It’s been a busy couple of weeks, between, work, house deals, preparing to move, and moving our daughter back for school. Despite how hectic things have been I have managed to keep some running and a little bit of biking on the schedule. Right now I think I have enough of a base to pull off a marathon sometime in October or November. My right calf is okay, but I still have some doubt about how it is going to act with some added stress on it. I have been keeping my runs to about one hour and a moderate pace and it has been holding up. But you know when you have that feeling that it is still there, ready to come to the forefront at any moment. That is how it feels right now.
This week I had a close encounter with a bear on my lunch time run. I was running the back trails and had decided to take a little more rugged route along a game trail. The trail is off of the main town trails which are well travelled and within the town limits. From where this game trail cuts off of the main trail I could hear kids playing in their back yard so we are not talking about bush whacking into the wilderness. So back to my encounter. I headed up the trail just as a way of making up some time, plus it is actually a nice run. I went for about 5 minutes and then I turned to head back onto the town trail. On the way back, I could hear some loud snuffling noises in front of me and off to the left. At that point I couldn’t see anything as this trail has lots of curves and bends, so I kept going. When I got to the bottom of the hill and about 50 metres from the main trail, I could see a large black bear in the bush to the left of me and about 5 metres away. He was making the noises as he was trying to get a good smell of me. Immediately I stopped as I could see that he had already saw me, however he was not moving. So it became a bit of a stare down. Because he was so close I was not thinking of making any more noise than I already had, plus it was clear he had a number of options for avoiding me if he chose. Usually they are more aggressive if you are blocking their only egress. I was not inclined to go back up the trail, so I just kept my eyes on him and continued to walk toward the exit onto the town trail. The bear was still not moving but he was continuing to sniff the air and raise his head. With every step I am just hoping that he either turns or goes the other way or stays put. While I am keeping my eyes on him I am also looking around for anything that I could use to defend myself, a stick, big rock, anything. Unfortunately there is nothing that looks like it would help me at all. Now I have put about 25 metres between us and I am that much closer to the main trail. Bears can run fast there is no doubt about that, so I am still not thinking about trying to out run him. I just want to get out of his sight without him moving and that is what I did. However, once I was on the main trail I lit it up! Usain Bolt wouldn’t have caught me as I put some major distance between us. So I guess that this workout provided adequate stresses on my body and also introduced a bit of speed into the mix as well.
Hopefully that is my last encounter for awhile. The bears here (Alberta) act a lot differently than those I have run into back in Ontario. These bears never seem to take off once they see you and are either more curious or bold, I’m not sure which.
This weekend will be busy helping my son Nicholas with some repairs on his house. I am fortunate that my brother Blair is available to help us out as who knows what damage the two of us could do left to our own devices.Have a great weekend!
Friday, August 21, 2009
Thursday, August 13, 2009
Still trying to get motivated
I have still been trying to get myself motivated with little luck. The body is obviously telling me the months of pushing it have taken it's toll and it's time to take it easy. The longest run I have been able to muster is a little over 8 miles and the pace was no roaring hell. Even my attempt at a tempo run was not what I would expect. There just doesn't seem to be any response when I push the pedal. Probably just need to re-evaluate things and start back to some base training.
On a personal note things are busy as hell! Our house sold last week and we have bought a new one so we are in the process of getting geared up to move. The time is short as we have a September 11th closing date (no I’m not superstitious!) on our current house and hopefully a possession date of August 31st for the new one. That is providing the contractor can complete the last bits of finish up work. I’m optimistic! As well it is that time of year to move my darling daughter, Francesca back to school. This year’s move is a bit easier as we already have a good portion of her stuff in Edmonton and it just has to be moved from her old place to her new place. Hopefully we will get that done of Friday and also take a load down of her other stuff.
Once all the moving stuff is done I should be able to get better focused and decide on a race and a strategy. I also need to decide on an Ironman race for next year. Originally my thought was to go to Penticton this year to watch the race and sign up for next year, but I’m not sure that is in the cards. The other option would be Arizona again in November 2010.
I would have liked to have done more racing this season, but I just wasn’t able to. All of the races up here are in a tight time frame as the season is short. Once you pick something it is at the exclusion of a number of other great races. I just wish I could get started earlier in the year, but that is not going to happen as long as I am in Northern Alberta!
Although I only raced twice this year, they were both PB’s, so I have to be happy with that. I am also left feeling optimistic that there is more upside given my performance.
Enjoy the rest of your summer!
Have a great day!
On a personal note things are busy as hell! Our house sold last week and we have bought a new one so we are in the process of getting geared up to move. The time is short as we have a September 11th closing date (no I’m not superstitious!) on our current house and hopefully a possession date of August 31st for the new one. That is providing the contractor can complete the last bits of finish up work. I’m optimistic! As well it is that time of year to move my darling daughter, Francesca back to school. This year’s move is a bit easier as we already have a good portion of her stuff in Edmonton and it just has to be moved from her old place to her new place. Hopefully we will get that done of Friday and also take a load down of her other stuff.
Once all the moving stuff is done I should be able to get better focused and decide on a race and a strategy. I also need to decide on an Ironman race for next year. Originally my thought was to go to Penticton this year to watch the race and sign up for next year, but I’m not sure that is in the cards. The other option would be Arizona again in November 2010.
I would have liked to have done more racing this season, but I just wasn’t able to. All of the races up here are in a tight time frame as the season is short. Once you pick something it is at the exclusion of a number of other great races. I just wish I could get started earlier in the year, but that is not going to happen as long as I am in Northern Alberta!
Although I only raced twice this year, they were both PB’s, so I have to be happy with that. I am also left feeling optimistic that there is more upside given my performance.
Enjoy the rest of your summer!
Have a great day!
Wednesday, August 5, 2009
Gettin' My Butt Back in Gear
After a good race in Sylvan and a couple of fantastic rest days at my sister’s house on Trout Lake in Ontario, I’m ready to get back at it. I would like to do at least one more triathlon this summer, and it has to be relatively soon. The pool just closed for the annual maintenance and this year it is anticipated to be a bit longer than usual with the re-opening not until the middle of October. That means the swimming is going to be minimal until then. The upside is I will be forced to cycle more which is not a bad thing.
I also have designs on running a fall marathon. Victoria is always a great race, but I may be in the market to try something new. Seattle is also around the October / November time which is when I would be targeting. The seed is planted and now I need to get some training in. My running this spring was as good as it has been in a long time, but since that time things have headed south on me. The calf injury was somewhat unexpected as I thought I had remedied that, but like all chronic maladies, they have a way of sneaking back up on you.
So this week I start the long process of getting in some quality running. Yesterday was the kick off with an easy 8 miler in 56 minutes. The whole run I was just concentrating on my foot plant and watching to see if I felt any pain. Results were good as I felt fine after the run and did a couple of quick minutes with the trigger point.
Today I was able to sneak a run in at lunch time. Although it was short it was effective as I managed a shade under 5 ½ miles in 38 minutes. Again, everything seemed to be holding together although there was that slight feeling of tightening in the calf when I was walking back to the office. This evening I will work it over with the massager and hopefully it will be alright.
The summer seems to be flying past and the month of August looks like it will be busy as well. Lots going on at work with a number of labour arbitration's coming up, development of the 2010 Operating Plan and 5 year strategy as well as some work reorganizations. It should be interesting!
Have a great day!
I also have designs on running a fall marathon. Victoria is always a great race, but I may be in the market to try something new. Seattle is also around the October / November time which is when I would be targeting. The seed is planted and now I need to get some training in. My running this spring was as good as it has been in a long time, but since that time things have headed south on me. The calf injury was somewhat unexpected as I thought I had remedied that, but like all chronic maladies, they have a way of sneaking back up on you.
So this week I start the long process of getting in some quality running. Yesterday was the kick off with an easy 8 miler in 56 minutes. The whole run I was just concentrating on my foot plant and watching to see if I felt any pain. Results were good as I felt fine after the run and did a couple of quick minutes with the trigger point.
Today I was able to sneak a run in at lunch time. Although it was short it was effective as I managed a shade under 5 ½ miles in 38 minutes. Again, everything seemed to be holding together although there was that slight feeling of tightening in the calf when I was walking back to the office. This evening I will work it over with the massager and hopefully it will be alright.
The summer seems to be flying past and the month of August looks like it will be busy as well. Lots going on at work with a number of labour arbitration's coming up, development of the 2010 Operating Plan and 5 year strategy as well as some work reorganizations. It should be interesting!
Have a great day!
Tuesday, July 28, 2009
PB in Sylvan Lake
Just a quick update on my weekend race in Sylvan Lake.
I'm not sure if I mentioned it in my last post, but I was having a calf problem that looked like it may be a show stopper. However I did the Trigger Point Massager, lots of ibuprofen and adjusted my race goals and decided to go on with the race.
Sylvan is a half iron man so my adjusted goals were to really put some effort into the swim, bike hard, and hang on for the run. Not expecting too much as I really just wanted to get through. If I toe the starting line I am going to finish, plain and simple. While DNF's are a reality when you really hurt yourself, I have seen a number of cases where people just drop out because it wasn't going to be their day, or they weren't going to run a PB. Lame excuses at best! I think it is a very selfish when you think of all the time you put into the training, taking time away from your loved ones, to just quit cause it's not your day. It would be a different story if you are running for your pay cheque and had to save it for another day, but most of us aren't. So, without even asking, you got my opinion on DNF's!
The moral of this story is sometimes you can adjust your goals and still achieve significant achievements.
Things didn't look so great on the morning of the race as the sky was black and thunder and lightening was all around. However, after a 45 minute delay and a change to the swim course we were in the water. The course was changed to a two loop from a single loop as they wanted to concentrate the volunteers on a smaller area because of the choppy conditions. My swim was tough but I PB'ed by almost six minutes completing the 1.9 KM in 34 minutes. The course was supposed to be 2.0 KM, but it was short by about 70 metres. Even at that I still would have had a major time improvement.
Next up was the bike and after a screwed up transition I was out on the roads and riding very comfortably. The wind was a bit of a challenge but the nature of the course makes it that you are never riding into it for too long. After the 90 KM route I was showing 2:47 and an average speed of just over 20 MPH, another PB.
Last up was the run. Generally my strongest suit, but I knew that I was going to have to watch my leg. I was already feeling it a bit on the bike, but I was still confident that I could get through the 21 KM route without too much walking. In transition I gulped down some water and a couple of Advil and headed out. I quickly found a comfortable pace that I knew was a little slow but sustainable and settled in. After about 1 KM I hooked up with Ross from Lloydminster and he was my saviour. The calf was fine on the flat roads, but when we went off road or on any uneven surface it flared up immediately. When we got to 4 KM I was starting to suffer and wonder if I was going to get through without some major walking. Ross just kept chatting away with me and before you know it I am coming up to the 9 KM mark. Just about through the first half and I am still running. The next half was tough, but still the talking with my new found friend seemed to help keep my mind off the discomfort I was feeling. As it turned out he was 50 so in the next age category so we didn't even have to sprint it out to settle our placing. We ended up strolling through the finish and he had to go back to see what our time was!
Final time 5:08:49 a new personal best and renewed hope of posting a sub 5 hour half. I was 8th in my age while Ross was 2nd in his with a PB of 21 minutes better than his best.
A very successful day over all and now I will give my tired old leg some time to heal.
Have a great day!
I'm not sure if I mentioned it in my last post, but I was having a calf problem that looked like it may be a show stopper. However I did the Trigger Point Massager, lots of ibuprofen and adjusted my race goals and decided to go on with the race.
Sylvan is a half iron man so my adjusted goals were to really put some effort into the swim, bike hard, and hang on for the run. Not expecting too much as I really just wanted to get through. If I toe the starting line I am going to finish, plain and simple. While DNF's are a reality when you really hurt yourself, I have seen a number of cases where people just drop out because it wasn't going to be their day, or they weren't going to run a PB. Lame excuses at best! I think it is a very selfish when you think of all the time you put into the training, taking time away from your loved ones, to just quit cause it's not your day. It would be a different story if you are running for your pay cheque and had to save it for another day, but most of us aren't. So, without even asking, you got my opinion on DNF's!
The moral of this story is sometimes you can adjust your goals and still achieve significant achievements.
Things didn't look so great on the morning of the race as the sky was black and thunder and lightening was all around. However, after a 45 minute delay and a change to the swim course we were in the water. The course was changed to a two loop from a single loop as they wanted to concentrate the volunteers on a smaller area because of the choppy conditions. My swim was tough but I PB'ed by almost six minutes completing the 1.9 KM in 34 minutes. The course was supposed to be 2.0 KM, but it was short by about 70 metres. Even at that I still would have had a major time improvement.
Next up was the bike and after a screwed up transition I was out on the roads and riding very comfortably. The wind was a bit of a challenge but the nature of the course makes it that you are never riding into it for too long. After the 90 KM route I was showing 2:47 and an average speed of just over 20 MPH, another PB.
Last up was the run. Generally my strongest suit, but I knew that I was going to have to watch my leg. I was already feeling it a bit on the bike, but I was still confident that I could get through the 21 KM route without too much walking. In transition I gulped down some water and a couple of Advil and headed out. I quickly found a comfortable pace that I knew was a little slow but sustainable and settled in. After about 1 KM I hooked up with Ross from Lloydminster and he was my saviour. The calf was fine on the flat roads, but when we went off road or on any uneven surface it flared up immediately. When we got to 4 KM I was starting to suffer and wonder if I was going to get through without some major walking. Ross just kept chatting away with me and before you know it I am coming up to the 9 KM mark. Just about through the first half and I am still running. The next half was tough, but still the talking with my new found friend seemed to help keep my mind off the discomfort I was feeling. As it turned out he was 50 so in the next age category so we didn't even have to sprint it out to settle our placing. We ended up strolling through the finish and he had to go back to see what our time was!
Final time 5:08:49 a new personal best and renewed hope of posting a sub 5 hour half. I was 8th in my age while Ross was 2nd in his with a PB of 21 minutes better than his best.
A very successful day over all and now I will give my tired old leg some time to heal.
Have a great day!
Wednesday, July 15, 2009
Tired Legs or Old Legs?
Ever since IM CDA the legs just don't seem to have any jump in them. They don't feel particularly tired but they just don't want to respond when I try and push the pace. So is it just some residual fatigue from the race or is it just time catching up to me. Over the last few years I have noticed a slight decrease in my overall average pace which is to be expected. Oh well, nothing to get too excited about, I'm still enjoying my runs and that is the main thing.
The last week or so has been devoted to working on some skills in the pool and on the bike.
I was somewhat disappointed with my swim in Coeur d'Alene as I felt that I had improved my swimming. On reflection I would say I just didn't push hard enough. I am content to settle into a spot and just get through this portion of the race. This last while I have been really concentrating on just trying to swim faster and my strategy on race day will be the same.
On the cycling side I have been really focusing some more on using the mechanical components of the bike to make things easier. I have my bike computer back so I can get some feedback again which is nice. A good cyclist is really working his gearing constantly to maintain optimum speed and cadence. In Ironman last month I really felt that I did a better job of this as I was riding exclusively by feel and was using my gearing to keep things steady.
The Sylvan Lake race is less than 2 weeks away and while my running legs seem a little tired, everything else is in good shape. I am really looking forward to this event and hope to achieve some personal goals which won't totally be reflected in my finishing time.
Have a great week!
The last week or so has been devoted to working on some skills in the pool and on the bike.
I was somewhat disappointed with my swim in Coeur d'Alene as I felt that I had improved my swimming. On reflection I would say I just didn't push hard enough. I am content to settle into a spot and just get through this portion of the race. This last while I have been really concentrating on just trying to swim faster and my strategy on race day will be the same.
On the cycling side I have been really focusing some more on using the mechanical components of the bike to make things easier. I have my bike computer back so I can get some feedback again which is nice. A good cyclist is really working his gearing constantly to maintain optimum speed and cadence. In Ironman last month I really felt that I did a better job of this as I was riding exclusively by feel and was using my gearing to keep things steady.
The Sylvan Lake race is less than 2 weeks away and while my running legs seem a little tired, everything else is in good shape. I am really looking forward to this event and hope to achieve some personal goals which won't totally be reflected in my finishing time.
Have a great week!
Monday, July 6, 2009
Sylvan Lake Training
Over the last week or so I have been building back up in preparation for the Sylvan Lake 1/2 Ironman on July 26th. This is got to be one of my favourite events as it is just a nice size, usually no more than 400 participants. The lake is quite nice and usually the weather has co-operated.
I haven't really thought about any race specific goals, but I do think I would really like to put in a good performance on the bike. Coeur d'Alene really inspired me as far as I felt like it was a real breakthrough cycling wise. Sylvan Lake will be an opportunity to explore that a little further and see how much an impact pushing the bike harder will have on my run. Obviously there is going to be a break point there between riding harder and still having something left in the legs for the run. However, I haven't even gotten close as I am certain I can ride harder and run harder. It is all a matter of training!
This weekend we took a trip to Radium Hot Springs. It was beautiful and extremely relaxing. And while I was there I found out that they have both a triathlon and a marathon coming up in the next few weeks. Might be worth checking out!
It looks like this week I will be doing some workouts indoors as the weather is going to be lousy. That's okay though as I honestly don't mind it. Always a good opportunity to push a bit harder and know that if it gets too hard you just get off the bike and your home!
Have a great week!
I haven't really thought about any race specific goals, but I do think I would really like to put in a good performance on the bike. Coeur d'Alene really inspired me as far as I felt like it was a real breakthrough cycling wise. Sylvan Lake will be an opportunity to explore that a little further and see how much an impact pushing the bike harder will have on my run. Obviously there is going to be a break point there between riding harder and still having something left in the legs for the run. However, I haven't even gotten close as I am certain I can ride harder and run harder. It is all a matter of training!
This weekend we took a trip to Radium Hot Springs. It was beautiful and extremely relaxing. And while I was there I found out that they have both a triathlon and a marathon coming up in the next few weeks. Might be worth checking out!
It looks like this week I will be doing some workouts indoors as the weather is going to be lousy. That's okay though as I honestly don't mind it. Always a good opportunity to push a bit harder and know that if it gets too hard you just get off the bike and your home!
Have a great week!
Wednesday, July 1, 2009
Happy 142 Birthday Canada!
It's Canada Day today and I am enjoying a nice day at home.
The last few months have been action packed with the wedding, the training and then the actual race. But it has all been good. Isn't that what life is all about? Living.
Today we get to count our blessings for living in this wonderful country. And to be sure, it is not perfect, but given the alternatives I am perfectly fine here. Last year at this time I did my little "10 Reasons why I am proud to be a Canadian" and all those reasons still stand.
Happy 142nd Birthday Canada!
I have been reading some of the other race reports from CDA and it is interesting reading other people's perspectives on the race. Shawn and Carrie's report on Tri to Be Funny is really great as you get perspectives from a first timer and a veteran. I saw Carrie just coming out of transition on the run and she looked great and ended up with an unbelievable time of 11:46 or so and Shawn also had a great day coming in just over 14 hours. Great job!
My thoughts now are on doing some shorter races over the summer and then look towards a fall marathon. Victoria is always a good choice but I may try something new as I have done that one three times. Seattle may be a good one to try.
I am definitely up to do another Ironman and since I turn 50 next year I think I want to do one I haven't done before. Maybe something a little more exotic! I'll keep my eyes open and see what the options look like. If I haven't decided by August I will go to Penticton to sign up for Ironman Canada. That is a very challenging race and actually not that far to go.
This weekend Angela and I are going to spend the weekend in Radium Hot Springs. Through all the training she is always my biggest supporter and puts up with the inevitable crankiness as I get close to race day. I can't thank her and the kids enough for their support. You certainly don't make the commitment and succeed without that kind of help.
Enjoy Canada Day and have a great week!
The last few months have been action packed with the wedding, the training and then the actual race. But it has all been good. Isn't that what life is all about? Living.
Today we get to count our blessings for living in this wonderful country. And to be sure, it is not perfect, but given the alternatives I am perfectly fine here. Last year at this time I did my little "10 Reasons why I am proud to be a Canadian" and all those reasons still stand.
Happy 142nd Birthday Canada!
I have been reading some of the other race reports from CDA and it is interesting reading other people's perspectives on the race. Shawn and Carrie's report on Tri to Be Funny is really great as you get perspectives from a first timer and a veteran. I saw Carrie just coming out of transition on the run and she looked great and ended up with an unbelievable time of 11:46 or so and Shawn also had a great day coming in just over 14 hours. Great job!
My thoughts now are on doing some shorter races over the summer and then look towards a fall marathon. Victoria is always a good choice but I may try something new as I have done that one three times. Seattle may be a good one to try.
I am definitely up to do another Ironman and since I turn 50 next year I think I want to do one I haven't done before. Maybe something a little more exotic! I'll keep my eyes open and see what the options look like. If I haven't decided by August I will go to Penticton to sign up for Ironman Canada. That is a very challenging race and actually not that far to go.
This weekend Angela and I are going to spend the weekend in Radium Hot Springs. Through all the training she is always my biggest supporter and puts up with the inevitable crankiness as I get close to race day. I can't thank her and the kids enough for their support. You certainly don't make the commitment and succeed without that kind of help.
Enjoy Canada Day and have a great week!
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