Here; A Guest Blog by Scott Sugimoto

Scott Sugimoto
Spruce Woods 100 Mile Ultra Marathon
May 2015

Here was Boxing Day 2007 weighing 230 pounds and less than 60 days out from my 49th birthday.

Here was a plan to go and run every other day. Ten 10 minutes out, turn around and head home.

Here was Manitoba Half Marathon 2008, now weighing 175 pounds. My goal is to finish ahead of the person who came in first place in the full marathon.

Here was getting "volunteered" into running my first full marathon in Disney as part of Team Diabetes, January 2009 now weighing 160 pounds.

Since then, Here has been a handful of half and full marathons, a couple of ultras including completing the 100 mile event at Spruce Woods May of 2015

‎Here is now, 57 years of age preparing to take on the challenge that is the Fat Dog 120 miles in August 2016.

The very best part of Here, has been the  journey and the amazing, wonderful people along the way that I have gotten to meet and know.

I am so happy that Here isn't here, anymore.

Scott Sugimoto

The Angels Wanna Wear My Red Shoes

Since their wings have got rusted, 
you know the angels wanna wear my red shoes.
And I won't get any older, 
now the angels wanna wear my red shoes.
Elvis Costello

My red shoes.
Salomon Gortex XA Pro

This year I ran a whole bunch of miles for a whole bunch of reasons. I ran more miles in 2015 than any year previous. I experienced the bliss of success and the sting of defeat.  I was side tracked with injury and I happy-danced over a few finish lines. It was a good year and I am grateful for your part in making it so.

In thanks for your friendship, your readership, I give you a kaleidoscope of one runner's year in review.  I expect it is much like yours.

I ran along twisty trails, through thick bush, and tall grasslands. I ran lone-wolf into bitter wind at 6AM on freakishly cold streets. I slipped on black ice and I splashed through brown slush. I ran in large cheery groups with laughter ringing and warmth radiating. I ran with a single friend where the the talk was joyful and meaningful. I ran on secret trails laid skinny by fatbikers. I ran under the stars and over the rivers. I ran through silence and I ran through raw emotion. I ran in pain and I ran in jubilance. I lay witness to the sun's rising on the Assiniboine River and I marvelled in the light of a new day born.

I ran to forget and I ran to remember. I ran away and I ran towards.  I ran with images of a Syrian toddler washed up on shore and I sobbed quietly on those secret trails. I ran with images of the Paris bombing and I seethed and clenched my fists on those same trails. I ran with thoughts of friends battling cancer and I felt helpless.  I ran to find solutions to problems arising. I ran to calm the jagged edges of the daily grind. I ran to find inner peace when chaos abounded.

I ran with grace in the company of you. I thank you for your companionship along this endless trail. In time and distance we learn to recognize where we are on the path and we understand it's alright. We understand no matter how challenging, how insurmountable, how steep, we can do this trail, one step at a time.

Remember friends, there's many angels with rusted wings, broken wings, that would give their life to run in your red shoes. Be kind to those angels for they are broken. They say they want your red shoes, but what they really want is your kindness.

We are each other's angels. 

Chuck Brodsky

I so look forward to the next opportunity to run with you. I wish you all the happiest of trails in 2016.


It's a good day to be alive,

Mike

The Spaces We Run Through

The Spaces We Run Through
Michael Anderson

(Published with permission)

Michael Anderson
Lost Soul Ultra 2015
Lethbridge, Alberta

I went to church today
Not in a building
But in the spaces the buildings have not consumed

Rows of pews replaced by trees
A ribbon in the snow my aisle

The crunch of steps my prayer
My sweat and breath the offering
I think of life, and love, and loss

I return home
Refreshed
Revived
Renewed

Post script: I love this little poem by Michael Anderson. I love the simplicity and the sentiment. I love the tenderness, the purity, the sweetness. I love the image created by the line "...in the spaces the buildings have not consumed". These spaces we run through, mindless, mindful, full of hope and promise. Images of our daughters and sons, mothers and fathers; in these spaces, where buildings have not consumed. We follow the ribbon; the endless ribbon. We think of life and love and loss.  I love how we return home refreshed, revived, renewed. Ready for another run through spaces; spaces the building have not consumed.  

Thanks you Michael for your spirit and your gift; you make us whole.

It's a good day to be alive,

Mike

38 Names

November 20th marked the 16th annual international Transgender Day of Remembrance. It also marks the day I learned transphobic violence is responsible for the death of hundreds, perhaps thousands, of transgendered people worldwide.  It marks the day I learned 271 transgendered people ranging in age from 15 to 64 were murdered in the last 12 months. It marks the day I learned every three days a transgendered person, most often a trans-women of colour, is murdered at the hands of a transphobic man.  It marks the day I first understood the extent of hate some direct towards this community.

I get it and I weep.

Our friend Bobbi had the honour of reading 38 names aloud at the Winnipeg Transgender Day of Remembrance. Many other names were read at the assembly, but Bobbi read 38.  It was her duty and her right. She read thirty-eight names aloud with a strong voice. She honoured their lives. She gave them voice. She gave them light. She comforted their families and their loved ones. She acknowledged their hopes and dreams. Bobbi read 38 names with a strong voice...

...and 38 resonates in my heart.

This week I will run 38 miles with strong legs. It's not much, hardly a blip, but it's something. It shows I care. Please join me.

Take 38 steps, walk 38 blocks, take 38 deep breaths, climb 38 stairs, build 38 transgendered snowmen, commit 38 acts of random kindness, give freely 38 hugs, smile at 38 strangers, donate 38 dollars.  Just do something 38 this week and, for heaven's sake, be sure to tell Bobbi.

It's a good day to be alive.

Mike

we run in circles, we run in lemming loops

we run in circles
short tight circles
drifting 
soft 
oblong 
lemming loops 
as miles click by and by

we run tight circles when the mind is troubled 
we run happy in this moment
  
round and round 
spokes on a wheel 
fast and blurred

thoughts become not-quite-focused
thoughts become our heart
our mind
our bone
our soul

we run in circles
we soar free
we run happy in this moment

It's a good day to be alive,

Mike

Winnipeg Fire Paramedic Half Marathon Race Report

Be happy for this moment. This moment is your life. 

Omar Khayyam

Today we run happy.  

Today we dance. 

Today we marvel at life. 

Today we are omnipotent.

Today the Winnipeg Fire Paramedic Half Marathon knocked it out of the park; an Encarnacion grand slam no less. 

The toilet lineups were crazy, but did you know there were dozens of potties outside?

Water cups were sparse for the last few miles, but did you know David Fielder (aka Spiderman) and Melissa Budd (aka BUFF) were there to sustain you? 

And that amazing teenage cheer leader crew at mile 12, and the rock band at mile 12.5, and Tim MacKay whistling ... who needs water when we have spirit?

Johnny Sticky Buns were teeny-tiny, but did you know there was yogurt, coffee, bananas, tea, hot chocolate, and a whole lot more?

Today I ran happy in the company of 2900 spirited souls.  We ran as one in the moment. We were spirited, chatty, together as one. Today we ran happy and tomorrow we will bask in the after glow. 

At mile 4 we listen to the sound of our feet .. we are a machine.

At mile 8 we listen to the sound of our heart... we are a force.

At mile 12 we listen to the sound of our soul... we are in the moment. 

And it sucks.

And we embrace the suck.

And it is beautiful.

And it is quiet.

We focus on heart, legs, lungs, loved ones, whatever it takes to sustain. We dig deep and then we dig deeper.

Our goal becomes one weighted step after another, and then another, and another, and another.

We step over the line. 

And we choke. 

And we cry. 

And we embrace.

And we ring the bell.

And we savour the beauty of that moment.

We have achieved and we are overwhelmed with happieness.

Today we run happy.

Today we dance.

Today we live in the moment.

And we know the moment is fleeting.

And we know it will fade.

And we think Aynslie, of John, of Jo, of our fathers, of our mothers, of our beloved, of many others.

We run for them today.

And we whisper I love you to spirits passing.

And we say, thanks be to you.

It's all we can do.

It's a good day to be alive,

Mike

Winnipeg Fire Paramedic Half Marathon; all systems 'go'.

The fourth annual Winnipeg Fire Paramedic Half Marathon is brought to you by Race Director extraordinaire, Jonathan Torchia and his amazing Race Crew. I have had the pleasure of pacing all four events and from my perspective this race improves tenfold each and every year. It has the feel of a big city race and yet Jonathan makes it personal and homegrown. He greets all volunteers by first name and with a handshake.  He is the quintessential Type A personality, never sitting, rarely sleeping, and forever encouraging.  

I am pacing a 2 hour ten minute group and like you, I'm anxious and excited about race day. Like you, I have trained for months in difficult conditions. Like you, I have suffered through injury and grimaced through pain. Like you, I have run many hundreds of lonely miles in anticipation of race day. 

Like you, I am strong. 

Like you, I am ready.

Like you, I am overwhelmed with happiness! 

Look for me on race day... I'm the little guy with a big smile.

A full race report will be posted after the event. It's a good day to be alive.

Mike

See Martial and Mike Run

Now I am Not

I've run about 15 miles in the last six weeks.  Someone once said not running is akin to the continual presence of absence. I can attest to that; yes indeed, I do feel absent, because I am absent.

I have become sedentary and bloated.  My mind screams. My cardio suffers. My strength wains.  I am a runner sidelined and we know this is a bad place. Mentally I suffer. Physically I wither.

Spiritually I am diminished. 

I am on the mend (I had a successful 3.5 mile run this morning). I expect another week at Stephanie's Little Shop of Pain will get me rolling once again.  Rolling, stretching. Stretching, rolling endlessly. 

I so wanted the Lemming Loop. It has whispered my name for months. I trained rigorously in heat and hills. 40, 50, 60, 70 lonely miles a week. I was strong and I was confident. Now I am .... well, now I am not.

Next year my friends, next year.

I had the pleasure of watching Lemming Loop from the sideline with a camera. Here's a little tease.

It's a good day to be alive.

Mike

Living Prairie Museum, home of the Lemming Loop

The goal of Living Prairie Museum is to provide awareness and
conservation of natural areas, specifically tall grass prairie,
through environmental education.

The Living Prairie Museum is the best kept secret in Winnipeg! It's a 30 acer tall grass prairie preserve that is accessed at 2795 Ness Avenue.  Its origin hails back to 1968 when the International Biological Program surveyed 60 Manitoba sites for native prairie plant communities. Ironically, the largest and most pristine of the lot was found nestled within a St. James residential neighbourhood. The City of Winnipeg established The Living Prairie Museum in 1976 largely due to the advocacy of then 87 year old Pete DeWet. Considering only 1/20 of 1% of original tall grass prairie remains, it is indeed a gem.

The Living Prairie Museum is the location of the much anticipated Lemming Loop trail run. Runners compete against the clock to see how many laps (loops) they can complete within their chosen times of 3, 6,12, or 24 hours. The Lemming Loop is brought to you by the good folks at  Trail Run Manitoba. The 24 hour runners start on October 2 and the 12, 6, and 3 hour runners start on October 3. I've signed up for the 6 hour event and hope to break the back of 50 km. Come join me!

A question for Trail Run Manitoba... Is the Lemming Loop named in honour of the dozens of lemmings that scurry along the trail or is it a comment on the lemming-like runners following one another in endless circles?  Only Dwayne Sandall knows for sure.

The old loop measures 1.6 miles, but Trail Run Manitoba has reconfigured the course to measure 2 miles. The new 2 mile course will ready for the 2015 event and will be posted shortly. I ran 13 loops of the old course last Sunday to get a feel for the terrain. There's very little elevation change, in fact it's as flat as ...umm... a prairie? 

The single track trail weaves through gorgeous patches of purplish (or it it more a rust tone?) tall grass. Spectacular indigenous plants of all colours and shapes ripple wave-like in the light breeze. There's dozens of off-shoot trails and without the expert guidance of ultra-marathoners Fiona, Bobbi, and Maria I surely would have lost my way in the maze.  

We transition off the grasslands onto a fairytale path through a forest dense with Poplar and Oak. Little Red Riding Hood would feel safe in these woods. The path winds hither and tither until once again we're back on the grasslands swimming through waist deep vegetation. We veer towards a grove of trees and follow this path, mindlessly, quietly, taking in the moment as though it were our last breath. We are struck with the sheer beauty of this moment.

We end the loop with a few glugs of water, a light bite, a little chit-chat. And we're off again, and again, and again, lemming-like.

To register go here, now. You know you want to.

It's a good day to be alive, running in endless circles.

Mike

PS... This just in from Dale Nesbitt of Trail Run Manitoba... The Lemming Loop refers to a try-a-trail race back near the beginning of Trail Run Manitoba where all the runners missed a turn and got lost. Some runners actually saw the sign which told them to turn, but instead chose to follow the runner in front of them. The TRM logo enshrines this ignoble moment in MB running history by depicting a lemming running away from the arrow.

Canicross with Scout the Rescue Dog

Scout

My name is Scout and I'm a rescue dog. I rescue human. I get human off couch. Sometimes I walk human and sometimes I run human.

I like run better.

I'm a Wheaten Terrier but human calls me Wheaten Terrorist. Funny human.

Speaking of running, I'm up to 6 miles and my goal is 10. I just started running with human in June! Not bad for a scruffy rescue dog.

I got lost one day and ended up at the Animal Services Agency. Very nice humans looked after me, but I was lonely. I needed to rescue someone. One day a human came to visit and I chose this human.

Like I said, I'm a rescue dog and I take my job seriously! There's three fun-da-men-tal (big word for a dog!) rules of rescue.

My job is to:

1. love human unconditionally,
2. greet human at the door with a wagging tail,
3. always be happy,
4. love human unconditionally (that's 4 but, I'm a dog so math is not so good).

Not a bad gig, eh?

If you need rescuing visit my pals at the Animal Service Agency. They will rescue you good!

I made a video of me and human running, or canicross (yup, another big word).  Hope you like it.

Bark bark bark bark or, in human-speak ....It's a good day to be alive!

Scout

PS... pump up the volume!

Cannie Cross (5D2550FA-1C47-4D0A-95ED-12F8D989DC48) from Michael Bennett on Vimeo.