Running in the Caribbean....

Runner's Knee? Psssttt...it could be your shoes..

Sun, 25 Mar 2012 00:00:05 -0400

I grew up in the home of a shoe magnate. My father was Vice President of Canada’s largest footwear retail chain, Agnew Shoes, now defunct but in its hey day, had over 500 stores nation-wide. Every year I had new snowboots when other kids had to make theirs last from the year before if they still fit. I had new shoes to start off the school year in September, and I had nice shoes for special occasions too. In the gold ‘ol days when clothing wasn’t made in China and couldn’t be purchased for a quid for a tshirt like at Primart in the UK, that was flash! Always leather because my father taught me about the importance of quality. I have never worn a polyurethane pair in my life, I am a shoe snob. Not a brand name snob, just a purveyor of fine leather. So I know all about shoes, how they’re made, I even have almost 75 pairs in my closet, mostly sandal types because that’s what I where every day in the Caribbean.

My running shoes though were really special. Being a fledgling running star, I got a new pair every year at the spring sidewalk sale from Dave’s Sports Shop downtown Brockville in Ontario. I don’t remember the brand name, oddly enough, but they too were flash and expensive but always on sale. In 1981, expensive running shoes cost about $20 I think. Things don’t change much though as an adult, I always buy Asics on sale, never the latest model but always the model being retired. They cost more than $20, sadly. Long distance runners know that shoes will look nearly brand new and pristine by the time that you can bend the toe back so far that it can touch the laces, signalling that the midsole has died a few miles back, only a few months from when they were first pulled out of the box & tissue.

Whilst training for an offroad marathon distance run lately, my lower joints started to ache all over. I rarely get injured and if I do, it doesn’t last for long. This time my knees, my ankles, even the bottom of my right foot were sore. My left LCL became pulled, my ACL started to be inflamed, my right knee started to follow, I was a mess. I didn’t remember jarring it on a run, I hadn’t had any sudden twists that I could remember. I trotted off quickly to the doc, who gave me a prescription for oral steroid tablets after not being able to figure out which ligament was problematic. He said that the problem was THE KNEE. Well I knew that, and I knew which ligament it was too with just a bit of training through my Sports Medicine course. “F minus” my daughter would say! The diminishing of the pain within a few days was inversely related to the increase in my body weight, not only did the steroids cause massive water retention but stomach distention as well. Joy of joys I looked pregnant.

So I trotted off next to the Sports Med doc, who confirmed the stretched LCL and gave me a protocol for heat/cold/heat/Biofreeze 3x that had me smelling like a Camphor addict. Plus some expensive ultrasound therapy for breaking down scar tissue with the promise of a cortisteroid shot in the ligament at the end, like a treat or a bonus for following the protocol. Eeks!

I’d been running on it gingerly, at a slow enough pace so that the Runner’s Knee didn’t flare up and hurt like a banshee during a run. Then one morning at 3am, seated on the toilet seat in the dark whilst thinking of how I would get through a 16 miler run, the epiphany came——THE SHOES HADN’T BEEN CHANGED SINCE LAST SUMMER’S ULTRAMARATHON! When did I develop runner’s amnesia? I have a running journal, I should have realised that I needed a new pair ages and ages ago. Miles and miles back, I should have bent back that toe and realised that the midsoles were shot. When I could put the running shoes on & off without bothering to unlace them, it should have been an obvious sign that they were too loose all over. When the Jeep mechanic berated me the other day for not practicing proper preventative car care, I berated him for running long distances in, gasp, cross trainers from the 90s (akin to running with a really thick hardbound book on each foot, if you remember the shoes with the great big white wedges in odd places like the outside midsole). Was I really that much better than Stuart? After all, I was running with a pair of brand new looking, but clearly dysfunctional shoes. Like a badly Botoxed elderly lady they were beautiful to look at but broken up on the inside! They were killing my lower body at a rate.

Putting on a brand new pair of Asics that morning, they felt like manna from heaven. Comfortable but rigid, those new Nimbus felt like clouds on my two feet. The long slow run (LSR) was great albeit at a slower pace than I would have liked, the ligaments are back feeling not too inflamed now, I’m not heading into early debilitating knee arthritis complete with hugely ugly knees like my mother (not yet). It simply was a case of “Recession-itis Cheapish Maketh Your Shoeseth Lastest Too Longeth”. Some things you can’t cut corners on, when you are a long distance runner the shoes are the most important thing. Not the running skirt, not the latest Pod contraption that will count your steps and match your mood to your music, etc. So all that money wasted on the doc’s visits, the steroids, the time missed from running etc, when the answer to my Runner’s Knee was only a brand new pair of Asics away….

Interview with Michael Wardian-THE Ultra Man!

Sun, 11 Mar 2012 00:00:06 -0500

Back in January, just a few months ago, the trails for the US Olympic Marathon team were held on a Saturday in Houston. Exhilarating to watch, both the men’s & women’s races were run in record speeds. Even more amazing to watch was one runner, who ran a 2.21 in the men’s trial on Saturday and then ran the Houston Marathon the next day with a time of 2.31. He had also just run a marathon the week before the Olympic trails. That runner was Michael Wardian: ultra runner, family man and all around good guy. Crazy to have run a marathon the week before the marathon trials? To most people, yes! But this is no ordinary human.

There are some runners that just blow you away with their speed, others that blow you away with their sheer doggedness, and the odd, rare runner that encompasses all of the finest elements of running, one like Michael Wardian. Most elite runners will race one to two times a year, elites such as Ryan Hall or Paula Radcliffe, but Michael Wardian is in a league of his own. With a marathon PR of 2.17, he has commented that despite being aware that he could easily shave quite a few precious minutes from his PR if he focused on only one or two races a year, his genuine love of running would prevent him from being so selfish, as he is keenly aware of his role as a motivator to the average Joe. Michael works full-time, has a family and does the majority of his miles on a treadmill, quite the opposite regime that most elites have, yet he is a sponsored athlete that can outrun, outlast and outshine most ‘elites’ as he is good at everything: middle distance, marathon distance and ultra distance.

A quick check on his upcoming running schedule for the rest of 2012 reveals that he has two marathons and an ultra booked for March, Two Oceans 56km and a 100km planned for April, and Comrades booked for the beginning of June. Plus the multiple marathons that he’s already run since January, and everything else that he’ll run before the end of the year. I somehow don’t think that he’s following any 16 week Runner’s World programme before each race! Here are a few of Michael’s running highlights; 2nd Place 100K Worlds 2011 (PR-6:42:49), Men’s Marathon United States Olympic Trials-2004, 2008, 2012 (PR-2:17:49), USATF 50 Mile (Road)-National Champion-2011 (PR-5:33:46), USATF 50K (Road)-National Champion-2008, 2009, 2010, 2011, 11th place Comrades Marathon (5:52:51 PR-89K-1st USA)

As a Facebook Friend of many famous runners I have the pleasure of following some truly inspirational people, and Michael is one whose posts are well read by his loyal army of fans. I had the opportunity to ask Michael some burning questions right after his Houston double marathon weekend.

Danielle: Why did you decide to only start competing after college? Did you run as a teenager at all?
MRW: I decided to start competing after college to qualify for the Boston Marathon and I knew that I had to ran a sub 3:10 marathon to qualify so I trained and was able to run 3:06 at the Marine Corps Marathon. I played lacrosse as a teenager and didn’t run for fun only to score goals. (Danielle thinks-all of us have the winning ability way deep inside!)

Danielle: What’s your longest mileage accomplished in a single race? Which one and when?
MRW: The longest I have run in a single race is 135 miles at the Badwater Ultramarathon in Death Valley, CA in July 2011. (Danielle’s note-if you want to know more about this race, read Bart Yasso’s book about the baking banana bread on the roadside. This has to be the hardest race in the world).

Danielle: At what age do you think that you’ll be “too old” to run in races?
MRW: I don’t ever think I will be too “old” to race, I hope to be running races in my 100rds. (Danielle thinks-just the inspiration we all need).

Danielle: Do you listen to music whilst running?
MRW: I sometimes run with music but I don’t race with music most of the time because I can’t due to the rules. (Danielle’s note-this rule doesn’t apply to the middle of the packs).

Danielle: Do you run with a group?
MRW: I run with a group sometimes but my training is mostly done alone due to my work schedule and because of our young family (5 year old-Pierce & 3 year old-Grant).
(Danielle-I should have asked him if he is the ‘annoying talker’ in his group, ahem)

Danielle: How can you juggle a family, a real job and running so much and accomplish such a fabulous PR and other winnings?
MRW: I have an amazing wife, Jennifer and she really supports me and allows the time to train and then my co-workers are very active in making sure I am training and allowing me the ability to compete. I also have great sponsors in The North Face, MarathonGuide.com, PowerBar among others.

Danielle: Do you have any words of wisdom for other 30+ runners?
MRW: I don’t consider myself old and I think that has a lot to do with how I run and train. I just go out and mix it up and work hard in my training so I am ready to battle anyone at any age.
(Danielle: so he didn’t tell us about the magic elixir after all).

Danielle: Did you taper before the men’s Olympic trails in Houston-if so, what do you consider a taper???
MRW: I did taper before the Olympic Trails and that was because I was a little sick and had a bit of an issue with my foot but I was still running a lot of miles, just not getting the speed in that I needed. (Danielle’s note: most people’s idea of a taper and his are polar opposites, clearly he is a super human).

Danielle: How did it feel to run the Houston Marathon the day after the marathon trails on the Saturday?
MRW: I was actually in a lot of pain for the Houston Marathon the day after the trials and was not sure I was going to run as I couldn’t put any weight on my foot even walking to the start but I did a warm up and then decided I would just run until it hurt more and it never did. (Danielle’s note: I’m in awe over this comment, my mouth drops when I read it each time).

Danielle: Do you log many miles on your treadmill? I think that I read somewhere that you run indoors alot while the kids are watching tv, then you do your work and then run some more on the treadmill…
MRW: I run a lot of miles on my treadmill and I love it as I can watch the boys and spend time with the family.

Danielle: Have you ever considered going pro and giving up the day job?
MRW: I have considered going pro but I love my job as an International Ship Broker too much to give it up.

Michael Wardian is a super human runner amongst us all: vegetarian, long haired and baseball capped, family guy and prodigious runner of a vast amount of mere marathons and great big long ultra marathon distances. One of my favourite runners because he breaks every convention and defies every law known to running, he is truly one of the sport’s most talented and remarkable runners. I can’t wait until he finds the time to write a book!

The Great Train 40km Run...running Barbados' historic train route

Sun, 26 Feb 2012 13:58:36 -0500

Our island is not short of interesting places to run in, for a place that is only 166 square miles large. Last Sunday, I had the pleasure of accompanying a dozen or more runners in the 3rd annual Great Train 40km Run, led by train enthusiast and fellow Ufukuzo runner, Ralf Luther. If there was ever a man who loved trains, it is Ralf. Combine that with his love of running, and you have the perfect combination for a run director for this hugely scenic run. The Great Train Walk was started by the late Colin Hudson years ago, and in 2010 Ralf decided to run the route himself as the sole runner to complete the distance running but with help along the way from his running colleagues who took turns keeping him company. In 2011, three completed the entire run and in 2012, over fifteen runners, four cyclists and three separate crews took part in some or all of the event.

Whilst not a true race in the sense of medals and time placements (although we had nifty souvenir hats at the end), this 40km run was nonetheless very challenging physically, as the preparation needed to run mostly offroad through sugar cane fields and uneven terrain was lengthy and tough. As my friend Andre Procope (10+ marathons) warned me, it was the hardest “marathon” he’d ever done, so I felt suitably warned from the beginning. As the weeks of training through wet tractor tracks in sugar fields started to take their toll on my knees and ankles, I wished that I had started running offroad a year ago to prepare. Road running just doesn’t compare, and anyone who tells you differently hasn’t done this run! Our very hard coral based ground gives all runners a harder time than the soft asphalt surfaces of overseas; couple our coral ground surfaces with the uneven terrain of sugar cane fields, rugged coastal terrain, beach rocks & sand and the chalky hills of St. Andrew, and you have the perfect Caribbean offroad race.

So where is the train service now? Barbados used to have a train, funnily enough for a small island, but in the olden days when smooth highways didn’t exist here and driving from one coast to another took three times as long as it takes now, taking the train was the fastest method of transport between Bridgetown and the East Coast. So the inhabitants of those parishes had the cosmopolitan experience of riding a train to & from town, although considering that The Tube had already begun in 1863, riding this outdoor train was probably very country bumpkinish even then! The train service was stopped around 1937, as by then automobiles became common on the island and the service was costly to maintain. With the advent of WWII in Europe in 1939, the market for metal became insatiable and it was considered patriotic to sell metal to the government in Britain for the war effort, and Barbados shipped much of the metal used in the train service back to Britain during this time. Evidence of the tracks still exist in the topography along the 40km route itself, as well as the odd portion of metal track here and there. Along the east coast around Bath, one can still see the old wooden beams sticking up out of the sand quite dangerously.

We started The Great Train Run in Bridgetown in the dark at 4am, ran through some scenic back roads until we happened upon a live party in Carrington Village consisting of at least 200 revelers who turned into our biggest fans as we ran through, cheering us on, and then after the first four miles we entered into sugar cane ground, where we ran in the dark through eight foot tall sugar cane stalks. We ran past two sugar factories and petroleum pumping steel donkies before we emerged out of the sugar cane fields to tackle the rugged east coast terrain, first lulling you with its grassy fields that shortly thereafter gave way to some precarious cliff edge running trails. Along the east coast the train route has been largely washed away by beach & cliff erosion, and the final stretch of three miles from Cattlewash to Belleplain, the final stop in the train route, is run on what is now the East Coast Highway. Ordinarily this part of the run is dreadfully hot but this year, the sky was overcast and gave some reprieve to the tired runners. Two runners from Trinidad had flown in to run this race, and in addition to the Bajan contingent there were also some US Embassy runners, a Brazilian, a German, an Ecuadorian and a Canadian. A truly fantastic run showcasing the best of Barbados’ untouched & undeveloped east coast scenery. A “must do” run for long distance adventure runners & racers alike!

The next Great Train 40km Run will be held on Sunday, Feb.17th, 2013. For more information please contact Ralf Luther at ralf@ufukuzo.com

Cruise To Run, the ultimate runner's holiday.....

Sat, 04 Feb 2012 13:14:56 -0500

Every end of January, the happiest 5km takes place in Barbados. At 7.30am, a cruise ship pulls up at the deep water harbour and 350 or so runners on a cruising holiday disembark to run a 5km race under a searingly hot sun set high in a sky without a single cloud. Every year you could fry an egg on the sidewalk, it’s so hot by the time that the race starts. I guess that no one has ever told these courageous (that’s being kind) runners that we in the Caribbean would never dream of running at that time of the morning, that’s for tourists! So these 350 really happy souls gear up at the start line, some very experienced like the couple in their 80s who run marathons and who do this cruise every year, and some not, like Howie the 400lb cruiser who ran his first 5km ever in Barbados, having been dragged onto the cruise by his wife and watching the other runners all week have the time of their lives.

In amongst these 350 cruising runners are we, the Barbados contingent, made up of five of us from our Ufukuzo Marathon Club and 20 odd kids (in number, not personality) from some of the local secondary schools. The kids are excited because the cruisers have brought them running shoes, a big pile of donated shoes that they can pick through after the race and take for free. The cruising runners in fact donate something in every country, so there is giving back from our running community at each stop. That’s brilliant.

This year was markedly different from the others in that the founder of Cruise To Run, Jerry Friesen, who recently passed away at the beginning of November, was not the familiar face & voice behind the mike. Whilst I expected a touch of sorrow at this year’s race the reality was really shiny, happy runners and the effervescent royal running couple, Laura & Bart Yasso, making everyone feel amazing about their running skills. This year Bart was joined by Nike sponsored Ironman (woman?) and amazingly vivacious Sarah Reinertsen as guest speakers on the cruise, shame that we “on the ground” don’t get to hear their motivational speeches but I guess that’s what the cruisers pay the big bucks for.

Jody, Jerry’s wife & partner in Cruise To Run, pulled off a great holiday cruise that I’m sure Jerry would have been proud of. A quick check reveals that a 2013 Caribbean Cruise To Run has been announced on their official website, much to my happiness. Cruise To Run-a novel idea that really captures the heart of what we runners already know, that there’s no such thing as a holiday WITHOUT running! Now if we can convince Jody to do a Cruise To Run 42km, a marathon in every island……

The older I get, the faster I was....

Sun, 15 Jan 2012 00:00:06 -0500

I remember seeing this on a tshirt once at a marathon expo, and its meaning has stuck with me ever since. I’ve always run. From the time that I was young, I never walked anywhere. I ran up and down the stairs at home, never being able to slow down and driving my parents crazy with the noise and the speed. Funny, my own two children don’t seem to have that same tendency and it’s a real battle to get them to do any exercise. But when I was young, I felt the need to move my feet constantly. I still do, but relegate it to several times a week to burn off some of the stress and to feel alive. It’s not a chore to have to exercise, I don’t understand it when people ask how I can get up in the early morning to run, rolling their eyes when my own mist over with the telling of another tale of a good run….

When I was young, I had so much potential as a runner. I was a great combination of Type 1 and Type 2 fibres, I could go really really fast but I could also run long, making me both a track & field star and a long distance champion. I could even long jump. The only thing that I sucked at were discus and shot put, usually the domain of the chubby kids, anyways, as they weren’t too interested in much else. My childhood friend Stephanie visited me in Barbados a couple of years ago and claims that we ran a mile under 6 mts, consistently. I didn’t believe her. Was I that fast? I must have been, she’s not known to lie. I couldn’t do that now even if my house was on fire!

After winning top Junior girl for the Brockville area in 1982, I was invited to take part in a provincial track & field meet in Ottawa, the nation’s capital. I went there hoping for great things, but I came out defeated and I decided to hang up my competitive running shoes forever after the first race that I entered and didn’t win, being beat out by two big black girls that ran past me within the first 10 feet of the start. There was no amount of training that would ever make me faster then they, so why bother? It’s not the defeatist attitude so much as the early wisdom of a girl who knew what her limits were, and I was wise enough (but not tenacious enough) to know mine.

Of the 42 years that I’ve occupied space on this planet, I’ve only ever not run for about ten of those years, in what I refer to as my “post natal lazy stage” that lasted far too long. Taking for granted the natural good health of youth, one day on holidays I realized that I was having trouble making it up a hill in England and decided that I couldn’t live like this any longer, that indeed, my good health had disappeared and that I was heading into the dreaded middle-aged out of shape zone. It doesn’t happen overnight, it’s a gradual process and that’s why it’s so shocking when you realize one day that you’ve crossed over to the other side. I don’t want to be old, I don’t want to be fat, I don’t want to be out of shape. That’s for other people, not me! So I came back from holidays and hit the treadmill, and my running happy feet were back on once more.

So, multiple marathons, an ultra and more half, 10s, 7s & 5kms that I can shake a stick at, I still daydream of being that really fast child runner of the 70s & 80s, the one that the kids used to count on to win the relay, the one who always made the school proud and the one who went from autumn cross country champ to spring track & field champ. Having morphed into middle-aged-mediocre runner, the golden days of my running youth are but a distant memory to be lived over & over again in my dreams…..let those of us privileged enough to be able to impart those dreams on the next generation do so, through the encouragement of young people into our sport. It doesn’t matter if the child comes last, they will only remember their success at completing the race when they are older, with selective, sweet memories of their success…..

Below are my childhood photos, and of my daughter doing her Disney 5km a few years ago, running the whole way to keep warm….

The secret-what makes Jamaicans run so fast!

Sun, 08 Jan 2012 14:39:32 -0500

I was watching a riveting show on BBC Iplayer last weekend entitled “World Olympic Dreams: Running Man” that put forth a very compelling case for why Jamaicans are the fastest sprinters in the world. Actually, they said “runners” but for the sake of not upsetting my friend Carlie, I’ll say “sprinters”. Of the six theories put forth, four had me thinking that they were tenuous at best, but two of them were actually quite fascinating, and I believe, hold some water. So let’s briefly explore the theories put forth….

Theory #1-“The Schools”-Jamaicans get kit, have passionate gym teachers and do speed drills. So do Americans, therefore your argument is invalid. The show also mentions that with an average of $400 US per month salary per worker, that Jamaicans are running to riches, so to speak. If that were true then Haitians, whose average monthly salaries equal $60 US, would be leaving Usain in the dust surely. So on to the next theory…

Theory #2-“The Hills”-Jamaican children walk everywhere and the hills make them the fittest in the Caribbean, so the show claims. Whoever thought of that little nugget’s never been to St. Lucia, obviously, as if this were the case St.Lucians would sprint faster than cheetahs! Next up….

Theory #3-“The Slave Trade”-the show offers a romantic notion of the spirit of the runaway slave living on in Jamaican sprinters today. I’m not a sociologist, but in my opinion every Caribbean person with African heritage of some degree is a living legacy to the toils and hardship of their forefathers. So respect due to all Caribbean people. Next….

Theory #4-“It’s Jamaica, man”-Usain Bolt himself offers up the explanation that they are world champions because they are a proud race that wants to be number one. Aren’t we all, and don’t we all want to be?

Now to the really interesting stuff….

Theory #5-“The Yams”-No less than 18 varieties of yams are grown in Jamaica, of which 60% are produced in Trelawny, where Usain hails from, where there is an annual yam festival. These are some serious yam people. Some of the varieties are indigenous and some were varieties brought over from Africa, but all form part of the Jamaicans’ staple diet. So there’s the dietary secret to speed revealed here……

Theory #6-“The Speed Gene”-I hope that you are sitting down for this next one. All humans possess either an X or an R variant of alpha-actinin, or “speed gene”. Unlucky you if you are double XX, as you’ll always be at the end of a race. Those lucky enough to possess two RRs are the fastest, as they hold greater quantities of Type 2 Fast Twitch muscles in their legs, the muscles that give Usain his incredible speed. Professor Rachel Irving of UWI in Jamaica claims that a DNA study of Jamaicans showed that 75% possess a strong 57RR variant of the alpha-actinin, or “speed gene”, as they are descended from a fairly homogenous gene pool. Apparently very fast runners from other nations are merely regarded as “gene anomalies”. Jamaicans also test as having very high levels of serotonin for mental toughness, and it’s this double combination that is apparently making them genetically superior in speed (but not over distance as we know). Professor Errol Morrison of the Kingston University of Technology on the show claims that as a result of this genetic superiority, that they will be ruling as sprinters for generations to come. Seems highly likely to me.

As Africans of many different nations were brought to Jamaican in the 1600s onwards during the slave trade, did this super speed gene develop over the last four hundred years from just a few early & very fast Africans, if the gene pool is now regarded as homogenous and 75% of Jamaicans carry the speed gene? It would seem so if it’s apparent in the majority of the population, as there would be at least 13-14 generations born since that time during which the gene would have had time to replicate with each generation born.

I wonder if the same study can’t be carried out in other Caribbean countries to see if this 57RR alpha-actinin variant is also proportionately found in the general population. Perhaps we have a Usain Husbands or Usain Clarke in our midst here in Barbados, just waiting to be discovered by a bit of genetic testing! I have new respect for my fellow running Jamaican friends now…..

Running away from 2011 and towards 2012....

Sun, 01 Jan 2012 17:52:00 -0500

I can’t honestly say that I’m unhappy to see the back of 2011, as I heartily welcome 2012 for the boundless opportunities that the dawn of a new year always promises. Most of us make resolutions of one type or another, usually relating to exercise and weight loss, and most of us also lose steam within a few weeks as the monotony of the Spartan diet and regular trips back to the gym quickly become less appealing. And so then we find ourselves falling back into our not-so-healthy old, but enjoyable, bad habits, such as white wine and Brie topped with an itty bitty bit of pepper jelly. I know this road so well I could draw you a map….

This morning, I had the pleasure of starting off the new year with four other runners for the annual Ufukuzo New Year’s Run, a 7 miler that saw us starting as the sun was coming up in the east at Barclay’s Park. Less than four hours of sleep and still bubbling from the champagne, wine & excellent food shared at two early bird Old Year’s Night parties, what should have been a solitary, quiet run was surprisingly a noisy negotiation around a few hundred souls in cars parking all along the coast, all trying to find the same meaningful solitude after a night’s worth of partying to welcome the new year. Heading north along the coast road and then heading west through the Lakes area, we passed only a handful of walkers with which we exchanged pleasantries until nearing the coast road again on the return portion of the run. I hadn’t run in this area in almost a year, when gearing up for the London Marathon a few of us ran a terrifically long & winding run through the area that saw us having to surprise the police at Belleplain Police Station in the dark to ask to use their toilet, the one with the rationed paper and no lock. Memories are made of this!

I think that non-runners tend to find our breed a bit amusing, as they can’t seem to figure out what makes us run in the dark, run in the heat, or run at all really, as they can’t comprehend what kind of masochist/sadist/dysfunctional person would willingly enjoy running for miles & miles with no discernable purpose but for the love of the sport itself. I was recently at a fundraising champagne event before Christmas at which a few of us got thoroughly happy at, to find my half marathon, 1.37 friend (she’s really fast and a gorgeous blonde, life is so inequitable at times) slurrily introducing me as an “ultra marathoner, not just a marathoner!”. Now that’s a label to have to live up to, especially as I have only one ultra under my belt, and I was the last to finish that race. Confucius said “it doesn’t matter how slowly you go, just don’t stop”.

So my wishes for 2012? Other than hoping for great health and no injuries, I really hope that we in Barbados will come together productively as a community and as a nation to weather the tumultuous times that we find ourselves existing in, which seemingly have no foreseeable end. My running wishes are for many great miles on interesting routes, good local races with great attendance, and for each and everyone one of you (and me) to stick to that New Year’s plan that was formulated in the throes of the wee hours this morning when I said to myself that I have to lose weight, run more and get more involved in 2012. To my fellow Ufukuzonians, I wish you continued success in your running endeavours. To all runners in Barbados, I hope to see more of you go longer in 2012. (FYI, Christmas leftovers consumed on Jan.1st do not count as breaking your resolutions, as everyone knows “waste not, want not”. That’s just common sense. The diet starts Jan.2nd).