"Tomorrow"

This post is only a placeholder in order to keep my record intact. While perhaps I should have been in my room working on my blog I elected instead to go out to dinner in Pueble with 4 very wonderful "Canadian" friends, all of whom happen to live in Mexico now. I regret my decision not at all. Tomorrow is another day.

"One of the greatest labor-saving inventions of today is tomorrow."---Vincent T. Foss

"Never put off until tomorrow what you can do the day after tomorrow."---Mark Twain

....and my personal favorite...

"Never put off until tomorrow what you can get someone else to do today"---Anon

love
peter

"Tick Tick Tick"

If I gone this route before I’m sorry, but sitting at Pearson Airport today I tried to analyze why I have learned to dislike travelling so much. Or at least travelling by airplane. The issue is clearly the inexorable, unrelenting, merciless, ticking of the clock. Each of us is given only so much time on this earth and as every minute of it passes we will never have it back again. I’m sure it’s because I feel mortal now whereas a few years ago I never gave it much thought. Perhaps part of it is that I’m a little obsessed with being busy all the time but that’s not all of it. I know this from our recent trip out west. For me, time spent with my loved ones is acceptable idle time. I guess you could say it’s time well wasted, while time alone in an airport is just time wasted!

That’s it for today except for these few loose ends…

1)Roo, I think you’re wrong! You weren’t there and I’m pretty sure I seen a man with no legs! Or is that a man without no legs? Arrrh Arrrh!
2) Cory, I know you were having fun and I didn’t take any offense. But who cares anyway?
3) Elly, I think you’ve been too long out of the trade, or too long away from a condom. I’m pretty sure that they have heat activated shrink wrap ones now. Cory?

“We all run on two clocks. One is the outside clock, which ticks away our decades and brings us ceaselessly to the dry season. The other is the inside clock, where you are your own timekeeper and determine your own chronology, your own internal weather and your own rate of living. Sometimes the inner clock runs itself out long before the outer one, and you see a dead man going through the motions of living."---Max Lerner

"They took away time, and they gave us the clock."--- Abdullah Ibrahim

love
peter

"Now That's Crazy"

Since 1983 there has been a race held in Greece which traces the footsteps of Pheidippides, an Athenian messenger sent to Sparta in 490 BC to seek help against the Persians in the Battle of Marathon. The distance is about 246 kiloomteres and the course record is fittingly held by Greek Yiannis Kouros, in a time of 20 hours, 25 minutes. That's 5 minute kms! He also holds the 4 fastest times ever with the next closest time being almost 2 hours slower. This years race, just completed, had 132 finishers out of a starting field of 320. There is a 36 hour cutoff time. Now that's crazy eh? What possesses people to do such things? Is it a sickness, an addiction of some kind? Who's to say? Certainly I can't see spending the amount of time it must require to train, but to each his own I guess.

I know that my strong run around the block the other day has me thinking again about some dreams I had given up on. I mentioned that I'm pretty sure that I can do a 40 min 10k again but I've done that and more before. My 10k PB is 37:30. There are a few other tougher goals that I never achieved . I have been on pace for a 3 hour marathon as far as 35 kms into it, and on pace for a 5 hour half IM well into the run. Then in both cases I bonked. I'm quite a lot older now so what makes me think that maybe I could get there now? Well older usually means wiser eh, and I learned so much about training and racing during my IM experience. I'm not sure yet, but I'm considering putting both of those goals back on my bucket list. I know they are both a big stretch though. For example a 3 hour marathon would have put me 3rd out of 240 in my age group in the recently completed Toronto Marathon! ....hmmm...Like I say, a major stretch!

And why? Maybe just because I think it will be very hard. And maybe just because I think it will be good for my soul because it will have a healthy home. And maybe just because I think it will make me a better person. Or maybe just becasue I enjoy it? Or maybe just because I'm an idiot!!

A few Thank You's. First Old John. You are not afraid to be critical which I respect, and it also makes your compliments that much sweeter. Secondly, Cory, for putting me straight on the catheter thing. You very nicely reminded me that it's really not a laughing matter to some people. ....But... what about the condom kind of thing with the tube on it? That would work good don't you think? I could strap the other end of the tube to my shoe so I didn't have to pee down my leg.

Oh, I almost forgot. Up town today I seen a man with no legs. He wasn't complaining so how dare I?

"Go for the moon. If you don't get it, you'll still be heading for a star."---Franklin Delano

"Whatever you can do, or dream you can, begin it. Boldness has genius, magic, and power in it."---Johann Wolfgang Von Goethe

...and this ones a bit long but worth it I think...

"Until one is committed, there is hesitancy, the chance to draw back, always ineffectiveness. Concerning all acts of initiative and creation, there is one elementary truth the ignorance of which kills countless ideas and splendid plans: that the moment one definitely commits oneself, then providence moves too. All sorts of things occur to help one that would never otherwise have occurred. A whole stream of events issues from the decision, raising in ones favor all manner of unforeseen incidents, meetings and material assistance which no man could have dreamed would have come his way."---W.H. Murray

love
peter

"Going Global"

This morning there was a comment on the blog from someone I was not familiar with. Imagine my surprise upon checking the persons profile to find that it was someone from the United Kingdom! A little research quickly revealed that it was the sister of a friend, which was a further surprise since I didn't even know she had a sister in England. Anyway, for me it was kind of cool. Thanks Lucid Dreamer! I also checked out some of her writing while I was there and found a beautiful phrase that I thought I would borrow. The funny thing is that when I went back to find it this evening I started to think that I must have imagined it since it was no longer there. Had I read it somewhere else? No...I was sure I seen it on her blog and eventually I found it. The reason it was well hidden is because over the course of the day I had managed to twist it around and create my own version. Her expression was "Spirit Holder" which she used to define her physical self. By the time I had gone back to look for it, I had managed to come up with "Soul Keeper". I now like both of them because they both suggest putting a high value on taking care of ones body. Lucid Dreamer and I obviously share this passion.

Anyway, it was while I was out doing my 22 kms that I managed to twist her expression around, but regardless of the words that thought eventually led to another progression of ideas. At about 5 kms there was a group of four people standing in front of an apartment building having a smoke. Not for the first time it occurred to me how utterly bizarre the idea of smoking cigarettes is. I make no judgement of anyone since I myself smoked for about 20 years but that doesn't chnage the reality. To purposely inhale poisonous, carcinogenic smoke into your lungs on a regular ongoing basis is beyond insane is it not? Of course I then went through the whole process of lamenting the pain of the addiction, the cost to our overburdened medical system and the wasted unproductive hours that smokers are cursed with.

And I don't know why my mind took me there, but it then occurred to me how backward it is that marijuana (a far less addictive and far less unhealthy substance) is illegal but tobacco is not. For those of you who belong to the school of "yah but marijuana is a gateway drug", I suggest that you sit outside an NA meeting and poll the attendees as they leave the building. You will find that the vast majority of them will be answering your questions around the cancer stick they already have in their mouth, and upon further questioning you will also find that they have left marijuana behind years ago because it does nothing for them! I don't have statistics for this so I suppose it's only my opinion but I would be willing to put a few bucks on it! Smoking kills!

What did I think about for the rest of my 2 hours? All kinds of stuff not worth reporting on with the exception perhaps of several thoughts of gratitude for all the blessings I have in my life. First and foremost I was feeling good about my ability to run. I don't mean my ability to run far and/or fast but simply my ability to run...period! Many people either don't have the body type or the opportunity or time to do what I do. I spent 2 very happy hours today just putting one foot in front of the other time and time again. For this I am grateful.

I also relived a conversation that Roo and Miguette had yesterday in my presence, in which they rehashed some memories of when I was in the hospital. In particular Claudette told a story of the time I was in the unit during which I had expressed a need to go pee. While I have no memory of it I was apparently informed by Cory that I could just go ahead and pee since I had a catheter in. While I find it significant that I have no memory of this it also occurred to me that at some point while I was unconscious, someone pulled down my pants, grabbed hold of my penis, and shoved a tube up the end of it! What's the significance of this you may ask? Simply this. Today I am able to go out and "enjoy" a 22 km run, while not that long ago, I didn't know or care that people were shoving things up the end of my dick! Both for not remembering it, and for not needing it today I am grateful!

Although it did occur to me some time later when I needed to go pee that a catheter could be a useful thing while out doing a long workout! Where can I get one of those, can you re-use them and does it hurt going in?

“You don't have a soul. You are a Soul. You have a body."---C.S. Lewis

“What can you ever really know of other people's souls - of their temptations, their opportunities, their struggles? One soul in the whole creation you do know: and it is the only one whose fate is placed in your hands"--- C.S. Lewis

love
peter

"Modern Day Record"

Today was one of those days! Good days that is. Waking up with my grandson in bed beside me somehow makes it easier to take my own advice. Of course I also couldn't help but think of Old John's reminder to take my own advice about waking up in the morning. So I did! I decided to be "UP" all day. I had a few challenging moments, but for the most part I did well. The highlight of my day was my run around the block. I was running even though I should have been riding, but I had no desire to get my bike all wet and cold. Without any specific goals in mind I decided to start out a little quicker than usual and see how it went.

It always amazes me how the human animal is so good at remembering emotional pain, and so good at forgetting physical pain. If I knew how I was going to feel after 20 minutes I would never have started out at a quicker pace. But by then I knew I had a good one going and so I hung on. The fastest I have ever run that block was 29:12, probably 12 0r 13 years ago. Today I was totally shocked to do it in 30:53!! I didn't know if I would ever get back to running a 1o k under 40 minutes but today suggests that with some training it should be achievable. Not this year but maybe next summer. There is a distinct difference in preperation for the long stuff and something like a 10k. I don't know if I told you that Michael and I are running together in London in 4 weeks so I'll be able to really test my speed then. I had no idea how fast I should try to run, but now I have something to go on.

I have to sign off now because my wife is bugging me to eat something. She developed this habit of pestering me about my diet when I was sick and has not managed to give it up since . I told her that after maintaining my weight for 18 months straight I didn't need her to worry any more. And that's the last time I'm gonna tell her! If she doesn't leave me alone pretty soon, I think I'm gonna pop her one!!

"Wisdom is nothing more than healed pain."---Robert Gary Lee

“The pain of the mind is worse than the pain of the body."---Publilius Syrus

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

"The only antidote to mental suffering is physical pain."--- Karl Marx

love
peter

"Assault (Spousal)"

It was an up and down kind of day.

First UP when I managed to get up at a reasonable time.

Then Down when I arrived here.


I go into that hospital often enough and yet when I enter through these doors I still get the creeps. When you first go in, there are always people sitting there who are clearly there for the first time. You can tell who they are by the way they are pouring over the forms with the loved ones hanging over their shoulders. I get scared for them!

Then UP when Dr Hammond told me that every thing looked good. I knew that of course, and further to that I'm pretty sure that I'll know if something's wrong before they do. I was proud of myself today when the nurse asked me the usual moronic questions about how I felt. Proud because I didn't blurt out that Ironmen don't have those petty little problems she was quizzing me about!

Then DOWN when I found out that the Computrainer store I was going to visit didn't open til 10.

Then UP when I spent a glorious 2 hours at Tim Hortons chatting with my good friend Richard, who is wrestling with many of the same "midlife" challenges that I am.

Then DOWN when I went to the police station to pick up my records check for my volunteer work and found out that in March of 2000 I had assaulted my wife. I can't belive how much it stressed me to see this obvious mistake, but probably it was because of the attitude of Constable A. Hole who could not have cared less. He denied that there could be any kind of problem and that if I had an issue I needed to call the London detachment and explain my problems to them. There was nothing he could do to change the reality. Obviously I had had some kind of contact with police he said, with a smirk on his stupid face. If the jerk knew either me or my wife he would know I would never touch her, simply because I'm afraid of her. I'm not sure I could take her! But who were the people at the old age home supposed to believe when I brought them this form from the police that said Spousal Assault, and explained to them that "no really...it's some kind of mistake? I promise not to hit the old people!"

The UP when I spoke to a fabulous lady at the London detachment who looked me up on CPIC right then and there, and within 5 minutes had figured out how the Elgin OPP and officer A. Hole had screwed up. She also called them immediately and by the time I got back to the station the dickhead had a new corrected form printed out and signed. No apology forthcoming.

Then after that I went for a 10 km run and kind of decided to stay UP for the rest of the day. There's nothing like a little insurance though so first I went to London and ordered my computrainer, and then I called my grandchildren to come over for the night!

"I believe that approximately 25% of people who join a police force were assholes before they got there, and that another 25% became assholes from the pressures of being a cop after they got there. This puts the good cop/bad cop ratio at 50/50 and personal experience bears that out for me."---Peter Rooyakkers

“Police arrested two kids yesterday, one was drinking battery acid, the other was eating fireworks. They charged one and let the other one off."---Tommy Cooper

"A recent police study found that you're much more likely to get shot by a fat cop if you run."---Dennis Miller

love
peter

"My Demon Slayer"

Who could that be?

First we went to McDonalds for breakfast.

Then we went to Canadian Tire to prepare for the season.

Then after lunch at home we headed off to the psych to pepare for the 3k race he's running next month. Today he was proud to do the distance in 20:56.

Then out to the garage to build this chicken feeder.

And then back home for supper and cartoons.

My Demon Slayer!!!

“Grandchildren are God's reward for not killing your children."---Anon

love

peter

"Random Thoughts"

Does this ever happen to you? You open your eyes in the morning with the first awareness of consciousness. As your mind checks itself in for the day it seems as if all is well, Then within the next few minutes the demons rush in and attack you! The demons don't have faces. They are indescribable. The have no real presence, and yet they seem very real. They manifest themselves as a weight descending on your psyche, driving you down to where the darkness is. Because of their lack of substance, battling them is like trying to grab smoke and corral it in your hands. Where they come from and why they come to me I have no idea? As I run through an inventory of my current situation in life I can't find a decent reason for the existence of the demons.

Am I alone in greeting these early morning visitors, and what does it mean? I can come up with all kinds of reasons but they just seem like excuses to me. Maybe it's physiological? Maybe it's still Cancer hangover or Ironman hangover? Maybe it's a deep rooted, unresolved, psychological problem from my childhood?

I don't believe any of these things and yet the demons sneak up on me way too often for my liking, and usually in the first few minutes of the day, as I described. It then takes all of my resolve to push them away, get my day going somehow, and sure enough as the day wears on they tend to dissipate like the smoke they masquerade as.

I feel however as if they are stealing part of my life. Like I only have half days to live. I can't accept that, and will continue to try to understand it and battle it. One day at a time I guess.

Speaking of which I have a clear strategy for tomorrow. Thanks to his parents my grand son is going be allowed to learn from his grandfater tomorrow instead of his teachers. I'll let you know how our day goes.

I also care to tell you about something I am following up that I am very excited about. The idea, as many do, came from Cory. Check it out.

"He had come to that time in his life (it varies for every man) when a human being gives himself over to his demon or to his genius, according to a mysterious law which orders him either to destroy or to surpass himself."---Marguerite Yourcenar

love
peter

"Leave Me Alone"

I get little enough sleep as it is without my wife waking me up in the middle of the night. And no it was not what you're thinking! Apparently she felt it necessary to wake me up just to ask me to start breathing. I'm gonna have to get that checked because I need my sleep damn it! In the mean time I guess I shouldn't complain since I'm not quite ready for the "big sleep" yet.

I checked out the computrainer store today. Very nice machines. I'm definitely gonna go ahead with one, I just need to make an accompanying computer decision first. No rush yet I don't think, as last year I rode outside until late november.

That's all I got for today except for

1) Thanks Denise!
2) John btw, you said it yourself. I can hear you now..."I know everything!"
3) Cory thanks for all the offline volunteer stuff...you really got me thinking.
4) Rich...up yours!
5) Deb...I guess we're never to old to learn eh?...despite ourselves...

"If you woke up breathing, congratulations! You have another chance."---Andrea Boydston

love
peter

"Dear Old John"

I hope you know what you're talking about. Cory seems to think you're wise beyond your years but since you're not that old, that may not mean so much. Now if Cory were wise beyond her years that would be something eh?!

When I was a teenager we would occasionally go to the old folks home to hang out and chat with the seniors. I'm not sure what motivated these visits but it probably had something to do with the fact that Cory worked at the attached hospital. We would just walk in, wander around for a while, find somebody lucid to talk to and after an hour or so just leave again.

Things are a little different today. I went to Valleyview Home for the elderly today to enquire about volunteering. Today you need to fill out an application, have an interview with the volunteer co-ordinator, you need to provide 2 character references and a criminal record check, you need to have a tuberculosis test and finally go through an orientation.

During my brief visit there today I chatted with a lady who emigrated to Canada in 1929!! While she was bright and a good conversationalist, as I sat there in the main room and watched the other residents I had mixed feelings about what I was getting myself into. Will this really be an inspiration for me, and is that the right reason to even be doing it? I told the volunteer lady that my motives were selfish and she was quite ok with that.

So I have decided to move forward despite all the bureaucracy. But again, I hope Old John knows what he's talking about.

I ran again today for the third day in a row.(11 kms) The weather wasn't co-operating with cycling. It's nice not to have to worry so much about getting all the right workouts in and just be able to do whatever I feel like. The one thing that I learned however with the Ironman experience, is the significant advantage of cycling all winter. I am very sure it helps with injury prevention, and also with overall running fitness. That's why tomorrow I am going to check out a computrainer for our basement. With Claudette and I both running a spring marathon it should get lots of use. It will cost a few bucks but is still much cheaper than cigarettes!!

...and this one's for you Old John cause I know you'll get it!

"Cigarettes, I won't do cigarettes, nicotine will kill ya."---Tommy Chong

love
peter

"Getting Older"

It's so hard to accept. I look back on years past and can't understand why I can't run as fast anymore? I work so hard to condition my body and it seems to respond from an endurance perspective, but not with regards to speed. Actually I am probably as strong as I was 10 years ago, but this could simply be attributable to working out differently. That gets me thinking, perhaps erroneously, that maybe I can compensate for the increase in my years by getting smarter in other areas of my training as well. There are a couple of old time goals that I still have not quite given up on. But maybe that's all nonsenical thinking? I don't know? I am getting older! And I'm pretty sure that no one has figured out how to delay that permanently!

But ----is that any reason to stop trying, is that any reason to stop playing hard, is that any reason to stop imagining, is that any reason to accept less, or to stop hoping, or dreaming, or pretending even. Game on!!

But----Here's a sure sign that indeed I'm getting older. The highlight of my day was hanging my wifes underwear on the clothesline!! Woohoo!!

I ran 20.8 kms today in 1:55. About the same pace as I ran twice as far in my Ironman...hmmm.

"The secret of genius is to carry the spirit of the child into old age, which means never losing your enthusiasm."---Aldous Huxley

"Dreams are renewable. No matter what our age or condition, there are still untapped possibilities within us and new beauty waiting to be born."---Dale E. Turner

love
peter

"Today"

Today, I either saw or spoke to all four of my sons. Today, they are all healthy and I think relatively happy. Today, what more can I ask? Today, I'm gonna wake up very hour (as usual) and give thanks. Today, I'm even gonna spell God with a big 'G'. Today, nothing can discourage me.

And tomorrow will be another today.

I ran a nice 10 kms today, and will do twice that tomorrow. I plan on making that a Sunday habit for the next few months. After all I belong to The Church of the Great Outdoors.

“We worry about what a child will become tomorrow, yet we forget that he is someone today."---Stacia Tauscher

“Today, you have 100% of your life left."---Tom Landry

love
peter

"Confirmation"

If you grew up in the catholic faith you would know that somewhere around 12 years of age(I think) you would undergo the sccrament of confirmation. There would be a special ceremony and the bishop would come by and lay his hands on you (ooh...that sounds bad) and he would call down the Holy Spirit on you, or the Holy Ghost as he was called back then. The sacrament of confirmation was supposed to be some kind of rite of passage leaving you changed forever. For me the whole thing was a bitter disappointment because the nuns told me that we were gonna feel different after it was all over. We were gonna feel full of the holy ghost! I unfortunately felt exactly the same as before except perhaps a little more cynical about all the voodoo.

Forty years later I know what the nuns meant. The only part they had wrong was that it was about Ironman, not confirmation! I think I actually "am" the holy ghost!

"And the three men I admire most, The Father, Son and the Holy Ghost; They caught the last train for the coast, The day the music died"---Don McClean
love
peter

"The Other Side of the Curtain"

There was the “Iron Curtain” which was some kind of imaginary line between communism and the rest of the world. There was the “Steel Curtain” which had something to do with the Pittsburg Steelers offensive line. And then there’s “THE Curtain”! “THE” curtain is made of cloth but nevertheless has lasted longer and been proven more imprenetable than the other 2 distinctly more robust sounding metallic curtains. I refer to the curtain that separates the front of the airplane from the back.

What’s the purpose of THE curtain? Well it’s to keep people at the back from seeing what’s going on up there. It’s to prevent you from seeing that the people up there are eating food with cutlery and drinking wine while you swill your 5 dollar Coors light, and eat crackers. It’s to prevent you from thinking that perhaps you might sneak up there and use their private washroom rather than wait in line with the rest of the beer drinkers at the back. It’s to prevent you from envying the leg and elbow room they have at the front, while you rub your elbows against the belly fat of the gentleman beside you. And lastly it’s to remind you that there is a difference -- that you can’t afford to be sitting up there -- that you are not quite as good.

Perhaps even more importantly THE curtain serves a special purpose for the people sitting in the front of the plane. THE curtain allows them to deceive themselves that they are alone in the world – that the people in the back don’t exist in any real way. It allows them to not feel guilty about being privileged.

I’ve sat on both sides of the curtain and as I sit here and criticize it I wonder briefly to myself why I never had anything to say when I sat in front of it. I think my conscience is clear however as I know that I always had a problem with THE curtain simply because of the things it seemed to signify. At the risk of overusing the concept I can see the curtain as a metaphor for our society. I acknowledge that there are people in this world that are better off than me, and even a whole lot more that are less so. The problem I have is when we try to deny it. When we turn a blind eye to the reality that some people eat and some people don’t; that’s when we become less human. That’s when we stop trying to fix our problems as a society. I tried not to feel superior when I sat in the front, and now I try not to envy those that are up there while I’m not. I believe that most of them are there because of their own efforts to succeed and as such deserve the fruits of their labour. I think if we simply acknowledge the realities of class, without trying to hide from it we would be much further ahead. I think it’s ok that some people have more money than others. What I struggle with is the idea that this makes them not just richer, but better.

THE curtain itself generates a kind of arrogance in otherwise normal people which I’ve even seen manifested in the flight attendants themselves. The scorn with which some of them send the back dwellers out of their area and back to the lineups at the rear washrooms is troubling to me. Especially when you consider that based on their salaries, they themselves would be behind the curtain if they were paying for a flight. That’s what THE curtain can, and does do to people.

So I say, “Take down THE curtain, tear up The curtain, burn THE curtain, maybe even take THE curtain rod down completely! ……..either that or let me sit in the front again!!!”

One of the reasons I have kept this blog going is because I enjoy so much the challenge of coming up with an idea and then finding a supporting quote that delivers the punch line. I wish I was a smart as the guy that said this….it is too beautiful! See if you agree.

“Conscience is the window of our spirit, evil is the curtain”---Doug Horton

love
peter

"Before You Get Too Cocky"

A lot of my friends in Hermosillo had either followed my Ironman journey or heard about it from someone who had. As a result I had so many people, say so many nice things to me over the last few days, that I was starting to feel a little sheepish about it. Never the less I admit that it also felt pretty good being the centre of attention because of my efforts. Whenever I would run into someone else I would almost expect a comment. At some point this afternoon I met a lady in the cafeteria who I have known from my very first day in Mexico. She gave me the customary mexican kiss on the cheek, told me it was nice to see me, pointed right at the crest on my shirt which looked like this,



and said, "Thats a good car, Subaru".

I think she likes me just because I'm me, and that's probably much more importnat than liking me because I did an Ironman.

Richard you can't spell in English let alone Spanish (it's Dos Equis...2 X's) but I love you like a brother anyway!

...so on compliments...

"The greatest compliment that was ever paid me was when one asked me what I thought, and attended to my answer."---Henry David Thoreau

"The highest compliment that you can pay me is to say that I work hard every day, that I never dog it."---Wayne Gretzky

love
peter

"Coming Home"

The only place I ever really called home besides home itself is Hermosillo Mexico. It is such a great joy to came back here even with the pain involved in getting here. I think I have more friends that live here. or in some cases live somewhere else but that I met here, than in any other single place. I spent a very intense, very gratifying year here and as soon as I landed yesterday it felt good to be here again. Thank you my friends for the terrific welcome.

The best part of coming to Mexico besides the people is the tremendous freedom I get as soon as I get in a car. People around here know how to drive. I don't know why but I feel so liberated not having to use my turn signals. After all aren't they the stupidest thing? What is their purpose? Especially for lane changes! I see blinkers as a metaphor for the lack of courtesy in our society. If your gonna cut in front of somebody and put them in danger, of what value is it that you put your blinkers on first? I'ts like taunting them, like saying "shove over buddy, I'm coming in!". You might as well give them the finger! On the flip side , if there's lots of room, and you can safely move over in front of someone, then the use of your blinkers is completely redundant. It would be like saying "excuse me" to someone when you were already out of earshot. The only acceptable times to use your blinkers are when you are sitting in the middle of the road waiting to turn, and as a polite indication to another driver that you would like to move over if they could find the room for you. So I say that blinkers should be use with discretion and with sincerity, as should Please and Thank You. Any other gratuitous use is just window dressing and a waste of time and words.

If you don't believe me how great it can feel, try going without your blinkers for an entire day even if you don't live in Mexico, and on the same day make sure that every please and thank you is sincere, and that it finds it's mark.

And I have a question..."Why is it a legal requirement to use the turn signals in your car but no such rule exists with regards to hodling a door for someone?

“An excess of courtesy is discourtesy"---Japanese Proverb

“Be courteous, be obliging, but don't give yourself over to be melted down for the benefit of the tallow trade"---George Eliot

love
peter

"Ironman vs Air Travel"

They have some similarities and some differences.
First the similarities.

1) The elites get to go first.
2) Everyones in a hurry.
3) There are lots of rules.
4) There are a few assholes.
5) There are not enough toilets.
6) It's tough to get enough to eat and drink.
5) There are transitions (stop-0vers).
6) There are people from all over the world.
7) In and of themselves neither one is really value added.
8) You're not allowed to use your cell phone.
9) You have to buckle up...seat belt/helmet

And the differences.

1) No one smiles at the airport.
2) In an airport no one cares whether you get where you want to go or not.
3) Time passes much more quickly in an Ironman
4) In an Ironman the person in the next seat is not breast feeding their infant.(a first for me)
5) Flying is not an activity you want to repeat.
6) In an Ironman you have to (get to) transport yourself.
7) You can swear, fart, spit and smell bad in an Ironman without attracting any attention.
8) Ironman is primarily physical endurance while air travel is primarily emotional endurance.
9) Ironman has both men and women (a totally female flight crew today...another first for me!)
And finally, in an Ironman no one hurrys you up with threats!

Which would you rather do?

Hey Roo....this ones for you....skim milk at the Burger King in the Phoenix airport!!!

...so on Ironman

"It does not matter how slowly you go so long as you do not stop."---Confucius

...and on air travel...

"Why don't they make the whole plane out of that black box stuff."---Steven Wright

...and back to the topic of milk...

"My opinion is that anybody offended by breastfeeding is staring too hard."---David Allen

love
peter

"Summer Over?"

Not quite yet I guess. I ran 21 kms today without a shirt. Unfortunately I just enjoyed the run and didn't find any blogging inspiration. So you are spared my blarney for today. Fair warning though. Tomorrow I get on an airplane.

I can give you some official news today however. Roo has committed to the London marathon in the spring. I look forward to designing her very intense, very painful training program!! It will be fun to do a race together for the first time in many years. As well Michael has committed to doing the 10 k in London with me next month. I am still working on Roo and others for this one. Does anyone else care to join us?

Hey Deb....of course I read your blog the other day! You were my inspiration! But you're the first person to ever call me stubborn!!

"Being deeply loved by someone gives you strength, while loving someone deeply gives you courage."---Lao Tzu

“Only as high as I reach can I grow,
only as far as I seek can I go,
only as deep as I look can I see,
only as much as I dream can I be.”---Karen Ravn

love
peter

"Can You Smell It?"

Fall is in the air! Usually I enjoy the changing of the seasons but for some reason this year I resent summers end. Probably because it's been kind of a special one, but also I think because I'm starting to feel my age. The realization that 2 years has gone by in the blink of an eye gets a man thinking. Probably the reminder of the ticking clock will be good for me however. I'll let you know.

I copied my blog off the net today and put it into a word document. Bill, you will be happy to know that it runs to about 175,000 words! And yes Larry, and yes John, I'm definitely not done now!

I had a nice 60 km bike ride today and tomorrow I intend on doing a longish run....maybe 20 kms? I plan on maintaining some medium/long distances over the winter time.

"The great thing about getting older is that you don't lose all the other ages you've been."---Madeleine L'Engle

"How old would you be if you didn't know how old you were?"---Satchel Paige

love
peter

"Mother Nature + Human Nature"

For two years now I have neglected my part of the outside work around here, and when I finally stopped and had a look around I was shocked. Of course we lost a couple of old trees earlier this year, which was hard not to notice, but at the same time as mother nature was tearing down she was building up. I spent the last 2 days just trimming trees that had grown in every direction, and cutting down others that had grown in inappropriate places. I am reminded that there are powers greater than humanity, and that mother nature will always strike a balance on our planet despite our best efforts to make it otherwise. That's why flood's happen in flood plains, and tornadoes in tornado country. That's why volcanoes erupt on the top of mountains, and under the ocean. That's why trees will grow in a crack in the sidewalk, and weeds everywhere. Mother Nature is logical, simple and totally predictable.

Human Nature, maybe not so much so. I think beyond a few general consistencies, that humans are as different from each other and as generally unpredictable as to be the exact opposite of Mother Nature. I believe this to be true about humankind collectively, and yet I believe that within each of us as individuals, there lies a certain balance which we don't always recognize as such. I refer to my belief that for every strong trait, we have a balancing weak trait and vice versa, and further to that I believe that our strength is always our weakness, and vice versa. When we talk about human nature we more often than not use it as a way to explain some persons , or some groups negative behaviour, and we tend to overlook the balancing aspects.

For instance.

When my beloved wife wants to give one of her friends a polite reminder of some weak aspect of their personality she occasionally uses that old standby, "you're just like my husband". Of course this never works for her because invariably the recipeint of her remark is flattered by the comparison.... lol... Regardless, a recent example of just such a situation will still serve to make my point. Claudette told a friend that "just like her husband" this friend always needed to get the last word. Sounds like a negative trait eh? But I know it's not! When it seems like I need to get the last word that is not the case at all. I'm simply not done the discussion yet. I'm enjoying the discussion. I want it to go on. I want you to convince me. I like talking to you, and if I keep going maybe you will as well. You can have the last word as soon as I'm done!

The moral of the story? When it comes to Mother Nature you can take her completely at face value. What you see is what you get. With humans we need to look a little deeper. Whenever you find what appears to be an undesirable trait in others or in yourself, look for the often less obvious, but just as important balancing trait. You will feel kinder for it.

Besides I got even with Roo today. I forget what we were even talking about, but apparently I made a definitive closing comment to which she sarcastically replied, "See, you always need to have the last word". I just smiled!!!!!

Nature is a ruthless teacher. There are no second chances in Mother Nature's Survival Course."---William S. Burroughs

“Subdue your appetites, my dears, and you've conquered human nature"---Charles Dickens

love
peter

"Recovered"

At least physically I'm back to normal. I ran 10 kms yesterday and rode 53 today without any discomfort. In the next couple of weeks I will get back into weight training, and also get back into the pool. I am contemplating my next undertaking. I was considering going along with Burt and Joe to the Toronto Marathon in October until I seen it was gonna cost me 95 bucks! That's pretty steep just to do a race for the fun of it. I also don't like the format of the race. It's a point to point, which drives me crazy. You have to take a bus to the start line. Good luck boys, and have fun. Right now I think I'll settle for the London marthon in the spring. Probably grampa Kyle will do it with me again, and I'm gonna try to talk Claudette into it as well. Then I'll probably focus on doing a good Half Ironman next summer. Beyond that I want to concentrate on improving my swimming and my cycling throughout the winter.

Which brings me to the mental part of the recovery. While out riding today it occurred to me that a 53 km bike ride is quite enough for a while. While I'm pretty sure that my body could get right back into the long stuff, my head just can't. While I believe now that I will do another Ironman, it will probably be in 2011....probably??

Good luck to my nephew Andy tomorrow as he continues his road back from his idiot moment!!

“Playing safe is probably the most unsafe thing in the world. You cannot stand still. You must go forward."---Robert Collier

“The things that one most wants to do are the things that are probably most worth doing."---Winifred Holtby

love
peter

"Decisions, Decisions"

But first the medical report. I find it kind of strange to think that I had my own blood injected in me today. To clarify, this procedure has been proven successful as a tool to speed recovery from some types of surgery including things like thyroid removal. Dr Yoo belives that it is a long shot for the saliva problem, but worth a shot regardless. The whole deal involves removing about 60 cc's of blood, spinning the platelets out of it, adding bicarbonate of soda to make it les acidic, and thereby apparently less painful, and then injecting about 6 cc's into one set of salivary glands. They choose which side to stick you by flipping a coin! Apparently thet's very scientific. He has had a problem with patients begging to be allowed to participate, suggesting that it's a frustrating problem for many. Although he isn't holding his breath on this one he has had one patient already raving about it, claiming that he now sleeps through the night. I found it interesting that he asked me if I woke up because of the dry mouth or because of associated apnea spells. Interesting, because I wouldn't even know that I had the second problem if my wife hadn't caught me "not breathing" several times. As well, how the hell would I know what woke me up, since inevitably my mouth is dry at all times, particularly as soon as I wake up.

The other comment he made today related to the level of muscle wasting, or atrophy I had in my neck and jaw as a result of the radiation. Maybe that's why I blog so much...I don't need to move my mouth!! Speaking of which it's a bit sore right now but not as bad as I expected. I think he stuck me 4 or 5 times, but he put some freezing in first, and so I'm not even sure.

So about decisions. My children would all tell you that I happily lecture them at length about their decision making ability, and yet some time's I wonder whether I'm qualified to do so. Some decisions seem easy and straight forward to me and as such I don't understand why anyone would not make the same one. But who knows what goes through another persons mind in any given situation. I know that some decisions are easy for me simply because they are win/win decisions. For instance. Today Claudette and I headed out running at the same time, but on different routes as we are wont to do. At one point I found myself about 200 metres behind her and realized I had a decision to make. I could either hang around behind her and enjoy the view from there, or catch up and enjoy a conversation with her. Not really a tough call because either choice would leave me with something that pleased me. In the end I didn't even have to choose, because somehow she sensed my behind her and waited up for me

Not all decisions are so easy. For me, and perhaps for you there are the much more difficult choices we need to make between a current situation which is not ideal, but is predictable, and an unpredictable choice filled with potential, but with much danger...or at least imagined danger. I find myself at 53 years of age, and almost 25 years of working for the same company faced with that type of decision. And I don't know what to do??? Maybe my plane ride to Mexico next week will settle it for me once and for all.

Thanks for all the feedback yesterday. For now I have made the easy decision to keep blogging. At least until Bill tells me to stop, and maybe even beyond that!

1) Mary, make sure Andy doesn't let that wonderful woman get away...she's a keeper!!
2)Thanks Old John...I'm gonna try it.
3)Deb, Old John is one of the idiots I call little brother, and I like him too but don't tell him!
4)Thanks Joe, I'm still thinking. If I go it will only be to spent time with my mentors.
5)Elly...up yours!
6)Cory, I'm tired of playing second fiddle to some baby!

....this is why I'm waffling...

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

....and in here maybe is my answer....

“It's not hard to make decisions when you know what your values are."---Anon

love
peter

"Comin Down a Little"

I'm really trying to battle it but it's kind of tough. I know it's perfectly natural. I expected it, and you may recall that I also promised I would not let it get to me. I'm talking of course about the troublesome low you can fall into after reaching a significant high. I'm sure that's one reason so many people quickly sign up to do another Ironman or opt for some other kind of physical challenge. It's to avoid facing the big, "is that all there is" question.

Maybe wise old John has an answer?

I went for part one of my treatments today. The scan part was kind of tough. Forty five minutes on the table with my head strapped down and nothing to drink the whole time. Unless you count the disgusting shot of lemon juice that they pumped into my mouth halfway through. It was intended to stimulate my saliva glands but it also nearly gagged me! As I suspected they first injected some radioactive stuff into my veins and then took the images with what they called a high definition gamma camera. Tomorrow's the needles!

For some reason it seems like I'm not done with this blog yet. Maybe when I'm certain I have no readers left?

....and on answers...

“I was gratified to be able to answer promptly. I said, "I don't know."---Mark Twain

“At the center of your being you have the answer; you know who you are and you know what you want."---Lao Tzu

"It is not enough for me to ask question; I want to know how to answer the one question that seems to encompass everything I face: What am I here for?"---Abraham Joshua Heschel

love
peter

"Here We Go Again"

I'm not sure why I agreed to this but this week I begin a new set of visits to the medical community. I start tomorrow at Victoria hospital with a bunch of interview questions with one doctor, then off to the lab for blood tests, and finally to a different hospital altogether for something called "scintigraphy". I don't know much about it other than it being some kind of a scan which I believe uses a radioactive dye, which they no doubt will stick into me with a needle Then tomorrow I go back again to start a series of injections into the side of my face. In total there will be 3 sets of injections and I believe 6 sets of the scintigraphy scan.

What's it all about? I believe I mentioned it some time ago but I put it off because I was worried about it interfering with my training. I no longer have that excuse. I have agreed to participate in a study in which they take some of my own blood, do some voodooo to it and then re-inject it(platelet rich plasma they call it) into my saliva glands. I believe it is a technique that has been successful with other types of medical conditions and Dr Yoo think's it has possibilities with damaged salivary glands. I'm not so sure but I felt I had to give it a shot. We need to think in possibilities eh? They will only do one of my three main sets of glands at this point because it is only a study. Then if it proves to be useful it will presumably be made generally available.

Wish me luck! I am a little nervous about the needles into the side of my face. Another new experience that sounds painful!

Hey, did I say my one and only Ironman? ....hmmm....

A few personal messages.

1)Bert, I forgot to tell you that I puked my guts out after the race...you would have been proud.
2) Joe, thanks for the beautiful note...what marathon are you doing, but I don't know if I have the courage for it anyway
3) Mark, my brother thinks you need a slap for suggesting I write a book!
4)Cory smarten up!... just in case you need to.

“Given the choice between the experience of pain and nothing, I would choose pain"---William Faulkner

"How much pain have cost us the evils which have never happened."---Thomas Jefferson

love
peter

"The Cats in The Cradle"

Throwing a ball around with Colby this morning I was reminded of one of my all time favorites by Harry Chapin. We played for a long time, and tonite when I should have been thinking about, and writing my final blog post, the child thougtht we should be doing this instead.



I think I got it right eh?

The end result of course is that my blog will continue for at least one more day, since I still feel the need to come up with something thougthful for the big finale.

I wish to dedicate day 7a to Floyd Polehoykie, our Penticton campground neighbour and first time Ironman finisher.

"And as I hung up the phone it occurred to me
He'd grown up just like me
My boy was just like me"---Harry Chapin

love
peter

"Home Sweet Home"

Home is where the heart is. My heart is where my family is. These 2 surprises were awaiting me when we got back to the house. This one from Colby, Kylie and Miguette.



And then this beautiful gesture from son Peter, taped to the fridge.



It was a great ride (8000kms) ....Roo and I had only minor skirmishes, and we are both glad to be back in St Thomas, Ontario, Canada!!!

I wish to dedicate day 6a to my daughter Miguette who begins her own new adventure this coming week. I wish her luck, but she won't need it!!

“Home is the place where, when you have to go there, they have to take you in."---Robert Frost

“When you're safe at home you wish you were having an adventure; when you're having an adventure you wish you were safe at home"---Thornton Wilder

love
peter

"Rapid River Michigan"

Which is in the northern peninsula, a part of Michigan I never even knew it existed. Tomorrow we will take the 8 km long Mackinac bridge to the main part of the state. I look froward now to getting home.

After much deliberation I have decided to wrap up my blog as of this sunday. Without a cause it is going to get tedious real quickly. I warn you though that I am working on a new cause...or a couple of them actually.

Im feeling preety good 5 days post race with the exception of my back. It doesn't hurt much just sitting or laying around it just seizes up totally. I hope it works itself out soon or else I'm in danger of getting fat, since my appetite seems to have grown since I've stoppd training.

I will try on Sunday to write a decent wrap up.

I wish to dedicate day 5a to each and every volunteer at this years Ironman Canada.

“A life without cause is a life without effect."---Anon

"Some cause happiness wherever they go; others whenever they go."--- Oscar Wilde

love
peter

"Thief River Falls"

That's somewhere I've never been before...well until tonite. And I don't suppose I'll ever be here again. But for now I'm happy to visit for a nite because we're parked at a spot that while there is no internet, they do have cable TV and sell cold beer and hot pizza. Since I don't eat pizza I will just have to drink a lot of beer.

I wish to dedicate day 4a to Chris Plocktis (son of Penticton Paul) who at only 19 years of age completed Ironman Canada.

"A man is the sum of his actions, of what he has done, of what he can do. Nothing else --- Mahandas Gandhi

Love
peter

"I am an Ironman!"

I know this because the man on the TV said so, and I believe everything I hear on television. Plus I got the shirt and this...



Isn't it pretty? Here's the promised story of how I got it.

...just briefly. If it doesn't seem brief it just means I'm a lousy story teller. Everything is relative and compared to the "doing" the "telling" is indeed brief.

I slept only fitfully the night before but since this didn’t surprise me I wasn’t worried about it. I was up well before my planned 4 am. I had my breakfast (2 baglefuls, a banana with peanut butter, a meal replacement drink and a coffee) and more importantly managed to “squeeze” in, or rather out , the critical pre race bathroom visit. I even went for a brief walk.

Claudette and I then shouldered all my gear and headed out on the 1.5 km walk to the race start. Despite all the complaining I did of the complexity of the preparations the previous few days,the value in this quickly became apparent. I really was not worrying about anything since I knew my bike was all setup in transition and ready to go and everything else was packed in one bag or another. At one point during the walk there Claudette stopped suddenly and said, “where’s your wetsuit?”, but I knew exactly where…packed in one of my bags. It was quite cool to arrive there at 5 am and find all those amazing volunteers already wide awake and ready for us. They quickly showed me where to drop my special needs bags, marked my race number on my body and steered me to the transition area.

Once in transition I checked my tires , handed my pump over the fence to Roo, and then headed directly to the porta-potti for one last visit (dark in there!). This proved to be smart planning (I had advice) as within 15 minutes the lines were already significant. So now it's 5:15 am and I have nothing to do, as everything was ready other than changing into my wetsuit. I did implement one last minute idea that I got from seeing someone else do it. If you can imagine, along with the 2600 bikes in the transition area there were also 2600 swim to bike bags, and 2600 bike to run bags…piled in rows, and all identical with the exception of your race number . I took a long piece or red tape and personalized mine.

So now with nothing more to do I just kind of hung around until about 6:15 when I decided to put my wetsuit on. I was much more relaxed than I thought I would be…at least until half way through getting into my neoprene. I suddenly had some kind of crazy bask spasm that made me gasp. I have never had that before and I’m sure it was just a fluke thing from being cold and not having done any stretching. While it settled down fairly quickly it never went away, and I still feel it today.

But what to do? I could get stressed over it or not. It was my choice. I realized that stress wasn’t going to help my day and such I managed to push it to the back of my mind. The clock kept ticking, the pros went off at 6:45, I found the old super-nun Sister Madonna and got a last minute blessing, and then after 'Oh Canada', off we went. Two thousand, six hundred people all in Lake Okanagan at the same freaking time! A crazy, amazing spectacle but something special to be part of. While having everyone start at the same time is a bit hectic the nice part about it is that you know exactly where you stand at all times, compared to a staggered start. In this case you know that if you pass someone at any point, you are truly passing them, and/or vice versa.
I did have a few scary moments during the swim. At first I was really struggling to find any clear elbow room. Over time, I have developed pretty good skills at sighting ahead and swimming in a straight line but many others (even better swimmers) have not, and I found that frustrating. To have someone cross right in front of you at a 45 degree angle, only to meet them again coming the other way when they over corrected was to say the least, annoying. Regardless I held my composure and kept plugging away. This despite several collisions, including one which messed up my watch…shit! I had a nice little shock as well when I turned the first corner. This was near the far shore, and since the water was quite clear you could see the bottom which was probably 15 feet down. Suddenly, there was a body, laying on the floor of the lake!!! It took a second to realize it was a diver, lying on his back giving me the “thumbs up”! After the initial shock I thought ‘how cool is that?’ Anyway the rest of the swim was pretty uneventful. The last leg of about 1800 metres was a little easier from the “crush of humanity” perspective. The buoys were not quite in a straight line and as such, if I sighted way ahead back to where I knew the finish was I could avoid some of the bodies. Despite not having the evidence from my watch I was pretty sure that my swim was a bit slower than I had done in the pool it bothered me not in the least. As my buddy Paul told me, you have to consider the swim as your morning shower and nothing more. Sure enough I got out of the water at 1:23 but no problem. All along I had hoped to be out on my bike by 1:30 and this was now quite do-able.

So, out of the lake, onto my butt into the transition area where more of the incredible citizens of Penticton whipped my wetsuit off of me in one smooth swoosh! I found my bag and headed to the change tent, only to find it stuffed to the literal seams. I didn’t really need the tent since I wasn’t going naked at any point, but I did wish for one of the chairs. Alas. I found an empty spot by the fence, made all my gear changes, stuffed wetsuit, goggles etc into my bag, and threw it on the pile with the other 2000 that were already there….amazing!

Ok, where’s my bike? No problem I found it, and after a quick wave to Roo away I went. I was feeling good and also somewhat surprisingly, quite relaxed. My back thing was there still, but not debilitating in any significant way. I knew that with the exception of one little climb that the first 65 kms was slightly down hill and I also knew we had a tailwind. The temptation under these circumstances was to just start hammering it, but I resisted. I remembered my mentors advice. This stretch was only the warm-up. I had one little fun moment somewhere during this time where I actually got bumped by someone I was passing. No damage done but it scared us both.

So here came the first hill. Richter pass is about an 11 km climb, but it wasn’t really as bad as I thought. This is when I started passing a few people. Once over the top there was a further series of shorter, but steeper hills, and where I had the most fun of the day. On one of the downhill’s I reached 75 kms/hr, and let me tell you that feels fast on your bicycle. Because the wind was slightly behind me it was easy to control the bike. To make the rest of the bike story short, there was one more major climb from about the 130 km point to 150 kms. That one was a little tougher because I was tiring a bit by them and it just seemed to linger on. Regardless I continued to pass those people who were better swimmers than me. Over the top of that and then the steepest and longest downhill came next. Unfortunately we were now going into the wind and so a little more caution was called for. I never actually used my brakes, but I did sit up a bit and put at least one hand down on my bars near the brake lever. So back into town, twenty minutes ahead of schedule, and feeling pretty good.

In the transition again and I had no problems there. I found my bag ok, got a chair in the change tent this time, and proceeded to do my quick change thing. I had not yet decided whether to change my socks but at the last moment decided that the 10 seconds it would take was not worth any deliberation and on when the clean, dry ones. Of course this was when I picked up my secret weapons…a picture of each of my grandchildren, one in each running shoe. Nobody knew about this except Roo and Colby, who kept the secret perfectly. The pics were in my running shoes specifically because that was the point at which I knew I would need some outside help. In fact up til that then it was just another long workout.

Heading out on the run I really had no idea what to expect. I remember in my half IM being pleasantly surprised at this point, but this wasn’t no half! I started out at a decent pace but fairly soon I knew I was never going to maintain it, and for a minute or two started to panic! Was it all going to fall apart so quickly? Was I doomed to walk most of the marathon, and drag my ass in at 14 or 15 hours? Or would I completely fall apart and not make it at all? All this crap zoomed through my mind and then I suddenly remembered the words of Paula Newby Fraser who told me to “find my place”. If wherever I was, was not working, then do something different! And so I walked! At 20 minutes into the marathon I was already walking! But…by 22 minutes I was running again and at the 5 km mark was very surprised to find myself ahead of the plan. It was tough always doing the math because the course was marked at every mile, and every 5k mark. At 10k, and at 15k I was still in great shape, despite having taken several more small walking breaks. And my spirits were pretty good as well. I have found over the years that if I joke and talk to other runners and spectators it really helps me relax. I think it was at about 15k that there was a group of older ladies sitting having some tea by the roadside, kind of watching the race but not really. As I passed them I got their attention, and in my best “can you keep a secret” tone said, “don’t tell anyone but I just peed my pants!” Well I’ll tell you. I think I just made their entire day. By their response that was the funniest thing they had heard in years. And for me, since I’ve always been the class clown it was very gratifying - - and I didn’t even have to make it up! I really peed down my leg while running...a very good sign by the way.

Anyway with my revised strategy seeming to be working I managed to get over the hills between 17 and 21k, and on to the turn around. That’s when I hit my next rough spot. I needed to go over the same hills one more time and I still had 21.1 kms to go. Again I got rattled for a few moments before I could take charge. I frantically started doing the math again and realized that I still had my entire 20 minutes from the bike in the bank. In essence the second half of the marathon could take 20 minutes longer than the first and still make it. With that I proceeded to walk at least half the time back up the hills, and magically at the top, I got my wind back “again”! I must tell you as well that my walking was no ordinary stroll. It was my very best airport walk, and not much slower than some others were running. And basically that’s the way I made it all the way back. I gained confidence with every passing mile and although it seemed like I walked a lot more on the way back, it only took me a minute and a half longer.

Over the finish line…can’t believe I did this…more volunteers taking care of you…finally released to go and find Roo…and I am an ironman. A dream I first had in 1994 and finally accomplished in 2009.

I stated many times over the past year that this would be my one and only shot at this thing, but…maybe...what if...I could...perhaps...hmmm. Im happy with my day in Penticton but not satisfied!

"The greater danger for most of us is not that our aim is too high and we miss it, but that it's too low and we reach it"---Michelangelo

I wish to dedicate day 3a to Madilynn Annemarie Kyle-MacLean. When I meet her I'm gonna ask her if she wants to do an Ironman with me!!

"A new baby is like the beginning of all things-wonder, hope, a dream of possibilities."---Eda J. Le Shan

love
peter

"No Internet!"

We're parked at a Canadian Tire story somewhere in Calgary and they don"t have free wireless!!
The point being I can't tell you my race story tonite. I will try again tomorrow, the risk being that as each day goes by it seems less and less real. Did I really do that?

I wish to dedicate day 2a to the 2 young hitchhikers we drove to Calgary. Damien and Mathew.

"There is more to life than imcreasing it's speed"---Gandhi

Love
peter