"A Whole New World"

I was warned!   Apparently there lies a great deal of risk in doing your first trail race....you may quickly get addicted.

I knew there was a similar event to the one I did, but at Fanshawe Lake north of London.  I checked it out as soon as I got home and to my delight discovered that it takes place in 2 weeks. But lo and behold...sold out!!  Apparently they allow only 300 participants.

But I can definitely see more of this in my future.  It surely is  a whole different dynamic.  Here are a few numbers form yesterdays event, many of which surprised me - - - a lot!

25---the race distance
924---entrants
175 ---non-finishers!!!!!
398---male finishers
526---female finishers!!!
239---finishers under 40 years of age
510---finishers over 40!!!
81---my overall finish position
116---finishers in the 50-59 age group
13---my age group position

I was very surprised by the demographics and by the competiveness.  Specifically I do not reacall ever participating in an event that had more female competitors than male.

I also never recall finishing better overall (relatively speaking) than I did in my age group.

For whatever reason it seems that endurance trail running is for women and old men!

Here are my favorite pictures of the day and how they make me feel.

Alive!!!

Grateful beyond words!

Today was of course rest day.  As expected I am quite sore.  Sore calves from the "ups" and sore quads from the "downs".

"Unbeing dead isn't being alive."---e.e. cummings

"Immensely grateful, touched, proud, astonished, abashed."---Boris Pasternak

Love

Peter

"Lifes Ups And Downs"

As long as I have been participating in races I can not recall ever waking up on race day with a feeling of enthusiasm. On the contrary, each and very time I question why the hell I ever signed up?? From 5k to Ironman the pattern has never been broken!

As long as I have been participating in races I can not recall ever going to bed after the race without a feeling of enthusiasm. On the contrary, each and every time I know exactly why the hell I signed up. From 5K to Ironman the pattern has never been broken!

This is the first event of this type I have ever done. Way back in the early days I did a couple of very short trail runs but nothing of this magnitude. It was tougher than I thought. Primarily because of the steep ups and downs that you never find in a road race. Tomorrow I will be very, very sore.

I thought I could perhaps run a wee bit faster but only because I compared it to road racing and it is distinctly different. I still have not seen the official results but I think I finished 82nd out of 800. I am pretty happy with that. My time was 2:05:57 with laps of 1:03:24, and 1:02:33. Yup….my second lap was faster!! That ain't easy to do!! I look forward to studying the results to see how many others accomplished that feat.

(trail run, 25kms)
Love
Peter

"Roughin It!"

We are at Pinehurst Conservation Area south of Cambridge.  No internet and barely any cell coverage.  I feel like Robin Williams.

Twenty five easy kilometres tomorrow....Run For The Toad!

Love

Peter

"On Being Perfect"

I learned a life lesson from a spelling lesson.

A lesson about perfection.

Perhaps you know that I am a bit anal about having everything spelled correctly.  I'm pretty good at it to start with, and I also proof read several times to find any typos. Even at that it amazes me how some mistakes escape me.  But I try damn hard because I think it is important.  It demonstrates care and assures that your message is received correctly.

And then I read this!!

I cdnuolt blveiee taht I cluod aulaclty uesdnatnrd waht I was rdanieg. The phaonmneal pweor of the hmuan mnid. Aoccdrnig to rscheearch at Cmabrigde Uinervtisy, it deosn't mttaer in waht oredr the ltteers in a wrod are, the olny iprmoatnt tihng is taht the first and last ltteer be in the rghit pclae. The rset can be a taotl mses and you can still raed it wouthit a porbelm. This is bcuseae the huamn mnid deos not raed ervey lteter by istlef, but the wrod as a wlohe. Amzanig huh?

So what's the lesson?  

It's impossible to be perfect,  if you think you are, you aren't, and it don't matter spit anyway.  Trying to be so is just a waste of energy.

(swim and yoga)

"If the world was perfect, it wouldn't be."---Yogi Berra

Love

Peter

"Coming To Terms With Age"

"Take kindly the counsel of the years.
Gracefully surrendering the things of youth"---Desiderata

I spent the first half of my run today trying to remember the name of the guy who put the famous poem to music way back when.  It has been one of my favorites ever since sister Mary introduced it to me, back in her drug smoking, hippie days.

I quickly ruled out Les Paul.  If you don't know him than you probably never played a guitar.  I also briefly considered Les Nesmann but then remembered who he was.  And if you don't know recognize him, you may still believe that turkeys can fly.

And like I said, I was out there for close to an hour with the tune running through my head before I remembered Les Crane.

At the time that Crane had the big hit with his rendition of Desiderata he was 38 years old so I knew what he was thinking when he recited the above lines.  He was thinking, " When I get old I'm gonna do that....surrender gracefully...."

I thought so too when I was 38.  I was just getting into this triathlon thing and I had my whole life ahead of me.  For several years I got faster and stronger until I peaked at about 44 years of age.

Ever since then I have been surrendering, but really not very gracefully.

Maybe it's time to start thinking about that.

In my recent Ironman I was very happy with my effort but quite disappointed with the results.  I rationalize it by explaining to people that I only lost 3 minutes in 3 years which sounds pretty good.  In my mind however it is still a rationalization and therein lies the problem.  When one spends a good portion of their life trying to get better at something it is tough to accept the opposite as anything but failure

Even though I know-- that if I were to continue the deterioration of one minute per year for the next 8 years, by the time I was 65 I would be amongst the top 5 or 10 triathletes in the whole freakin world at that age.

So how do you surrender gracefully?  It seems to me that doing things like Ironman may even be counterproductive. You get constant feedback from your body and from your watch, telling you that despite all of your efforts to get faster....you're only getting slower!!!

Makes a fella want to take up drinking!  Or maybe someone has a better idea? (read this as a pathetic, shameless  plea for some kind of feedback so I know I'm not alone in this world!!)

And I'm not sure what my body was telling me today but it certainly was not saying "go faster Peter your are amazing".  I intended on doing 18 with a possible 25 depending on how I felt.  I was walking at 15 and when I finally got back to the mailbox I was feeling quite faint.

I don't know why, and I don't know what it will mean for my 25 km race on Saturday but I'm just gonna choose to ignore it.  I will take the next few days off except for swimming and yoga, and then we'll just see what happens on the weekend.  The only thing I know for sure is that there will be no graceful surrendering!!!!  That's for old people.

(swim, run 18 kms)

"The harder you work, the harder it is to surrender."---Vince Lombardi

Love

Peter

"Tough Crowd"

I'm too damn lazy to write anything so I think I'm gonna give everyone an extra day to re-read John's post.  It's been that kind of a day.  Mentally wore out!

Oh, and great post Old John!! 

(swim, weights)

"Ambition is a poor excuse for not having sense enough to be lazy."---Milan Kundera

Love

Peter

"A Gift For You"

Thoughts…just every day, ordinary thoughts.

It has been quite some time that I have been trying to train myself to control my own thought process. Much like Peter’s physical training, I work on it regularly, and I feel I have achieved a certain level of success, but at the same time, I realize I still have a lot to learn. I thought I might try to share some of my ideas to see what others think, and maybe even to document, or catalogue them for myself. I guess you could say these are my thoughts about thought.

My life, like everyone’s, has many challenges. For me, many of these happen to be physical ones. I spent a whole summer in a wheelchair when I was 10 or 11 as a result of some form of arthritis in my feet. I remember as my family’s little joke at the time, we called it “Arthur-itis”  (we lived near the little town of Arthur, Ontario).  In 1983, I had a pretty serious motorcycle crash that left me with many broken bones and much soft tissue damage that still causes me pain every day. So much pain in fact, that I don’t think it ever really leaves my consciousness, except when I am able to sleep. During my recovery from this accident, as a result of some poor workmanship by a doctor, I developed an infection in one of the repaired breaks which meant I needed many more surgeries and spent at least an extra month in hospital. Almost 10 years later, shortly after my wife gave birth to our first child, I found out I had a hereditary, degenerative eye disease. This meant that I could no longer drive or continue to do the job I was doing.

Are you feeling sorry for me yet? Well DON’T!! 

BY NOW YOU KNOW THIS GIFT IS NOT FROM ME, BECAUSE I  W0ULD WANT YOU TO FEEL SORRY FOR ME.  CARRY ON LITTLE BROTHER.

The reason I started out with this little bio is because I feel that a number of these experiences and others like them are the catalyst for the way I think today. In some strange way, I think the more abrupt of these experiences caused me to step back and look at myself and my life from a different perspective. These things, combined with reading or listening to any kind of motivational/self help/positive thinking material I see.

To me, there are a couple of really important things to realize when it comes to the thought process. The first one is that you and only you have control over your own thoughts. Yes, others can and will try to influence your thoughts, especially for commercial reasons, but it is critical for you to accept that influence is different than control. I think one of the reasons this is hard for many is that it also requires that you accept responsibility for your own thoughts. The second important thing is to realize that how you think affects almost every other aspect of your life.

With these two points in mind, I practice mind control every day. Here are a couple of examples of my thoughts.

If you read this blog regularly, you will have figured out that I have been following in big brothers footsteps lately in that I have started training and running triathlons. To that end, the other day, I was out running down a street just around the corner from my house. As I am just a beginner, I am still very slow and have to really concentrate hard at improving my form and fitness. My run is 2.5 km out, then turn around and return on the same road. I find the first half reasonably easy, but after the turn around, my inexperience and lack of fitness start to catch up with me. My first thought is “well if I just stop and walk for a few metres, I will feel better and be able to continue on.” As I am the master of mind control, I replace this thought with “no, you can and will improve yourself, and that requires a bit more effort, concentrate on form, picture yourself making it back home with an improved time”. This helps for a couple hundred metres, but then the pain in my knee influences another thought about resting. Again, I replace this with something more positive. Shortly after this, I happen to notice a garden of flowers right beside the road where I am running. I am awestruck by this! The brilliant yellows and dark browns of this large perfect patch of black eyed susie's all gently swaying together in the breeze completely takes my mind off any pain or discomfort I am having. I cannot help but think…..correction…. I automatically think “am I ever lucky to be able to experience this garden at this time”. That may sound weird, but it is true. Shortly after seeing the flowers, I came around a curve in the road. As it was still quite early in the morning, the sun was just starting to come up. On the opposite side of the road, another sight influenced my thoughts. About 500 metres up a rolling pasture field where cattle were grazing, I saw two large silos mostly shrouded in fog, silhouetted by the rising sun behind them. Immediately, I think again “WOW! (yes there are often exclamation marks in my thoughts) Am I ever fortunate to be running along this road, beside this farm, at this time, with these exact conditions, while most of the rest of the world is still sleeping” just because I get to witness this. These influences are pretty ordinary by most people’s standards. These things happen every moment of every day all around the world, yet to me, they help me to feel lucky to be alive instead of wishing I could just stop and walk a little.

Another example of my thought process might be a bit more significant, and happened about a year ago. Having been in business with a particular company for just over 18 years, I received a registered letter in the mail one morning, telling me they were ending the business relationship, effectively shutting down my business and the primary source of income for my family. My first thought was “well this is a kick in the crotch”. I think I allowed this initial thought to hang around for a minute or so before I forced it out with “ok, get your shit together John, everyone gets kicked in the crotch from time to time, it does no good to relive it in your mind. What is next for you, where do you go from here, I smell an opportunity”. There were lots of times in the following weeks that those initial thoughts returned, but as soon as I recognized them, I immediately replaced them with something, anything more positive. Those of you, who know me, know that this situation did lead to a wonderful opportunity for a new chapter in my life, and I honestly think that my thoughts at the time had a huge influence not only in creating that opportunity, but in helping me to recognize it as such.

Along with always trying to force destructive or negative thoughts from my mind by replacing them with more positive ones, I also try very hard to practice thankfulness at every opportunity. For instance; in some strange way, I am actually thankful from time to time for that accident in 1983, and my eye condition, because I now recognize them as the opportunity to see my life from a completely different perspective. No, I am not a masochist! I would much prefer to live without pain, but if the choice is not mine, what good does it do me to spend one second wishing it were not so? I would rather think of the ways in which it has allowed me to try to improve myself, such as concentrating more on my physical well being and not abusing my body so much.

An important thing to note is that anyone can learn to think this way, and it really is just like learning anything else. Although these seemingly negative experiences influenced me to start learning this, they are not at all necessary if you want to change your thoughts in order to improve yourself. You have to study and practice, and train, but the more you do, the easier it becomes until it starts to surprise you while you are running along the side of the road, or getting kicked in the crotch.

As proof of the wonderful new opportunity I am now involved in, I give you a quote from one of the staff at my new job about another of the staff. One of the most amazing things about this quote to me is that it is one guy who is 20 years old speaking about another guy who is 23, and in my opinion, neither of them recognize the significance at all of what was said, but for me, I knew instantly that I will use it regularly, and will never forget it. It is better even than “shut up and quit complaining”

“Kyle doesn’t believe in failure, only delayed success, or success in progress”---  Michael Fondse

And one from Bob Marley…

“None but ourselves can free out minds”

I will end with some Monty Python. I have quoted the lyrics, and I encourage you to read them and then follow the link to the video.

words and music by Eric Idle

Some things in life are bad
They can really make you mad
Other things just make you swear and curse.
When you're chewing on life's gristle
Don't grumble, give a whistle
And this'll help things turn out for the best...

And...always look on the bright side of life...
Always look on the light side of life...

If life seems jolly rotten
There's something you've forgotten
And that's to laugh and smile and dance and sing.
When you're feeling in the dumps
Don't be silly chumps
Just purse your lips and whistle - that's the thing.

And...always look on the bright side of life...
Always look on the light side of life...

For life is quite absurd
And death's the final word
You must always face the curtain with a bow.
Forget about your sin - give the audience a grin
Enjoy it - it's your last chance anyhow.

So always look on the bright side of death
Just before you draw your terminal breath

Life's a piece of shit
When you look at it
Life's a laugh and death's a joke, it's true.
You'll see it's all a show
Keep 'em laughing as you go
Just remember that the last laugh is on you.

And always look on the bright side of life...
Always look on the right side of life...
(Come on guys, cheer up!)
Always look on the bright side of life...
Always look on the bright side of life...
(Worse things happen at sea, you know.)
Always look on the bright side of life...
(I mean - what have you got to lose?)
(You know, you come from nothing - you're going back to nothing.
What have you lost? Nothing!)
Always look on the right side of life...

Here's the musical version.

Love Old John

"My brother is really, really slow."---Usain Bolt

Love

Peter

"Cruise Control"

I am trying my best to coast a little, knowing that I am in pretty decent shape, and that September 18th is still a long time away.  I still want to have intense workouts but other than some long runs, everything will be shorter than I am used to.  Strength and technique is the name of the game for the next couple of months.

As to cycling that means getting my old bike set up on the trainer where I can do the necessary drills with feedback from the computer.  It is actually a very cool thing that I will elaborate on once I get started with it. I have not taken advantage of it like I should have, but after my recent learning experience in Penticton I am motivated to do so. 

As to my favorite pastime, swimming, I continue to learn....just very freakin slowly.  I am determined however to figure it out.  I will continue to try to get in the pool at least 6 times per week, but I refuse to just do mindless lengths which I'm sure make me worse and worse. It is quite frustrating most days but my eternal optimism tells me to keep banging away.

As to weights that means 2 full body sessions every week that will take about 2 hours.  After about a month of adaptation I will switch to less repetitions with heavier weight than I have ever done.  I'm pretty sure that this was an important missing ingredient and winter is the time to do it.  

As to my blog I admit to coming close to putting it on hold for a while but was convinced otherwise by my lovely. I know it adds value to my life for a couple of reasons, not the least if which is the family and friend connections that I cherish, and that it helps me to maintain.  So I'm sorry but you will have to listen to me for a while yet.  Or....if you pay attention over the next couple of days perhaps you will get to read someone else's wisdom....hmmmm...

As to life in general....it goes on...

(swim drills, ride 25 kms)

"If everything seems under control, you're just not going fast enough."---Mario Andretti

Love

Peter

"How Did Your Run Go?"

...she asks...

"Good" I say,  "31:20 around the block."
"Really?"
"Yah, I felt good."
"Well good." She says.  "I don't want to hear any more whining from you then"

Half of the time that my wife is worrying about me there's a good reason and I try to accept that.  The other half of the time she is just worrying for nothing and I try to ease her fears.  Then there's the other half of the time when she tells me to stop whining, and it's then that I know I'm in pretty good shape!

And yes I know that's 3 half's, but my wife is trying to live life to the fullest.....and then some.  Thank goodness for that, since 1 1/2 half's  allows her at least some time to take care of herself instead of worrying about me.

Don't get me wrong.  I like it that she cares about me but I can also tell you that when she told me to stop whining this morning I was in immediate agreement.  After all, my life is perfect!!

And as to my run today I was indeed pleased.  I just set out to make a little extra effort today and I felt quite good.  Well actually I only felt quite good for about 10 minutes, and after that I felt like hell!  People often ask where it hurts when you are running hard and as of yet I have  been unable to explain it.  This morning I actually tried to take an inventory while I was running, and I think I had a bit of a revelation.  From a purely physical perspective, somehow it just hurt everywhere.  I found that it was not possible to narrow it down to legs, or lungs, or heart.   It just hurt everywhere!

And then it hit me!!  My head hurts!  Yes, more than anything else, my head!  The place where I make decisions....no not that head smartass...the one on top of my head.  The head that contains my brain. The brain where all of my nerves endings are connected. The brain that tells me that if only I were to stop running, it would stop hurting.

If that sounds a bit flighty let me assure you that it is the best I can do.  The feelings I describe are especially apparent in short races where the pain starts almost right away, but even when I struggled in my Ironman marathon I could not tell you that I had to walk because my feet hurt, or because I was out of breath.  I walked when my head insisted that it was in too much pain.

And that of course is just my take on the whole affair.  I'm sure others may see it differently.

(swim drills, run 7.3 kms 31:20)

"That's your best friend and your worst enemy - your own brain."---Fred Durst

Love

Perterr

"One For The Road"

I signed up for a 25 kms trail race next Saturday called Run For The Toad. How they came up with that name I have no idea but I assume it is in some reference to "one for the road".  The event takes place at Pinehurst Lake Conservation Area just south of Cambridge.  Canadian Running Magazine includes it on their list of the top ten trail running events in Canada.  I love any event that takes place in a conservation area because right away I smell an opportunity to take the motor home and make a mini vacation of it.  Sure enough they had a few sites still available and I snagged a nice spot right beside the running course itself.  Roo has agreed to come along and since we have the kids that weekend it should be a blast.

The reason I get so excited about an event where I can take the RV is because it relieves all the stress of race day morning.  I can check in the day before, and on race day I can have my morning coffee, perform the usual ablutions in the comfort of my home away from home,  and then stroll down to the race start just in time to run for the toad!!  And then to top off the luxury of it, after the race I stroll back to the RV, have a nice hot shower, and a nice cold beer!!

Life is good!

I take pride in the fact that at any point in time I can just make a decision to go run a 25 km race.  It is actually a little weird to think of it as a nice easy distance.  They also have a 50 km distance which I briefly considered.  Fortunately the feeling passed.

I have analyzed the low mood I have been in for the last couple of days and I think the reasons for it are two fold.  First off I suspect a bit of a delayed case of the post IM blues.  And secondly I think I am missing work a little bit.  I had an opportunity the other day to chat with a couple of dear friends who still work for Cosma, and in witnessing their passion for their work I suddenly wanted to be part of it.

But I think that at least in the short term, these feelings will pass as well.  There is nothing like looking forward to a race to cure you of silly ideas like working for a living!!

(swim drills,  upper body weights, ride 35 kms)

Do not give in too much to feelings. A overly sensitive heart is an unhappy possession on this shaky earth."---Johann Wolfgang von Goethe

Love

Peter

"Pensive"

Not quite down, just thoughtful.
Occasionally I resent the time and effort that this all takes.
I wish I could just stay healthy and happy without doing any work.

(swim drills  15 X 25 no breathing)

"I'm exhausted trying to stay healthy."---Steve Yzerman"

Love

Peter

"Winter's Coming"

And with it my resolve to slow the world down.  Because I have spent a good part of the summer training and/or racing, it seems like the fall just snuck up and bit me when I wasn't looking.  I struggle to maintain a balance between my need to anticipate all the stuff that needs done or that I want to do, and my wish to live in the moment.  I'm the guy who has the snow blower out before he puts the lawn mower away.

I have often expressed my gratitude for living in a part of the world with a moderate climate but still enough of a seasonal element as to discourage boredom.   And yet there is nothing that heightens the sense of time passing more than changes in the weather, and changes in the amount of daylight.

And why does the phenomenon seem more pronounced in the fall?  Is it because colder temperatures and less light suggest a passing away, or somehow the end of things?  Conversely does the warmth and brightness of spring imply birth and new beginnings?

And it occurs to me that if I want to do a better job of living for today instead of anticipating the future I should hope for a long, cold winter.  After all there is probably less stuff that needs done when our world freezes up.   Cold weather in essence does it's own part in slowing the world down.

So bring it on Mother nature!  I'm ready!!  Well at least I will be once I get the snow blower hooked up :)

I was a little worried about my run today even before I started.  I knew that I had made a potential mistake yesterday by doing my first real post Ironman weight workout.  I did it wittingly however, as getting back into my weights is more important in the long run than this marathon I'm shooting for.

And my worries were for naught.  My legs were a little sensitive throughout but it never got any worse and I did the 25 kms with relative ease.  And appropriately the weather was perfect!  A bit windy but I don't mind that when it's still 13 degrees.  I even took 5 minutes out to help a stranded cyclist change their flat tire.  I can say with some confidence that I am finally recovered from Penticton.  Game on!

(run 25.5 kms)

"Weather forecast for tonight: dark."---George Carlin

Love

Peter

"Untitled"

No time to blog
Cause I'm late gettin home
So instead of a post
I give you this poem

And I'll do my best
In this bit of time
To find the words
To make it rhyme

But the days are short
Cause it's nearly fall
So good night everyone
I love you all!

(weights, yoga)

Love
Peter

"Swim, Bike, Run....Survive"

Seems like a lifetime ago already.  Which just proves how I am successfully  starting to slow down time!!

....and I love this one...

"Statistics show that of those who contract the habit of eating, very few survive."---George Bernard Shaw

(swim, ride 50 kms)

Love

Peter

"Inversely Proportionate"

That's how we need to learn to live life.  When we are kids life seems to pass by so slowly.  Then when we get to be about 20 it picks up the pace a bit.  By the time we are forty we often seem surprised by the passing of the years, and by the time we're sixty it's seems to be going so fast, that for all intents and purposes it may as well be over.

The less time we have left the faster it goes, and we need to reverse that.  Just imagine how much sweeter it would be to think of the next 20 years, or 5 years, or 1 year, or one month, or one week, or one day, or one hour getting progressively slower such that when your seems imminent to everyone else, to you it still seems like you have a lifetime left.   Inversely proportionate I say!

Hey, you know I was telling you about my idea of swimming without breathing?  It turns out that it's not such a novel idea.  That gives me confidence that it maybe isn't as stupid as it sounds.  I found several articles that recommend it as a method of focusing on and improving ones stroke and ones balance, without the distraction of lifting your head to breathe.

And although it is a bit controversial there is also a belief by some that the strain of exercising with less oxygen can actually improve your fitness.  Similar to high altitude training which of course has it's own supporters and doubters.

Right now I ain't counting on the second part but I am optimistic that there is some possibilities in the stroke improvement philosophy.  I can tell you this much.  When I swim without breathing I feel fantastic, and when I breathe I can feel everything start to flail.  I will keep at it every day for a while and see what happens.

I wish also to confirm that I am really starting to feel myself again. The real test will be on Wednesday when I will try to run 25 kms.  If I am indeed back, it should be easy!!

Oh, and happy 75th birthday to Jean Regnier (nee Jeanne Parent).  A woman who has learned how to slow it all down.

(swim 750 metres, run 10.3 kms)

"Learn from the past, set vivid, detailed goals for the future, and live in the only moment of time over which you have any control: now."---Dennis Waitley

Love

Peter

"Changing Times"

Whatever happened to things like getting married in a church instead of a park?  Or for that matter whatever happened to getting married, and then having children?

Don't get me wrong.  I like it!  The way you hear people talk about changing times often makes it sound like it's a new thing.  Well guess what folks?  The times have been changing for as long as there has been time.  And generally I believe for the better.  I think it is only when we resist change that it becomes a negative thing.

And further to the pain that people associate with change, I believe that the actual resistance to change is what  spawns the majority of the negative. Especially changes in attitude.  Whenever someone wants to express something new or live in a different way, there is someone who doesn't like it and needs to start a freakin war over it.

All those things that people hold near and dear for themselves, and get frightened by when someone questions them.

Like heterosexuality!

Like religion!

Like race supremacy!

Like monogamy!

Like political boundaries!

Like getting married in a church, and having the kids afterwards!

And my proof that change is generally good.  When I was a kid (not that long ago, ha ha), having kids before you got married was gonna get you into hell.  Now I believe it only sends you to purgatory, and then only for such time as it takes for your living relatives to "buy" your way out by sending some money to the local priest! I say that's a damn good change don't you?  I think that by the time I die, further change will allow me to bring my own money to purgatory, and buy my own way to heaven.  Roo, please remember to put my debit card in the box with me!!

So when you get up every morning have a  look around you and see what you can change in the world.  I am entirely convinced that if we would all do this honestly, and with our primary motive being the welfare of those around us, that we could eventually create a world where change is generally welcome, and where it is always good.

I'm taking that attitude towards my underwear.   I have come to realize that my body is changing regardless of how much I wish it not to.  I could choose to resist it all I like, but all that that would result in, is more pain.  So instead of resistance I choose to be grateful that I am still able to "change"my own underwear, and do so as often as I like.   That is definitely a change from when I was a kid!!!

(ride 30 kms)

"Pain associated with change is driven exclusively by fear"....leroo

Love
Peter

"Better Today"

Today's short run went well.  I suddenly feel like I'm back in the game.  I need to be careful now not to knee jerk into too much action.  Towards that end I am going to expend the minimal amount of energy blogging today.  Peace my friends.

(run 10.3 kms, swim....no breathing)

"Life is a song - sing it. 

Life is a game - play it. 

Life is a challenge - meet it. 

Life is a dream - realize it. 

Life is a sacrifice - offer it. 

Life is love - enjoy it."---Sai Baba

Love

Peter

"Relax"

And don't forget to breathe!

I really enjoyed my first yoga class.  I was a little nervous not knowing what to expect but the instructor was amazing.  She put me at ease right away despite the fact that I was the only guy in the class.  I was worried that either  it would be one of those high intensity things you hear about, or that perhaps they would expect me to bend myself into all kinds of contortionist shapes.  Neither fear was realized.  It was exactly what I hoped for.  A bunch of old ladies laying in a quiet, darkened room, listening to soft music, and following gentle instructions.   I was quite amazed by how the time flew by.   I will go back!

Prior to my yoga I went to the weight room and got my new weight regime pretty well worked out.  I say pretty well because I still have some tweaking to do to the legs portion.  Last year my routine worked well for my upper body but not for the bottom half.  Most likely I need to increase the weight and do less reps.  Roo says it's because they are bigger muscles.  I will work it out over the next week or two.

And prior to the weight room I got in the pool for a while where "relax and breathe" decidedly does "not" work.  When I keep my face in the water I am quite happy with my stroke, and most importantly with my balance.  It is only when I start turning my head up to breathe  that it all falls apart.  Quite frankly it is a case of "relax and don't breathe".  So that's what I'm gonna do.  Yup!  I'm gonna swim without breathing.  I can comfortably swim a length (25 metres) without needing air, and after a bit of a break I can repeat it quite a few times.  And it feels so right!  My turnover is good, my entry and pull feels strong, and my legs are near the surface where they should be.  What I need to work on now is my body roll, but I think with some practice I will get that as well. My idea is to do this every time I swim for the next few weeks in the hope of building muscle memory.  If I get everything working right, then hopefully with just a little extra head turn I will be able to breathe.  Let's see what happens.

And I feel a lot better this evening than I have all day.  I have been mad at the world since I got up this morning with no apparent reason.   Or perhaps there is a reason but it's probably not a valid one.  When I woke up I was sore from yesterdays run, and I just don't get that.  As much as I preach patience I'm not very good at it.....hmmm......relax and don't forget to breathe.

(swim 1000 metres, weights, yoga)

“Yoga teaches us to cure what need not be endured and endure what cannot be cured.” --- B.K.S.

Iyengar

Love

Peter

"Not Quite Right Yet"

Despite the challenges of doing an Ironman there are a lot of amateurs that try to do two in one year.  It seems reasonable that if you achieve such a peak of fitness, that after a bit of rest you should be able to climb back up there without too much effort, and maybe even do better the second time.  Au contraire!  I have personally met a couple of people that have done the second one within 2 months of the first and they both spoke of the horrible shock that they got.  I understand now how that must feel.  It has now been 17 days since my event and I am still tired, as crazy as that may seem.  I tried to do a half marathon today and had to start taking walking breaks at 15 kms.  I need to remain very patient with my recovery, especially I think in light of the tough race I had.  I have of course committed to this marathon but I am determined to go into it under trained if necessary, as opposed to going into it hurt.  After all I can always walk  :)

So how many calories did I burn?  That depends on how you define that.  According to various online calculators I burned somewhere between 1600 and 1800 calories.

The problem with many of these calculators is that they don't specify if that is the amount of calories you used just from the exercise, or does it include the calories you would have burned over the same period of time sitting on the couch.  They are so subjective based on speed, weight, age that at very best they give you an approximate.  The only accurate way it seems to actually measure the calorie burn is to get hooked up to a machine.  From what I read it seems that every litre of oxygen used amounts to 5 calories burned.

But all that aside it is clear that exercise is absolutely critical to losing fat, and then to maintaining a healthy body composition.  I did a fairly complex calculation called the Harris-Benedict equation to calculate the amount of calories my body needs just to maintain it's functions, and the number came up to 1600.   That does not include getting up to walk to the bathroom or the refrigerator, and furthermore it can change significantly depending on your BMI.  Interestingly enough overall weight is a big factor and although it seems contradictory people that carry a lot of fat actually have a higher resting metabolic rate.  But there in lies the secret!  When you start losing weight through dieting the reduced weight actually slows down your metabolism!!  The one and only way to counteract this and to have any chance at achieving and maintaining your ideal body composition is to combine diet with exercise!!!  There can be absolutely no doubt!!  Dieting slows down your metabolism....and exercise speeds it up!!

So the next obvious question I suppose is what kind of exercise and at what intensity.  I can tell you that there are a myriad of theories out there but I have yet to read one that seems definitive.  One of the most popular that has been around as long as I have been running is that long, slow activity is the key to burning fat.  I always wondered that if this was true why then do the guys/girls that finish earliest and run the fastest barely cast a shadow, and the long slow runners at the back of the pack seem to carry most of the weight??  

Like I say I've read them all and I have come to my own conclusion.  Do some of everything.  Aerobic, anaerobic, fast, slow, cardio, strength, etc etc.  After all, what you are after over and above the actual calories burned while exercising, is increasing your metabolic rate, and I believe that a good blend of various levels and types of exertion is the best way to do so.  Or you could start smoking which also works quite well.  Conversely, it seems that alcohol slows down your rate.  Damn!!

By the way, yesterday I consumed 3500 calories which initially scared me.  After my bit of research today I believe that I am using up close to 2500 of them just through my basic metabolic rate, and walking to the refrigerator.  I can generally use up the other 1000 with my workouts.

And my food tip of the day.  Presidents Choice Italian Style Blue Menu lasagna.  It tastes great and is reasonable in both calories and fat. (280/7 per 283 grams).  Or alternately you could choose their vegetable lasgana which is probablky even better for you eh?  NOT!!!  430 calories and a whopping 22 grams of fat in the same 283 grams!!  Holy Shit!!  I would be willing to bet that many, many people pick up the veggie type thinking they are doing themsleves a favour.  

(run 21.1 kms)

"With my sunglasses on, I'm Jack Nicholson. Without them, I'm fat and 60."---Jack Nicholson

Love

Peter

"Metabolism"

Yesterday I consumed 3300 calories and 82 grams of fat.  That is probably more than I should be eating given my current level of exercise.  I think the only reason that I get away with it right now is my relatively fast metabolism.   We of course all know lots of people that eat like that every day and seem to have gotten away with it for their entire lives.  Their reason is different than mine.  While it is still metabolism, there are people who are fortunate to have been born that way.  There seems to be little doubt that an individuals resting metabolic rate has a genetic factor.  It is an advantage that doesn't exist in the Rooyakkers family, or perhaps  more accurately the Scheepers family??

What is also considered scientifically acceptable aside from the parentage factor, is that the ability to burn calories while at rest is lower in women than men, and that it lessens as we age.  Interestingly enough those 2 factors are really one and the same.  They are related to body composition.  Women generally have less muscle than men, and for both genders muscle tends to evaporate as we age.

Fortunately or unfortunately, depending on your perspective, muscle is doing stuff even while we are sitting on the couch, while fat is just sitting on the couch!

There are of course other physiological factors that effect ones metabolism, a common one being hypothyroidism.  I feel very much for those individuals as they simply have a tougher row to hoe than the rest of us.

Regardless, it is generally accepted by the experts that for just about anyone, in any circumstance, building muscle mass positively affects our metabolic rate.  And to add wonder to wonder, as we gain muscle and then feed it properly it eventually becomes a viscous cycle.  Build muscle, eat more!  Eat better, build more muscle, etc. What really amazes me as I see more and more examples of this is how little you really have to do to make a difference.  What it does however take is time, which is probably why I resisted adhering to this very same advice when Claudette gave it to me 20 years ago.  It will not happen over night, but for most people it will indeed happen if one sticks with it.  Of course the gender factor makes it a bit tougher for women but then they're generally tougher anyway are they not? And of course it becomes more and more crucial as we age that we maintain that muscle, especially if you started out with the wrong genetic makeup.

So that's my lecture for today.  Get a set of dumbbells and start doing "something" with them.  It doesn't really matter what.  And if your name happens to be Rooyakkers and you don't have any dumbells, that can only be because your kids have all moved out of the house!!

Tomorrow a little about the calorie burning the hard way....with exercise.

Today I got back in the pool for the first time and I am excited to start on my new-new approach to swimming.  I will focus exclusively on fixing my body position and stroke technique before I do any amount of continuous swimming.

Tomorrow I go for my first ever yoga class and that should be a hoot as well.  I have no idea what to expect.

And after today's lecture I also promise that tomorrow I start back in the weight room....I am a convert!

I already learned one thing from my calorie counting exercise.  Strawberries....they are amazingly low in calories and I actually enjoy them.  It may the the only fruit that still tastes good to me.

(swim drills, ride 45 kms) 

A lecture is an occasion when you numb one end to benefit the other."---John Gould

Love

Peter

"Count With Me"

I think I may have told you 3 or 4 months ago that I believed I had won my life long battle of the bulge.  For many reasons, not the least of which was my inability to eat potato chips, I believed I was now in the drivers seat when it came to managing my diet, and thereby my waistline.

Wrong!

Okay, maybe I won a battle or two but I certainly have not yet won the war.  I am afraid that for those that are genetically predisposed, the war goes on forever.  The night before last I ate 4 ice cream bars in rapid succession and barely managed to stop then!  Last night I managed to keep it to two, but then I discovered the left over ice cream cake that was in the freezer!!!

So I'm back to counting calories for the next week.  I have challenged Roo to do the same and she jumped on the bandwagon. I encourage you to join us as well.

The point of the exercise is not necessarily to change what we are doing immediately, but rather one of awareness.  Until you honestly measure what you are putting into your body you can not develop a plan to improve.  For example.  I often buy cookies from Costco to enjoy with my evening coffee.  Of course I knew they were high in calories as well as fat, but since they make them fresh they are not forced to put the nutritional information on the package.  When I researched them today I was shocked to discover 210 calories, and 11 grams of fat per cookie.  That's about 50% higher than I anticipated.

I will only do the counting for one week because I believe that ongoing counting can become very burdensome, and even counterproductive.  Kind of like getting on the bathroom scale every day.  At least for me it is important that I develop sound "norms" but with some flexibility.  I suggest that if you count calories on an ongoing basis you may be tempted to fix today's "whoops" by tomorrow's "starvation", which would definitely be counterproductive.

I have bought completely into the theory of 'food as fuel' particularly from the perspective of training, but perhaps even more importantly from the perspective of stoking your metabolism.  While the simple philosophy of comparing total calories consumed to total calories expended is fundamentally sound, it is so drastically effected by your metabolism as to make it dangerous.  A day of starvation leads only to a slower metabolism, which in turn leads to a slower resting calorie burn.

By the end of the week I will have a good understanding of my current diet and will be able to make educated changes accordingly.  Of course there is some work involved but I think it will be worth it.  Miguette put us onto a cool little phone application called "My Fitness Pal" which among other things allows you to scan bar codes of foods that don't have the nutrition listed on the package....it worked for the Costco cookies.  Again, my caution is that you use these kind of devices as tools to help educate yourself, rather than letting them become your personal daily policeman.

My goal is to structure my diet such that I am never hungry, and still stay lean and fit.  I believe it is possible....for anyone!!

So that's it for today.  Please think about counting with us just for one week.  Don't try to change anything, just keep an honest count of total calories, as well as fat in grams.  It may just have an impact on you.

Roo and I have spent some time talking about and researching the other side of the equation, calories expended, and tomorrow I will share some of our thoughts on that.

On the fitness front, I am finally starting to feel myself again, 2 weeks after the race.  I am surprised how long it has taken.  I suppose I can use it as confirmation that I really left everything I had in Penticton.

(run 10.4 kms)

"A waist is a terrible thing to mind."---Tom Wilson

Love
Peter

"Sharing My Passions"

I am so immensely grateful for my health.  I remember specifically when I was sick that I didn't even feel like reading.  That was probably the biggest shock of the whole cancer adventure for me, as prior to that I had never been to sick to read.  Rest assured, (you can ask Roo), my passion for reading is now as strong as ever.  While I suppose that even reading can become an addiction I believe that as long as it is balanced with a bunch of other good things then it can only be a healthy addiction.

Along with my health comes the strength and the desire to share my passions with some one dear to me.  Hence I give you.

Reading....especially when you're supposed to be sleeping!

Exercise, any where, any time.

Nature....can you see the turtles on the log?  Baby one on the right!

And of course food! Colb and I like our eats!

Today we made the 15 km (each way) excursion to the Green Frog Tea room for what was perhaps the nicest lunch I have had in years.  Even Colby agreed that the grilled cheese sandwich and chocolate truffle cake were the best he's had!

Oh, and why is it the Green Frog?  It is a really cool rustic place out in the middle of no-where, and gets it's name from this concrete frog, which was apparently used a s step to climb up on ones horse...

And what does all this have to do with Ironman training?  Well nothing I suppose, other than the fact that my lifestyle not just gives me the physical strength to do this kind of stuff with my grandson, but also makes me "feel" like doing it.  To be able to share your passions with a grandchild is indeed a gift beyond measure.

(ride 30 kms tandem)

Passion is the genesis of genius."---Tony Robbins

Love

Peter

"The Rear View Mirror"

While lamenting the failures of the  past adds little value to life, I think that if you choose to learn from them instead, than some good can come of looking back.  I really look forward to the next year in my life as one of discovery, and of learning new things, both as relates to my training and life in general.  Certainly I know now, that looking back at all the things I worried about that never came to pass, has helped me to cope with the challenges of today.

So as I take a quick peak back at Ironman 2012 I have made a few observations.

First the excuses.  I never felt "on" for the entire day.  From the moment I got up I felt sluggish.  For some reason my stomach was upset through most of the race.  I had fairly severe gas at many points, and worried that if I farted I would crap my pants instead.  For the first time ever in a race I seriously considered stopping at a port-a-potti. Perhaps I should have??  I did make a last minute change in my eating strategy the day before which may, or may not, have been the cause.   As the race wore on I started to question my race drink as well even though I have been successful with it in the past.  It definitely causes gas all by itself and perhaps that aggravated my condition on this given day....who knows.

And then theres the real reason I did not meet my own expectations.  I believe it was my bike ride.  Even though it was 16 minutes faster than my previous attempt it felt tougher.  I'm pretty sure that I left my race on the bike course, simply because I was not prepared to ride as fast as I thought I could.  I had not done enough, or at least the right kind of preparation to compensate for my 3 years of added maturity. Especially in light of the hills in Penticton.  It was on the hills that I really knew I wasn't as fit as I thought I was.  I had the exact same lower gear ratio as in 2009, and yet I never seemed to have quite the lowest I needed.

The delightful part of the whole day was of course my swim.  I am still amazed that I stood up at 1:18, as I swam less in preparation than I have done before, and I was definitely slower in the pool than in 2009.  Knowing that the improved time was really just due to upper body fitness leaves all kinds of opportunity to build on that, both from a strength perspective, and of course technique.

And the last thing I learned form Ironman 2012.  I was just a wee bit too focused on my time goal.  My wife warned me about this several times but of course as usual, I needed to learn the hard way.  If I had listened to my body and rode a bit slower on my bike, I am certain I would have finished with a considerably better run, and a better overall time.


So...on looking forward.

The focus will be on
1)  overall strength gains in the weight room, especially legs
2)  cycling technique with the computrainer.
3)  hill work both bike and run
4)  swim technique
5)  focus on learning instead of time
6)  nutrition, both training and racing

I do want to make another attempt at 11 hours but that is the last time you will hear reference to it.  I will be another year older (damn!), and anyone who has been to Mont Tremblant can tell you that it ain't exactly flat there either.  It could in fact be a tougher course than Penticton.  So I will focus on becoming a better swimmer/cyclist/runner, and let the time chips fall where they may.  After all, the real reason I'm doing this has nothing to do with race day.....

....and I have thought about this some more as well.  I truly felt like I had a great year leading up to the race and yet the confirmation for that still came from Claudette.  Of course she has always been a supportive partner, but I also know how much time and space this training takes away from the rest of our lives.  Despite being a selfless person she is however still human, and as such her support of another Ironman is confirmation that it some small way it makes our collective lives better.

(ride 41 kms)

"We drive into the future using only our rearview mirror."---Marshall McLuhan

Love

Peter

"One More Time!"

Welcome to my brand new blog my friends. Why a new blog you may ask? Well I got an e-mail last evening that may explain it. Here is the relevant content of that mail.

Thank you for registering. You are confirmed for 2013 Ironman Mont-Tremblant.
Name: Peter Rooyakkers
Registration ID: 47447134
Thank you and good luck!

I must at this point express my undying gratitude to my partner for her never ending support.  Ever since I first hinted at doing this race (sometime in the future perhaps) she has taken the initiative and encouraged me to make the commitment now.  I was going to wait to see where Ironman Canada was going to be located next year, but at the risk of having this race sell out in the meantime.  Last night she just basically told me to stop talking, and send them my money.  Maybe she was just tired of hearing me talk, but I think the truth is that she loves me.  She just takes pleasure in witnessing my pleasure.  Not everyone is so fortunate and I know it!

From everything I have heard Tremblant is a fantastic race both for participants and spectators.  While it doesn't have the tradition of Penticton with it's single loop courses, it is apparently an amazing venue.  Spectators can actually see the cyclists at least 4 different times during the bike  as well as half way through the run.  The swim is still a single loop which is really the only discipline I care about in this regard.

The title of my blog is of course in reference to my wife's heritage, and to "la Belle Province" where the race takes place.

Here's how it evolved.  I was originally going to go with  Life Goes On, which evolved to C'est La Vie (that's life), and then eventually to Encore, which literally translates to again, but is often used more figuratively as, one more time.  

Once we hit on it we both knew right away that it was perfect. Since I knew after my last effort that I needed to do it again, and since you never know how many chances you may have, why not now?  So ENCORE I say.  One More Time!!  The time is right!! 

More tomorrow.

(run 11 kms)

When the world says give up: hope whispers, try it one more time"---Anon

Love

Peter