Sometimes the equipment doesn't match the goal

Thursday was a, ahem, "cross-training" day.  I went out with some of the old-time homies to play hockey on Thursday night.  These are the same guys I played with last year every Thursday.  At the beginning of this year I gracefully withdrew since I was driving half-way across the southern end of the province to get to work and back.

Anyway, last week they called me back needing an emergency goalie and since I hadn't played since the end of last year I figured I'd at least be good for padding everybody's stats.

So as usual I remember five minutes before sho

oting out the door to work that I haven't loaded the equipment bag in the car.  Eek!  I barrel down the stairs throw everything into the bag, throw out my daughter's skates (I think) and fly out the door.

Later that same day (this is where the eerie music starts) I show up to the rink and get ready to play.  Small problem, and yes the pun is definitely intended.  I've packed one size eleven skate and one size twelve skate.  Doesn't sound so bad, does it?  I mean, maybe you can pack an extra sock into it and make it work.  Hmmm - not so much:

Yep, this is what you get for rushing your "preparation".  Two white skates yes, but that's about where the similarity ends.

So funny story, but it's not over.  I'm packing up to leave when one of the guys says he has an extra pair of skates and since their size 9.5 I should be close enough to good.  I've already driven all the way there so I give them a try.  By the time the zamboni hits the second turn I can't feel my toes anymore.  I spend most of the game on my knees keeping off my feet (cross training be jiggered).  Afterwards, as the pins and needles are shaking themselves out of my numb feet and my pinkie toes are pushing themselves out of their coccoons, the truth comes out - the skates are size 8.

At the time I had a clever lesson to be passed on about prerace preparation and making your checklists and checking it twice and so on and so forth but that was all erased by the numbness in my feet on the way home.

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This weekend was pretty solid for training:  a nasty three-hour trainer ride in the basement, burning through nearly two full X-men movies and this morning's piece de resistance.  24km over the hills.  At 7 a.m. this morning it was -16 degrees (3 degrees F) with a wind chill of -26 C.  In the group this morning (and the fact that it was a group tells you all you need to know about the relative sanities) I saw three balaclavas, two frozen bottles of Gatorade and a scarf wrapped around a frosted face (but no partridge in a pear tree - sing it to the tune if you like).  

The moral of the story is in the title.  Figure skates are not meant for hockey.  Basements are not meant for three-hour rides, and if you're going for a long run in the cold weather you'd better make sure you have the right insulation for the fingers, toes, noses and frank and beans.

Six days to the Alton Half.

Peace.

History

I'm not American. I never have been and have never had any great desire to become, not because there's anything wrong with that. I just happen to be happy with the snow (even with the shoveling) the maple syrup and beer (sometimes even together).

Today however was a day that just once, just one little weeny teeny little bit deep down inside wanted to be American, just to feel as though I was part of history. One day this will be remembered as one of those "location" moments, as in, "where were you when.....?"

I mean, when a Canadian third-grade class skips science today to explain what "inauguration" means and to explain the significance of it all to a room full of eight-year olds that's a big deal. And then again, when it's the only topic of conversation at dinner, it's at least memorable.

Yes, we can? I don't know. But I'll sure be watching with much more interest than I have for about seven years.

The gift that keeps giving (or taking away)...

This morning was a killer run. 22km over the fabled Northshore hills. The Sunday morning running group has decided it's time to get serious about training with the Chilly Half now less than 2 months away and ATB just over two months out.

Now, I like hills as much as the next guy (or maybe that should be as little). The real killer this morning was running through the slushy unplowed roads. The course goes out through town and into a fairly quiet part of town where the hills start. As an aside, this morning's route passes one golf course and three (!!!) cemeteries. Coincidence? Actually the route stops at the base of a hill with a cemetery at the top, but close enough.

My feet are killing. It's not the "ups" that do it. I think it's the "downs" and the careful picking of foot positions to avoid ice, puddles and general overall shmuck. I must say however I did pull one nice aerial jumping over the splash from an oncoming car that changed lanes a little too close to us. Jumped the splash, and stuck the landing too.

This was preceded yesterday by a three-hour ride in the basement. Warmed up on the trainer to the end of some Premier League football game (ew - yeah I know, any port in a storm) and then plugged in "Gladiator" Still a great flick, but doesn't really work so well on the trainer.

So, the gift that keeps on taking? Well, after shoveling the driveway today (again, but I won't talk about it) I had to go to my least favourite place on earth.......




the mall.



Not only did I have to go to the mall to return a sweater that was gifted and did not fit I was bounced around to three different malls to find the right size. It was even worse when one store said "we don't have it but store X does" and then store X has taken the wrong item off the shelf, so they don't have it either. At least they agreed to find it and send it in, only calling me when it's received.

Oh well. I'm off to soak my toes.

Peace.

Hackin' but still livin'

I've been fighting through a nasty hacking cough for the past week or so. Actually if you ask the rest of Team Ironhead it's been more like a month (following the Truly Male Credo that "if you ignore it, perhaps it will go away on its own"). Normally, I'm the last to be stricken down. The junior members of Team Ironhead bring something home from school and it circulates around the premises from November to May. This year, they've been relatively healthy. Anyway it seems as though the worst has finally passed with the help of some prescription-but-questionably-approved-by-WADA medication and I may just be able to get down to some relatively consistent work, and just in time: the 2009 2nd Annual Alton Half Brought to You by Pancakes is on the calendar for this year. It's still early, but it looks like registration numbers are up 33% over last year, making this event a smashing success. I do remember the run course being a killer last year, knocking me out after two laps of a three-lap course. There is some question as to whether there will be an available pool for the race weekend. We may have to build some flexibility into the proceedings. Ah, but the smoothies.....

Time to get back to "work".

Peace.

New year, new look

Or so I hope.

So I'm out for a run the other night and as I turn the corner off my street I hear, "mind if I join you?"  Another guy has run up behind me.  Turns out he lives a couple blocks away and he's training for Ironman Lake Placid.  He did a couple of short-course races this summer past, and the half-iron at Peterborough on three weeks training.  

We got into a conversation about training and Ironman and a bunch of other things.  Now I'm by no means an expert on training, but after one Ironman race everyone else seems to think so?  He says he needs to work on his nutrition (in January?  For a race in July?) because sometimes he forgets to eat.  We  talked about fueling during racing, or as much as I know on the topic, which isn't much.  I related my experience in finding out what my intake limit is on the run - two 300-calorie Powerbars, three gels, two bottles of Gatorade and a bottle of water on a 30km run is too much, unless you like lying down on the couch afterward begging the room to stop spinning.

Anyway, one good thing that came out of this run?  I've decided that I'm targeting Lake Placid this year.  It was about 90% confirmed up to now, but now it's solid.  The catch?  Oh yeah, little thing like registration's closed.  So is the community fund.  The only other option now is to qualify through one of the qualifying races.  The closest to here is the Muskoka Long Course, so that gets added to the schedule.

Another good thing?  Now I have another training partner, and local to boot.  I'll just have to work on getting him off his four-week training program - a long run of three hours every weekend is eventually going to catch up to this guy.  PS - I looked up his results at Peterborough - at least I beat him there.

Peace.