Week in Review

Training this last week has been a little tentative...  

Upon my return from Florida I promptly went out for my first run in three weeks and went a little too hard and neglected to stretch enough.  What a tard I am...  It was only a 45 minute run with some drills, but it was the 4x30 second strides that did it I am sure.  Anyway, my right calf felt like I had run my first marathon for about 5 days....  Stairs were tough...  the complete rookie runner walk where you hobble around on your heels.

On Friday I participated in Accu-Chek Cyclebetes for the second year.  The Innovative Fitness Team raised $4,000 out of an amazing $100,000+ which went to juvenile diabetes research.  I'd like to extend a HUGE "thank you" to those that donated.  I am going to write more about this in the next few days.  

That was four hours of spinning in a high school gymnasium...  Between my sore calf and slightly tender undercarriage (from all the riding in Florida) the trainer didn't feel too spectacular.

On Sunday Kevin P. and I did a 2 hour ride - it was awesome to be back on the roads here even if there are WAY more cars and the temperature is about 25°c less than in Florida.

It has also been good to get back into Innovative for a couple of workouts - I miss the vibe and energy of the place when I am away for that long.  Josip  put me through my paces on Friday and Monday and Kevin L. and I will be working together this afternoon.

On Friday I will be returning to the pool.  It will be good to get back into the morning Masters routine.

Now I am heading out for a ride before the rain clouds close in (I hope...)

Cheers!

This was taken in the gym at Rockridge High School at about 1am...  During Cyclebetes people were spinning for 24 hours straight and $100,000+ was raised for JDRF - pretty awesome!

Debbie - We were on the spinners together for 2 hours...

Steve - Joined us at about midnight and took it through till 4am....  trooper.

When your a$$ is sore and you are spinning for 4 hours it is smart to 'practice' descending technique ;)

I decided to stop in the middle of the Lion's Gate Bridge for some shots... It's a cool spot to see the city from even though the photos don't really do it justice.

Kev, (and my reflection in his glasses)...

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Tough Conditions - Silver Star

I am scheduled to leave for Silver Star on Monday.  The plan is to get onto the snow for two weeks in preparation for the important selection races in early December.

I have been following the conditions at Silver Star for the last couple of weeks and they haven't been great.  Tony (my ski coach) had to cancel one early season camp already.  As of this morning this is the report (click to enlarge):

So that makes a total of 4 trails open.  It would almost be better if 0 trails were open.  At least I'd know not to bother going.  As it is I'm not sure what to do... I seriously doubt that the 4 that are open are in good shape...

Damn you global warming!  In order to find a "bright side" to this weather issue I was forced to search for and watch this classic video...  I now present it for your enjoyment...  

George Bush On Global Warming - Spoof By Will Ferrell - More amazing videos are a click away

Though it is mostly good that Barack Obama is taking the reins from W it must be noted that the quality of political comedy will likely experience a recession of dramatic proportions.

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Halloweekend

Friday

Halloween is one of those days that is way more fun now than it was before we had kids.   

It starts early - I was barely out of the pool after Masters on Friday when Sacha was calling for reinforcements.  The Grim Reaper and Little Red Riding Hood were in full costume at 7:20am...

They pretty much never broke character until the costumes came off before bed.  Sacha and I, on the other hand, broke character by eating candy all day like a couple of 10 year olds.

The Grim Reaper, Bee-go, and Little Red Riding Hood

Little Red Riding Hood

"Focus" is Viggo's specialty.  You can put the kid in a bee-suit, but you can't hide the eyes of a warrior.

The "Guitar Hero" look coming together... I believe every guy wants to try a mohawk at least once.  Turns out it's not the perfect hairstyle for West Van...  maybe a tad aggressive.  Fun for 12 hours though.

Saturday

After a day of soccer (Mattias), music (Aia), sleeping (Viggo), sneaking miniature candy bars (Sacha and I), we headed over to Ruth and Henry's place for a super-awesome evening of home made pizza and hanging out.  Ruth is Sacha's trainer at IF.

Pick a cool fall evening and try to come up with a better meal than home made pizza and red wine....  I challenge you.  Seriously, go ahead and try....  you can't.

Sunday

Barely able to roll my increasingly candy, pizza and wine-fattened body out of bed, I decided that I needed to crank out some serious exercise on Sunday.

I started with a solo-spin at IF, followed by Richard's spin class (which I highly recommend) - 2 hours all together.  Followed that up with a 7 or 8 mile jog with Sacha along the West Van seawall and up the Capilano River and back.

The brick was pretty mellow as we weren't trying to break any speed records on the run, but it felt awesome.  My legs were lively and I felt happy to be out there - which sometimes I do not when it comes to brick training.     

Sacha and I after our run.

The standard seawall route in West Van.  Click to enlarge.

Josip and Rob (mounted) - not sure what to type here............

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Chasing Green Grass

You will be relieved to find that this post, despite the title and the picture above, is not about grass (though the title would apply quite perfectly to the patchy rough I call my lawn)...

One of the downsides of having clearly defined goals is that there are times when you'd like to ignore them and do something that is "short-term smart" but "long-term stupid".

The fall seems full of opportunities that fit into that description. Here are a few of the COOL events that my friends are doing in the next few months (or over the next year) that I would love to file under "completed":

New York Marathon

Las Vegas Marathon

Boston Marathon

Tour de California cycling trip

Climb Mt. Kilimanjaro

Ironman Canada

Ironman World Championships

Xterra Racing

Climb Mt. Hood (as per Darren's suggestion a few posts ago in the 'comments')

I am not trying to say there is no way to do any of these things now - just that I have wanted to do them all and for one reason or another they conflict with my current goal.

Now, I know that my own goals are pretty cool too (if I do say so myself) but there is a tendency to peer across the fence and see very green grass on the other side.

There was a time (not long ago, in fact) when I would have tried to do it all (or more anyway) at the expense of doing any of it *well*. And, you know what?  ...that isn't wrong.  It's just a different approach. It is awesome to experience as many cool events as you can.

Lately my focus has been more on performance (i.e. try to do one or two things well) and less on experiences (i.e. just do great stuff all over the world and enjoy it.)

When my 2010 goal concludes (hopefully by racing in the Callaghan Valley at the Paralympics) you can expect me to switch gears for a while.... There are going to be some cool events and great experiences.

Not that I won't try to do well at them... just that I will accept slightly less performance at MORE things. Maybe....

Or maybe I'll try Rowing and shoot for London in 2012 (which would be 2 more years of 100% performance)...... Who can say....

One way or the other I know the grass might *always* look greener on the other side so I can't chase green grass. I have to find the sport equivalent of C-I-L Golfgreen and make the grass on my side as green as possible.

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October Training Update

October has been all about building fitness and preparing for snow in November, and races in December.

Sean has had me on a well-organized 'build' which involves a lot of running, riding and roller-skiing.  I am still swimming two to three times a week on average, but skipping if I need the sleep, or if my arms and shoulders are tired from roller-skiing/double poling workouts.  I am putting in about 13-18 hours/week over the last few weeks - which, at the upper end, approaches the limit of what I can fit into my life.   

Innovative Fitness and my trainers, Rob and Daryl, have been extremely helpful - making sure I don't neglect the less exciting aspects of training - full-body strength, stretching, core work etc.  Rob also joins me for a workout or two every week which is nice.

I feel pretty strong and fit these days though I am concerned about my lack of actual skiing on snow.  The time I have between first snowfall and first race is short to say the least.  This is causing nervousness for me - which I don't usually suffer from.

I have one more FUN event before I really have to bury my head in ski training.  Haney 2 Harrison (November 8th) is a 100km road relay.  Teams of 8 compete for the title.  Each leg of the event is between 8 and 15km and they vary in profile....  Our team from IF West Vancouver looks pretty stellar, and we hope to lay a beat-down on the Kits and White Rock IF locations.  AND H2H is on a Saturday which means that "Team Celebrations" post-race can be a little more "intense" so to speak.  I'm guessing that it should be one of the more fun events all year.

I am toying with fitting in another 10km or half-marathon before H2H but it will be a last minute decision and more of a training event if I decide to do it.

I hope your training is going well and your goals are within sight.  Cheers.

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Riding in style?

This afternoon I did a two hour ride...  actually it ended up being a spin on the trainer in front of the TV because I didn't feel like leaving the family all afternoon.  There was also an incredible amount of televised sports to be had from about 4pm on:  Seahawks vs. Bucs, Canucks vs. Hawks, and Red Sox vs. Rays Game 7 ALCS.

I was a happy camper in my corner of the living room with the remote control handy - the kids would pop in and hang out while I spun the legs and took in all the games.  Pretty awesome.  So awesome I shot a 24 second video which includes me wearing a ridiculous (but functional) headband.... enjoy.

If that headband isn't odd looking enough for you try this...

I'm not sure what it is about a soccer player riding a pony but it's all wrong. Just looks... wrong...

You can see it in his face, "Should I laugh, cry or tell my dad to put away the camera."

Mocha the pony did not seem too concerned by Mattias' cleats (or the un-equestrian-ness of his riding attire)... I suppose she was focused on the job at hand (hoof) which was to walk back and forth 1000 times with a different kid on board each time....

This trot took place at the West Van Pumpkin Patch. You didn't know there was a pumpkin patch in West Van? Well there sure is, and weird things happen there - like soccer players riding ponies and one-legged men gambling uncontrollably at the cake wheel and guessing the weight of freakishly heavy pumpkins (unsuccessfully in both cases.)

Don't worry the child in the carrier (Viggo) was not harmed while assessing the enormous weight of the pumpkin (my guess was 84 lbs... incorrect I assume, as the Pumpkin Patch Competition Committee has not called me.)

All kidding aside, the patch was a veritable extravaganza of beautifully idyllic scenes like the ones below...

Today we celebrated Aia's 4th birthday... That's all I will say about that for now, because I am going to post some pics on Tuesday which is her actual b-day.

I'll be up early for masters tomorrow and another week will be underway... I hope you all had great weekend!

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Human Powered Day

Last night Sacha and I realized we had 1 car at my Dad's place - which doesn't work too well when I need to go to swimming at 6am and to work from there, and she needs to get the kids to school for 9...

We hummed and hawed (spelling of 'hawed' anyone?) and eventually I came upon the idea to run to swimming.  I woke early - 4:45am.  My plan was to go slowly, so I gave myself a full hour to run the 10km (planning on it taking 48-50 mins and having the other 10 minutes to change into my swim gear and take down a gel).

5 am is a GREAT time to run.  The world is pretty much dead...  you can cross streets anywhere (using appropriate caution) - for instance I ran right across the lanes from the east to the west side of the Lion's Gate Bridge at the West Van end - something that would normally result in death...

Apart from the grind up the Stanley Park Causeway (which is an almost imperceptible grade to the eye - but definitely perceptible to a runner) the run was really enjoyable.  The swim was challenging after 10k's, but once I lolly-gagged through the first couple 100 metres I felt pretty good.  Also, the swim was a great recovery for me - legs didn't even feel tired after... nice.

Check out the cool picture I found of my run - I went from just left of BC Place (the white dome) - to the last cluster of buildings on the far shore.... looks farther than 10km...

It got me thinking about another HUMAN POWERED DAY.  I had one last year (because my van was in the shop) - I ran from West Van to have breakfast with my Dad downtown, then to my dentist in Kits, and back to West Van later in the day.  I think I went 24 hours without burning any fossil fuel - just my pack on my back - running.

Look for me to throw down an HPD just for fun some time soon....  maybe I'll start an HPD Challenge... and see if I can get more people on board.  It feels pretty cool to get around the city this way.

Enough blogging - I have a presentation at GF Strong Rehab Centre tomorrow night... better get a little prep in...

P.S.  The Chinese wedding was awesome - 300 people, weird food (Shark Fin soup, chicken feet, strange balls floating in milky liquid....).  Congrats and thanks Tony and Alex - we had a great time and wish you guys the best.

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Saturday Run

I was planning to go on a long ride today with the I.F. group but in the end the logistics made it too challenging.  We are living at my Dad's at the moment (he is in Montreal) and all of my cycling equipment is in West Vancouver.  The 7am start-time combined with my equipment being on the other side of town made me change my plans.  

Instead I strapped on the running leg and went out for a Sun Run tune-up.  I read about a run workout that Bree Wee (a first year female triathlon pro) uses in the week or so prior to a race so I decided to give it a shot. 

Briefly it goes like this:  

- 15 minute warm-up

- 5 minutes steady (2 minute recovery)

- 4 minutes steady (2 minute recovery)

- 3 & 2

- 2 & 2

- 1 & 2

- 10 minute warm-down

- (then I went about 20 minutes more)

The idea is that you go a bit harder (and hopefully faster) with each interval.  This is called a Fartlek session (i.e. different intensities).

It went really well, I enjoyed it a lot and I covered more ground than I expected.  This type of workout is what I need because it forces me to use different paces and become comfortable with how much I can do at each speed....  it is sometimes easy to run at one speed all the time (which is a sure way to never improve.)

I will unveil my Sun Run race plan here in the coming week...  I will be trying a new strategy.  Exciting - I know....  a cliffhanger.....  you'll have to check back to hear all about the new plan.

Now we are off to a huge Chinese wedding....  I think there will be 400 people.  11 courses of chinese food too...  wow!

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Training Update

First week back update...

I missed my first swim back due to lost luggage - no goggles, no suit.  (and the three hour time change made 5:30 seem like 2:30 - Ouch!

So on Wednesday I hit the pool at 6 am for Masters.  Mischa usually lets us have it on Wednesdays so it is never advisable to make Wednesday your first day back after a lay-off.  I went against this rule of thumb though and threw myself in at the deep end (literally and figuratively.)

It hurt.  The main set was 5 x 400 metres (progressive - which means they are supposed to get faster...)  The first was completed in 6:15, the second in 6:10 or so and then I began to "progress" the wrong way....  Snorkeling with Mattias may not be adequate to keep my swim stroke at peak performance.  

In the pool again this morning for a shorter sets workout... more to my liking and I held my own and led the group for fast 50s and a few other fun sets.  It doesn't take long to get it back...

Down at IF I have had a couple of great sessions:  Monday with Rob (highlight: we did a Tabata session on the treadmill - 20seconds on a tready at 12.5, incline 3 followed by 20 seconds on a different tready at level 8, incline 1 - back and forth, back and forth, no rest, repeat 8 times....  it only takes a few minutes but it is tough.)

Wednesday with Richard was tough - started the day with Mischa's deadly Masters workout so I was already a bit exhausted upon arrival when Richard hammered me with a 3 x 12 reps strength day.  Was painful...

I did a 7km trot (easy run) on Thursday... just to get the legs moving.

Today Rob and I did a cardio blast workout that involved three rowing/running mini bricks that were challenging but not too bad.  Row 500 metres in sub 1:40 then run 1 minute at level 10 on the tready followed by 1 minute at level 8.5... then various strength exercises.  Repeat three times changing the exercises each time.  Good fun.

This weekend has a big bike ride on Saturday and a run (on Saturday or Sunday).  Should be fun...  more details to follow.

Good to be back.

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Home Sweet Home

Well we made it back safe and sound...  got back on Sunday night actually.  The journey was smooth right up till the last hurdle - our luggage got lost.  All four pieces to be precise.  We still don't have it and I won't lie that it's becoming a bit irritating.  Really it wouldn't be a big deal except for a few key items - the cord for my laptop being the #1 item I am missing.  (Mental note: don't separate the cord from the laptop to save a bit of carry-on weight.)  So, why did our luggage get lost?  Let me tell you (because this is a new thing and you may be effected)...

When you have a connecting flight and the second leg is international, say, Kauai - Honolulu then Honolulu - Vancouver you MUST pick up your bags in Honolulu and take them through customs and security yourself.  Not like the old days when they could "check your bags through".  The problem is that the airline check-in staff will often still say "we'll check your bags through to the final destination" for some reason (like any of the following: they don't know Vancouver is in Canada, they are half asleep, they don't look at the final destination at all, they forget the new rule, whatever...)  The result is you arrive in Honolulu, head to the gate for your next flight while your luggage runs into a problem in the bowels of the airport.  Said luggage then gets re-routed to the 'Baggage Department' where it collects dust until someone sees fit to process the paperwork and put it through customs without you.  Meanwhile a WORLDWIDE BAGGAGE TRACKING system headquartered in Bangalore, India is trying in vain to figure out this (quite simple) problem.  So beware....  just say, "No Thanks, I'll pick up my bag and re-check it."  Obviously, this isn't a problem if you are flying domestically or if the first leg of your journey is the international leg...  

Anyway, I am borrowing a cord and finally seeing my e-mail (over 200 new e-mails... arghh) and providing a quick blog update.

Our holiday was GREAT!  Kauai is a pretty special place and one that I know we will be visiting again soon.  I will load up a slideshow and a better trip report in an upcoming post (once my luggage returns from its extended holiday in Honolulu - that's positive thinking for you...)

Onto Training....  it's great to be back into a regular routine.  I got my program from James at Innovative Fitness and it looks like a great plan to put me into fighting form for triathlon season.

My first benchmark will be the Sun Run on the 20th - I am excited to do this race as it should provide a pretty good reading on my overall fitness.  Also, it is a lot of fun...

I am fighting off a creeping antsy feeling that I am late in preparations for triathlon season....  the logical side of my brain knows it is because I have had a busy ski season and things are different with a two sport focus.  The other side of my brain just feels like I am "behind".  The cure for this problem?  I need to ramp up the workouts and get down to business fast!  (without overdoing it and getting injured.)

My biggest weakness at the moment has to be my cycling as I have ignored it to a massive degree over the course of the winter.  I will be seeking to remedy that situation in the coming weeks.

Stay tuned for some training posts and pics in the coming weeks, and cross your fingers for better weather!

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Nationals Day 2 + 3

Well the waiting is almost over...  tomorrow we race.  9am start.

Yesterday, was an off day - couldn't train as the Team Sprints were being held on the course.  I started the day with a trip to the dump (got rid of the dryer)... There are few feelings as satisfying as tipping a dryer into an empty steel container (WHAMMM!)...

...then the four of us went to a little cafe for breakfast - following which Aia got sick (on the bed...) and I did too (but not on the bed).... fortunately, it passed really fast for both of us.

  

Remember when they introduced the Olympic Mascots for 2010 a few months ago??  Sumi, Quatchi and Miga?

Many thought these three were a bit... how shall I say it??... Japanese?  Well, not very Canadian anyway. It's strange that an imaginary character (the sasquatch) could be deemed Japanese but hey....   Anyway, I learned quickly what the mascot designers were thinking when we passed a gift shop and Mattias and Aia were struck with the Olympic Spirit. Wow - they love these guys! Bingo - half of my Cross Country BC weekly food stipend out the window on stuffed animals. I'm a sucker for the Olympics too....  

I got a massage for some sore muscles later in the day.  Dinner.  Team BC meeting.  Bed.  Done and done.

Today I started with a training session at the Callaghan Valley - hit the trail at 9.  Had an enjoyable ski with a fellow named Robin McKeever - he is one of Canada's top Nordic Racers (able bodied), he graciously went slowly enough for me to keep up :)  Everything felt good, the adjustment Michael recommended for my ski foot worked like a charm. I am very happy with it... Robin had a few ideas to refine it even more which I will run by Michael after Nat's.

We checked out of one hotel and into another - we are now settled for the week.  This is good as all the location shifting sort of sucks - we don't pack lightly.  The highlight of the day for Mattias and Sacha may have been Horton Hears a Who (it's a movie), which for Aia and myself was a great chance to nap.  Not that it wasn't excellent - I liked the little I saw.

More exciting posts to come....  two races in the next two days.

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Tabata Training

Check out this interesting training protocol...  Tabata Training

P.S.  Something gets to be called a "protocol" when enough testing has been done to prove its effectiveness... one of the interesting things you'll learn in this post...

P.P.S.  Chuckie V - the author of the Tabata post, is one of the most interesting bloggers out there (in my own opinion...)  He is a former pro triathlete and cyclist and now a coach.  He is not only wise but very entertaining...

P.P.P.S.  This will definitely be incorporated into Warrior Training....  even if it is just so we can reference our "protocols"...  sweet word - very pro.

                                 Chuckie V - a sample of his humour, his post is awesome...

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Callaghan Valley

What a great weekend!

I spent the weekend up at Whistler - skied on Friday.... I had planned to visit the new Whistler Olympic Park which will host the Olympic and Paralympic Nordic skiing events. This plan was sidetracked as the Park did not open till Saturday.

So I skied at Callaghan Country. The nice lady in the unheated trailer cabin told me it was ten km up to a lake - "it's uphill, but you like like you're up for it!"

Somehow, between the cabin (where I bought my trail pass) and my vehicle (where I put on my skis) the idea of climbing up to this lake set in..... after-all "I look up for it!"

It is 10km, and it is straight up.... extremely hard work. I was overheating within 5 minutes. But, up I went.... practicing the offset technique Tony showed me and I have been practicing at Cypress. Up to the lake - it's frozen and not particularly impressive (but maybe I was too bagged to appreciate it?) Rest. Get incredibly cold and commence the 10km downhill where I almost froze - literally. All the sweat I produced on the way up turned ice cold and made me very uncomfortable.... I have some learning to do about clothing or layers or something!

Back to the car - heater on full blast all the way back to Whistler. I wish I took the camera.... maybe that lake was worth the pain.

Friday night - met Kaspar Wirz - head coach of the Canadian Para-Nordic Team at a Callaghan Valley Grand Opening function. He instructed me to ski 800km and call him.... I was surprised the number was so small!! haha.... After all, I did 20k yesterday alone!

Saturday - Watched the Callaghan Valley's first race.... BC Cup #2. Had a great time soaking up the vibe.... kids racing, para-nordic athletes, masters, men, women.... very family oriented. I wish I had gone to watch a triathlon before I entered my first one.... it helps to see the way things work while you've got a latte in your hand and no stress or pressure to perform. The race was great and sort of made me wish I had signed up... maybe.

Back home to the family on Sunday night after getting the cabin ready for the Herbert Family from Australia.

Great weekend.

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