I received the following note by email, and thought it worthy of sharing with everyone out there (thanks to Todd for reminding me to put it up here). It furthers my message from yesterday about not living in the past... takes it a step further into living for the here and now. Take a read through it... you may have already read it once or twice, but maybe you need the reminder!
And before you do... the following is not gospel (for instance, I do not see why eating in has to be less an event than eating out, but that's a North American ritual - in order to celebrate or socialize, we almost have to go out for dinner :) Either way, read on... and take the message to heart!
Too many people put off something that brings them joy just because they haven't thought about it, don't have it on their schedule, didn't know it was coming or are too rigid to depart from their routine.
I got to thinking one day about all those people on the Titanic who passed up dessert at dinner that fateful night in an effort to cut back. From then on, I've tried to be a little more flexible.
How many women out there will eat at home because their husband didn't suggest going out to dinner until after something had been thawed? Does the word "refrigeration" mean nothing to you?
How often have your kids dropped in to talk and sat in silence while you watched 'Jeopardy' on television?
I cannot count the times I called my sister and said, "How about going to lunch in a half hour?" She would gas up and stammer, "I can't. I have clothes on the line. My hair is dirty. I wish I had known yesterday, I had a late breakfast, It looks like rain." And my personal favorite: "It's Monday." She died a few years ago. We never did have lunch together.
Because [North] Americans cram so much into their lives, we tend to schedule our headaches.. We live on a sparse diet of promises we make to ourselves when all the conditions are perfect!
We'll go back and visit the grandparents when we get Steve toilet-trained. We'll entertain when we replace the living-room carpet. We'll go on a second honeymoon when we get two more kids out of college.
Life has a way of accelerating as we get older. The days get shorter, and the list of promises to ourselves gets longer. One morning, we awaken, and all we have to show for our lives is a litany of "I'm going to," "I plan on," and "Someday, when things are settled down a bit."
When anyone calls my 'seize the moment' friend, she is open to adventure and available for trips. She keeps an open mind on new ideas. Her enthusiasm for life is contagious. You talk with her for five minutes, and you're ready to trade your bad feet for a pair of Rollerblades and skip an elevator for a bungee cord.
My lips have not touched ice cream in 10 years. I love ice cream. It's just that I might as well apply it directly to my stomach with a spatula and eliminate the digestive process. The other day, I stopped the car and bought a triple-decker. If my car had hit an iceberg on the way home, I would have died happy.
Now...go on and have a nice day. Do something you WANT to......not something on your SHOULD DO list. If you were going to die soon and had only one phone call you could make, who would you call and what would you say? And why are you waiting?
Make sure you read this to the end; you will understand why I sent this to you.
Have you ever watched kids playing on a merry go round or listened to the rain lapping on the ground? Ever followed a butterfly's erratic flight or gazed at the sun into the fading night? Do you run through each day on the fly? When you ask "How are you?" Do you hear the reply?
When the day is done, do you lie in your bed with the next hundred chores running through your head? Ever told your child, "We'll do it tomorrow." And in your haste, not see his sorrow? Ever lost touch? Let a good friendship die? Just call to say "Hi"?
When you worry and hurry through your day, it is like an unopened gift....Thrown away.... Life is not a race. Take it slower. Hear the music before the song is over.
"Life may not be the party we hoped for... but while we are here we might as well dance!"
Monday, February 27, 2006
Sunday, February 26, 2006
Living in the past...
I was talking today with Todd about this, thought it was a relevant way to start the post :)
Living in the past does not help us move forward, hence it is something that should be avoided if at all possible... this applies especially to us with our past training and racing "mistakes" but this philosphy should be applied to all aspects of life. Regrets are a thing of the past and should be abandoned.
Now I need to take a little of my own advice... and will start by sparing you a pathetic apology about the delay in posting this :)
Alli has been as busy as a bee working on some courses, and has tied up the computer... unfortunately using my sister's computer isn't an option, so I have been without regular access for a week.
With that excuse out of the way, I will continue....
Things here are good, but the time is ticking away - I cannot believe that raceday is just five weeks away, and our taper is set to being in just three weeks!! Wow... who would believe that time would move so quickly?
Something neat for Ironman Australia - they have an "adopt an athlete" program where individuals, businesses or groups can adopt an athlete, and cheer them on during the race (among other things). It sounds like a really neat program, and we are looking forward to finding out more about it shortly.
We are currently working out a plan to move North towards Sydney, and specifically Port MacQuarie where the race will take place. We will probably spend a couple of weeks up in the area, then venture a bit further north after the race - the precise itinerary is still to be worked out (we are open to suggestions, so if you have any, let me know :)
And final thought for the moment... I have downloaded the competitor list for Ironman Australia, and it looks like the age group field is roughly 1535 large, Alli's age group consists of her and eight others. My age group (of course) consists of me and roughly 300 other men. Hmm... seems the place to be is M30-34 if you are looking for competition - though I certainly am NOT complaining, as it could be worse :)
Of interest, the oldest registered competitor is a fellow that comes from the area that we are training in, and he's 71 years old! Keep an eye out for Brian Lynch.
That's about it for me for now... more to come!
Living in the past does not help us move forward, hence it is something that should be avoided if at all possible... this applies especially to us with our past training and racing "mistakes" but this philosphy should be applied to all aspects of life. Regrets are a thing of the past and should be abandoned.
Now I need to take a little of my own advice... and will start by sparing you a pathetic apology about the delay in posting this :)
Alli has been as busy as a bee working on some courses, and has tied up the computer... unfortunately using my sister's computer isn't an option, so I have been without regular access for a week.
With that excuse out of the way, I will continue....
Things here are good, but the time is ticking away - I cannot believe that raceday is just five weeks away, and our taper is set to being in just three weeks!! Wow... who would believe that time would move so quickly?
Something neat for Ironman Australia - they have an "adopt an athlete" program where individuals, businesses or groups can adopt an athlete, and cheer them on during the race (among other things). It sounds like a really neat program, and we are looking forward to finding out more about it shortly.
We are currently working out a plan to move North towards Sydney, and specifically Port MacQuarie where the race will take place. We will probably spend a couple of weeks up in the area, then venture a bit further north after the race - the precise itinerary is still to be worked out (we are open to suggestions, so if you have any, let me know :)
And final thought for the moment... I have downloaded the competitor list for Ironman Australia, and it looks like the age group field is roughly 1535 large, Alli's age group consists of her and eight others. My age group (of course) consists of me and roughly 300 other men. Hmm... seems the place to be is M30-34 if you are looking for competition - though I certainly am NOT complaining, as it could be worse :)
Of interest, the oldest registered competitor is a fellow that comes from the area that we are training in, and he's 71 years old! Keep an eye out for Brian Lynch.
That's about it for me for now... more to come!
Monday, February 20, 2006
Race Results...
Sorry for the delay in getting this out, but we were gone for the weekend, then went out to watch the penguin parade yesterday (more on this in my next post).
So... the swim went well on Saturday, and due to a relatively small field of participants, I was able to place first in my age category. I didn't get a gold, as they had run out of gold medals by the time that they got to me, but they assure me that it will be in the mail shortly :) Anyways - summary there was 1.2km swim in 16:45 according to my watch. Average HR was 147, which is sufficiently high for a swim - roughly 89% of my estimated maximum HR in the swim. Worth noting - the high point for heart rate in the swim is always when I stand up to run into the finish line (hit 171 when I glanced down at the finish). Otherwise in the swim, my max HR was 157, near my estimated maximum of 164 BPM. Too many numbers, I know, but it's worth saying for those that might be interested :) Swimming does not get your HR up like running - basically the more vertical your body, and the larger the muscles used (i.e. legs) the higher your heart rate goes. My max heart rates for the three disciplines (estimated) are as follows:
184 - run
174 - bike
164 - swim
Heart rate is not a precise science, but I have found it to be a relatively decent show of effort in my case during racing. The only times that I ever hit my max HR (or near max) is at the finish line of a running race. Never part-way through (this would be detrimental).
What I could spot from the swim was a "lax bit" in the middle, where I wasn't giving it my all. This is pretty consistent with my running races as well - hard effort to start and finish, with a middle bit that's a bit slower than it should be. Will work that kink out eventually :)
So... the following day we did a half Ironman distance race (well, as I said before, ALMOST half an Ironman - actual distances were 2km swim, 80km bike and a 20km run. Finished the race upright in 4:34:50 according to my watch. This was roughly where I expected to finish, though my run was a bit of a dud - should have been a bit faster. I expected to do the run in about 1:30 but instead finished it in about 1:44 - this was due largely to my inability to eat properly (yet again) on the bike.
For some reason, I decided it would be a good idea to cut my powerbars up and place them in my bento box for ease of eating. What I failed to realize is that the many pieces would become one overnight.
Rule number one for everyone out there considering racing in ANY sort of event is to only do in the race that which you have done in training. Training is just that - practice for raceday, so deviation from training on raceday is a BAD idea. How funny it is when I do not follow my own advice.
Either way, the result was respectable, though there is sufficient room for improvement. I feel good, and am looking forward to what training I have left before Ironman Australia... where I will eat properly throughout the race, so that I can run that marathon like I can!!
The truly interesting part about the race was the sheer competitiveness of it - I placed well into the middle of the pack on Sunday, with what I would consider a respectable result. I would expect that a similar result would have netted me a much more respectable placing back home, but time will tell (Great White North in July will be the true test).
You can catch Alli's race commentary in her blog, but I thought I would throw this in - she placed second in her age category, so a medal will be on its way to her shortly. Be sure to send her your congratulations!
I will leave with that... more to come on the penguins.
If you are interested in further analysing the results, look here.
So... the swim went well on Saturday, and due to a relatively small field of participants, I was able to place first in my age category. I didn't get a gold, as they had run out of gold medals by the time that they got to me, but they assure me that it will be in the mail shortly :) Anyways - summary there was 1.2km swim in 16:45 according to my watch. Average HR was 147, which is sufficiently high for a swim - roughly 89% of my estimated maximum HR in the swim. Worth noting - the high point for heart rate in the swim is always when I stand up to run into the finish line (hit 171 when I glanced down at the finish). Otherwise in the swim, my max HR was 157, near my estimated maximum of 164 BPM. Too many numbers, I know, but it's worth saying for those that might be interested :) Swimming does not get your HR up like running - basically the more vertical your body, and the larger the muscles used (i.e. legs) the higher your heart rate goes. My max heart rates for the three disciplines (estimated) are as follows:
184 - run
174 - bike
164 - swim
Heart rate is not a precise science, but I have found it to be a relatively decent show of effort in my case during racing. The only times that I ever hit my max HR (or near max) is at the finish line of a running race. Never part-way through (this would be detrimental).
What I could spot from the swim was a "lax bit" in the middle, where I wasn't giving it my all. This is pretty consistent with my running races as well - hard effort to start and finish, with a middle bit that's a bit slower than it should be. Will work that kink out eventually :)
So... the following day we did a half Ironman distance race (well, as I said before, ALMOST half an Ironman - actual distances were 2km swim, 80km bike and a 20km run. Finished the race upright in 4:34:50 according to my watch. This was roughly where I expected to finish, though my run was a bit of a dud - should have been a bit faster. I expected to do the run in about 1:30 but instead finished it in about 1:44 - this was due largely to my inability to eat properly (yet again) on the bike.
For some reason, I decided it would be a good idea to cut my powerbars up and place them in my bento box for ease of eating. What I failed to realize is that the many pieces would become one overnight.
Rule number one for everyone out there considering racing in ANY sort of event is to only do in the race that which you have done in training. Training is just that - practice for raceday, so deviation from training on raceday is a BAD idea. How funny it is when I do not follow my own advice.
Either way, the result was respectable, though there is sufficient room for improvement. I feel good, and am looking forward to what training I have left before Ironman Australia... where I will eat properly throughout the race, so that I can run that marathon like I can!!
The truly interesting part about the race was the sheer competitiveness of it - I placed well into the middle of the pack on Sunday, with what I would consider a respectable result. I would expect that a similar result would have netted me a much more respectable placing back home, but time will tell (Great White North in July will be the true test).
You can catch Alli's race commentary in her blog, but I thought I would throw this in - she placed second in her age category, so a medal will be on its way to her shortly. Be sure to send her your congratulations!
I will leave with that... more to come on the penguins.
If you are interested in further analysing the results, look here.
Tuesday, February 14, 2006
Sponsor Update
Well, both Alli and I have some exciting news - we have both been offered sponsorship from a company based out of Japan that goes by the name of Amino Vital.
There is a lot to be said about this, but they have a great lineup of products, all of which can apparently now be purchased from GNC stores (I haven't been to a GNC for a while, so I have not been able to confirm this - and their product is not readily available in Australia unfortunately :)
What this means for us is a supply of the Amino Vital supplement line, sponsor clothing, and depending on how we work things out, possibly a little cash in the bank!
Our sponsorship officially starts on April 1 (day before Ironman Australia) but we won't be seeing any of the goods before then, so you will hear more about this one once we return to Canada!
Just thought I would share the exciting news!!
There is a lot to be said about this, but they have a great lineup of products, all of which can apparently now be purchased from GNC stores (I haven't been to a GNC for a while, so I have not been able to confirm this - and their product is not readily available in Australia unfortunately :)
What this means for us is a supply of the Amino Vital supplement line, sponsor clothing, and depending on how we work things out, possibly a little cash in the bank!
Our sponsorship officially starts on April 1 (day before Ironman Australia) but we won't be seeing any of the goods before then, so you will hear more about this one once we return to Canada!
Just thought I would share the exciting news!!
Day-tight Compartments
So I got to thinking the other day (way too much time for that it seems) and I thought waaaaay back to a Dale Carnegie course that I took back in my days at Spartan Controls.
In his book, How to Stop Worrying and Start Living, Dale Carnegie talks about living your life in day-tight compartments. Without the book to quote, and with only my poor memory, you will have to deal with my understanding of the concept... and remember, I learned about this a long time ago.
(worth noting - we also discussed many memory improvement techniques - some set in, others did not, apparently ;)
Anyways - all of us have trouble with day-tight compartments, and until recently I had forgotten all about this. The idea here is that there is no sense in carrying forward the bad experience from yesterday into today, or to start worrying about something that you have to do in the morning before you go to sleep at night. More or less - worry about one day at a time, and once it's done, it's over - forget about it (well, still learn from our mistakes, but do not let them haunt you for days/weeks/years/decades to come - there is no point).
It has been my experience that athletes tend to carry a lot of "yesterday's negativity" with them on through eternity. I could have done this different, or should have done that. As I discussed previously in my "measuring performance" rant, you will see that this is a bad idea.
Lamenting over past performances will do you little good going forward. Yes, we can learn from our mistakes, but again - lamenting over them is pointless.
There is a lot more to this topic, in fact so much more that one (including Carnegie) could write a book :) If you are interested in improving your life, buy his book, read through it, and apply his common sense principles to your life where applicable.
The kick that I get out of Carnegie's principles on living life is that he wrote them a very long time ago - and for the most part, nearly all of them are applicable today... that in and of itself is impressive :) I think we could all stand to learn a thing or two from his writings...
In his book, How to Stop Worrying and Start Living, Dale Carnegie talks about living your life in day-tight compartments. Without the book to quote, and with only my poor memory, you will have to deal with my understanding of the concept... and remember, I learned about this a long time ago.
(worth noting - we also discussed many memory improvement techniques - some set in, others did not, apparently ;)
Anyways - all of us have trouble with day-tight compartments, and until recently I had forgotten all about this. The idea here is that there is no sense in carrying forward the bad experience from yesterday into today, or to start worrying about something that you have to do in the morning before you go to sleep at night. More or less - worry about one day at a time, and once it's done, it's over - forget about it (well, still learn from our mistakes, but do not let them haunt you for days/weeks/years/decades to come - there is no point).
It has been my experience that athletes tend to carry a lot of "yesterday's negativity" with them on through eternity. I could have done this different, or should have done that. As I discussed previously in my "measuring performance" rant, you will see that this is a bad idea.
Lamenting over past performances will do you little good going forward. Yes, we can learn from our mistakes, but again - lamenting over them is pointless.
There is a lot more to this topic, in fact so much more that one (including Carnegie) could write a book :) If you are interested in improving your life, buy his book, read through it, and apply his common sense principles to your life where applicable.
The kick that I get out of Carnegie's principles on living life is that he wrote them a very long time ago - and for the most part, nearly all of them are applicable today... that in and of itself is impressive :) I think we could all stand to learn a thing or two from his writings...
Race this weekend...
Well, Alli and I will be taking the train out of Melbourne come Friday morning, to a quaint little place called Torquay. It's a bit of a surfing town, with all the surf shops, surfers and waves :)
We are not, however, heading out there to surf, or to shop... but heading out for a bit of a race weekend in the middle of training (so don't expect any great results from this weekend :)
We are doing two races - first a little open water swim to start things off at the Bluff to Beach open water swim. A nice 1.2km open water swim to start things off on Saturday morning - around 11:00. It seems that the starting field is quite small (currently only 34 folks entered in the race, but things could change in the next few days). If things stay that small, they may only have a single wave start... but time will tell on that one. I plan on heading out for my long ride Saturday morning, then heading to the beach for this little swim (not quite the right order, but beggars cannot be choosers - and I have to fit all my training in on the weekend, despite the big race).
Come Sunday, we will be lining up to do a half ironman called the Surf Coast Triathlon. It will be an exciting day, as it is also the Victorian long course qualifier. The distances in this race will be roughly half of the full Ironman, which is now just six weeks away!! Precise distances are 2km swim, 80km bike, and a 20km run (so everything but the swim is a bit short - which is fine by me ;)
We are excited to get things rolling this early in the season - the race should be a good one.
And like I said - six weeks remaining to Ironman Australia!!
We are not, however, heading out there to surf, or to shop... but heading out for a bit of a race weekend in the middle of training (so don't expect any great results from this weekend :)
We are doing two races - first a little open water swim to start things off at the Bluff to Beach open water swim. A nice 1.2km open water swim to start things off on Saturday morning - around 11:00. It seems that the starting field is quite small (currently only 34 folks entered in the race, but things could change in the next few days). If things stay that small, they may only have a single wave start... but time will tell on that one. I plan on heading out for my long ride Saturday morning, then heading to the beach for this little swim (not quite the right order, but beggars cannot be choosers - and I have to fit all my training in on the weekend, despite the big race).
Come Sunday, we will be lining up to do a half ironman called the Surf Coast Triathlon. It will be an exciting day, as it is also the Victorian long course qualifier. The distances in this race will be roughly half of the full Ironman, which is now just six weeks away!! Precise distances are 2km swim, 80km bike, and a 20km run (so everything but the swim is a bit short - which is fine by me ;)
We are excited to get things rolling this early in the season - the race should be a good one.
And like I said - six weeks remaining to Ironman Australia!!
Beckie and Sara capture silver
CBC Edmonton - Scott, Renner capture silver
Well, I missed watching it, but I got the news first thing this morning... what a great day for Beckie and Sara.
Just think if there was no broken pole... well, back to that article on measuring performance :)
Yippeeee...
Well, I missed watching it, but I got the news first thing this morning... what a great day for Beckie and Sara.
Just think if there was no broken pole... well, back to that article on measuring performance :)
Yippeeee...
Monday, February 13, 2006
Dancing naked...
Hey!!
Nobody has given me any GOOD comments about living down below. Where's the "dancing naked in the moonlight" or just "dancing naked"??
Someone has got to have something good... help me live by giving me a little material to work with (well, me and a few of my faithful readers ;)
Go on... post a comment!!
Nobody has given me any GOOD comments about living down below. Where's the "dancing naked in the moonlight" or just "dancing naked"??
Someone has got to have something good... help me live by giving me a little material to work with (well, me and a few of my faithful readers ;)
Go on... post a comment!!
Measuring performance...
I think it's been far too long since I posted anything, so here goes nothing :)
While I live in near luxury here, we do not have cable television and was not afforded the luxury of watching Beckie compete last night. From what I can gather, she did very well and should be proud of her accomplishment... sixth place in the world. Let me see - the approximate population of the world is somewhere around 6.5 billion people - so that makes her a faster skier than basically everyone on the planet. Worth a medal, surely, but I guess not in that race.
Athletics is a difficult endeavor - when you break it down, there is a lot to consider... namely, how do you judge your performance? This seemingly simple problem does not have a simple resolution... a race is simply a snapshot of a moment in time. You have control over some of the conditions leading up to the race, but you are largely out of control of most of the factors affecting the outcome.
So, one must ask themselves - how do we measure ourselves?
The obvious first answer is to judge based on placing. This is a flawed measure of performance, if for no other reason than you cannot control whom you are racing against. Obviously in the case of me versus a world champion triathlete, I would lose, so winning is hardly a reasonable measure. Beyond this, if you are all world champions, there are many other factors that come into play - including health and wellness, mental condition, weather, the alignment of the moon, and so on. The list goes on, and it really boils down to the day - is it the perfect day, or not quite so perfect? If it's not perfect for you, it may well be perfect for the next guy. Should you be content with your performance? Probably so, but we just never are...
Flawed method number two is to judge based on time - otherwise referred to as a personal best (PB) or personal record (PR). Now, the first problem with judging your performance on time alone is that there are no two courses alike, and even if you race on the same course, no two days are the same (see above). Thus, even time is only a rough guauge of performance on a given day. Course variances, including terrain, and ill-measurement are just a couple of examples that can go wrong with comparing two similar distance races. This is a better method than placing, but hardly perfect.
So, how should one reflect on a day of competition? While everyone else is expecting medals, placings, PR's or world records, our focus as athletes should be on feel. Not heart rates, not finish times or placings, but how did we FEEL that race went.
We all know the difference between a "good race" and a "crappy race" are, and if we fight a good battle to the end, we know it. If we came up short in the other areas - so what? We left what we had on the road, and that's truly what matters. I think that this is one of the most important things that I can pass to athletes and non-athletes alike - measuring performance in life cannot be accomplished in classrooms, on exams, with a ruler, a scale or in something as simple as a race.
I am of the opinion that true performance cannot be measured. Not in watts, speed, time, distance or otherwise. Nadda.
We, as individuals, know what we are capable of, and we know - deep down inside - whether we put it all in or not, and subsequently know that we gave it all, or only a little bit.
A little insight from my friend:
So, there it is... if you have put your heart and soul into someting, you come out the other end a champion. Beckie is a true champion, and will always be a champion - in my heart and her own.
She knows that she has put it all in - the rest is all just noise.
Beckie collecting her gold medal in Vancouver, two years late.
While I live in near luxury here, we do not have cable television and was not afforded the luxury of watching Beckie compete last night. From what I can gather, she did very well and should be proud of her accomplishment... sixth place in the world. Let me see - the approximate population of the world is somewhere around 6.5 billion people - so that makes her a faster skier than basically everyone on the planet. Worth a medal, surely, but I guess not in that race.
Athletics is a difficult endeavor - when you break it down, there is a lot to consider... namely, how do you judge your performance? This seemingly simple problem does not have a simple resolution... a race is simply a snapshot of a moment in time. You have control over some of the conditions leading up to the race, but you are largely out of control of most of the factors affecting the outcome.
So, one must ask themselves - how do we measure ourselves?
The obvious first answer is to judge based on placing. This is a flawed measure of performance, if for no other reason than you cannot control whom you are racing against. Obviously in the case of me versus a world champion triathlete, I would lose, so winning is hardly a reasonable measure. Beyond this, if you are all world champions, there are many other factors that come into play - including health and wellness, mental condition, weather, the alignment of the moon, and so on. The list goes on, and it really boils down to the day - is it the perfect day, or not quite so perfect? If it's not perfect for you, it may well be perfect for the next guy. Should you be content with your performance? Probably so, but we just never are...
Flawed method number two is to judge based on time - otherwise referred to as a personal best (PB) or personal record (PR). Now, the first problem with judging your performance on time alone is that there are no two courses alike, and even if you race on the same course, no two days are the same (see above). Thus, even time is only a rough guauge of performance on a given day. Course variances, including terrain, and ill-measurement are just a couple of examples that can go wrong with comparing two similar distance races. This is a better method than placing, but hardly perfect.
So, how should one reflect on a day of competition? While everyone else is expecting medals, placings, PR's or world records, our focus as athletes should be on feel. Not heart rates, not finish times or placings, but how did we FEEL that race went.
We all know the difference between a "good race" and a "crappy race" are, and if we fight a good battle to the end, we know it. If we came up short in the other areas - so what? We left what we had on the road, and that's truly what matters. I think that this is one of the most important things that I can pass to athletes and non-athletes alike - measuring performance in life cannot be accomplished in classrooms, on exams, with a ruler, a scale or in something as simple as a race.
I am of the opinion that true performance cannot be measured. Not in watts, speed, time, distance or otherwise. Nadda.
We, as individuals, know what we are capable of, and we know - deep down inside - whether we put it all in or not, and subsequently know that we gave it all, or only a little bit.
A little insight from my friend:
“When you take on a goal and put your heart and soul into doing everything it takes to accomplish that goal, that is excellence.” Beckie Scott
So, there it is... if you have put your heart and soul into someting, you come out the other end a champion. Beckie is a true champion, and will always be a champion - in my heart and her own.
She knows that she has put it all in - the rest is all just noise.
Beckie collecting her gold medal in Vancouver, two years late.Wednesday, February 08, 2006
Happy Thursday
Race to the top of the Empire State Building
Now, doesn't that look like a trip? Two miles up the stairs. Note that the winner did this in 10:19 - that's just over a five minute mile, if the distance is actually two miles.
Wow.
So... I got an email this morning from a friend back home who is also training for Ironman Canada. I am going to steal a quote from her email (without revealing her identity ;)
"Today I feel really tired and just can't seem to get my act together to go for a swim and then a run later on. Do you ever have those days?"
Well, I may not have said it yet, but BOY OH BOY do I ever have those days... and frankly, some days I don't go for a swim OR a run on those days.
Yes, truth be told, I have been known to take a day off from training, or skip a workout. It happens.
Marc's rule is simple, you go out and give every workout a go - if you give it a solid ten minutes into the workout and it isn't happening, then turn around.
Let's just say that I have not been perfect at doing that.
The training plan does not have a rest day (as in a complete day off) even though there are "easier" days... this can make it quite demanding - both mentally and physically.
That, however, is what I signed up for... and I am getting better!!
Now, doesn't that look like a trip? Two miles up the stairs. Note that the winner did this in 10:19 - that's just over a five minute mile, if the distance is actually two miles.
Wow.
So... I got an email this morning from a friend back home who is also training for Ironman Canada. I am going to steal a quote from her email (without revealing her identity ;)
"Today I feel really tired and just can't seem to get my act together to go for a swim and then a run later on. Do you ever have those days?"
Well, I may not have said it yet, but BOY OH BOY do I ever have those days... and frankly, some days I don't go for a swim OR a run on those days.
Yes, truth be told, I have been known to take a day off from training, or skip a workout. It happens.
Marc's rule is simple, you go out and give every workout a go - if you give it a solid ten minutes into the workout and it isn't happening, then turn around.
Let's just say that I have not been perfect at doing that.
The training plan does not have a rest day (as in a complete day off) even though there are "easier" days... this can make it quite demanding - both mentally and physically.
That, however, is what I signed up for... and I am getting better!!
Monday, February 06, 2006
Bottled water fraud...
I have always found it fascinating that the bottled water manufacturers have been able to command a price higher than that of gasoline for mere water. Think about it - how can it possibly cost more to process water than it does to process crude oil into gasoline?
Not possible.
Add the bottles to the landfills... what a disaster.
But, when you do the math - you can see that this is money all being wasted. The bottled water you buy is little more than filtered tap water - and profit for the big guys.
Clearly there is a better way to do this...
If you're keen on drinking water, and the stuff from the tap isn't good enough, maybe you should invest in a filter for your home - and you can share your love of filtered tap water with your entire family :)
Then, take the money and put it to good use - give it to an organization that might actually help out thirld world countries by providing them with potable water.
The world could be a better place for it.
Not possible.
Add the bottles to the landfills... what a disaster.
But, when you do the math - you can see that this is money all being wasted. The bottled water you buy is little more than filtered tap water - and profit for the big guys.
Clearly there is a better way to do this...
If you're keen on drinking water, and the stuff from the tap isn't good enough, maybe you should invest in a filter for your home - and you can share your love of filtered tap water with your entire family :)
Then, take the money and put it to good use - give it to an organization that might actually help out thirld world countries by providing them with potable water.
The world could be a better place for it.
Saturday, February 04, 2006
New blog layout and features!
I hope you enjoy the new layout and the new features - on the right hand side you will find a few things, including a search (should you care to search my blog at some point for something you thought you saw here) along with an email subscription - if you wish, you may subscribe, and you will get automatic updates from my blog (saves you having to look to see if I have updated anything recently or not ;)
I hope you like the changes - I promise I won't make any other drastic changes for a while now... just felt the need to improve things a bit!!
I hope you like the changes - I promise I won't make any other drastic changes for a while now... just felt the need to improve things a bit!!
How I Landed Here
I realized this morning that not everyone knows how I ended up with this obsession that I have, and I figured it was worth writing a little story... everyone likes a story, don't they? :)
Well - where things REALLY began was way back when I was young. I was pretty active in my teenage years, we did all sorts of things - but the focus was swimming in the summer and cross country skiing in the winter. In those days, Vermilion only had one pool - and it was outdoors, so we were limited to swimming in the summer. Those really where the days - it was a sad day when they filled that old pool in :(
Anyways - triathlon was born in the 80s and I got a bit of a taste of triathlon early on. One of my favorite memories was a little triathlon that I did in northern Saskatchewan as part of a team. I did the swim, Walter Scott was our cyclist and Jan Scott was our runner. Now, Walter is a super athlete, but I don't think he's ever really been what you could call a cyclist :) I got out of the water really early, I think I was second out. That was the best part about being a decent swimmer in those days - most of the people involved in triathlon were cyclists - they couldn't swim to save their life, so we had a bit of an advantage (at least until we got on the bike ;) Either way, we won the team event that day... and I still remember it, not quite like it was yesterday.
Just in case you don't know Jan and Walter Scott, they are the parents of Beckie Scott - the top North American cross country skier (quite possibly the best in the world) and all round super person :) We grew up just across "the field" from each other, and both of her parents were a big part of my life growing up. Walter taught me to cross country ski, and swim. He was my coach for the better part of the first half of my life. I will always remember a cross country ski race in Vermilion, where Walter went blowing by me part-way through that race. I always thought "one day I will catch him" :) I think I may have recently caught him, but that's hardly the point. Both Walter and Jan are a big inspiration to me today, whether they know it or not.
Anyways - one day when I was young, I watched one of the first Ironman races on television, and I thought "I want to do that someday". It has taken me a while, but here I am :)
Now, the middle stuff - once I finished high school, I went to NAIT to take their Computer Systems Technology program. While taking CST, I figured it would be a good idea to work, so that I could afford to live :) I began something which would take a long time to undo - when I wasn't at school, I was working... this included most evenings and generally the entire weekend. Most weeks I put in close to a 40 hour work week outside of school. This didn't do wonderful things for my marks in school, but I have always maintained that your specific marks are not relevant - and in fact, the courses that I took have never really applied to real life, so I will never understand what the big deal was about.
With all of this school and work, there was no time left for physical activity. I joined the NAIT swim team for a season, but I wasn't very good at making the 6:30 AM practices (I was a public transit user, and getting to the pool for 6:30 AM was nearly impossible - note that I said NEARLY impossible, I don't think my will was very strong :) As there was a requirement that we make at least three workouts a week, my involvement on the team faltered over time, and I lost interest, but gained weight :)
Once I finished school, I got a full time job, which ate about 40 hours a week, and I kept my part time gig at London Drugs, because it was extra money, and the perks were cool too (like cheap computer hardware - who doesn't like a discount on toys?? :)
My physical state declined over time... by 1999 I had a new job with TELUS, and in 2000 I was still under some sort of illusion that I was in shape. I entered the "Beat Beethoven" race in Edmonton with my two friends Jeremy and Steve. This race was the turning point for me - I do not remember what exactly my time was, but suffice it to say that 8k took me about one hour to complete. Yikes. I discovered that not only was I not in shape, I was in TERRIBLE SHAPE and I was FAT. I tipped the scales that year at about 250 pounds. I don't have a picture kicking about from that very moment, but this one is from around then...
I know - not pretty for more than one reason (the other obvious reason is that shirt ;) It was a freebie from TELUS :)
So, I decided that things had to change in 2000 - and I began running and trying to eat healthier. You have no idea what healthier meant, but for the most part it was low fat meat and a lot of instant rice (I was way too lazy to bother with anything else). Some vegetables were a part of my diet back then, but generally only if it were easy... a lot of frozen corn as I recall. Hmmm.... healthier indeed.
I figured that I needed to get things back on track, and get to doing an Ironman.
In 2001, I was a volunteer for the opening ceremonies for the IAAF World Championships in Athletics, which was held in Edmonton. What an eye opener that was. Watching the men's marathon in 30+ heat was unbelievable. Those guys were running faster than I could sprint around a track, and over the entire 42.2 km distance. Wow. I figured that I should run a marathon - why not? So, I signed up with the Canadian Diabetes Association, to run the Rome Marathon in the spring of 2002. I figured if I was going to do A marathon, I might as well do one that was memorable.
I started training for my marathon with the Running Room - I joined the team heading to do the Las Vegas marathon at the end of January (the Rome marathon was in March, but this was the closest that I could get). Well, before the end of January, I got on the treadmill at the gym (didn't want to bother going outside one morning) and I turned the incline up on the treadmill and managed to tear my achilles tendon. This ended my training streak, to the point that I didn't run from January until Rome. Silly, I know, but what's a guy to do?
Worth noting, I was advised to run in the pool, but I was too stubborn to bother with that. In hindsight, it would have been the wise, albeit boring, thing to do.
So, March came, and Steve, Jeremy and I packed up our new backpacks and headed to Rome...
With very little training under my belt, I got ready on race day and headed out...
I discovered on course the importance of a few things... I had heard about nutrition, and how important it was over the marathon distance, but I figured somehow that I would be different. Well, either way, I got very hungry out on that course, and eventually I started eating everything that I could find. In fact, I couldn't wait for the next "refreshment station" - where I would be able to eat as much as I would like :) I also discovered the importance of the long runs... which I had skipped out on since January. Everything was SUPER until about 32km, where everything fell apart. I would learn later on that this is where every marathon that I would ever do would fall apart at roughly this distance.
As much as that marathon was a gruelling experience, it was an experience, and I figured - why not do a few more? So I did just that. Later in 2002, I visited Toronto to do their International marathon, and two weeks later I ran in the New York City marathon. Yup - first year, the year that I said I would do one marathon, I did three.
The following year I did Iceland, then I did Belgium a month later. Both were poor performances - Iceland was a combination of many things, including too much alcohol two nights before the race, and not enough nutrition on course. I fell apart at 32km. The following month in Belgium (to the day) I started falling apart much sooner... I do not know exactly why, but I was lucky to finish in just over 4 hours.
In Belgium I met a fellow - Jim Heil, who I was lucky enough to room with. He's a super runner, and super modest. He told me that he wanted to do the marathon in 2:40, but that he had never run a marathon before. I wanted to tell him the odds on this, but I bit my tongue. Jim finished in about 2:48 - and he was very upset with this time, despite running with an injury.
Ah well, I guess we all have our goals ;) Mine has always been to qualify for Boston, but I have never been able to pull it together to do finish under the required 3:10.
In 2004 I did the Lisbon marathon in Portugal, and the Las Vegas marathon with Alli. I wasn't completely trained up to do Las Vegas, and when the wind hit at about 30km, I was ruined. I pulled off a 3:40 marathon, which is as good as I have done to date... which is sad considering that my half time is 1:28.
Well, all those marathons under my belt, I figured that this Ironman thing would be a cinch... I mean, who can't ride a bike?
Well, I discovered that riding 180km is a really long way to ride a bike :)
I did the Ironman Coeur D'Alene in 2005 with insufficient training under my belt, but I did finish it, and in a relatively respectable time (by most standards, not my own :) That marathon was by far and away the most gruelling yet, but I (once again) learned the value of nutrition. The marathon is peanuts compared to a full Ironman - you have to be on your eating and drinking game, or you might as well forget about finishing the thing in a reasonable amount of time.
So, next up is Ironman Australia, with the focus race in Penticton this August.
I still have time to pull it together for an outstanding performance, and I have it in me.
Now, I haven't included all the details in my little story - there are a LOT of much smaller races that I ran in the 2003 and 2004 which have seen my running improve considerably... but I couldn't possible go into all those details :)
Worth noting - my "Beat Beethoven" time has dropped from around an hour to about 30 minutes flat, which is acceptable, but I can do better :) This is my annual "marker race" that tells me how I am doing. I missed it in 2005 because of work, but I will pick it up again in 2006.
This is a little bit of how I arrived where I am at. Part childhood dream, part obsession to push myself to do well at something that I am probably not well equipped to do :) I have left a LOT of detail out of this story, mainly because my memory is poor, and I am bound to screw something up - that, and you probably aren't interested in reading an entire novel!!
Let's see how it ends up!!
Well - where things REALLY began was way back when I was young. I was pretty active in my teenage years, we did all sorts of things - but the focus was swimming in the summer and cross country skiing in the winter. In those days, Vermilion only had one pool - and it was outdoors, so we were limited to swimming in the summer. Those really where the days - it was a sad day when they filled that old pool in :(
Anyways - triathlon was born in the 80s and I got a bit of a taste of triathlon early on. One of my favorite memories was a little triathlon that I did in northern Saskatchewan as part of a team. I did the swim, Walter Scott was our cyclist and Jan Scott was our runner. Now, Walter is a super athlete, but I don't think he's ever really been what you could call a cyclist :) I got out of the water really early, I think I was second out. That was the best part about being a decent swimmer in those days - most of the people involved in triathlon were cyclists - they couldn't swim to save their life, so we had a bit of an advantage (at least until we got on the bike ;) Either way, we won the team event that day... and I still remember it, not quite like it was yesterday.
Just in case you don't know Jan and Walter Scott, they are the parents of Beckie Scott - the top North American cross country skier (quite possibly the best in the world) and all round super person :) We grew up just across "the field" from each other, and both of her parents were a big part of my life growing up. Walter taught me to cross country ski, and swim. He was my coach for the better part of the first half of my life. I will always remember a cross country ski race in Vermilion, where Walter went blowing by me part-way through that race. I always thought "one day I will catch him" :) I think I may have recently caught him, but that's hardly the point. Both Walter and Jan are a big inspiration to me today, whether they know it or not.
Anyways - one day when I was young, I watched one of the first Ironman races on television, and I thought "I want to do that someday". It has taken me a while, but here I am :)
Now, the middle stuff - once I finished high school, I went to NAIT to take their Computer Systems Technology program. While taking CST, I figured it would be a good idea to work, so that I could afford to live :) I began something which would take a long time to undo - when I wasn't at school, I was working... this included most evenings and generally the entire weekend. Most weeks I put in close to a 40 hour work week outside of school. This didn't do wonderful things for my marks in school, but I have always maintained that your specific marks are not relevant - and in fact, the courses that I took have never really applied to real life, so I will never understand what the big deal was about.
With all of this school and work, there was no time left for physical activity. I joined the NAIT swim team for a season, but I wasn't very good at making the 6:30 AM practices (I was a public transit user, and getting to the pool for 6:30 AM was nearly impossible - note that I said NEARLY impossible, I don't think my will was very strong :) As there was a requirement that we make at least three workouts a week, my involvement on the team faltered over time, and I lost interest, but gained weight :)
Once I finished school, I got a full time job, which ate about 40 hours a week, and I kept my part time gig at London Drugs, because it was extra money, and the perks were cool too (like cheap computer hardware - who doesn't like a discount on toys?? :)
My physical state declined over time... by 1999 I had a new job with TELUS, and in 2000 I was still under some sort of illusion that I was in shape. I entered the "Beat Beethoven" race in Edmonton with my two friends Jeremy and Steve. This race was the turning point for me - I do not remember what exactly my time was, but suffice it to say that 8k took me about one hour to complete. Yikes. I discovered that not only was I not in shape, I was in TERRIBLE SHAPE and I was FAT. I tipped the scales that year at about 250 pounds. I don't have a picture kicking about from that very moment, but this one is from around then...
I know - not pretty for more than one reason (the other obvious reason is that shirt ;) It was a freebie from TELUS :)
So, I decided that things had to change in 2000 - and I began running and trying to eat healthier. You have no idea what healthier meant, but for the most part it was low fat meat and a lot of instant rice (I was way too lazy to bother with anything else). Some vegetables were a part of my diet back then, but generally only if it were easy... a lot of frozen corn as I recall. Hmmm.... healthier indeed.
I figured that I needed to get things back on track, and get to doing an Ironman.
In 2001, I was a volunteer for the opening ceremonies for the IAAF World Championships in Athletics, which was held in Edmonton. What an eye opener that was. Watching the men's marathon in 30+ heat was unbelievable. Those guys were running faster than I could sprint around a track, and over the entire 42.2 km distance. Wow. I figured that I should run a marathon - why not? So, I signed up with the Canadian Diabetes Association, to run the Rome Marathon in the spring of 2002. I figured if I was going to do A marathon, I might as well do one that was memorable.
I started training for my marathon with the Running Room - I joined the team heading to do the Las Vegas marathon at the end of January (the Rome marathon was in March, but this was the closest that I could get). Well, before the end of January, I got on the treadmill at the gym (didn't want to bother going outside one morning) and I turned the incline up on the treadmill and managed to tear my achilles tendon. This ended my training streak, to the point that I didn't run from January until Rome. Silly, I know, but what's a guy to do?
Worth noting, I was advised to run in the pool, but I was too stubborn to bother with that. In hindsight, it would have been the wise, albeit boring, thing to do.
So, March came, and Steve, Jeremy and I packed up our new backpacks and headed to Rome...
With very little training under my belt, I got ready on race day and headed out...
I discovered on course the importance of a few things... I had heard about nutrition, and how important it was over the marathon distance, but I figured somehow that I would be different. Well, either way, I got very hungry out on that course, and eventually I started eating everything that I could find. In fact, I couldn't wait for the next "refreshment station" - where I would be able to eat as much as I would like :) I also discovered the importance of the long runs... which I had skipped out on since January. Everything was SUPER until about 32km, where everything fell apart. I would learn later on that this is where every marathon that I would ever do would fall apart at roughly this distance.
As much as that marathon was a gruelling experience, it was an experience, and I figured - why not do a few more? So I did just that. Later in 2002, I visited Toronto to do their International marathon, and two weeks later I ran in the New York City marathon. Yup - first year, the year that I said I would do one marathon, I did three.
The following year I did Iceland, then I did Belgium a month later. Both were poor performances - Iceland was a combination of many things, including too much alcohol two nights before the race, and not enough nutrition on course. I fell apart at 32km. The following month in Belgium (to the day) I started falling apart much sooner... I do not know exactly why, but I was lucky to finish in just over 4 hours.
In Belgium I met a fellow - Jim Heil, who I was lucky enough to room with. He's a super runner, and super modest. He told me that he wanted to do the marathon in 2:40, but that he had never run a marathon before. I wanted to tell him the odds on this, but I bit my tongue. Jim finished in about 2:48 - and he was very upset with this time, despite running with an injury.
Ah well, I guess we all have our goals ;) Mine has always been to qualify for Boston, but I have never been able to pull it together to do finish under the required 3:10.
In 2004 I did the Lisbon marathon in Portugal, and the Las Vegas marathon with Alli. I wasn't completely trained up to do Las Vegas, and when the wind hit at about 30km, I was ruined. I pulled off a 3:40 marathon, which is as good as I have done to date... which is sad considering that my half time is 1:28.
Well, all those marathons under my belt, I figured that this Ironman thing would be a cinch... I mean, who can't ride a bike?
Well, I discovered that riding 180km is a really long way to ride a bike :)
I did the Ironman Coeur D'Alene in 2005 with insufficient training under my belt, but I did finish it, and in a relatively respectable time (by most standards, not my own :) That marathon was by far and away the most gruelling yet, but I (once again) learned the value of nutrition. The marathon is peanuts compared to a full Ironman - you have to be on your eating and drinking game, or you might as well forget about finishing the thing in a reasonable amount of time.
So, next up is Ironman Australia, with the focus race in Penticton this August.
I still have time to pull it together for an outstanding performance, and I have it in me.
Now, I haven't included all the details in my little story - there are a LOT of much smaller races that I ran in the 2003 and 2004 which have seen my running improve considerably... but I couldn't possible go into all those details :)
Worth noting - my "Beat Beethoven" time has dropped from around an hour to about 30 minutes flat, which is acceptable, but I can do better :) This is my annual "marker race" that tells me how I am doing. I missed it in 2005 because of work, but I will pick it up again in 2006.
This is a little bit of how I arrived where I am at. Part childhood dream, part obsession to push myself to do well at something that I am probably not well equipped to do :) I have left a LOT of detail out of this story, mainly because my memory is poor, and I am bound to screw something up - that, and you probably aren't interested in reading an entire novel!!
Let's see how it ends up!!
The difference between living and being alive...
So, I got to thinking about life while I was out on my five hour ride today (there is a LOT of time for thinking while training ;) I got to thinking about LIVING. What is it all about?
Today it was about the warm sun on my skin, the fresh ocean air blowing in from across the water, and the deep blue water. What an experience it is to be living.
I thought... there are so many people driving past me, windows rolled up, air conditioning on, hurrying about life - and little do they know it, but they aren't living. They are merely plodding along in their constant state of unhappiness.
Some of these people holler at me as they drive past, or yell something out the window (who has any clue what they are saying - but I doubt that it's a compliment ;) They are all in some kind of rush to be somewhere or to do something for no particularly good reason. It's a little bit sad when you think about it.
What is living about to you? Hit me back with some comments (click on that comment button below). Is it dancing naked, or maybe just dancing? How about singing in the shower, or basking in the sun? Let me hear some voices!!
Anyways... not too much to report for today. Long ride went off without a problem, and I managed to hop in for a massage this afternoon. The massage therapist is also a naturopath, so it was fun chatting with her. Without a doubt, we are on the same page when it comes to health and nutrition... which is fun :)
The other day I was reading through the "letters to the editor" in the local paper, and read with interest a note about some "idiot cyclist". Now, there's no doubt that the cyclist she was referring to was an idiot, but then so are seemingly 10% or more of the drivers on the road... if I were to write in every time that I encountered an idiot driver, I wouldn't hardly step away from the computer ;)
What is with society today that the drivers think that they reign supreme? Bicycles came before cars, we don't generally contribute to global warming (OK, we do a little bit, but not even close to a car), we don't take up much space (you can easily fit six bicycles into the space of a normal car) and we don't make any noise. Compare this to what you normally find on the road... spewing, belching, roaring cars and motorbikes. Blech.
I guess I just don't know why motorists can't give us some of the respect that we deserve.
Do me a favour - next time you're driving past a cyclist, give them some room and respect... and remember that there are a lot more idiot drivers out there than there are idiot cyclists.
/rant off
Six days to the start of the Olympics... the countdown continues.
Over and out.
Today it was about the warm sun on my skin, the fresh ocean air blowing in from across the water, and the deep blue water. What an experience it is to be living.
I thought... there are so many people driving past me, windows rolled up, air conditioning on, hurrying about life - and little do they know it, but they aren't living. They are merely plodding along in their constant state of unhappiness.
Some of these people holler at me as they drive past, or yell something out the window (who has any clue what they are saying - but I doubt that it's a compliment ;) They are all in some kind of rush to be somewhere or to do something for no particularly good reason. It's a little bit sad when you think about it.
What is living about to you? Hit me back with some comments (click on that comment button below). Is it dancing naked, or maybe just dancing? How about singing in the shower, or basking in the sun? Let me hear some voices!!
Anyways... not too much to report for today. Long ride went off without a problem, and I managed to hop in for a massage this afternoon. The massage therapist is also a naturopath, so it was fun chatting with her. Without a doubt, we are on the same page when it comes to health and nutrition... which is fun :)
The other day I was reading through the "letters to the editor" in the local paper, and read with interest a note about some "idiot cyclist". Now, there's no doubt that the cyclist she was referring to was an idiot, but then so are seemingly 10% or more of the drivers on the road... if I were to write in every time that I encountered an idiot driver, I wouldn't hardly step away from the computer ;)
What is with society today that the drivers think that they reign supreme? Bicycles came before cars, we don't generally contribute to global warming (OK, we do a little bit, but not even close to a car), we don't take up much space (you can easily fit six bicycles into the space of a normal car) and we don't make any noise. Compare this to what you normally find on the road... spewing, belching, roaring cars and motorbikes. Blech.
I guess I just don't know why motorists can't give us some of the respect that we deserve.
Do me a favour - next time you're driving past a cyclist, give them some room and respect... and remember that there are a lot more idiot drivers out there than there are idiot cyclists.
/rant off
Six days to the start of the Olympics... the countdown continues.
Over and out.
Thursday, February 02, 2006
Pumpkin is great!
Now - if I have mentioned this in a previous post, I apologize, but I'm gonna mention it again - the pumpkin here is FANTASTIC. It is as simple as chopping it up, clearing out the gooey insides and putting it into the oven. Comes out an hour later SOOOO tasty. Wow... I didn't know it could be so good. That said - I have not entirely decided what their version of a pumpkin is here. It looks a lot like your regular North American pumpkin, it's orange inside with seeds and stringy gooey stuff inside, just like back hom - but it doesn't seem to taste the same. Or have I just never bothered trying to eat the stuff?
Hmm.... now I'm not sure. Anyone an expert on eating pumpkin back home?
Well - not too much new to report here. Alli is gone for the weekend to hook up with Marilyn MacDonald - a professional triathlete from Calgary, who is here training over the winter (yup, just like us ;) She is going to go do a camp up there with a bunch of other triathletes. Sounds like it's a wee bit warmer up there than here, but check back on Monday for Alli's report :)
That leaves me to my own devices for three whole days. Can I manage?
Only time will tell :)
Only one week to the Olympics... I have an eye on my favourite athlete :) Don't forget to cheer her on - she has devoted her entire life to the sport, and basically these Olympics. I truly admire her, and everything she's done for the sport.
Now, with that said, off to the pool. More to close the day later!!
Hmm.... now I'm not sure. Anyone an expert on eating pumpkin back home?
Well - not too much new to report here. Alli is gone for the weekend to hook up with Marilyn MacDonald - a professional triathlete from Calgary, who is here training over the winter (yup, just like us ;) She is going to go do a camp up there with a bunch of other triathletes. Sounds like it's a wee bit warmer up there than here, but check back on Monday for Alli's report :)
That leaves me to my own devices for three whole days. Can I manage?
Only time will tell :)
Only one week to the Olympics... I have an eye on my favourite athlete :) Don't forget to cheer her on - she has devoted her entire life to the sport, and basically these Olympics. I truly admire her, and everything she's done for the sport.
Now, with that said, off to the pool. More to close the day later!!
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