PaddlePedalPlod

Progress and What I'm Thinking About

noreply@blogger.com (Jarrett @ "PaddlePedalPlod") — Mon, 14 Jan 2013 14:14:00 +0000

To help me keep on my fitness goals, I've decided to keep a spreadsheet. Because I'm a bit of a geek for this kind of thing, rather than fill in a boring spreadsheet, I put it in Google Drive, and made it a survey. This way, I have a link on my iPad, I click the link and fill in the survey (Weight, belly measurement, mileage and "did I eat drivethru this week: Y/N). It automatically timestamps it, and adds each response to my spreadsheet. Cool, huh?

Technically, I don't have enough data to actually confirm anything (two weeks), but I'm happy to report that both weight and belly are down! I am trying to do the measurements at the same time, but I didn't, so it could just be the difference between evening and morning.

***

On a wildly unrelated note, I spent my downtime this weekend thinking about my Garden! Why? That and running are the two things that de-stress me. Since I don't have much to actually DO in the garden just yet, I've been planning. What to plant, when to plant it, where to plant it, what to start indoors and when, what to plant stuff in when I plant it indoors... there's lots to think about, especially because I'm still learning.

I ended up dwelling on what to plant stuff in. Last year, I used left over plastic pots, and a few coir (coconut hull) pot strips that you're supposed to plant directly in the ground. The plastic pots didn't fit together well under my lights, and wasted space, and the coir pots were a pain in the a$$ - they didn't separate easily, and they didn't break down in the ground.

My alternatives are to buy more plastic pots that would fit together better, or buy peat pots that would (in theory) break down in the ground better. Then I came across this concept:

Photo Credit: Lee Valley www.leevalley.com

It's called soil blocking, and I'd seen it in my Lee Valley catalogue before, but it looked scary. Scary as in: :that looks like it could be a lot of work, and you must have to buy special fancy soil. But wait a minute, I LIKE doing this kind of stuff! And, after a little research, I'm pretty sure the soil for this won't cost any more than I would spend on soil anyway.

The more I look into it, the more appealing it is. The first thing I like about it is that the size of the blocks fit into my trays (and thus under the lights) better. Second, it seems that it creates very healthy root systems, which is really the main goal of starting plants early. It also minimizes transplant shock, because you put the small blocks into the big blocks, and the big blocks go straight into the ground. Lastly, if I buy these instead of peat pots, the tool pays for itself by the second year (based on how much I plant).

I think I've found a good use for the loose change I've been collecting.

Crazy Timing

noreply@blogger.com (Jarrett @ "PaddlePedalPlod") — Thu, 10 Jan 2013 15:42:00 +0000

Sometimes, the weather cooperates and you get that break in the clouds, or the perfect soft breeze to cool you off on a run...

Last night was not one of those times.

On the schedule was 9 hills. For the past couple of days, the weather has been unseasonably warm - warm enough to melt a lot of the snow we've had. I'd heard that it was going to get a bit colder in the evening, but the forecast was for -7 (C) or so; not too bad.

When driving home, and driving to the Running Room, the roads were dry, and the outside temp on my car was showing about -5 C. Still, not bad.

When I stepped out of the car in the parking lot, I noticed a couple of stray flakes. Still, not bad.

In the 5 minutes I was in the store, the wind started to kick up, and the snow was starting to really come down, to the point that running to the hill was shockingly difficult. Not because it's a hard run, but because stinging, wet, icy snow was driving into my face. I was wishing I had my ski goggles!

By the time we got to the hill, it was a full on blizzard, driving at us from the right side going up, and the left side going down. I had several thoughts of quitting, but by the time I'd run up and down three times, I was a little more acclimated (numb), and thought I might as well finish. If you're going to start to run in something like that, you might as well do the entire run so that the suffering is worth it!

By Hill #7, I noticed my face was stuck. Frozen in a weird, drooping, wind-blasted way. I took a photo, but iphoto is acting up, so you'll just have to imagine it.

The final icing on the cake was that by the time I got home, it had warmed up, and the snow and wind had completely stopped!! As crappy as all that was, it was a bit of an ego boost - I was able to stay at the head of the pack, and even more importantly, I toughed out that storm.

And the Garmin data:

Holy Crotch!

noreply@blogger.com (Jarrett @ "PaddlePedalPlod") — Mon, 07 Jan 2013 14:38:00 +0000

Every single pair of running shorts or tights I've ever worn has come apart at the seams - specifically, the crotch seam. Apparently, I'm hard on stuff. And my thighs rub together when I run.

This is frustrating. I really don't want to buy new stuff every year, but it seems like I have to. The only thing worse than clothing rubbing together and wearing out is my skin rubbing together and wearing out. Trust me, not fun. It's happened so often that although I routinely forget watch, sunglasses, jacket, or miscellaneous other vital gear, I never run without Body Glide.

The thing is, I don't think this will change even if I lose the few (dozen) pounds I need to. Maybe I should get one of these:

2013 Goals

noreply@blogger.com (Jarrett @ "PaddlePedalPlod") — Sat, 05 Jan 2013 19:58:00 +0000

Let's get right to it. There's no other way to say it, but in 2012, I did not focus enough on ME. I'm not saying I was a selfless saint, but I just didn't spend enough time, thoughts, and energy on myself. Work, family, distractions all took precedent, but in 2013 I'm going to focus on me a little more, so that I can be a better dad, husband, boss, employee.

So, here's the plan:

Start Each Day with Intention, or, Focus On the Little Things
Reflecting on 2012, I got out of routine in the morning. My work is extremely varied, I work a lot of hours, and I'm near the top of the "org chart" (if we had one), which means that I'm able to get away with a flexible schedule. In early, in late, I still work a lot, so it didn't really matter when I showed up. This really throws off a morning routine. So, in 2013, I'm going to get up sooner, have a consistent routine that focuses more on little details, like taking at least 5 deep, focused "yoga" breaths the moment I wake up. I've started doing this, and it's amazing how it shakes out the cobwebs, physically and mentally.

I've got a whole list of things like this that I want to do, but I'm going to take on 1-2 of them until they become routine. This is probably the biggest, yet smallest change - spending a little more time preparing for each day, rather than just zipping out the door to tackle the world.

Save Money
Wifey has a great blog post about this here, but the gist of this one is that I've been spending too much money on fast food (which makes me feel like crap), and less money on distractions - especially iTunes (TV shows and movies on Apple TV, in-app purchases like digital comic books). I'll do this cold turkey in January, since I have more than enough stuff to occupy my time, and I've been contemplating disconnecting the credit card from my account and budgeting by buying iTunes gift cards and using those instead. Oh, and no drive-thru at all in 2013.

More Exercise
(Duh). I'm actually in the worst shape of my life. My asthma and allergies are worse than they've ever been, the "triplets" are back (ie my gut looks so big I might be carrying multiples), and my running times are not so great.

The plan here is to a) make up missed runs from my running room training plan, and run at least 10k per week, shooting for 750 km in the year, and b) work out in the basement after baby goes to bed, at least three times per week. I'm hoping we'll have more time to go hiking this summer, too.

Part of my work goals this year are to measure more, so I'm going to carry this over into my personal life. This part might be overly ambitious, but I like spreadsheets, so I'm going to put one together to track my exercise and physical progress.

Oh, and the last part of the exercise goal is to run at least two half-marathons. I'd also like to do an Olympic Triathlon, but we'll see if I can squeeze that in.

Take More Down-Time
In 2012, I had one week off when my daughter was born, one week in Phoenix in the fall, and a few days here or there (that I more than made up for in "overtime"). This year, I want to take at least an extra-long weekend in Fernie this summer, go back to Phoenix, and go fly-fishing in Smithers, BC, with my Dad.

Lastly, I'll spend more time on my garden this year. 2012 was okay, but I was working too much to really take care of it properly.

Coming to Terms With My Social Media Personna

noreply@blogger.com (Jarrett @ "PaddlePedalPlod") — Fri, 04 Jan 2013 14:48:00 +0000

... aka Why I Haven't Posted for So Long.
... aka (Hate the Word, but) Resolutions part 1
... aka Full Circle

I started this blog a long time ago (well, long time in technology years, where there's some sort of exponential-growth calculation needed, not just times seven like dog years) to discuss my discovery of triathlon, and to keep me accountable to my goals.

A new year naturally inspires reflection, as we come away from Winter Solstice with new hope as days get longer. I've never much liked the concept of (ugh) Resolutions, they just seem like over-hyped and under-thought broken promises to yourself each year. But I am a big fan of setting goals. And it is true that putting stuff "out there"is a good way to stay accountable.

The thing is, I think about technology a little too much. I work at a desk, on which sits a laptop, an extra monitor to handle the 25 different windows I seem to need open, a landline phone, an iPhone, an iPad... and a couple hundred pounds of paper. I haven't had time at work to blog, and when I come home, usually the last thing I want to do is sit in front of a computer. Tried Twitter, it's too impersonal and, well, just too much information. Facebook is okay, but well, too personal. I stopped blogging primarily because I kept wanting to write about things other than my original intent, and I felt obligated to reciprocate comments, and felt a need to foster views and comments.

So what changed? I just decided to look at blogging differently. I've decided I don't care what you think! No promises as to frequency or what I'll write about, and I'm okay with that.

Happy New Year.

Defeat

noreply@blogger.com (Jarrett @ "PaddlePedalPlod") — Sun, 10 Jul 2011 22:51:00 +0000

I'm going to post a full race report later tonight, but here's a sneak peek:

Not sure if you can click to get more details, so here's the link just in case:
http://connect.garmin.com/activity/97997213

Note the average speed. We were hoping to average 20-25 kph on the way up the pass. Wind speeds were forecast to be 15-25 kph from the west....

Three Thankful Things Thursday

noreply@blogger.com (Jarrett @ "PaddlePedalPlod") — Thu, 07 Jul 2011 17:32:00 +0000

1. Thanks to my beautiful wife and better half for being so understanding when I'm working crazy hours to help build this little business.

2. Thanks to the people who motivate me! Again, my lovely wife, plus all the other awesome run club buddies at the Country Hills Running Room - especially those (past, present) in the Half Marathon Clinic. I know not every one is a fan of the RR, but wow, our group sure is something special. Turnout is always great, the atmosphere and camraderie - regardless of age/gender/speed/fitness - is just amazing!!
Also in this group is a good friend of mine, who back in February convinced me (or I convinced him?) to do a Gran Fondo this year. We originally planned to do Kelowna, but on Saturday we're going to do Highwood Pass instead. We put in some time on the trainers over the winter, got a few road rides in, but I'm sure he's got me beat because he was riding to work more than I did! What makes it even more amazing is that this time last year, he wasn't able to even ride his bike due to a big health scare. Dude, hope you read this, and know how much you inspire me.

3. Thanks to God, Mother Earth, the weatherman... or whoever else you want to credit with this amazing weather we've had this week. I don't do well with heat, but man is it ever nice. Not sure if our flowers are holding up to it, between heat and the rainy weather a few weeks ago, but oh well.

Big Announcement

noreply@blogger.com (Jarrett @ "PaddlePedalPlod") — Fri, 01 Jul 2011 12:58:00 +0000

I went public with this Big Announcement at my RR clinic night this week, and thought it might be a good end to my blog hiatus.

It's a life and relationship-changing announcement.

It's going to involve some crying, some naps, probably some loss of sleep...

Running in Medicine Hat

...

I'm going to run the Calgary Marathon next spring!

The half-marathon training has been going really well-- not that I've been posting about it. I've been running very consistently for a year now (the most consistent training I've ever done), and posted a PR 1:50 in the Big Run half-marathon this past spring. I think the half will always be my favorite distance, but it's time for a new challenge!

The plan is to continue on with the half-marathon group at the Country Hills Running Room this summer, but rather than start a new cycle with them in the fall, just jump up to the Marathon group, and start upping the distance over the winter. Not sure how it'll go, but gotta set goals for myself!

Anyone else doing their first 42.2 next year? Any training tips? Any bets on whether or not I can keep up the blog consistently? :)

I'm Getting Too Old For This Sh*t

noreply@blogger.com (Jarrett @ "PaddlePedalPlod") — Wed, 02 Feb 2011 05:16:00 +0000

Great line, ~~great~~ movie...

I used to be able to indulge in more than a few drinks, stay up all night, get up early, snowboard all day, then do it all over again. Ah, to be young and stupid. Well, in some ways I suppose I still am...

This weekend, we went out to our place in Fernie, BC for the annual weekend with our friends. It's a great little spot that we're very, very lucky to have, and we're even more lucky to have great friends to come with us! This is the fifth year we've gone with more or less the same crowd-- sometimes we ski/ride, sometimes we do more socializing than snowsports.

Since we would miss our 20km LSD training run, I had every intention of going out on my cross-country skis for a workout. But Saturday looked far too wet from inside the condo. So we watched movies, played cards, caught up, compared iPhone apps, talked about triathlons and how crazy we are for doing them... and drank. The road into town was closed for part of the day, so we didn't even visit the brewery or the waterslides, but we still had a blast. After a great meal, we hit the hot tub, sang some songs, and played Cranium. I was a wreck!

...but based on how much snow was falling all day, I knew Sunday would be epic. Usually the plan is to leave at a reasonable time on Sunday, but I was determined to break out my board first thing. So of course, I had to wax it. At midnight. After *ahem* a few drinks. I was very impressed with myself-- I didn't cut myself as I sharpened the edges, and I didn't burn myself or the board with the iron!

I've never had (and I'm sure I WILL never have) any problems getting up for powder. Because I know that if I just get out there, all the aches, pains, and hangovers will just vanish. Sure enough, this is what I was rewarded with:

Blue skies and powder!!

I was too worried about dropping my iPhone and never finding it again to take many photos, but trust me, the powder was fantastic. There were a few runs where every other turn was a faceshot (ie the turn kicks up a big cloud of snow that smacks you in the face as you ride through it!)

These were on my favorite run (shh, it's a secret!), on the last run of the day at 1:00. We had to get home, and I was feeling so good at this point, that I thought I'd set up the spin trainer, ride for an hour, then dreadmill for an hour. Well. By the time I got back to the condo to Nicole, packed, and drove for thirty minutes (of a three and a half hour drive), I remembered that I was really hungover, and really tired! Thus the title of this blog.

So I missed the 20k run. And I was really looking forward to it!

January Recap and Pacing

noreply@blogger.com (Jarrett @ "PaddlePedalPlod") — Thu, 27 Jan 2011 17:38:00 +0000

IcantbelieveJanuaryisalmostover!!!

Seems like only last week we were celebrating Christmas and New Year's... and suddenly it's the end of January! It might partly have something to do with being sick (second time in two months!!), this time with sinus/chest cold-- it really knocked me out for a good week, with lingering after effects for another week and a half. But feeling much better now.

So what have I been up to, you ask? Went snowboarding twice in very, very cold weather on the first and the third-- fun times. Have been doing a lot of hot yoga, and running. Haven't been spinning, because the spin trainer was seizing up on me, so I took it in for warranty, and it wasn't resolved until yesterday (more in another post...) Went swimming once, then again today (finally!). And I was asked to take over as one of the pacers for my running group-- which I agreed to do, but it's changed my runs.

Don't get me wrong, I love to help people. But we don't really have a solid "pace group" really established, as there are two clinics that have overlapped-- one is doing the Hypo Half on February 12, the other the Big Run in April. So my old pace group is sort of the "veterans", most have done more than once clinic, or have been running forever. Our long runs have been 18km the last two weekends, and we're scheduled to do 20km this weekend. On the other hand, the new group is doing 9km long run on Sunday. It will sort itself out in a week or two, I'm just more concerned with how spread out everyone is-- there are three or four of the people in the new clinic that could probably form a bit more of a pacegroup, but they all seem to run just slightly different speeds on different days...

Why am I worried about this?

Because to me, the best things about these clinics is the group. Let's face it, although we have talks once a week about gear, or physiology, or technique, or race strategy, or goal setting... it's not like you're running with a coach. You don't really get any direct feedback on your stride, or technique, you get a workout plan, and people to help you get through the workouts. I want to make sure that everybody in the clinic has someone to run with, no matter their pace!

On the other hand, maybe some people in the group like to run alone... but then, why would they sign up for a group?

What do you think? Are you a solo runner? Do you run in a group? If you run with a group, do you like to chat, or prefer to just run, or listen to your music?

***
This week's training:
1 hr Hot Yoga on Monday
4.5 km Tempo run on Tuesday (26:40)
4.5 km Steady run on Wednesday (26:30) (I know, steady is supposed to be slower than tempo... )
1500m in the pool this morning - 5x100 w/u, 500m main set, 5x100m cooldown

Resolution Run Race Report

noreply@blogger.com (Jarrett @ "PaddlePedalPlod") — Tue, 04 Jan 2011 15:22:00 +0000

Busy weekend, haven't gotten around to posting this! You may have already read Deb's post about the race, or perhaps the one by Nicole... they both posted very detailed versions, so I'll keep mine short.

My goal going in was 22:30, but I knew it was a "stretch goal"-- I'm sure that my fitness level is there, but just looking at the course and the weather, I knew it wouldn't be easy. It turns out the weather wasn't as much a factor as the crowds! Like Deb, we were a little confused as to the actual start line, so we ended up starting near the back of the pack.

The first km, I was dodging people, and warming up. I got well behind my goal pace, and didn't manage to put in a sub 5:00 minute pace until the second km or so. Like Nicole wrote, it's awesome when you pass a bunch of people, even if it means that you started too far back, and it makes it tough to hit your goal. I finished in 23:33-- which would have been good, if the course hadn't been short.

A few thoughts about the race:

Fun-runs aren't a good place to target a PR.
The race was put on by the local run store, the Running Room. Their goal seems to be to get people running, not to put on a serious competitive race
The fact the course was a little short was very disappointing, especially since they sell Garmins.
I liked the crazy orange sweaters they gave out!
Didn't care for the "post-run meal"... hot chocolate (yay) and cinnamon buns (meh)... someone said there'd be chili?

Still, we had a lot of fun, and I'd do it again.

Afterwards, we went to a friend's house for NYE celebrations. A majority of people there are turning thirty in 2011, so the hostess made a cake and we sang happy birthday... perverse. But the cake was tasty.

Three Things Thursday (or Strawberry Beer is A Great Dessert)

noreply@blogger.com (Jarrett @ "PaddlePedalPlod") — Fri, 31 Dec 2010 04:35:00 +0000

Sometimes it's hard to post without repeating my DW Haute Runner... we do pretty much everything together!

WARNING: THIS POST CONTAINS COPIOUS FOOD REFERENCES!! IT STARTS WITH POSTRUN PIZZA AND BEER AND ENDS WITH A RESTAURANT REVIEW...

1. Wednesday Hills - The weather outside was frightful, the fire was so delightful (sorry Keith, like I told you this morning, I'm not Christmas-ed out yet)... but we still went running. Hills, no less. The plan called for 7 repeats, family requested our presence for pizza and beer, and since pizza and beer only help you run faster as a post-run reward, we ran early. As much as I thought postrun pizza and beer would motivate me, ~~the cold~~ my poor layering choices and the lack of ~~competition~~ running buddies made it a tough slog.

2. I SWAM again today!!! Since getting rear-ended at the beginning of November, I've been in a whiplash-induced swimbattical. I haven't been too happy about that. But I asked Dr. Dan last week, and he said go for it, so I WENT TO THE POOL THIS MORNING! Nothing crazy, just decided to do a bit of a pyramid to build up some mileage: 100m, 200m, 300m, 400m, 500m, cooldown, all nice and easy, about a minute rest in between. The f200m set, or maybe the 300m was actually the most difficult! After that, I worked out enough of yesterday's snow shoveling to get back into my rhythm. And, I got to chat with Keith.

Not us, but we were there!

3. FANTASTIC dinner tonight. In my books, the perfect meal involves great friends, great wine, and great food, bonus if the food is local/ organic/ or both, but fresh and skillfully prepared is a must. Good service (attentive, but not overbearing) is also a bonus. We have some great friends in town from San Francisco, and we went to Farm with them and a mutual friend from here in Calgary. Amazing charcuterie, great cheeses (the owner also owns Calgary's premier fine cheese store) and the menu is an haute-cuisine take on rustic home cooking. Fine ingredients and refined touches to simple, right-sized dishes, everything obviously made in-house, from scratch. After the shared charcuterie selection, I had what could be described as a perfectly-dressed house salad with canola seeds on it (very nice touch), and a braised wild boar shoulder with carmelized cabbage that was perfectly seasoned and melt-in-your-mouth tender. The berry crumble and a taste of strawberry beer finished me off though! Highly recommended for any foodie-- bit on the pricey side, but worth it.

PS In case you were wondering, pizza and ~~beer~~ hard apple cider is not good postrun food. But we had to let our friends properly thank us for the move.

PPS "Pizza and beer" - the phrase always reminds me of Econ 101... for some reason, every supply-and-demand example was pizza and beer. Which was always confusing to me, because there's rarely just one slice of 'za, and beer comes in sixpacks. Whatever.

PPPS I thought I'd posted about the rear-ender, but I guess I didn't. We got hit at a red light coming home from running, and have been in chiro/ massage/ physio for the past two months. And I was told NOT to swim. :(

PPPPS I realize that the past few posts make me sound like a hedonist/ alcoholic/ foodie, but I swear I usually eat pretty well, and I don't actually drink that often... I'm usually pretty good.... besides, it's the holiday season. (enough justification for you?)

Annoyed At My Spin Trainer

noreply@blogger.com (Jarrett @ "PaddlePedalPlod") — Tue, 28 Dec 2010 17:15:00 +0000

So annoyed, I won't repeat what I said to it yesterday morning. So annoyed, it's going back to where I bought it.

I hopped on the bike, intending to ride for at least half an hour to 45 min. At ten minutes, the flywheel started to stiffen up, slowing me down, then it would ease up, and I'd be almost freewheeling... it did this a dozen times before grinding to a complete lockup. I had to get off the bike, wiggle the flywheel back and forth before it let go.

So mad!! Just bought it last year, I would expect it to last longer than this! We'll see if the shop can do anything...

The good news is, I got to try out my Real Rides Grand Canyon (even though I wasn't able to finish it)... and I did do some yoga instead, which I needed.

Still busy with the holidays! Helped some family friends move all day yesterday, had other friends over for dinner, working a few hours today, back to helping move, then having my cousin and her family for dinner! Crazy, but I'd rather be busy than not!

16km and A Bottle of Scotch

noreply@blogger.com (Jarrett @ "PaddlePedalPlod") — Mon, 27 Dec 2010 00:31:00 +0000

Today, we skipped the boxing day shopping and ran 16km in beautiful weather (ranged from -5C to 5C). Our run club group was the only one to have people show up, even though we met at 10am instead of the usual 8:30am, and our instructor told me that I was the only reason she showed up, because I insisted that I would be there when I talked to her on wednesday!

There were certain parties who, at about midnight last night, thought I might not make it out in the morning...

When I was in my teens, my grandpa got a 25 year old bottle of scotch for his birthday. It was standing on the bar, next to a box lined with crush velvet and gold leaf...
"What's the big deal? I mean, I understand that it's old, but so what? What difference does it make?"
To answer my question, my grandpa pulls out two glasses, pours a little splash of the good stuff into one and asks me to taste it. I still remember the burn! Then, he reaches under the bar and pulls out some J&B scotch whiskey, and poured another splash into the second glass. I immediately asked to taste the good stuff again!

Every year at Christmas, my dad usually buys a decent bottle of scotch-- we enjoy a few glasses, and the bottle lasts for most of the year (if not longer). Last year, I decided to continue the tradition at our house. There's still some scotch left in the bottle of Glenmorangie Quinta Ruban I bought last Christmas-- I've thoroughly enjoyed it. So much so, that I thought this year I'd buy the same brand, but for a few dollars more I sprung for a slightly better rated version, the Nectar d'Or.

Me, dad, and brother enjoying a glass of fine scotch

The three of us finished the bottle. Yep, it was that good.

Considering how much I drank, I was shocked at how good I felt on the run! I managed a 5:55 min/km pace, finishing in 1:35... my calves are a little sore, but otherwise feeling exceptionally not hungover!

Christmas Eve update

noreply@blogger.com (Jarrett @ "PaddlePedalPlod") — Fri, 24 Dec 2010 15:02:00 +0000

Yet again, I've fallen behind on my blogging. I seem to either have too much to write, or perhaps too little... and sometimes I just feel self-conscious about putting it all out here.

It's the morning of Christmas Eve. All week, I haven't been able to get up as early as planned, but today, I woke up wondering about friends I've made over the years and lost touch with. (Facebook just doesn't count). We had dinner last night with my best friend from high school--the one person from that time in my life I've kept in touch with--and I dreamed that I ran into a whole party of my old high school friends. It may have had something to do with seeing people's photos on facebook, and actually seeing and talking to another friend last weekend, too.The past few months have also seen me reflecting a lot on the past few years-- but perhaps I'll leave that for another post, maybe a "farewell 2010" post next week.

I'm not sure why I lose touch with people so easily. Does everyone experience this? My lovely wife seems much more able to maintain relationships-- or at least try to--partly because she spends so much time on FB, but shhh, don't tell her I said so. To me, I find myself constantly meeting new people, and I give myself the excuse that it's better to have a few friends that have shared interests and are "in the same place in life". I'm not so sure about that anymore. Am I lamenting a lack of friends, or feeling sorry for myself? Certainly not... especially since I'm sure at least a few of my friends are reading this... :)

I've been working on a post about how much I love my run club (I will post this before the new year!), and a big reason is it's such a great way to get to know people who ultimately have a pretty major common interest- running. In some ways, blogging is a great way to meet new people, on a strangely intimate, yet sometimes very surreal way. New jobs, new neighborhood, all bring new people to meet, and each time, with each encounter, you have to choose how much of yourself to give, how much you want to connect.

But I do really wonder about some people with whom I've lost touch. People I went to school with since childhood. People I once worked with. People I partied with. Sure, some of them are "on Facebook"... but really, I don't think that counts. At least not for me-- I don't check status updates regularly, and not everyone is inclined to post about themselves, and if they do, it varies from the mundane to the ridiculous, to the political, to the odd funny clip. Is it the same as sitting down and having coffee or a beer with someone and catching up on a few years of missed time? I think not.

So in case you haven't noticed, I'm feeling a little nostalgic. If any of my old (or new!) friends is reading this and wants to (re) connect, I'm always free for a coffee or a beer (but not at the same time). I'll buy. jarrett dot nixon at gmail dot com

... And in other news, the post-accident whiplash treatments are working, and next week I'm back in the pool. I can't believe how much I've missed swimming!!!

10k PR

noreply@blogger.com (Jarrett @ "PaddlePedalPlod") — Mon, 06 Dec 2010 16:07:00 +0000

.... But it wasn't mine. I'm pretty happy with how (consistently) fast I've been running lately. That and the fact I was a little hungover :P was incentive to help someone else push themselves a little today. One of the ladies in the group has been pretty much on our heels for the past few weeks- and we've been bugging her to run with us. Today, she did, and even thought we were doing 10-and-1's, she kept up, and clocked her first sub-hour 10k! We'll find out Tuesday how sore she is...

Speaking of sore- this week has been pretty light on training, but heavy on the whiplash treatments. Monday and Wednesday were Chiro, Tuesday massage, and Thursday was physio, featuring about 6 needles for muscle release. It was great, I feel awesome now, but if I go back for another treatment, it will be late afternoon instead of mid-day. Even though he taped my back, it sucked to work another 7 hours after! Have you ever tried needling or acupuncture? what did you think? What's the best/worst treatment you've ever done?

Hopefully I won't be working as many long hours this week... We got most of the month-end agility sorted out now, so this week will be catching up on everything else- especially workouts!

PS I Think most of you read her blog anyway, but check out wifey's blog for a more detailed update!

- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone (Or at least I thought I did... until I checked it and it didn't actually post!!!! boooo....)

Calgary Running and Tri Blogroll

noreply@blogger.com (Jarrett @ "PaddlePedalPlod") — Tue, 30 Nov 2010 20:36:00 +0000

Busy week! Between the two jobs, Chiro, massage, accupuncture (later this week), running and yoga, it's gonna be crazy. But I'm sitting at home waiting for the furnace cleaner, so thought I'd post a quickie before doing some work...

I've been thinking a lot lately about how to manage reading all the great blogs out there. I've discovered inspirational and interesting blogs from all over Canada, the US, and lately even one from across "the pond". But some days I'm so busy, that I end up skipping a lot of great blogs. At the same time, I want more!

Reading Deb and Jen's blogs the last few days, they both wrote about meeting each other for the first time-- and there has been talk of meeting up at the Resolution Run on New Year's eve. I'm currently trying to arrange a coffee meetup with a blogger who lives across town, I live with another Calgary blogger, and used to work with yet another. I'm really enjoying the community that comes with connecting to other 'local' bloggers!

So, dear readers, I'm asking for your help and feedback.

How do you manage to read (and comment) on so many blogs?
How do you find local blogs and/or running buddies in your area?
Do you know of any Calgary area running/triathlon bloggers? Are you one I've missed? So far I've manged to find (and follow):

I know there are a LOT more out there...

Snowy Black Knight Army Virtual 10k!!!

noreply@blogger.com (Jarrett @ "PaddlePedalPlod") — Sun, 28 Nov 2010 21:30:00 +0000

I just squeezed it in! The plan for the running group today was 10k LSD (long slow distance, not the other kind), but I decided to push the pace (a little, it was pretty slippery), and do the BLACK KNIGHT ARMY VIRTUAL RACE!!!! (Doesn't it just sound epic?!!? It was.)

I didn't bring my iPhone, because it's bad when you slip and fall on it, so you'll have to take my word that I wore black tights, black turtleneck (under my sweater and jacket!). Oh, and a black toque, black gloves, and black neckwarmer. Kind of like what I wore for this run. Except it wasn't so cold!

That's right, it wasn't so cold today... but it is snowing. Not the lovely big, fluffy flakes that kiss your cheeks, the tiny little ice daggers that stab out your eyes. Ok, maybe I'm exaggerating a bit, but they do kind of hurt the eyes!

Still, the run was quite the adventure. As you can see from the details below from my Garmin, it's a hilly route, and not very well cleared of snow. In fact, the longest hill was punctuated with snow drifts-- only about 3-6 inches deep, but it was like running on river rocks- slippery, unsure footing. And the steep parts were particularly slippery!

Right now, we're just taking a little break from putting up the Christmas decorations... the tree is up! I'll post some photos later in the week. When do you put up your tree? Do you put one up at all?

Yoga, Sushi, and Saturday Spin

noreply@blogger.com (Jarrett @ "PaddlePedalPlod") — Sat, 27 Nov 2010 20:22:00 +0000

...and I won a poster over at Because All The Cool Kids Are Doing It! (Thanks for voting if you did...)

Yesterday (Friday), I finally took advantage of the Living Social deal we bought a few weeks ago at Sanguine Yoga. I'll definitely be using up all 20 of the visits, and will probably be buying more after that! It's a really nicely laid out and newly renovated hot yoga studio that is about 5 minutes from my office.

The first time I did yoga was when I was living and working in Field, BC at the Travel Alberta visitor information center. It was a really tight community, and one of my friends was a yoga instructor, and she put on a weekly session at the community center. I was in decent shape then (lotsa hiking and mountain biking), and was terrible at the yoga, but I enjoyed it. I'm in better shape now, and yoga is still hard, but almost in a different way. There was less stopping, and I was able to keep up a little better. The class was Power Hot, and I sweat buckets! The muscles felt much looser by the end, and I think it's really going to help my back strength and flexibility.

What's the perfect dinner after yoga? Sushi! We LOVE Globefish Sushi - they have some really creative and delicious rolls! The only complaint is that parking is always difficult after about 5:00, as it gets pretty busy around then too. Still, it's worth the wait!

Spin Saturday
I would have liked to go to the spinnathon today, but logistically, it just didn't work out. I have to do some work later today, and am planning to visit my father in law later today. So I hopped on the bike around 9:30, made some adjustments to my handlebars, and rode Richter Pass.

Three Things Thursday

noreply@blogger.com (Jarrett @ "PaddlePedalPlod") — Thu, 25 Nov 2010 16:03:00 +0000

1. Oww! I wussed out on the run last night because I was very tired, but also because my left leg was really sore. Kind of a weird feeling, almost an IT-band tightness, but more on the side of my quad. Nicole helped me roll it with the stick-- I almost cried. Feels like a massive bruise.

2. So busy with work! There are fewer people looking to build a garage lately, but those who are seem to be more serious about it. Also doing a lot of work on my presentation, and there's lots going on at my consulting gig as well. It's a good kind of busy though.

Even the Hulk Does Crunches

3. Did core work this morning! I know this is important-- I know core is my weakpoint, and that to get faster I need to get stronger. Also, a few weeks (months?) ago, I went to physio for some preventative work. Did some needling, and got some exercises to improve my posture and back issues. Shhhh.... don't tell my physio, but I haven't been doing them! But since we got rear-ended a few weeks ago, it's more important than ever to improve my core muscles! Did plank, bicycle crunches, and situps on the ball, and back exercises.

... And the bonus thing- weather's getting better! High of -1 (C)

Running in The Second Coldest Place On Earth

noreply@blogger.com (Jarrett @ "PaddlePedalPlod") — Wed, 24 Nov 2010 05:17:00 +0000

That's right. Today, Calgary was second only to Antarctica (where it is summer) with the recorded temperature at -27 C (that's -17 F for you 'Mercans). I read about the different injuries, personal hardships, and other challenges that so many in ye ole blogosphere deal with and train through or around, and I thought a little weather isn't so bad.

What does it take to run in this weather?
Well, as Keith says, there's no such thing as bad weather, just bad clothing choices. 20 minutes to get dressed, in order:
Wool socks

Getting geared up!

Non-cotton skivvies
Fleece long-underwear
Thin turtleneck
Thin running tights
Windbreaker hiking pants
Two light fleece running sweaters
Balaclava
Neck warmer
Toque
Headlamp
Gloves
Goretex Trail running shoes

I was happy to have all those layers, but I was actually a little too warm for our 5.5km run! The wind that made it so cold earlier in the day died down a little, and it was actually a little warmer in the evening after the sun went down. After talking to my chiropractor, Dr. Dan, about winter running, I was really focused on my posture. Running outside in the cold, we tend to hunch over a little, tucking our chin into chest, and the stride tends to be shorter and more out in front. So I was thinking open up the chest, shoulder blades together and down, head up, light on the feet, and leaning forward slightly. I'd say the run went well! Our pace was not as fast as it would have been on dry roads, but it was pretty good, especially considering the slippery footing. (This was a "tempo"run-- my pace buddies and I usually shoot for 5:20 min/km)

Spin Saturday and Cold Run Sunday

noreply@blogger.com (Jarrett @ "PaddlePedalPlod") — Sun, 21 Nov 2010 20:08:00 +0000

... and a special bonus - kitty hopped up on honeysuckle. He likes it better than catnip!

Yesterday, I dragged my butt a little bit, but I did go downstairs to the spin trainer for an hour and a half workout on the Keremeos and out and back sections of the Penticton Half-Ironman course. Of course, I live no where near there, but I've got a great DVD called Real Rides. It's a great workout.
If only my spin trainer would give me enough resistance. It's a cheap one, and it seems sometimes that it does pretty well, at others, it's like it doesn't have much to it.

Post-run frosties! A few eyecicles

This morning was fun... couldn't drag wifey out of bed for our 8:30 group run, so I was a little late too. I bundled up (toque, tech shirt, fleece hoodie, light running jacket, gloves, my Sugoi compression running socks, tights, windbreaker pants, and my Salomon trail runners) and zipped over to the Running room. I was late, so I headed out down Harvest Hills looking for the group... and I found them, running the other way. A quick chat, and I found out the planned route, then caught up with them again partway around the second loop!

100th Post - (roughly) 100 Things About Me

noreply@blogger.com (Jarrett @ "PaddlePedalPlod") — Wed, 17 Nov 2010 18:55:00 +0000

I started this post about 2 weeks ago, and was planning to do a numbered list, but that's just not how I roll. Or so I discovered. So thus the "roughly". Hopefully this won't be too long/boring to read... if you do get through it, please comment- maybe answer one or more of the questions.

Blogging

I've been blogging since may 2008... sporadically, which is why it's taken me so long to hit 100 posts! I think it's mostly because I over-think stuff, and always want to post longer than I should, so I start a post, but never finish or post it because something more important/urgent comes along. So I've decided to change my approach a little, and try to write shorter posts. More often. And yes, this is one "thing" about me... I'd rather post more detail about a small number of things. It's the English lit portion of my education overpowering my Communication Studies. If you blog, how long have you been at it? How often do you post?

How I Started Triathlon

Board shorts and long hair - 2008

I love triathlons. I love training for triathlons. I started training in January 2007 because I couldn't quite reach my snowboard bindings... and not because of my limited flexibility (although this is also a problem). I first signed up for a snowboarding/skiing weight training class at the YMCA, but this was cancelled because I was the only one who signed up! When I showed up for the class, and found out it was cancelled, I asked the girl at the desk what other classes were good: "The triathlon class seems to be very popular. And it's a good workout!" A few years prior, my Dad did a sprint triathlon, and I wasn't able to do it with him, and always wanted to do a race, so I signed up. The first day of swimming, I showed up in board shorts and long hair, no goggles or swim cap, and what I did could hardly be described as "swimming". I didn't drown, but boy did I flounder. It's a lot different than swimming in the lake! The coaches were great, and between the first day in the slowest lane (almost the walking lane) to somewhere in the middle, complete with goggles, cap, and speedo. Today, when I go to the city pool, I'm usually one of the fastest! Crazy. How did you get into your sport of choice?

Biking
I bought my ~~road~~ cyclocross bike in May 2008 (Giant TCX 0), after borrowing a mountain bike for my first race the prior season. Before that, I had a (relatively) cheap mountain bike of my own that I used to do some crazy downhill and singletrack- with front-suspension only and platform pedals. And body armor. I still have the body armor somewhere, but the mountain bike rusted away because it didn't have a garage to live in one winter. :( Now, my road bike (which is really a cyclocross bike with slick tires) gets ridden year round, though strictly inside in the winter. Going fast is way better than going scary. Because you can go scary fast without worrying about hitting a tree or falling 10 feet off a catwalk. On the other hand, if I had limitless budget and time, I would probably get into mountain biking again. Do you mountain bike? What kind of trails do you ride?

Running

Running in Canmore 2010

When I was a kid, when most of the neighbors were playing hockey, I was playing basketball. When I first started running, it was to cross-train for basketball. Now, I use basketball to cross-train for running. Funny how that works! Talking to some of my running partners now, I realize how lucky I am that my parents put such an emphasis on sport. (Although I'm not sure how else they would have survived three oversized, energetic boys!) Those first runs were with my dad--he's run a minimum three days a week for about 25 years, pretty much without fail. As long as I can remember, he's been in great shape. For most of my adult (and even teen) life, he's been in better shape than me. At this point in my life, that's another motivation to keep up my training, whether it's running, biking, swimming, or other. Lately, I've been enjoying the camraderie of my running group, as much as the zen of running in silence, or the feeling of running along to a great tune on my iPhone, and most of all, I love those hard runs, where you just GO. I LOVE LOVE LOVE trail running. It combines my love of the mountains with my love of running. Just such a great feeling of freedom. You have to be light on your feet, and conscious of your footing, yet also conscious of your surroundings (watch for wildlife!).I've never run as much as I have in the last four months (which explains why my run was always my weakest link in tri races), and I'm really seeing the results- body and mind. If you run, what do you love the most about it?

(Other) Sports
I have tried a lot of different sports and hobbies. I definitely don't have time for them all! I've done more than once/bought equipment for: basketball, fastball, soccer, ball hockey, triathlon, swimming, biking, running, snowboarding, downhill skiing, cross country skiing, hiking, backpacking (to huts only) snowshoeing, indoor climbing, mountain biking, golf, tennis, badminton, waterskiing, snorkeling, ultimate frisbee, yoga. I've tried windsurfing, diving, dog sledding, wakeboarding, frisbee golf, horseback riding, whitewater rafting... there's probably some more in there. But there's just no time to do it all! What sports would you do or try if you had limitless free time and/or budget?

Races

My first race... and a few pounds ago

My first triathlon was the Vulcan Tinman in 2007. It was so much fun! After a few months of training, we were sitting around the hot tub after a swim workout, and one of the other triathletes (extremely lean, twice my age, swim/run/bike circles around me) asked me what my race plans were for the year. I hadn't even considered it! They suggested the Tinman, and I've signed up three times, ran it twice, and got turned away at the start line once due to lightning on the course. I love to race. Yes, I'm competitive, but mostly with myself and anyone who I think might be close to my fitness level. But mostly, I just love the community and camraderie, the food, and the festivities! And it's such a great reason to train.

PRs
If I can remember this correctly... I've done 5 Sprint triathlons (DNS one due to lightning), 2 Olympic (2:42) (and one DNS due to a missed flight home), and one Half Ironman (6:20). I've run 5 km (24) races two or three times, 10km (48) races two or three times, (both of which include some races as a kid), and I've raced two Half-Marathons (1:53). My next race is the Resolution Run on New Year's Eve, then the Hypo Half in February. In the next couple of years, I plan to tackle a Marathon, and eventually an Ironman. What are your PRs?

Family

Baby Molly...

I'm married, No kids, just a fat cat who likes to make my nose run... when we picked him up, my mother-in-law signed the adoption form saying she was our landlord and allowed pets; I couldn't say no to my wife! She picked out the cat, choosing the light-colored girl, so the hair wouldn't show on our light furniture. "Molly" the cat looked very cute in "her" pink collar, riding around in "her" little pink carrier. A few weeks later, he went in for the snip-snip, because "girls don't have THOSE!". Now his name is Milo, he wears a black Harley Davidson collar with studs, and he wouldn't fit in that pink carrier if you stuffed him in with a plunger.
As for the human family, we're lucky because most of them live here in Calgary-- we even both have extended family pretty close by. And what's more, we see them often, and we all get along really well. (Except when they bug us about having kids, but what can you do.) I do miss my baby brother, who has been in Australia since December 2009, and is now in South East Asia (Borneo right now).

Gear
On the one hand, I believe that it's important to have quality equipment, even just for "recreational" athletes. On the other, I've had to tell a triathlete decked out in well over $15k worth of gear that he was done for the day before he was finished the bike course. (PS An aero helmet won't help you if you haven't done the work. PPS Especially if you yourself are not very aero. PPPS Just sayin'. PPPPS I don't wear an aero helmet.)

Giant TCX 0

Most of us have finite budgets, sometimes more than others. It can be tough to prioritize what to spend money on, and it all depends on what your goals are. My $1500 bike is fine for the races I have planned, and it even got me through a half-ironman! But I know if I'm going to do an Ironman, it would be worth the investment for a tri bike. A tough one-- I tend to be hard on gear. I've been through two pairs of triathlon bike shoes; my first pair pretty much split in half across the ball of the foot, where the cleat goes-- on both shoes. Bike shoes shouldn't flex, these did by the time I was done! My current tri shoes are LG, and the sole is carbon-fiber, not plastic, and I've also switched from basic Shimano SPD mountain bike pedals to Look KEO road pedals. What a difference that extra surface area makes!
Running shoe-wise, I've gone from the Nike Max Moto to the Nike Vomero (lower heel, better midfoot cusioning), and I'm thinking of going the next step to the Nike Free. Maybe someday I'll try the Vibram Five Fingers, and maybe even completely barefoot. I definitely believe that we were "born to run", and that we can improve our biomechanics and efficiency, and that we might not need shoes at all, and that they might be doing more harm than good. But for now, I'll leave the barefoot running to others.

A few of the products that I really love:
- My Garmin 310XT -- it's amazing. I love the Garmin Connect website, and how simple it all is. I've got the heart rate monitor, the speed/cadence sensor for my bike, and a quick-release strap and mounting kit to go from swim to bike to run really easily. A+
- My LG tri bike shoes. One velcro strap, quick, snug, stiff. Fast transitions!
- My bike (Giant TCX 0). Maybe one day I'll put the nubby tires back on and do a cyclocross race
- My CW-X Pro Tights. They make me feel fast. And I think they do work as advertized. Also, compression socks. Right now, my faves are Sugoi, but they ripped...
- My Solomon XA 3D Ultra GTX trail runners- they keep my feet dry, lots of great traction
What gear can you not leave behind?

TravelsUnlike some people I know (including my little brother), I never did the backpacking around the world thing. Before this year, the farthest from home I'd been was Mexico, or maybe Disney World as a kid. I've always wanted to visit Europe, and this spring, Nicole and I were able to go to Paris, Provence, and Barcelona. It was only two weeks, but it was a trip of a lifetime. We have several hundred photos, of course no room for them here! Where's the best place you've been to visit?

The Gardens at Versailles

Goals for the Offseason, or No Excuses

noreply@blogger.com (Jarrett @ "PaddlePedalPlod") — Thu, 04 Nov 2010 04:19:00 +0000

After reading recent posts about Goals, (here too) and Excuses, I thought it would be a good idea to get one big excuse out of the way and write down a few goals I've had floating around in my head.

After the Calgary 70.3 this year, I decided I wouldn't be doing it again anytime soon, BUT:
- I will do another 70.3 within the next 5 years; and
- I will do IMC in the next ten years.

I haven't picked my actual goal race, but I know I want to focus on breaking 2:30 in an Olympic distance tri.

I've decided I need to continue to improve my running and my biking, and to that end, I'm planning to run at least two half-marathons and I'm hoping to do the Golden Triangle in the spring, and the Kelowna GranFondo in July. And:
- I will run a Marathon in the next three years.

As for the swim, I'm pretty happy with my times lately, so I'll stick with maintaining my speed and fitness in the water by swiming at least once a week.

I've dropped a few pounds in the past few months, and I'm hoping to keep that going. I've resigned myself to the fact that I may have to start counting calories, or at least keeping a food journal. For now, I think I mostly need to focus on not eating any fast food (which is tough for me because I'm often on the road). I weigh 240 right now; I will be at 230 by New Year's, and 220 by my birthday (March).

Compare some of this to my first post... 100th post is next! Hoping to have it up sometime Friday!!!

********
Tonight's run was fun - we're still doing shorter distance stuff, but that's okay because I'm still sore from last night's workout! I was running with Jeff, who just joined the Half-Marathon group after doing a 5k clinic... he seemed to be doing okay, but he got a bit of a stitch in the last km, so we slowed down for the last km, as you can see in the splits:

And one final note... If you haven't already, go check out the latest contests:
Barefoot Neil Z's Poster Contest over at Because All the Cool Kids are Doing It
Forward Foot Strides' is giving away an Allied Steel Fab Medal Hanger!

Time to Get a Headlamp!

noreply@blogger.com (Jarrett @ "PaddlePedalPlod") — Wed, 03 Nov 2010 04:08:00 +0000

Tonight's Running Room clinic was a "field trip" to Fitness Fix for a little cross-training. This was my first time to this particular class, and let's just say that core, stability and strength are not my strong points! My pace buddy, Charles was loving it, because I'm usually pushing him hard on the runs (even though I tell him to take it easy because he's about 15 years my senior...), but I was grunting and groaning more than, well, anyone else in the room! Like I said, core is not my strong suit.

We had a full house for the workout, and let me tell you, it was not easy. Stuff like one-legged squats, lots of posture, core, and resistance-band stuff. We had probably 30-40 people at the class, some "regulars", but mostly clinic members. I was torn between being glad we don't do it every week, and contemplating signing up for a class.

Most of the group elected to forgo the planned 4k Tempo run, but work was stressful, so I decided to go, along with about 10 others. It was dark! We ran along the Nose Creek Pathway, which is not lit. At all. Well, except by the lights of the cars on the Deerfoot (a freeway), a few far away street lights, the occasional airplane, and the stars. It was really nice, actually. The wind in the long, dry grass actually wasn't too cold. I was running smoothly, thinking about being efficient, tall, with good posture and alignment. Until something moved in the grass and I jumped four feet up and four feet sideways! I'm still not sure if it was a coyote, a large dog, or a person napping, but I know that something was there, and moved.

I went a little farther, then turned around, and on the way back, I slowed down to run with the group. Look, I'm sure it was nothing dangerous--besides, I'm the biggest guy in the group! It made me think more about the possibility of turning an ankle in the dark, and not having any help. Isn't that the whole point of running with a group?

Has anything ever freaked you out while running/ biking? Do you run outside in the dark? Do you have a headlamp?