The Knee Bones Connected to the ....

RHR 64, Weight 215, Distance 12.2, Time 1:20:59 Pace: 6:35 Runwalk

That was a Nice run. 12.2 wasn't that tired although it did take some time. Rand past Grant & his friends. We traded good natured insults and continued on with the run.

Needed ice on my knees when I was done but today I feel pretty good.

Tomorrow is the Run for Canada 10K on the waterfront. Hope I win!

JJ

Elizabeth Brown Gets Blogged About...

Today is a run day. We run at 6:30. I am glad that the heat has broken. Why am I using 5 word sentences?

Yesterday, I went to Vincero Capital's http://www.vincerocapital.com/ office. Elizabeth Brown essential runs the office (administratively) and when I told her I was running for Joints in Motion she was quite pleased. Elizabeth has arthritis and it spurred her into getting into walking.

She trains with Canada Fitness (like tons of others) and it has turned into a real little social club for her. She was in the OTMH Classic but I didn't see her. She probably passed me early in the race WALKING!!!!

But she won't be in the Run for Canada this weekend. That's a good thing because I prefer to get beat by people I DON'T know.

Paul Jaggard sponsored me (Thanks Paul). Paul really runs the office at Vincero as well as being a good friend, mentor and colleague.

JJ

A Short TIme (Not A Good TIme)

217 lbs, Avg Pace 6:42

Title is a lyric from an old Trooper song (We're here for a good time...)

We ran a short intervals workout last night. Only 5 Km but it was 3 minutes running and 2 minutes walking. Did 7 reps and then called it a day. I sucked down a litre of water while running and then polished of another here at the house.

I was struggling at the end but made it through. On Friday we will do another 12 KM run and then take it up Monday to do a longer run - 15 K

JJ

Hot Stuff & Vitamins

RHR - ?, Weight 217lbs,

Lori reminds me that opening each entry this ways sounds like Bridget Jones Diary, (without the cigarettes, drinks, bloating and periods. I suppose I have to come up with a new gimmick or Hugh Grant is going to start hitting on me..

Today is a fundraising deadline so I guess I will be putting in another $500 of my money to hit the target. At least it is tax deductable.

It's a hot one today so we will have to run late in the day. (Yesterday was a rest day, which was sorely needed). There is a smog alert, a heat advisory alert and I am going to have to carry two water bottles (or maybe just one really big one - like the ones you see in offices).

Tonight is 14K of intervals so if you are coming down 3rd Line and you see a large lump at the side of the road - that's me not a raccoon roadkill!

I am taking my vitamins as I type. This takes a long time because I am taking more pills than a Saskatchewan Rough Rider in mid season. Lets see

Vitamin B Complex- Good for my mental health
Vitamin C - I like Linus Pauling
Vitamin D - Anything proven to fight cancer is good in my books
Vitamin E - Need to keep the alphabet going
Coenzyme Q10 - Supposed to be good for your heart
Omega 3 - Greek like the marathon - Made from fish - it must be good
Glucosamine, Chondritin and MSM - Lube for the joints (get your mind out of the gutter!)
A multivitamin in case I missed anything
One aspirin to thin the blood and make sure I don't stroke out or have a heart attack

The Glucosamine, Chondritin and MSM , Omega 3 and multivitamin are all the size of horse pills (Huge!). It takes about 10 oz of water just to get them down. I wonder if they are really supposed to be taken by inserting them up the other way (Ugh) . They even look like they should be inserted rectally.

No wonder they call it "Roid Rage". If I had to take all that stuff when I had hemorrhoids I would be in a rage too! (I don't take steroids Mom - I only drink coffee to enhance my performance) - Bad joke and I am just rambling so I may as well go to work.

Don't forget to go to the web site and donate!!!!!

www.arthritis.ca/joints/ontario/johnjohnston

JJ

Cross Training on the Bike

Last night Dan did not feel well, so I took the opportunity to give my ankles/shins/knees a rest and rode my bike.

Did about 14Kms (with a couple of hills - ouch) and was back home in 50 minutes. I will NOT qualify for the Tour de France. Heart rate hovered in around 150-160. Running is obviously much more difficult. At least for me.

JJ

My Caloric Mistake - Part Two

I got so excited talking about missing the tree, that I forgot to tell you about my caloric mistake.

I thought I was awesome. According to my training data, I was burning of 2,800 calories in each run. Dan, of course, tells me that this is impossible and that I should look to burn 150 to 180 calories per km. THEN, I figured out what was wrong.

The NEW GADGET (aka the Garmin Forerunner 305) asks for a profile. My gadget is set to metric. But, when it asked for my weight I entered 220. The gadget thinks I am a 485 pound fat man jogging 10K.

Not very smart. At that weight I would be a 485lb DEAD man.

Anyway, I corrected it to read 100Kg and now I don't look like I am working as hard. Oh well.

JJ

My Caloric Mistake...

Weight = 215lbs, RHR= 70bpm, Distance = 12.28KM, Time = 1:21:49 Avg Pace = 6:39

Sponsor link = www.arthritis.ca/joints/ontario/johnjohnston

We ran this AM. 12.28 Km. It was a 10/1 run & walk with a pretty much steady pace. I did not take any unscheduled walk breaks. Dan was impressed that I ran through all the little twinges and soreness. YES! - I AM GOOD.

As far as the tree incident goes, I solved it. Today I ran on the other side of the street. Let's see the little bugger get me there!

On the down side, we were both passed early in the run (about 2.5 kms) by a pregnant woman, who looked about 6 months gone, and her husband. Pretty bad when the ones carrying an extra 25 lbs pass you by at a better pace. It's OK though, I don;t have to look forward to giving birth!

Dan does not believe in the long run theory of all of the marathon trainers. He puts it bluntly (as he always does) "Running is running, show me the scientific studies and I will believe it." Not a very trusting person. We did have a discussion over the relative intelligence of the average Phys Ed (OK - Kinesiology ) graduate vs the average psychology graduate but we shouldn't get into that here (BTW - The psychology graduates are smarter).

Dan talks about "zoning out" when you run. He says he just kind of drifts off. Today I found how I can zone out. I built an excel spreadsheet model in my mind. Very cool model and the kms just passed by as I thought about cells and formulas and graphs. Hmmm - Wonder if I can bill for this? Probably not.

Interestingly enough, I felt pretty good today even before the ritual icing of the knees and ankles. My muscles aren't sore so I guess I am getting better.

One last story to tell. at the end of our run Dan suddenly whips off his shirt (due to the heat) and runs bare chested. About two minutes later we pass two women chatting on the street. One of them has her little daughter with her.

As we pass, I hear a little tiny voice pipe up, "Mommy why is that man not wearing his shirt?" Her mother responded "Because he is hot, honey." I couldn't resist. I turned around and ran backwards while remarking "Actually it is the old guy that is HOT, he simply has a temperature problem". They cracked up as we continued on. I don't think Dan found it funny... sure made me feel good though!

JJ

I Ran into a Tree!!!

214 Lbs, RHR 64 - 1:21 - Average pace 6:30 - Run 10 Walk 1

Feels kind of stupid. Here I am running down the sidewalk and a tree is growing out ACROSS the sidewalk with a branch about 4 feet off the ground. Although I ducked, I ran smack into it.

Now I have sore legs and a sore forehead. Dan, of course, found this hilariously funny (as did his parents and my wife). I didn't think it warranted that much laughter.

Speaking of Dan - Here is a picture of he and I at the finish of the OTMH Race.

Good news though. The run 10 - walk 1 resulted in no pain in my shins. I'll take that as a good sign although we have a long run tomorrow (probably the same distance plus a bit more).

Today is Lori's birthday so we will go out for dinner and then probably to the Waterfront Festival to see JackSoul.

JJ

Slacking Off - RHR 60 BPM - Weight 220

Interesting!

My Resting Heart Rate (RHR) is 60 but when I get up and am standing it jumps to about 75-80 BPM. I hope that is normal, but then again, what about ME is normal?

Last two days I have done nothing, I really should have cross trained last night as it is the last day of my "Y" membership but instead I read and then watched Law & Order. There is something about facilitating all day that just wipes you out.

Instead today is Friday and I expect the two of us will be running about 12.5 km tonight. We are going to add in another little loop.

I have been getting pain in the front of my shin. Not tendons, it's muscle. Dan seems to think it is Lateral Compartment Syndrome.


What is a compartment syndrome?

A compartment syndrome occurs when a muscle gets too big for the sheath that surrounds it causing pressure and pain. They can be acute or chronic.

Compartment syndrome mainly occurs in runners and comes on because the muscle has grown too big too quickly for the sheath that surrounds it.

Symptoms include:

• Pain that gradually comes on during a run, getting worse until it is impossible to continue.
• After a period of rest the pain disappears only to come back when the athlete tries to run again.

The causes of this can be training too much too quickly but you can also be more prone to this if you have laxity in your ankle ligaments (have you sprained your ankle badly or often?).

What can the athlete do?

• Rest until pain has gone.
• See a specialist to confirm your problem (it might just be a chronic strain that has not been allowed to heal properly).
• Apply heat and use a heat retainer.

I am going to warm up better - run a bit slower (Run/Walk DAN - Run/Walk!) and continue with the ice.

J

Short Intervals - Fast Heart Rates - 217lbs RHR- ?

Didn't bother to check my heart rate before we went out last night. After a sleepless night worrying that the heart rate monitor I just bought had been left (by me) at the OTMH Race, I was notified that they had it and to pick it up. I went to get it and forgot (of course) to take my Resting Heart Rate before I went to run.

Yesterday was intervals. 4.3 kms with a fast run for 3 minutes and a recovery walk for 2 minutes. We did a short run because both of us were busy. The old heart rate was up and down like a yo-yo topping out a couple of times at 180-181. It was certainly up around 90% of the theoretical HR maximum.

Tonight I guess I will bike as I will be in late.

JJ

Here's The Results

Found the race results on the web this AM with the official times. My pace was not actually that bad.

here's the link

http://www.roadraceresults.com/display-race-results.php?ferec=1285&fesrt=1

OTMH 5K Race - 33:33 Time RHR- 71 Weight 218 lbs

Dan's first question at the start "Do you want me to run this with you?". Pretty much "I am going to run this sucker and you will slow me down!" Dan came in at 27:26. Here I am looking fresh and confident.

I said no but I managed to keep up with him til the first hill and then he was gone. I was being passed by "Old Geezers, Men/Women pushing strollers, 8 yr olds etc etc etc. Maybe I was just tired.

My heart rate averaged 166 bpm (but got way up there to 180) and average pace of 7:38 so I was slower. Took 2 - 30 second walk breaks during the run. Dan placed at 126 and I placed at 262 out of a field probably of 500 (not sure.)

I saw Bob Bonham (another scout leader who was with me in 12th Bronte. He has been running for a year as well. He passed me too - shit!

At the end I was pretty wiped. Here is the after picture. I do have the "big finish" picture but it is still on Kathy Good's camera. This shot is at 4.5 Km and I have just been passed by a number of girls.

When done though, I did get to have a massage. Very nice touch even though I had to wait 20 minutes for it! That is Aaron giving the massive calf massage and Mark (the G/L) standing beside me getting in the picture. I did not let Mark touch me!

Note the gadget on my wrist. I really like this thing! I am not modelling it however. It was just the way my hand was on the massage table. Speaking of the massage table, I of course, am sweating buckets. The massage table was soaked.

Despite Body Glide and expensive running shorts I am still chafed on the inside of the thighs. I guess I will need to lose weight on the thighs.

Tomorrow we will do intervals. Not looking forward to it

A Longer Run - RHR - 64 Weight 218Lbs

Well with the new gadget I can actually do my RHR. Lying down my heart rate is 64. When I stand up it moves up to between 74 and 77.

Yesterday Dan & I ran 11.1 kms in 1 hour 16 minutes Longest Yet! (Did I mention that I love my new gadget?) . Our 10 K time was 1:09.

Average Pace: 6.53 min/km

Average Speed: 8.7 km/hr

Average Heart Rate: 166 bpm

Here's what a 10K looks like from my hearts point of view.

My legs were a bit sore and ice for the ankles and knees was , as usual, my post run routine. But a nice dinner with a glass of wine and all was right with the world.

On the fundraising side I need to get more action on the web. People may have got the e-mail but only a few have come through. I guess I need to send another update.

Also need to canvas the rest of the street and see about getting a table at the beer store or liquor store. Hopefully a few hundred here or there and I will be golden. Dan registered (finally) and has to put up $500 so he needs to get moving on sponsorship. Oh well....

Tomorrow is the OTMH 5K run. We are doing the run (need to pick up my stuff today from the Running Room) and Chris Madott will be coming to take some photos so that we have good ones to put up on the web site.

JJ

A Bit Tardy - 218 lbs RHR-?

Well... lots to say

First - I bought a new gadget. I bought a Garmin Forerunner 305 https://buy.garmin.com/shop/shop.do?pID=349 to monitor the length of the runs and my Heart Rate. You don;t really need it to run. You only need running shoes but I like gadgets and this seems like it will be useful. You can do lots of cool things with it.

Second - Yes I have lost 4 lbs - Good for me!

Third - On Monday we ran the same run as my Sunday long run (7.8 kms) but we did it one second faster. Overall a good run

Fourth - Tuesday I slacked

Fifth - Last night we did intervals in 3 minute bursts (running 2X normal pace then walking & repeat). We did 7 repeats but ran the short route so only about 4.5 Kms. Not bad for a first time.

Sixth - Tonight a spin class to X-Train. On Friday we plan to do 10K (probably Run/Walk)

Nuff said

JJ

AWSOME DAY!! - 219lbs RHR-?

What a great day. Today is the long run. I called Dan early in the AM but he has come down with a slight case of "le grippe" and wasn't feeling well.



So I strapped on the MP3 player and went for a run. Down Bridge to 3rd line, 3rd line to Lakeshore, Lakeshore to Bronte Rd, Bronte Rd to Waterford, Waterford to Tipperton and then did a slow pass by Dan's house to show I did it . I believe the run was 7.5 km with 1 one minutes walk at about the 30 minute mark.

The best song, without question, was Kiss - "Detroit Rock City". Excellent song to run with except it is hard to "air drum" and run at the same time. It also looks awfully silly. Running alone allows you to muse about things, like the end of the Soprano's. Will Tony whack someone or will he be the "whackee"? We will find out tonight.


It's funny though, I ran further but probably could have done another 1/2 hour. I felt great. My legs weren't particularly sore and I settled on a nice pace that left me quite comfortable. The only reason I stopped was I did not want to over do it. The total run was 52 minutes.


Then it was home to my favorite ice packs and a shower (shower was certainly needed at that point). Don't get excited over the 4 lb weight loss. I expect that it is just water.


Yesterday was a cross training day and I went to the "Y" for a spin class. The class went fine but the big surprise was the hot tub at the "Y". I usually avoid it because the chemicals and my skin do not play well together. This time I just sat on the edge and let the jets hit the back of my legs. You need to understand that the size of the pump for the hot tub at the Y must be massive. It felt like being hit with a fire hose. It almost HURT, but afterwards I thought the muscle fairy had come by and blessed my legs. They did not hurt as much in the calves and and shins. The steam bath probably didn't hurt either.



Last night there was a party for my sister Cathy and her husband Cam who both turned 50. Cathy has dreaded to big 50 but took it with her usual good grace. As normal, all the family turned up (or most of them). including one of Cathy's best friends Marisa. I have known Marisa since I was about 10. She and Cathy played in the back yard at our place and Marisa was always more of a little sister than just a neighbor kid.



Marisa wound up marrying one of my best friends as a kid, Dan Connolly. I tried desperately to keep my sister and her friends away from my friends as I KNEW what these guys were like. (Pond Scum - all of us). Dan and Marisa have been married for about 25 years so what do I know!



Marisa told me that she was hit with Rheumatoid Arthritis just after the New Year. (For more about it see http://www.arthritis.ca/types%20of%20arthritis/ra/default.asp?s=1 ). She falls in the most common group. According to the Arthritis Society

• RA is an autoimmune disease. This means that your immune system attacks other parts of your body.


• It affects 300,000 (1 in 100) Canadians.


• RA affects women three times more often than men.


• Most people develop RA between the ages of 25 and 50.

She said it came on quickly, over a period of about two weeks. At first, it just seemed sore like she had been working too hard then, in the second ,she said it was awful and she could barely drive. She is now on the right medicine and it makes her life more normal. Let's hope it was caught early enough and she will not have any more problems.

It makes this (Arthritis) more real as I write about it. My friend from Egypt, Daphne, wrote me yesterday. She told me something about her that I didn't know.

" Like your mother, I too am inflicted with arthritis which impairs my enjoyment of life.
Recently we discovered that a new approach to exercise has benefits for us, which I pass along here.

No matter how decrepit and elderly, the trick is to RUN for 3 minutes intervals until you pant, rest; repeat the run... Age and decrepitude no barrier. There is a secluded path along the little river nearby that afford secluded spot for looking ridiculous. I note improvements after only three days and conclude the oxygen to the lungs is the magic cause!"

Here is a picture of Daphne Overhill and her husband Doug (Who has taken to calling me "the Boy Scout" for some reason - Who knows!) . Keep running guys!

Well, for Daphne and Marisa and my Mom, this just makes me more determined to add on the mileage and run this marathon.

I think I'll give it a rest now.

JJ

It Was Bike Night - 223 lbs - RHR?

Yesterday was a Cross Training day. Cross training is where you do something other than run to prevent injuring yourself by overtraining. If you run every day you run the risk of stuff like runners knee or shin splints.

Not nice. Even today I have a little soreness in the ankles, knees, the tendon at the front of the shin and where the Achilles attaches to the calf muscles. I am taking this part very seriously.

So my cross training was aerobic. I rode my bike 7 kms to the "Y", did a spin class for an hour and then rode my bike back. Ice on the knees & ankles for 10 minutes each and then I had an early night.

Today we run again although it is forecasting rain. Tonight we will run the same long route as on Wednesday getting ready for another increase on Sunday.

On the fundraising side, I prepared my solicitation letter. Pretty good if I say so myself. I also compiled lists of business contacts, personal contacts and contacts in the US (even though they will not get a tax receipt).

The Arthritis Society came up with an easier URL for the fundraising web pages. Mine is now http://www.arthritis.ca/joints/ontario/johnjohnston/ . Please feel free to go there and make a donoation.

JJ

Second Run of the Week. 223 lbs RHR?

Hi again,

Last night was a big night. Fist, I used the heating pad to warm up my legs before going our. Seemed to make a bit of a difference in how well I ran.

We ran a longer route tonight (the same one we did on Sunday - 8kms) only much faster. We actually finished in about 30 minutes. We also ran a few intervals where we sped up and ran hard for 30 seconds at a crack.

Dan is still concerned about getting a job and still needs to contact the Arthritis Society. I advised him to get moving on both.

Tonight is a cross training night so I guess I will ride the bike and try to work on aerobic capacity. Maybe ride to the "Y", do a bike class and then ride home. Sounds like a plan!

JJ

Pensylvania 6-5000 - Weight 223 (Still) RHR??

On Sunday the Arthritis Society asked me to go to Meadowcroft (a retirement home in Etobicoke) and man a fundraising table. They also made a fundraising contribution for me.

The theme was Big Bands and the music was great. Given that I keep getting mail from retirement homes I felt quite at home. It was a great residence and had some really nice people.

I didn't run that night as I did the long run in the morning.

On Monday I spent some time on Google Earth mapping the runs and measuring distances. Inconclusive results - but fun.

Dan and I wound up running on Monday - I probably should not have. It was too much. I only did it because I would not be running on Tuesday. We stopped about 1/2 way and walked the rest. I wound up icing my knees, ankles and where my Achilles tendon attaches to the calf muscle. I was pretty achy all night.

I asked Dan if he had registered. He said he had not but had called and they (the Arthritis Society) wanted a grand up front!!! He was not sure if he can do it but volunteered to keep training me even if he can't go.

JJ

The First Long Run - 223lbs - 80 RHR

Dan & I Ran this morning at 9:30. Added on about 2.5 Kms so we upped the ante a bit. After running we did some general training exercises like Squats and the Romanian Deadlift.

Total running time was 45 minutes with 3 1 minute walks.

I bought the John Stanton "Running Room book" yesterday and and registered for the following races

June 17th - OTMH Fathers Day 5K race

July 1st HBC Run for Canada Race - 10 K

I have not yet registered for the Scotiabank 1/2 Marathon on Sept 30th but I plan too. These three races should help with the training. At the very least I will get some cool shirts.

JJ

Cross Training Day - 223 Lbs - RHR - ??

Yesterday Dan & I ran 5km in about 30 minutes and I am starting to feel pretty good.

We changed strategy and did 9 minutes run and 1 minutes walk for 3 minutes with a warm up before and after. No music but a good conversation.

I met yesterday with Graham Westwood. Graham is owns Procarta, a pretty cool software application that is an electronic performance support system. Very useful for those of us who do process design and change management work.

Graham is a marathon coach so he was giving me some tips and send me some material that will help me to train. He is very big on the run 3 times per week and walk for a minute. He is a coach for the Furman method. Here is what he had to say

"Here is the Furman program which I teach as well as supporting materials. It might be wise if you and I can go for a run some day so that I can get a sense of any issues that might get in the way of Greece."

Thanks Graham - I appreciate the support. He also suggested that I do the Toronto Scotia 1/2 marathon so I will sign up for that.

Today is a Cross Training day (XT) and so I rode to the Y and back. I cancelled my membership as it will be hard to get there while I am training but will likely rejoin when I come back. (Saves me $93 per month that I can donate to the Arthritis Society).

Saturday AM - XT Day 223lbs RHR ??

Yesterday Dan & I ran 5km in about 30 minutes and I am starting to feel pretty good.



We changed strategy and did 9 minutes run and 1 minutes walk for 3 minutes with a warm up before and after. No music but a good conversation.



I met yesterday with Graham Westwood. Graham is owns Procarta, a pretty cool software application that is an electronic performance support system. Very useful for those of us who do process design and change management work.



Graham is a marathon coach so he was giving me some tips and send me some material that will help me to train. He is very big on the run 3 times per week and walk for a minute. He is a coach for the Furman method. Here is what he had to say



"Here is the Furman program which I teach as well as supporting materials. It might be wise if you and I can go for a run some day so that I can get a sense of any issues that might get in the way of Greece."



Thanks Graham - I appreciate the support. He also suggested that I do the Toronto Scotia 1/2 marathon so I will sign up for that.



Today is a Cross Training day (XT) and so I rode to the Y and back. I cancelled my membership as it will be hard to get there while I am training but will likely rejoin when I come back. (Saves me $93 per month that I can donate to the Arthistis Society).