My first race of the season

Two weeks today and I'll be running my first race of the season, a half marathon in Fredericton. My training has been hit and miss, so I need this race to re-motivate. My goal is to be around 1:55. The numbers are looking good for the event and son Sean is doing the full. Another running buddy is doing the half, so it should be a good day.

I was in Windsor NS this past weekend for a wedding and also to a do little research of my family roots around the Minas Basin. Its always good to catch up with family past and present, but the real plus is all the other people to meet along the way. As soon as conversation begins, one soon realizes that we're all pretty closely connected. Yesterday morning I met a guy at breakfast who ran the 2009 Boston I did and is going to Fredericton this year as well.

Where does time go?

April seems to be a month when time flies by. Here it is almost two weeks since my last post, so I need to update. The beginner running group I'm leading has grown to 11, so that is working out well. It's always interesting to see how new runners approach the sport and always there's something to learn from the new perspectives.

Over the past two weeks I've been on a mission to appeal my property taxes and have gotten a real insight into the complexity of the political process between provincial and municipal jurisdictions. Both sides have lots of work to do to become more accountable to taxpayers. The only reponse I've been able to get is that one blames the other and that taxpayers have no recourse when it comes to challenging these cohorts of sorts.

On the marathon side of things it was good to see so many locals do well in Boston. Boston kicks the running season off and so we'll soon see many more of the locals plying their trade in the numerous events around the Maritimes. In the Saint John area, we've finally heard that Marathon By The Sea has a new terrain for their marathon. They've moved to the hills of Lily Lake. Using the Lily Lake center makes some sense for festivities but the parking will be a challenge. No word on the marathon course but speculation is that it'll be a double loop of some kind. I still have hope that some day the KV course from Hampton to Saint John will be part of this event.

Back to Basics

Now that my vacation is over, it's time to get back to a schedule of sorts and what better way to do it than by going back to basics. So, starting on Monday I'll be leading a 10 week running program for beginners. They say that one of the best ways to perk up your running is to run with a group that's running slower and then also with a group that's running faster for a good mix.
The beginner program is a mix of walking and running with a goal of running a 5k at the end. Part of the program is also focused on good running technique to ensure a good experience.
Anyone interested can email johnkell@nb.sympatico.ca for details.

Back home after holiday break

Well here I am back home after a shortened spring vacation in Florida. It was shortened unfortunately because son Christian developed a brain clot and had to be hospitalized. I've waited to say because I can now report he is on the road to recovery with no apparent damage at this stage.
It really shows how fragile life is and that we should be thankful for what we have and use it to the best we can, everyday.
I'll leave that thought for mulling and resume my writing in a day or two.

Looking north to New Brunswick

Every time I think about what I want to do on my vacation, I look north and wonder what's going on there. But, I know that regardless of the weather at home I can always find an activity to do. Down here in the sunny south, I'm looking for some warm weather activities because my running's not going all that well. I was out the other day and I looked up and saw 4 vultures circling overhead, so I guess I need to find some other things to do.
Today I was down on the beach and there was quite a lot going on with surfing and some kayaking plus lots of scenery. So, I'm cutting my message short and making plans to venture onto the water tomorrow in some capacity or other if I can find an outfitter. I've checked out 2 on the web, but they're both out of business. I'll have to check further up the coast. I wish I had my kayak with me. The vacationers lament, eh?

Running in warm weather

Here I am down south and enjoying some warm weather. I've been doing a fair bit of biking which is quite relaxing on the flat terrain of Florida. However, when it comes to my running, that's another story. I find that when I get into warm weather running, it quickly shows my level of conditioning. I'm probably carrying an extra 10 pounds at this time, so that's a factor. Coupled with that is the extra one eats during vacation.
So, my message today is a notation on the balance of diet in one's active life. Obviously I'm not dealing well with this on vacation, but now I know it's time to start and cut back and take off that 10 pounds for the upcoming running season. One of my problems is that I eat too many carbs, so step one is to go to the Canada Food guide and plan a balanced diet. Then the other part is to cut the portions.
Wish me luck and stay tuned for updates on my progress.

Time for vacation

Well here I am ready for a little vacation down south, but I feel a little sad leaving this great weather behind. To usher in spring a group of us kayakers did a loop around the Irving Nature Park on Friday and then another group crossed the Kennebecasis to Minister's Face for one of the earliest spring crossings ever on Saturday the 20th of March.
My running has taken a bit of a back seat to other activities, but I'm looking to gear up with some warm weather running in Florida. I still have a goal of the Fredericton half marathon in May and a yet undecided run at the Grand Bay Canada Day event.
To further motivate, I'm offering to lead a group of new runners in a beginners progam* that starts April 12th. Then on June 6th there's the Bikaru to kick off preparations for the KVC Marathon. Check out the Bikaru details at www.kvcmarathon.com

*As I did last year in the aftermath of the Core Program, I`m offering a beginning running program this spring. It begins April 12th and has as a goal to do the Grand Bay 5k on Canada Day.

The program has a pace that`s geared for anyone. We typically run it out of Longwood Park because its a central and a safe area to do a group activity.

Let me know if you want more detail or if you or anyone you know would be interested.
There`s no charge.