Our First 10K......

As an ALMOST FAMILY OF THREE!!!!!

Saturday morning we woke up early (what else is new?!) and headed to the corniche to participate in the annual charity run.  Many members of our Kuwait family were also in attendance and together we enjoyed beautiful weather and personal achievements, all the while supporting a good cause! 

Phil and I chose to walk the 10K and I only had to use the washroom three times in the 2 hours we were there (haha).  Alas, the bladder issues and back pain made the finish line seem THAT MUCH SWEETER and we were greeted with big cheers from the crowd (and some of our students!) as we crossed to receive our medals.  There were photographers waiting to take our picture too and they asked to snap a few shots in order to capture my baby bump!!!  It was as if no one had ever seen a pregnant lady on a race course before.....

Anyways, the day was a SUPER DUPER one and Phil is convinced that Baby P secured first place as the event's fastest 7 month old fetus!  She sure did like that nice, long walk.  The minute I got home to rest, she was kicking for me to get up and go some more!  (Too bad my back and legs were hinting at exactly the opposite)! 

YAHOO!  We did it!  Next time, we'll be walking or running in style with the stroller!

A big CONGRATULATIONS to our crew!  WAY TO GO, EVERYONE!  You ROCKED the race course!!!

And the base keeps runnin'.....

Today is WORLD RUN DAY - a day to celebrate the sport of running and promote the health benefits associated with it! Phil and I will be hopping on the treadmill this afternoon to participate in this worldwide event. I may have to stick with a walking pace (re: injured knee that was supposed to be examined by the doctor this morning - ZING!), but I know Phil will run enough for the both of us :)

What about YOU?! Are you running too!?

RUN FOR THE CURE 2011

Tonight I tried to call my sister Tayls, but it just so happened that she was not at home. Guess where she was instead?! At the Run for the Cure!!! And so....I was inspired to join her......VIRTUALLY :)

Here we are, wearing PINK and having a blast! What a lovely way to jazz up a Sunday!


P.S. It feels SO GOOD to be running again! I am working hard to ease my knee back into it.....

VICTORY DINNER!!!

The night before we left Reykjavik, Team Diabetes hosted a BETTER-THAN-DELICIOUS meal for us at a local restaurant. Fred DeFina - the director of Team Diabetes - congratulated us on all of our achievements and thanked each person individually for all of their efforts. Together, we raised almost $400,000 for the Canadian Diabetes Association and with that we can send close to 400 kids to camp!!! These statistics, along with a WONDERFUL speech by another delightful person, brought tears to my eyes. We really did make a difference. And something about this dinner made it feel tangible.


On that sappy note......LOOK AT THE FOOD WE WERE SERVED!!!!! IT WAS SO GOOD!!!!!! The lime risotto was my favourite part :)


Well - I think this concludes my Iceland posts! We'd like to thank EVERYONE who supported us during the past year. This journey wouldn't have been possible without every penny, smile, and word of encouragement that you gave to us :)

Speaking of pennies......SAVE THEM UP! We may be running with Team Diabetes again one day, haha.

THANK YOU!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Here we are:

The Michael Jordan and Brett Favre of Full Marathons. The thing is, we retired from this dreadful distance immediately following our finish in Reykjavik. That idea seemed like a smart one, especially since our bottom half was yelling "STOP IT RIGHT NOW" way too often during the race! Oddly, after a few days of intense and hilarious hobbling our stride is back to normal and we find ourselves looking up the next big event. DARN YOU 26.2!!! What is so appealing about pounding your body into the pavement and feeling TERRIBLE for days following?

Beats us.

This retirement is OFF.

ONLY DURING A MARATHON.....

Lindsay: Isn't it impressive that Scott from THE RUN TO LIVE is doing one of these things EVERY SINGLE DAY for cancer research?!!!!

Phil: No. That's stupid.

(Scott - we don't mean it!!! Phil was in a 35 km SLUMP!!! YOU ROCK!!!!)

MARATHON DAY, STORYBOOK STYLE :)

Our pre-race group photo!!! Together, we raised $394,000 for the Canadian Diabetes Association!!!! And guess what else? EVERY SINGLE PARTICIPANT FINISHED THEIR EVENT!!! Way to go TEAM D!!!!!

Eeeee! I remember feeling so weird in this picture - super nervous, super happy, super emotional, super eager.........It was nice to have Tayls tucked in my running "fanny pack" (<---- LOVE THEM) and to have a good set of tunes to rely on. Oh ya, and PHILLIP!!!

The starting line!!! How exciting! It is amazing to think that we began this journey exactly one year ago today (August 20th). The moment the race begins is an unforgettable one: people are cheering, giving high fives, and singing along to the music that is blasting! From now on, I will always think of this moment when I hear U2's "Beautiful Day". A beautiful day it was! Ah - I am even tearing up as I write this....

This was what the first kilometer looked like: STUNNING! I loved hearing the crowds and watching the reflections of my fellow participants dance across the water. It was not too long after this that I had my first little cry session, as Reykjavik residents came out of their homes with pots and pans to cheer us on! I suppose listening to Mariah Carey's "Hero" was another factor in my meltdown :)

YAHOO! How lucky was I to run with Spiderman and strike a pose with Superman?! As for that gorilla in the background.....he's either a zoo animal on the loose or Superman's pet.....NOT SURE. Either way, their groovin' moves kept us strong!

Less than 700 people participated in the marathon, which left us feeling like we were the only participants for many parts of the race!!!

See!!! It appears that it is just us TWO competing today! Haha. Thank you to our trainer MICKEY who ran around with our camera to capture pictures of us!!!

Superheroes in action! We were delighted to run alongside our trainer for a couple of kilometers. His spunk and passion for running really motivated us to put one foot in front of the other!!! THANKS, MICKEY!!! (<---- best trainer name, ever. I'm not sure I would have enjoyed him as much if his name was more usual....)

Bah! We made it through those dreadful 20's - where you're over half way finished but still half way to go. Those are NOT the nicest kilometers to get through. Especially when a certain someone's knee (AHEM - MINE!) gave out at kilometer 18!!!! I was in so much pain but I refused to quit. Seeing this 32 km sign encouraged me to keep on going!!!

This helped too. Not only was Tayls in my running belt, she was also on my wrist! Every time I checked our time, I was reminded of why we were there and who we were running this race for. There was no way I was going to give up. NOT A CHANCE. I was willing to have NO KNEES for the rest of my life, haha.

Just before we got to this point (about 7 km remaining), Phil's spidey sense was put to the test. We came upon an old man, laying in the tall grass. He didn't speak any English, but his leg muscles were twitching and tears were running down his face. Phil started to massage his legs while I called for help and was eventually able to attract a medic in a bright coloured vest. Once he arrived, we wished the man well and continued to the finish line.

I may look happy in this picture, but I am posing in this manner simply to hold myself up! Ouchie! Let's get this thing OVER WITH!!! HILARIOUSLY (or not so), this final kilometer felt like the LONGEST kilometer in the whole race!!!

YIPPEE-YA-HOO!!!! WE DID IT!!!!!!!!!! Joint pain and all, we finished our first FULL MARATHON in 5:41:18!!! It felt SO GOOD to complete what we set out to do and to cross the finish line TOGETHER :)

These are the two ladies we saw continuously throughout the race - Megan and Janelle! As a group, we encouraged each other to stick with it and stay positive! Thanks, girls!!!

Showing off my oh-so-special medallion to the gal we dedicated this day to - MISS TAYLOR HOIT! WE LOVE YOU, TAYLS!!!

BEAT IT!

The evening before the marathon, Phil went out with other Team Diabetes members while I worked with Tayls on my marathon music. I was way too much of a nervous nancy to relax and have fun, so staying at the hotel and prepping my race gear seemed to be the more appropriate option. I bow down to Britney and the cast of Glee for singing me through the 26.2 :)

P.S. Being fully organized and ready to go in the morning didn't seem to erase any worry. I was WIDE AWAKE for most of the night with a bad case of pre-race jitters (and the side effects of extreme hydration)!

For Our Running Friends:

We saw this on the globe and mail website this afternoon! [Click on the image to enlarge]. Anything but the medical tent will be A-OKAY with us!!!

How do we look?!

Here we are in our new "Team Diabetes" tees! We wore them for a nice and easy 10K yesterday morning - and even got some roadside compliments!!! Soon enough we will be sporting these tops with other Canadians in ICELAND! YAHOO!!!!!

Luxury Mills.

Yesterday we worked out at the Sheraton hotel and - MY OH MY - were we ever SPOILED with an AMAZING treadmill experience! If we could afford one of those "Lifefitness" suckers....I believe a treadmill would become appropriate for ALL days, not just rainy and too-humid ones!

Let me to elaborate on some of the features:

* a place to insert a USB that has been loaded with tv shows or movies

* a connector cable for your iPod, also for entertainment purposes (keep in mind that the regular "satellite tv" option was also available)

* a variety of workouts to choose from - including a run that takes you "around the world" and a hill workout that takes you to "Kilimanjaro"

* the choice of watching yourself run around a 400m track, a 5k trail, or conquer a mountain

* a personal trainer - who you can select yourself! I chose a blond girl because she looked like me :)

* built in "Garmin-like" abilities - a pace bunny was there if you needed it!

* the option of racing against other individuals

CRAZY, RIGHT?! I should also mention it had awesome hydraulics that made the run nice and easy for the knees and ankles :)

Hmmmm......fingers crossed that our wealthy gym establishment in Q8 has purchased these treadmills for September!!!!

An Attempt at Romance.

This morning Phil and I decided to go for a "romantic" morning walk through the Hillman Marsh (this was partially inspired by a segment on Regis and Kelly). It is a beautiful spot where we ran and walked last summer and we were excited to enjoy the peaceful route we took before.

A few things went wrong.

#1 - I am unusually terrified of un-human things that walk, fly, and slither (ahem - not a huge nature lover). Well - two deer ran before us as we entered the conservation area. Giant herons and other members of the bird family were flying around. And Phil yelled "SNAKE!!!!" only a few moments into the journey. I happened to be wearing my heart rate monitor (just for fun!) and noticed that my heart rate was much too high for such a light walk. [Fact: I couldn't have been more frightened.]

#2 - We have never run into "bug trouble" in our previous experiences there. Nor do we have to fight with insects in Kuwait (i.e. combating them is not a part of our daily routine). That being said, we didn't arrive with bug spray and didn't anticipate the WAR that broke out with the deer flies! Our "romantic walk" turned into a prolonged tempo run, as we fought to escape "the swarm". It was OUTRAGEOUS!!!! You wouldn't believe how many flies were attacking us....it's as if they hadn't eaten for WEEKS! YEESH!

#3 - The lousy experience cost us $5 and a tube of After Bite. Here's what Phil looked like AFTER our morning of romance (keep in mind that this is only ONE of the affected areas!):



Perhaps we should stick to dinner and a movie the next time :)

The Warrior Dash - Official Photo's

1 June 2011

Who knew there was a whole day dedicated to RUNNING?! Had I have known this earlier, I would have made my time on the treadmill tonight a little more exciting! But YOU, my Canadian comrades - YOU still have a lot of day ahead of you! Make your "national running day" celebration an EXTRA-FUN one!

RUN THE WORLD!

Since finishing my latest book, "Great Races, Incredible Places", our list of things to do has gotten incredibly longer :) There are so many interesting places to run on this earth, and the author did a great job of highlighting different events by grouping them into categories such as "Eat, Drink, and Be Merry" and "Give Peace a Chance" (which was particularly appealing to me!). Here's a list of some of the races that made my heart flutter (whether that means I would be willing to do them or not!):

"Because It's There": Antarctica Marathon and Half Marathon (Antarctica) <---- Too cold for me, but a very interesting Google!

"Eat, Drink, and Be Merry": Marathon du Medoc (France) <----- You'll fall in love with running, even if you currently HATE it :)

"Give Peace a Chance": Continental Airlines International Friendship Run (New York), In Flanders Fields Marathon (Belgium), International Peace Marathon of Kigali (Rwanda), and The Tunnel to Towers Run (New York) <----- Running is emotional as it is. Throw in a group of individuals coming together to run for change, and the tears flood out. Check out the one by Continental Airlines...it will make you FEEL something.

"Listen to the Music": Country Music Marathon and Half Marathon (Nashville!), Rock 'N' Roll Marathon Series (Arizona, Virginia, San Diego, San Antonio, San Jose) <---- Course entertainment means you could run iPod-less!

"Running Wild": The Big Five Marathon (South Africa), The Great Gorilla Run (England) <-------- OH, PLEASE look into the latter :) HILARIOUS. Running in costume is a dream of mine!

"Spiritual Marathons": Everest Marathon (Nepal), Inca Trail to Machu Picchi (Peru) <----- We were planning on hiking these, but real running enthusiasts may be up for the challenge!

These are just a few runs that caught my attention. For more exciting events, read the book! You can purchase it on Kindle for your reading convenience :)

My New Book!

I've finished taking marriage lessons from the Rancic's and had a nice browse for some new books on Amazon this morning. (Sidenote: It turns out that this at-home shopping experience is equally as fun as a visit to Chapters. Spicy chai tea delivered by handsome husband, pajamas, cozy bed, no lines, quick checkout.....HEAVEN.)

My final purchase, "Great Races, Incredible Places", has been successfully loaded onto my Kindle and I am happily reading about the first race in the book: "The Antarctic Ice Marathon". Not sure if this run is for me, but it sure is captivating to read about an adventure race like this one!!! I am excited to read on :)

Kuwait Charity Run.

Saturday morning, Phil and I participated in Kuwait's first ever half marathon event in support of "Bayt Abdullah Children's Hospice"! Unexpectedly, this event was the most organized thing I have ever seen in my experience overseas! From the day we registered, to the day we picked up our race kits, to the end of the race itself, everything was organized by a team of happy and helpful people. It was amazing....and strange....and we REALLY ENJOYED IT!!!

Throughout the race course, rehydration stations were plentiful and volunteer enthusiasm was high. Every time we approached a yellow t-shirt, we could expect a "WAY TO GO! STAY STRONG! YOU CAN DO IT!!!!" and at two points during the run, we were brought to near-tears by groups of people waving Japanese flags and encouraging us to keep going. Phil and I returned the love and enjoyed clapping and cheering on those on their way back to the finish line. If there was a trophy for "most sportsmanlike running couple", we really think it would have been awarded to us.

Speaking of the finish line, let's talk about our race time! We finished the half marathon in 1:59:38!!!!! (Insert jumping up and down HERE). We can't believe we broke two hours, although looking back at kilometer 16 and 17 - it makes a little more sense to us. At about this distance, we had to fight through the joint pain and muscle aches together and worked hard to ignore the mental urge to just "give in". I'm not sure what I would have done without Phil beside me. I'm sure we would have finished in a time similar to San Fran (2:24:22), but he pushes me to be my best. The absence of hills was also a nice touch.

Next up? Our marathon with Team Diabetes in August. We are happy to accept "congratulations on a personal best" via online donations (wink). Click on the DONATE tab to say "GOOD JOB!" and make a difference :)