5 K TIME TRIAL

Lat night at Cairo American College 7 staff members from our school competed in a 5K time trial. It was actually my first time ever doing an official 5K so I was excited to get a base time to work. The race went well for me with a final time of 20'10". My splits were 1K-3'51", 2K-4'03", 3K-4'9", 4K-4'09", and 5K-3'57". All felt well althogh my legs were a little dead as I had done a 10K the day before and a hard 10K the day before that. I finished third overall in this run but atleast one of the guys that finished behind me is a faster runner that was saving his legs for a big run this weekend.

The most exciting part of the night was the others that also completed the race. The Mrs. 3 1/2 months after giving birth was under 28 minutes with The little Brawn and myself cheering her on at the finish. Our director who is a former runner but has done basically nothing in the last 10 years ran 26 minutes. My new training partner who is a good athlete but has only been running since September ran just under 21 minutes and the others also finished well taking in to account their goals and level of fitness.

We all went for supper as a group after and had a nice evening. I think making this in to a fun evening has hooked some others in to thinking this running thing is o.k. I like getting first timers to these events. Generally, they get caught up in the energy and that is all that it takes for them to start thinking about another event. The topic of conversation at supper was where the next 1/2 marathon is and what cool event was coming up. While we have some local runs in February and March, an event we will look at is the Dead Sea Marathon in Jordan in April. My first 'A' race of 2006 will be a 1/2 ironman in Eilat, Isreal in March. The Mrs. also has this in her sights and I have no doubt she will turn in a great performance knowing how determined (and a little stubborn) she is.

OUCH!!
At 3 1/2 months of age it appears the Little Brawn is beginning to cut her first tooth. After a great weekend she began to be a little out of sorts yesterday afternoon. It soon became obvious that something was bothering her. While she did her best to tough it out it was clear she was not herself. Of course the usual signs...red cheeks, rash on her chin, chewing everything, excessive drooling. While the fussing was not real bad, she spent most of the day just moaning and groaning and wanting to be held.

I had planned to do a long run in the morning, but I couldn't leave her, especially knowing that I had a ball game in the afternoon and would be gone for 3 hours. It was especially tough on the Mrs. as I could tell she felt helpless, but wanted to help. I am very proud of both of them though as they both got through the day and seem to be no worse for wear. Although the Little Brawn in not completely herself , she is much better.

It is so hard to watch someone so small and so sweet be in pain like that. But, I guess we all go through it and I don't seem to remember. She will definately get lots of pampering over the next few days as will the Mrs. as it seems to be equally as hard on her.

5 K race coming up on Tuesday evening. I will use it more as a little training run as I plan to bike Tuesday morning. The day off yesterday = strong legs this morning as the usual 10 k felt great and we were able to kick it in to overdrive for the last km. Felt good to be on an all out sprint for that long. Friday's bike was very enjoyable. We had 22 start out with the group. I went on the first two breaks with the hammerheads out front and did some very hard riding, then spun in the middle for about 60 km with a more sociable group before finishing with a hard effort with the hammerheads again for a total of 105 km.

SMALL FEATS THAT GO UNNOTICED

There is an event in Egypt that is in it's 5th year of operation called the 100 km Pharonic Relay. As the story goes, an Egyptian archeologist found a rock in a tomb that told the story of a group of soldiers that ran this 100km race every year, so an organization in Egypt turned it in to an event. It starts at a small, unknown pyramid in Fayoum Oasis and ends at the step pyramid in Sakkar. For the most part it is a fairly low key, come out and participate kind of event with about 12-14 teams. There is also around a dozen people that come and run it solo as an ultramarathon.
Last year I ran a 20 km leg of this race. I was quit happy with my leg (about 1:30 min) as this was a decent time for me. Our team was near the bottom in the team event with most of our team new to running and averageing around 2:10 for the 20 km. We had a great time and everyone involved seemed to become more motivated to run.
In that race an Egyptian gentleman by the name of Mahmoud Dehaise completed the entire 100km on his own and won the event for the 4th straight year. When they announced his time as 8 hours 52 minutes I thought I must have heard wrong. It wasn't until I was able to look it up on the internet that I was fully able to appreciate this accomplishment. This year I was absolutely stunned at the banquet when they announced that Mr. Mahmoud Dehaise had broken his own course record by completing the race in 7 hours, 54 minutes, and 46 seconds...for 100k!!
Now the running community in Egypt is very small. Limited to a couple small Egyptian clubs and a group of ex pats, so Mr. Mahmoud Dehaise gets his name announced at the awards banquet each year, gets a few cheers and handshakes, then basically goes back to obscurity and putting in many, many solitary miles on the road.
I wonder how many other people out there completed their own sub 8 hour 100km races everyday with no accolades. People who have a habit of doing extra-ordianry things. People who do these things because something inside drives them. People who don't need someon patting them on the back, or cheering crowds to push themselves to great achievements.

IT'S ALL REALTIVE ISN'T IT?!?

This morning I froze my freakin hiney off on my morning run. When I got back to the house I looked at the temperature and found in to be 15 degrees! (although it was a little damp out) Now at home on the praries of Saskatchewan I would kill for 15 degrees on the 24th of November. 15 degrees would feel amazingly warm at home this time of year and it got me thinking, everything is relative.

When I started this jouney in endurance sports I began by preparing to hopefully complete a 12 km run. Now days my short run days are between 10 and 12 kms. Last week one morning ride was 150 kms. Two years ago 150 kms was a tank of gas and 2 L of oil! A half marathon just about killed me 1 1/2 years ago and now I do 20+ km runs at least twice a month...it's all relative

I teach a spinning class once a week at our local Gold's Gym. A regular in my class who was struggling to finish an endurance class told me after the class went so quick, it seemed like no time and it was over...it's all relative.

The beauty of this is that it seems to have carried over in to all aspects of my life. Problems that seemed huge before I began this journey, now seem minor. People who seemed to get the better of me in the past now are minor players in my life...it's all relative.

It's all relative!

I THINK WE'RE CONTAGIOUS!!
My wife and I have caught a small bug, and I think we are somewhat contagious...at least I hope we are and we are trying to infect as many people as we can with it.

It's not the flu as I haven't been sick in years. It's not a cold because I rarely get them and when I do I'm miserable and wouldn't wish it on my worst enemy. We have been infected by the triathlon bug and as we are discovering with a little work and without trying to quarantine it, it can be very contagious. Actually, to be a little less specific, the fitness bug in general.

Three years ago the Mrs. and Idecided we were going to do a 12 km run in Luxor through the Valley of the Kings. The event was part of the Egyptian Marathon. Before we left we managed to convince 5 others that it would be fun and something they should really do. Piggy backing off that race we were able to organize a crew of 9 to compete in an 8 km race at the Pyramids, and the following weekend took 13 people to a 5 km.

Mission accomplished for year one.

Last year I began by convincing a close friend that we should run a half and a full marathon together before the end of the year (the Mrs. was with child so was not able to run). Last year both Brian and I were able to do a half marathon together (his first) and our first marathon. In addition to that event we took a number of teachers to a sprint triathlon to compete as teams, we took 4 students to a duathlon, and 14 students and teachers to a 5k and 10k event put on by a neighboring school. Another successful year.

To date this year I was able to convince a friend to be my running partner. He recently completed a 20k run and I think I have him talked in to doing a sprint triathlon in the spring and an olympic in the summer. The Mrs. was able to put a team of 4 gals and 1 guy together to compete in the 100 KM Pharonic Race, and through her help and guidance all were able to complete their 20 k leg of the race and feel like they wanted to look at another event in the future.

Over the past three years we have also put on and organized our own 'Dreamland Dash'. A 2.5 k and 5k event catoring to students, staff, and parents from our school. The first year we had about 75 runners and walkers and last year we have over 140 participants. This year is shaping up to be an even larger event.

The beauty of passing this bug on to others is that it feels great! It is our charity work. Sometimes it feels like we are giving life itself to some people and in some respects, we may be. Evertime I complete an event I am proud of what I have just accomplished, but when someone completes an event that I have had a hand in getting them to, I feel an overwhelming amount of pride in their accomplishments!!

WOW! GOOD DAY

I didn't think much about it as it was happening, but looking back, yesterday was a good training day. I started out with a hard 11 km run that felt great. I had a breakthrough swim at lunch putting in 3000 m. In the evening I taught a spinning class and felt extra strong. The legs felt strong and I worked at about 80% of my max HR for about 45 minutes. Then to top things off I got off the spinning bike and jumped on the treadmill for a 15 minute, 3.5 km run as a little brick work.

It's amazing how some days you feel like you could go forever and some days you'd be happier getting hit by a truck.

Things got crazy at work today, so I didn't have a chance to swim, but I am covering a spinning class tonight and will probably hit the treadmill after again. Tomorrow I hope to get in a long run after my football tournament and maybe a swim for good measure.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO YOU!!

Another milestone in the short life of the Little Brawn (Anaka Rayne) as she is three months old today!

That's the good news, the bad news is she's up for a series of shots on Saturday. Might throw off her otherwise blissful existance thus far!

IT'S IN THE BOOKS!

3000 m in 56 min. Done! This was a big swim for my confidence and I didn't need to lock myself in and I didn't need to post one of our security guards outside the door!

It seems over the last year I have had no problem gutting out a long run or a 150 KM bike, but in the pool it just seems easier to get wet and pack it in. I know I've swum 3000 + meters in the past, but I haven't seriously trained any swimming distance for over a year so it has been hard to get my head around 120 lengths!

But that seems to be all over. At 1500m I was fighting it a little, but from 2000 on I felt comfortable and relaxed and except for some cramping issues in the last 500, I think I could have gone forever!

Next in my sights 5000 by Christmas!

BRASS TACKS!

O.k., so now it's down to the brass tacks. My Olympic race in Eilat is in two weeks and although I will start to taper with the run and bike next week, I really need to get serious about the swimming! I'm not too concerned about the swimming for this event, I know I can pull off 1500m without much trouble, but I really need to work on this. With Ironman or 1/2 ironman coming up in March, I have decide to hire a swimming coach for the next few months. Hatem is actually the coach of the Egyptian National Long Distance Swim team, so he should be able to help me out. He is already talking that he wants my weekly swim mileage at 20 km! That is a far cry from the 6 km per week that I am doing right now. We may need to negotiate on the 20 km, but I recognize that I definately need to crank up the volume in the pool. For the last two months I have just been playing in the pool, 1500m here 2000 there, not real motivated today so quit after 1000m. As of today, that's it. I'm doing 3000m even if I have to lock myself in and put a guard at the door!

As for Eilat on December 2nd. I am really looking forward to it. My wife is going along and doing the sprint (3 1/2 months after giving birth!) and I am doing the Olympic. My bike and run fitness is great. My bike speed is good. My rn speed is a little down as I have been working mostly base and not much speed work, but the damn swimming!

My goal for this race
SWIM - 27 MIN
BIKE - 1H 20 MIN
RUN - 50 MIN

Overall with transitions, I would like to be under 2H 40MIN. Will be nip and tuck, but it is do-able. Although I have done some sprint races and 1/2 Ironmans, this is my first Olympic distance race, so I am excited to get a time.

SUPERHERO QUIZ

Took Flatman's superhero quiz, and I am TA DA....

Indiana Jones


Which Action Hero Would You Be? v. 2.0
created with QuizFarm.com

IS THERE A CATEGORY FOR THIS?
Last night I felt like getting a run in, but was also in charge of the Little Brawn for the evening, so I decided to throw her in the baby stroller and get out of the house (after all that's what we bought it for!). I managed to get in an 18 km run with her sleeping through most of it. As she wasn't much company I started thinking about races and some of the different things that go on at races and categories, and I thought this would make a great category. 10 k or half marathon pushing a baby stroller. Even better, why not make it a mom and dad relay and instead of touching hands or passing a baton you just take over the stroller!
Pushing the baby stroller for 18 km was way harder than any marathon, but I felt like I was running with a sense of purpose. I had my three onth old daughter out getting some fresh air and although she will not remember this particular run, as she grows older and accompanies me and the Mrs. on more runs I hope this fosters an appreciation of the outdoors, the benefits of physical fitness, and a love for running.
I think it would be great at the next running event to see moms and dads out running with Jr. in the baby stroller to encourage them on!

STILL A LITTLE SURREAL!
Friday's ride with the Cairo Cycling Club was a 120 KM ride. Actually I rode 20 KM to the meeting place and then we rode 100 KM. While there is nothing significant about that it was an interesting ride and got me thinking about where I am and how lucky I am to be doing weekly rides like this.
We were joined this week by the newly appointed U.S. Ambassador to Egypt. While normally I don't get very excited about these kinds of things, what I found interesting was watching the look on his face while we were deciding where to ride. It went something like this:

Fred: 'Where to today guys?'
Brent: 'Why don't we do the Sakkara-Dashur ride!?'
Ambassador: "Where do I go in case I get lost?'
Brent: 'We will head out and cross over the Nile River on the Moneeb Bridge. From there you will be able to see the Giza Pyramids in the distance. Stay on that road until it ends at the Giza Pyramids. At the end of the road turn left where you will see the Step Pyramid at Sakkara. Ride along that road, keeping the Step Pyramid on your right until you see the Bent and Red Pyramids at Dashur. There is a little road side stop just past these pyramids where we will turn around.'
Ambassador: 'You guys are joking right?!? That sounds like a Discovery Channel Documentary!'

We regularily ride past the only remaining wonder of the ancient world. We ride past 3 of the most famous pyramid fields and the most studied pyramids in the world. We ride through rural villages where children run out of their houses that have no running water to wave to us and say hello. We ride by farmers working in their fields by hand. We ride by men hauling produce to town in donkey carts and people transporting palm fronds on camels.

These rides are amazingly enjoyable but often we just ride. On Friday's ride I also tried to take as much of it in as I could. It is still a little surreal that I am here doing this...especially when I think I came from a small community (150 ppl) on the prairies of Canada where it was wheat fields as far as the eye can see.

Friday the ride seemed a little more enjoyable than most days. On your next ride try and take in as much as you can...enjoy what's out there to experience and if you ever get the chance to travel to Egypt, bring you bike and get in touch with the Cairo Cycling Club. A great group of people that will take you on experience as much as a ride.

MISSING FRIENDS & PARTNERS
The past week the Mrs. and I have been talking alot about some good friends who left us a few months ago. Brian and Leila arrived in Cairo 2 1/2 years ago on the same flight as the Mrs. and I. Unfortunately, they were on the first flight out this June and off to bigger and better things in Japan. Over the two years we were together here, we became friends, family, and constant companions. In addition, Brian became my training partner. Anything of significance we did here, we did with Brian and Leila. We lived a floor apart, we ate together, we holidayed together and we experienced life's trial and tribulations together, and we became closer than friends and indeed, closer than family.

Brian and I began running together and planned to train and complete a marathon together. Last year in 9 months we ran just over 1000 miles together. Some days I would pull him along and be the motivation behind the run and somedays he would pull me along. We rarely skipped a run because there was always the feeling of letting the other person down. We learned lots form each other about running and each benefited from the relationship. Brian ran just for the joy in it and the benefits of it and that is what I was able to gain from him. I was a little more calculated and always concerned about our program and how far we needed to go and when our rest weeks were and I think that is where he benetited from me.

More than what we learned from each other about running we learned about life. Long hours on the road together left us lots of time to talk and some days we did lots of it. We talked about serious life issues, we talked about serious personal issues, we discussed our trials and tribulations, we talked about lighter matters, and some days we talked about nothing, but we were always there for each other and always prepared to listen.

Brian was an unlikely friend for me...he is a city kid, I come from the farm. He is an olny child, I have sisters and brothers. I come from a PE background, he from a journalism background. I was involved heavily in team sports, his involvement was more of an individual sport variety.
But despite our differences we did become friends and the differences allowed us to explore different parts of ourselves.

Although I have a new running partner who is a good friend and a great partner to train, I still very much miss my last partner and hope someday we can be in the same country and run together again.

HMMMM!!
So, some interesting developments in my event planning for 2006. My thought was to do Ironman Switzwerland on July 3rd on my way home to Canada. This would be my 'A' race and because of the timing would all but rule out any major events in Canada this summer. I got the go-ahead from the Mrs. and all seemed to be a go.
Now I just learned of an Ironman event in Eilat, Isreal on March 17th. They also have a 1/2 ironman that my wife would be interested in doing. For us this would mean we could travel together and both do the event. There would also be a few others from Cairo that would probably make the trip. This would also open up a couple other events for me. The Dead Sea Marathon in April and a 1/2 Ironman in Canada that I would really like to do.
The drawback for me is the timing. It happens very quickly and means that I would really have to step up the training over the next few months. I think if all goes well I could complete the distance and as this would be my first Ironman, that would be most important anyway. If I could get tis one under my belt then maybe I could look at a bigger one for the summer of 2007.
Lots to think about. I will maybe have to hammer this one out with the Mrs. this weekend.

As far as training goes, it has been a slower week as I have a bit of a sore throat. Swam only 500 m yesterday, but did 2000 the day before. Taught a spinning class last night and got in a solid hour on the bike. I didn't run this morning but I will make that up after school today. Tommorrow we (the cycling club) will do about a 100 KM ride. Saturday I have a swim coach coming in to spend some time with me. He is the coach of the Egyptian National Distance Team and was the African Swimmer of the year in the mid 90's, so he should be able to help me a little.

HOLIDAY AT THE BEACH!

This past 5 day break we travelled to Dahab and spent an excellent holiday at the beach. With a day at each end for travelling, we were left with 3 days of rest, relaxation, and possibly some training. I haven't always had the best track record when it comes to training on holidays plus I hate swimming in the Red Sea, and although I was hopeful that I could get some sessions in I wasn't going to hold my breath. My goal before I left was to get in as many open water swims as I could, with the Eilat triathlon coming up and it taking place in the Red Sea only a few hundred kilometers from Dahab and to get in one run. MISSION ACCOMPLISHED! I managed to get in 3 open water swims, 2 of 2000m and 1 - 3000m swim which turned out very well. My confidence grew with every swim and I felt more and more relaxed each time. I was also able to get in two runs. The first run of 11 km with the Mrs. was a great hill workout right at sunset with the Sinai mountains on one side and the Red Sea on the other. The second run was 18.5 km and was on a paved road heading towards the Blue Hole, a famous dive site. This run was a bit of a gut check as the wind going out was right in my face and VERY strong. The first half was a struggle, but coming back I felt strong and averaged 4'50" per Km over the last 9 Km.

The rest of the weekend was spent relaxing, bonding with the little Brawn and spending some quality time with the Mrs. In our lives of go...go...go, this holiday was a bit different, nothing planned and nothing that needed to get done, and to be honest with you, it was much needed and much enjoyed!

Here are some things I learned on holidays:
1. A holiday revolving around traing and nothing is a great holiday.
2. An 11 week old is pretty easy to haul around as long as you stick to her schedule and don't mix things up too much for her.
3. Everyone is relaxed in Dahab.
4. Swimming is just about the water that's around you, whether it's in the pool or in the Sea. Everything else is just 'window dressing'. It really doesn't effect you unless you let it.
5. A change is as good as a rest when it comes to scenery on the run. It can make an hour seem like minutes when you have something different to look at (especially when it's as beautiful as the Red Sea).
6. When your in Dahab if something isn't good, order something else; when plans go awry, flow with the new plans; when people aren't on time enjoy the wait...your on holidays!
7. A thick shake is a good post race recovery drink (if ever in Dahab, make sure you have one)
8. When holidaying with friends and co-workers, plan a couple things with them, but keep your holiday to yourself and your family.
9. In-laws are great to holiday with, just make sure they have some plans of their own as well.
10. The best part of any holiday is the quality time you get to spend with your family. I learn more everytime I'm away with them and am reminded why I love them so much!

MUCH NEEDED TIME AWAY!

Tomorrow morning the family is getting a much needed break from the craziness of Cairo. We are hading to Dahab, a small resort on the Sinai Peninsula. Dahab is a bit of a throw-back place. You can still rent rooms in a camp setting for $5-$10 per night and everything is a very laid back. We are upgrading this year and staying at the Novotel as the little Brawn is probably not ready with all that comes with $10 per night rooms.

Dahab has some great snorkelling and diving and I will try and get in a little of both. The in-laws are planning a day at Mt. Sinai and St. Katherine's Monestary as well.

I will need to do one long run which I am looking forward to as I have done some there and it is beautiful running along the Red Sea with Mountains on one side and the mountains of Jordan visible across the water. I will also need get in some swims while there which will come in handy as my next event is December 2nd in Eilat, Isreal and the swim will take place in the Red Sea.

I should be able to post some nice pictures next week.