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Today's run. How it really felt. (Follow David combined posts here)

Running Through Grand Falls New Brunswick

Temperature was 23 Celsius (73 Fahrenheit)

Todays run distance was 41.64 kl (25.88 miles)

Total run distance to date is 2015.47 kl or (1278.236 miles)

Song of the day. Lot's of Black Eyed Peas and a Mix of Jane's Addiction

Today was one of those runs that I just could not get into. I didn't want to run, I hurt, it was hilly, it was windy in the wrong direction.

I just could not get into the motion. I just could not get into the run. I wanted to stop after the first kilometer, I wanted to stop after the second kilometer.

I took a rest at the 2 hour mark. I got a call from my wife who was able to inspire me to go on. She reminded me why I as doing this. That it may hurt, it may be hard, but someone right now just found out there loved one had a brain injury. In fact in the time I ran today 80 more people in North America had a brain injury.They were facing the same, or worse, experiences I went through and my family went through.

This helped me relive a bit of the first couple of years after my accident. My frustration at dealing with Social Service that had someone on maternity leave and no one to replace them when I left the hospital.

How I was so frustrated at the Occupational Therapists I had and there inability to see me as a person and not a list of things to check off on a form.

How the insurance company and my job put me through the wringer making me "prove" my disability again and again. Like I was faking the chunk of brain in liquid nitrogen.

How I lost friends that did not know how to get used to the new me, or even want to. On top of this I am learning to live again with a sever brain injury.

Trying to wade through life dealing with very difficult issues and not having the cognitive skills to understand them.

So today I got through for three reasons.

1) I am angry, angry at all the hurdles people have to go through in one of the most fragile times of there lives. With very few people I could rely on.

2) If I don't do something about the current situation who will? What right do I have to complain and feel sorry for myself if I am not willing to do anything?

3) How can I possibly let my own discomfort, my own self pity, my own limitations stop me, when someone right now just had one of the most horrific days of there lives and is informed they will never walk again, or worse?

So today I got angry. I got my inner drill sergeant to kick me in the butt and push me on. To suck it up and put one foot in front of the other. Because I can. Because someone else has it worse and they can't. So I am running on there anger as well.

Run through New Brunswick

Todays Temperature was 20 Celsius (68 Fahrenheit)

Todays run distance was 35.17 kl (21.85 miles)

Total run distance to date is 1907.41kl or (1185.206 miles)

Song of the day. Bright Lights Bigger City. Cee Lo Green

Today was a busy day. After the first half of the run we drove back into Fredericton to meet the Mayor Brad Woodside and Councillor David Kelly at the Alexander Gibson Memorial School.(see the website for the pics)

As great as it was to meet the Mayor and Councillor David Kelly. It was the kids who once again stole the show. It was a really great school with such great teachers, Principal Hunter was fantastic.

I got to run in my Saxx Performance briefs to help with the chaffing issue that seems to come when you run as long as I have been. They were not only great they were freakin fantastic. I have four different pairs to try out and will update on the progress. However today was a no chaffing day. Hoorah!!

The last bit of the run I booked it. With a shorter run day yesterday, the kids and the meeting with the city officials I needed to make up some time on the road. Tomorrow will be a shorter run day as well as I have some sports massage at 1:00pm. So we are getting up earlier and getting in as much distance as I can before that.

OLDER POSTS BELOW

The run that wasnt by temporallobe at Garmin Connect - Details

Yesterday's run was fantastic! I was wet, cold, and just me running. I was completely in my element.

One of the great things about long distance running, or any long distance sport, is the endorphins that are released. These are the body's natural morphines that help the body deal with pain. It is also known as "runner's high". So when you push your body past a certain point the endorphins kick in to help deal with the pain. This is a great thing for endurance athletes or for when you need to not feel pain to get out of a fight or flight situation. You have heard of moms lifting cars to save there babies, etc.While these endorphins are great for these types of situations, they do come with a drawback. You don't feel the pain you are in. Most of the time, for a long distance runner, this is not a big problem. You stretch, you ice, you recover. Furthermore, you are not usually doing more than a handful of events in a row.

However, yesterday I was in a definite endorphin high and did not notice that the rain had drenched my clothes. Everything was just drenched: pants, shoes, socks, back pack. Not feeling any pain I was unaware of a discomfort that started to build in a very sensitive area of the male anatomy. When I finished the run and my endorphins were dissipating, I noticed some blood on my pants. This was not a good thing. In fact I had rubbed the skin clear off. The shower yesterday was very painful, and today's run was just not going to happen.

So my fantastic run manager, being an ex-dancer, has made some suggestions and I will be following some of them tomorrow. It has also put us back another day.

I am having to rethink my mental strength. The hardest part of a marathon is always the last 10-15 km. This is called the WALL. Sometimes on some runs you don't hit the wall. Other times that wall seems to pop up at various times throughout the run. I have been hitting the wall quite a bit and I don't have the luxury of missing days, missing distances or succumbing to the wall.

So I need to rethink my approach and see if I can put in more consistent distances as I can't afford to miss another day. I need to be running a minimum of 42 km per day from now on, even if it takes me all day long. (Although my wife would suggest a less stringent regiment and to listen to my body more...I just can't get those distances out of my head.)

I am frustrated and feeling like I am falling behind. At the same time I am in allot of discomfort. All I can really do is rest up today and give it another shot tomorrow. Here's to keeping my fingers crossed

Memramcook to Moncton by temporallobe at Garmin Connect - Details

Today was a nice soggy day to run. The temperature was a little cold and the rain was consistent it reminded me of home. New Brunswick is an interesting province and I am enjoying the run each day.

The interesting thing for me is the changes in my body. I have to keep in mind that I have to run the next day so I don't ever go straight out at race pace. We have a good dietary plan that is constantly changing but seems to work. I can pretty eat anything I want as long as I have allot of it ;') I am avoiding anything overly processed although we did have some ice cream the other day. Lot's of pasta, rice, veggies, fruit and protein.

I take a fantastic set of vitamins from 7Systems that makes sure I am getting all my basic vitamins as well as the ones that I burn of on each day's run. http://www.7systems.ca/ It was made for elite athletes from Olympians like Jasper Blake or Simon Whitfield. Just to name a couple.

I was using the Vega Whole Food Health Optimizer each day in the morning. However I have run out and they are hard to get. Especially on a limited budget. So I got some no-name protein for my morning drink.

My day usually starts like this.

Melissa tells me to get up. I don't. I sleep for another 30 minutes or so. Then Melissa yells at me and say's get up. I don't. I sleep for another 15 minutes. Then afraid of a physical assault by Melissa, I get up. I have Oatmeal and honey as my first meal. I have a small cup of coffee, and I have a protein drink.

We then get into the CRV and drive to run start.

I run for two hours and use my Sports drink and a I always carry some dates with me. So I nibble on dates and drink my sports drink.

I usually stop at the 2 hour mark and have another small meal. Some apples, a Banana and some green tea. I sometimes manage to steel some of Melissa's cheese at this time as well. Then I head out again for another two hours.

At this point I am usually somewhere in the 30kl mark. We take a longer break that usually involves a pasta dish, or a Tuna fish sandwich. I eat about every 2 hours.

Then after the long rest we head out and finish off the run. Make it back in time to have some dinner and get ready for tomorrow. Well I don't get ready for tomorrow. I usually shower, stretch, and update my blogs and Garmin information.

Melissa does the laundry, makes the meals, plans the next day and gets to bed usually after me.

So when I say I have the easy job I really do. The real work, the behind the scenes work is all Melissa and Braintrust Canada. Without all of them this event would not happen. Not to mention the large amount of family and friends of everyone combined that make each day happen.

I am going to start updating my total distance and other information. Like weather, interesting things etc. Got a few more months of this. So looking to get into a routine. Not only is that good for me and my brain injury. It also makes my posts more predictable and less rambling like this one.

Shorter run today. by temporallobe at Garmin Connect - Details

Today was an interrupted day. I ran for about 15kl to City Hall and met with Kenneth Murnaghan who is the President of the Prince Edward Island Brain Injury Association. We were meeting up to chat with Mayor Clifford Lee. He was a great guy, great sense of humor and I was very appreciative of his time. He signed a book of Charlottetown for me. I got a great, and much needed, new sports had with the town symbol on it.

Kenneth and me had a great talk about the issues facing Brain Injury survivors and also the needed awareness of this important subject.

I then jumped back into Running Man Dave and Melissa jumped into the CRV and we headed to get a much needed oil change at the Honda Dealership. I still think I should have had to run there. However she is the boss.

The day pretty much ended there. I got some dinner at Boston Pizza and some time to make a blog post.

I am now going to enjoy some TV time as it has been a few weeks since I have wasted my brain on a TV and I was jonesing for a fix ;')

I ran to Prince Edward Island!! by temporallobe at Garmin Connect -...

Today felt much better. I am getting some of my strength back. Looking forward to more adverse reactions from one more day of my prescription. I am starting to feel like Dave again. The weather is starting to get a little warm and I am turning into a faucet of sweat. I ran all the way to the Confederation Bridge and had to stop. It is the longest bridge to run over Ice filled water and is over 12kl long (8miles).

Upon getting off the bridge and entering PEI you are hit right away by a very old sense of small town. Not only the home of Anne of Green Gables but also some of the worlds best lobster. I am expecting Melissa to take me out to dinner.

I Have run to New Brunswick by temporallobe at Garmin Connect - Det...

Well it has been an interesting last week or so. Five days of food poisoning. Several days of adverse reactions to the first set of prescription. I am now on a different prescription that seems to be doing the job without killing me. So today I was able to run for close to 40kl.

We have made a few changes to the run schedule. I am running for 2 hours then I am taking a short break. Then I run for two more hours take a longer break. Then I finish off the distance. Hoping to get in another 2 hours and maybe surpass the 42kl mark. There was a run a few weeks back that I did run 45kl. It was a while back!!

So if I the one thing I was not prepared for in Newfoundland was the wind. The one thing I was not prepared for in Nova Scotia were the black flies. I don't much care for them.

That all being said. Tomorrow I will pass on into New Brunswick. I am feeling way better. Still not a %100 but I am getting back to my proper fluid levels and actually enjoying the run again. Looking forward to tomorrow. Right now I need to sleep!!

Debert Station through Westchester Station by temporallobe at Garmi...

Getting back into the grove of things since being sick. Have to rebuild my fluids. Apparently five days of an unhappy digestion system and inability to keep things in takes it's tole on your fluids ;')

So I ran as far as I could before going into a state of dehydration again.

Getting a great new schedule for the run together. Breaking the day up to avoid the heat as much as possible. Looking forward to being off the medication that makes me feel like my feet way to hundred pounds.

All in all starting to feel better and I am back to my full apatite.

1st half of run was 26 kl. 2nd half of run. by temporallobe at Garm...

I forgot my Garmin this morning. So I ran 26kl and then we had to pause to go pick up the RV. It was about a 40 min drive or so. Once there we hooked up the CRV to the RV to Walmart parked the Motorhome and then drove back to the last run stop. I ran another 13kl or so. We also found a great campsite. Called Hidden Hilltop

So it was a long day of lot's of running and lots of driving and then more running. However I did have my first great shower in about a week. Much to the teams pleasure I am being told.

So now it's time to eat, stretch, sleep.

Tags: Awareness, Brain, David, Injury, McGuire, Remember, Run, to

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Comment by David McGuire on June 3, 2011 at 6:03pm

Today's run. How it really felt. (Follow David combined posts here)

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