"Woohoo!"

I know that at least 4 people still check to see if I'm alive.

How do I know? Well this morning when I got up my wife said to me, "I don't want to stress you, but did you post a blog last night?"

And since the day was busy I never had a chance unitl late this afternoon by which time at least 3 other people noticed.  Fortunately the blog site has a feature whereby you can actually back date your post, so if I was a liar I could simply have blamed the internet.

But alas, I can only seem to lie about important things and so you have the truth of it.  I forgot to post!

Not that I'm pretending that you're misssing something significant, but if nothing else you do get a regular quote from some brighter person.

It seems like I am very tired lately and come evening time I run out of gas.  I suspect a combination of cabin fever, consistent tough training and perhaps even a little stress.  My workplace has undergone a major upheaval which is leaving me a little unsettled, and in 3 weeks I have to start those stupid daily treatments in Hamilton, accompanied with a double tooth extraction!

But I know that winter will be over soon, the treatments are only for 6 weeks, I don't need all these teeth, and that the work stuff will resolve itself one way or another.  Then onward we go!

I had kind of a weird swim today.  Since I did my weights late last night my arms were still sore so I took it kind of easy.  I did decide to put a bit of effort into the last 500 metres and much to my surprise I was a good bit faster than previously.  Hopefully that's a positive indicator of improved technique.

Sure enough my bike ride was not very good but I still did the best I could.  Tuesday is my strength ride and it is important that I get it in. 

Less than 8 weeks to Around the Bay, and I will  use that an excuse to make the week previous an easy one. That way I will have a chance to keep up with Roo, and test my fitness a little bit at the same time

And that's about it. Live long and prosper!

(swim 1500 metres, computrainer 60 mins)

"Worrying doesn't empty tomorrow of it's troubles,  it empties today of it's strength"---Anon

Love

Peter

"Just Checking"

To see if you're paying attention.

(easy run, weights)

"Give whatever you are doing and whoever you are with the gift of your attention."---Jim Rohn

Love
Peter

"Happy Sunday!"

Hope you had a great day!  I know I did despite a last minute request to pick up the kids in Cambridge.  Even that was ok, as I try to live the philosophy that the things that happen to me are not an interruption to my life, but rather they are my life itself.

"Today, the degradation of the inner life is symbolized by the fact that the only place sacred from interruption is the private toilet."---Lewis Mumford

(swim 1500 metres, ride 60 mins)

Love
Peter

"But Valour is Important Too"

I woke up this morning to a nasty wind but thankfully no snow.  That all changed before I got out the door and I knew quickly that conditions were not gonna be great.  The snow started to come down and by 8 am it was already starting to cover the ground.  I made a decision to stick close to home in case it got really crappy and sure enough when I turned into the wind at about 5 kms I pretty well decided to pack it in after one block, and hope for better tomorrow.  By 6 kms I was carrying my glasses because they were compleyly plastered.  Back  at the mailbox I had a decision to make.  I put my glasses in the mailbox, and mentally signed up for the whole 30 kms.

In the end it worked out okay.  You will recall that I intended going a little slower and in actual fact the snow was probably just what I needed to keep me patient.  It was so crappy into the wind that without my glasses I couldn't lift my head to watch where I was going because it stung my eyes so bad.  Well actually I could lift my head if I closed my eyes but that really wasn't that effective either!!

Anyway, with the slower pace I felt quite good and never really struggled.  Game on!

(30 km run, 2:45:50)
Valor is a gift. Those having it never know for sure whether they have it till the test comes. And those having it in one test never know for sure if they will have it when the next test comes."---Napoleon

Love
Peter

"I think It's Working"

Since Christmas I have gotten very religious.  Whoops!  I mean very religious about my eating habits.  I constantly watch my overall intake of calories, try to get most of my protein from chicken, fish or beans, keep my fat intake reasonable, consume very little alcohol, and even stopped eating ice cream bars before bed!

And finally I think it's working.  I am just approximating but I truly believe that since the start of the year I have actually lost 4 or 5 ounces of body fat!!  Yup!  At least 1/4 of a pound!  I think?

Despite the frustration I am not prepared to give up.  Somehow I still believe that if I maintain my discipline it will eventually come off.  Despite the neglible change in the bathroom scale I do feel thinner, and that's what's supposed to matter anyway eh?

I'm pretty sure I'll lose a little weight tomorrow as I plan on a 30 km run.  I need some decent weather though and right now it doesn't look great.  The weatherman suggests snow, and fairly strong winds.  Let's hope not!

Friday is usually my longer swim day bit I couldn't pit it together today.  I was fairly agressive with my weights last night and my arms were simply tired.  I did get the 2 kms in but with little breaks every 500 metres.  It's all good!

(swim 2000 metres....slow)

"All that is necessary to break the spell of inertia and frustration is to - act as if it were impossible to fail."---Dorothea Brande

Love
Peter

"Confession"

Bless me father for I have sinned.  My last confession was forty some years ago.  Since then I have committed many sins.  I have lied 3 or 4 times, and taken the lords name in vain maybe 6 times.  I certainly have coveted my neighbours BMW and twice I missed church on Sunday.  But the biggest sin I have committed father was to buy a new saddle for my bike!!!

In order to be allowed to buy the saddle in the first place my wife made me commit to admitting it to you publicly so here you have it.  First let me show you a pic of my previous saddle, the one which you may remember solved all of my numb nuts problems. 

You will recall that it was the split nature of the saddle that allowed my private parts the freedom necessary to allow good blood flow and prevent squashed nerves.  The limitation of the saddle is the overall width.  I have a fairly narrow pelvis which results in pressure on my sit bones, as well as rubbing on my inner thighs.  You can see then what attracted me about this blue beauty. 

It also has the open middle and yet it is not as wide.  That should be the both of best worlds.  But alas not quite.  The opening is not as wide as the old one and I did experience a bit of numbness on my 2 hour ride today.  The narrower slot is  compounded by the fact that the saddle is very padded, which although it may seem like a good idea, is actually counterproductive.  The softness allows the saddle to collpase under weight thereby closing up the gap even more.  Since I can't find it locally I bought it off of e-bay and the soft padding was an unexpected disappointment.  I'm gonna give it some time and try to get the position dialed in and then decide.  Of course the more expensive carbon fiber models have little to no padding so I may need your help with Roo one more time.

It is a decidedly  cool looking saddle which is of course as important as anything eh?  Note how the nose is curled way down, once again in an effort to leave the crown jewels feeling unencumbered.

"So about my penance father?"
"Well son. How about 3 Hail Marys, 2 Our Fathers, and 1 Bend over the Communion Rail"
"Up Yours Father. See you in 40 years!"

(computrainer 2 hours, weights)

"Confession of errors is like a broom which sweeps away the dirt and leaves the surface brighter and clearer. I feel stronger for confession."---Mahatma Gandhi

'I'd stand in line for Confession with old people and little kids, and as the line moved up, I knew when I got into the box that I would lie! Again!'---Mercedes McCambridge

Love
Peter

"Post # 150"

Another 150 days of my life has gone by. If I live to be 80 years old that's just over 1/2 of 1 perecent of my life! Holy cow! Think about it. Just twice that much would be a full percent and it flew by without me barely noticing.

This morning when I got up I was feeling a little blue and not very motivated. At some point while driving the kids to school it occured to me that I had the power to decide what I would do with my day. I could waste it being grumpy or I could do otherwise. I was fairly succesful which just motivates me to do it again tomorrow.
(swim 1500 metres, run 7.4kms)

“One day your life will flash before your eyes. Make sure its worth watching."---Anon

Love
Peter