Well, I have been Naughty haven’t I, no update to the blog since December. There has been a big change in where I live. Aingeal and I now reside in Yellowknife Northwest Territories. For those unfamiliar with Yellowknife it sits on the shores of Great Slave Late at 62’ 27” north.
It holds a number of Canadian Weather records including the coldest city in Canada. Winter arrives early here in Yellowknife, with weather dropping below freezing just as fall is starting. The weather stays below zero well into April and May finally warming up by June. While summers I hear are great in this area they are short.
Another change of course aside from the –25 to –30C weather that is going on at the moment is the fact that the sun comes up at 10AM and goes down at 3AM for a whopping 5 hours of sunlight/twilight a day. Of course the opposite effect in the summer so we are looking forward to 19 hours of sunlight.
How you may ask does it affect running, well at the moment I am running on a treadmill. My best laid plans to run outside year round were set aside along with the Frostbite I received one frosty –33C degree morning. While everything is fine and my toes are finally healed with nice pink new skin. I am in no rush to go outside and run in those days where the temperature dips below –20C.
Now I know I wanted to run the goofy but with the change in venue it was not possible to run the event. Training outside for long runs were a logistical nightmare. This due to the cold weather and the fact that I would have to run long distances in the dark of the morning with little or no lights as once you get outside Yellowknife the road is pretty barren.
The good news is there are a couple of running groups up here and if the weather crawls back to under –20C I will run outside with them on Saturday. If not I will be using the treadmill. This Sunday the weather is suppose to creep back up to –14C which is really not that bad to run in.
I am very excited about the prospect of a couple of big runs this year. First and foremost is the ING Edmonton Marathon on August 10, 2008. I have already started ramping up slowly as I am recovering from Achilles tendonitis. So I am taking a slow build up to the mileage I need.
With a modified ½ program I am slowly building my base up. The emphasis for the next 14 weeks is to get my base up to 25 miles a week, but more importantly work on my core strength and stretching. Already I can see the difference with my stretching. I can actually now touch my toes again.
So on April 6th, 2008 I will switch over to a full marathon schedule and 18 weeks later the marathon. Secondary to that is I am now trying to work with the Team Diabetes program to transfer everything over so that I can do the New York City marathon, on November 2nd, 2008. If not I am going to enter the lottery and hope that I get a spot. If not maybe Chicago may be a good alternative.
Cheers to all for the New Year and most important keep on running
harry
Friday, January 11, 2008
Friday, September 28, 2007
Your metobolsim from CBC September 26, 2007
In Depth
Exercise and fitness
Your metabolism
Burn, calories, burn
Last Updated September 26, 2007
CBC News
Putting on a little weight even though you swear you haven't upped your food intake or cut your energy expenditure? Well, you can blame a slow metabolism, right?
Probably not.
A slow metabolism means that you burn fewer calories at rest than you should, according to estimates based on your height, weight, age and sex. Very few people can actually say they have a slow metabolism. People who are overweight may actually have a higher metabolic rate because while they may have more fat, they may also have more muscle mass. And muscle mass is key when it comes to your metabolism.
What is metabolism?
Basically, it's the process by which your body converts food into energy. Your food is digested and broken down into proteins, carbohydrates, and fats, which are absorbed by the body. These elements are used to fuel your body. Your body uses only as many calories as it needs to function, depending on your level of activity. Anything above that is stored as fat.
There are three components that determine the rate at which you burn calories: basal metabolic rate (BMR, the energy we burn to keep our organs functioning and to breathe and sleep), thermic effect of food (the energy we burn processing the food we eat) and physical activity.
The basal metabolic rate uses up two-thirds to three-quarters of the calories you take in. There's very little you can do to change the amount of energy required to keep you breathing, to keep your blood moving, and to grow and repair your cells.
And there's not much you can do to alter the amount of energy it takes for your body to process the food you eat. That accounts for about 10 per cent of the calories you consume.
But when it comes to physical activity, you're in the driver's seat. Although the less time you actually spend sitting means the more calories you will burn.
How many calories does my body need?
It's simple math. To calculate how many calories your body needs just to keep functioning without putting on weight (your Basal Metabolic Rate), stick your appropriate numbers in the following formula:
For women, BMR = 655 + (9.6 x weight in kilos) + (1.8 x height in cm) - (4.7 x age in years)
For men: BMR = 66 + (13.7 x weight in kilos) + (5 x height in cm) - (6.8 x age in years)
Once you have figured out your BMR, you can calculate how many calories you should be taking in to maintain your current weight:
If you get little or no exercise, multiply your BMR by 1.2.
If you exercise lightly or take part in easy sports one to three times a week, multiply your BMR by 1.375.
If you are moderately active — three to five times a week — multiply your BMR by 1.55.
If you are very active — hard exercise or sports six to seven times a week — multiply your BMR by 1.725.
If you are extra active — very hard exercise or sports and a physical job — multiply your BMR by 1.9.
So, for example, a 40-year-old moderately active 60 kilogram woman who is 163 cm tall would have a BMR of 1,336.4. She would need around 2,071 calories a day to maintain her weight, depending on body composition. If she has a lot of muscle mass, she would need more calories. If she's overweight, she would need fewer calories to maintain her weight. A registered dietician would be able to provide a more accurate reading with more precise equipment.
Does my metabolism slow with age?
Yes. As you age, mainly because of a loss of muscle mass. You can expect to lose two to three per cent of your muscle mass each decade as you enter your 30s. Muscles require fuel, so the more muscle mass you have, the less of what you eat will be stored as fat.
Neglecting those muscles and eating the same as you've always eaten means you will get fatter — unless you increase your physical activity.
What else can affect the rate at which I burn calories?
Your body size and composition will affect how many calories your body needs to maintain its weight. A six foot tall person would require more calories than someone a foot shorter. Again, if you're carrying around little fat and a lot of muscle, you will need more calories to maintain that body.
Your sex will also affect your caloric needs. A man sitting on the couch, operating the remote control needs more calories than a woman doing the same thing. He might burn off the snack they're sharing, while it goes "straight to her hips."
Heredity will also play a role. Look at your parents, grandparents and siblings. The odds are, you'll be able to see whether you should consider cutting back your intake or increasing your physical activity — or, more likely, a combination of both.
What can I do to increase my metabolism?
Unfortunately, you can't change your basal metabolic rate or the amount of energy your body uses to process the food you eat. But you can do something about your level of physical activity and the amount of food you eat.
Here are a few steps you can take:
Eat often: eating five or six small meals throughout the day maintains a constant flow of energy to your body and keeps your body's furnace processing that food. Calories consumed during larger meals are more likely to be stored as fat.
Eat a balanced diet: your body needs a mix of protein, fibre and carbohydrates — especially complex carbohydrates like whole grains. Avoid processed foods and sugary drinks. Choose fruit over fruit juice — you can take in a lot of calories and sugar, without fruit's filling fibre if you drink a lot of juice.
Strength train: building muscle mass will replace stored fat. It takes more calories to maintain muscle than fat.
Ensure that you get cardiovascular exercise: 20 to 30 minutes of exercise five days a week that gets your heart rate up will help burn calories. Brisk walking, swimming, cycling or running will all do the trick. These exercises may not build muscle mass as efficiently as strength training, but combining cardio and strength training will help turn your body into a calorie burning machine. (http://www.cbc.ca/news/background/exercise_fitness/metabolism.html September 26, 2007)
Exercise and fitness
Your metabolism
Burn, calories, burn
Last Updated September 26, 2007
CBC News
Putting on a little weight even though you swear you haven't upped your food intake or cut your energy expenditure? Well, you can blame a slow metabolism, right?
Probably not.
A slow metabolism means that you burn fewer calories at rest than you should, according to estimates based on your height, weight, age and sex. Very few people can actually say they have a slow metabolism. People who are overweight may actually have a higher metabolic rate because while they may have more fat, they may also have more muscle mass. And muscle mass is key when it comes to your metabolism.
What is metabolism?
Basically, it's the process by which your body converts food into energy. Your food is digested and broken down into proteins, carbohydrates, and fats, which are absorbed by the body. These elements are used to fuel your body. Your body uses only as many calories as it needs to function, depending on your level of activity. Anything above that is stored as fat.
There are three components that determine the rate at which you burn calories: basal metabolic rate (BMR, the energy we burn to keep our organs functioning and to breathe and sleep), thermic effect of food (the energy we burn processing the food we eat) and physical activity.
The basal metabolic rate uses up two-thirds to three-quarters of the calories you take in. There's very little you can do to change the amount of energy required to keep you breathing, to keep your blood moving, and to grow and repair your cells.
And there's not much you can do to alter the amount of energy it takes for your body to process the food you eat. That accounts for about 10 per cent of the calories you consume.
But when it comes to physical activity, you're in the driver's seat. Although the less time you actually spend sitting means the more calories you will burn.
How many calories does my body need?
It's simple math. To calculate how many calories your body needs just to keep functioning without putting on weight (your Basal Metabolic Rate), stick your appropriate numbers in the following formula:
For women, BMR = 655 + (9.6 x weight in kilos) + (1.8 x height in cm) - (4.7 x age in years)
For men: BMR = 66 + (13.7 x weight in kilos) + (5 x height in cm) - (6.8 x age in years)
Once you have figured out your BMR, you can calculate how many calories you should be taking in to maintain your current weight:
If you get little or no exercise, multiply your BMR by 1.2.
If you exercise lightly or take part in easy sports one to three times a week, multiply your BMR by 1.375.
If you are moderately active — three to five times a week — multiply your BMR by 1.55.
If you are very active — hard exercise or sports six to seven times a week — multiply your BMR by 1.725.
If you are extra active — very hard exercise or sports and a physical job — multiply your BMR by 1.9.
So, for example, a 40-year-old moderately active 60 kilogram woman who is 163 cm tall would have a BMR of 1,336.4. She would need around 2,071 calories a day to maintain her weight, depending on body composition. If she has a lot of muscle mass, she would need more calories. If she's overweight, she would need fewer calories to maintain her weight. A registered dietician would be able to provide a more accurate reading with more precise equipment.
Does my metabolism slow with age?
Yes. As you age, mainly because of a loss of muscle mass. You can expect to lose two to three per cent of your muscle mass each decade as you enter your 30s. Muscles require fuel, so the more muscle mass you have, the less of what you eat will be stored as fat.
Neglecting those muscles and eating the same as you've always eaten means you will get fatter — unless you increase your physical activity.
What else can affect the rate at which I burn calories?
Your body size and composition will affect how many calories your body needs to maintain its weight. A six foot tall person would require more calories than someone a foot shorter. Again, if you're carrying around little fat and a lot of muscle, you will need more calories to maintain that body.
Your sex will also affect your caloric needs. A man sitting on the couch, operating the remote control needs more calories than a woman doing the same thing. He might burn off the snack they're sharing, while it goes "straight to her hips."
Heredity will also play a role. Look at your parents, grandparents and siblings. The odds are, you'll be able to see whether you should consider cutting back your intake or increasing your physical activity — or, more likely, a combination of both.
What can I do to increase my metabolism?
Unfortunately, you can't change your basal metabolic rate or the amount of energy your body uses to process the food you eat. But you can do something about your level of physical activity and the amount of food you eat.
Here are a few steps you can take:
Eat often: eating five or six small meals throughout the day maintains a constant flow of energy to your body and keeps your body's furnace processing that food. Calories consumed during larger meals are more likely to be stored as fat.
Eat a balanced diet: your body needs a mix of protein, fibre and carbohydrates — especially complex carbohydrates like whole grains. Avoid processed foods and sugary drinks. Choose fruit over fruit juice — you can take in a lot of calories and sugar, without fruit's filling fibre if you drink a lot of juice.
Strength train: building muscle mass will replace stored fat. It takes more calories to maintain muscle than fat.
Ensure that you get cardiovascular exercise: 20 to 30 minutes of exercise five days a week that gets your heart rate up will help burn calories. Brisk walking, swimming, cycling or running will all do the trick. These exercises may not build muscle mass as efficiently as strength training, but combining cardio and strength training will help turn your body into a calorie burning machine. (http://www.cbc.ca/news/background/exercise_fitness/metabolism.html September 26, 2007)
Monday, September 24, 2007
Harry’s Great White Adventure Part I.
September 24, 2007
Today is the last full week I will spend here in Halifax, as Aingeal and I get ready for our move across the country to Yellowknife. We are moving into the unknown as neither of us has visited that area before. I have been told it’s a great area to live in and many folks move out there and never come back.
My running gear is not complete, over the last 3 weeks I have been slowly adding quality cold weather gear. Aside from my normal pants and jackets I have purchased a micro fleece base layer (Long underwear for runners), wind briefs for the family jewels, triple layered micro fleece mittens rated to -30, a balaclava with a wind guard for the neck and of course a safety light that blinks.
This week while busy is also slightly sad, because of the move Shapiro our greyhound will be headed back to GPAC. They are the Greyhound Pet rescue here in Halifax. Greyhounds are a great dog and if you are interested in a great dog give them a lookup on the neb. www.gpac.ca
But on a good note, I just got an email that will allow me to run a leg in the Rum Runners Relay here in Nova Scotia. While I don't get a 1/2 marathon in because of the move I will get a good race in under my belt. Leg 6 between Hubbards and Chester. Should be a good time.
Harry
Today is the last full week I will spend here in Halifax, as Aingeal and I get ready for our move across the country to Yellowknife. We are moving into the unknown as neither of us has visited that area before. I have been told it’s a great area to live in and many folks move out there and never come back.
My running gear is not complete, over the last 3 weeks I have been slowly adding quality cold weather gear. Aside from my normal pants and jackets I have purchased a micro fleece base layer (Long underwear for runners), wind briefs for the family jewels, triple layered micro fleece mittens rated to -30, a balaclava with a wind guard for the neck and of course a safety light that blinks.
This week while busy is also slightly sad, because of the move Shapiro our greyhound will be headed back to GPAC. They are the Greyhound Pet rescue here in Halifax. Greyhounds are a great dog and if you are interested in a great dog give them a lookup on the neb. www.gpac.ca
But on a good note, I just got an email that will allow me to run a leg in the Rum Runners Relay here in Nova Scotia. While I don't get a 1/2 marathon in because of the move I will get a good race in under my belt. Leg 6 between Hubbards and Chester. Should be a good time.
Harry
Tuesday, September 11, 2007
August/September 2007
Yes I know its been a long while since I last posted a paragraph or two here. Things have been hectic and busy as ever in Halifax. I guess the big news is that the diabetic runner (me) is going on down the road.
Not just running, but Aingeal and I are moving out west. In fact we are moving to the Northwest Territories in about 3 weeks. The flight leaves on October 4, 2007. I love Halifax and I am very sorry to have to leave a great city. But, the job opportunity of a lifetime has come up and I would be foolish not to go.
I will be moving my Team Diabetes Marathon from the Goofy in Florida to I hope the New York City Marathon in Nov 2008. Couple of reasons for this, first training for a major event in Yellowknife may be a challenge, first the light. I can’t imagine running 30K runs in the dark. Also, the heat factor, I will be running in -30C weather, can you imagine going from -30C training to running in a marathon where the weather is 25 – 30C.
Just a quick update for now.
Harry
Not just running, but Aingeal and I are moving out west. In fact we are moving to the Northwest Territories in about 3 weeks. The flight leaves on October 4, 2007. I love Halifax and I am very sorry to have to leave a great city. But, the job opportunity of a lifetime has come up and I would be foolish not to go.
I will be moving my Team Diabetes Marathon from the Goofy in Florida to I hope the New York City Marathon in Nov 2008. Couple of reasons for this, first training for a major event in Yellowknife may be a challenge, first the light. I can’t imagine running 30K runs in the dark. Also, the heat factor, I will be running in -30C weather, can you imagine going from -30C training to running in a marathon where the weather is 25 – 30C.
Just a quick update for now.
Harry
Monday, July 23, 2007
July Update
Greetings, folks I thought I would take a few moments and update the blog for this month. I really should try to update more often. But here I go for this month.
Well, I am now starting my training a bit more intensely for this falls ½ marathon in the Valley here in Nova Scotia. I am waiting for the clinic to catch up a bit on the longer runs. I am doing about 12 – 13K on Sunday’s at the moment. So it will be about 3 more weeks when they get up there. Meanwhile I am maintaining about a 40K per week base.
My health is good and my diabetes is not an issue in terms of day to day. My weight I am happy to report is now just a touch under 203. The goal is to be under 200 for the ½ marathon in the fall. With a further goal of 190 before next years marathon season, I am hoping that I will go to NYC or Chicago next fall.
My LTR clinic is going well; I need to polish up my public speaking a bit better. But with Practice and more self confidence I will be much better at presenting topics. This week we talked about goals, which went pretty good through I think I could have been a bit more polished and avoids the Uh’ and Ah’s. But nothing wrong with this as I push the envelope of my comfort zone on occasion.
Hopefully there may be some big news in the next week or two. But mum’s the word at the moment, look for more in perhaps 1 – 2 weeks on that.
Angela and I did get to see Beyond the Pail here in Halifax last week. They were fantastic, great energy and great music.
Just a small one today
Later
Harry
Well, I am now starting my training a bit more intensely for this falls ½ marathon in the Valley here in Nova Scotia. I am waiting for the clinic to catch up a bit on the longer runs. I am doing about 12 – 13K on Sunday’s at the moment. So it will be about 3 more weeks when they get up there. Meanwhile I am maintaining about a 40K per week base.
My health is good and my diabetes is not an issue in terms of day to day. My weight I am happy to report is now just a touch under 203. The goal is to be under 200 for the ½ marathon in the fall. With a further goal of 190 before next years marathon season, I am hoping that I will go to NYC or Chicago next fall.
My LTR clinic is going well; I need to polish up my public speaking a bit better. But with Practice and more self confidence I will be much better at presenting topics. This week we talked about goals, which went pretty good through I think I could have been a bit more polished and avoids the Uh’ and Ah’s. But nothing wrong with this as I push the envelope of my comfort zone on occasion.
Hopefully there may be some big news in the next week or two. But mum’s the word at the moment, look for more in perhaps 1 – 2 weeks on that.
Angela and I did get to see Beyond the Pail here in Halifax last week. They were fantastic, great energy and great music.
Just a small one today
Later
Harry
Thursday, July 5, 2007
June update
Here we are into July and I have not posted anything, I guess as a blogger I should try to get to my blog more often and post. Really not much to post until now, so here goes an update to what is new and going on in the life of the diabetic runner.
Aingeal and I just got back this week from our summer vacation; we were in a number of locations across Ontario. We made the drive from Halifax NS to Orillia with stops in Quebec city, Port Perry Area and Ottawa. My daughters Graduation was first up in Orillia on June 26, 2007. She graduated with honours from Georgian college, way to go Tasha. She is now a member of my alumni as I graduated in 1999.
We then went off to Ottawa to the Unisong Festival; this festival is 11 years old and brings choirs from all across Canada. After 3 days of rehearsals and smaller performances we had our concert at the National Arts Centre in Ottawa. While the performances where nice, the overall experience sucked.
It was like going to a kid’s camp. While 90% of the choirs where children it seems that the organizers painted the adults with the same brush. I found this quite condescending and did not really add the experience. Pity I think the potential was there but it was just one big let down.
The real let down was Doreen Rao, a world famous conductor, while she was a good conductor and very passionate about what she does, I cannot forgive her for a remark which called all the choristers racists. I did complain to the Harper’s about the incident, their reply was that sometimes the conductor has to be harsh to the choir in order to motivate. While I guess there goes you catch more honey theory.
However the Highlight of the weekend for me was the HBC run in Ottawa. Three thousand people showed up to support and raise money for our Olympic athletes. This run was a great event, which wound its way around the canal and parliament buildings. I ran a personal best of 53:03 (chip Time), breaking my previous record by over 4 minutes. The medal this year was great, biggest event I have run since I started racing last year.
We are back now the dust has settled. This Saturday I start the LTR clinic this time teaching. Looking forward to that, I want to make it fun and motivational for them.
Well more later.
Harry
Aingeal and I just got back this week from our summer vacation; we were in a number of locations across Ontario. We made the drive from Halifax NS to Orillia with stops in Quebec city, Port Perry Area and Ottawa. My daughters Graduation was first up in Orillia on June 26, 2007. She graduated with honours from Georgian college, way to go Tasha. She is now a member of my alumni as I graduated in 1999.
We then went off to Ottawa to the Unisong Festival; this festival is 11 years old and brings choirs from all across Canada. After 3 days of rehearsals and smaller performances we had our concert at the National Arts Centre in Ottawa. While the performances where nice, the overall experience sucked.
It was like going to a kid’s camp. While 90% of the choirs where children it seems that the organizers painted the adults with the same brush. I found this quite condescending and did not really add the experience. Pity I think the potential was there but it was just one big let down.
The real let down was Doreen Rao, a world famous conductor, while she was a good conductor and very passionate about what she does, I cannot forgive her for a remark which called all the choristers racists. I did complain to the Harper’s about the incident, their reply was that sometimes the conductor has to be harsh to the choir in order to motivate. While I guess there goes you catch more honey theory.
However the Highlight of the weekend for me was the HBC run in Ottawa. Three thousand people showed up to support and raise money for our Olympic athletes. This run was a great event, which wound its way around the canal and parliament buildings. I ran a personal best of 53:03 (chip Time), breaking my previous record by over 4 minutes. The medal this year was great, biggest event I have run since I started racing last year.
We are back now the dust has settled. This Saturday I start the LTR clinic this time teaching. Looking forward to that, I want to make it fun and motivational for them.
Well more later.
Harry
Tuesday, May 29, 2007
Cabot Trail Relay a big success
Well another weekend goes by and I laced up my running shoes in Baddeck, NS. Baddeck is in Cape Breton were I ran the 20th annual Cabot Trail Relay. This is a 17 man relay that runs the 298Km around the Cabot trail over approx. 27 hours. There were 65 teams from a variety of states and provinces. Runners from 17 to 75 participating in the event this weekend running legs from 13.25Km up to 20Km.
My leg was leg 3, which was a shorter 13.46 KM leg, consisting of rolling terrain. There were some nice gradual inclines as well as nice gradual down hills. So unlike the Bluenose or some of the other legs it was fairly easy to run. I was a bit nervous because having run a full marathon the week before I did not know how I would perform.
But I can tell you I had a great run. It was one of those runs where everything came together. I opted not to run with my Garmin and decided to hell with pacing, I was just going to go for it and giver all I had. That worked, I ran a very fast run, in fact in term of pace it was a Personal Best of 5:35KM breaking the previous 5:47 record set at the HBC run last year.
Will I go back to Cabot Trail and run the relay again you bet. It was a fantastic run, and a great weekend. Aingeal my partner in crime supported the first 3 legs making sure everyone had water and a friendly cheer to motivate them on. We ate in a very nice restaurant and the food was excellent.
Next up, not sure, but if I feel good by end of week, I think I will run 10K in Trenton, NS for the Johnny miles. On June 9th and 10th I will be on the Run for Life Cancer relay here at the Citadel in Nova Scotia. I may even be convinced to head over to Lunenburg on Sunday June 10th to run the famous 5K muffin run.
Harry
My leg was leg 3, which was a shorter 13.46 KM leg, consisting of rolling terrain. There were some nice gradual inclines as well as nice gradual down hills. So unlike the Bluenose or some of the other legs it was fairly easy to run. I was a bit nervous because having run a full marathon the week before I did not know how I would perform.
But I can tell you I had a great run. It was one of those runs where everything came together. I opted not to run with my Garmin and decided to hell with pacing, I was just going to go for it and giver all I had. That worked, I ran a very fast run, in fact in term of pace it was a Personal Best of 5:35KM breaking the previous 5:47 record set at the HBC run last year.
Will I go back to Cabot Trail and run the relay again you bet. It was a fantastic run, and a great weekend. Aingeal my partner in crime supported the first 3 legs making sure everyone had water and a friendly cheer to motivate them on. We ate in a very nice restaurant and the food was excellent.
Next up, not sure, but if I feel good by end of week, I think I will run 10K in Trenton, NS for the Johnny miles. On June 9th and 10th I will be on the Run for Life Cancer relay here at the Citadel in Nova Scotia. I may even be convinced to head over to Lunenburg on Sunday June 10th to run the famous 5K muffin run.
Harry
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