Everything I need to know about life I learned in ICU

Don't drink.
Don't drink and drive.
Don't drink and drive a motorbike.
Don't drive a motorbike.
If you drive a motorbike, please sign your organ donor card.
And wear a helmet.

Don't smoke.
Don't do street drugs.
Don't street fight.
Don't play with bombs.
Wear a helmet.

If you have asthma, don't have a cat.

Drive carefully.
Avoid trees.
Avoid livestock.
Avoid wild animals.
Avoid oncoming traffic.
Cycle cautiously.
Avoid cliffs and sharp rocks.
And always wear a helmet.

Pay attention, never assume anyone else is.
Pay particular attention to your family.
Tell you love them
Tell them often.

And always wear a helmet.

Lana Lovo Aug 21st/2000

I saw this posted on a board at work and it made me laugh, but it is so true. Words to live by to keep you safe and out of ICU!

Yesterday was a welcomed day off training. Still feels weird on those days that I don't do anything. I watched a little TV, got my lunch ready for work and did some web surfing. Tonight was back to "normal", lol. My wife had gone to meet some of her friends for dinner so I was home alone for a bit. I threw a blanket down on the floor in the living room and put my trainer in front of the TV. I did a short warm up and then some cadence work. The one legged drills are getting a bit smoother, lol. I did about 45 mins tonight, probably would have stayed on longer but Shelly came home then.

Tomorrow I will try to get a swim and a run in before work tomorrow night. I am gonna hate missing the indoor night on Tuesday. But with the upcoming Last Chance Half I will probably try to get another run in between night shifts. Can't wait for days off again! Time for bed folks, adios.

Well that sucked....

After getting a few errands done I headed out for the run I had planned. I planned on 15-18 km and figured I would decide during the run. Based on this I chose to run from Edworthy since I know this distances from each turn around point. Can't complain about the weather, mostly cloudy but 11 Deg out. Threw on my headphones and off I went!

The run started off good, felt pretty comfortable. I decided to throw some intervals in there to mix it up a bit. There were a couple of runners I could see up ahead so I thought why not use them as carrots. Eventually by Eau Claire I had passed them but I was not feeling good anymore. I was tired and shaky, maybe the blood glucose was dropping. I stopped a walked while I took a Gu gel. A couple drinks of water and I was on my way again.

After a few minutes I was feeling fairly good again and running at my normal pace. I decided to keep to it and hold off on any more intervals at this point. At about the 12km mark I started to feel the same as I did earlier (about 7.5 km at that time) . But now I didn't have another gel with me. I am not sure it was all blood sugar crash...it was only 5km since my last gel. But at any rate I had to walk. Then I would run....and then walk. About the last km I walked the whole thing. I was feeling pretty crappy. I finished the 15km at 1:36....a usual time for me.

I don't think that I pushed excessively, I ran my usual pace with a few intervals. I didn't take any Gatorade with me on this run. I normally do and alternate it with water. And I have top admit that I was sore to start the run off. I had 6 days off this week so I figured I would get a fair bit of training in....and I did. Maybe I over did it this week. But for today's run I will just consider it an off day. Tomorrow will be a well earned rest day...well from training anyway....I go back to work tomorrow.

In home life news...Shelly is heading to a Dr's appointment tomorrow and will probably find out if she is going to have a C section of not. I am getting more excited each day! The baby's room is 100% complete. I am quite proud of my wife and how well she does despite feeling tired/crappy all the time. She is a trooper! Well I am off to grab some advil and a diet coke. Happy training!

Wow....that is not so bad afterall....

I used to really hate my bike trainer. When it came time to get on it I cursed and tried to find excuses not to. But oddly enough, the more time I spend on it, the more I like it. Last week was the start of Coach Greg's spin classes. It is turning out to be fun and good motivation. I think that it will really help during the winter months. In just a couple of classes I have noticed an improvement in my technique.....its good for picking out flaws and then changing them!

I had signed up for the Last Chance half marathon in Nov. I need to get a few longer runs in so I am thinking tomorrow I will do a 15-18km run. The LC half was my first...I think I will try to get under 1:50 for this one and best my time from last year. Hopefully the paths will be clear and we get some good weather......last year it was beautiful and sunny!

It's a little over a month until my wife is due. Strangely enough I think I am the one nesting. I am cleaning like a mad man. I did the 3 bathrooms (and I did a hospital clean) and the kitchen today. I am going to do all the floors and the bedrooms tomorrow and hang more shelves (after my run of course). I think I am trying to get everything done now because the family addition might come sooner than expected. The baby is positioned frank breech....meaning its ass is down and head / legs to the sky. I really doubt the baby will turn...ain't much room in there. Shelly said that she was told they will do a C - section early if that is the case. I think we are ready though, lol.

Time to finish making dinner for my wife and then spin! Adios!

A Thanksgiving ride in the snow!

First off, no I didn't go for an outside ride in the snow today, that is just batshit crazy. But as I was driving home from the gym today I saw 2 guys out on their road bikes ride along the 1A. Minus 8 is just a wee bit cold for me, not to mention the snow on the roads. I was glad to be driving in my nice warm jeep but kudos to them.

My day consisted of a 45 min ride on the spin bike with a 30 min run and shoulder/bicep workout. The weight training is going well, making some big gains in my strength. Tomorrow I am planning to go for a 16km or so run. I figure I need to get some longer runs in as I have the Last Chance half coming up. I wish it was a bit warmer out, at least +10, lol.

Spent a while on the trainer yesterday watching the action in Kona. Great performances by Alexander and Wellington!! I had made plans to take my wife out to dinner that night so I had to leave during the run. My wife was not thrilled that I was checking the updates on my iphone, lol. Who knows, maybe someday I will be there. I doubt I will ever qualify, but who knows, maybe I will try my luck in the lottery when I am ready, lol. Better odds than lotto 6/49, lol.

Tomorrow is going to be chicken day...no turkey :(. It will only be the wife and I so it would not make sense to bake a big turkey. Shelly picked up a chicken that she will roast (but I am sure it will be just as yummy!). Hope everyone has a great day tomorrow and gets lots of good eats!

I just want to listen to my music....

It's been a while since I blogged. It's seems like I sit down to get at it and then I am instantly tired. Last night at the team season ender there was some blog talk, I decided I needed to get back at it. Things have been really good as of late on the training side of things. I got my desire to train back stronger than ever. I have done some cross training, lots of weight training and more running.

I decided to do the Ambulance Chasers run on Friday night. I didn't set any firm time goals but I thought about getting below 50min or at least the same as my last 10km race (51:27). I didn't know anyone doing this race and thought why not run with with some tunes. The course was all on pathways so safety would not be an issue. So before the race I put 55mins of music on my ipod shuffle and off I went.

We got the 2min warning for the race start and then I started the tunes...."Lose yourself" to start. I was hating the first 20mins of the run....I always do. There were a few of us that were "leap frogging" each other and kept things interesting. AT about 5k I one of the girls that I was going back and forth with caught up to me. I heard her talk to me and then I shut off my music. We chatted a bit and then I thought we were done.....until she started talking again, lol. I was thinking "I just want to listen to my music" but I gave in. In the end it turned out to be a good distraction and fun. But it was just that...a distraction....I forgot about my loose time goal. About the last km I said, "ok, lets finish strong" and we both picked it up a bit. I pulled away soon after and crossed the line first. We exchanged a quick high five and parted ways.

I finished about 51:30 so I was happy with that. More importantly I had fun. I wasn't in a bad mood at the start but I wasn't in a good mood either....lets call it neutral. By the end of the race I was in a great mood. Not even sure what my "friend's" name was, lol.

I really enjoy listening to music when I train. I am always looking for new tunes. Lately I have been on a bit of a techno/rock mix kick. I like just zoning out and getting my workout in. The music has been a big factor in getting my motivation back. I have a big year ahead of me!!

I signed up for my second half IM! I will be racing Calgary 70.3 baby!! It's one month after GWN but I am confident I can get them both done. Its going to be a lot of work because I don't want to "survive" them...I want to kick ass.

Taking the plunge....

Well tonight I did it....I signed up for my first Half Ironman. I have heard alots of good things about the GWN half I decided to make it my first. I am feeling excited already, I think its going to be a good training boost! More on this later....my bed is calling!

So, here is how my anniversary race went....

So here is how my anniversary race went.

I had a surprisingly good sleep the night before the race. I woke up in the morning to find my wife not in bed. I went down stairs and found her asleep on the couch. I woke her up and asked why she was there and not in bed. She told me that she was restless and thought she would keep me up and that I needed a good night sleep before the run. God love her but that made me feel like shite. I would rather be sleepless than have my very pregnant wife sleeping on the couch. I gave her a hug and a kiss and then sent her back to bed (not the couch).

I hopped in the car and cranked the music. I was feeling pretty good this morning, better than I had in a while. I really do love the drive out to the mountains. I can say that I wasn't nervous or even as excited as normal.....I would describe my mood as neutral.

I got to Canmore and bumped into a few friends. We chatted for a while until they had to start (doing the half not the 10km I was doing). Then I bumped into more friends that were doing the 10km. I was getting a bit excited at this point! Finally it was time to line up and start!! The horn blew the usual walk to the start line progressed. It still annoys me that people who should not be anywhere near the front put themselves right at the start. The first 1km I spent getting around people....grrrrr.

Things started to thin out and I was feeling comfortable. Like I had said previously, I didn't set any real goals (other than definitely be under an hour...but this is a standing order for me). I looked at my garmin a few times but for the most part just ran by how I felt. I remembered clearly why I liked running this race. The scenery in Canmore is awesome! I lived there for a short period after my university graduation. Loved it then but I do hate how touristy it has become.

Back to the race...it was perfect running weather. Sun was shining but not too hot! Before I knew it we were on the last 2km! We came off the river pathway and onto the final stretch....a 750m straight shot the the finish. I didn't really pick it up much at this point, I kept my steady pace. I crossed the line at 51:27 by chip. I was pretty content with this, it was 4 1/2 minutes faster than last year with not as much effort. It was a good day and I was smiling.

After meeting up with some friend afterwards for the race food, I headed home for some cycling. Greg had said to do an hour of easy cycling.....and for the most part I did ;). I headed out west on 1A and fell into a nice cadence and speed. I noticed that I could hear my music nice and clear.....that usually means a nice headwind on the way back.

Sure enough I turned around and there was the wind. I just put my head down and kept the legs moving (the felt surprisingly good). About half way back a guy passes me quick fast. I was thinking "wow that's some speed, nice work"! But as we kept riding I was getting closer...and then he would take off. This happened a couple of times after that. I don't know why but that drives me nuts...absolutely F'ing bonkers. All right the easy ride has ended.....shift gears and get aero. Very quickly after that he was behind me. I can have some degree of speed when I want too, lol. I came home and did a few laps around the neighbourhood to cool down. I felt awesome!!! Then there was today.....

I decided to go to Bootcamp at the gym for a change. The class is basically an hour of hell but you do it in a group setting and feel great for having done it. I had to stop going when my program was getting bumped up...I didn't have the time to do everything. So I go back today and what a rude awakening. The class started with 3 laps of a track....sweet easy. Then a short high kick warm up. Next wast the stop and go sprints with push ups and squat jumps. Next was push ups, squat jumps, and v sits reps. Ohhh can't forget the crab walk!!! Then its bent over rows with resistance bands and running. Finally it's time to run and do stairs (thank god now I can rest, lol). I would been happy if we had done that the whole time, lol. I am so freaking tired right now. My upper body strength has suffered over the summer (much like I am now). It was a good reminder that I need to work on my core!

On a personal noted, its crazy how life can change in a heart beat (and lack of ). One of the girls at work was supposed to be getting married one month from now. Last week he fiance died suddenly from a cardiac arrest. I had never met him but I don't think he was that old. I was just reading her facebook post about trying on her wedding dress. I can't imagine her pain. Anytime things like this happen it makes me appreciate life that much more. The last year has been very good for me. I got a great lifestyle change (thank you triathlon), got married and am awaiting the birth of my first child.



I am pretty excited to see this little guy ( I don't know for sure on this one...we aren't finding out the sex but I am hoping for a boy, lol). I think he/she will be the best thing I have ever had a hand in. I am planning to be in Hawaii when he wins in Kona ;). Bye for now!

D.