Did you just say zombies? -Afton

Another Thursday, another run. Unfortunatley I cant seem to get that garmin watch to work properly that John has lent us while he is gone, hopefully I figure the darn thing out by tuesday! This evening was nice and cool, really great for running, however we started by running up a hill, which I was not a fan of, yet no one else seemed to be complaining. Once we got to the top of that hill though, only a couple blocks down we noticed there was a film crew, apparently there is a zombie movie being filmed in Calgary right now, pretty cool I think!

ZOMBIE FILM CREW

Our compact group consisted of Jen, Tibor, Janelle and myself. We all seemed to keep fairly close together which means less check backs!! We ran a cool 7.3 kilometres in 53 minutes, woo! Janelle and I plan to run on our own on Tuesday, our goal will be to run 10 kilometres however long it ends up taking us, so wish us luck, we are hoping that we will be running 10 kilometres in about an hour pretty soon, but I suppose only time will tell, I think that our goal is definately attainable.

Click on our names to read about why we are part of JIM

Janelle Lane

Afton Hayduk

The Kindness of Strangers - Janelle

We caught a few good tailwinds and made 9km in just under one hour! John is off to Budapest on Thursday, so tonight's run was our last with our dear trainer/motivator/traffic director/time keeper. Afton took over the time keeping duties, and did a great job of it. Our favourite buddy Sara joined us on our record breaking run, Great work everyone!

On Saturday, Bikram Yoga NW held a karma day for my Joints in Motion campaign. As you may know, Arthritis effects the joints, and keeping those joints mobile takes exercise. Yoga is a great way to increase mobility - I can attest to it! Bikram yoga NW and its wonderful students donated $1000! Now if that's not good karma - I don't know what is!

Karma Day donation jar

If anyone is interested in trying hot yoga visit www.bikramyogacalgary.com

I work as a guest service agent at a hotel in Calgary, and on sunday I met a wonderful woman named Linda. She told me of her challenges with Arthritis, and how she has dealt with it since she was only 30 years old. Linda is getting both her knees replaced in the coming months, and was ecstatic to hear about young people taking proper joint health into their own hands. It's never to late to add physical activity to your routine! So get out and enjoy the gorgeous weather we've been having.

Click on our names to read about why we are part of JIM

Janelle Lane

Afton Hayduk

Iguanas and Sushi - Janelle

On my way to Mission for our run, I passed a few friendly creatures on the way and I thought I would share. 

Bridgeland's Resident Iguana

Curious George

 I finished my personal best in an hour at 8.3kms. The last stretch was the hardest, but Jen and Afton both pushed me to run into the finish line.  We shared fundraising ideas and travel plans, which was a nice distraction from the extended run time. Our trainer John is going to Budapest next Thursday; so we are going to be trainer-less for a while! He will be missed, but having Jen as a motivator and time keepers is a good substitute.

Afton and I with our JIM buddy Jen

Sushi at Zipang in Bridgeland

After training, Afton took me out for Sushi at Zipang in Bridgeland. She got a generous tip at work today and decided to share it with me :) As a starving student, I was very appreciate. Love you Affie! Onto some fundraising business, Afton and I started brainstorming for our silent auction. We hope to find a venue for  november where we can have a band and lots of tables for auction items. If anyone has suggestions, that would be greatly appreciated. I have also teamed up with another JIM participant to put on a single's auction. We're holding it November 19th at Redwater Downtown. If anyone is interested in volunteering, or any singles interested in being auctioned off, please email me @ janelle_1_2000@hotmail.com. I still have loads of chocolate to sell as well, so shoot me an email.

Have a great night Everyone! We'll chat next week

Click on our names to Donate!

Janelle Lane

Afton Hayduk

The Loop!! - Afton

Wow, what a great day to run! It was cool enough to keep a nice breeze, but wasn't to cool so I didn't have to add another layer. Today we ran along the river side Leaving from tri-it fitness at about 6:30ish.We ran what is referred to as the loop, heading west along the river and then across and back east, John had us running 6 and 1's today. I'm sad to say Janelle never made it out with us, but our friend Sara sure did!! It was nice to see that smiling face of hers as she trudged along next to me, I'm sure it wasn't easy seeing as though she hasn't been running with us for about 3 weeks. In total we ran 8.5 kms in 58 minutes, which is my new personal best in distance and time, WOOO HOOO!!
It sure does feel amazing to realize how far I have come in two and a half months,going from absolutely no activity suffering from asthma and smoking cigarettes as well. To running at least 13 kms a week, my asthma is totally kept in check and I haven't had a cigarette since I started my running journey! I could not have kept this up without the people that show up every week on Tuesdays and Thursdays, wether or not they know it they have made me feel like I really can accomplish my fitness goals, they cheer me on every week and it makes me push myself that little bit more! I feel lucky to run with such amazing people and it inspires me even more by the generous donations I have received as of late, I am happy to report I have already received 9 percent of my goal, and Janelle is on her way with 5 percent! So remember every dollar counts, and we could definitely use a few! Until next time, don't be afraid to comment, we love to hear your feedback.

Click on our names to Donate!

Janelle Lane

Afton Hayduk

Gorilla in the park - Janelle

I'll keep this one short and sweet! We were happy to have our friend Jen run a basic 5 and 1 with us. Sorry to pull you from the 20kms Jen! Unfortunately, John was feeling under the weather; so we had to run without our fearless leader! We fumbled along the paths, hopelessly. But to our surprise, we met a furry creature along the way!

 Right before we headed on home through stampede park, we got a quick snapshot of the troupe in front of our wonderful city. I love Calgary.

From left: Willy, Afton, Janelle, Tibor, and Jen

We ran a whopping 7km in a little more time than earlier this week; however, we should factor in the long flight of stairs and the pauses to think about which way to go. I can't wait to run with John again, we managed, but it's just not the same!

Check out our fundraising pages to find out how you can help fight Arthritis.

Janelle Lane

Afton Hayduk

September is Arthritis Awareness Month - Janelle

Let's take some time to learn a bit more about the reason Afton and I are doing all this fundraising and training. September is Arthritis Awareness Month, so what better time than now to spread the word. There are over 100 different types of arthritis. Arthritis means inflammation of the joint. It can keep people from living their lives to the fullest, and a half-marathon virtually impossible. Arthritis is among the top three most common chronic diseases in Canada. Over 4 million Canadians live with Arthritis. One in 1000 children in Canada have juvenile Arthritis, making it one of the most common chronic diseases among children. Exercise is a key part of maintaining a healthy lifestyle, and studies have shown exercise can reduce arthritis pain, Yoga especially. At Bikram Yoga NW in Calgary, there is a Karma day September 24th. For a minimum donation of $5, you can try hot yoga with all the proceeds going to Joints in Motion. Stop in for a 90 minute session of Bikram Hot Yoga at 8am, 10am, noon, or 4pm next saturday and get a great workout while raising awareness for Arthritis.

Bikram Yoga NW is located at #208-4625 Varsity Drive N.W. I hope to see you all there! Matts and towels are available for rent, so just show up with some comfortable and cool workout gear, and experience the wonders of Hot Yoga!

Now for our usual housekeeping; Training went great! We've picked up our pace AND even tackled some hills. The weather was probably the coldest we have seen yet. I think it is safe to say Summer is officially over in Calgary! 

We have one more session of 5 and 1s before amping up the volume to a whopping 6 minutes running and 1 minute walking! It's hard to imagine two months ago Afton and I were holding up the rear at 3 and 2s. I want to thank Joints in Motion trainer John for believing in us and taking his time with us. He is more than just a traffic controller, even though we like to tease him.

THERE ARE 200 DAYS UNTIL THE HERVIS HALF MARATHON IN PRAGUE! 

We need your help to reach our fundraising goals.

 Anyone who is interested in buying some chocolates please email me: janelle_1_2000@hotmail.com. I will be bringing some chocolate covered almonds to training on thursday, so bring some toonies to help support our journey for Arthritis research. Have a great night, and don't underestimate the power of healthy joints! Keep moving

Check out our fundraising pages to find out how you can help fight Arthritis.

Janelle Lane

Afton Hayduk

If it ain't broke, don't fix it! - Janelle

Another sizzling night. Thankfully, John kept us to the shade. We hit a bit of a hill with our usually buddy Tibor and newly-back-to-running Courtney. We survived another round of 5 and 1s, and managed to not need a lift home. Although the ambulance we passed was very tempting.

Shoes Shoes SHOES! 

Which ones to choose?

Pink ones, green ones, 

orange and blues

No matter the colour, pick a pair that fits

Even if you look great

sore feet are the pits!

Trainer John gave us some great pointers on shoe shopping. Both Afton and I were drawn to the extra colourful shoes, but little did we know our top picks weren't suited to marathon running. John's #1 tip with shoes is "If it ain't broke, don't fix it." So since I fit in Nike shoes, I should stick with them. I didn't know how different shoes are, so if you are looking for the perfect fit, speak with the shoe experts. We train from the Tech Shop in Mission, and the guys there really know their feet. Always go by fit, and ask if that shoe comes in any other colours if the pair is really that ugly. Happy running!

Help us reach our goal by clicking on our names.

Janelle Lane

Afton Hayduk

Chocolate anyone? - Janelle

What a scorcher! We hit 26'C while running today, and we weren't the only ones sweating it out under the pulsing rays of mr.sun; our running group consisted of babies to a gentleman in his 70's. Afton and I kept a good pace with our first day of running 5 minutes, walking 1. Afton saw a specialist about her asthma and was given two big thumbs up for her half-marathon training, which is very exciting since we already signed up for the marathon. Today, she even had to push me to keep going. It's like she is healthier than a horse! A good run on a hot day, and even with my week off I kept up Scott's usual fast tempo (mostly).

I've been meaning to start blogging more about our fundraising efforts, so tonight is the night! Last month I ordered 50 cases of World's Finest Chocolates. I was only going to order 10 to try it out, but any orders over 50 don't have to pay shipping and handling, so I was sold. 50% of sales will go towards my fundraising goal of $8500. If you would like some (since I have SOOO many) please let me know! email me: janelle_1_2000@hotmail.com

I work as a guest service agent at the Hilton Garden Inn while in school, and my manager has welcomed my fundraising efforts into the workplace. The chocolates are proudly displayed at the front desk, and I have a whole wall dedicated to Arthritis awareness.

Skully sure knows how to draw attention to the wall. He's been the perfect spokesman for the degenerative joint disease while I'm not working. Remember, if you make a donation over $20 dollars, you get an official tax receipt, making us all winners. Check out our fundraising pages to find out how you can help fight Arthritis.

Janelle Lane

Afton Hayduk

Hills, hills and more hills!!- Afton

Well, What a night for a run. The weather was just beautiful, nice and dry, with a hint of a breeze brushing by us. Tonight we ran through mission, everytime I'm there I just admire the alluring houses, the towering trees that line the streets and the magnificent landscaping.

With that being said, John took us up a few hills, everytime I thought the hills would be no more I would see another just creeping around the next bend! All in all I think I did well, I went farther then tuesday and I pushed myself all the way through it. The only time i took a break was on the downhill!! I managed to conquer 6.77 kilometers in 48 minutes and 30 seconds. Excuse me while I pat myself on the back a bit! ;) I wished Janelle was there tonight, Im sure she would have felt the challenge as well.

Until next week, hope you enjoy reading my entry, and I'll be back here on tuesday evening!

Stay tuned next week when we find out if Janelle has been keeping up with her training! As always, help us out if you can. Any donation helps!

Afton Hayduk

Janelle Lane