The Resurrection of St. Blaise

In my June 27th post, I mentioned that my good friend Blaise volunteered to be my hiking buddy and on our first outing he tripped and broke two ribs.  Well, being the good soul that he is, Blaise is back for more abuse. This past weekend, Blaise and I did a 20+ Kms hike on the Niagara Escarpment, from Rattlesnake Point to Crawford Lake and back again.  I am pleased to report that no one broke a thing.  There weren't even minor scrapes or bruises.  Whew!!!  And I guess the training is paying off, because it was really no big deal at all.  I could have kept going. 

Did I Mention Sheila McCarthy Is My Training Buddy?

I sure hope not, because that would be a lie.  Sheila McCarthy has no clue who I am.  That's not entirely true. If you showed Sheila McCarthy a picture of me, I am pretty sure she could tell you that we work out in the same gym, usually at the same time.  Occassionally, we even get in a "Hi, how are you?" at the start of our respective workouts.  More often than not, she ends up on the eliptical or treadmill beside me, which means I benefit from a tougher regime.  I am constantly checking out her speed on the digital screen, so I can try to keep up. The woman is fast as hell and she can run forever. 

 

Thanks for unwittingly helping a guy out Sheila.  Maybe one day we will run into each other when we aren't huffing, puffing and sweating.  If we do, I'll tell you the story and thank you in person.

You know what?  Next time I am going to just lie and say Sheila McCarthy is my training buddy.  lol.

25 Days and Counting

The prize is almost in sight!  25 days until we leave and only about a week and half of training left. Sorry to be scarce over the last month.  There were vacations, travel, my wife Agi getting a nasty cut on her forehead as well as a concussion, and the whole basement getting flooded with sewage thing.

Through it all I have kept training.  I'm going to hit the gym as soon as I finish this post.  Since it was a hot summer, and I was in the Carribean for part of August, I have been training mostly indoors.  One thing I now know is that training indoors is much easier than training outdoors.  I can do 7 or 8 kilometres on a treadmill or eliptical and feel like I am just getting warmed up.  A 5 kilometre run through Toronto's ravines still kicks the crap out of me.

It was quite unexpected, but I found scuba diving in the Carribean to be a helpful addition to the training regime.  It really made me focus on my breathing and heart rate, in a way I hadn't before.  On my first dive, I sucked through my tank of air in less than 40 minutes.  I actually borrowed my diving buddy's octopus (reserve regulator), so I wouldn't cut everyone else's dive short.  By the end of my 8th dive, a tank was lasting me about an hour.  Now when I am running or hiking, I try to get into an almost meditative state where I am relaxed, breathing slow and steady, and keeping my heart rate down. I'm hoping that I can translate that experience to something useful at high altitudes, so I am making the best use of less oxygen.

What else is new?  Last week, fellow climber Kerry Freek and I visited the Stormtech showroom in Markham, Ontario.  We picked out some pretty high-tech gear (i.e. appropriate clothing) and we are getting it embroidered with the Kilimanjaro Climb For Life logo.  So Kerry and I should look pretty swank for photo opps, but more importantly, it will be a nice reminder of the trek for years to come.

In terms of fundraising, I am delighted to announce that I am up over $15,000.  For those of you keeping track, that is triple the amount of my original goal.  And there are still a few outstanding pledges to come in.  I am so grateful for the tremendous support everyone has shown.  Over 600 people in East Africa will now have access to clean water and basic sanitation FOR LIFE as a result of the generosity of my family, friends and colleagues. It seems so simple, but providing those basics means better health, more education and well-being for a community. Thank you so much everyone. 

Going forward, I am going to try and do shorter blog posts from my Blackberry.  I need to practice, so I can keep you all posted on what transpires in Tanzania.

Ciao for now.

Greeting the Future With a Smile

I really don't have that much to say.  This is my favourite picture from the WaterCan website.  It pretty much sums things up.

Not That Kind of Irregularity

The one or two loyal readers of this blog likely already understand the difficulties of trying to keep to a regular workout schedule. It isn't easy to find a couple of hours every day just for exercise. I think I have mentioned before that one of my early mistakes was to completely miss out on exercise if I couldn't find a two hour window in my day.  Then one day turns into to two days etc.  You know where that leads.  Thanks to my daughter Alexandra, fondly known as Chico, I no longer do that.  Chico turned me on to the 8 Minute workouts on Youtube.  Even if I can't make it to the gym, I can usually find time for a run.  Then I just do an 8 Minute workout whenever I can find 8 minutes in my day.  I actually do the 8 Minute Stretch everyday before and after my run.  And when I can't make it to the gym, I fill in with 8 minute Abs, 8 Minute Legs and 8 Minute Arms.  They are fantastic! And there are several other workouts, including 8 Minute Buns, that I haven't tried yet.  So if you are finding yourself facing the same kind of regularity challenges I have, you might want to visit YouTube.com.  And if you don't have access to Youtube, just ask your kid.  Thanks Chico!  I hope you have fabulous time in Cozumel.    

For Your Reading Enjoyment

I just thought I would point out that fellow climber Brittnay Moorcraft also has a blog, far superior to mine, on Tumblr.  You might want take a peak at her training and thoughts about the climb as well.  So click here: http://kiliclimbforlife.tumblr.com/.

Also, there is a great article on WaterCan's Kilimanjaro Climb for Life in the current issue of GreenLiving Online.  They even  mention yours truly, which I think is pretty cool.  http://greenlivingonline.com/article/climb-conquer-water-crisis.

I hope you enjoy the readings!

So Is This A Bucket List Thing?

When people find out I am going to climb Kilimanjaro they invariably ask me why. Most seem to think it is has something to do with me going through a mid life crisis.  Others wonder if it has been a life long dream that I am fulfilling. The truth is I had never even thought about climbing Kilimanjaro, not even notionally. 

What I had been thinking about is getting back into international work.  My daughter has turned 16 and doesn't need her parents around as much.  And after years of working on Canadian water issues, I thought it might be a good time to refocus on work in Africa and Latin America, where clean water issues seem so much more pressing than they do here. So I had started exploring those opportunities.

Just by chance, my friend and fellow climber, Kerry Freek, who is the Editor of Water Canada magazine, announced that she would be climbing Kilimanjaro and was holding a fundraiser in support of WaterCan.  So I went to the fundraiser simply to support Kerry and send some cash WaterCan's way (The picture above is of me with my pals, and fellow water advocates, Gerald Kennedy and Anthony Watanabe from Kerry's Blue Bash fundraiser).

Well, later in the evening, probably after I had had one or two pints more than I should, and my judgement was impaired, Kerry introduced me to George Yap, WaterCan's Executive Director.  During our chat, I muttered something along the lines of "What an amazing opportunity to support a great cause. I wish I would get invited to particpate in such things."

I guess I got invited, because the next thing I know, I am waking up my wife Agi at about 1 a.m. saying "I'm going to climb Mt. Kilimanjaro in October!" to which she replied "No you are not.  Now go to bed."  Lol. 

When we woke up, I explained things, she understood that I was serious and by 10 a.m. I had officially become one of WaterCan's Kilimanjaro climbers.

I am sure the climb will be terribly exciting and demanding, but what I am most looking forward to is spending a week visiting communities in Tanzania to see, first hand, the clean water challenges people face and how WaterCan's efforts are changing lives and bringing hope.

You might not be aware that the climbers are all paying their own way.  So every cent donated goes toward supporting WaterCan's work.  Just $25 will provide a person in Africa with access to clean water and basic sanitation FOR LIFE.  Most of my friends spend at least double that on a single night's bar tab. 

So please open your hearts and wallets and support WaterCan by clicking here. http://give.watercan.com/site/TR/Events/General?px=1008425&pg=personal&fr_id=1040. My personal goal is to raise a minimum of $10,000 and bring clean water to over 400 people. 

So there you have it.  There's my motivation.  And when I get back I will have some new stories to tell.  I think my friends are getting a little tired of me retelling the old ones ... even though they get better and better every time I tell them. :)