February Newsletter

RUNNING FOR A REASON /

COURIR POUR UNE CAUSE

February/février 2008

Training chronicles

Let it snow, let it snow, let it snow

While some would say we have been blessed with a great ski and snowboarding season, others have different perceptions of the tonnes of snow that have fallen since mid-December. Needless to say, while the days have not been that cold, running in that slushy mushy stuff has been challenging.

Sunday morning runs are always outdoors. I usually start out and head down to the waterfront, it is pitch black at 6 a.m. I often see deer, rabbits, the occasional fox, and the habitual dogs that are behind their electric fences that greet me with barks and follow me along their perimeters. Most of my little friends are puzzled about this bobbing light coming at them (I wear a bright white LED light on my right wrist to alert oncoming traffic of my presence – if they don’t give me enough room or don’t slow down, I aim it right at the driver – but I digress). We’ll keep that thought for another story…

Running in the snow is really not that bad. The trick is to find a route that is cleared regularly enough and stick to it (If I ran more often in Montreal in winter, I would digress again here about road clearing, but I have been well served in Hudson). I am convinced my route follows the snow plow’s. What is difficult is running at speed in slippery conditions. The worst thing that could happen is to slip and over-compensate to stay upright. This happened to me a couple of years ago and I pulled a muscle in my groin…youch! It has been tender ever since and I consciously take smaller strides in slippery conditions to avoid a recurrence. So shorter strides means a slower pace – unless you increase your tempo, or foot turnover rate. This is actually good training to increase your speed. Also, you have to be sure of your footing. So I spend most of my time looking at my feet while running in the snow. The other day I was running downtown on De Maisonneuve near La Grande Bibliothèque on what is supposed to be a year-round bike path (oh, but I digress yet again..) Anyway, despite the fact that I was taking shorter strides AND watching my footing, I stepped on what I thought was a slushy mass only to see my foot roll and feel a sharp pain in my left ankle. I was about halfway into my 10k run and was pretty warmed up so I kept on running on it. The pain subsided after about five minutes so I kept going. Not too bad - Need to be more careful, I said to myself. It didn’t swell or anything and is fine today. That was a close one. Can’t take anything for granted in the snow…

I usually finish my long runs with hill sprint repeats. I sprint up a steep hill as fast as I could for about 10 seconds and then slowly walk back down and start over. With gravity working against me, it is supposed to increase my speed in race conditions. Add a slushy road and it makes for a potential disaster. On two occasions, I’ve had to forego the hill repeats and just do wind sprints on a cleared stretch of road. The training value is a bit less but it is worth it to avoid injury.

After a run, I make sure to clean any slush off my shoes and let them air dry. Salt can wreak havoc on shoes so it is important to not let the calcium stay on too long.

So that’s it. Not to bad at all. As a matter of fact, there is something to be said for seeing your tracks in the fresh snow on a Sunday morning – on a road where there are no other tracks at all. It’s kind of a zen thing; like you are the first person in this uncharted territory and you are charged with blazing a trail – and then the snow plow comes around the bend…

Research byte

February 12, 2008 (Research Reports) –

Gene Therapy Protocol Activates Immune System in Patients with Leukemia, Study Shows

A research team reports that patients with chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL) who were treated with a gene therapy protocol began making antibodies that reacted against their own leukemia cells. Read more

Fundraising / Levée de fonds

Ultima

En partenariat avec Aérobie Spa Gym et Planet Foods, je vends maintenant du Ultima Sports Recovery drink. C’est le parfait breuvage pour après l’entraînement – sans sucre et plein d’électrolytes. Faites leplein avec ULTIMA. SVP m’appeler pour en commander (disponible en sachets individuels et en contenants de 30 et 90 portions).

P.I.N.K.

Les bijoux P.I.N.K. sont également disponibles. Offrez un beaux bracelet à quelqu’un et supportez la cause en même temps. SVP me contacter pour en savoir plus sur les différents modèles disponibles.

Donating / Comment Faire un Don

There are 3 ways to make a donation:

• Online by credit card on my secure web site: : http://www.active.com/donate/tntmon/Pressoir

  • By credit card by faxing the enclosed donation form to 514.875.2657 to the attention of: Janet Lough

  • By mail, send a check payable to The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society of Canada along with enclosed donation form to the following address::

  • The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society of Canada – Montréal Branch

    Attn: Janet Lough 1255 University, Suite 1608

    MTL, QC H3B 3X2
    

Pour effectuer un don 3 options vous sont offertes :

• Par carte de crédit sur mon site web sécuritaire :http://www.active.com/donate/tntmon/Pressoir

  • Par carte de crédit en faxant le formulaire de don ci-joint au 514.875.2657 à l’attention de : Janet Lough

  • Par la poste en faisant parvenir un chèque à l’ordre de La Société de leucémie et lymphome du Canada accompagné du formulaire ci-joint à l’adresse suivante :

  La Société de leucémie et de lymphome du Canada – Montréal Branch

  Attn: Janet Lough 1255 rue Université,

  Suite 1608

  MTL, QC H3B 3X2

Contact info :

Patrick Pressoir

514-873-7414

www.active.com/donate/tntmon/Pressoir

Running for a Reason 1

Ed. février 2008