not exactly sure how it happened, but the marathon run has left me with a minor ankle injury which has prevented me from running since. i'm hoping it is not a stress fracture. oh well, not that i really needed to be running the first few days after a marathon anyway. but let's hope it heals up on the coming days.
Jenn
Wednesday, September 29, 2010
Sunday, September 26, 2010
Sept 26, 2010 - Milestone Marathon
Well, after only logging 184.2k in 11 weeks, i lined up to run my 25th career marathon today, here at home in St. John's, Newfoundland. this was my 4th consecutive Newfoundland Provincial Marathon. i really was not in marathon shape, but i didn't want to pass up the chance to keep the streak alive, and run my 25th here at home.
running a marathon untrained and at 222 pounds really taught me to respect the distance today. this really isn't the type of thing one should do on a whim without proper prep work. but sadly, this was not my first time showing up at a starting line unprepared, so i have some experience to build upon. no matter whether you are an elite, or a back of the packer, one of the most critical success factors in having a good run is being aware of your level of health and fitness. knowing your limits is the key, and that's something i seemed to have analyzed well today.
the weather was about 7 degrees, cloudy, foggy, and drizzle... a typical Newfoundland day.. lol
the run went pretty much as expected. slow but steady. a personal worst time by more than 10 minutes, but at least it was a finish in good health, which was really the only goal i could expect to have.
my goal was to run about 7 minute kms from start to finish, at least on the flat portions of the run. there were several tough hills on this course, which slowed me down a bit. i was also marred by the requirement to take an unprecedented 5 bathroom breaks on the first half! this was not totally surprising as i have noticed some big changes in that regard as of late as my body continues to get used to estrogen therapy.
i was actually quite sluggish for most of the first half, but actually felt better from km 21 - 28. then fatigue and back pain started to set in.
my split times were 75, 84, 81, 87. the second half was much more hilly though, so this could actually be considered a quasi-negative split if you bell curved it.. lol
overall, it was humbling to run for over 5 hours knowing from start to finish that today would be a new personal worst, but at the same time, it was probably the most satisfying and enjoyable marathon i have ever run. no pressure at all today, just a gentle long run in the lovely countryside.
this was only my 4th road race in Newfoundland this year so far, so it was nice to be out there running among so many familiar faces. although i can only assume that most of the local runners are still extremely puzzled by my transsexualism, i can also tell that they respect all of the running accomplishments i have had over the past 4 years. Many folks said hello as they either lapped me or passed by on the out and back.
another highlight was seeing and meeting 4 members of the infamous Marathon Maniacs group, including 1 runner from North Carolina and 1 from Saskatchewan. there was also 2 ladies from Manitoba who were finishing up a tour of Canada in terms of marathons, having run a marathon in every province!
well, the road ahead is not likely to get easier. i need to find a way to drop 15 pounds in order to be deemed healthy enough for my surgery in January. i may have to make a tough decision to come off estrogen, at least for a while, as i just have absolutely no energy, yet i am always hungry, and have attained poor metabolism. oh well, it's not like i haven't overcome seemingly insurmountable challenges before. i relish the opportunity to attempt to do the impossible.. and this will be no different.
Jenn
running a marathon untrained and at 222 pounds really taught me to respect the distance today. this really isn't the type of thing one should do on a whim without proper prep work. but sadly, this was not my first time showing up at a starting line unprepared, so i have some experience to build upon. no matter whether you are an elite, or a back of the packer, one of the most critical success factors in having a good run is being aware of your level of health and fitness. knowing your limits is the key, and that's something i seemed to have analyzed well today.
the weather was about 7 degrees, cloudy, foggy, and drizzle... a typical Newfoundland day.. lol
the run went pretty much as expected. slow but steady. a personal worst time by more than 10 minutes, but at least it was a finish in good health, which was really the only goal i could expect to have.
my goal was to run about 7 minute kms from start to finish, at least on the flat portions of the run. there were several tough hills on this course, which slowed me down a bit. i was also marred by the requirement to take an unprecedented 5 bathroom breaks on the first half! this was not totally surprising as i have noticed some big changes in that regard as of late as my body continues to get used to estrogen therapy.
i was actually quite sluggish for most of the first half, but actually felt better from km 21 - 28. then fatigue and back pain started to set in.
my split times were 75, 84, 81, 87. the second half was much more hilly though, so this could actually be considered a quasi-negative split if you bell curved it.. lol
overall, it was humbling to run for over 5 hours knowing from start to finish that today would be a new personal worst, but at the same time, it was probably the most satisfying and enjoyable marathon i have ever run. no pressure at all today, just a gentle long run in the lovely countryside.
this was only my 4th road race in Newfoundland this year so far, so it was nice to be out there running among so many familiar faces. although i can only assume that most of the local runners are still extremely puzzled by my transsexualism, i can also tell that they respect all of the running accomplishments i have had over the past 4 years. Many folks said hello as they either lapped me or passed by on the out and back.
another highlight was seeing and meeting 4 members of the infamous Marathon Maniacs group, including 1 runner from North Carolina and 1 from Saskatchewan. there was also 2 ladies from Manitoba who were finishing up a tour of Canada in terms of marathons, having run a marathon in every province!
well, the road ahead is not likely to get easier. i need to find a way to drop 15 pounds in order to be deemed healthy enough for my surgery in January. i may have to make a tough decision to come off estrogen, at least for a while, as i just have absolutely no energy, yet i am always hungry, and have attained poor metabolism. oh well, it's not like i haven't overcome seemingly insurmountable challenges before. i relish the opportunity to attempt to do the impossible.. and this will be no different.
Jenn
Sept 25, 2010 - update
Well, it was a busy sunday past with the terry fox run, then the aids walk for hope. Here's a pic of me and fellow director of St. John's Pride Inc., Lorne King. We scrambled to put together a team for Pride at the last minute, and we managed to fund raise $20 for the Aids Committee.
Later in the week, i had a meeting with LBGT-MUN's directors, and again later on with their entire team (24 of them in all!). This is a student-run group that keeps a resource centre, as well as plans social and educational events for the LGBT community. The folks running the centre this year seem very interested and passionate about the same things our new corporate entity stands for. I hope to work closely with these folks in the near future on a variety of projects.
not been a busy running week though. in fact, only 1 out of the past 13 weeks have been reasonable for someone who is training for a marathon:
4.7, 1.0, 5.0, 7.0, 33.5, 81.2, 36.0, 13.5, 25.4, 32.1, 8.5, 24.1, 29.4k respectively. oh well, at least there were a few good runs in there in the last two weeks. and what's not here is the 50-70k of walking i did each week.
oh well, i am sure this can act as a lesson as how not to prepare for a marathon, and i am sure i will prove it tomorrow with a very slow finishing time. but you know, i have no doubt in my mind that i will finish, and no doubt that i will not set a personal worst.. so its nice to have some confidence, as well as peace of mind, with where my health and fitness is at these days.
Jenn
Later in the week, i had a meeting with LBGT-MUN's directors, and again later on with their entire team (24 of them in all!). This is a student-run group that keeps a resource centre, as well as plans social and educational events for the LGBT community. The folks running the centre this year seem very interested and passionate about the same things our new corporate entity stands for. I hope to work closely with these folks in the near future on a variety of projects.
not been a busy running week though. in fact, only 1 out of the past 13 weeks have been reasonable for someone who is training for a marathon:
4.7, 1.0, 5.0, 7.0, 33.5, 81.2, 36.0, 13.5, 25.4, 32.1, 8.5, 24.1, 29.4k respectively. oh well, at least there were a few good runs in there in the last two weeks. and what's not here is the 50-70k of walking i did each week.
oh well, i am sure this can act as a lesson as how not to prepare for a marathon, and i am sure i will prove it tomorrow with a very slow finishing time. but you know, i have no doubt in my mind that i will finish, and no doubt that i will not set a personal worst.. so its nice to have some confidence, as well as peace of mind, with where my health and fitness is at these days.
Jenn
Wednesday, September 22, 2010
September 22, 2010 - Igor hits
Newfoundland was hit hard with a category 1 hurricane yesterday afternoon. power has been out for half of the city for the past 20 hours. i had an adventurous run home from work, and hot hit in the eye with a few pieces of debree, but i am ok. power is on at work so i am here working away (and updating my blog.. lol)
Jenn
Jenn
Thursday, September 16, 2010
September 16, 2010 - long awaited update
Well, it has probably been one of the busiest couple of weeks in my life. It's no secret now that i have been part of a team of local LGBTQ community members who have taken steps to create a formal legal non-profit corporate entity known as St. John's Pride Incorporated. I am excited to announce that as of September 14, 2010, this company came into existence.
I am sure many people will be wondering what this means in terms of the future of the 'pride week' in our city, as well as the future of existing websites devoted to pride week in our city. Well, as co-founder of this company, i can personally guarantee that our intentions will be announced in the near future.
But for now, i will say that this is a non-profit company, which means there is no 'owner' per say. The company will initially be legally managed by the three of us who signed our names on the articles of incorporation documents, but this entity really belongs to the St. John's LGBTQ community. The goal here
is to engage everyone who has a stake in the pride concept. Initial corporate by-laws will be drafted up in the near future, and i can guarantee that they will be written in a way that ensures that this company is accessible, transparent and accountable to the public. Without these three things, we have no company and we have no 'pride'.
...in other news, speaking of Pride, i traveled to Corner Brook last weekend to both attend and speak at their pride week festivities, as well as formally meet with the directors of Newfoundland's first ever formally-established Pride corporate entity, Corner Brook Pride Inc.
these folks were awesome, essentially rolling out the red carpet for me. i think they were genuinely excited to have the founder of St. John's Pride wake up at 2.30 am and drive all the way across the island in miserable rainy weather, to attend their big day. they had a well-organized flag raising, parade, public speeches, and party in the park events.
considering the size of their town, the pride events were very well attended, probably 10 times more of the city attended theirs than did in St. John's this last July for our informal pride week.
also present in Corner Brook were the big unions, who were heavy sponsors, parade marchers, and speakers. my speech was short and sweet, but i touched upon the key trans issues of stereotype, health care, human rights, and access to public services.
after the events finished, i spend an hour meeting with their board
of directors, and we had a really productive series of chats. it appears clear that we have some common ground and common goals, and i certainly hope that our two organizations will put our heads together to do some amazing work in the near future that will not only benefit our to companies, but benefit the LGBTQ communities in many other small towns in the province.
...i am also excited to announce that FrontRunners.org Newfoundland and Labrador chapter is also now live! we have already had 3 running events thus far and they have been great runs for me. Tony is actually the leader and he pushes me hard for what usually turns out to be 15k runs then a coffee social.
hoping to do the Terry Fox Run, and the Aids Walk this weekend. Maybe even the Harbour Grace 10k road race, but that is iffy.
The root canal is finally starting to get better, here on day 10, but it still remains sore and tender.
Jennifer
I am sure many people will be wondering what this means in terms of the future of the 'pride week' in our city, as well as the future of existing websites devoted to pride week in our city. Well, as co-founder of this company, i can personally guarantee that our intentions will be announced in the near future.
But for now, i will say that this is a non-profit company, which means there is no 'owner' per say. The company will initially be legally managed by the three of us who signed our names on the articles of incorporation documents, but this entity really belongs to the St. John's LGBTQ community. The goal here
is to engage everyone who has a stake in the pride concept. Initial corporate by-laws will be drafted up in the near future, and i can guarantee that they will be written in a way that ensures that this company is accessible, transparent and accountable to the public. Without these three things, we have no company and we have no 'pride'....in other news, speaking of Pride, i traveled to Corner Brook last weekend to both attend and speak at their pride week festivities, as well as formally meet with the directors of Newfoundland's first ever formally-established Pride corporate entity, Corner Brook Pride Inc.
these folks were awesome, essentially rolling out the red carpet for me. i think they were genuinely excited to have the founder of St. John's Pride wake up at 2.30 am and drive all the way across the island in miserable rainy weather, to attend their big day. they had a well-organized flag raising, parade, public speeches, and party in the park events.
considering the size of their town, the pride events were very well attended, probably 10 times more of the city attended theirs than did in St. John's this last July for our informal pride week.
also present in Corner Brook were the big unions, who were heavy sponsors, parade marchers, and speakers. my speech was short and sweet, but i touched upon the key trans issues of stereotype, health care, human rights, and access to public services.
after the events finished, i spend an hour meeting with their board
of directors, and we had a really productive series of chats. it appears clear that we have some common ground and common goals, and i certainly hope that our two organizations will put our heads together to do some amazing work in the near future that will not only benefit our to companies, but benefit the LGBTQ communities in many other small towns in the province....i am also excited to announce that FrontRunners.org Newfoundland and Labrador chapter is also now live! we have already had 3 running events thus far and they have been great runs for me. Tony is actually the leader and he pushes me hard for what usually turns out to be 15k runs then a coffee social.
hoping to do the Terry Fox Run, and the Aids Walk this weekend. Maybe even the Harbour Grace 10k road race, but that is iffy.
The root canal is finally starting to get better, here on day 10, but it still remains sore and tender.
Jennifer
Sunday, September 12, 2010
September 11, 2010 - Corner Brook Newfoundland Pride!
just a quick note to say that i had a great day! i made the 7 hour drive to Corner Brook for their Pride today, and i had a great time. I was treated like royalty, as the red carpet was essentially rolled out for me to become one of the keynote speakers.
will write more tomorrow!
Jenn
will write more tomorrow!
Jenn
Tuesday, September 7, 2010
September 7, 2010 - the root of the matter
well, it's been a busy September so far. i have continued to have discussions with LGBT community members regarding their opinions and perceptions of the need for a non-profit organization to be created to do around-the-calendar educational, and advocacy work, and well as take on a mandate of providing support and social outlets for all.
After going non-stop, almost every day, for 6 weeks, i decided to treat myself to a long weekend break, and i rented a car and spent time relaxing on the beach, taking in what could be the last summery sunny weekend of the year. It was nice to try to park all my concerns for a while and just focus on some relaxation. Sure, i am always thinking about my work, but it was at least nice to take a break from doing it. It's hard to believe the summer is almost over. I always seem to feel as though i didn't spend as much time at the beach and the ponds as i would have liked to, but looking back, there were many wonderful swims this year.
anyway, i had an afternoon off work today for a rather unusual experience, a dental visit for a root canal procedure. although i take great care of my teeth, there was 'internal resorption' (essentially a hollow hole in the middle) developing, so it was important to get that cleaned out and filled in. all this huff and puff about root canals being painful and unpleasant are totally not true. it was a very routine procedure that took about an hour.
i felt fine afterward and made the long walk home, stopping to feed ducks on the way. then i went out for a light 8.5k run tonight, which was a much-needed run. i've only got 19 days left until my next marathon, and as usual, i am under-trained.
the best news of the month so far is that i have been extra careful with my diet and i have managed to drop a few pounds. i need to drop about 15 more pounds this year to be deemed fit enough for my surgery, so i have lots of hard work to do.
Jenn
After going non-stop, almost every day, for 6 weeks, i decided to treat myself to a long weekend break, and i rented a car and spent time relaxing on the beach, taking in what could be the last summery sunny weekend of the year. It was nice to try to park all my concerns for a while and just focus on some relaxation. Sure, i am always thinking about my work, but it was at least nice to take a break from doing it. It's hard to believe the summer is almost over. I always seem to feel as though i didn't spend as much time at the beach and the ponds as i would have liked to, but looking back, there were many wonderful swims this year.
anyway, i had an afternoon off work today for a rather unusual experience, a dental visit for a root canal procedure. although i take great care of my teeth, there was 'internal resorption' (essentially a hollow hole in the middle) developing, so it was important to get that cleaned out and filled in. all this huff and puff about root canals being painful and unpleasant are totally not true. it was a very routine procedure that took about an hour.
i felt fine afterward and made the long walk home, stopping to feed ducks on the way. then i went out for a light 8.5k run tonight, which was a much-needed run. i've only got 19 days left until my next marathon, and as usual, i am under-trained.
the best news of the month so far is that i have been extra careful with my diet and i have managed to drop a few pounds. i need to drop about 15 more pounds this year to be deemed fit enough for my surgery, so i have lots of hard work to do.
Jenn
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