It has been said that if something bad or nasty is going to happen it is going to happen to me. Some people are just born to be unlucky. Although I don't believe in luck but that there is a design and reason for everything that happens, if I did believe in luck I would have to be one of those people that never win anything and if you had a room of 50 people and something bad was going to happen to any one of them, it would be me.
I bet I am the only runner that has ever been hit in the back of the head by a hawk. Years ago I was running out of town when I heard a hawk squealing overhead. I didn't think anything of it and continued running. The next thing I knew something, what felt like a 5lb sack of flower, hit me in the head. It stunned me for a minute and I was at a loss as to what it could have been. Then I heard the squeal of the hawk overhead again and saw that it was circling back behind me away from the sun. As I checked over my shoulder I saw the hawk begin to dive for a second attack. I headed into the ditch to find a rock or something to throw. Just as I bent over to pick up a rock the hawk brushed my hair. Once I had the rock in hand the hawk didn't bother to attack any more.
Sunday, Sept. 20, 2009 @ 6:00 AM I had an encounter that I will not forget. As some know, I live just outside of town. I enjoy living out of town because I can go for a run or a bike ride without having to deal with lights or traffic. However, training in the country also has it's challenges from dogs that think they can intimidate you to bugs that like to fly into your face, mouth, nose, and ears. I especially hate the little yappy dogs that chase you only as long as you have your back to them.
On this particular morning I had just headed out for an early morning, leisurely, 3hr. run. Now realize that at this time of year sunrise is not till 7:00 AM so it was quite dark. Also realize that the lazer surgery to correct my vision resulted in night blindness meaning that I limited vision in poor lighting. As I was running I saw a cat start to run from a neighbors driveway across the road. I thought it was cat because this little black blog ran like a cat and was low to the ground. As I got closer, within about 20 feet, what I thought was a cat was really a small dog. When I got to within 10 feet of the animal I thought, boy this creature really looks strange. I appears to be standing on it hind legs, either that or it had very skinny neck. I really couldn't make out what it was other than it seemed to be heading right toward me as if it was going to attack me or maybe just wanted me to pet it. I wasn't in any mood to stop and pet it. Besides, I didn't remember our neighbor even having a dog. My response to the dog was "go on, get out of here". At that the dog turned and headed back in the direction it had come. Then I heard a strange sound. Almost like the dog was shuffling it's paws. There was this sound like a squirt gun; Tsss, Tsss. Then there was this all to familiar smell causing me to gag and my eyes to water. Indeed, what I thought was a small dog was, you guessed it, a skunk.
Well, I finished the run, thankful for the wind and knowing that I couldn't very well go home until I had aired out. Colleen did some research to find out what could be done to get rid of skunk smell which meant submerging both my clothes and myself in a tub full of water and vinegar.
Sunday, September 20, 2009
Beaten but not Broken
For the past 2 months I have been beaten but not broken. How do you maintain a positive attitude when life throws lemons, not cherries at you? When do you accept/admit the fact that ones body simply cannot continue performing at the same level it did in the past? When do you admit that physical performance is not simply attitude, desire, motivation, or will power?
The answer; when you quit trying. When you admit that you simply can't participate anymore in an athletic activity at any level. When you can no longer handle the pain or discomfort resulting from the activity. When you give up. Then you are broken.
Since my last entry I have continued to train. More importantly, I have recognized and accepted reality. The reality is that at this point in my life I do not have the ability to achieve the level of athleticism required for the activities and events I would like to continue participating in. I may not be able to achieve these levels at this point in my life but I have not given up faith that although I may not be able to do it today there is always tomorrow.
There are many other life lessons that I have learned in the past couple months as well.
1. Life is not fair according to our way of viewing fairness. Whatever God allows to happen, it is always just.
2. Every man, woman, and child, has the God given ability to make their own choice. A parent can only provide the envronment, training, and motivation to make right choices but in the end it is the child that makes the decision. At some point the only thing a parent can do is intercede (pray) on their child's behalf. It is not necessarily a reflection on poor parenting when a child makes wrong choices; even choices that may result in future pain.
3. Even the strongest, most independent, of individuals need to be accountable to another person and are accountable to God. Without accountability it is like training without a coach. There are those that train on their own, never experiencing the additional motivation and increased performance that accountability to a coach provides.
4. Don't become impatient or discouraged when life doesn't go according to your script. There is a purpose and reason for your existence. We may never know why difficult things happen, at least not on this side of Heaven. God never did answer Job's questions as to why He allowed everything to be taken from Job except his very life. Neither is God under any obligation or responsibility to explain his actions and plans to any one of us.
5. If life never had any challenges and if we never experienced any sort of pain we would not need to trust God or rely on God for anything. We would consider ourselves completely self sufficient. God proves himself strong in our weakness.
The answer; when you quit trying. When you admit that you simply can't participate anymore in an athletic activity at any level. When you can no longer handle the pain or discomfort resulting from the activity. When you give up. Then you are broken.
Since my last entry I have continued to train. More importantly, I have recognized and accepted reality. The reality is that at this point in my life I do not have the ability to achieve the level of athleticism required for the activities and events I would like to continue participating in. I may not be able to achieve these levels at this point in my life but I have not given up faith that although I may not be able to do it today there is always tomorrow.
There are many other life lessons that I have learned in the past couple months as well.
1. Life is not fair according to our way of viewing fairness. Whatever God allows to happen, it is always just.
2. Every man, woman, and child, has the God given ability to make their own choice. A parent can only provide the envronment, training, and motivation to make right choices but in the end it is the child that makes the decision. At some point the only thing a parent can do is intercede (pray) on their child's behalf. It is not necessarily a reflection on poor parenting when a child makes wrong choices; even choices that may result in future pain.
3. Even the strongest, most independent, of individuals need to be accountable to another person and are accountable to God. Without accountability it is like training without a coach. There are those that train on their own, never experiencing the additional motivation and increased performance that accountability to a coach provides.
4. Don't become impatient or discouraged when life doesn't go according to your script. There is a purpose and reason for your existence. We may never know why difficult things happen, at least not on this side of Heaven. God never did answer Job's questions as to why He allowed everything to be taken from Job except his very life. Neither is God under any obligation or responsibility to explain his actions and plans to any one of us.
5. If life never had any challenges and if we never experienced any sort of pain we would not need to trust God or rely on God for anything. We would consider ourselves completely self sufficient. God proves himself strong in our weakness.
Monday, July 13, 2009
After running the Vancouver Marathon in May I began training for the Great White North 1/2 or 70 series which is to mean 1/2 the distance of an Ironman. I had aspirations of completing the event in 5 1/2 to 6 hrs. but ran out of energy the last 1/3 of the ride and the run. I ended up coming in around 6:20 which was only a few minutes faster than my first Great White North event. There seems to be a stop point about 3 1/2 hrs. into an event when I simply can't push myself to go any faster or even maintain the race pace I had set at the beginning. My heart rate reaches a certain point and that is where it stays (e.g. 133bmp). I ran into it during the Marathon and then again during the Great White North. As a result,my coach is changing up my program to increase distances and push me in the latter stages of my workouts to somehow teach my body that I can run faster during the final stages of a long run. We'll see if it works. I have really been pushing myself to show that I can change up my effort levels during a swim, bike, and run to drive my heart rate up and perform at a higher level. I will be competing, maybe participating is a better term, in the Canmore Triathlon this weekend. Colleen will be doing the sprint and I will do the Olympic event. It should be fun and I am looking forward to really pushing the limits of what I should be capable of doing.
Well I am sure that people get tired of all the exercise and training talk. On a different note, I am still involved in various transplant awareness groups (e.g. GoodHearts and Canadian Transplant Association). Silvio is the president of GoodHearts and has been doing an excellent job in promoting organ donor awareness as well as raising the profile of GoodHearts and raising funds for the transplant house. Unfortunately we have not been very active in mentoring other transplant recipients primarily because this type of service needs to be promoted and run through the Transplant Services at the University of Albert Hospitals. Without their support there are only limited opportunities to meet and work with other transplant recipients and their care givers. I am also helping the Alberta CTA with various events such as the fall picnic they have every year. Last year I organized a mini-triathlon. This year we just plan to have some field games and activities. Nothing too elaborate.
The Transplant World Games is being held in Sydney Australia this year. I was hoping to go and am sure that I could raise enough funds to go but I really wanted my family to be able to go as well butcan't afford it at this point and really don't want to go on my own.
Still struggling with muscle soreness from the effects of Lipitor (Statins). There have been reports that there is real uncertainty around the long term effects of statins on the muscles. I just know that the drug makes it very difficult to run. I have ordered a book about preventing and reversing heart disease which deals with lowering cholesterol levels through diet. I am hoping that by following the dietary plan in this book I will be able to manage my cholesterol naturally without the Lipitor.
Signing off for now; happy swimming, riding and running.
Well I am sure that people get tired of all the exercise and training talk. On a different note, I am still involved in various transplant awareness groups (e.g. GoodHearts and Canadian Transplant Association). Silvio is the president of GoodHearts and has been doing an excellent job in promoting organ donor awareness as well as raising the profile of GoodHearts and raising funds for the transplant house. Unfortunately we have not been very active in mentoring other transplant recipients primarily because this type of service needs to be promoted and run through the Transplant Services at the University of Albert Hospitals. Without their support there are only limited opportunities to meet and work with other transplant recipients and their care givers. I am also helping the Alberta CTA with various events such as the fall picnic they have every year. Last year I organized a mini-triathlon. This year we just plan to have some field games and activities. Nothing too elaborate.
The Transplant World Games is being held in Sydney Australia this year. I was hoping to go and am sure that I could raise enough funds to go but I really wanted my family to be able to go as well butcan't afford it at this point and really don't want to go on my own.
Still struggling with muscle soreness from the effects of Lipitor (Statins). There have been reports that there is real uncertainty around the long term effects of statins on the muscles. I just know that the drug makes it very difficult to run. I have ordered a book about preventing and reversing heart disease which deals with lowering cholesterol levels through diet. I am hoping that by following the dietary plan in this book I will be able to manage my cholesterol naturally without the Lipitor.
Signing off for now; happy swimming, riding and running.
Sunday, May 10, 2009
BMO Vancouver Marathon
Well, after 5 months of running in doors on the treadmill, which by the way I broke from wear and tear, and 1 month of running outside, we (Colleen my wife; Ken Riess my coach; and Dr. Mark Haykowsky (chief researcher University of Alberta) headed out to Vancouver. It was a great experience to have both Ken and Mark running with me for the marathon while Colleen ran the 8K.
Colleen and I arrived in Vancouver early Friday afternoon on May 1. Amber Kendall, the media relations person for the BMO Vancouver Marathon had mentioned my story to BC Global who wanted to try and set up a taped interview. The challenge was that Colleen and I were supposed to be picked up by my sister and brother-in-law from the airport and spend the evening and Sat. morning at their place in Ferndale Washington. BC Global asked if it might be possible to do something as soon as we arrived. When we landed BC Global was there to meet us. They took us to a park where they then did the interview and shoot. I was pleased that they made sure to include the reason I was running the BMO Vancouver Marathon which was to make people aware that organ donations work and the need for each person to agree and let their families know that they want to donate their organs.
I had verbally stated that my goal was to run the Marathon in 3:45 minutes which meant the additional pressure to perform. At the same time I wasn't so concerned about missing the mark since I believee that sometimes you have to set your sights high in order to achieve your goals.
We were ahead of 3:40 group and the 3:45 group up to about the half way point (21K) when, if I remember correctly, the 3:40 pace group passed us. Then at about the 28 or 30K point Mark took off, ending up beating me by 3 minutes the bum. The 3:45 pace group must have passed me. Things were kind of a blur at that point and I remember thinking; "I can't remember the 3:45 pace group passing me they must still be behind me so I should be ok". I remembered that it was at the 28K point in the Red Deer Marathon (Woody's RV Challenge) that I really started having trouble with my legs and ended up walking a lot in the last 12K. Although my legs were not that sore over the last 12K of the Vancouver Marathon I simply ran out of energy. It was like my mind and will to keep running were disconnected. As hard as I tried I couldn't seem to keep my legs going so over the last 10K and 8K particularly I must have walked a total of 6 times, including water stations, and must have lost about 10 minutes.
My final time was just over 4:01. Not a bad time considering I beat my previous time by 17 minutes.
I am encouraged by the fact that my legs were not hurting that much at the end and after the race. The quads were sore for a couple days but nothing like the previous marathon and not even close to what they were after the Ironman. At the same I would still like to strive for running a Marathon in 3:45 which means I will need to focus more on longer distance running and times according to coach Ken Riess. The next attempt will likely be the Okanagan Marathon in October giving me about 6 months to prepare.
I will be doing some bike touring and triathlons this summer which will take some time away from the running but we will be concentrating more so on the running than the swimming and riding.
I went out for 1 1/2 hrs. on the bike today and felt good beating my best ride time last year for the same distance by about 10 minutes. I was quite suprised and encouraged at how strong the legs felt.
This past Saturday evening (May 9th, 09) I was privileged to speak at the GoodHearts Mentoring Foundation Transplant House fund raiser. There were a number of Cardiologists represented from the University of Alberta Hospitals and the new Mazenkowsky Heart Institute. there were also a number of transplant related support groups represented such as Transplant Services and the HOPE Program from the University of Alberta Hospitals. There was a good number of people with $11,000 being raised to provide assistance to those transplant candidates and recipients need financial support for housing while in Edmonton.
I have found that with the various interviews and speaking engagements that I lose focus on my training and the events I am preparing for. It will be good now to concentrate solely on training. I am determined as ever to keep moving forward and improve my times with the help of those that have gotten me this far. I look forward to the next 5 yrs. of training.
I had hoped to compete in the World Transplant Games this year in Sidney Australia however, it looks like that is not going to be possible. Maybe some day, when the games are closer to home, I will be able to compete for Canada.
Colleen and I arrived in Vancouver early Friday afternoon on May 1. Amber Kendall, the media relations person for the BMO Vancouver Marathon had mentioned my story to BC Global who wanted to try and set up a taped interview. The challenge was that Colleen and I were supposed to be picked up by my sister and brother-in-law from the airport and spend the evening and Sat. morning at their place in Ferndale Washington. BC Global asked if it might be possible to do something as soon as we arrived. When we landed BC Global was there to meet us. They took us to a park where they then did the interview and shoot. I was pleased that they made sure to include the reason I was running the BMO Vancouver Marathon which was to make people aware that organ donations work and the need for each person to agree and let their families know that they want to donate their organs.
I had verbally stated that my goal was to run the Marathon in 3:45 minutes which meant the additional pressure to perform. At the same time I wasn't so concerned about missing the mark since I believee that sometimes you have to set your sights high in order to achieve your goals.
We were ahead of 3:40 group and the 3:45 group up to about the half way point (21K) when, if I remember correctly, the 3:40 pace group passed us. Then at about the 28 or 30K point Mark took off, ending up beating me by 3 minutes the bum. The 3:45 pace group must have passed me. Things were kind of a blur at that point and I remember thinking; "I can't remember the 3:45 pace group passing me they must still be behind me so I should be ok". I remembered that it was at the 28K point in the Red Deer Marathon (Woody's RV Challenge) that I really started having trouble with my legs and ended up walking a lot in the last 12K. Although my legs were not that sore over the last 12K of the Vancouver Marathon I simply ran out of energy. It was like my mind and will to keep running were disconnected. As hard as I tried I couldn't seem to keep my legs going so over the last 10K and 8K particularly I must have walked a total of 6 times, including water stations, and must have lost about 10 minutes.
My final time was just over 4:01. Not a bad time considering I beat my previous time by 17 minutes.
I am encouraged by the fact that my legs were not hurting that much at the end and after the race. The quads were sore for a couple days but nothing like the previous marathon and not even close to what they were after the Ironman. At the same I would still like to strive for running a Marathon in 3:45 which means I will need to focus more on longer distance running and times according to coach Ken Riess. The next attempt will likely be the Okanagan Marathon in October giving me about 6 months to prepare.
I will be doing some bike touring and triathlons this summer which will take some time away from the running but we will be concentrating more so on the running than the swimming and riding.
I went out for 1 1/2 hrs. on the bike today and felt good beating my best ride time last year for the same distance by about 10 minutes. I was quite suprised and encouraged at how strong the legs felt.
This past Saturday evening (May 9th, 09) I was privileged to speak at the GoodHearts Mentoring Foundation Transplant House fund raiser. There were a number of Cardiologists represented from the University of Alberta Hospitals and the new Mazenkowsky Heart Institute. there were also a number of transplant related support groups represented such as Transplant Services and the HOPE Program from the University of Alberta Hospitals. There was a good number of people with $11,000 being raised to provide assistance to those transplant candidates and recipients need financial support for housing while in Edmonton.
I have found that with the various interviews and speaking engagements that I lose focus on my training and the events I am preparing for. It will be good now to concentrate solely on training. I am determined as ever to keep moving forward and improve my times with the help of those that have gotten me this far. I look forward to the next 5 yrs. of training.
I had hoped to compete in the World Transplant Games this year in Sidney Australia however, it looks like that is not going to be possible. Maybe some day, when the games are closer to home, I will be able to compete for Canada.
Wednesday, April 29, 2009
Marathon Record (3:45)
I know, it has been a while since my last post.
No I haven't fallen off the face of the earth and no I haven't quit running, riding, and swimming.
Never mind the fact that I'm not sure of the best way to manage these blog things. Do you just keep posting on the same blog for the rest of your life or do you start new blogs?
There are always new goals to work toward and records to achieve whether a personal best or a record set by another. In the past the personal best or record would have been all that mattered but I have come to realize that the end result is not the all and be-all but it is the journey and the people you meet on the way. At the same time, people need goals to keep them focused and on the end objective.
Over the past 4 months or so I have been training for the BMO Vancouver Marathon. This Sunday (May 3, 2009) is the date of the race. The exciting thing about this event is that Dr. Mark Haykowsky and Ken Riess (Coach) will be running with me. Our goal is to run the 42K (26 miles) in 3:45 beating what we believe to be the record set by a Heart Transplant from Ireland.
It will also be great to have my wife, Colleen, along who will be running the 8K. As a matter of fact Colleen is training to do a sprint triathlon this summer.
No I haven't fallen off the face of the earth and no I haven't quit running, riding, and swimming.
Never mind the fact that I'm not sure of the best way to manage these blog things. Do you just keep posting on the same blog for the rest of your life or do you start new blogs?
There are always new goals to work toward and records to achieve whether a personal best or a record set by another. In the past the personal best or record would have been all that mattered but I have come to realize that the end result is not the all and be-all but it is the journey and the people you meet on the way. At the same time, people need goals to keep them focused and on the end objective.
Over the past 4 months or so I have been training for the BMO Vancouver Marathon. This Sunday (May 3, 2009) is the date of the race. The exciting thing about this event is that Dr. Mark Haykowsky and Ken Riess (Coach) will be running with me. Our goal is to run the 42K (26 miles) in 3:45 beating what we believe to be the record set by a Heart Transplant from Ireland.
It will also be great to have my wife, Colleen, along who will be running the 8K. As a matter of fact Colleen is training to do a sprint triathlon this summer.
Sunday, February 15, 2009
First Race of 2009
Today I ran my first Race of 2009; The Edmonton Hypothermic Half.
The significance of this race was not so much the fact that it was the first run (1/2 Marathon) of the season but that my good friend and Heart Researcher Dr. Mark Haykowsky, along with our coach Ken Riess ran with me. The sick thing is that Mark has only been running for 5 months and was out running me. Somehow doesn't seem quite fair. Of course I was running with a broken toe which, sounds like a good excuse, but in reality didn't hinder my running. I did find that my quads were getting quite sore by the 15 km mark and knew that any further than 21 km would have resulted in the IT band tightening, which is something that happens in long races and has become really frustrating. I've not given up hope though in finding some way to deal with the muscle fatigue and lactic acid build up on longer runs.
The positive thing is that my legs are not as sore as they usually are which is a good sign.
My next challenge is to run another Marathon (Vancouver Marathon May 3rd) with the goal of beating the 4 hr. mark. I know it is possible if I can just figure out a way to solve the muscle fatigue in the legs.
Overall health wise I can't complain. I have struggle with additional and different health issues so far this year that I have not had to deal with in the past. Unlike so many other transplants, in comparison it has not been anything serious.
Recently I had to take some time to re-evaluate priorities in my life. I had found that the pressure I was putting on myself to exercise had really distorted my view of life in that regardless of how I was feeling, not exercising was not an option. Thanks to the loving counsel of my wife I have begun to realize that who I am is not based on what I do but in knowing and being who God created me to be. In other words, rather than focusing my attention and priorities on a task or a goal, focusing on that which is most important, the relationships built and developed along the way; expecially my relationship with God, family, and friends. I have recognized that just need to be intead of always doing. It is ok to just sit and build relationship.
Who said that old Dogs can't learn new tricks.
That's about it for now. I still would like to go to the World Transplant Games but that will depend on whether God makes a way, financially, for me to go. As well, Lord willing I would like to do the Arizona Ironman in 2010.
The significance of this race was not so much the fact that it was the first run (1/2 Marathon) of the season but that my good friend and Heart Researcher Dr. Mark Haykowsky, along with our coach Ken Riess ran with me. The sick thing is that Mark has only been running for 5 months and was out running me. Somehow doesn't seem quite fair. Of course I was running with a broken toe which, sounds like a good excuse, but in reality didn't hinder my running. I did find that my quads were getting quite sore by the 15 km mark and knew that any further than 21 km would have resulted in the IT band tightening, which is something that happens in long races and has become really frustrating. I've not given up hope though in finding some way to deal with the muscle fatigue and lactic acid build up on longer runs.
The positive thing is that my legs are not as sore as they usually are which is a good sign.
My next challenge is to run another Marathon (Vancouver Marathon May 3rd) with the goal of beating the 4 hr. mark. I know it is possible if I can just figure out a way to solve the muscle fatigue in the legs.
Overall health wise I can't complain. I have struggle with additional and different health issues so far this year that I have not had to deal with in the past. Unlike so many other transplants, in comparison it has not been anything serious.
Recently I had to take some time to re-evaluate priorities in my life. I had found that the pressure I was putting on myself to exercise had really distorted my view of life in that regardless of how I was feeling, not exercising was not an option. Thanks to the loving counsel of my wife I have begun to realize that who I am is not based on what I do but in knowing and being who God created me to be. In other words, rather than focusing my attention and priorities on a task or a goal, focusing on that which is most important, the relationships built and developed along the way; expecially my relationship with God, family, and friends. I have recognized that just need to be intead of always doing. It is ok to just sit and build relationship.
Who said that old Dogs can't learn new tricks.
That's about it for now. I still would like to go to the World Transplant Games but that will depend on whether God makes a way, financially, for me to go. As well, Lord willing I would like to do the Arizona Ironman in 2010.
Saturday, January 10, 2009
I'M BACK!!!!
I know, I know. It has been a while since I posted anything on my blog.
Be assured that my lack of postings has not been a result of falling off the proverbial wagon, in this case the exercise wagon.
After the Ironman in August I trained for and ran my best time for a 10km race on Sept. 16th.
Following the 10k race I started back on the road to training for various events in 2009.
The events I have determined to participate in, and God willing finish, with personal bests are the following.
Be assured that my lack of postings has not been a result of falling off the proverbial wagon, in this case the exercise wagon.
After the Ironman in August I trained for and ran my best time for a 10km race on Sept. 16th.
Following the 10k race I started back on the road to training for various events in 2009.
The events I have determined to participate in, and God willing finish, with personal bests are the following.
- Hypothermic Half Feb. 09
- Vancouver Marathon May 09
- Canmore olympic distance triathlon Summer 09
- Great White North 72 km triathlon Summer 09
- Heart of the Rockies olympic distance triathlon Summer 09
- World Transplant Games August 23 Sydney Australia
2010 I am hoping to run another Ironman.
I did have a physical setback in Nov./Dec. when I got a severe case of the flu and although I was still continuing to work out it took a number of months before I felt I was getting back (e.g. Jan.) to where I was at pre-Ironman.
The health issues were my own fault, I had not gotten a flu shot and had not been taking very good care of myself, primarily not enough sleep, over worked and stressed. I did get the flu shot and got back to living a balanced lifestyle.
During the months of Oct. and Nov. I had the opportunity to speak a few words at the International Nurses Transplant Symposium where I was presented with an award for promoting awareness of organ donations. I also participated in and was the keynote speaker at a bonspiel in Grande Prairie that was organized as a fundraiser and a memorial for a daughter that had been killed in a car accident and whose organs were donated.
I am glad that thngs are finally slowing down. I had never thought that myTrek to the Ironman would have resulted in so many opportunities to share my story and promote organ donations in the process.
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