"The marathon can humble you."

That's a quote from Bill Rodgers, the great American distance runner from the seventies. I saw it on a T-shirt in one of his running stores in Boston a couple of years ago. This is from a man that won the Boston Marathon and New York Marathon four times each between 1975 and 1979.
I'm sorry it's taken me so long to post a race report from the Dublin Marathon. To be honest, I was frustrated and disappointed with my result and didn't want to think about it too much. I finished in 4:17, which was over 30 minutes slower than my goal of 3:46.
With this post, I hope to close the chapter on the Dublin Marathon and work toward improving my time and setting a personal best. There was a quote from Herbert Hainer, the CEO of the adidas Group in one of our corporate newsletters. He says:
"Sport, which is our love and business, teaches us that greatness must be earned. World-class athletes will tell you that success is not achieved through easy victories, but rather through failure and frustration – only, of course, if you learn and change."
I had done the training and preparation including all the little things in the days leading up to the race. My 1:49 at the Scotiabank Toronto Waterfront Half-Marathon a month before the race gave me confidence going into Dublin.
The first half of the race I felt great and my split at the 13.1 mile halfway point was 1:53, which was within two minutes of where I wanted to be. Michelle had met me at mile 11 and I tested my blood sugar at that point. My reading was 8.0 mmol/L, which is high enough that I felt I wasn't risking a hypoglycemic (low blood sugar) reaction, but not so high that it would make me dehydrated and affect my performance. Michelle gave me a kiss and a bottle of Gatorade and six glucose tablets to take with me for the second half of the race.
If you take a look at my splits, you’ll see that I started to run out of gas around mile 15. Between miles 17 and 24 I was walking/jogging most of the time. My lungs were fine and I didn’t have any pain in my legs I just felt like I didn’t have any energy in me.

At the time, I didn’t know if I was low of if my blood sugar was high. It was about an hour since I tested at mile 11 and I had drunk about half a bottle of Gatorade (about 16 g of carbohydrates) plus about 30 g of carb’s from the glucose tablets. I couldn’t be sure because foolishly I hadn’t brought a blood glucose meter with me.
Looking back, I realize that I must have been low. I was incredibly hungry and just wanted to eat and eat and eat until I was sick. Other diabetics will understand this feeling--it’s common for me when I am experiencing a low blood sugar. Someone was handing out Hallowe’en-size Mars bars around mile 20 and I grabbed and ate as many of them as I could. Since the marathon, I’ve had experiences where my blood sugar has dropped dramatically during exercise. Recently, in less than half an hour on an exercise bike, my blood sugar dropped from 7.3 mmol/L to 2.9 mmol/L and I had to stop and take a PowerGel. I experienced the same feeling of running out of gas, which is what prompted me to check my blood sugar.
It was humbling being passed by so many people in the second half of the race but I was happy when I finished. I definitely learned a lot from my first marathon experience as a diabetic and I will use that experience in future training and races.

My next challenge will be the BMO Vancouver Marathon on May 6th. I have a comp entry thanks to the good people at adidas and I have enough air miles to cover my flight. I’m looking forward to catching up with my friends on the west coast.
In addition to my training for Vancouver, I’ve been taking spinning classes and Pilates. I’m hoping to buy a bike at the Toronto Bike Show in March and then try my hand at a few triathlons this summer.
I haven’t talked about it in this post but with your support, we raised about $7,500 for the Canadian Diabetes Association and I’m grateful to everyone that supported me.

Dublin Marathon Results

I have to apologize to everyone who's been checking the website hoping to see a race report. Michelle and I just got back from Europe yesterday and I haven't had an opportunity to post anything.
We had a great time, met some great people and I finished the race in 4:17:33. I promise to have a full race report posted some time soon.

One Week To Go

Only one more week until my marathon in Dublin, Ireland. I did my final long run yesterday, which was only eight miles. I'm on my taper now and until race day I won't run any distance longer than four miles so that my body has a chance to rest for the big day.
I would like to share a story that has inspired me and motivated me during my training. A few weeks ago, I attended a conference on Exercise and Sports Performance in Type 1 Diabetes, hosted by the TRIDEC Diabetes Education Centre. Dr. Michael Riddell and Dr. Bruce Perkins, who both have Type 1 Diabetes and are both active in various sports, gave excellent presentations. One of the athletes that Dr. Riddell mentioned in his presentation was Jay Hewitt. When I got home from the conference I checked out his webiste and learned his remarkable story.
Jay Hewitt is a Type 1 Diabetic who competes for the U.S. National Team for Long Course Triathlon. He's completed several Ironman distance triathlons with a personal best of 9 hours, 47 mintes. For those of you not familiar with the Ironman, it's a 2.4 mile open-water swim, followed by a 112 mile bike ride, followed by a full 26.2 mile marathon run. It is arguably the most gruelling one-day sporting event and its very nature makes it difficult for someone with diabetes to complete, let alone excel.
On his website, Jay has a video with clips taken from some of his races as well as from his motivational speeches. In his speech, Jay says some things that I believe but I haven't been able to articulate about overcoming a challenge, turning a negative into a positive and making it your motivation. Speaking about completing the Ironman as a diabetic he says, "It's an opportunity that others don't have because they haven't overcome what you've had to overcome."
On his website, Jay writes further, "To me diabetes is an opportunity, not an obstacle. An opportunity to discover how strong you are, to prove that you have the discipline and determination to achieve your goals no matter what the obstacles, and set an example for others."
The Ironman provides many inspirational and motivational stories like Jay's and I encourage you to check out his website at www.jayhewitt.com. Jay's story is remarkable but he's just like two million Canadians living with the day-to-day challenges of diabetes.
Jay ran his first marathon in 2000 in Kona, Hawaii with the American Diabetes Association's Team Diabetes in a time of 4:15:19.
I've been quietly considering trying the Ironman after the Dublin Marathon, perhaps as soon as 2008. I'm not a very strong swimmer and I don't own a bike but these are small obstacles that I can overcome.
Fundraising Update: I've had a few last minute donations and the total now stands at $7,265. Thank you for all of your donations! There's still time to make a donation before the race and you can do so by following these instructions.

Scotiabank Toronto Waterfront Half-Marathon Results

On Sunday I ran the Toronto Waterfront Half-Marathon. This was to make up for missing the Montreal Half-Marathon two weeks earlier. Going into the race I was a bit nervous because I had missed some training time while I was resting a sore left calf. I wanted to get in a good run and prove to myself that I could to run a better time than the 1:57 that I had in Ottawa this May.
The course is pretty flat but the wind was blowing in my face as I ran along Lakeshore on the way out. I told myself that that just meant it would be blowing at my back on my way home. I ended up finishing in 1:49:29 and didn't have any of the nutrition problems that I had in Ottawa. I was happy with the result and it gives me some confidence with just over a month till the Dublin Marathon.
Exactly one month from today, I'll be climbing aboard my first trans-atlantic flight and meeting close to 200 Canadians running for the same cause as I am. I'm very excited about this, about representing Canada, representing diabetics all over the world and about enjoying a pint of Guinness after the race. Thank you for all of the support that you've given me over the past year whether through words of encouragement or through your donations. You've helped take this from an idea I had been thinking about in the back of my mind for years to something that's actually going to happen.
Fundraising Update: Donations continue to roll in and the total now stands at $7,140. Thank you so much for all of your donations! There's still time to make a donation and you can do so by following these instructions.

$7,040! Thank you!

I'd like to thank everyone who came to our Benefit Concert and Silent Auction on Friday. The event was a huge success, bringing the total dollars raised for the Canadian Diabetes Association to over $7,000. Thank you for all of your support!
I have now met my fundraising commitments and can focus on my training and preparation for the race. However, if you'd still like to make a donation, instructions on how to do so are available here.
I'd like to thank Cheap Suits for "bringing the rock" and special thanks go out to Aaron Bilyea at Molson Canada for his help in securing the venue and organizing the event.
I can't forget the silent auction donors, whose donations helped us raise money for the cause--Molson Canada, Reebok Canada, adidas Canada, NFL Canada, Toronto Raptors, Dublin Marathon, The Hockey Company and Umbro Canada. Thank you for your generosity.
Some of you may be wondering how I did at the Montreal Half-Marathon. Unfortunately, due to a family commitment, I had to rush back to Toronto on Sunday morning and couldn't run the half. I will be running the Scotiabank Toronto Waterfront Half-Marathon instead on Sunday September 24th. Look for me in my Team Diabetes singlet.

Benefit Concert Reminder

This is just a quick reminder for everyone living in Toronto that I'll be hosting a Benefit Concert and Silent Auction tonight at B-Side at Fez Batik featuring Cheap Suits. Cover is $10 with all proceeds supporting the Canadian Diabetes Association. More details are available by clicking here.

The entrance to B-Side is located on Richmond Street, just east of the Fez Batik patio. I hope to see everyone there tonight.

Fundraising Update - $5,805 to date, $395 to go

I'd like to send a huge thank you out to all of you that have made donations. It's been truly inspiring to see people contributing to this cause that means so much to me. The total dollars raised now stands at $5,805. With only $395 left to go, I'm confident that we'll make it to my goal of $6,200. With the concert at Fez Batik, I'm sure we'll be well over that goal.
As a special thank you, I will send out a free Rbk Team Diabetes Baseball Cap to the next five donors that make a donation online. If you have been considering making a donation or have been putting it off, now is the time to do it.
Instructions on how to make a donation are available by clicking here.

Silent Auction and Benefit Concert Announced

I'm pleased to announce the details of a Silent Auction and Benefit Concert to raise funds for Team Diabetes Canada and the Canadian Diabetes Association.
This unforgettable night will take place Friday September 15th at B-Side, on the second floor of Fez Batik in Toronto. Fez Batik is located at 129 Peter Street, at the corner of Peter and Richmond Street West.
Special guests, The Cheap Suits will be performing their catchy blend of pop, punk, ska and soul including hits off their latest CD, "One Giant Leap." The evening will also include a silent auction featuring autographed sports memorabilia, gift certificates and other one-of-a-kind items.
All proceeds from the night will go the Canadian Diabetes Association and will help the CDA in their mission to promote the health of Canadians through diabetes research, education, service and advocacy.
Doors will open at 8:00 and the cover is $10, which will also enter you in a raffle for fantastic door prizes.
If you'd like more information or you'd like to provide an item for the silent auction, please email me at jprunsdublin@hotmail.com.
Thanks and I'm looking forward to seeing everyone on the 15th.