How Fast the Week Goes

It's another Thursday and wow how time flys!! Spending time at the gym with Kalev has had to come to a temporary halt. My Ironman training has picked up and because I'm one of these type "A" people in the gym, I literally have no energy left after one of his workouts. I also find that the tremors seem to be more pronounced especially with all the extra training. I still go to the gym at least 3 times a week but not with such intensity. Living with Parkinson's is an everyday thing - never knowing how it will affect you that day. This last weekend was spent initially riding with the tri club - I got the chance to take a newbie triathlete out for her first 50K ride (on her mountain bike!!!). It's great watching someone gain confidence as they ride - she also got the chance to go over a very busy bridge for the first time. It was then off the Island to volunteer for a race in Duncan. I ran 10K before the run started, did my traffic controlling and then off for another 10K. Felt pretty tired by the end. I took Monday off which I really needed. Tuesday it was an hour spin on the bike and then a 20 min run - these are called "bricks". When training for a triathlon, you need to know what it's like to "run off the bike" and this is a good way to simulate the transition. Off to the gym at lunch focusing on my core and legs and then a nice restful evening. Wednesday, off to the gym again and then a great run workout - 20 minute easy run, 6 x 500 at 2:20 and then a nice 20 minute cool down. Gerry was off so he made me a nice dinner and we had a wonderful evening just being together. Up at the crack of dawn today for another bike spin and short run. Felt a bit stiff today.

I don't know if this is a Parkinson's thing but sometimes when I lie down I get pain that runs from my shoulders right to the tips of my toes. It's like every nerve in my body is on fire. Thank goodness it doesn't last long maybe a minute or two - then it's gone. I see my neurologist in a couple of weeks - another questions to ask him.

Pain - what is more debilitating - emotional pain or physical pain. From the age of 16 for me it was the emotional pain of feeling totally isolated. I am thankful that a family took me in but the circumstances and the conditions weren't exactly ideal. For those of you who have read my blog, I did lose the weight (by "sticking my finger down my throat" and one of the brothers did get the $10. Life became a series of lies and cover ups. Back in the mid-60's few people knew what bulimia was so those of us who suffer with it had no resources in our struggle. Initially it wasn't a struggle - you just ate and threw up and got skinny. The sad part was that now boys were noticing this thin girl which fed my disorder even more. I became even more emotionally isolated and honestly thought that by the age of 30 I would be dead. I had no real friends during that period. There were a group of girls that occasionally let me have a peak at what friendship could be. I remember once when I thought I was making inroads into their group - I called one of the group up and asked if they were going to go and hang out at the drug store by the arena - a normal activity at age 16. She said no, so I went off by myself. As I approached the store, there they all were and what do you think I did - I hid. That was the last time I even entertained the idea of friendship. The girl in the household that I staying at had no time for me - she was busy and once she graduated she was off to residence at a local nursing hospital. I can also remember my younger sister whom I hadn't spoken to in over a year seeing me in the bathroom at the local arena which of course was filled with girls. Her first and only words to me were "slut". This was the beginning of the constant thought of committing suicide. What was there to live for? I had no family, no friends and the black hole of bulimia was pulling me deeper into it. The saving grace in my life was "Hell". I didn't know Jesus at that point in my life, but I believed in Hell and I knew that if I took my life that I would be going there. (I can honestly say that right up until I accepted Jesus Christ as my Lord and Saviour suicide was a very luring alternative to life.") I stayed at this home until I graduated but shortly after graduation I became very ill - I couldn't stop coughing and ended up in the hospital. The reason why I couldn't stop coughing was that I had a chicken bone stuck in my throat and guess how it got there. Anyone that knows anything about bulimia knows that you become ravenous and can consume unbelievable amounts of food and that the purging process becomes your greatest high. You have total control!!! And in a lot of cases that's what the disease is all about - control. The problem is you are now controlled by food and once it has you, it doesn't like to let you go. After my time in the hospital, my parents wanted to reconnect with me. I was invited back into the home - I guess the scare of me being hospitalized again made them realize that they might lose me - for whatever reason I was back. I stayed there three months and saved enough money to go to England (it was 1967 and for a trip across the country by train and a one-way ticket on a cruise ship the cost was $260.00!! I lived in London for a year where I boarded with what I initially thought was a nice family. At this point, I was a full blown bulimic where everyday was spent both binging or purging. I had become a pro a deception so no one knew my dark secret. The "nice" family turned into a horror story. Every night the husband would beat his wife. Before they were married, they were in a terrible motor bike accident where he lost his leg. The wife married him more out of pitty than love. I gather he never abused her in the early years but then they had two children and frustration from life in general brought out the very ugly side of him. I remember she told me that she was pregnant with their third child and she was so excited. That night he beat her so badly that she lost the baby. "Well, I will just fall back into my own black hole where I am safe from the world. No one can hurt me there". After a year, I came back to Canada and was accepted by Air Canada for their flight attendants course. I met the criteria - I was 5'3" and weighed 105 lbs!!! To top it off my interview was as superficial as the criteria for eligibility. My interview took place at Hotel Vancouver in one of the rooms. There was a single middle aged male, myself and a bed. He asked me to stand on the bed and twirl. I did so - that was it!! He thanked me and off I went. I was hired and off I went to Montreal for training. That was where I met my one and only true friend. Her name was Annie. Talk about opposites. She was "fancy dancy" and I was cute and "blue jeansy". We shared the same room and I must say that for the next six weeks of training, I was free of binging and purging. We both went back to Vancouver and she invited me to come and live with her and her boyfriend. I soon fell back into the black hole of bulimia. I did my six months of training and then was given some time off before being assigned to a city. During that time I went back to Victoria and stayed with my parents. It was there that I met my first husband JP. We dated for a couple of months and I then broke it off and started dating another guy - John Smith. After a month I was off to Toronto with Annie (we shared an apartment there)to begin my life as a flight attendant . Little did I know I was carrying JP's baby. John was madly in love with me and came to Toronto. He stayed for a while and then was off to Europe for a year of travelling. I was pretty dumb when it came to the "getting pregnant" thing so when I started getting a bit of a belly I thought I'd better see a doctor. To my surprise I was pregnant!!! In one of my earlier postings I go into detail as to what happened next. I told John about the pregnancy and that it wasn't his baby. I also informed him I had contacted the father and was going to marry him. John came back to Toronto to try and convince me not to marry JP and marry him. At that point, we decided to hitchhike (it was a great trip!!)across the country to Victoria and I would make up my mind on the way. Needless to say, I ended up marrying JP in July of 1970 and a beautiful little girl was born in mid-September.

I think that's enough for today.

Barbara <><

It's Picking Up!!!

It's been a week since I last blogged and a very busy week to say the least. Saturday is usually our long bike ride but the weather was cold, windy and snowing. We cancelled the official ride and but a group of us went out to the flat lands of Richmond and did a 32k ride. I was so thankful when it was over!!! Gerry was off so we spent the rest of the day doing errands. Sunday is usually long run day so off I went at 8 a.m. I wanted to go to Church so I ran for just over an hour and ended up there, enjoyed the awesome service and then ran for another hour with my destination being Delaney's on Denman. They make an awesome mocha!! Had a great afternoon relaxing and watching football - sorry Green Bay, wish you were going to be in the Superbowl. Monday and back to work. Spent lunch hour at the gym - felt great when I finished and off to the pool in the evening. Tuesday morning got up extra early and did a 1 1/2 hour bike spin on my wind trainer. Felt strong throughout the workout. Then it was off to the dentist. I am getting my temporary Hollywood smile today. Five hours in the chair!!! Thank goodness they gave me a sedative and then proceeded to freeze my mouth. Because of the bulimia I completely ruined my teeth and have lived with it for most of my adult life. For the first time in 30 years, I can smile with confidence!!! There was lots of pain after the procedure but I'm back up and running. Wednesday, I had a great workout at the gym at lunch, ran after working doing hill repeats and then off to the gym in the evening with Gerry to put him through a workout. Can't really eat anything yet because my mouth is still traumatized so I get to have my "chocolate monkey protein shake" three times a day!! I make it with skim milk, ice, banana, almonds or natural peanut butter, unsweetened cocoa and kashi cereal for some extra carbs. I put these ingredients into a blender and in 30 seconds I've got myself a very tasty meal. Today is Thursday and I'm taking it easy until this evening. I'm off to a spin class after work and then to the pool for a swim workout. This is how my life will be for the next 8 months but I love it. Well, I just emailed Ironman North America introducing myself. I have asked them if they will do a special interest story on my challenges having Parkinson's Disease and what the benefits of exercise have been in slowing the progression of it. I guess I'll know shortly if they want to use my story.

Back on the Horse

Woke up yesterday very stiff from the fall the night before but I'm still in one piece. Thought the walk to work would loosen me up and it did. Lunch time, it was off to see Kalev - thought he would go easy on me with my "injuries". Not so!! Do you know how many exercises there are that do not affect the hands or knees? Well, he found them and by the end of my session I felt sick. That seems to be the benchmark for a good workout now. If I feel sick to my stomach, I've worked hard enough!!! Day wasn't finished yet - it was off to a run session at Forerunners for an interval run session. Lots of people!! What they do is take you out for a 10 minute warm up, then intervals of 2 min. hard, 2 min. jog, 3 min. hard, 2 min jog, 4 min hard, 2 min jog and pyramid back down - then a 10 min jog back to the store. Even though I felt stiff to start, I was able to pick it up and felt good by the end. The Chi Running sure makes a difference. In fact, one of the runners from my group commented on my running style so I had a chance to tell her about Chi Running. Then it was home a quick snack and bed.

Today I woke up still feeling stiff. I was going to go to the gym at lunch but felt my body needed a rest so I did a core workout at work. I do a pilates workout - it's a mix of Windsor pilates along with a few more core movements that make it a bit harder - I've been doing this workout for over two years and have absolutely no back pain and if you have been reading my blog, my back has been the major issue in my life since birth.

I'm just about ready to head home from work and then it's off to a spin class tonight. That should work out some of the stiffness!?!

Wake up call

2006 - Heading out to do Ironman bike course in Penticton






Well it's evening and my day ended not as planned. Came home run up to Gerry's spin class. Well, about a kilometre from the class I took a fall. Both knees and hands are pretty scraped up. This is about the fourth time that I have fallen while running. I have a pretty good idea why it happens. One of the symptoms of Parkinsons is stopping dead in your tracks - the problem when you are running, the rest of your body keeps going and usually right to the pavement!! One the bright side it was after dark and no one saw me, I didn't tear my tights and I didn't break either or both of my wrists (I also have osteoporis) nor did I crack my spine. I'll take the scraped knees and hands over all that other stuff. I feel a bit stiff but will be up and going tomorrow. Wait till Kalev sees this!! I was quite upset afterwards because things like this are little reminders of what is happening to my body. Please God keep me going.

Well, I've taken something for the pain and am heading off to bed.

P.S. Besides the fall, the run was great!!!

Barbara <><

An awesome run at the Cowichan Challenge

All Aboard - The Ironman Train is on Its Way

Monday, I went to the gym first thing and did a half hour workout on the bike. Anything is better than nothing. Work was hectic as I was out with someone looking for office space for a new company that we just incorporated. After work it was off to the pool for a 2600 metre swim. Oh, how I love it - not!! To top it all off there were only two lanes available to do lengths. A slow lane and a fast lane with the slow lane so slow even I was too fast!! Here I was in the fast lane with swimmers that are doing flip turns at each end of the pool just about taking anyone that stopped for a rest. I did make it through my workout - thank goodness for zoomers and pull buoys. I'm finding that the tremors in both my hands and arms from the Parkinsons are becoming more pronounced in my everyday life, but it's not going to stop me from living my life to the fullest. I'll fight this disease as long as I can and will continue to push myself to the limit with the help of my trainer Kalev and the people around me who will not allow me to give in and give up. It's a weird feeling though - it's like there's an earthquake inside of me that never stops. It's especially noticeable when I am resting. I guess I just can't rest - just kidding. After the swim, had a nice quiet evening.

Got up early today and off to the gym for another half hour workout focusing one half of Kalev's tough leg workout. It was then off to work. Went to the gym at lunch and
finished the rest of the workout working in some core exercises. I'm beginning to feel stronger and hopefully will start to lean out with all the aerobic work that has been added to my regime. Tonight I'll probably go for a short run and then it's bed. The life of an Iron Girl - I love it!!

Barbara<><

Family - a time of reflection

Today was a non-schedule day. I was supposed to run with one of the tri club groups this morning but couldn't muster up the energy to get out of bed. Finally at 9 a.m. I crawled out and decided I would run later in the day. Made myself a great protein shake, curled up on the couch and watched a couple of movies. The one that hit me was "Dad" starring Ted Danson and Jack Lemmon. It made me reflect on the relationship I had with my Dad (close to the end of his life) and also with my Mom now. No matter what happened in the past, they did their best they could. If you are in to sentimental movies about family dynamics, it's a good one to watch.

Finally got motivated to run at 3 p.m. and ran 1h & 50 min. Felt great. The chi running is making a difference - especially when I focus on my form. I also listen to my ipod and have a lot of Contemporary Christian music on it - my favourites being "Third Day" and "Mercy Me". Their music is inspiring and motivational.

Had a great dinner and just having a relaxing evening. Another week begins tomorrow!!

Barbara

2008 - A great year to be had by all

The narration this year will focus a lot on my training for the Penticton Ironman with reflections of how my past has brought me to who I am today. Wednesday, January 2nd it was back to the gym with Kalev. What a workout - if someone wants to be pushed to their limit and gain mental toughness invite Kalev into your life!!

Thursday was a rest day. Friday is was back with Kalev. It was a tough day - my balance was off and most of Kalev's workout is based good balance(that morning I had a regular Americano instead of my usual decaf and so I was shaking pretty bad!!! No more caffeine!! That night I went swimming and did 2600 metres. Swimming is the sour point in triathlon for me. Even after 4 years it feels like work with every stoke I take. Thank goodness it's such a small part of triathlon. Felt good getting out of the water. Of the three disciplines of triathlon swimming is the one that brings on the Parkinsons symptoms. My legs cramp up as soon as I start kicking so I don't kick too often and the swim turns into an upper body workout which usually leaves me with very distinct tremors in my arms and hands. I remember doing a sprint triathlon - at the swim/bike transition it took me over a minute to do up my helmet. Thank goodness the Parkinsons only affects me in the swim portion - I have no problems on the bike or the run (as of yet).

Saturday, Gerry and I went cycling with some members of our tri club. It was a great ride with our usual stop in Steveston for coffee and conversation. Did about 70K. The rest of the day was spent watching football and hockey.

Sunday we went for a hilly hour and a half run in Stanley Park - torrential rain, wind and cold made it very memorable and we were very thankful when it was over. Then it was off to Church. We haven't been for a while and it was like a homecoming. Everyone we knew gave us a hug and such a warm welcome. It really is a shelter from the storms in our life. I am so thankful that we have such a great spiritual family.

Monday I did a recovery run at lunch and relaxed that evening. Tuesday we got up nice and early and it was off to the pool. Did 2200 metres and then off to work. Why can't swimming get easier!!!

My husband and I are the bike and run directors of our triathlon club so it was off to a New Members night. A great time was had by all. It is such a blessing to impart my triathlon knowledge on brand new triathletes (Newbies). I remember my first year!!! When we signed up for the 2004 Penticton Ironman, we thought we would just get a coach and do it on our own. I work out at a gym where I would see this guy working out. I guess he saw that I rode to the gym so he asked me if I had ever done triathlon. I said "just a few sprints" but that I had signed up for the Ironman. That got his attention. This wonderful man, Rob Herron
told me about the Pacific Spirit Triathlon Club. My athletic life hasn't been the same!! The long and short of that conversation with him lead to Gerry and I joining the club and me becoming the "Newbie Cycling Leader". A little sidebar - Up until that time, I had been a "loner" - I biked, ran and hiked on my own. But in 2004, I had made a commitment to myself, Gerry and God that I would come out of my shell and start sharing my life with others. Thanks Rob!!! My first ride as the leader of the group was very eventful - two crashes!!! I was ready to call it quits but with the help of Brian Lavery I learned how to lead. That year I had the most awesome group of men and women. It turned out that 7 of the 8 of us in the group were training for the Ironman. - thanks to Perry Danforth of Danforth Photography who is also a triathlete and was a member of our 2004 Newbie group for this awesome picture. That Newbie group has the distinction of being the most cohesive caring group in club history. I could go on and on but you would have to experience it to really understand.

Wednesday, core workout in the a.m. and another noon rendevue with Kalev - tough workout but I must admit I do love it. I never imagined at the age of 60 (in May) I would be capable of doing what I am doing. I thought I would be the typical Grandma, a little chubby and reading lots of books to my grandchildren. Not to be - at least not yet.

Occasionally on Thursdays, I go to the Point to pick up mail and get gas. This was my Thursday and I got to spend it by the ocean. Usually, I am quite restless but this visit brought peace as I allowed the waves and wind to calm my spirit. That evening I did a spin workout at Speed Theory, our bike shop on very tired legs - felt like a slug to begin with but after the hour workout my legs felt great. I guess they just needed to be warmed up.

Friday was another busy day - off to the gym in the a.m. for a core workout and then again at lunch to work on my upper body. Lots of energy!! That night it was First Night for our tri club. This is where all the directors and coaches are introduced to the members. It was a great turnout and everyone seemed very pleased with how we presented this year's program to them.

Today it was up nice and early for the first club ride of the year. Though it was windy and pouring with rain we had a good turnout. Lots of Newbies. Gerry and I took this group out and taught them the basic skills of riding in a group. I'm supposed to be leading a faster group as part of my training for Ironman but some of the Newbies have already asked if I would lead them. It's a tough decision. I love watching new triathletes as they develop their bike skills (especially in group riding) and become confident cyclists, but I also would like to experience leading a faster group. All in all, it was a great ride - now it's time to play "Susy Homemaker"!!

Life as a teenager was one of the toughest periods of my life. At age 10, we moved to Victoria and what a shock that was. We lived in a big old house on Juno Street in Esquimalt. It was financially very hard on my parents and though my mother loved my dad, she resented having so many children. I remember in one of her angry moments, she blamed her Catholic doctor for her having all of us. She said that if she could have aborted most of us she would have. That's something a child carries with them their whole life. Even in her 80's, in one of her angry moments, she told me I had caused her nothing but grief my whole life. Since then my mom has come to know the forgiveness of God and her heart has changed. I love her very deeply and have forgiven her.

I did meet a girl two doors down that befriended me. To my recollection, the next couple of years weren't too bad though I do remember crazy things going on in the woodshed out back. Both parents worked so we (now 6 children)were left by ourselves after school. I remember at 12, I would have to come straight home from school to make dinner and take care of my younger siblings. I hated it!!! Dinner time was spent listening to our parents talk about how much money we didn't have and we should all be thankful that we had a roof over our heads and food on the table. Not a word was spoken by any of the children over dinner - it was the parents' time to vent. Life for the next couple of years had its ups and downs - school all week and chores on the weekend - if I was lucky, I was allowed to leave the yard to play with the kids on the street on Saturday afternoon, but if I played with the kids on Saturday then I had to stay in the yard on Sunday. It was the same for all my siblings. Still can't made sense of those rules.

At 15, I was allowed to go skating in the winter and roller skating in the summer on Saturday night. I remember at 15, there was a roller skating contest at the arena and I thought it might be something that I could enter. Another sidebar - up until I was allowed to go skating, I had never been involved in any sports, mainly because of the curvature in my spine. At the age of 12, my parents were given the okay for me to start living a "normal life". The contest was to see who could skate the longest without stopping - not even for a bathroom break!! Unbeknownst to my parents, I entered. Well, 19 hours and 20 minutes later, I became the non-stop roller skating champion setting a Canadian record. Needless to say, my parents weren't too pleased. Their comment to me was, "after all the money we spent on you, this is what you do to us". I broke a Canadian record and made the newspaper but it was the beginning of a downward spiral with my parents. There were rules that I had broken and I would be punished for that. I can remember some girls coming over on a Saturday afternoon and wanting me to go for a walk with them. I asked my dad and he said "no". I started pleading with him - "all the housework was done and I wouldn't go out on Sunday - please let me go with them". The girls were watching through a window and I guess to humiliate me, dad took off his belt and started strapping me. After he had finished, a teary eyed, humiliated young girl was pushed out the door and told she could go for a walk with her friends. That was the last time anyone ever came to my house. That was also the year that I was assaulted by two army guys on the way to skating. It was dark and they grabbed me and threw me to the ground. One guy started the assault, but I fought back hitting him in the groin with the blade of my skate. It startled them and I ran off. I told people at the arena but it was just sluffed off - not a big deal!!

At 15, I had also become a little overweight and being quite well "endowed" I was given the nickname "Z-bra". When allowed, I would spend time with a girl who lived two doors down - I can't really say if she was a friend or not but we did spend time together. At 16, I went out with this very nice young man but we got home a little late (11 p.m.) We were saying goodbye in his car, when my dad banged on the car door, opened it and pulled me out. Once in the house, off came the belt and another strapping. Shortly after that episode, one Sunday night in late December, I was kicked out of the house. I'll never forget being pushed out the door and the few clothes I did own thrown out after me. I remember a friend's parents let me stay with them one night and then I was on my own. I had to quit school and somehow found a live-in babysitting job and moved in with this family. They had a son, David that I was to take care of. The mother worked at night and the dad worked shift work. Everything was a good as it could be when one night the dad came to my room drunk and tried to rape me - out on the street again!!! Do you see a pattern developing? Every encounter with a man was of a sexual nature. I somehow survived for the next while. When the mother of the girl who lived down the street from me found out I was on the street, she offered to let me stay there - of course there were conditions. The father was an alcoholic and a smoker. My job was to make sure that he didn't burn the house down when he was drunk. I also had to find a job and pay rent. I agreed and at the ripe old age of 16 was taking care of a drunk, working and paying rent. As I mentioned earlier I was overweight and got teased by the two boys in the family. One actually bet the other that I could lose 50 pounds. The scale came out and I weighed in at 155 pounds. To top it all off, my family lived two doors down and my brothers and sister were given strict instructions not to speak to me and if caught they too would be expelled from the family. When I would walk down the street and they would see me, they would just turn away. When my parents would be going somewhere in their car and they would see me, they too would ignore my very existance. I had become invisible - a non-entity. My life path was determined by the events of two households. As I said, the bets were on and could Barbara lose the weight. A $10 bet was made and I will never forget the next interaction I had with a woman that was visiting on that day. I turned to her and asked her advice on losing weight. Her answer to me started a pattern that would continue for the next 30 plus years. "Stick your finger down your throat".

I've written enough for today - I think I need a break!!!!!!

2007 - Finally Over!!

It's been a while since I wrote anything. The end of a year and the beginning of another. We went over to the Island to spend the last of what could be considered one disasteous year - financially and emotionally. Saturday, December 29th was spent cycling on the country roads around Duncan. Lots of hills but little traffic. Sunday we spent running of the trails near the Cowichan River - they are part of the Trans Canada Trail system. For those of you who love to run for miles and miles these trails go on forever. Single track with lots of up and down but very accessible and fun to run on. You can do loops of 5 to 10K or you could run for 20K and more. Just be careful to carry bear spray and bells. You never know when you may come across a bear or even a cougar. Better to be safe than sorry. I know some people carry whistles. Not a good idea. To a bear or cougar the sound of a whistle is similar to the sound of a wounded animal which would be perfect prey. I know from personal experience to never run alone especially without any bear spray or bells. I was running up the BCMC which runs parallel to the Grouse Grind (for those who don't have any idea what the "Grind" is, it is a hiking trail up the side of Grouse Mountain in North Vancouver. It is known as "Nature's Stair Climber" - and not for the faint of heart. It takes the average person 1 1/2 hours to complete the 2.8K climb. So if you are ever in Vancouver take the challenge and do the Grind.) But back to my bear story. I was climbing this other trail by myself because the Grind was very busy and I wanted to set a personal best time. I was about 300 meters from the top when I saw a bear about 10 meters in front of me. The bear also saw me and stopped, got up on its haunches to get a better look. I started backing up very slowly. The bear then charged me - what do I do!! I remembered that if a bear charges to find a large stick and raise it above your head. I found one and raised it. The bear stopped running and then just started walking towards me. I had always thought that a black bear would just turn a walk away if you posed no threat. Not this guy!! I was alone with a very large black bear and knew that it was going to attack me. I started to scream and the bear stopped. I was still backing up and the bear was still approaching - I would change the pitch of my scream and that would stop him for a few seconds. This went on for five minutes until finally three people from above heard me and came back to see what was going on. They distracted the bear and I was able to run up to them. The bear then proceeded down the mountain. After this ordeal, I spoke via email to the head ranger in British Columbia. He said that what I did was right (the big stick over the head - he didn't mention whether the screaming helped - I think it did) and that every black bear encounter is unique. I positively know that if those three angels hadn't shown up, the bear would have attacked me. Also, if a black bear attacks you must fight back. Grissly bear encounters are different. It is recommended that if you can't get away, play dead. The ranger recommended never hiking alone in the woods, but if you do, carry bear spray and wear bells.

On Monday, New Years Eve we went for a swim at the local pool and then Gerry and I were off to Victoria to visit my mom - Gerry hadn't seen her for about 10 months and she has become very frail in this short period of time. He was shocked with what he saw and it took him a while to recover. We had a quiet New Year's Eve and then up the next morning to do the Polar Bear Swim. Two of us ran down to Maple Bay and then jumped in. It was cold!! We then got together with our old running club and off for a two hour bike ride. Again, lots of hills but fun.

Headed back over to Vancouver late New Years day and back to work!!!

It was one of my best New Years ever, spending with Gerry and our very best friends. I am so thankful that the ending of 2007 was filled with lots of good memories.

Well that took care of the last days of December - time for bed - we have to be up a 4:15 a.m. to go swimming!!! Fun and games of training for an Ironman!!

Barbara<><