Earle & Gina Burrows

Looking for a different kind of New Years resolution? How about completing an Ironman Triathlon in 2010. There aren’t many people in the River Valley area, or the province for that matter, who have competed in an Ironman event and even fewer couples who do it together. But that’s exactly what Earle and Gina Burrows did in November. The Grand Bay-Westfield couple participated in Ironman Florida at Panama City Beach.

The Ironman is the big daddy of triathlons. It’s one of a series of long-distance races consisting of a 3.8 km swim, a 180 km bike race and a full 42 km marathon run at the end, raced in that order and without a break. The original Ironman began in Hawaii in 1977 and it’s grown ever since.

Both Earle and Gina Burrows are competitive athletes. This was Earle’s third full Ironman although he’s done 50 or 60 shorter triathlons over the years. Gina has been  running since she was 12-years old and this was her second Ironman. She says it’s a challenge that requires a big commitment of time for training.  Because it’s so time consuming you really have to know how to balance your work and family life with your training.

Earle says he was well prepared come race day but there are some things you just can’t control, one of them being weather. After days of calm, the winds and waves picked up on race day due to approaching tropical storm Ida. The swim portion of the race was difficult because of the waves and the 2,500 people splashing around during the mass start. Sometime during the swim Earle says he accidentally swallowed some salt water. That played havoc with his stomach for the rest of the race. He says there wasn’t 1 km of the bike ride or 100 metres of the run where he could say he felt good. As a result he was disappointed in his time of 11 hours, 16 minutes and 40 seconds, although it turned out to be his second fastest Ironman.

Gina on the other hand, had a great race. Swimming isn’t her strong point and the rough conditions made it even more difficult. But she made up for it with her biking and running. She was 23rd out of all the women and fourth in age group. She just missed out for qualifying for the Hawaiian Ironman by one spot. Hawaii is the original and most prestigious Ironman event, something like Boston when it comes to marathons. Being so close, she’s considering trying to qualify again next year. Gina completed the Ironman in 10 hours, 29 minutes and 23 seconds, her best time by 32 minutes from the previous Ironman Canada she had competed in. She says she knew Earle was having trouble when she passed him with about 5 or 6 miles to go in the run. They gave each other a ‘high-five’ and Earle told Gina to “do it for us.”

The Burrows say many of their family and friends think they’re nuts for doing a race like this but they’re also supportive and very proud of them. For now the hard training is over and they can ease up on their grueling schedules. Now when they run or bike they don’t have to be looking at their watches all the time. Earle and Gina say they’re both goal oriented people but you need a break once in a while.

Setting a good example of being ‘in motion’ are these early morning walkers (L to R) Marie Swan, Eleanor McClure, Oriole Titus, Dawn Dickens & Wilma Biggins. They walk together every morning, even in the snow.

The Partners in Prevention Committee is continuing to create a wave for in motion in Grand Bay-Westfield. Why should you be “in motion”? There are many benefits to leading a physically active lifestyle. You will find you have improved energy, sleep better, deal with stress better and you’re also taking a proactive approach to preventing many potential diseases.

In January 2010 Partners In Prevention will be working at getting Grand Bay-Westfield in motion. From the community profile provided by HEPAC, (Healthy Eating Physical Activity Coalition of NB) we know that the people who are least active in Grand Bay-Westfield are adults between the ages of 34 – 55.

There are a lot of inactive adults out there! But the good news is that a lot of these people want to become physically active, but just don’t seem to be able to take that first baby step towards activity. It is recommended that adults should participate in physical activities that include endurance, flexibility and strength to keep your body healthy.

A 3 to 10-minute bout of brisk walking accumulated over the course of a day can lead to risk reductions in cardiovascular disease and reduce anxiety and tension in previously sedentary adults. Physical activity is associated with a 20-30% risk reduction in all causes of mortality. Physical activity also reduces the risk of lung and rectal cancer. Furthermore, physically active men and women are at a 30-40% reduced risk of acquiring colon cancer when compared to inactive people. Physically active women have a 20-30% reduction in the risk of breast cancer when compared to inactive women. Physical activity has a protective effect against breast cancer in both pre and post menopausal women. Both walking and vigorous exercise are associated with substantial risk reductions in cardiovascular events (eg. heart attack) among postmenopausal women. Physical activity is also proven to lower blood pressure.

These are just some of the many good reasons why we all should get in motion. Check River Valley News for the latest news and events planned to help everyone in Grand Bay-Westfield become more active and in motion over the coming months.

By the way, winter walking should become a little easier soon. Plans are underway for the Heart & Stroke Walking Club in conjunction with ‘in motion’ to begin an indoor walking program. Every Tuesday evening at 7pm beginning in January, all interested walkers are asked to meet at St. Matthew Roman Catholic Church. Come in through the back entrance. The church hall is being made available for indoor walking through the winter. Organizers also plan to bring in a guest speaker on a monthly basis. Everyone is welcome to drop in and get some exercise with worrying about icy streets and sidewalks. For more information contact Judy Sheaves (Walking Club) 757-8079 or Carol Ann Boudreau (St. Matthew’s) 738-3477.

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When I met up with Holly Johnson she had already been walking on the treadmill for over two hours. She had covered just over seven miles. This day she wanted to put in three and a half hours, non-stop on the treadmill. It’s the time she has to make when she tackles her first half marathon at Disney World in January.

Holly spends much time these days walking and working out in the gym at the Human Performance Centre in Grand Bay-Westfield. Until the cold and the snow arrived she was putting in the miles walking around the new running track beside the arena. She’s a woman on a mission and nothing is going to stop her from reaching her goal.

“You have a choice.” Says Johnson, “You can get healthy or you can get sick and that’s the way I was headed and I love my kids and my husband too much to let that happen.”

Holly has had an issue with weight all of her life but it wasn’t until the birth of her twins a year ago that she decided to really do something about it. She says it sounds corny but she realized she might not be around for her family if she continued the way she was going. Johnson says diabetes and heart disease runs in her family and she knew she was at the point where something had to be done. “I could keep going on eating the way I was and not moving or I could start living,” she says. “This is like a rebirth.”

Johnson began her rebirth by going to Weight Watchers with a friend. She’s stuck to it and has lost over a hundred pounds. The exercise didn’t become part of her routine until about six months ago. She says she was 37 years old and had never exercised before in her life. An email from the Canadian Diabetes Association informing her about the event in Florida persuaded her to become part of Team Diabetes. She got to work raising the $4,500 required for the event and whipping herself into shape to complete the 13 mile course. With the added exercise of walking the track and treadmill and working out in the gym, Holly figures she’s about a 150 pounds lighter than her peak weight. She says she feels a lot better and the change has affected not only her life but that of her entire family.

“It used to be the kids would ask are we going to MacDonalds?” says Johnson, “ Now it’s are you going to the gym?”  Holly says her five year old son says they shrink her when she goes to her Weight Watchers meetings.  She says losing weight, being active and getting healthier is the best thing she’s ever done personally and it’s great for the entire family. Johnson says they talk about eating healthy food and now check the ingredients of the food they eat.

She says it’s the little things that really make a difference. Just the other day she was in a fitness store trying on some new clothes and running shoes and she says she’s never had the confidence to do that before. She says people who don’t have weight issues take it for granted that you can go into a fitting room and try on anything. Holly says this has been like a rebirth for her.

“Life’s too short,” she says. “You only have one body so take care of it and I sure didn’t do that for 36 years.”