Sweet dreams, form a shade
O’er my lovely infant’s head!
Sweet dreams of pleasant streams
By happy, silent, moony beams!
Sweet Sleep, with soft down
Weave thy brows an infant crown!
Sweet Sleep, angel mild,
Hover o’er my happy child!
Sweet smiles, in the night
Hover over my delight!
Sweet smiles, mother’s smiles,
All the livelong night beguiles.
Sweet moans, dovelike sighs,
Chase not slumber from thy eyes!
Sweet moans, sweeter smiles,
All the dovelike moans beguiles.
Sleep, sleep, happy child!
All creation slept and smiled.
Sleep, sleep, happy sleep,
While o’er thee thy mother weep.
Sweet babe, in thy face
Holy image I can trace;
Sweet babe, once like thee
Thy Maker lay, and wept for me:
Wept for me, for thee, for all,
When He was an infant small.
Thou His image ever see,
Heavenly face that smiles on thee!
Smiles on thee, on me, on all,
Who became an infant small;
Infant smiles are His own smiles;
Heaven and earth to peace beguiles.
William Blake
I dedicate this favourite poem for a Christmas Eve to newest nephew Zack, little Henry and nine year old Tigist Dallesa who lives in Ethiopia. You can read more about Henry on his mom’s blog Fit ‘n’Frugal and check out the recipe for carrot cake oatmeal.
I decided to do a four mile run today to rest up for a longer run tomorrow of 10-12 miles with the Saturday group, a.k.a. smart men as described in an earlier post for which they agreed to allow a photograph of their legs to appear while seeking counsel from their publishers and lawyers about blog privacy. Joining us will be a visiting “wise guy” from Waterloo who has known my husband for longer than I have, 30 years or more. Sadly husband “P” has a cold and his knee is still troubling him so he will be unable to join us.
As for my short run, the first stop was U-Deal Restaurant and Hotel Supplies on College near Clinton where I bought a lemon zester and gingerbread cookie cutter to replace one that has gone missing.
U of T Bookstore in Koeffler Student Centre
Another mile and I popped into the U of T Bookstore at College and St. George/Beverley where I found the book I was looking for but in hardcover not the paperback I had hoped for. I debated the merits of the additional cost of the hardcover version, about $15 extra versus saving myself a trip to Yonge-Bloor or the Eaton Centre. I decided that yes, avoiding a trip to the heart of holiday shopping melee was worth the price. And, I rationalized to myself that perhaps this particular first edition, might one day be a collector’s item as social criticism and analysis of the digital age comes of age.
Life Science area, U of T bookstore
I enjoy shopping at this bookstore. Where else can you find anatomical key chains and cute, plush microbes and germs. Earlier in the week I was here to purchase So You Want to Be a Lawyer for a nephew who, hopefully, he is not reading my blog.
Educational plush microbes and germs
Then I ran over to the Annex location of Book City where I found the book I was seeking, along with another. The first book is only available at Book City, not at Chapters or Indigo.
I popped into PAT grocery store to price butter which was a disappointing $6.99! Butter seems to have skyrocketed in price lately. PAT grocery store is a large Asian food grocery store in Little Korea where we sometimes buy 50 pound bags of Japanese style rice like Nishiki or Kokoho Rose, grown in California.
My final stop was Shopper’s Drugmart near Dovercourt and Bloor. I’ve noticed that this location often has sales on perishable items. I was very pleased to find that one pound of unsalted butter was on sale for $2.99. Bonanza! I guess Shopper’s is going into the grocery business as the butter was a house brand. I bought three pounds of butter along with Fry’s cocoa and finally jogged-waddled home laden with my purchases.
Late in the afternoon the final gift on my list, ordered from an Amazon affiliate arrived by courier. So my shopping is complete and I can enjoy the longer run tomorrow morning without the need to rush here or there. And, I have continued to run on these busy days of baking and eating what I have been baking.
I wish you all a wondrous, peaceful and joyous Christmas eve!
I like to make sure that leading up to the week of Christmas and New Year, I’m in a good groove with my running. Sure, you can wait until January 1st but by that time you have already dug yourself into a bit of a hole, or deficit of healthy living. Much better to have some psychological momentum before holiday excesses lead to post-holiday resolutions and regret. One way to find the time to run during this busy period is to shop on the run.
Gwartzman's, a fun place to do some holiday shopping
My run today was six miles. My first stop was my husband’s workplace to pick up my Metropass. He walked to work and forgot to leave my pass. That done, I headed to Gwartzman’s art supply store at 448 Spadina Avenue just south of College, a veritable institution which I first visited in the mid-seventies while studying art. It hasn’t changed much since then but I did find all kinds of stocking stuffers and small gifts which I packed into my large MEC fanny pack.
Gwartzman's Goodies
From there I ran to Kensington Market to visit Wanda’s Pie in the Skycafe on Augusta just south of College. An Aunt had told me that I could pick up a copy of “Just Add Shoyu” a Japanese Canadian Cookbook. I had imagined a smaller book with a more flexible cover which would fit into my fanny pack so I had to run with the book in hand. Which as it turned out was not all that difficult. Wanda’s was very nicely decked out for the holidays.
Just Add Shoyu - A Japanese Canadian Cookbook
Gingerbread delight at Wanda's
Warmly festive at Wanda's
Note to self: Return when not in the middle of a run
On the way home, I crossed paths with a runner-friend going the opposite direction. Jean is one of my role models, a vivacious, energetic 70 plus athlete with fabulous shoulders may I add, from her early years as a swimmer specializing in the butterfly. She took up running in her early forties with the intention of improving her voice by increasing her stamina. The rest is history as without much effort she regularly does well in her age group and continues to perform, every now and then. In her younger years, she traveled with the opening act to the Great Speckled Bird with Ian and Sylvia Tyson.
We had a brief chat and she told me that she had just come from Trinity-Bellwoods Park to see the Toronto Maple Leafs practice.
She wears it well
Here are some ideas that may help to find enough time to run or can be done on your run.
1) Order a magazine subscription. Buy the current copy at a newstand if you will see the recipient in person. Order the subscription on-line.
2) Buy Swiss army knives at Mountain Equipment Coop. Easy to carry a lot of these in a fanny pack.
3) Gift certificate for Lee Valley Tools
4) Gift certificate for MEC
5) Run by your local Book City, it will be a lot quieter than a Chapters or Indigo. Phone ahead to make sure they have the books you want.
Indeed, the 23rd birthday of my son. Did I run while pregnant you may ask? I first knew I was pregnant when I started to experience morning sickness while on a routine, easy run and had to stop. The hardest period of running was during the heat of the summer, with the already internal temperature of pregnancy, I backed off quite a bit during the summer.
Wrapped with love
Here is a famous family story which my son has heard much too often. I was running on the track at Hart House prior to the informal race that has been held every Friday for a few decades. My husband was a regular participant of these races which still go on today. The organizer announced with a megaphone that the racers should be careful as there is a pregnant woman on the track. This was my final run before giving birth 11 days later.
Good runner but likes basketball better!
As for Steven, we are lucky to have as our son a fine young man with good judgment and good friends and a promising career as a computer software engineer on the horizon. Although, promising enough that he dreams of moving to San Francisco to work in Silicon valley. NOoooooo! Don’t move too far from your mother 😦
Leading from start to finish, Dylan Wykes carried the day and is in good position to make the 2012 Olympic team. CLICK HERE for local coverage of the CIM. “On the women’s side, defending champion Buzunesh Deba, 23, of Ethiopia won easily in 2:32:13. She finished 5 minutes 20 seconds ahead of runner-up Erin Moeller, 33, of Mt. Vernon, Iowa.”
As for my race, I was surprised to find my name mentioned in the context of a report on “seasoned athletes” at the CIM. CLICK HERE TO VIEW It was not an expression I had ever heard to describe masters athletes so I had a bit of a chuckle.
Dylan Wykes a Canadian, winner of the CIM in 2:12:39, 150 yards from the finish line
I was a co-presenter with Dylan Wyke’s mentor-coach, Steve Boydat the Ottawa Marathonrace expo in 2005. Steve holds umpteen Canadian masters records and also has a doctorate, I think it is in the history of political thought from Queen’s University. Our presentation was about training as a masters runner. Shortly after that I wrote an article on Steve Boyd which is somewhere on the hard drive of an old computer. I hope to retrieve this one day (so many things to do, so little time) and post it on my blog. Below are three photos from the California International Marathonawards ceremony.
Defending champion Buzunesh Deba of Ethiopia accepts her award.
By the time you get to mile 23 the prospect of the final .2 miles of the 26.2 mile marathon distance seems magnified. Why 26.2 and not an even 26 miles?
It is helpful therefore when the race course has a one-mile-to-go sign at the 25.2 mile mark, as on this course. During that final mile I think of myself as running a mile on known terrain such as two laps of Winston Churchill Park or the final mile of various routes out and back from my home to make the remaining distance seem less onerous.
The day before the marathon, a trip to the finish line to visualize race finish
I began to push harder on the homestretch and there were a lot of people along the course to cheer us on. As familiar as I am with the event when I am a spectator I feel a world away from connecting with the unique mind-body experience of running a marathon and feel at a loss for an appropriate cheer.
There are a couple of mantras that I repeat to myself, “rhythm, relax, focus” and the other which I feel a bit embarrassed about revealing, “strong as a bull, smooth as silk”. I particularly remember repeating this last one in the 2007 Boston marathon when I placed 3rd in my age-category.
I once read that the difference between your average fitness runner and those running for optimal performance is that the first group disassociates while racing and the second group does the complete opposite. My experience has been that two elements that have made a difference for me are; belief in the remarkable capacity of the human body and the ability to experience your body in the moment and react accordingly for the task at hand.
For me a part of achieving this balance and fluid mental state involves what you could call prayer. I recognize that while there are factors under my control that allow me to run and race, there is so much that is out of my control and that is a gift so I give thanks for this state of grace. So, part of being in the moment is a mind-track, if you will of bits of traditional prayer as well as the self-composed.
With around 700 meters to go, my husband spotted me but too late to get a photo. He was trying to pick out the red singlet that I been wearing in the morning and I had stripped down to my base layer. He shouted encouragement in very emotional and endearing terms and I increased my pace through to the finish, my 20th marathon completed, the 25th anniversary of our first date celebrated — in the final mile. I crossed the finish line and felt a surge of emotion — as joy, fulfillment, satisfaction and relief converged.
Hallelujah!
There’s a blaze of light In every word It doesn’t matter which you heard The holy or the broken Hallelujah
Hallelujah, Hallelujah Hallelujah, Hallelujah
Leonard Cohen
Finishing my 20th marathon in 3:42 at age 55
A few minutes after the finish with finisher's medal, teary-eyed, elated and exhausted
It occurs to me that like doing “minutes” writing about a race experience is a lot easier when done right away.
My state of mind at the halfway point was very good. I tried to focus on each mile and I felt hopeful that I might be able to go under 3:40 which was my dream goal. I found myself looking forward to hitting the 20 mile point and proving to myself that I would NOT hit the proverbial wall. I wish I could give a blow by blow account of my splits but my inability to read the fine print on tattooed on my wrists created a bit of confusion. In spite of running well within my heart rate comfort zone for the first half of the race, my pace slowed through the race.
Before the 20 mile mark I realized that the race bib pinned to my shorts was a bit askew. I was worried that this might result in no race photos as they used the bib number as the identifier. So, for the second time I had to undo the four safety pins and attach the race bib to my sports bra.
My average pace for the first 5.9 miles was 8:08 and I slowed to 8:16 between 5.9 and 13.1 miles. From 13.1 to 20 miles my pace was 8:23 and then the most dramatic slowdown was between mile 20 to the finish where my pace averaged 8:55. It didn’t feel like I had slowed that much because I passed 277 runners and was only passed by two runners between mile 20 to the finish. One of the two runners that passed me was a guy who was pacing a young woman, the other runner that passed me.
So at some point after 20 miles I realized that I was not going to go under 3:40. I worried that I might not go under 3:45 but although I was getting slower, I pushed harder. My heartrate monitor had gone on the blink around mile 20.
Around mile 22 I passed a woman with grey hair who I thought might be in my category and indeed that was the case. She ended up finishing a couple of minutes behind me. I dye my hair so it might not be so easy for another 55-59er to spot me from the rear. The fact that unlike the open men or women, age-groupers can’t tell who their competition is fairly odd. In triathlons, age-groupers have their age-group written on their legs.
Around mile 24 I passed by a water station where every single marathoner was walking. It was in fact, a little hard to get through that section. I find it surprising that so many people, slowed more than I did. I guess I’m used to running with a faster, more experienced crowd and relative to my time, I have far more experience with the distance, than the 3:40+ marathoners I was running with.
I wish I could have something dramatic or funny to say about the race, like the author of What I Talk About When I Talk About Runningwho found himself counting the dead cats and dogs when he ran the original marathon route in Greece. I suppose the lack of drama in my account is partly to do with this being a “getting-back-in-the-game” effort rather than a full out race. Nonetheless the final mile is always something special but I’ll save that for the final installment.
If you have been following my blog and do not know my family you may not be able to guess that running is NOT the sport about which the majority of my family feels most passionate. Our house has sometimes shaken from the 1st to 3rd floor when a bad call has been made against the Toronto Raptors.
Basketballs, a difficult home decor concept
Last night I met my husband at a new restaurant-brew pub called The Three Brewers at the end of his staff holiday party. I enjoyed my short foray through Dundas Square, Toronto’s Times Square wannabe which was filled with shoppers and party goers.
From there we went to the Air Canada Centre to see the Raptors face the Bulls, arriving late and missing the intros, which I love. I’m very sad that Chris Bosh is no longer a Raptor 😦 But happy that he broke Vince Carter’s franchise record for points scored.
Chris Bosh’s parting message to the Raptors on his websitewas : “know that this was my toughest decision, mostly because Toronto has been so great to me. I’ve loved every minute here and I just wanted to thank you from the bottom of my heart to the Raptors…” Sad . . .
A freebie
The bad news last night was that Andrea Bargnani was not playing, the good news was that we got Andrea Bargnani bobble heads and the bad news is that the Raptors got slaughtered by the Chicago Bulls. For the record, I have seen the Bulls play at the United Centre back in 2006 when I ran the Chicago marathon. (I miss Dennis Rodman and his loose and limber running style.) I have also seen the Sacramento Kings Golden State Warriors play in Oakland. And, for the record, I was jet lagged and fell asleep during the game, an incident upon which the mention of is guaranteed to arose indignation from my son. I think one of my strengths as a runner is the ability to fall asleep anywhere when tired. As Bruce Kidd says, “Sleep, the wonder drug.” On that topic, did I mention that I fell asleep at the performance of A Year With Frog and Toad on Sunday?
Sadly the entertainment was mainly in the hoopla created by the mascot, the dance pack and the various games and giveaways. A brief surge of baskets in the late-fourth quarter was all the excitement the Raptors could muster.
Here is one highlight.
Raptor's mascot, soaring over snowman to score a basket
The photo of the Raptor’s mascot was taken with my Blackberry. I just received my camera battery and charger via Fedex this afternoon. It was left behind in our hotel room in San Francisco hence the rather indistinct image of game action.
A pitfall of running a marathon so late in the fall is that I’m playing a bit of catch-up with the holiday spirit. Those cookies I promised to blog about have yet to materialize. There is not a trace of Christmas decoration about. Much of that, I hope will happen today and tomorrow.
The evening of the marathon, we had a very slow and rainy drive from Sacramento to San Francisco. The rain stopped shortly after we arrived and we walked the two blocks from our hotel, The Larkspur (formerly the Cartwright) to Union Square to take in the holiday decorations.
Union Square's trademark palms
Union Square, Macy's quintessential holiday windows
The following Sunday we were back in Toronto and spent the afternoon at the theatre with 3 nieces and 2 nephews. All enjoyed A Year With Frog and Toad at the Lorraine Kimsa Young People’s Theatre. Frog was played most charmingly, by Louise Pitre.
And we are off – sort of. Although I was only 20 meters from the start line where the transponder chip attached to my running shoe registers my start time, it took me 37 seconds to get there, more than the 23 seconds it took me to cross the mats at the Chicago marathon. So there you have it, the distinction between “gun” time and “chip time”.
Transponder chip, tied to running shoe
Concerns going into the race; would my heart rate watch behave, would the hitherto unknown sports drink Ultima throw off my usual routine of marathon beverage consumption, would I be able to read my pace tattoos with my rapidly deteriorating middle-aged vision and would I experience foot cramps which I’ve had bouts of recently.
Pace tattoos in place
Following the advice of the three, 27 time-CIM-runners I took the significant downhill in the first mile very easy. I was relieved to see my heart rate register on my watch as the night before I realized that I had brought the more complicated watch of the two I own, the one that I don’t really know how to operate. I had frantically downloaded the manual and spent much time pressing this button and that, each press triggering a high-pitched beep, to my husband’s dismay as he quietly read. Together we were able to get the watch into a mode that would display both the heart rate and elapsed time.
I missed the one mile marker but was running around 8:25 pace at the two mile mark and it felt quite easy. I noticed some runners stop at porta potties and realized that I too, had to pee. Canadian masters legend Diane Palmason suggests that you should drink continually up until an hour before a marathon. And then, have another drink 10 minutes before the marathon. I had forgotten this and so I spent the next 8 miles in search of a porta potty with no line-up or a some sort of private spot a little forest or such. In spite of this slight discomfort the pace was very comfortable as I ran with my heart rate from 140-145. At this point I had no trouble keeping my heart rate under 145. What was interesting is that a few times my heart rate went down to 135 a lapse of concentration perhaps.
The weather was turning out to be perfect. I had tossed my hat at the one mile point and knew that it would not be long until I would feel the need to take off my vest. That would be a complicated maneuver as my race number was pinned to the front. But, first I had to find a pit stop. Shortly after mile ten we went by an industrial park which had a freestanding brick wall as part of the landscaping. I had no choice but to quickly and discreetly duck behind this makeshift porta potty. Ahem, well on the subject of TMI my husband overheard the following conversation on marathon day. A woman was explaining to her male companion how she had made a pit stop but that her muscles were very tight and she could only pee very slowly. The lack of modesty shown by long distance runners in discussing these matters has something in common with the intense physical rigours of childbirth and the willingness of participants to discuss the details thereof.
Race bib
The logistics of removing my vest while running loomed. I relaxed into the race for a couple of miles and then tackled undoing the four safety pins holding the race bib in place and redoing these same pins to attach the race bib to my shorts. Then I removed the vest and tried unsuccessfully to tie it around my waist. There was not enough length to do this. So I put placed the vest around my waist and fastened the lower part of the zipper so it encircled me. Then I twisted and twirled the vest so that it fit snugly around my waist. You may ask would it not have been easier to just stop. Well, as I write this I wonder too.
I ran the rest of the race in my short,shorts and sports bra, a racing outfit that my son used to refer to as a bathing suit. Consider the embarrassment of teenager who has a mother who has raced down Yonge street in her bathing suit. Now that I’m closer to 60 than 50, I do not feel inclined to expose so much of my body and avoid this “bathing suit” look when at all possible. However, such were the weather conditions on this day and with all that training on the line, the seconds gained by cooler body temperature won out over vanity and dignity.
As for the race tattoos. I should have given more thought to their placement as they were virtually unreadable in spite of pulling my skin this way and that. Bottom line, print too small for middle-aged eyes. I should have stuck to my old method.
So the first half passed with much distraction. My time for those 13.1 miles / 21.1 km was 1:48:19. It felt great to be able to finally focus on the race. And as they say for the marathon, the race really begins at mile 20.
Mind, Motion & Matter 