Where has the time gone?

Can't believe my last post was in April!! Anyway, I am still biking and running. The daily ride to and from work is great, even though the weather has now turned to summer, and I have done some 2000 k since starting back to cycling about four months ago. I am still with Foreign Affairs and International Trade Canada, and absolutely love it. I will be there until year end, and then we'll see what happens next.

I ran the new National Capital half-marathon course a couple weeks before the race in May, in a group run sort of thing, and since I had not been running that distance since early February, I think I got some shin splints. I decided to pass on the race itself, and instead helped with the anti-doping process for the 10k and the marathon the next day. I was the chaperone for the male winner of the 10k, Simon Bairu, in 28:29, and my wife chaperoned the female winner, none other than the great Catherine Ndereba, in 33:01! What delightful people they are. It was a night made in heaven for a runner, to be able to personally associate with runners of that calibre. I was able to do a cool-down jog with Simon, after the race; what a pleasure that was.

The next day I helped with the anti-doping for the wheelchair marathoners. What a great experience! The dedication of those folks was amazing. And virtually no attention from spectators or media; what a shame.

Anyway, I run on weekends, about 9.5k each Saturday and Sunday, as much as possible, and am considering a half-marathon somewhere in the warmer climes in the Jan-Feb time frame.