GRANT:
Hey Vicky have you ever heard about this hundred pushup program?

VICKY:
No what’s that?

GRANT:
It’s this website.  It’s also a book now.  They take you from wherever you are at up to 100 push ups.

VICKY:
Cool.  How many can you do?

GRANT:
Count ‘em out!

VICKY:
Okay go!  One… two… three… hmmm struggling a bit… four  [....] nineteen.  Good job!

GRANT:
Ug.  What a girly-man.

VICKY:
Now according to the website based on how you did on the test it shows you where to start on the program.  You can even log your progress.  Good luck!  Oh I see they also have a two hundred sit up program.   Maybe I can find my six pack abs again.

GRANT:
Recapturing form is a great inspiration, but my inspiration is Terry Fox.  Want to know why he looks so awesome and ripped in the photos?  Before he took off for any run he got down on the pavement and knocked off some pushups.  Studly eh!  He’s my hero.

VICKY:
How was your trail race this weekend?

GRANT:
What trail race?

VICKY:
Weren’t you going to Mt. Tremblant for the 5 Peaks race?

GRANT:
Oh yeah, that.  Funny story.  Remember how I said I was going to go up there with a photographer and she was going to take pictures for the blog.  Well I went to Montreal to pick her up on Saturday morning.  It turns out that she is incredibly beautiful and cool.   She’s super smart.  In addition to being an amazing photographer she is working on her PHD identify biomarkers for autoimmune disorders.  I just nodded my head and pretended to understand what she was talking about when she was describing her work.  Anyway, as we were driving up there I was thinking, what the hell am I doing going up to run in the mud and get all sweaty when I could be hanging out with this woman?  So I intentionally got lost on the way up.  I drove all around Mt. Tremblant village and down to the lake.  It looked completely believable and she didn’t suspect a thing.    Once I knew the race was safetly under way we drove up to the resort.  I convinced her to go hiking with me around the trails.

VICKY: 
Smart thinking.

GRANT:
Yeah, it was going great.  I used all my favorite jokes. 

VICKY:
Oh no.

GRANT:
We wandered around along the streams and climbed half way up the mountain.  She’s in awesome shape.  It turns out she is a long distance swimmer.  She swims two hours a day every day.  She took photos of trees and ponds and spiderwebs.  We went down to the village and ate lunch.  She ordered a large amount of food for herself, but I didn’t think much of it at the time.  We also ran into some black standard poodles: potential boyfriends for Ébène.

VICKY:
Then what happened?

GRANT:
Then I was like, jeez, I don’t want to take her home yet, so I invented the idea that I needed to interview her for the blog.  I am telling you that I didn’t want the day to end.  This woman is amazing.  She has an incredibly beautiful face with these cute freckles.  She speaks 5 different languages.  She’s a vegetarian and a Buddhist.  She’s really humble.  I would say almost ordinary.  Quiet and soft spoken.   I don’t want to be vulgar here either but I have to say that she has an awesome body.  Just fabulous.  If you want to have a beautiful body then start swimming for two hours a day.  It works great.  Anyway, she seemed to be into me as well.  She wants to teach me calligraphy and Mandarin.

VICKY:
Wow this sounds great.  What about the interview?

 
GRANT:
Oh yeah.  So, Yee,  please tell me about your long distance swimming?

YEE:
First of all Grant, congratulations for being in the final five in the blogging contest.
My long distance swimming? Hmmm…I never thought it’s extraordinary and worth mentioning It’s just something I really enjoy doing. You know, with enduring activity you can easily enter a ‘zone’ similar to meditation. That’s what I like about it. I can refer you to some people who are much better long distance swimmers (more professional) than I am, if you are interested.

GRANT:
Er, um, actually I would prefer more to hear from you about your swimming.  What kinds of things do you think about while you are swimming.  Swimming is a fascinating activity because there is a kind of sensory deprivation which goes on, isn’t there?

YEE:
I often chant  ( in my mind, of course) when I swim…mostly Om Mani Padme Hum. I think I am even a less serious Buddhist than you. It is very much integrated in my life that most times I don’t think about it. To the western societies, Buddhism seems very much a ‘new age’ thing, but it’s part of my life, I was born into a Buddhist family, and also later in life chose to be a Buddhist myself. Part of the reasons I became a vegetarian 9 years ago was due to Buddhism, but now it’s more because I don’t agree with modern farming and how animals are treated. I am not a ’serious’ vegan either, as I do eat fish and eggs and dairy products–I LOVE cheese…See, I am never too serious with anything, so I am also a Middle Path person. I believe in moderation, and this includes moderation itself.    You know meditation well. I guess you know that one technique is concentrate on breathing. I guess most times that’s what swimming is all about: count your strokes and breathes. That’s why I often see swimming as my meditation exercise.

GRANT:
I also have to say what an incredible photographer you are. 

YEE:
Thank you for the compliments on my photos. Photography has been my hobby for 10 long years. I am an admirer of Henri Cartier-Bresson. Do you know his work?

GRANT:
No.

YEE:
He has a late photograph that he took when he was in his seventies, I think, of a tree in Tuscany. The shadow streamed down on the field, alongside his own shadow – both running raggedly parallel. He has elevated ’snap-shooting’ to the level of refined and disciplined art. I like what he wrote in ‘The Decisive Moment’. ” In photography, the smallest thing can be a great subject. The little human detail can become a leitmotif.  Most of his photography is a collection of such little, human details; concerned images with universal meaning and suggestion. To take a photograph is putting one’s head, one’s eye, and one’s heart on the same axis.

VICKY:
Wow this woman seems right up your alley.

GRANT:
Yeah, it was all going great until dinner.

VICKY:
What happened then?

GRANT:
Well we were continuing the interview.  She had suggested we go to an Indian buffet in downtown Montreal.  It did seem like she really liked me…

YEE:
Grant you have a great personality and your eyes…. what colour are they?

GRANT:
Brown?

YEE:
No, maybe amaretto?  Brown with a hint of gold.  I’ve seen your eyes before.  Many years ago I met this tour guide in Egypt….  when I saw him I thought, I will never see eyes like this ever again in my life.  But you have them.  I would love to take photographs of your eyes.

GRANT:
Thank you that is very flattering.

But at that moment I looked down at the plate of food she had in front of her.   We had gone up to get food at the buffet tables.  I had taken alot, like I normally do.  I was feeling a bit shy, because I was trying to make a good impression.  She had taken about twice as much food as me.  I only wish we had photos.  The food was literally spilling off the plate.  Cabbage, samosas, potatoes, naan bread, rice, the list goes on.  I was shocked, but I tried to stay focused on the interview and we continued to talk about swimming, Buddhism, calligraphy, yoga.  She finished eating and I continued to pick away at what was left on my plate.  As soon as I finished she asked if I wanted to go up and get more.  I said, no thanks, but she should feel free to go up if she wanted anything else.  I was joking, but she went up.  She got a plate full of food as big as the one before and another plate with a pile of fruits for dessert.    I couldn’t believe what I was witnessing.  She eats like Henry the VIII and Michael Phelps combined.

VICKY:
I wish I could eat like that.

GRANT:
I don’t know.  I was really disturbed.  I took her home right away. There is no way I could go out with someone like this.  Consider the cost of feeding her alone.  I would need to get a second job.

GRANT:
No way.  That’s fast.  Maybe I should have picked someone slower, like Katie Holmes (5:29:58) or David Lee Roth (6:04:43). 

VICKY:
Still think you can do it?

GRANT:
Hell yes I can.  I’m putting her picture up on my bathroom mirror.  I’m going to stare at it every day.  This is going to be like Rocky vs. Mr. T.

VICKY:
May 30, 2010.   Ottawa Race Weekend.  You have one year to beat Oprah.

GRANT:
Beat Oprah!

VICKY:
What happens if you lose?

GRANT:
I dunno.  Maybe I have to read her lousy book recommendations for a year.  That should be incentive enough.

VICKY:
Deal. 

GRANT:
I’m coming for you Oprah!

Photo courtesy Extra T.V.

GRANT:
I was lucky enough to get in contact with Heather Beauchesne who created the Montreal running tours group called The Running Tourist.  First of all, I invite you to visit her website which is wicked cool.  You’ll see they offer tours around the Old Port and also The Plateau.  They have a Rainbow Run which is open to Gays and Lesbians, locals and visitors.  Running tourism is a great way to get out an explore a city and meet people.

Heather,   What inspired you to create this business?

HEATHER:
Well….  As an import to Montreal, I am originally from Saskatchewan, the last few years’ morning run have been accompanied by a camera, so that I could share the sites with my family and friends back home; I see Montreal as the mystery, as an outside would.  In addition, my runs were solo and usually took place in the Old Port (I live only a few blocks away), I craved to find a regular running partner, although the faces I passed were continually new, tourists.
This past summer I took a trip to Barcelona and unlike myself (horrible tourist) actually joined a tour, a biking tour.  It was sweet, after 2 hrs I was able to pull off 95% of the “must see” tabs in my visitors guide book.  The bike ride took place in the first few hours of my stay, for the balance of the visit I had my sneakers, but because I am notorious for getting lost in new surroundings I left them in my suitcase.  Subsequently, I felt rather… soft by the time I arrived home.
Into the following winter, as I am not a winter runner nor treadmiller, I was craving an outdoor run.  Scrolling through the international marathon trips offered online I stumbled across a running tourism article in Canadian Running magazine.  The article featured New York City Tours and Quebec Jogging Tours, mentioning how running was an up and coming form of tourism in Europe and the United States.
After contacting New York City Tours and Quebec Jogging Tours and concluding that I would not be working for their Montreal division, I decided to start something myself.
So there it hatched, the Running Tourist.  It’s a win win, visitors have the opportunity to see the sites of Montreal, with a bit of history and culture dialogue, while getting their run in, and I get running partners! Yeah!
I also need to mention here that I wanted to be part of something where everyone involved benefits, no one is at a loss.
 
GRANT:
Did you model this after another similar business operating in another city?

HEATHER:
Hmm, yes and no.  Initially I did some research on international running tour companies, and the service/concept is pretty consistent and straight forward, you have three ingredients: city pavement, running tourists, and someone who knows what’s going on.  Of course, like myself, you don’t want to run down a straight, single path with someone who’s monologue sounds something like the adults in a Charlie Brown episode, so there is quite a bit of thought and time that is put into the Running Tourist dialogues and routes.

GRANT:
Who designed your website?  It is really effective.

HEATHER:
I designed the website, I have a background in art, fashion and design so… it was the best thing to do, otherwise the graphist would have strangled me as I stood over his/her shoulder.  Although, there are problems when you move from studio design to web design… apparently my setup is not so installer friendly and this has put a slight halt in the launch of the Frenchified version – as many have been asking…. 

 
GRANT:
How do you choose your guides?

HEATHER:
Personality.  Okay yes, they need to be avid runners, but personality is key.  If they make me laugh and feel comfortable in their presence after a few minutes of hanging out, they’re in.

 
GRANT:
What is your own background in running?
HEATHER:
I remember in grade 6 I decided to go for my first run, and my brother joined me with his dirty bike.  I grew up on a farm, there were grid roads, and I don’t remember the run lasting very long, just up to the end of the driveway.  The next time I ran was about 8 years later, same thing.  Don’t get me wrong, I played sport, a lot of sport, every sport that came my way, but never individual endurance running.  Then in my early to mid twenties I started running to compensate for the smoking and partying.  1 year ago I kicked that and then just started running as my main high.  And so far so great.  Okay, I was a bit grumpy at first, but now I’m a continually running ball of joy
I’m not a crazy, amazing, blow your hair back, runner; I appreciate what running has done for me, my clarity and focus, and want to share that and my city with others. 

GRANT:
What is the best city to do running tourism in (besides Montreal)?

HEATHER:
Ooh, somewhere really flat.. Saskatoon!  Kidding – actually, no I’m not, Saskatoon is gorgeous and we have sweet trails along the river and into sections of the city itself.  I have to admit that I have not done a lot of running in the cities I’ve visited, besides being notorious for taking wrong turns I, until this winter, did not think to look for running tours – new beginnings, new beginnings

 
GRANT:
I know you are connected to Hope Runs.  You are hosting a non profit event at the end of this month (May 31st)  How can the iRun community help out?

HEATHER:
When I constructed the Running Tourist business plan, in addition to the concept that everyone involved benefits, I wanted to make the effort of having at least 1 event per month that was non-profit.  I wanted these events to not only interest runners but non-runners as well and follow the concept of think global, act local.
I contacted a few groups: Hope Runs, 60 Million Girls and the Bruny Surin Foundation to see if they were interested in being a special guest in a RT run where they could present their cause and lead a Q&A afterwards.
The month of May is hosting Hope Runs.  Hope Runs is an NGO initiated by Claire and Lara, two runners (now runners, at the time no), who headed out for a summer trip and ended up staying in Kenya working with AIDS orphans.  The ladies use running as a means to boost the kids’ self esteem and focus, it’s amazing and so incredibly resourceful!
The iRun community can help in several ways.  If iRun readers are in Montreal on Sunday, May 31/09 run the 10k fun-run with us and Natasha Peters (a Canadian member of Hope Runs 777 Challenge team), and if they are not interested in running they can catch up with us at the following Q&A at the Liquid Nutrition spot.  The Q&A is to inform people of what the girls/Hope Runs have accomplished, their future plans, and where/how WE can help out.  If iRun readers are not in Montreal for the fun-run weekend just the act of simply reading this article has informed them that Hope Runs exists and in turn they will perhaps be encourage to get involved themselves or pass the word on to a friend, family member or colleague. 

We can all only do our best, we just have to make sure this is what we’re doing!  That’s where running comes in handy;)

GRANT:
Thanks Heather.

VICKY:
I think this is such a great idea and using it as a way to give to worthy causes is excellent.  Check out her website and next time you are in Montreal…. go for a run around town!

VICKY:
(cough) Very funny.  Can’t speak.  Throat hurts.

GRANT:
You sound rough.  I guess you won’t be running this weekend.

VICKY:
Not me.  You?

GRANT:
Indeed.  Through the magic of the internet I am both publishing this blog and simulataneously running the 5 Peaks trail race in Kingston.  It will be 5.9K up and down through dirt, mud, rocks and hills on dual and single track trails.  In my opinion this is the best race series in the country.  Two weeks from now we’ll be up at Mt. Tremblant.

VICKY:
Cool.  I hope I will be off my couch by then.

GRANT:
Have a great weekend everyone!

VICKY:  
How is it going with Ébène’s running program?

GRANT:
Great.  I have to admit that I have strayed from the exact details of the 5K kick the couch program.  I did that for 4 weeks and then adapted it.  I found this set of trails near my house.  There are several kilometers of trails and great for running.

VICKY:
Awesome.

GRANT:
Yeah, so I have increased her mileage a little bit because we’re not running on pavement.  The only downside is the smell.

VICKY:
The smell?!?

GRANT:
Yeah, she found a dead animal out on the side of the trail.  A fox I think.  She was rolling around in it.

VICKY:
That’s disgusting.

GRANT: 
Actually it is because of her strong instincts as a hunter.  They do this in order to disguise their odor and they also use it to communicate messages to other members of the pack.

VICKY:
Get out of town.  How do you know that?

GRANT:
The first place anybody would look.  Google.  Here’s a good link with people arguing about it.  It’s funny how intense people can be.  Oh Ébène, she smells so awful I want to barf, but I respect her proud heritage as a huntress.  What a great dog!  Bonne fille Ébène.

Mmmm, that smells good. What was she rolling in?

GRANT:

VICKY: 
Wow that’s quite the coach!

GRANT: 
Yeah!  I did a bit of research into these guys and it is very impressive.  They are called some of the best athletes in the world.  Check out this short video.  Also, if you are interested here is an article about one monk who completed a seven year ritual where he ran the equivalent of the entire distance around the earth.

VICKY:
I think we may have found a new adventure for Ray Zahab.

GRANT:
My yoga classes have started up again for the spring.  I practice Sivananda Yoga at a centre in Alymer, Quebec.  It’s pretty amazing.  After ball hockey on tuesday my body was really roughed up and sore all over.  Going to yoga was like having a full body massage and I left feeling like a million bucks.

Yoga fulfills a variety different needs for me.  Some spiritual and some physical.  Most of you know that I’ve been a monk and studied Buddhism for a few years.  Yoga is a form of moving meditation.  It helps you connect your mind to your body.

I am not much into supernatural phenomena, but I did have this experience in India a few years ago.  I was getting quite limber and had been doing yoga daily for a few months.  Anyway, one day I was doing a series of poses which were becoming increasingly enjoyable and then I did the cat stretch pose and I had this experience which I can only describe as like having sunlight light up my spine all the way to my brain.  It was probably the most profound physical sensation I have, or ever will have in my life.  It was amazing.  Several days later I had another similar experience which was less intense, but just as enjoyable and which I would describe as being like moonlight traveling up my back.  Lovely.

I heard later that this is called kundalini.  It’s like the greatest feeling in the world.

The other reason I like yoga is because, for a runner, you can’t find a better cross training activity.  Read this great article by Baron Baptiste and Kathleen Finn Mendola.  There have been numerous articles and studies recently on the benefits of yoga for runners which I’m sure you’ve seen and now many yoga studios even offer “yoga for runners” classes.   Speaking for myself, yoga helps heal my body from the pounding of running and it increases my range of motion.  It’s good for the joints.  It makes them feel looser and more lubricated.

Yoga also helps focus the mind and brings you back into the present moment.  I find it useful sometimes in running to return my mind to breathing or focus on the physical motion of my body.  Lets face it, sometimes it’s rough out there and your mind can get caught up in negative thoughts.  Remembering your breath or feeling the movement of your legs keeps you grounded in the present moment.

Om shanti shanti shanti Om.  Peace.

VICKY:

GRANT:
You all know I love Jane Goodall.  When I used to be a part of eHarmony my profile said, “Jane Goodall please communicate with me!”  She is my fantasy woman.  We would live out in the jungle and sleep in a tent.  She’s beautiful too and extraordinarily intelligent and compassionate and wise.  Jane is the greatest!  So watching her speak for two hours was mesmerizing and hypnotic.  She started off with a chimpanzee greeting call.  It was remarkably similar to my own chimpanzee call at the Canadian Museum of Nature.  How amazing would it be to hang out and talk chimpanzee with Jane Goodall?  She also spoke about ecosystems, sustainable development and making a difference in the world.  I insist that you watch a version of the lecture which you can find here.  Its about two hours long.  If you can’t do that now please please at least watch the conclusion, “Hope for the Future”.  It’s about 10 minutes long. Towards the end she tells the story of Rick Swope who risked his life to dive into a moat at a zoo to save a drowning chimpanzee.  It will shake you up.

VICKY:
Really Grant, I didn’t know you liked older women   Just kidding.  So, after her presentation, we get in line to get our books signed (thanks again Grantster for giving me one of your books).  Ok, so as we approach Dr. Goodall, my mind is going a mile a minute as I am desperately trying to think of something smart to say.  Of course, one must always remember the key element about me:  I’m a Klutz.  So, when the moment came, I think I broke the first rule: I shook Dr. Goodall’s hand (I think there was some rule to not touch her) and she looked at me funny (seriously…compare Grant’s picture with her and mine…VERY different facial expressions).  Then, as she was signing my book, I said that I really appreciated her coming to Ottawa and speaking to us that evening.  Then I should have shut my mouth.  But of course I rambled on nervously as my picture was being taken.  I said that I hoped she would have a nice stay in Canada and thanked her again.  There it was.  The look of total confusion on her face.  She then said that she probably would have a nice something (I didn’t hear whether she said stay or day), to which I replied, I’m sure you will (being polite even though I had no clue what she said).  Then she looked even more confused and said:  “I won’t”.  Then it got weird.  Then she said: “I can’t have a nice day dear, it’s night” and she looked outside and raised her eyebrows and then gave me a look like it was obvious it was dark outside.  Then instead of walking away, I said: “Oh, no, no what I said was have a nice STAY, not DAY”.  Of course I didn’t say that loud enough so she had that confused look again and said:  “What?”  Then I said: “I said STAY” (of course I said this way too loud).  By then, Dr. Goodall had confusion and exhaustion on her face and I turned to Grant who looked totally horrified.

GRANT:
The first thing I said to Vicky was:   “What the @#!*& did you say to Dr. Goodall?  Holy crap, she looked at you with confusion and at one point seemed to think you were stupid.”

VICKY:
That would have been the part where she thought I said have a nice day and obviously thought I was an idiot since it was dark outside. ANYWAYS….like I said…MORTIFYING.

GRANT:
Of course the worst part is that when I looked back as we walked away, Dr. Goodall seemed to still be thinking about it and trying to understand what just happened and there was Vicky laughing to the point of pain.

VICKY:
I laugh uncontrollably when I’m nervous.  Anyways, note to self:  sometimes less is best.  Hope you all had a great Earth Day yesterday!

ANNOUNCER:
The expansion Bytown Beavers of the Ottawa Ball Hockey League won their inaugural game Tuesday night beating the Wabano Iron Wolves 4-2 in a spirited match.  The Beavers struck early and dominated the first 20 minutes then held on for the win.  The Monster Performer of the night was Grant Boland.  Boland was a force defensively and frequently bullyied opponents off the ball.  He was a solid +2 on the night.

You can track the Beavers performance this year here.

Boland: earlier in his career

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