Guilty Pleasures...

Everyone has their guilty pleasures, mine just happen to be in the form of music. So this is me comming clean to you about my new found enjoyment of the pop group Gym Class Heroes...they try to be hip hop, but let's face it, with their cheesy 80's samples, they are indeed nothing more than another pop band that will be forgotten by next year...but I just can't get enough of Clothes Off...it's so catchy...take a listen, you might just like it, or come to the conclusion that I have gone completely insane and can no longer be trusted as any kind of music authority (not that I ever was). I'm guessing you'll go with the latter.

Anyhow, today I had another long run and finally after months of training surpassed the half marathon mark (13.1 miles = 21.1 km) I passed it at around 2:05, now this was in the middle of my cooldown so it wasn't all running, but 1:50 of it was. I managed to clear 13.5 miles total today in 2:10, so I'm feeling pretty good. A funny thing happened though, at around 1:45 into my run I threw up in my mouth...it wasn't as gross as it sounds, it just kind of happend and tasted like a gel pack. I did email Sandy about it, so I'll let you know if it means anything bad. Also, Sandy asked me to weigh myself before and after my run today so I did...149.8 lbs before, and 146.8 lbs after...again, I'm not sure what this means either, but I'll let you know.

Speed training went well this week too...I felt fast!!!

Here's a few not so cheesy tunes from the week that was...
Interpol - The Heinrich Maneuver
Bloc Party - Hunting for Witches
Eric B and Rakim - Follow the Leader
Dawnbreakers Collective - Set It Off
Apples In Stereo - Can You Feel It
Gang Starr - Mass Appeal

So tomorrow is Canada Day, and Wednesday is Independance Day, so this weekend, between the burgers and beers take a moment to reflect on the great country in which you live, and what it means to you...you don't have to share it with anybody, and it's a shame to do it only once a year, but take advantage of the celebrations around you. As for me, I will be MCing the Wellington Canada Day festivities tomorrow at the park downtown, plus we will have a Team Diabetes booth set up where we will be doing face painting for the kids, and selling bracelets for donations, so we'll raise a few bucks and have fun doing it. If you're in the area stop by 11-4.

But what will I be thinking about Canada, you ask...well, simply the sheer diversity that this country has to offer and how although we are diversified, we can be unified, if only for one day. I'm going to step down off my soapbox now. Don't forget to party hard this weekend...we wouldn't want to disapoint the beer companies. Okay, I'm really stepping down this time.

Peace!

Will

"When's the last time you heard a funky diabetic?"

Okay, first things first. The yard sale was yesterday and although it was a ton of work, and I don't ever want to host or have anything to do with another yard sale again in my entire life, it did raise over $600 for the Canadian Diabetes Association, and my Team Diabetes campaign.

This is amazing...to raise 10% of my goal in one morning is a good accomplishment. I have to thank Amy, Mom, Dad, B, Henry, and Raymond for helping out yesterday...it would have been even more chaotic without you. Also, I would like to thank Suzan, Shelly, and Jamie...and Amy, Dad, and Raymond again for your help on Friday getting all that stuff set up. And finally, I would like to thank everyone who donated merch for the cause...Tim, Ann and Dave, Gary, Rosalie, Ma and her everyone who was involved in her church yard sale for donating their leftovers, Suzan, Fish and Norma, Pat, Bethea and Hank, Aunt Chris, Mom and Dad...this would have never happened without your generosity...you guys made a difference!

In other news...I really neglected my training schedule this week, due to conflicts...I did 7 miles on Tuesday, Wednesday I missed due to a golf tourny, Friday I did 20km on the bike for my X-training, and yesterday I ended up missing due to the fact I was up at 5, and working my ass off all day for the yard sale and wasn't really feeling the run later in the day. So all that being said, I decided I can't miss a long run day, so I did it this morning, and sacrificed my recovery run...this comming week, I'll get back on track...I promise.

This morning was a 60 minute run, and before I left I created a new playlist for my ipod, and loaded it up, the when I started out, I turned on my ipod and Heart of Hearts by !!! was on...it's a wicked tune, so I decided to let it play, then it went into Award Tour by A Tribe Called Quest, then another Tribe tune came on, and another, and another, I realized it was playing the songs in order by artist, and on my ipod A Tribe Called Quest comes right after !!!. Anyhow, the Tribe kept me going the entire run and cooldown, Scenario was starting as I got back to my front porch, so this explains the title of this entry. And of course for those of you who aren't super mega music geeks like myself, then I'll explain..."When's the last time you heard a funky diabetic?" is a line rhymed by Phife Dog in the track Oh My God, from the Midnight Marauders album...feel free to spout that off the next time you find yourself at a pary surounded by old school hip hop junkies!

Anyhow, the tribe got me moving through 7.75 miles this AM, which is .75 more then usual, so I must have been flying.

L8r.

Will

One Man's Trash...

...Is another man's treasure!!!

This Saturday, get ready to clear your schedule as you don't want to miss your chance to buy some fabulous previously enjoyed merchandise at a yard sale where every penny earned will be donated to the Canadian Diabetes Association.

Lot's of great items like a canoe, electronics, stereo equipment, furniture, dishes, and the list goes on and on.

Stop by the house (135 Chatham St.) anytime between 7AM - 1AM on Saturday June 23rd.

Hope to see you there!

Will

The World's Greatest Water Crew!!!

Allow me to introduce you to the world's greatest water crew (aka Mom and Dad).

Last night I was on my long run (100 minutes), and despite the fact that I didn't leave my house until 7:45PM there was still some humidity in the air. Anyhow, my point is that my Fuel Belt only holds 6 water bottles, and according to Sandy I would have to refill due to the heat and the length of the run. Just over the 1 hour mark I was passing by Mom and Dad's place and I had to pee, so I stopped in. By this point I no longer needed my sunglasses, so I left them and my empty water bottles there until I would be passing back around about 30 minutes later. When I got back everything was waiting for me and the empty bottles had been re-filled...awesome!!! Thanks guys!

As far as the run went, it was all good. I tood a sodium tablet before leaving the house, downed a bottle and a half of water in the first 45 minutes, then took a gel pack at 45, a sodium tablet at 60, a gel pack at 75, a sodium tablet at 90, then a last gel pack during my cooldown to help my muscles recover from the trauma I had just put them through. That being said, the run felt great, although it was a little odd seeing the sun set as I was running, having to ditch my sunglasses, but it beats trying to compete with the heat and humidity we've been getting in the day lately around here. Which reminds me...Tuesday's 60 minute run sucked ass. I was an idiot and decided to go out at 4 in the afternoon. It was 32 celcius, but felt like 40 with the humidity...hot as balls!!! I don't think I've ever sweat so much in my entire life, and this is why I waited until almost 8 last night to head out.

Here's some stats from yesterday...
Running Time- 1:40:13 - 10.66 miles (17.2 km)
Total Time (including warmup and cooldown) - 1:59:01 - 11.88 miles (19.2 km)

When you think about it, last night I ran further than the distance between Belleville and Trenton...that's pretty freakin' far...and it's not even half way!!!

As far as tunes go, I listened to the new Queens of the Stone Age album Era Vulgaris, amongst other things...but if your a fan, definately check it out. If not, then download Sick Sick Sick or 3's and 7's...you won't be dissapointed...unless your really diggin' that new Enrique Iglasius tune, in which case you should skip downloading the Queens, and head straight to the disco and order yourself a nice fruity drink with an umbrella sticking out of it.

I want to give a shout out to my cousin Leslie in da 'Peg. She's running her first half marathon today. Good Luck Leslie...I'm sure you'll rock it!!!

Don't forget to arm wrestle your dad today (and let him win). Happy Fathers Day!!!

Will

"Drunk Teenagers...Let's start a fight..."

Ahhh...the soothing lyrics of the Joel Plaskett Emergency!!!

Okay, so I realized today as I was out doing my cross training, a 20 km bike ride, that I haven't wrote about music in a while, which is just plain f'n crazy!!!

I've been meaning to mention here about the Joel Plaskett Emergency, the latest band I've really started to dig from good 'ol Halifax NS, which is also where Sloan is from, so JPE isn't the greatest band to come out of Halifax, but they're up there, but I digress.
A couple of months ago a friend of mine (Jacob) gave me a copy of Joel Plaskett Emergency's cd Ashtray Rock...I was like, "cool, thanks man" and threw it in my laptop bag only to forget about it, then I heard the song Drunk Teenagers on CBC radio 3 and was like hey, this is pretty cool, then remembered the forgotten cd in my laptop bag...it was kind of like winning the lottery, except I'm still broke...and it's really nothing like winning the lottery at all.

Anyhow, I loaded the album onto my iPod and songs have been popping up as I've been running, and it's a fantastic cd. Some choice cuts would be Drunk Teenagers, and Snowed In/Cruisin. Download them and check them out...if you don't like them, then keep your shitty comments to yourself. Also, while I'm on the topic, I've gotten into a band from Burlington lately called the Saint Alvia Cartel...they're kind of a ska/punk band...very cool...and if you're looking for a summer theme song grab they're song Don't Wanna Wait Forever...you won't be dissapointed.

As far as the running goes this week I logged 13 miles indoor on a treadmill Tuesday and Wednesday combined, and tomorrow is a 60 minute run outdoor...woo hoo!!!

Will

Last Night A U Haul Saved My Life...

Actually, it was this morning, and my life wan't really in danger, I just felt a little defeated and wanted to puke all over the sidewalk.

Here's the story...
Today I ran the farthest and hardest I've ran so far. It was my long run of 90 minutes at my new training pace of 8:52 per mile. I started off with the usual 5 minute, then started running...I should add here that it was 22 degrees outside and hazy and humid, and this was at 9:00AM!!! Anyhow, the run was going okay, definately not my best run, but not terrible, then around the 83 minute mark I started losing it...perhaps I didn't take in enough liquids during my run on such a hot morning, I'm not too sure, but I really just felt like giving up and walking the rest of the way...with only 7 minutes to go!!! I must have looked like some kind of lunatic because I started yelling at myself to finish...saying things like "If you can't finish this, how can you expect to finish an entire marathon"...this was followed by a long string of expletives that I'm not going to list here...but I'm sure you get the picture. The bottom line is that I made it to the end of the 90 minutes, and was really glad that I did. Then I had to cooldown...I felt super shitty...like my legs were going to fall off, and like I was going to barf all over the place...not cool!!! Anyhow, I was concentrating on not barfing when I found some shade, and at that very moment a U-Haul truck drove by, but this wasn't just any U-Haul truck, this was a U-Haul truck with some cheesy looking fish and coral reef on the side and underneath the cheesy picture we're the words..."Hawaii - America's Marine Adventure".

I immediately took this as a sign from the running gods and it made me think about why I was doing this, and where I was going to end up. I thought about Dad, Nana, Aunt Chris, Emily, Jose, and all the people I could think of with diabetes (sorry if I didn't list your name), plus the people I don't know that have diabetes, and the people who haven't even been born yet that will be born with diabetes, or develop it later in life...and it was at that moment that everything was okay, and I was going to be able to do this and get through it, and it really is a very small price for me to pay to help those affected by diabetes everyday!

Of course, when I got home, I looked down at my Garmin to realize that I had just ran 10.5 miles, and that also made me feel proud.

Everyone has their bad days...today just happened to be mine...it's a good thing they don't happen very often...perhaps I should not go out drinking with the boys the night before a long run...probably a good idea...consider it a lesson learned.

Thanks for reading!

Will