Huggin Lake Simcoe by temporallobe at Garmin Connect - Details

Huggin Lake Simcoe by temporallobe at Garmin Connect - Details

· Weather today: 28 Celsius (82.0 Fahrenheit) Humidity 88% (at it's highest)

· Today’s run distance: 42.53 km (26.43 miles)

· Run distance to day: 3360.65km (2092.78 miles)

· Song of the Day: I Want You (Cee Lo Green. From the Lady Killer Album) 

I woke up this morning ready to get my run on. We were a little hampered with a flat tire on the CRV. Without hesitating Melissa was off to Canadian Tire to get, well tires. 

She was back in a flash (I don't know how long she was I fell back to sleep - I'm told she was gone an hour), then Mandy and I were off in the CRV to run start. 

To be honest the first 30kl were really boring. It was a pretty uneventful run. The usual honks (which I love) of support. A few honks of confusion (that is what I am choosing to believe those honks are). Most of the Police, Ambulance and Fire Trucks always flash or honk at us. 

 Running into Orillia.

 Arriving in Orillia.

 Running some more...

 With some more running.

So the day went. Up until we met with Barb Butler who is the Vice President of the Brain Injury Association of Canada. Barb is a brain injury survivor and advocate herself. I am so glad I got a chance to meet her and spend some time with her. We are all on the same mission and that is to make people aware of brain injury, prevent them, and appropriately treat the ones that can't be prevented. She was just a great lady. 

 Barb and I on Highway 11

About 3kl after that we met with Cheryl and Jeff who were riding a motorbike by us and stopped to see what we were doing. I will update more on this tomorrow as Cheryl is going to join me for a run ;') 

Jeff and Cheryl stopped on Highway 11 to say hi.

Less then 2kl to the end of my run another car pulled up and a male got out and handed me $25.00 got back in his car and drove off. 

 Random guy in a Handy DJ Van donating - THANKS!

This week I get to (hopefully) run with the Mayor of North Bay. I'm around 190kl away. I'm coming for you North Bay!

Bradford through Churchill and Innisfil and Barrie

Bradford through Churchill and Innisfil and Barrie by temporallobe at Garmin Connect - Details

· Weather today: 27 Celsius (81.0 Fahrenheit) Humidity 94% (at it's highest)

· Today’s run distance: 43.68 km (27.14 miles)

· Run distance to day: 3318.12km (2066.35 miles)
· Song of the Day: CBC Radio One "Being Jann" Jann Arden (very funny radio show)

Mandy was a little sick today. This is unusual as I am usually the one that is sick. She is also not the type of person who takes sick days, where as I will take a day off if I need it. So when Mandy is sick, she is sick. (Although she wants to make it clear that she was not really as sick as I made her sound. - Whatever.) 

So Melissa and I headed out to the last run stop and started off the day. The weather was a little easier on me today. I was feeling good and just blasted away. I was a little quicker than normal and took shorter breaks. It was just a good running day. 

I got to about the 35kl mark and I was joined by two cyclists (I am so sorry that I forgot your names) I informed them of what I am running for and they joined me for about 4kl of the run. She was on a Cervelo P2 (I think I may be wrong but the Cervelo always stands out to me as that is what I did my Ironman in). The male was riding a non Cervelo ;') 

It was great chatting with them, she has run several marathons and completed her first Tri. I think it was Olympic distance as she had mentioned she was a little concerned about the 1/2 Ironman she is training for. However any woman with three kids who still has time to train will have no problem on race day. 

Today was all about distance. 

I took a video of yesterday's appearance at the Tiger Cats game yesterday, however I will have to upload it on another day. It's come out upside down and needs some editing. 

I am still thinking about all the amazing people I met at the Brain Injury Society of Hamilton, and all the other societies, associations, places, that I have met others with a brain injury. I am so humbled every time I am there. Not only the survivors but the caretakers, family members, and all the people that make these places what they are. It's so amazing. 

The one consistent message is that not only do we need more of them, but they need to be better funded. So many of the "disabled" are able to do more than what they are currently doing. We need to educate the population and provide adequate services for the survivors. For too long we have just institutionalized, minimized, and hidden away these amazing people. It is time that the "invisible disability" became visible. 


I am sorry there are no photos today, our resident photographer was ill today. 

Today Part 1: A Special Visit with BISH

Without the RV this morning the CRV was packed full of all our overnight stuff and my run stuff from yesterday. It was pretty packed, and then we drove into Hamilton to pick up two huge boxed filled with whistles and t-shirts. We're spending the day in Hamilton meeting all kinds of people so no run today. 

We got such a warm welcome from the people at the Brain Injury Society of Hamilton (BISH). They organized a meet and greet with me as a special guest speaker. There was also free food so we know what the real draw was for the crowd. 

Melissa introducing me to the crowd.

Travis Bailey and Craig. 

Travis pushed himself to run greater and greater distances throughout his rehabilitation after being shot with a 12-gage shot gun, and then sustained another injury from a fall that re-paralyzed himself from the waist down. Now  Travis is a runner and I'm rooting for him to get on the Canadian Paralympics Team. Google Travis and cheer him on! Craig had his brain injury since 1976 after being hit by a bus, and he recited a poem he wrote called "The Smile". You can check out his poems on poems.com

Amanda and Linda, I know you both don't like to be photographed but I needed to send out a special thanks for organizing such a great event. Thank you!

Billy and Brian having a chat with me. 

Billy's story really touched Mandy and I because he and his longtime girlfriend married after his brain injury was sustained. There have not been too many of those stories, in fact the statistics always say that brain injury breaks families up because brain injury changes people's personalities, not to mention the other challenges that arise  as a result of the brain injury. So it was really special to hear Billy's story and to hear that he is still happily married, but also that he was open and honest enough to admit there are ups and downs. He also has  a daughter so that was another inspiration. Thanks for sharing with us today Billy!

Ronald had a stroke when he was in grade school. He's struggled but made himself into a productive and contributing member of society. He is another runner as well who has done several races. It was day filled with runners at BISH. 

I think one of the best parts of this journey is meeting the amazing people through the brain injury societies and associations. To hear these amazing people tell me that I'm inspiring is crazy, because their stories are to amazing and they inspire me to continue putting my left foot then my right foot down on the pavement every day. Thanks so much to BISH for the warm welcome, and for sharing your amazing stories with me. 

Through Aurora, Newmarket and stopping at Bradford

Through Aurora, Newmarket and stopping at Bradford by temporallobe at Garmin Connect - Details

·           Weather today: 28 Celsius (82.4 Fahrenheit) Humidity 51% (at it's highest)

·           Today’s run distance: 23.84 km (14.81 miles)

·           Run distance to day: 3274.44km (2039.21 miles)
·           Song of the Day: Today I got to chat with Adam again

Today started off a little crazy. It was a late night last night for Mandy and I as we got to spend time with Anne and her family. Anne's dad had a small wristlet / man purse / money pouch / satchel.

I am looking forward to getting one of my own and establishing this as a trend for runners to carry their stuff in.

This morning was a little hard to get up but Mandy and Melissa would not tolerate my cry for "just 10 more minutes".

Today was Mandy and I in the CRV as Melissa had to take the motorhome in to get the "Run to Remember" decals put on it. So Mandy and I drove off to yesterday's run stop and got everything going for today's run.

I ran for about 30 minutes and we were met by Adam who wanted to continue running with me today. He is an "old timer" when it comes to brain injury and has had his injury for about 20 years ago. His cognitive challenges are similar to mine, yet again very unique and specific to him. He also recently got his MBA. This is quite amazing considering like me he had to do the "High Needs Part Time" student loans.

This is what I faced when going back to school. It takes me 8 years of part time school, and not being able to work during this time. This is a huge amount of student loan debt and without being able to work, and…well…you can fill in the rest.

After Adam ran with me for a bit we continued on. It was a little cooler today, but still quite humid. At one point a car pulled over in front of us and it was Rita who is Anne's aunt.

I continued on-wards and another car pulled over and it was someone from Bradford who was organizing a meet and greet with the Mayor. He wanted to find out what time we would be running into Bradford.

We continued on and I enjoyed about 12kl or so of just straight running. When we got to Bradford and met with Mayor Doug White, his wife Jeanene, and their daughters Jamie and Jaclyn. He provided me with a Certificate of Achievement on the Run to Remember. I also met Steve Lowden who is the Vice President of the Board of Trade for Bradford.

The girls all have the Run to Remember whistles!! Sorry Mayor ;')

I then had a great discussion with two reports, Sean from the Bradford Topic and Miriam from the Bradford Times. They were just great and very curious about brain injury and specifically mine. So I informed them of my history and my injury. They asked a lot about the challenges of everyday life and how I do things like the run. I talked about the challenges but also the importance keeping a positive outlook. It's very easy to fall into a world of depression and feel sorry for myself. That is a slippery slope and is just a challenge on a daily bases. What keeps me going is the idea that this run and raising awareness gets people aware of the fragility of their brain and how quick their lives can turn around. The other part of this is for those people who have suffered a TBI, an ABI or any other extreme medical issue. We are not defined by our disability. It is what we do with it.

Should I let it take over my life and play victim? Should I just be the guy with a brain injury? Or should I push the limits of what is expected, challenge the preconceived thoughts, and push beyond even my own boundaries. If I can do this, what else can I do, what can others do? 

I started this run planning to run a marathon a day. Some days I just don't make it; sometimes I don’t make it for medical reasons, planned excursions, presentations, or random occurrences like today. However I don't get discouraged. I wake up again tomorrow and I put on my shoes and I try again. I will do this all across Canada, because it is not the finish that defines this event or me. It is the getting up every day and putting up with the hard days: the days I want to stop. That is what all of us do. My challenges are just a little different than yours. What is your marathon? What are you gritting through tomorrow?

31kl today.

31kl today. by temporallobe at Garmin Connect - Details

• Weather today: 28 Celsius (82.4 Fahrenheit) Humidity 51% (at it's highest)
• Today’s run distance: 31.52 km (19.58 miles)

• Run distance to day: 3250.60km (2024.40 miles)
• Song of the day: CBC Radio one today!! (I am really enjoying the CBC Radio one)

A very long running day. Today I was running through downtown Toronto North up Yonge Street towards Barrie. It was a lot of stopping at intersections and lots of red lights. I was also met by Adam who is from the BISTA. He ran with me last Friday at Nathan Phillips Square. 

Downtown Toronto was crazy. So many cars and people and some rush hour traffic. It was a lot of stimulation, but there were lots of spots to stop and pee. 

Entering Thornhill, Ontario where Mandy's friend Anne ran out and cheered me on. It was an awesome surprise that was really confusing and encouraging. 

Running, running, running...

Running along Yonge some more. 

Burlington To Hamilton

Burlington To Hamilton by temporallobe at Garmin Connect - Details

• Weather today: 26 Celsius (78.8 Fahrenheit) Humidity 40% (at it's highest)
• Today’s run distance: 23.37 km (14.52 miles)

• Run distance to day: 3219.08km (2004.82 miles)
• Song of the day: CBC Radio One (in and out of signal) 

Today we ran into Hamilton. It is a very large city and we wanted to put our feet into the area. It doesn't throw us off our schedule too much and was important visit as we will be back on Friday to be introduced in the kick off of the Tiger Cats game. 

During the run through a very industrial area and several road construction areas the air quality started to get really bad. All I could smell was car exhaust, diesel exhaust, tar and other "factory" like smells. So I brought out my respro mask. 

. 

It was a little over a half marathon distance and we were able to be tourists for the afternoon. While Mandy had been to Niagara Falls before Melissa and I had not, so we took the opportunity to take in one of the worlds most amazing sites

It's 8:52 and we are about to drive to a spot closer to tomorrow's run start and in order to avoid traffic on the 401 that early in the morning tomorrow. So we will be off for about an hour long drive as soon as I finish blogging and eating my Boston Pizza Spaghetti and Meatballs!! 

Running along Lake Ontario

Running along Lake Ontario by temporallobe at Garmin Connect - Details

• Weather today: 30 Celsius (81 Fahrenheit) Humidity 39% (at it's highest)
• Today’s run distance: 42.10 km (26.16 miles)

• Run distance to day: 3195.71 km (1990.30 miles)
• Song of the day: CBC Radio App on my 3G I phone

Today we were back to running. It was sad to be leaving my family. I felt like I didn't have enough time. However I had an amazing couple of days. Ontario and Toronto have been fantastic!

I got some fantastic new shoes from Spira. The weather was a little bit cooler and I had some fantastic fuel from a great meal from my cousin. 

Hello Mississauga

Running through Oakville

Donation by a driver who came back. His brother had a brain injury

Running Dave

Running Dave 

and more running. 

Today was a beautiful run through Mississauga and along Lake Ontario. I was feeling fantastic. Lots of honks and support on the road today. Melissa drove ahead of us in the RV after a little bit of running. Then she drove ahead of us to a Walmart where I am currently uploading my run data in a Starbucks. It's 7:32 and I am off to stretch and sleep! 

Feeling really good. 

Running Down Queen St.

Running Down Queen St. by temporallobe at Garmin Connect - Details

• Weather today: 24 Celsius (75.2 Fahrenheit) Humidity 54% (at it's highest)
• Today’s run distance: 19.24 km (11.95 miles)

• Run distance to day: 3153.61 km (1964.14 miles)
• Song of the day: I didn't have a song today 

Well the days have not stopped in their overwhelmingness!!

Melissa and I headed out to run start while Mandy stayed back to get her Kya on!!

I ran for 19.24 kl and stopped at my sister's place to rest and get ready for a big family dinner. I fell asleep on the couch and was woken up a little bit later on by Mandy txt'ing me. Melissa had cleaned the motor home and everyone else had been busy while I napped.

We then headed out to my cousin's house for some good old family home cooking. This was also very special to me because it has been along time since I have had some time to just sit and chill with my family. 


I am so lucky to have such a great family. Adam and Sue, Harry and Nancy, Andrew and Ethan, Alex, Kya and Kathy. 

Tiko (a very MUSCULAR family dog!) 

David, (and Susie) who I met for the first time tonight, is a massage therapist and he had a full massage table all set up for me. I got a full on 2:30 minute massage and man does he know his stuff. It's funny because people use the word "athlete" when they talk about me. I still don't feel like an "athlete" I feel like a guy who is having this amazing experience and doing something truly fun. It's challenging but it doesn't seem "athletic" to me.

So Dave was massaging me and he was explaining that professional athletes understand that to release muscles, or to repair damage, you need to cause a little pain in the massage. This is the opposite of why most people get a massage. They get a massage to release a tense muscle, reduce some pain, or just to relax. Well this is where "athletes" differ. For lack of a better term, "no pain, no gain" when it comes to massaging. Meaning you need to get in deep and hit some sensitive parts to allow them release and recovery. This will allow you to perform later and with less compensation. So if my left hamstring was hurting, and I was putting more pressure on my right hamstring to compensate, now the left hamstring feels better, therefore I no longer have to compensate. Ask any professional athlete (or that crazy friend or family member that runs marathons, trains real hard, or bikes, whatever they do, you know the crazy one that pushes themselves too hard and seems to enjoy pain) how a deep tissue massage makes you hurt so good.

Ethan, my cousin's youngest son, has a such a generous heart. He was scrounging around searching for every penny he had to donate to us. He kept saying he wanted to help. He scoured his home and found $25 (mostly in change!) to donate to us. It was amazing! 

And Alex is a pretty great young man too! He's like 2 or 3 belts away from his black belt in Tae Kwon Do, and he's an amazing cousin to Kya. He's always looking out for her in every way!

After the massage I got treated to family and food. It was a night I didn't want to end. Just one of those times that you wish you could just stay in. Good people, good food, good times. I just realized I am sounding like a really bad song, but it was so true. It was just such a great day.

I am truly so lucky, especially considering how much food they sent me home with!