Hey all,
Thanks for the encouragement you guys, but unfortunately it wasn't to be my day. My calf was still stiff at the race start. I did a decent warmup there wasn't much pain just mainly stiffness. I got into the start area and waited and waited and waited for the gun. Eventually it did go off and we started to run. As usual I was wayyy too far back so I had to weave in and out of all the runners. I doubt I got more then 300-400meters out and my calf pulled, so I had to pull out. My day was done. This is my first ever DNF in a race, didn't think my first would happen that early into a race. Kinda embarrassing, I felt stupid walking back with the number still attached to my shirt. One lady pointed out the fact that I was going the wrong way. I chuckled with her, it's cool someone else may not have appreciated it, but I know she meant no harm. I found Lisa quite easily and went to go hand in my chip. It was kinda embarrassing handing in my chip, the crew there were quite surpised, then they felt bad for me. Lol I think the one guy wanted to give me a hug. Hey, at least I was the first to hand in my chip eh? I called Curtis(a training friend) and let him know I wouldn't be running by at the landing and to tell him that the race started late. Lisa and I went for Breakfast with Curtis and his wife. It was cool, but no matter what you tell yourself ultimately it's still a bit of a downer.
We went home and I got ready for a swim with Curtis. Went back to the pool and we swam maybe 3500 meters. I came home and I decided to try the leg out on the bike. I walk with a bit of a limp but cycling doesn't use the calf much so I thought I'd try it. As I thought it was fine and I actually rode quite hard for an hour, no heart rate monitor, no training plan, just to go out and ride the way I felt. I got home and felt much better about the day, having got some use out of the awsome day. It was probably more of a mental release then a physical one.
I hear some of you others have had a really good weekend and I'm genuinely happy for you guys. I decided during the swim that I wasn't going to let this get me down. The realization came during a song by Gob called give up the grudge."you know your bitchin' and complainin' like you've got it so tough. we're sick of all your cryin', will you ever shut up? so keep bleedin' your fake blood" LOL I know there are better songs that might be closer to the situation, but that's the song that played. I don't want to complain about it so I'll just shut up, get better, and move on. I might be off of the running for a bit, but I can ride and swim and I'll do what I can to heal up. Maybe go for some massage, maybe ART we'll see. Cheers,
Darryl
PS: Sorry I do feel I let some of you down. No zone 4, and definatly NO ASS SLAPPING!!! lol Trevor you musta been waiting for it the whole run. I wonder how many times you heard footsteps behind you in the race and you braced yourself and got nothing. ha ha.
Monday, April 28, 2008
Saturday, April 26, 2008
Police half thoughts
Hey all,
I just got back from the Tech shop to pick up my race number. The race numbers are a strange color. Or at least the back ground is brown, not the regular white or other funky light color. Thank goodness they're smaller too, I hate the big huge race numbers that were popular a few years ago.
As for the race, I'm not sure how it'll go, my calf is still a bit tight. I've given it plenty of rest, like 5 days off running completely which in itself makes me nervous about my fitness level. Oh well I'm gonna suck it up, show up tomorrow and do my best. Hopefully start out easy and pick it up later around the glenmore landing area, maybe a touch before then. That's what I did last year and felt really great and finished strong.
I had goals of breaking 90 minutes but now I think I'll just be happy to be under 95. But you never know, it could even be warm and some of the sheltered tree covered areas may even have some snow on the path still. This all could have an impact on the race performance. I just want to go out there and run a solid tempo/race and cross the finish line strong.
I'm not sure about if I should wear my hr monitor or even time my race. Last year I didn't time it and there are pros and cons to both. Actually I'm not even sure what heart rate would be a good half marathon pace for me. Maybe top of z3, then z4 in the last miles??? I'll see what I do, maybe I'll wear the hr monitor not time the race, but just use it at the start for the first 10k to keep the effort in z3. Then later go by feeling. Well I'm off to get some pasta in me, cheers and for any of you who might be racing this weekend good luck. My number is 1737 for those of you who don't know what I look like, make sure you say hi or cheer me on if you are watching. :P
I just got back from the Tech shop to pick up my race number. The race numbers are a strange color. Or at least the back ground is brown, not the regular white or other funky light color. Thank goodness they're smaller too, I hate the big huge race numbers that were popular a few years ago.
As for the race, I'm not sure how it'll go, my calf is still a bit tight. I've given it plenty of rest, like 5 days off running completely which in itself makes me nervous about my fitness level. Oh well I'm gonna suck it up, show up tomorrow and do my best. Hopefully start out easy and pick it up later around the glenmore landing area, maybe a touch before then. That's what I did last year and felt really great and finished strong.
I had goals of breaking 90 minutes but now I think I'll just be happy to be under 95. But you never know, it could even be warm and some of the sheltered tree covered areas may even have some snow on the path still. This all could have an impact on the race performance. I just want to go out there and run a solid tempo/race and cross the finish line strong.
I'm not sure about if I should wear my hr monitor or even time my race. Last year I didn't time it and there are pros and cons to both. Actually I'm not even sure what heart rate would be a good half marathon pace for me. Maybe top of z3, then z4 in the last miles??? I'll see what I do, maybe I'll wear the hr monitor not time the race, but just use it at the start for the first 10k to keep the effort in z3. Then later go by feeling. Well I'm off to get some pasta in me, cheers and for any of you who might be racing this weekend good luck. My number is 1737 for those of you who don't know what I look like, make sure you say hi or cheer me on if you are watching. :P
Wednesday, April 23, 2008
Hilarious letter
Hey,
I've seen this email awhile back and I'm sure most of you have seen it as well. But it's so funny it's definatly worth a re-read. It's for anyone who has ever contemplated throwing the computer into the dumpster because you're so frustrated with it.
Gates vs. GM
For all of us who feel only the deepest love and affection for the way computers have enhanced our lives, read on.
At a recent computer expo (COMDEX), Bill Gates reportedly compared the computer industry with the auto industry and stated,
"If GM had kept up with technology like the computer industry has, we would all be driving $25.00 cars that got 1,000 miles to the gallon."
In response to Bill's comments, General Motors issued a press release stating:
If GM had developed technology like Microsoft, we would all be driving cars with the following characteristics (and I just love this part):
1. For no reason whatsoever, your car would crash........Twice a day.
2. Every time they repainted the lines in the road, you would have to buy a new car.
3. Occasionally your car would die on the freeway for no reason. You would have to pull to the side of the road, close all of the windows, shut off the car, restart it, and reopen the windows before you could continue. For some reason you would simply accept this.
4. Occasionally, executing a maneuver such as a left turn would cause your car to shut down and refuse to restart, in which case you would have to reinstall the engine.
5. Macintosh would make a car that was powered by the sun, was reliable, five times as fast and twice as easy to drive - but would run on only five percent of the roads.
6. The oil, water temperature, and alternator warning lights would all be replaced by a single "This Car Has Performed An Illegal Operation" warning light.
I love the next one!!!
7. The airbag system would ask "Are you sure?" before deploying.
8. Occasionally, for no reason whatsoever, your car would lock you out and refuse to let you in until you simultaneously lifted the door handle, turned the key and grabbed hold of the radio antenna.
9. Every time a new car was introduced car buyers would have to learn how to drive all over again because none of the controls would operate in the same manner as the old car.
10. You'd have to press the "Start" button to turn the engine off.
I've seen this email awhile back and I'm sure most of you have seen it as well. But it's so funny it's definatly worth a re-read. It's for anyone who has ever contemplated throwing the computer into the dumpster because you're so frustrated with it.
Gates vs. GM
For all of us who feel only the deepest love and affection for the way computers have enhanced our lives, read on.
At a recent computer expo (COMDEX), Bill Gates reportedly compared the computer industry with the auto industry and stated,
"If GM had kept up with technology like the computer industry has, we would all be driving $25.00 cars that got 1,000 miles to the gallon."
In response to Bill's comments, General Motors issued a press release stating:
If GM had developed technology like Microsoft, we would all be driving cars with the following characteristics (and I just love this part):
1. For no reason whatsoever, your car would crash........Twice a day.
2. Every time they repainted the lines in the road, you would have to buy a new car.
3. Occasionally your car would die on the freeway for no reason. You would have to pull to the side of the road, close all of the windows, shut off the car, restart it, and reopen the windows before you could continue. For some reason you would simply accept this.
4. Occasionally, executing a maneuver such as a left turn would cause your car to shut down and refuse to restart, in which case you would have to reinstall the engine.
5. Macintosh would make a car that was powered by the sun, was reliable, five times as fast and twice as easy to drive - but would run on only five percent of the roads.
6. The oil, water temperature, and alternator warning lights would all be replaced by a single "This Car Has Performed An Illegal Operation" warning light.
I love the next one!!!
7. The airbag system would ask "Are you sure?" before deploying.
8. Occasionally, for no reason whatsoever, your car would lock you out and refuse to let you in until you simultaneously lifted the door handle, turned the key and grabbed hold of the radio antenna.
9. Every time a new car was introduced car buyers would have to learn how to drive all over again because none of the controls would operate in the same manner as the old car.
10. You'd have to press the "Start" button to turn the engine off.
Tuesday, April 22, 2008
Back on the mend and some big news
Hey all,
Well after a second unplanned recovery week I think I'm back on the mend. I still have a slight cough but that's going quick too. I just have to be patient and no outdoor training for a bit till I'm 100%. Right now it's basically the asthma holding onto my cough, my energy is at 100%. Despite the crappy weather I've had a couple of good work outs. Sunday Curtis and I swam, I think I did 3800 yards. We swim in a old YMCA pool which I have gotten to like despite the shortness. For the main set we alternated 500 pull with 5x100 free. Then I got an hour in on the treadmill after that. By now I'm sure everyone knows about all the snow on the ground. To make matters worse, back in Manitoba they were enjoying +20 during our snow storm. I nearly swore at my family members talking to them on the phone. Today was a brick, I did 1.5 hours on the bike at home, then had a slight delay going to the gym to run 40 min at a zone 2 pace. It felt really easy and I was tempted to up the pace from the 8 mph.
Oh on to the news, I finally decided to train under Greg Bradley from Speed Theory. I find it hard to make decisions, it took me over a month of pondering to finally make the call. I'm pretty excited about it, but also a little nervous(sorry just bein honest) I haven't had a coach in years. I've always just done my own thing, but hey somtimes you gotta take a leap of faith. He's very knowledgeable and has an awsome attitude. I'm pretty sure the relationship will work out just fine, we've met a few times and he seems very easy going yet passionate towards the sport. The one thing that he told me over and over again was that he just wants to help people acheive their goals. He's got a lot of experience too. I'd never trust a coach who hasn't been out there on the course and felt what we feel on race day. In fact he'll be out there on Aug. 27th with us. I look forward to seeing him get his kona spot. No pressure Greg. Pretty cool, anyways that's enough about him, don't want to embarrass him too much. :P
Well after a second unplanned recovery week I think I'm back on the mend. I still have a slight cough but that's going quick too. I just have to be patient and no outdoor training for a bit till I'm 100%. Right now it's basically the asthma holding onto my cough, my energy is at 100%. Despite the crappy weather I've had a couple of good work outs. Sunday Curtis and I swam, I think I did 3800 yards. We swim in a old YMCA pool which I have gotten to like despite the shortness. For the main set we alternated 500 pull with 5x100 free. Then I got an hour in on the treadmill after that. By now I'm sure everyone knows about all the snow on the ground. To make matters worse, back in Manitoba they were enjoying +20 during our snow storm. I nearly swore at my family members talking to them on the phone. Today was a brick, I did 1.5 hours on the bike at home, then had a slight delay going to the gym to run 40 min at a zone 2 pace. It felt really easy and I was tempted to up the pace from the 8 mph.
Oh on to the news, I finally decided to train under Greg Bradley from Speed Theory. I find it hard to make decisions, it took me over a month of pondering to finally make the call. I'm pretty excited about it, but also a little nervous(sorry just bein honest) I haven't had a coach in years. I've always just done my own thing, but hey somtimes you gotta take a leap of faith. He's very knowledgeable and has an awsome attitude. I'm pretty sure the relationship will work out just fine, we've met a few times and he seems very easy going yet passionate towards the sport. The one thing that he told me over and over again was that he just wants to help people acheive their goals. He's got a lot of experience too. I'd never trust a coach who hasn't been out there on the course and felt what we feel on race day. In fact he'll be out there on Aug. 27th with us. I look forward to seeing him get his kona spot. No pressure Greg. Pretty cool, anyways that's enough about him, don't want to embarrass him too much. :P
Monday, April 14, 2008
Paris Roubaix
Hey,
Check out these pics of the Paris Roubaix. I'm amazed every year how difficult this race is. I would say I'll never complain about bumpy pavement from my rides again, but I'm sure I'll forget and complain regardless. Actually I don't complain hardly about bumps so maybe I don't have to change anything. Here are some pics and you can check the race highlights, notice the facial expressions as they're no doubt getting their fillings jarred out from the bumps. At least it wasn't a wet year, I'm sure you've all seen pics from one of those years. The winner gets a cobble stone. I was wondering where they get the cobble stone from. I wonder if the farmer who's road they get the cobbles from get pissed since they're literally taking his road away little by little. They probably take the best ones so maybe he just got them replaced with some new ones and here they(the guys who pick the trophy cobble stone for the winner) come BRUTAL!! Maybe the farmer will steal it back, I hear Boonen now has two in his trophy case. Fabien as well as Stuart O'grady. Hincapie has been wanting one for years? Why doesn't he just go pick one out of the road. Whole lot easier then doing the race year after year, he's had a lot of bad luck, crashes, mechanicals. Cheers,
Darryl
http://forum.slowtwitch.com/Slowtwitch_Forums_C1/Triathlon_Forum_F1/Welcome_to_Hell!_(pics)_P1750552/
www.cyclingnews.com
Check out these pics of the Paris Roubaix. I'm amazed every year how difficult this race is. I would say I'll never complain about bumpy pavement from my rides again, but I'm sure I'll forget and complain regardless. Actually I don't complain hardly about bumps so maybe I don't have to change anything. Here are some pics and you can check the race highlights, notice the facial expressions as they're no doubt getting their fillings jarred out from the bumps. At least it wasn't a wet year, I'm sure you've all seen pics from one of those years. The winner gets a cobble stone. I was wondering where they get the cobble stone from. I wonder if the farmer who's road they get the cobbles from get pissed since they're literally taking his road away little by little. They probably take the best ones so maybe he just got them replaced with some new ones and here they(the guys who pick the trophy cobble stone for the winner) come BRUTAL!! Maybe the farmer will steal it back, I hear Boonen now has two in his trophy case. Fabien as well as Stuart O'grady. Hincapie has been wanting one for years? Why doesn't he just go pick one out of the road. Whole lot easier then doing the race year after year, he's had a lot of bad luck, crashes, mechanicals. Cheers,
Darryl
http://forum.slowtwitch.com/Slowtwitch_Forums_C1/Triathlon_Forum_F1/Welcome_to_Hell!_(pics)_P1750552/
www.cyclingnews.com
Sunday, April 13, 2008
Good weekend of training
What a beautiful weekend. I'm so happy/thankful for the good weather. True to my predictions the snow was gone pretty much by the weekend so I could get out onto the road. I road longer yesterday 3.5 hours and Mother Nature decided to be extra kind. There was basically no wind, wow what a treat. I rolled into Strathmore thinking to myself "IS THERE ANYTHING BETTER IN LIFE?" Bein on the open road, sun shining, no wind, and listening to the sound of my chain humming along as I pedal with pretty much not a care in the world??? Today I also rode with a short brick/transition run after. I don't have a working computer but I can get the distances using google maps. I don't know if I mentioned Curtis and I have started doing our long runs on Wed. evening so the weekend is free to get some long bike miles in. Cheers everyone, have a good week.
Tuesday, April 8, 2008
Penticton here we come.
Hey,
Some good news today. I had put my name on a list with ummmm I forget the name, some organization in Okanagan that finds reservations for you. Not sure why I kept my name on the list cause I had already assumed that I'd stay in Kelowna since all the rooms in Penticton were sooo expensive and booked anyways. I knew they'd have cancellations, but like I said too expensive anyways so I had forgotten. I had in the mean time booked the super 8 in Kelowna figuring I'd suck it up and drive in every day. Anyways they emailed me today with a couple options, and the one actually isn't too much more then my cheap cheap 115 dollar a night reservation at the super 8. So I took the room at the Granada Inn for 150 a night. Not too bad for Penticton during the Ironman. It's probably a dive, but it's in town and even right on the course. So Lisa can watch for a bit, then go in and have a nap if she wants. It's a bit aways from the lake, they say 10 min drive, but it's on main street. So I cancelled my place in Kelowna and I'm officially staying in Penticton, woo hooo. Oh and I also got Aquaman a place, they also gave me a 2 double bed option at the sandman so I talked the lady into letting my buddy take that as well. I had to ask really really nice so Curtis owes me big time now. I'm such a good friend aren't I??? (not really she gave us the room right aways, but Curtis doesn't need to know that part, don't tell him please). Cheers,
Darryl
PS: Anyone ever stay there before? Is it a dive? All I care is that it's clean really.
Some good news today. I had put my name on a list with ummmm I forget the name, some organization in Okanagan that finds reservations for you. Not sure why I kept my name on the list cause I had already assumed that I'd stay in Kelowna since all the rooms in Penticton were sooo expensive and booked anyways. I knew they'd have cancellations, but like I said too expensive anyways so I had forgotten. I had in the mean time booked the super 8 in Kelowna figuring I'd suck it up and drive in every day. Anyways they emailed me today with a couple options, and the one actually isn't too much more then my cheap cheap 115 dollar a night reservation at the super 8. So I took the room at the Granada Inn for 150 a night. Not too bad for Penticton during the Ironman. It's probably a dive, but it's in town and even right on the course. So Lisa can watch for a bit, then go in and have a nap if she wants. It's a bit aways from the lake, they say 10 min drive, but it's on main street. So I cancelled my place in Kelowna and I'm officially staying in Penticton, woo hooo. Oh and I also got Aquaman a place, they also gave me a 2 double bed option at the sandman so I talked the lady into letting my buddy take that as well. I had to ask really really nice so Curtis owes me big time now. I'm such a good friend aren't I??? (not really she gave us the room right aways, but Curtis doesn't need to know that part, don't tell him please). Cheers,
Darryl
PS: Anyone ever stay there before? Is it a dive? All I care is that it's clean really.
Sunday, April 6, 2008
Funny Story for Cam
Ok here ya go Cam, here's a funny story,
Today was a swim/run for me with the Aquaman. I felt great and we both swam ok, better then other swims we've had. I think he said he was a bit off today, but oh well we got through it. Went outside, I at first said I'd skip the run as I really really need new shoes, but I decided to run anyways with them. So we went, no big deal, we only did 4 miles. I got home, put laundry in the wash after taking out my neighbors' wash out that wasn't dried yet but was forgotten or somthing I don't know cause it was sitting there for awhile. Layed down since I was tired, I slept like 12 hours fri->sat so I had trouble sleeping sat->sun. It happens often so I have a nap on sundays. Promptly forget about my wash for a bit, hadn't quite fallen asleep when I remember,...."Oh shoot I don't want to be like my neighbor I better change it over to the dryer. (the funny part is coming) So I change it over to the dryer, nothing is out of the ordinary my regular overloaded wash(It's coin operated so I have to make the best of it). Come back an hour later to get my wash, this time I remembered and got it on time so buddy can finish his load.....(wash that is!!!) Pick up all of my clothes and low and behold there's my CELL PHONE SITTING THERE CLEAN AS COULD BE IN THE DRYER!!!! Dried too for that matter and let me tell you it was sparkling clean. I have no regular phone so this is my only type of communication other then internet and Lisa doesn't come online that often so I'm hoooped. I was supposed to get together with her later on. So I have to take a couple quarters, drive to Sev. read the instructions on how to use a pay phone(I think that's what they call it it's been so long). and call lisa, thank goodness she answered. Anyways so if anyone wants a nice paper weight or somthing they can have it free of charge, it won't even turn on at all. I'm not sure what I'll do, I'm on a plan with Rogers I'm sure the next phone will be expensive since I'm not signing up with a new plan. We'll see what I do, either way I have a clean phone. Cheers, g'night,
Darryl
Today was a swim/run for me with the Aquaman. I felt great and we both swam ok, better then other swims we've had. I think he said he was a bit off today, but oh well we got through it. Went outside, I at first said I'd skip the run as I really really need new shoes, but I decided to run anyways with them. So we went, no big deal, we only did 4 miles. I got home, put laundry in the wash after taking out my neighbors' wash out that wasn't dried yet but was forgotten or somthing I don't know cause it was sitting there for awhile. Layed down since I was tired, I slept like 12 hours fri->sat so I had trouble sleeping sat->sun. It happens often so I have a nap on sundays. Promptly forget about my wash for a bit, hadn't quite fallen asleep when I remember,...."Oh shoot I don't want to be like my neighbor I better change it over to the dryer. (the funny part is coming) So I change it over to the dryer, nothing is out of the ordinary my regular overloaded wash(It's coin operated so I have to make the best of it). Come back an hour later to get my wash, this time I remembered and got it on time so buddy can finish his load.....(wash that is!!!) Pick up all of my clothes and low and behold there's my CELL PHONE SITTING THERE CLEAN AS COULD BE IN THE DRYER!!!! Dried too for that matter and let me tell you it was sparkling clean. I have no regular phone so this is my only type of communication other then internet and Lisa doesn't come online that often so I'm hoooped. I was supposed to get together with her later on. So I have to take a couple quarters, drive to Sev. read the instructions on how to use a pay phone(I think that's what they call it it's been so long). and call lisa, thank goodness she answered. Anyways so if anyone wants a nice paper weight or somthing they can have it free of charge, it won't even turn on at all. I'm not sure what I'll do, I'm on a plan with Rogers I'm sure the next phone will be expensive since I'm not signing up with a new plan. We'll see what I do, either way I have a clean phone. Cheers, g'night,
Darryl
Break Through
Hey,
I had a pretty good day today despite the snow on the ground outside. I was soooo hoping to get out and do a long ride outdoors, but it snowed overnight so I had to settle for the dreaded trainer. I had an AWSOME ride though, I've never ever been able to ride that long(3 hours) indoors, but I did today. I started off thinking I'd ride 2-2.5 hours and then go for a run later, but I kept thinking hmmm it would be nice to do 3, it would really be nice to do 3 hours. So I kept riding and thinking 2-2.5 would be nice, but 3 would be better. Anyways I got the big 3 hours done and went to the gym after for an hour on the treadmill for a 4 hour day.
That rounds out a pretty big week for me, the third week in the first base phase so next week means recoveryyyyyyyy. I did one interval workout on the treadmill on monday, I thought I'd do that once a week amongst all the base slow stuff just to help get some speed for the half marathon coming up. Maybe with the low volumn this week I can do two speed workouts, 1 interval and a tempo, we'll see how it goes. The weather looks like it may improve(knock on wood) so hopefully I'll get some outdoor rides in as well. Curtis better be ready to swim tomorrow as I'm going to be feeling a lot stronger then thursday(I was bagged that day). :D Cheers and have a good weekend,
Darryl
I had a pretty good day today despite the snow on the ground outside. I was soooo hoping to get out and do a long ride outdoors, but it snowed overnight so I had to settle for the dreaded trainer. I had an AWSOME ride though, I've never ever been able to ride that long(3 hours) indoors, but I did today. I started off thinking I'd ride 2-2.5 hours and then go for a run later, but I kept thinking hmmm it would be nice to do 3, it would really be nice to do 3 hours. So I kept riding and thinking 2-2.5 would be nice, but 3 would be better. Anyways I got the big 3 hours done and went to the gym after for an hour on the treadmill for a 4 hour day.
That rounds out a pretty big week for me, the third week in the first base phase so next week means recoveryyyyyyyy. I did one interval workout on the treadmill on monday, I thought I'd do that once a week amongst all the base slow stuff just to help get some speed for the half marathon coming up. Maybe with the low volumn this week I can do two speed workouts, 1 interval and a tempo, we'll see how it goes. The weather looks like it may improve(knock on wood) so hopefully I'll get some outdoor rides in as well. Curtis better be ready to swim tomorrow as I'm going to be feeling a lot stronger then thursday(I was bagged that day). :D Cheers and have a good weekend,
Darryl
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