It’s been 44 years today, since Terry Fox took his artifical leg, dipped into the Atlantic Ocean off of Newfoundland, and started a journey, the goal, simple, to raise $1 from every Canadian as he ran across the country from sea to shining sea.

He didn’t finish, he made it to Thunder Bay before cancer returned and took his life.

Still, he ran for 143 days, covered 5,373 km, before he passed away on September 1st 1980, but his legacy continues….the Terry Fox Foundation has raised many $1 bills since with the annual Terry Fox Run which takes place around the planet every September…..I’ve even heard that some on military navy ships continue that tradition.

He never made it across the country, but along with a lot of statues, memorials, schools, as well as mile 1 in Victoria BC

I was living in Jasper, Alberta, Canada while he ran…..I was 21, one year younger…it was unreal to follow his struggle…the prosthetic was designed for walking, one hadn’t been created for running yet at that time….his story, is struggles, and bravery, doing just what he thought was right, inspired from his time in hospital with kids, kids as he lost his leg, thinking something had to be done….and he did it.

The man in motion. Rick Hanson..another great brave Canadian….lost the use of his legs as a teenager, to raise awareness of the struggles on the handicapped, on March 21st, 1985, he set off on a journey that would take him thru 34 countires, 4 continents, 40,075 kilometers, returning on May 22nd 1987….in a wheel chair…..he proved the potential of the handicapped….his journey was inspired by his friend, Terry Fox

There are a lot of amazing Canadians, but Terry Fox, Rick Hansen….

In 1985 when Hansen began his journey, I was living the heaven known as Vancouver and I was 26. Three years younger.

Now, I’m 65, but those two lives continue to inspire……

Currently I’m rewatching All the Light we cannot See

Yet, inspiring, and so sad as well…

I’ve been wondering, is one of the reason this planet is in such a mess is because of time. It’s been so long since the end of WW2, since the horrors of that war….since bombs were dropped on Hiroshima and Nagasaki, almost all those that fought, on all sides, have pretty much all passed away, and we have forgotten the horros of war…..seriously, the movie Oppenheimer was treated like fiction, battling the Barbie Movie for ticket sales…..the movie did it’s best, but a lot of those I’ve talked to about that movies impact…there wasn’t any.

There’s now a movie called Civil War…about what a civil war in the USA would be like

About the country of MAGA tearing itself apart…….I wonder if the forgotten horrors of war, of conflict, inspires people to even think of such things….where do white supremacists come from? Why on earth do people fly the Confederate Flag, even here in Canada? The hatred, the awful words coming from those on the far right, that American attack on their own White House? An insurrection? In the free United States of America?

It’s hard to believe that in a world that can give us Terry Fox, Rick Hansen, Ghandi, Martin Luther King….so many others, can give us the mess that this planet is?

I’ve come to the realization that this is more allergies than anything esle, so sweeping the dust and sand and crap out of my garage wasn’t the smartest thing to do…but I will live, I’ve been here before, every year…this year seems early, and more intense…but it’s so nice to get outside and get some sun, and watch the battle between the sparrows (I think they’re sparrows?) the crows, the magpies and the squirrel…. it’s like the best sitcom ever, without advertisements….and soooo funny….I’ll see if I can capture the action on my iPhone…

I swear those sparrows start chirping louder when it’s time to fill that bird feeder…..they really go at it..and again it’s fun t watch them peck away, knock a bunch of the seeds to the ground where they and the squirrel actually share..sometimes the squirrel chase the birds away, tearing down the fence like a formula car driver….but other days, he’s just a part of the bird gang…

They are a little camera shy, but I’ll how they feel about a KODAK moment….

I don’t know if this is about training…but when not, I find so many other things to do..yard work already, cleaning sweeping, moping…shooting hoops with my daughter, table tennis, we’re eyeing the badminton rackets…..recording yet another talk for a virtual virtual clinic..that’s not going so well yet, but I’ll keep plugging along every Monday….I’ve got to figure out why Facebook Live does?…. not working on the MacBook Air?…cannot get it to connect to the camera via the browser?

The sun’s out, the pollen is still flying, I’m holding off racking the grass….let those butterflies and bumble bees wake up first…there is so much to do, clear off the garden, paint the fence and garage, renovate the garage … have to make it less mouse friendly and make more room for bikes and cars…..and time to crank up that BBQ!

The one thing about this ailment, I have no craving for anything sweet and fattening….so I guess now on a diet…..a pistachios craving for some reason, but no chocolate..and no sugar in the tea or coffee….

I have got to run tomorrow no matter what…..I’ll just load up on antihistamines, practise blowing snot rockets and just go….slow and easy, nothing other than that….see how being active works.

Weird, just noticed an ear ache…where the heck did that come from?……maybe I’m just falling apart?

Why isn’t everyone or anyone else terrified?

Yes, I live in Western Canada.

So far the fruit farmers and those in British Columbia, where our groery stores get a lot their fuit and veggies from says not to expect any crops this year. A lack of water…..so apples, grapes for BC wine, peaches, and yeah our greens.

The news is that for I don’t know how many summers, by province, Alberta, will see yet another sever drought in the center of this province…we’ve had the same conditions every summer for I don’t remember for how long….that’s where our cattle industry is situated.

That’s pretty much is slowly destroying that industry, ranchers selling off their herds. We’re starting to see steaks imported here, with a sticker that says product of Mexico.

Cows need water, lots of it, as well as feed, and there’s not a lot of it.

Recently our other major industry, oil and natural gas, coal mining, is complaining that without fresh water they’ll shut down. So what H2O we have will probably be diverted to those industries, and we and the farmers and cattle ranchers will have to do without.

I know Eastern Canada has been having a lot of snow and rain, but just like us, last summer they saw forest fires everywhere.

Even now in this province, we’ve had fires, grass and forest fires burning over the winter, 55 of them…one is fairly dangerous..and already we’ve 2 new grass fires burning…at the start of April..where there should be snow still on the ground, melting, providing moisture for farmers so they’d be able to plant.

Canola, grains are huge and huge industry in this region….we need rain, moisture at the right time, dry for harvesting at the right time..we for some reason are now building houses, realestate on top of some of the best farmland in this country.

I know a lot of people think climate change is bunk..a lot of that has to do with not understanding how long climate change takes…decades, centuries….what we do now, sure a hardship now, but imagine this getting worse…imagine what that’ll mean for those on this planet in 50 or 100 years, even just 25 years?

2023 was the warmest this planet has been in recorded history. up until that, 2022 was, before that 2021, before that 2020, there is a pattern to this……what we have now is a result of decades of lots of carbon, CO2 heading into the atmosphere……from cars, from industry, and from, yes, cattle…recent interesting fact, there are now almost as many cattle on this planet in order to feed us as there are us…and as is our population growing….those cattle an awful lot of this planet, a lot of it is being clearcut for more…yes the Amazon, forests in China……just when do we realize that, that’s just wrong?

There are a lot of smart smart people on this planet…and I’d like to think that includes, China, India, Russia, Africa…as well as in the Western World, certainly people, those smart people must be noticing that things are wrong, and getting dangerous..and know that things have to be done…

An invation of Ukraine, Hamas attacking Israel, Israel attacking Gaza are useless distractions…Russia threatening nuclear war, people thinking nuclear engergy is an answer for something (Canada selling India nuclear power, something canned a Candu Reactor resulted in India building it’s first nuclear bomb, all the better for it to threaten Kashmir, who also has a nuke……how does any of this make this planet any better and scream that this will become a better place to live?

I wonder what would happen if all the ordinary evryday people around the world were allowed to demand, to ask that we do better, for we the people…for us? How many Palestinians said, hey, let’s attack Israel, that would make our lives better? How many Russians, those that thanks to Putin had no heat in their homes over this winter thought, hell yeah, let’s send our sons and fathers into war and invade Ukraine? Yeah, that’ll make our lives better….

Back to us, where the food we eat, where the water we need somes from…..what will it take for those that run this planet, the governments, the leaders, that we need better?

I have no idea…but, are doomed?

This happens way too often, but when I think of it, I’m susceptible to just about anything….if it’s cold and flu season, I get it…..as soon as the snow melts, pollen flies, snow mold appears, I get sick.

I know, I know, I don’t always look after myself the best…not a lot of sleep, over doing things, forcing me to do everything all the time, and then, well, I get sick..I’m a sickly guy.

I just looked through my training logs, and like clockwork, spring..usually a bit later into spring, but April and May, this hits me. It dosn’t seem to matter what I do, or take, like Christmas, this happens every year….so it shouldn’t be a surprise, but it is….kind of…and as frustraiting as it is..I know what I have to do…sit, relax, lots of fluids…I know which antihistamines work, and yes, I also need to pay attention to not over doing that….way too often I overdose, which doesn’t help…

I won’t do a lot for the next few days…some outside time – it helps the heart and head, even though, telling someone with my allergies to go get a breath of fresh air is like asking me to get a pet dog, it helps the head, but the allergens are out there…but, I have my glasses, and I will head outside soon to check out that eclipse, – apparently in 53 minutes…..and to just check out the birds, our bird feeder, it’s been busy….and just get a few minutes of sunshine time…

what do you readers/bloggers do when under the weather?

Last week was great, active every day, doing lots of different stuff, so this past weekend and today has been frustraiting, but, well, I’ll take a few days off, watch a lot of Netflix and Amazon Prime….and yeah, get the taxes done…just because…..I’m watching this right now..inspiring…kids, running, as a prescription for mental health…..inspiring, and maybe, just maybe…tomorrow I’ll start again

Yeah, guity, I’m a Betty Boop fan……forever….even as a kid who at the age when I first saw an image, I should not have become obsessed, but then I did kiss a girl in first grade….pretty close to the first day.

Anyway, today, nothing really to do. woke up really sick. sore throat, a throat full of phlegm (where’d that come from?)……the throat so dry, a lite of water didn’t seem to help…..and then my day…

waffles for the kid, which she at some point she didn’t want…..the usual oatmeal with brown sugar, a banana and almond milk for her dad….washing dishes..then two loads of laundry….

when I’m ill, my go to is to clean everything…laundry, scrum throw out that toothbrush, all towels in the house head for the laundry room……has always been my go to cure..and making my own version of tomato soup….

2 cans of chicken broth, 2 cans of tomato soup (with luck, one of those cans would be tomato bisque) a large can of chopped tomatos, celery, carrots, a red pepper, nutmeg, salt, pepper, sugar, tomato cocktail, and cooked pasta….always works, I could eat it forever…..

But then a ton of dishes and time to get ready for dinner, finish the laundry later to go and ….I made a how-to YouTube video for my son….how to do laundry…cause I thought he needed it…cause as usual, I was doing his laundry…he knows how to carry it into the laundry room, just after that he’s a little confused.

The stress is my life as a race director…that’s a huge part of my daily life..

I’ve decided to go a little bigger this year..a medal and a toque….with a new start start/finish line…a new route, and with about $4,000 in costs without any sponsors (yet) I’m taking a huge bit out of this gig.

And then, my parents moving into assisted living……they finally sold their home, my childhood home, and well, a huge change for them, and a lot of phone calls to me, and more than a few visits….

This is what get’s me on the otherside of being healthy…stress…for me, it’s not a virus, or whatever, it’s stress, the more stressed, the quicker I get sick……and yep, now to try and get well before the Sunday morning run club run…

Today was my turn to make dinner…so the stress of trying a new recipe…..and vegetarian with lots of veggies and tofu…it turned out okay..

Of course my kids wanted nothing to do with my dish…to KD for one, deep fried fish for the other….so more stress…

I’m a little more relaxed right now – to a point – catching up on tv……..

Watching a bio on Amazon Prime….the story of Hugh Hefner.

I was born in 1959, so yeah, Playboy was born not long before me, and I can’t say I never looked….

I do know the story, but growing up in the 60s, the swinging 60s, Playboy was thought as cool….and for a while didn’t seem crude or horrible, and yes I read the articles….he brought black performers to the forefront before anyone…..Aretha, Ray Charles, Nat King Cole, Ella Fitzgerald, Miles Davis….actually political activists, Malcolm X…..and cutting edge, Steve Jobs, Allan Ginsburg to name two….and yeah nude women, and his story evetually gets awful….and at the end, he seems to be a lonely old creepy man….but a success beyond who knew?

To me he seems a lot like other successes, right now I’m thinking of Lululemon creator Chip Wilson.

Wilson has said a few things he shouldn’t have (like our clothes arn’t for everyone)….or said them badly (the complete quote, and story? Customers were buying the black stretchy yoga tights one or two sizes too small thinking they were just like spanks. and then compained when they start to pill. so he was kind of right, Just didn’t have the media know how he needed)……..but I will say when I was managing my Running Room store, I tried to follow some of his philosophy…. the value of the sales staff, doing what you say you were going to do, be open to change, honesty)…….

I always wonder how and where this vision comes from…..Hefner, Wilson, Gates, Jobs…the right place, the right time ..I mean yoga, yoga pants in 1998….I first noticed him when he had a store called West Beach in Vancouver back in about 1995…how’d he know..and Wilson took risks…I still remember when he opened a store on Robson Street in Vancouver, and offered to dress the first I think 30 customers from top to bottom that showed up nude…….and this is Vancouver, home to the Wreck Beach nude beach….and of course people, young women did……but who knew?

Virgin or Nettwerk records…..who knew how amazing and succesful Sarah McLachlan was going to be?….the founder of Nettwerk, Terry McBride did?…..ITunes?…….

Anyway, time to put the laptop away, kick back, drink tea, maybe red wine, and enjoy being retired and 65…..

Left my spot in our parking lot below the highway bridge, loverlooking the Burrard inlet, following the tracks to railway bridge, my place of work. A thud, a shadow, a bridge with a history, some bodies jump before over water, and all it hits is trees.

This is one of those days when my head finally wakes up and says those words, ‘why not?’

Started out with a trip to my GYM……actually during the drive.

‘I’m retired, why on earth am I speeding and driving like I need to be in hurry for anything?’

So I kicked back, sipped my coffee, listened to the radio and took my time.

The GYM was perfect, not busy at all, there were a few people, but there’s enough equipment and options that I was able to get my workout in and more…finished off with a great blueberry smoothy.

It felt soooo good, and I love being back in the gym..social, a good mix of people, relaxed and the workout felt so good….and yeah, solar panels on the roof……how cool is that!

I decided today was a shopping day……again, I’m always in a rush..what the heck, it was maybe 10:30, I had no place I had to be, so off to the great West Edmonton Mall…..

I’m not a fan of shopping, but, well I like Lululemon’s stuff, and not a lot of options.

I spent some time just walking around and looking…the Mall’s a weird mix of stores..lots and lots of high end stuff ….Tiffany’s even…….and some lower end, but looking at the shoppers was a weird vibe…lots of people that in no way would ever walk into a Michael Kors…more likely at home in an Old Navy or WalMart…….some others for sure, and they make walking into Banana Republic comfortable, but the vibe, and yes, a few that looked like gang members, the ‘hood….there’s been a few shootings in that mall…..

Maybe it was because I hadn’t shopped there for a while (I’m usually only in there for Christmas shopping) but felt really uncomfortable….and it’s a weird comparrison….I once got lost walking around Stamford Connecticut, and ended up in, well, the African American end of town….there I felt totally comfortable, and maybe as a hick from Canada I didn’t notice, until I thought about it afterwards, I was the only white guy…my sister who lived there pointed that out to me….a couple of other days later I went back…..and the same feeling, okay…..I can’t remember the place I ate, but the best food ever…and loved it…

West Edmonton Mall…that felt like I was in the ‘hood, if you get what I’m saying…

I made my way home, kicked back for a bit, and then headed out for a short 5K run…and though it was a bit of a struggle, it felt right…I needed that…

I’m still trying to do that one a day thing, running every second day so I’m rested and recovered, but I needed to get outside, and I didn’t think I walk would do it….maybe I’ll walk tomorrow.

Okay the worst picture ever…..but well, my fat face……..and yes a toque, I wore gloves, well, because winter’s sort of back……..just 5K, nothing quick, but just getting outside, it’s like an elixer…better than that two glasses of red wine…..

I have to say, I’m feeling everything that’s included with being 65 (and 95 days)…..but, in some ways I feel so good.

Tomorrrow’s supposed to be a day if rest, and I may try and recover…some daily life things to do, car serviced, visit the parents in their new place….make dinner……and maybe walk.

I feel good though, I finished off March in a good space, and have begun April 2024 on the right foot..and hopefully on the right knees..

Just when you’ve had a bit of a wasted around the house day….

You get to run…..

That’s kind of the key to this…having schedules you can’t get out of…especially when it’s your group…

Wednesday nights, my run club night, no matter what I have to run….I’m kind of the leader of the pack..

so I have to be there….

I now also have a crew Sundays at 8:30.

About a year ago I also had Tuesdays, so no matter what, 3 runs a week……it worked, forced training?

The magic of the group…sure I like solo runs as well, thinking time, fresh air time, me time, a play date with myself.

having a schedule, being consistant…and even if I don’t do anything else, run, 3 times a week.

One way this works great as well, is I can’t always be sure whom I will be running with…

The Tuesday were always a suprise, or sometimes…one of the reason it stopped, was that couldn’t ge a big enough a group to make Tuesdays worked, and the one or two that would usually show up, we usually the sonic the hedgehog speed….with me trying to keep up….which is okay, good actually, because that became speed training…..for me. Which afterwards, resulted in me becoming stronger and faster.

My big issue now, is age……65. At one time, I felt I could always keep up with anyone…and sometimes lead and set the pace….now, a lot of the time, I’m leading from behind. Which is okay too….I’m still running forward…

Strength training seems to help too….actually my knees no longer hurt. so squats to the rescue!

I keep trying to get my ass into the pool and on to the bike…I guess that’ll be the next step, along with just living life…..

the good news, I cannot wait until I wake up tomorrow….

Maybe my future ride?

Began the day in the gym, went well, set the tone for the day.

Love my gym, even more now that the Spring Break kids are all gone…now it’s a quiet gym, and a good place to be…

I think I’ve hot on a pretty good routine..a little unconventional, and bouncing back and forth from upper and lower body….but it works for me….3 sets, 12-15 reps…building endurance rather than power..

Lat Pulldown, Leg Curl, DB bench, Leg extension, DB pullover, incline DB press, DB Curls, DB side lats, leg press/squats, calve raises, tri pushdowns, upright rows..then abs and hyperextentions…..

Doesn’t take forever to do, I’m in, out, and gone.

Hit the grocery store so I could make an awesome Bolognese Sauce…..I don’t know why I do this, but qwhen it’s dad’s job to cook, my approach to pasta sauces is to make them almost a meal onto themselves..this was no different. There’s the recipe, and well, then there’s mushrooms, veggies…and lots of leftovers.

I had planned to run at some point today, but, life and I’ve made a conscious decision to stick to 1 activity a day, and if there’s time and of the planets align, maybe something else…so strength training good, not sweating over what wasn’t done on the to do list, I’m okay with….looking at the long term.

I’ve been watching this interview over and over again….Kara Goucher’s book in next on my book shelf. I do know the story, and I, like everyone else, am learning over and over of female athletes being fucked over (sorry not sorry about using that word) … NIke? Bad press is not going to hurt them at all, but that doesn’t mean I have to give them my money……Lauren Fleshman’s Good for a Girl reinforced the nonsense that female athletes go through. Yeah I know some men as well, but, well, men don’t get pregnant..but even Des Linden’s story isn’t all a flower garden right?…..how do people in these companies, and coaches not know this stuff is wrong?

Anyway, getting into a series I hadn’t seen before, Wynonna Earp, something new, and feeling okay…

I got a little Goosed on my run this morning…this morning was good, a Sunday run is always good..half was with a running friend Gerry, and the second half was, well, with geese, and crossed path with a few walkers and other runners…..and yeah I seriously need to shave…

At one point our trals used to be clogged up with runners…..now it was way too quiet….

There’s a church just up the hill from our Runnng Room, which is usually our starting point, and at some point we’d hear those church bells…and sometimes hea the choir..it’s been a while since…..

This morning in some ways a little disappointed, thought there’d be more than just two of us running together….but haven’t run with Gerry for a while, so a little but of catching up, and a run just over 4K

It was good, a good pace…a route I like. I would have liked to have gone for 10K….maybe tomorrow…

then after starting to drive home, I thought, why not a few more….so stopped off at my Running Room and did a quick loop, for just over another 4K

So, almost 9K……not a bad Sunday after all…..

Sundays used to be my thing…from the day I say I began back in 1996, to now, 28 years, up until COVID, Sundays, every Sunday at 8:30, every Wednesday at 6PM….it was like clockwork….

Then COVID derailed that, and it’s a journey trying to bring that back….but I’m here for the long run

A great start to the day…I feel sore, but good, it’s been a good week..a great week..walking, strength, and running….active, and mostly outside…….fresh air is like the best cure for everything….

I’m still dealing with headaches, I guess that’s just part of my life until it stops….but it was a good feeling to get out, wake up, have that banana and water and just go run…..now to bottle up that feel good feeling, and remember it for the weeks ahead..

Wednesday evenings was all about running

Saturdays..over the winter Saturday mornings were all about our Triathlon Club’s spin class

and then Sundays..back out running

and for a while we had a Tuesday evening group….I want to try and bring that all back….

I’ve always got my Wednesday night Run Club, that’s set in stone….

the goal is to make that bigger……..Sundays have begun……will see how that goes.

Can I get biking on Saturdays back?…I will try…I just can’t do every Saturday, but I do need and love having that schedule, and have people that count on me…I guess I like the pressure…

But, a good finish to the week…now to look forward