Char's LPC Florida Camp Highlights

• Watching the sun rise with a great cup of coffee - it's so quiet and peaceful - as if it's rising just for us. How lucky do we feel?
• Early bird swimming at the "Lazy River" - a 350m meandering pool - one of 8 outdoor pools at our resort Orange Lake Golf & Country Club. What a fun and unique place for a group swim, and against the current to boot! Great variety when combined with the pool and open water workouts we've had.
• Catching a cat-nap poolside - the sun feels so good and warm on my belly. Loving that Vitamin D time.
• Eating the best orange I've ever had - deliciously juicy and perfect.
• Shopping for dresses and other pretty girl things - Dad loves to spoil me :)
• Patio lunches with dad - wine is fine anytime frankly, and he is such good company. Yes, I'll have another - thank you.
• Challenging run on the Orange Grove Trail - the citrus smells are amazing, and the long gradual climbs make for a great workout.
• Wild-life spotting - so far: 8 cardinals (love them!), 2 turtles, 4 eagles, countless egrets, and 1 scary gator!
• Cycling, cycling, and more cycling - through cyprus tree overhang, up Sugar Loaf's steep slope, through beautiful Lake Louisa State Park - the exploring never stops. The first rides of the season are always sooooo sweet, and I'm loving every minute (even the 4 hr long ones!). Bum is feeling great thanks to the Mega Days!
• Amazing dinners with amazing company - perfectly grilled steak, delicious grouper, fresh mahi mahi (that's for you Janie - almost as good as St. Croix), and even gator bites!
• 1463 new freckles - at least - and counting. Gotta love em!
• Taking my absolutely gorgeous niece Annika swimming for the first time - I am IN LOVE people!! Not a single cry - just a face of serious exploration and wonder the whole time she's in the water with you. Unbelievable. And, yes, she WILL be a swimmer. You should see her little legs kick when you hold her - and she's got long legs and long narrow feet (flippers) just like her Auntie Cha Cha, so I see big things in her future! Next swim we're going to review "flip turns" - I'll keep you all posted on her progress :)
• Watching the sun set on the beach while finishing off my chocolate mint ice cream - I somehow forgot about this flavour for a while - funny how it took a trip to Florida to realize how much I love it.
• Having the time to fully relax and appreciate how lucky I am to have experiences like this, and to have friends like you to share them with - thank you :)

Pics from Florida

Tomorrow is the final day of the inaugural LPC March Break Florida Triathlon Camp. What an amazing week it has been. A report(s) to come over the next few days.

Some random pics from the paradise of Kissimmee, Florida:

Kissimmee with The Fam

It sure has been a long time since I have chimed in. It is usually a quick post to remind everyone about upcoming events. But today's post will be a quick recap of the past month.

Let's start with Valentines Day. My dad and sis drove up for a quick visit because they missed Annika so much. My dad's heart starting acting 'wonky' and he had a pacemaker put in on V-Day. My dad is never one to show any crack in his armour--and recovered very fast after what is surprisingly a very simple surgery. It is great to see him even better than his usual energetic self. Pictured below is Maverick taking good care of Gramps.

On Feb 19th we loaded up the car for our big road trip. We could not wait to get down to Florida for 5 weeks of sun and warmth. Bre and I jammed Annika, Maverick and all of our stuff into the Mazda 5. The car was packed! We caravanned with Brian and Janet. There mini-van was PACKED with Annika's "necessities". It is comical how much stuff we 'had' to bring with us.


Past half-way to Kissimmee, Florida! Here was a quick pit-stop as Annika was getting hungry. Getting a picture taken with the immortal Kernel Sanders made my day. This also proves that I can be whiter. But I certainly will not appear whiter for a long time.

Annika travelled very well, she never once said "are we there yet?!" and was very excited to get to Florida. The rest of us were starting to get grumpy as the loooong drive was starting to take it's toll. Mazda really wanted to get to Florida so that he could get all of the Ontario salt stains off!

This is Annika telling her grandma that she wants a jumper. Within seconds, I notice that my credit card is missing from my wallet. Bre is already online buying one to honour Annika's request. Annika always gets what she wants.

The next day and Annika is already playing in her new toy. She likes to play "rodeo" with her friends Suzy and Donkey. Donkey always seems to fall off and land on his jackass.

Annika becoming a tired, tired, girl after a big day of playing. She is always content when she has her security blanket "uffie" by her side.

Here I am working hard--too busy to shave or brush my hair. I will be honest and say that the past few months I have been worker much harder in front of the computer, than I have on the field of play. This trip to Florida will see me doing more swimming, biking, and running than the past few months. Maybe not enough training to be considered 'ideal', but being a daddy, husband, and coach always happily reigns supreme--and that means a lot of missed work-outs. Finding a balance is a challenge that I now know well--and training is last on the list of priorities. However, I will say that being here in Florida is providing the opportunity for some excellent rides on beautiful rolling terrain. It sure is a wonderful feeling to be running shirtless in shorts. And training at the NTC pool is always a pleasure.

Annika is once again overcome with hyperbolic joy as Brian introduces her to her first baseball glove. It might be a little premature to play catch with her just yet.

Two weeks in Florida have flown by. Only three weeks left and things will continue to be busy. Grandpa Loaring arrives tomorrow for two weeks. Then Charlotte and several other triathletes and coaches will arrive for the first annual LPC March Break Triathlon Camp from March 15-21. The camp kicks off for some with a "cob-web scraper" Oly Tri in Orlando on March 15th. I just signed up and have lots of cobwebs to shake off.

Stay tuned for more updates from the paradise of Emerald Island Resort in Kissimmee, Florida. And a huge thanks to Pre, Dale, and Scott, for taking care of BJAM's pad back home. Lots of Keith's in the fridge for you!

Upcoming Events

We are finally into March and spring season begins in less than three weeks.  We are entering the time of year where there is a plethora of events to take part in:

March 3, 10, 24: Loaring Physio Core Stability Seminar Series

March 7th: Windsor Spinergize Spinathon

March 8th: Running Factory Spring Thaw 5k

March 15-21: LPC March Break Florida Triathlon Training Camp
-contact me if you are interested in breaking away for a week of warm weather training in paradise.  Some of the campers will kick off the camp with the Orlando Triathlon on March 15th.

March 22: Tri-For-Life Indoor Triathlon

April 4th: 5th Annual Multi-Sport Symposium in Waterloo
-I will be one of several guest speakers and will discuss how to develop a proper training program.  I will post more details soon about this exciting event on my blog.

The Loaring Personal Coaching (LPC) website has been revamped.  Many updates will continue in the near future. 

To help plan your race season, have a look at the Team LPC Event Calendar.  Additionally, the links resource page offers a collection of multi-sport links.

That ends the link blitz.  Lots of exciting upcoming events to keep everyone motivated!

Many of these events help raise funds for several charities!

LOARING PHYSIO TRAINING DAYS

Last Two of Season:

Two remaining Loaring Physio Group Training Days are scheduled for Sun Feb 22 & Sun Mar 1. These sessions are FREE, and are open to athletes of all ages & abilities. The main purpose is to bring positive energy and athletes with common interests into one room, take part in some excellent training and learning, and leave with a smile, some motivation, and a happy belly!

Cardio equipment is available on a first-come first serve basis for those without bikes. Join us for all or part of the scheduled workouts. More details found below. Bring a friend and get motivated for the spring training season!

SCHEDULE
Doors Open: 7:30am
Bike Start: 8:00am
Run Start: 10:10am
Core/Stretch Start: 11:00am
*Brunch (onsite at Loaring): 11:30am

*Note regarding Brunch:

• Sunday Feb 22 = Potluck (bring a dish of your choice; fridge/microwave onsite)
• Sunday Mar 1 = Koolini Onsite Full Catered Brunch ($15 per person - please RSVP by Fri Feb 27 via return email or phone 519-257-3762).

Please bring:
1. bike
2. indoor trainer
3. indoor/outdoor clothing
4. large towel
5. fluids/food for during workout

Workouts provided by LPC Head Coach James Loaring, and led by Registered Physiotherapist Charlotte Loaring. Audio-visual motivation via flat screen tv slideshow, good tunes, and great company!
Directions to Loaring Physio here.

And don't forget two great upcoming community events the following weekend:

SPINERGIZE Saturday March 7th - say hello to the Loaring Physio staff providing medical support and participating in the spinathon for Hospice!www.windsorspinathon.com

SPRING THAW 5km Sunday March 8th - slug it out on "day 2" with a back-to-back physically active weekend during this great season opener race by the Running Factory!
http://www.runningfactory.com/

Spinathon

Helen Robertson and Shelley McKee are shown here working hard at last weekend's ALS Spinathon in Chatham.  Click the image below to read the story published in The Daily News.

 
A few LPC athletes will participate in the upcoming Windsor Spinergize Spinathon on March 7th from 9am until 3pm.  Windsor Spinergize is a a fund-raiser for Fitness for Hospice.  More details about this fantastic event here.  For many, it will make for a big triathlon weekend as the next day (Sunday March 8th) will feature the Running Factory Spring Thaw 5k. 

Below is a collage of pics from the successful 2008 event.  I liberated this pic from the Spinergize website.  It shows several LPC athletes, and me in the middle demonstrating:

a) karate
b) Jane MacLeod's pedal stroke
c) how I am going to try to pin Larry Brun who is standing behind me (aka Larry Destiny, who fought the Rock back in the days of the WWF).

Whomever answers correctly can claim their prize (an LPC water bottle) from Loaring Physio. 

Triathlon Seminar

The final triathlon seminar (Part 3: Run and Developing a "Plan of Attack") takes place tomorrow (Tuesday from 7pm to 8:30pm) at Loaring Physio. There is still time to sign up for this seminar that provides a wealth of tips for the beginner to intermediate triathlete. More info here.

The Extra Degree

A lot of solid swim performances this past weekend for many Ontarian triathletes. Many have been relentless, always giving that extra degree of passion and effort, and are beginning to see glimpses of dividends, that will flourish come summer racing.

Bits and Bites

A few bits of info as we enter the weekend:

Loaring Physio will host another Training Day this Sunday. 
More info here

A Triathlon-specific Cycling Seminar will take place at Loaring Physio on Tuesday, Feb 10th from 7:00pm to 8:30pm
More info here

For those interested in getting away during March Break, consider taking part in the LPC Florida Triathlon Camp

Loaring Triathlon photos have been uploaded to the Loaring Triathlon Facebook group. 
Tag away and join the group to stay updated on info regarding the 2010 Loaring Tri.

Click here for info and links regarding upcoming 2009 multi-sport events.

Have a great weekend!

Loaring Physiotherapy & Health Centre featured in Windsor Life Magazine

Click the image below to read an article published in this month's Windsor Life Magazine.