Sponsorship funds raised by participating writers for the Muskoka Literacy Council: $4,370.00 and counting. Final tally to be announced when all sponsorship forms have been handed in and counted.

Number of writers who participated in the 2008 event: 26

Number of pages written during the 3 day novel writing marathon: In excess of 1,000...but final total is not yet it.

Food consumed and coffee pots drained: Far too difficult to count!

Marathon Wrap Party: To be announced. Hint: See you in September!

2009 Muskoka Novel Marathon: July 10-13, 2009. Huntsville, Ontario. (There's a countdown ticker in the right column...click it for an exact countdown to the next marathon.)

Words are power. Join the marathon experience and help eradicate illiteracy. To learn how you can be a part of the 2009 Muskoka Novel Marathon, simply leave a request in the comment section here. 3 days of networking, eating and WRITING... and the opportunity to help give the gift of words. What more can one ask for?

Running a very flexible act to either share with somebody, or completely solo.

Running is a very intimate act as well. I've learned so much about my body, what I give it, and what it gives to me...

Running clears the mind, yet permits all sorts of thoughts to re-fill it.

I have musical accompaniment when I run, it's helpful - today I was trying to figure out whether a certain Stevie Wonder song was for faith, music, or a woman:

You And I - Stevie Wonder

Conclusion: It's all three. Which makes the damn thing so lovely.

I also thought of Haruki Murakami and an interview on running. I thought about my first encounter with Murakami - The Wind-Up Bird Chronicle right out of high school (1999), and with every subsequent book penned by him solidified the beauty within melancholy and my continued fascination with infusing it in my daily thoughts (which is detrimental sometimes, only sometimes).

I finally thought about how horrible my post-run stretching and habits are, and forced myself to sit and press out tension in my calves, which is a trouble spot for me, and affect my long runs (Thanks to Juju for inviting on her long run and amenities from her running group).

I'm training for another marathon, and hopefully my training regimen will show better results:

1st year - SF Marathon 2007: 5:35

2nd year - SD Rock N Roll Marathon 2008: 4:35

3rd year - ??

Who wants to train with me?

I thought it was going to be easy. But it was not.

I had a meeting in Serendra last July 17, a Thursday and since it's my day-off from being a mommy - I thought I'd register for the Miracle Run at R.O.X. after my meeting and register for the Milo in the afternoon.

Alas, when I came over R.O.X. that day - they said that they ran out of registration form and they won't be able to assist me and advised me to register directly at the Summit media office instead. And so, I was at the Summit Media office over at 6th floor of the Robinson's Cybergate 3 building on Pioneer St. at around 330PM. After waiting for a good 10minutes, I was advised that there was no one to assist me because the Miracle Run organizers was at an FHM event! I was fuming a little bit - but there was no point in getting angry at guard. I took a deep breath and smiled at the guard and headed to Annapolis to register for the Milo Manila 10K. I was happy the way that one turned out - read about it here.

I called up Powerbooks Trinoma and asked if I can register for the Men's Health Miracle Run. And she said; "Wala pa po kaming advise para diyan sa event na yan." ("We haven't received any advice regarding that event) Hay naku! I wasted a good 4 hours that day trying to register for the Miracle Run.

On Tuesday, it was Sky's check-up over at Makati Medical Center in the morning. So, I figured - I'll head to the Summit media office - since it's on the way going back to my folk's house. We got there at 1:00PM on the 6th floor. I inquired and then the guard tells me to go to the 7TH floor. So if you'll register - head straight to the 7TH Floor. When we got there - the receptionist advised me to wait a moment. The moment became an hour! And I was with my hyperactive toddler then - and he was starting to get bored and so was I and Ate Ging (the nanny). At 2:00PM I asked the receptionist if I could just give her the payment and my form because I've been waiting there for an hour! And I've been to R.O.X. and was here last Thursday. Can't somebody assist me? And then a girl in green came out and said; "Can you wait for a little while? They're coming from an event from a mall. It's just near." I smiled and kept my cool.

So, since I'm still waiting - Sky and I sang Barney songs and played on the seats and at the Cashier area. 2:10PM, I approached the receptionist again and asked nicely and told her: "I hope I wouldn't have to wait for another hour." And she went inside and out came Ms. Maan who even gave me a new registration form and apologized for the long wait.

That was HOW I registered for the Men's Health Miracle Run.

Good Morning, it is 6:30am and I've just returned from a 3 mile run, and just to let you know, this is really hard. Although it is a little bit less hard than a week ago.

When I said I felt I was getting flabbier by the day I did not realise at the time how true it was- I weighed myself and was shocked to see I was a whopping 14 stone. I use stone because a lot of people won't know how much that it, but it is the heaviest I have ever been in my life, and it it no good. The encouraging part is the day after I weighed myself I stood on the scales again and found I had already lost a few pounds, which was also a big surprise.

I have set up a donation page with JustGiving, where you can sponsor me online in a quick and easy manner, and using this method the charity- the Anthony Nolan Trust - will received the most money possible. Particularly if you are a UK tax payer, JustGiving will gift-aid the donation, which means the taxman will give an additional 28%.

I don't know about taxpayers in the U.S.A - here in the U.K. we don't have the same sort of tax incentive to donate to charity (you can't deduct it off your taxes in the U.K.)  I will enquire and see if they give me any response.

P.S. 14 stone = 196 pounds

The long scenic road around Lake Superior is fraught with unexpected sights and perils of nature and man. Our first stop was the “Fish Shop” (never referred to by any other name to us) where we purchased some not-that-great Finnish rye bread and a large portion of really great fresh water trout. Seeing numerous lakey vistas and forrestscapes, we were surprised by how beautiful the drive actually was, since all anybody had ever mentioned was how long it was. We tried to stop at a roadside rest stop and BBQ the fish for lunch but soon realized there were way too many black flies around for that to be possible, and instead had bread, sausage and cheese inside the van.

Ouimet Canyon was on this stretch of road (and weirdly not buggy). It costs $3 on the honour system to go view this incredible natural phenomenon, which is a short and easy walk through the forest. One thing I learned is in Canada most really tall thin, rocks with a bigger rock on top are called “Indian Head”, but I still don’t know why. They don’t look more Indian than any other ethnic background.  

Somewhere around Schreiber I noticed an oddly out of place carnival booth serving Wiggle Chips, and was so distracted yelling “Wiggle Chips, Wiggle Chips” it took a moment to register that a large moose (is there any other kind?) had decided to cross the highway right in front of us. Why is it always me driving and why do wildlife seem to wait until you’re coming before they cross the road? We had of course seen numerous roadside warnings, not just signs but decaying moose carcasses and bent up trucks on the side of the road. And yet somehow you believe it will never happen to you. So after that we decided not to drive at night anymore.    

Neys Provincial Park is where Lawren Harris painted a lot of his most famous paintings, and we were able to get a kickass spot right by the shore for the night. It was fun to see that his paintings actually weren’t as stylized as I had thought---the landscape (or lakescape) really looks like that. We barbecued the trout and Step made me listen to “The Wreck of the Edmund Fitzgerald” twice. In the song Gordon Lightfoot calls Lake Superior by it’s First Nation's name “Gitche Gumee”. It’s a very haunting song and now I can never look at the lake without seeing it as somewhat dangerous and sinister.

 The Lonely Planet claims sailors would rather go on half rations than have to stop at Marathon, but that was where the auto propane was so there were no half rations for us. The excitement of Marathon was they were finally getting pavement for their road. The station with propane had a truly impressive gallery of moose accident pictures. When Step asked the lady for some propane she would only respond by grunting and grabbing her chemical gloves. The propane was pumping slow so she got a fresh young fellow, who was originally from Newfoundland,  to hold the handle and his demeanor was much more outgoing And upbeat. When Step asked him what it was like to live in Marathon, the friendly young man replied “It’s a crappy town”. We thought that was pretty funny, but we don’t have to live in Marathon.

You must stop at Walla Walla because they have a statue of a giant Canada Goose. They put it right by the highway, though, so you don’t have to go into the town proper. The giant Canada Goose is a nice place to have a picnic lunch and there were currently on display outside all kinds of doors that had been painted with people’s stories about their Grandma’s and other female heroes. I live for that kind of thing.  

Our goal was to get to Sudbury by nightfall but we didn’t make it and it was way down into twilight and super foggy as well. We were worried about the highway mooses and so we stopped at a random campsite. There is always one that is the best campsite ever and one that is the worst. We should have figured it out by the sinister Tom Waits music we were playing, and the bats darting down the road ahead of us, but all we did was joke about how we would be attended to by a 7 foot tall imbecile man dressed in clothes too small who would be introduced to us as “harmless”. Our next clue was after we registered the owner decided to give us a $2 (7%!) discount because the new bathrooms weren’t ready yet. It turned out the “bathroom facilities” were toilets and cold water sinks in a little bug infested shanty, with not even a nail to hang your travel toiletries bag from. We tried to pull into our “site” but as there was no ground treatment we instantly got stuck in the mud, and spent the night not-quite-level and trodding through suction mud whenever we needed to visit the shanty.

We conjectured the other visitors of the campground must be hunters, for we could think of no other reason anyone would camp there, let alone have season passes as were apparent by the wooden porches and other additions people had put on their trailers. The next morning 4 overweight shirtless guys with moustaches pushed us out of our mudhole, and we were glad to take our dirt sodden boots and be on our way.

The weather was really nice on my run. It got really cool because a rainstorm was coming. The rain started falling minutes after I stopped running. I had to walk home in it but I'll trade that for cool temps any day.

Had a little trouble to start out. My back was acting up a little. I was taking short, choppy steps in order to keep from hurting myself. After 10 minutes the pain stopped. I decided to try to make up time by basically running as fast as I could for the next 10 minutes. I still hit the 20 minute marker one minute late.

That sucks! I'm not reaching for some impossible goal. It took me twenty minutes to get there over a month ago. I hope this back thing isn't some recurring problem I'm gonna have to deal with.

The last 35 minutes were pain free and actually really nice. I ran at about an average clip and felt as comfortable as ever. It was during that time that I remembered I actually like to run sometimes.

While laying down with my face down, the doctor weighed on to my bent right knee... It is somewhat like Thai massage, but very painful as the contracted muscle was stretched with such strength.

Iliotibial Band Syndrome is supposed to take a while to heal; however, I will see how my knee feels after this chiro treatment. I am going to see the doctor 2 more times this week.

My confidence about completing a half marathon has obviously dropped quite a lot since I have only run 9 miles (14.5 km) once and I have had to skip most of the trainings. Honestly, 13 miles (21 km) is weighing heavily on me.

カイロプラクターの先生の診断によると、やっぱり腸脛靱帯炎(Iliotibial Band Syndrome)…。ただ、私の場合は、やはり右足首の捻挫が完治しないまま不安定な足首で走ったため、特に右膝と右足の裏の筋肉が自然と足首の不安定さをかばうために酷使され、摩擦も起き、拘縮してしまっていたそうです。だいたい、私は体のバランスを取る時の癖で利き足である右足を左足よりも使う傾向にあるらしく、右足の方が1cmほど短いと先生に言われた。確かに、新しいズボンを買う時に裾直ししてくれた店員さんに右足の方が短いのでズボンもそれに合わせて裾直ししておきますとかいうことを言われた記憶がある。

うつ伏せで寝転んでるところ、先生が曲げた右足に全体重で乗っかってきた…。マッサージという部類に入るが、拘縮した筋肉を力づくで伸ばす感じ。痛い…。

腸脛靱帯炎は普通なら治癒に時間がかかるらしいが、マラソンが2週間後に迫ってるということも告げ、とりあえず今週合計3回通院して見て、膝がどんな反応を示すか様子を見ることになりました。

それにしてもトレーニングでたった1回しか9 miles(14.5 km)しか走ったことがないし、他のトレーニングのメニューもろくにこなせてないないので、ハーフマラソンの13 miles(21 km)は正直、恐ろしい…。

Richard gave Rebekah “THE TALK” and it went so well, she was so thankful for his honesty and she asked questions and he answered.  I want my girls to see the cross and not a bunch of rules and standards to live by. If we measure up to anything other than the CROSS we will never make it without constantly feeling like failure! Yes we are to strive to be Holy and live righteous but we will fail and when we do its GRACE GRACE GRACE that covers us! I love the verse in Hebrews 10:22 let us go right into the presence of God with sincere hearts fully trusting him. For our guilty consciences have been sprinkled with Christ’s blood to make us clean, and our bodies have been washed with pure water.

I have moved passed trying to please, because it gets me tired, and down and there is no JOY in that. I truly feel like when you fall in love with JESUS I mean truly love Christ than your life begins to reflect it. I decided to blog on the blessings in my life today because I am truly blessed with exactly what I need. I love life, and I want to enjoy the time here on earth I have. I want others to see joy when they look at me, and a passion to serve God. I NO LONGER allow others to dictate the way I serve and worship God. I do it for HIM and HIM alone.  In Haggai this morning I read both chapters  because I was desperate for something. I began to realize after I read verses  15-19 that when we are busy bodies, and when we are more worried about me, myself and I things in our lives also reflect that. When we are focused on US that our lives and the people we love the most often suffer for it, but when we allow GOD to be the very center of all we do, we are blessed and we can endure and move forward in life because HE IS WITH US!  15-19 “Think back. Before you set out to lay the first foundation stones for the rebuilding of my Temple, how did it go with you? Isn’t it true that your foot-dragging, halfhearted efforts at rebuilding the Temple of God were reflected in a sluggish, halfway return on your crops—half the grain you were used to getting, half the wine? I hit you with drought and blight and hail. Everything you were doing got hit. But it didn’t seem to faze you. You continued to ignore me.’ God’s Decree. “‘Now think ahead from this same date—this twenty-fourth day of the ninth month. Think ahead from when the Temple rebuilding was launched. Has anything in your fields—vine, fig tree, pomegranate, olive tree—failed to flourish? From now on you can count on a blessing.’”

 The temple needed to be built and God was saying you take care of your house but what about MY HOUSE> their crops began to die, some produced but not as much. But when they began to rebuild their temple and gave their hearts to it their crops were blessed. I want nothing more in this world than simplicity and I mean to SIMPLY serve God as I love those around me. We have been placed into this world as lights and when we use that light to point it in others eyes and nearly blinds them than they aren’t seeing God. But when we give them the love of Christ through our actions then God just begins to shine HIS light in the areas of their lives that need to be gently restored. Before I close, my dear friend Shauna sent me the sweetest comment on my blog a couple days ago about endurance, but it was funny because she had meant to send it the day before. But God knew differently I read my devotion and it was on endurance and joy going hand in hand, and when we think of enduring something we think of pain, temptation, or facing a struggle, but after reading Hebrews 12:2, I realized that endurance means getting through to something even greater. When someone runs in a marathon they have to endure leg cramps, possible dehydration, giving up……They know that have to keep going and no matter where they fall into order it’s the feeling of crossing the finish line that brings them joy.  Hebrews 12:2 Let us fix our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy set before him endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God.

“Dear God, I sit here in awe of who YOU are, your power is so much greater than anything we can even wrap our minds around. You have given me love through my husband, my children, and my dear friends. You have given me food to eat, a house to sleep in, and a church in which I can serve. Please help me to show others the Joy in which you have given me! I want those that are hurting to feel loved, I want those who are depressed to see hope, I want those that are waiting to be filled with You. God open my eyes to see how You see! I love you Lord Jesus you are my ALL IN ALL!”

Have a wonderful day!

Skippade gymmet idag, har ändå en väldans träningsverk. Latjade lite fotti istället, se resultatet: http://youtube.com/watch?v=Ywcl228YhDs. Sen for jag ut å cykla med en jädrans medvind ditvägen, mätarn på ca. 50km/h. Tillbakavägen orkar jag inte ens kommentera. 
Besökte även biblioteket idag och lånade en hel del litteratur om idrott & hälsa för att uppdatera mig tills utbildningen börjar. Nu lägger jag mig i studiefåtöljen så länge... 09.00 imorgon ska det gymmas.

Uppdatering 22:30
Läser samtidigt lyssnar på mp3-filer  till Idrott & Hälsa Kurs A. Fick bli ett sista lugnt kvällsjogg 5km, blev så sugen på å träna, åter till boken... 10 kvar till gymmet öppnar*

So today, after a 30min timed run (5.78K) and after I went to visit another pre/play school that we're thinking for Sky - I ended up at the Quezon City Philippines Red Cross. I was a tad too early in meeting a friend in that area - so I sort of "wandered" there - inside the QC Red Cross. And I found myself registering for the  Takbong Alay, Sagip Buhay Fun Run 10K this Sunday! Whooohoo - I am officially insane! D doesn't know about it - as usual. But, he'll be happy with it as usual!  I was supposed to do a 10K this Saturday anyway for my long run this week. So might as well join a marathon for 10K.

Registration for 3K and 5K is P150 and then it's P200 for the 10K. Race kit came with just a bib no. and route map - no pins! :( And the guy who assisted me asked if I can invite a few other runners who might be interested to join this Sunday. If any of you readers are interested - you can register up until Saturday afternoon and the QC Red cross is open 24/7, you can register even at night or early morning. There is still a good number of race kits available for all the categories. It'll be worthwhile to join and for another good cause.

The Quezon City Red Cross is just beside the Quezon City Hall.

]]> http://adventureracing4charity.wordpress.com/?p=48 Wed, 23 Jul 2008 13:12:54 +0000 Mark Hannaford http://adventureracing4charity.wordpress.com/?p=48 Lonely Planet
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Across the Divide Expeditions

Russ at the right with his wife and daughters and parents.  Jan, in the scooter, is my dear friend.  Look at her smile, that's sooooo worth it!   That's me kneeling on the front left.

We had a fundraiser tonight at Sweet Tomatoes that went STUPENDOUSLY.  The email invitation went viral.  We not only had people from my church and work and team in training group, but people I didn't even know!  Strangers printed out the flyer and distributed it at work, sent it on via email.  One of Russ' neighbors sent the invitation to her kids soccer teams!

It was so exciting to see people come through the cash register with their Team in Training flyers.  For every purchase with a flyer, Leukemia and Lymphoma Society gets 15% of the sale.  There were piles and piles of flyers, I think there had to be at least 100 or maybe 150 people there. 

Most wonderful of all, I got to meet my patient honoree, Russ Stevens, for the very first time.  He is the son of some dear friends of mine from church, Jan and Doug Stevens.  They lost a seven-year-old son to leukemia many years ago, and a year ago, Russ got it.   My personal theme has been:  They're not going to lose another son to this disease!

The Stevens family came out by the droves to support this fundraiser.  There were four of the five children, with all of the grandchildren, many of their neighbors... there was a whole section of the restaurant filled with those who know and love Russ.  He has surely felt this throughout this last year of illness, but I was thrilled at the message he must be getting from all of this, that soooo many people love him and support him!

Russ, himself, couldn't eat at the buffet.  He just finished his 100 days of special care after a bone marrow transplant.  But he was a great host, sitting and visiting with everyone.  He was very upbeat and positive and I soooo enjoyed hearing his stories.

I wore my Team in Training shirt and was there the whole time, from 5 - 8 p.m., meeting and greeting.  It was personally very touching to me that so many people who didn't know Russ came to support my efforts.  I just went from table to table visiting with people.  Great party, I didn't have to pay for it and didn't have to clean up after it!  Tell you what, if you're new to Team in Training fundraisers, go the restaurant route.  It was so easy!

I just want to thank by name as many people as I can remember who came... in no particular order and send me a note if you were there and I forgot to write it down:

Sheila, Michelle, Trevor, Jeff and his beautiful daughter and her friend, Matt and Cheryl and Kirsten, Vicki and little Samuel, Yvonne and her stunning daughter recently moved here from the DC area, Brother and Sister Carlisle, Joan and Lou from my mentor group (they came all the way from Golden!), Mary Kate my mentor and her husband, Captain Nate and his running friend, April and Sheila and Gary, Cyndee and Patti, Natalya and Alex and Daniel, Rick from my old workplace and his wife (they just saw the flyer that someone posted at the office and came, how cool!), Brother and Sister Stevens, Russ and his wife and two daughters, Shawn and his family, more Stevens kids and friends and family (I can't remember them all :-(

We sat at tables in front of the cash registers so we could say "hi" to Team in Training folks.  These tables are filled with my friends from work and church.

Russ visiting with people at dinner. 

 My co-worker Natalya and her family 
 

My Team in Training mentor, Mary Kate, and her husband, and my teammate Lou.  They were waiting for Lou's wife, Joan, who joined us later.  I was so tickled that they would support me, Lou and Joan had to drive an hour each way!  Is it any wonder that I LOVE this group??!!

Me with friends from church, Brother Carlisle and Cyndee Roberts

Snippets of conversation throughout the evening:

I thought leukemia was a children's disease.  No, it strikes 10 times as many adults as children.  In fact, one type of leukemia,  Chronic Lymphocytic Leukemia (CLL), which my aunt Donna has, generally strikes people over the age of 70.

I just realized I don't want to work 60 hours per week and miss out on my family, and there's no point being all sad, so I'm just grateful for my wife and my daughters and want to enjoy my life with them. -- Russ

Are you are runner, too?  (Brother Carlisle) Yes, I ran the Georgetown to Idaho Springs Half-Marathon that you're going to be running.  Be sure to stop at EVERY rest stop and get plenty of water!

I came because somebody put the flyer out at work and we have someone in our building whose son has leukemia, so I wanted to support whoever was doing this.  (Lovely!)

Russ' brothers all shaved their heads to support him when he was in chemotherapy last year.  Some of them are letting it grow back now that he's getting better, but see these bald-headed guys standing around, most of them are with US!  -- Russ' Dad

Bone marrow transplants are boring.  -- Russ Stevens

5 mile cross country run tonight. Which sounds great, in theory. But, in practice was really hard and I was cursing by the end as Shelley took us over yet another friggin' hill. Though, to her credit, she did get us to the clock at the Central Park Zoo just in time to hear the music and watch the glokenschpiel.

That said...I hate running. Really. Or, Im starting to. OK, perhaps hate is a strong word, but you know that I am prone to melodrama.

But, Im really starting to resent putting on my running shoes. Im inclined to think that Im just holding myself to a standard I set for myself last year and am not cutting myself any slack. But, whatever. Point is, the thought of training for the marathon makes me want to go to bed and stay there. That is not how I want to feel.

And I certainly don't have to feel that way since the marathon is a voluntary activity!

I am seriously considering deferment of my entry for a year and just spending the rest of the year doing a couple of half-marathons to stay in shape. Making myself really strong at that distance and taking the pressure off.

We shall see how I feel tomorrow. Good thing I don't have ice cream in my freezer right now!

The weather was actually decent when I ran. Unfortunately, I had quite a bit of lower back pain that kept me from having too much fun.

Other then my last run I haven't even thought about my back that much over the past few weeks. It's been a month since I've been to the gym and I haven't had much to complain about in that area. I guess a pounding on the road is just as bad as a pounding under the bar. Looks like it finally caught back up to me.

My back slowed me down so much early on that I missed my 20 minute marker by 45 seconds. On a day like this I could have hit that mark a lot sooner. That sucks.

Luckily the pain went away at about the turnaround point. The last 15 minutes were pain free and I decided to go as fast as I could. It felt good.

1. October 12: Bank of America Chicago Marathon (registered)
2. October 19: Sisters Poker Run, 34M (just need to mail my registration fee)
3. October 25: Autumn Leaves 50M (registered)

Hmm... that leaves only 5 days of rest between a 34-milers and a 50-miler. I'll have to think about doing the 50K Autumn Leaves instead of the 50M. The Las Vegas and Death Valley Borax marathons in December I briefly considered are off the schedule.

From being a Lost Boy of Sudan, to running at Widener University, a division 3 school, where he was a multiple time national champion, to becoming an American citizen, and then finishing 33rd in the 2008 Olympic Marathon Trials, it is easy to say Macharia Yuot, 25, has come a long way.

Can you tell us about coming from Sudan to now becoming an American
citizen?
Coming from Sudan was a tough journey that was full of bitterness. It was the most difficult journey I had ever overcome. I think coming to America and becoming a citizen was great moment. It was very exciting for me because it has so much meaning and can lead to great success. It was a blessing to me because of the amazing experiences I've had in America: my success in school, my success outside the classroom makes me proud, and having friends as well as mentors in life here makes achieving the goals I have easier while staying focused.

What race are you currently training for and how is the training going?
Well, I just took time off from running after a long season. So it was time to rest and now I am back into training. I think my big race is the marathon, half, and some fast road races to gain my speed back before long races. However, the training had been great even though I didn't have great prs this season. The season was tough for me. I had trouble getting into big competitions during the outdoor season so I missed some huge opportunities.

What is your ultimate goal race and how do you see it playing out?
My ultimate goal race is to see myself running 2:15 in the fall for the marathon, and 1:02 to 1:03 range for the half. The way this will work out is by doing the training that is necessary to achieve those goals (building the base this summer with more training over 100 miles a week will get me there and the rest will take care of itself).

How is your relationship with coach Touey?
Coach Touey had been great to me since I met him when I was in high school. He had done so much with me as a person, student, and athlete. He taught me so much in life--not only about winning gold medals, but also about how to be a better person, and student athlete to reach my potential in college and after college. Finally, Coach Touey inspired me so much in running and taught me how running can play a role in real life. My relationship with Coach Touey has been a big part of my success in training, workouts, or during competition.

Do you have training partners? If so, who do you workout with?
I don't actually have training partners because it is difficult for everyone to stay together at the same pace especially during workouts. But I do run with Zach Miller(editors note: Widener alum '07) and Kev Cunningham(editors note: Widener alum '06) sometimes for easy runs around Widener.

What is your favorite workout?

My favorite workout is long tempo runs on the road.

What do you enjoy doing when not running?
When I am not running, there is always something to do. I lift, go out with my friends, go to the movies, and visit my Sudanese friends and cousin because I don't see them that much during the season.

Where do you see yourself in 10 years?
In ten years I want to be able to say that I coudn't do any better than I did because I have given all that God had in store for me. Also in ten years I see myself being happy for my successes and accomplishments on and off the competitive arena.

Thank you,
Macharia

Macharia, thank you for your time and for a great interview.

]]> http://joggingmymemory.wordpress.com/?p=23 Tue, 22 Jul 2008 20:31:54 +0000 joggingmymemory http://joggingmymemory.wordpress.com/?p=23 July 22, 2008

I’m quickly learning that running 5K a day isn’t really a problem.  It’s finding time to squeeze in at least 3.1 miles a day that is proving a bit difficult.  This week is really putting me to the test.

Starting tonight, I will be commuting back and forth from work and to the city - which wouldn’t normally be a problem.  But between the city and the suburbs, I need to work and sleep.   Then I have a plethora of activities in the evening.  You know - the actual ‘living life to the fullest’ part of life.  It all starts this evening with dinner plans. 

But I was smart enough and got up extra early to run.  Go me!

Unfortunately, since I will be leaving for work from the city tomorrow I won’t be able to run beforehand…unless I get up before 6.  And that is not going to happen.  Usually, I have training on Wednesdays, but with this being the Wednesday before the ½ marathon we are foregoing in to tape some interviews for the news.  (Yes, I am famous)  That is fine because right after that, I have to rush to a bar to meet up with my friends.  Then we are all going to see George Michael at MSG.  And I can’t be sweaty for that!

So, when can I run tomorrow?  Well, after running scenarios through my mind I have decided I can leave work a bit early, run before I head to the city and still have time to do my interview and concert.  Seems like a lot of running around though, huh?  No pun intended.

Now, if I make it through tomorrow I have Thursday to deal with.  Again, I will be travelling from the city to work.  I need to work until 5:30 and then rush off back to the city to get to Jamey’s so we can then get to our hustle dancing class.  That doesn’t end until almost 9 and though I could run then, I’d rather not. 

I believe I devised another successful plan.

When I come back to NJ on Thursday morning, instead of taking the bus directly to work, I will take the train to my apartment.  I only live a couple miles from work.  By going to my apartment, I can get my car and drive to work.  Then during lunch hour, I can drive home, punch out a good 5K, shower and then make it back to the job before anyone missed me.

And if I pull that off, I will consider myself amazing.

So as you can see, it’s not all the running every day that is getting to me.  It’s all the running around to make the running happen that is driving me crazy!  But, what is the alternative?  Giving up?

NEVER!!! 

Besides, it’s rather fun.  Almost like my own personal “Amazing Race.”  Pun intended.

22 5Ks down.  343 to go.

-Qraig

Sportliche Betätigungen: 50 min Fahrradfahren inkl jeweils 15 Liegestütz und Situps sowie Hantelübungen / Nachmittags 25 min Laufen

Fazit: Eines vorweg.. das mim Essen bloggen wird mir zu anstrengend ;) Ich werde jetzt einfach jeden Tag versuchen mich ausgewogen zu ernähren und auf unnötiges Fett und Zucker zu verzichten. Und nein, ich habe heute nicht gesündigt, aber das wird doch mal langweilig. Find ich.. egal.. kommen wir zum Trainingstag heute. Wie fast erwartet spürte ich heute den gestrigen 1 1/2 stündigen Ausflug in den Beinen und dementsprechend langsamer war ich heut unterwegs. 50 min hab ich dann doch noch geschafft und diesmal war ich fit genug, um mich auch dem Laufen zu widmen. Aber genau das war heute zuviel des guten ;) Nach bisschen mehr als 10 Minuten beschloss ich die Route abzukürzen und wieder heimzulaufen. Insgesamt war ich 25 min Laufen, aber ich war wirklich richtig richtig fertig. Aber trotzdem ein gutes Gefühl, wenn man sich so ausgepowert hat. Morgen werd ich versuchen, das gleiche Programm durchzuboxen.. mal sehen wie es mir geht *gg

The last 10 days, I have been training by walking 2 minutes then running 2 minutes, first 3x, then 4x, then 5x.  This morning, I ran my first non time-pace walk/run (it was one mile) and it took me 12 minutes.  Damn.  That sucked.  So - I will be using this as a forum to keep myself on track.  I run again Thursday (another mile)  I am really hoping it is less than 12 minutes.  But, I run 1 mile for the next week and a half, so I should get faster as I go.

Ciao.

So I feel I sort of redeemed myself but doing 6 miles on Monday. Today is my rest day, and while I am tempted to go the gym, I think I might actually just take the day off and rest. Maybe I will go in the evening...right now I am just so content staying in my PJS and eating a bowl of icecream...ok I will hold off on the icecream until a more decent hour. :-) This training is going to be HARD...I mean I realize that just because I ran 5 miles two weeks ago with ease (ok, not ease, but it wasn't torture) doesn't mean my 6 mile run will be any easier. I wonder if in three weeks 6 miles might feel easy? Nick has started running a mile a day; and he says he has no idea how I run 6, let alone 26. Which I of course added in that it is 26.2, can't forget that .2 PEOPLE!!!! I really think the last 6 are just going to kill us in the race. What if I hit the wall before the 20 mile mark like they say? So many things I won't know until I get to that day, in that moment. And while everything will be spinning around me, I will remember one foot in front of the other...it's the only way! :-) I miss you guys...I wish we were training closer, but we are going to do this!!!

Tomorrow I'm planning on running an 8 mile tempo run

By the way...I wrote this using my ipod