What an awesome morning. Damn that was cool seeing Francis carry and pass The Flame at downtown Guelph City Hall.
After reading The 20 Worst Restaurant Foods In America, I might have to re-calibrate my glycogen replenishment strategy during my March visits to Florida. I have been wrong all along. I can do much better and pack even more calories/fat/salt in!
#7, #3, #2, and #1 (scroll down below to see the stats) combine for a Champion Dinner. A 8000 calorie dinner if you consume only these 4 menu items below! And surprisingly, the Outback restaurant is home to two of them.
I love ribs, but might have to stay away from the ones at the Outback from now on. Wow, 3000 calories is an awesome accomplishment for a restaurant to offer for a single item. Now that is not an issue for freakish me, as I have been known to pack in excess of 5000 calories in many hundreds of dinners....BUT...you have to be kidding me that the Outback ribs contain 90g of saturated fat and almost 5 grams of sodium. That should be outlawed.
You are, of course, going to need a side order to go with the ribs. How about the Jack in the Box Bacon Cheddar Wedges? Can someone explain to me how is it legal for a business to pack 13g of trans fat into a tiny side dish? That is criminal. Please tell me this happens only in America?
After eating all that salt, you are surely going to be thirsty. I would recommend being proactive and scooping up Cold Stone PB&C Shake on your way to the Outback...have them store it in the fridge while they are masterfully preparing your ribs. 131g of fat in a shake. That is awesome. After that debauchery, I hope you left some room for dessert.
Fortunately, you won't even have to leave the Outback to save the best for last. Make it an epic dinner and order the Chocolate Thunder From Down Under. Despite the world of hurt that your stomach might be in, make Joey "The Chestnut" proud by ensuring that you lick the fork clean...are you listening Anthony Paniche?
Enjoy!
PS: If you are still thirsty (you will be) after consuming so much salt, on your way home you might choose to make a quick pit-stop and down one of these 15 Worst Drinks In America. Ideally, you will choose one that you can order from a drive-thru take-out window--that way you can minimize walking off the dinner. Down it, hit the sack asap, and have sweet dreams of starting the next day strong...with a Breakfast of Champions.
Disclaimer: For those who are health-conscious, I would strongly advise against consuming this Champion Dinner...and the advise following it. Instead you might be interested in reading The Most Nutritious Whole Foods. Enjoy!
3,021 calories
242 g fat
(90 g saturated fat)
4,648 mg sodium
We hope the guys at Guinness World Records are paying attention: Outback now holds the dubious distinction of serving the first nationally available entrée in America to pack more than 3,000 calories. Congratulations.
760 calories
53 g fat
(17 g saturated, 13 g trans)
963 mg sodium
It doesn’t take a nutritionist to identify the hazards of a grease-soaked, cheese-slathered sack of deep-fried potatoes, but by appearance alone, nobody could guess what’s really at stake when you order this side from Jack’s. The American Heart Association recommends that people cap their trans fat intake at 1 percent of total calories. For people on a 2,000-calorie diet, that’s about 2 grams per day. See the problem? This sack crushes that number with six times your daily intake—not to mention nearly half your day’s calories.
2,010 calories
131 g fat (68 g saturated, 2.5 g trans)
880 mg sodium
153 g sugars
There were dozens of contenders in line for this dishonorable distinction, but Cold Stone’s PB&C is the only drink in America to stretch across the 2,000-calorie mark. The combination of peanut butter—good in small amounts, horrendous when liquefied in bathtub-size quantities—and chocolate ice cream outpaces even the worst cookie- and candy-strewn shakes that clutter Cold Stone’s embarrassing shake menu. Suck this thing down and you’ve just blasted away a day’s worth of calories, more than 3 days’ worth of saturated fat, and almost as much sugar as an entire 15-ounce box of Chewy Chips Ahoy! Cookies.
1,911 calories
88 g saturated fat
135 g carbohydrates
We’ll concede that desserts are intended to be decadent, but there’s a dramatic difference between indulgence and recklessness. Add one of these ice-cream–covered chocolate cinder blocks onto the end of one meal per week and you’re looking at more than 2 extra pounds of body fat each month. Think that extra flab is just inconvenient? Actually, according to numerous studies, it increases your risk of developing a host of conditions from diabetes and high blood pressure to esophageal cancer. Some of those risks are magnified when you factor in the 4½ days’ worth of saturated fat gluing this thing together like toxic cement. Technically this dessert is intended to be split four ways, but the last we checked, it doesn't indicate that on the menu. And even if you were to split it with three friends, you'd still each consume an extra 477 calories after your meal - about as much as if you'd eaten one and a half McDonald's cheeseburgers for dessert! Split the cheesecake with two friends for a better option.
Can you see and feel and the Olympic spirit in this man? Pictured is Coach Barrie Shepley carrying The Flame near Peterborough a couple of days ago. What an awesome pic!
I look forward to seeing the torch relay pass thru Guelph on the morning of Dec 28th.
I have already caught the Olympic fever.
Olympic Torch Relay Interactive Map
By Amy Keller in Florida Trend
On a warm March morning in central Florida, James Loaring and a half-dozen other Canadian triathletes trek down to the glistening National Training Center in Clermont. Fresh off a long bike ride through the area’s rolling hills, including a slope called Sugarloaf Mountain, the Canadians continue their workouts in the facility’s 70-meter pool. Meanwhile, other elite jocks, running the gamut from swimmers to soccer players, javelin throwers, sprinters and shot-putters, exercise in the nearby weight room.
Full Feature Story HERE
I am really looking forward to the upcoming LPC Florida Triathlon Camp. Our accommodations are in Kissimmee which offers many advantages to Clermont (example: Orange Lake Country Club Resort!) but a short distance away from the beautiful terrain that Clermont offers. Bring on Sugarloaf!
Upcoming Loaring Group Training Days at Loaring Physiotherapy:
Sun Dec 20
Sun Jan 10
Sun Jan 24
Sun Feb 21
Loaring Group Training Days are designed for athletes of all levels and abilities. The main purpose is to bring lots of positive energy into one room, take part in some excellent training and learning, and leave with a smile, some extra motivation, and a happy belly.
Directions to Loaring Physio here.
Sunday December 20th Timeline:
8:00am Doors open (set-up begins)
8:30am Bike (indoors on trainer for up to 90 minutes)
10:10am Run (outside running drills and then off to Blue Heron Hill for up to 45 minutes)
11:00am Core Exercises & Stretches
11:30am Potluck Brunch (onsite at Loaring Physio for those who would like to stick around and refuel and socialize)
Full info available here
Several months ago, Mike Hay and I began acting on a vision to create an informal "field of dreams" squad (or team or club or group or network or call it what you will) that consists of a few other local passionate tri-geeks. The goal was to combine a few talented endurance athletes/coaches together for the occasional sparring session here in Guelph. Mike and I are both busy with family and full-time jobs, and we wanted to find a way to maximize our training time that is available after engaging to our more important family and work priorities. This state of time poverty is a common place that most triathletes find themselves in. While we are both more passionate about coaching others to success--then we are towards our own athletic goals--we feel that it is important for our on-going coaching development, to continue to train and compete with purposeful structure and goals. We knew there were other talented elites (several who also coach) that were training solo for part or much of their training program. They also head their own teams, or are loyal to other well respected and established teams. But sometimes they train on their own, and would prefer to spar with others during some of these occasions. Allied Force was born.
What is Allied Force?
Allied: "Joined or united in a close relationship"
Force: "Strength or energy of body or mind; active power; vigor; might; often, an unusual degree of strength or energy"
Allied Force is an informal, unofficial, non-sanctioned, not-for-profit, non-recruiting, tri-geek stomping ground for elite triathletes and/or endurance coaches--whom might benefit from training with a few other like-minded individuals for the occasional work-out--if the alternative is to train solo. The primary purpose of Allied Force is to encourage on-going learning and development while exercising...and having fun doing so.
It will be an opportunity to combine forces and put to the field our knowledge that we have gained from the lab, or books, or from our own training/coaching/racing experiences. We will continue to be our own guinea pigs, continue to search for clues. Similar to attending a coaching conference, or clinic, or seminar, we will be passionately engaged while out on the field playing, swimming, biking, running.
But it won't always be serious! While techy talk might comprise a portion of the chatter, make no mistake that a large portion of chatter will be comprised of mindless blabber and trash-talking.
The Current Roster:
Mike "Stinger" Hay
Steve “Houdini” Hewick
Mark “Merlin” Linseman
James “Viper” Loaring
Tyler “Wolfman” Lord
Dave “Iceman” Sharratt
Ryan “Hollywood” Smith
Maverick, my fearless bichon-poo, is the Team Mascot. His bark is much bigger than his bite. He has frightened many, even the likes of Thomas the Tank.
Why the cheesy code names?
Priority #1 in the sport of triathlon is.....(insert drum roll).....HAVE FUN! Every triathlete needs a nick name to help fuel more humour to the process of the Daily Grind. You can be serious and structured and focused, while having fun, at the SAME time. One without the other will never lead to optimal results.
Onwards and upwards we go...along the highway to the Dangerzone
By Dave Waddell, Windsor Star, December 1, 2009
After carrying the memory of Larry Azzopardi during 12 hours of Sunday's Ironman Cozumel triathlon, Doug Crowe finished the journey by escorting his father-in-law to his final resting place as a pallbearer at his funeral in Essex Tuesday.
It was as it should be.
Azzopardi, who founded Laval Tool and Mould Industry over 30 years ago, died Nov. 22 in Atlanta from complications of a blood clot while enroute to Cozumel to watch Crowe compete in his first Ironman competition.
Azzopardi was 75.
"Larry was always so supportive of me," said Crowe, who trained seriously for a year for the race.
"He was such a driven, competitive guy. That's why he loved to go with me.
"He could see some of himself through me."
Crowe, who has competed in numerous triathlons and run in four marathons with Azzopardi in tow, finished the Ironman in 12:10:28. His time in completing a 2.8-mile swim, a 112-mile bike ride and a marathon was good enough to place him 42nd in the men's 45-to-49 years division. Overall, the Essex resident finished 393rd out of the 2,500 competitors.
Crowe was one of five area athletes to compete in the race.
Also participating were Amherstburg's Keith Henry (13:57:51), Tecumseh's Maria Eid (14:22:13), Essex's Dennis Masse (14:22:18) and Windsor's Bill Davies (15:42:02).
