Monday, October 31, 2011

October 31, 2011 - stats

let's not forget that this blog was initially set up to be a running blog, so with this in mind, let's take a look at the year that has been so far in terms of monthly running k stats.....

2011

Jan 137.60 - 137.60

Feb 044.10 - 181.70

Mar 161.30 - 343.00

Apr 188.80 -   524.20

May 208.80 - 733.00k

June 061.00 - 794.00

july 049.30 - 843.30

aug 031.60 - 874.90

sept 110.30 - 985.20

oct 072.90 - 1062.10k

to summarize, it was a very rough month. i literally needed a full week to recover from the exhaustion that was the newfoundland marathon. but the knees never really did get a chance to recover. then it was my 5th cape to cabot, which was totally awful. more than 3 hours to get thru 20k of hills - most of which was at a walking pace, with very sore knees, feet, and back. 

15 days removed from cape to cabot, i am still both physically and emotionally deflated. i sense i have arthritis in my knees, hip, and maybe even in the back. doc visits ahead shortly. i'd have to rate those 3 hours on the cape to cabot among the worst in my life - a clear sign that i do not enjoy running now, if i ever actually did.

oh well, i may never run again, but i can at least feel good about the fact that running served its purpose. the goal was to lose weight, so when i gained weight during the hormone replacement process, i would end up breaking even, and that's ironically and amazingly, what i did. i enter this blog post weighing the exact same as i was when i first started transition - pre everything..

it's certainly been an amazing 5 years. from that first 8 minute run around the block at my home in Etobicoke Ontario - to crossing the finish line of the Boston Marathon, to claiming the gold medal to become the first formally sanctioned transsexual marathon runner in world history, in Copenhagen, Denmark, to struggling to keep up with the team that was dismantling the course (after the race, apparently), on the cape to cabot.  30 marathons, 2 boston invitations, and a ton of respect from around the world - not a bad bonus perk for taking all of this running on.

well, i am not going to officially retire from marathons (yet again), but i will state that i won't be back out there unless i can somehow find a way to eliminate all this knee pain and have the ability to train  properly..

anyway, i can take the pressure off and focus on recovery, for now, and try to enjoy some time without having to go thru all that pain...  meanwhile, i am going to focus on walking as my method of getting exercise.

Jenn

Thursday, October 20, 2011

October 20, 2011 - Winnipeg Jets appear blacked out on Rogers Super SportsPak

Super Sportspak is a specialize cable tv package that allegedly provides access to 'out of market' regional sports games on tv. Rogers taps into NFL Sunday Ticket, NHL Centre Ice, and other league products, to provide service to their customers. The idea is that you can watch every game, whether your local cable market carries the game or not.  well, not sure if this is an issue with NHL centre ice, rogers, or other, but for the second time this week, the Winnipeg Jets game (broadcasted regionally in Manitoba on new digital channel TSN Jets), has not been aired via Super SportsPak, as broadcasted tuesday and tonight. instead, all i get is a menu screen (as depicted)... hmmmmmmm.....

Saturday, October 15, 2011

October 14, 2011 - welcome back AHL!

Last night marked the return of the American hockey league to newfoundland for the first time in 6 years (when the St. John's Maple Leafs left for Ontario). While it's no secret that i have not been a fan of the political work of Danny Williams and his Conservative Government, i want to give him full credit for taking the lead on bringing this team here. When it was announced that the NHL's Atlanta franchise was moving to Winnpieg, Danny knew that the existing AHL team in Winnipeg would have to find a new home, so he went out a lobbied for this team to move here. In the end, not only did this team end up relocating, it also became the official minor pro affiliate to the Winnipeg team, and Danny was hired on as President and CEO.

In addition to being a feeder system to Winnipeg, the goal was set out to make the St.John's Ice Caps a credible and competitive team that would cater to the Newfoundland market. Danny and Co went out and signed 2001 Stanley Cup winning goalie David Abischer (who had left the NHL to play in Europe for the past 4 years). Furthermore, Jason King, a Newfoundland native, was signed to to the team. While both will hav a goal of getting promoted to the NHL, it will be fun and exciting to watch them play here in St. John's.

Tonight, the Ice Caps hosted their first eer home game, and the event started out with an awesome pre-game party outside the venue with a local band playing Newfoundland-style bluegrass/rock. Inside, there was an amazing pre-game ceremony that included a video tribute of the history of hockey in the province; as well as a ceremonial faceoff that included many historic greats, including Howie Meeker.

The game was actually stolen by the awesome play of the visiting team's goalie, who stopped 39 shots in his way to leading the Hamilton Bulldogs to a 4-0 win. But that did little to dampen the spirits of a sold out crowd of 6217 people.

i was fortunate enough to score a ticket to this special game. after attending many 'lasts' in sports history (i was there for the closing of the exhibition statdium in toronto, and the forum in montreal), it was nice to attend a 'first'.

So, i'll say it loud and clear, just to prove my lack of bias: thanks and congrats to Ice Caps President and CEO Danny Williams for bringing pro hockey back to Newfoundland!

Jenn

Monday, October 10, 2011

Oct 10, 2011 - Winnipeg Jets back in NHL

Wow, i never thought i would see the NHL return to Winnipeg Manitoba. 21 years ago, i made my one and only visit to this city - often referenced as the curling capital of the world. I attended the old Winnipeg Arena and watched the Jets play a game against Mark Messier and the Edmonton Oilers (this was the year Edmonton won their only post-gretzky era cup).  6 years later, the Jets closed up shop and moved to Arizona.

Well, after years of supporting minor hockey, the city gets a new building, a new team, and a new logo.  Equally as exciting is the announcement that this new team's feeder system will include a minor pro team in St. John's - the St. John's Ice Caps!

There is a buzz here in St. John's for sure, and a recent exhibition game featuring the Jets here was so popular that tickets had to be held back and awarded via lottery system.  after growing up in Toronto in the 80s and 90s, where the NHL and OHL were a frequent part of my life, i lost interest in the sport after the 2004 work stoppage.  But with these two teams coming to form, i have a big of a renewed interest in Canada's national sport. As the Jets opened their season yesterday afternoon on national tv, for the first time in decades, i found myself flipping back and forth from NFL to NHL on a sunday afternoon. 

Although i have declared myself a Pittsburgh Penguins fan since the mid 90s (due to my admiration of Mario Lemieux, Jaromir Jagr, and later - Nova Scotian Sidney Crosby), i can't help but feel a sense of excitement and loyalty for the Winnipeg/St. John's franchise.  I have found a renewed interest in this sport for the first time in 7 years, and i look forward to tuning in to follow the progress of this team.

Jenn