Meyrick Jones Racing

Invictus

2010-04-12T00:44:00.000-07:00

I was just reading about the poem Invictus by William Ernest Henley. (It's below)

I first came across it when I was in school in Ireland at about the age of 16... in English Literature class. I loved the poem back then... mostly because as a 16 year old boy, hard core poems about "bludgeoning" and "blood" go over well.

I didn't know any of the history of the poem.

Briefly:

1. Henley wrote it in 1875 when he was 26 and it was about losing his leg below the knee to tuberculosis.

2. Nelson Mandela kept it on a scrap of paper in his cell during his 27 year incarceration.

3. In the recent movie, Invictus, Mandela (Morgan Freeman) gives the captain of the South African rugby squad (Matt Damon) a copy of the poem before the final game of the 1995 World Cup in which they are to face the heavily favoured New Zealand All Blacks. The Springboks (South Africans) go on to win.

4. In reality Mandela gave the Springbok captain (Francois Pienaar) an excerpt from The Man in the Arena speech by Theodore Roosevelt. This quote has always been one of my favourites - see it on the sidebar.

5. Invictus is latin for unconquered.

For these reasons Invictus has now joined the excerpt from Man in the Arena as my favourite pieces of literature. What amazing stories and coincidences.

Invictus

Out of the night that covers me,

Black as the pit from pole to pole,

I thank whatever gods may be

For my unconquerable soul.

In the fell clutch of circumstance

I have not winced nor cried aloud.

Under the bludgeonings of chance

My head is bloody, but unbowed.

Beyond this place of wrath and tears

Looms but the Horror of the shade,

And yet the menace of the years

Finds and shall find me unafraid.

It matters not how strait the gate,

How charged with punishments the scroll,

I am the master of my fate:

I am the captain of my soul.

- William Ernest Henley, 1875

Buntzen Lake Hike

2010-02-08T13:27:00.001-08:00

Buntzen Lake is about 10 minutes from our new facility in Port Moody. The loop around the lake makes an awesome hike of about two hours if you are moving steadily.

Yesterday (pre-Superbowl) 22 customers and friends, 3 IF staff, 3 dogs and one baby took on the hike around the lake. It was a little rainy so I thought the turnout might suffer but nobody was deterred - great start!

We are one week into the facility Nutrition Challenge (essentially a cleanse combined with a challenge to increase your exercise) - it lasts 28 days. (Note: That's why the cakes pictured in the previous post were so torturous!) This hike was worth a solid 20 points, so 22 out of 40 Challengers were in attendance... solid.

The hike is approx. 10km and there are some steep uphill and downhill sections. Some great lake views, great people and lots of time to chat away from the facility made it a awesome start to the day.

I did the hike with Viggo in the backpack - he's getting a bit heavy for this type of distance... but it was a great workout! My glutes, quads and calf are all sore this morning. Feels good!

Enjoy the pictures!

Jen breaking down the route...

Off we go...

The trees are epic around the lake - moss covered and towering

Viggo's backpack... It distributes the weight really well... HIGHLY RECOMMEND to any parents looking to get out with their kids. Also please note V's olympic spirit - Quatchi hat and Team Canada jersey... he's a proud Canadian!

Superbowl XLIV

2010-02-07T15:06:00.001-08:00

The sad part is that I can't eat either of them.... Who are you picking?

MJ's Superbowl prediction: Colts by 3

Grand Opening Party!

2010-01-12T09:05:00.000-08:00

This Thursday is our Grand Opening Party.

It has been such a journey to get to this point - a lot of sweat but a lot of fun too! We are going to enjoy ourselves on Thursday and take a moment to reflect before we put the head back down and keep working.

Please stop by and join us!

Happy Holidays!

2009-12-24T08:52:00.000-08:00

May your Holiday Season be filled with family, friends and good health!

Merry Christmas from the Jones Family!

Thoughts After Two Weeks

2009-12-05T08:03:00.000-08:00

On Monday it will have been two weeks since we opened the doors of our sparkling new Innovative Fitness facility in Port Moody. It has been the busiest time of my life... There hasn't been much family time to speak of. That's why tonight's "Penguins vs. Capitals" game in front of our house was just what the doctor ordered. Penguins won by the way (as always.)

Some thoughts about the last two weeks:

- People: It has been a long time since I was meeting new people every day. I didn't miss it in my life because I didn't think about it... but it's one of my favourite things about the last two weeks.

Every few minutes somebody walks through the door - will this person end up being a great friend? Will they be beside me on a trip to Moab, Machu Picchu, the New York Marathon or the Himalayas this year? It's exciting - because I was that person walking through the door. When they sign on the dotted line I have a pretty good idea of what lies ahead for them.

The Port Moody IF community is growing fast, and already I find myself looking forward to seeing friends every day, watching them progress and celebrating the victories we all have along the way.

- Team: I love being on teams. I always have. It is so rewarding to be working HARD side by side with teammates - especially when the going gets tough. As one of the "team managers", I hoped we would all work well together, but you don't know for sure until the opening whistle blows and the team gets tested.

I remember being on my high school rugby team, preparing for games - the things people would say, the looks on their faces, and how much pride we all took in "doing our job" on the field. Before each home game we would play AC/DC's Hells Bells (loud) in the locker room to get pumped up. I loved it. This is as close as I have been in a long time - (we even play AC/DC from time to time!)

- Balance: <- A word I barely deserve to even type right now. An important goal for the coming weeks is to steadily begin re-activating all of the other parts of my life that have been on hold. It was important to put 100% into the business, but now it is critical to find a healthy, happy and sustainable balance. That should result in a little more blog posting in the coming weeks... no promises - but I hope so.

- Training: This week I started training again and it felt great (in that "I haven't trained for three weeks" way...) I have some exciting plans for the coming race season... but that's another post!

I hope you are having a great weekend!

Aia and her teammate Natalie...

Aia running after a loose ball...

Kris setting up Circuit Class this morning - Every Saturday at 9am by the way! Call us at 778-355-9800 for details.

One of our new signs... They came on Friday.

We did a Pinecone Toss competition for the Christmas event in our neighbourhood... There were probably 3000 people circulating through the streets - it was a blast!

Kids getting ready to toss pinecones.

Jen, Cathy and Sacha... They worked the crowds all night in close to freezing temperatures. Thanks ladies!

The Start Line

2009-11-26T21:57:00.000-08:00

If you've ever woken up early, brushed your teeth, and headed in to open the doors of a new business on day #1 then you are part of a small but hardy group. It isn't easy to get to the Start Line.

Let's say you have an idea. Almost everyone does...

Starting: The hardest part for sure. You have to have courage... and you have to find money (usually). Then you have to wade through tons of governmental bullcr&p... Now you have a bunch of paper (BC865446776 or something like that) and a bill from a lawyer. Congrats.

Time to get started.

Planning: Locations, sticky leases, irritating landlords, pesky holdbacks, confusing clauses, 80 page contracts, quirky lawyers, bearded accountants. And bills. Now you have an empty building. Congrats.

Time to get started.

Creating: Busy builders, tough negotiating, expensive designers, expensive millwork, better go with the less expensive computers, choose the lighting & flooring, order the equipment, delays, decisions, decisions, decisions. And bills. Now you have a concept for your empty building. Congrats.

Time to get started.

Build it! Crews, electrical, plumbing, framing, drywalling, painting, debating, second guessing. Lots of bills. Bills. Bills. Now you have a business under construction. Congrats.

Time to get started.

Planning (yes, again): Marketing, studying, learning, networking, monitoring construction, counting the days, worrying, dreaming. Now the construction is done and you feel ready. Congrats.

Time to get started.

Preparing: Cleaning, arranging, shopping - Home Depot, Staples, Ikea, Canadian Tire, Costco, London Drugs, and more. Bills everywhere! This place is stocked! ...better mark this occasion with a celebration. Congrats.

Time to get started.

Celebrate: The IF crew, 1 jumpsuit, 1 wig, several beers, Browns, St. James, The Point. Taxis, tylenol, lost phones, a few hours of sleep. (Clean again.) Congrats (you're alive.)

Time to get started.

Opening Day! The doors swing open at 6. The music is on and our first customer is warming up on the bike. He is followed by one more - then the place is empty again - hopefully not for long. We made it to the START LINE. Congrats.

Now it's time to get started.

Epilogue:

We are doing really well. Four days in we find ourselves ahead of our projections for the first month - which is great - but we've barely started. We are the swimmer exploding from the blocks but yet to hit the water...

Other photos from Day 1:

A Different Kind of Coaching

2009-11-17T08:45:00.001-08:00

I am a big believer in coaching.

I've invested time and time again - fitness, swimming, triathlon, cycling, skiing... If I took up darts next week? ...well, I'd probably hire a coach.

As important as my athletic pursuits are to me, they are really kind of inconsequential compared to my role as a parent. Yet, until very recently, it had never occurred to me to hire a parenting coach.

I have never really spent any time writing about the challenges of parenthood... but that's not because being a parent is a breeze. It's not. Our family of 5 is an ever-changing, ever-challenging, mixture of personalities - and sometimes that mix works better than other times.

As educated, intelligent parents it's easy to feel like you should be able to solve just about any parenting issue. In our case, Sacha and I have 7.5 years of parenting under our belts - that's just over one "dog year" for those of you without kids.

I'd like to say that harmony abounds and there is nothing but "cumbaya" around our house, but lately Sacha and I have been running up against a short (but complicated) list of parenting challenges. The self-conscious parent in me will add that these "challenges" are likely nothing abnormal (at least I hope), but they are intensely irritating and generally distracting from the enjoyment of life for all involved. The result is stress - not just for us adults, but for the kids - their little brains and little hearts. It's not cool and we needed help.

Tonight we met with a Parenting Coach.

The first, and probably most interesting thing about the meeting, was that both Sacha and I came away agreeing with 100% of what she said. WOW - let's just say we haven't been in agreement on how to handle these issues - ever. We could barely agree on how to describe them!

We came away with a better understanding of the issues, tools to help us navigate through them, and methods to support each other when challenges crop up. In short, we have a plan, we know how to execute it and we are a team again.

Pretty great coaching.

The other HUGE lesson learnt for me is that we didn't need to stumble through the parenting process without help.

When I was 5 a baseball coach taught me to choke up on the bat - I hit the ball a lot better!
When I was 14 a rugby coach taught me that TEAM was all that mattered - by ourselves we are nothing.
When I was 21 a physiotherapist taught me that setting goals was an important part of achieving my dreams - she taught me to walk again too.
When I was 30 a personal trainer taught me to challenge myself beyond my comfort zone - I found my passion in endurance sports.

Tonight a parenting consultant taught me how to be a better coach and dad for my kids - which means that a bare minimum of 5 lives were improved in 90mins at the local coffee house.

If you were pulling your hair out earlier today, have a sticky issue or just want to raise your game to be the best parent you can be I highly recommend getting some coaching.

If you happen to live in or around Vancouver you need look no further than:

Karen Hoffman BA, CCFE, RPC

Canadian Certified Family Educator

Registered Professional Counsellor

kfhoffman@yahoo.ca

Her blog is here: http://atouchofparenting.blogspot.com/

Thanks Karen!

Fall Classic - I.F. Port Moody on the Board!

2009-11-16T11:24:00.000-08:00

Yesterday was the Fall Classic out at UBC.

The last time I ran at the Fall Classic it was a small race - 5 or 6 six foot tables set up in the Student Union Building for registration - pretty minimal.

Nowadays it is entirely different.

Three distances - 21.1 km, 10km, 5km
Hundreds (maybe more than a thousand) runners
A massive stage with an Elvis impersonator, TV personalities as hosts, and more...
Chili after!! (Best ever after a cold, wet race...)

As far as running events go the Fall Classic is pretty mega now.

But all of that was secondary compared to the importance of this event for Kris, myself and two important people that I'll tell you about in a moment.

This was the first official destination for IF Port Moody customers!

Kris ran the half marathon with Julie. It was her first in quite a while and despite the terrible conditions - cold, windy, rainy - she toughed it out to finish in an admirable time. She'll be building from that in future events for sure!

I ran the 5km with Eric. It was his first run of this type for several years. We set a goal prior to the race and proceeded to DESTROY it by an entire minute! Eric really dug deep and cranked it up in the final 2 km for a negative split. It was a blast running with him.

Julie and Eric were pretty much our first customers out in Port Moody and it was awesome to see them getting results already...

Yesterday was also a great moment for Kris and I.... It's exciting to be helping people make progress and reach goals already... that's why we chose this career. There's a lot more to come and our doors don't open for another week!

New Venture - Innovative Fitness Port Moody!

2009-11-06T09:25:00.000-08:00

The space you see above will soon be a part of the training floor of Innovative Fitness in Port Moody.

If my post frequency has been down a little lately this is why....

For those of you who may not know, I am opening an Innovative Fitness franchise with a partner out in Port Moody, BC. (That's about 30mins from where I live.)

We are scheduled to open on November 23rd, 2009.... which is right around the corner!

This venture is a really exciting step for me - it signifies the first time in my life that "passion" and "career" can be uttered in the same breath. I intend to write a more thoughtful post on this in the near future.

I think I can count on one hand the number of times I have mentioned work in this blog... "work", "career", "paying the bills" has simply not been something that excited me in any way for a long time. I'm not blaming anyone - after all I have been an entrepreneur, so I only have myself to blame! It was, however, something I wanted to change - in a big way! You don't win the Game of Life by toiling away without passion every day...

Fortunately, that phase of my working life seems to be ending... with this new entrepreneurial venture I am watching my passion and my career merge for the first time and it is very exciting. Waking up for "work" in the morning has a totally different feel already!

These days there is a mountain of tasks to be seen to - Mt. Innovative. New businesses need a lot of time and effort (whether you are passionate about them or not). It has required a shift of priorities - a good thing really. All of the most important things in life (for me) are now nicely aligned at the top of my priority list.

I look forward to sharing lots more about this venture, and its place in my "bigger picture", on these pages.... hopefully it will be of interest to my readers.

For opening details, location, offers and lots of current news you can follow Innovative Fitness in Port Moody on Twitter.... CLICK HERE!

In other news... I also have a new season of racing and training to plan! That will be fun to do over the next few weeks. You'll be the first to know!

Some photos from November!!! (This is not normal November weather in Vancouver!)

Lighthouse Park with the kids. Mattias is there too but out of sight.

Viggo is still small enough for this.... It's fun to hear his "dada" chatter in my ear...

Beautiful day with dozens of sailboats off Point Atkinson.

Timer shot.... not bad. Had to photoshop it a bit but I liked the effect.

Happy Halloween!!

2009-10-30T22:12:00.001-07:00

Hallow's Eve Recap

2009-10-27T17:06:00.000-07:00

The Hallow's Eve 10km on Sunday was a lot of fun.

It's been quite a while since I ran a race with over a dozen people I know so that made it different for sure. Here are some of the IF crew... many not pictured.

I went into the race with no plan whatsoever other than to enjoy myself. I knew I wanted to check in on the group from lululemon and that I wanted to run with some of the IF folks for a bit but that I also wanted to run a few sections "for myself".

So that's exactly what I did. At the start I ran with some friends from IF including my old coach (from a year or so ago) James. Then I slowed down and waited to run with the lulu girls for a while. Then I sped back up and ran with Virginia and Antony (who was in Moab with me)...

The course was pretty challenging (do I ever NOT say that?) There were LOTS of stairs, and lots of wooden walkways that were wet (this is pretty sketchy with my running leg). There were lots of uphills and some really fun downhills too.

I was having a blast running with a group of about 6 runners for several km until I caught my leg on a root and actually dislodged it! That has never happened to me in any race... it was actually off for a second... somehow I didn't go down - just hopped and reattached.

That broke my momentum, I lost my group, and though I got the leg back on, it was very sloppy - the liner had been pulled down a bit...

Fortunately I was only a km or 2 from home and didn't need to do a full reset.

My next post may have to be a prosthetic leg make-over... my running leg is in ROUGH shape after the last two or three trail runs and also the 3 Peaks... It is definitely in need of some TLC.

Congrats to everyone from IF and lululemon!!

Cross Country Canada

2009-10-24T23:55:00.000-07:00

Found this video the other day... These fellas are getting ready to host (and hopefully beat down) the rest of the world in February.

Although this video might be slightly over-the-top, there is some awesome footage of the training these guys put in... which is massive.

You'll come away pumped for some Winter Olympic action...

Hallow's Eve Half Marathon & 10km

2009-10-22T16:22:00.000-07:00

Just a quick note to invite anyone reading to come down and take part in the Hallow's Eve Half Marathon and 10km. These are trail races so dig out your trail shoes.

I will be opting for the 10km and running it with some of the folks from lululemon and/or some other folks from Innovative Fitness... (I have cool sponsors!)

The misleading part about the "Hallow's Eve" race is that it takes part in the morning...

Sunday October 26th @ 9am to be precise.

Check HERE for other details.

Call: 604-990-6888 to register!

See you there!

POM Wonderful - Review

2009-10-21T10:28:00.001-07:00

While it's true that "owning" a blog isn't all VIP parties, limos and Cristal, there are a few benefits... Like the other day when Janny emailed me regarding POM Wonderful.

"Not another 6 figure sponsorship offer..." I thought to myself.

And, no, it wasn't... she just wanted to give it to me to try... feedback was all she asked for. The relief was immediate, those six-figure deals are more trouble than they're worth...

So, after giving her the green light, we hammered out an intricate deal whereby I would consume three or four bottles of POM Wonderful and issue an opinion. I drive a hard bargain, nobody takes MJ to the cleaners...

The Review

With the word "Wonderful" in the name this beverage has a lot to live up to... not just that but it has a price tag of $4.99 per bottle (473 ml)!

At first I was a bit outraged by the price (though it was free for me as a result of my wheeling and dealing). I found myself almost hoping that it would be gross so that I couldn't develop a $4.99/day habit. Just as that thought crossed my mind I stopped to think about my morning latte - $4.30 from Starbucks. I'm not sure how Starbucks has programmed me to be OK with $4.30 for a latte, but POM should employ the same techniques...

NOTE: 473ml (16ozs) is meant to be a TWO DAY supply. So, really, the price of POM Wonderful isn't much more than a lot of other high quality juices. I just didn't realize this until much later.

Benefits

Unlike my morning latte, guzzling POM Wonderful pomegranate juice offers several health benefits:

- Cardiovascular Health Benefits

- Prostate Health Benefits

- Erectile Function Benefits

- Antioxidant Potency

- and more

I know the one you're looking at... here are the study results:

Compared to patients taking a placebo, those men drinking 8 oz. of 100% pomegranate juice daily for four weeks were 50% more likely to experience erectile improvement in this study of 53 subjects.

I would imagine those results compare favourably to the products mentioned in the emails I get from time to time...

In case you are doubting the legitimacy of all of these health claims... POM Wonderful has spent an incredible $32 million since 1998 to fund scientific research on pomegranate juice.

Taste

Testers: Meyrick, Sacha, Mattias (7), Aia (5), Viggo (18 months)

Pomegranate flavour - The juice is pretty potent. It tastes exactly like pomegranate seeds which Sacha and I like a lot. There is a tartness very similar to grape juice.

Bluberry Pomegranate flavour - The blend makes the juice quite a bit sweeter and much less tart. The kids liked this flavour a lot more than the pure Pomegranate.

Mango Pomegranate flavour - Still good but we liked the blueberry blend more.

Sacha and I liked the Blueberry Pomegranate the best.

The kids found all three a bit too powerful at first... after we diluted the POM with sparkling water they LOVED it a lot. In fact they ask for it every time now and have begun calling the resulting cocktail a POM Spring... which I think is catchy!

Conclusion

Once you realize that the bottle is not a single serving, and/or you water it down for some sparkling POM Springs it actually goes a long way... and the price becomes a lot more palatable. It tastes far better the next day than the second half of your Starbucks latte would...

I am sure we'll be buying more - Sacha and I both enjoyed the juice, but more importantly it's not everyday you hear 5/7 year olds begging for a "treat" that is as healthy as this.

Moab Mountain Biking

2009-10-18T22:42:00.000-07:00

I just returned from Moab, Utah where I spent three days mountain biking with an awesome group of riders from Innovative Fitness.

Moab

Cool little town in the midst of seemingly endless amounts of awe inspiring red rock, desert-like terrain. TONS of world renowned mountain biking. If you like to ride, you should DEFINITELY put Moab on your "list" (you do have a list right?)

We spent three 4-6 hour days riding mostly intermediate to expert level terrain - some awesome downhills, some technical, rocky trail, plenty of "ledgy drops", lots of slickrock.

The final day was the highlight for me. We drove to 8,400 ft, rode to about 9,000, then descended to about 4,000. That, my friends, is about 10 minutes up and a couple of hours down, in other words, a ratio that = FUN. We were blasting down Hazard County, Upper and Lower Porcupine Rim, and Kokopelli until my rear tire couldn't handle the fun anymore and punctured about 3/4 mile from the end.

I know many Innovative Fitness customers and trainers read this... if you are looking for a fun destination that is manageable for almost every skill level GO TO MOAB!! Our local guides (Rim Tours - Brooks and Sylvie in particular) did a great job of splitting groups up when appropriate, so everyone got to ride to their ability and enjoy every minute.

It was totally awesome. I may be able to procure some video from a friend who sported a helmet cam. We'll see...

In the meantime some more pictures:

This was Day 2 at Bartlett Wash - an awesome area for enjoying the Slickrock. Home to SuperBowl (site of the weekend's worst crash by poor Simon - check my facebook profile to see the video...).

These next three I call Unnatural Van Fixation... I just love vans (esp. vw) and bikes and the two together meant I had to take a lot of photos...

On Day 3 I had a minor tumble and smacked my shin on a rock.... have a look (go ahead, click to enlarge.) It was visually disturbing to say the least... but not that painful (thank goodness).

Day 1 at "Baby Steps".

Day 2 at Bartlett Wash. (I need a new pose...)

Brooks (our lead guide) - 62 and a damn good rider. He made everything look easy. Powering up slickrock sections that I swear are 45°+. Unbelievable... hat's off.

These trees are beautiful... don't know what kind they are...

It was an awesome group, a spectacular location, unbelievable weather, and tremendous riding by everyone.

Thanks for reading!

Part III - The Lions

2009-10-14T18:47:00.000-07:00

Three Iconic Hikes - One Day.... Part III - The Lions

The Lions - 5,408 ft
Distance: ~16km
Elevation Gain: 4,500 ft
Time: 5:39:00

Another 25 minute drive, two sandwiches, half a can of coke later and we were parked in Lions Bay at the trailhead for The Lions. I think we both knew this was where the work was going to truly start.

I had been envisioning this moment for a few weeks... I knew it might be REALLY hard to want to start The Lions after Black Tusk and The Chief. It wasn't as bad as I expected.

At this point we could feel things were going our way - the weather was great, we were ahead of schedule and there had been no issues thus far. We wanted to bag all three peaks and I, for one, will admit that anything less would have felt like a failure. I wouldn't have wanted to even talk about it... so silly, ridiculous in fact, but true.

We set out on the trail a lot quieter than on the day's previous missions. The first 40 minutes was sheer hell. It was a simple logging road... nothing technical, but it was steep, boring, and the rocks were a bit too large to get really good uphill traction. Hard work on the calves (or the calf in my case...)

Keith and I were pretty silent until we both admitted we were HATING this section. It was pure "work" - not satisfying, not interesting, just head down grinding. We didn't talk until we decided we had to take a picture of it just so we'd remember how bad it was..... we knew that it would look easy in the picture!

Finally, we got out of that section and our spirits lifted A LOT. The trail flattened for a km or so and we jogged it. It was amazing how a new surface (pine needles!) and a flatter pitch made all the difference to our emotions. I remember thinking that we were moving into a new phase of the day... the phase where you start to mentally pay for the effort expended. After 10 or 11 hours moods change for better or worse in an instant. This is a stage you don't get to training for olympic distance triathlon.

Soon enough, it got brutally difficult again. Massive rock fields to pick our way up, intensely steep trails... I felt like I stopped every 10 steps... probably did.

Mentally, I was in a work zone. I was actively trying not to think about anything but moving up the mountain. It was a struggle... I kept thinking about how far we had to go then getting mad at myself for having those very thoughts. As the exhaustion kept increasing I wondered what would happen if I cramped up or fell or, or, or...

It didn't help that on our way up we passed approximately 50 people coming down, and EVERY SINGLE ONE said:

"Late start today hey guys?"

"You guys aren't trying for the top are you?"

Apart from getting a tad annoying, it began to plant a seed of fear in my mind... were we crazy?

Eventually we got a glimpse of the peak and it looked 1,000 km away. I'm not kidding... it REALLY hurt to see how far we had to go. I wanted to poke my eyes out so I wouldn't look to the top again.

I kept telling myself not to look again. But all I could think about was the snapshot indelibly printed on my mind of that distant peak.

As I clambered over huge rocks, grabbing the odd tree to keep upright and carefully placing EVERY footstep, one after the other I started to assess my systems:

- Brain: Still functional. Not a lot of variety in my thoughts. More like chants. Short ones - the kind that take three or four steps. Repeat 3,000 times. Avoid thinking about how much is left... think about each step being one step closer. Annoyingly started singing that song "One step closer to you..."

- Balance: Deteriorating. With the muscle fatigue and mental exhaustion I was beginning to have little trips, little stumbles, momentary losses of balance. Not enough to fall, just enough to remind me to that I had to ratchet the focus up even more.

- Muscular: Not bad but my right quad was handling every large step - up and down. I tried to share the work when I could but it was too late to start asking for more from my weaker left leg and prosthesis - also many of the 1,000s of individual steps of this last climb were too technical (or just plain large) to use my left leg as the "go to" leg. Hence, my right quad was WORKED. To it's credit it kept going... thank goodness.

Unbelievably, after a lot more hard work we started to get close enough that I could look for the top again. It still looked a long way off though...

We arrived with about 50 minutes of daylight remaining and enjoyed the peak by ourselves. I have to say the peak came quicker than I expected. For LONG stretches I was sure we wouldn't make it. There was a point I said to Keith "We must have an hour left?" (Looking up at the peak...). It was about 15 minutes.

Keith on top of The Lions with Vancouver in the distant background.

I had said hours earlier that we just needed to get to the top of The Lions because we would, of course, be able to make it down. (Note: Later I realized this very thought has probably killed people on bigger tougher climbs. I think they call it "Summit Fever". Descending may be easier but you can still get lost, fall, meet a bear, bonk, get separated etc.)

On this day Keith, our planner, had judged things quite perfectly though. We enjoyed the peak for about 5 minutes and headed right back down, covering a long section of difficult terrain before it got dark.

Video of the descent (Note: There is a swear word in this one, and for that Keith apologizes...)

Sunset on the descent:

Just prior to darkness falling we had a little 20 minute scare when we lost the trail. It was more annoying than anything, but with the sun going down we were searching pretty urgently.

Even with awesome headlamps, climbing down in the dark was quite a bit slower, and there were many more stumbles/trips and even a fall or two... nothing serious though as we were being uber-careful. It was on both of our minds that a broken ankle now would be really unfortunate.

Food was also on our minds and I can't recall ever being so focused on fast food.... It was extremely disturbing to me that not a single purveyor of cheeseburgers was located between The Lions and my home.

We finished with another BRUTALLY PAINFUL 40 mins on that stupid logging road. It was just as bad going down and it seemed to go on forever - like a movie that keeps having one more painful scene after another, when it should have ended an hour ago.

Conclusion:

Total Time: 14:23:00

Total Climbing Time: 12:57:00 (5:13, 2:06, 5:38)

Total Distance: ~53km (~30, 7, 16) (33 miles)

Total Elevation Gained: ~12,000 ft

Prior to the painful logging road Keith and I had plenty of time to analyze our day. From the decision a few days earlier to move the start time up by an hour, to the run down Black Tusk, we had ended up needing every advantage we got. There were so many things that could have gone wrong but didn't... It was the perfect day.

I was incredibly pumped. Overall it was definitely harder than I expected - my ability with my leg was put to the most extreme test it has seen yet. With fatigue, difficult terrain, darkness, snow, ice and plenty of loose rock I had come out in one piece and with a smile on my face.

For now I rank this as the most difficult thing I have done BY FAR. It will be interesting to see how it stacks up against other long events - like an Ironman. I have to believe this will match an Ironman for difficulty - it was longer in time (I hope!), and the terrain and ease of movement was WAY more difficult for my leg than riding a bike or running on pavement. Only one way to find out...

Over a week later I am still very proud of our achievement. The blisters have healed (mostly), the cuts are pretty much gone, and the muscles are back to normal (barely!) It took an entire week!

The reality of the accomplishment is just as good, if not better, than I hoped it would be when I dreamt up this thing! We are the only two people I know that have attempted this. Maybe one day someone else will... I hope so!

I'd like to thank Keith for everything he did - which was a lot. Planning, gear lists, photography, video, navigation, trail breaking... He was awesome! We never snapped at each other - not even on that b!tchy fire road!

Video after sundown... (a bit blair witch...)

Challenge complete!! 8:55 pm.

Part II - The Chief

2009-10-13T21:46:00.000-07:00

Three Iconic Hikes - One Day.... Part II - The Chief

The Chief - 2,303 ft
Distance Covered: ~7km
Elevation Gain: approx. 2,000 ft
Our Time: 2:06:00

After descending the 15km from Black Tusk we spent a few minutes in the parking lot assessing ourselves and the time. We felt good but knew there was a LONG way to go. We both stretched a bit and I looked over my leg... It was designed for running - not mountain climbing/hiking - it had performed well but had taken a beating.

Nevertheless, spirits were soaring at this point... we were 45 mins ahead of our schedule and feeling good. After a short drive (37km) during which we ate, drank, called our wives and reloaded our packs. We got out of the van at the base of The Chief.

The Chief is a popular climb for the people of Squamish and the whole Sea-to-Sky corridor - therefore it is pretty packed on a sunny Sunday afternoon. The crowds slowed us down a bit, but the Chief is no cake walk. I think I had already begun to look past it because of it's length (only 7km total) - that was a mistake - it is pretty much a vertical climb over odd angled rocks. Adding to the technical nature of the ascent was the fact I could definitely feel the Tusk in my legs. It was steep enough that I was using my hands with regularity, it took a lot of concentration to place my "foot" properly on each rock all the way to the top.

I felt BRUTALLY SLOW but... miraculously, we arrived at the top right on schedule. I thought I'd blown it with my turtle-like pace.

There are three peaks that make up The Chief - they are creatively named: First, Second and Third. Third is the highest, at 710m, and as such was our destination. I believe the view would be better at First or Second since they are at the top of the steep face overlooking Squamish - from the Third peak you are set back a bit.... it is still quite impressive though. The enormous rock slab makes a cool spot to stand and survey the surrounds. We did that for a few minutes then made tracks... we were on a schedule!

I think to enjoy the hike, up and down, and have a lunch on top, you'd want to allow 4-5 hours. We rushed (as much as we could) and it took just over 2 hours.

The way down was much easier... still very technical but a lot less stopping required - comparatively relaxing on the heart rate.

The Chief was by far the shortest, and in retrospect the easiest, but in no way was it easy. At the bottom we found that we had preserved our 45 minute cushion. We still felt pretty fresh and knew we were going for all three peaks.

Highlights: Getting to the top and realizing that it wasn't as slow as I thought. Getting back to the bottom and feeling good enough to go for the triple.

Some Video:

Part way up The Chief:

At the top of The Chief: (If you have very good eyes you can see Black Tusk in the distance off my right shoulder (:05 - :11)

Finished The Chief:

Tomorrow: Part III - The Lions

Part I - Black Tusk

2009-10-09T21:46:00.001-07:00

Three Iconic Hikes - One Day.... Part I - Black Tusk

Black Tusk - 7,608 ft
Distance Covered: ~30km
Elevation Gain: approx. 5,000 ft
Our Time: 5:13:00

Keith and I arrived in the Rubble Creek parking lot at about 6:15am... it was pitch black while we loaded our packs and got our headlamps adjusted. It was cold so we both opted for a light jackets/layers... (those stayed on for about 15 minutes then became extra, unnecessary weight... awesome.)

The hike starts out with a heavily forested section with switchbacks... the pitch doesn't look that steep but it all depends on your pace and ours felt fast to begin. (Thanks Keith!)

5 minutes in I was hurting... heart pounding, breathing heavy. I was worried that this "three peaks" idea was one of the worst I had ever come up with. Fortunately, my body settled in to the work and I started to feel much better before long... maybe just needed to wake up.

The sun was up at about the same time as we emerged from the forest onto a beautiful alpine meadow... things got flatter for a few kms and we were making great time. It was at about that time that we started to encounter snow and ice on the trail. It wasn't a big deal but we still had a long way to go and the presence of the white stuff was bound to slow us down a lot.

The snow was not part of our plan, but we handled it. It got a lot deeper as we climbed and became very challenging at times with my running leg which is the exact opposite of a snowshoe - it dives deep in the snow. It also has little to offer in the way of surface area so traction is sketchy on snow and ice.

For a while I was concerned the snow would make it impossible to reach the top, but once I realized we would get there I began to enjoy it... sure it was tough, but it made the last few sections so much more exciting. Looking back on the day and all three peaks, this was one of my very favourite parts.

Some video to give you an idea of the last few sections....

Our pace was WAY slower with the snow and therefore it felt pretty cold up near the top... by the time we got there we only wanted to stay long enough to snap a picture or two and head right back down.

The view of the lake and the surrounding mountains is pretty incredible. The pictures do a better job of depicting the alpine drama than my words.

Coming down was a blast! We started by snow running/skiing/slipping/falling down the top section. Then we ran the flat meadow section and almost all of the forest section. I'm not sure but we probably ran 12km or so on the way down to the parking lot.

This is an awesome day hike and I definitely want to go back and take it a little slower... enjoy the scenery and spend some time. I think allowing 7 or 8 hours would make a pretty great day with time to explore... we were rushing, and with the snow it took us 5:13. That put us ahead of our schedule by 45 minutes... that advantage would come in very handy by the time we found ourselves on The Lions watching the sun set!

Highlights: The peak in the snow - probably -3°c but sunny. Using Sharman's shirt to protect my bare leg and cut through the snow. Running down... we were fresh, feeling great and making good time.

More Photos:

Keith - and the other side of the Tusk

Myself - Tusk right behind me...

Keith - and the side we came up...

Video of us completing the Tusk...

TOMORROW: Part II - The Chief

Black Tusk, The Chief, The Lions - Prologue

2009-10-07T22:26:00.000-07:00

Sorry for the delay... It's been a busy week and I've been hurtin...

I've broken the report up so that each post remains brief-ish... Each post will profile one of the climbs as well as show some video and pictures. I hope you enjoy this mini-series. It was an awesome experience and a real test that I won't soon forget. I'll set the stage with today's post and deliver the goods next week. Cheers!

I am still coming down from the highs of Sunday...

It's true that my body is still in rough shape five days later - one leg sports nasty blisters that until today prevented me from wearing my prosthesis, the other a quadricep that has yet to let go of its grudge. It's ok, they'll come around and it was so very worth it.

The last time I was remotely this sore and damaged I had just finished my first marathon in Honolulu. On that occasion I cried when I crossed the line - tears of accomplishment - which are by far the best kind. I'm not a big crier, and I don't spend an inordinate amount of time reflecting on the loss of my leg, but finishing a marathon was a pretty symbolic moment for me, one I couldn't get through without a tear or two.

That feeling - when you know you have challenged yourself, truly risked failure, and have been forced to fight through difficult mental and physical obstacles to set a new mark for yourself - is why I wanted to do this.

Once I came up with the idea there were other motivators though... ego, for one.

To be the first.

Lord knows there are many who could do it faster, but maybe I could be the first! I realize some may find this a little unsavoury, but ultimately I'm human.... ok?

I needed a partner. Attributes I was looking for:

- more fit than me

- experience with all three peaks

- good planner

- not irritating

Keith Sharman fit the bill admirably and fortunately seemed as motivated by the challenge as I was. After several beers one night we set the date and "committed".

Throughout our planning I was never 100% sure I could complete the challenge. That was one of the most compelling parts. Considering the speed required, the technical aspects of the terrain with my leg, the distance, the elevation gain/loss... I truly wasn't sure I could do this and it made the plan VERY exciting. It is so rewarding to reach for the limits and find out they aren't as close as you might think... or maybe I'd find it and be humbled. Either way I would learn something about myself.

October is late in the year for an itinerary like this one. We were only blessed with 11.5 hours of daylight and Keith had predicted (quite accurately) that we would need to move fast AND start / finish in the dark.

We convened at my house at 5am on Sunday, loaded the van and headed north. The Rubble Creek parking lot and the trailhead for Black Tusk were a little over an hour away.

In the van:

- Meyrick

- Keith

- Cooler/Ice

- Sandwiches - 8

- Fruit

- Granola bars

- Lots more food - we didn't eat nearly all of it.

- Water (Tons)

- CarboPro 1200 (4 bottles)

- Gu gels (24)

- Coke (two half cans)

- Pedialyte (in case of severe dehydration)

- GPS

- Headlamps

- Hiking Poles

- Clothes - enough to change for each mountain (we didn't)

- Shoes - extras (neither of us changed)

- Socks - we both changed each time...

- Duct Tape, Vaseline and other necessities to keep my leg in one piece

- and a partridge in a pear tree...

Black Tusk, The Chief, The Lions ALL the video, ALL the pictures next week.

To be continued...

Black Tusk, The Chief, The Lions - 14.5 hours

2009-10-07T08:08:00.000-07:00

Last Sunday a friend and I climbed Black Tusk, The Chief and The Lions in one day. 50km and over 12,000 ft of elevation gain.

The idea came to me about a year ago and never really left... not like some of the other crazy ideas I have had.

The 14.5 hour odyssey was BY FAR the hardest thing I have ever done. I am trying to put it into words for you all but it is taking longer than I expected - partially because I am still recovering.

There will be a full report with tons of pictures and video very soon!

Here is a shot of Keith and I on top of The Lions - our third peak of the day. We still had to descend and 2 hours of that descent would take place in the dark.

Can't wait to tell you all about it.... sorry for the teaser!

Brian's IronDiary

2009-10-03T12:56:00.000-07:00

As I am sure you are all aware the Ford Ironman World Championship is right around the corner... over in beautiful Kona, Hawaii. (Oct. 10, 2009)

This year my good friend Brian Cowie is competing in the PC (Physically Challenged) division. You may remember that Brian and I rode 330km in one day last year during STP (Seattle to Portland).

Some interesting facts:

- Brian and Devon (his pilot) may challenge for the day's fastest bike split... on the tandem they should be able to keep pace with the best of them. They regularly average 40-44 km/h on courses like the one in Kona... (look out Normann...)

- Last I heard Brian was going to swim without a guide - his theory is that he will be mid-pack and just follow everyone else (he can see enough to swim in a pack...) So the next time your goggles fog up don't be such a baby - imagine if it was ALWAYS like that...

- Brian has 10 Ironman finishes to his name, 2 Kona finishes as an able-bodied athlete in the early 90s, 3 paralympics (Sydney, Athens, Beijing), has attended numerous World Championships in Triathlon and Cycling and is currently ranked #1 by the UCI on the track (cycling).

Devon (left) and Brian (right) at the Paralympics in Beijing

Last week I helped Brian set up a blog, so that he could keep a race diary. He has just started posting from Kona...

If you feel like checking it out and wishing him luck go HERE.

GOOD LUCK BRIAN!!!

The Power of the Internet

2009-09-30T09:59:00.000-07:00

I know you probably don't need me to tell you that the internet is a powerful force in just about every aspect of life these days... If you are reading this you are probably already pretty savvy (and an arbiter of taste I might add...)

Here are a few facts that you bloggers may find interesting:

- 46%. The percentage increase in readership of my blog when I started using Twitter to tell folks about my posts.

- Another 40%. When I finally spent the 3 minutes it took to learn how to connect Twitter to Facebook status updates.

- $27.00. The amount I saved just yesterday by asking if anyone could loan me a book, Lore of Running. Thanks Keith! That's real community people, and it is great! By the way, Keith runs North Shore Athletics which is THE place to go for all your running/triathlon needs (except the bike... for that go HERE.)

- Priceless. The people I have "met", some I've helped, and some who have helped me...

Readership stats may or may not be motivating for you, but given the choice I'd rather engage a larger audience. I don't want to be the crazy guy on the cyber-corner talking to himself!

On that note, (SHAMELESS SELF PROMOTION WARNING!) please subscribe for email posts (right column), or "follow" (left column), or plug me into your reader... That way we'll be able to keep in touch hassle-free.

Thanks everyone for reading and in advance to new subscribers!

If you had any doubt about the power of the internet check this out:

Time to "Get Serious"

2009-09-29T16:57:00.002-07:00

On the horizon:

- North Shore 1/2 Marathon

- Hallows Eve Trail Run

- Another 1/2 where I will be better trained and hope to go a bit faster... maybe Seattle?

So far so good on the increased running... No sign of the issues that plagued me most of the summer.

Nevertheless, I am being pretty cautious - doing a fair amount of trail and treadmill to limit the hard pounding on my legs - I think it's over cautious but what the heck...

Anyway, I was reading Chuckie V's blog (as I have for years it seems)... a post on training manuals... He writes:

3) The Lore of Running by Dr. Tim Noakes. Not much to say here. If you don't own this, you're not really serious about your training.

OK then. Definitive. No wiggle room on that....

Does anyone have a copy? I'd trade for a copy of one of the books in my library - (see right column). And we can always trade back after...

Photos - Some Favourites

2009-09-28T21:23:00.000-07:00

Batchelor Bay - my favourite photo of one of my favourite places.

If you stop by here from time to time you know I like photography. Well, I just finished organizing about 6 months of photos on my computer (6,000+).... it was an epic project that I hope will convince me to organize them better each time I upload.

Anyway, I decided to reward myself by putting together a quick photo post with a few of my favourites.

Many of these have graced these pages already... but a few have not.

Click to ENLARGE...

Enjoy!

Will Routley and Nic Hamilton at the Yaletown Grand Prix. I took a bazillion shots there - this one was the best. This got published - once online (can't remember the site) and once in the 24Hours Newspaper.

Viggo and our big wooden pear.

One of my favourite photos I have ever taken... I love these bikes and the gritty wall, the shadow and the green crates... all behind Habit Coffee in Victoria. Missy even asked if she could have this for her wall which was quite an honour!

The smiles say it all - priceless!

Ha! Soon they won't let me do this sort of thing to with them... because it will be "uncool". Until then, they are my favourite 'models'.

Lighthouse Park on an amazing weather day - sunny AND black clouds = camera time!

First day of school. She was SO excited.

Sacha pushing the kids on the swings - summer evening in the city, out late.

Steph @ the Bay Challenge... I drove the boat and took photos, Steph and Susie put on a masterful display of swimming.

The Look... he's intense for a little guy.

Swedish Goggles Review

2009-09-24T23:45:00.000-07:00

I was down at Team Aquatic the other day trying to find my son a swimsuit that wouldn't cost $50. (I shouldn't be cheap but damn... the suit is the size of a handkerchief!)

Never one to pass up a chance to shop for myself instead, I wandered over to the goggle section...

At $7.70 the Swedish Goggles were calling my name. I have wanted to "go swedish" for some time now... and this time I did.

For those of you that don't know, Swedish goggles are the equipment of discerning, competitive swimmers everywhere. They are primarily distinguished by the complete and utter lack of rubber or foam seals. Plastic meets skin in the same no-nonsense way that meatballs meet gravy in the Ikea restaurant.

First Impression: Just like Ikea - I will have to assemble these myself. No allen key required however. No instructions required either evidently. (Do Swede's assemble everything themselves? "Jesper put together the flatscreen Entourage is on in 15 minutes!") Find instructions here if you need them.

Assembly: Unless you are unfamiliar with how human eyes are aligned on the face (i.e. one beside the other) you should have no issues assembling these goggles. The single complexity is to get the distance between the eyepieces correct. This is not hard. Having said that, there are several choices that one may not be aware of in the assembly.

Choices:

1. Colour. The first choice comes at the shop.... there are LOTS of lens colours: clear, amber, red, pink, green, blue, mirrored, black and so on. Since these are self-assembly you could even mix and match eyepieces... which might cause some sort of swim vertigo for all I know.

2. Nosepiece. Whether to use the string+blue nosepiece combo, or to use a piece of the rubber strap as the nosepiece. I tried both and far preferred the rubber strap. It also looked WAY cooler (if I do say so myself.)

Click below to enlarge and compare for yourself...

2. Double strap or single strap. Seems obvious to go double... but there's a photo down below that could convince you otherwise...

3. Tightness. Since these goggles are so cheap I think it would be prudent to have two pairs (at least) - one that is snug (for training) and one that is tight (for racing.) Arrange yours accordingly.

Result: Ouch! WTF? The initial result was terrible. The plastic was sharp and my skin was suffering. I fired up google to find out what part of this swedish jigsaw I was missing... Turns out everyone files or sandpapers the edge of the eyepieces. Thanks for mentioning that in the non-instructions Bjorn!

Result (take 2): OK. That feels better. Nerdlinger mirror check - yeah! these are cool looking! Wait! Is that a draft I feel on my eyeball? Yes, it is... $%!#. I bet they're going to leak.

Swim test: Push off the wall, streamline position... 1, 2, 3, 4, 5 and... yep they're full of water. Stand, look around... ok, good nobody looking... walk back.... What the hell is wrong with these things?

Adjust, readjust, re-readjust. Push off again.... 1, 2, 3, 4, 5... come up, stroke, stroke . . . . . . No water! I swam a full workout - readjusted the goggles a few times and found the sweet spot every time.

If the Swedes aren't on properly they are about as leak resistant as a "waterproof compartment" on the Titanic. BUT, put them on properly and they are sealed as well as any other goggle.

Final Verdict: Name another instance of arguably the BEST product (well, at least the one worn by tons of Olympians) costing the LEAST. It's awesome!

This is the goggle for you if:

- you like the retro chic of an all-time classic

- you are a two-practice-a-day competitive swimmer that blows through goggles like a Swede blows through tealights

- you want to look like a two-a-day competitive swimmer

- you like total customization

- all things being equal you'd rather go fast!

- you like insider tricks like the sandpaper... makes you feel like you're in the know (glad to help;)

- you like to save money

This is NOT the goggle for you if:

- You don't know how to put together a puzzle suitable for a 6 year-old.

- You like to look slow and uncool.

- You are happiest when others can immediately identify you as a beginner swimmer.

- You'd rather pay MORE for goggles that Olympians DON'T wear.

The Thorpedo in Swedish Goggles

Don't let Speedo see this one Michael... (note: MP goes single strap...)

I'm not sure that eyelash will fit inside the Swedes...

Yes. You in the Speedo...

This guy looks crazy so he's the perfect guy to follow...

Yours truly...

Trail Running for Amputees

2009-09-24T11:10:00.000-07:00

Trail Running: I get asked OFTEN how it is to run on the trails with my prosthesis... So I'll tell you. This might help some (leg) amputees a little... I hope so.

- You have to concentrate! When I am placing the left 'foot' I really have to watch out for: big, loose rocks, wet roots, oddly angled anything. The concentration is actually exhausting but if my mind wanders even for a second I usually land awkwardly or duff the foot on something. There was a girl running beside me for a few kms at my last trail race who must have added about 10 beats to her heart rate because I kept scaring her by nearly wiping out! (I was getting tired and that's when the concentration fades...)

- Steep, loose downhills are a real challenge. With such a small surface area in contact with the ground you either need to lean forward and let 'er rip or REALLY SLOW DOWN. It is always better to lean in (for speed and less jarring on the legs) but sometimes the trail is too steep or winding.... There is a distinct lack of a middle gear because it is so difficult to control speed with such a miniature contact point on loose ground.

- The extra jarring and abnormal movements that come with a rough trail cause sweat to collect differently and in a less convenient way. For instance one odd step could move the leg in such a way that the whole liner (and thus prosthesis) slips a bit. This is uncomfortable and thus you really want to concentrate to avoid it happening.

- I find that I sweat more during a trail race... I think it is because my heart rate is generally higher and my speed (wind cooling) is lower + they are generally much harder than an equivalent distance road race. This increased sweating does bad things for the fit of my leg. I sometimes use Drysol to minimize sweating inside the liner. It's pretty harsh stuff, but good for race type situations when I don't want to have to stop.

It is interesting to note that the first two are pretty much the same for a runner with both legs - perhaps just comes a bit more naturally with less focus required.

Anyway, the extra concentration does have ONE HUGE PAYOFF.... the race seems to go a lot faster when your mind is consumed by remaining upright!

Have fun on the trails!

5 Peaks Wrap-Up...

2009-09-23T21:34:00.000-07:00

Took me a while to get to this... I've been run off my ~~feet~~ foot with Sacha out of town. She only left me one of the kids but man I have a new appreciation for moms. What's with the crazy schedule of pick-ups and drop-offs?!!!

Anyway, casting the mind back to the weekend:

(Mattias' 5 Peaks) : Mattias and his buddies came 1, 2, 3 in the kids 1km run. It was total domination! 1km is definitely a bit short for his age... "Daddy the run from the parking lot was longer than the race!"

(MJ's 5 Peaks): Maybe I was taking the race a bit too lightly... it was 11km (not too long), and the elevation looked "rolling" i.e. not too bad... As it turned out it was really tough.

The uphills were often too steep to run (more training on these kind of hills would help) and some of the downhills were super steep (the kind that forced me to have to be cautious). The flats were fine but there weren't many!

Myself and Guy Demong... I probably would have brought a backpack if I had known I'd be out there for so long!

I ran the first 4 or 5 km with Jayeson, part of the substantial Innovative Fitness crew in attendance, before he slowly pulled away... then it was a long, lonely, (painful) slog back to the finish line.

CHT (cold, hard truth): I couldn't really expect much given the lack of run training - I was mostly happy to come away without any leg issues - I am now ready to declare myself 100% after a summer that never really got into triple digits. Everything feels good now.

Overall: Buntzen Lake is awesome! Totally beautiful and the trail system is unbelievable. The weather started out wet but got sunny while we ran - no complaints. 5 Peaks does a great job and I even won a HUGE bag of coffee beans.

A few more shots:

Mattias and I watching the awards...

Mattias rounding the first corner in the kids' race...

Da boys: Sam, Nick and Mattias

Berlin Marathon Showdown

2009-09-18T10:53:00.000-07:00

Just when you thought that the biggest race this weekend was Mattias and I competing in the 5 Peaks trail race @ Buntzen Lake along comes the Berlin Marathon....

This Sunday's showdown in Berlin looks like it will be unbelievable...

Haile Gebrselassie vs. Duncan Kibet.

vs.

I realize those names may not mean much to some... but they are a bit like:

Gretzky vs. Crosby

Manning vs. Brady

Tyson vs. Holyfield

Federer vs. Nadal

... none of those is quite right but you get my drift...

However, if those tantalizing comparisons aren't enough to interest you, read this entertaining breakdown of the duel from the Science of Sport. After reading it I was super-pumped to watch 2:03:?? of marathon running.

Questions that WILL be answered: Will the wily veteran, and world record holder, Gebrselassie, have the legs to hold off the hard charging, and younger Kibet? Will the World Record fall on the fastest course in the world?

So, if you are interested (and you must be by now) watch it on your computer (HERE).

Sunday - 12 AM PST, 3AM Eastern (ouch - sucks to be in the east!).

Universal Sports has not announced if it will be televising Mattias and I out at Buntzen, though at this stage it looks unlikely...

5 Peaks @ Buntzen Lake

2009-09-17T13:20:00.000-07:00

Quick post: Mattias and I are lacing up the trail runners this weekend to take on the 5 Peaks Race out at Buntzen Lake near Port Moody.

5 Peaks races are super fun - I did a few of them last year and always had a blast. The courses out at Buntzen Lake are BEAUTIFUL so we are pumped!

If you feel like joining us we'd love to see you out there!!!

The race on Saturday includes:

Children's Race - Bring your kids!

Sport Course (11km)

Enduro Course (15km)

1/2 Marathon Course

Notably it also includes a Children's Adventure Zone for Mattias to enjoy after his race i.e. babysitting.

This is HUGE because it allows Mattias and I to head out without dragging someone else along to watch him while I run. It sounds like the Adventure Zone will be pretty awesome for him too.

BRAVO 5 Peaks!

Race MAP (Click to Enlarge):

Terry Fox Run 2009

2009-09-13T22:38:00.000-07:00

Mattias, Aia, Viggo, Sacha, her parents, and I all did the Terry Fox Run in Port Moody this morning under beautiful sunny skies.

Terry's story is very well known amongst Canadians young and old... so well known that I get kids coming up to me all the time saying, "Hey you're just like Terry Fox!" (Casual readers note: I am an amputee, as was Terry. He above knee and myself below knee.)

If you have a moment to update yourself on one of our greatest heroes you can watch a bit of the video below... it's a bit of a tear-jerker (at least for some... like me...) If you can't fit the whole 5:36 into your day, start at 3:00.

We (Canadians) all know that Terry's Marathon of Hope started the fundraising machine that has turned into the Terry Fox Foundation. We may not all know that it has raised over $400 million for cancer research.

Here's my question: Did Terry's run also mark the start of charity events (especially running) raising money for all sorts of things?

If not how did that get started? Any sports historians out there?

Until I have an answer I'm crediting Terry.

Cheers,

Meyrick

Innovative Fitness Canuck Place Adventure Race

2009-09-12T21:06:00.000-07:00

I spent the morning down in Deep Cove with Mattias, Aia and Viggo watching the Innovative Fitness Canuck Place Adventure Challenge.

As usual, it was an astounding success - some numbers:

- Over $280,000 raised for Canuck Place (which is a care home for children with life-limiting illnesses and their families.)
- 4th Annual Event
- Over $800,000 raised in 4 years.
- $1,000 - The amount each racer has to raise. MANY raise far more.
- 80% - My guess at the percentage of racers affiliated with Innovative Fitness

In previous years I have raced (once) or volunteered (twice)... this year I was simply supporting and watching my own kids which was a handful :)

There are now several race options for kids, so next year we will definitely have the whole family involved (except for Viggo who might still be a tad young...)

Congratulations to everyone - the race and all of the $ for Canuck Place is something to be VERY proud of!

The photos can be found by clicking the picture below:

Canuck Place Adventure Challenge

Open Water Swim Video

2009-09-06T12:19:00.001-07:00

This morning's swim was pretty exciting - choppy water, some decent waves, a stiff wind.... the water looked angry!

6 of us headed out:

Mick, Elspeth, Marty, Rod, Deb and myself.

At my insistence, Deb brought her Olympus "Tough" which is waterproof. I used it to capture this video which gives you an idea of the conditions...

If any of you are shopping for my Christmas present already, the Olympus Tough would look good under the tree ;)

Tomorrow is the Vancouver Triathlon - I will be down at the Tri BC VIP tent taking in the festivities. If you are in the neighbourhood stop by and say 'hello!'

Best of luck to all Innovative Fitness (and otherwise) racers.

Cheers!

Seal Attack / Grouse Grind

2009-09-03T22:27:00.000-07:00

Since I splashed red letters across the blog page earlier this week I have been taking it relatively easy:

Swimming @ Batchelor Bay. Don't worry I won't write more about it... I've pretty much written it into oblivion this summer. I will, however, mention that a 5 year old girl was attacked by a seal about 2km away... actually pulled into the water off of a dock.

We see seals every time we swim at BB - often very close to us. It's funny because that very morning we were debating whether a seal would attack a human, and then whether the human could "beat it down".

I don't claim to be Rocky Balboa, but I have no doubt I could "own" a seal if I were attacked... they seem to be getting aggressive so I may need to prove it one day!

Apart from the swimming I have been attending my regular sessions at Innovative Fitness. Both Natalie and Josh were kind enough to devise all upper body and core workouts for me...

Onto more exciting news:

Mattias climbed his way up the Grouse Grind for the first time today. Please observe the description:

His time was 1:11:00.

Sacha escorted him on his first Grind attempt and reported that he was in good spirits the whole way and spoke of nothing other than Pokémon (which must have been thrilling for her.) Anyway, I am super proud of him and eager to get out there with him to do it together. Some photos:

Bottom of the Grind...

Aia riding up on the gondola...

Viggo - chilling...

Baby deer...

Mama deer...

Mattias' finishing kick...

Sacha and Mattias... at the top!

This was a big week for Aia too.... her first day of Kindergarden!

Relapse

2009-08-31T11:12:00.000-07:00

Unfortunately, I have had a dramatic injury relapse...

A few days ago (and about a week after Nationals) my leg swelled up fairly dramatically over night. There was also some ugly discolouration. The situation was drastic enough that I almost could not put on my prosthesis. I persevered and got it on with considerable pain... (maybe 9 out of 10 on my scale - where 10 is "take me to the hospital.")

For the first few hours of the day it was quite excruciating to walk, then it seemed to get a lot better - I assumed it was the Motrin kicking in.

At the end of the day I took off my prosthesis to go to bed and was greeted by BLOOD. Lots of it - and some even spurting from the bottom of my limb. Sorry for writing that - didn't mean to alarm you.... it was alarming though.

Despite the horrific look of my leg, the pain was far less intense, and the swelling pretty much gone - the bleeding/explosion had obviously relieved the pressure a fair amount.

Anyway, YES, I am going to see the doctor. I hope this time a cause will be identified. Obviously something is not quite right down there.

Any doctors out there???

By the way, in case you need a good laugh I have included the Universal Pain Assessment Tool below... CLICK TO ENLARGE.

Ironman Canada 2009 - Good Luck Wishes

2009-08-28T22:15:00.000-07:00

I have never had as many friends doing Ironman Canada as I do this year... there are so many that I am nervous about listing the names because I am certain I will forget one or two of them!

James Greenwood

Caroline Greenwood

Oscar Brain

Mark Shorter

Ian Giroday

Doug Giles

Karen Birkenhead

Stephanie Corker-Irwin

Susie Nieder

Shannon Back

Scott Rintoul

Jeremy Hopwood

Michelle Valancius

Molly Evanshen

Joyce Langridge

Bill Weymark

Ryan Weymark

Chris Cumming

May you all swim like Michael, ride like Lance and run like Haile. (If you did, I have calculated the resulting time could be as low as 6:14:19... which would be pretty rad.)

GOOD LUCK ON SUNDAY!

Kelowna Apple - Race Report

2009-08-25T10:04:00.000-07:00

The Kelowna Apple has long been one of my favourite races... key reasons?

- The organizers understand Paratriathlon and make it easy to compete

- The venue is perfect - lake = beautiful / bike course = fun / run course = flat

- Kelowna is easy to get to from Vancouver and the weather is always good

It's nice when the National Championship is hosted by one of your favourite races two years in a row!

Anyway, I spent my last post telling you all about how I was staying in my van, and enjoying the lifestyle of a traveling triathlete.... so I'll get down to race day...

Pre-Race: I woke up early and enjoyed two of those flattened multigrain buns with peanut butter, and a fair amount of Gatorade. This worked really well for me - the buns/peanut butter are calorie dense and easy to eat, the gatorade helps top up the hydration level and assists with washing down the buns. I usually hate eating in the early morning but this I can handle.

Note: It's kind of awesome waking up in the "kitchen" with the food right at hand, then moving 4 feet to the driver's seat and driving straight to transition with all your stuff. The van rules.

Morning in the van... timer shots... (what a nerd!)

Swim: I was looking forward to the swim this year. I have never done as much open water swimming as I have this year and I felt confident. I was happy to see a little chop on the surface of Lake Okanagan, as I felt it gave me an advantage since I swim through chop all the time in Batchelor Bay.

As always we Paratriathletes had our own wave, all 3 of us. That makes for a pretty smooth start and within 25 metres I was all alone. I settled in and worked. At the first buoy the chop became quite significant and I took a mouthful or two... I was a bit surprised and humbled. I didn't expect to be gasping and snorting h20... I got my rhythm back and went hard until I was catching the stragglers from the Sprint wave that left 5 minutes before us. It's fun to pass people like they are standing still (it's not that I am that fast - they actually were sort of standing still).

Result: 25:56 (2008 = 26:06).

I would have hoped for a lot more than a 12 second improvement but the conditions were tougher this year with the chop, and last year there were no Sprint waves in front to pick through...

Bike: There's not too much to say about the bike. It went very smoothly. I definitely lacked a bit of power heading up Knox Mountain (especially on lap 1 and 3, 2 felt good.) There was also a fair amount of wind to deal with on the out-and-back section and the flat section heading back into town....

With the wind and the injury earlier in the summer I am not too disappointed with my time.

Result: 1:15:27 (2008 = 1:14:20)

Run: I was openly nervous about the run. I have done almost 0 running for the last two-and-a-half months due to my injury. I also have a growing history of slow runs at the Apple. I was ready for anything from pain and walking to a surprising, smooth run.

In the end it was painful, not injury pain, just untrained pain. Simple fact - if you don't train for the run it will hurt. I was constantly mad at myself for not going faster but unable to conjure any extra speed from my legs. I wasn't wearing a watch (deliberately) but felt that I was going only marginally faster than a turtle. I even walked a couple of aid stations and failed to deliver any sort of "kick". It was lame.

Result: 51:04 (2008 = 53:00)

You'd think this improvement would make me happy but really it just made me realize that I sucked even more in 2008. In my report last year I said something to the effect of "I need to focus on this more".... yeah, that's still true.

OVERALL:

Result: 2:37:33

1st Paratriathlete

(2008 = 2:36:59)

Even though I was faster in two out of three disciplines I still ended up 34 seconds slower overall.... I was WAY slower in transition this year and that was mostly due to the fact I had my own helper last year (Deb). It makes a big difference when all the leg changing etc. goes smoothly. I am also prepared to admit I just didn't bother rushing things... I didn't bother putting elastic laces on my Nikes, I pulled on a sock, I just kind of took it easy... it would have been different if someone had been breathing down my neck. If I had any idea it would end up that close to last year I might have moved my a$$ a bit more.

All in all, I was pretty surprised that I was so close to last year's time - the conditions were tougher this year and my summer was far from ideal in the training department.

Conclusions: I will say it here and now: SUB 50 for sure on the run next year. It has to be or I'm just not learning....

More: I placed first in the Paratriathlon Category. There were only two guys in the category and we have different disabilities so it doesn't mean a whole lot.... but for the record I am a three-time National Champion. I will have another post coming soon about "what it all means..."

Thanks for reading - hope it wasn't too boring. These posts are mostly to help me remember what happened so that I can compare year to year, and race to race.

Ashley - Huge PR, and he won a trip and some new Oakley shades at the awards ceremony. Some guys have all the luck... Other great performances were turned in by Chelsea Raymond and Cindy Krampl from IF - unfortunately I have no photographic evidence though...

Jordan Back (we swim together at Batchelor Bay), unidentified female, and Mick Maguire getting the calls right from the announcer's booth.

I've seen people kill for these.... just kidding...

Sleeping in a van @ Kelowna Apple - My Way

2009-08-22T17:09:00.000-07:00

I write to you from the Starbucks on Pandosy in Kelowna, BC....

Have you ever fantasized about traveling to races, sleeping in a van, waking with the sun, swimming, biking, etc. The life of a transient triathlete with little or no concerns? No? Guess that's only me...

Anyway, I am sleeping in my van - which works really well if you find a good spot where there are no drunken teenagers to freak you out at 3 in the morning. I found a great spot last night in front of some really nice looking condos. Condos are perfect because nobody feels like they "own" the curb where I park. Neighbourhoods with houses are nice but people keep an eye out and are suspicious of people sleeping in vans (go figure).

There is lots of space in the van, even with my bike and other gear in the "bedroom"... in fact I feel a lot closer to my bike than ever before after sharing a bed. When she shifts clumsily I think I'll be a little less likely to swear at her after last night.... or, when she flats, like today during the pre-ride of the course, I am more likely to cut her some slack.

Sleeping and training are the easy parts, hanging out is the challenge (i.e. where do you go to chill out?) Fortunately, Canadian Starbucks have recently caught up to the rest of the world and are now providing free internet (even if it is only for 2 hours). So that's where I am now...

This morning the lake took care of my "shower" (and a pre-race swim tune-up). All other personal hygiene needs (shaving, tooth brushing etc.) have been taken care of in very acceptable public washrooms. It may not be glamourous but I enjoy it - makes me feel young again - like 23 or 24 - except all the 20-ish people I know here are staying in hotels or with friends. Maybe nobody does this anymore? Or ever did?

For those of you who have not had the pleasure of visiting Kelowna, I can tell you that it lies approx. 3.5 - 4 hours east of Vancouver in the scenic Okanagan Valley, not far from Penticton (home of Ironman Canada.) That very same 3.5 hour drive took Vince and I about 6hrs yesterday.... The traffic on the highway was inexplicably, tremendously terrible. Oh well....

Tomorrow I will compete in the Triathlon National Championship. I love the course here in Kelowna and it should be a lot of fun even if I am not in the greatest shape of my life. I think I am 100% after the injury earlier in the summer but I will find out for sure tomorrow. Either way it will be great to hit the water in a race...

Good luck in the race to my training partners in Kelowna today: Chelsea, Ashley, Darren. Not to mention Cindy Krampl from Innovative Fitness, who I saw in transition today - it's her first Olympic Distance race tomorrow - she looked pumped!

City Chase Tips

2009-08-20T16:21:00.000-07:00

Mark and I didn't win the Chase last year but boy we were close! Anyway, a few people have asked for tips... Here they are. Have fun out there - City Chase is an absolute blast.

11 CITY CHASE TIPS

1. Check the sponsor list. Often challenge points are located at the sponsor business locations. That way you can plan some routes and formulate a loose strategy for getting around town.

2. Think hard about where you *might* go first after the starting gun... it's guessing, but it is important, and you don't have a lot of time to decide. It's very hectic at the start. A good route through the chasepoints is REALLY key.

3. Have someone at home (on call) in front of a computer to check things for you, plan routes, google stuff, figure out clues etc. - communicate with them by phone. Having a blackberry is usually a good call as they are a key sponsor and it might come in super handy.

4. Learn as much about transit as possible.... schedules (have one), routes (know them), closest stops to key areas (start, finish etc.) Apparently you can text a bus stop number to some # and it will tell you when the next bus is coming. This is handy when deciding whether to run 3 or 6 km or wait for the bus.

5. LISTEN at the start - there are always key clues and really important details in the welcome speech. Take notes on EVERYTHING the guy says from "Hello" to "Go!"

6. There will be certain key things: like a free ride in a car from one place to another, or a challenge that involves bicycles etc. To win you will probably have to take advantage of these types of things. They are easy to forget though... seems unbelievable that you'd forget something like that but once everything starts it's easy for a key element to slip your mind.

7. Have a good map and spend some time getting to know it.... (and for god's sake, learn how to fold it so you don't look like an idiot!) Mark the sponsor business locations on it and note key transit stops nearby.

8. There are sometimes 'collecting' clues like "gather 20 bottles and take them to the recycling depot" - make sure to start those ones right away - don't wait and say "OK now we need 20 bottles." Start gathering them right off the bat... there's one, there's another etc....

9. You can save a TON of time by just asking other people for help.... offer them some help on another clue they are going to, flirt, whatever. There was one challenge where you had to find three cars in 4 city blocks, unscramble a bunch of letters on each one and get three words.... We just asked two girls and they told us the answer - total time: 15 seconds. Some teams spent over an hour there.

10. Use a camelbak or better yet a light backpack with a camelbak in case you need to collect a bunch of stuff.

11. You might need to get naked - plan your personal hygiene accordingly.

These are the clue sheets from 2007.... obviously they are different every year but this gives a good idea of what to expect. CLICK TO ENLARGE.

Hornby Island - Photo Post

2009-08-18T11:41:00.001-07:00

Hornby was awesome.

I took about a million photos ... so I'll let them do most of the talking.

Family + Island + Beaches + Bikes = Great Holiday

Not much time to write or read these days as I am over-the-top busy - returning from holiday and getting ready to leave for Nationals (triathlon) in Kelowna this Sunday.

Enjoy the pictures... CLICK TO ENLARGE for a closer look.

Cheers!

I love a van/bike shot! Starbucks stop on the way out of town...

The van is awesome for family trips like this.

Don't worry we didn't drive like this.... Viggo 'drove' during ferry line-ups.

Dinner on the first night... Bert and I made Beer Chicken (one of about 3 or 4 things I know how to make!)

A pair of Beer Chickens ready to be BBQed.... they were tasty.

Aia on the 'Trail-Along' behind me... I got some great workouts pulling her everywhere behind me. We even got a bit crazy on the trails which was a blast.... Next year she'll be traveling under her own steam I'm sure.

Hornby Cycle Chic... Very fashionable Sacha and Mel on the way to the bakery or the winery - I can't remember.

Bert won a geodesic dome in a poker game.... we assembled it and had dinner inside once or twice. Who else can say they won a geodesic dome in a poker game?

One of my favourite shots from the trip. Remember being a kid and just throwing rocks at things all day??? Mattias and Finlay.

This is a color shot but seems black and white... I liked it.

Aia and Daisy. I left the shot tilted... thought it was kind of cool that way...

Dinner on the beach with friends.... it's pretty awesome to ride a bike to a dinner/bbq - I would like that kind of lifestyle at home.

Aia in full flight... she's getting faster these days! I would like to look that light on my feet in a photo!

Mattias and Finlay. Don't remember what this game is called but you draw a circle with a cross in the middle then the kids play tag running only on the lines. They get good and tired... it's awesome!

Sacha and her mom with Viggo. This beach was right outside our cabin - we got lucky with a waterfront location this year.

Aia - always perfectly turned out in white skirt with pink bow for a walk on the beach.

Mel with Daisy on her shoulders.

Mattias made some real breakthroughs in his riding on this trip - he was generally attacking the trails - accelerating out of the saddle and riding with a lot more confidence - it was super fun. No trail shots - it was hard enough to keep up!

Gary (father-in-law) and I (not pictured) on the road above Olsen's Farm (possibly the nicest real estate anywhere...). We circumnavigated the island a couple of times during the trip.

Photos of bikes work for me.... it's becoming an affliction. I love them. These two were behind Habit (a coffee shop in Victoria)...

Hornby Island - Setting Sail

2009-08-08T00:30:00.000-07:00

These nice shots of Hornby by David Greenwell.

Tomorrow we leave for Hornby Island.* My van is sitting in the driveway loaded down with 5 bikes:

- My TT

- My Mountain Bike

- Sacha's

- Mattias'

- Aia's

There are few things I enjoy more than a roadtrip - and the more bikes involved the better.

Hornby Helmets from last year....

This post is really just to warn y'all that you won't be hearing much from me unless it rains AND our house on Hornby has internet. (The chances of both of those things occurring is 0.00001% - mostly because of the internet.)

This is a great opportunity to mention that you should all be on TWITTER. You can check out my profile HERE. Sign up, it's fun... and that way you'll be able to follow my adventures on Hornby - because all you need for twitter is a cell phone and a bar or two of service.

I have a little over two weeks before Nationals in Kelowna (triathlon)... therefore I have drawn up a plan for all sorts of training while I am away. It will take a lot of discipline and I know I won't be able to nail 100% of the workouts but it's good to have goals.

I also get my new foot on Tuesday... so I'll be taking a day pass off the island for that. I have much more to write about that but I have to pack some more and get a little sleep.

*Note: Yes, we are leaving but we have a house sitter equipped with his very own (guard) dog. Don't get any burglary ideas!

Does anyone else worry about these things?

Broken Prosthetic - Temporary Repair

2009-08-04T13:58:00.000-07:00

This morning I was greeted with a snap, crackle and POP! Unfortunately, it was not my Rice Krispies but my prosthetic limb...

The carbon in a Flex-Foot Modular III doesn't usually snap in two all at once - which is lucky since there would be a lot of face plants if it did. Instead, over time, it starts to fray, crack and the foot gets softer and softer. Eventually, the foot starts to go downhill a little faster - this is what happened today - the noises were just more serious cracks developing.

As you can see above (barely), the carbon is pretty screwed up. I am now flexing on about half as many strong strands as before. That means the foot is pretty soft.

Given the state of the carbon, this foot is pretty much at the end of it's useful lifespan. The problem is that I don't have a new one yet... Therefore I need to get out the defibrillators and squeeze an extra week or two out of this thing. You can see my efforts at that in the video below.

So the good news is I am back up on the foot.... The bad news is that it is screwed and going downhill fast. (And the new one will cost thousands...)

This fix should buy me the time I need to get a new one though. There is A LOT of satisfaction in fixing your own leg. More amputees should have the courage to tinker....

When it comes to prosthetic problems, failures and general issues to do with my leg I have learnt that I can play a large role in getting the most out of my equipment. I don't have to run down to my prosthetist once-a-week for minor tune-ups or to get a small adjustment made. I have learnt over time to do a lot of these things myself.

If you are an amputee here are a few general things I'd recommend:

1. Learn how your leg/arm works.

2. Ask your prosthetist lots of questions.

3. Watch your prosthetist work on your limb - (it's better than reading 4 year old magazines).

4. If your prosthetist won't let you watch ask "why not?" Then tell them you aren't comfortable with what they just said.... you want to understand how it works and how to take care of it.

5. Don't be afraid to try making an adjustment on your own - just don't do anything stupid and break the prosthetic.

6. When selecting prosthetic components be certain you understand why each one is the right one for you. Don't accept anyone else's opinion (no matter how highly trained they are) without thinking about it yourself.

7. Consider your options, ask opinions, read reviews.... these things cost as much as cars - you don't just go onto the lot and ask the salesman which car you should buy... so don't do that with your prosthetics.

8. Empower yourself by being a leader in your own care. Your doctor, physio, prosthetist, chiro, shrink, wife, husband, dad, mom etc... are your team but YOU need to be the captain.

Tour de France Pool - Results

2009-07-26T12:41:00.000-07:00

Alas, the Tour ended today on the Champs-Élysees with another Mark Cavendish win.

Though spectacular, Cav's win was hardly surprising... in fact you could even be forgiven for saying that it was downright predictable.

Fortunately, for those who were playing in the Tour de France Pool, today's race still meant something....

The Comité de Compétition (aka: moi) has invested about 45 minutes in tabulating the results (incidentally, an amount of time exactly equal to the margin by which Cadel Evans was defeated...) The answer key can now be found HERE (with answers in TdF jaune.)

Without further ado - the results:

Vincent Lavalee 10

Kevin Parenteau 9

Chris Cumming 9

Meyrick Jones 8

'Torbjorn Sindballe' 7

Bree Wee 6

Matt McCluskey 6

Darren Smith 5

Dave Herder 3

Michelle Valancius 3

Jeremy Hopwood 3

James Greenwood 1

Ryan Van Praet -1

You may remember Vince as the winner of the lululemon draw that I held earlier this year... suspicious... I agree. He is also a University student and we've all heard about what they pulled off in vegas...

Regardless, since I have no evidence of cheating, tampering or other bad business I will award Vince with his prize - side bar trophy. I have even customized it to suit the black background of his page:

You should be able to drag this onto your desktop... and load to your side-bar from there.

Congrats Vince! E-mail to follow regarding sushi.

I want one...

2009-07-24T13:56:00.000-07:00

Check this project out. I have fantasies of a lifestyle that would necessitate building one of these:

RAW MATERIALS

After a little paint and chrome love...

Then some workshop workin'...

Then you have to do something with this...

And these...

And PRESTO! You've got yourself one of these!

But not only that.... You can also detach the front end to do this....

And ride home with all your stuff...

Grocery shopping is never near the top of my "Fun Things To Do" list, but this bike could change all that.

Unfortunately, though I'm definitely inspired, I'm entirely lacking the skills to build one...

Check out all of the pictures of David Mahan's build HERE.

Cheers!

Update

2009-07-22T09:58:00.001-07:00

Cycling: In the last week I have been back on the bike for a couple of easy rides to see if I can resume training... the swelling in my leg has subsided and appears to be 100% gone now. I am ramping up the work level but still not going 100% because there is no sense in shocking it and risking a recurrence. The annoying aspect is that the doctors never fully figured it out so I am nervous it will come right back as I resume.... Oh well, time will tell...

Running: I have been able to resume running as well. I am taking it even slower in that department as it represents the biggest test of my skin and leg. If something will go wrong it is usually when I am running. So far it has been fine, but I have been using the treadmill (softer) and going in short bursts of 10mins or less. It feels fine and soon I will "go for it" a bit more... I am thinking of doing a short "race" with Sacha this weekend - it's tradition (once a year) and should be a good (but not too hard) test for my leg.

Swimming: I continue to get out in the ocean three times a week at least. It has been my saving grace during this period. We now regularly get 6-8 people out at B.Bay. For info click HERE. I have totally found my love for swimming. Today we had a strong current making us work extra hard. I would love to know more about the currents and tides at B.Bay - they seem utterly random to me...

Overall: I would say that my upper body could use a rest... with all the swimming, and workouts that avoided leg strain, it has seen a lot of work over the last while. I think my fitness is ok mostly due to the swimming, but there is going to be a definite effort involved in recovering some lost speed and power on the bike and it has been AGES since I ran properly. These will come back with time but I need to be patient...

The logos are from the Olympic pictograms from 1968 Mexico City Olympics.

Penal Tour de France

2009-07-17T13:25:00.000-07:00

Did anybody hear about this? (Click on it for the full article)

Are you kidding me? I have at various times in my life (like every July during the TdF) dreamt of an opportunity like this. Rolling through the French countryside with friends, an epic fully supported bike tour (who wants heavy panniers on their bike?)

For obvious reasons no breakaways will be tolerated - and you know what? I wouldn't want them on my tour either... Heck, Cadel Evans enjoyed 4 Tours before trying his first attack in Stage 7 this year. (Little shot there... hope he's not reading.)

Just imagine how awesome it is when you hear that the guy who stole your car, raped your wife, lit your neighborhood pub on fire, distributed kiddie porn, etc. is touring France by bicycle.... while you are picking up the pieces and going to work.

Another thought, remember Jean Valjean from Lés Mis? If that story was playing out in modern times he would steal the bread, get thrown in jail and be cycling through the countryside in tasteful lycra not long later. IMAGINE how pissed off that super-intense detective dude (can't remember his name) would be after that...

That's my Tour de France thought for the day....

The Look

2009-07-15T12:03:00.000-07:00

Any fan of the Tour will remember (or have heard about) "The Look". Back in the US Postal days (2001 to be precise) when Lance and Jan would battle it out every year...

"The Look"*, when Lance took a probing glance into Jan's glasses just before dropping him like a bad habit on the slopes of L'Alpe d'Huez, is probably my favourite Tour moment ever.

So you can see why I was happy to see this the other day...

That, my friends, is "The Look"... give the kid a few years (and some cranks maybe) and he'll be dishing out pain to a peloton somewhere...

*I have heard the interview where Lance swears he wasn't looking at Jan.... whatever.... I think he looked at him.

Speed Syndicate Takes 3rd Place!

2009-07-14T22:53:00.000-07:00

Team Speed Syndicate - 3rd Place - left to right: MJ, Jeremy, Justine

Race Highlights...

Start: Hop, hop, hop, hop, flop - swim. That's how a beach start goes when you have one leg. Then you work for 150-200metres to pass everyone that beat you to the water.

Sighting: Paddleboarders had yellow shirts. Swim buoys were yellow. Got confusing for a minute but got it sorted sooner than many around me.

End of Lap 1: Swim till fingers touch... get up on one leg - hop/wobble through water, around the beach buoy, back in and swim. Heart rate goes WAY up - hopping in sand = hard work. See Caroline Greenwood and exchange a nice midswim "Hey!"

Lap 2: Smooth. Caroline swam the entire second lap about 4 ft off my starboard/stern. Very polite, never drafting.

Swim Exit: Approaching the end I started to hope Caroline might help me out of the water and up to my crutches. Sure enough, as soon as we hit land she popped up and said, "Do you want a hand?" I grabbed a shoulder and hopped up to the crutches with her help. Thanked her and told her to get going... THAT is going to be a lot of good karma for her. THANKS CAROLINE!!!

Time: 34:56 - a couple minutes slower than anticipated... speaking with everyone after it was a common theme - maybe there was a current, or the course was longer than 1.9km... whatever. Anyway, I was 6/18 in the relays and would have placed 56/212 in the overall. Not bad with all the hopping around and whatnot.... I'll take it.

Transition: The crutches were a STUPID decision. I thought I could crutch up the beach faster than putting on my leg and running. Uh... no. Not on tired arms, uphill, deep sand... it was a b!&#$. Oh well, at least I tried it and know for next time.

The rest of the race: I didn't trouble my teammates for race reports but I can tell you they both performed admirably. Jeremy on the bike and Justine running us to a podium position (3rd).

All in all I have to say relays are pretty fun - the camaraderie of competing with a team is different from the normal triathlon experience. I think more people should take advantage of the relay option as a way to get involved in the sport... or to still enjoy the competition with an injury (like I did...)

Congrats to everyone who raced! Lots had great performances out there.

Thanks to Jeremy and Justine - the Speed Syndicate will have to reunite one day!

Subaru Vancouver International 1/2 Iron - Photos

2009-07-13T10:38:00.000-07:00

Here are the photos I took at the Subaru Vancouver International 1/2 Iron event yesterday. CLICK ON THE LOGO BELOW.

I highly recommend this event, the Lifesport team does a great job and the atmosphere at their events is second to none.

The photos I took are mostly of friends: Justine, Jeremy, James, Kevin, Bree, Josh, Kate, Stephanie, Susie, and Vince

Lots of podium shots: Not quite all of them as I missed the first couple...

Some pros: at the finish line and giving interviews....

Some random: There were a few others in there as well....

There were plenty of friends racing that I didn't manage to capture on camera.... congrats to you too!

As always, HELP YOURSELF, leave me a comment if you want to thank me!

Congrats everyone!

My race report coming soon....

Subaru Vancouver International 1/2 Iron

Be as Happy as....

2009-07-08T08:51:00.000-07:00

...a kid with his first iPod...

Thanks Bapa and Mormor!!

P.S. Mattias' Rockin' Playlist... (Click to enlarge)

Five Good Things

2009-07-06T23:18:00.000-07:00

Things are coming around over here....

1. My leg seems to be improving. I don't want to jinx it but it looks and feels marginally better. All that remains will be to see if it can handle any exertion. I will be investigating that soon enough... needs a few more days to be certain I'm not jumping in too soon.

2. I have a race on the horizon! It's not a full race (because that would be REALLY stupid just as my leg is healing) - it's a relay. I will be swimming for a team in the Vancouver 1/2 Iron. I haven't met my team yet but a friend is hooking me up with a cyclist and a runner.

This is a really good thing for me.... it was a bitter disappointment to have to bail on Road and Track Nationals (cycling) especially after bailing on Escape from Alcatraz to prepare for Road and Track Nationals. I know that injuries are part of sports but that sequence of events really sucked.

Anyway, back to the race... it'll be Sunday, and I am going out on a limb and predicting a fast swim out of myself. I have been swimming more than ever (as I have been reporting ad nauseum here) so it ought to be fun.

3. The Tour is about to get crazy! The prologue in Monaco was super cool and today's stage looked boring on paper but ended setting a very interesting stage for tomorrow's Team Time Trial. Those Astana boys really must be having a blast at team dinners and hanging out on the bus as they basically try to beat the crap out of each other.

(Al)Bert(o) saying "WTF Lance?"

Cancellara said he "took it easy" on the hill in the first half of the prologue (TT), so he'd have legs for the second half.... that seemed like a good plan, as he destroyed everyone else.

4. Swimming and "sort of" training has been awesome!

We are having record turnouts to the B.B. swims since Canada Day. So much so I got all excited and created a tab on the right hand column that leads to a page I put together with info for people coming out.... you can see that HERE.

Coming up with workouts that don't put any impact or exertion on my leg is a challenge... but it is definitely one the coaches at IF are up to. On Friday Justine and Dylan had the kayaks ready to go.... The sun was beating down and it was great to hit the water!

That's me. Photo credit: Justine before she capsized...

Justine - in the midst of capsizing...

Justine - demonstrating impeccable paddleboarding technique...

Dylan and Justine soaking up the rays...

5. Last but not least.... The kids and Sacha are all enjoying the summer now that school is out. Life is good when the sun shines!

Driving his big brother's car... nice shoulder check....

Tour de France Pool

2009-07-02T12:25:00.001-07:00

OK, everyone... As if the TdF wasn't exciting enough, Meyrick Jones Racing and HP Multisport have combined to kick it up a notch!

Tour de France Pool 2009

To ENTER:

1. Answer the 15 questions below in an EMAIL. They are mostly multiple choice... easy peasy...

2. Send the e-mail to me at the address below:

meyrick(at)meyrickjonesracing.com

3. Lay your smack talk down in the comments section below if you wish....

4. Watch the Tour and enjoy!

5. Winner is the respondent with the most points after the final stage on the Champs-Élysées.

The PRIZE:

Grand Prize - ~~All expenses paid trip to the 2010 Tour!~~ Damn recession...

Still Awesome Prize - Bragging Rights.

Spoils of Victory - The winner will also receive a soon to be prestigious (and highly sought after) custom "TdF Pool 2009 Winner" image to display on blogs or websites - if you don't have a blog you can print it and put it on your refrigerator. Your friends will all be jealous!

Local Prize - For (Vancouver) participants or those willing to visit us here - James and I have also put a sushi lunch on the line. If you want in you are welcome to join us - winner eats free! (And I eat a lot....)

Without further ado...

The Questions

1. Predict Lance Armstrong's final placing in this year's two individual TTs. Add the numbers together. What is the sum?

(1 point)

A. 2-3

B. 4-5

C. 6-7

D. 8+

2. Will Lance end up ahead of Contador in the GC? (1 point)

A. Ahead

B. Behind

3. How many stages will Cavendish win? (1 point)

A. 0-1

B. 2-3

C. 4-5

D. 5+

4. What will the winning team's avg. speed be in the Team TT in km/h?

(TTT Stage details are HERE)

-Within 1 km/h = 5 points

-Within 2 km/h = 3 points

-Within 3 km/h = 2 points

-Within 4 km/h = 1 point

-off by >4 km/h = deduct a point

50.34 km/h (Best guess was Bree Wee - 50 km/h. Most entertaining guess? 72 km/h.)

5. Who will win the polka dot jersey for King of the Mountains? (1 point)

Franco Pellizotti

6. How many riders will be banned, fired for suspicion, or otherwise ejected due to doping related issues? (1 point)

A. 0-2 (0 I think....)

B. 2-4

C. 4-6

D. 6+

7. Which team will finish the tour with the most riders? (1 point)

A. AG2R

B. Agritubel

C. Astana

D. BBox Bouyges Telecom (despite almost losing the whole team in the TTT)

E. Caisse D'Epargne

F. Cervelo Test Team

G. Cofidis

H. Euskaltel - Euskadis

I. Francais Des Jeux

J. Garmin Slipstream

K. Lampre - N.G.C.

L. Liquigas

M. Quick Step

N. Rabobank

O. Silence-Lotto

P. Skil-Shimano

Q. Columbia - High Road

R. Team Katusha

S. Milram

T. Saxo Bank

8. What will the average speed be in km/h for the Mt. Ventoux stage be?

-within 1 km/h = 5 points

-within 3 km/h = 3 points

-within 4 km/h = 1 point

-off by 4+ = deduct a point

35.9 km/h (Best guess was Kevin - 36 km/h)

9. What will the margin of victory be in the GC? (The margin in minutes and seconds between winner and runner-up.)

(1 point)

A. 0-1 minute

B. 1:01 - 2:10

C. 2:11 - 3:20

D. 3:21 - 4:30 (It was 4:11)

E. 4:30 - 5:40

F. 5:41 +

10. Who will win the GC? (1 point)

Alberto Contador

11. Who will win the Green Jersey? (1 point)

Thor Hushovd

12. Which OLN broadcaster will win the competition they have each year to predict winners? (1 point)

A. Paul Sherwen

B. Al Trautwig

C. Phil Ligget

D. Bob Roll

Craig Hummer... Knew I should have looked up his name before posting....

13. Will it rain during any of the TTs? There are 3... (1 point)

A. YES

B. NO

14. Who will end up being the team leader for Astana? (1 point)

A. Armstrong

B. Contador

C. Leipheimer

D. Popovych

E. It's over and people are still wondering

15. What is the second longest stage of this year's tour? (1 point)

Stage 12 - Tonnerre -> Vittel

16. Do you want to enter the Sushi Lunch Sweepstakes? i.e. you are willing to eat sushi with James and I on a "local winner eats free basis". (0 points)

A. YES

B. NO

C. NO, because I am sure Meyrick will win and I know how much sushi he eats....

Good Luck!

Yaletown Grand Prix 2009 - Photos

2009-07-01T22:22:00.000-07:00

The Yaletown Grand Prix is one of the few remaining bike races in the lower mainland - sponsorship dollars are hard to come by these days... It's a real shame because I have always felt that these events offer an amazing amount of entertainment value for a $0 ticket. Perhaps therein lies the problem?

Anyway, I was down in Yaletown today to watch a few friends race and to have some fun with my camera. In case you weren't aware, sports photography, and photography generally, is a hobby that is near and dear to my heart.

LOOKING FOR YOUR PHOTOS?

I have a Picasa Album with almost 200 shots. There are a few from the Men's Cat 3 race, lots from the Master's Race and lots from the men's and women's Pro/1/2 races. I took lots of a couple of friends - don't think that it is a man-crush (though I would like to be able to ride like that...) but there are lots of shots of other riders.

If you find one of yourself, please help.... yourself (that sounded like Austin Powers...) BUT, do me the favour of leaving a comment here (link is at the bottom of this post) and putting a photo credit and blog link if you post it elsewhere.

Something like:

Photo Credit: Meyrick Jones

www.meyrickjonesracing.com

VISIT THE ALBUM, FIND YOUR PHOTO HERE:

Yaletown Grand Prix

Here were a couple of my favourites:

My buddy Allan Prazsky winning the Master's Race by riding away with 8 or 9 laps to go... He dominated - just like last year.

The Pro/Cat 1 and 2 Men's Field

Unidentified Rider... Anyone know his name? (Rob Britton - Thanks to Steve Engh for the ID)

Alison Testroete - Women's Champion

The photo I liked so much I posted it twice: Will Routley and Nic Hamilton destroying the field by lapping all but one rider... on their way to a 1, 2 finish.

Canada Day Swim

2009-07-01T10:34:00.000-07:00

Canada Day Swimmers (left to right - CLICK TO ENLARGE): Jill Costantino, Elspeth McGregor, Vincent Lavallee, Kevin Parenteau, Jordan Back, James Greenwood, Karen Birkenhead, Caroline Greenwood, Shannon Back, Mark Shorter, Rob Elliott, Sandy Treagus and behind the camera: MJ.

What a great swim today!

The last minute invite I sent out a couple days ago actually resulted in 13 swimmers which was pretty awesome...

There is something really cool about breathing left and seeing a few friends, then breathing right and seeing a few more. The ocean was relatively rough today - with healthy rollers to navigate - but it was nothing we couldn't handle.

We did the usual 2.5km route, which, with today's low tide, might have been more like 2.3 or so.

The best part is that I now have several new open water swim buddies (which was my hidden agenda with this impromptu swim).

Some photos:

Blue Seventy/Ironman dominated the wetsuit count with 6 out of 13...

Vince deserves special mention, not just for his speedy swimming but for his theme haircut. Can we expect to see a disc wheel on race day next week?

More prep...

Also deserving of special mention was Elspeth, who took to the Batchelor Bay waters sans wetsuit!! I didn't know Elspeth prior to today and on her way down to the chilly (ok, cold) water in a one-piece, I thought to myself, "Oh, here we go... I wonder if she'll make it 200 metres? I hope nobody has to save her."

Turns out I underestimated Elspeth a tad (click that one) based on her ocean-swim attire...

The route...

Our post-swim destination... omelettes, pancakes, french toast, bacon, sausage, toast, coffee... hell yes!

Thanks for coming out everyone! Let's do it again soon!

Canada Day Swim @ Batchelor Bay

2009-06-30T17:01:00.000-07:00

OK. Tomorrow is Canada Day! To celebrate our nation's birthday there will be an open water swim in Batchelor Bay tomorrow. Currently we have about 15 confirmed. Here are the last minute details in case you are interested:

Where: Batchelor Bay is in beautiful West Vancouver, BC. Check it out on the map HERE.
When: July 1st (tomorrow) @ 6:30am.

What: Open Water swim of between 2 and 3.5km. There will likely be a "long swim" group and a "short swim" group.

Who: So far there are about 15 people confirmed - men and women - of varying abilities.

How: With wetsuit, cap and goggles, crocs for the rocky beach, and a stomach that is ready to accept coffee and breakfast after...

Why: To mark Canada's 142nd birthday and to justify a big breakfast immediately upon H2O exit.

So there you have it. Late notice I know... maybe some of you Americans want to drive all night to mark Canada's birthday? We could swim again on July 4th if you come all this way...

It's starting to feel like I am running a swimming blog these days.... my leg really needs to heal up soon!

Blog Renovation

2009-06-29T23:09:00.000-07:00

After 320 posts I decided I needed to update the look and feel of my blog.

Click HERE to continue reading this on MJR version 2.0.

I'm not sure if very many people actually go to the page - it seems like most of my readers (the few I have :) are subscribers, followers or rss-ers and everyone uses a blog reader these days don't they?

Anyway, just in case there are a few old-schoolers out there, I gave the old girl a fresh coat of paint and a little clean-up. I have also moved to a three-column format - which was one of the harder computer skillz I've had to develop... The best part was creating a new logo - which I did over the last few weeks...

With all that hard work behind me, (just kidding - it's not too difficult...), I want to remind everyone of the best ways to make following my blog easy-peasy...

#1. Become a "Follower" - negative connotation in life, positive connotation in the blogosphere... at least I hope it's positive because I follow dozens of blogs. Click through to my page and use the "Followers" widget at the top of the left column.

#2. Subscribe for e-mail updates - you'll get my blog posts in your email inbox - simple as that. Enter your address in the box at the top of the right column. Verify, once you get the email from feedburner.

#3. Subscribe in a reader - if you use google reader (and I recommend that you do...) it is easiest to become a "Follower" - one click and you are subscribed. If not, enter my address www.meyrickjonesracing.com into your reader's subscription box.

If you haven't checked out Twitter yet you might as well have a look at my newly renovated Twitter page. (... kind of like renovating the cabin at the same time as the city house.)

Check it out and "follow" me by going HERE.

Sorry for the boring post... I do these every six months or so to help anyone who might be new to blogging or blog reading. Remember when you used to visit each site individually??? Now THAT was time consuming!!!

Cheers and thanks for reading everyone!

Simon Whitfield - One of a Kind

2009-06-27T23:48:00.000-07:00

WOW!

In case you missed it Simon Whitfield took home the gold in a 5-way sprint at the Hy-Vee ITU Elite Cup today. The Hy-Vee is the biggest payday in triathlon at $200,000 to the winner and it attracts all of the best athletes.

Simon had to outsprint the 2008 Olympic Gold Medallist (Jan Frodeno), the 2008 World Champion (Javier Gomez) and two of triathlon's top sprinters - Bran Kahlefeldt and Kris Gemmell.

As Canadian triathletes we need to really pay attention right now because Simon is our Wayne Gretzky. We won't always have a threat to win the big races, we won't always have someone in the hunt with 1km to go... Enjoy these times. I know one day I'll be sitting in a rocking chair telling my grandkids about Simon Whitfield.

I'm not saying our up and coming Canadian athletes don't look good... quite the opposite - they look great - even out there today!

Simon, however, is one-of-a-kind.