"Lazy, But Not Relaxed'

I really need to work on that.

swim, 1500 metres

"Your mind will answer most questions if you learn to relax and wait for the answer."---William S Burroughs

Love
Peter

"Top 10 Things I'm Grateful For Today"

#10 For my basement, because I can go down there and torture myself whenever I want!  I did so today!

#9 The fact that hockey is almost over, because I'm tired of freezing indoors, as well as outdoors.

#8 For my little car for keeping me safe and warm during the long trip home from dropping off the kids at school.  Long, because it in involved the worst driving conditions I've seen in 45 years!!…and I was in my pyjamas!!

#7 Going to sleep in my own bed every night.  While I miss work sometimes, I never miss hotel rooms.

#6  My new home made flag pole which withstood the harshest conditions it's ever gonna have to.

#5 For my grandson Colby who unhesitatingly took his water bottle out of his lunch pail and gave it to me, when I realized I had forgotten to take one in the car.

#4 My granddaughter Kylie who has now replaced the goodbye kiss I used to get in the morning with, "is there anything on my face?"

#3 For my brother-in-law Mark who is always considerate to everyone, friend or stranger, but especially to me.

#2 For my daughter Miguette, for trusting me.

….And the absolute top, number one, numero uno, undeniable thing I am grateful for today….

#1  This miserable, nasty, colder than f*#k, weather!  That way when the shingles are blowing off the roof, you know for an absolute certainty that it ain't gonna rain!!!

computrainer long intervals, 

"Silent gratitude isn't much use to anyone."---G.B. Stern

Love

Peter

"Aaaaaahhhh"

I rested my old body today, and it feels really good.  I think my old brain deserves the same treatment.

Have a good night!

"Thou wilt find rest from vain fancies if thou doest every act in life as though it were thy last."---Aristotle

Love
Peter

Today My Mind Won!"

The inner dialogue was fast and furious, but my mind eventually won the battle of wills. Just barely mind you, and I should have let it win earlier. Fortunately my body was on my minds' side, and eventually they won out over that never quiet 3rd part of me. I knew within a half hour of starting my long run that I was still too tired from yesterdays bike, as well as the test ride of 3 days ago. I was extremely sluggish (that means slow) and my heart rate was ridiculously low (under 120). I probably would have kept plugging away, but the voice of experience kept nattering in my ear, reminding me of my over training period of last year. The symptoms were the same. Last year I didn't recognize it and just kept hammering until I got into serious trouble….like I said…the voice of experience.

I ended my run at 16 kms, and probably would have been better off to have quit at 5 or 10.

But I think I'm okay and I am completely committed to a very easy day tomorrow, and if necessary the day after as well. And one of these days maybe this freakin winter is gonna end. Unbelievable!!

run, 16 kms, very slow

"It is better to conquer yourself than to win a thousand battles. Then the victory is yours. It cannot be taken from you, not by angels or by demons, heaven or hell."---Buddha

Love

Peter

"Me, Myself, & I"

I've always used those words to describe the 3 parts of who I am.  Me (my mind), myself (my body) and I (my ego, or soul if you like).

And while I consider them 3 separate parts, it is pretty hard to determine the line where the one begins, and the other ends.

That line is most blurry when one is under duress, or stress, or in the midst of difficult decisions.

I found the 3 parts of peter at war in my basement today, and I was at times uncertain who was winning, who was losing, and even who was saying and doing what??

My body initially was talking about feeling strong and fairly well rested, but fairly soon moved to "you're hurting me"!
My mind was analyzing the workouts of the past few days and questioning whether I should be doing this today.  After all I just did my test ride 2 days ago.
My ego was telling me not to wimp out because that's all too easy to do, and it could become a habit.

That was the situation up to about half way through, but then for the second half I have no idea what was happening.  Like I said, the lines got blurry.

Other than I was suffering!  All 3 parts!!

And in hindsight I still don't know if we collectively made the right decision.

It was short interval day, and I did all the hard parts in the aero bars.  That's 6 times, 6 minutes!

Now I'm tired!

computrainer, 90 minutes intervals

"There is only one corner of the universe you can be certain of improving, and that's your own self."---Aldous Huxley

Love
Peter

"Go Canada"

When my grandchildren are both up at 7 am on a Sunday morning to watch a hockey game, there's something right with the world.

I'm not much into patriotism myself since I believe it generally comes with as  many problems as it does good things, but never the less, it's valuable at least for our  children to appreciate how good we have it. in this country of ours.

I already know how good I have it, so I stayed in bet til the 3rd period!

run 7.3 kms, weights

"Canada is the only country in the world that knows how to live without an identity."---Marshall Mcluhan

Love
Peter

"Keepin The Faith"

Sometimes I get a bit discouraged when I don't get the results I want, but generally I'm a glass half full kinda guy.  That attitude stood me in good stead today, after a somewhat mediocre test ride.  While there was marginal improvement, it was not as good as expected, or at least hoped.  The end result was 198 watts, compared to 192, five weeks ago.

But it is, what it is.  And even though the numbers don't bear it out, I truly do believe I have made some progress, especially in the aero position.  Of course only outside riding will actually prove that, since the air resistance when you're sitting still ain't much of a factor.  If I can truly learn to ride with as much power in the aero position as sitting up, then it simply has to make a difference over 180 kms.  I believe I'm getting close to that condition.  I made sure to do the ride exactly the same as last time (23 of 30 mins in the bars), and I felt little relief during my upright breaks.  On top of that, I still have the opportunity to improve technique as mentioned yesterday.

But in the end if that's all wishful thinking, and the only real win has been another 5 weeks of healthy living, then so be it.  In August I'm gonna do my 3rd Ironman, and not that long ago doing even one was a a dream I had given up on.  Game on!!

And I also got a wonderful bit of motivational news today.  It turns out that Odd John, Grampa Brett, and Trucker Dave are all gonna come to Mont Tremblant  just to help me out of my wetsuit when I get out of the lake!  How cool is that?  And since they wanted to do that anyway, they also chose to sign up as volunteers and help out at the swim start/exit.  It's just the kind of incentive I need to actually complete the race this time.

So the next 5 weeks will be a continued focus on riding hard and efficiently, as well as preparing for the Bay Race on Mar 30th.  That of course means I gotta get some more long runs in, but I think I'm gonna be ok.  I'm gaining confidence in my right leg with ever passing day.

30 min test ride, 198 watts, 1:15 total ride

"Fear knocked at the door and faith answered. No one was there."---Anon

Love
Peter

"Snow Day!!!!!!"

No freakin way!!

Well actually this time it was "ice day", but the result was the same.  One more day where my grandchildren didn't learn anything!  Unless figuring out how to build an androgynous snowman counts?  At various points there was consideration given to boobs, and/or pants, but in the end it was decided to go without both.  They also came up with the decidedly neutral name of Lou!

If he/she looks a bit dirty, it's only cause we built him out by the road while we were waiting for Roo to get back from her run.

But I at least learned something today.  I continue to gain insight into my cycling weaknesses as I take advantage of my pedals.  Because they use 2 independent strain gauges, they give very specific information about right/left power.  The computrainer claims to be able to do this as well, but there is no way it can achieve the same accuracy, simply because it gets all its feedback in one spot, the rear wheel.  And so it was with some chagrin that I realized that my right leg appears to consistently be doing 55% of the work.  Not that it really matters because it is what it is, and although it may seem logical to try to make my left leg stronger, that isn't just so easy to do.  If it was, then why not make them both stronger?  

I learned something else as well when I set out to test the the pedals ability to differentiate left from right.  I did this by completely removing one leg at a time from the pedal, and using only the other leg.  Sure enough, it immediately showed 100% for the functioning leg.   So while that was a good thing, I also noticed a significant difference in my left/right ability to actually pedal with one leg.  Since I've never been very good at this, the big surprise was that with my right leg I could do it fairly well.  I was actually happy with this, and immediately gave the credit to my improved cadence I've gained with my workout strategy.  The left leg however still had an awful dead spot at the top of the stroke, and so this at least I seen as a definite opportunity.

And while you smart guys out there probably figured it out right away, it took at least 5 minutes to hit me like a ton of bricks!!

There can be two reasons why you are producing more overall power with one leg than the other.  The first of course is simply that you're stronger on that side, and as a result applying more force.  

And the second is???  Yup!  Pedalling efficiency!!  Which in very simple terms means, pedalling in circles!!

I'm pretty confident that the two problems are one and the same, and suddenly I smell a serious opportunity at improvement.  I will make it a focus to do the single leg drills required, and it will be interesting to see going forward if my left/right balance improves accordingly.  I'm excited!  

I'll keep you posted.

And back once more to my grandchildren and learning.  I have long believed that our education system would be vastly improved if we took half of the teachers and asked them to find other jobs, while at the same time we pay the other half twice as much.  That's cause only half of them actually have the aptitude for the job, and if we want  to have very high standards, we also need to pay very well.   But with my grandchildren regularly missing days, it reinforced another long held opinion, that they aren't really learning much that needs learned.  Or at the very least, they could learn what they need to learn, in half the time.  

So that's it!  Cut the class size in half, and send the kids only half the time.  I am firmly convinced that for the vast majority of kids this would be far more effective.  They could actually get the teachers attention if they needed it, and the teacher would in turn be able to focus on the right kid, at the right time, on the right topic!

Of course, this will never work, because as we all know, our elementary schools are as much day care, as they are education centres!!

But then again,  we could simply have half day recess eh?  And I ain't kidding!  That would work better than what we do now!  It's something about left/right balance….of the brain in this case...

Tomorrow is bike test day.  I'm scared already!

easy bike ride

"Man maintains his balance, poise, and sense of security only as he is moving forward."---Maxwell Maltz

Love

Peter

"Tired and Sore"

I just took it easy today, and tomorrow will be more of the same. I hate it when I feel this way, but I need to not let it get to me.

Towards that end I focused on the children in my life. I went to visit my small friend at school this morning, and took Colb to hockey this evening, even though he was a little under the weather as well.

Swim, 1500 metres

"I'm a Canadian...I'll play no matter what!"---Colby Rooyakkers

Love
Peter

"Do You Like It"

This replaces the one that hit the road in Quebec.  Of course I have other helmets, but they're junk compared to this one.  It's lighter, more breathable, is very adjustable, and what's most important…the colours are right!!

I won't tell you how much I paid for it or you may laugh at me, but I can tell you that I saved a ton of money by using e-Bay.  I was also shocked at how fast it got here from China.  Game on!

And it was a good day in general as my run went off without any serious discomfort.  I battled the wind on the way home but that was a strategic decision.  I traded wind for traction.  The wind just sucks….where as bad traction messes with my body.

run 25 kms,  2:15

"Today I am incredibly grateful"---Elly Lambert

Love

Peter

"Snow Day!!!!!!!!!"

I can't freakin believe it!  I think this makes about 8 for the year, which has to be an all time record.  As much as I love the actual snow days cause I get to hang with my grandchildren, I am now just fed up with the snow, and the cold, and the slush and the slop!

Thank goodness this is a recovery week because I think I would be a bit stressed otherwise.  I hope it's half decent tomorrow because I want to run at least 25 kms.  I'm not sure what I'll do if the traction's no good.  Get annoyed probably.

But the kids did have an excellent day.  Roo let them loose in the kitchen and then went running!!

They made something, and I know it's edible.  I'm no more than a little queasy….

But I didn't really care what they did, or what they cooked up.  I would have tried it.  To see them working co-operatively together was a joy.

easy ride, 45 mins

"One of the very best reasons for having children is to be reminded of the incomparable joys of a snow day."---Susan Orlean

Love
Peter

"Family Day"

1 spouse---check

4 sons---check

2 daughters---check

1 grandson---check

1 granddaughter---check

11 siblings---check

Life is good!!

swim 1500 metres, weights, easy run 7.3 kms

"Call it a clan, call it a network, call it a tribe, call it a family. Whatever you call it, whoever you are, you need one. "---Jane Howard

"The great gift of family life is to be intimately acquainted with people you might never even introduce yourself to, had life not done it for you. "---Kendall Hailey,

"What greater thing is there for human souls than to feel that they are joined for life - to be with each other in silent unspeakable memories."---George Eliot
Love
Peter

"No Pain, No Gain"

You know, since I started blogging more than 5 years ago I have posted 1304 entries!!  Amazing really, especially when you consider that the only reason I started in the first place was to make a public declaration about my Ironman ambitions.  And then only as an added motivation to keep me on track.

When I started, I had no idea what I was going to write about, and one might say that after 1304 entries I still don't know.  Certainly there has rarely been any continuity in my posts, and it probably wouldn't take much looking to find some complete contradictions.  For this I can't really apologize as it is very much in my nature to freely speak what's on my mind, and again, without apology, I admit that my mind is a bit of a cluster fuck.

There have of course been some reoccurring aspects of my blogging, and today I wish to bring two of them together.

The first would be my tendency to use this forum as a way to promote my views on social issues, and the second would be a propensity to use it as a confessional booth.

When I mentioned the scrambled nature of both my mind, and my posts, I would however like to add the disclaimer that sometimes I have moments of clarity.  Often those moments come about simply because I write.  For me, it's kinda like putting the words out there in the air to see what they look like.  Once they're out there I find it easier to tweak my thoughts.  When I do this honestly I begin to see the contradictions in my words, and more importantly in my life.

So back to my aforementioned two themes.  You have probably noticed throughout my blogging that I have a great deal of passion about the rights, or lack thereof, of the gay community.  I suppose I am somewhat biased, having not just a brother and a son who claim this designation, but many friends to boot.

 I hate jumping on band wagons, and generally I don't like societies heroes, but today I wish to tell you that my new real life superhero is Michael Sam.   For the time being he takes top spot away from George Carlin.

While having a big set of balls is rarely associated with gay males, I can't think of a better way to describe this guy.  A young black man playing the worlds most super macho sport, has the machismo to face head on what is probably the most homophobic world there is, short perhaps of a few countries in Africa and the Middle East.  I have often been a bit lukewarm about marginal athletes who acknowledged their sexual orientation at the end of their careers, but no such criticism can be levelled at Sam.  And while I also admit that in the dictionary definition of machismo, Sam doesn't quite fit, I still can't keep myself from humming that old Village People song.  The courage this man exhibits overwhelms me.

As an aside, one other tendency of my posts that just occurs to me, is that I often defer to other more gifted writers/orators when I want to make a point.  Please enjoy Mr Dale Hansens thoughts.

So that is that, for theme number one today.  I am excited about the positive changes that seem to be occurring in our world as relates to gay rights, and am particularly proud to live in a country that while perhaps not the world leader in human rights, is not far in arrears of anyone.  That being said, homophobia still exists in Canada, and to a far greater extent in the world in general.

And I particularly use the term homophobia, in order to segue into part two of today's post.  That of confession.  When I look up phobia in the dictionary I find something like, "intense, irrational fear". And no, I'm not about to confess to homophobia, because I don't think I've ever really experienced it.  Certainly I have been afraid for my son, and to a lesser extent for my little brother and friends, but I don't think I was ever afraid of homosexuality.  Rather I was afraid of the pain that my loved ones would inevitably have to face.  I think that kind of fear is natural, especially as it relates to ones own child, and I don't think it merits any guilt feelings.

But I'm still guilty!  I learned once that the only value in the feeling of guilt is when it stops you from repeating the same mistakes.  Based on that I freely confess that while perhaps not  homophobic myself, I am as guilty as the next person of having been part of propagating this fear in our world.  I have contributed through my words and actions, or in some cases, through lack of them.

It is this realization, and this acceptance of my own shortcomings that helps me to understand, and even accept the fears of those who would criticize a guy like Michael Sam.  While I accept their fears, I don't accept that it needs to remain that way, and furthermore I have the option of lashing out at them (which I sometimes do) or trying to find a better way to bring some light into the dark.  When I lash out it is usually in a self righteous way, as if I'm a morally superior person.  That attitude quite frankly is a lie!

While I have been gifted with so many special gay people in my life, the knowing of which has taught me a better way, the vast majority of our society has not had that blessing.  Before my enlightenment I told a gay joke as well as anyone. I'm not proud of it, but in truth I didn't really realize what I was doing.  Or at least that's my excuse.

Before I finalize my confession please know why I choose to offer it.  My motives are purely selfish.  Being open about mistakes I've made helps me to rid myself of the guilt, and hopefully along with my pleas for social justice, puts some good vibes out into the world.

Finally I wish to give you a graphic example of my contribution to homophobia in our world.  How I  could ever have thought that something I find so vulgar now, was even the least bit funny 40 years ago I'll never know.  If you're either old enough, or you're a music history buff, you would know of a Scottish boy band that arrived on the scene in a big way in the mid seventies, named the Bay City Rollers.  My friends and I unabashedly called them the Gay City Faggots!!!! Note that I say, my friends and I, in an effort to excuse the words as common language.  "I", called them the Gay City Faggots!!

I feel shame as I type the words…..I'm sorry….

And so when I read the apologies of public figures who are trying to back pedal on stupid things they said, and while I take them with a grain of salt, there is also a part of me that says; okay, you get a second chance too!

And yes, this was the post I was considering yesterday but decided to defer.  It's hard work for me to put something like this together, both because I'm not a naturally gifted writer, and because intense topics cause me some emotional stress.  But like my title says…no pain, no gain!  I also worry a bit that my ramblings won't be understood the way I intended them, so please give me the benefit of the doubt if anything in here leaves you uncomfortable.

Oh, and by the way.  If indeed I was free of any serious homophobia as a young man, I believe the responsibility for that lies squarely at the feet of my 3 remarkable older sisters.

So now I'm tired.  Tired from this writing, and tired from my workout today.  I spent almost 4 hours in the basement, and it actually went reasonably well.  Next week is easy bike week, and I will take advantage by getting another long run in.  My injury continues to improve to the point that I'm even gonna do a short run again tomorrow.  Right now I think I'm gonna be able to race with Roo in 6 weeks.  I'm gonna wear my rainbow shoes.  Game on!!

computrainer, 3:45, 142 watts

“If your social consciousness seems stuck in 1975, 2014 is gonna be a rough ride.”---John Scalzi

…and this one helps explain my respect for Michael Sam...

“'Non-white' gay men are run over at the intersection of racism and homophobia”---Eric C. Wat

Love
Peter

"Top Ten Stupidest Headlines of The Day"

I found all of these on cnn.com, and admittedly they have a little personal bias.  I chose them based on those that I suspected would have the most useless content.


#10.  Rich guys deserve more votes.

#9.   Bra only unhooks if you're in love.

#8.   Lucky deer rescued by hovercraft.

#7.   Ten things you didn't know about peanut butter.

#6.   Eight hairstyles every girl should know.

#5.   Swimsuit models demo flight safety.

#4.   Sheriff cancels Valentines day.

#3.   How stars stay in love.

#2.   Where is Monica Lewinsky now?

….and the number one stupidest headline of the day, perhaps of the year, perhaps that's ever been printed anywhere, by anybody. but that thankfully inspired todays list!!!

#1.   Pope gives marriage advice!!!!!

The Pope also saved me from having to write a more serious, social responsibility, kind of post I had in mind.  Maybe tomorrow on that one, but today I just want to relax.

I'm feeling pretty good because I ran this morning, with little discomfort, and little immediate consequence.  I feel good enough that I have already decided I will run long again next week.  The only question is whether I will try for one more short one between now and then.  In the meantime I have to continue to work hard at my rehab strategy.  It feels like it's working!!

run, 7.3 kms easy

"People everywhere confuse what they read in newspapers with news."---A.J. Liebling

Love
Peter

"Happy Birthday Precious"

This one was about 10 years ago,

And this one maybe 2 years ago.

And while her interests have changed a bit (grandchildren and birds) she can still handle both of these machines with ease at 52!!

And to celebrate her birthday she came in from her quick 18 km run, bitching about how slow she was!

In my mind, she's still pretty "fast"!!!

Happy birthday precious!

As my part of celebrating I went down to the basement and knocked off another great ride.  The program called for two, 20 minute sessions at 193 watts, with a very short 5 minutes in between.  I did the entire 40 minutes in the aero bars!!  Woohoo!!

computrainer long intervals, 80 minutes total

And instead of a quote today I give you this….effin priceless!!!!

Love
Peter

"Coming Of Age"

I may be getting older but so are my grandchildren.  Because Colby's birthday is right at the end of the year he is almost always the youngest kid in any group or class.  Because of this, some of the kids on his hockey team can tie their own skates.  While that may not seem like a big deal, trust me, it is.  Primarily I think because it means you can officially ban your parents from the dressing room.  Not that I think Colby minds me in there, and as a matter of fact I often help some of the other kids tie their skates as well.

Regardless, the big day arrived today.  I haven't really pressured him, like I'm sure I did my kids, and it worked out better than I could expect.  He just decided he was ready, and did it!  I am so proud.  Not because he can do it, but because of the initiative he took, and the confidence with which he made his decision.

Here's the evidence!

If the one looks a bit fragile, I can tell you that the pic was taken after the game, which means it was good enough to last the entire hour!

The other thing that's really tough for young hands to perform is doing up the 3 snaps that hold helmet and chinstrap in place.  This he also accomplished for the very first time!

And he's proud!!!

But his feelings pale compared to this of his grandfather.  Whenever the world starts to piss me off, I just need think of this boy, and my place in his life, and everything turns right side up for me.

As to my own condition it's relevance also pales, but in case you care, my achilles is quite sore today.  I choose not to think about it right now…whatever will be, will be!

swim 1500 metres, weights 

"Old age is like everything else. To make a success of it, you've got to start young."---Theodore Roosevelt

Love

Peter

"Ok, That Was Hard"

I knew I would be a bit tired from yesterdays bike workout, but I was also confident that I could get my 25 K in if I took it easy.  Fortunately the weather cooperated for once.  Since I had my appointment in London this morning anyway, I had a good reason to wait until it warmed up.  And while minus 10  still doesn't feel very warm, I at least had the companionship of Mr Sunshine for the entire run.  As a bonus I spent almost the whole 25 kms on dry pavement.  Only 3 or 4 times did an unhappy motorist force me into the slop.  And although I was pretty slow, I'm also pretty okay with it. The reality is that it is simply harder to run in the cold.  And hard it was!

But of course the big question was not the weather, or whether (no pun intended) I would run 25 kms, or even how fast or hard it would be, but rather the question was how my achilles responded.  Well I can tell you that during the run there were lots of other parts that hurt more, but in this case that's generally irrelevant.  It's the hurt that I have tomorrow morning that will tell the story.  If it never bothered me more than it did today, then I wouldn't even have a problem.  The reality however, is that it will either get better, or it will get worse.  I know this from experience.

So I iced as soon as I got home, did my rolling pin thing, and am in the process of repeating both.  I also spent a solid half hour in the hot tub at the Y while Colb was doing his thing.  If I work very hard over the next few days to manage the inflammation, then maybe, just maybe, the game is still on.  We will see, and of course I'll let you know.

Run 25 kms, 2:17:30

"Life is hard. After all, it kills you."---Katherine Hepburn

Love
Peter

"Little Victories'

Life's like that eh?  Ups and downs, ins and outs, wins and losses.  The game of life is about managing the losses, and enjoying the victories, each and every one of them.  If one believes that the ups and the downs kinda balance out then I suppose  the only way to make it all worthwhile is to squeeze every wee bit out of the good times, while moving quickly past the not so good.  Generally I try to live that way, but I admit that I only mange to do so part of the time.  Never the less, in keeping with the spirit of my good intentions, I wish to tell you that I had a few very nice moments today and I wish to share them.

First off, to get the extrinsic stuff out of the way, I woke up this morning delighted to learn that I had bought a very nice bike helmet, from a very nice person, from some town in China, so obscure that it doesn't even warrant a name in our alphabet.  And while I'm calling that a good thing for now there is a bit of a caveat.  You see I bought it on eBay for a little more than half of what I would pay if I ordered it in Canada, and yet it still has to get through Canadian customs at some point.  That could mean nothing, or it could mean a further bill.  Either way I can't imagine it getting me anywhere near the normal shelf price locally.  Of course it will take a month to get here, but that don't matter eh, since summer feels about 6 months away!!!

Anyway, after I spent my allotted helmet money for the year, and after I drove the kids to school, I came back home to ready my bike for my short interval workout.  Feeling so bagged lately I was quite nervous about it, so I managed to find several ways to procrastinate.  First and foremost was my second meeting with my mentee at Sparta Public School, another event that I was a wee bit nervous about.  Even though my first session with my new 8 year old friend went quite well, I admit to wondering whether a week later he would even remember me.  You know how it can be with kids, out of sight, out of mind.

But no way!  The exact opposite actually.  He was all pumped and waiting.  He met me at the door, and off we headed to the resource room.  I wish I could share his name and even a few pictures, but that's definitely beyond the rules, at least in this forum.  I can tell you that he is bright, energetic, mannerly, and I like him a lot.  Furthermore, I now feel confident that he likes me as well, and I am already thinking about next week.  Today we talked, made some origami frogs and airplanes, and played with the lego.  He's a major lego expert, and expressed his sincere jealousy that I had been to see the movie.  Of course he has no idea what a stinker it is! :)  He's probably gonna see it on the weekend, so it will be interesting to hear his perspective next week.

Anyway I am pleased to report that my role as an In School Mentor is off to a flying start.  I'm very excited to see where it takes us in the future.  I think having a grandson who is just a few years older is a major advantage for me.  All of my learning is still pretty fresh.

So I came home pretty pumped, but I still had to go down in the basement when I got back.  I made sure I didn't procrastinate any further because that would have been the death of me, and yet when I got on the bike I didn't feel well at all.  My legs simply didn't feel fresh enough for a hard ride.

But…..I decided to get started, amidst tons of negative thoughts about doing half of it, or doing it tomorrow, or never, ever, again riding my bike in a god forsaken, dark, dreary, february, basement!!!

But….I think it went well.  If I ever had a harder ride than this one I don't remember when it was.  Since I didn't have confidence that I was going to complete the workout anyway, I decided to start out in the aero bars, and just see how long I could stay there.  The relevant part of the workout called for six, 6 minute intervals, at 213 watts.  That's 36 minutes of very intense pedalling, all of which I completed….in the aero bars!!!!!!!

So yes, a day of little victories.  I'm gonna nurture them as long as I can.  I should be able to sleep the sleep of the just.   Tomorrow after my session with the CST guy I'm going running!  Come hell or high water, or even another freakin storm, I am gonna run 25 kms tomorrow!  That should be enough to unequivocally decide my fate as relates to the Bay Race.  It will either be manageable, in which case I will cautiously get a few more long ones in over the coming weeks, or it will mess me up enough to put running totally aside until it's better.  Quite frankly, I expect the second, but I'm thinking in possibility.

Speaking of which, I am trying to take the same positive attitude towards the craniosacral therapy. I must tell you however that despite the therapists assurances that it would have an immediate impact, my first session did not have any positive result that I could identify.  I will go again tomorrow, and then decide from there.  Of course I will give him the feedback that he has asked for, but I won't waste his time or mine, if it's not going anywhere.

computrainer short intervals, 90 minutes

"Victory is won not in miles but in inches. Win a little now, hold your ground, and later, win a little more."---Louis L'Amour

"Be ashamed to die until you have won some victory for mankind"---Horace Mann

Love
Peter

"Ho Hum"

Another cold February day!  Instead of working out, I cleaned the toilets.  I didn't mind actually.  It was more enjoyable than that totally stupid Lego movie I went to yesterday.  In light of Mikes comments I went online and checked the reviews, and I was totally flabbergasted.  They all loved it!  Unbelievable!  It actually scares me a little bit.  I think it must be a conspiracy!

 Mike, if you go, check out the reaction of the kids in the theatre.  I seen no evidence of giggles, oohs, aahs, or any kind of chatter as the show was emptying.

I suppose what may be even more frightening than the conspiracy theory, is the possibility that all those adult reviewers have actually been seduced by the marketing.  Holy cow!!

But anyway, who gives a shit?  Not me.  I just want my achilles to get better!!

"You know an odd feeling? Sitting on the toilet eating a chocolate candy bar."---George Carlin

Love
Peter

"As Promised"

The best part of that movie was the end.  No!  Not the ending….the END!  When the freakin thing was over!  The second best part was the part I managed to sleep through.  I guess I shouldn't have expected anything else, but it was just a one hour, forty-one minute, commercial.  I deluded myself that with it being 3D it may still be fun, but as I said---I deluded myself.  Usually I enjoy going to kids movies, but alas, this one scored about a 1.3 out of 10.  Even the Russian judge would have to be honest about this stinker!!  Of course the theatre was packed, which proves that the marketing to our kids continues to succeed.

Or maybe I'm just being a grouch like Will Ferrell when he first appeared in the movie.  I was actually glad to see him, because I knew he was only in it for the last 10 minutes.

And if indeed I'm being a grouch I'm blaming it on frustration with my training.  I'm pretty discouraged today.  I'm hurting everywhere, and my energy levels seem terribly low.  My 3 1/2 hours on the trainer was lame, and my achilles is way sorer than I hoped it would be today.  I gotta keep working on it, but right now it feels a bit hopeless….at least for the Bay Race which I planned to do with Roo.  It's only 7 weeks away, and if I can't run long next week, I will make the decision to be a spectator.

But at least some one's out there running.  Roo did 28 kms yesterday in this crap!  Also Odd John and Grampa Brett completed the Hypothermic Half Marathon in Sarnia today.  Kudos brothers!!

As a bit of an aside, I have agreed to drive to London for the next 4 days to receive one hour treatments in something called craniosacral therapy (CST).  Look it up!  Friends of ours had forwarded my name as a potential candidate to help a practitioner do a bit of a study.  He wants to work with an athlete..lmao!! I had never heard of it before, and after checking it out on the net I'm just a wee bit sceptical.  Regardless, he seems like a very sincere man, and I intend on keeping an open mind.  Stop laughing!!  I can keep an open mind.  Besides, I'm pretty sure it can't hurt.

computrainer 3 1/2 hours

"If the wicked flourish, and thou suffer, be not discouraged; they are fatted for destruction, thou art dieted for health."---Thomas Fuller

Love
Peter

"On The Road Again"

For the first time in 10 days I braved the outside. I don't want you thinking that the weather was my limiter, but rather it was my right achilles.  I have worked very hard the last week with stretching, massaging, icing, and the new found rolling pin strategy.  It didn't feel too, too, bad but the jury is still out.  Tomorrow will tell me a lot, and then if it feels okay I will run again on Monday.  If all goes well again, I will try a long run next Wednesday.  That will be the ultimate test of my recovery efforts.

I actually feel quite good about the rolling pin thing as a long term strategy.  My calf muscle has not felt as knot-free in some time, and I know that's the key to managing connective tissue injuries.  I have to keep the muscles as long as possible, to avoid putting undue tension on the ligaments and tendons.  Its kinda like being married.  If you don't work hard at your flexibility, you're gonna end up with some tension!!

It was quite nice when I went out actually.  I think it was about minus 14, but there was little, to no wind, and being Saturday morning, not too much traffic.  I only did the block of course but I could tell just from that bit how it lifted my spirits.  Not that I was down mind you, just the usual February cabin fever.

Tomorrow's the dreaded long ride day so I gotta get a good nights rest.  I'm pretty motivated actually, because after my ride Colby is gonna reward me by taking me too the Lego movie in 3D!  Speaking of whom I gotta take to opportunity to tell you how proud I am of him, and his sister.  Yesterday was report card day, and the news was all good.  She doesn't always know it herself, but Miguette has grown into an exceptional parent, and the recent reports are just one example of it.

And that's it for today.  I'll left you know how the movie is.

run, 7.3 kms

"Grampa, I was so nervous.  Then when I opened it up and seen all those "A"s, I was in awe"---Colby Andrew Rooyakkers.

Love
Peter

"Technology Woes and Wows"

Now that I'm unemployed it seems like everything is breaking down….not just my old body.  Last week it was the microwave, and then the other day our freakin printer mysteriously stopped printing anything black!  After attempting every fix known to man and the Internet, I finally gave up and went out to buy a new one.  And I got a beauty at a great price!  Brought it home, got it all set up and working, software installed on 2 computers, and all working wirelessly!  I was quite pleased with myself, until just as a final check I tried to use the promised duplex printing.  I had specifically asked if the printer would do this.  Whoops!  Yes it will do it….. with an attachment! And no, the attachment is not available.  Frustrating!

Oh well.  I decide it's going back, and so I go to remove the paper tray that I had to install, such that the whole thing will go back in the box.  Well you know what?  I used to consider myself a pretty smart guy.  Not any longer!  I spent a half hour trying to get the effin thing off, and in the end took box and printer back separately.  They were good about giving me my money back, and the last I seen the guys at Staples they had the printer upside down, pulling and pushing and twisting, and I guarantee they won't get it apart without breaking something!  That's why I gave up, because I didn't want to end up owning a brand new, broken printer!!

So with my inability to get our old printer working, and then the frustration of the paper tray dilemma, I wasn't feeling too confident when Roo asked me to try to figure out why her USB drives showed full, but with no files on them?  But if it's one thing I am its stubborn, and so I gave it a go.  After 10 minutes with no success she suggested that probably Odd John would know.  "Well of course he'll know", I said.  "But I'll be damned if I'm ready to ask him!!"  If on top of  my other failures I had to ask for help on this little thing I would have to kill myself.  I figured it out!

So now I'm feeling just a wee bit more confident, and so I tackled a little bit of technology that absolutely amazes me the more I mess with it.  Believe it or not, I parked my bicycle close to my computer, and then wirelessly downloaded the current level of appropriate firmware to my pedals.  Isn't that freakin amazing?  Downloading software to my bicycle!!

But that's just the beginning.  The whole concept of these pedals amazes me.  The accuracy is unbelievable.  I have the luxury of my computrainer to measure them against, and although I had done a few quick tests, I decided today that I would do my entire workout pitting the new pedals against the trainer.  I was very careful to calibrate both devices as per the manuals, and then set out on my 80 minute workout.  The results?  Identical!!  

Realize that the trainer device is about 8" in diameter, weighs probably 7-8 pounds, and is plugged into the wall, and a computer.  The pedals in comparison depend on a slender alloy spindle, connected to a very small pod, which sends data wirelessly to my 2" bike computer, all of which is powered by 2 watch batteries!  Astounding!!  Who gives a shit about a printer?  Not me!

And to top my day off I had a pretty decent workout.  I continue to focus on riding in the aero bars, and for the first time today I realized that I wasn't feeling much relief when I took my upright break.  When I realized this it initially bothered me, but then it hit me!  To my mind, there can be only one reason for it.  I'm getting stronger down in the bars!!!  I'm pretty sure that's it.  Yup Yup!!

computrainer long intervals, 80 minutes

…and this one explains everything…

"The march of science and technology does not imply growing intellectual complexity in the lives of most people. It often means the opposite."---Thomas Sowell

Love

Peter

"Don't Feel Like Blogging"

Sometimes I do so anyway cause I know it's good for me, but tonite I think I'm just going to bed!

swim, 1500 metres

…and this is good ain't it?

"Don't take tomorrow to bed with you."---Norman Vincent Peal

Love
Peter

"Snow Day"

Again!!!
I've never seen anything like this.  I think that makes 7 or 8 days so far this year.  Last year I used my snow blower once, and it wasn't rally necessary that time.  This year it just doesn't stop.

But it was a silver lining kind of thing today.  It was already on my schedule to take Colb to the Ivey Institute in London to get his eyes checked, and I'm glad to report that the concern that brought him there is only a minor one.  When they started talking about retinal pigmentation we got just a wee bit nervous but like I said, all is well.  With the snow day Colby didn't miss any school, and we had the joint pleasure of spending most of the day together.

Of course him and I rarely like to miss an opportunity to have lunch together, and with his pupils all dilated he needed some protection.  Even while inside, the eyes can be pretty sensitive for several hours.

The other serendipitous thing about the snow was that I never went running.  Yup!  That's what I said.  It was a good thing that the snow kept me from running.  I was very tempted, but I am damn certain that staying home was the better idea.  I am still sore, and feel very tired.  I'm listening to my body!

And in turn there was one more benefit.  Since I didn't run, that left we with a little time to mess some more with my pedals.  I'm happy to report that I have everything working, and actually did a couple of little test rides.  I did three 5 minute test rides and am delirious in reporting that they worked flawlessly, and in almost perfect sync with my computrainer.  The pedals and the trainer were within 2 watts of each other for all the tests!!  EPIC!!

And in closing a leave you with  a few pictures of my grandsons eyeball.

The outside…a bit dilated

And the inside…too cool

So my workout today consisted of chauffeuring Colb around, and sitting in the hot tub at the Y while he was at his leadership course.  Life is good!

"No one can lie, no one can hide anything, when he looks directly into someone's eyes."---Paulo Coelho

Love
Peter

"The Old Fashioned Way"

Translated that means doing whatever it takes to get the job done.  As soon as I got on my bike this morning I knew it was gonna be one of those days.  It actually surprised me a bit.  Since I've not been doing any running I expected to feel good, but for whatever reason it wasn't so.  I considered getting back off and trying again later in the day, but that would have messed up my other plans, and so I decided to hang in.  And like I said, I did the workout by doing whatever I had to do.  That involved lots of upright riding, and lots of standing.  So be it.  I'm not even gonna try to analyze it.

After my workout I went to Sparta public school and spent an hour with my new grade 3 friend.  It went quite well I believe.

When I got back I had surprise guests, and I'm damn mad I never thought to get a picture.  Of my beautiful niece Carla that is.  Her ugly father happens to be my closest brother, and despite his ugliness he's also quite special to me.  Thanks for stopping in Bill.  Love ya brother!

Then back to doing things the old fashioned way, and in this case it meant changing the oil in Miguettes car, and in mine.  I quite enjoyed it actually, except for the parts when I had to get up or down.  It just plain hurts!

computrainer short intervals, 90 minutes

….I like this one…

"I don't believe in email. I'm an old-fashioned girl. I prefer calling and hanging up."---Sarah Jessica Parker

Love

Peter

"I Installed Them"

And they work!  Well mostly anyway.  I'm referring of course to my new Garmin power meter pedals.  I got power and cadence measures, but couldn't seem to get averages for either.  Once I put it aside for the evening I think I figured out why.  It's looking for movement, and since I'm sitting in the basement not going anywhere, the GPS is stopping the timer.  That's what I think anyway.  I know that calculating average is a function of the bike computer (not the pedals), so I'm sure I'll figure it out. Tomorrow I'll try it with the satellite function turned off.

I also fixed my microwave installation, and am now very happy with the situation!!  No one else cares, but I don't care, that they don't care…it needed done!

It was an easy day as promised.  I can't believe what the bike workouts are doing to me.  I hope it means I'm gaining lots of fitness, rather than just one more indicator of my old body falling apart.  Both my achilles and my shoulder are still keeping me honest.  I'm doing what I can to get a handle on both.

Today after my swim I spent more than half an hour in the hot tub, stretching and bending and massaging.  I'm very grateful that I have the time to do it, and generally find it psychologically therapeutic, as well as physical.  Well, most of the time anyway.  Today when I climbed in there were 2 gentlemen in there, one of them talking and the other listening. I didn't pay any attention except to note the fact that the talker kept talking, as the listener was trying to leave.  He finally shut up when the guy got 20 feet away.  It took him all of about 30 seconds to try to pick up a conversation with me, but I never heard what he initially said, and out of courtesy asked him to repeat it.  He said, "I was just telling that fellow"….and I thought, oh no!…"now you're gonna tell me aren't you?"  Yup!  That was his opening salvo, and sure enough he immediately started in about some satellite radio gizmo that he just bought.  Well with all the background noise of the hot tub, and my messed up hearing, the only way I was gonna hear him was to sit close, and to watch his lips move, neither of which I was interested in doing.  Not because either one of those would make me uncomfortable, but rather because both of them would imply that I was interested in hearing what he had to say.  It was a painful 10 minutes of head nodding and smiling at what I guessed might be the right times, because truly, I never heard a word he said for the entire time!

And although that was a bit annoying, the next visitor made up for it, and then some.  He also liked talking, but instead of opening with, "I was just telling that fella", he started out with "Happy Birthday!"  My guest was a mentally challenged adult, and as much as the previous guy annoyed me, this guy only made me smile.  I never understood most of what he said either, but my smiles were not feigned in his case.  Happy Birthday indeed!

swim 1250 metres, weights

"Children learn to smile from their parents."---Shinichi Suzuki

"If a man smiles all the time, he's probably selling something that doesn't work"---George Carlin

Love
Peter

"Why?"

Tough to find answers today.  After about 30 minutes I seriously considered geeing off my bike, and coming upstairs.  I think the only reason I hung in there was the knowledge that I would not be running again tomorrow, and as such I had at least better be doing my bike workouts.  So I listened to my music, read a bit, and just generally day dreamed for more than 3 hours.

And once it's over I'm okay, since throughout it, the answer to the "why" question is there in the back of my mind.  I do it for my sanity.  I do it to stay well.  I do it so that I don't get sick.  It's tough medicine for sure, and may seem like overkill to some, but I simply require a high dosage.  At least for now.

So tomorrow will be very light again, with only a swim and my weights.  That's good anyway, because it will give me time to fix the poor installation I did of our new microwave.  I guess microwaves last for 10 years and that's it! I knew ours was pooched, when it started making loud noises, emitting bad smells, and didn't warm anything up!  The installation is actually kinda okay, but kinda okay doesn't sit well with me.  I'll fix it!

So please be proud of me today.  Anyone would love to ride their bike outside for 3 or 4 hours on a nice Sunday in June, but not many people want do it in their basement in February.

computrainer, 3:15

"You must understand the whole of life, not just one little part of it. That is why you must read, that is why you must look at the skies, that is why you must sing, and dance, and write poems, and suffer, and understand, for all that is life."---Anon

Love
Peter

"I'm a Wiser Man"

I spent the day with my grandson Colby and my brother John.  Enough said!

No workout today, as I rest my achilles.

"Be happy. It's one way of being wise."---Sidonie Gabrielle Colette

Love
Peter