June 2013 Running Stats

June 2013 Running Stats

06/01/2013 sat 3.30 km

06/02/2013 sun off
06/03/2013 mon 5.50
06/04/2013 tues 7.00
06/05/2013 wed 7.50
06/06/2013 thur off
06/07/2013 fri off
06/08/2013 sat 0.40

06/06/2013 sun off
06/10/2013 mon off
06/11/2013 tues off
06/12/2013 wed 6.60
06/13/2013 thu 1.40
06/14/2013 fri off
06/15/2013 sat off

06/16/2013 sun 1.00
06/17/2013 mon off
06/18/13 tues off
06/19/13 wed off
06/20/13 thurs off
06/21/13 fri 17.70
06/22/2013 sat off

06/23/2013 sun off
06/24/2013 mon 8.60
06/25/2013 tue 6.60
06/26/2013 wed 0.40
06/27/2013 thur off
06/28/2013 fri off
06/29/2013 sat 2.00

06/30/2013 sun 3.00

81.6 k month
838.1 km year to date

Well, June was a rather miserable month, as I dealt with nagging injuries, a nasty flu bug, and overall lack of energy. But from a macro-perspective, it's been a decent 6 months. I ran 838k and I lost 30 pounds. While I have still fallen way short of the goals I had in mind for this point of the year, I am well on my way to having my best running year since 2010.

It will still be my intention to run the Tely 10 Miler, the Provincial Marathon, and the Cape to Cabot 20k, later this year.



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Kimiko Date-Krumm the ageless wonder!

In a sport where athletes generally peak at 21, and are considered over the hill at 25, it's amazing to see 42 yr old Kimiko Date-Krumm, playing tennis in her 4th decade, and working her way into the third round at the most important tournament of the year, Wimbledon.

While a 12 year break in her career may give her a body that is not as worn out as most 42 yr old tennis players, there is still the challenge of battling father time in general. As a 39 yr old athlete who as tons of wear and tear on my body from years of tennis and marathon running, i can strongly attest to the challenges faced by aging athletes.

In 2004, I traveled to Amelia Island, Florida, to watch then 47 yr old Martina Navratilova, return to singles action. I had a chance to meet her and chat briefly. You could tell that she was very serious about her sport and her overall fitness, and that she was willing to put extra time into watching her diet and hitting the gym, to do whatever it took, to bring her best to the court.

As I reach the age where most professional athletes my age, have retired, I find myself admiring those who are still at it. So here's a special shout-out to Kimiko for her amazing accomplishment of not only returning to the tour, but winning matches at Wimbledon!  As I type this, she is currently on Center Court playing a 3rd round match against world #1 Serena Williams, who at 31, is also considered 'old' by tennis standards!

Hmmm, maybe there's going to have to be a tennis comeback for me, one of these days! #wimbledon

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It's just a Small by-election folks! The Cartright Lanse au Clair saga!

So a small election took place earlier this week and the Liberals retained their seat. However, CBC felt it was a huge news story worthy of 'state of the union addresses' by all three party presidents and a one hour phone in.  Well, i innocently tweeted at them to not read too much into this, thinking my tweet would be ignored.  BUT.... it was read on air by the host and i was asked to call in and clarify my comments.

Well, i didn't listen live, and didn't get to call in, but i have recorded this vlog to explain my comments further. Funny how a small tweet can turn into a 7 minute interview!  So here it is.... 

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McCreath calls for unity in 'police vs trans' Toronto Pride conflict 6/27/2013

I was excited when I first heard that the Toronto Police force wanted to march in this years Toronto Trans Pride Parade. I saw this as a sign of acceptance and validation that the Trans community has been recognized and accepted as a unique credible entity that has a purpose.

Sadly, there are a few very vocal members of the Toronto trans community who expressed objection to their involvement at the march, stating that the Police were seen as enemies, in their eyes.  While I won't doubt their claims that police have acted questionably towards members of the trans community in the past, I see this as an opportunity for a fresh start. There was a feel-good story waiting to happen here.

Unfortunately, the Police have decided to withdraw from the march, because of the concerns expressed by these minorities.  I can't help but feel saddened by this news. Toronto is supposed to be the centre of the universe, and they are supposed to be world leaders in everything that they do. But in my opinion, this is a disgraceful black eye.  I have more to say here in today's vlog.


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Sting finally plays Newfoundland! 6/26/2013

Sting
Mile One Centre, St. John's,
June 26, 2013

Set:

If I Ever Lose My Faith in You
Every Little Thing She Does Is Magic (Police song)
Englishman in New York
All This Time
Seven Days
Demolition Man (Police Song)
Fields of Gold
I Hung My Head
Driven to Tears (Police song)
Heavy Cloud No Rain
Message in a Bottle (Police song)
Shape of My Heart
The Hounds of Winter
Wrapped Around Your Finger (Police song)
De Do Do Do, De Da Da Da (Police song)
Roxanne (Police song)

Desert Rose
King of Pain (Police song)
Every Breath You Take (Police song)
Next to You (Police song)
Fragile

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Animal visits 6/22/2013

lovely visit at the cat shelter and Kent's Pond pond 6/22/2013

Breakfast.. lol

been a rough week with a nasty head cold. finally starting to feel better though!

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Poignant Thought on Attempting to Enforce the Unenforceable

Getting published on main stream media, is a compliment to the thought on the topic, as well as the understanding of what makes good TV. I take pride in my ability to get quoted on the daily "Point of View" segment of CBC news, pretty much every time I submit a comment!  While I often shy away from getting involved in Justice-related discussions, I couldn't resist the opportunity to point out the obvious tonight, and did no without directly saying anything that could get me in trouble (I always measure that fine line between what I can talk about, and what I can't, given my current employment).

Quoting CBC's coverage of the story directly:  "Gordon Milley, 30, has been charged with first-degree murder in the case. He also faces charges of sexual assault, public mischief, and breach of recognizance. He was on probation and under strict conditions not to be in Sheshatshiu at the time of Rich's death. Milley has a total of 71 criminal convictions dating back to 2001. The fact that Milley could breach those conditions so easily has many concerned."

Should this guy have been allowed out on probation? Was it reasonable to assume he would respect the honour system to stay away from Sheshatshiu? Was he really deemed 'not a risk' to this victim, who is now dead?

Obviously, I don't have all the answers, and let's also keep in mind that he has innocent until proven guilty. But ultimately, a life has been lost here, and it will be a shame if it turns out that this tragedy could have been prevented with a little tougher proactive justice. Bottom line, Orders need to be enforceable. This one was easily breakable; and worse, the only consequence to breaching a court order of this nature, is often a small penalty, as well as additional court orders not to breach them again... (go ahead, roll your eyes).

I don't blame the police, I don't blame the Crown, I don't blame the Judges. They all did their best dealing with the statutes and legal precedents that we have in place. The policies need to change!

My beef here is with the Federal Government. The Harper Government has not toughened up on crime since taking office. We see more criminals given light sentences and more criminals re-offending, that perhaps ever before. This is purely my opinion,  we need to consider less of this "catch and release" stuff and more on taking steps to ensure that dangerous people are not free to roam society and cause further dangerous activities or death to others.

If it does turn out that a 21 yr old girl was raped and murdered by a man with a 71 page criminal record, then we all need to look in the mirror and ask what life in this country is really about! #cdnpoli #nlpoli

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not much running this month :(

06/01/2013 sat 3.30 km

06/02/2013 sun off
06/03/2013 mon 5.50
06/04/2013 tues
06/05/2013 wed 7.50
06/06/2013 thur off
06/07/2013 fri off
06/08/2013 sat 0.40

06/06/2013 sun off ankle problems
06/10/2013 mon off ankle problems
06/11/2013 tues off ankle problems
06/12/2013 wed 6.60
06/13/2013 thu 1.40
06/14/2013 fri off
06/15/2013 sat off

06/16/2013 sun 1.00 stopped exhausted, sick
06/17/2013 mon off sick
06/18/13 tues off sick
06/19/13 wed off sick + bad back

month to date 32.7k
year to date 799.8 k

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McCreath finally records 2012 Year in Review Vlogs

Well, it took me a while to get these recorded and published, but here it is, a 46-minute ramble about my 2012 year that was!

2012 Year In Review Vlog Part 1
2012 Year In Review Vlog Part 2


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Baby Duckies at Kent's Pond 6/8/2013

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Not an auspicious start to the month!

6/01/2013 sat - 3.30 km
06/02/2013 sun - off
06/03/2013 mon - 5.50
06/04/2013 tues - 7.00
06/05/2013 wed - 7.50
06/06/2013 thur - off
06/07/2013 fri - off, exhausted
06/08/2013 sat - 0.40km, stopped due to sore ankle

month 23.7k
year 790.8k

injuries and lack of energy continue to plague me. it's definitely frustrating! not much I can do other than start next week with a clean slate and hope for the best!

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Newfoundland Squirrel 6/8/2013

Came across this lovely little creature on my walk today!

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Hands Up for Rehtaeh Parsons

Two months ago today, Nova Scotia teen Rehtaeh Parsons, committed suicide after she faced months of torment and ridicule from her peers, all because she was a victim of sexual assault and rape.  It's sad enough that teens are sexually assaulting and raping each other at parties, but even worse that folks would further abuse the victim with tormenting. Teens can be among the most harsh and awful towards each other, and this is a heartbreaking story that never should have had to happen.  This tragedy hits close to home for me, literally, as we share the same home town of Halifax, and we also shared the love of animal rights activism.

There is a movement today on the internet to Raise Hands for Rehtaeh as an education and awareness campaign.  I gladly took part with a photo and a vlog.

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Oct 16, 2001 - the Day I met the man who invented Rock N Roll!

 "If you were going to give Rock N Roll another name, you'd probably call it Chuck Berry"  These are the immortal words of Beatles legend John Lennon, who along with his Beatles colleagues, and rival Rolling Stones colleagues, took Chuck's amid 1950s American bluesy rock style to a whole new level in the early 1960s.

Simply put, without Chuck, there would be no 70s rock. there would be no 80s rock. there would be no 90s  rock. there would be no rock, period!

While we'll never know for sure where music would end up, we do know that traditional blues, rockabilly, folk, and country, likely never would have evolved as they did. So hence, you can say good bye to essentially much of all music made from 1965- present day, without Chuck pioneering rock music in its form.  Of Course now, there were others. Buddy Holly, Eddie Cochran, Gene Vincent, Elvis Presley.. But they were all trying to follow Chuck's lead.

It was a dream come true when I decided to make the 12 hour drive from Toronto to St. Louis on October 16, 2001, so that I could attend Chuck's 75th Birthday Party (aka birthday concert).

I had just taken an interest in classic rock in the late 90s, when ironically, bands from the 70s started doing reunion tours. After falling in love with music from bands like the Eagles, Aerosmith, and the Rolling Stones, I traced their roots back to Chuck Berry, and immediately went on a hunt to find his greatest hits album.  Almost immediately, I was completely blown away with what i heard.  Shortly thereafter, I noticed that both the Beatles and the Rolling Stones, perhaps considered the top 2 rock n roll bands of all time, had launched their career by covering Chuck's tunes!  Their hits actually opened the door for Chuck to make a comeback of sorts, with the release of new music in 1964, his first new music in almost 5 years.


When I found out that Chuck would be playing a special show to commemorate his 75th birthday, I made plans to attend. The drive was long and boring, and I arrived in St. Louis exhausted, but I freshened up in my nearby hotel and entered the venue with my general admission ticket and bolted right to the front row - standing right in front of the speakers. You can actually see me in the picture depicted here as the only person standing directly in front of the stage, in between the two amps!

Chuck went through a set of all his classic tunes from the 50s and 60s, and still sang and played fairly well, considering his age.  After the set, special commemorative posters were given to all attendees and we were all invited to stick around the club afterwards to say hi to Chuck.  I did not have a camera with me, but I got him to autograph the poster for me, which I have scanned and shared in this blog. When I spoke with Chuck, I really didn't know what to say, so I told him I had literally drive 12 hours earlier in the day to be there tonight, and he seemed shocked and appreciative.

I would go on to see Chuck perform two more times over the next few years, giving me three Chuck Berry concerts in small venues where I had excellent seats. 13 years later, approaching 88 years old, Chuck continues to live a healthy life in St. Louis and still plays concerts on a semi-regular basis, including a monthly show at home at the Blueberry Hill Duck Room concert venue.  Go see him if you can!

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Kisses from Dasher the Cat! Meow!!!!! 5/20/2013

Taken May 20, 2013. Much tougher to get Dasher on film than Danny. A Rare treat to get a good pic with him!

McCreath slams Newfoundland feminists re sexist hospital comments 6/6/13

Radical feminism is a poison often considered equally as bad as homophobia and transphobia. Pre-judging someone strictly based on their sex, gender, or both, is discrimination from every angle. After seeing a story on the news in which an apparent social activist for women's rights, made what I felt were inappropriate sexist comments, I tweet in the line as depicted in the photo. Shortly therafter, I followed up by creating a vlog here, where I slams feminists who have stated they'd rather sleep in a hospital hall way rather than share a room with a man, even on a short-term temporary basis.


June 7, 2013 Update - reaction to this news story over the past 24 hours, for the most part, has supported my stance and condemned Denise's comments. I did a follow-up vlog here, today.

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Remembering the Eastern Marathon (St. John's Spring Marathon 2007-08 seasons)

Perhaps a moment in life I will never get over. I had been playing cat and mouse with Peter ever since i caught up to him around the 15k mark. we went back and forth til the 30k mark, when it appeared he had slowed down. so I was estatic, I felt strong and felt that if I could maintain my current pace, I'd have this race run. All of a sudden, at the 32k point, the 3rd-place-ranked Mack overtook both of us, looking strong and fresh as a daisy. I picked up the pace but eventually had to slow down due to complete exhaustion and lack of energy stores.  Peter ended up slowing down to walk in the final 2k due to a major injury he sustained.  I sauntered across the finish line just 4 minutes after Mack.  Mack is an amazing runner, a great guy, and has a lovely sense of humour. I was very happy for him. He not only beat his personal best time on this very tough course, but he shattered it. He ran a 3.17 and used this as his Boston Qualifier. I crossed at 3.22, which was technically my 3rd best time, although i consider this my best run ever, given the added course difficulty with all the hills.

I had always entered races with a plan to race against the clock. But this one was different. I knew I had a chance to win a race, and approached this very differently. I was well tuned into to what others were doing on the course - something i never used to care about.

What made this race even more imporant for me, 4 weeks earlier, by Boston dreams got shattered by leg cramps at the 39k mark of the Mississauga Marathon, forcing me to cross the finish line just mere minutes off my required time. Even worse, my appearance at the 2007 Eastern marathon ended tragically as I dropped out of the race after 30K due to apparent sun stroke, making this the only marathon start I had never finished.

The race was discontinued due to its lack of interest (mostly because the course was too hilly and the scheduling of it conflicted with other runners' plans to run the Ottawa Marathon the week before). So, in the end, I never got a chance at redemption.

 Me with NL Running Legend, Ray Will

 Peter tries to catch me!

 I try to catch Peter

Mack after he passed me and Peter to take the lead

Oh well, it was a happy ending, as later that summer, i ran qualification runs that got me into Boston 2009 and again in Boston 2010. I also claimed my very first championship when i won Gold at the World Outgames in Copenhagen Denmark in both Marathon run event and 1500M Freestyle swim event.

But I still really really really wanted this one! and this will sting forever!

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McCreath commends Egale Canada for good trans advocacy work today!

Open Letter to Ryan Dyck of Egale Canada, who spoke today at Bill C-279 Senate Human Rights Committee Meeting:

Hi Ryan,

Sincerely and respectfully, I wanted to write you tonight and let you know that I thought your work in the senate today in the C279 committee meeting was excellent! it may be no secret that I have raised concerns about how Egale Canada does trans advocacy, in recent years, but I have nothing but positive things to say about your work tonight!

Thanks, kudos, and congrats!

Jennifer McCreath
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Final May Running Stats

5/26/2013 sun - off
5/27/2013 mon - off
5/28/2013 tue - 6.00 km
5/29/2013 wed - 1.00 km
5/30/2013 thur - off
5/31/2013 fri - off

month 110.5k
year 757.1k

well, not a very good month for running. various physical and psychological issues slowed me down, including six separate minor injuries. But i feel optimistic that June will be better than May, even if it still doesn't quite live up to my initial expectations from when the year started.
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Spring at Burton's Pond 5/31/2013

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