Thursday, March 27, 2008

Too Much Chocolate And Not Enough Sun

Above is footage of a skinny bearded scrub who has bad fashion sense and needs to get some sunshine. Coach CT often takes video of us while swimming at the PTC. My swimming has been feeling pretty good and I swam a 23:32 for 2000m 'hard tempo' in practice a few days after this video was taken. Maybe I would be faster if I shaved and wore a Speedo LZR swimsuit?

I'm looking forward to tomorrow's PTC swim practice. Coach CT came down to 'the lab' (my basement where the indoor riding and geeking on the CompuTrainer Lab takes place) to look at my positioning on my new road bike and old time trial bike. We made some big changes to the time trial bike and some tweaks to the new road bike. I tried to pawn off some of the giant chocolate egg, but Coach CT surprisingly refused to eat some despite loving dark choco. Bre dislikes dark choco as well, so I am still sitting on the largest chocolate egg in the history of this world (see below post). Who wants chocolate? Please take it from me.

Due to this chocolate surplus issue, Wise Grasshopper Coach CT implemented a 'challenge' theme at swim prac this morning. He set a swim challenge for each of us, and if we were successful, a coveted piece of chocolate from the giant egg would be presented at the end of practice. My 'challenge' was to hold a sub-17 front crawl stroke for the entire practice. I failed miserably--no chocolate for me. Actually, nobody got any chocolate--not because they failed like me--but because I forgot to bring the chocolate to swimming! That won't happen tomorrow. And tomorrow I shall not fail. Bring the next challenge Coach CT--I am going to 'go to town' and 'Champ It' :-)

In other news, I leave Sunday for the warmth and sunshine of Clermont, Florida. As you can see from the above video, I am in dire need of some sun. The hideous beard is now gone, I just returned from the hair salon, and I even have a new drag suit. It must be spring. The racing season must be on the horizon. The cobwebs need to be shaken off...and there are a lot of them--I am far from race worthy fitness...

I will finally get a chance to ride outside on the new steed. The last time I road outside (other than a couple of MTB treks, was at the San Francisco Triathlon in mid-November. It has been a long winter and I am itching to have an enjoyable week of base training in more ideal temperatures.

I will be staying at the luxurious Orange Lake Resort. This will be the home of an annual LPC Triathlon Camp beginning March of 2009. I will be firming up the details for next year's camp and also mapping out all of the routes. I already know the area well--as Clermont has been my base training camp for the past five years.

I will be accompanied by my pop, and LPC athlete's Dennis Masse, Keith Henry, and Shelley McKee. Good friends Bill Davies and Doug Crowe will also be in town for a big week of training in paradise. I will be joining in on some of the sessions of an excellent triathlon camp put on by London's Coach Sheri Fraser.

Sunday, March 23, 2008

Dinner Is Served

Bre received a phone call from our local bakery that we had one a prize. To our delight--we discovered that we had won the largest chocolate egg in the history of this world. We had secured our Easter dinner and I am not going to sleep for a month--the entire egg is 70% dark chocolate and contains 400 million calories and I will be bouncing off of walls like a Tazmanian Devil (which will help burn off all the calories).

We actually did have a wonderful well-balanced meal before we brought out the chainsaw on the mother of all eggs. A big thanks to Brian and Janet for once again putting together a fantastic Easter dinner.

47.50

Wednesday, March 19, 2008

New Machines

Thanks ABIKES for your incredible support! The weather continues to be terrible so I have yet to hit the hills. I can't wait--bring on Rattlesnake...


I also received this new fully loaded notebook from Dell (please don't ask me how much $$$ I spent on this lovely machine). I have way too many applications that require lots of juice (no, I do not play video games)--and I am on the computer more than I sleep--so it was time for a big upgrade.

Tuesday, March 18, 2008

Cycling Awareness Test

Saturday, March 15, 2008

"I Run For Life"




The next running of the Loaring Triathlon will take place on Saturday, July 19th, 2008

Online Registration opens
March 19th, 2008

The 8th edition of the Loaring Triathlon will once again be held at our gorgeous cottage-like setting along Lake Erie in Essex County, just 40 minutes ouside of the Windsor/Detroit area. All proceeds will be given to the Elena Loaring Memorial Fund for Breast Cancer Research through the University of Windsor. All monies received will be doubled by the Provincial Government!

Full info at: http://www.loaring.com/

Click the video and sing along with Melissa. Let's continue to run and tri and fight for a cure!

A big thanks to Rhonda Bonneau for putting together this wonderful slideshow.

Melissa Etheridge I Run For Life Lyrics

It's been years since they told her about it
The darkness her body possessed
And the scars are still there in the mirror
Everyday that she gets herself dressed
Though the pain is miles and miles behind her
And the fear is now a docile beast
If you ask her why she is still running
She'll tell you it makes her complete

I run for hope
I run to feel
I run for the truth
For all that is real
I run for your mother your sister your wife
I run for you and me my friend
I run for life

It's a blur since they told me about it
How the darkness had taken its toll
And they cut into my skin and they cut into my body
But they will never get a piece of my soul
And now I'm still learning the lesson
To waken when I hear the call
And if you ask me why I am still running
I'll tell you I run for us all

And someday if they tell you about it
If the darkness knocks on your door
Remember her remember me
We will be running as we have before
Running for answers
Running for more