"Good Day/Bad Day"

Wow!  I just realized it's been a week since I blogged.  I wonder how the world has managed to stay sane without my wisdom to provide guidance??  The good lord must have taken over in my absence.

Regardless, it's just good to know you're still out there.  All 3 or 4 of you  :)

Anyway, my title is actually in reference to yesterday not today.  I was in Waterloo, Ontario with the intention of running a marathon, and while I did run most of one (I needed some walking breaks near the end) I was in pretty rough shape when it was over.  That was the bad day part.  I figure however that any day that you can run/walk/crawl 42.2kms before lunch has to be a good day as well.

As usual I had a hoot, and while I went conservatively dressed for a change, the race committee provided me with a special surprise when I arrived, in the form of a wonderfully unique race number.  Unfortunately I couldn't figure out which way was up so instead I compromised.

And the pic was taken after the race and I'm still smiling, so I guess maybe it wasn't that bad. 

I ended up with a time of 3:4:25 for 17th place overall, and 2nd out of 15 in my age group.  The best part however is that I feel fine today, and will definitely be back to training tomorrow.

From another mans perspective however it  was all "GOOD DAY".  I can't find the words to tell you how proud I am of my little brother, Old John.  For those of you who know him you will recall that some 30 years or so ago, he had a horrific motorcycle accident that almost killed him (and our mother as well, less directly) and left him, along with many other problems, a totally busted up knee.

Yesterday, just a year after he took up running, this cripple ran 21.1 kms.  Yup!  Twenty one, point one, uninterrupted kilometres!  I think you're amazing brother!!

Not to be outdone, daughter Miguette set a new personal best in the Forest City 5K Road race, while finishing 53rd out of 98 in her age group!!  She's preparing for an 8k in the very near future!!

And forget my title.  It was an all good day!!

"If you don't think every day is a good day, just try missing one."---Cavett Robert

Love

Peter

"A Game of Thrones"

I am in the second reading of a fantasy series called A Song of Ice and Fire, written by George R R Martin.  It's not so much fantasy as it is a medieval story with a bit of magic mixed in, but it is an exceptional piece of writing.  A few weeks ago I was pleasantly surprised to learn that it was made into an HBO miniseries.  It is now into it's fourth season and although we don't get that channel I also discovered that you can buy it on DVD.  I purchased the first season and it's been a lifesaver.  While I'm not much of a TV or movie guy, today I watched 4 episodes while riding my bike.  If you can stand a bit of gratuitous gore it is well worth watching.

I was tired right from the get-go this morning and without the distraction I don't know how I would have survived the 3:45.  I can't do this for my short intense rides because I need to focus, but for the long ones it makes it bearable.  And despite being tired I was happy with my ride. I was still a bit whipped from the brisk little 26 kms I ran on a cold windy day in Windsor on Saturday.  I ended up doing 3:15 at 163 watts, plus my warmup and cool down

So longer swim and weights tomorrow, then tempo ride Wednesday, and then only swimming for the rest of the week. That's probably not enough rest to get me completely recovered for the Sunday marathon but so be it.  It's only 42.2 kms!

Love
Peter

"The Twilight Zone"

I had to stop to see son Michael today just to drop something off.  He lives in a high rise apartment building in London.  I arrived in the lobby and after pushing the button I had to wait a minute or so for one of the 3 elevators to arrive.  It was empty when I got on so I pushed the button for the 17th floor and the doors closed.  The elevator began to move but quickly stopped again at the second floor.  It crossed my mind to tell the lady that got on that this elevator was going up, but just before I spoke she pushed the button for eleven.  Oh!  Apparently she was going up as well.  She got out at the 11th and I pushed the button again and continued to the 17th.  Other than this one person no one else got on or off.  I spent 8-10 minutes with Michael before heading out again.  When I pushed the  button this time the same elevator opened immediately, as if it never left.  Strange in such a large building to again find an empty elevator so quickly.  Regardless I thanked my good fortune, climbed aboard and pushed the ground floor button.  It headed down and was at full speed when once again it stopped.....at the 11th??  As quickly as I dismissed the possibility, to my utter surprise the same lady got on and pushed the button.  And yes....for the second floor.  Again, not one else got on or off the entire time, and I got off at the ground floor wondering just what kind of a time warp I just experienced.

I should have checked my watch I guess, because to make it a real twilight zone episode no time would have elapsed while I was in the building.  Just a strange case of instant rewind!!

As much as it was a surreal experience it wasn't til later it occurred to me to consider what my fellow passenger must have thought.  Did she perhaps wonder if I had stayed on the elevator the entire time?  Did she go back later to check if I was still there?  Totally bizarre.

Lazy day today.  I went to the pool only to remember when I got there that it was a PA day.  Fifty screaming kids and a swim workout just don't mesh.  Must be getting old I guess.  I left!

Big day tomorrow.  I will have the pleasure of doing my long run in Windsor Ontario as I have to drive Roo, Michael and their friends to an all day poker tournament.  They can't drive themselves because they're a bunch of queers and they want to get drunk. They picked me to drive because I don't really drink, and furthermore,  I'm apparently queer as well.  Once I was advised of this I had to look it up in the dictionary and sure enough, it's all there.  It says, "deviated from the expected or normal, strange, odd or unconventional".  Does that sound like me?  Yup!  For sure!  But then again, it also sounds like most of my siblings (not just one, lmao), all of my children (not just one, lmao again) most of my friends, most of my enemies, all of the people in St Thomas, Ontario, etc etc.

Yah you guessed it!  The whole fuckin world is queer, cause ya know what?  There is no normal to deviate from.  So next time you hear that word I say celebrate it.    It just means that you are a wonderful, totally unique part of the human race and I for one salute you.  Here's to you!!!

I do need to add one qualifier however.  If you are part of the Rooyakkers clan, despite being queer, you still remain an idiot.  I'm not sure if that makes you a queer idiot, or an idiotic queer.  Either way you are definitely not normal,  and either way I still love you.

The only queer people are those who don't love anybody."---Rita Mae Brown

Love
Peter

"At Peace"

The original plan was to complete the bike program before the marathon, but plans have a way of changing.  For all intents and purposes I'm 2 weeks behind.  But no worries.  I moved one more step forward today with a successful long interval ride.  It took every bit of mojo I had but the two twenty minute sessions at 227, with a very short 5 minute rest, eventually came to an end.

So one more long run on Saturday, long ride on Monday, and my tempo ride on Wednesday, all workouts I know I can do.  Alternate days will be swim and weights.  Then I'm gonna try to take 3 whole days off before the Waterloo marathon a week Sunday.  I'm at peace with that.

Love
Peter

"As Long As You Do Your Best"

That was one of my fathers mantras.  I heard it a lot.  Unfortunately I don't think he often thought I was living up to the cliche.  He was probably right.  I was kind of lazy!

I still don't give of my best at all times, but I think that in my old age I'm learning to make more of a habit of it.  Of course no one but me knows what my best is, and as such only I can be my judge.

Today I think I did my best, although it didn't meet the standard I was striving for.
Once again the program called for an escalation of intensity and once again I couldn't pull it off.  The workout was the same as the one of 8 days ago except that the rest intervals were shorter.  It called for 6 repetitions of 251 watts with 2 minutes rest.  I survived the first one,  and then the remaining 5 finished at 245, 220, 203, 210, and finally 230 respectively.

Was it my best?  Could I have squeezed out a few more watts?  Probably yes.  And yet I think ones best always had to be kept in perspective.  If the life of someone important depended on my workout today I'm 100% sure I could have done the whole thing.  Fortunately that wasn't the case, and so I'm still content with my effort.  It hurt like hell, and yet you can see that I picked it up for the last 2 reps.

So in summary....I'm good with that!

But I can't leave you today without at least a few words about the Boston marathon.  It occurred to me to wonder if there is a person or persons out there somewhere who feel like they did their best.  Is this person happy with the 3 people they slaughtered, and the countless others they mutilated, or are they questioning their preparation and work ethic?  Did they go to sleep peacefully last night secure in the knowledge of their success, or are they thinking of doing better next time?

I know for the vast majority of people the actions of this person or persons is mind boggling but I think that there is an added little element of shock for people who have personally experienced the wonders of the marathon.  Roo and I have both been in a funk all day and as I analyze it I think it's probably because as runners we've taken the thing a bit personally.  You have to have known the mystique of the marathon to know how special it is, and for some maniac to turn it into a war zone just feels so demoralizing.  But...... that's probably exactly what the bomber had in mind eh?

My prayers go out to all those runners and supporters who were actually there, but especially for those who lost their lives, or those who have been maimed for life.

Love
Peter

"Feelin Optimistic"

Here's the definition of optimism.  Going to the pool for your swim workout and expecting to see this.

Yup!  Just off to the left of the picture you would find the one and only person besides myself that was at the pool at around 2 pm last Thursday. That was the lifeguard!   About once every 4 or 5 years this happens, and while it didn't last long, it was a sweet feeling.  This is perhaps the first and only time I've shared a pic of the water hole I've spent so much time at the last 5 years.  While it's not perfect I suppose I should be grateful to have it less than 10 minutes from my home.

Anyway, while dreaming of this happening on a consistent basis is probably way beyond optimistic, I do generally feel pretty good right now.  In the last 10 days I have run 35 kms twice, done 4 very hard bike workouts, and swam and did my weights 4 times each.  More importantly however is that all of the workouts were completed, if now with ease, at least under some semblance of control, and in every case I was ready for the next one when it came due.  So far I'm happy with my 8 day schedule, and I may well carry it beyond the marathon which is 2 weeks from today.

Today I did what I now call my easy ride.  I endured 60 minutes at 212 watts.  The fact that I call that my easy workout may give you some sense of why I am generally feeling optimistic.  As a reference point, my test result half way through the program was 210 watts for 30 minutes....and that was rested!!

So onwards and upwards.  It would be damn nice now if spring would only arrive eh??!!

And on the subject of quotes.  Often I share peoples words because they express my thoughts in a far more effective way than I could possibly come up with.  Sometimes I pass on quotes that triggered a new thought in my mind.  But the very best ones are the ones that take me by surprise in that they completely turn my thinking around.  Today's is one such.

“The optimist proclaims that we live in the best of all possible worlds; and the pessimist fears this is true.”---James Branch Cabell

I have always taken the greatest of pride in believing myself the eternal optimist. After reading what Mr Cabell has to say I think I need to look in the mirror!!!

Love
Peter

"Two In a Row!!"

Workouts one and two of the weekly schedule are considered the toughest and they recommend that you have 72 hours between them.  What they don't explain is how then to get the rest of the workouts in since there are 5 total per week.  Taking 2 full days off between one and 2 would mean that all the rest of the sessions are back to back.  Even though those others are not as intense, one of them is a minimum of 3 1/2  hours long, and as such this doesn't seem practical either.  Of course I must remind myself again that the program is intended for cyclists, not triathletes.

Anyway, as I mentioned a few days ago I'm working on an 8 day cycle and feeling my way through the bike sessions.  I decided to give the second hard workout a shot with only one day in between.  It went reasonably well this time and in fact this is the first time I have managed these 2 workouts in a row.  Today was two, 20 minute intervals at 227 watts, with 10 minutes rest in between.  I actually did this workout once before but not in tandem with a successful workout #1.

So there!!

And it's a real learning experience I will tell you.  I have never worked as hard on my bike training, or any kind of training for that matter, and it literally wipes me out.  The only thing I have energy left for is sleeping and eating.  Thank goodness those are my two highest skill areas!!

...and this one works good for today's post...

"Masochism is a valuable job skill."---Chuck Palahniuk

Love
Peter

"Feels Like Success"

The first time I tried it was 17 days ago and I made it half way through.  The most recent time was one week ago and I never even survived the second of 6 intervals.  So it was with a great deal of trepidation that I headed down the basement steps this morning.  I knew I was a bit better rested this time around so I expected a little better result but still had no idea if I could complete it totally.

I think the most gratifying part of today's success was the realization that I effectively analyzed my situation this past week, and responded appropriately.  I think I allowed myself just the right amount of recovery time before I jumped back in.  Don't get me wrong the workout was still very hard but I honestly believe that if I really needed to I may have squeaked out one more interval.   I feel pretty good.  It also gives me some guidance going forward.  I think that as long as I am doing a long run and a long ride every week, that I can only do 2 other hard rides as opposed to 3.

To refresh your memory the workout was 6, six minute intervals at 251 watts, with 3 minutes rest in between.  I wore my HRM today as well and the data actually surprised me a little bit.  I expected my rate to be higher, but I could never get it over 151 which makes me think there are still more gains to be had, believe it or not.  I know for sure that with the same level of intensity while running it would go over 160, perhaps close to 170!

I read another great article today, this one about how to run a great Ironman marathon.  The gist of the article....if you want to run well, focus on your cycling.  Here it is for anyone who cares about this stuff.

And that's it for this particular Saturday.  Enjoy the rest of your weekend.

....and 75% of the success quotes out there somehow referenced failure as well.  This one I thought was the simplest and clearest...

"In order to succeed you must fail, so that you know what not to do the next time."---Anthony J. D'Angelo

Lover
Peter

"Hopefully I'm Back?"

I took Tuesday and Wednesday completely off and then did my long run yesterday.  Although I was quite tentative and my legs still felt sore I managed through the 35 kms without too much difficulty,  I wore my heart rate monitor which really confirmed that my problem is really just overtaxed leg muscles.  My average for the entire 3 hours, 12 minutes was 128 bpm which has to be an all time low for me.  I believe that to be a strong indicator of my overall fitness.

I decided to make today an easy day as well, and settled for a very relaxed 60 minutes on the bike, followed by 1/2 hour in the pool.  Tomorrow I will give it another shot at a tough bike workout.  I'm not sure what's gonna happen.

What I do know I will do, is to follow the strategy I have decided to adopt for the next 3 weeks leading up to marathon day.  I intend on "feeling" my way through.  I will do 2 more long runs of 35 and 30kms respectively and fill in the rest of the time with easy runs, some swimming and as many of the bike workouts as I can effectively complete.  I am no longer committed to doing the bike program in the normal time period but have chosen rather to complete all the workouts in whatever time it takes me.  Considering all the other non-bike stuff I do, this approach doesn't feel like cheating.

I decided to initiate this latest phase of the plan by going to the Mandarin with my family, and eating enough for four people!  That restaurant chain is my absolute favorite place to eat.  I defy anyone to show me a place with a better dessert buffet!  As I understand it the human body can only absorb so many calories over any given period of time, so I figure that one in a while I can get away with gluttony.

Wish me luck tomorrow.   I may need it!

Love
Peter

"Crash!!"

I suppose it was inevitable.  I can always predict when I'm close to blowing up  but my Superman complex prevents me from reacting appropriately.  I went full speed ahead after the 30 km race and while I kind of hung in there for a few days it all came to a head on Saturday.  Or actually probably even on Friday, when my legs started to get sore after a very short run. Because of the blowout on Saturday I took it easy on Sunday opting for swim  and weights only.  Then on Monday I did the bike warm up with high hopes, but never even attempted to do the workout.  It would have been futile.  Today I did nothing!!

Of course this has totally messed up my proposed schedule between now and the marathon.  Clearly I will not be able to finish the bike program as planned.  I'm still not entirely sure how I will proceed from here but one thing I am considering is to focus on the much needed long run element, and leave any intense cycling til after the race.  Then perhaps I will try to start the last 5 week bike segment over again.  We shall see.

For now I just want to get feeling strong again.  Tomorrow I will try to ride easy and if that feels okay I will shoot for a long run on Thursday.

As usual the biggest hurdle is the mental one.  Because of the extent of my obsession any setback feels like the end of the world!

Stay tuned for the next update to the madness.

Love
Peter