Scatterbrained Running

Some mornings I'm not sure how I make it through my run.

It's dark outsode.  Pre-dawn with only the occasional passing bus to brighten up my route through Central Etobicoke.  I put on my 'dark' running gear, walk down the 4 flights of stairs into the cool morning air.  I do love fall!

After a minute or so of brisk walking...my version of warming up...I break into a slow jog.  That lasts for a few minutes until my brain and legs begin to talk to each other:  "Crap...he really is serious about running again this morning".

Most days I get to the sweet spot quickly:  legs turning over rapidly (160 times a minute is the goal), breathing deep and regular, mind blank.  But some days no matter how hard I try, not so much.  On those days I go scatterbrained:

• Why did that raccoon cross the road?  Dam...that's a big raccoon!!  Hope he's more scared of me than I am of him.
• Will I be  delayed on the TTC this morning?
• My son is getting married!!  Yikes...when did he grow up?
• Gotta loose some weight...carrying this extra Muffin Top around sucks.  Running with it sucks even more.
• I should walk for a few minutes.  Nope, keep running!
• I've been running for 30 years...why doesn't it get any easier.
• Will my client make my candidate an offer today?  Will my candidate accept it?
• "Stop thinking about work!"
• Why are my lungs screaming for air?
• Oh, oh...here comes that hill again.  Why did I pick this route?

On those mornings running isn't fun...thankfully though it's over relatively quickly.  What keeps me running is knowing that tomorrow is another day...

Until next time...

ThatRunninGuy

Shoot me November 2 at Sector 57

"November 2...the perfect day to shoot me".  Preferably not in the back at close range while running to 'Capture the Flag'.

We're back!  A little later than normal and with a new Outdoor location but our 5th Annual Paint Attack Fund Raiser for the Heart & Stroke Foundation is on for November 2 at Sector 57 Paintball in Oshawa.  My sons and their friends will be out in force once again to have fun playing paintball...and shooting, I mean marking, the Old Man.  They may have youth on their side, but my superior experience gives me the edge. Or at least I hope so.

In the past we've dedicated our annual event to family who have passed away from heart attacks, heart disease and strokes: my Dad, my Mother-in-Law being two immediate family members.  This year we're dedicated to two close friends who have suffered from heart disease recently: Nigel and Brad.  In the prime of their lives each recently had a brush with heart disease.  Through the quick efforts of the health services, they both received top-notch care.  The money raised in Paint Attack goes to the Heart & Stroke Foundation of Ontario.  It helps fund research and education to eliminate this disease if possible; alert you to the symptoms so you can take quick action.

I'll be running on November 2 for sure in Paint Attack #5.  Sector 57 in Oshawa has outdoor paintball fields and from past experience, I expect the boys to 'light me up' every chance they get.  I won't mind...it's for cause that's affected all of us.

If you are interested in shooting me November 2 at Sector 57 during oue 5th Annual Paint Attack, leave a comment on this post or contact me directly:  chris@thatrunninguy.

Until next time...
ThatRunninGuy

40 Beats a Minute: Zen Baby, Zen!

Zen baby, Zen!

40 beats a minute.  That's my resting heart rate.  Less than 1 beat per second. 

"Thumpa...big pause...thumpa".

My Doctor was concerned so she sent me for a battery of heart tests...stress, electrocardiogram, ultrasound.  Her concluding diagnosis:  "40 beats per minute is abnormal...but it's your normal". Sally got a kick out of that notion that 'my normal is abnormal'. It may just explain my mellow state. It explains a lot.  And it got me thinking:  what else beats at 40 beats a minute.  To answer that of course I Googled it:

• First up was this article, "My heart rate is 40 beats a minute, does this mean I'm in good shape?".  My favourite answer noted that only Sages and Monks had heart rates that low.  Hmmm...Sage...I quite like that!
• In music, I am a 'Lento'.  That means music at a 'leisurely' 40 beats per minute.  One great example is this one from Charles Mingus, "Goodbye Pork Pie Hat".  Not so good to run to...ideal though for relaxing and meditating;  Perfect for a lazy Sunday afternoon...Zen!
• And speaking of running, with the change to forefoot running, I'm up to just over 160 step rate...that's 4 x 40.  Don't you just love math.
• Also at 40 beats are Hummingbirds.  Of course, they flap their wings at 40 beats per second!  
• In cycling, the current theory is that the ideal cadence is 80 RPM:  2 times my resting heart rate
• Driving in a school zone in Toronto:  40 Km/hr.  Hmmm...
• And still on driving, my comfort speed is 120 kpm:  3 x 40.
• This past year I celebrated the 15 anniversary of my 40th birthday.  OK, I didn't find that on Google...

I could continue but that would be beating a dead horse.  The bottom line is that I'm healthy, still running and enjoying every minute of it.

Zen baby...ZEN!

Until next time...

ThatRunninGuy

75 Days to Reggae Marathon!

Larry, Chris, Dan ... Post-race, Reggae Marathon

Yikes!  Where did that year go?  It was only yesterday when I was waiting outside Rondel Village in Negril for the shuttle to take me back to the airport in Montego Bay for the trip home.  All my family and friends had left for home the day before and even though I enjoyed an early morning swim and a few hours lolling for the last time on the Negril beach, saying good by to Reggae Marathon 2012 was tough.  Only 364 days to go...

Fast forward...now under 75 days to go to Reggae Marathon 2013, my 5th consecutive Reggae Marathon.  It's the only race event I've done 5 times.  And yes I was born in Jamaica but this race has something special that brings me back year after year.

There have been both highlights and low times at Reggae Marathon.  Each experience...even the not so good ones...have been positive once enough time passed.  Here are some of the experiences that have stayed with me over the years:

• My first Reggae Marathon in 2009 was my second full marathon and my first and only complete marathon.  It wasn't pretty but I 'got it dun!'.  With my slow pace I spent a considerable amount of time under the mid-morning sun.  I was prepared and had trained for it yet nothing could prepare me for the long, long stretches of running with no one else in sight.  "The loneliness of the long distance runner?"  I got it!  The hardest part:  knowing that Sally was waiting for me at the finish line wondering when I would ever get to the finish.  Thanks for waiting Sally.
• My second Reggae Marathon event in 2010 was actually harder.  I entered the Half Marathon event and cockily predicted a sub-2 hour time.  It was not to be.  Even with my son Courtney running with me, I struggled.  I ran with a bad case of Plantar Fasciitis, in the wrong shoes and with the wrong T Shirt.  I overheated, destroyed my feet and crossed the finish line a mess.  Not my finest hour.
• Reggae Marathon #3 in 2011 was much better.  I had two of my sons, Andrew and Courtney in Negril along with one of their friends, Mike.  We all stayed at Rondel Village and had a blast playing on the beach before and after the race.  I entered the 10K and upon finishing could proudly claim I had 'Medalled' in each of the Reggae Marathon distances:  Full Marathon, Half and 10K.  Plus the highlight of this race was that I ran topless!  Don't worry, I didn't scare anyone...it was dark the entire race.
• My 2012 Reggae Marathon could have been a disaster.  Barely 2 months before race day I broke some bones in my right foot.  I missed a planned half marathon that fall but expected to be fully recovered for the 10K event in Negril.  Never happened.  I was still in my walking cast when I traveled to Negril and I promised Sally I wouldn't run.  I kept my word and walked the entire 10K in my walking cast.  For the first time I got the opportunity to take pictures along the route...some of them priceless to me.

For 2013 I'm back for the event December 7.  I'll be running the 10K event once again.  Truth be told, it's my favourite distance...it's how I got into running in the first place.  I'm totally looking forward to it.  Beach, sun, run...Reggae Marathon 2013 here I come!

Until next time...

ThatRunninGuy