What would make so many people want to run/walk a marathon? The challenge of course….being able to say you did the training and complete a marathon is a big thing for many of us. Ok so may be we are a little bit crazy since it takes a lot of discipline and the willingness to train even in -28C.

The Scotiabank Toronto Waterfront Marathon had some 20,000 participants doing either a 5k, 1/2 marathon or the marathon and it was a sight to behold so many people on the road.

Yesterday I finally completed my first marathon and if I am crazy then I will continue to be crazy since I want to do it again After 8 months of training I completed my first marathon yesterday and I have the blisters to prove it :)

Leading up to the big day, I couldn’t decide if I wanted to run it or walk, but then I decided that since I mostly train as a power walker and also because I wanted to know what my time would be like, I would walk.

The weather people had forecast rain for most of the day but lucky for us it was just which is ideal for a marathon.

I can’t say it was easy or it was my best walk but I am very glad I did it and completed it under the time I had in mind. I figured I would do it in 6 hours and 30 minutes but if possible work towards 6:00 which is ambitious given my hip problems.

I actually finished in 6 hours 22 minutes and would have done better if I didn’t suffer from severe dehydration at about 18K. I got so dehydrated that I almost keeled over 3 times. When it first started, I noticed that my heart rate would go up, I would get dizzy and start to lose focus. I would slow to almost a crawl, just putting one foot in front of the other until the dizzy spell passed, then I would try to go speed up again. Only each time I try the same thing would happen.

So I ended up walking at a very slow pace for several Ks until I saw a paramedic. I decided to tell him my symptom and get his help. He asked me some questions about how often and how much I was drinking water and Gatorade. He then explained that even though it was an overcast day I was dehydrated and needed to drink more of each. I did as he told me and sure enough it helped quite a bit.

The one thing I learned from after is that I wasn’t drinking enough leading up to race day. I was told that I should drink lots of water and at least 1 bottle of Gatorade the week before the race. Just when I think I have a good idea of what I need to do I realize that there is still more to learn.

Most important though is the support and encouragement you get from fellow athletes. Here are some of my experiences that makes what we do so much fun:

1. When I went to pick up my race packet, I found a beautiful card inside from one of the people I trained with offering me encouragement and support.
2. About 400m away from the 38K point, I saw another of our walking group waving and cheering. Even though I was so far away and couldn’t see her face I immediately knew who she was. She had completed the 1/2 marathon earlier on and then came to meet at the 38K point to walked 4.2k just so she could walk with me back to the finishing line…another 4.2K.
3. Some of the members who did not participate in the race and those who did but finish a head were all there to cheer me on.
4. Along the way other athletes who you don’t know were also shouting encouragement to each other.
5. At 33K zone, there was a man from a veggie and fruit shop offering water melon.
6. The people that came out just to watch us go by would look at for our names on the bibs and shout out encouragement. One lady shouted at me that she brought her kids out just to cheer for us.

Those are just a few of the wonderful experiences I had yesterday and I have had many since I started this journey. Such display of great human spirit makes it worth the effort of getting up at 5:30 am, sometimes in extremely cold weather to do the training it takes to be able to say I completed a marathon.

To everyone who helped to make this event happened, from the organisers of this event, those who volunteered or just came out to cheers us on, a big thank you. 

Just a bit of info about the race:

1. Through this event they raised $1.8M which will support 99 charities.
2. Kenneth Mungara of Kenya broke the record he set last year 2:08:31.9…making it the fastest record on Canadian Soil.
3. Amane Gobena of Ethiopia set a new record of 2:28:31 which was previously held by countrywoman Mulu Seboka

Congratulations to the top finishers:

Overall Male — Top Finishers

Mungara, Kenneth, Age 36, Kenya — 2:08:31.9
Lemi, Chala, Age 22, Ethiopia — 2:08:48.4
Asfaw, Gashaw Melese, Age 31, Ethiopia — 2:09: 22.8

Overall Female — Top Finishers

Gobena, Amane, Age 23, Ethiopia — 2:28:30.4
Seboka, Mulu, Age 25, Ethiopia — 2:29:37.2
Kebebush, Haile, Age 25, Ethiopia — 2:30:47.9

Top Canadian Finishers

Men's

Jackson, David, Age 33, Victoria, British Columbia — 2:24:03.3
Loutitt, Jason, Age 35, Calgary, Alberta — 2:28:12.3
Gehl, Terry, Age 40, St-Charles, Quebec — 2:32:46.4
Enfield, Jeff, Age 31, Toronto, Ontario — 2:39:22.9
Alley, Andrew, Age 27, Toronto, Ontario — 2:42:19.3

Women's

Duchene, Krista, Age 32, Brantford, Ontario — 2:50:36.9
Goyer, Nathalie, Age 41, St-Bruno, Quebec — 2:55:29.8
Bakker, Grace, Age 27, St.Thomas, Ontario — 2:59:49.5
Purdy, Tammy, Age 43, Mississauga, Ontario — 3:03:33.0
Patten, Rebecca, Age 35, Toronto, Ontario — 3:06:07.2

What a race this was…I just finished the 1/2 marathon a few hours ago and I have to say this is toughest race I have ever done. This is the first year they held it and it was in a really beautiful location…Beamsville, Ontario where the wine estates are, hence the name.

I would recommend it to anyone and in fact would like to return for a visit. If you get the chance to go you should do the wine tour and sample the wines and food there. Better yet, spend a weekend so you don’t have to rush in and out.

So back to the race…in the beginning it all seemed very simple and at the start area there were cars still coming and going which was a surprised. Based on this I wasn’t sure what to expect. However it turned out to be well planned for the most part. There were few minor hitches…the start and the time of day which I will explain later.

They started by raising the banner and then they had someone sung the national anthem which I thought was very nice.

The race itself was hard, especially if you are not trained for hills. It was a tough not only because of the hills but also because of the time of day they held it. It started at 11:15AM in the middle of the day when it’s bright and hot. To make it even more challenging, we climbed about 8 hills or more…I am not sure because I stop counting after the first few.

These hills were no picnic either…they were steep and there was one particular one that was long 500m. What was funny is that just before we finished 16K, one of the volunteers told us at one of the hills we had just completed,  that it was the last one and that it was all downhill from there. That particular hill was the steepest of the lot so you can imagine how happy I was to hear that.

I got to 17K and the next thing I saw was a sign saying there was a hill a head and it is 500m long. Of course I couldn’t believe my eyes. I thought, oh well what’s another hill…this has to be the last of it, I will just take my time. So instead of jogging up I walked…huffing and puffing away. Finally I got to the top, feeling very happy and proud that I made it.

At this point I had to cross the street and go around the corner…as I turned the corner what did I see? Another hill of course….at this point I am wondering will it never end? Anyway I kept plodding away and finally I got to the supposedly downhill course that we should have gotten to several kilometres ago.

This reminds me of Jamaica when you are in the rural area or as we would say in the country. If you ever ask a local for direction they would tell you…”oh it’s just down the road and around the corner.” I must warn you that if you ever go to Jamaica and they tell you that, expect that “down the road and around the corner” is another 10 miles or more.

To continue…even though the race was tough and I whined and moan, I had a lot of fun. Most of it was very well organized. They had the most water stations I have ever seen at any race and they even had people driving around with water. There were a few locals who had their hoses out to spray us and I can tell you it was needed. They also had paramedics in several locations and a few riding around on bicycles.

There were several wine tasting stations too. I tried only one since alcohol makes me sleepy and I couldn’t afford to be drinking the stuff, plus I am not very big on it anyway. Nevertheless it was nice that it was there for those who wanted to try it.

What’s great about racing is that you always meet a lot of very supportive people and on this one I met a few who were just wonderful and generous. There was a lady who ran beside me for a while and she offered me some gel which I told her I didn’t need because I had several in my pouch. I mentioned to her though that what I really needed was some salt since I forgot to take some with me. She said she had some and offered me some sodium & electrolyte tablets and told me if I needed more I should feel free to ask because she had lots.

The end of the race was amazing, seeing yourself on the big screen TV, your name being announced and the crowd cheering you on as you reached the finish line. The finisher's medal is really cool too and the logo very nice. I would like to do this race again but I am hoping they will chose another time of day.

I spoke with one of the volunteers who mentioned that they received a lot of feedback from the athletes who suggested that they started early in the morning, but I suggested a Saturday afternoon. The reason I did was because in Ontario, the shops are not allowed to serve alcohol before 11:00AM and this is a method of advertising so it made sense to do it in the afternoon and on a Saturday so that those who participate could have Sunday to recuperate.

Anyhoo…I am exhausted so its time for me to go rest my weary self. Hope you all have a great week a head.

Take care and walk good!

As usual, I went walking this morning. The plan was to do 16K but we only did 13K. Before I left home, I knew it would rain but for some reason I thought I heard them say it would rain later. Well I packed my disposable rain coat and thought if it rained I would be ok.

When I reach my destination (High Park), one of the walkers reminded me keep my light walking jacket because it may rain. Stupid me didn’t think to take out my disposable rain coat….I left it in her car.

So we set off and we are walking at a fairly fast clip like we normally do. Only I am taking some photos as well. The park is beginning to come to life and looks pretty so I thought why not take some pictures. The next thing I know it’s getting darker.

Someone had said to me earlier that they felt raindrops but I laughingly told him it was his imagination. Even before we started out I had felt a drop or 2 myself and yet I forgot my rain coat.

Anyway, half way down the Lakeshore it started raining, and I mean seriously pouring. The group of us who were leading the pack (about 6 of us) are walking happily in rain not knowing the others are turned around and returned to High Park. Not that it would have matter to us one bit.

I was a bit worried about my camera and MP3 player in my waist pouch, but lucky for me I had a Ziploc bag which was big enough to fit my electronics, so I stuff them in there. I gave my mobile phone to a friend to place in her pocket because her jacket was water proof.

As we walked along I remember the song from one of my favourite movies…I am Singing in the Rain, so I started sing at the top of my voice and doing that little dance that Gene Kelly does. Then it suddenly hit me…we are either a really dedicated bunch of people or just plain crazy. Either way we had a grand time walking in the rain.

After our walk, two of us went shopping at the market for organic veggies and fruits. The return journey home was somewhat uncomfortable because I was soaking wet from head to toe and I was also a bit cold.

As much fun as it was, I am very happy to be home and relaxing. That’s all for now, until my next bout of madness…walk good!

Yep…I got my first medal today for participating in the 10K Sporting Life race. It was a darn good race too, especially since I walked/ran 21K yesterday during training. In fact training didn’t go so well since I struggled through it and didn’t think I would be able to finish it. I was able to get through it though but felt kind of demoralized that it was such a struggle.

So today when I was able to do the 10K and at perhaps my best time ever I have to say I am not only very happy but proud too. I walked 7.53/K and finished in 1 hour and 18 minutes. I can’t help but wonder if I hadn’t done the 21K yesterday and was more rested if I could have gone faster.

That’s water under the bridge now though and this will give me incentive to continue to work on my technique. I did more of a race walk today than power walking and I find I am much faster and I like it too.

The race itself was fun with some 12,000 participants of which over 300 registered as walkers.  It was amazing to see all those people running/walking down Yonge Street. There were several bands playing along the way and water station every 4K. We started the race at Yonge & Castlefield and finished at Fort York. The top three runners were all from Nairobi but the top three walkers are all Canadian.

So now I have to prepare for my next 2 races in June… a 5K on June 13th and a 1/2 Marathon on June 14th. I may do another race the end of this month but that is dependent on whether someone drops out. If not I will just go and cheer my fellow team members on and take pictures.

Well that’s all for now. Take care and walk good!

Sometimes you think you can’t accomplish something but you try nevertheless and then surprise yourself with the fact that you can. Well so it was for me. Yesterday I reached the point in my marathon training where we were supposed to do 21K. The truth be told…I thought I couldn’t do it.

The day before the walk I thought about doing the 21K and  it seemed very daunting. I wondered to myself if I really could walk so the distance. I decided I wouldn't think about it too much but to just go out and give it my best.

Also, one as someone say to me, just trust the program but even though I have been training and walking longer distances, I still had my doubts. Well I no longer need to doubt that I can walk the 21K because I did. What was even more amazing was that I had a great walk and after I had the energy to go help a friend and fellow walker in her garden raking leaves and planting flowers.

We did it in about 3 hours too, which for me is good, since it was the first time and to top if off I enjoyed it. I didn’t beginning to feel tired until I had done about 18K and just when I thought I couldn’t do anymore I heard that we had done 20.5K.

What also surprised me was that into 14K I heard I was doing about 8:04 min / K. Of course I can’t sustain that speed over the entire distance, but if I can continue do the first 14K at 8:04/K, then I am very happy indeed.

So now I am feeling more confident that I will be ok for the ½ marathon I am doing in June. I just hope that I have as good a day as I did yesterday. Now my only doubt is the marathon and I said as much. Again my fellow walker said to me just trust the program.

The one thing I like about the group I walk with is the way they support each other, always very encouraging and helpful. For example, when I was almost at the end of my walk yesterday I was almost out of water and she insisted on giving me some of hers even though I told her it was ok. This is how we are as a team. We share what we have and we encourage each other. I couldn’t ask for a better group of people to walk with.

Not sure what my distance is next week since I haven’t looked at my schedule. However, I do have a 10K race May 3 and that I am looking forward to. So just remember when you think you can't do something, just try and give it your best. It's all you can do and who knows, you may surprise yourself. As my mom use to remind me, it's better to try and fail than do nothing at all.

So with that thought and attitude, when the time comes for me to do my marathon, I will simple give it my best shot. If I fail it won't be the end of the world. I can always try again. Until next time….have a good Spring and walk good.

They say a smile can brighten your day and it’s very true. Earlier today as I walked to the cafeteria to get some lunch, I saw a security guard walking towards me. 

He smiled at me and said, “Hello”. I responded with a smile of my own and he gave me an even bigger smile and said, “Have a good weekend.” I smiled back at him and wished him the same.

As I passed him, he made eye contact and still had his beautiful smile on his face. I couldn’t help smiling too. As I continued on my way to the elevators to go to the cafe, I thought about this person whom I had never met before, but was able to make my day so much brighter with something as simple as smile.

I couldn’t help but think to myself how wonderful a smile can be and that I must remember that I too could make someone’s day better just by offering them something as simple as smile.

As I write this, the lyrics to a song I really like popped into my head. The song is Smile by Nat King Cole and here are the lyrics:

Smile though your heart is aching

Smile even though it’s breaking

When there are clouds in the sky, you’ll get by

If you smile through your fear and sorrow

Smile and maybe tomorrow

You’ll see the sun come shining through for you

Light up your face with gladness

Hide every trace of sadness

Although a tear may be ever so near

That’s the time you must keep on trying

Smile, what’s the use of crying?

You’ll find that life is still worthwhile

If you just smile

That’s the time you must keep on trying

Smile, what’s the use of crying?

You’ll find that life is still worthwhile

If you just smile 

So until next time, remember to smile at those you meet. Your smile just may bring cheer to another.

This morning I had my first official race of the year since I started training. It was the Harry’s Spring Run-Off 8K. It was a good distance to start my first race of the year, even though this particular course was a bit rough given that it was at High Park. For those of you who wouldn’t know High Park, it has 2 steep hills that we have to go up and down. 

The second hill is right at the end of the race so can you imagine trying to go as fast as you can, up a hill at the end of your race. For me it was tough, because just as I approached the hill, my chest literally closed up. I couldn’t breath and believe me when I say, having never experienced that, it was a bit frightening. 

At first I wondered if I was getting some kind of heart attack, then I wondered about asthma which I don’t suffer from. Eventually I just told myself to take shallow breaths and breath out and it worked, but of course it slowed me down. 

To top it off, we have been having some serious winds today and walking in a head wind doesn’t help your speed. Nevertheless I had a fantastic time. I was particularly happy when I realized that I was passing some of the runners and keeping pace with some. 

My next race, Sporting Life’s 10K, which is in May and I am very much looking forward to it. If all goes well, it should be a very good race, given that it’s a fast course, down Yonge Street. Some of it will be downhill with no hills to climb which I quite like. 

After that race I have 2 races back to back in June, the first a 5K on the Saturday and the second a ½ Marathon. Then after those four, if all goes well, I plan to sign up for four more races, one of which will be a marathon.  Will see how it all plays out. 

In the meantime, have yourself a blessed and happy Easter Holidays and remember to walk good!

I was reading an article today about Hungary and the fact that they are having a serious financial crisis, just like much of the world but appears to be worse. First it seems that Iceland's economy was on the brink of collapse, now it appears that Hungary is too.

I can’t help but wonder when will this all be over and things start getting better. A part of me thinks the worse is yet to come, and then there is the optimistic part of me that believes that things will turn around soon. The problem is that soon is very relative, depending on whom you are speaking with.

For those who are retiring soon (as in this year or next) or had hope to retire last year...well soon isn’t really going to help them when they have already lost a great portion of their retirement funds. Of course unless the stock market recovers in such away that there is a huge jump…which we all know isn’t going to happen overnight.

It's painful to see the world's economy in such a shambles, especially since much of it had to do with greed and just plain stupidity. On the other hand, I am happy that Canada seems to be handling the crisis some what better than their neighbour down south and many European countries as well. This does not mean we are not affected because we are. Just not to the level of some of these other countries, especially those that are on the brink of collapsing.

This is also not to say things couldn’t change for the worse, but I take some comfort in knowing that we have a fairly stable banking system and a fairly decent economy so far. Much of this is as a result of our strong regulatory bodies, something I personally believe the USA could learn from. 

Financial Institutions need to have strong regulatory bodies enforcing the rules to reduce corruption and greedy, and ensuring that those who break said rules are properly penalized. For example, I still cannot understand how companies that are begging their governments to help them can make big payouts to themselves. Contrast that with Canada, where our Top Five Banking Executives have declared that they would take a pay cut due to shrinking profit.

The amazing thing is that the Top Five Banks here have not lost money as a result of the greed and stupidity like those in the USA. In fact they are still making a very good profit, but with the economy down obviously they are not making as much as  years gone by.

The one thing though we Canadians should take note of is that despite our relative strength, we shouldn’t get cocky. I say this because I still see many spending away like there is no tomorrow. They purchase items on credit that I think are of little importance to daily living…luxury items that in my opinion are unnecessary. Of course if you have the money to do so then I say by all means go for it since spending helps to keep the economy going.

Kerren

April 9, 1969 - February 13, 2009

Where do I start...what can I really say? I just can't believe you are gone away from us, even though I knew how sick you were. Your passing has left such sorrow and sadness and yet there is a part of me that is very grateful that you are no longer suffering.

Kay you were such a wonderful person, someone with great courage, strength, kindness, compassion and love. This last year watching you battle with cancer, you never gave up and you never let it get you down. Instead you always remained positive, always reminding those around you to keep the faith.

I was reminded by someone that we all should take a lesson from you and always remember that we should never give up when times get difficult, because you never did.

You have left us way too early but I know you are in a much better place now. As I mourn you, my memories of your wonderful friendship will keep you near.  Goodbye my friend, fly free and happy on the other side.

Love always,

Lorna

Fly
Celine Dion

Fly, fly little wing
Fly beyond imagining
The softest cloud, the whitest dove
Upon the wind of heaven's love
Past the planets and the stars
Leave this lonely world of ours
Escape the sorrow and the pain
And fly again

Fly, fly precious one
Your endless journey has begun
Take your gentle happiness
Far too beautiful for this
Cross over to the other shore
There is peace forevermore
But hold this mem'ry bittersweet
Until we meet

Fly, fly do not fear
Don't waste a breath, don't shed a tear
Your heart is pure, your soul is free
Be on your way, don't wait for me
Above the universe you'll climb
On beyond the hands of time
The moon will rise, the sun will set
But I won't forget
Fly, fly little wing
Fly where only angels sing
Fly away, the time is right
Go now, find the light 

It's hard to believe that it's more than 2 weeks since my last writing. I have been so busy I haven't been able to sit still long enough to get my thoughts down.

Between work, training and volunteering, the last 2 weekends have been so busy I have only being home just to sleep. Hopefully after this weekend things should be a bit easier.

So far I have completed 5 weeks of training and I am very happy to say that my fourth week saw me breaking the 10 min / 1Km barrier. Better yet I was able to go below 9 min. This is not to say it will always be the case since it depends on how I am feeling on the day of my walk.

The truth is I now realized that the main reason for me being so slow in the past is because of  medication I am on that makes me very tired. After realizing it the week before I decided that I would skip my meds  and see how I would do and it worked.

To make it even better, the weather wasn't as cold as the 3 previous weeks. On my fourth week, I walked 13.2Km, which I completed in under 2 hours, approximately 1 hour and 55 minutes which worked out to be just under 9 min/K. I think I can go even faster once I get over my hip problem which slows me down because it gets very painful after the first 3Km or so.

I knew I had a problem and was suppose to do physio on it but as usual I don't do what the doctor tells me. I threw out the paper instead so now I have to go  back to her which I am not exactly looking forward to. If my hip problem doesn't go away then I doubt I will be able to walk longer distances and I really want to do a marathon so I hope I can get it resolved. My goal is to eventually average a 8 min/1Km walk which I hope to achieve by next year if I am still walking.

This last weekend we were suppose to do 15Km but no one wanted to so we only did 10Km. We went at different route, High Park down to Lakeshore Boulevard. I have to say I like this route much better since I get to look at the lake. I can't wait for April to come when we change to this route for the rest of the season. Here are some photos of High Park covered in snow:

High Park

Toronto's Winter City Festival 2009

Other than walking I have been volunteering for the Festival and I had a wonderful time. I saw some of my old volunteer friends and made new ones. Most of all though I like the various acts that performed, especially the Dutch Group Close Act.

They performed 2 piece:

1. Pi Leau - the story of a fisherman who fell in love with mermaid but it wasn't to be.
2. White Wings - Big white butterflies strutting around

For more about Close Act you can visit their website here:

Close Act

I also took a lot of photos which you can see here:

Toronto's Winter City Festival 2009 - Photos

The Festival wrapped up with a spectacular display of  fireworks. Probably one of the best I have ever seen the city put on at Nathan Phillips Square. I think it was even better than the fireworks for Cavalcade of Lights.

You can check out the video clips here:

My Video Clips

Well that's it for now. I think I have more than made up for the last 2 weeks with this very long blog which I very much doubt any one will read to the end. If you do though I say thanks :)

Until next time...take care and walk good...

Yep I not only walked the 12K as planned last week, I actually walked 13.2K.  I was so very happy and exhilarated after like you wouldn't believe. As my friend and fellow walker said to me, that's a little over 1/4 of a marathon. So this means I am 1/4 of my journey.

Will I be able to keep at it? I truly don't know but promise to keep trying. It was tough going for me. The first 4K was very hard as I was feeling tired from the side effects of some medication I am on. So going forward I won't take them until after I am finish walking. I guess you could say it's just one more thing I have learned. So far each week I am learning what I should and shouldn't do.

Aside from my training, I celebrate a birthday this past Monday and I am mentioning it only because I got a great gift from my friend and trainer. I got a nice red top and black bottom to walk in. In addition to that I got several other items in the gift bag...an energy bar, Vaseline, Moleskins, Jelly Beans.

The Jelly beans and energy bar is for me to try. If I like them I will buy them for my walking pouch. The Moleskin is for my feet in the event of blisters and the Vaseline is to protect me from the very cold wind. Of course will let you know if I like the bar or the jelly beans. I also got M&Ms in the gift bag but that was as a result of a Maxine joke I had send her :)

This Saturday our official training begins and I will walk 13K. Mid-week training is also starting next week. Not sure if I will start with them as yet. I don't like the dark evening especially since I have to travel home late. Who knows I may change my mind.

Well folks that's all for now....in the mean time have a wonderful weekend and walk good.

Last Saturday (Jan 17th) I did my second power walk training with the group. Once group did 6K and another did 9K. We were suppose to do 12K but given the deep freeze no one wanted to.

Given that it was so cold (about -22C with the wind chill) I was bundled up in my heavy brown coat with the hood. In no time though I was warm to the point of hot. Even my fingers were very warm due to the fact that a friend had loan me a pair of heavy duty mittens. Plus I was wearing a light pair of gloves inside the mittens. Eventually I had to take of the mittens and at one point I wasn't wearing either gloves or mittens.

After I walked about 6K I started lagging behind a bit because I was feeling weak. Silly me didn't eat anything. Well the truth is sometimes I find it hard to eat that early in the morning. However, the mistake I made was not having something to snack on as I walk. I was feeling so bad that I thought I was going to puke.

Lucky for me I was able to continue to the end. I was glad we didn't do the 12K after all. Well they do say you live and you learn. I definitely won't be making that mistake this week or going forward. It does take a while to learn the ropes of training for a marathon so I am sure I will make more mistakes along the way.

Tomorrow we are definitely hoping to walk the 12K but we are headed for another period of deep freeze again so I am not 100% sure we will. Of course you will hear whether or not I walk the 12K in my next blog.

Before I sign off here is some exciting news, at least for me anyway...I signed up today for the 8K Harry's Spring Run Off. I did the 5K last year so I am looking forward to doing the 8K this year. I must say one of the things I like about these runs or marathons is that they always support some charity and the Harry's Spring Run Off supports Prostate Cancer.

This is in April so it gives me more than enough time to prepare. I am looking forward to it. After that my next meet will be in May or rather I am hoping to do another in May. Will tell you about it when I sign up. 

Mostly my blog is about my fish family or my plants and the occasional rant about something that occurred. Now I am taking my blog in a slightly different direction and hopefully in the weeks and months to come my blog will include more on the subject of Marathon Walking.

As of today I have started training for Marathon Walking...yep believe it. Will I keep it up? Who knows, but for now the most important thing is that I actually started.

Just to tell you a bit about how I got started...I have been doing the odd 5 km races but without the training and I usually run, walk.  I have a colleague who is a marathon walker, not just here in Canada but she travels to the USA quite often for races.

She has been at me for a long time now to get going and last week she found the perfect thing to get me interested....the Florida Disney Marathon. This marathon is held every January and you can do either a 5 km, a 1/2 marathon or the full marathon.

Doing both the 1/2 and the full marathon is called the Goofy. To accomplish this you do the 1/2 on the Saturday and the full marathon the Sunday. Since I am not Goofy...well not just yet, my goal is the full marathon in 2010. In the mean time I am hoping to do my fist 1/2 marathon later this year and  I also plan to do some shorter distance before that.

Today was the start of my training. I did my first walk this morning...9 km and yep I survived it, despite the -13C weather and it being slippery as heck. Lucky for me I am a cold weather person so it works perfectly. We started at 8:30 am...well I started a little bit later because I got there about 5 minutes late. I was able to catch up with some of the members of the group.

So how was my first walk this morning? I have to say it was really great. First...I have a great coach and the other walkers in the group seems to be really great individuals. After the walk we went for breakfast and so I was able to spend some time getting to know a few of the members. Some were telling me a bit about what to expect and what I need to do and basically just being very encouraging.

Given that it was my first morning the one thing I realized is that there is a lot that I have to learn, especially when walking in this type of weather. I knew I had to dress properly and for the most part I was. However, the one thing I didn't do was take my mittens with. I was wearing leather gloves and believe me in this weather they don't work really well. So that is one mistake I won't be making going forward.

The other thing is I knew attempting to do a marathon wasn't going to be easy...but I am now only realizing the effort it will take. To be able to walk the distance and maintain a certain speed will require lots of training, mental stamina and most importantly, discipline.

The good thing about it though is that it is a goal to work towards and since I have always liked to be challenged I am looking forward to it.  So for now this is what I will be doing and you will hear more as my journey continues.

Ciao for now...

So by now you probably know that I lost most of my fish...well they keep dying at any rate. I had only 1 of my goldfish left, a Calico Fantail and 3 of the 10 White Cloud Mountain Minnows. Well I decided I would buy some more yet again. I don't know why when all they do is die.

I went to Wal-Mart with the intention of buying at least 2 Fantails, but then it suddenly hit me, why buy more Fantail when they cost me $3.00 each and they have really nice big Comets for only 28 cents each. The thing is I had 2 Comets before and they died too, plus it is not advisable to keep single tail and fantails together or so they say anyway, which is why it never occurred to me to continue with the Comets.

On December 24th  I bought 3 beautiful Comets...and then on Saturday I bought 3 more. Took me over 1/2 hour to get them simply because Wal-Mart couldn't find anyone to help me because it was such a zoo in there.

So far they are doing well and my favourite is a Calico looking Comet, similar looking to the Fantail I have. They are a very lively bunch and just fun to watch. I thought they would have tried to eat my White Mountain Minnows but they are leaving them alone. I did notice though that for the first 2 days the Calico Comet that I like kept chasing the Calico Fantail around...I am not sure if he was trying to eat her (not sure what sex they are of course) or if he had a crush on her but gave up

Then yesterday I bought a new AquaClear Filter System since the one I had before stopped working on Sunday. Not sure why but it happened after I turned off the power to clean the tank. When I turned it back on it wouldn't work. I spend most of Sunday trying to get it to work but it wouldn't. So yesterday I went to buy a new filter. If there was a Big Al's near me, I would have bought it there because they are way cheaper than PJs Pet Store. PJs sells it for $59.99 + tax and Big Al's has it for $47.99 + tax.

Now you would think it's a simple thing to buy a filter, take it home and set it up. Oh no...I got home and the darn filter was busted. I had to trek back to PJ's to get it exchange...now they are not far from me but I could have done without all this extra work, especially since I was tired and had a headache. Anyway, the new filter has been set up and seems to be working properly. Most of all the fishes seems to be doing ok.

So that's it from me for now. You probably won't be hearing from me until next year.

Wishing you all a happy, healthy and prosperous 2009!

So there is this controversy as to whether we should say Merry Christmas or Happy Holidays. Well let me tell you that as of this year I refuse to say Happy Holidays.

I use to bend over backwards to do it until someone  made an issue of it. So since I am being told that I am suppose to say Happy Holidays because we live in a multi-cultural society...I won't. That would be giving into their belief system and ignoring mine and why should I?

The fact is I have no problems with other people celebrating whatever they chose to celebrate. I will either celebrate with them or if it is something that I do not believe in, then I leave them alone to it but I don't tell them what to do or not to do.

I do not see why I should change my belief system for a bunch of people who claimed that they don't believe in Christmas and I shouldn't say it. Ok so if you don't want me saying it to you I won't.  I have no problems with that and respect your wishes, but don't expect me to say Happy Holidays because I don't tell you to say Happy Holidays when you have your celebrations.

I will go so far as to learn the appropriate words of your celebration and say them to the individual. I will even learn it in their language. I have never heard anyone who celebrate Christmas telling some one who don't that they can't celebrate their own traditions or belief system. It's time you respect the fact that I have a right to my beliefs.

So I am not buying any more Happy Holiday Cards...it's all Christmas cards from now on. I am taking a stand...I celebrate Christmas and whosoever doesn't like it tough. I amt asking you to give up your celebration nor do I tell them to refer it to Happy Holidays...so why should?

It's been raining all day and I don't mean it rained and stop then started again. Nope, it literally rained all day and it's pouring as I write this. In fact it's not only pouring but it's very windy.

It is so windy I am sitting here wondering if the windy is going to knock the glass out. I am enjoying it though, but then I have always loved a good storm. Not that I consider this to be a storm. This is relatively mild compare to some of the stuff we see in the Caribbean.

Reminds me of the day I first landed in Canada, 6 /1/2 years ago and a day very much like today. It was also a Saturday. It was raining, overcast and looked somewhat bleak and depressing, much like today.

The only difference is that back then I was new to the country and knew almost next to no one. So it wasn't so much fun as it is now. To make it worst it  was in April and  it was foggy for quite a bit, the day after and I wasn't use to seen everything around looking so dead and lifeless.

Being from the Caribbean even on stormy days, it doesn't look so depressing. In fact it's quite exciting, may be scary for some, but never depressing. Here it's different. It can look very depressing, I guess because all I see around me are buildings and streets and yes a few trees.

In the Caribbean specifically Jamaica you see the mountains all around you, trees and yes building but it doesn't look so much like a concrete jungle. Even in Barbados which is quite flat its beautiful to watch, listen and even feel the storm's energy.

Anyway, as I was saying before I went off into wonderland...it's been raining and very windy here all day. Nevertheless I decided to brave the elements and walk to the library which isn't too far away, about a 8 minutes leisurely walk.

Why I always do these crazy things is beyond me. Reminds me of when I tried walking in a snow storm to the library but that's a different story. So I merrily walked to the library with my backpack, skipping over puddles and hanging on to my umbrella with both hands so as not to lose it.

I got to the library ok, returned some books and collected the CDs and books I had on hold. I even found a new Stuart Wood,  Stone Barrington book which I also borrowed.  I didn't stayed too long or browse which I would normally do, but only because I already had several books at home and another 7 I was checking out. I didn't want to be tempted.

Even though I had to struggle against the wind, I almost got home in perfectly good shape when it happened. I was a few feet away from the door of my condo building when a heavy gust of wind flipped my brolly over with such a force the darn thing hit me in the face, on my nose. For a minute I thought it was broken.

You should have seen me with my face all scrunched up and checking to see if it was broken, but I am very happy to say it's ok. Just a tad bit sore and of course it aggravated the headache I have been having since yesterday.

All in all though, my rainy adventure to the library went well and I gotta say it was quite fun to walk in the rain, day dreaming about all sorts of wonderful things. No I am not going to write about my day dreams and don't ask because I won't tell either:)

I wonder what mischief I will get up to next? Until next time...

I finally figured out what is wrong with my fish, they have ich. I didn't realized it before because the symptoms were not clear. This morning I discovered they are now covered in white spots, the 3 that's left of the 6 that is.

Yep I lost 3 fish and I doubt the others will survive. In any event I decided to raise the temperature in the tank before I decide to use the ich treatment which I do have. It's just that I hate to use chemicals in my tank. So I will watch to see what happens in the next couple of days.

What's also unfortunate about this whole thing is that I had recently bought some White Cloud Minnows and added them to the tank. Will see if they survive too.

If I lose all my Goldfish, I think I will switch to warm water tropical fish. That way I can have a variety of species in the tank and more plants. Also I think they may be easier to are for. Will see how it goes in the next couple of days.

So there folks, another depressing tale of aquarium life. Hopefully my next writing will be something more positive.

Ciao for now.

Are there days when you felt like you were jinxed, when everything seems to go wrong? Well this week sure feels that way.

On Tuesday, I noticed that my almost brand new vacuum (a few months) old was not working as it should. I checked it only to realized that it didn't have the power it was suppose to. I checked the hose and it isn't blocked.

Ok so that's one thing, I figured what the heck I will have to buy another no big deal or rather it's not that big a deal. As I like to say, it could be worse.

So I am going along merrily and watching my fish swim around which as I mentioned before gives me a lot of peace. Only I noticed, only 2 of them are swimming and not so good either. Once again, my fish appears to be sick and I have no clue what it is, except it appears to be a swim bladder problem.

Only it's hard to believe that they could all be suffering from swim bladder. I did a 10% water change to be on the safe side on Tuesday and  I did the same on Wednesday. I also stop feeling them.

Today when I came home, one of the Calico Fantail was dead which I expected given that he was really sick. One of the Gold fantail is well on his way to dying and 2 are not far behind. So far I have 2 that seems to be recovering and swimming around.

Yesterday I introduced into the tank, a school of 10 White Cloud Mountain Minnows that I had bought on Tuesday. I didn't want to but I couldn't keep them in the bowl for too long since they need space. The good news is that they seem to be doing well.

In fact I notice that there is a pair that behaves really weird in a funny way...they keep racing each other from one end of the tank to the other and back and seems to be trying to out do each other. Very funny to sit and watch:)

Anyway, so having dealt with a problem vacuum and dying fish, I thought ok that's it, all I have to do is buy a new vacuum and some fish. Oh no, that wasn't just it.

Today at lunch time I decide to go shopping to buy a birthday gift for a friend and I figured I would take my iPod (60Gb) and listen to some music while I try and figure out what to get her, a stressful task since I hate shopping.

So I turned on my iPod and I couldn't believe my eyes, I got the sad smiley iPod face that tells you something is wrong. The darn thing wouldn't boot up. So I figured ok when I get home I would connect it to my PC and hope for the best. I got home and did just that, only to have the darn thing die completely.

So now I will  need to a new music player, on top of the vacuum and the fish. I still say it could be worse right? Although I jokingly told my colleagues not to let me touch them, since of late everything I touch seem to die:)

I will now have to figure out what kind of vacuum to buy since I am not buying back the one I have now (Dirt Devil Breeze) and also if I want to buy an iPod or a Zune. The music player is easier to figure out than the vacuum especially because I like shopping for gadgets, just about the only thing I like to shop for.

I must confess that I am really leaning towards the Zune for several reasons:

1. It has a much bigger screen
2. It has FM Radio
3. It has wireless which I am hoping Microsoft will open some day to allow us to connect to the Internet.
4. I am very disappointed that my iPod died only after 3 years of owning it.

Anyway, so there it is folks, the story of my week so far. Let's hope it gets better and that nothing else dies. I am just happy tomorrow is Friday and I can relax on the weekend.

Have a good weekend and walk good!

This last  week has been sad, I lost a very dear and good friend to pancreatic cancer. After 2 years fighting the disease, and believe me she put on a darn good fight, she finally gave up on Oct 31.

During the last 2 years she was so strong and very cheerful. I remember a group of us went to visit her in August and she was so happy to see us.  Her only concern was that she couldn't cook for us, to which we told her not to worry we were just happy to be with her.

The last thing she said to me via email was "Doing good. It was good seeing you guys. Come again." We had planned to go back and cook for her but it just wasn't to be.

So, yesterday we celebrated her life and said good bye. What a celebration it was too. The service was packed to overflowing, which only speaks of how many who knew her loved her. She was such a wonderful person, full of life and joy, but most of all just a really good person to those who crossed her path.

So it is with sadness I say goodbye, I will miss you, but I am happy that you are no longer suffering. I will remember the good times, the walks we use to go for during lunch time, our lunch time conversations and just sitting having a meal together. 

"Goodbyes are not forever.
Goodbyes are not the end.
They simply mean I'll miss you
Until we meet again!"
~Author Unknown

To everything there is a season,
a time for every purpose under the sun.
  a time to be born and a time to die;
a time to plant and a time to pluck up that which is planted;
a time to kill and a time to heal ...
a time to weep and a time to laugh;
a time to mourn and a time to dance ...
a time to embrace and a time to refrain from embracing;
a time to lose and a time to seek;
a time to rend and a time to sew;
a time to keep silent and a time to speak;
a time to love and a time to hate;
a time for war and a time for peace.