SUPER PROUD FRIEND

So as a lot of my friends have hopped on the high horse and are teaching. I wanted to share their blogs with you so we can all have a good read of their trials and tribulations. Christine: Shelby: Katie: Any others and I shall add the links! Good luck to everyone, I wish you all the best. And eh, if you need teaching ideas or a pen pal! I can be your lady!!!

Writing!

I miss writing these posts. Life has become too busy for the enjoyment of writing and reading in which it used to be filled with. Come back free time, come back!

Updated Hair Donation!

It has now been 4 weeks and we have made 305 dollars. We are on our way to becoming bald!!! Our first inch has been reached. So 1 inch will be cut off but lets keep donating. I want to be bald and i am sure that many of you would love to see how I look bald Don't forget you have until June 10th maybe futher to donate the money. Money can be collected via pay pal, in person, in store, or by mail. Any of these methods will work and will help us reach our goal, and help raise money for cancer research.

So far I would love to send some shout outs to:
- Amanda M.
- Dave and Marlene De V.
- Kristin Folz
- Janet Dodd
- Megan Dawson
- Rhiannon Jones
- Vicki B
- Brendan, Lyndsay, Eddie, Kiedis
- Taso Georgopoulos
- Chris de Vries
- Bryan Hall
- The St. Catharines Running Room

Chopping it off for a good cause..........

Happy Monday Everyone;

So I am sure you are all probably wondering why I am writing to you. With facebook and email being the easiest way to send out the information I thought I would get everyone in one hit. For those of you not aware I want to help raise money for Scott Cannata’s run to live journey. He is running across our glorious country to help raise money for cancer research. His goal is to raise 2 dollars per Canadian.

As a Canadian myself I want to help make this journey possible. Being a runner and understanding the effects that running ONE marathon can have on your body, I can't even begin to imagine running one every day. The mental preparation, the nutritional aspect, the determination to push yourself over that wall time and time again is just incredible. As a runner I want to help support him and give him hope to finish each run every day.

To having biked Canada last summer and knowing just how hard that wind, rain, hail, sun, hills, rivers, mountains and wildlife can be there was also one thing Canada never failed to have. One thing that came easy among canadians. From the tiny towns to the big cities it remained common across every province. By this I mean the kindness that each person has no matter where they lived. There hearts so big, always willing to hear a story and share some small piece of life. As having felt this heart my entire trip, I support Scott to live the dream, and feel the heart wrap around him while he runs.

As a daughter to someone who recently had cancer I want to provide strength to other children whose parents could be going through the same thing. I want to share with them the strength my family built, and the strength it will take scott. My family became closer from this experience and hopefully as canadians this run brings us all together even more.

As a canadian I want to do more than raise $2 dollars. I want to donate not only money but my hair as well. Therefore, I have decided to cut my hair based on the donations made to the RUN TO LIVE CAUSE. For every $150 dollars I will cut an inch. So for 10 inches 1,500. 10 inches is the amount needed to make a wig :) Yet I don't want to stop there. To one up the challenge once more. I will cut it even short passed those 10 inches based on donations. If the donations become double and reach an amazing 2,500 I will shave my head. If they don't quiet meet that amount. They will still be cut. the $150 per inch will remain throughout the entire setting. I hope that through this we can inspire others to participate in events that help to raise awareness, raise money and raise hope. I admire Scott Cannata and want to help in any way possible.

If you are living in st. Kitts and would like to donate: feel free to personally drop off the donation at my house, mail the donation to my mailbox, drop it off at the St. Catharines Running Room, or I can meet and pick it up.

If you are living in P-town and would like to donate: feel free to personally drop it off at my parents house, give it to my parents, or give it to me when I come home for easter.

If none of these options work for you, feel free to email, Facebook, leave a comment and I will help you connect with any other forms. I am working to set up a website that is linked to receiving online donations. The donations will be acceptable from now until June 10th. I then plan on presenting Scott with the money raised. Either when he passes through Ontario. Or through one giant online donation! Your small help of 2 dollars can largely help millions!

If you would like to read more about Scott's Journey visit. http://theruntolive.com

Does this mean the right of passage has been passed?

So i've heard a variety of stories about situations like this. I have heard about the power of the bowels and how often we ever so joke about "shatting ourselves". With many runs saying "ooooh i think i'm going to poop", poop this and poop that. Well the worst runners fear came true. Being a fear makes it a right of passage right?

Many mornings and nights i've headed out. The feeling of having to poop but always making it that last little stretch. The final steps of running to the bathroom, ripping down your pants and just letting loose. Sure the topic is awful, but eh EVERYBODY POOPS. None the less my many conversations are regulated around the topic of pooping, its just another word in my everyday vocabulary never thinking that I would actually experience the word. I'm sure your dying to hear the details so I will get right too it!

It started off like any other Wednesday night run club. Meet at 6:30pm, about to start the fun run and I could feel a small upset stomach. We headed out on a snowy 5km run. I'm there running from street to street, cheering people on, blowing the whistle dancing and then I get this wave over me. This wave of ooooooooh i don't feel so good. So i started telling people that I need to go to the bathroom. Everyone suggesting that I just hop in the bushes, behind the school etc. So I had to share that I just didn't have to go THAT TYPE of bathroom. I decided I'd slow down the energizer bunny attitude and keep it cool and calm. Ended up getting passed by other runners and slowly dropping to the back of the group.

I knew I couldnt last. I started forming other ideas in my head of where I could go. Of what I should do. We were about 1km from the store and it was just killing. I would try to run faster but then I felt it was going to slip out more. So I tried to run slower but then ahhhhh it would take forever to get back to the store so instead I thought okay I'll cut through the bushes and parking lot rather then the streets and just go at the store. As I started to pick up the pace, the feeling of awefulness picked up. I thought scratch that. I won't be able to make it there I will just run to the bushes and get my business done there. Act like an animal. Be environmentally friendly. Save the electricity, save water, use my "produce" as fertilizer. I'm about 500m from the field and BAM! The heat wave came on, the stomach turned, the muscles loosened and the poop flowed.

The most awful feeling poured through my underwear, down my legs. And I just cried. So now I panicked. I have shat myself silly. I can't go back to the store, I can't hop on the bus..........I had to WALK home. After walking up hill about 30 minutes, through cold freezing snow. The poop clumping on my legs, the wind blowing the smell, and every time a car passed I found myself turning and making my behind face the opposite way. My face red from embarrassment, my eyes filled with tears I just was LOST :S. I ended up getting home and thought to myself pooing is one thing yet hmmm what else could make this adventure much more difficult. I sadly forgot my keys, NO ONE HOME!!!!!! I needed inside. I had to get clean. It was freezing now, everything frozen and everything smelling. My only option to climb through the bathroom window. I had to prop myself up, swing my poopey legs around and get inside. Some of the smell now placed on the snow, outside the window ledge, some on the window sill. I got in the bathroom, ripped off my pants and climbed in the shower.

As I started to wash the stuff in the shower with me I realized I haven't told the running room I didn't come home. I had 3 missed calls as people suggest that I am missing, and the fear of being abducted on the run. I had to call and explain the situation. All in all I said, MY WORST FEAR CAME TRUE WHILE RUNNING. Instantly they knew that I had pooped my pants. Woah a very embarrassing introduction but a hilarious running adventure. Hope everyone else gets a kick out of this. Just remember your not truly a runner until you poop your pants.....

DREAMS

Most dreams die a slow death. They’re conceived in a moment of passion, with the prospect of endless possibility, but often languish and are not pursued with the same heartfelt intensity as when first born.

NEVER LET THIS HAPPEN. LET THOSE DREAMS LIVE ON. CHALLENGE YOURSELF TO FIND YOURSELF.

CAN'T WAIT FOR THE ULTRA IN JUNE!

IMPOSSIBLE IS NOTHING!

Swim, Bike, Run

With each new year I love to challenge myself with something new. Sometimes picking things I have never done before, or maybe that I have done just on a much more difficult level. The challenges that are the most rewarding are the ones that take the most amount of effort to do. The ones that cause you to risk and push yourself outside of your element. The past i'd say 6 years I have been following this regime and year after year I go BIGGER and I go HARDER. The results from many of these challenges have been some of the most rewarding experiences I have encountered thus far in my life. From running my first duathlon and full marathon to donating blood and biking across canada. Even the little life challenges have been so rewarding and have helped me to learn more about myself.

Therefore its time I share this years challenge. Sure okay there are many like usual but I figure if I write them down on here it will help me to accomplish them all. I have started to train for a triathlon. I feel in love with swimming and water running after doing training with Brock XC and I can't get enough. I have slowly increased my lap distance and the timing of each lap repeat and set is getting quicker. It will be so exciting when it comes time to test it out. Biking has begun yet again as well. With the snow being lifted off the ground it is time to get back riding on Eli. It has been so successful so far. He got tunned up, Feels like a bike straight from the box it is incredible. Such a smooth glide, fast ride haha. I shall never use public transportation. The status on the other bike is..........hmmmm offically in pieces. With time it will become a fixed gear one speed, neon coloured beaut. But for now it seems to lie dead no tires, no chain in the hall. In terms of running, we'll triathlon running is easy.

The other major plan is specifically designed around running. The run of a runs. The big cheese. This race means everything to runners, to elite runners for that and even to your average runner. Once you've experienced the withdrawal symptoms of running, the running is my life theory do you being to wonder what it would be like to run BOSTON. Its been a talk since the dawn of my running existence. Always in the back of my mind, peaking through whenever it could get its chance. Training had been doing well for a while until I got sick.....then got sick again......then got sick again.....then started back up was feeling grand! Then went out west and sure enough the training stopped. The dream just keeps pushing me to retry and I know it is so worth it. So here I go again starting up tomorrow. Training plan # 2 attempt! Either with the hopes of boston in it dreams there also lies a little bit of endurance athelete. Wether that be the challenge of running an ultra marathon, or hiking 100km in 48 hrs. The possibilities of what this summer holds are endless and I can't wait to begin checking them slowly off the bucket list of wonders.

As I continue to wait to hear if school is on strike my eyes slowly close and the sentences stop making sense. Its time to turn it off.

Later Days readers!

i love you more than sandwiches

I love you, man.
I love you, too, bud.
I love you, dude.
I love you, Bro Montana.
I love you, holmes.
I love you, Broseph Goebbels.
I love you, muchacha.
I love you, Tycho Brohe

Tour Du Canada.......the post to explain it all!

Where do I start.......After a much recent hiatus I have decided to rejoin the blogging world. First and foremost if this is going to take place a much needed post regarding my summer adventure is to be shared. So as many of my readers are aware I spent the summer cycling across the glorious country of Canada. Spent 72 days riding coast to coast. Up hills and down hills, through the prairies and the rocky mountains. Through 10 provinces, rain, wind, hail, and some of the sunniest days, but what an experience. I must say it was worth the journey. For every moment I doubted myself one of the 40 other riders were there to help reinforce the reasoning for the trip. The feeling at the finish line is one that forever will remain in my heart.
The expedition started in Vancouver, British Columbia and we road east from there taking advantage of the prevailing winds. We went and visited Victoria and toured around the island before the real journey began. From there we road day in and day out averaging 130km. Our smallest days of 60km and our largest roughly 195km depending on the route chosen to ride. It really allowed for riders to be able to take on their own pace. I think that was the most beneficial part. I was not an experienced rider, I had very little riding background so given the opportunity to “coast” at my own pace was wonderful.
I have learned to appreciate a roof over my head as I spent this entire 2 months in a tent. I experienced the wind and rain like no other. As the tent I had collapsed from time to time I came to appreciate a solid roof. I appreciate the warmth of showers and being able to cook more than bulk foods has found new love within my life. I met incredible people along the way, took some pictures that leave me speechless. I was able to see some of the most breathtaking sights and found some hidden treasures of canada that you wouldn’t find driving along. I know what it means to climb a hill and to pick up speeds of 75km going down. I’ve found out the true benefits of going to bed early and enjoying every sunrise and sunset. There are so many things this trip provided me with that this blog wouldn’t even be able to handle it.
As there are many details to include about this trip the most important are what the trip did for me. I never experienced a better summer. One that helped me find myself, find what I want in life. It allowed me to understand that there are other people out there with the same “insane” dreams as myself. There are people who are willing to give up everything just for a little adventure. No one thought my idea of biking the country was dumb, no one thought my idea of running marathons were boring, and no one defiantly thought that traveling the world for a year was out of reach. The people on the trip became a second family. They helped to instill the hope and theory that IMPOSSIBLE IS NOTHING and to live by it.

Feeling uneasy.

Trust
a : assured reliance on the character, ability, strength, or truth of someone or something
b : one in which confidence is placed

how are you sure? Is trust able to fluxuate? If its broken can it be mended? Can you have trust in yourself? I think the last one is the one I am so uneasy about. What does it mean to have trust in myself, is that even possible? Sometimes I feel like such a pushover towards myself. I don't listen to myself, I fall down for myself, get back up by myself. But where is myself when I need them? Have I destroyed myself, or does she still exist. Is it rightful to call it a she. Is she me???

That's right readers.........I'm back!

I've decided I am coming back. I will write more later, probably tomorrow but i'm back and I am more excited then ever!

Here I come Canada!!!!

This land is your land
This land is my land
From Bonavista
To the Vancouver island
From the article circle
To the great lake waters
This land was made for you and me

As I was walking,
That ribbon of highway
I saw above me
That endless skyway
I saw below me
That golden valley
This land was made for you and me

This is it!!!! One week and I officially leave to start my journey of a life time. I get to spend one amazing and incredible week in Edmonton with my brother his fiancé and my two very energetic nephews, which I can't be more excited about. From there I fly to Vancouver to embark on the adventure. The 24nd is the first official day of riding. We are heading to Mile Zero on Vancouver Island. Here we will spend the day and night and then ride back to the mainland to start the 72 day excursion. My stuff is packed, my bike is tuned, I’ve said my goodbyes and thank you’s and I officially can say I am ready. I will try and update facebook as often as I can with as much detail about the trip as possible. I wish you all could be there with me on this journey. Maybe one day you will. I wish everyone an incredible summer remember impossible is nothing. Here I come Canada get ready!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Lots and lots of love,

Steph:)

Ontario.......the windy city???

Training rides have been incredible the past couple of weeks. Now with school being finished all I have had to focus on is training and preparing for the trip. I've been working as often as I can to ensure I have a bit more money at the start of the trip. I've been hit by rainstorms three times, yet with the distance I've been riding I happen to ride right through it. As much as I hate it, its preparing me for the trip.

The one thing I have started to hate is the wind. My gosh is it awful. I have never known Ontario to be so damn windy. It has seemed that the past 4 rides I have encounted windy days. No matter the direction I face I always seem to be going into the wind.

I already have hilarious looking tan lines, from my cycling jerseys and my cycling shorts, which I can only imagine how worse they will get. I've defintyl encountered some laughter at my running clinics.

So within the next couple weeks I hope to cycling a few longer distances as well as keep up the smaller days of riding as well. I bike to work(s) and to running clinic as well as small average rides from 30 to 70km. The most so far has been 135km which was a really enjoyable ride. Let's hope I can squeeze in a few longer distances before I fly out west.

My packing list has been made, and a list of stuff to buy has been made. Lets hope that within the next 40 days I am able to buy everything that remains and take care of the little important things.

Super steph???

This past week has been incredibly busy...and next week isn't looking any better. Trying to balance both jobs and running clinic is alot more stressful then I originally thought. Having both of those as well as the normal stress from exams just really pushes me over the edge. I think I am in the need of a really good sleep and a very relaxing day down by the water, any takers???. Some social activity would be really good right now, since I find myself seculded so frequently lately, not by choice of course. But don't fear everyone I am still squeezing in cycles. I'll give you a little play by play with the past week and the upcoming week. Hopefully you can feel my pain.

Sunday: Run club - ran 8.5km.....cycled 65km
Monday: Class...Worked....and worked on take home exam
Tuesday: Donated blood....worked on take home...movies/sleepover
Wednesday: Ran with friend.....Ran with Run Club....worked on take home...celebrated roomates birthday
Thursday: Cycled 80km...Ran with run club
Friday: Worked on take home....work
Saturday: Cycle...work
Sunday: Run club...work
NEXT WEEK
Monday: Work
Tuesday: Cycle 100km
Wednesday: Run club...take home due...Cycle
Thursday: Exam....run club
Friday: Exam....work
Saturday: Work....cycle
Sunday: Run club...Work....cycle

On a side note I should be the aunt to my very first nephew within the next 10 days. So very very exciting. I don't even know how to feel.

69 days....

So here it goes. The final low down. The final week of class. Spring has arrived. The winter boots, and winter coats have disappeared. The spin classes have ended and cycling has begun outside. Running has continued (yet in desperate need of new shoes) and school is closing to its end as well. The final door of fourth year has almost closed. Within the next 69 days before I leave, I have a pretty hectic scheduale. I have 4 exams to write plus 4 days a week I will be instructoring a running clinic. Donating blood, volunteering for the final time, and helping with my soon to be nephew! I will also be working two jobs, cycling on the off days, saying goodbye to friends and family, creating final packing lists, organizing flights, packing the bike, logging still what I beleive is 1000km, enduring two big bike trips to prepare myself for the distance all while trying to have a social life. If anything fails let that be the social life, everything else seems to important right now. The closer this trip draws the more excited I get. I'm not even sure how to feel, I think theres too many thoughts both of excitment and of nerves. I think for now the best thing to do is just to keep on going, enjoying it all. Even the hectic stressful days ahead.

Update!!!

The Update:
- 13 days of Cycling
- 12 days of Running

I have now still 1553km to log before I leave in June. With my Bike now in St. Catharines I find this objective to be quite easier. I went on two long bike rides since my bike arriving on thursday.

First I went 32km was an amazing ride all along the welland canal at sunset, I saw a massive turkey. Like up to my waist in height. He was in the middle of the road and I felt it was my objective to get him off the road so I then got off my bike and walked over to him shooing him off the road. Twas a success. I still think it was quiet weird to see a turkey in St. Catharines.

The second ride I attempted today, didn't end with such great results. I attempted to ride 60km a nice loop out to beamsville and back. It started off well. A little cold but as the day went on it got quite a bit warmer. The wind was awful, riding into it and up hills was difficult but still managable. Roughly 20km into the ride I felt like I was having a tough time pedaling and could feel that I wasn't gaining as much speed as I intially had hoped. I looked behind to see that my back tire was completely flat. OH GREAT!!!!! By this point I was no where near St. Catharines, to be honest I was near the town of Jordan. I needed to find a gas station to pump it up to get me home at least. So I turned off my main strip where I was riding and start walking down a street which I had thought was a main street of Jordan, instead surrounded by fields and winnaries. I began to get erally worried. I was way to far from home to walk, didn't have enough money for a cab. Had no idea where the bus station if there was one was. And I was stuck walking in my cycling shoes. I decided I would head into the next business looking place and see if they could give me directions. So in I walked into a place called Upper Canada cheese company. I walked in asking for directions, which then led to these women believing I was too far away from home especially on bike and I looked way to worried. Therefore they offered me a ride back to St. Catharines. From here I could use a pump at a gasstation to get home. I was incredibly luck. This women wasn't even supposed to be at work today, she deicded to come in and help but was done around lunch time, hence when I arrived. So she drove me to St. Catharines and I couldn't thank her enough. She left me and I went to pump up my tire, to only find out that the tires on my bike need special pump, or an adaptor. GREAT!, so now I am at the opposite side of town, freezing and forced to walk in my cycling shoes. Awful news, I figured hey I'll walk downtown to the bike store pump up my tires. Ohhh No won't do that. I get there to find out the store has been moved!!!!! So I go to my last resort, THE BUS! I walk to the terminal ask the first bus if I can come on, bring my bike etc, she says nope. I was crushed, I decide to wait for another bus to see if a different driver would present different results. Sucess!!!! He offers to let me on and drives me back up to my way of town. This trip was scary, and from it I thought about alot of things, had a very discouraging afternoon and have begun to think that maybe i'm not cut out for TDC.........who know's.

a quote to keep us going.

To give anything less than the best is to sacrifice the gift

-Steve Prefontaine

a double dose

1. So this past weeekend, I went out purchased loads of stuff for my trip this summer. Became way more realistic to come home and just open up bag after bag of new toys:) I was able to pick up my bicycle, cycling shoes, cylcing shorts, cycling gloves, backpack, camelback, bike lock, head light, rain jacket and pants, sewing kit, patch kit, first aid kit, stuff bags, dryfit bags, journal, address book and I am sure other things which I can't imagine the name. None the less brough everything home over the past 3 days and feel in love with each and every belonging. The trip is defintly becomming a reality and I think I am finally becomming nervous. Sunday came and decided to test out the shoes. It was wonderful weather got nice and dressed and biked the northern part of town, the country aspect. Did a wonderful 25km felt like nothing at all. Felt like it was a good start to the training weeks again. Yet Monday came, and pure blizzard. Snow plows came out, ice on the windows, just devastating stuff to crush the dreams of wanting to cycle all week. We'll I guess its back to the spin classes for a few more weeks.

2. Learn to live with no regrets. Focus on tomorrow. Believe it is the truth. Actions speak louder then words. Stop questionning things. Stop overthinking. Go with your heart. FORGIVE!

4 months remaining

Gah!!!

So it's roughly four months until I leave for the journey of a life time. I've awaited the countdown for some time, and every time I get an email from TDC I almost pee with excitment! Im heading home this weekend to finally purchase the bike of my dreams, my shoes, gloves, pedals, etc. I know with each month drawing nearer the more excited I get for the overall outcome. Training as been going well. I have yet to do any rides outside, but there seems to be quiet a bit of snow and I'd rather not risk it. Instead I've been cycling at brock's spin classes, and running on the days when I can not make those classes.

Training thus far:
Cycling: 14 days of cycling which transfers to 230km. Which leaves a possible 1770km to go before the final 2,000 have been logged.
Frisbee: 4 games
Running: 4 days of running

Let's see how this next month holds up.

Training Underway

So with TDC in less then 6 months it has come to my conclusion that a bit of training needs to begin. It is recommened that you log 2,000km on bike before the start date in June. Who could blame you trying to hike it over the rocky mountains with no cycling under your belt. Well best of luck, is all I have to say. There has been a lot of recommened training recommondentations ie. spin classes, or swimming, running, anything to give your legs the cardio engery needed. I figured I have kept up with my runnign quiet a bit so I will keep doing that, but I also needed to step up the cycling bit therefore introduce SPIN CLASSES. I've decided I'll spin everyday and run ont he days when I can't make the spin classes because of previous arragements and run those days. Sometimes double the cardio will have been done because of intramurals so frisbee or volleyball, and it is subject to change in the warmer weather. For now!!!!!!Therefore some weeks have the potential to spin 5 days that week. I went to my frist two. They were amazing. It felt great and I definlty can understand where the leg power will come into play. I haven't yet heard back from how far on average the distance covered would be but by next monday I should know. Below here's the hectic schedual of spin classes.