Sunday's Half Marathon Race

Tomorrow is race day! Here is the course map and directions for the half marathon course (21K). We start at 7:00am and Richard estimates his half marathon finishing time to be about 2:30 - Hardish and I expect to finish within 3:15 (so we should be crossing the finish line at 9:30am and 10:15am respectively). We have to meet our fellow JeansMarines at 6:00am near their offices across from Roy Thomson Hall and we'll head over to the start at Metro Hall together. Then after 3 hours we'll get our finishers medals and find breakfast somewhere.

We'll have to miss tonight's Nuit Blanche - Toronto's annual all-night arts party - but the plus is we may be able to take the subway to the race as it's supposed to be running all night long (normally the subway closes at 2:00am Saturday and doesn't start running again until 9:00am Sunday).

You should be able to check my time using my bib number: 7959 on the Race Results page of the torontowaterfrontmarathon.com site.

If you're looking for inspiration, check out stories of the Groundpounders - 5 retired marines who've run every Marine Corps Marathon since the inaugural in 1976.

Race Expo: Yarms & Dreaming of Rome & Big Sur

Friday I met Rich at the Race Expo at MTCC. Massive lineup but it was a bunch of high school students waiting to check out the Universities Fair. We bypassed them and headed upstairs where we saw Frances - a JeansMarines alum who is running Chicago next weekend. We sailed through bib pick-up and chip activation and then saw John "The Penguin" Bingham and Coach Jenny Hadfield co-authors of the book Marathoning for Mortals which JeansMarines issued to us when we joined. I asked John a question about the Marine Corps Marathon in Washington and he gave us some great race tips. They cheerfully signed my book (John's running 5K Sunday and Jenny's doing the half) then Rich scored a Fuel Belt and I got accessories from The Runners Shop where I had recently bought my new runners. Rich had to go and I lingered to pick up a cool runnning jersey and yarm by Robena. The pattern I chose isn't on the website but the maker was wearing it - it's bright red and orange with flowers and white stripes, kind of a cross between flame'n and white flowers on red. It is really bright and cheery. I was considering buying the jazz jersey instead but I already have a lot of blue running shirts. And you can tuck the yarm in the pockets on the back of the jersey so it will be great to put on when I'm out after a run!

This morning it was blissful to sleep in till 9:30 (normally we would have been running for over two hours already) and I've been sifting through the race flyers I picked up at the expo. Dreaming of running the Maratona di Roma or the Big Sur International Marathon next Spring (the cut off is an agressive 6 hours so I might not be able to complete that anyway). The Loch Ness Marathon sounds interesting - too bad it's next weekend - another year maybe? So many marathons... so little time.

Be impressed. Be very impressed.

I just got home after running 32K!!! My biggest distance ever! Hardish and Amee and I - WE ALL DID IT! And we were only supposed to do 31K and managed to do that in under 5 hours (4:55 to be exact). So those of you who've been following my progress may recognize that:
a) 31K is 19.37 miles
b) the bridge in the Washington marathon is at mile 19 and
c) they close the bridge after 5 hours
which means that WE WILL MAKE THE BRIDGE!!!! Because we've already done it!

And my recoveries are getting faster (i.e. I can still walk upright today without cringing). I could also choose to walk the remaining 11K (6 miles) left in the marathon after the bridge because I will still finish the race and get my medal. Which is a very heartening concept after 34 weeks of training. Only 5 more weeks to go!

Also, next weekend we fall back to 21K which is actually our half marathon race (13 miles) on Sunday Sept 30. And I did that distance today in 3:08, fulfilling my anticipated goal of 3:15 for the half next Sunday. I think this calls for a haiku:

Go haikugirl go!
run a great half marathon
8 days from today

I'm back

My dear friends and blogwatchers. Humble apologies from haikugirl. September has been crazy in life and work, and blogging fell lower in the priority list than sleep. Now it's 3:30am and I thought I'd catch you up on what's been happening...

RUNNING: During the filmfest I did run my 80K in 10 days. Last Saturday was 27K and tomorrow we run 31K so our half marathon (21K) next Sunday, September 30 is actually a fallback run. I never thought I'd read that in print so you may be as stunned as I. The 27 took about as much time as the 24 the previous week because we were more disciplined and stuck to more consistent speed (close to 8K an hour). Based on our time last Saturday, we are more confident about making the bridge at mile 19 in Washington so there was much to celebrate. Last night (Thursday) we were out at the newbie BBQ for JeansMarines. It was a wonderful event and heartwarming to meet everyone's partners. Definitely put us in the spirit for our upcoming races.

TIFF: Saw a total of 9 movies at TIFF this year (had to work screening times around my agressive running schedule). Guy Maddin's My Winnipeg won the Toronto-City Award for Best Canadian Feature Film. I didn't see it because he drives me crazy - even though as a former Winnipegger I am supposed to like him (I gave last year's Brand Upon the Brain 1 out of 5 (but 5 for foley). Perhaps I will see My Winnipeg eventually as an hommage to my old home town. I also plan to see David Cronenberg's Eastern Promises, which won the Cadillac People's Choice Award and is already out in theatres. I also want to see Run Fat Boy Run which is coming soon as a laugh before my upcoming races. I have added new posts with the rest of my TIFF movie reviews so please scroll down.

WORK: My runs take so long that it's like another part-time job (12 hours/week with travel and prep time) and the pace at work has picked up dramatically in September. I am looking forward to Thanksgiving and hope my Dad can visit us in Toronto.

haikugirl is back!
running and blogging take time
Thanks for your patience...

Chacun son Cinema

Chacun son cinema was the perfect way to end the fest! Went at 5:00 to the Elgin after a long week's work and got into the VISA Lounge (downstairs), had a Stella, got my favourite seat upstairs, and saw this wonderful hommage to Cannes' 60th Anniversary to wrap up my TIFF festival experience. Like Paris, je t'aime last year, I enjoy these compilations of short films. This one included 33 short films by 33 wonderful directors, some of whom are my all-time faves (and no Guy Maddin!) People have been talking about David Cronenberg's short (the title alone says it all At the Suicide of the Last Jew in the World in the Last Cinema in the World) and I thought it was okay but my favourite was Walter Salles' film 8944 km from Cannes featuring 2 Brazilian rappers outside an abandoned theatre talking about the Cannes Film Festival. It was hilarious!! Thank God for the English subtitles for the Portuguese. I also liked the one by the Coen Brothers with Josh Brolin ("What is lay reggles du jou about?"), Nanni Moretti (Diary of a Moviegoer), and Elia Suleiman (He was so deadpan and looked like an older Robert Downey Jr. I was recounting the exploits to a friend and that made me laugh even more!) Many were recognizable by the director's style (Amos Gitai, Wong Kar-wai, Atom Egoyan). I would love to have this on DVD so I could just go to the ones I really liked and watch them over and over. A perfect way to end the week and gear up for my 27K run on Saturday morning. MMMM

Married Life

This was the weakest film I saw at TIFF this year. Rachel McAdams seemed out of her depth (and plucked from the wrong generation) to star in this film. Chris Cooper was good and Patricia Clarkson is always fantastic. Pierce Brosnan was his usual dreamy self. Someone said his hair was not from the era and it might have looked too Remington Steele. Other than that, it was kind of like A Simple Plan meets Match Point (and fans of haikugirl know that A Simple Plan is her most despised movie of all time, which is more objectionable than simply being a bad movie, which is just a bit of a failure.) A Simple Plan was insulting and baseless. Unlike my married life, this one and its characters just seemed tired and going through the motions. The set designer was the true hero of the picture. But it was nice to see all the stars. Wait for the video. Mm

The good thing about this screening was seeing our friends Mike and Suzanne from New Jersey. They have been coming for several years and we met them in our seats at The Elgin (they like the right side near the front too!) I will post photos soon but it was lovely to reconnect with them. See you next year!

Vote for MMP or NO MMP: You Decide!

Got an email from a colleague who was walking down Yonge Street this morning and saw a sign on a lamp post that says "Vote for MMP" in big bold letters. "Hey," she said to herself, "I know MMP, but what's she running for???"

Had to email her back to confirm that the only running I'm doing is my marathon training. (Survived 24K last Saturday btw). Here's the scoop on THE OTHER MMP:

MMP stands for Mixed Member Proportional, the voting system we have to vote on in the upcoming Referendum on October 10th, the same date as our Ontario provincial election. There are buttons that say Vote for MMP and there are buttons that say NO MMP. Naturally, I need to collect both buttons! And so my fellow Ontarians, get informed and get out there and VOTE on October 10th for MMP or NOT!

Lars and the Real Girl

This film was a delight and the press conference was even funnier. Ryan Gosling plays Lars who "meets a woman on the Internet" - she's a blow up doll but he treats her like she's real and the whole town plays right along because they want Lars to be happy. It is charming to see this film and in the press conference the cast talks about the reverence everyone had when Biance was on set. The earnestness and playfulness are inspiring. I loved seeing the director and cast at the screening at Ryerson. MMMM

This was the night we had arranged to meet Les Boys for dinner at The Keg York St. It was a real reunion since they had not seen Keith in years. Great martinis and wine, great steaks and great company. Next year is our 10 year anniversary and Joe and Shawn are starting to plan already! Vive Les Boys!

Elizabeth: The Golden Age

Elizabeth was gorgeous and gripping and great. Cate Blanchett embodied the role and the character is so strong (GIRLPOWER!), it was a delight to watch. Director Shekhar Kapur was there for Q&A and warmly shared lots of stories about writing and filming this epic and some of the creative licenses he took. (i.e. some historical events were out of sequence, England's defeat of the Spanish Armada took 3 months, not overnight as it seemed in the movie) "but then, I would have used up all my budget... and we'd all be speaking Spanish".

Shekhar wants to make a third film but only if Cate is willing. She had to be convinced to do this one. In one movie magazine it says: "Clive Owen is doing it, and Geoffrey (Rush) is coming back again so I thought, I'm just being churlish if I say no to this." This summer I learned about the word churlish from my UK running partner Hardish so I knew exactly what Cate meant. I think Elizabeth is probably my favourite film at this year's fest for its sheer spectacle and the inspiration of this enduring character. MMMM

The Assassination of Jesse James

Saw this movie at 11:00am Monday at the Elgin and liked it. It's more of a psychological drama than a western (read: a lot of talking) and Brad Pitt is perfect in the role. Possible nomination. I think Casey Affleck also does a good job and really the story is about him and how he wants fame and recognition. The director was asked lots of comments in Q&A about what the film says about celebrity then and now. There are interesting parallels. The film was shot in Alberta and Winnipeg and I was scanning crowd scenes looking for my brother Steve who was an extra. I thought I saw him but he'll have to see it to know for sure. The train robbery at night was dreamily shot. MMMm

Le Deuxieme Souffle

This is a 2 and a half hour French gangsta epic shot beautifully with perfect casting. The director Alain Corneau was on hand for questions and was so sweet. It was like a film noir class in 10 minutes. Saw the press conference on Bell Expressvu (channel 307) and Monica Bellucci looked beautiful as always. In the film - set in the 60s - she was blonde and looked alot like Sharon Stone in Casino (but more curvy, confident and resolved). Very violent with a lot of fast-paced, dense dialogue. See this if you'd always wanted to see a film like Godfather II, but in French. MMm

Then She Found Me

Director Helen Hunt was on hand for the second screening of Then She Found Me at the "beautiful and historic Elgin Theatre". This film was funny and touching: Helen Hunt as the baby-obsessed schoolteacher, and Colin Firth as the wacky single father of one of her students are delightful together. Bette Midler's turn as April's birth mother is note perfect and Matthew Broderick is the despicable ex you love to hate. She said she has interest in North American distribution from ThinkFilms so you should be able to see this funny film sometime this winter. Enjoy it - especially the cameo. How many women can say "Salman Rushdie is my OB GYN."?? MMMm

Then She Found Me is
delightful and charming
just like its characters

In Bloom

Saturday night's film was my favourite so far. In Bloom by Vadim Perelmen was beautifully shot, brilliantly constructed and the premiere was replete with stars: Uma Thurman, Evan Rachel Wood, Eva Amurri, plus the Director, Screenwriter and Production Designer. From the opening frame, the DOP and Director created this amazing, surreal world for the characters to inhabit and the performances they delivered were outstanding. The audience was almost in shock after the ending and - like Mulholland Drive - it's the kind of movie that begs for a second viewing so you can go back and piece together all the director's thoughtful choices and echos.

As of Saturday night, there was no North American release date for In Bloom and we were the very first audience to see it EVER. The Director and cast were gracious during Q&A (Uma couldn't stay but Evan's friend Marilyn Manson was also in the audience to support her and Evan answered my question.) See this when it comes out - I'll be seeing it again! MMMMM

The women In Bloom
are gorgeous and the film is
utterly brilliant

Ed. Note: This film was renamed The Life Before Her Eyes and only released the following year.

Disengagement

Went with Mary and Pavlina to see this Amos Gitai film. They are veterans but this was my first of his. Juliette Binoche and the director were both there. I appreciated the film despite its slow pacing and enjoyed the sparseness of it. Her adopted brother joins her in Avignon for their father's funeral (she is quite provocative in some sexually charged scenes with him in the flat) then she follows him to Israel where she goes into the occupied territory to meet the daughter she abandoned at birth. Meanwhile her brother is leading the army to remove the settlers. Very emotionally charged. MM

Then we went to dinner at Vaticano in Yorkville. Got to run 24K Saturday morning.

The Plan: Movies + Cocktails

Even after thorough consultations with my TIFF buddy, we didn’t end up with a single movie together...Quel dommage! I am boycotting The Stone Angel (forced to read this Can con classic in high school - never want to hear from Margaret Laurence again) so I'll be at Married Life instead. Gotta find a hip and convenient place to meet for drinx that will put us somewhere in between Scotiabank and Ryerson for our screenings later on Monday: missed out on Run Fat Boy Run to see Lars and the Real Girl (which NOW magazine says should be the sleeper hit of the festival)

Note: Run Fat Boy Run is off sale for my 10-pack of tickets but tix are still available through the online box office. What's up with that???

Tomorrow the madness starts! Can’t wait!!!

The night before TIFF
Martini glasses chillin'
Stars will rock the house!

TIFF Final Picks

Got the results of my TIFF submissions and I'm very excited. Looks like I scored the GIRLPOWER Opening Weekend: from Juliette Binoche to Uma to Helen Hunt to Monica Bellucci to Cate Blanchett... then Ryan Gosling on Monday (after dinner with our TIFF reunion gang) and Rachel McAdams and Pierce Brosnan on Wednesday. It's gonna ROCK!

haikugirl is stoked!
got most of my first choices
GIRLPOWER rocks TIFF!

Thurs Sept 6 - RUN 10K
Fri Sept 7 - Disengagement with Juliette Binoche
Sat Sept 8 - RUN 24K then In Bloom with Uma
Sun Sept 9 - Then She Found Me (cuz Alison scored tickets online - YAY!) then Le Deuxième Souffle with Monica Bellucci & Daniel Auteuil
Mon Sept 10 - Elizabeth: The Golden Age with Cate Blanchett then Lars and the Real Girl with Ryan Gosling
Tues Sept 11 - RUN 6K
Wed Sept 12 - Married Life with Rachel McAdams & Pierce Brosnan
Thurs Sept 13 - E-Learning Forum at the MaRS in the day then RUN 13K in the evening
Fri Sept 14 - Chacun son cinéma - 30 directors pay hommage to Cannes' 60th Anniversary with 3 minute shorts
Sat Sept 15 - RUN 27K

Box 66 and Superbad

Box 66 wins
29 is halfway through
We'll see what we get

Saw Superbad last night and kept laughing out loud right from the opening credits Enter the Site and view the Intro to check out the vibe. The young leads (Jonah Hill as Seth and Michael Cera as Evan) are terrific but I think Christopher Mintz-Plasse steals the show as McLovin. Seth Rogan (Knocked Up) and Evan Goldberg (of SNL fame) co-wrote it and star as cops. It takes you back to all the painful, outrageous and touching moments of high school. Jules - Seth's love interest played by Emma Stone - is like a real-life version of Violet from The Incredibles (one of my favourite animated features), her long dark hair falling over a single blue eye. Hilarious, clever - see it! Note: It did get an R rating "for pervasive crude and sexual content, strong language, drinking, some drug use and a fantasy/comic violent image - all involving teens." So it's no High School Musical but that's its charm.

Heading out to run 13K (a fallback week) which should take me over 2 hours.

Superbad is good
Trying to use Nike plus
isn't that easy