I was listening to my favourite radio station  97.7 HTZ FM the other day.  Oddly enough on my way to run.  The DJ,  can we still call them that, has this brain strain thing she does each day.  On the brain strain she asks a silly, but interesting questions. You answer correctly and you get a prize.

What does this have to do with running you ask?  Well, the question was.  “What is the longest line up for the bathroom?”  Callers called and guessed until the number was reached.  And the guy who won the prize could now brag about how he had won the contest answering a question about bathrooms.

His answer was 756.  A pretty long line up.  And pretty impressive that no fights broke out.  But I snorted when I heard that number.  Obviously KK  (the amazing DJ) hasn’t been to a running event.

If she had she would know that 756 people in line for a bathroom is nothing. 

I make sure I don’t drink a lot before I run.  Doesn’t matter if I am doing a simple 5 km run with Jim and Dave or if I am running the relay at Road2Hope.  No water, or beverage of any kind.

I made the mistake once of drinking a little too much before a race.  I stood in line for an eternity while waiting to get in.  And once I got in, I was unsure of what to do.

There was no TP, no hot water and a lot of grime.  But when you know there isn’t going to be a bathroom on the course.  Well, you get the idea. 

So as I prepare for the Around the Bay on Sunday, I will walk past the bathrooms in Copps Coliseum safe in the knowledge that even though the bathrooms will be clean, there still will be a line up.  And that I can just walk right on by.

Hello and Thank you to those that have checked out my blog for the past month…

It has been so much fun for me to share stories and experiences of my running journey. I was surprised at how refreshing it was to look back and think about where i have come from and where i have ended up and all the fun stuff in between…

Thank you for your support, your feed back and your stories and i hope you stay committed to your own journeys with confidence, commitment and enthusiasm. Life is worth living to the fullest, creating amazing memories along the way…

TOTB: Stay focused, think positive, challenge yourself, and don’t be afraid to fail because it is far better to try and fail than fail to try…  that is a quote but i am sorry i don’t remember who said it… 

BOTB: Every blunder makes you who you are today… every mistake gives you an opportunity to learn… it is when you don’t pay attention and learn from those mistakes that you make the biggest blunders…

Live your life with NO REGRETS!!

Since this is a blog about running I think it is necessary that I am upfront in saying I have not ran since the last time I wrote. How’s that for honesty! 

Today is the last day for the first round of Blog Idol and I find myself in the middle of a Hurricane!  A moving hurricane!  I have spent the last week sleeping very little, packing a ton and raiding any cardboard dumpster for boxes!  FYI-Tim Hortons and Sportchek have the best supply, followed by Chapters and DQ.  At this point we are in what I would consider to be the eye of the moving Hurricane.  You know the point where the strong winds and rain take a bit of a break.  The movers have come and gone, my wife and kids are visiting Grandparents and things are very, very quiet in my empty house.  Too quiet.  (It’s kind of like running without music.  You can here yourself think and breath and that is not always good!)  So now I clean and clean and clean for the next day or so and then we wait……..wait until our new place is done and the outer wall of the eye begins and we enter right back into the moving Hurricane!

During this waiting period I hope to accomplish a number of things, one is running way more then never and two is to catch up on some sleep.  That is if I can get the sound of packing tape being wrapped around boxes out of my head!

If I am successful in getting through to the next round I will be sure to have way more entries about actual running and my adventures on my journey to complete a full marathon in the fall! 

You know the thing about cross training is, it gives you a break both mentally and physically from running…

You can cross train to replace a run and you can cross train to support your running… when i inline skate i replace my run because i go hard, for several kms and i really work my legs and it is a great cardio work out when i do… when i bike on the trails or bike to commute, i use my legs, but no jarring so I use that to build other muscles that will support my running.

I am at a point of runners burn out because of the intensity of the program i am on and i miss the cross training that i have no time to fit in… i could swim, or walk, or bike or even play more badminton and basketball, but i have chosen to do this training with JUST running… for me, i will not do this again… i love my other sports and i love the change of pace, but i am interested in seeing if this training regime makes a big difference in my personal record… that is my goal and i hope i achieve it, because i really plan on going back to running and cross training… highly recommend it for your mental well being for sure…

TOTB: Make sure you cross train with sports that are fun and not just because they are different from running… I truly believe when you love what you do, the mental high you get is more empowering than constant repetition of what you think makes you faster, but only makes you less willing to give it your all

BOTB: The challenge with cross training is remembering what bag holds what equipment and do you have what you need before you leave so you don’t have to buy what you left behind… and let me tell you, if the candy store at the lake doesn’t carry goggles and you have to buy the kids play ones… they really don’t keep the water out as well as they let the water in… swimming across a lake blinded by the murky water kinda takes the fun out of the training…

potential disaster is looming for this weekend. Around the Bay  is this sunday and I can barely walk up the stairs without coughing up a lung. I need help and I need it fast – I’m not going to waste my doctor’s time with complaining about a virus but does anyone have any common cold managment techniques? my cousin, LH, suggested putting Vicks Vapour Rub on my feet right before bed with a pair of socks to keep them toasty. I picked up some VVR this morning on my way to work. gotta do something to get rid of this cough!

send your cough remedy suggestions to hoodieruns@gmail.com!

Help, someone please help me before it’s too late. 

Isn’t that the first step to getting help.  Admitting it?  You see I do need help.  And quickly.  The Bay is coming up in a few short days and am I in trouble.  I have rewritten this blog so many times, I can’t quite face making this public.

But here goes, I can’t drink out of a water bottle and run at the same time.  There I’ve said it.  It doesn’t matter what type of water bottle it is, I can’t run and drink.   I can’t say I haven’t tried.  I have used several different types of water bottles and it just doesn’t matter. 

I try to run and drink water at the same time  and it ends up one of two ways. 

I was doing the Downtown Run and Dash in Burlington and they picked one of the hottest days of the year.  So I am crusing along Maple Avenue and I am sweating like you wouldn’t believe.   I take a drink out of my sippy water bottle.  And decide that breathing at the same time is a good thing. 

The race organizers almost had to stop the race.    Water spewed out my nose.  I was coughing so hard.  And let’s not forget the water that splashed down my shirt.  It looked like I had spilled the entire water bottle on myself.  it was only half, but who’s counting?

 The other way for it to end is that no water ends up in my mouth.  But the result is still the same.  The water bottle ends up spilled down the front of my shirt.  And I still end up with a wet chest.

And when I hit the water stations?  I have to stop running completely.  Otherwise I end up scaring other runners and the organizers.

So if anyone has any ideas, please feel free to pass them on.  Otherwise keep away from the lady who looks like she stuck her chest in a tub of water and lost.  That will be me.

Just a reminder to come and see me Friday when you come to pick up your race packet.  I’ll be at the Road2Hope booth.