Locks, crossed the Canal and headed towards the National Arts Centre. You can see exactly where I ran here. (I don't know who this photographer is, but I appreciate that he pretty much photographed my run! :-)) From there, I simply set out along Albert St. towards Bridgehead Coffeehouse, my final destination. See a map of my full route here.

All this bodes well for Philadelphia next weekend... and for Geordi and his van.

Pace e bene,

Running for a van...

"When the solution is simple, God is answering." -- Albert Einstein.

...and the answer I received is "Get out of your own head and take a look at what's going on around you." Simple solution indeed.

I was inspired by several stories I read in the newspaper this past weekend. One in particular moved me to take action. Stick with me on this...

Amanda George is a local woman, a single mom (widow) raising two kids. Her youngest one, Geordi, has special needs. Geordi was born with severe cerebral palsy, scoliosis, an abnormally small skull and a seizure disorder. As a result of unbelievably tight muscles and dislocated hips, his body does not bend. He has a wheelchair that allows him to always be reclined. Problem is, the chair doesn't fit in a car. To go anywhere, Amanda George has to carry her 12-year old son. Amanda George needs a van... and she's gathered up the courage to ask for help.

As I went for a run on a beautiful Sunday morning, the story of this gutsy family stayed with me. I reflected on how difficult it has been for me to get motivated to get out and run. The motivation just wasn't coming from within... so I decided to get out of my head and give myself a reason to run. Are you still with me??

I'm registered to run an 8Km race in Philadelphia on November 18th. (Hubby is running the marathon.) I've never run 8Km before... and I'd like to run this race for Geordi's Van. I want to finish the race in less than an hour. I run 5Km in about 30 minutes at race pace, so factor in fatigue, and I think that's do-able... if I train and build up my stamina. For every minute BELOW an hour, I'll donate 10$ to one boy one van. Can you see where I'm goin' here?!

Will you join me? Not in running :-) but in helping Geordi and his family get their van. You may choose to pledge an amount per minute below an hour, as I have done. Or, you may prefer to simply make a donation. If you can't participate in this way, please keep us all in your prayers... especially on November 18th!

Read the story the inspired me here.
Find out how to donate here.

Pace e bene,

Off & Runnin'...

Well, we're off & running this weekend. Literally. We're heading to Mississauga on Friday, where Hubby will be running the Mississauga Marathon on Sunday morning. This is the one where he's running to qualify for the Boston Marathon in 2008. He's trained hard in the past 6 months since New York and, if everything comes together as planned, we'll soon be planning our trip to Boston! For most of us, the very thought of running 42km is enough to just make us go back to bed. But somehow, for some people, it just clicks. He's just one of those people.

I'll be running the 5km race on Saturday evening. It's my first official race of the season. My goal for this season is to run 5km in under 30 minutes. It would be great to do that in Mississauga, but I honestly don't think I'm there yet. I'll let you know how it goes!

So, send good thoughts our way this weekend...
PAX,