June 17

The Anti-Charlie Brown?

An interesting time these last few days. I felt like a little kid in ways...I left the house early Friday morning on my bike and only really came back to eat and sleep. The rest of the time I got to play. Friday was an amazing day. I started riding my bike in Hamilton, went to Oakville, Sherway Gardens, downtown Toronto and back home (Woodbridge). After over 125k riding that day, the first drops of rain I felt were just as I pulled into my street. More impressive was who I got to spend the time with and the stories I heard. The National Kids Cancer Ride is making their way across Canada. I got to spend a day with them. Read about it here. Amazing. Proof that a small group of good people can do great things.

I followed this up with the 8th Annual Lawnboy Cup. I am hoping to get some pictures to put up here, but another successful year. Again the weather co-operated 100%. As the last car pulled away from the diamond on Friday evening the storm started and all day Saturday was amazing. Even after taking a ball in the face, I had a great time. (Yes, I realize what the glove on my hand is for, but it was a bad bounce!)

I typically don't prepare for races with a 6hr bike ride, day of baseball, and only 3 hrs of sleep, but Kat and I woke up early Sunday AM to head up to Huntsville for the Muskoka Chase Triathlon. Ignorance is bliss and although I have done this race 3 times now, I am sure my mind will allow my body to forget how hilly the course is for next year. Even the swim feels like it is up hill. I have often described longer races (the Marathon, the 1/2 Ironman) as mini-movies in which you go through a wide range of emotions...this one was just like that. I could feel in my warm-up that my hip flexiors were kinda ticked off at me but I was determined to push the pace and see what happened. My swim felt pretty good but my time was weak considering the effort. My bike was terrible. I had no pop in my legs, was getting passed liked crazy and honestly, feeling sorry for myself and like a baby.

The excuses were all set: the big workouts that week, the lack of sleep, no rest/taper etc. I was very close to shutting it down for the day. Glad I didn't. I started the run and Kat was there yelling encouragement and I joked the Friday ride didn't help but just started running. Not pushing the pace, but on a sort of autopilot. Good things started happening. Over the first 5k I starting picking people off (always feels good to get those that beat you on the bike) and it seemed at the 5k marker I was passing people in bunches. Not going nuts but working hard and just cruising. It was getting warm so was grabbing 2-3 cups water at every aid station and made sure I got 3 gels in me no matter what my stomach thought. By 10k I was really working to reel some people in especially those in my age group (they write your age on your calve in marker). With only about 100m to go I tracked down one more 30-34 year old male at the top of the hill and kicked it for the line hoping to match at least what I did last year. As it turns out, my surprising run on tired legs lead to a new personal best time and my highest finish in my age group at Muskoka. Nice.

Finally, it was home and inside. Once there the sky opened up and the rain and lighting came down in an amazing display from nature. I feel a bit like the anti-Charlie Brown: lately it is sunshine and not a storm cloud that is following me around.

FUNDRAISING
With over $10,000 in donations our initial target is reached. We obviously underestimated the power of this. What will the next 4 months bring?

June 10

3 Months Old
After seeing far too much of a hospital ward as a newborn, Jon finally went home and came back for another set of procedures and surgery at 3 months old. He was 12lbs at this point. The objective was to patch the hole at the rear of the heart (VSD) and to relieve pressure on the pulmonary artery thru neck surgery. The doctors executed perfectly on this however the pressure on the pulmonary artery would continue to surface as an issue and as a result from the numerous surgeries it would result from a build up in scar tissue.

Research
It is important to remember that in addition to funding things such as daily floor operations and equipment purchases, donations received also provide much needed capital to fund investment in research. Ideally, this investment generates a return in the form of new discovery, treatment, and breakthroughs that translate into longer and higher quality of life. Childhood cardiology is no exception to this. Had Jonathon gone through similar treatment today there is a high probability he would have had a pacemaker/defibulator implanted to ensure his heartbeat stayed regulated as it would in a typical heart such as yours or mine. While I am unsure whether it was unproven, unavailable and/or simply advised against for kids that young it wasn’t considered an option at the time.

Fundraising
I can’t believe we have crossed over the $8000 mark. With the baseball tournament this weekend, I look forward to telling you we have smashed our initial target. This is awesome! Thank you!

June 3

We just sent out a Racing for SickKids update and over the next couple weeks I plan on sharing a bit more of Jon's story with you. June is a special time in that it is the month he was born and the anniversary of his death. Since 2000 his family and friends have used the excuse of a baseball tournament to celebrate his life and raise money in his memory. In many ways it is the beginning of summer...

Milton Triathlon - June 1
While jumping into 61 degree water on a Sunday morning is about as fun as it sounds, that is where I found myself this past weekend to kick off the triathlon season. After a solid swim, a mediocre bike, I managed to have a pretty strong run to finish 13th in my age group (of 61). My time was identical to last year however this year I trained hard instead of resting for the race. Also encouraging is that after only 3 weeks recovery from the marathon my legs were there for the run (but man did they hurt from the 3.5hr bike and 2+hr workouts I did the preceding two days). Next stop: the Muskoka Chase which will probably have the most competitive field after the Ironman this season.