Aloha! The marathoner returns from Hawaii!

December 18, 2006


Well we are back from Hawaii! The trip was wonderful and I was sad to leave the beautiful sun and warmth. I’ll probably post a more detailed day-by-day description soon, but for now it’s only the highlights as I’m sure you all want to know about the marathon.

We completed the marathon in 7 hours and 45 minutes! Our goal was to make it under 6 hours... needless to say, we were a little far from our goal.

By the end of the race all I wanted to do is just finish... even if it meant crawling (which I almost had to do). A few things were working against us: 1- the wait for the toilets was a minimum of 20 minutes. Since we stopped 3 times we added a good 40 minutes to our time. 2 - the crowds were insane! 28,000 people take up a lot of room! My GPS calculated that I actually ran an extra 1.3 kms because of all the weaving between the people I had to do! 3 - I discovered a problem I've never had: chafing. Even though I had so much body glide I could have slipped off a chair, it wasn't enough and I ended up chaffing quite a bit (ouch), 4 - The sun. Oh my God the sun was so hot! Overall, I felt like crap the last 4 hours of the marathon. Thank goodness my sister was there because I wouldn't have been able to pull through without her!

So here, for your enjoyment is a quick overview of race day. All the times are complete guesses as some parts of the course are a blur. :-)

2:30 am - wake-up and get ready for the race
3:30 am - get on the shuttle bus and head to the starting line. I had a frantic moment when I thought I had lost my water bottle!
4:00 am - arrive at starting line, eat breakfast and head to the porta-potties for a quick pee before the start
4:50 am - Realize we are standing right next to Team Diabetes and fellow blogger Derek and decide to run with him as well.
5:00 am - race starts with a beautiful fireworks show
5:20 am - We FINALLY arrive at the starting line and can begin running!
6:30 am - feeling great, but our pace is so very slow because of all the crowds
7:08 am - lead marathon runner crosses us on his way back to the finish line... meanwhile, I'm just getting warmed up
7:45 am - I can't take it anymore and need to stop for a pee break
8:10 am - End of pee break!
8:30 am - The narrowing road while climbing Diamond Head forces us to walk.
9:00 am - crowds thin out and we are able to run again... however, we have lost our momentum
9:45 am - We give up trying to run and decide to walk the final 14 k
10:15 - We cross the 30 km mark. We are getting tired and down. It took us 5 hours and 15 minutes to get to 30 kms when we know we can do 32 kms under 4:30.
11:30 am - We resolve to laugh hysterically at our extreme slowness. At this point we just want to finish!
12:11 pm - 40 km mark and the view is gorgeous so we take a picture
1:08 pm - We finally cross the finish lines all teary-eyed. My feet ache like I’ve never imagined, my legs are wobbly and I think I'm going to pass out, but I made it!

We get back to the hotel and I realise I'm dehydrated and almost pass out in the lobby!! I end up having to be brought up to my room in a wheelchair!

I go to bed at 4:30 pm and sleep until 6:00 am the next morning.

At least I could walk the next morning and felt so much better!

A few other highlights from my trip:
- Snorkeling with all kinds of fishies
- Shopping!
- Learning how to surf!
- Visiting Pearl Harbor
- Seeing Sayid from LOST!
- Tour of Oahu in a convertible

Halfway there!

December 6, 2006

We are now in Vancouver and halfway done our trekk to Hawaii. We've been on route for 12 hours now and with our lay-over here it'll be another 11 hours before we reach our destination. So far so good with the travelling, though.

One wonderful thing about the Vancouver airport are the internet terminals: $2 for 20 minutes versus $2.50 for 8 minutes in Toronto! Yikes. Plus, they have real keyboards here. That means I'm not spending my 7 minutes trying to type the title/

We have already met 20 or so teamates and everyone is excited to be here. I can't wait to meet up with the rest of the team. I can imagine the energy will be electric once we get on that plane for Hawaii.

It feels so odd to be at the other end of the country. I've never been here and from what I saw from the sky it's beautiful. It's really too bad we don't have time to venture out to the city.

I'll try to post again during the course of the week and keep you updated.

- Changa... reporting from Vancouver

11 days and counting!

November 25, 2006

WHAT? 11 days before we leave?? When did that happen?

Ok. Panic is starting to set in. I can't believe we leave for Hawaii in 11 days. The marathon is in 15 days. WOW! Yesterday everything became a reality when we received our itinerary, tickets and singlets. I'm heading over to Christine's place soon to go over our stuff and plan for our departure.

I'm so excited!

Another Half Marathon under my belt

November 5, 2006

Today we ran the Legs for Literacy half-marathon. The weather was great! I was really worried it would be too cold, but it was just perfect. I did the run in 2 hours, 46 minutes and 22 seconds. It's pretty good considering we weren't pushing too hard and we weren't in our "performance peek" as we would be if we were training for the half. My only issue is that my races keep getting slower! I did my first half-marathon in 2:32, my second in 2:43 and this one in 2:46.... I thought I was supposed to get faster!?! Oh well, there is always next time. Christine did really well too with a personal best 6 minutes faster than her first half-marathon. Yay Chris!!

Our other sister, Suzanne and our Mom were also participating. They walked the half-marathon in 3 hours and 50 minutes. I'm so proud of them! They were hoping to make it under 4 hours and they did with lots of time to spare! AND my Mom also came in FIRST in her age category of 60 to 99 years of age. Granted she was the only one, but it doesn't matter. Only 31 days till we leave for Hawaii! Now I'm getting nervous!

A Blustery Day for a 32 k

November 2, 2006

WE DID IT! We ran 32 kilometres on Sunday in 4 hours and 33 minutes! I was pretty exhausted and in some pain on Sunday, but I did it. It was tough. The last hour or so, we barely talked. We were both so concentrated on putting one foot in front of the other that we couldn't muster the energy to have a conversation. The weather was INSANE! One minute it would be sunny, the next in would rain, then it would be sunny again, then really dark like it was night time.... and the wind! My Goodness, the wind was just crazy! Christine lost her ball cap (she had to run to get it back) and at one point it felt like we weren't even moving the wind was so strong! Recuperating went really well and although I was stiff on Monday, by Tuesday I was feeling all better.

This Sunday we're doing a half-marathon. Cross your fingers that we don't come in last!!

The best pain relief!

October 16, 2006

Yesterday we ran 29 km! It's certainly been the run that has taken the most out of me so far. Today I'm in pain and walking is a challenge. BUT! Tonight I discovered the best medicine for pain relief: Reaching Our Fundraising Goal!!!

After doing some final calculations this evening I realised we were only $3 shy of our fundraising goal. My Mom was generous enough to kick in the last $3 plus an extra buck for good measure! I can't believe we made it.

Thanks again to everyone who has donated, supported us, help with fundraising and endured our complaining... you've all been great!

PS: We aren't done complaining - we still have to run 32 km before the marathon!

Wadda ya mean I'm supposed to be packing?

September 27, 2006

This post is simply a blatant attempt at avoiding packing!

I'm so tired of seeing boxes and piles of stuff that need to be organised that I'm doing everything in my power to avoid it. The clock is ticking away, though, as I'm moving in 2 days... eek!

I couldn't be farther from being ready to move! I guess I've been procrastinating... then again, I do my best work under pressure so hopefully I can buckle down tonight and get lots of work down.

Yesterday I had a great Tempo run. I actually did the 6km run without stopping and actually ran tempo. I usually cheat by only speeding up once or twice and take a few walk breaks. It felt great and I was happy with my time.

Not quite 23

Spetember 24, 2006

We are at the point in our training where we are going further than ever before. So far, the furthest I've ran was 21 km during my half-marathon. Today's long run called for 23 km. I have to admit, I've been nervous about this run all week. Turns out my nerves got the best of me and I backed out. :-(

Friday was my going-away party here in New Glasgow and I had a great time... but after a few too many beer, I can say I was in no mood to run today! So this morning when I work up and still wasn't feeling in the best shape of my life I put off my run for a few hours. Time passed and suddenly it was lunch. Well, long runs don't work so well in the afternoon so I shortened it a bit. I ended up doing 6 km... which is not so bad... I mean it's ONLY 17 km less than what I was SUPPOSED to do. Yeah, I'm not convincing myself either. *sigh*

Oh well, next week is 26 and I'll be paying for it!

I did it!!

Spetember 20, 2006

Today I ran 8 km with my new orthotics without any pain! Yay! I'm so happy that i have finally gotten through a run successfully.

In other news, I am officially registered for Honolulu. We received our travel forms this week and I just finished filling mine out yesterday. Things are starting to move and it's getting exciting... if we could just get our last 1,800$ I'd feel much better.

My Shiny New Shoes

September 14, 2006

WARNING: This is a rant!

I bought my new sneakers a few weeks ago and it's been a painful transition! I have orthotics for the first time and it's been so hard to adjust to them. As suggested by my chiropractor, I have been trying to ease into wearing them. When you have to run 50 km a week it's not easy to ease into anything! I've been alternating between my beat up old runners and these new ones with the inserts but it's a struggle. So far I haven't been able to complete a run. I've done a 6, a 4 and a 3.5 km run and everytime I get this painful cramp in the arch of my foot. The ironic thing is all the pain is coming from the side which has so far been problem free! UGH. I don't know how I'm going to manage to build up to my current training with these orthotics. :-(

Ok. End of Rant!

3 months from today!

September 10, 2006

In three short months from today we will be in Honolulu getting ready to run the big marathon! I can't believe how fast time is flying by. I started this website when we registered exactly 5 months ago - we are more than halfway through our journey! It's exciting and yet kind of sad... what project am I going to take on next to surpass this challenge?

I bought new sneakers last weekend and now I get to break-in my orthotics for the first time. I decided to wear my sneakers at work on Friday as I'm supposed to gently ease into wearing the orthotics. After much pointing and mocking from co-workers because I had such shinny white shoes, I began to feel better about them. :-) Yesterday I did my first run (4 km) and had to stop after the first km because of an awful foot cramp. I won't be using them on today's 16 km run because it's just too much. Hopefully my weekly 6, 10 and 8 km runs will be enough to really break them in before next Sunday's 19 km run!

Movin' On Up!

September 7, 2006

Looks like my solo training days are nearing to an end.... I've just accepted a new job in Moncton which means I'll be moving at the end of the month! I can't believe I'm going back home after almost 7 years away!

It's going to be nice to be able to do all my long runs with Christine - yippppeeee! Although I'm going to miss my friends in New Glasgow, I'm really excited about my decision and can't wait to move.

Training is going well, but it's quite time consuming. Yeah, I know, and it's only starting!

Website Updates

August 13, 2006

I feel like I'm finally back into the Team Diabetes mode. I've made some adjustments and updates to the website lately and am more eager to post then I have been in the last month and a half.

So what's new?

For one thing, we did the draw for a pair of tickets to see Country Rocks the Hill in Moncton last Friday. One of my co-workers one the pair of tickets. Since the tickets were donated by the concert promoters, we were able to make over $200 on the draw.

Our total amount collected has been updated and we have less than $2,100 left to go.

I've also added a guest map to our main page. The guest map tells us where our visitors our from. You click on the link and add a pin to your location. However, you have to include at least your name and a comment or it won't work. At the moment I'm the only visitor, but I'm hoping to get it filled up soon, so please add your pin!

www.teamdiabetes.bravehost.com

My sister is INSANE!

August 9, 2006

I was in Moncton for a few vacation days this week. It was nice to get in a few runs with Christine. We've both been slacking and I really needed her to get back on track.

Well, yesterday morning I got up at 5:30 AM to go running with Christine. She often goes for morning runs before heading to work. Well, this was my first extrememly early morning run and I two words for it: NEVER. AGAIN. I don't know how Christine does it! Not only was I still half-asleep as we ran, but I was also nauseated, tired, sick, weak. UGH. I almost felt like pulling out Christine's glucometer to check my blood sugar levels thinking I had suddenly become diabetic!

So I can safely say I'm looking forward to my evening runs starting tomorrow. We are in full training mode and it's scary! Let's hope we make it!

To date or not to date...

July 5, 2006

We've officially decided to cancel the Speed Dating in New Glasgow. As it stands, we still have the Speed Dating event in Moncton. I'm still on the fence about this one. Although it would seem like a fun event to organise (and, on a personal level, it might have some attractive qualities - wink, wink), I'm just not sure that many people will participate. To make it worthwhile for the participants, we need at least 10 men and 10 women... if not, we're just wasting people's money.

We've come up with another fundraising event that will attract a wider audience and might have more potential than the speed dating event. The question is, do we do both? Of course, the more money we raise the better... but training is also approaching fast and fundraising can take so much out of you! For the moment, Stéphane is checking out locations for the possible Speed dating event and I'm mentally working on a poster... we'll keep you posted on the final outcome.

Back in the game

After a week of rest, I did my first post half-marathon run today. I did an easy 7k run and it felt good. I'm glad to back into running. It felt odd not having to run right after work all week. I'm also excited about my new interim running program. I have a 6 week program which will tide me over until the marathon training begins. It's nice because I've added some cross-training and strength training which I haven't done in quite some time.

I also have my first Team Diabetes meeting on Tuesday in Halifax. I'm looking forward to hopefully meeting some more of my team members.

What next?

June 21, 2006

I'm fully recovered from my half-marathon... and to tell you the truth, I barely felt any pain on Monday. I guess I owe that to proper training. I'm feeling quite restless this week as I'm supposed to "rest my body" until Sunday. I hadn't realised how much time running had been taking up! I've noticed that since I'm not running first thing after work this week, I find myself bored by 6:30, having already made supper, eaten and done the dishes! What did I do with my time before I started running??

We've raised over $9000 so far and only have a little over $3000 to go. I'm not quite sure where to go from here. Although I have 2 speed dating events coming up, I'm not so sure they will be successful events. We need another BIG event like the Wine Cooler to top us off. Any suggestions would be welcomed!

I did it!

June 19, 2006

Well, I did my half-marathon!

I came in at 2 hours, 43 minutes and 15 seconds. It was a really hot day and the sun took it’s toll. It was already 25 degrees at 9:00 am. My first 10 km went really well. I was running at my race pace (7 min/km) and was feeling pretty good. I took my first gel around the 1 hour mark and that’s when things started not going so well (a gel is basically sports nutritional supplement made of super concentrated complex carbohydrates. It maintains your energy levels while on a long run). Although it was a gel I had taken before, for some reason it made me sick to my stomach. I had to walk a while every time I took some more gel. It was tough because I was worried I wouldn’t have enough energy if I didn’t take it, but would feel pukey if I did take it! Around 15 km, I thought things started to look up again... But then the dreaded 18 km mark hit! I’ve been told several times that the 18 km mark is when it becomes more mental than physical. It’s so true! Those last 3 km where the hardest. You keep thinking; it’s only 3 km, I can do this, but part of your mind is screaming; What the hell are you doing? Lie Down! Give up! Curl up in a fetal position and just stay there. Someone will find you eventually.

But I pushed through and did it!

Now I have 6 weeks to keep my running consistent until I start training for the full marathon. Let’s just say that for the first hour after I finished yesterday, I was seriously considering switching our marathon to a colder destination! Iceland was sounding pretty inviting!

We also did a fundraiser on Saturday and Sunday. Saturday we had a barbecue at Sobeys and it was awesome! My friend Brenda came out to help and did a great job. Our Sunday fundraiser selling balloons and flowers was a little less successful. We where a little disappointed at first, but then we just told ourselves it’s a learning experience, right? Next time we’ll know better. We had fun and we tried so that's what's important.

The week of the HALF

June 15, 2006

This is not only the week of my half-marathon, but we are also halfway to our fundraising goal!!

We've a busy weekend coming up with a BBQ on Saturday, my half-marathon on Sunday and we'll be selling carnations and helium-filled balloons during the Johnny Miles Marathon and Races. Most of the work has been and we are ready to go.

I'm a little nervous for my race, but I think I'll make it.... I hope!

The BIG 20!

June 5, 2006

I never thought I would be celebrating the Big 2-0 again, but here I am! Ok, so I’m not celebrating my 20th birthday, but I am celebrating my 20 km! I did my 20 km run on Saturday and things went fairly well. I managed to do it even if it was raining outside... which took a lot of convincing. Christine joined me for the final 9 km of my run. Around the 18.5 km point, things where going well and I felt I could finish the 20 km without any problems. But poor Christine went into hypoglycemic shock. We walked the last 1.5 km. Christine felt so bad, but really, I didn’t, mind. I know we didn’t stop because I couldn’t keep going and I’m very confident in my ability to finish the half-marathon in 2 weeks. I’m just really glad Christine wasn’t alone. I’ve had the feeling that I was going to pass out during a bad run once and it’s no fun. I can imagine that it felt 20 times worse for her!

Plus, our time was 2 hours and 47 minutes. My goal for the run was 2 hours and 48 minutes, so even with the walk we came in at the scheduled time. Which means the run was faster than what I had planned.

Not bad for a rainy Saturday afternoon!