Over $10,000

While I mentioned that our Reykjavik Marathon Team Diabetes collectively raised over $1 million, I think I forgot to document here on this blog the fact that my final fundraising tally was over $10,000.

This astounds me.

Thank you all for your generosity and support.

Running free

All right, I know I sort of suggested that the previous post would be my last, but I have two more things to say.

First, I ran today at lunch without any particular distance or speed goal, and it was glorious. Sometimes I just love running.

Second:

ATTENTION TEAM DIABETES REYKJAVIK members:

I've created a new blog to collect photos and wisdom and sort of act as a meeting place to share info, and I'm looking for members.

Any takers?

If I get a nibble, I'll try and figure out how to do a group blog - I'm sure it's not complicated.

Thank you and bless, bless

I found it quite charming the way many Icelanders say "Bless, bless" when departing.

At some point this whole blog thing must come to an end, and as it seems to be turning into a monologue on my whirlwind tour of Iceland, now seems like a good time to bring things to a close.

My deepest thanks go out to all the people who have supported me on this adventure and donated to the Canadian Diabetes Association. Our Team Diabetes Reykjavik 2006 group raised over $1 million, and this is just one of the many marathons they run each year.

In addition to all the financial support, I'd like to thank the family and friends who provided much-need moral support through this obsession. It was a big one. Especially the lower points, and the moments of doubt and pain. I really couldn't have done it without you.

Finally I'd like to thank my "team" in Reykjavik: My roommate Jenny who inspired us all with her last-minute upgrade from the half to the full marathon. My running partner Dave who distracted me with his tales of adventure, helped me keep a good pace, and then sent me on to a strong finish. And my generous hosts Helga, Jonas, Egill and Friðrik who distracted me from the post-race pain and potential let-down.

Bless, bless.

What next?

Everyone keeps asking this question. I don't know the answer. Keep running.

Jonas is talking about doing the marathon next year, and Rupert has said he'll do it if Jonas does. Helga would consider the half and Mary Jo has been talking about a marathon, so Reykjavik 2007 is a possibility. Besides, there's still lots of Iceland to see.

Dublin, on the other hand, is also quite an appealing option. As is Honolulu.

Stay tuned, but don't hold your breath... it may take a while to decide.

In the meantime, I may do the half in Collingwood in October.

Fimmvörðuháls og Sólheimajókull

For the grand finale on my last full day in Iceland, Helga and I headed east along the south shore to take in a few more foss (I think I've had my fill) and fulfill my quest to see a glacier.


We did better than that - we walked on one. The Mýrdalsjökull glacier at Sólheimajókull a tongue that comes close enough to the main road that you can access it with only a short bit of really bad road. It was very humbling to walk on that giant, ancient river of ice.

And, while I didn't get to do the full Fimmvörðuháls Pass hike between the Eyjafjallajökull and Mýrdalsjökull glaciers, we did do the first little bit of it... up into the Skógarheiði. It was dreamy. Exactly the mountain hiking I had been craving. Again, I expect I'll be back to do the full hike - maybe even all the way to Landmannalaugar.

Craving Skyr (Eating in Iceland, Part II)

If anyone knows of a place in Toronto to get Skyr, PLEASE LET ME KNOW - I'm in withdrawl. I even risked the no-liquids-in-the-carry-on rule and argued with the customs inspector to be able to bring one precious container home.

Jonas cooked up a spectacular farewell meal, that went somewhat under-appreciated by a couple of whitefish girls... I wish I'd taken a photo.

First was a rich fish soup drizzled with skyr and very salty Russian caviar. Next was a sampling of the day's catch: monkfish, arctic char, minke whale and bone shark. All grilled to perfection. The arctic char was delicious, the whale scared me a bit (Helga pointed it out to me earlier in the week at the grocery store and it looked like a cross between salmon and liver - big thick fillets in a deep red-purlpe shade.) but it tasted very good. Cooked it looked more like beef than fish. I guess it's a mammal thing. The texture of the bone shark, and the (unconfirmed) report that it was an endangered species that got tangled in the net and brought in by accident sort of turned me off. All in all it was a very impressive meal, and I was glad not to have to try the putrified shark "delicacy" that many tourists get talked into.

Haunted Reykjavik tour on fire

Friðrik went missing for a few hours tonight - didn´t come home for dinner and left his cell phone at home. Just as Helga was verging on frantic, a very apologetic Friðrik called to confess he had lost track of time.

Later this evening as Helga was telling Jonas that she was moments away from calling the police, Jonas said under his breath that the police would have been busy... with him. Turns out both police and a fire truck arrived to reprimand him for a lack of common sense (after he called them on the charge of breaking a law - which law?) for lighting a torch outside the parliament.

So, in the future, the addition of the torch will only be for the cemetery portion of the Haunted Reykjavik tour. It just keeps getting better...

Journey to the centre of the Earth - almost

Went with Jonas and Oli to the Snæfellsnes Penninsula today, with the intention of going to the famous glacier after a couple of business meetings but got sidetracked on a private boat tour around Breíðafjördur Bay north of Stykkisölmur with a somewhat eccentric Icelandic hotel owner... I know, poor me.

I did see enough of this magical penninsula to know that I must return.

Helga and Julie go camping

Icelanders, much to my surprise, do not camp in tents.

As a gal raised on canoe tripping (car camping is foreign to me) I was entertained by many aspects of my whirlwind tour of northern Iceland. Helga and I arrived to find the camping section of the site deserted, while the trailer section was full. (Luckily, they were separated by a few kilometres of road.)

We set up our tent, portable table and chairs and unloaded the cooler and then proceeded on to Mosquito Lake (the only place in Iceland where the little buggers exist - though minimal by Canadian standards). Here we toured around some small volcanic craters and a huge area of bizarre volcanic formations known as Dimmuborgir.

The natural beauty was, once again, breathtaking - will post photos on Flickr next week - but the true highlight (for its novelty) was the disposable BBQ, followed closely by the frozen packaged hamburger kit. I was doubtful about the whole thing, but in the end this doubter had a delicious dinner at 10:30pm just as darkness was setting in...

And yes, it was chilly.

You can read more about the curious relationship between Icelanders and camping in this editorial from the Reykjavik Grapevine, an English-language bi-weekly newspaper.

Eating in Iceland

Today I spent the day catching up on the things I didn´t get around to in Reykjavik last week. I went to the top of the Hallgrímskirkja (Church of Hallgrimur) with just enough time to enjoy the incredible view before the rain set in. Next on my list was trying one of the donuts I saw dozens of tourists photographing on my first day in town. I´m still not entirely sure why, but it was a good donut.

After a quick trip to the museum of photography, it was home to meet Friðrik, Egill and their two friends for a trip to the local swimming pool. While the boys goofed around in the pool, Jonas and I soaked in the hot pools (three different pools of different temperatures). We worked our way from one to the next, then hit the steambath, followed by a cold shower and a swim in the warm pool. Perhaps on Sunday I´ll bike around town to complete my own private Reykjavik triathalon.

On our way to pick Helga up from work Jonas and I came across a mobile TV unit parked at the hotdog stand, and decided we should test the recent announcement that this stand (sells nothing but hot dogs and pop) was voted second best hot dog in Europe. I had one with the works, and was a bit shocked when I crunched down on something the texture of a cheesy, but Jonas assurred me it was not accidental. While I´m no hot dog connisseur, I did find it to be quite delicious. (Helga, if you´re reading this, that´s why I had to pass on the ice cream.)

Skyr - a high-protien, low-fat dairy product unique to Iceland - has become a regular part of my diet. Any entrpreneurs out there may want to consider importing it to Canada - I´d be the first in line.

Helga took care to make traditional flat bread and smoked lamb sandwiches for our outings, as well as ones with "Italian Salad". I´ve also been treated to BBQ lamb and some kind of delicious fish for dinner.

It´s a wonder I´m able to squeeze my exploring in between all this good eating.

Tomorrow Helga and I will pack up the camping gear and head north toward Akureyri in search of hiking and good weather.

Between plates

Not plates of food (for once, my life seems not to be focused on food - though Helga has taken great care to educate me about typical Icelandic food... that will have to be a future post) but something much more significant - continental plates.

Today I walked through a rift that is a sort of no-man´s land between the Eurasian and American tectonic plates. As if this were not humbling enough, the area we were wandering through is the site of the world´s oldest parliament - the Alþingi, founded in 930 at þingvellir. It´s difficult to say what is more impressive - the history, geography or natural beauty of this stunning place.

From here we continued on to Geysir and watched several remarkable eruptions of the smaller Strokkur (Geysir himself having been worn out by the repeated use of soap to enhance the dramatics of the eruptions). Egill, Friðrik and I had a great time poking around the many hot streams running down the surface and Jonas got some great shots through the mist. Watch his flickr for details...

4:07:38 chip time

Found the official marathon results online today and was delighted to find that I came in 14th in my class (...out of47!), 225th overall. Was disappointed to see that there was some sort of screw up that found some of our Team D runners´ full marathon results listed under the half... this may explain why their bags were snatched from them at the finish or why they were given a medal for the half.

Unfortunate.

But we all know the real story.

Dream run in Iceland

With the race behind me, my exploration of Iceland has begun. Did a tour of the Reykjanes Penninsula yesterday with Helga, Jonas and Friðrik - couldn´t ask for better guides!


ATTENTION TEAM DIABETES folks: Jonas got some fantastic photos during the race - check them out, you may find one of yourself.