Can't think of a title - but it was my birthday yesterday!

Well hello again everyone! I do apologize for my lack of posting in the last few days. I hope that you are all still avid followers and have not drifted off to more dependable pastimes!

And why is it that I hope that you are still keeping tabs on me? Because the culmination of my efforts, the climax of this running folktale, the grand finale of this season is impending. The Canadian Track and Field National Championships are looming my friends, and I for one am excited. At the University of Toronto's Varsity Stadium at the hour of 2:40pm on Friday, July 30th, the Men's 1500m will get underway. 3 and 3/4 laps of the track will skim the cream off the top of that initial pool of athletes who will then progress to the 1500m Finals that will take place at that same venue on Saturday when the clock strikes 5:05pm.

Recap.
What: Men's 1500m
Where: Varsity Stadium on Bloor St, Toronto
Heats: Friday July 30th @ 2:40pm
Finals: Saturday July 31st @ 5:05pm
More Info - http://www.athletics.ca/

Be there. Or be square.

And now for a summary of the last few days that have led into these last few days before Nationals:
My last post spoke of a 1000m race in Ottawa as a last tune up before nationals and I was in the midst of deciding whether or not to go depending on how my hamstring was. Well, I went up and ran solo for 2:26.32 and a victory by a sizable margin. The time isn't fantastic and I really could have done that on my own in Ktown but we were hoping to get a race or at least a rabbit for the first 600m. Alas it was not to be and I did it on my own from the gun. I was satisfied with the race, mainly because my hamstring was good, both during the race and afterwards. It is still not quite perfect but in the days following the race I have laid down some good workouts so it is my belief that I will be alright for the races at the weekend.

To help speed my recovery, I have been getting massages from a fellow named Curtis at Active Health Kingston. This is in no way a relaxing or enjoyable experience as he seems to have a knack for using his elbows to separate my individual muscle fibres from each other. However, I do believe he is good at what he does and I think it is speeding things along.

In other news, I have some thanking to do:
Al Cantlay at Runner's Choice in Kingston has generously donated some money to my cause. His store is my prefered venue for all things running related and I have been a satisfied customer of his for many years. I will be doing some work for some running clinics that he puts on later in the year. His store can be found at 260 Princess St, Kingston or online at http://www.runnerschoicekingston.com/.

Rita-Sue and Curt, who were track and field coaches at Queen's for the last 37 years and are still dedicated alumni, for their generous donation to my training and racing funds. Curt helped to coach me in my first and second year at Queen's and it was a brief conversation with him after practice one night that helped me realize that I might have a shot at success!

Arnold Tse at Mizuno Canada for a recent package of shoes and spikes. Perfect timing as my old Wave Precision's are on their last legs. When for a run in new version of the Wave Precision's tonight. Like bouncing on little clouds!

And I think that's about it for now. Thank you all for following along and having the patience to return to this blog and check for new entries and then go on and read what I have written!

Be Easy.

Ps. Guess what I found in my vege patch the other day. A potato. Nice, sizable, and looking like it would go nicely baked with a little cheese. Except for the fact that it had some nibbles in. And it had been dug up from MY row of taters! Not sure what it dug it up, but I had thought my fencing was secure. The little blighter didn't even have the manners to eat the whole thing. I'm going to have to demonstrate a little radical environmentalism to protect my plants!