HRM

Jim King

Age:  47

Lifestyle: Active - I enjoy golf, sea kayaking, swimming, hockey and playing the guitar.

Goal: Through training and running in the youth run and 5K, I would like to be a positive role model for the students at École Shannon Park School.

• March 05, 2008
  Hello Everyone, This is my first blog on behalf of myself and the six students who will be running at Shannon Park School. Much of the efforts at the school thus far have been dedicated to getting our involvement up and running, but we are "gittin' er done"! Students at Shannon Park were asked in early February to write a short essay telling why they would like to be part of Team Myles. Six lucky students were chosen. They attended the February 29th kick off last week and are anxious to get started on their training. Kerry Copeland from Doctors Nova Scotia will be coming into the school after March Break to begin working with the students and our training will begin in earnest. While the official team at the school numbers six, many more students hope to join in on the project. On a personal note, along with the Youth Run, my own goal is to run the 5K. I have begun by making positive changes to my diet, getting out and walking to begin building up to a full training routine. Living in Porters Lake and working in Dartmouth has made the Halifax YMCA an option I am not able to whihc I can commit. Chris and Kieu are looking into the possibility of me working out at the Dartmouth YMCA. This along with the support from Kerry at school will be a great support. That's all for now. I'll keep you posted.
• March 25, 2008
  Hello Everyone, We are ready to roll at Ecole Shannon Park School. Kerry Copeland is going to provide us with handbooks from Doctors Nova Scotia to keep track of our progress and support our training. We will be having our first run next Wednesday, April 2nd at 12:15 on the track behind the school. Though the official Team Myles numbers six students, there are fifty students who are officially joining the running club. We plan to run three times per week on Monday, Wednesday and Fridays right through to the Blue Nose Marathon. On a personal note, I have continued to progress slowly but surely. I have been keeping a healthier diet and have been walk - running in the evenings in preparation for our school runs. My new running shoes from New Balance are excellent and have really educated me on how important it is to be properly fitted when undertaking a running program. Thanks Jeff. That's all for now. I will update you next week after our first official run!
• April 07, 2008
  Greetings Everyone, We are up and "running" at Ecole Shannon Park School! Last Thursday, Kerry Copeland from Doctors Nova Scotia arrived to talk with about fifty students. She covered topics such as proper running technique, nutrition and showed us a video slide presentation about the Youth Run. The students were very excited and we were thrilled that Kerry could stay and join us for our first official run. We ran on the track behind the school, which measures about 400 metres. Kerry got us started with a good brisk walk and then we all ran and walked at our own pace. Afterwards, she showed us some stretching techniques and then the students received their Running Logs, which many of them began filling in right away. We are running on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays from 11:45 to 12:15. Because of other committments the students may not make it to each run, but they come whenever they are able. We are keeping track of our individual and cumulative runs on a bulletin board chart in the main lobby as well. As of today, including the run with Kerry, we have three runs under our belt. At the end of each run, I give one student a small prize like a toque or a tshirt for a job well done. This seems to be a good incentive and they respond with cheers and support for the student who is picked. If anyone out there can help out with small items like water bottles or caps, I would appreciate your support. Aside from the six Team Myles members, quite a few students are interested in participating in the Youth Run in May. For me, this experience has been wonderful already. Getting out and running / walking for thirty minutes has made a huge difference in my day. I come back mentally alert and feeling more positive. It has been great to connect with the students in a positive way and get to know them better, and not just be their "principal". So far my sessions have seen me cover about 2Km each day. I am following the schedule in the student handbook from Doctors Nova Scotia to build up to my 5K goal. On the days I have to be away at meetings, other teachers have offered to step in and take the run. The nice thing is that more and more students are asking to join, so it is more of an incentive for me to get out there each day and "give 'er". I will touch base at the end of this week to let you know how we are doing. Take care, Jim
• April 29, 2008
  I have been getting error messages when I have tried to submit my recent blog entries, which explains my absence. The running club at Ecole Shannon Park School is going along very well, with three runs happening on average each week. We have had a number of students join up as of late, which has put our numbers up to well over fifty! The students are enjoying the lunchtime runs very much and are getting better each time out. We have had two special needs students join our club, which has made the experience even more fulfilling for me. In particular, one of the boys with autism looks forward to the run each Monday, Wednesday and Friday. He runs with me for awhile and then switches to the other students. He likes to hold little competitions, sprinting to the "finish line" each time we round the track. The joy in his face is truly something to behold. Kerry Copeland from Doctor's Nova Scotia ran with us last Monday. It was great to have her join us and encourage the students along. The six students in Team Myles are doing very well, and are moving closer to their Youth Run goals. I am stuck at the two kilometer mark, but am ready to push it to three this Friday. Some of the students are running the full Youth Run distance each time we go out, wihch is very impressive. I will keep you posted. Hopefully, I won't experience any more computer glitches. Cheers!
• May 14, 2008
  Greetings and Salutations, Well, the run days are fast approaching and we are busy prepari9ng at Ecole Shannon Park School. We have our confirmed six Team Myles members and several other runners who will be carrying the Shannon Park banner. We will be in section 23 on the Youth Run day if you want to come by and say "Hello". It has been a great experience being involved with Team Myles and Doctors Nova Scotia. Kerry Copeland has been very supportive and I thank her for her involvement. The lunchtime runs continue to attract from 10 to 20 runners each day. Many of the runners are involved in other activities, such as our musical, so they come when they can. We are going to tally up our logs at the end of our club to see how many kilometres we ran collectively. My training is going very well, and I am making slow, but steady progress. I don't think I will be able to run the 5km without walking for short spells, but I see this run as only the beginning. As I shared before, I am finding that the lunchtime runs have helped me gain energy during my work day and connect with my students. By the way, I have lost about fifteen pounds with these runs and have had to put away a few pairs of pants because they are too big, which is nice change. Usually I am putting them away because they are too small! It's nice to get some of those hardly worn pants out of the closet and have them fit. I hope to reconnect with some of the Team Myles participants on run day, as well as make some new friends. I will see you on Saturday and Sunday as we "Git 'er done"! Jim
• May 22, 2008
  Well, here it is! This is my last official blog for this year's Team Myles. I have been crafting this entry in my head all week, and a prompt from Kieu has gotten me writing. My Blue Nose Marathon experience can best be summed up in the words of Kerry Copeland from Doctor's Nova Scotia in an email she sent me this morning - ?running can change someone's life". That's exactly what I feel this experience has done for me and the students who ran from Ecole Shannon Park. Our intrepid student runners made their way through the rain on Saturday. They were all very anxious as run preparations got underway that morning, but their spirits were not dampened with the rain. I lost track of them and their parents as they set off, so I waited for them at the finish line. I was so proud of them as they ran through the finish line, especially one runner for whom I was a bit worried. I was also amazed at how many people I bumped into that I knew. One highlight was to see my old friend, Mark Tinney, who has become an avid runner. Mark was running with his son. He is in the best shape of his life and we hung out almost thirty years ago! It was great to see you Mark and I hope I can follow your lead with my new commitment to running. My 5 Km experience was excellent. Of course, we had great weather and the enthusiasm and positive energy amongst everyone was contagious. I met more people from my past and present, which was really a highlight. As I started, I was struck by how supportive the crowd was for all of us in the run. Their enthusiasm and shouts of encouragement were appreciated very much and was every bit as supportive as for the runners in the full marathon. I ran about four fifths of the distance and walked at the drink breaks, and finished in just over thirty - five minutes. I was way down the list, but it didn't matter, because the sense of accomplishment was every bit as rewarding as a first place finish. About halfway through the run, I made a commitment to myself. My goal is next year, at age 48, is to train for and run the 10KM. The following year at 49, I will do the half-marathon and then at age 50, I want to complete the marathon. To have a bib from each run will be a wonderful reward. If I can achieve this goal over the next three years, I will know running has changed my life. I've got to keep going, as there is a picture of me on the website running, so that must be an omen! We will be wrapping up the running club next Friday, May 30th at Shannon Park and the students will get their water bottles and certificates from Doctor's Nova Scotia. We won't stop there however, I will continue to run three days a week at lunch and encourage the students to join me. I want to thank everyone at the Blue Nose Marathon for their support and look forward to next year.