Ted's Run For Literacy, 2012

Dear Runners,

Last October many of you participated in the first annual Ted’s Run for Literacy at Kildonan Park in Winnipeg. Thanks to runners such as you and our wonderful sponsors, Ted’s Run donated $3500 to Start2Finish, a national organization that promotes literacy and physical activity in disadvantaged neighborhoods in cities across Canada. The money we raise through Ted’s Run stays in Winnipeg and directly supports running and reading clubs at three innercity schools; Shaughnessy Park, Sister MacNamara, and William Whyte Community School. This year our goal is to donate $5000 to Start2Finish and we need your help!

Please accept this as your personal invitation to register for the second annual Ted’s Run for Literacy. We have implemented a number of improvements such as:

• Economical registration fees including a very affordable family rate.
• A re-certified course, which allows for the start and finish lines to be very close together.
• We are a Timex Series run (the last one of the season).
• We are using chip timing.
• A new 2 k and 4 k fun race, which will not interfere with the 10 k lead runners.
• An effort to be the most environmentally friendly race in the city.
• A lead cyclist to guide faster runners. 

Ted’s Run is on October 21 at Kildonan Park. The early bird registration ends on September 30. All early bird registrants will be eligible to win a men’s or women’s watch valued at $500. The early bird registration fee is $30 (adult) and $10 (youth). After September 30th the fees are $35 and $15.

Men's Citizen Eco-Drive Watch valued at $500

Women's Citizen Eco-Drive Watch valued at $500.

Ted Swain was active in Winnipeg’s running community. Those that knew him will remember a gentle and patient man. Ted was also an English teacher at Vincent Massey Collegiate. Ted died from heart failure in May 2009 after completing the Police half-marathon. Ted’s Run is our attempt to honor a most remarkable man and his two passions, running and reading. Please join us on October 21 at Kildonan Park.

Click here to register or click here to contact me directly.

                                                                        

Ted’s Run Race Committee is:

Joan Swain
Pat Button                                         
Darcie Wadelius                 
Petra Rapmund       

Connie Lowe                                     
Aldo Furlan                           
Sherri Grandmont   

Roger Berrington                              
Joanne Schiewe                   
Linda Klaric              

Christy Zamzow                                
Sandra Danberg  
Michael Bennett 

It's a good day to be alive.  

:>)  Mike                

Street Feet Run Well

Do your best; have fun.
Gerry Barrett,Street Feet Run Well motto 

Street Feet Run Well 

I dropped by my favourite running store this afternoon and had a pleasant chat with owner Erick Oland. It wasn't long into the conversation when Erick mentioned Street Feet Run Well, an organization that is dear to his and his wife Cheryl's heart, and now mine.  Street Feet Run Well supports women living in Winnipeg's North Point Douglas. 

This area of Winnipeg is similar to Vancouver's Lower East Side or Toronto's Jane and Finch region.  This is the area that polite society prefers to forgets. If we need to travel through this area we do so fast and with doors locked. Residents of North Point Douglas live on the margins of society and face daily obstacles that would would flatten most other citizens. They are resilient folk though, they may stumble but they pick themselves up, dust themselves off, and get right back to  the business of eking out a living for themselves and their families. 

Street Feet Run Well programming helps the women believe in themselves and believe in their potential. This is accomplished by good old fashioned encouragement and support.  The women walk their neighbourhood in groups led by Bridget Robinson. They walk to build strength and confidence. In time they shuffle their feet a little quicker. Then they run a few steps. Then they learn to run well. They are encouraged to do their best and have fun. They quicken their pace and become lighter in spirit. They move forward. 

The driving force behind Street Feet Run Well is Bridget Robinson. She the person who leads the women and offers encouragement and support along the way. Erick describes her as  "the most inspirational person I have ever met". 

As trust builds they laugh as they run, and chat and gossip. They learn to support one another and believe in their true worth. They become winded and flush in face, running does that eh? Their heart races and then calms. Unknown muscles ache. Blisters appear. They are alive. They are runners.

They run in shoes that are beaten and bruised. Shoes that are worn thread bare with the soul exposed. Sally Ann specials. Our throw-away shoes become their symbol of hope.

Street Feet Run Well offers the women two running session a week. They are challenged to attend eight sessions. Some attend eight  consecutive session, others take longer to log the eight. After their eighth session though, a transformation occurs, a magic moment if you prefer. 

There is a ceremony in which Erick attends with a van load of shiny brand new, colourful, high-end authentic running shoes. The shoes are provided free of charge by City Park Runners.The women giggle as Eric fits them carefully and analyzes their gait to find the very best shoe. A Cinderella moment if there ever was. There is great fanfare as the others look on and offer advice on colour and style. There is laughter and the room is warm with camaraderie. The walls radiate with positive energy. Erick beams and keeps his emotions in check. 

And the runner in perfectly fitted running shoes, how does she feel? I don't know, but I expect she feels pretty darn good. She feels valued and supported. She feels successful and strong. She belongs to a a most inclusive community, a community of runners, a community nourished by Street Feet Run Well.  We all want to belong, we all need to be part of a community. It's wired into our genetic code. Bridget Robinson helps build that community and Erick, he provides the badges of honor. 

I have registered for the first annual Pont Douglas 10-k Run (there is also a 5-k) . All proceeds directly support Street Feet Run Well programming. Here's their mission statement: 

Street Feet Run Well’s mission is to holistically promote physical and mental health in an inclusive, caring and supportive environment. The goals of the program are to help participants, who self-identify with challenges, to increase self-esteem and self-efficacy through walking or running with the intent that this extends to other areas in their lives. The program will strive to help each participant be the best walker or runner that they can be, while having fun in a social environment that emphasizes equality and is non-judgmental.

Street Feet Run Well has two partner resource centers: Canadian Centre for Refugee  Employment  and The North Point Douglas Women’s Centre. Click the links for their stories.  I hope you have the time to join the fun on Saturday, October 13. Click here to register. The Race Committee  need lots of volunteers so please, bring out the family. 

So friends, let's heed the Street Feet Run Well motto...do your best and have fun!

It's a good day to be alive.
Mike

One Skinny Canadian

Moonshine dreamtime
All I need is a goldmine
And true love
Just like sugar in my coffee

Eleni Mandell, Moon Glow Lamp Low, from the album Miracle of Five

I missed the registration deadline for the Twin Cities Marathon so I wrote the race director to inquire if there was room at the start line for one more runner, one more skinny Canadian... with a big heart... 140 pounds soaking wet.

To my delight the answer arrived the next day.

"Dear Mike" read the email from the race director, Catherine, "I just checked and yes indeed we do have just enough room for one more skinny Canadian at the start line." And with that, she provided me with a super secret code to over ride all the red print that declared ... registration is now closed ... we have reached our capacity... try again next year...

Thank you Catherine! You're the best.

So here I am, now training for a full dance on October 7. I had originally considered running Toronto on October 14, but Twin Cities is a preferred race. I ran Twin Cities in 2008 with my niece and it was the best of times. I blogged the experience here.  

My training is going well despite the heat. I ran 7 miles of hills the other day and 18 miles last Sunday. I'm training with an interesting group, some are training for Chicago, others Twin Cities, and others Crazy Horse in South Dakota. For some this will be their first marathon, for others it'll be number 35.  One runner is vegan, I'm vegetarian so we compare notes about nutrition and chit chat. It's all good the chatter, the goodwill, the caring for one another.  No injuries, energy level is up, feeling ok.

Twin Cities Marathon falls on Canada's Thanksgiving weekend so Jennifer and I will make a  little vacation of it. I have already booked the hotel ... 0.8 miles from the start line and about the same from the Walker Art Institute.... something for both of us.

I attended Art City's Van Launch Party last week on the roof top of the WAG. The van was designed by Netherlands' artist and personal friend of Wanda Koop, Olaf Mooij. Olaf also designed the iconic bicycle that sits on top of Art City on west Broadway. I thought you might enjoy some images of the unveiling. 

The excitement mounts...

Edward admires...

What the ... ?

The Art City Van... 1000 AMPs of pure positivity. Note the city scape design of the speaker arrangement.

It's a good day to be alive and running with a thousand amps of pure positivity!

Mike

Bismarck ND Marathon... 28 days and counting.

I'm pleased with my training for the Bismarck Marathon.  I've pretty well followed my schedule to a tee minus a couple of dropouts due to fatigue.  I skipped one speed workout a few weeks back because it just didn't feel right and I cut this week's hill workout in half because of full-body fatigue.  The heat's made things tough, but not unbearably so.  I've also decided to take two consecutive rest days prior to the long run on Sunday.  As I mentioned to a friend the other day, it's all fun and games until the training dips into the 20+ mile zone.  This is when the body becomes weary and the potential for injury rises significantly.  This coming Sunday calls for 22 miles.  Last Sunday was 20.  Funny, 22 is still daunting even after all these years of running.  I still get a little anxious; go figure?

Interesting that I haven't had a GU or any other gell for many months.  I've almost entirely switched over to Fig Newtons for my long run energy food.  They're loaded with potassium, quick-burn carbohydrates, and they taste like real food (unlike the Frankenfood I used to consume on long runs).  I pack a half-dozen in a baggy and down them with a slug of Power Aid every 30 minutes or so.  Past symptoms of nausea have disappeared.  In talking to an elite athlete friend of mine she tells me she packs sandwiches, gummy bears, chips, but no gels, on her 50 to 100 mile runs.

Back to the business of Bismarck....

The course has been reconfigured due to flooding in the area.  Full marathoners runs the half-marathon course twice giving a whole new meaning to "twice the distance, half the fun."  This requires the full marathoners to run the hill leading to University of Mary twice, at mile 5 and again at mile 18.  Ouch.  The hill is one mile in length with a 4% - 5% average grade.  A couple of questions...Why is the spike higher in the second hill?  Why is the profile of the two hills different?  I thought it was the same hill.  Not sure what's up here... or down for that matter.  I hear that the view at the crest is amazing.

It's the same hill so why are the profiles different?

The fact that Bismarck is even holding this marathon in light of all that water is a testament to the spirt of the American mid-West.   Kudos to the race director and the team for their courage, dedication, and especially their Joie de vivre.  This will be a race to remember!

This is what your friends are really thinking when their eyes glaze over as you discuss your pace, your resting heart rate, your personal best, your personal worst, protein shakes, your blood pressure, minimalism vs traditional vs barefoot, tempo runs, lsd's, speed, intervals, Garmins, benefits of running, and all that other jargon that keeps us uptight and anxious.  No wonder their eyes glaze.  Non-runners just don't get do they? They don't understand, how could they?

No one understands an injury like the sidelined runner. To all you injured, I understand your frustration.  I know how it hurts.  I appreciate the ache inside that permeates.  Been there.  I get it.

I'll be seeing some of you on Sunday for a slow dance.  Until then, it's a good day to be alive.

M

Leukemia Ward Run

Air Force Run

The inaugural Air Force Run takes place on Sunday May 31 with all proceeds to support two very worthy causes, The Military Family Resource Centre (MFRC) and Soldier On. The MFRC was established in 1991 to help military families deal with the day to day stresses of military life (of which, sadly, there are many). Soldier On (in collaboration with the Canadian Paralympic Committee) opened their doors in 2007 in response to the growing number of injured soldiers returning to their communities with broken spirits and damaged bodies. Soldier On provides opportunities for their own to rebuild their bodies and their spirit through sport and recreational activities. They provide financial support to injured CF personnel who require adapted sports equipment, and subsidize fitness and sport related activity expenses that directly contribute to enhancing or maintaining a healthy and active lifestyle.

The race director guarantees a spectacular race with a millitary fly-pass, a start line filled with aircraft, a portion of the race under the final approach path of an active runway, and a finish "unique to the military". Not sure what this final bit is all about, but I'm sure it will be amazing!

Online registration is available until May 29 so hurry, click here! Go on, you know you want to.

It just occured to me that we can show our support to the military by placing a yellow ribbon around the tree in our front yard (passive) or we can get out there and kick-butt, sweat, donate some cash, and cheer on the buddies (active). It reminds me of that African proverb, you know the one, when you pray, move your feet. Hell, I'm moving my feet for Soldier On and MFRC... and I'll be proud of my contribution... so will you.

See you at the start line. Spread the word.

As always friends, it's a good day to be alive.

Mike

PS. Congratulations to my good pal, Debbie C. who achieved a B.Q. at The Fargo Marathon. Man oh man Deb, I am SO proud of you!