Brilliant Hospitality

Made our way up to the lake to celebrate with the M&M's..... easily described as simply brilliant hospitality combined with fantastic food.  Now add in the possibility of drinking way tooo much and blowing off fingers with fireworks from Canada Tire and you've got yourself a way of remembering the birth of 2015.

We all managed to get organized enough to head out on the local trails around the golf course and down to the 307-7th for a grand tour of the abandoned and seemingly derelict cottages of the summer residents.

The Whole Gaggle of Us

Forgot my watch in the chaos that sometimes materializes when the whole gaggle of us head to the pool.  Regardless, Tri-Girl had hers and she was into a 30min lap swim so I paced of of her rather than trying to keep an eye on the pace clock witch is perpetually out of focus without prescription goggles.

So just a straight up TT with a fairly accurate time and completely on par with my last timed effort.

A Sense of Being at the Lake

Day after gluttony.

We, if I was perfectly honest, I did not really eat that much.... haven't been a two plate second helping kind of guy for 15yrs..... well with the exception of Tri-Girl's pie.  The dust has settled on yet another fantastic Christmas and Tri-Girl and I decided that today was a run day.  Minons got a WiiU for Christmas, so we did not feel like kicking them off the TV for Sufferfest.  With some gentle snow -globe snow falling outside and drifting straight down, we knew that the wind was not going to be a factor, so even though it was -11˚C the run was the only option as Centennial was still closed for the holiday.

There are moments that I tire of the Hearte Trial, but they are few and far between when it is maintained.  What a simply fantastic run today.  It is 1 mile out to the trail head and then within a few steps you are enveloped in the peaceful calm of the tunnel of poplars and elms that forms the trail.  In all honesty, I was realy only trying to catch Tri-girl; who had set out on this adventure about 5 minutes ahead of me. Yet, once I reached the turnaround point, I was having so much fun, I though I would go a bit farther.... no regrets there.... punched the stop sign at Harstone and headed home.

Greeting people walking dogs and going for walks, you get this sense of being at the lake where you say hi to everyone you meet, or at least give them a wave or a nod.  That combined with the lightly falling snow, made my day.

'Twas the day before Christmas

'Twas the day before Christmas
and on the usual trail,
Tri-guy was running
at the pace of a snail.

His calf was all fixed
and hammies were stretched
in hopes that decent times
could possibly be fetched.

This was not to happen
on the roads out today,
as snow turned "Brown Sugar"
and time slipped away.

And what to his wondrous
eyes should appear,
but a fantastic Santa hat
that was sure to spread cheer.

So up on his head,
as merry attire
Tri-gy headed out
for a lap of the Shire.

Left-Right, Left-Right,
'round the course he flew;
wishing festive greetings
to people familiar and new.

And they heard him exclaim,
as he ran out of sight.
"Merry Christmas to all,
and to all a good night!"

All apologies to Clement Clarke Moore.

Just Maintenance

Day two of swimming and it was a little bit busier with all the kiddies on break.  A few people have figured out our secret time and have come to join us.  The lady at the desk let us in; however, we had to wait to go on deck until 2:30 when a third lifeguard came on.

My time in the pool was ouchy. My shoulders and the like were still twitchy and achy from yesterday's TT and I was sure it would slow me down.  But then again.... who cares?  Its not like these times really mean that much and the bigger issue is that I am getting healthy and putting my self  firmly back on the road to full recovery and heading towards completing 1/2 Challenge in August.  Thus, in the wee small hours of the season, it is far more important that I just be consistent and swim... in fact some of my best work outs have been when I do not feel like going at all.

In the end, I was pleased with my day two times and will continue down this avenue as the speed work seems to be doing just that..... working.

The second half of my swim was the fun stuff.  Peaches and Short Pants are signed up for their Bronze Medallion starting in Jannuary and one of the requirements is the timed swim.  Now both of them were getting a little worried about this one, and try as I might to tell them that they will be fine, they both were still uncertain.  So.... I convinced them to come into my lane and give it a go.  Ready or not, they understaood that it was a good idea to get a base-line and we could go from there.  

I paced them out really easy to start as I was still tired from my set and I wanted them to understand that going fast out of the gate was not going to get them anywhere. Nothing like gasping on the lane rope, completely out of breath watching everyone pass you.  The timed swim is 500m in 15:00.  Like I said, that can seem a bit daunting, but they both did very well and were easily under the time.  Short Pants came in at: 10:45 - 2:09/100m, and Peaches came in with a handy 2:30 to spare at 12:26 - 2:29/100m.  Nothing to worry about... just maintenance.

Hypoxia?

First day of holidays and the family ended up at the Centennial.  Tri-girl and I hit the lanes and the kiddies chased each other about... so much so that I am really not that certain who burned more calories.  I decided I have done three and a half months doing my little set of 5x300m to try to get my speed up , so with Rubber Glove fresh in my legs and embedded in my brain, I thought it would be a good idea to do a TT in the pool.  20 minutes seemed a little short, so I settled on 30 minutes which was roughly the same as my regular time.

My biggest feat, to be honest, was not the time, but losing track of my laps.  I get in there and round about 30 laps in I drift off an start thinking about this and that and then I am all befuddled and not sure if that was 34 or 36.  I am usually lucid enough to know that is it an odd or even lap, but where to go from there is never quite as clear as you'd think.  Maybe it is the effort creating a lack of oxygen to my bran that is causing the lapse in  mathematical prowess or it simply could just be that i  am a bear of very little brain. Either way, my fears were unfounded as I counted them all with great precision.

This will explain how I feel in the pool sometimes...

Anyhoo... I am pretty proud of my time and my average was pretty close to where i wanted it to be.  I was hoping for about a 1:40 minute/ 100M and I was pretty stoked when it worked out to 1:39.

Generous Amounts of Chamois Creme

After a quiet week of exercise and I long week at work, Tri-girl and I descended back to the scene of the crime (quite apropos seeing that these Sufferfest videos are downright criminal).  Today we would throw caution to the wind and apply generous amounts of Chamois Creme and lube it up for Sufferlandria's official fitness examination - Rubber Glove.

The aptly named Rubber Glove is a series of warm up type efforts getting you ready for a 20 minute TT whose results will guide you in your gear choices and speed for the video series.  When you are done, you will have some data to drive your workouts.... i.e. avg speed and avg HR for the 20 minutes of suffering.  However, what I truly enjoyed, is that it really gave me some pacing for the TT and brought me to one of the fastest TT's in 5 years.  Now that's money well spent.  Whether it is the videos and training I have done up to this point or where I am at on this particular day - who knows?  But what I do know is that I am about 10 videos into the 20 and besides the heart pounding and sweat that characterize each video, I am maybe seeing my first real results from all this hard work.

Sadly, I am also aware that in increasing my TT pacing, I have shot myself in the foot, as all of my efforts for the remaining videos will be all the harder.  I was riding at my last TT pace for all of the first videos and holding 23KMPH for an effort of 7.  Now, due to my increased TT AVG Speed, I am going to have to hold 25KMPH for an effort of 7. .... well 25.6KMPH to be exact.

If you open my data and go to the splits, you will see the completed TT and how that all played out.

Tri-Girl and I also did a 35 minute warm up to get ready for the TT.

Just Get Through it Without Falling

After being led like a lamb to the slaughter on a weekly basis to Ness Physiotherapy to have my legs worked on by the jackhammer hydraulics of Chris "fingers" Ciastko, I braved the roads and the melty type temps and headed out on my first run in 9 weeks.  I was a bit apprehensive with drizzle drifting down like a cooling blanket of mist and freezing to the road creating the perfect pebbling effect akin to our local curling rinks.  However, my fears were assuaged through careful footing and the ever sure grip of my trusty Ravena's.  

It was not a fast run by any means and that was not the point.... a fact I kept reminding myself throughout the 30 or so minutes I was out there.  "Just get through it without falling.  There is loads of time to build up speed."  I tried my best to keep some constant pacing, and,  although I did wear my watch, I was also smart enough no to look at it once.    

I was happy to get through the 5K without incident.  Things hurt that usually do not later that night, and combined with the 4 hour wrapping session, I was truly laid up.  Advil, Hot tub and percussion Massager did ease my pain... but then again, it could just simply be the distraction as the kids took my massager and tickled themselves silly.

Agony Extraordinaire: Nine Hammers

Today it was my pleasure to check out the latest offering from the minions at the Sufferlandrian Ministry of Educational Cycling and Agony.  Although it has been banned by the United Nations as an inhumane path, the Nine Hammers proves to be an excellent addition to the Sufferfest repertoire mixing in Threshold and Vo2 Max efforts with some simply brilliant high-def descends down from the top of the valley of the Nine Hammers.  Glory and Fame awaits all who can manage to make it through and the promise from the ministry is that your name will be carved in the lava flowing from Mt. Sufferlandria.

Rite of passage or simply one more in the endless list of tasks set out for you by the incensed Grunter vonAgony, no one is sure.  One thing is for certain, though, for the hour that you are in the hands of the team at Sufferfest, you will SUFFER.... and why, you ask?  Well for starters, beach bikes and baskests are for sunday afternoon baguettes and cheese... but, ultimately it is all about: 

IWBMATTKYT.  

So enough glad-handing and nice-nice.... let's get into this thing a look at all there is to the latest intallement from the people at Sufferfest.

As you are aware, I am working my way through all of the Sufferefest videos and Tri-Girl an I have just finished Revolver which would be the equivalent of about 1/2 way through their fantastic set of videos, so I am in no way a great source to comment on the graphics and the like, as they are quite different than what I am used to; however, as the years go by since their original offering of "Angels" which is  also being re-released with Nine Hammers with some updates (check the website for specifics) I am consistently impressed with the experience that these videos have to offer.

 So for me, I am always wondering what is in store for my morning?  Nothing can be clearer than the screen shot above.  It is agony extraordinaire.   Designed by Neal Henderson of Apex Coaching, this video takes no prisoners as it focuses on some serious VO2 MAX work combined with threshold efforts.

In the middle of 3:00 straight minutes of agony Grunter vonAgony shows up and "nails' you with a sledge.... you take the "pounding" with raw determination a grit.

This is exactly the leg numbing, fast spinning, breath shortening, eye popping, high definition agony that we have come to expect when we hit our trainers and look to the people at Sufferfest for guidance.  From the very beginning you get this sense that you are out for a really demeaning demanding ride.  We are all used to efforts involved in these videos...  20  minutes of intense climbing in The Hunted to the TT efforts of The Long Scream.  Here in Nine Hammers, though, you are really pushing the envelope of what you can take on a bike.  In an interesting twist of perception, you give so much in the VO2 MAX efforts, that you actually start to tolerate the threshold work.

... and what does the minister want?  He wants you to hit back and hit hard.

Then there's the "recovery" time.  This is simply nothing more than a hallucinated fancy that drifts by with luxurious visages of descents down Ventoux.  Lush and full of twitching corners and epic descents, these little vingettes drift by at such a rapid rate that you barley have enough time to get your breathing in control before that fucking gun goes off again and you are desperately trying to get your gearing right and your cadence strong.

I loved it.  You'll love it. It's hard work that you know will pay huge dividends come outdoor season.

Have a look.... here is the official preview:

Lush HD combined with moments of sheer terror

If I was to look at this particular video with a jaundiced eye and think a little critically, I might ask where the minions of Sufferlandria stand on cycling education.  This video is awesome; to that there is no doubt.  However, it could be just that much better if there was some thought to the realities of the  indoor rider.  Not all of us are ICU material.  At the start there is simply a lot of cadence and tempo changes, and it seemed that by the time you look down and figure our the gear ratio to get to 95 CAD at 8.0, the gun goes off and there is another change.   After some time, you figure out that a lot of this is accomplished by staying in the same gear and simply changing your cadence.  For my two cents, it really would have been nice to know that right at the start. I know its picky, but it was a bit of a bone of contention as I rode through the session.

Preidler encourages you to get in there and bridge that gap.

For time and money, I cannot think of a better more convenient way to train in the winter.  It's fantastic to be a member of a team and to meet with your buddies on the weekend, but when that scenario is simply impossible, these videos from Sufferfest, and Nine Hammers is no exception, take your mindless riding while you ogle your latest series on Netflix to a whole new level. And I have no doubt that when the snow is gone towards the end of  May and we return to the roads and trails to get our legs back, we will be strangely surprised at just how nimble our feet have become and how agile our lungs are as we push our suffering to a whole new level.

Here's my data:

For those of you faint of heart... thank you so much for reading and end your journey with me here. However if you have a bit of an iron stomach....... read on.

Don't say I didn't warn you...

I mean it....

So I suffered and put myself to the absolute test and came away with my name etched in the lava of Mt. Sufferlandria and I have the sweat equity to prove it.  

My head-band at the end of Nine Hammers.

So exuberant that I missed

So ... I may have skipped the workout Wednesday... but never fear, I was back in the pool today to give it a lunch-hour quickie!  I spent the morning talking about CPR and AED use and I was PUMPED!!!!  (see what I did there?  get it....?)

I literally ran into the pool and started my first set with a decent ferocity to make up for the complete lack of interest I had on Tuesday.  In fact, I was so exuberant, that I missed the lap button and almost shut the whole thing down.  I could tell it was a fast time and I really felt like I was being powered through the water.. GO LEGS!   I guess that is what you get when you hit the pool with relatively fresh legs.

Any how, I am very pleased with my time and I post it here with great exuberance!

..........  and in other news, my feverish readers, yours truly, Tri-Guy has been invited by the wonderful minions at Sufferfest to review their newest offering - Nine Hammers - due to be released to the public on December 18th.  I could not be more ecstatic.  So heads up, I will be riding this exciting new route this Sunday the 14th and again on the 17th to give you the first hints of its awesomeness and to hopefully offer up some insight into the next wicked sweat-soaked instalment from the wizards at the Sufferlandrian cycling works.

Not into it.

Back in the pool on a fairly blustery day.  It was one of those times you are not looking forward to it, but you go anyway.  I hit the water and I really was not it to it and thought about phoning it in and with a 4:51, you can tell that I basically did.... then I decided to try a set with just focusing on a big reach  and went even slower.... then I thought screw this and just put in a fast lap.... plus there was this guy two lans over strutting around like he was somthing.... something with a limp, mind you.

Any hooo.... times got better with competition and managed a 4:42.

Spontaneous Combustion

What can i say.... it's not the train that bothers me as much as after that 20 minute climb your are spent and this video is relentless with little to no rest until the last 5 minutes where you literally go so hard you think you are going to crack.  The sprint to the finish is relentless.... pretty sure I was on course to demonstrate spontaneous combustion. BOOM!  The last 200 m is something you will never forget as you feel like crying when you finally cross the finish line.

I've been meaning to add that on Sundays, I do about 20mins of core afterwards.  Typical set:  

1.   plank 30 sec, turn and side plank 30 sec with 10 leg lifts then back to front plank 30 sec then turn to opposite side plank 30 sections with 10 leg lifts then front plank 30 sec.

2.  3x10 dead leg lifts from the floor to knees to chest and back without heels touching the floor.

3.  3x10 crunches.

4.  3x10 sit-ups.

On a side note, I compared my data from the last time I did this video (Nov 9) and I was intrigued to see that I went 1.6K farther today and had a higher AVG HR and faster AVG Speed, yet burned fewer calories.  Hmmmm.... 

Just to fuck with you

What can I say that has not ben said already.... get a bucket, I think I threw up in my mouth a little... seriously. 

I did a 30 some odd minute warm up (see lap splits) and then into Revolver.  This video is the epitome of suffer.  After what seems to be a very brief warm up (actually 7:30) you turn the corner to stare down the barrel of 15 on minute sprint sets 9/10 effort at 100CAD with an easily evaporated 1:00 rest.  A I said to Tri-Girl, after the first three you really start to wonder if you can hold that effort for another 12 sets and you start to second guess you gear choice.  You tell yourself just one more and then I will re-evaluate and then you find yourself sticking to it for one more and then one more and then.... well, you tell yourself, there is only three more.... you can do it... and..... you do.  BUT... then just to fuck with you, they throw in one more just to see what you are made of.... well... I am made of sweat and whatever that other gunk is that I coughed up at the end.

Oh, a special thank you to the people at MEC for my GSC10 that arrived yesterday.  It is nice to have data. I like data.

Like I would Actually be in There

Nice sleep in and a coffee in the hot tub to warm-up the legs before the inevitable workout.  Today - The Wretched.

Not for the faint of heart.... well that might be a bit hyperbolic, as you are ultimately in control of how hard you work, but for those of us that are truly motivated to use this indoor season to rehabilitate and return to the summer race ready... well there is nothing hyperbolic about it at all.  I am left absolutely gasping during some of these sets and I am pushing with all I have.  Sweating profusely while keeping hydrated I am doing everything I can to climb with the best of them....  giving it to Contador and Evans... like I would actually be in there with them on these epic races and climbs.... but it is fun to dream.

MEC says my GSC10 should be here this week and I will be back with more useable data, but in the meantime the above will have to suffice.  I am very curious how it all turns out when I get it all hooked up.  I might even guess that I might be working harder without my speed.... who knows.

Shut Up, Legs!

There is not try.

What a great title for a Sufferfest video.  This was the one that got Tri-Girl.... BOOOM!!!!!!!!  Just a real tough series of intervals that rely on you getting faster with each push with a load of high cadance.... combined with a 30 minute warm-up it truly is enough to make you question your sanity..........   Shut Up, Legs!

I am still without my GSC10.  Not worth the effort to send it out to Montreal to get it fixed.  So, after some research I found it at MEC for $50.  with free shipping. Done.  It should be here before the weekend and I will be back with some accurate data.  In the meantime, never fear I am still suffering and I would not doubt that I might even be suffering more.

Aluminum Man

Into the great empty awesomeness.... or at least that's how I like to think of it.... or my own personal pool that I share with the occasional stranger.

But the best of all was the NEGATIVE SPLITS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I was on fire!

5x300m sprint set as per usual.

Wait for it.....

wait for it......

4:47, 4:47, 4:46, 4:45, 4:44!  WOOOT WOOOT.

I am so ready to accept the tin man award..... strike that and make it aluminum man.

Cadence and Barfability

Okay, so Sunday - Local Hero

OMG - I could not believe the sprint set a the end

Okay, so my GSC10 Has packed it in and I rode this one entirely by cadence and barfability.  And let me just say right away that the barfability was extremely high.

Based entirely on past practice I am guessing my KM total here and manually inputed it.  All other data is real.

Not much else to say....  owch.

Lack of Concentration

Easy week means I am not in the pool as much, but does not mean that I am taking it easy when I am there.  I am still in the 100m average of 1:34.... or better as the Krauss would say.  To be honest, I just as not feeling it and I did not really settle into a solid pace that felt comfy with the exception of the first 50m.  The set was the usual and the pool was basically deserted... just the way I likes it.  That said, I over shot set two with an extra 50 as an ode to my complete lack of concentration.  set was 5x300m threshold...  4:40, 5:31 (extra 50), 4:45, 4:48, and the 4:50.

Downward Spiral

It's Wednesday and I am $1700 poorer.... (but then again myt baby's got snow tires)...  why not continue with the metaphorical Downward Spiral?

Pain glorious pain.

  Intervals

     2:00/ 2:00

       1:45/ 1:45

         1:30/ 1:30

           1:15/ 1:15

             1:00/ 1:00

                :45/ :45

                   :30/:30

                      :15

Repeat

When you are on you are 9/10 effort and when you are not, you are 3/10

Barf and easy... I see why they say to have a bucket ready.... I really do.

A note about my data - the armin cadance sensor was dying so some a bit ridiculous at end - no max speed of 112KMPH I am afraid, but the 51KMPH on the first :15 Vo2Max was legit.

Fight Club and Tyler-interuptus

Sunday Fight Club

"One hour you wish you never started!" - Fight Club

Today was all about some patience.  The internet was giving us some grief and keep kicking us out in the middle of our VEVO 80's mix.  I forgot how bad some of those videos were.......... 

"Livin' it up while I'm going down!"

Other than Tyler-interuptus from the fantastic people at MTS, we had ourselves a marvy time racing again for the glory of Sufferlandria.  Due to a late evening of embibement, the warm-up took its took on Tri-girl, but being the trooper that she is she dug deep and kept in the game for the full 90 minutes.

The video had 5 main sets of TT and climbing that really took a fair bit out of you and with each set there were random attacks where you did not change gear, you just spun up +15 cadence.  So that saw you attacking at 115 in the TT and jumping to 90 from 75 on the climb.

I cannot really say enough about these videos as a really stellar way to train at home and still push yourself to achieve something new.  As well, I am a real fan of their cooldown... something comedic having to do with cycling.

Did 15 minutes of core after.  3 sets of: 30 second plank, 30 seconds side plank with leg lifts, 3 sets of 10 leg lifts, 3 sets of 20 elbow to knee sit-up touches and yes.... wait for it.... I did my first set of sit-ups!!!!!!  I know.... holy shit..... I did 3 sets of 10.  Not tooo shabby if I do say so myself, as two weeks ago i could not even do one sit-up.

On a side note, still loving not having to pack up all my crap an go out into the cold in my sweaty state and staggering up-stairs into the shower.

The Art of Seconds

Hit the pool.

Lather. Rinse. Repeat.

It was the Friday that felt like a Wednesday.

Swimming is an art of seconds and then at the competitive level the art of hundredths or thousandths of a second.  Just ask Milorad Čavić.  Nedless to say that todays brief post sees my first forray into an average speed of 1:34 for my 100M or 6 seconds faster since I started back in the tank.  I'm no Steve Austin and some haters might say, "who gives a.... ?"  I do.  I do and, if I am honest, I am pretty damn proud of the seemingly insignificant difference between 1:34 and 1:35; it hurt.

The more things change, the more they stay the same.

Remembrance Day TT

With the Sufferfest Videos being the meat and potatoes of cycling for the summer it is wise to get in a TT to establish my numbers.

We did a 30 minute warm up.

The into the Time Trial:


Here's the thing....
last year's November TT - Avg HR - 147 Avg. Speed 23.9KMPH
This year's November TT - Avg HR 138 Avg. Speed 23.8 KMPH

The more things change, the more they stay the same.

¡yo no say!

Back in the pool.



Nuff said.

On a side note, it is always interesting to meet someone at the pool out of context.  If you are like me, I pigeon hole people by their profession or what I know of them.  So... when I see them out of context swimming and obviously wearing next to nothing, it often runs at odds to my pigeon hole.   Hypothetically speaking, let's say by all accounts you are a very successful powerful person at work, but yet in the pool it's a different story. OR,  the opposite, when you see some one and they are successful in their work life and the obviously have a swim background and solid grasp of the fundamentals.  I just like the idea that I am consistently being humbled by life and reminded all the time to never judge a book by its cover and to remind myself that you truly never understand someone until you walk a mile in their shoes.

Had a 4:38 today.  Fell apart 2 sets later, but I had a 4:38.  YAY me!

Yep - still partly en español.... ¡yo no say!

The Howling ( '15 and not '81)

So Friday I found myself back on the table like the slab of meat that I am, and there (as always) was Chris at Ness Physio pulling apart my calves and hammies with his thumbs.  It never seems to be anything less than bearable, but for the most part it is controlled agony.  Lots of fluids and stretching when I got home meant that the stairs to the basement were almost pleasant.

Saturday we tackled the dumping ground in the basement known as the storage room.  Each year we go through this process and if we have not touched it in 2 years it finds a new home.  This year that included a huge old school media cabinet that I built 13 years ago and our old 5.1 channel surround system. There is also the reorganizing of totes and the like.

Nothing like warming up to old 80's videos - this is Phil Collins' - Sssss-sudio with to of his biggest fans....... ha.... ha......... heh... he.

But Sunday it was time to ride for the honour of SUFFERLANDRIA in the tour d'suisse.  Tri-girl and I tackled "The HUNTED"

What a work out - a truly epic event.  We are loving these videos and we are loving no having to haul all our crap anywhere.  With the onset of snow today, it was totally wicked to just have to go downstairs and do what needed to get done.  We loved how the video "howled" as the pack tried to chase us down...  fun.  All in we did a 30 minute warm-up with some builds and then into the video and ended with about 15 minutes of core.

Pleasantly Suprised

I am super proud of myself today.  NEGATIVE SPITS in the pool..... not that my average pace went any where, but I have really been trying to get somewhere on my last set.  That means I would do the 4 3oo's and then try my best to be faster on my 5th and final one... to no avail.  However, today was different.  It started with some real lag and ache in my arms and legs left over from Angels and core last night.  I really mean it.... that first lap hurt.  Then I settled in with the mentality of let's just get this one in the books and sucked it up.  So, needless to say, I was pleasantly surprised by my times.

4:50, 4:48, 5:40 (350m.. I really should pay more attention), 4:49 and 4:45!!!!

Whew!

It's not like I have been slacking.  I went to the pool on Friday the 31st (all hallow's eve) and it was closed due to a fouling - aka kid barffed in the pool, so they gave me a coupon for my inconvenience, but I took that as a sign as my massage that was scheduled for 10:00 AM that morning was also cancelled as my dominatrix - wrong word as he is a guy, called in sick so I had to reschedule.

After the dust of Halloween settled I headed into home owner-ship-ness for the weekend and tried to get caught up with all the things I have neglected throughout the summer.  Let's see:  raked leaves, drained all the gas out of the lawnmower, cleaned out the garage and organized all my tools, put the carb back together on my snowblower as the gasket that connects the carb to the intake manifold mysteriously vanished along with the bolts, cleaned out all the duct work and replaced about 3ft. of venting for the dryer, scrubbed the furnace intake vent (blocked) and installed a new sink stopper system and drain in the ensuite, cleaned out and scrubbed clean all the bathroom drains back to the main and installed a new ceiling fan in the down-stairs bathroom.  Whew.

Somewhere in there I even made an appearance at Central Canada Comicon for 5 hours with my kiddies.

So Monday was a R and R day and I was back in the pool Tuesday and met up with Iron Mike.  He was busting out 10 X100 and looked solid and steady.  I was back at the usual and did my 1500 with a cool down of the easiest 200 breast you've ever seen.  I got out of the pool and , as per usual, the shower would not take.  I was still sweating as class started at 8:30..... sigh.

Today... well it is official, we are now riding for SUFFERLANDRIA.  Tri-girl and I began session one of our Wednesday night workouts with "Angels" by Sufferfest.  This video lived up to its name and had us both gasping for air.  The best part... we did not have to rush home to load up our gear to head out to Tribe and as soon as we were done, we did not have to load up our gear and could hit the shower immediately.  The down side...... none of JS's brilliant innuendo..... miss you big guy.  On a side note, I tried my first sit-up in 5 months and was unable to complete even 1.  I did three sets of 10 of pulling my knees up to my chin and that just about killed me.  Slow and steady road to recovery..... at least that's what they tell me.

The mindlessness of lap swimming

Hit the pool this afternoon an a wave of confusion and questions.  Sometimes, you just need the distraction of the mindlessness of lap swimming.  Just get in and suffer.  Back and forth and back and forth. 100.  Back and forth and back and forth. 200. Back and forth and back and forth. 300.  hang on to the rail and gasp.......   repeat.

5x300m  with 1:20 in-between and then a 200 breast cool down.  This is my PR for now.  4:42, 4:43, 4:46, 4:46 and 4:47.

I guess I will just run the leaderboard on that one

With running forbidden, I am really down to two activities.  Now wouldn't you know it, this weekend was beautiful.  In fact Saturday was very nice.  That said, my day was taken up by getting abused by Chris as he again went to work on my on-piece calves and hammies followed by moving 3 yrds of beautiful soil onto my lawn to top dress and seed it for the spring.  As well, the yard needed some help, so I pruned and turned my flower boxes - to keep them from turning to clay.

The fact of the matter is that I am getting old.  I mean I hate to admit it, but there it is.  I was really in pain by the end and I had to come in after the soil and take an Advil to get my self back in the saddle again... so to speak.  But.... as you can clearly see from the photos, we got the job done and the yard will continue in its perpetual awesomeness for a while with the addition of some simply fantastic 4-way mix from Reimers.

Then as I made my way back into the house, I realized that I f I did not get the Giant hosed off soon, I was going to have to do it in the freezing cold that was heading this way.... and in all honesty the weather had begun to dip even as I was procrastinating.  So.... back out I went and my fingers paid the price as they turned into claws as soon as I turned on the hose.  Luckily, I brought in a big bucket for soapy water and filled it with straight hot out of the tap.  This steamy soak undoubtedly made the Giant smile and kept my fingers limber enough to encourage the built up tar and gatorade to vacate its resting pace and leave the Giant with a big smile.  And as much as I was cold, I was a good triathlete and pitched and got Tri-Girl's Specialized all clean, too.

Monday was a bit of an off day and I was unable to make anything happen, but today I was all rarin to go and had everything by the door ready to be in the pool by 6:00 AM; however, for reasons beyond my control I did not make it out of the house on time as I had it in my head that I had loads of time before I had to be at the pool for 7.... nope..... as I mentioned I had to be there by 6:00.  So the best part of thei story, is that I brought my stiff to work ad then ducked out to the pool at the end of the day and lo and behold, I was there with three other people.... in this whole pool there were only 4 of us.  TOOO COOOL FOR WORDS.

Well, I picked a lane and hit the regular set and hammered out 5x300m with 1:20 inbetween and I was very pleased with myself.  I have no idea why my Garmin is somehow recording in spanish and then on the site it is recording that I swam 1500KMS.... not 1500M.... I have changed every setting there is to no avail.  I guess I will just run the leaderboard on that one.

First World Problems

After Monday it was back int he pool on Tuesday morning and then again on Friday.  Tueday morning I met up with IronMike and managed to get in a few laps together.  The pool was unusually busy and i had to make my way politely into the mass open area besides the two lanes that had been put in.  If they had put in the other lans 6 people could easily have been swimming, but no there were four people in there and they made it look cramped with their lack of coordination.  Needless to say, the lady swimming closest to me was seemingly quite put out by my request to slide over a tad to make way for little old me.  First world problems.


Then this morning, I met up with tri-girl and settled into a routine quite quickly.  It was busier than anticipated an I had to join in with some other fellows  and they were great, although not that fast, so I ended up having to just keep swiming, so instead of the usual 5x300m sprints, I maintained a solid tempo effort over the 31:00 I swam.  Quite proud of that actually.

Nothing more than a pipe-dream.

#170411146 / gettyimages.com

Well, since I cannot run for a while (6 weeks), I might as well make sure I am getting in the occasional bike while the weather is fair.  Juts a beautiful sunny fall day in Manitoba and all the while I was at work, I was longingly looking out the window in hopes of getting on my bike and I was certain that riding today was nothing more than a pipe dream.

Yet as I wrapped up another fine day the sun continued to shine and goad me on as I made my way through the epic 7K commute home. And, as I walked in the door wondering if it might be okay if I delayed dinner to take the Giant out for a spin, I was greeted by a run festooned Tri-girl who was already two paces ahead... as usual.

I was was pretty happy with my ride and was pleased that there was not much wind and that the geese and the sun stayed out to urge me on the whole way.

The world loves me

I'm into the pool 'cause my calves are done.  I am so mad at myself.  I know better... I really do.  I have waited too long and my calves and my hammies have turned to leather..... not the Corinthian supple kind, I am talking one solid chunk of rawhide.  After two sessions with the man with the thumbs (aka Chris the masher), I have pain where there was pain and pain where there was not.  After a month of sessions or so, I will try running again, but for the time being, its the pool and the bike for me.

The pool is going well and it is good to be back in it.  My times are coming down a bit and I am pleased.  I am sticking with my set of 5x300m, but I cannot seem to count and today I managed a doozy.  So in the 4th set, I happened to add an extra 100m.... thought the set felt long.

I tried to do a cool down of 200m but only managed 150 before I was out of time.  That pool is so fricken hot.... then the showers are hot and I cannot cool down. I was sitting at the bench and trying to put my clothes on and I could not stop sweating.  I left wearing my t-shirt and there was this cute little asian man as I left giving me advice that it was really cold out and I should put on my jacket.  Nice to know that the world loves me.

Catch up

Ok.  I fucked up... I just fucked up.  I know better, but I still go out and try to push myself and in the end I end up pushing too hard and hurt myself.  I am simply not a good patient.  I wait a bit, but it never seems to be enough.

So after pulling my calf on the 4th, I knew I needed some time off and I gave myself a week and then tried it out on the 11th and I was not really pushing myself as much as I was just trying to see where I was at and sure as shit, I hit the 5K mark and felt it go.  Son of a.......

Now I hobble....

We spent the time over thanksgiving finishing up a few projects around the cottage which, if I was wearing my HR monitor, I would have been surprised at all of the calories I have burnt.  

We went for several long walks and a few close to epic bike rides on the mountain bikes, but nothing of real note.

Back in the city now for the winter and my calf says that swimming is fine and biking is okay.

Hit the centennial this morning and felt really great about my times.

I was lucky to get a 30 minute apt with Chris over at Ness physio who managed to make me grit my teeth in agony in that short of time as he attempted to pry my congealed calf apart.  Good luck man... good luck.

 I even had the chance to get out into the +20˚C weather, albeit windy, and take my bike for possibly the last jaunt of the year.

If it t'was me, I would have openly wept

I ran into Dwayne this morning at the pool.  He had the bitter misfortune of making his way last week all the way down to Lake Tahoe for the Ironman only to be informed as he was in the water in his wetsuit, along with 2000 other competitors, that the race had been cancelled.  Due to the particulate matter in the air from a local forrest fire, the state officials along with race directors decided to cancel the race.  All that training and travel.  Think of the people from Germany that flew in to do the race...... thousands of $$ down the drain.  The domino effect from that decision would be unfathomable.  He mentioned that as he entered into T2 to get all of his kit and they just had the finishers medals, caps and shirts in a box - help yourself.  Wow, my hear goes out to him.

Above - Richard Lopez, Ironman hopeful,  reacts to the announcement.

Read about it here - Lake Tahoe Cancelled or Lake Tahoe announcement.


Here is the video of the announcer telling the participants that the race has been cancelled.

Me, well it was back at the Centennial  for my usual routine as of late.

5x300 with a 1 minute rest in-between.  I worked real hard today to get as much out of the set as I could and to also be as consistant as possible.  I will be honest with you and admit that I pushing myself hard enough that I was gasping at the end of each.

I was impresed with my times today... they are not fast, but on their way:  5:00, 5:01, 4:57, 5:02 and 5:05.  Not bad... not bad at all.

200m easy breast to cool down.

The wind continued into the Weekend

The weather was cold and windy, but I was at the cottage. My happy spot.

Saturday.

With some determination and plain old stubbornness, I forced myself out into the wind and the light rain. Cold or not, wind or rain, I know I will enjoy it.... I just have to get out there.  Sure enough that's exactly how it went down; or at least for the first 7.5K.

My left calf had been giving me grief for some time and as the week went on and on, I knew that it was starting to seize up - that, combined with a 0 stretch regimen had most likely put me in  a deficit.  Regardless of the ache, I know that once I am out there it has a tendency to settle down and do its job with out much complaint.  Well, at exactly the 7.67K mark I had that old familiar twinge.  I have had it about three other times in my life and all of them have ended badly with me not running for several weeks - 6 being the longest.  It feels like someone had snuck up behind me and stabbed me forcefully with a needle.  I was not pushing myself to begin with in a pathetic effort to protect it, but, I knew that if I did not stop immediately, I was going to end up in the 6 week category and not the 6 day one.

Thus, without any hint of ceremony, I hit stop in my Garmin and proceeded to walk.  It was around this point that I was rounding the back of the 6th hole of the golf course and decided to climb under the fence and walk the course home.  Very pretty walk.... just me the deer and the geese... even if it was gusting to 60KMPH.

Sunday was a bit more laid back, but I still wanted to keep the streak alive, so although I was not able to run, it should not effect my biking.  So, sunday morning, convinced Tri-girl to head out in to the light rain and gale force winds to boot about the beach on our mountain bike for and hour or so.

Here's the waves at the pier.

The bikes look so lonely in a rack that is usually packed all summer.

Up on the Southern ridge of the gravel pit.

With no real course in mind we set out and made out way to Pelican Point as we rounded the point, I felt that something was wrong with the rear cassette of my 25 year old Giant Ascent.  Well, wouldn't you know it, the rear cassette was spitting ball bearings and it was all over.  I am so proud to say that I wore it out after 25 years.... pretty cool stuff.  That said, I managed to get it into  semi working condition and limped home to exchange bikes.

From there I took B-doggle's Giant 17 inch - a wee bit small for me, but what the hey, you only live once.  Coming down to the beach was an absolute scream.  Wind in your face and you had to make a consorted effort to make any head way at all.

A few minuted later after battling out way down 8th we ended up detouring into the Cafe Krauss for an hour of laughs and port.... there was an offer of absinthe, but cooler heads prevailed and we decided to procrastinate until an evening when none of us had to drive.

After prying ourselves off the couch and downing the last bit of port we made our way home via the ski trail behind the gravel pit and winding our way by the curling club and home past the golf course. Nothing too spectacular, but a memorable day, nevertheless.

Determined to be

 Pooh would simply agree and say that it was a blustery day and that no one in his right mind should be out in such a torrent.  Instead, he might suggest that he stay home and get lost dreaming about the bothers.  Good thing I am not in my right mind.... hell, I am not even sure I have any mind left.

So...


out in to the wind and the rain I went
My mind bent
to the will of the weather.
Determined to be
nothing more that I was in the past
possibly beter than last
but no more wiser for the pain.

I can do better, but August is a long ways away.

Back to the Centennial for some lappage.  I ended up in a lane today with the oldest swimmer I have ever seen and this guy was awesome.  I was so humbled by his consistency and his determination.  He was not fast, but I don't think he cared on little bit about me.

I took the watch in the water today and recorded my 300m lap times for the 1500m.  I did 5x300m with a 1 minute rest in between.

4:58,  5:02, 5:06,  5:08 and 5:09.  12 second bleed is not that bad.  I was, in all honestly, not holding back much on these and I was quite winded at the rest stop.

I can do better, but August is a long ways away.

Keep on keepin' on

Although I really did not want to, I got my kit together and made my way out on to the street as soon as I got home from work.  Nothing special just a plain jane 5k.  About 1k in I came around a corner and saw a guy running ahead of me some way and decided that he should be caught.  That entertained me for about 1 more K and then it was back to the same ole same ole.  Pretty to run down Shier as the trees are really quite something this time of year.  Arrived home ina pool pf sweat and just in time to avoid the fall shower that mother nature had prepared for this fantastic evening.

So I am on day 12.  Starting on the 20th of Sept with a 9K run, I have been out and about every day since.  Why, you ask?  I haven't the faintest.  I really have no major pressing goal in mind, I am just seeing how long I can keep the streak alive.  Maybe I will stop tomorrow and maybe I will stop in June... who knows?  In the meantime I manage to make my way out and about and I keep on keepin' on..............
pool tomorrow.