I'm Back!

I'm back! - the war cry of the blogger who lost interest for a few months (or more) but claims to have renewed interest but will most likely disappear again after a couple of lame posts...

Well - that could very well be true. However, it seems that someone out there is reading the backposts on this site on a daily basis, so maybe people really do want to read about the vegan world.

So, what's been going on? Well, I just finished up a 10-day Raw Vegan challenge and it was a grand success. It's nearing the end of the hockey season and the start of the trail running season. During the winter, I really fell into a rut with processed vegan food (no-meat hot italian sausages are my weakness. smothered in hummus, fried onions and mushrooms, mustard and salsa!). I was constantly bloated and was getting to the point where it hurt to bend over and tie my skates.

The ten days of raw veggies along with no tea or coffee was just what I needed. I lost 12 pounds and began running again like I'd never stopped. I've moved back to cooked food - but NOT processed. I'm also back on my recently rejuvenated coffee addiction.

I had been off coffee for years but in February while on a vacation in Cayo Largo, Cuba, I started having a cup at breakfast and found I really liked it.

Anywho - I will be documenting the challenge and posting it at either Factoidz, Infobarrel or Hubpages with an excerpt and link here.

btw - if you're interested in earning a little cash and you like to write, Factoidz does work. It's free to sign up and it will never cost you a dime to write there. They scrutinize your first 10 articles after you sign up then if you meet their approval you become a staff writer and your stuff is published immediately. You then get an upfront bonus for each article you publish as well as the regular dinero you get for page views. They pay without hassle and without a minimum payout at the start of every month. You may not get rich quick but you will get paid.

If you're interested, go through this link to check it out and sign up. Yes, if you go through that link, I may get paid for the referral - I appreciate it - thank you!

On a closing note - my man Georges Laraque, the former vegan NHL hockey player who last played for the Montreal Canadiens, is playing a prominant role with the Green Party in the upcoming election in Canada. Way to go Georges and good luck Green!

I may be back!

Challenge Update and My Panama List

I'm bravely trooping on with my challenge even though there really is no chance I'll finish it by the due date of November 16. What the hell, why not? I'm running anyway... I've put in some really good runs over the past few days and my body feels pretty darn good. I have two more days before departing for Panama and I hope to have two more good runs.

Here's where I stand at the moment:

I have compiled a list of things I want to do and see during my two weeks in Panama and I'd like to share them:

1. Get married. Yes, this is the purpose of the trip. My fiance and I are joining 29 of our friends and family at a beautiful beach resort in Panama where our wedding will occur.

2. Spend a day exploring and interacting in a small town away from the resort. I like all-inclusive resorts, yet I like to see the 'real' side of the countries I'm visiting.

3. See a sloth. My favourite of all jungle animals. Hopefully, I will see at least one. We will be spending our last few days at the Gamboa Rainforest Resort where we will supposedly see many different jungle animals in their natural habitat.

4. See a shark. This, I'm told, is not an easy thing to do near the resort, but I intend to find the majestic tiburon.

5. See a monkey. Come on, everyone wants to see a monkey. Don't they?

6. Collect all denominations of Panama coins. It's just a thing I do when I go to a different country. I like to collect coins. Yes - it's geeky.

7. See a local sports event live. I don't care if it's a local little league baseball game or soccer game.

8. Swim under a waterfall. Why? Why not?

9. Keep a daily journal. No-brainer.

10. Take a boat ride. Whether it's on the Pacific or on the Canal, I want to take a boat ride that is not necessarily a tourist cruise.

11. See a sunrise. Everyone can see a sunset, but most people, even if they see it, don't very often truly appreciate a sunrise.

12. See a sunset. Because I don't want the sunset to feel too inferior to the sunrise.

13. Stay up all night until dawn. Preferably on the beach. Why? Haven't done it in a long, long time and I just think it would be fun.

14. Learn something new. This is always on my list.

15. Teach something. Hopefully, I am of some use to someone in Panama.

16. Give something to someone less fortunate. This is something I've personally debated for awhile. Just because someone looks less fortunate, doesn't mean they are. Just because someone doesn't live in a big house and doesn't watch 8 hours of television each day on their $2000 big screen, doesn't make them poor.

17. Find Pitahaya growing wild. Dragon Fruit should be available nearby. I want to see the fruit I've fallen in love with in its natural habitat.

18. Play blackjack at a table at the resort's casino. I love to play blackjack online, but have never had the guts to play at a table.

19. Converse with a local in Spanish and have them understand what I'm saying. My spanish reading is top-notch but when it comes to conversing face to face, I just don't have the means to practise it.

20. Make someone else feel good about themselves. This is something I should be trying to do on a regular daily basis, but it's a habit I really want to start developing while on vacation.

21. Pictures, pictures, pictures. I always take pictures of the things I'm supposed to take pictures of but never the things that really interest me. Things like homes, back alleys, signs, insides of stores and restaurants - things that can't be found in 2 seconds by searching Google.

22. Spend quality time with each of our guests. I want to make every single person that has come down for our wedding to feel that they are truly an important part of our lives.

23. Visit a local farm. Obviously, a farm that doesn't specialize in livestock. I want to see how my tropical fruit is grown and even help out for a while if possible.

24. Run the beach everyday. More to the point - run every day. The beach in front of the resort is barricaded on one end by a rocky outcrop and the other by a river. The distance between the two, out and back is a perfect 5km, according to Google Earth. I also want to run the small dirt farm roads that weave throughout the countryside. The heat might be a factor but I'll just hyper-hydrate everyday.

Sticky Toffee Pudding Recipe and some...

I'm sitting on the couch, contemplating a run attempt tonight. My left hamstring is back in rough shape - a fallout from my roofing experience. I might take another night off which will only leave me with 5 days to complete my challenge. Three of those days are also hockey nights. I'll do my best and if I don't achieve it before the 16th, I am going to reset the challenge and start from the beginning in December when we get back from Panama.

Just a note for anyone planning to fly Air Transat and who wants to book the Vegan meal. I previously posted about how to go about booking the meal. Tonight, I went through the process for real. When you call the number given, don't screw around with the touch-tone menu - press 0 right away and speak to an agent. The menu is just for information and does not actually lead you to an agent.

For now...

An old friend of mine from high school who is now living in the UK sent me this recipe. I thought I'd pass it on.


Sticky Toffee Pudding – its vegan believe it or not!!!

Serves six

250 ml soya milk
100 ml water
200g chopped dates (you could use raisins if you prefer)
1 level teaspoon bicarbonate of soda
115g soya spread /vegan margarine
115g soft brown sugar
200g white self raising flour
½ teaspoon ground nutmeg
½ teaspoon ground ginger
½ teaspoon ground cinnamon


Toffee sauce

100g of golden syrup
200g soft brown sugar
150g soya spread / vegan margarine
100ml soya cream
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1. Preheat oven to 190 C/ gas mark 5
2. line a 20cm x 20cm cake tin with baking parchment
3. chop the dates in half, put them into a small saucepan with the soya milk and water and simmer until the dates are soft
4. Take off the heat and stir in the bicarbonate of soda – this will froth as you add it to the date mixture. Give it a stir and leave it to cool on a rack.
5. In a bowl beat together the margarine and the sugar until creamy then add the date mixture to the bowl and give it a good stir.
6. Sieve the flour with the spices. Fold it into the sponge mixture and when well mixed spoon the mixture into the prepared cake tin.
7. Bake it for about 30 minutes.

To make the toffee sauce:
8. Melt the syrup, margarine and vanilla extract in a small saucepan and simmer for 5 minutes without stirring (be careful it may spit and it’s very hot!)
9. Leave it to cool slightly and then stir in the soya cream.

To serve:

10. Cut the cake into six pieces and place into your service dish. Prick the top all over with a fork and pour half of the toffee sauce which will be absorbed by the cake.
11. Serve the rest of the sauce with the pudding.

Back on Track / Jesse Davidson

With my roofing fiasco behind me, I was able to finally get a run in today. I only had to wear shorts, no toque and no gloves! Finally, we're having some decent weather in Southern Ontario. This wasn't the case all week, when we were pelted with snow, ice, rain, high winds... - all the things that make trying to walk around on a roof quite fun. After waking up Wednesday, pretty much my whole left side was useless from the waist down. I even missed hockey Wednesday night - this, I assure, is not a regular occurance.

Anywho, I was able to put in close to 10km today and add a bit of red to my map of Orangeville in my quest to complete my latest personal challenge. Normally, I run in the evening or hit the trails on weekends. Today, I was reminded just how bustling a little town Orangeville is. I was also reminded about how that drives me up the wall. Crossing streets becomes a nightmare on the weekends here. I did, however, get through my run without getting hit or hitting anyone else. Here's the latest updated picture:

I would also like to bring to light the unfortunate passing of Jesse Davidson at the age of 29. Jesse was from my hometown of London, Ontario and was diagnosed with Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy at the age of 6. His father, John, a local newscaster in London, refused to do nothing about his son's rare disease. in 1995, the two embarked on a 3000+ km trek on foot across our province of Ontario, with John pushing Jesse in his wheelchair. The two brought awareness to this rare disease and raised much needed funding for research. From this, the Jesse's Journey Foundation was formed. The website can be found here .

John later walked across the country of Canada to raise even more awareness. Some countries qualify their heroes by the number of lives they've taken in combat. In Canada, I like to think that our heroes are measured by the number of lives they've saved or have made better. In the tradition of Terry Fox and Rick Hansen, among others, Jesse Davidson will always be remembered as a True Canadian Hero.

Global Warming Ad / Pet Rescue Fund-Raising / Challenge Update

First off, the following video is making the news from the UK. People are complaining that it is too scary. Yes, reality is scary. Unfortunately, they address the cause of global warming as using too much to heat our homes and driving our cars too much. When will the issue of animal farming being one of the major causes of global warming ever be accepted?

And next...

I have heard from a reliable source that this website is legit. Give them your clicks and they will provide food for animals in shelters. According to their website, response has been very positive.

And lastly...

A little more red on my Orangeville map:

Here are the previous updates to my running challenge:

October 31
October 29
October 27
Initial Challenge Post

Update On Personal Challenge

I was able to put in a good 12.8km run tonight between work and the Halloween festivities. My map got a lot of extra red put on it. I decided mid-run that I'm going to change the rules slightly for this challenge. It's my challenge and I can do that! I've excluded any roads that are cul-de-sacs or dead ends. I've never lived on a cul-de-sac so I feel I have no need to respect their existence. Besides, they're an un-sociable road. They only want to be friends with one other road - two roads is way too many.

However, if I can, I will run on as many dead ends as I can before the November 16 deadline. The best thing is, my achilles did not bother me over my almost 13km today and there was a significant amount of hills on the run. That bodes well in the completion of this challenge before jetting off to Panama.

Here's the latest map udpate:

Here are links to my other posts for this challenge:

October 29

October 27

October 26

Challenge Update and My Opinion On H1N1 Hype

I took yesterday off to rest my achilles. It feels pretty good after putting in 8.7km tonight and making my map a little redder. I played hockey last night and it really seems to be the miracle cure for the achilles problems. The day after playing hockey, I can feel no pain at all in the heel.

Here's my pretty map:

About the H1N1 hysteria...

Anything that the government and the media are hyping as urgent, can only mean there's a hidden motive. I, nor anyone in my family, will not be taking any vaccine that has been created and mass produced in such a short time with supposedly already known side effects. Especially, since it is for a virus that, in reality, affects very few people in proportion to the population and kills an even lesser amount. I've heard it said by reputed doctors, even on mainstream media, that the odds of dying from H1N1 are about 1 in 8,000,000. I like them odds.

For all those germiphobes out there, that do nothing else to ensure a healthy body, but believe constantly washing your hands is going to be your saviour: think about all the hands that have touched every food product you buy at the grocery store. Are you scrubbing down those cans and jars? Are you really cleaning your raw fruits and vegetables? What do you do with the receipt that the cashier with the germ covered hands has just ripped off the cash register and handed to you? She/he also had her/his fingers all over your credit card, debit card or cash change.

The cure for this and any other manufactured virus, is to eat properly, exercises daily and sleep when needed. What we don't need is more crap injected into our systems. It seems in the last 10 years, governments of the world have done nothing to calm and ensure their citizens. Instead, they seem to thrive on creating hysteria and paranoia. What is their motive? It certainly makes the citizens of the developed world live in fear. Are they trying to keep us from travelling to less developed countries and realizing that we don't really have it as good as we've been told? Are they trying to suppress us so that we buy and use less products and commodities and therefore bring down the economies of emerging markets such as China, India and the Middle East?

I'm certainly not one to throw a complete blind eye to threats to my health. I just believe that H1N1 (or heiny - 'high knee' - as my 85 year old Mom calls it), SARS, Avian Flu or any other virus of the day can be overcome and even prevented by living a healthy, vegan lifestyle. One must also go against the western world's idea that sleep is bad and lazy and missing work is such a mortal sin. Sleep cures all. Work just isn't that friggin' important.

My message is: Don't succumb to the paranoia. Continue to live a healthy, active vegan lifestyle and we'll all disappoint the politicians when their game doesn't go as planned. Yes, I still support non-violence but I'm also feeling rebellious lately. Don't even get me started on the Catholic School Board in my area banning Halloween costumes from school!

To follow my latest challenge, check out these posts:

Update 1

Update 2

Challenge Update

Here's the latest update on my latest personal challenge. Okay, it's a little crappy quality but I've scanned up a map of Orangeville and I'm using the old-reliable Microsoft Paint to fill in the roads I've run on. I put in between 7 and 8 km tonight and filled the map in a little more. I may have screwed up my Achilles tendon again, though. I had a sharp pain early on going up a particularly steep hill for Orangeville. I was able to finish up the rest of the run in relative comfort and actually did the run at a decent pace even though I was trying to shuffle along as slow as possible.

Here's the blank map of Orangeville:

Here's what I've run so far. The roads in red are obviously the ones I've knocked off:

Just an update on some important dates coming up very soon:

November 1 - Of course, it's World Vegan Day! I'll be celebrating on Sunday, I hope you will be too.

November 4 - Celebrating my first full year of being Vegan! I'll be cooking up a storm on that day.

November 16 - I depart with 28 of my closest friends and family members for two weeks at the Decameron Beach Resort in Panama! Actually, the last two days will be at the Gamboa Rainforest Resort on the Canal. Of course, the highlight of the trip will be my wedding!

There will certainly be more to come on the challenge at the other three items happening in November.

New Personal Challenge: Run All The Streets Of Orangeville

I've slacked off on major personal challenges lately but the running season ended last weekend with the Vulture Bait 25km Trail Race and I've got three weeks before I'm in hot and sunny Panama for two weeks. That gives me three weeks to do something with my running that I've wanted to do for a long time: Cover all the streets in my town, Orangeville, Ontario, Canada.
If you want to find Orangeville on Google Earth, just input into the 'fly to' box, these co-ordinates: 43 55.0682N 80 05.5114W and you should be directed right to the centre of town. Orangeville is not a large town at approximately 6km long from east to west and 4km from north to south. With a population of 30,0000, it serves mostly as a bedroom community for people who work in the Greater Toronto Area.
I'm going into this challenge having done absolutely no math on if this is possible in three weeks or not and what mileage I'll need to put in on a nightly basis if I'm to seriously consider completing this. I'm pretty sure it can be done - I just have a good feeling! One of my rules for this challenge is that all runs must start from my home on William Street. My strategy is to plan each night's run to hit a point on the outskirts of town before returning on a different route. With a series of runs that kind of look like a spirograph drawing from the 1970's, it should be fairly easy to cover all the pavement in a fairly efficient manner.
I started this challenge last night with a 7.8km run through town. I'm taking tonight off and will be back at it tomorrow night. I'm just in the process of getting a semi-interactive map up so that I can post my updates in a graphic form. Wish me luck - I wasn't overly successful in a few of my challenges over the summer, so I'm looking for a big win with this one.

End Of August Update

I thought all was fine after the Midsummer Night's Run 30km, until I tried to play Ultimate Frisbee on Wednesday. My right calf muscle twinged a bit during the last 10km of the race on Saturday but after taking Sunday, Monday and Tuesday off, thought nothing of it - until I played the first minute of the Frisbee game. The calf muscle didn't want to co-operate and I even missed hockey that night. It's now the next Monday, 8 days after, and I'm pondering my first run since the 30k.

Needless to say, my goal of doing 180km for the month of August was blown all to hell by the injury. However, I did achieve my weight goal of 169, touching as low as 168 at one point. I'm pretty satisfied with my weight level right now and just plan on maintaining for the foreseeable future.

I've committed to the St. Catherines Run For The Grapes Half Marathon on Sunday, September 28. The price was right at $45 and the course, despite being relatively close to home, should be rather interesting. The half runs through St. Catherines and the nearby wine country and coincides with a wine tasting festival (yah!). I just hope to beat the time I put in at the Mississauga Half earlier this year.

I have yet to find nutritional data for radish seed pods. I received an e-mail back from Health Canada - they were intrigued but had no information for me.

I have started another blog at picoday.wordpress.com - it's basically just a different picture from my archives posted each day with a description attached. Nothing too crazy, just building a nice photo collection on-line to browse.

Challenge Updates

I must say that I didn't take the easy road to achieving my 3 current personal challenges. I'm almost halfway through the month of August and I have tough but achievable expectations of myself in regards to the two challenges that are due at the end of the month. As for the one that's due September 13, that's a different story.



Run 180 km in August



I am at 59.3 km for the month to date, not including tonight's planned 9km run. This leaves me with a necessary average of around 6.4km per day for the remaining days of the month, assuming I run every day. Interestingly enough, I missed several days due to strained left hamstring and calf muscles from - get this - weeding the vegetable garden!

Don't forget, though, that 30km of the remaining 120 will all be run at one time on the 22nd of August as I run the Midsummer Night's Run in Toronto.



Weigh 169 lbs. by the end of August



I'm currently hovering around 172, making the goal very achievable. I'm continuing with my strategy that I outlined at the start of the month and am certain of success.



Run virtual 615 km from Orangeville, ON to Montreal, PQ



I may have severely overestimated my potential mileage on this one. I currently sit at 279.6 km with a month to go. I have my doubts about putting in over 300 km in 30 days. However, I will achieve the goal, it just won't be on time. On September 13, I will give myself an appropriate extension, if necessary.



That's the early-mid month report card. Barring injury and with great focus, I very much plan to knock off the first two challenges. As for the third, we'll play it by ear...

August 2009 Personal Challenges

I have two challenges to focus on for the month of August. I'm finding that posting challenges/goals on this blog gives me the motivational boost I need to complete those challenges. This months challenges are a) drop weight to 169 lbs. from 175, the weight I have been maintaining since my last weight loss challenge ended successfully on July 9 and b) run 180 km.





Here's the why and the how of my two challenges:





a) Drop Weight to 169 lbs.





Why:

• I'm close to my ideal weight, but not quite there. Ultimately, I want to reach 160 and maintain at that, but I also don't want to do it too rapidly.



• Why 169 and not 170 - it just feels better! I've broken the 170 barrier and am now in the 160's. It's the equivalent of pricing a product at 4.99 instead of 5.00...



• To help my running speed.



• To reduce the chance of lower body injury.



• My fiance just bought me shorts with a 32" waist and I'm at around a 33. Not bad, considering I was 38 not so long ago...



• Vanity!


• To increase chances of living longer and healthier.

How (pretty much a repeat of my last weight loss challenge - stick with what works!):

• No food after dinner.


• No sugar drinks.


• No packaged junk food (chocolate bars, chips, etc.)


• Exercise each and every day.


• Keep water consumption at at least 64 ounces per day (I include my green tea addiction in those numbers)


• Give regular updates on this blog.


• Review the reasons 'why' given above on a daily basis.


• Continuing my vegan lifestyle.

I'm pretty confident that I will be successful in this challenge. In maintaining my weight since July 9, I have dropped as low as 172 and at no point did I feel I was starving myself.

b) Run 180 km.

Why:

• To be able to go longer, faster.


• To push myself eventually toward ultra-marathons.


• I simply love to run.


• The health benefits are too numerous to mention.


• To be a positive influence on my family.

How:

• Make running a priority over other activities.


• Run 6 days per week.


• Put in longer, long runs.


• Stay in tune with body to ensure going injury-free.

I would like it known that these short term challenges/goals are not just randomly picked from a hat. They are meant to bring focus and accelerate my larger goals. I also do not become reckless in the pursuit of success. I know my body's needs and capabilities and I learn more about those needs and capabilities every day. And, I share my bed with a nurse who would never let me do something careless with my physical health!

Watch for updates coming soon!

Race Schedule Change

Because of money, time and family, getting to the Montreal half-marathon in September has fallen off my list and I'm in the process of changing my race schedule for 2009 slightly. Instead, I'm opting for a race a little smaller, a little cheaper and much closer to home.

I'm 90% decided on The Run For The Grapes 1/2 Marathon in St. Catherines, Ontario on Sunday, September 20, 2009. The race is an hour and a half from home, meaning I won't have to pay for a hotel room. The distance is desirable and is the headliner for this race, not playing second-fiddle to a full marathon. The course is scenic, running through the city of St.Catherines and out of town into the region's wine country before returning back to town. The entrance fee is close to half of what the Montreal race is. The field is much smaller with only 400 finishers in 2008 compared with thousands in Montreal. And - the profile of the course is very flat. Not that I don't like hills and actually do quite well with them, but I'd like to push it and see what kind of time I can put up, possibly competing with my PR of 1:45:00 I put in at the Toronto half a few years ago.

I will still be trying to complete my personal challenge of running the 615km from Orangeville, Ontario to Montreal, Quebec by the date of the Montreal race. I really need to start putting up some mileage if I want to achieve that goal. One of the personal challenges for August that I will be announcing shortly will push me to achieve that although, realistically, I'm running out of time...

For those not from Ontario or Upstate New York, St. Catherines is a city along the shores of Lake Ontario, between Niagara Falls and Hamilton. It is part of the Golden Horseshoe region that is home to a very large portion of the Canadian population.

Virtual Run to Montreal - Update

As of tonight's run, I am now at 193.3km completed of my 615km virtual run from Orangeville, Ontario to Montreal, Quebec. The somewhat short 6.5km run topped off a pretty successful day. I began with a nice 1 hour workout, followed by an hour of hockey, followed by the 6.5 that was run at a blistering 5:28/km pace. Considering I was intentionally shortening my stride and running relaxed to try and nurse a nagging left hip pain, shaving 1:21 off my previous best time on one of my most often run courses was pretty amazing. I even double checked the route on RunningAHEAD.com to see if maybe I'd unintentionally taken a shortcut along the way.

The nagging hip pain seems to be in check. I think it's an after effect of the evil hills at the Rattlesnake 12.7km trail run last weekend. I have just over a month before the Midsummer Night's Run 30km in Toronto, so I need to start pushing up the mileage again.

193.3 km away from Orangeville puts me back on highway 7, between Norwood, ON and Havelock, ON. The names of these towns, and any others between this point and Montreal, really will mean nothing to readers not familiar with Eastern Ontario. However, trust me when I say that this is a beautiful road to travel.

Challenge Update - Weight Loss Goal Achieved!

On July 7, 2009, I tipped the scales at 175 pounds. As I stated in my post on June 7, 2009, I would drop 10 lbs. from 185. As a result of not only losing the 10 lbs, but also as a result of consistently doing the things I needed to do to achieve this goal, I feel great physically, I feel great mentally and I look fantastic!

In my original post, I stated 10 things that would help me to achieve this goal. I utilized all these ten 'tools', however some carried much more value than others.

• I refrained from sugar drinks. I believe this is one of the biggest problems with society today. Carbonated drinks are nothing but poison (just read the label! You need a degree in chemistry to understand what you're drinking.) and one of the major causes of obesity, cancer, diabetes and heart disease.
• No eating between dinner and bedtime. This one is huge for me because if I decide to have a 'deserved' salad after working out, running and playing hockey - it awakens a monster within that cannot be controlled without several trips to the kitchen! Besides, I'm able to stay awake longer without the full stomach and it is much easier to get up in the morning when you have something immediate to look forward to (breakfast!).
• EXERCISE!!! Running, working out and 3 weekly nights of hockey - It's gotta help! Throw in a bit of cycling and a new focus on the abs for good measure.
• Commitment. By putting my goals on this blog and pretending that a huge crowd is reading it actually got me through some days where I felt like breaking down and sitting in front of the TV all night with a bag of chips and a jar of salsa.
• Portion control. Yes, being a vegan means being able to eat a little more than a omnivore, but it still does you no good to stuff yourself. It makes you feel like shit and takes away from the time you could be exercising. Instead of two plate loads of food, I reduced my intake down to one moderate plate or bowl.

That's it. That's all it takes. It can be argued day and night whether my addiction to green tea helped as well, but the above five items were what powered me through. It wasn't too long ago that I was hopelessly stuck at 207 lbs. I almost believed that that was just the way it went when you aged and I would have to live with it and start getting my collection of daily pills from my doctor. So, if I can do it, anyone can do it. I'm now 32 lbs. lighter than I was in 2005. I could still stand to lose maybe 5 more pounds, but I'm pretty much where I want to be and believe me, I'm going to keep it that way.

Free Provincial Park Passes / Challenge Updates

I have, at my disposal, several free day passes for Ontario Provincial Parks that are valid until September 7, 2009. Although, I will use several this summer, I will have many left over. The passes are valid at any Ontario Provincial Park location (including Wasaga Beach!) and are sponsored by Honda Canada.


E-mail me or comment on the post and I'll mail out a pass (or 2) to you absolutely free!


Challenge updates: I'm at 104.5km on my virtual run to Montreal which puts me just past Port Perry, Ontario. It was a bit of a low mileage week because of a combination of reasons: back to playing hockey 3 nights a week, double header of ultimate frisbee on Wednesday night on the hottest night of the year so far, catching a cold from my youngest son...


My weight loss challenge is going quite well. I've already had a morning where my weight has touched to goal of 175 but I want to sustain that (or less) from now until the July 7 deadline. The above reasons for not putting much mileage on most likely helped to accelerate this challenge! Mostly, though, my success is through portion control, not eating after dinner and regular exercise.

Pearson Runway Run Prediction

It's Thursday night, 2 nights before the Toronto Pearson Airport 5km Runway Run. As I've mentioned in a previous post, this is an awesome, unique race as you run 5km on one of the busiest airport runways in the world (the do divert flights to other runways for the morning!). I am a plane fanatic (mostly because I always want to be on one traveling somewhere new and exciting), so it's a little tough to focus since the runway right next to the one the race is one is quite busy with take-offs and landings.

This is, however, a great course to put in a real decent time. The course is obviously flat. It is basically an out and back of the runway. The final leg is from west to east, normally with the prevailing winds at your back. I have not aspirations of a real PR - those days are 20 years gone now. However, I would really like to crack the 25 minute mark (a modern day PR...).

If I do crack the 25 minute mark, I will reconsider my refusal to enter anymore 5 or 10's this year. I've decided to take tonight off and had already planned to take off Friday night. My hamstrings were a little crabby after last night's full sched of ultimate frisbee, hockey and a 6.2km run. I did get a good weights workout in tonight and I would like to get one in tomorrow night, as well.

Regardless, Saturday should prove to be a fulfilling day with the 5km, a Toronto Bluejays game at 1pm with family, and a visit to Wooffest at St.Lawrence Market in downtown Toronto.

Challenge updates: No new mileage to report but I weighed in at 180 this morning - half way to my goal after only 4 days.

Personal Challenge: Lose 10 Pound in 1 Month

Since becoming Vegan, my weight dropped significantly in the first few weeks, from 195 to 185, then like clockwork has stayed at exactly 185 since. I would be happy staying at 185 but would be even happier at 175. It is an arbitrary number, I know, but back in the days when I last weighed around 175, my athletic performance was much, much better.

So here's the challenge: Today is Sunday, June 7, 2009. I weighed in this morning at 183 but I was fairly dehydrated due to weekend celebrating so we'll call it 185. By July 7, 2009, I will tip the scales at 175. The weight I will go by, and have always gone by, is the measurement first thing in the morning, after my bathroom break but before any fluids or food intake (I've always called it the GMW or gross morning weight - not really sure why, but it's catchy...). This is the most consistent time of day to take the measurement.

I've given the when, now I will get into the why and how of my challenge.

Why:

• to help achieve lower heart rate and blood pressure
• to look good and feel more self-confident (face it, that's one of the big reasons we all do it!)
• to run faster and longer
• to skate faster with less effort
• to reduce stress on my knees, hamstrings, calf muscles, etc. (aka. injury reduction)
• to live longer
• to prove to others that it can be done
• to be a positive influence on those around me

How:

• No sugar drinks
• No junk (chocolate bars, chips, fast food - not that I partake in that poison much anyway)
• Drink more than the recommended 64 ounces of water per day. I use a 26 ounce water bottle which means I only need to drink 2.5 of those. I drink a full one and some at breakfast, one full one while I work out and close to a full one before bed. Added to that are about 5-8 mugs of green tea per day.
• NO SNACKING BETWEEN DINNER AND BEDTIME! This is my nemesis and always has been. I believe, somewhere deep in my brain, there is this very small voice that says I will not survive the night unless I eat before bed. Whenever I've been successful at weight loss in the past, not eating after dinner has been the single biggest key to my success.
• Eat breakfast. I most always have my seeds, nuts, fruit and veggies that I constantly snack on from the word 'go' while at work - I call this breakfast!
• Daily exercise (duh!). Weights and running every day sure helps to keep the metabolism fired up.
• Deep-breathing - Tony Robbins style! For the full scoop on this, read Tony's book, Unlimited Power (you don't need to buy it - I'm not getting paid to advertise for Tony! - this book is available in all libraries to borrow for free).
• Portion control!!! One of my other issues - I believe the same little voice controls this one. I'm certain that I'll run out of fuel or have low blood sugar problems, so I often reach for the second plate of stir-fried curried veggies. It doesn't help that I'm such a damn good cook!
• Keep busy. Idle time is hungry time. We eat out of boredom. I'm sure we've all experienced those days where there's nothing going on at work and by 9am your stomach and brain are already wishing it was noon. This makes for the most excruciating 3 hours and often leads to a 11am lunch! We've also all experienced the days when your lineup is full and when you finally get a break around 2pm, you're not ravaged by hunger at all.
• Share your challenge! By posting this challenge on this blog, I have fortified my commitment.

I'll keep you updated on my progress. Of course, I could be making all this up for all you know! You will have to trust my honesty and sincerity. Either way, whether the challenge is a success or just a partial success, the results I post will be the honest truth (give or take a pound!).

Virtual Run to Montreal

I'm a little disappointed with the mileage I've put in this year, so far. I've decided to challenge myself with a goal of 614.84km before September 13, 2009. This is the distance from my front door to the starting line of the Oasis de Montreal half-marathon which, of course, takes place on September 13.

I've used RunningAHEAD's online software to arrive at the route. I've used RunningAHEAD for over a year now, and I find it to be a great on-line exercise log and route planner. The site now uses GPS so that all I needed to do was click on the map at my house in Orangeville, then move on over to Montreal and click on the start line on the Jacques Cartier Bridge. Eastern Ontario and Western Quebec aren't very exciting when it comes to route options, unfortunately. You can either take highway 7 or highway 401 - that's it. The software basically chooses the hwy. 7 route with some minor tweaks. It's the shorter distance compared to the 401 and, in reality, pedestrians aren't allowed on the 401 'super highway' anyway.



I'm starting my challenge as of June 1, 2009. I've already put in 10.8km, which puts me a whole 10.8km outside of Orangeville, somewhere on highway 9...

With hockey down to 1 night per week for the summer and the weather continuing to be unseasonable cool, I should be able to achieve this with no problems. I will update my progress at the end of each post.