"Running in Circles"

I went to the track today.  I needed to change things up a bit and as long as the weather cooperates I will probably start doing this more often.  Perhaps alternating every week between hills and track.  I only run 3 times a week right now and one of them needs to be a recovery run, plus of course my long run.  That will generally stay the routine until I can get outside with my bike.  Then I will change it up completely since I will start doing brick workouts(bike and run back to back).  You may ask why I don't do that now and the simple answer is that it is too hard on the body to get all sweaty inside, and then head outside in cool weather.  It's probably a recipe for illness.

I feel right on the edge right now and I truly don't know whether I need to keep hammering, or whether I need to back off.  While there is something to be said for hard work, the other side of that double edge is the concern that I'm over training.  The fact is that if you're trying to do too much you will not reap the rewards relative to the effort. The muscles simply need to recover properly between workouts to be able to get stronger over time.  I think I'm gonna back off just a wee bit for a couple of days and see how I feel come Saturdays long run.   The timing works out anyway since I have sole responsibility for the kids the next few mornings.  It's a good excuse to skip the swim or weights I have been doing in the morning before mydaily trip to Hamilton.  And......I'm very excited....Friday afternoon the Toronto Bicycle show starts so after my teleporter  appointment (Colby's description)I will take a side trip before I came home....just to look Roo, don't worry!

And while I was running around the track today I thought it was a good metaphor for the way my brain seems to look at life.  When I'm on the straight-away  I feel unstoppable and in control.  Then comes a bend and I let myself get distracted.  When I take my recovery lap I relax....but not for too long because I get edgy if I am inactive for too long.  So off I go again around the same old corners, running the same old loop over and over again in my mind.

And one last sock comment for Elly, Kathy, Betty and Mike.  I love all of your ideas but they ain't gonna work!  I need to have a documented "100 percent" cotton solution.  No pins, no home stitching, no alpacas, no nothing short of a manufacturers label that specifies as such.  And after having surfed the net a bit I am even suspicious of some of the listings. Once you dig into the details it appears that they do not meet up either.  A common one I found was "100 % cotton touching the skin!"  As well I am getting better at wrapping my feet in a sheet and today I think I slept for at least 25 minutes. Woohoo!!

Oh and before I forget.  My track run was brief but I did manage one sub 4 min km!!  The nice thing about the track is the absence of cars and potholes, and while sometimes there are other idiots out there, today I was the only one.

(swim 1200 metres, track run)

"Blessed is he who talks in circles, for he shall become a big wheel."---Frank Dane

"Think of the wonderful circles in which our whole being moves and from which we cannot escape no matter how we try. The circler circles in these circles."---E Hoffman

Love

Peter

"I Guess I Wasn't Clear"

They have to be cotton!  100 percent!  Apparently any other natural, and/or synthetic yarns can cause static electricity.  That's why no electronics, no books etc.  I actually dozed off for 10 minutes today and am pretty sure I could make it longer if only my feet were warm.

So! Does anyone know where I can get 100 percent cotton socks?? And it has to be prove-able. Believe me they are not a common item, if they exist at all?

Tomorrow I'm gonna do an extra special good job at wrapping my feet in a sheet and see how it goes.  I'm pretty sure that Cory would have the answer for me (about the socks or other options) but since she never talks to us any more I guess we won't find out.

You know I've probably made this statement before, but doing this training is a very selfish thing.  It is very hard for me to give up my workout time for any cause.  It's tougher than usual right now because of the 6 hours that I lose every day for this oxygen bullshit.  Sometimes I need to force myself to accommodate other peoples activities or I can't live with myself. At the same time however I simply need to acknowledge the selfishness and accept it as it is.  I need to do this for me!  Whether I deserve it or not is really irrelevant.

My wife is as usual, completely and totally supportive.  God only knows why, but I don't want to ever take it for granted.  Can you imagine the stress if I had a partner that begrudged me this?  I don't think I could do it! Very publicly Roo, thanks my precious!

(weights, computrainer 30kms)

"Selfishness is not living as one wishes to live, it is asking others to live as one wishes to live."---Oscar Wilde

Love
Peter

"Beyond Tired"

Maybe I need some oxygen?
Does anyone know if you can buy 100 % cotton socks, and if so where?  I can't keep my feet warm in that freaking chamber.  I try to wrap them in a sheet but it never seems to stay in place and once you're in you can't sit up to fix it. I only smashed my head once before I figured that out.  I think that if I could only keep my feet warm I may be able to catch a nap in there.  Then maybe I could write better blog posts.

Cory, I know I've been boring.  I will try to do better....whoops...try not!
Elly, I love you and I hope your leg gets better soon.  You idiot!!
Mike, I don't agree with all of your politics but damn close.
Old John,  I'm gonna call you with some advice.....apparently you don't know everything after all.
Kathy, I'm glad that you and old man Dan are enjoying your golden years.  Never forget that you are older than me!
Betty, I'm sorry you're missing your power cord.  Try grabbing both terminals of a car battery.
Sally, you are my inspiration!   Every damn day I go and do things I don't want to do because of you!

....and finally....

Roo, can we sleep together tonite?  Just to cuddle....I promise!  I am beyond tired!

(swim 1500 metres, run 7.3 kms, gas chamber 2 hours)


I often spend a fair bit of time finding a quote to fit my post.  Occasionally I  find the perfect one, and when I do I smile.  Here you go.

"I am tired. My arm aches. My head boils. My feet are cold. But I am not aware of any weakness."---Zane Grey

Love

Peter



Read more: http://www.brainyquote.com/quotes/keywords/tired_3.html#ixzz1ndPIyk3P

"Half Way Day"

Yup. Exactly six months to go! How the time flies when you're having fun. If you ask me how I feel about my fitness at this point I would have to tell you that I have some uncertainty. You see the problem is, that there has really been no way to test it. Without a race of some kind, one that you would actually rest up for, how does a person know whether they are making progress or not? I can tell you that I believe I'm slightly ahead of last time with my running, and at least at the same level with my swimming. The big unknown is the cycling and quite frankly the most important! While I hope to make some slight time improvements with the swimming and running I know that realistically they will be minor if any. The real opportunity is in gaining cycling "strength" and I have no idea if that is happening at all. Hopefully I will be able to get outside soon in order to get a better feeling. Meanwhile I do feel very good about the discipline I have maintained for the last couple of months in all aspects. I rarely miss or shorten workouts, and I have been relentless in the pursuit of a leaner, meaner me!

Which brings me to the real reason that today is 'half way day". At the time of my previous Ironman I weighed approximately 170 lbs, and although I gained a bit in the succeeding couple of years I was quickly back down to that after beginning the current journey. Before Christmas I set myself a personal goal to get down to 160 in time for this years race. Well guess what folks? I officially proclaim myself half way! While losing 5 pounds in 3 months may not seem like a big deal, it is for me. I am proud of it because of the amount of hard work, and the level of discipline that was required to get me there. Of particular importance is the fact that I know I have actually gained muscle mass over that period, and as we all know muscle weighs more than fat. The bottom line? Regardless of what the scale says, I have improved my body composition which is the ultimate goal. Hooray for me!! I am confident I will be 160 or less come race day.

I am happy also to report that I feel pretty good today despite the brutal 30 kms of yesterday....another good
sign.

(30 kms computrainer, 1500 metre swim)

"Did you hear about the Dutchman who thought he could swim across the big canal? He got half way before he realized he couldn't make it, so he turned around and swam back."---Peter Rooyakkers

"He has half the deed done who has made a beginning."---Horace

"There is no human failure greater than to launch a profoundly important endeavour and then leave it half done."---Barbara Ward

Love
Peter

"Anticipation"

I was all excited expecting that someone was gonna tell me what their weekend plans were but alas, either no one cares, or no one reads this blog. Either way that's okay. I have much bigger "anticipation" worries. I am currently reading book 13 of the Wheel of Time fantasy series and I am almost done. There is one final "finale" book still to come, and apparently it is written but they intend on stretching out its release until later this year. Bastards! The series does have a very unique twist in that the author died part way through the writing of volume 12, and his widow chose another author to complete the series. Quite cool really.

I was also anticipating another 33 km run today but that got delayed as well. I did manage 30 but the last 6 was kinda ugly. Really crappy conditions again and it just kills you both mentally and physically. I hope I don't have to anticipate spring for too long but I am a bit worried that we still have to pay for what has been a very mild winter so far. Time will tell.

As of this very moment I am anticipating my second alcoholic beverage of the evening and a crawl into bed with the remaining 100 pages of "Towers of Midnight". Saturday night is usually the only night I allow any booze into my diet since I don't really worry much about my Sunday recovery day.

good night all

(run 30 kms, 2:38)

"Expecting is the greatest impediment to living. In anticipation of tomorrow, it loses today."---Lucius Seneca

...but...

"No mind is much employed upon the present: recollection and anticipation fill up almost all our moments"---Samuel Johnson

Love

Peter

"It's the Weekend!"

The last time I was looking forward to a weekend was back in 2007.  No radiation treatments on Saturday, Sunday, and no hyperbaric either!  Instead I'm gonna do my long run tomorrow, and maybe put up my new garage door openers on Sunday.  What are you gonna do?

(swim....a lousy one)

"Spend some time this weekend on home improvement; improve your attitude toward your family."---Bo Bennett


Love
Peter

"On Health"

Time in the chamber each day----2 hours
Driving time each day----4 hours
Gas money each day----$40
Parking each day----$5
Km's on my truck each day----300

My jaw bone----priceless!!!....and I just dare anyone to say "the jawbone of an ass"

And how about this coincidence?

Yesterday when I arrived at the Hyperbaric Oxygen (HBO) unit at the Hamilton General Hospital there was another patient already there. His name is Dan. Dan commented on the fact that my beard line was exactly the same as his, which led both of us to the immediate conclusion that we had a similar radiation experience....small world! But it only starts there.

Dan lives in London...small world
Dan's primary tumour was in his left tonsil....small world

Dan's cancer was stage 4, with involvement of the lymph nodes in his neck....small world

Dan needs to have 2 back teeth removed....small world
Dan's cancer dentist is Dr Soskins...small world
Dan's radiation doctor is Dr Hammond....small world

....and if all that isn't freaky enough, when Dr Hammonds name came up Dan said. "That reminds me, I need to cancel an appointment I have with him this Friday because I have to be here". On Tuesday Claudette called Dr Hammonds office to reschedule an appointment I had with him....this Friday!!!

(30 kms computrainer)

"We cast away priceless time in dreams, born of imagination, fed upon illusion, and put to death by reality."---Judy Garland

Love
Peter

"One Down!"

And only twenty nine to go!



Remove all your clothes, jewellery etc. and put on the cotton gown. No books, no electronics no nothing, other than your prescribed water bottle and your pee jug, and in you go!

Then they lock the door!!! No way out unless someone chooses to let you out! Kind of creepy actually.

Then 5 to 7 minutes to fill the chamber with 100 percent oxygen and pressurize it to about 2 1/2 atmospheres. Lots of ear popping during this phase but no big deal for an experienced flyer.

Forty five boring minutes like this and then you have to place a mask over your own face which gives you regular air for 10 minutes. Apparently this has something to do with reducing the risk of seizure!!

Then another even more boring 45 minutes of pressurized oxygen and your ready to de-pressurize. This takes another 5-7 minutes and then they unlock the door and you're free! Phew!

I was hoping to catch a nap but being a little nervous at first this didn't happen. Also my freakin feet near froze!  I'm gonna ask for an extra blanket tomorrow.

It is going to be a long 6 weeks I'm afraid. Two hours in the chamber and the drive is almost 2 hours each way.  Combine that with the fact that my workplace is in utter chaos and that I'm training for an Ironman, and you have a recipe for stress!  My resolve will be put to the test!

(swim 1500 metres, run hills, weights)

"Tension is who you think you should be.  Relaxation is who you are."---Chinese Proverb

Love

Peter

"Screwed!"

Computer problems! Frustrated! Big day tomorrow! Talk to you then!

(weights)

"Men get laid, but women get screwed"---Quentin Crisp

Love
Peter

"A Good Surprise Day"

I swear I will never figure this old body of mine out.  I went out to run the block (7.3 kms) and ended up going twice that far.  It was such a gorgeous day, and I felt surprisingly good, so I did a Forrest Gump.  I expected to still be suffering from my miserable long run on saturday but that was not the case.  A bit sore, but nor overly tired.  Game on!

(run 14.6kms, swim 2000 metres)

....and contrary to every self help book ever written....

"Do not know yourself. I want to continue to surprise me."---Arielle Dombasle

Love
Peter

"Obsessed"

That word seems to have only negative connotations. The domination of one's thoughts or feelings by a persistent idea, image, desire, etc. I decided to take it easy today and as a result I'm too anxious to relax and write this post. I don't know if it's physical or mental, but either way I suppose it's obsession!

(computrainer 40 mins)

"We are so obsessed with doing that we have no time and no imagination left for being. As a result, men are valued not for what they are but for what they do or what they have."---Thomas Merton

Love
Peter

"Premonition"

I knew it would be a tough day!  Don't ask me how I knew, and don't suggest that it was because of my negative attitude.  I just knew!

Probably it was my body talking to me.  Because I was forewarned I started out at a reasonable pace and thank god for that.  I felt fine through about 12 kms but then the wind started to pick up, and things started to freeze up.  Namely my face and my hands.  I plodded along and somehow managed to stay on my feet for the planned 33 kms.  It took me almost 3 hours! When I got back I could not even undo my shoe laces because my fingers wouldn't grasp anything.

But I did it!  All's well that ends well....or is that...all's well that ends!?  I'm a bit sore, particularly my bothersome right achilles, but I don't think I over did it too bad.  I will know tomorrow.

A few things I was wondering about during my 3 hours.
1) how can someone be against abortion but for capital punishment?
2) how can a bunch of catholic bishops (all men) argue against the availability of contraception for women??
3)how come celebrity drug addicts get forgiven when they die, and regular drug addicts just get forgotten???

.....but  unarguably the most difficult question I ask myself and the world today

4) how can the pope have announced  7 new saints and my mother not be amongst them???? wtf Beney????

(run 33 kms, 2:58:36)

....and this guy may have spoken these amazing words, but my mother lived them....

"Lord, make me an instrument of your peace; where there is hatred, let me sow love; where there is injury, pardon; where there is doubt, faith; where there is despair, hope; where there is darkness, light; and where there is sadness, joy."---St. Francis of Assisi

Love
Peter

"My Guardian Eagle"

Some people believe in angels and while I'm good with that, it just doesn't resonate with me. Perhaps I just don't have enough imagination. So be it.

But when I can see an obvious sign of providence watching over me who am I to ignore it. Sorry about the lack of definition in the picture (my phone sucks) but please take my word for it that this is a full grown bald eagle that we spotted just around the corner on the way to school.  Amazing!



Perhaps you may recall a similar experience I had during my last Ironman endeavour and I choose to take this as a positive omen of future success.  This time was even more special as I had the good fortune to share it with my grandchildren.

Tonite I feel like I need a guardian eagle, as for some reason I am a little nervous about my long run tomorrow.  Possibly because the weather report does not look too favourable, and I do not have an option to skip out, or even to shorten.  Last week I missed altogether so tomorrow is on regardless of conditions!

I did have a satisfying swim today.  Friday is wetsuit day and I was a full 2 minutes faster than last week.

(swim, 2500 metres, 45:17)

"Houston, Tranquillity Base here. The Eagle has landed."---Neil Armstrong quotes

Love
Peter

"How You Describe Joy?"

Today I went downstairs to ride on the trainer and at some point noticed this mess on the floor beside me.



Obviously Kylie had been down there earlier, probably keeping Claudette company when she worked out and this was the result.  Not with any real enthusiasm, but for a second the thought passed through my mind that Kylie never cleans up after herself, and that Claudette never makes her.  I of course keep those kids totally disciplined!!
Anyway, I never thought any more about it until near the end of my 60 km ride when I actually read what was on the board.  How do you describe joy?

To the moon and up!!!!!!

The ride itself was not as joyful.  I rode the last 60 kms of Ironman Canada but it took me a long freakin time.  It is so hard for me to judge my bike fitness compared to last time around.  I have some old notes on my previous blog from when I was riding the trainer uptown but I'm pretty sure they are not relevant because no one had any idea how to calibrate the machine properly.  I know I have it set up properly now but my speed is very slow compared even to riding outside last summer.  I have to take it on faith that it is only because I am working so hard every damn day.  Hopefully I will be able to get outside within the next month in order to get a better feeling.  Back in 2009 I was riding outside by Mar 5th!

(computrainer 60 kms 2:40, weights)

"Every man is a moon, and has a dark side which he never shows to anybody."---Mark Twain

"Three things can not be long hidden; the sun, the moon and the truth"---Buddha

Love
Peter

"Apple Pie & Cherry Cheese Cake"

So I'm trying to be extremely disciplined with my eating habits. Making sure that I get enough to eat, but being especially careful about extra fat and simple sugars. I read all the labels and am generally aware of my calorie count on any given day...ususlly around 3000. I would say since I can't eat potato chips that my next biggest weaknesses are apple pie and chery cheesecake. My dear sister-in-law apparently knows this and is intentionally setting out to derail my good habits. Roo and Sally went to visit Kathy today and she sent them home with these. Bitch!






Just kidding!  Thanks Kate.  Fortunately we got neighbours to share with. 

And that's it for today.  I got nothing else. 

(swim 1500 metres, run 7.3 kms, weights)

"To live a pure unselfish life, one must count nothing as one's own in the midst of abundance."---Buddha

"The only true wisdom is in knowing you know nothing."---Socrates

Love
Peter

"A Perfect Fifty"

I am blessed.  A 50 year old wife who looks like she's 35 and acts like she's 25!

Happy Birthday Babe!

(computrainer 30 kms, weights)

"It takes a long time to grow young"---Pablo Picasso

Love

Peter

"Magic Moments"

They say a picture's worth a thousand words.  And certain moments are so special that you just have to pull your grocery cart over to the side of the road to capture one of those moments as a picture!  One of those moments that puts everything in perspective.  There may be be other nine year olds out there that would figure out how to do this with a grocery cart, but I categorically deny that there are any who take as much pleasure in it as my Colb!  Or for that matter any grampas who enjoy watching it as much.

(swim 1500 metres, run 11 kms)

“As happens sometimes, a moment settled and hovered and remained for much more than a moment. And sound stopped and movement stopped for much, much more than a moment."---John Steinbeck

"This moments contains all moments"---C.S. Lewis

Love
Peter

"Hmmmmm?"

Just how important is this thing?  Unfortunately that question has raised it's ugly head as I consider the distinct possibility of significant change in my working life.  You have all heard me rave about the freedom I have had for the last several years, a freedom which has allowed me to do things like this with quite a bit of flexibility.  Even when I was travelling, the scheduling was almost completely up to me.  With the departure of my long time mentor and now my immediate boss, some kind of change is imminent.  There is only one possible situation in which I could have more freedom than I do now and I don't know if I'm ready for that one?

But if that becomes the reality then so be it.  I'm pretty sure it would end up being a good thing one way or another, and certainly there would be nothing to limit my training then.  I'll just be doing it on a tighter budget....no more new saddles!!  The bigger worry I have is that the changing of the guard may mean stricter rules around my work hours as well as increased travel requirements.  It is this distinct possibiliy that has got me considering just how important this is.  Should a 56 year old, middle of the pack amateur triathlete actually consider quitting his job of 27 years because it is interfering with his training?  Hmmmmm?

Right now I am of the mind that nothing should interrupt my plans but I can probably think of a lot of 'what if's' which would cause me to reconsider.  For instance, the health of a family member.....well actually that's the only one I can think of!  Any maybe that answers my previous question?  Hmmmm?

Whadda ya think?

(swim 1500 metres, computrainer 30kms)

"If you want to make good use of your time, you've got to know what's most important and then give it all you've got."---Lee Iacocca

"What you get by achieving your goals is not as important as what you become by achieving your goals."---Henry David Thoreau

"Nearly everything you do is of no importance, but it is important that you do it."---Mahatma Gandhi

Love
Peter

"She Just Laughed"

But I'll come to that.  First the weather report.  I woke up to winter.  It was minus 11 with snow coming down and nasty winds to boot.  Trying to run in those conditions is beyond being disciplined, beyond dedicated, beyond obsessed even....it's just stupid!  So I had my second breakfast's (hobbit style...the first was at 4 am) and went back to bed.  When I did finally crawl out I decided to go bike shop hopping instead.

That's what got the laugh from my dearest Roo. When I came home with a new saddle!!  I was quick to point out that it was on a trial basis only, and that if I did not like it in a couple of weeks I could return it at no cost.  I did put it on the bike and rode for about 15 minutes and my first impressions were very good.  The other thing I learned in that 15 minutes was just how tired my legs are and I was so grateful that I never tried running today.  It would surely have been a disaster.

So here's the latest.  It's called the Cobb V-Flow Max.  Please note the test stencils clearly indicating that it is just a loaner!!

It still has a fairly generous slot down the middle and yet it is narrower overall than my Adamo, the one that really relieved my numbness problems, and yet caused me discomfort in my sit bones and in the backs of my legs.  The only immediate concern I have is that it is quite well padded which is usually counterproductive.  That was the downfall of the pretty blue one....the padding was so soft and thick that it simply collpased into the centre slot when you sat on it, thereby completely defeating the purpose.  My hope with this latest iteration is that it is a happy medium between the other two.  More tomorrow after I spend an hour on it.  That's assuming that I don't give my long run a try tomorrow, but as of right now I'm inclined to skip altogether this week..

(rest)

And as I struggle with a personal situation around my work I read this and knew it was meant for me.  I will tell you more about that as I can, but for now consider this.

“When you realize how perfect everything is you will tilt your head back and laugh at the sky."---Buddha

Love
Peter

"Holy Cow"

Because of Dr Hammonds cancer machine I have a limited amount of saliva as well as fairly damaged chewing and swallowing muscles.  While this doesn't stop me from eating by any means, it does require that I consume large amounts of liquid in order to to get all but the greasiest things down my gullet.  I discovered early on that the best liquid for this was milk.  While it is not necessarily more effective than water or other fluids I found that it complimented the taste of most foods, as opposed to the blanding effect of water.  I do stick almost exclusively to skim  milk since I surely don't need the bad animal fats that are in whole milk.  I do however try to watch my overall calories as well, as I try desperately to lose this last 10-12 pounds of baggage.  That is what prompted me to consider just how many calories there are in the milk I drink.  Holy Cow!!!

I often drink a bag of milk with lunch and another with supper.....sometimes even more.  I bag equals 1.333 litres or approximately 500 calories!  Holy Cow!  I am regularly getting over 1000 calories per day just from the liquids I consume with my meals.  Time to reconsider.  Maybe I'll switch to beer.  About the same calories per volume believe it or not, and with a distinct positive side effect that milk sure doesn't have!  Plus I can rarely drink more than two. 

I had a fairly decent long swim today.  Not extremely fast but I did move the distance up to 2500 metres and it felt fairly easy.  Just as important was the fact that my second half was faster than the first, which indicates that I am swimming fairly relaxed while paying attention to my form. 

Long run tomorrow.  Not sure yet how far I'm gonna go.  I will probably let the weather decide. 

(swim 2500 metres, 47:18)

“Drinking beer doesn't make you fat, It makes you lean....
Against bars, tables, chairs, and poles."---Anon

Love
Peter

"Bracing For Change"

Sound ominous doesn't it?  Could be!  For the first time in my Magna life I am troubled by the direction my employer is taking.  It better not interfere with the direction of my life!  Or perhaps that is my life, and and as such of course it is gonna interfere.  So!  It better not interfere with my Ironman!

But change is usually good eh?  You can't always control the things that happen to you, but you can control your attitude in response to those things.  The only really  important things that I wish to retain are the love of my wife and my grandchildren, and the tolerance of my children.  Everything else is nogotiable.

However, when you have been in one situation for a very long time the possibility of change is more frightening. But perhaps in that very fear lies a message.  A message that it's time for a change anyway.

When we are afraid of change it is because we see a future that is less desirable than the past, but with what good reason I ask?  Who can see the future?  I know that in almost all cases when I thought I could, I was very wrong.

I remember how shocked I was when my parents decided to enact their own significant change and retired from farming when my Dad was a very young 57 years old.  Thank god he did, such that he was able to enjoy the remaining 10 years of his life, instead of milking cows another 365 X 2 X 10 =7,300 times!!  Somehow he knew?  I turn 57 this year!

Thanks for letting me put my internal dialogue out there.  It really helps me to be public about my fears.  Somehow naming the beast renders him less powerful.

(computrainer 60 mins, weights)

"Change always comes bearing gifts."---Price Pritchett

"Change is the essence of life. Be willing to surrender what you are for what you could become."---Anon

"God grant me the serenity to accept the people I cannot change, the courage to change the one I can, and the wisdom to know it's me."---Anon

Love
Peter

"He Who Dies With The Most Toys Wins"

While I don't seriously subscribe to that maxim I am a guy, and as such I use it often. And I admit to being a serious toy guy. Whether it's in the kitchen, the computer room, the garage, or dare I say it, even in the bedroom, I like toys. That's why when it comes to the age old question about the journey or the destination being the focus of life, I tend towards the journey.

When it comes to my Ironman journey I can usually find good excuses to satisfy my toy fetish by spending Roo's money on trinkets along the way. She has proven pretty tolerant so far, so I think it's okay to show you a few of the little things I have acquired over the last few weeks. They fall under the categories of entertainment/electronics, hydration, and speed, and all relate to my bike.

What you see here is a waterproof case for my i-phone. Thanks to all the good people at Apple my phone serves as my music, my bike computer, my facebook connection to my one and only friend, my maps, and yes, in a pinch I can use it as a phone to order a pizza or to call a paramedic. It mounts nicely between my aero bars. Very cool!



In order to make room for the phone I had to rethink my aero drinking system, which was an excuse to buy one of these. I have had my eye on this beauty for some time. It is very large and can be filled on the fly. It has a kind of rubber baffle for a lid which allows you to upend a water bottle into it very quickly without any mess or wasted time. It then has a flexible straw that you position at your pleasure. The top end of the straw has a built in check valve so that the liquid does not drain back into the bottle every time. Very, very cool!



And in the speed department I give you these lovelies. They are called the Look Keo Blade. In this case I definitely needed to do something since my old pedals were literally worn out. The reason they call this the Blade is because of the little leaf spring you can make out at the bottom of the pedal. Traditional pedals use an adjustable coil spring to provide the engagememt to your shoes, where as in this case the little leaf spring is carbon fibre. Very, very, very cool!



That's it for today. I do have a few other little goodies already in the closet in specific preparation for the big day and I promise to tell you about them all eventually. First I have to make sure I tell Roo!

(swim 1500 metres, run 11 kms)

"When I am grown to man's estate
I shall be very proud and great.
And tell the other girls and boys
Not to meddle with my toys."---Robert Louis Stevenson

Love
Peter

"Ready For Bed"

I need a day off.  Not from training strangely enough.  I actually feel quite good.  But my brain is tired.  I suppose it isn't as well conditioned as my body.  It gets very little exercise.  Tomorrow I promise to rectify that by actually turning it on when I get up....or at least by noon for sure!

(computrainer 60 mins, weights)

"Brain: an apparatus with which we think we think."---Ambrose Bierce

Love
Peter

"Laugh Out Loud!"

Everything is relative eh?  Even though I had a pretty good idea of approximately what it would, just for the hell of it I looked up the world record for a 30 km outdoor race.  Wanna take a guess? 

One hour, twenty seven minutes, and thirty seven seconds!

Approximately 2 minutes per km faster than I just did my 30 K!!  And what's more amazing is that the guy did it as part of a marathon which means he ran for another 12 kms afterwards.  Furthermore,  that was not the fastest 30k ever, as the indoor record (on a track) is almost another minute faster.  That's as fast as I can run period!!!  Less than 3 mins/km or 17.5 seconds for 100 metre.  I think I could maintain it for about 20 seconds.

Everything is relative.

On another note I feel all pumped today.  I called the RV place in Penticton and got a spot reserved for the week of the race.  For a couple of reasons I  was worried that they were out of business.  When we were there last time there was already talk about the land being redeveloped for condos, and the park was in fact for sale at the time.   Also I had sent them an e-mail before Xmas and didn't get a response.  She explained to me that they don't take reservations before the first of January and in actual fact couldn't be bothered to call me back because the week is a sure sellout for them.  Anyway, we're in, and that's all that matters.  Going back for the second time and knowing the setup is going to be so much less stressful.

Bring it on!  I'm ready to go now!!

(swim 1200 metres, 7.4 km run, weights)

"It is an interesting question how far men would retain their relative rank if they were divested of their clothes."---Henry David Thoreau

"Personally, I don't like the term 'success.' It's too arbitrary and too relative a thing. It's usually someone else's definition, not yours."---Ichiro Suzuki

Love
Peter

"The Rest of The Story"

Since I started building my long runs I was trying to do them at 5 min/km pace and trying to hold that as I gradually increased the distance. I managed to get it up to 20 kms but when I jumped up to 24 it was simply not happening. After several attempts at that distance I gave it up as too lofty a challenge, and moved up to 30 kms. I have done that distance several times now with my best pace being about 5:17/km. So yesterday I knew that I was heading out too fast but it was such a great day and I truly felt fresh after having a relatively easy week. I truly expected to start regretting it by 10 kms and yet I still felt great and so I made a conscious decision to try to maintain the 5 min pace through 20 kms and then call it a day if it all fell apart after that. At about 17 kms I crested a bit of a slope and still felt unbelievably good, and still under the pace.  The next 7 kms were all at or about 4:45 pace, and although it started hurtin a bit by then I suddenly believed I could make it the whole way. Sure enough I hung in there to finish in 2:27 and change, or 4:56/km. Woo hoo!!

I'm now gonna be at peace with that and if I never do it again so be it. It was one of those days when the stars just all aligned. As my Brazilian friend always says, "O universo conspire em meu favor".

(swim 1200 metres, computrainer 45 mins)

"Once you make a decision, the universe conspires to make it happen."---Ralph Waldo Emerson

"All the powers in the universe are already ours. It is we who have put our hands before our eyes and cry that it is dark."---Swami Vivekananda

"Everything is perfect in the universe - even your desire to improve it."---Wayne Dyer

....and I really like this one...

"It is impossible to imagine the universe run by a wise, just and omnipotent God, but it is quite easy to imagine it run by a board of gods."---H. L. Mencken

Love
Peter

"Magic!"

It was a magical kind of training day.  Unfortunately I will have to tell you about it tomorrow as it is currently 1:10 am of the following day and I will have to post date this to make it appear as saturday, and then go to bed.  Talk to you tomorrow.

( 30 km run, 2:27:25)

"This world, after all our science and sciences, is still a miracle; wonderful, inscrutable, magical and more, to whosoever will think of it."---Thomas Dekker

Love
Peter

"Breed Class Average"

I knew what BCA stood for before you were even born brother dear!

What did come as a complete surprise to me after a little research was that there is actually an age consideration within the standard.  After a cow gets to be about 7 years old, the  milk/fat/protein levels required to achieve a certain score go down.  Wow!

So whether you knew it or not Johnny, you chose a good analogy to make your point.

Now to simply live long enough that I am the only one in my breed class at my age, and I will be the champion of the world!!

Long run day tomorrow!  Woohoo!  Looks like decent weather.  Gotta run faster than Roo did today and I'm not so sure I can!  Wish me luck.  Full report tomorrow.

(swim 2000 metres, weights)

"All the really good ideas I ever had came to me while I was milking a cow."---Grant Wood

Love
Peter

"I Don't Know But it Really Doesn't Matter"

I remember clearly back in Ironman 2009 what I was thinking as I headed out on the marathon portion of the race. I even stopped briefly to tell Claudette that quite frankly, I had no idea what was gonna happen next. For some reason I wasn't really scared though, just uncertain, and in some kind of wonderment that I was even there. After all, I had never done that particular thing before in my life.

I feel a similar sense of uncertainty now as relates to the overall race, and the preparation. I am confident that I will not screw up by going out too hard, or messing up my hydration etc, and confident that I will finish it in some reasonable fashion. I am even confident that my training is smarter than last time and that it should reap some improvement in results.

Where is the uncertainty then? It's the age thing! I truly don't know if the improved training, and the stronger effort are enough to offset the 3 years, let alone allow room for improvement. I give you this as some evidence. In the 2009 race the average time of the top 3 in my 50-54 age group was 10:06, the 55-59 avarage was 11:02, and the 60-64 average was 11:55. Pretty drastic eh? Almost an hour slower for each successive 5 years.

Generally I believe that I am already fitter than I was in 2009 and yet I also notice more fatigue after hard efforts, and I definitely notice less co-ordination particularly when I run. The muscles just don't seem to fire the same way  they used to. When I am tired I stumble easier and often trip over my own feet.

But back to my title. At some point I will establish and publicly identify my time goals, but only because it is motivational and fun to do so. Beyond that I don't know, but it really doesn't matter.

One training thing I have struggled with is getting my weight sessions in without it being a problem for the next days workout. I found that I was trying to swim with tired arms, and trying to run with sore legs. The answer was staring me in the face and today I figured it out. From here on in you will see twice as many weight sessions per week, as I will break them up into upper and lower body, and fit them in appropriately. Problem solved!

(computrainer 60 mins, weights)

"It ain't what you don't know that gets you into trouble. It's what you know for sure that just ain't so."---Mark Twain

"Age is an issue of mind over matter. If you don't mind, it doesn't matter."---Mark Twain

Love
Peter

"Guilt!"

What do you think of this? There are five main types of guilt.

1)Do something hurtful.

2)Given to you

3)Should/shouldn’t

4)Defense against helplessness

5)Survivor

And apparently the only one that's of any use is number one. Guilt that keeps you from repeatedly hurting someone, even yourself, is a good thing. The funny thing is that out of the five I believe it is the one I'm least "guilty" of.

The other four are waging a battle within me to see which can be the most prevalent. Numbers 2, 3, and 4 are primarily child related with maybe a few other odds and ends thrown in, and the other one is cancer related.

Here's the seeming paradox! If feeling guilty (2,3,4,5) is hurting someone (namely me) then I should just use feeling guilty (1) to stop hurting myself. That almost makes sense.

What do you do to alleviate your guilt? Or do you even experience it, and if not, what's your secret?

Today was a one workout day as I skipped my swim. I know I "shouldn't" have but I thought it might "hurt" so I let it slide....actually no.... I don't really feel guilty about it at all.

(10.4 km run, 50 mins)

"How blunt are all the arrows of thy quiver in comparison with those of guilt."---Robert Blair

"If all the world hated you, and believed you wicked, while your own conscience approved you, and absolved you from guilt, you would not be without friends."---Charlotte Bronte

Love
Peter