THE FINAL POST

Well somewhat sadly, this is the last post to my blog. My new best friend Chris Gailus from BCTV news was a great participant and a wonderful supporter of the cause.

The results are in:

I was 5th coming out of the water in 40 mins

I was 3rd after the bike in 1 hr

I finished 3RD IN THE RACE.

I was 14 seconds out of 2nd and 8 minutes out of 1st. Who knows what would have happened if my leg had held up.

Lessons that I have learned:

1. Hard work pays off - all the training and time put in made the race enjoyable and rewarding. For an old man of 49 to finish 3rd, I feel like I accomplished something.

2. Always find ways to contribute to good causes - While my contribution was slightly over $1000 - the event raised over $250,000 for Canuck Place. That's amazing and I am confident will help kids.

3. Set a goal - set a goal to do something you don't think you can do. You will be surprised at the human spirit.

4. Walk the Talk - I probably learned more about "human character" than anything. It has been interesting listening to people who say they want to support your cause but can't find the time to do so. I am truly inspired and appreciative of the friends in my life who have supported me because if it is important to me, then it is important to them. Thanks again to everyone who helped out, you are held in the highest regard by me and my family. I would love to repay the favor should you ever need anything.

MISSION ACCOMPLISHED!

Well after 6 months of fundraising and training, my Adventure Challenge is over. It was an amazing journey. I was surprised by how tough the course was but pleased to know that my hard work had paid off.

I paddled hard around Jug Island - my goal was to do the 4kms in around 36 minutes, and I came in 40 minutes. I found my boat slow and dragged through the water, if I had my Pygmy kayak, it would have been 36 mins.

Next was the mountain bike, my goal was an hour and I nailed it right on. It was grueling, 35 minutes of straight up hill, and I don't mean rail bed up hill, I mean steep up hill. Then it was technical downhill and sprint to the finish. It was a gas, I really loved the biking and felt very strong and passed alot of people.

Finally the dreaded run. I got off the bike, the legs felt great, not tired or sore. I ran about 500 meters of flat road, it felt super. Then the course went to a trail, straight up hill, the first step I took with my left leg - POP went my soleus, the competetive part of the race was over. I had to walk/limp up the trail and back. What should have taken me 35 mins took me 50. I wasn't really disappointed because I expected it was going to give out, it hadn't really healed from last week. I was able to jog across the finish line though and I felt great.

I met a lot of great people and over $200,000 was raised for Caunck Place, I even won a door prize, 2 bottles of wine.

My final entry will be my times for each leg. These should be posted this week. To all who supported me, thanks so much, it has been an event I will never forget.

The Time Is Near

Well, only a few more days until the race. The money has been raised and I am getting really excited to participate in such a worthwhile event. I can't wait to meet all the people participating and organizing, I can only imagine how positive it will feel.

I am not sure about my injury. I ran today for the first time since I popped my Solleus (sp). I got 16 minutes in and started to feel the same stiffness and pinching just before it popped so i walked the rest of the way. Lorene will run for me if I can't and I appreciate that but I so desperately want to finish, even if it is on my hands and knees. I will continue to massage and stretch and hope for the best.

So for anyone out there who wants to see, I race at 10:30 a.m. on Sept. 11 in Deep Cove, North Vancouver. If you need more info, call or email me. So the next Post will be after the race with a picture of me with my medal (even if it is just a participation medal). Thanks again for everyone's support and if we have made one child's life a fraction better, it's all worth it.

OH CRAP!!!!

Well only 3 weeks to go until the race and today I pulled my calf muscle. I was running on Merry Creek Trail when half way in I felt a tug, a couple more steps and I heard a "pop". The worst part was that I had to hobble out for 2.5 kms. I am in quite a bit of discomfort and not sure if it will heal in time. The achilles took almost 6 weeks to heal with physio therapy and this feels worse.

I am going to contact the organizer of the race and see if I can have someone run for me and enter into a team competition. I guess this is what you get as you get closer to the big 5-0. I must admit my body is tired and I am losing my enthusiasm, I have trained for over 6 months and am anxious to participate now. After this is over, I am taking up chess.

You will notice that this is the first post with no picture because it would just be a sad face. :(

CONGRATS AND THANKS

Congratulations to my wife who completed her 3rd triathalon this weekend. She did 2 Sprint events and was the cyclist on a team entered in an Olympic event. This just proves what I have been saying all along - You are Crazy! Love you anyway.

A big thanks to all who have donated to my cause. I have reached my goal of $1000 and i feel great that every penny is going to Canuck Place. Keep donating, the more the better. Now the only thing left is to actually do the race. I have been working hard at biking and paddling and totally ignoring the running, avoid it and it will go away.

I have decided that i am going to win this race, not just participate. Lofty goal indeed.

Quit Looking and Do Something!!!

Quit just looking and do something - that is the message of this sassy ass squirrel the other day. His point is that Kere only needs about $140 more dollars to reach the $1000 mark, Now that doesn't mean that i can't go higher than $1000. If you are looking and haven't donated, Bust open that wallet, dust off that credit card and donate $5, $10, $20, $50, $100. Give until it hurts.

Remember, all proceeds go to Canuck Place, i may skim 75 cents to buy some painkillers after this is done.

Clayquot Sound

My paddling training is complete. I got back from 5 days of ocean kayaking off Tofino. We paddled hard, camped at some incredible beaches and at times, fought the wind, current and fog. This is our group on Whaler Island on a beautiful sunny day. I'm so lucky to be able to participate in things like this.

MIRACLE OF NATURE

This year i have decided to be a more responsible food consumer. So i built a garden box and am trying to grow herbs and a few tomatos. This is my first tomato. It tasted like success. This is my first harvested strawberry, it was delicious. I am not quite a self-sustaining farmer yet, but I am working on it.

Next week i am off to Clayoquot Sound for a 5 day paddling adventure with some good, old friends. I am counting this as training. - because i can.

THINGS THAT MAKE YOU GO HMMMM!

I decided to do an up hill bike ride then jump off my bike and jog up a steep hill in my community called Dove Hill. Well the biking went fine, the jumping off went well but when i tried to jog up the hill, the legs had other ideas. So I walked up to the top. The heat and humidity off the foliage was stiffling but I made it and felt great. As i got to the top I was reminded about my life threating allergy to wasp stings which had resulted in me going into full anaphylaxic shock 2 years ago. If you notice this picture, i am holding my twin ject epi pen and behind it is a bee. A gentle reminder to be prepared, keep my cell phone with me and appreciate everything around me because life can be fickle.

What Are You Doing Today?

So what did you do today? I have a great job, a great life, that allows me to do this on a Tuesday. I launched the kayak on the Columbia and paddled up river towards the Hugh Keenlyside Dam. Warm, sunny, a light breeze..... perfect. It was great to get in the yak and paddle again. Was out for about an hour.

In 2 weeks will be heading to Tofino for a paddling adventure with some old friends in Clayoquot Sound, i guess i can use this as a "training session". It's not the paddling that I need training in, it's that darn run, what a grunt. Yesterday i ran for 41 minutes and it felt pretty good but my body feels the stress and strain the next day. So my strategy is to go out hard on the paddle, blast the bike then crawl on my hands and knees for 5 kms. What do you think?

Relay for Life

Last night my son, my mom and I went up to the Relay for Life event at Kinnaird Park. What an amazing amount of energy up there. It is inspiring to see the wide variety of people all walking for a great cause. It is interesting to see how this event brings people together not only for raising money but for a social interaction. Young kids playing soccer in the background, a band of young kids entertaining, silent auctions, food vendors, costumes etc. Walking with my mom who is battling her own cancer, was amazing. Congratulations to all those people who participated, organized and donated. Thanks to Katie Vander Ham and Alivia and Chloe McKenzie for including me in your personal event.

GLENMERRY COMES THROUGH

I was the principal at Glenmerry Elementary School in Trail for 3 years. It was an absolute fantastic experience and I have so many friends there. The Grade 7 class has generously donated $162.00 to my cause. They should be proud to know that their grand effort will go directly to Canuck Place. I am going to proudly wear my Glenmerry T-Shirt at the race. Thanks to everyone there and particularly Mike Page, Heather McQuiggan, Bev Kanda and Patrick Audet. Glenmerry, you're the best.

INJURY UPDATE - PART 2

SEE THIS FISH! Well it actually has nothing to do with this Post. I just thought i would share more of my world with you. This rainbow was caught on a beautiful sunny Kootenay day, then released because in 2 months I'm going to catch him again, but he will be 4 pounds heavier.

So 2 days ago I went for a wicked 20+ km ride. It actually was up the right side of the river just beyond the bridge in the background. When I got home, i decide to test the achillies, so i went for a short 15 minute run to test it. It passed, i was very slow and careful but I made it with no pain.

So today I decided to go for a 25 minute run, success again, no pain. I went to the Physio Therapist this evening and things are looking up. Time to work harder.

INJURY UPDATE

Well I am officially frustrated now. This F#%#**# Achillies injury is driving me crazy. I figured a couple of weeks rest would get me back on the road but 4 weeks later it feels worse than before. I have been going to physiotherapy for the last 2 weeks, and while i am enjoying the gadgets like ultra sound and massage, the leg does not seem to be responding. So, 2 options: a) stay the course, keep riding the bike hard, doing my exercises and rest, or b) amputation and enter the Para Adventure Challenge. I guess this is the adversity part of the gig.

So, here are a couple of places i will go to remind me that I am not the center of the universe:

www.movingwithcompassion.blogspot.com

www.canuckplace.org

www.bccancer.bc.ca

www.bcchildrens.ca

SPRING TIME IN THE KOOTENAYS

Typical spring weather, this was a hail storm yesterday coming down the Columbia River. It's weather like this that makes riding difficult, you need to be prepared for anything if

you are going to be out more than 5 minutes because it's likely you will get rained on, snowed on, sunshined on, and winded on all at the same time.

My First Ride of the Season

NOW YOU SEE ME

NOW YOU DON'T

What a glorious place I live in. This is a picture of my first time out on the mountain bike this year, I rode down to the confluence of the Kootenay and Columbia River to one of my favorite spots. It is justifiably called "Brilliant". I sit by the river, throw rocks, look at my house on the other side and smell the fresh air. It felt great to ride on road and trail. I have been faithfully going to spinning classes and really enjoying them. I feel in great riding shape, strong and well prepared cardio wise.

I have had a minor injury to my achillies tendon. It has prevented me from running the last couple of weeks (breaks my heart (sarcasm)). Am going to go for a little physio on it, should heal up nicely. Almost time to get the kayak in the water.

INSPIRATION - PART 3 - My Happy Place

The final installment of what Inspires me definitely has to be the great outdoors. I think about where I feel most at home, what relaxes me most, what puts a smile on my face and the answer keeps coming back to "The River". I love being on the water, either fishing in a boat, paddling in my kayak or screaming on the jet ski. I am in awe of the rivers power, beauty, sustainability and fertility. I am humbled by it's power and unpredictability. I live on the banks of the Columbia River and it is better than any TV show out there, it is dynamic, constantly moving and changing, and a home for people, birds, fish and whatever else lies under raging waters. The Adventure Challenge is an exciting prospect for me as it combines all the things I love to do (with the exception of running, but i guess there has to be some sacrifices).

WHAT INSPIRES ME - PART 2

So the second Post of my Inspirations is quite simple, its all about KIDS. The reason I chose to compete in the Adventure Challenge was because of the fundraising component for Canuck Place. I have spent most of my life and all of my career focussed on providing great experiences for kids. In my 25 year career as a teacher, administrator and now teaching professor, I have met some amazing kids. Through social networking, I have recently connected with many of my former students from the mid 80's. It is inspiring to see them grown up with careers and families and living great lives. You only hope you played some kind of role in shaping who they have become. But the ones who stick in my mind are the ones who have passed away. I can count 5 students that I personally taught who have passed away from cancer or other terminal diseases. That number rises as you tally accidents.

Life sometimes isn't fair and no child should have to endure terminal illness or painful rehabilitations. This is why Canuck Place and B.C. Children's Hospital are so important. I was recently invited to BC Children's Hospital to tour the facility but I'm not sure I can do it, I'm not sure I can put on a brave enough face.

My daughter seems to have taken on the passion for children as well. This is a picture of a young African who was a victim of violence during the last election in Kenya. Nikole spent countless hours teaching, playing and counselling. I'm so very proud of her. Whenever I don't feel like going for a run or training very hard, all I need to do is think of Canuck Place or BC Children's Hospital. GIVE GENEROUSLY and pray that if your children ever have to be in one of these places, it is to help.

WHAT INSPIRES YOU?

This is a 3 part Post on the what Inspires me. Inspiration is a person or work of art that moves the intellect or emotions or prompts action or invention.

My wife inspires me because of her relentless determination. Once she finds a cause, she is like a Pit Bull with a bone, you couldn't pry it out of her mouth to save your life. At 40 she decided to bike to Vancouver. She trained, set the trip up and did the trip solo. A few years ago she went back to school and won a National Award for the top student in the Private Club Industry and last year she trained for 7 months and finished 10th in Western Canada as a figure athlete transforming her body into a chiseled machine. DETERMINATION

My daughter inspires me because of her Service. At the age of 17 she went to Africa and fell in love with the people. She now lives in Nairobi devoting her life to helping the poor and underprivileged. She sacrifices so much so others can gain hope. I am amazed by her devotion. SERVICE.

My son inspires me because of his work ethic. Nothing of value comes without hard work and what he lacks in talent, he makes up in grit. He understands how hard he has to work to be successful and is willing to put the time and effort in. He has turned into such a fine young man. HARD WORK.

And finally my MOM, my mom has been battling Cancer the last 3 years and is in her third round of chemotherapy. Her COURAGE is absolutely inspiring. She never complains, never feels sorry for herself and always puts others before herself. I am so excited to have her come up and live with us for good. COURAGE.

So in this first part of what inspires me, my FAMILY leads me to try to be Determined, Courageous, Hard Working and Benevolent. I have the greatest role models in the world, talk about inspirations. WHAT INSPIRES YOU?

Nobody Said It Was Going To Be Easy

I guess I should have checked with Kristi Gordon. If you saw my earlier post I talk about how my 45 minute run was glorious and invigorating. Not so much today. Today I took refuge under a tree in gale force winds and driving rain. Nevertheless, it was rewarding to actually make it home alive. As I pouted about my wet, cold ordeal, I thought about why I was doing this and I am quite sure any one of those sick kids would change places with me at any time. Suck it up princess. For any of you out there feeling sorry for yourself, go to www.canuckplace.org, then see if you have anything to complain about.

The picture on the right was my encounter with a wolf in poodle's clothing. I guess I invaded his body bubble. Am contemplating legal action.

CANUCK PLACE

So why Canuck Place?

Whether a life is measured in days, weeks, or months, children deserve the opportunity to learn, develop and grow.

Canuck Place encourages each child to ‘embrace life’ and believes in enhancing the quality of whatever time a child may have left by empowering them to live fully and joyfully

Canuck Place is open to all British Columbia children up to and including the age of 19 with a progressive, life-threatening illness

Life-threatening illnesses include, for example, children with cardiac anomalies, various forms of neurodegenerative diseases, cancer, metabolic diseases or other diseases

Care is available at any stage of a child’s illness

For More information on Canuck Place go to: www.canuckplace.org

How Blessed Are We

I get up every morning and this is what I see. No, not the sleepy, sassy, lazy dog but the beautiful view from my window down the Columbia River. The River is my happy place. It makes me think about sick kids and where their happy place is, maybe Canuck Place.

I went to spinning class the other day, absolutely loved it. I have been doing some of my own interval training on a bike but this workout showed me how much harder I need to work. Thanks Lorene for taking me there. Hopefully spinning tonight and a workout in the gym. Today, 184, but it's the morning.

Thanks for my second donation from my daughter Nikole in Kenya, you are never too poor to contribute to a good cause. I am so excited about training and look forward to dropping the kayak in the water soon.

Well this is it, day one of my journey to raise money for Canuck Place and train for the Adventure Challenge. I hope you will support me over the next few months and your donations are greatly appreciate. By the way, I can see who donated on the Adventure Challenge site, which also means i can see who "didn't" donate. If everyone chips in a little, the goal will be reached in no time at all. I even donated today.

Today I ran for 45 minutes, it was a beautiful day and I enjoyed every minute of it. I weighed in at 186 lbs.