Half-marathon run update

Once again (third time is the charm?) I will be participating in the half-marathon on Sunday, May 26th, during this year's Ottawa Race Weekend. As in 2011, I will be running for Medic to Medic, a UK-based charity founded by my amazing cousin, Kate Mandeville.

My fundraising page is here. If you wish to donate, it will be much appreciated by both Kate and me, and the trainee health workers in Malawi and Uganda whose study is supported by Medic to Medic.

My goal is to raise $800 this year - in 2011, I was able to raise $730, which was amazing (and due to the support of many of you - thank you again!). I am confident that together we can get to a nice round number this year! Thanks to my uncle Ralph and many others, I recently passed the halfway mark to this goal.

... and speaking of nice round numbers, my other goal is to beat the 2h time (in 2011, it was 2h 10 minutes). I'm a little less confident about that, but we'll see. As some of you may know (from watching me stretch at the back of the room in meetings), I have been dealing with some hamstring and hip flexor issues resulting from overtraining and (frankly) a lack of core strength. I am battling that by massage therapy (my new RMT is a runner, which really helps) and yoga (I know, I snubbed it for years, but now is the time...), and I am hoping that I will be in race day shape. Yesterday I did a 15k and survived (OK, I took stretching breaks, and it took me 1h 45, but whatever).

Your support, whether via cheering (in person or online), encouragement, group stretching activities (stop by my office anytime, those of you who work with me!) or a donation to Medic to Medic, is greatly, greatly appreciated. Medic to Medic does some amazing work, so please consider donating.

Alex: 1; Bone bruise: 0!

I survived my second half-marathon!



I came in at 2:10:26, four minutes faster than last year, despite my struggles with that bone bruise on my knee.

I am really pleased!

It was humid, and my face felt really hot for the first 10K, but the rain that started along the Ottawa River Parkway helped cool everyone down. It was still so humid and foggy, though, that I could see the steam rising off the runners beside me, and crossing the Alexandra Bridge, the top of the Peace Tower was completely obscured.

Lots of people out cheering, which really does make a difference to those of us running. I always find it especially amazing that people take the time to read your name on your bib and shout out "Go, Alexandra!"

I ran the last 2K with one of my students, which was a lot of fun. The husband, of course, followed me around taking pictures and cheering me on, and is credited with the photo above, not to mention training with me for the past few months. He's way faster than me; it keeps me pushing myself. If you ever see us along the canal, you'll be able to tell it's us because he circles back in a loop for me when I'm slow.

He also helped me hobble home (my hip flexors were killing me), let me wear his jacket on top of mine, and made me scrambled eggs. I then collapsed with a children's book for the afternoon, but soon found I was too tired even to concentrate on that.

Thank you all for your support by donating to Medic to Medic; I will continue to accept donations for one more month. It means a lot to me, personally, to know that I have such amazing friends and colleagues (not that I didn't know already).



I think I'll take a few days off running, 'k?

Medic to Medic fact of the day 6

In early 2010, Medic to Medic was able to purchase laptops for several students. Here, from the April 2010 Medic to Medic newsletter, are the words of Lyson Gwesel, a student who received a laptop through the project: “You may underestimate how these provisions have impacted upon my life here at school, but let me tell you that Medic to Medic has really changed my life. What interests me most is the realization that there is somebody thousands of kilometers away who cares about what I am doing here in Malawi and that alone is a great force behind me that keeps me working harder and harder.”

Read about other Medic to Medic sponsored medical students and doctors.

Donate to Medic to Medic in support of my half-marathon run on May 29, 2011 here.

Medic to Medic fact of the day 5

A donation of ₤3 gets a pen torch for a student.

A donation of ₤30 covers stationary costs for a student.

A donation of ₤300 gets a laptop for a student.

A donation of ₤500 sponsors a doctor through medical school.

Donate to Medic to Medic in support of my half-marathon run on May 29, 2011 here.

Medic to Medic fact of the day 4

Malawi is often know as 'the warm heart of Africa' because of the friendly nature of its citizens.

Malawi has a population of around 15 million, and average life expectancy is 53.8 years. Gross national income per capita is $780.

The College of Medicine, whose students are supported by Medic to Medic scholarships, was established in 1991 as part of the University of Malawi. It "offers degrees in medicine, pharmacy, medical laboratory technology, and a master’s programme in public health. From just a handful of students in the beginning, the College now enrols 60 medical students per year and has produced over 250 qualified doctors."

Donate to Medic to Medic in support of my half-marathon run on May 29, 2011 here.

Medic to Medic fact of the day 3

Medic to Medic's three aims (source):

To support trainee healthcare workers "throughout their education, so that they are at less risk of dropping out of their course and can concentrate on their studies. We want to add to the absolute numbers of healthcare workers in training, in order that there are more graduates in countries with critical shortages."

To improve equity and access by increasing "the numbers of doctors working in rural areas, so that everyone has equal access to healthcare. We want to increase the number of women training as health workers, in order that more women have entry to better paid, stable employment."

To raise awareness "through mentorship, teaching and exchange programmes, [...] of the different conditions facing colleagues worldwide and an appreciation of the global health community."

Donate to Medic to Medic in support of my half-marathon run on May 29, 2011 here.

Medic to Medic fact of the day 2

There is a worldwide shortage of healthcare workers, particularly in sub-Saharan Africa. Africa bears 24% of the global disease burden, but has only 3% of the world’s health workforce (source).

In Malawi, there were only 266 doctors working in the public sector 2004. This works out to less than 2 doctors per 100 000 people (source).

Donate to Medic to Medic in support of my half-marathon run on May 29, 2011 here.

Medic to Medic fact of the day 1

Medic to Medic was founded in 2007 by Kate Mandeville.

Kate was born in Malawi, where her father was working as an engineer at the time. When Kate visited the village, and the mission hospital where she was born, as an adult, she was struck by the scarcity of doctors.

Kate also visited Malawi's one national medical school, where she met with the Dean of Students, who related how "many students spent their spare time trying to find extra funding rather than focusing on their studies. Some students were dropping out of the course, even in their final years, due to lack of finances."

Donate to Medic to Medic in support of my half-marathon run on May 29, 2011 here.

Half-marathon update

I haven't been talking too much about training so far, in part because I have been following my physiotherapist's advice to under-train, due to January's knee injury (the clearest diagnosis I have is that I received a bone bruise.)

I've been averaging about 22ish kms a week, when last year at this time I was running double that. I'm a bit nervous about the half-marathon, but I think overall it was a good decision not to over-train on a still-swollen knee. Yesterday, I ran about 13k, down to Bronson Bridge and back (I cursed the fact that I had not brought my camera, because the spring flowers were amazing, and I passed Ottawa's only Project Bookmark marker!)

In the coming weeks leading up to the half-marathon, I will be posting some fun facts about Medic to Medic, the U.K.-based charity for which I am raising money with my run. I would encourage you to donate online if you can; Medic to Medic does some amazing work supporting trainee doctors in the third world.

Counting (vacation) blessings

(and not stolen passports)

Riding the tube alone and like a local
Standing outside Virgina Woolf's London home and hearing the quiet in Gordon Square
Being a family member at a wedding for the first time
Talking about music with Sim (especially Dylan)
Receiving a private tour of the London Library
Singing "Hey, Jude" en masse at Kielan and Kate's wedding and trying desperately not to cry; thinking about the rare joy of being together as a family (minus my mum)
Watching the wedding's dance floor with Ralph in comfortable silence
Talking medicine and literature with Kate and Kielan
Holding Kalila and Zorya's hands
Touching Eliot's memorial in the Poet's Corner at Westminster Abbey ("The communication of the dead is tongued with fire beyond the language of the living")
Talking Shakespeare with Ralph
Receiving a replacement sac magique (I "fried" one recently) from the thoughtful Kate
Hearing Sim talk to Kalila and Zorya about their Great-Uncle David (that's my dad... weird, huh?)
Hearing Kielan and Kate pronounce themselves husband and wife
Using the descriptor, "our grandfather," for the first time
Speaking French with a Rwandan wedding guest
Spending a normal, average (and unexpected!) evening with Kielan and Kate
Telling the boys not to stay out drinking too late
Sharing Missuk's Snow Geese with Kalila and Zorya
Marveling at uncanny genetic coincidences: a shared love of dal, a shared dislike of Chinese food, a common commitment to learning and exploring, my grandfather's devilish grin appearing *exactly* on my uncle Ralph's face as he played with his grand-daughters, Kalila and Zorya
Seeing Beatles lyrics written on envelopes and Julian Lennon's birthday card, seeing Austen's writing desk, seeing Plath's notebooks
Seeing Kalila in a Canadian Olympics t-shirt
Making friends with the security guards at Canada House
Teaching Kalila and Zorya to navigate photos of snow and Canada on an iPod Touch
Walking Oxford as a family
Feeling so utterly at home away from home