The Big Bike

With our legs still screaming from riding on the head of the Giant, we made our way south for a
return of 121K.

 It was a truly fantastic ride on a fantastic day.  Congrats to Tri-girl for completing her longest ride ever.

Day two - Giant's Head

Taken from the proper angle tis one is really a no brainer.  When you look at the mountain above Summerland, it looks like the head of a giant.

You be the judge.

We made out way to the north avoiding any unpleasantries to the south - aka killer wind and rain and circumnavigated the entire Giant's Head Mountain.

This is truly an epic climb and we were glad to get it out of the way on the first day.  With climbs of 13% or better this is really one for the books.

In all truthfulness, we were absolutely spent after the first big climbs and we were really having to decide if we had mad e the right decision coming out to cycle.  These were really hard climbs that had out hears beating out side of our bodies fighting for space with our lungs.





The photos do not really capture the climb but let me assure you that each stroke of the pedal was earned time and time again.  To boot the descend was so steep, that you could not build up any real speed with fear of going off the edge and falling into the abyss.

at the top

going down the esses

perched upon the precipice

Saw my 1st Robin

So far our trip has been absolutely fantastic. Day one was phenomenal and it confirmed that simple pleasures truly are the best.

who would have thought that annuals at WalMart would matter... oh but they do.

Then instant change of temperature combined with new smells brings a smile to your face. And the whole first day has been entirely like that. You spend every second seeing something new it's almost like sensory overload. Really do not know it's just reaffirming some small part in your brain that spring is not far away and it will come and the 4 feet of snow in my backyard will eventually melt.

Yesterday started with a run a 7K loop up to the reservoir and back. The run went by in seemingly no time at all as it was so many distractions. Try – girl and I saw our first Robin, kicked dirt and dust came up, so pussy willows, and wildlife scurrying about. I was even happy to see my first mosquito and other flying insects. The run itself is a hilly run with a lot of changes and inclination as we run along the Westbench of the valley. The final stretch is 40 m climb almost seemingly straight up to the reservoir that sits above the  district.  Well worth the effort as the views are simply stunning of Okanagan Lake.


Once we got home and got settled the weather started to change and we knew that it wouldn't be long before the forecasted thundershower with lightning and winds gusting up to 50 would sweep through the valley. Although the lightning never showed up the rain sure did and the winds were ferocious. So we decided instead to go for little bit of a shopping trip and get some new tubes for the bikes

Ran into Darth Hideous.

As we begin our trip into town we got a text from the team as they were coming in and realize that we were actually going to meet up at the same location the infamous bike barn. Always need to see your friends but it's even cooler to see your friends in an odd spot. If you read my blog before you know I am a fan of the store and just do it right there so friendly and helpful I can't help want to spend time there.

After picking up our tubes we came home and decided that instead of going for a bike ride we would go spend some time at the new Penticton community center. This gigantic complex house is a huge pool complete with waterslides rope swings and a huge geriatric tank. And by that time mean the water in this pool is about 92°  There's huge water features with a lazy river lots of fun as well as a huge hot tub steam room etc. etc.  Tri- girl and I sat down and got the business right away and headed over to the lap swimming area. They had three Lanes set out; slow, medium, and fast. Interestingly enough the fast lane was empty so we moved in. You may not believe it but just like the run swimming in a new poll is also fun. Since there is all these new things to see your swim always goes by very quickly  and in no time at all we were back in the main pool with the family having fun playing chase. Grandma went down the waterslide and so did tri – girl. The kids and I even did some diving with dental bottom of the deep end and played hours of chase. When it was all said and done we spent two and half hours at the complex.



We came home and had a wonderful meal but everybody was exhausted. And to no big surprise the kids went to bed almost immediately even though it was only 6 o'clock.

To round out our evening we made our way to OK Falls and met up with the rest of the team. Everybody was in great spirits a little tired after an immediate immersion  in the topography of the  Valley.  There's nothing like a 5K warm-up and into a huge climb up to the see you later ranch. It puts a smile on your face and a cramp in every part of your lower body. Back at the condo is we swap stories from the day everybody got a chance to play with Thumper. She was an excellent masseuse everybody got a chance to try her out. There were some eager faces hoping that tri- girl would take a turn but unfortunately we didn't have time.

I am dictating this into my phone so please excuse the odd error as the text is really small. Also I cannot seem to upload the photos from my phone on the blogger I will work on it later and get you some more pretty photos from our events. I will also edit when I get home and add in all of my data from my Garmin.

Life's Been Good to Me

Well the last little bit has been a blur.

Tri-Girl to NY.

Single parent for a week

3 Birthdays complete with parties.

85 kids on tour.

Packing like a mad man.

New hubs, rims and tires

Bike drop off at Sport Manitoba.

Taper from hell.... well quite honestly, no taper... just stopped.

Training Camp here I come.

Sunday in the basement

With the craziness of March all around us, there was no way to make it to Tribe on Saturday.  To be honest, it was very odd not to be with the team at Pan-Am, but this is the month of birthdays and Jazz Festival.

With Penticton coming hard and fast, we still needed to get the job done.  Today we focused on doing some more climbing with some interesting adrenaline encouragement from Jason Stratham.  Specifically we waded through Crank and Crank 2.

Just a little movie led epinephrine to keep us light in the toes as we focused on five mini-climbs for 5 minutes each over the span of 2 hours. With Tri-girl at my side, we made sure to keep going for a solid 2 hrs without a break.  As we finished up with Crank, we launched into Crank 2.  Really not the greatest movies, but they are exactly what you need to distract you rom your aching legs that really seem to never quite get enough rest to fully recover.

To make certain we got through the set with the usual amount of suffrage and not one bit more, we had a couple of GU's and 3 bottles..... 2 gatorade and 1 just plain water.  

1300 Calories later we were spent.

Also, big news that Manitoba triathlete... Sarah-Anne Brault won Gold at Australia's Oceania Cup

Here is the CBC article... Sarah-Anne Brault wins Gold

Way to go Sarah!!!!!!

Balance.

Being a single parent.... even if it is only for a week seems to be all about balance.  That followed by priorities.  Mostly theirs and somewhat yours.  But through it all, you need to keep healthy and maintain a routine.  So that's what we are doing.

Up at 5:15 and out of the house by 6:45ish is the goal and to be honsest we have been right on the money every day.

Tuesday and Thursday were swim days and both Tri-babies were there for the race.  With the boy hanging on me occasionally, you know you are in for a great workout, but when both of them got into the act on Tuesday, I knew I was going down.    

I was in the middle of my set, tight when I was leaning into my stroke and really focusing on my triceps extension when wham I was pulling and anchor.  Now thank God for the bit of momentum I had going for me that allowed me the ability to give the m the shake and gasp for air.

We did the race, but the girl DQ'd and the boy and I went at it with the boy taking a distant second.

Todays swim was much the same, but the girl decided to play fair on the race and left on 5 steamboats and I on 7.  This put the boy in 1st and the girl in 3rd. How about them apples.

Wednesday night was all about the stories.  My fav had to be the one I told about what to do when you are bored.  Check out the Best of Craigslist of course.  My fav this week...  Styrofoam Model for sale for $900,000.00 and he only accepts cash.  What are people thinking.

The work-out was the usual.... accept.... well it hurt.... more.  Check out those peaks and the avg HR.....I was working this one.

Party on my Roof

With the weather turning to Spring, my thoughts turned to an out-side run.  And as those thoughts started to seep into my brain, I realized that looking at the temperature that the high of +5 this week... yes,  +5 as in the warmest it has been since October,  that it was time to take the snow off the roof before it got to melting or I could get some ice dams forming with the sudden thaw.

You would think that scraping the run would mean that I would not be getting some serious exercise, well you are wrong.  With the snow 2feet deep at some points and becoming heavier by the second as it turns from crystal powder to thick wet snow and blanketing the hole roof, it was a real event to get it all off the roof.

From the peak to the eave is quite a distance - some 20 ft.  You cannot just push it all, you have to do it in stages - three to be exact.  All the while, you are constantly engaging your core as you push, but more-so to keep yourself form falling.  As with any kind of work with ice and especially on a slope, there is a great fear of falling.  We have all heard the stories that a standard roof is high enough of a fall to hurt yourself.  In fact I know of a divorce that resulted from a personality change that happened because of a fall from clearing snow.

So for the better part of two hours, I battled the snow.  At some points it was up to my knees and seemed that I would never get it gone.  I took off my toque, my jacket, my gloved and my jacket I was so hot.  I was very pleased with the result, even though I am certain I may have shovelled of a shingle.... oops.

Now for the fun bit... all that snow on the roof was now on the ground.  It was wet and it was heavy and once it was a bout 4 ft deep it weighed a ton and packed down something fierce.

I fired up the snow chucker and it took me over an hour just to remove the pile that had formed around the house.  It and to be moved, as you do not want snow build up near your home as it can easily seep into your foundation this time of year, as people often forget that cement is porous.

Well you would not believe how hard it was to get though that snow.... 'specially when it was 4-5ft deep in sections where I was dumping the snow in the same vicinity.

You can see above that the snow is almost up to the roof in the front and in the back, I had to clear it and it was well over 2ft above the snow chucker.

The wheels were spinning and the snow was getting thrown well across my yard and I had to be careful not to get it into my neighbours, as we all all trying to keep the sides of our house clear.

By the time I was done clearing and putting down the drains I had been at it for just over 4 hours.

Like  I said, the 10k run would have been soooo much easier.

Birthday take over Saturday

Tri-girl is off to New York tomorrow morning at 3:00 a.m. and this morning was dedicated to opening presents and enjoying the fun that comes from wrapping paper strewn about the front-room by a 13 year old.  We have this fear, though like all parents that 13 brings about certain changes.


I have a teenager.... where did the time go?

With all the fun out of the way and Tri-boy getting whisked off to a birthday party at Skyzone and Tri-Teen going ot the mll to celebrate with the girls before the inevitable giggle-fest/ sleepover, Tri-girl and I were able to squeeze in a 2 hour set on the bike.

We managed to get the bikes set up and a few bottles of gatorade mixed with a GU at the ready.  Now how to pas the time in basement.... movie time.   I enjoyed watching something ridiculous the other day, so why not round 2.  Today we needed something with a thin plot, buckets of action and explosions.  We don't need something with character names you have to remember or, for that matter, characters should be irrelevant.  Just speed, explosions and fast paced action.  When you put all of that together you can only come to one conclusion.... any movie produced by Simpson and Bruckheimer.  I picked the Rock with Nic Cage and  Sean Connery.  We got exactly what we bargained for.  Explosions and gunfire for 2:15.  You did not even have to pay attention to any of it.  The movie was just action after action... love it.

And what better to go with all that action.... some hill climbs in preparation for training camp.... because we all know that is all we are going to do out there..... climb.

Here's the data:  Check out the 4 big hill climbs.... nice.... but nothing like the real thing.

It's all about the race part II

Now we got the whole family there.  We all trundled out of bed and made our way to the "Y" with little drama and hardly any worry.... well at least everyone else did.  ME... well let's just say that while everyone was packing, eating breakfast and  getting ready for their day, I was out side dealing with the 3 inches of snow that had fallen overnight. It is a bit of a pity party, but when I finally returned from my snow flinging, everyone was ready to go and I had not even had breakfast.... sigh.... nobody cares.

From there it was hurry, hurry, hurry.  I'll show them. I managed to get everything together in lightning speed and choke down some mini-wheats.   Into the Ridgeline and off to the pool.

Once the back and forth started, it was all good... but as I mentioned before, that is the warm-up for the race.  BTW - I bumped into another Triathlete in the pool who is training for his first event in Kenora - Borealis Race.  He looked good and in great form.  Should be an awesome race.... then again, it always is.

Back to the pool...  so there we all are.  30 minutes of warm-up and then to the thing that matters.  The family race.  Staggered start.  Tri-boy on go.  Mommy and Tri-girl on 3 and Tri-guy(me) on 5.


 Well what a race.... I showed them not to leave me out in the cold shovelling the drive.

Its all about the race

Never mind that I was up early and moving about at the crack of dawn, gently prodding the kiddies in their sleepy stupor.  Never mind that I remain positive in the face of their subtle denials and disagreements and never mind that even with my own wants to return to my comfy cocoon I forge on and pack their kit for the pool...... it's not about that.... it's about the race.

With the weather turning and the days coming earlier,  we begin to feel, ever so slightly, that there is a day of possibility ahead of us.  I mean when it is dark when you get up and dark when you come home and you arrive back in your bed and wonder if Ra every really got around to turning on the lights; its hard to see that there lies ahead a day of possibility.  Now with the sun in its proper place, we can again consider the idea a that each day contains a kernel of possibility and accomplishment lies just around the corner.

What better way to feel like you have achieve some daily token of immortality then by having a wee bit of a race.  So.... it begins with convincing both tri-kids at 6:00 a.m. that it is in their best interest to  eat breaky a bit quicker so that we can make our way to the pool.  Once that is done an the drama of packing for the quick change is done, we can then focus on the departure.

Out into the day with a sleepy sun making its way across the sky, we trundle off to the "Y" with heated seats and bags in tow.  No big fanfare really Musorsky, just the cool realization that with all this snow still on the ground, we are going for a swim.  Surprisingly enough it is the girl who is in the pool before us as the boy and I greet her with scepticism and surprise.

The next 30 minutes is really about my warm-up and their taunting.  I swim serious laps and they take a lane and engage in a series of dives and spins that seem to have no real purpose.  I let them know the approximate time I will be done on the timing clock and they eagerly splash me s I turnaround each time. Then, clinging to the pools edge - gasping form a hard effort, we begin.

We each take a lane, as it seems we own the place and the two life guards have been placed here for our pleasure.  I call over the boy and advise him not to be intimidated by the lanky girl in lane 2.  She may be all arms and legs, but you have a killer kick turn and some real speed.... spend more time thinking about your stroke and less time watching her and you will have a chance.

And with a 5 second head start we race.   Lanky takes first and the boy and I tie for 2nd.

Now that's bragging rights and it's not even 7 yet.... great way to start the day.

It truly is all about the race.

Watery Alarm Clock

Sound asleep... so peaceful... other than dreaming that tri-girl banged up the new truck. Then at 5 to 8 my bliss i  interrupted with - Hey, we are going to the pool... if you get up and into the truck in 5 minutes, you can come with us.  Nothing like familial peer pressure to get you going.

Truth be told, I am really more like the coyote at this point, all arms and legs but not really moving much.

Grab a cup of coffee and jump into the truck. Two long blinks and we are at the "Y."  Pleasant smile to the attendant at the front then into the change rooms.  Tri-boy and I fall into our routine and ignore the other two.  Now I should acknowledge that we are a little late so there is some urgency if we are going to get in 30 minutes of swimming as the manatees take over at 9 with their bob and roll.

Back and forth in the clear cool water..... the sun shining though the windows reminding us that spring is not tooooo far off.  I am fairly certain that I was cognizant of my activity at about the 15 minute mark..... so for the first little bit I was most certainly on autopilot.  I remember reading once about a guy who swam the entire length of the amazon and claimed that he would actually sleep while he swam.  I can relate.

The picture says it all

This is how my March started.  7:00 in the morning and it is 50 below.  YIKES... even for me.  That did not stop me from having coffee in my hot tub outside and enjoying the sun as it began its journey across the sky.  No clouds, just sun.

We loaded up the bikes and what not and made our way to PanAm.  Yet anther swim meet meant that we would not be running.... at least around the track.

Even with pre-warming the van, it was a chilly ride, but at the very least the weather has kept a big chunk of the motorists in-doors and we had a pretty clean ride to the workout. The hardest part is lugging all your gear from the van to the Pan-Am.  The wind is whipping at your face and you just want it all to stop, but once you are inside, it's really all the same.

The workout today was a typical week three workout.... achy. HR recovery[161/101 = 60] in to some sprint work and then longer efforts of 3 minutes.  When we hit the hour mark, I was starting to see sparkles... a good indication that you are pushing yourself and that the tiny bagel and jam that you had for breakfast was not going to cut it.... GU to the rescue.  At about that point someone had propped open the door to cool down and with in 5 minutes, we could almost see our breath.  So with the door closed we worked on some transitions stuff.  Starting across the room in our shoes and then running to the bike and transitioning from the run to the bike.  These were fun and a great way to break up the monotony of pain.  We ended with 2x10 minute straight tempo efforts and spun the legs.  We had joked about running outside to our bikes naked, but we decided that someone would end up sticking a nipple to the door and then be stuck there until spring or the inevitable naked snow angel.

Here's the data.....