A play about cancer

Sarah’s Daughters” is an example of the use of theatre in healthcare education for the purpose of education and to influence health care policy. “Sarah’s Daughters” is the story of a woman’s journey in dealing with genetic breast cancer. It is a very moving, and accessible presentation, which illuminates the challenges faced by women who may carry the Breast Cancer (BRCA) gene. Prior to writing “Sarah’s Daughters”, the play-write, Dr. Jeff Nisker, interviewed women who were in the high risk group for the BRACA gene. He wrote the play, striving to encapsulate their stories. Once the play was written, those interviewed watch it and provided feedback and editing guidance. After several edits, and once the participants felt the play reflected their stories, Dr Nisker produced the play in major centers throughout Canada.
Camosun College is pleased to be producing “Sarah’s Daughters” January 28th @ 7:30pm; January 29th at 2:00pm & 7:30pm. Tickets are $24.00 per person and $18.75 for students and seniors. Tickets are available through the McPherson box office or vouchers can be purchased through Camosun College Nursing Faculty. Prior to the matinee there will be a brief educational discussion regarding the development and writing of “Sarah’s Daughters”.
For more information contact Erika Paxman, Camosun College Nursing Faculty, at 250-370-3266
Erika Paxman, RN, BScN, MA
Nurse Educator
Camosun College
3100 Foul Bay Road
Victoria, BC
V8P 5J2
(250) 370-3266
paxmane@camosun.bc.ca

Human-Machine Interface

I LOVE THIS!!!! Very soon this technology will be available and I will use it in my classroom!!!!!!

OUR Universe

There was nothing then everything was there.....

Mystery fish....no longer!

Always wanted to know what was in your tasty Filet-O-Fish???? Here it is! It's ugly (I agree) and, apparently tasty....I cannot comment...I never had a Filet-O-Fish!!! Another article can be found HERE.

Merging Brain and Machine

A PDF article (from Rolling Stone mag) can be found here



Is it far fetched? Less and less with everyday that goes by!

WHY NOT???

What a revelation!

http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/07/090717150252.htm#

THE PROBLEM:

In a recent study that appeared in the May/June 2009 issue of General Dentistry, the AGD's clinical, peer-reviewed journal, lead author, Mohamed A. Bassiouny, DMD, MSc., PhD, outlined the acidic content of beverages, such as soda; lemon, grapefruit and orange juice; green and black tea; and revealed three steps to rehabilitate teeth that suffer from dental erosion as a result of the excessive consumption of these products.

SOLUTION TO THE PROBLEM:

Lastly, the person should stop or reduce consumption of the suspected food or beverage to the absolute minimum.

Clear enough for ya? Good conclusion guys...it's really not obvious! Thanks for your inquisitive work!

Somebody tell me why I went to school for nearly 20 years?

What is a champion?

George Hincapie is a champion....completed the last 4 stages of the Tour de France with a broken clavicle.....simply amazing!

Doubt is an ennemy.... (Esquimalt 8K race report)

Pace yourself.....pace yourself....and what if for a 8k I did not pace myself. What if I forget about wearing my Polar and listen only to my body, how I feel? What about not even looking at my watch during the race? What if I told you that my last 3 races I did much better than expected because I ran only by feel....

Well, yes, I looked at my watch but only for a second...and only once...or twice!

The Esquimalt 8K is a small local 8km race and according to last year's times and my current fitness level, I knew I could do very well there.

8:20 AM

I start to warm up...but it's already warm outside, there are no clouds and no wind. I run to wake my legs up and prepare them for that little surprise I have for them...

"Hey legs...we're gonna run under 4min/k today! How about that?"

This warm up is not going too well, I am hot and tired. My legs do not respond very well but this happened to me before at the TC 10K. I had a PR!

8:59:30 seconds AM

I am on the very front line, just behind Marilyn Arsenault, AKA the Running Diva,I am determined not to let her go....for at least 2km.....

9:00 AM

Here I go....I remember this commercial from Versus.com...it says: "...it's not because they're strong it doesn't mean they can't get their asses kicked"...I am going to kick ass, including mine! I start very fast (for me) and I decide I am going to keep it fast, for as long as I possibly can. If I slow donw, then I slow down. You see, since I read that quote for Shakespeare, I see racing in a totally different way. I see racing as taking risks and trusting my feelings. I now refuse to view racing as just a fast training run...I now see racing as a game of mind over body, a game I CAN WIN!

Our doubts are traitors and make us lose the good we might win, by fearing to attempt.
-- William Shakespeare

9 and something AM (km 4)

It's damn hot and my mouth is totally dry. I am not wearing my heart rate monitor but I know I am way above lactate threshold. My HR is probably 90-95% Max HR. I decide to keep it like that, I still feel good but I need a drink. I get a cup of Gatorade from the aid station but I am not slowing down...cherry (yuck!) Gatorade all over my face and sunglasses...not a pretty sight! Oh well, only 4km to go!

9 and something AM (km 6)

I do not feel so good anymore, I had omega-3 gel capsules this morning (as I always do) and I am burping fish oil, that's because of that stupid cherry Gatorade.... Negative signals start to kick in. Doubt is THE ENNEMY!!!! My legs are starting to feel like cement as lactic acid starts to accumulate.

9 and something (somewhere between km 7 and 8)

I think of Simon Whitfield, I think of Lance Armstrong, I think of the Tour de France and I think about these heroes. I remember some blog posts from my coaches Clint Lien and Mike Neill and I decide to keep going strong. I hear a runner coming close to me, breathing as hard as I....I accelerate. He comes just next to me and I accelerate more, this guy IS NOT GOING TO PASS ME!

I see the finish line....even though I did not win the race, this race is mine! I achieved a personal record (31 minutes and... results pending) and finished 3rd in the masters' category....a very nice race indeed!

Emotions are part of what we are...

Roger Federer was recently criticized for crying in front of the cameras. He cried when he lost to Nadal, he cried when he won at Rolland Garros. In fact, if you Google these 3 words: Roger + Federer + Crying you get more than 150,000 hits! Do you think crying is a sign of weakness? It is not a sign of weakness...not in top athletes! In fact, anyone can fake arrogance and cockyness but fake tears are easy to spot. I just find it refreshing to see top athletes behaving like humans in front of the camera, you cannot be superman or superwoman all the time....emotions are part of what we are....human biological machines! We had a very good demonstration today when Heinrich Haussler got to win his first Tour de France stage! Well done Heinrich!

Happy to be a loser...

I finished third in my age group (40-44) today atthe Triathlon of Compassion. I am very happy with this result. I swam as fast as I could, I biked as fast as I could, I ran as fast as I could. I am happy with my performance, not because I finished 3rd but because I kept going! Everything went well.....

I am the second loser (2nd being the first loser) of this race and I am happy!!!

Nothing else to report.....

How does it feel???

Hurricane Ridge Fun

Went up to Hurricane Ridge yesterday for a long ride uphill. A 32km ride uphill...real hills! The first 5-8km are quite tough but after that it gets better..relatively speaking! Lots of fun!

Want to see some pictures??? Click HERE

New Balance Victoria Half Ironman 2009 - Race report

Before I start.....

For a long time, I wanted to do triathlons. I remember watching the Ironman World Championships as a kid and decided that this was going to be something I would do...one day. A few years ago, I told my wife I would be an Ironman before I turn 45 and last year, after watching the Half Ironman at Elk Lake I decided it was now time to do what I said I would do! I always do what I say I will do....always! In October 2008, on my birthday, I joined Island Triathlon...a wonderful group of athletes and coaches to train with. I learned how to swim (I could not even swim 50m before I joined), got fitter on the bike and learned how to run faster than I ever could imagine.

June 21st, 2009: New Balance Victoria Half Ironman

4AM...alarm! I get up...excited and ready for action! I have been carbo loading during the days before and I am confident.

5:30 AM...I get marked (I am 514), get my timing chip and set up my transition. Everything looks good, I decide not to be obsessive-compulsive about this like I was in Sooke. My transition space is nice and clean, everything is there...I leave to put my wetsuit on.

6:15 AM...I have my wetsuit on and I am getting nervous about this 1.9km swim. There are a lot of athletes there and everybody will start together...will I be kicked in the face? Will anyone try to drown me?


6:42 AM...I am in the water, waiting....I saw the cannon and I know it is just about to go

6:45 AM...BOOM!!!! Swim time!!! Here I go...this is it!

6:46 AM - 7:20AM...I am swimming and there is a lot of people around me. In a bold move I decide to get between two athletes in order to pass them. My heart is racing and I can barely breathe. I try to breathe every third stroke but I found it impossible to do...what the hell...I will breathe every second stroke. I pass the first buoy, the second one and I get to the triangle where I have to turn. At the triangle the crowd compacts and there is very little room to do anything...even swim! I have to constantly repeat to myself this mantra: Calm down! Calm down!

On the second half of the swim I feel way more comfortable and I know the swim finish line is near. Last buoy! The exit is just meters away...I feel dizzy! I swim until my hands rake the bottom and then I get up. I really feel weird...this is a very strange sensation...never felt this before! I see familiar faces, I hear Crys, I see Peggy, I see Kim from Island Triathlon....I peel my wet suit and run to transition (T1). I feel like I just landed on another planet...my head is spinning a bit!

OFFICIAL SWIM TIME: 36 minutes 17 seconds (1:55/100m)

T1

Nothing special to add here....too long of a transition but a good transition nevertheless. I get on my bike and off I go...for the next 3 hours my Opus Bike will be my best friend...and it did not disappoint me!

Bike (87 km)
Very often I have a song playing in my mind and as I went for the first hill, I have this Supertramp song stuck in my head..."Take the Long Way Home"...how appropriate! I get up to speed quickly and my legs feel fine except for tight calves.
Uphill...downhill...uphill...downhill...This is going to kill my legs! I pass another Island Triathlon athlete, Fergus. He gives me a very wise advice: "Slow down...you still have a long way to go"....Take the long way home!

The weird thing about the first 20-30km is that I felt almost no pain, going uphill seemed effortless (not that I was going very fast)...adrenalin I guess...but adrenalin can only take you so far... On the second loop I feelt pain in my rear end and I had to stand on my pedals to stretch. This pain became my companion for the next 45 km...

On fast section another song popped in my mind: Satch Boogie by Joe Satriani....fast!

OFFICIAL BIKE TIME: 2h 56 minutes 50 seconds (29.5 km/h...not so bad on a hilly course)

T2

Off the bike, remove cycling shoes...put on running shoes, remove helmet..put on my racing hat....I am outta there!

RUN 20 km
I know Elk Lake very well and I love running there. But this is different! I am running on totally knackered legs...I tell myself..HOW AM I GOING TO DO THIS? I start to run, slowly..."cement legs" can not go very fast....I know I will accelerate in a few minutes but WHEN? Sometimes LIFE takes charge and sends you unexpected help. This help came when Lysanne (an amazing triathlete and friend) passed me...Hey DOM...wanna run with me? Sure! Lysanne and I have very similar paces when running is the only thing on the menu...but she is a stronger athlete than I am (and much younger I have to say). I run with her for 10-15 minutes but eventually I had to walk a bit. The good thing is that this proved to me that I could go faster..and that's exactly what I did! The remaining km were very difficult, cramps, pain in the foot, pain in the knees but I decided I was not going to slow down. I had a good pace under the circumstances and I am happy with this!

OFFICIAL RUN TIME: 1h 40 minutes 41 seconds (5minutes 03 seconds / km).. I can run much faster than this...usually!

Conclusion

I am happy with this competition...I am EXACTLY in the middle of my age group...not that I really care but it is nice to know that I worked hard and it paid off. I have to say this...Thalia Castillo is the Head Coach of Island Triathlon and she was everywhere on the course...I could hear my name being called everywhere! She came early for her athletes. She made a HUGE difference in my training and part of my success goes to her. Thanks Thalia!!!

The sky is the limit...

At least this is how I feel right now. My tapering is going so (SO) well despite an annoying cold. I run faster, I swim faster (but not that fast) and my cycling is also going very well. I am gaining confidence and I am really looking forwards to that New Balance Half Ironman.

I know that on race day it can be a different story but at least my preparative work is done properly and with high intensity. I wanted to look for explanations regarding the way I feel right now and this is what I found:

"From a neuromuscular perspective, the taper usually results in markedly increased muscular strength and power, often associated with performance gains at the muscular and whole body level. Oxidative enzyme activities can increase, along with positive changes in single muscle fibre size, metabolic properties and contractile properties. Limited research on the influence of the taper on athletes' immune status indicates that small changes in immune cells, immunoglobulins and cytokines are unlikely to compromise overall immunological protection."

WE TRULY ARE BIOLOGICAL MACHINES....

REF: Physiological Changes Associated with the Pre-Event Taper in Athletes.
Sports Medicine. 34(13):891-927, 2004.
Mujika, Inigo; Padilla, Sabino; Pyne, David; Busso, Thierry

Taaper weeks...

More intensity, less distance...this is my goal for the next 2 weeks. Despite a little battle with a virus...nothing serious, I just felt a bit tired, I feel like my fitness level is UP THERE! I felt like I never felt before. I feel strong mentally and physically and I am ready for action. The next 2 weeks are designed to bring me to the next level, to "peak". The week after that, I am going to California for a conference. I plan to swim there at least once but preferably twice. I plan to run on the Golden Gate...just for the fun of it! Then I come back. June 21st it's competition time...I plan to give everything I have. Time is no issue, I want to be proud of myself knowing that the time it takes to do this Half Iron is the absolute minimum for me, at this point. I am ready! SOOOOO READY!!!!

I love my quads....

Hill training tonight! Just for fun! 5 repeats, each repeats is 2.3 km, 137 m elevation. In total that will be:

• 11.5 km uphill (11.5 km downhill...no effort)
  
• 685 m ascent
  

Fight of Flight Reaction: An experiment

This post is, again, about my triathlon training...but with a twist! For starters, I almost got hit by a car today, well....I almost crashed in a car. Not my fault I swear! You see, Victoria is full of very nice people and many of these nice people happen to be elderly. Age and vision (not talking "night vision" here)go in opposed directions...we could say they are negatively correlated.

Anyways...I am coming down beach drive near the Oak Bay Marina, nothing in front of me. I am going at about 35km/h. No rain...just a nice day. So here I come and this boat-of-a-car (a blue Caprice, I think) turns to get in the Oak Bay Marina parking lot. I just tell myself: Wait...I am here dude....he does not see me, and still proceeds to the parking lot...slowly. I hit the breaks hard....he is still moving. "I am going to crash in this stupid car" I tell myself and everything seems to be in slow motion. Finally, when I am 2-3 meters from the car, he suddenly stops, looking at me. I still hit the breaks and my back wheel start skidding on the pavement....nowhere to go but on the sidewalk. So I did...barely! It is quite amazing how we get so lucid in times like these. Everything seems to slow down and small details seem to be so easy to perceive.

After a few bad words I stop on the side of the road, my heart is racing. That was a close call!!!! That would have been a bad, bad crash!

I was wearing my Polar Heart Rate monitor and looked at the time on my watch. I thought that, for sure, the Polar would have picked that up...and it did! On the picture below, the red line is my heart rate, the bottom brown section is altitude. You can see (look at the arrows) that my heart rate adapts to the altitude but there is a point where it shoots up for no apparent reasons except for an adrenalin surge in my veins.

After a 83km ride, I planned a run. A nice, but difficult, run around Cedar Hill golf course. Guess what? I almost got hit by a golf ball....it has to be my lucky day! I plan on checking the lotto 6/49 numbers tonight....a few days ago we bought a ticket!

Getting there...

The New Balance Half Ironman is just weeks away and I am starting to feel confident. I know it will be difficult and long, the longest race ever so far but I am really looking forwards to it. I went for a 104km bike ride yesterday and today I ran 16km....in the sun! My legs were tired from yesterday's ride but not as much as I expected. In fact, I ran a very good 10km (Times Colonist 10k see also this blog post) after a long ride last month. I have a bit of stiffness in my calves and maybe in the quads but rolling on my foam tube should take care of that.

I am in some sort of dilemma right now....I would like to run the Oak Bay Half Marathon next sunday (May 24th) but I am not sure for two reasons:

1. I haven't run more than 16 km in the last few months...and only once (today)
2. I certainly do not want to get injured before my big day on June 21 (Elk Lake half Ironman)

On the other hand, it could be a good training session at tempo pace and I am in very good shape right now...I could get a PR.....humm...what to do?

H1N1

The picture above is from an old ad but it seems to me that many naturopaths are actually saying the exact same thing with a revamped version of the mustard bath. There is also a change in the vocabulary: poisons have become toxins.....toxins...yeah right! The original article with all these funny ads can be found HERE