The Conscious Effort

4 Tips for Cycling Uphill

2011-05-16T08:55:00.000-07:00

Challenging terrain is what cycling is all about. Unless you are a born and reared, stay-at-home flatlander you are no doubt aware of the effects of gravity and the need to become a better, more efficient climber. Getting better at cycling uphill requires improvements in both strength-to-weight ratio and technical skill. This article will address technical skills and save the strength-to-weight issue for later. Let's start with a few seldom discussed basics of seated climbing and literally go up from there.

By John Howard
John Howard Performance Sports

Say you are climbing a grade like the famous Honey Springs hill in San Diego's Gran Fondo. It begins with about three to four percent, but as you start to feel your preciously accumulated tempo dropping off, you need to take action.

1. Your first reaction should be to shift into a smaller gear, maintain your RPM's and try and hold on to your speed. In order to keep your heart rate down you will want to stabilize your power with a gradual increase in effort level. The natural way to hold the power steady is to stay in the saddle.

2. Fight the tendency to keep shifting gears as the climb steepens. This will reduce your speed to a crawl and put you behind your peers. A good goal is to keep your heart rate in check, but accept the fact that it will continue to rise. As your speed drops and the lactic acid builds in your legs slide back in the saddle to change the firing order of the muscles and leverage more force from your glutes and quads. Try pointing your toes to bring the lower leg muscles into the firing pattern. This will add more fire to the back side of your stroke in hip flexion. Allow your heart rate to climb slowly and focus on the LIFT in your stroke.

3. Avoid falling into the novice trap of sitting up high with straight arms, usually with a bent back and a pedal stroke led by the heels pointing down. This disconnects the powerful stabilizing core muscles and the usually throws off the rhythm of your stroke. Instead, strive for a flat back with bent elbows, which lowers your center of gravity. By pulling from the contracted, supporting muscles of the core we can delay the accumulation of lactic acid in the primary muscles. What this looks like to the thongs of spectators lining the roads of the big tours is a rider with a neutral expression, bent elbows and gentle rocking from side to side while building forward momentum.

4. Maintain your focus. Novice riders typically get distracted when they can't see to top of the grade. They forget to breathe or breathe shallowly which causes form and focus to deteriorate as leverage and muscular force head south. Pay attention to your RPMs. Should a climb continue to challenge you, as they always seem to do, watch as RPM drops off. If more than 10 percent of your target range, of say 65 to 70 RPM's is lost, it may be necessary to either shift again, increase power, or maybe leave the saddle which is always your last resort since it will increase your metabolic burn rate.

These tips will help you cycle uphill for sure, but we have only scratched the surface. In our next FiTTE Technique session we will discuss a few details of climbing out of the saddle. Good luck this racing season. Stay alert and savor your ride.

In Defense of Food AN EATER'S MANIFESTO

2011-04-09T22:46:00.000-07:00

Another audio version: had a tough time focusing on the details because the reader spoke with an overly dramatic evangelistic tone that annoyed me more than entertained me - I prefer it when author's read themselves, less professional but more down to earth as if they want to have a conversation with you

I've been fascinated with accounts of the industrialization of food since I first read Eric Schlosser's "Fast Food Nation" and went on to watch "Food Inc." and a host of other books on the subject of the corporate corruption of the western food supply - this book is another in that list

On a side note, I've made every effort to post links to the author's site or in the absence of one, to Wikipedia because Amazon doesn't need my help in further dominating the online book world

Further, I won't waste your time trying to post a more informative synopsis of each book or movie but just to give my two cents and recommendation or otherwise

I respect Michael Pollan's writings on the modern food industry and it's larger implications on our health, lifestyle and economy

In this book, Pollan gives a brief history on the traditional farming and household attitudes to food, moves on describe the to corporate influence of growing suppliers on the American government and how attitudes towards food and nutrition have changed radically over the years

Of course, things aren't all as bleak as they sound, generally the ultimate point is that we have to take responsibility for our own education in matters concerning health and nutrition as well as control over our food supply - I'm even more determined now to get my own herb and veggie garden going this summer and phasing out as much processed "food" as I can

Born to Run: A Hidden Tribe, Superathletes, and the Greatest Race the World Has Never Seen

2011-03-25T13:27:00.000-07:00

I listened to the audio version every chance I had: walking the dog, going for a run, in the car until I killed it

It's a great story because it covers so many interesting subject from sports, history, biology, anthropology, geography, business - all from a humble and seemingly non-commercialized perspective

As an athlete, I immediately identified with it's ideals of sportsmanship and running for nothing more than the love of running - stripped of all marketing hype, materialistic pontificating and how it appeals to our primal instincts for connecting with ourselves, nature and each other

It's even planted the idea of barefoot running (or with minimalist shoes at least), ultra-running and possibly Ultraman(?)

Lulu manifesto

2011-01-30T08:47:00.000-08:00

* Drink FRESH water and as much water as you can. Water flushes unwanted toxins and keeps your brain sharp.

* Observe a plant before and after watering and relate the benefits to your body and brain.

* Coke, Pepsi and all other pops will be known as the cigarettes of the future. Colas are NOT a substitute for water. Colas are just another cheap drug made to look great by advertising.

* Be yoga. Breathing has you live in the moment and stretching releases toxins from your muscles.

* Do yoga so you can remain active in physical sports as you age.

* Listen, listen, listen, and then ask strategic questions.

* SWEAT once a day to regenerate your skin.

* Compliments from the heart elevates other's spirit and will often result in an encouraging word for someone else ... a domino effect.

* Your outlook on life is a direct reflection of how much you like yourself.

* Life is full of setbacks. Success is determined by how you handle setbacks.

* Write down your short and long term GOALS four times a year. 2 personal, 2 business and one health goal. A class study at Yale found only 3 percent of the students had written goals. 20 years later, the same 3 percent were wealthier than the other 97% combined.

* You ALWAYS have choice and the conscious brain can only hold one thought at a time. Choose a positive thought.

* Communication is COMPLICATED. Each person is raised in a different family with a different definition of each word.

* Love.

* Jealousy works the opposite way you want it to.

* Nature wants us to be mediocre because we have a greater chance to survive and reproduce. Mediocre is as close to the bottom as it is to the top. Be creative. Do one thing a day that scares you.

* Take various vitamins. You never know what small mineral can eliminate the bottleneck to everlasting health.

* Dance, sing, floss and travel.

* Do not use cleaning chemicals on your kitchen counters. Try vinegar and lemon. Someone will inevitably make a sandwich on your counter.

* Rules of Marriage: respect the other person, compromise, be open to communicate, and build a common set of life values. If you don't do this, you are in a lot of trouble.

* Just like you did not know what an orgasm was before you had one, nature does not let you know how great children are until you have them. Children are the orgasm of life.

* Friends are more important than money. Don't trust that an old age pension will be sufficient.

* Live near the ocean and inhale the pure salt air that flows over the water. Vancouver will do nicely. Stress is related to 99% of all illnesses.

* One hour of aerobic exercise will release endorphins to regenerate cells and offset stress.

* A daily hit of athletic induced endorphins will give you the power to make better decisions and help you be at peace with yourself.

* Wake up and realize you are surrounded by amazing friends.

* Do it now. The world is changing AT SUCH A RAPID rate that waiting to implement changes will leave you two steps behind. DO IT NOW, DO IT NOW!

You Finished an Ironman, Now What?

2010-09-09T22:57:00.000-07:00

By Patrick McCrann
Endurance Nation

Fast forward to Tuesday or Wednesday after your Ironman. It's very likely that you're sitting on the couch with your shattered legs on the coffee table, scratching your sunburned head as you try to remember your dog's name, which you've forgotten, because all you've thought about for the past six to nine months is finishing a 140.6-mile triathlon.

Your formerly-constant thoughts about training, racing, nutrition, transition bags, carbon aero widgets, and what-I-have-to-pack-for-my-workouts-tomorrow have now been replaced with a single, all-consuming thought:

What do I do now?

At Endurance Nation we have a lot of experience guiding athletes successfully through a critical—and often messy—four weeks post-Ironman before they pick up the rest of the season. A proper transition is critical to making sure your fitness is where you want it to be once you are donerecovering.

Some of you are planning ahead for another half or full-distance tri. Some of you might have a marathon on the books for the fall. Some of you (hopefully more than a few!) are ready to kick back for a bit and then begin training for next year.

Regardless of your goals, a proper transition will make sure that you have recovered both physically and mentally. This combination is a pre-requisite for being able to resume training, much less thinking, about a race. We have seen the harm that unguided athletes can do to their seasons—and their long-term health—through improper recovery.

Follow this guidance to avoid those pitfalls and make sure you are positioned to take advantage of the fitness completing an Ironman brings.

I. The Big Picture

We highly recommend you have a very relaxed perspective on the first few weeks after your long-distance race. You are a real person living and working in the real world. You just finished an epic event. Preparation for that event required you, and very likely those important to you, to sacrifice a great deal.

As a real person doing the real world thing, you owe it to yourself to take a BIG step back from the Ironman gig and reconnect with the other things that are important in your life: your family, your hobbies, maybe even your job!

Basically, we prefer our athletes to have zero to very few formal racing events on the calendar for about eight weeks after their race. Better yet, the IM is the end of your season and there is nothing else on the calendar.

II. Fight Post-Ironman Depression

It's very common to experience a bit of a letdown, kinda-lost feeling after an Ironman. Some have gone so far as to give it a name: Post-Ironman Depression Syndrome (PIDS). Consider that you've had one date circled on the calendar for almost a year. That date has been the thing around which much of your life has revolved for a very long time.

Chances are you spent a lot of time and energy thinking, planning, scheduling, preparing, eating, sleeping, cooking and packing for your training. And now the date has come and gone, and there is likely no similarly epic event around which to focus your life. It can be a bit of a letdown, but it's entirely normal and expected. Again, we recommend you reconnect with yourself, you family, your other hobbies, and generally explore your inner non-triathlete for a while.

III. Returning to Training

Let's discuss how the typical age-group Iron-athlete is going to feel physically after the race. Your experience may vary, but below are our general observations, having been there ourselves and guided hundreds of athletes through this post-race period.

IV. Week 1

Observations:

Solidly thrashed, legs extremely sore through Wednesday.
Likely feel much better, not so sore by Thursday. You begin to think you might be OK to join your buds for your normal Saturday ride, but you're looking forward to sleeping in on Sunday. It's been a while since that happened.
Friday, you feel a bit more froggy.
Drop in on the Saturday ride and you instantly feel totally flat. First real effort and your heart rate skyrockets. Your perceived exertion is all over the map. It's very obvious this is way too much too soon.

Training Recommendations:

Swim: If you wanted to, or needed to, you could probably pick up your "normal" Ironman swim schedule right away...if you wanted or needed to.
Bike: No cycling during the week. Maybe a veryeasy ride on Saturday, totally social, no geekometers or anything. Just enjoy not training on your bike, looking around, finding a new route—but all only if you want to.
Run: Nope, no running. Period. Too soon.

V. Week 2

Observations:

You feel much better but, if you push the pace in anything, you still feel flat. This flat feeling will very likely carry over through the weekend. Don't expect too much, if anything, from yourself this week.

Training Recommendations:

Swim: You're probably back on your normal swim schedule.
Bike: You're back to your normal cycling frequency, but not intensity. Maybe you do your normally scheduled ride(s) during the week (but nothing hard), and on your normal Saturday ride you test out the fast legs to see what's up. Don't be surprised to still feel flat.
Run: We recommend you don't run at all until this second weekend, almost two weeks after your race, maybe Friday at the earliest. This first run should be very, very easy.

VI. Week 3

Observations:

You're nearly back to your normal self by the end of this week.
We are still cautious with the run.

Training Recommendations:

Swim: Your normal schedule.
Bike: Back to normal in terms of frequency, volume, and intensity.
Run: Back to your normal frequency, still light on the volume, and your first pre-IM flavor run is on the weekend. Yes, that's three weeks post-race.

VII. Week 4

You're basically back in the training game. If you've followed our advice, you're likely ready to start rebuilding your fitness. Some of you still might not be mentally or physically ready to hit it again, and if that's the case please continue to stand down until you feel ready. There's nothing like some overzealous workouts to suck the fun out of training.

VIII. The Rest of Your Season

Now that we've laid out what to expect from your body post-Ironman and our broad recommendations for how to work through it, let's lay out your realistic expectations for the remainder of your season. Consider:

You probably tapered for two to three weeks before your race. Losing a bit of endurance but gaining speed by allowing your body to fully recover.

On race day, you drove it into the ground with a 10- to 17-hour event.

You then took your time, smartly so, getting back on the training horse. You weren't fully back into the game until the weekend of the third week.

So, between the taper, the race, and the three weeks of recovery, you've done a good bit of de-training for about four to six weeks, depending on how you look at it.

In Week Four you are now going to start rebuilding that fitness. For this reason, we encourage you to have the following expectations regarding racing. For races within:

4 Weeks: Frankly, waste of time and money unless it's something cool you want to do. You will have a tough day, unless you are a true freak.

5 Weeks: See above, but less so. Your mileage will vary.

6 Weeks: This is the absolute minimum time required to "maybe," on your absolute best day, have a repeat performance of your Ironman. There is a reason why Ironman Canada, usually about six weeks out from Kona, is the last qualifier: six weeks is the minimum to have realistic expectations of maybe repeating your Canada performance.

And we're not just talking about following up an Ironman with another 140.6. Six weeks is a tight turn for you to have a decent race at any distance. You simply have not had enough time to build your fitness back up.

8 Weeks: You have a better chance of having a good, PR race, but it's still a tight turn. Eight weeks is the minimum amount of time we would recommend you schedule a race that you wanted to do well in.

12 Weeks: This is doable. You're back on your game and you can realistically schedule and expect to have an A-race with a PR-potential experience.

Regardless of your post-Ironman path, don't lose sight of what you have accomplished. Take the time to recover physically and mentally and you'll be a better athlete—and human—because of it!

Post Ironman Race Recovery!

2010-09-09T16:43:00.000-07:00

"I just completed an IM race last weekend and I want to know when I should start training full volume again?"

Does this sound familiar to you after completing an IM race, or knowing someone who just did and can't wait to get going again?

For most age groupers you are looking at 6-8 weeks, at least, to fully recover depending upon what you do for training, regeneration, and nutritional support for the body.

The body must go into overtime to repair the damage from the race in terms of the muscular and cardiovascular systems.

Your immune system will work overtime as well to help heal you internally along with trying to keep the variety of germs and virus's from getting you sick.

The first thing is to pay close attention to nutrition. Stay away from simple sugars and bad fats. Look at making sure you balance out the food that you eat so you are taking in quality protein/EFA fats, and complex carbs (vegetables) each day. Limit the alcohol and excessive sweets that have a tendency to make it into our diets after an IM race.

Second look into getting in some body work on a weekly basis. Massage, hot soaks with Epsom salts, hot tubs, self massage and other myofacial release type treatments will help to get you back to normal.

As for the training- if you come back too early you will prolong the recovery time. When one of my clients completes an IM race I say no running for at least 10-14 days.

Running is responsible for the most impact of the 3 components of the IM race. Start with some very easy swims after a period of time off (usually 4-5 days). Keep it simple, like drills, stroke work, and long recoveries between any easy repeats that you may do. Just keep the heart rate way down in the aerobic zone.

Then for the bike- start easy for short periods of time. Stay on flat roads in the small chain ring (even consider riding on the indoor trainer for a while) and keep the rpms at 90+ for the rides. Start with 45 minutes and slowly build from there over time.

Consider alternative training: water running, elliptical trainer, yoga, hiking, or other types of easy cardio work that will help you to recover.

If you are planning on racing later in the season- wait at least 6 weeks before scheduling a race that will have you going hard. For those who just completed IM CANADA and are going to Kona- recover and regeneration are the keys. You will most likely not make any huge fitness gains in the amount of time left before Kona. So look at yoga, water running and lots of drills for technique in each area. You will be riding a fine line with only 6 weeks total time before you are on the start line on Oct. 6 in Kona.

The bottom line is to listen to your body and not let the mental aspect get in the way. Recovery is what will make you stronger, not just the quality training and racing. If you are going to Kona - remember the 3-week taper. Decrease your training volume each week until you are below 50% volume from what you usually do each week. Do not forget to continue some quality work to keep your neuromuscular system sharp. You do not want to get on the start line feeling flat. See some of you in Kona!

Steve Fluet- Head Coach

Anna's Latte

2010-09-06T10:12:00.000-07:00

Although we might not take enough time to enjoy a healthy meal, we all seem to take the time to enjoy a coffee - partly because it's becoming increasingly convenient to enjoy better and better quality but how addictive is it?

As your training increases in time and intensity, you'll find that your focus on nutrition involves phasing out food and drink that are made up of empty calories and over time including higher quality, more nutrient dense ingredients

If you're ever going to reach your true potential, you have to acknowledge and factor in those fundamentals that have the most significant impact on your ability - you have to start seeing food as more than just a tasty filler and see the real value as fuel source

So how does this relate seemingly benign staples of daily living?

Everyone knows caffeine is a stimulant giving you a short term level of alertness but prolonged exposure will condition your body to adapt and become psychologically and physically dependent on regular intake but also diminish its stimulating effects - not to mention the fact that caffeine acts as a diuretic ie increases frequency and amount of urine leading to dehydration

However, for those who opt for a lower caffeine alternative eg Yerba Mate will lower their body's tolerance over time. Athlete's who then ingest coffee or just prior to an event claim to experience a higher level of alertness and marked improvement in performance - apparently, developing your body's ability to burn fat as a long term fuel source and aid muscle recovery

This of course is highly speculative and likely requiring high levels of concentrated caffeine over timed intervals - better to develop a higher quality nutrient rich diet over the long term during training to create a more sustainable level of energy and strength - more on that in the next post

Andrew's Ultimate Oatmeal

2010-09-05T17:59:00.000-07:00

Taking time over a meal is something most people don't do, rushing through whatever snack that tastes good and fills them up long enough before they have to go through the trouble of figuring out what they'll eat next

In the meantime, its a lot of empty calories with little or no nutritional value

But if you're willing to make a little effort and use some imagination, it's not difficult to enjoy something convenient and nutritious

I've come up with a core group of "ultimate" meals - taken some of my faves to the next level

First off, it's Ultimate Oatmeal - I used to get porridge for breakfast and it was exciting then as it is now - tasteless and left you hungry in 5 mins

Basically it's oats (preferably steel cut versus rolled quick oats which are lower on the glycemic index ie not converted to sugar as quickly and ultimately fattening) fortified with flax seed (not flax meal), fresh diced apples and raisins

No reason why you can't add a natural sweetener like maple syrup or honey because in the end, any healthy meal has to keep you coming back

Of course, you have to experiment with other ingredients eg hemp sees, whole nuts, other fresh fruit

Nothing fancy about this meal, it's about

Race Day Tips

2010-08-27T14:22:00.000-07:00

Top Ten Race Day Tips

THE BIKE BARN’S TOP TEN LIST OF TIPS FOR RACE DAY

In our experience, there are usually just as many flat tires and mechanical problems on race morning, before the race even begins, as there are during the race. Many of these could quite easily be avoided. Here are some tips to help ensure that your day will be as free from mechanical problems as possible.

1. Do not deflate your tire the day before the race. The majority of the flat tires we see on race morning are a result of racers doing just that. A lot of people have heard that you should deflate your tire the day before the race, so that it doesn’t blow due to heat expansion. That is grossly exaggerated. The only way that heat expansion will blow your tire is if you way over-inflate it to begin with and it’s ridiculously hot. If the temperature is over 40 degrees (Celsius) or so, and you would feel better about letting some air out, then let just a tiny bit out (like 10psi or so). If you let most of the air out of your tires, then what can happen is that the tube can go limp inside and work its way under the tire bead. So when you go to re-inflate it, it gets pinched and blows. Sometimes it blows right away; sometimes it takes a few minutes or hours.

2. So make it as easy for yourself as possible. Top your tires up the day before. The same way you have, many times before during your training season. Park it in the bike lot. Check to make sure the tires still feel hard the next morning and leave them alone. Don’t pay any attention to everyone else running around with a pump in their hands, stressed about getting that extra 2 psi in their tires. Now there is an exception to this: tubular tires – some tubulars tend to leak air at a much faster rate than a clincher tire will. So topping up just before the race is a good idea, if your tire feels a bit soft. Just be careful not to let your nerves get the best of you whilst pumping the tire. We always see damaged or destroyed valve stems on race morning due to some over zealousness.

3. Learn how to repair a flat tire correctly – and practice it until you are very comfortable with the process. In our experience almost all the tires that blow whilst parked in the bike lot are due to the tube and tire being incorrectly installed. Also, before replacing a blown tube, ensure that you take the time to find the source of the flat tire, so that you won’t have to repeat the procedure down the road before finding that little thorn. I know this sounds obvious, but it gets neglected or forgotten all the time. To view our video on how to change a flat tire correctly, check out our website (bikebarn.ca).

4. We recommend replacing your tires a few days before the race, only if necessary. Many people replace them the day before. The problem is that the installation is quite often done incorrectly. If the tube gets pinched, any problems will usually arise within the first 24 hours – especially shortly after pumping the tires to full pressure. Make sure that you have had a chance to ride the bike at least once or twice after installation. Just inspect them carefully after each ride for cuts and debris.

5. If you have aero wheels that require extra long valve stems, we recommend always carrying a valve extender in your emergency parts kit. That way if, if you run out of your spare tubes, and someone gives you a tube with a regular length stem, it will get you going.

6. Be well equipped with at least 2 spare tubes, tire levers, and a pump. Some glueless patches are a good idea too, just in case. For racers with tubulars ensure that your spare(s) are pre-stretched and pre-glued. For those of you who take the risk of only carrying Co2 cartridges, in place of a pump, ensure that you are very comfortable with using them.

7. Race wheels: The best piece of advice I have about using race wheels is to make sure you’ve had the chance to use them several times during some point of the training season. Also, you need to know how to change a flat tire on those particular wheels. For instance, the spare tubes you’ve been carrying all season long may be good for your training wheels, but may not have a long enough stem for those aero wheels. Or they may require tubulars. Or they may be way more difficult to change a flat tire on than the wheels you’re used to. So if you have an offer to borrow someone’s race wheels at the last moment, and you’re unfamiliar with everything about them, stick with your training wheels. They’ve been good to you all year long – and on race day, there’s a lot to be said for piece of mind.

8. Don’t get too hung up on exact tire pressure. Recent studies have suggested that maximum pressure will not necessarily make for faster tires. It’s been suggested that slightly less than max pressure will help keep better contact with the road surface and produce less vibration. It will also give a more comfortable ride and reduce rider fatigue – which will be of benefit when it comes to the run.

9. Have your bike tuned up or, at least checked before the race with enough time to take it for a few rides before the race. That way, if the bike requires new parts, things like new cables have had a chance to stretch in and be re-adjusted before the race. If you have traveled with your bike in a box, be sure and take it for a good test ride or have it checked to ensure that things like your derailleur, drop-outs or wheels have not been compromised in shipping.

10. On the race course, be careful if you like to ride close to the very right-hand edge of the road. This is where road debris like glass, staples and tacks tends to collect as well as the nasty thorns (known locally as puncture vine) that come from plants that often grow along the highway.

Good Luck on race day.

Chris, Lisa, Will and the Staff at The Bike Barn

The Story of 11 Blown Up Ironman Races and Lessons Learned.pdf

2010-08-27T12:07:00.000-07:00

The Story of 11 Blown Up Ironman Races and Lessons Learned…

http://blakebecker.blogspot.com/

If you have followed me at all since I started racing, you know that I have executed and done well at all distances, except Ironman. This is despite training soely for Ironman.

I have thought a lot about this and have heard all different explanations that ranged from metabolism issues, to the wrong type of workouts, to muscle fiber make up.

Well, after much thinking and talking with my coach, it seems that the above issues are NOT the problem. The only issue is that I just continue to be an idiot on race day. If you look at all of my power files, you will see what looks like a double black diamond ski slope. I over pace the first 2hrs of the ride, not necessarily by average or normalized power, but by integrating too many power spikes over threshold power.

The result is that I feel like I want to crawl into the ditch and hide at about the 4hr mark of the ride. I don't, but I do suffer a lot (and slow wayyy down) in that last hour. It then gets better. I have to get off the bike and run a marathon after feeling like I got hit by a truck. Not fun, but I do it and cross the line pretty far back from my potential.

OK, so why don't I learn from my mistakes....11 times in 11 Ironman races??? Here it is...maybe you'll see some similarities with your racing and training?

My background was not in swimming, cycling or running. Infact I disliked all 3. I played baseball, golf and lifted weights and was pretty successful with them. But each time out in practice or in a game, the goal was to do better than....either your opponent or better than you did the previous time out.

"Throw harder."

"Shoot a lower score."

"Bench press more."

These were what I focused on each time out. From the age of 6, to the age of 18...a long time. No wonder it is tough to correct.

Anyway, now let's relate this to triathlon racing. If we try to swim faster, bike harder and run faster than we have before, what happens?

Olympic Distance - This is good, the goal is to go as hard as you can.

Half Ironman - Not terrible, but after riding too hard, your run times suffer by a few minutes.

Ironman - You Blow Up....EVERY_SINGLE_TIME.

Here are a few other situations that fit into this catagory.

1) An athlete that saw quick success in another sport growing up.

2) An athlete who had/has success in the business world.

3) Any athlete that lacks patience.

Ironman training is different. It is more about doing the training that is appropriate and beneficial for you...nothing more, nothing harder. Then going out on race day and using 100%, not 101%, of that fitness on race day.

You can't be in a hurry for results. Ironman is a very long term process and it takes patience and persistence to reach your potential.

Unless you are contending in Kona, your best result from running your race. Anything else will do nothing but slow you down in the end.

Executing IMC

2010-08-27T10:59:00.000-07:00

From: Richelle Love [mailto:richelle@teamtrilife.com]
Sent: August-26-10 1:18 PM
To: angie@teamtrilife.com
Subject: Ironman race execution and state of mind

Ironman morning arrived and I was filled with excitement from the moment I woke up. This day was all about me – how many days do you get to have like that!? My husband helped me get organized and we headed down. I thought I would cry saying good-bye but there was no need to. This wasn’t a sad moment. I was getting to go do what I loved most in the world – participating in a triathlon. And not just any triathlon; it was my Superbowl day! This was exciting!

I surrounded myself with happy triathletes in transition and avoided the stressed out ones who made everyone around them stressed. Don’t be that triathlete – people avoid you! When I stepped over the timing mat onto the beach I smiled! I was grinning ear to ear! I was really doing Ironman. I waved to friends, high fived others and hugged my family. They were so happy for me!

I again found happy people in the water. I ran into a friend and we joked and chatted right until the gun went off. I was so relaxed and happy! I stayed calm in the swim and took it as a warm up (given how long I was going to be – yes, the swim is just the warm-up). Happy positive thoughts stayed in my head and I let negative thoughts drift through my head and refused to acknowledge them (kinda like the Nike commercial where the girl has voices telling her she can’t run but she ignores them and leaves them in the dust!) I surrounded myself with magic happy fairy dust that carried me forward (thank-you to Christine who helped me find that analogy).

When I got out of the swim (well, most of you saw me) I was grinning ear to ear! Part 1 – done! As I headed out of Penticton on my bike I remembered what Angie has said “EASY CHEESY”. I was surprised to see so many people passing me who typically were far behind me during most races. I trusted in what Angie said “just let them go as you will catch them later” but it was hard. I knew I was a stronger biker than some of these people. I relaxed and looked at the scenery and relished in the moment – I was doing Ironman! I continued to enjoy my day, monitor my watts and HR and stick to the plan that Angie and I had come up with. At around 100km I started to pass a lot of bikers. Many of whom had passed me between 30 – 50km! As I hit the top of Yellow Lake I was passing a ridiculous amount of riders who were at a crawling pace and looked well, mot so good.

As I left T2 I really had to work on my pace. I was so happy to see so many friends and family along the way so I waved and even stopped to give Jeff a quick kiss. I was having so much fun! I was living my dream! “I’m doing Ironman!” I shouted to Angie when I saw her. I looked at my pace though and realized I was going way too fast. I slowed down to my target pace of 6:30 (yes, this is slow but running the whole way at this pace is faster than running a 5:30 first half and walking the last 21km!). I could still see girls ahead of me who I really wanted to pass but held onto my 6:30pace. That was the plan. Angie told me to be patient. I suck at being patient but I had heard Ironman was all about patience. I had some stomach issues but the 6:30 pace seemed to be working still. When I hit the 18km I realized I was getting closer to some girls ahead of me. By the time I had hit OK Falls I had passed many of them and from the turn around all the way home I was only passed by a handful of people! I had paced well and followed the plan.

The day was beyond all expectations of me. I had had 3 goal times: just finish, my realistic goal if all went well and my “if pigs could fly” goal. Well folks, I was 2 minutes off my “if pigs could fly” goal! I owe my race to Angie. What I am not sure if I conveyed was that she was in my head all day. She told me to be patient about 100 times! She told me to hold back and when it was the right time, I pushed as hard as I could to the finish (which trust me was not very hard as I was EXHAUSTED!).

What I am most proud of from my Ironman experience is my execution and the fact that I raced happy all day. Most people know I race this way no matter what but I will tell you that is my secret. I race happy and smart. Go race happy and smart!

Richelle Love
(403) 554-7532
www.teamtrilife.com
www.richellelove.blogspot.com

KuLula Airline rog jim

2010-08-19T07:35:00.000-07:00

Kulula is a low-cost South-African airline that doesn't take itself too seriously.
Check out their new livery!

Subject: From the cockpit on KULULA.COM- South Africa's Budget Airline
WHAT A PITY KULULA DOESN'T FLY INTERNATIONALLY - WE SHOULD SUPPORT THEM IF ONLY FOR THEIR HUMOUR - SO TYPICALLY SOUTH AFRICAN.

Kulula is an Airline with head office situated in Johannesburg .

Kulula airline attendants make an effort to make the in-flight "safety lecture" and announcements a bit more entertaining. Here are some real examples that have been heard or reported:

--------------------------------------------------------------------

On a Kulula flight, (there is no assigned seating, you just sit where you want) passengers were apparently having a hard time choosing, when a flight attendant announced, "People, people we're not picking out furniture here, find a seat and get in it!"

---o0o---

On another flight with a very "senior" flight attendant crew, the pilot said, "Ladies and gentlemen, we've reached cruising altitude and will be turning down the cabin lights. This is for your comfort and to enhance the appearance of your flight attendants."

----o0o---

On landing, the stewardess said, "Please be sure to take all of your belongings.. If you're going to leave anything, please make sure it's something we'd like to have."

----o0o---

"There may be 50 ways to leave your lover, but there are only 4 ways out of this airplane."

---o0o---

"Thank you for flying Kulula. We hope you enjoyed giving us the business as much as we enjoyed taking you for a ride."

---o0o---

As the plane landed and was coming to a stop at Durban Airport , a lone voice came over the loudspeaker: "Whoa, big fella. WHOA!"

---o0o---

After a particularly rough landing during thunderstorms in the Karoo , a flight attendant on a flight announced, "Please take care when opening the overhead compartments because, after a landing like that, sure as hell everything has shifted."

---o0o---

From a Kulula employee: " Welcome aboard Kulula 271 to Port Elizabeth .To operate your seat belt, insert the metal tab into the buckle, and pull tight. It works just like every other seat belt; and, if you don't know how to operate one, you probably shouldn't be out in public unsupervised."

---o0o---

"In the event of a sudden loss of cabin pressure, masks will descend from the ceiling. Stop screaming, grab the mask, and pull it over your face. If you have a small child travelling with you, secure your mask before assisting with theirs. If you are travelling with more than one small child, pick your favourite."

---o0o---

Weather at our destination is 50 degrees with some broken clouds, but we'll try to have them fixed before we arrive. Thank you, and remember,nobody loves you, or your money, more than Kulula Airlines."

----o0o---

"Your seats cushions can be used for flotation; and in the event of an emergency water landing, please paddle to shore and take them with our compliments."

---o0o---

"As you exit the plane, make sure to gather all of your belongings.Anything left behind will be distributed evenly among the flight attendants. Please do not leave children or spouses.."

---o0o---

And from the pilot during his welcome message: "Kulula Airlines is pleased to announce that we have some of the best flight attendants in the industry. Unfortunately, none of them are on this flight!"

---o0o---

Heard on Kulula 255 just after a very hard landing in Cape Town : The flight attendant came on the intercom and said, "That was quite a bump and I know what y'all are thinking. I'm here to tell you it wasn't the airline's fault, it wasn't the pilot's fault, it wasn't the flight attendant's fault, it was the asphalt."

---o0o---

Overheard on a Kulula flight into Cape Town , on a particularly windy and bumpy day: During the final approach, the Captain really had to fight it. After an extremely hard landing, the Flight Attendant said, "Ladies and Gentlemen, welcome to The Mother City. Please remain in your seats with your seat belts fastened while the Captain taxis what's left of our airplane to the gate!"

---o0o---

Another flight attendant's comment on a less than perfect landing:"We ask you to please remain seated as Captain Kangaroo bounces us to the terminal."

---o0o---

An airline pilot wrote that on this particular flight he had hammered his ship into the runway really hard. The airline had a policy which required the first officer to stand at the door while the passengers exited, smile, and give them a "Thanks for flying our airline. He said that, in light of his bad landing, he had a hard time looking the passengers in the eye, thinking that someone would have a smart comment. Finally everyone had gotten off except for a little old lady walking with a cane. She said, "Sir, do you mind if I ask you a question?"
"Why, no Ma'am," said the pilot. "What is it?" The little old lady said, "Did we land, or were we shot down?"

---o0o---

After a real crusher of a landing in Johannesburg , the attendant came on with, "Ladies and Gentlemen, please remain in your seats until Captain Crash and the Crew have brought the aircraft to a screeching halt against the gate. And, once the tire smoke has cleared and the warning bells are silenced, we will open the door and you can pick your way through the wreckage to the terminal.."

---o0o---

Part of a flight attendant's arrival announcement: "We'd like to thank you folks for flying with us today.. And, the next time you get the insane urge to go blasting through the skies in a pressurized metal tube, we hope you'll think of Kulula Airways."

---o0o---

Heard on a Kulula flight. "Ladies and gentlemen, if you wish to smoke, the smoking section on this airplane is on the wing.. If you can light 'em, you can smoke 'em."

---o0o---

A plane was taking off from Durban Airport . After it reached a
comfortable cruising altitude, the captain made an announcement over the intercom, "Ladies and gentlemen, this is your captain speaking.
Welcome to Flight Number 293, non-stop from Durban to Cape Town , The weather ahead is good and, therefore, we should have a smooth and uneventful flight.. Now sit back and relax... OH, MY GOODNESS!" Silence followed, and after a few minutes, the captain came back on the intercom and said, "Ladies and Gentlemen, I am so sorry if I scared you earlier. While I was talking to you, the flight attendant accidentally spilled a cup of hot coffee in my lap. You should see the front of my pants!" A passenger then yelled, "That's nothing. You should see the back of mine!"

An old Chinese proverb

2010-08-17T22:35:00.000-07:00

Confucius say,
"If you are in a book store and cannot find
the book for which you search, you are obviously in the.....

Canadian Old Age Security regs vs New Immigrants - what do you think??

2010-07-08T14:15:00.001-07:00

I recently received this little heads up via email - raises an interesting question about how we treat new citizens, considering we call Canada a "salad bowl" and the likelihood that Canadians in their 30's are unlikely to benefit from their contributions to government pension plans - what do you make of the following?

Subject: Bill # C-428 THANKS TO RUBY DHALLA AND BOB RAE

It will receive second reading at the next sitting of parliament...

Please read the bill and make your own decision..if you disagree with the bill, please send this to every Canadian of voting age in your address book..

Hopefully by letting your member of parliament know your feelings on the bill, it will be defeated.

Bill C-428 An Act to Amend the Old Age Security Act (residency requirements)

Bill C-428 will allow recent immigrants to apply for OAS in 3 years instead of the existing 10.
This bill had first reading in the house on June 18, 2009.
It was seconded by Bob Rae!! MP Ms. Ruby Dhalla who introduced the bill represents the riding of Brampton whose population is mainly East Indian.
Right now you have to have lived in Canada for 10 years in order to qualify for Old Age Security. She wants the time reduced to 3 years. Thousands could come to Canada when they are 62 years old, never having worked or contributed to this county's tax system etc, and qualify for full Old Age Security benefits. 10 years minimum is reasonable. 3 is not!

Look this up: Google: C-428 and you will see this bill has only one purpose, to featherbed a select group of people for votes.

I certainly hope this bill does not get passed. It is about time we called our elected MP's to ask them to NOT support this bill. Their response may be one factor in helping us determine who gets elected in the next election.

What Can You Do?

1. Spread the message to family, friends and email buds.

2.. Write letters, send emails to all your list, and call your Member of Parliament

It is time Canada looked after it's Vets and long-term citizens before tossing OUR hard-earned money around on people who have no right to this money, never having paid taxes or contributed to our economy. If a family wishes to bring elderly relatives here and are willing to waive their own right to collect these funds in order that the elderly relatives can receive them...fine...otherwise, look after them yourself and do not expect the Canadian taxpayers to do it.

There are too many people abusing the generosity of the Canadian people.
We need to stop the madness....NOW!

We, our children and our grandchildren currently owe the global investment community over $500 Billion Dollars, the sum of our accumulated National Debt.

My weapon of choice: 2008 Cervelo P2C

2010-06-30T08:06:00.000-07:00

cyberdo

« Return to Triathlon Bikes - Write a Review

Manufactured By	Cervelo
Overall rating BY THIS USER	(4.9)
Overall rating BY ALL USERS	(4.8)
Price Paid BY THIS USER	$2,500.00
Avg. Price Paid BY ALL USERS	$2,548.57
Buy again from this company?	Yes
Buy again from this company? (Average)	22 users (100%)

Used product for :	2 years
Ease of installation :
Purchased from pro bike shop (supported Canadian Tri team in Beijing during 2008 Summer Olympics) They provided a good bike fitting and installed all of the hardware including the extra cassette on the pair of Zipp 404 clinchers I purchased from them later
Ease of use :
You must give yourself time to get used to the bike, shifting, being in the aero position, getting your bottles, attaching your spare tubes, CO2 etc but once you do get used to it, you will find it's far easier to ride and then you can start building your technique and power Being a Tri bike, it is better suited for long, open, straight roads, NOT suitable for city rides that involve more technical handling and stopping for lights, traffic etc - for that you should stick with a standard road bike I find my wrists and hands get numb and sore from gripping my breaks when my rides involve some portion of city traffic - something I am sure many others experience
Quality of Construction :
Take one look at the transition area of almost any event (especially in Canada eg IMC) and you will think that Cervelo is becoming (if not already) the standard for performance cycling When Chrissie Wellington wins 2 IM Championships on the P2C, it says something about the quality of the materials and the design of Cervelo bikes
Fit :
As mentioned, it takes time getting used to the feel of the bike and learning what you can do on it - once you've formed that "bond", riding becomes easier and you can then build strength and confidence
Comfort :
Very comfortable ride, much it has to do with the seat (I use a Profile Design Tri Strike Ti) and pedals (I use the Speed Play Light Action) The carbon frame reduces the feel of vibrations on the road which makes for a smoother ride
Adjustability :
Once you have an adequate frame size (based on your body dimensions) the rest of the bike is totally adjustable to ensure comfort and optimum energy transfer
Durability :
2 years, 1 IMC and thousands of km's of training - so far so good Like anything else, maintain your bike religiously and it will last a lifetime
Value :
Considering the amount of use so far, this bike was worth the money - of course I would try to find a better deal if possible eg 2nd hand if I knew what I was looking for at the time but FAR more economical than golf... I don't plan on buying another tri bike - EVER
Appearance :
Put bright colors, race wheels on anything costing $2500 and chances are it will look pretty good Put me on there and it will look even better...
Customer Service :
I've never had any reason to contact Cervelo for anything other than to send an email registering my purchase - I didn't get any answer from them but it's not the end of the world My friend however did get a crack in the frame of his P2C just before IMC 2007 - NOT as a result of having an accident or anything but appeared to be a genuine manufacturer's defect He approached the Cervelo tent at the expo and they gave him a P3 to use for the race - not exact fit for him but he finished the race When we got home, they mailed him a new P3 in his size at no cost So I guess their Customer Service is not half bad...
Performance :
Obviously a bike is the sum of its parts and so far MINE has performed admirably I call her Lafawnduh (she's a flashy chick and loves it when I ride her hard) and has performed admirably in every race

22 ratings
5 star:		(21)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

Strengths

I have no complaints about this bike, no problems with it and it's served me well

Weaknesses

I am less inclined to use this bike on a trainer as I am a little concerned about chipping the frame on corner of the chain and seat stays where I connect it to the trainer - happier to use my aluminum road bike for that

Summary

If you are new to tri bikes, you can expect some adjustment period where you get used to the feel and mechanics of it eg shifting

The duration of this time depends on how much you use it

Whale hunting ban - final vote

2010-06-17T14:07:00.000-07:00

It's crunch time in the fight to protect whales! Let's get to 1 million signatures this week, before the final vote -- forward the email below to everyone!

Dear friends,

The international vote that could legalize commercial whale hunting is just days away. 650,000 of us have signed the petition to protect whales, and an Avaaz team is on the ground to make sure we're heard -- let's super-charge this campaign by hitting 1 million signatures! Add your name and then forward this message:

In one week, the International Whaling Commission will hold its final vote on a proposal to legalize commercial whale hunting for the first time in a generation.

The outcome rests on whose voices are heard most clearly in the final hours: the pro-whaling lobby -- or the world's people?

More than 650,000 of us have signed the petition to protect whales -- it's time to reach 1 million! At the whale summit in Morocco, an Avaaz team is setting up billboards, front-page newspaper ads, and a giant, constantly-updating petition counter -- all to ensure that delegates, from the moment they step off the plane until they cast their votes, will see from our explosive numbers that the world will not accept legal whale slaughter. Click to sign, and forward this email to everyone:

https://secure.avaaz.org/en/whales_last_push/?vl

Thanks to the worldwide outcry, many governments have already pledged to oppose the proposal. Each time the Avaaz whale petition added 100,000 signatures, it was sent again to the IWC and key governments -- some, like New Zealand, thanked all of us who had signed on.

But pressure from the other side has been relentless. Now other governments, especially in Europe and Latin America, may abstain... or even support the proposal. The vote could go either way.

Citizen pressure is our best hope. After all, it was an explosive worldwide social movement in the 1980s that led to the commercial whaling ban we're now trying to protect. As the International Whaling Commission meets in Morocco -- starting this Thursday, the 17th, with the crucial vote less than a week away -- let's make sure the world's voices are there to greet them:

https://secure.avaaz.org/en/whales_last_push/?vl

After the global ban was first implemented on commercial whaling, the number of whales killed each year plummeted from 38,000 per year to just a couple of thousand. It's a testament to the power of humanity to move forward. As we move to confront the other crises of the modern age, let's cherish this legacy of progress -- by joining together now to protect our majestic and intelligent neighbors on this fragile planet.

With hope,

Ben, Ben M, Maria Paz, Ricken, Benjamin, David, Graziela, Luis, and the whole Avaaz team

P.S.: Despite the ban, Japan, Norway, and Iceland have continued whaling -- and are now pushing to make the IWC proposal as lenient as possible. Expecting permission to catch more whales than ever, Japan is reportedly planning to buy its largest whaling ship yet.Click here to sign the petition against commercial whaling!

SOURCES:

IWC Voting on Whale Hunting Moratorium Next Week
http://goo.gl/7m0y‎

"IWC whaling proposal 'offensive'", New Zealand Herald
http://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/news/article.cfm?c_id=1&objectid=10640398

"Flights, girls and cash buy Japan whaling votes" - a new exposé by the Times of London
http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/uk/article7149086.ece

The other side: IWC Chairman defends whaling proposal
http://www.avaaz.org/commercial_whaling_support

"Nations Push To Develop New Whale-based Products" - anticipating the end of the whaling ban, whaling nations planning whale-based products including golf balls and detergent
http://goo.gl/aoH1

Stop the HST!

2010-06-15T08:06:00.001-07:00

:
This morning’s breaking news that Blair Lekstrom – the Minister of Energy and Mines - has resigned from Cabinet and the BC Liberal Caucus over the HST, is a perfect opportunity toincrease the pressure on other vulnerable Liberal MLAs.

Back in late April we asked you to take a moment and use twitter to push a vulnerable BC Liberal MLA to stand up to the HST and vote against the legislation to bring in this new tax. If only seven Liberal MLAs change their minds, this odious tax will no longer have the majority support of the government.

Although our pressure was not enough to succeed then, BC Liberal MLAs have started jumping off this sinking ship. And it is no wonder. More British Columbians have signed the initiative petition against the HST than voted for the BC Liberals in the last election. With Energy Minister Blair Lekstrom saying that he has changed his mind and is now against the HST, this government’s policy is beginning to unravel.

And, don’t forget that Gordon Campbell is down but he is not out. Last night, more than 1500 people paid $350 to attend a fundraiser where they listened to him defend his government and the HST. All told that means he raised about half a million dollars for the BC Liberal party in one night.

It is not too late to Stop the HST.

This weekend, we’ll be upping the pressure on seven vulnerable BC Liberal MLAs.

We need your help, so please take one or all of these actions:

1. You can tweet a vulnerable BC Liberal MLA,

2. You can phone a vulnerable BC Liberal MLA,

3. And, if you haven’t already, you can sign our online pledge against the HST.

To match Gordon Campbell’s big money backers, we also need you to make a tax deductible donation to the BC NDP. We aren’t a big money party like the BC Liberals, but working together we can match their financial resources.

Please act quickly and make a tax deductible donation of $212, $112 or $12 – whatever you can afford - to our campaign to Stop the HST. Your generous donations are tax deductible up to 75%.

Finally, if you haven’t yet signed the Vander Zalm initiative petition, please make arrangements to sign it this weekend. You can find signing locations at http://www.fighthst.com/locations

We are on the cusp of winning this battle – please take action against the HST this weekend - we have just 19 days left to Stop the HST.

2010-06-13T17:56:00.000-07:00

Hello

Please see this video on the Get Out Migration. Watch it with pride...this one is about you!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Vf1M-WGvfCg

The biggest environmental rally in the history of BC and government has not reacted. We may need to do this again. We may need to run for political office to protect our salmon, natural resources and our communities to survive. Below is my letter to Gordon Campbell. Please build our community, let your contacts know they can join us in keeping this part of earth alive...salmonaresacred.org "What you can do" The Petition.

Thanks to all of you, you are awesome in the true sense of the word, look at all the signs, faces, towns, peaceful and powerful.... Life on earth is up to us.

alex

May 17, 2010

Dear Gordon Campbell

On the afternoon of May 8, 2010 thousands of British Columbians from all walks of life, from the far reaches of Kingcome Inlet, Hope Town and Gwyasdums, from Port McNeill to across the Strait of Georgia and from the bays and watersheds of Vancouver Island traveled to your office to tell you that we want salmon farms out of our ocean, because we want our wild salmon. Everywhere in the Pacific Ocean where salmon farms do not exist (Alaska and the western Pacific) wild salmon remain abundant, even the Fraser sockeye that do not pass salmon farms are thriving. The people of BC want their salmon back.

Someday we are going to learn how Canada’s governments were sold on corporate salmon raised in public waters in cages that prevent public access when the Constitution states no one has the right to privatize ocean spaces, nor own a fish in the sovereign waters of Canada. In 1989, fish farms were handed to the province to simply side-step the inconvenience of the Constitution, but this era is over and the industry remains fundamentally unconstitutional. Farm salmon enable dams on the Fraser River, oil wells, clear-cuts, open pit mines and I think this is why the bureaucracy has blindly pushed it no matter which government is in power or what scientists, lawyers, First Nations and everyone else has to say. I think Ministry of Agriculture and Land’s handling of salmon farms needs thorough scrutiny.

Mr. Campbell, you did not cause this problem, but you have inherited it. The era of cheap oil is over with the people on the Gulf of Mexico being the first hit with what will be a cascading degradation of planet earth that all our children will inherit. You cannot morally chose a salmon that robs one ocean, to pollute a second one while consuming fuel because it feeds Atlantic salmon in BC on fish from Chile. You must choose the salmon that comes home to us without oil consumption feeding us, our forests and creating oxygen.

Norwegian salmon farming corporations are holding this coast ransom using the excuse “jobs”, when at the same time they are mechanizing to reduce their payroll. Nothing about this industry appears legitimate to me. It does not make food. It depletes global supply. It is not sustainable as it is running out of cheap fish to grind into pellets. It is not benign as it intensifies disease and pollutes.

I do not believe the assurances from the Provincial Ministry of Agriculture and Lands (MAL), nor the Federal Pacific Biological Station that salmon farms are not damaging Canada’s public fishery resources. I believe their research has been skewed and suppressed. I eagerly accept any invitation to argue these points in a court of law.

The Norwegian salmon farming industry is consuming massive quantities of Canada’s wild fish with no accounting, or licenses. If you think I am wrong, let’s have a look. Put cameras and observers on every fish pen as it is pulled to the surface, on every packer pumping out the pens and on the assembly line as these fish are gutted. Commercial fishermen have accepted and borne the costs of this scrutiny to protect wild fish and the Norwegians can too. Why did it require an order from the Department of Justice to make DFO lay a charge against Marine Harvest for unlawful possession of wild salmon? Something is very wrong here.

Why won’t MAL test Atlantic salmon facilities for the Norwegian ISA virus? How can MAL say sea lice in Nootka Sound are not drug resistant without producing a single test result?

My colleagues from the First Nations, scientific, legal, environmental and political communities have all tried to bring reason to the Norwegian salmon farming industry, but the government sponsored level of secrecy surrounding it simply grows. The only reason for secrecy is activity the public does not like.

If we remove corporate farmers and the European shareholders from this equation the solution is simple:

1- Rescind the leases under all salmon farms in British Columbia and place covenants on these sites in trust for future generations, as they are BC’s most productive coastal wild fishery grounds.
2- Invite Norway to graciously bow-out and go face the calamities they are experiencing in Chile and in their own shores.
3- Protect aquaculture jobs by WISELY developing a sustainable, community-based land-based industry
4- Use the best knowledge we have and actually restore the resilient wild fish, not enhanced fish, which are very unlikely to survive climate change.

If the people of British Columbia are your primary concern, there is no rational obstacle to embracing these solutions please start rescinding leases immediately.

There is something very wrong with this situation and it is only a matter of time before we figure it out. Lets move forward. Given their track record in Chile these Norwegian companies are not sustainable anyway. The state of the planet is a very serious concern and it is immoral to further degrade public resources that we will need on in the coming decades. This is about food-security and to pretend it is anything less is deceptive. In a world depleted of easy oil no one is going to be moving fish from the south Pacific to make less fish in the North Pacific, but we will most definitely be thankful to have millions of wild salmon returning to us for free!

Thousands of people showed up in person to deliver a message to you. Get salmon farms Out of BC waters. We await your response.

Sincerely,

Alexandra Morton
Salmonaresacred.org

YouTube - Videos from this email

Ban indiscriminate killers - andrewcdo@gmail.com - Gmail

2010-05-22T19:49:00.000-07:00

Dear friends,

Momentum is building for the U.S. to finally sign the international treaty to ban landmines. But military advisers might block it. Let's send a global chorus of support to win the ban at last --take action now, click here:

Mao Sopheap was orphaned by a landmine. Then, when she was 16, she stepped on one herself -- her left leg was blown apart and had to be amputated. During an interview she cried:

  "That mine has given me a future of tears until the end of my life."

Outrageously the U.S. has not signed the decade-old global treaty to ban landmines. But last week, 68 U.S. Senators wrote to the President to support the ban, giving Obama the two-thirds majority he needs to ratify.

The Mine Ban Treaty was driven through by a global citizens movement -- now if enough of us support the Senate's move, we could get the Obama administration to sign it! Click below to take action now and forward this widely, the petition will be delivered to the White House when we reach 200,000 signers:  

  http://cdn.avaaz.org/en/obama_ban_mines/?cl=582533616&v=6333

  Some military advisers are resisting the ban, but their argument that a ban would reduce security is tenuous -- the United States has not used landmines since 1991, has had an export ban in place since 1992, and has not produced any since 1997.

  Since 1999, 156 countries have signed the global treaty banning their use and production. But significantly the U.S., China and Russia have not, and without the U.S. there's little chance of a comprehensive global ban, crucial to eliminate these indiscriminate killers.

  Last week's letter from the Senate brings the U.S. one step closer to signing. But to counter military hesitation, a massive global wave of support is needed for the President to ratify the global ban. Sign the petition below, then forward this email to friends and family.  

http://cdn.avaaz.org/en/obama_ban_mines/?cl=582533616&v=6333

Mao Sopheap's life and over 2000 lives per month have been destroyed by these malicious and obsolete bombs. Let's raise our voices together for those victims and send President Obama a clear message that the world will no longer accept U.S. delays and excuses.Sign the petition: 

http://cdn.avaaz.org/en/obama_ban_mines/?cl=582533616&v=6333

 With hope, 

Alice, Iain, Pascal, Raluca, Mia, Ricken, Luis, Paul and the entire Avaaz team

SOURCES:

"White House Is Being Pressed to Reverse Course and Join Land Mine Ban", New York Times:
http://www.nytimes.com/2010/05/08/world/americas/08mine.html

"The Senate is Ready to Ban Land Mines -- Is Obama?", Change.org:
http://globalpoverty.change.org/blog/view/the_senate_is_ready_to_ban_land_mines_is_obama

"Landmines Factsheet", from the United Nations:
http://www.un.org/cyberschoolbus/banmines/facts.asp

Mao Sopheap's story:
http://library.thinkquest.org/11051/people.htm

The International Campaign to Ban Landmines:
http://www.icbl.org/intro.php

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Cause for change?

2010-05-19T12:42:00.000-07:00

Tar "dung" balls are now washing up on the coast of Florida and "experts" are still debating the source while I'm sitting here wondering if this is the beginning of the end...

This episode reminds me of being in Sunday school and listening to another expert preaching about the perils of Hell and the bliss of Heaven and how our conduct now determines which one we end up with

What if Heaven and Hell both exist right here and now and it's what we choose to do each day that determines what we live through? What if Hell isn't this big, obvious fiery contrast that hits you like unexpectedly - but instead, something more insidious, something subtle that creeps up from the depths and across the ocean?

Something that isn't imposed on you against your will but instead a situation you personally had a hand in creating but scarcely took notice? And even if on the off chance you turned to look, your first reaction is to quickly dismiss it like a bad smell...

It seems most people these days live in such fear of death but rarely take the time to embrace life because we've allowed ourselves to be conditioned to measure everything by its dollar value - what a warped and imprisoning faith system we have

Why wait for New Year's to make a new resolution? Maybe we should spend less time hypnotizing ourselves and more time making the kind of lives we want to live - tempered with a little consideration for everything else around us

Maybe then we wouldn't waste so much time worry about the impending Hell now but living in our own patch of Heaven

Monster oil spill

2010-05-13T20:17:00.000-07:00

Dear friends,

A horrific oil spill is spreading through the Gulf of Mexico. Yet U.S. law-makers still plan to ramp up offshore oil drilling. Let's send a global outcry to President Obama and Congress urging them tooverturn offshore drilling expansion -- sign the petition, it will be delivered to the White House:

We've all seen the outrageous images: a monstrous oil spill is gushing as much as 2,500,000 gallons of crude a day into the Gulf of Mexico.

Before the spill, U.S. President Obama and Congressional leaders were planning to ramp up offshore drilling. Now, with the spill, the politics have shifted -- and an opportunity has opened for the world's biggest historical climate polluter to shift away from oil and towards climate-safe energy sources.

At a moment like this, when leaders are making up their minds, the world's voices can help tip the balance. Sign the petition urging the U.S. to stop offshore drilling and invest instead in clean renewable energy -- the signatures will be delivered to the White House in Washington DC when we reach 500,000! Click to sign on now and spread the word:

https://secure.avaaz.org/en/stop_offshore_drilling_2/?vl

This disaster is expected to be catastrophic for the land and people in the gulf. The oil has already reached land, contaminating wildlife sanctuaries. Authorities are so concerned about the impacts of more oil reaching land that they are prefer to set the gulf on fire, burning as much of the oil as possible.

Meanwhile, the fossil fuel industry is raking in windfall profits. BP, which operated the sunken rig, more than doubled its first quarter profits in 2010 to $5.65 billion.

For years, the world has waited for the U.S. to step up on climate. But with the carbon lobby's strangle-hold on Washington, we’ve had more drilling in place of stronger investment in cleaner, safer energy sources. It’s time to for a change -- Senator Bill Nelson of Florida has already introduced legislation to repeal plans to expand offshore drilling. Let's back him up with an outpouring of global public outrage. Sign the petition calling on President Obama and Congress to end offshore drilling, and take the US and the world to clean energy future:

https://secure.avaaz.org/en/stop_offshore_drilling_2/?vl

With Hope,

Ben, Iain, Alice, David, and the Avaaz team

SOURCES:

"Gulf Oil Spill Presents Political Challenges," Washington Post:
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2010/04/29/AR2010042902290.html?hpid=topnews

"Gulf oil spill washes up on political shores," BBC:
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/americas/8665312.stm

"Black storm rising," The Economist:
http://www.economist.com/displayStory.cfm?story_id=16059982

"Recovery still incomplete after Exxon Valdez," NY Times:
http://www.nytimes.com/2010/05/06/us/06alaska.html

"Fly your sea turtle flag high: a slippery stew of shrimp, oil, and sea turtles," Huffington Post:
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/wallace-j-nichols/fly-your-sea-turtle-flag_b_563773.html

"How much oil has leaked into the Gulf of Mexico?," PBS (source of 2.5 million gallons per day outward estimate):
http://www.pbs.org/newshour/rundown/2010/05/how-much-oil-has-spilled-in-the-gulf-of-mexico.html

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Should I be pacing myself or going all out when I’m training? - The Globe and Mail

2010-05-13T15:27:00.000-07:00

Should I be pacing myself or going all out when I’m training?

Developing a feel for your speed is key to efficient running, Canadian athletes learn

The question

Should I be pacing myself or going all out when I’m training?

The answer

Last winter, gold medalist Simon Whitfield led a squad of triathletes from the Canadian national team on a trip to Nike headquarters in Portland, Ore., for a 10-day training camp. Their goal: to elevate their running game by learning from the elite crew of distance runners and highly sought after coaches based there.

One of the key lessons they picked up was the importance of finding the right pace – that, at least in training, going faster isn’t always better. It may sound obvious, but sports psychologists believe that learning to monitor and adjust to feedback during training is a powerful tool for developing expertise – even in apparently simple activities such as running and biking.

The group Mr. Whitfield trained with in Portland included Simon Bairu of Regina, who earlier this month smashed the Canadian record for 10,000 metres by 13 seconds at a race in Palo Alto, Calif., running 27:23.63. Chris Solinsky, another member of the group, broke the U.S. record in the same race, and a third member of the Portland group also dipped below the old U.S. record.

“They’re so precise about their pacing,” Mr. Whitfield says. “We came home with the message that when a tempo run is supposed to be, let’s say, 3:05 [per kilometre] pace, then 3:03 pace is not a success. That’s a fail.”

Such precision may be daunting, but it’s a hallmark of “deliberate practice,” a concept advanced by Florida State University cognitive psychologist Anders Ericsson and popularized in recent books like Malcolm Gladwell’s Outliers: The Story of Success. The best way to master an activity is not simply to repeat it mindlessly over and over again, Dr. Ericsson argues, but to set specific goals and monitor how well you meet them.

The theory is most commonly applied to highly technical activities such as tennis or violin; for simpler activities such as running, “practice” usually involves simply heading out the door and doing it. But in a study of the training practices of elite runners by University of Ottawa researchers Bradley Young and John Salmela, what separated the highest-performing group from their less accomplished peers was how much they incorporated elements such as interval training, tempo runs and time trials, all of which require ongoing attention to pace and other feedback.

Once you become familiar with how different paces feel and how long you’re able to maintain them, knowing your speed can actually enhance performance, according to a study in a forthcoming issue of the British Journal of Sports Medicine. Researchers had cyclists perform a four-kilometre time trial around a track, with no intermediate pacing information provided. When they repeated the trial with pace feedback after each 250-metre lap, the times improved; when the riders were given deliberately incorrect pace feedback, the times got slower.

You don’t need to head to a track to implement these ideas. Many bike paths have kilometres marked, and you can use programs such as Google Earth to measure a route. Alternately, you can simply pick a few landmarks along your route without worrying about the precise distance, and monitor how your time between those landmarks varies from week to week.

The goal isn’t to get faster every time you run; it’s to develop an automatic feel for how fast you’re running, so that when you do check your watch, it just confirms what you already knew.

“I think that it is extremely important for an athlete to understand how they feel during exercise,” says University of Bedfordshire exercise physiologist Lex Mauger, the lead author of the cycling study. “Performance varies from day to day, so a particular pace that was appropriate one day may not be the next.”

After two Olympic medals, you might think Mr. Whitfield had pretty much figured out how to train. But it’s his attention to these details and his desire to keep learning that underlie his continued success – even though he confesses that incorporating the new lessons hasn’t been easy.

“Even our tempo run today turned into one of those where you’re slowly ramping up and up and up,” he laughs. “But in general we’re trying to be more precise about what pace we’re supposed to run.”

CBC Radio - time for action!

2010-05-13T13:53:00.000-07:00

Trouble with this email? View it online at: www.friends.ca/files/html/10may06-cbcsurvey.html

Dear supporter,

If you've noticed a pattern of dreadful deterioration to news and other programs on CBC Radio, you're not alone.

An internal survey of National CBC Radio reporters has leaked from within the CBC.

It reads like a cry for help from discouraged and dispirited creative professional journalists who are demoralized and distraught about the depreciation of our prized CBC Radio service.

Please answer their call and join me in demanding that intelligence and quality be restored to CBC Radio.

Recently, CBC management decided to “integrate” TV, radio and online news gathering. This supposed cost saving measure has had the predictable consequence of swamping the small but vibrant culture that burns brightly within the CBC Radio service. Now Television consistently trumps Radio.

Here’s what the CBC’s official blog reports about the survey:

“According to the survey, 90 per cent of the reporters feel that the ‘radio culture’ is much worse than it was a year ago, and many of them felt that the storytelling ideals of depth, intelligence, and investigation were disappearing under the news integration process.”

"Our culture is dying," one reporter lamented.

Most of the comments revolve around the loss of radio craft, the increasingly onerous workload, and TV bureaucrats who don’t understand radio swamping radio positions, especially senior positions.

This collective judgment of CBC’s National Radio News journalists is a condemnation of CBC senior management’s ill-conceived “integration” project that undermines the CBC service Canadians care most intensely about – CBC Radio.

Please join with me and send a message to CBC President Hubert Lacroix.

CBC management must restore intelligence and quality to CBC Radio!

Yours sincerely,

Ian Morrison
Spokesperson
FRIENDS of Canadian Broadcasting

P.S. The shameful sacking of As It Happens co-host Barbara Budd is the latest of many decisions that expose CBC management's shortcomings. Please add your voice to demand that intelligence and quality be restored to CBC Radio.

FRIENDS of Canadian Broadcasting is an independent watchdog for Canadian programming and is not affiliated with any broadcaster or political party.

Please help us keep our database up to date by notifying friends@friends.ca of changes in your e-mail address. If you do not wish to receive future advocacy action alerts from FRIENDS please reply to this message with "UNSUBSCRIBE ADVOCACY" in the subject line. To unsubscribe from all FRIENDS e-mails, please write to friends@friends.ca.
View FRIENDS' privacy policy.

China diabetes epidemic

2010-03-26T09:23:00.000-07:00

China faces 'diabetes epidemic', research suggests

A change in lifestyle following rapid economic growth is partly to blame

China faces a diabetes epidemic, with almost one in 10 adults having the disease while most cases remain undiagnosed, researchers have said.

Tests showed diabetes was more endemic than previously thought, according to the New England Journal of Medicine.

The figures suggest China has some 90 million diabetics, far more than India.

Rapid economic growth has affected public health, through urbanisation, changed diets and more sedentary lifestyles, researchers said.

Rigorous new tests suggested that more than 92 million Chinese adults had diabetes and that nearly 150 million more were showing early symptoms, researchers said.

This represents a major public health problem for the authorities in Beijing as diabetes is a major factor in illnesses such as heart disease, stroke and kidney disease, correspondents say.

"In the last 10 years, with the country's economy expanding quickly and people's standard of living improving, people's lifestyles have changed," said Yang Wenying, one of the report's 20 authors, who is head of endocrinology at Beijing's China-Japan Friendship Hospital.

"China's economic development has gone from a situation of not being able to eat enough, of poverty, to having enough food and warm clothes, and doing much less exercise," she told the AFP news agency.

The US has a similar percentage of sufferers, but China with its massive population now has more diabetics than anywhere else in the world, says the BBC's Michael Bristow in Beijing.

The Chinese study was based on a representative sample of more than 46,000 adults aged 20 years or older from 14 provinces and municipalities.

Last year, US research suggested that diabetes was becoming a global problem, with more than 60% of all cases likely to occur in Asia.

Survivor: Heroes vs Villains, episode 6, "You don't mess with the Hantz"

2010-03-25T15:29:00.000-07:00

Ok I don't know if you're into it, I certainly wasn't until Anna roped me in but I have to say, this is one of the better shows out there and not just reality shows but in the overall category of "TV"

Ya, Survivor, I said it, you heard me - if you don't watch, I say any thinking person should, if you do, then you know what I mean when I say Heroes vs Villains episode 6 first tribal council was the best ever, period - even more entertaining than Tocantins when Randy played the fake idol and got voted out

After last series, people said Russell was the best. I didn't put too much stock in that because I thought he was doing what any contestant SHOULD be doing from the start ie THINKING - most people seemed to float through the game like mindless sheep waiting for their turn at the chopping block

However, this time, Russell is a Samurai! Now he's playing some serious chess against multiple stronger, experienced and conniving opponents that are specifically targeting him!

Boston Rob led an intelligent move that was by all accounts fool proof - However, Russell's move puts him in a completely different category to any other player because he capitalized on the one X factor that is present in every episode of every series of every reality show ie human nature

People are easily swayed when you appeal to their needs and desires, like Russell did with Tyson's arrogance and desire to see Parvati off, he single handedly ruined his ally's (Rob) plans to flush out the idol and eliminate Russ or Parvati simultaneously - a plan that SHOULD have worked

Sun Tzu said that the best victory is achieved in a war you don't fight - getting your opponent to destroy themselves is by far the greatest (and most entertaining) victory

Here's an excerpt from "The Art of War":

"All warfare is based on deception.

Hence, when able to attack, we must seem unable; when using our forces, we must seem inactive; when we are near, we must make the enemy believe we are far away; when far away, we must make him believe we are near.

Hold out bait to entice the enemy.

Feign disorder, and crush him.

If your enemy is secure at all points, be prepared for him. If he is in superior strength, evade him.

If your opponent is temperamental, seek to irritate him.

Pretend to be weak, that he may grow arrogant.

If he is taking his ease, give him no rest.

If his forces are united, separate them.

If sovereign and subject are in accord, put division between them.

Attack him where he is unprepared, appear where you are not expected."

I should have studied psychology...