The outer wall of the moving hurricane is quickly approaching!  Finally!  It has been 2 months since I moved out of my old place and I have been in the fairly gentle ‘eye’ of this storm but that is about to change.  We close on our new place today and between movers coming, services being connected and the general busyness of moving it is about to get crazy! As I look back on the entry I wrote just before I moved out of my old place I had listed a few things that I wanted to accomplish during this ‘quiet’ time. One was catching up on some sleep and the other was running way more.

Sleep – Well I have definitely had more sleep over the last two months as my kids have been away and I have only seen them on weekends. That being said they have been back in Ottawa for the last week and sleep has not come easily.  As a matter of fact I have been up today since 5:00am with my daughter and I am sure that sleep deprivation will rear it’s ugly head over the next few days/weeks as we try to unpack and paint out new place!

As for running I would say that I accomplished my goal of getting out more for sure.  I had a couple of set backs over the two months (back and leg injuries) but overall my KM’s have been adding up and know I would have no problem going for 10+km at anytime.

So what now??  Well with my family back and us in our new house time again is going to be an issue.  It is going to be a challenge to continue to increase mileage and make sure the progress continues.  That being said, there is going to be an adjustment period for me getting back into being a full time parent so maybe getting out of the house for a 20-30km run can have its advantages. 🙂  Will keep you posted!!

No not for me but for thousands of others this is the weekend they have been training for!  Ottawa Race Weekend!! For the first time in six years I am not participating in the events of this weekend and it sucks!  For the last 5 years I have run the half and the year before I ran the 10k so not doing anything this year is a bit of a disappointment. However in my defence I have been a little preoccupied with trying to get into my new house (Closing date May 28^th! Yahoo!!!!!) and travelling back and forth to Parry Sound almost every weekend.

As I thought about everyone running this weekend I got to wondering about all the people and how when you watch an event like this you see so many different people of all different abilities.  Which made me think of this?  Is it harder for an elite athlete to run a full marathon in just over two hours or someone else to run a full in 6 or 7 hours?

Some would say that because the elite athlete is much faster that it is harder for them but I think I would have to disagree.  Consider this, an elite runner is going at their max capacity for about 2 ½ hours well someone else could be at their max for upwards of 6-7 hours. Also someone who is on the course for 6-7 hours is exposed to the elements, whether it is heat, rain or wind for a way longer time. Plus they have a much longer time to be concerned about dehydration, blisters and cramping. Sure the elite runners have the same concerns but all I am saying is that it is not to the same extent. As for the training the elite runners train and that is it, it is their job and they live, eat and breath running 24/7.  Now for anyone to run a marathon they have to train, a lot! And I would guess that most people that do so have jobs and families that take up the majority of their days so fitting in a 32km run on the weekend is a bit of a challenge. So again what is tougher, running as a job or running in addition to your job?

All things considered seeing how fast these elite runners can pound out 42.2km is pretty amazing but in the end everyone who does a marathon goes the same 42.2km and to me running for 6 hours seems way harder than doing it for 2 ½ hours.  Congratulations Judy you did it again!!!

Marathon #14 and ninth consecutive Ottawa marathon is in the bank.

Finishing time: 3:48:34

Hadn’t run very much over the last three weeks due to ankle issues, so was a bit nervous going in.

Went thru the first 10km in 50:41 ( a 3:33 marathon pace). Knew I should slow up a bit but was feeling pretty good.

Hit the half-marathon mark in 1:47:22 ( a 3:34 marathon pace). Ankle was holding up nicely but i was pretty sure I wouldn’t be able to hold this pace.

Hit the 30km mark in 2:34:46 ( 3:37 marathon pace)….I was slowing a bit but was still confident of being able to bring it in around 3:40, which was my original goal.

At 34km the wheels fell off the bus as I was hit with one nasty cramp after another in my right calf. I’d run a few minutes, then the calf would pop again and I’d have to walk it out for a minute or longer. Did this, run/walk, run/walk for the last 8km…..brutal. Funny how I was worried about my ankle and it was my calf that caused me all the problems!

The good thing was that the ankle really did not bother me much over the marathon…only the last 2km or so

Given all that I was happy to come in at 3:48…..the day turned hot over the last 10km so that might have had something to do with the cramping problems…..

On to NYC marathon in November……time to beat there: 3:40 from last November

GRANT:
Love is a marathon.

VICKY:
How do you mean?

GRANT:
That’s the name of the speech I gave at my brother’s wedding. It seemed appropriate since it was down in Boston.

VICKY:
Marathon in what sense?

GRANT:
Good question. Not in the sense that it’s painful and grueling – necessarily. I’m thinking more in the sense that it requires patience. It takes dedication, commitment. You can’t go into it lightly. At the wedding I had the sense that we were all gathering around as they committed to a long journey and we were there to cheer them on just like all of us would be there to support them along the way.

VICKY:
That’s a nice thought.

GRANT:
I think so and it makes for a good speech.  My own parents have been married 40+ years.  If you think of each year of marriage as like a kilometer of a marathon then if you run that marriage race with someone then you have covered a lot of distance and been through alot.  This is what I would aspire to in a relationship.

VICKY:
How’s your dating life? You seem a bit philosophical.

GRANT:
I guess so.  You know there are just aren’t that many Jane Goodalls in this world. I’m trying to motivate myself to get back out onto the trails. I’m going to go back on eHarmony and I joined this website for single people who are into athletics.

VICKY:
You did what?!  That’s wild. How’s that working out for you?

GRANT:
It’s kind of cool I guess. It’s free. You pick the activities that you like. I chose marathon, yoga, curling. The idea is that you’ll have those activities in common.  Which is a pretty sound idea I figure.

VICKY:
True.  But, curling?!?  Really? Are you sure a lot of women are into that?

GRANT:
You’d be amazed at how many there aren’t.

VICKY:
Any prospects?

GRANT:
We’ll see. Maybe I’ll find myself a new running partner (if Ébène is not too jealous).

VICKY:
Yeah, Ébène may be a tough nut to crack for your new girlfriend but, hey that’s cool.  She’s got your back.  Seriously though, are you sure you want to meet someone through one of those online dating sites?

GRANT:
Are you kidding me?  There is no way I would consider dating someone that I knew in real life.  That would be so weird.

VICKY:
Well then, good luck iRun Bachelor!

GRANT:
Thanks.  I’ll keep you updated.

Some things just need to be shouted to the world.  They are too good or too special not to be shared with everyone.

And Maddie Babineau’s story is one of those special stories that need to be shared.

Maddie was a 15-year-old  girl who was diagnosed with cancer.  And when the folks at The Children’s  Wish Foundation came to her and asked her what she wanted, she knew immediately what she wanted.

To build a school in Kenya.  And when the school was built, Maddie learned that the kids she had built the school for, couldn’t come because they spent a lot of time getting water for their families.  She came up with a way to raise money to build a well.  She designed jewelry.  And sold it, with the money going to the fund to build the well

The well was built, but sadly Maddie wasn’t able to see her dream come to fruition.  Maddie lost her battle May 2007.

Maddie’s mom has taken up the torch and has continued to raise money for the kids in Kenya.  Last year, was the first annual Move and Be Moved 5 km run/walk.

The second annual Move and Be Moved run will take place next Saturday at the Dofasco Park in Stoney Creek.

Maddie’s mom promises it will be an inspirational event for all who attend.  There will be guest speakers and there will be entertainers.

And honorary chairman Brian Melo will not only take part in the run, he will also perform.  Singing a song he wrote about Maddie.

The goal for Maddies Wish Project is to build a permanent  health clinic in Kenya.

Registration for this great even will start at 8 a.m. with the run/walk starting at 9.  Entertainment and other events will continue throughout the day.