"Brrrrr"

That’s freakin cold water! I don’t know if it’s because the recent stormy weather stirs up the lake or what but it felt much colder than last time. When I first got there I pretty well decided that I wasn’t even getting in because the water was quite rough. It looked more like November weather. Just before I headed off to the pool however I thought I would just check out what’s known here as little beach, and much to my surprise it was quite a bit calmer there….the exact opposite to last time. It must depend on the wind direction.

But it felt damn cold! My feet and my hands never really warmed up the whole 40 minutes. The wonderful thing is that 40 minutes in the lake seems to pass so quickly. I know that my swimming technique has not improved at all but my arm strength definitely has because of the weight training. When swimming with a wetsuit it basically comes down to muscular endurance and all I care about on race day is getting out of the water and still feeling fresh. I’m pretty confident now that I can do so, both next Sunday and Aug 30th. We’ll see if it feels the same on Sunday in Peterborough when I will swim for about the same amount of time, but will be fighting for space with 500 other people. Just like Guelph Lake it will be a mass start and 2 loops.

I also did a short tempo run but not too hard as I want to have a good long run tomorrow. Right now my energy level is good and I feel confident that it will go well. I really need to knock off a controlled long workout for my confidence level.

I wish to dedicate day 286 to Lewis Gordon Pugh who last year swam approximately 1000 metres in 18 minutes, 50 seconds....at the North Pole! The water temperature was 29 degrees fahrenheit! And before you ask...no wetsuit of any kind.

“Good words cool more than cold water."---John Ray

"This may sound funny, but I'm not a risktaker. I consider myself a risk manager, and I take safety really, really seriously. I follow a philosophy that I call the "P factor": Proper planning and preparation prevent a piss-poor performance."---Lewis Gordon Pugh

love
peter

"Going Green"

Or is that blue?




There's something very Ghandi-ish about putting your clothes out on a line to dry. Maybe it's not going to be quite the annoyance I thought it would be when Claudette first announced this new "dryerless" policy. I did draw the line (no pun intended) at socks and underwear, so that should tell you who's unmentionables you see in the picture. It won't really be that much of a transition for me anyway because I always hang my pants, many of my shirts and all my workout clothes on hangers, rather than putting them in the dryer. And if allowed I think I can go at least 3 months with the same towel. I'm actually most interested to see how Adrain makes out since he has more clothes than Claudette and I put together.

Maybe this extra effort and the corrseponding savings will help alleviate my guilt feelings over my expensive new Michelins. Aren't they a pretty blue? I am going to see if I can get some handlebar tape the same colour, and coincidentally they happen to be almost the exact same shade of blue as my tri suit. So even if I suck I will still look good eh! They will be my race tires only. After the half next sunday the old ones will go back on and stay on until we head out west in August.

Either way, green or blue I'm trying to add a little colour into my life. Or rather maybe I'm trying to alter the colours a little bit. Trying to get rid of the yellow of fear, the red of anger, and maybe most importantly the black of depression. Some days I seem to be doing a little better, but I still have much, much room for self improvement. Speaking of which, green is still one of my problems in terms of a different metaphor. I'm too often green with envy and I wish to conquer this useless attitude. And maybe I need to work on blue as well, in terms of low mood and how it impacts those around me. I promise to work hard on these things. At 53 I'm still learning.

Back to green again, I felt like a criminal today while committing an act that went against everything instinct that a farm boy ever possessed. I got out the mower and took out 2 complete rows of beautiful healthy corn just to make a lane to the back of the farm. It hurt to do it but this is the way farmer Bill wishes it. He would rather just plant everything and then have us take out what we need to, simply because it's so much easier for him with his large equipment.

Todays workout report. Sixty-five kilometres on the bike this morning, and weights this evening, both of which went reasonably well.

I wish to dedicate day 285 to the above mentioned Bill Walters, who rather than being a "gentleman farmer", is a both gentleman and a farmer.

“Colors, like features, follow the changes of the emotions."---Pablo Picasso

“Shades of grey wherever I go
The more I find out the less that I know
Black and white is how it should be
But shades of grey are the colors I see."---Billy Joel

“Actually, all education is self-education. A teacher is only a guide, to point out the way, and no school, no matter how excellent, can give you education. What you receive is like the outlines in a child’s coloring book. You must fill in the colors yourself."---Louis L'Amour

"It ain't easy being green."---Kermit the Frog

love
peter

"Alas"

Tomorrow came, and now is almost gone, and unfortunately the hoped for, even predicted increase in knowledge never came to pass. I think perhaps I know even less than I did yesterday. How can that be? I need to spend more time with Cory.

And I am bone weary....I think it's mostly burnout. I will work hard through wednesday and then scale way back for the rest of the week. The Half IM is next sunday and I need to feel good about it.


Today I still had to go a bit easy in recovery from my long one yesterday. Once around the block and 20 times up and down the pool.

I wish to dedicate day 284 to my wife who in her wisdom sometimes gently reminds me that I don't know everything.

“I am not young enough to know everything."---Oscar Wilde

“Real knowledge is to know the extent of one's ignorance."---Confucius

"He who knows others is learned; He who knows himself is wise."---Lao-Tsze

love
peter

"Tomorrow"

Tomorrow, I'll probably know more than I know today and if indeed that's the case I'll share it with you. The only thing I know today is that yesterday I should have named my new wooden friend "Ben". It would have fit my post much better. And so I'm changing his name because Colby doesn't read the blog anyway.

Long ride today was an ok 150 kms followed up by a 7.4 km run. It still feels tough but I guess it's supposed to.

I wish to dedicate day 283 to Ben.

“What we are today comes from our thoughts of yesterday, and our present thoughts build our life of tomorrow: Our life is the creation of our mind."---Buddha

love
peter

"Complete Rest"

It's nice when you can call an entire day of wrestling with fallen trees a complete day off. Of course my little tractor and my chain saw helped a lot. We have most of the mess cleaned up. Everything is at least out of the corn field and most of the branches have been trimmed and put on the burn pile. The rest is just straight foward chain-sawing and stacking of the trunks and main branches. We'll plug away at that over the next few days. I'm of course in t drivers seat when it comes to assignments because I own the chain saw.

And yes indeed, no swimming, no running, no cycling and no weighs of any kind today. I'm a little bit antsy right now but I hope the decision proves wise tomorrow. I intend on 150k on my bike followed by 7.5 k in my running shoes. I never did get my bike cleaned properly but I at least got the grease off the drive train and a new coat of oil on the chain.

Speaking of chainsaws, the nice thing about the day was that I made a new friend. I don't mean that I met someone new, I mean I "made" a new friend with my chainsaw. What do you think?



After all yesterday he looked like this...no, no, no...behind Kylie!



He's loyal, steadfast and honest, and he doesn't talk too much. Colby tells me that he looks like a Henry and so that's who he is. Henry William Rooyakkers. He's got kind of a big head which is what inspired the last name.

I wish to dedicate day 282 to Michael Jackson....believe it or not I liked him, and for the most part believed him.

“If you make friends with yourself you will never be alone."---Maxwell Maltz

“Friends are God's way of apologizing to us for our families."---Anon

"Ben, the two of us need look no more
We both found what we were looking for
With a friend to call my own
I'll never be alone
And you, my friend, will see.
You've got a friend in me
You've got a friend in me"---The King of Pop

love
peter

"Flexibility"

It was a day of changing plans. After my bad run yesterday I had decided that I was definitely going to take the day off completely. By 9:00 I was out on my bike! I did 40 kms followed by a 5 km run. I felt still tired but not too bad...certainly a lot better than yesterday. Tomorrow I am committed to swimming only, hopefully in the lake, weather permitting. I also did my weights this afternoon.

Then this evening I started this...cleaning my bike



Note in the background, that's me on television...


But then this happened...



And this...



And though I am very saddened by the loss of 2, hundred year old trees, this was more fun than cleaning my bike...

.

And so was this...





I'm glad that we just finished planting 1100 seedlings. I will also try to transplant a few other small trees to replace these. You can see that these ones were on there way out anyway. The trunks were mostly rotten inside. They are 2 of a row of 7 beside the farm laneway. Considering how hard the wind blew we are lucky to have 5 left. The water you see is not usually there either.

I wish to dedicate day 281 to whoever planted those trees all those years ago.

“Even trees do not die without a groan."---Henry David Thoreau

"The true meaning of life is to plant trees, under whose shade you do not expect to sit."---Nelson Henderson

love
peter

"A Really Tough day!"

I'm trying not to let it get to me but my long run was a disaster! I started walking at about 18 kms and then managed to get home alternating 4 minutes running with one minute walks. I quit totally at 22 kms. After about 15 minutes at home and lots of water, I headed back out determined to complete my 31.2 kms. It didn't get much better. At about 20 minutes I was back to the 4 min/1 min thing which eventually deteriorated to 2 and 1. The only positive moment in my run came when a woman actually stopped in the middle of the road to let me cross when she seen me approaching the intersection. I must have looked like hell!
Oh, and I made good headway on my tan since I was out there for so long!

Like I said I'm trying not to let it get to me but I just wish I understood it. Am I indeed overtraining? Is it the heat? Is it poor nutrition, or poor hydration? Is it the controversial electrolyte problem?
Or am I just a sad-sack, out of shape old grampa who should stay indoors?

Im trying hard to believe it's not the latter and trying to stay proud. It's kind of ironic actually because when I first headed out that is exactly what was on my mind. Being proud. I was having kind of a flashback to my sick days, a flashback caused I know by drinking a "Boost" nutrition drink before I left. I remember so clearly how hard it was to drink them. How it would take me an hour to get one down. That took my thoughts back to the constant urging Claudette gave me, which in turn took me to thoughts of the incredible support and encouragement I had from her and all my other loved ones, and how I would never have survived without them.

"BUT"... I thought. I still had to do the work. I still had to force all that crap down my throat to get off the feeding machine. I had to get myself off the stupid painkillers. I had to drag my ass out of my bed. I had to start walking. I had to start jogging. And I had to build it up to where I am now. I still had to do the work!

So that's what I'm gonna focus on today. I'm gonna be proud of everything I've accomplished in the last year, and not dwell on my lousy workout. Tomorrow will be better.

I did cheer myself up by going out to buy new tires for my bike. I'm also proud to tell you that I got a good deal...only half what I paid for new truck tires a few months ago!!

I wish to dedicate day 280 to the unknown lady in the red car!

....and I really liked this one....see what you think...

“Vanity and pride are different things, though the words are often used synonymously. A person may be proud without being vain. Pride relates more to our opinion of ourselves; vanity, to what we would have others think of us."---Jane Austen

love
peter

"Summertime"

I think it's here. Up til now there's one aspect of training and racing that I haven't coped with and that's heat and humidity. Today was my first taste, and tomorrow's supposed to be warmer.

I tried to do a little comparison research between here and Penticton and as near as I can make out the average temperature for August is about the same with the daily high being a little higher out there and the daily low a little lower. The big differences however are that it is generally not near as humid in the Okanagan and also they don't get near as much rain. Both very good things. That's if I'm reading the charts correctly. The average wind speed seems about the same.

One thing that I have not really appreciated enough about where I live is our proximity to Lake Erie. I went swimming there again this morning and it was very calm at 9 am. I can't believe how much less stressful it is swimming without walls and lane markers. I swam for about 40 minutes, not having any idea how far I went and not caring either. I felt like I could keep it up indefinitely. I could be fooling myself but I think it will actually help improve my stroke. I simply swam west for 20 minutes and then turned around and came back. It could be the drift of the water but the return leg took only 18 1/2 minutes? I will not swim in the pool again before Aug 30th unless the weather forces me to do so. Oh and this may surprise you or it may not, but Lake Erie is much clearer and seemingly cleaner than Guelph lake.

I tried running this afternoon as well but it was a weak effort....not worth mentioning. Tomorrow is my long run day. I hope it goes well.

I wish to dedicate day 279 to Alisha Zadilsky who I have decided to like as soon as I meet her!

"People don't notice whether it's winter or summer when they're happy."--- Anton Pavlovich Chekhov

"In summer, the song sings itself."---William Carlos Williams

love
peter

"Ain't No Rest For The Wicked"

I decided that after a hard weekend of racing that I deserved a day off so I took Kylie to the "hat" store. We couldn't decide if she wanted to be a cowgirl or a southern belle and so we ended up with this combination.




Ain't she friggin beautiful! She looks a little like her grampa don't you think.

Anyway by the time we got back from our shopping trip, my excuse for a day off started to seem a bit weak. After all, if I hadn't gone racing I would have done considerably more in my workouts. So I headed out for a fairly easy 65 kms on my bike and felt ok. Tired, but tired has become a permanent state. We did weights tonite as well. After all there "aint no rest for the wicked"!

I'm struggling with how to approach the Half Ironman which is now less than 2 weeks away. While the primary intent of the race is as a test run for the big one and as a long workout, I also want to enjoy it. If I have a good day it could be a big confidence booster and so I am tempted to rest a few days in advance....but is that smart, I don't know? From here on in everything matters, and after all "there ain't no rest for the wicked"

I wish to dedicate day 278 to Jeff Fender, a friend of Penticton Paul who has been advising me on race nutrition strategy

"Our nature consists in motion; complete rest is death."---Blaise Pascal

"Rest breeds rust."---Anon

"Inactivity and deprivation of all accustomed stimulus is not rest; it is a preparation for the tomb."---Robertson Davies

love
peter

"Like Fish in a Barrel"

Yes indeed all these people, all 465 of them, jumped into Guelph lake at the same time. Much to my surprise it was a mass start which is very unusual for a race of this distance. They also choose not to mark out a complete 1500 metre swim course, but rather just do 2 loops of yesterdays race. This doubled the "fish in a barrel" problem that occurred at every turn. Even though the swimmers would spread out a bit over time, as you can imagine everyone would press back close together at the turns in order to swim the minimum distance. It was a bit frustrating. The good thing is that I didn't feel any stress from the swimming itself. I felt like I could go on for a long time.

The rest of the day went fairly well. I only have to learn to manage my expectations. I actually rode the same pace as yesterday(32 kms/hr) and was a bit slower on the run(4;42/km as opposed to 4:30) which was to be expected. In the end I finished 160th overall and 18 out of 36 in my age group. Not as many amateurs as yesterday, which is simply a reflection of a longer race

Here's what I mean by managing my expectations. My first ever race of the olympic distance was at that exact same course 16 years ago and I was almost as fast that day as today. My mind tells me that with all my experience I should now be a whole lot faster. It's hard to acknowledge that I'm not any faster simply because I'm 16 years older.

I also need to remember that all of this is only training for the big day, and that it's all about endurance, not about speed!

It was a fantastic day for a race, especially compared to yesterday. Clear skies and warm temperatures.

I had a great fathers day as well. I spent most of it with Jon and got greetings, cards hugs etc. from all the rest

I wish to dedicate day 277 to my Dad...enough said...

"Life is so constructed that an event does not, cannot, will not, match the expectation."---Charlotte Bronte

"Unhappiness is best defined as the difference between our talents and our expectations."---Edward de Bono

love
peter

"Amateurs"

People breast stroking!
People riding all over the effin road!
People stopping right in the middle of the path to tie their shoes!
And way too much rain!
And way too much mud!
And my goggles leaked.
And just way too many people period!


And it was still fun as you can see!




I finished in a time of 1:17:17 placing 53rd overall out of 540 participants, and 4th in my age group out of 28 other old men. Here's the proof that I'm indeed an old, but determined man.

Tomorrow should be twice as much fun as it's twice as long and then some.

I wish to dedicate day 276 to Matthews' Brittany for putting up with both Matt and Cory!

“Sport must be amateur or it is not sport. Sports played professionally are entertainment."---Avery Brundage

love
peter

"My Bags are Packed"

I'm ready to go....I think?

Here's my check list.

Bike
Tri-suit
Body-glide(expensive vaseline)
Wetsuit
Goggles(2 pair in case 1 breaks)
Number belt (for race number)
Heart rate Monitor(just for learning)
Towel
Cycling Shoes(man they stink)
Running Shoes(they're not so bad)
Hat
Sunglasses
Gels
Pump
Spare Tube
CO2 cartridges
Bike lube

And I'm nervous as a cat. It has been many years since I've done a triathlon.

I wish to dedicate day 275 to Dr David Johnson, who today lasered my sons eyes, and I'm sure did a great job!

“I think animal testing is a terrible idea; they get all nervous and give the wrong answers."---Anon

love
peter

"Jealous"

Of my son Michael.

Today we went for a consultation and tomorrow he goes in for laser vision correction. Oh to be rid of these glasses. But for me it's no longer meant to be. Oh well, Im actually very happy for him and to borrow Corys big word I can enjoy it vicariously through him.

Just a routine training day. Once I got back from the laser place I did 30 kms on my bike followed by a 5 k run, and then did my weights tonite. Tomorrow will be swimming only in preperation for the big race weekend at Guelph Lake. I can confirm that Jon is going with me and also that we will be staying at Corys...both things I am really looking forward to.

A special hello today to my dear friend Ron H, who is one of the smartest people I know, and a man who has also rode his bike to Long Point!

That's all I got for today. Sleep well all my princes and princesses!

I wish to dedicate day 274 to Ron's dad who knew enough to kick him out of the house when he was 16!

“God, grant me the senility to forget the people I never liked anyway, the good fortune to run into the ones I do, and the eyesight to tell the difference."---Anon

“No one ever injured his eyesight by looking on the bright side of things."---Anon

love
peter

"Like a Whores Drawers"

Or a yo-yo, or a toilet seat, or a teeter totter!

Up and down that is. My fears and doubts, my hopes and aspirations. Listen to your body they say but Im afraid to. I'm afraid I'm trying to do too much and afraid of not doing enough.

Heading out for my long run today I was so sore and tired that I was sure I must be overdoing it and would have no choice but to take a day off. I sure don't want to do this because of the forced time off when I travel but if the way I felt was any indication of my physical well being then something had to give. You could say my yo-yo was at the bottom, as were my drawers, and that my teeter was tottering, or not tottering I guess?

Then some short 2 hours, 45 minutes and 28 seconds later the world had changed! I couldn't believe it as it was happening but I had the best long run I've had in some time. I decided on 3 large blocks which would be just over 31 kms. I completed them in times of 58:02, 55:49 and 51:37 respectively for a total of the above mentioned time. I consider this remarkable. My last 2 efforts at this same distance were 2:53 and 3:01. Of course the really important thing is that I continued to get faster as the run wore on...considerably faster. It is surely a sign of improved muscular endurance which along with aerobic fitness is the key to the whole thing.

My pre-run nutrition consisted of 2 canadian maple donuts, (260 cals. each) and a Boost, (360 cals) and I took along 5 PowerBar gels (120 cals each) and my water belt. The experts would cringe but I'm seriously thinking about making the donuts the staple part of my race day breakfast. I also can't help but think that the 600 calories that I ate along the way in the form of the gels was a factor. I have purchased and will continue to use that particular brand because that is what's offered on the race course in Penticton. It was also a good day for running, a bit windy but a temp of 18 celsius and a nice rain.

Anyway the moral of the story is that my drawers are now up, my teeter is tottering again and Tommy Smothers would be proud of me! (get it?) If you're under 40 you may have to click here.

The 2nd moral of the story is never, ever listen to your body! It's just trying to trick you into gaining your sympathy. When you're most tired just get your sorry ass into gear and go do what you're supposed to do!

So while I'm feeling good I'm gonna re-inforce it by reminding myself that life in general is also pretty good. At least for today, all my childern are relatively safe and healthy, my grandchildern are close to me and I believe happy to be so, and my wife still loves me because she told me so.


To top of a super day Colby and I went to see Star Trek. If you were a fan of the original series you need to see this movie. Brilliant!

I wish to dedicate day 273 to Mr Spock!

“When you don't know what you're talking about, it's hard to know when you're finished."---Tommy Smothers


"Logic is the beginning of wisdom, not the end."---Leonard Nimoy

love
peter

"That Was Different"

There is something decidedly freeing, (or is that freezing?) about swimming in the open water. No walls and no freaking clock. It was only as I was dragging my ass out the door for my scheduled 2000 metres at the Y that I remembered that I had an option. So back for my wetsuit, which I put on before I left the house, knowing I would need help getting into it. I wonder what the cop would have said if I had gotten pulled over for something eh? He'd probably be wondering if I was planning on driving my truck into the lake.

Anyway I went to little beach in Port Stanley and dipped my toes in the water. Environment Canada said that the water temperature was 17 degrees(62F) but it felt a lot colder. But I got started not too badly and other than my feet I adjusted to the water alright. It would take me about 4 minutes to swim across the little inlet and so I did that 8 times. Based on that I would guess that I put in about 1500 metres. The water was not rough by any means but just swimming parallel to the swells caused some difficulty in the form of the occassional unintended swallow of water. Swimming outside was also a reminder of the challenge of swimming in straight lines. There's no line on the bottom of the lake and even if there was you wouldn't be able to see it. The challenge of continually looking ahead is hard on your stroke, as lifting your head tends to drop your hips and slow you down. I'm not too worried about it though as the bright orange buoys at the races are much easier to "peek" at without too much disruption. I was also totally pleased with my goggles. They are the cheapest corrective goggles I've ever bought and yet the best. No leaking and no fogging up. I was smart enough to buy 2 pair when I first got them so I had a brand new pair sitting in the cupboard for race day. Pretty smart eh?

So I figured that was a pretty good start for my first time in the lake, but before I went I thought maybe I would check out the main beach to see if that would work for next time. Much to my surprise the water was flatter there presumably because the shoreline is not so curved. So back in the water for another 20 minutes and the best part of all is that I could swim for as long as I wanted without turning around. If the weather is ok I will do it again on friday. Mission accomplished...the time just flew by compared to swimming in the pool.

I followed the swim as soon as I ot home with a 7 km run including a "pickup" for a couple of kilometres in the middle. I'm still feeling tired however and I hope that my long run goes well tomorrow. I had an idiot moment today at about 4:30 at the grocery store when I suddenly realized that I had forgotten to eat since breakfast. Not too smart eh?

...unike this lady...
I wish to dedicate day 272 to Mrs Moody, who made Colby's first year at a new school practically seamless.

"My mom said she learned how to swim. Someone took her out in the lake and threw her off the boat. That's how she learned how to swim. I said, 'Mom, they weren't trying to teach you how to swim.' "---Paula Poundstone

"I can`t swim. I can`t drive, either. I was going to learn to drive but then I thought, well, what if I crash into a lake?"---Dylan Moran

love
peter

"So Here's the Deal"

It's not as scary as it first sounded. Here's how it works. First they do some fancy x-ray after having injected you with a radioisotope called Tecnesium Perthecnetate 99. This is to establish a baseline of your current saliva production. Then over a period of approximately 3 months, on 3 separate occassions they take your blood (45 mls) put it into some voodoo machine and then re-inject it immediately into 3 spots into your Parotid gland through the skin. The Parotid gland is the largest of the saliva glands and is situated at the side of your jaw. To give you a reference it is the gland that swells when you get the mumps. Then twice more, at 5 and 6 months they repeat the x-ray thing and hopefully find improvement.

The tricky thing about the whoile deal is that once established the schedule is pretty well non-negotiable. They want to study 20 people overall but they need to be processed in batches of 5 because of the cost and availabilty of the isotope, and also something to do with "batching" the tests. Again it is related to costs as I understand.

Claudette and I both agree that we want to participate and yet I made it clear that I could only do it if I could work it around my travel schedule, including our Penticton trip. So as a first step I am sending them my schedule and then we will go from there. I expressed my wish to wait until after Ironman and she seemed to think that may be a possibility. It will all depend on the availability of the isotope and also probably how quickly they can get their other 19 subjects organized. I hope they can wait for me because now that I know more, I definitely want to do it.

The name of the doctor organizing the whole thing, reporting to Dr Yoo, is Mercedes Ceron. She claimed to be a research fellow, but I'm pretty sure she was a woman! I liked her, even if she was a little hard to understand. She's from Columbia and has a strong spanish accent.

We never talked about potato chips but we did talk about the possibilities of success. She suggested that there has been some success with similar procedures on different organs, but of course she was not making any promises. She did express confidence that there would be no risks or complications other than the local discomfort from the needles. Not really a tough decision as long as they can accommodate my schedule. I hope so.

Just 65 kilometers on my bike today and now I'm gonna go do the dreaded weights with that slavemaster Peter!

I wish to dedicate day 271 to my new amiga, Dr Mercedes Ceron.

“The most difficult thing is the decision to act, the rest is merely tenacity. The fears are paper tigers. You can do anything you decide to do. You can act to change and control your life; and the procedure , the process is its own reward."---Amelia Earhart

“My basic principle is that you don't make decisions because they are easy; you don't make them because they are cheap; you don't make them because they're popular; you make them because they're right."---Theodore Hesburgh

love
peter

"Beautiful Sunday"

Not much to report on this gorgeous day. I swam 1000 metres this morning and when I got back I told Claudette how great I felt, and indeed I had no soreness or other unpleasant reminders of my ride. Scheduled for the afternoon was a run around the block, and that's when I found out how I really felt. I still enjoyed it but it was like running in quick sand. I have 4 more rides at that distance or longer, and with longer runs afterwards. It culminates 4 weeks before the race with 200 kms followed by 10 kms! Holy Cow!

Gonna try to get a good nights sleep tonite as tomorrow morning we go to the clinic for the saliva consultation. Of course I'm gonna see what they have to say but I just can't see doing anything before Aug 30th. Hopefully they are not in too much of a rush. Oh and by the way Cory, one of my triathlon books suggest potato chips as a way of combating hyponatremia, which as you know(but the civilians may not) is low blood sodium levels caused by excessive sweating.

I wish to dedicate day 270 to my friend Joe Sikora, who's got me thinking of running a fall marathon. Childs play!

“Experts in ancient Greek culture say that people back then didn’t see their thoughts as belonging to them. When ancient Greeks had a thought, it occurred to them as a god or goddess giving an order. Apollo was telling them to be brave. Athena was telling them to fall in love. Now people hear a commercial for sour cream potato chips and rush out to buy, but now they call this free will. At least the ancient Greeks were being honest.”---Chuck Palahniuk

"Birds are singing, you by my side
Let's take a car and go for a ride
Hey, hey, hey, it's a beautiful day
We'll drive on and follow the sun
Makin' Sunday go on and on
Hey, hey, hey, it's a beautiful day"---Peter Charles Greene(Daniel Boone)

love
peter

"Tired but Content"

Today was probably the toughest day I've had so far and I am very proud of myself for how I coped. It was an all out mental battle from the get go. To start with I woke up on the wrong side of the bed with that old doubting feeling. I had no desire to get out of bed, let alone go and ride my bike. I had gotten everything ready the night before so it was simply a matter of getting my gear on and heading out. So I coaxed myself out the door by 8:15 reminding myself that it's getting late in the program to start skipping or procrastinating the critical workouts. But getting out the door turned out to be the easy part as within a half hour I was already hurting. I knew why as well, and kicked myself for the intensity I jumped back into things on my return from Mexico. Especially yesterday with my long swim and late afternoon trail run. So right away the negotiations started. I thought maybe I'll do it tomorrow? I reminded myself that the experts say I don't really have to do this distance at this point. I'll do one block and see how I feel...ok 2 blocks. Maybe the same distance as last week(128 kms) would suffice?

Anyway that's why I'm feeling proud. Somehow and for some reason I hung in, and hung in, and ended up with the promised 180 kms. It took me 6 hours, 6 minutes, and 45 secs for an average speed of 29.4 kms/hr. The neat thing is that over the entire distance I continued to pick up speed. My first lap was 28.2 kms/hr and every successive one was faster. Other than the mental stamina I also credit my nutrition strategy which I think I finally have nailed. Even though I was sore and tired near the end I never ran out of gas. It is a distinctly different feeling, and good to know that I now have a "calorie" plan for the bike portion of the race.

As part of my negotiation I had told myself that I could make my followup run as short as I wanted. I didn't have to give myself the option and indeed ran a fairly comfortable 4.5 kms as originally planned.

I am now (at 9:15 pm) very tired and my back is very sore, all very normal things, but I will sleep well tonite knowing that I can now do an Ironman distance bike ride. And I'm gonna try very hard to sleep late tomorrow.

The question as to why I was out there doing this today was answered by Pink Floyd during the last few minutes of my run. My i-pod was playing a song from Dark Side of the Moon called Brain Damage. If you know the song you will recognize these 2 lines
"the lunatic is in my head" and
"there's someone in my head but it's not me"
I rest my case!

I wish to dedicate day 269 to Canadian cyclist Sam Whittingham who once rode his bike 86.752 kms in ONE hour!

“If being sane is thinking there's something wrong with being different....I'd rather be completely fucking mental."---Angelina Jolie

“95% of this game is half mental."---Yogi Berra

love
peter

"Oh the Incredible Boredom"

I was getting tired near the end of my IM swim today but more than that I was just bored stupid...or check that I was bored silly, since I was already stupid, as demonstrated by the fact that I was doing the swim in the first place. In the past when I was still working on getting up to that distance it was easier to focus simply because the feat was still in doubt. Now that I am no longer afraid, it simply becomes a test of mental endurance. Out on the road you can look around at the scenery, annoy the occassional motorist, get chased by canines, or listen to your music. Although I know you can buy underwater MP3 players designed specifically for swimmers, that's one toy that somehow I couldn't justify (note yesterdays post!) I just can't imagine that some people go and do that much time in the pool every day! Anyway my schedule calls for only 3 more at the full distance (4 if you count the big day) and so I will manage to survive. I am still committed to getting lessons from a professional swim coach after Ironman is over because I really want to master the technique. But it needs to be fun and right now it would simply be unnecessary pressure. It is nice to feel confident swimming 4 kms, the only thing I still worry about a little is how much I sweat in my wetsuit. It seems like I'm swallowing lots of water and yet I still lost 5 pounds! I hope that in cooler water it will not be such a problem. Maybe this week I will try to swim in lake Erie, both to get a feel for the open water and to see what happens with the sweating. I will also get a good test next weekend at Guelph Lake.

Speaking of which I'm a little nervous but also quite excited to tell you that Jonathan is going with me, at least for the saturday race. If he can get authorization to get "carries"- the technical expression for taking your methadone home with you- then he will come to sundays race as well. I know he has talked to his Aunt Cory about perhaps getting his "stuff" in Guelph instead if that's a possibility. That of course is significnat, more so because he has been talking to Cory. That was a very big hurdle for him because he carries a lot of shame over some history with her. I'm proud of him for this but also once again I'm proud of, and so immensely grateful to, my big sister for her inexhaustable ability to love and forgive. I hope she knows how much she is appreciated.

I also did the 6 km trail run this afternoon and felt quite good. Oh and the swim took 1 hour, fourteen minutes and change, and that's just fine. Tomorrows the big ride! Wish me luck!

Oh and Teresa, Mr Singh loved me! I was his soccer team "captain" before you were even on the scene, and I did it for free!

I wish to dedicate day 268 to Martin Strel who in 2001 swam 504 Kms down the Danube river. He covered the distance in 84 hours, 10 minutes of nonstop swimming. I wonder if he was bored?

“One can dream of something more terrible than a hell where one suffers; it's a hell where one would get bored.'---Victor Hugo

...and for Cory...

“Forgiveness is the answer to the child's dream of a miracle by which what is broken is made whole again, what is soiled is made clean again."---Dag Hammarskjold

love
peter

"You Have More Money Than Brains"

When you spend it on the following things.

1) A long handled vacuum powered fly catcher.
2) A set of steps for your dog to get on the couch.
3) Slippers with battery powered headlights.
4) A coffee table that doubles as an attractive pet cage.
5) A set of dinner plates shaped like Italy, France etc
6) A remote control battery powered snack float for the pool.
7) An insect repellant hat.
8) Plastic rocks for your flower bed.
9) A do it yourself acupuncture kit.
10) Lawn aerating sandals.
11) A golf bag drink dispenser.
12) A storage case for 24 watches.

....but my all time favorite is the ridiculous ROM (range of motion) workout machine which will give you a total cardio, resistance and flexibility worlout in 4 minutes a day for only $15,000.00....

But I suppose some people might say that giving a whole lot of money to Ironman Canada for the privilige of abusing your body for half a day is a better example yet, To each his own I guess. The examples I gave you all come from a magazine that I think is on every airplane that plies the sky...something called Skymall. You admire all the stuff while you're sitting there bored stiff and then you can go home and order it delivered to your door.

Despite my cynical attitude I do admit that I have more money than brains-but alas- it's not because I have a lot of money!!

I did achieve a few things today other than wasting my time with the onboard magazine. I pretty well completed my workout calendar for the next 11 weeks and I'm quite happy with it.
I also got home in time for a brisk 10.4 km run which I did in just under 47 minutes, and then I did my weights tonite. I don't think I'll ever start to enjoy that part of the training but I need to keep doing it for another 7 weeks. Thank god for Peters help on this one or I would not be doing it I'm sure.

I wish to dedicate day 267 to my high school math teacher Mr Singh, who was one of the very few who realized that my brain wasn't ready yet.

...so on money...

“Money never made a man happy yet, nor will it. The more a man has, the more he wants. Instead of filling a vacuum, it makes one."---Benjamin Franklin

“Whoever said money can't buy happiness simply didn't know where to go shopping."---Bo Derek

...and on brains...

“There is a foolish corner in the brain of the wisest man."---Aristotle


"When you get to your third millionth frequent flyer mile, I think something snaps in your brain."---Jeff Foxworthy

...and on both...

“Money without brains is always dangerous."---Napoleon Hill

love
peter

"Dos Cerveza Por Favor"

Well actually only one tonite because that's all I could handle. The last 2 nighte however I've had 2 Negra Modelos with my dinner. The reason I could only take one tonite is because I started in on the bread too soon. I have figured out that I can actually have a couple of brews on an empty stomach, but that as soon as I put food in my mouth the beer starts to burn. Strange eh, but somehow related to the whole saliva thing. Maybe another good reason to consider the experimental treatment and also maybe a reason to reject it. After all beer is simply empty calories....who needs it?

I had a very long, tough but gratifying day at work today. One of the most rewarding things I am allowed to do in my role is to meet and evaluate current and prospective leaders and as such I hear some terrific life stories. The tough part is that you really have to focus and listen actively in order to encourage an open dialogue. It can be very tiring but I am motivated to do a good job of it by the knowing that the opinions I form have the potential to impact peoples lives. And that I do not take lightly.

I am also tired because I am not training for a few days and if that seems strange I recently read that it's normal. Apparently anytime that you back off from periods of extreme exertion your body goes through a phase where it feels more tired. They described it as the body "absorbing" the training. Apparently it can be a bit of a psychological challenge when you begin to taper for your big race expecting to find all kinds of energy and in actual fact getting the opposite feeling.
I can't wait to get home tomorrow and out on the road in order to get back to normal.

I haven't yet completed the detailed workout plan that I promised for the remaning 11 weeks but I did get it started. I actually created a seperate electronic calendar and have started in-putting the major events, including my long rides, long runs and the races I plan on doing. Over the next few days I should be able to complete it.

To use a previously effective strategy I wish to tell you that this saturday(weather permitting) I intend on ridng for 6 hours, which should get me close to the IM distance of 180 kms. The book tells me that I don't have to do this yet but the book doesn't convince me. I need to "feel" how it will "feel". Of course I will need to follow it up with a short run which strangly enough doesn't scare me too much anymore.

Something else I learned today from one of my Okanagan buddies is that with my race nutrition strategy(using a carbohydrate formula) I am probably wise to also add an electrolyte supplement particularly sodium. Many people eat pretzels while riding which simply does not work for me. Anyone know where I can buy products called Endurlytes, or Succeed?


In the 'count my blessings' category, from one of the people I met today today. I heard the story of his 2 year old son who is hospitalized with a cancer-like illness called Histiocytosis. http://www.histio.org/site/c.kiKTL4PQLvF/b.1810505/k.F16D/Disease_Information.htm
His lungs are already seriously affected and he is currently on a respirator. He is in a hospital 2 hours away where his mom spends all week with him while dad works, and then they change places on the weekend while at the same time swapping caregiving for their other 3 childern. You may want to count your own blessings as well!

On the subject of other things I can now do that I couldn't a year ago and forgot to tell you about, I can now ride my bike for hours on end without my important parts getting numb! Isn't that a breakthrough?

Also in the what's new category they have come out with a new flavour of fluoride gel for my teeth, and I am happy to report that the pink, strawberry is clearly more sastifactory than the green mint crap. Life is good!

I want to say a special hello to my special friend Deb who today managed to drag her ass out of bed after some fairly significant surgery a week ago. Woohoo Deb!

I also dare to say how proud I am of my friend Jose Antonio who in the interest of improving his health has graduated from walking to a walking/running regimen that will have him jogging 5 kms in 6 weeks. I know he will do it!

I wish to dedicate day 266 to the aforementioned 2 year old Aldo Valencia. Hang tough kid!

“Reflect upon your present blessings of which every man has many - not on your past misfortunes, of which all men have some."---Charles Dickens

"Not what we say about our blessings, but how we use them, is the true measure of our thanksgiving."---W. T. Purkiser

love
peter

"OUCH!"

That's sounds like it could hurt!

After playing phone tag for a few days I finally connected with a doctor from the head and neck clininc who works with Dr Yoo(the surgeon). Her name is Dr Mercedes Ceron and her interest in me is my hyposalivation situation. Dr Yoo recommended me as a candidate for his experimental procedure which is intended to restore salivary function. He mentioned this idea to me at least a year ago but I was surprised to actually hear anything more about it. The plan as I understand it so far, is that they take some of my blood, spin it somehow to remove the platelets(I think) and then to inject these platelets into my saliva glands. That's where the "ouch" comes in because as I understand it from her over the phone, it would mean up to 10 sessions of multiple needles inside my mouth!! I meet with her next monday and then will know more.

There is for me another, perhaps bigger question surrounding the possibility of regaining some of my saliva gland function and that is "do I really want it back?" Yes I would love to be able to sleep without a water bottle at my side, and yes I would love to go out running without the painful dryness that sneaks up on me, and yes I would like to be able to whistle again. But do i\I want to renew my love affair with potato chips, and bread and french fries? It's kind of complicated, especially because I don't really know how much of my changed eating pattern is related to the saliva as opposed to the taste buds.

Another big question for me is when. I don't know how much blood they want to take and/or how debilitating the needles will be but if either of these is a problem to my training it will simply have to wait until september. or not happen at all. Then again this idea of taking out your blood and then putting it back in at a later date could be appealing It has proven to be a sussessful formula for some unethical sports figures on an ongoing basis...even though I think you need the whole blood not just parts of it, and I think you're supposed to put it back in your veins, not in your saliva glands... Cory?

Then of course on the pro side, I do want to particpate in experimenatal studies which will potentially contribute to future successes in this field, even if this one isn't the cure they are hoping for. I feel like I owe something back.

It's gonna be a tough call. Roo and I will make it together. Maybe she can even get half the needles...lol!

On the training front, I'm spending my evenings in Mexico puttting together a comprehensive daily schedule for every one of the remaining 81 days. EIGHTY ONE days! Man that is so scary!!! I hope that my triathlon weekend coming up in Guelph helps from the confidence perspective. I think I mentioned that I am doing 2 races on back to back days and it should feel relatively easy. For interest sake they are 750 swim, 19k bike, and 5k run on the first day, and then 1500 swim, 42k bike and 10k run on the second. If anyones bored silly that weekend I'd love to see you. Here's the schedule. http://www.trisportcanada.com/guelph1.php

I wish to dedicate day 265 to Dr Hammond....the nice South African gentlemen that killed all my saliva glands....with my permission.

“All our final decisions are made in a state of mind that is not going to last."--- Marcel Proust

"Nothing is more difficult, and therefore more precious, than to be able to decide."---Napoleon Bonaparte

"Some problems are so complex that you have to be highly intelligent and well informed just to be undecided about them."--- Laurence J. Peter

love
peter

"Does This Make Sense?"

That I can spend 5 hours riding my bike around in circles and feel I'm doing something of value, while spending the same amount of time on an airplane travelling 3 or 4 thousand kilometres makes me feel like I'm wasting away precious moments of my life? Moments that I will never have back.

I arrived in Saltillo about 7:15 local time only to find out from an agent that my return flight later in the week may be cancelled! Woohoo!

I really love what they're doing with the swine flu thing here now. You still have to fill out the form on which you of course claim total health, but the new twist is that no one looks at the form or wants to take it from you. It's like an honour system....but you have to stand in the line to get the form and fill it out, but then you can then throw on the floor or in the trash...either is acceptable!!

I had another amazing conversation with son Jon today when I was in transit in Houston actually. It is really very surreal. At first I thought it felt like talking to the old Jonathan but then I realized it wasn't quite like that at all...it was more like I was talking to a whole different person that I don't really know. He sounds relaxed, confident and totally in control. I'm not counting on anything but I am going to try to enjoy this time while it lasts, and for however long it lasts. I invited him to join me an Guelph for my races in 2 weeks and subject to him meeting a few conditions it looks like that could happen. Again I don't want to make a big deal about it, but since I have belaboured his(and my) misery so much in the past I thought it only appropriate to tell you of the bright days. I wish you all could know him when he's like this because he really is a remarkable human being. Lets see what the future brings eh?

Lastly today a thought for all my boys. I am so proud of each and every one of you. Peter, for your new career and your hard work towards excellence in it, Jon for not giving up the biggest fight of your life and for your building skills, Michael for your ongoing studious efforts and your amazing amateur theatre, Adrian for your rapidly maturing outlook on life, and your amazing commitment to your niece and nephew. It makes me think I still have a chance to make it as a successful parent??? I'm already a damn good grandparent!!

I wish to dedicate day 264 to Dr. Vincent P. Dole and Dr. Marie Nyswander, who first used methadone as an addiction treatment. I know it's not a cure-all but I do believe it gives some people a chance.
....and since I'm never afraid it leaves only the other...

"There are only two emotions in a plane: boredom and terror."---Orson Welles

...and sometimes you find just the poerfect quote to compliment your blog...

"Bicycling is the nearest approximation I know to the flight of birds. The airplane simply carries a man on its back like an obedient Pegasus; it gives him no wings of his own."---Louis J. Helle, Jr.

love
peter

"On the Road Again"

Just a quick hello since I have to go pack. Though my employer is much more reasonable than Corys they also expect some effort for their money.

Pretty easy day today. Just a brisk run around the block. I should be able to get a swim in tomorrow morning before I leave.

Cory, since you didn't get it, or rather because I didn't, I will call you. Also my dear I need a place to stay on the night of June 20th. I'm gonna do 2 races at Guelph Lake on successive days(20, 21).

I wish to dedicate day 263 to my wife becasue she too knows how to work a shovel. We finished the basement excavation today with her doing the grunt work.

...on paychecks...

“I traded lots of dreams for a bigger paycheck, and I never realized I was doing it,"---Mitch Albom

...and I really like this one...

“When we are sure that we are on the right road there is no need to plan our journey too far ahead. No need to burden ourselves with doubts and fears as to the obstacles that may bar our progress. We cannot take more than one step at a time."---Orison Swett Marden

love
peter

"one, two, three, four"

Tell me that you love me more!


Claudette and I were watching the Rick Mercer show last night (he's a funny guy) and he was interviewing the lady who sings the above mentioned song. "Who is that anyway?", we said to each other. A little Internet research and we found out that her name is Leslie Feist, and that she won 5 Juno awards last year including single of the year for that particular song. I guess we're just not very up on things. But it is a very cool little ditty.
Anyway, enough trivia.

I did my long ride today and I think it was ok. Early on I was very worried, to the point that I almost decided to cancel and try again tomorrow. I had 3 hard days in a row and I just didn't seem to have any energy today. But somehow, and for some reason I kept at it and ended up with 128 kms at 31 kms/hr, and in actual fact stayed strong throughout. I then did the 4.5 km run loop in 22:13. All in all a decent workout, it's just so hard to decide sometimes if I'm doing the right things and/or if I'm truly making any progress. You're supposed to listen to your body, but my body constantly tells me that I'm tired and that I should lie down somewhere.


For some reason while out riding I had a flashback to a time 35 years ago....or maybe even a little more. Me and my wrestling buddy Dave, had decided to ride our bikes to vancouver as a summer vacation challenge. We did the math and figured that at about 100 miles per day, we could make it out there and back in time for school again in september. Of course we were going to carry packs and live cheap since we didn't have any money. Think about it! We seriously thought that we could ride our Canadian Tire 10 speeds 160 kms/day , across prairies and over mountains for aprroximately 60 consecutive days...lol! Thank god we never had the ambition to get started. We did end up going. By car on the way out, and by thumb and by train on the way back. It was still an excellent adventure. By the way, I have a 10 speed bike again, except now when they refer to "10 speed" it literally means twice as many gears as my Can. Tire bike had. There are actually 10 cogs on the back wheel instead if 5.


Anyway. my body may be tired but as the old expression goes "no rest for the wicked". Peter and I did some crosstraining this afternoon. We're digging out the basement at the farmhouse.





I drove the tractor and acted as general foreman. It's a seniority thing! Besides that boy can work!


I wish to dedicate day 262 to my old friend Dave Avery. I hope he's well and riding his bike as much as I am.


...on summer vacations...
“It amazes me that most people spend more time planning next summer's vacation than they do planning the rest of their lives."---Patricia Fripp


...and on digging...
“Follow the rule of holes; if you are in one, stop digging."---Dennis Healy


love
peter

"Happy Birthday"

Oh to be nineteen again. Happy Birthday Amanda. How does the song go? "I wish I knew then, what I know now, when I was younger "

Not much to report today. Claudette and I went to the trails and did 12 kms. That's a tough workout but the old girl did ok. I wrenched my ankle and my back and still enjoyed it. It was great to run with my wife again, something we haven't done in a while.

Long ride day tomorrow so I need to get a good rest. I have a feeling that it may be out in the RV since there's a pretty busy birthday party going on downstairs which I suspect is gonna last quite past my bedtime. It's ok though. Of all the things about Adrian that Im proud of one of the most significant is the kind of people he hangs around with. I can honestly say that I have never met one of his friends I didn't like. That's quite a statement eh? But they are nineteen and the nosie level is gradually starting to build. Party on!!

The only other commentary I offer tonite is on the topic of my big sister. Even though I believe Cory is indeed pretty smart, that she is a gifted raconteur, that generally she can spell the english language well, and furthermore that she will indeed go to heaven. She does however have one opportunity for growth and that lies in the fact that the subleties are entirely and completely wasted on her.

I wish to dedicate day 261 to Amandas mom who must have done a whole lot of things right.

"Ah - but I was so much older then; I'm younger than that now."---Bob Dylan

“Happy trails to you, until we meet again."---Dale Evans

“Time, the subtle thief of youth"---John Milton

love

peter

"Knock, Knock Knockin on Heavens Door"

Written by Bob Dylan of course but exceptionally well done by Guns and Roses. I heard it today and that combined with Corys comments got me thinking about lots of aspects of death. To start with I thought for a while that Cory was dead but if she was she has just been resurrected. Or maybe she was faking her own death? Anyway welcome back Cory. Like others I miss you too.

Meanwhile I've come to the realization that the big problem with death is not knowing when its gonna come. I have accepted that it is inevitable but wouldn't it be great to have a better sense of when. Then you'd know whether to sell everything and move to Arizona or whether you should go get a second job.

Then of course it would be good to know that you are indeed going to heaven. I'm not sure if I am, I'm only sure I'm not going to the other place because the whole idea of hell is so ludicrous. Only organized religion could have ever dreamed it up.

I also wonder about those people who are so convinced they are going to heaven and are also so convinced that it's such a place of bliss and happiness. My question to them is "what are you hanging around here for? Why don't you go knock on heavens door?"

The other thing I realized as relates to death is that there's lots of good things about it. For instance you wont get any e-mail, or any kind of mail for that matter, and you won't have to make your mortgage payments. Maybe that's why Cory was pretending to be dead eh?

I had a decent workout day. I swam 2000 metres in my westuit in 36:43 with the second 1000 being faster than the first. And I rode 65 kms at an average of 31.5 kms/hr again with the second half faster than the first. I tried my new "fuel" concoction today as well and really liked it. It is a combination of a carbohydrate powder called CarboPro and a sports drink mix called Accelerade. I finished the day with a half hearted weight workout.

I wish to dedicate day 260 to my Kung Fu hero David Carradine who it seems might have gone knocking on the door?

“Go to Heaven for the climate, Hell for the company."---Mark Twain

“The future is like heaven - everyone exalts it, but no one wants to go there now."---James Arthur Baldwin

love
peter

"Ya Gotta Eat!"

It made quite a difference today compared to last weeks misery. I consumed about 600 calories before I left and took another 1000 with me. The end result was a much better effort than last week. I choose to do the exact same route just to put that bad experience behind me and I completed the 31.2 kms in 2:53, which was 8 minutes faster then last week. It was however a long way from being easy and I hope it's just because of accumulated fatigue. I still was in a lot of discomfort for the last hour. Or maybe I'm just forgetting what a 3 hour run is supposed to feel like.

At some point in time it did occur to me that a year ago the very idea of running for 3 hours was inconceivable, and that got me thinking about other things I can do that I couldn't at this time last year. Even some things that may seem funny. Like the fact that I can now stand on one foot while I put my sock on my other foot. Or that I can stand up as quick as I want without the danger of passing out. Or that I can push the lawnmover around for an hour without any effort.

I can also do this!



I wish to dedicate day 259 to Bill Bowerman who brought the jogging craze to North America.....oh, he also founded Nike!

“If you can fill the unforgiving minute / With sixty seconds' worth of distance run, / Yours is the Earth and everything that's in it, / And - which is more - you'll be a Man, my son!"---Rudyard Kipling

“He divines remedies against injuries; he knows how to turn serious accidents to his own advantage; whatever does not kill him makes him stronger."---Friedrich Nietzsche

love
peter

"Recovery Day"

Just an easy day today. It was almost a nothing day as I couldn't get up this morning in time to get my swim in before Claudette and I went away for the day. But we got back in a reasonable time and I managed 2000 metres. I'm good with that, as tomorrow is long run day.

As to the business of the day Claudette went to visit Elly in Guelph where I dropped her off before heading to Waterloo to pick up a carbohydrate supplememt I want to try. I was a little nervous as I had also arranged to meet Jonathan but there was nothing to be nervous about. It was great to see him for the first time in 9 months. I don't want to make a big deal about it but he looked and sounded great. He is on a methadone program and says he feels more optimistic than he ever has. He has not used for a month and he is working fairly regularly at lots of little construction jobs. I seen some of his work today and I was impressed. He truly has a talent for building stuff.

I'm not gonna get my hopes up, but as the drunks and the addicts say, "just for today".

I wish to dedicate day 258 to Sean, Jons friend who has truly been his friend!

“There is a magnet in your heart that will attract true friends. That magnet is unselfishness, thinking of others first... when you learn to live for others, they will live for you."---Paramahansa Yogananda

“The same man cannot be both Friend and Flatterer."---Benjamin Franklin

"The only way to have a friend is to be one." ---Ralph Waldo Emerson

"A true friend never gets in your way unless you happen to be going down."---Arnold Glasow

love
peter

"Half a Day!"

...or twelve hours
...or 720 minutes
...or 43,200 seconds

So there you have it. The goal, the plan, the hope, the wish, and the dream. Twelve hours is what I have in mind and it should look something like this. Swim complete and on my bike within 1 1/2 hours(should be do-able). Bike complete and out running within 8 hours( again probably do-able) and then a 4 hour marathon (do-able now becomes a very strong word) I actually hope that maybe I'll be about 15 mins ahead of things by the time I start the run allowing me to run 6 min kms and still make my overall goal time. Last year only 291 of the 2200 participants finished the marathon in under 4 hours!! That scares me quite a lot especially since my goal times in the other 2 disciplines would put me right in the middle somewhere. I guess we'll see what I'm made of eh?

So now that I've set myself up for failure in front of the entire world I know that the next 10 weeks will determine everything. I need to do everything almost perfect and work very, very hard. I do believe that even the marathon part is do-able if I just push things to the limit. No excuses, no shortened workouts and no mistakes in nutrition or technical areas. Please encourage me.

But don't be disappointed for me if I don't make it. I'm not going to be. And I may even modify my plan after the Half Ironman which is now less than 5 weeks away

I wish to dedicate day to Camilo Ramirez who last year finished in exactly 12:00:00!

“To dream anything that you want to dream. That's the beauty of the human mind. To do anything that you want to do. That is the strength of the human will. To trust yourself to test your limits. That is the courage to succeed."---Bernard Edmonds

...and I loved this one...

“A goal is a dream with a deadline."---Napoleon Hill

love
peter