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