James Slade (1st), Derek Kochenash (2nd), Jason McMaster (3rd)

The first annual Red River Fun Run has come and gone, and there were many winners.

James Slade displaying the winning time.

The fastest runner of the day was James Slade who completed the race in a time of 25:44 over the 5.8 km distance.  James also helped out immensely organizing the race, and did well to nab one of the randomly drawn prizes, a $25 gift certificate for the Prairie Lights.Filling out the podium were race winners Derek Kochenash and Jason McMaster. Derek and Jason are both part of the RRC Run Club which started up in the summer and regularly had 5-20 staff members out walking or running every Wednesday.

So while we’re at it, let’s throw a bouquet to Run Club members like Sara MacArthur, Judy McMullen, Laurie Musick, Chau Le, Michael Whalen, Dayna Graham, Margarita Rowley, and Alison Ivey who got it all going in the summer.  Some of the other regulars like Jackie Wood wanted to run, but work got in the way this day.

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The Red River Fun Run is set to kick off on Wednesday (Oct 10^th) at noon at the bus loop  on the NDC campus. If you want to see the expertly mapped route, courtesy of instructors James Slade and Michael Whalen, check this out.

One circuit is 2.9km.  The full race is 2 times around (5.8 km) for runners and one loop for walkers. Of course, you can opt to run once around if that’s what you’re up for (if you want to round off, this is like a mini-marathon…though a bit shorter in distance).  The course has been marked with stakes that have orange flagging tape on them, making it a bit less likely for you to get lost / confused/ run the wrong way.

Next year, we’ll plan this race for September when it might be warmer…but this year, we’ll have to brave the elements.  There will be some random prize draws for participants. The SA has donated 2 student prizes, and the Wellness Committee has some prizes for staff. To be eligible for a prize please register for the race online.

In anticipation of next week’s First Annual Red River College Fun Run, we asked several regular RRC runners to recollect their own best and worst races.  If you are interested in taking part in the Fun Run,  the race will be held on October 10th (noon start) at the bus loop on the Notre Dame Campus. Click here to register.

James Slade – Instructor

Best race: No question, Boston Marathon, 2008 where I had to run with one contact lens missing (lost it in the pool the night before) in the blazing sun (who the heck thinks of sunscreen in April???) and desperate for a port-a-potty (yup…me and the other 25,000 runners…get in line).  What was it that made it the best?  The crowd was the absolute best!  I was at least a km away from Wellesley College and thought I could hear water running, then about 500m away I realized it was not a waterfall, but the famous Wellesley Scream Tunnel!  You get through that, you go on another 17 km or so and enter the city proper to more screaming fans, on both sides of the road, and by the end of that stretch, my ears were ringing!  You simply cannot quit amidst all that support.

Worst race:  So many it’s hard to pick just one, y’ know?  Was it the torn hamstring that went ‘pop!’ at km 4 of the 10 k that slowed me to a snail’s pace, looking for ice at the finish line to discover NO first aid facilities whatsoever?  Or was it the race I showed up late for…so late when I arrived, everyone else was finishing? (just screwed the time up, no one to blame but me).  I could go with, not a race but rather, my first really long run starting my marathon training that was all of 6 km, and hurt so bad I had to walk down stairs backwards for the next two days!  Here I am still running and still looking for more ‘worsts’!  In the grand scheme of things, I always figure that if this is the worst thing in my life right now, then life’s pretty good!

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Some of us like our chocolate very much.  Who said that chocolate recipes can’t be healthy? Apparently, chocolate doesn’t have to be a guilty pleasure. Here are some recipes I found. I hope you like them!

All Charities Event Week at a Glance

All Charities Event Week will be held from October 1 – 5, 2012.  All Charities is quite unique in that it truly is what the name implies: “All Charities” are eligible to receive donations … any one of the 80,000 registered in Canada!

During the week there will be events held at the Notre Dame Campus and Roblin Centre.  Staff will also receive a pledge form for donating to All Charities. You can browse the catalogue to find a charity that you’d like to support or check out their general website for more information.

Guide to Notre Dame Campus:

October 1 – Pizza Day from 11am – 1pm in the Library Hallway

October 2 – Charity Tables from 11am – 2pm in the Library Hallway – Bring loose change to donate to the Charities

October 3 – Bake Sale from 11am – 2pm in the Library Hallway

October 5 – Proceeds of a Feature Dish in the Voyageur goes towards All Charities

50/50 Draw will be running all week with the winner announced at 2pm on Friday, October 5, 2012.

Guide to Roblin Centre:

October 2 – Charity Tables from 11am – 2pm in the Atrium – Bring loose change to donate to the Charities

October 3 – Bake Sale from 11am – 2pm in the Atrium

October 5 – Pizza Day from 11am – 1pm in the Atrium

50/50 Draw will be running all week with the winner announced at 2pm on Friday, October 5, 2012.

Last year, Red River College raised just over $128 000.00 and up 9% from the past year.  Please help to make this year another amazing success!

I would also like to challenge all departments to put a container out for Loose Change during the Event Week – The Change in your pocket will change a life!

2012’s most relaxed Red River Rebel Rider

On September 9, 2012, the 9th day of the 9th month of the 9th anniversary of the Red River Rebel Riders (rrrr…), Gurdeesh Ghuman from NDC Security stunned supporters when, in his very first year with the team, he became the youngest Sikh in history to place last in the MS Riding Mountain Challenge, arguably Manitoba’s most prestigious cycling event. His time? 4½ Hours.

Team captain Guy Dugas was quick to waive off allegations that the 34-year veteran of the Indian infantry had taken banned substances to reduce his performance. “Absolutely not! In fact, if it hadn’t been for a large coffee at the last rest stop, he might have taken even longer to come in.” For his part, Gurdeesh attributes his success to a strict training regime (he used to cycle daily to and from school in India) and a healthy bladder.

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The past weekend marked the official “End of Summer”.  Shorts are still permissible on warm days, but otherwise it just gets cooler from here on.  The heat was very nice for most folks who enjoy hot weather and sunny skies. On the other side, we saw very little rain from July onward resulting in a drop in standing water across much of our landscape. So with the beginning of Fall, I figured it was a good time to step back and appreciate summer.

Hanging around the Pond

We have a small pond out back that is home to a variety of gold fish and Koi, as well as some nice aquatic plants.  This year was the first one that I’ve seen pond lilies in bloom – a very interesting flower that would intermittently open and close with the sun.  Just below the flower, you can see a fish swimming past. As an aside – fish are notorious liars – who always tell you they’re hungry, even if they ate 2 minutes earlier.  So don’t be fooled.

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I remember walking in the neighborhood in Vegas where I lived when I was 18 years old.  I was enjoying my walk and smiled at the people passing by.  I decided to do my own experiment.  When people smiled back, if felt great.  If they didn’t, it was still all right because I was doing what felt right.

Did you know that we smile even while we are in the womb? 3-D technology now shows that developing babies smile.  After babies are born, they continue to smile (at the beginning in their sleep) and even blind babies smile in response to the sound of the human voice.  Isn’t that fascinating or what?

Have you ever wondered why being around children who smile frequently makes you smile more often? There is a high chance when we smile for people to smile back.  It would be very challenging to frown  when looking at someone who smiles.  Charles Darwin developed the Facial Feedback Response Theory which suggests that the act of smiling makes us feel better.  This theory is supported by a research done in Echnische University in Munich, Germany.  In 2009, scientists used fMRI (Functional MRI) imaging to measure brain activity in regions of emotional processing in the brain.  They found out that facial feedback changes the neural processing of emotional content in the brain and concluded that our brain’s circuitry of emotion and happiness is activated when we smile.

Unlike lots of chocolate, lots of smiling can actually make you healthier.  Smiling has therapeutic effects and is associated with reduced stress hormone levels (like cortisol, adrenaline, and dopamine), increased health and mood enhancing hormone levels (like endorphins), and lowered blood pressure.

I am not finished yet.  It seems like smiling is one of the best things we could be doing.  Smiling makes us look good in the eyes of others.  A study at Penn State University confirmed that when we smile, we not only appear more likable and courteous, but we are perceived to be more competent.

Here is a brief summary of the stats about smiling:

• When you smile, you look good and feel good
• When others see you smile, they smile too
• When others smile, they look good and feel good, too.

Well, we can all together start a smiling revolution! One thing, though, the smile you give has to be big and genuine.

In conclusion, smiling can improve not only your life, but also the lives of others.  It helps us live longer, healthier, and happier lives.

Mother Teresa said: “I will never understand all the good that a simple smile can accomplish.”

Inaugural Run Club runners (left – right): Michael, Judy, Brian, James, Sara, Jackie, Alison, Chau.

Staff and Students are invited to come out on Wednesday, Oct. 10th for the first annual Red River Fun Run – sponsored by the RRC Run Club, the Wellness Committee and the RRC Students’ Association.

This 4km run (or walk if you prefer) around the Notre Dame Campus should be a good time to fight off the Fall weather with some invigorating activity.  All participants will be eligible for a prize draw.  The event begins at noon at the bus loop on the south side of the Notre Dame campus, and College President Stephanie Forsyth will be on hand to kick off the event. The RRC Students’ Association Executive have also promised to bring out their Boom Box to help create a “carnival-like” atmosphere.  So come out, bring your running shoes, and have fun.

Please register online so we can get a sense of the number of participants ahead of time as well as to complete a participant consent form.

Keep watching this space for further updates and runner profiles.  If you wish to lend a hand to the event, you can contact me at mkrywy@rrc.ca.

And finally…. if you want to get yourself in shape ahead of time, the RRC Run Club meets regularly each Wednesday at noon in front of the NDC gym. Don’t be shy, they’re good folks who are kind to new runners.

You are ENOUGH, we are ENOUGH…

Another school year!  I see some new faces and lots of familiar faces.  It is so nice to see the students stopping by, saying hi, making sure they connect now that they are back on campus after being away for the summer.  I love it!  My son also started kindergarten!  I am excited for him and I am nervous as well…

I read an article recently saying that educational institutions have the responsibility to make the experience of the students as meaningful as possible.  This statement got me thinking and it felt right.  Here I am, working from my office with prospective immigrant students and assisting current students in many different ways.  One big part of my position is to connect with students on a human level.  I will admit that this is the favorite part of my position.

I have worked in educational institutions for the last ten years.  I started as a student advisor in Vegas, then at U of M, and now at Red River College.  I like the energy of educational institutions.  I also realized that I am still a student.  I learn every day how to be a human and I love the stories I hear every day.  I secretly call myself the Story Keeper.

One day, the students we come in contact with will graduate and will go on their own path of life.  Many students will have the same diplomas and professions.  But each student is the only person who has custody of his/her own life.  Not only the life at school and work, but also at home, at the bus, in the car.  We all possess not only a life of our mind, but also a life of our hearts.

You may wonder how does this all related to Wellness?  Bear with me, I am just painting the big picture, I am setting the stage for the main message to unfold.  After all, health and wellness have different dimensions: physical, emotional, spiritual, mental, etc.  All these dimensions are interconnected.

So, how can I do my part of making the experience of the students meaningful?  I can offer the best of me and be present for the students only when I operate from a place I know I am enough.  I am calmer and I listen.

What makes me ENOUGH?  I am enough because I am alive and I exist.  I am enough even if nobody knows my name.  Becoming successful doesn’t make me enough. It just changes my experience, but it doesn’t change me.

Being enough, I become comfortable with my background, my past experiences, abilities because none of those define me.  Now that I am enough, I don’t have the need to impress people because what people think of me is secondary to the way I think about myself.

As a mother, I have my daily challenges.  I ask myself often of the lessons I would like my son to know.  I read, I analyze, and then….I need a break from it all.  But there is one thing that I want my son to know—that he is wanted just the way he is and that he is loved no matter what.  It is all right to be open to learn more about parenting, but at the end of the day, the best gift children need is the unquestionable approval of their existence.  It sounds simple, but….it can be one of the hardest things to do.