Panorama Classic Triathlon

This weekend, James and I raced our first triathlon of the season: the Panorama Classic Triathlon. This local, sprint distance race has a special place in my heart because it was my first ever triathlon. Also, because it is the goal race for all the first-timers in our triathlon club, it is always full of our friends who we get to see out on the course.

James and I were both really looking forward to doing this race again this year and comparing our performances from last year to see how far we've come. However, the race organizers dramatically changed the course this year, which makes it very hard to compare. The race course distances this year were a 500m pool swim, a 32 km bike, and an 8 km run. In any case, it was a beautiful day for a race (unlike last year!) and we both had a great time. Here are some stats:

James

Total Time: 1:37:00

Age Group Rank: 2/5

Overall Rank: 13/202

Average Swimming Pace: 1:39 min/100m

Average Cycling Pace: 34.53 km/hr (21.46 mi/hr)

Average Running Pace: 4:21 min/km (6:59 min/mi)

Click HERE to read James' full race report.

Kristi
Total Time: 2:08:22
Age Group Rank: 5/7

Overall Rank: 140/202
Average Swimming Pace: 2:07 min/100m
Average Cycling Pace: 28.72 km/hr (17.85 mi/hr)
Average Running Pace: 5:40 min/km (9:07 min/mi)

Click HERE to read Kristi's full race report.

Asleep on the Job?

So, this afternoon I was looking through some of our wedding photos, trying to find the right picture for a project I'm working on, and what did I find but a picture of what looks like my father snoozing during our wedding ceremony! Take a close look and decide for yourself: was Dad just caught on camera mid-blink, or is he pretending to look dignified while visions of margaritas dance through his head?

A Change of Scenery

Yesterday, I had the absolute pleasure of heading up to Shawnigan Lake to run the trails with my good friend Aynsley who lives there. Shawnigan Lake and its eponymous village are located about 45 kilometers north of Victoria and the lake is a favorite weekend and cottage spot for Victoria locals. What was once a railroad track around the lake has long since been covered over with gravel and turned into a most excellent pedestrian trail. The trail is mostly flat, very wide, and impeccably maintained and is part of a cross-country network of trails known as the Trans-Canada Trail. Its only apparent downfall is its propensity to attract wildlife, which necessitates the wearing of a "bear bell" or the company of a dog or some other noise-making entity to warn lurking creatures of your approach. (See example below.)

Our two hour run led us to the Kinsol Trestle, which is said to be one of the largest wooden trestles in Canada. Largely dilapidated and currently unpassable, the future of the Kinsol Trestle is a hotly debated topic in these parts. On one hand, the aging structure is quite unstable and, in its current state, presents a safety hazard for hikers who disobey the posted warnings. On the other hand, it is a bit of a relic and stands as a beautiful reminder of BC's heritage. Just think: how tragic would it be if the Egyptians had destroyed every run-down pyramid, if the French had torched every decaying aqueduct, if the Vatican had simply painted over Michaelangelo's ceiling when it started to lose its luster? Shouldn't we leave our grandchildren at least a few monuments to read about in guidebooks and then make the journey to see with their very own eyes?

Having finished our run, we soaked our tired legs in chilly Shawnigan Lake while we shared a ripe mango and tried to avoid getting wet above our belly buttons. After a hot shower, a delicious dinner, and a leisurely chat that kept us both up past our bedtimes, I bit the bullet and started the drive around the lake and back down the mountain to Victoria. As I traversed the long and winding road in the darkness, I was shocked to realize that, when I looked into my rear-view mirror, I saw nothing. No tail lights of a trailing car, no street lamps illuminating my path, just the complete and utter black of a quiet country night. And for the first time in a long time, I felt truly alone. Twenty-four hours later, however, all I feel is sore!

Easter Treat

A few weeks ago, over Easter long weekend, James and I grabbed some friends and made the trek to South Winchelsea Island (SWI). The island is owned by The Land Conservancy (TLC), a nonprofit British Columbia Land Trust. Some of the friends who joined us on the island work for TLC, and so were able to get us a great deal at what is usually a rather expensive eco-tourist destination.

SWI is a 25-acre island north of Nanaimo, just off the east coast of Vancouver Island. To get there, we drove from Victoria to Nanaimo, then hopped in a fishing boat at Schooner's Cove Marina and took the 15-minute boat ride out to the island. On the island is a dock, a small research cottage, a few outbuildings, and one small trail. In short: there's not a lot to do. Except admire the endangered Garry-Oak ecosystem, watch eagles catch and eat their breakfast, fall asleep and wake up to the incessant bays of sea lions sunning on neighboring islands, explore countless tidepools, and spend lots of quality time with your closest friends. It was a huge bonus to have our very own TLC biologist (and friend) with us to teach us all about the interesting plant and animal species on the island.


We had packed tons of food and what we thought was more than enough wine, but by the end of our second day on the island we had nearly exhausted our supply of libations. We put in an "emergency" call to our boat captain and asked him to please pick us up some more wine in Nanoose Bay and deliver it when he brought over extra firewood on Easter Sunday. What we didn't realize, however, is that all of the stores in this small town would be closed for Easter, including of course the liquor store. Imagine our surprise when he showed up with firewood and an eclectic supply of bottles (beer and wine) donated by the townspeople, lest we be stuck on an island in the middle of nowhere dead sober all weekend. We were overcome by the outpouring of generostiy, but the captain refused to take money back with him to repay our debts, accepting only some Easter chocolates (from our Easter egg hunt) as a token of our appreciation.

After a restful, fun weekend, we boarded the fishing boat back to Schooner's Cove for a quick return trip. Unexpectedly, however, we came across a pod of transient killer whales, and watched a mother and two calves hunt and kill seals. It was at once disturbing and fascinating, and it felt a lot like being inside a Discovery Channel show. Several more curious whales came to say hello, and eventually we had to say goodbye to them and head back to Nanoose Bay to start our journey home. We were all so enthralled by the marine wildlife that no one thought to take photos of our surprise whale watching expedition, but you can click HERE to see some more pictures of our weekend on SWI.

This Old Blog

Hello, folks! Though life has been exceptionally busy over the past few months, we thought it was high time we blew the dust off this ol' blog, cleared out the cobwebs, and posted a quick update. What has been keeping us way too busy to blog? Training, of course! We promise we'll try to post more regularly throughout the summer as training (and life in general) gets more interesting.

James and I are well into the "build" phase of our Ironman training, where we ramp up the distance in each sport until we reach (or surpass, yikes!) the actual race distances. We've been seeking out new and interesting bike routes and are starting to mentally prepare ourselves for the first icy cold swim in Thetis Lake. The weather in Victoria has just started to improve, which has brought locals and tourists alike out of hibernation and into the downtown streets. The great farmers' markets will be starting up again soon, and every Saturday we'll be able to fill our bags with local organic produce and our bellies with fresh samosas. And I assure you, there is nothing nicer than a Sunday morning vegan brunch, followed by coffee to go and a long walk with Disco along Dallas Road. Though the grey winter sometimes makes us wonder why on earth we choose to live on this rock, the first glimpse of summer sun reminds us what paradise this place can be. We have a lot planned for the next few months and we promise to blog about it, so stay tuned for updates!

In the meantime, and in honor of spring's arrival, here are some pictures from our visit to Butchart Gardens with James' parents in April. Early spring is a great time to see the gardens because, though the weather is usually nice and the place is bursting with blooms, it's still pretty quiet. Disco particularly loved Butchart Gardens and was a hit with all the tourists. One Japanese couple, resplendent in their fanny packs and oversized cameras, was especially taken with her. They didn't speak much English but they managed to ask us the name of our dog. When we said "Disco," they exchanged a puzzled glance and some Japanese words, then turned to us and said, "Dees-co? Like...?" At which point they put their hands on their hips and wiggled back and forth in what we could only assume was a Travolta-esque pantomime. When we confirmed their suspicions that our dog had indeed been named after a particularly tacky style of dance, they collapsed in giddy laughter and petted her all the more enthusiastically. I could only imagine what they would have thought had we been able to communicate her full name: Waycool Days of Disco.

Yes that is ice and yes those are my legs

So with the good that triathlon brings there is also the bad, that no one really tells you before you start down this crazy road and get addicted. One of those things is how your legs will feel like you have beat them with a baseball bat after a long run. However to counteract this feeling painful feeling in the legs there are a few things that you can do to make them recover faster. If god had been nice he would have made chocolate or beer be the recovery method of choice but that is just wishful thinking. Being the sadistic person that god is to recover faster you can sit in a tub put in the coldest water you can handle and then dump 2 bags of ice into the tub. Does it work? Better then you could imagine. Is it fun? Not even close. You have to sit in the tub full of ice for around 15 min, or just before hypothermia kicks in and then some how muster up the strength to get your frozen body out of the tub.

So if it is so bad to sit in a cold tub why don't I just deal with the painful legs? Well becuase in training for Ironman there is no such thing as a day off. So the next day I need those legs to be somewhat useful so they can take more punishment in the hopes that they get a little stronger.

Still at 184 Pounds... But a better 184 Pounds

So I haven't updated pics like these in a while because well, there really was no progress from Nov to Jan. I pretty much ate a ton of bad food, drank a little more then I should have, did very little exersize and gained a bunch of weight to a high of 198 in Dec. Now that 2007 has come along, I'm back down to 184 which I was at in October I think, but I've spent a lot more time in the gym this year so I think I've got a little less fat and a little more muscle. I figure that I still have about 19 pounds to go before I get to the 165 I want to be a by Ironman and these 10 - 13 hour weeks of training are helping that happen.

And why I like Battlestar Galactica

Why I Like Battlestar Galactica

Need I say more??

My new addiction

Yes that is right folks, I am an addict. It seems that the evil demons that live inside our TV have taken over my mind. I'm not sure how it happened or when it happened, but slowly TV has had its sights on me and has been reeling me in. It's started harmlessly last year when I figured that I would rent a few DVD's of TV shows to watch while I rode the trainer. I was being good I thought. Working out, getting rid of flab and watching Jack Bauer (who is actually Canadian by the way) kick some ass and save the world from terrorists.


But it didn't stop at the trainer. I wanted more! There were 5 seasons that had been played out already on TV and I had only discovered the first. There were still 119 hours of mind numbing, ass kicking, terrorist fighting action out there and I was getting thirsty for more. I started watching an extra episode before I went to bed with my lovely wife who would eventually become an addict as well. Soon it became 2 episodes, then 3 and then an even more dreadful day came. I had finished watching disk 5 of season 1 and only disk 6 remained till I would find out how Jack would get him self out of this mess. I ran to Blockbuster to get disk 6 but someone had beat me to it. My dealer was dry. I knew of other blockbusters in town so I drove around all night looking for that elusive disk 6 of season one. I couldn't sleep, eat or love again till I was holding it in my hand and it was in my DVD player revealing to me it's secrets. That was only one dark night of many.

I have watched an entire season in a weekend (thats right 24 hours of 24 in a 2 day period), and have reached out to others to get my fix. Now I take comfort in Prison Break, Battlestar Galactica (Kristi's drug of choice), The Office, and Heroes. I am just a simple man who's mind is being turned to goo by these addictive modern shows. I'm not sure when the day will come that I will break free of these chains but hope soon enough I will run out of good TV and can return to my normal life to function as a regular member of society.

Week 6 Training Plan

Week 5 Training Plan

I know, I know. Week 5 is almost over, and I'm posting this week's training schedule very late. But I will post Week 6 early to make up for it.

Week 4 Training Plan

Our recovery week is over and it's time to get back at it. Here is Week 4 of our training schedule. It's only Tuesday, so I figure this is still news.

Stick It In Your Eye

Well, James and I are both having really busy weeks at work. He is closing a construction job. My boss is in town and I'm starting a clinical study. Between the two of us, it's been hectic to say the least.

Today was by far the worst for me. My clinical study was supposed to commence this morning, and we were supposed to be testing a new piece of ultrasound equipment that takes pictures of the inside of the eye. In order to use this equipment, you need to anesthetize the eye, put ultrasound gel INSIDE the eye, and use an ultrasound probe to capture images of different eye structures. It all sounds very simple, doesn't it?

As simple as it seemed, we decided to try testing the device yesterday in-house, using my boss as a test subject. Not yet being an ultrasound expert, I had picked up a few liters of "regular" ultrasound gel, which apparently causes my boss' eye to turn very red, swell, and sting like crazy. Don't ask me how I know. Regardless, I had to find ultrasound gel specifically intended for use in someone's eye. After a few hours of calling around, I was finally able to locate some of this special gel on the mainland, but it wouldn't be able to be delivered until tomorrow. But the testing was supposed to start today! We needed an alternative. After some brainstorming, someone suggested we try KY Jelly, and I was subsequently sent to the pharmacy to procure a tube of lube.

So, mid-morning on a Thursday, dressed in my finest work clothes, I headed over to the Family Planning section of the pharmacy and snagged a jumbo tube of KY. Seeing the "Keep Away From Eyes" warning on the package and recalling the earlier incident with the other gel, I thought it would be wise to consult an expert before inflaming my boss yet again. So, in a most professional fashion, I marched right up to the pharmacy counter, held up my jumbo tube of KY, and asked the pharmacist, "Do you think it would be ok if I put this in my eye?"

Almost instantly, I realized I should have rephrased my question. With a look of utter disgust, the pharmacist leaned back from the counter and said, "I won't guarantee that you won't get hurt, but if you're going to do it, make sure you use the kind without spermicide."

Dreams vs. Reality

Can you guess which is which?

Week 3 Training Plan

There hasn't been a lot of blogging lately, mostly because not much is going on at the moment. Other than training, of course. Let me see if I can think of anything interesting to tell you...

I lost my swimsuit and found it in the washing machine. We discovered that we can buy fresh made corn tortillas from a nearby Mexican restaurant. There are lots of great vegan recipes in Vegetarian Times this month, so we're thinking of subscribing. Oh, and we think Disco may have picked up some fleas at doggie daycare, so she's getting a serious bath tonight. It's a fascinating life, isn't it? ;)

Truthfully, the past few weeks have really been focused on organizing our lives and getting all of our workouts in. To this point, we are doing really well. Our place isn't dirty. The laundry isn't piling up. We're not eating takeout. And we're hitting all the planned training. Hopefully, once we really get the hang of all of this organization, our life will start to get more interesting again. In the meantime, it's a recovery week and we're REALLY happy about that. :) Here's what we're up to this week.

Week 2 Training Plan

As promised, here is Week 2.

Week 1 Training Plan

Since this blog is supposed to be about our Ironman year and what it takes to get us there, we have decided that we will occasionally post overviews of our weekly training plans. I can't promise we will post them every week because, heck, we will be spending most of our time training! But we will try to do it as often as possible.

We will be leaving out all the intimate details of our workouts and instead just listing the amount of time we are supposed to spend doing each discipline. If you want to know more about the individual workouts, email me and I will send you links to our online training logs, where we write the details of our workouts each day along with some commentary. It's true that we could post everything here and keep it all in one place, but out of respect for our coach and the time she spends creating our personalized training plans, we are electing not to share them with the entire world. Because the entire world is reading our blog, after all... ;-)

Enough disclaimers -- now for the training plans. Here is Week 1 (last week), with Week 2 (this week) to follow in a separate post.

The Life (and Near Death) of Bo and Tina

My friend Cara, who sits next to me at work, has two goldfish who live on her desk -- Bo and Tina. Until recently she had three goldfish, but sadly, Johnny B. Good passed away earlier this week. We think his early demise was due to the dismal conditions of his bowl when no one was cleaning it over the holidays. There was a short service in the ladies' bathroom. But I digress. This story is really about Bo.

This morning, during our daily meeting, we noticed a funny sound coming from Bo and Tina's tank. Because we all love our animal companions, we put the meeting on hold to investigate. As we approached the tank, we realized that the weird sound was in fact Bo throwing himself against the glass. Upon closer inspection, we discovered that he had a rock (a piece of gravel from the bottom of the tank) stuck in his little fishy mouth and was thrashing about, trying to dislodge it! We're not sure exactly why he tried to eat a rock (feed those fish often, Cara?), but it didn't really matter -- Bo was clearly suffering.

As panic set in, we all gathered around the tank, shouting out ideas. "Help him!" someone shouted. "Press on his gills!" None of us could stand the thought of losing yet another fish this week. Instinctually, Cara reached for a drumstick (the drumming kind, not the eating kind) on her desk and proceeded to poke and prod Bo with it, squeezing him between the stick and the side of the tank in what appeared to be an attempt at an aquatic Heimlich maneuver. The compression didn't seem to help Bo at all, rather it only made him thrash more vigorously. I can just imagine him thinking, "Great! Not only am I choking on a rock, now they are attacking me with a musical instrument!"

Abandoning the underwater Heimlich idea, Cara ran to the lunchroom and returned with a teacup, which she used to scoop Bo from the tank. She placed two fingers on either side of his torso, and again attempted to pop the rock out by pressing on Bo's belly. Not only was this second attempt unsuccessful, but Cara was also entirely grossed out by the feeling of fish scales on her fingertips. Cara stepped back from Bo, head hanging in defeat, while the rest of us stood trembling around her desk, anticipating yet another fish funeral. And at that moment, Dave stopped by the office to see what all the commotion was about.

"It's Bo!" we cried. "He tried to eat a rock and it's stuck in his mouth! He's dying, and we can't get it out!" Perfectly composed, Dave surveyed the scene. Calmly, he picked up the pair of tweezers sitting on Cara's desk, gently removed the rock from Bo's gaping mouth, and returned Bo to his tank where he enjoyed a happy reunion with Tina. "Hooray for Dave!" we shouted. "You're a hero! You saved Bo's life!" Dave merely shrugged and walked out the door. All in a day's work, I suppose.

In other news, today is James' 26th birthday! Everyone please wish him another happy year and tease him for being such a geezer.

2007 - The year of IRONMAN

Well 2006 came and went. It started off with Kristi and I joining the Tri club at our local YMCA not really knowing how to run, bike or swim and before we knew it we were in line signing up for Ironman Canada. A race that seemed impossible to complete and only attempted by elite athletes at the beginning of the year has became our goal for 2007. Now neither of us are elite athletes and the distance still makes me shudder when I think about it , but one important thing has changed in my life. Triathlon has made me re-evaluate what is possible and what I as a person can accomplish.

So here are my totals for 2006

Bike: 101h 16m 06s (37.2%)
Run: 85h 54m 33s (31.6%)
Swim: 55h 43m 54s (20.5%)
Strength: 15h 15m (5.6%)
Yoga: 14h (5.1%)

TOTAL HOURS TRAINING = 272.15

That works out to roughly 45min a day every day in 2006. Up from probably 2 -3 min a day in 2005. Also as a comparison to 2007 I figure from the first bit of training schedules our coach has given us, this year I will surpass those totals by June! It looks like my life will consist of sleeping, eating, training and working. I know it will all be worth it though when I cross the finish line at Ironman.

Now I have to get back to the working part. I hope that everyone had a wonderful 2006 and has an even better 2007. Take a chance this year like Kristi and I did last year and do something you think is impossible. I'm sure that you will find as I have you are capable of far more then you could ever imagine.