Rest Weekend

After a great week of training and feeling really good early on the two-a-days were starting to catch up with me. Amber and I had a fantastic birthday celebration but the next day my body was starting to really slow down. Friday we went for a swim and I knew right afterwards that I was in trouble, my glands were swollen and I was really, really tired. I thought I could just take it easy for the next couple days and it would pass but it took an entire weekend of me sitting on the couch doing absolutely nothing (other than an easy run with the GP crew) for me to feel better.

Today I was back on the bike for an easy spin and I am starting to get back to normal. Still a little sluggish but I'm bouncing back quickly and should be back to doing two-a-day workouts again in a couple weeks.

Friday we went to a great '80s party and I had a chance to dress silly and listen to some great retro music. I loved the '80s!!

Happy Birthday To Me!!

Thanks to everyone for the warm birthday wishes. It's really nice to have your special day be acknowledged. I spent today with my wonderful family, Amber and Harley. Amber made today really fantastic, she took me out to lunch and when I got home she bought me some awesome gifts. Now we're having some down time just enjoying a glass of wine, I love the off season! No training today, I've been feeling really over-trained and I decided that today would be a great day to take a break. I've had a fantastic first 36 years and I can't wait to see what the next 36 have in store for me and Amber. Yesterday I had a daydream that I had jumped 36 years ahead and Amber and I were on the southern coast of France enjoying a bottle of wine and living in a little cottage on the beach. That's a retirement we're going to make a reality.

Long Weekend Training Camp

It's been a great long weekend hanging out with Amber, her cousin Heidi, and some great triathlon friends. Friday I started the day with a 3km swim and felt really good in the water, it was my 4th swim for the week and I was a little tired but my form was still strong. I came home after work and sat on the bike and spun for an hour. The weekend was just beginning and my legs were getting a really good warm up but I was determined to complete some quality training.

Saturday Amber and I met up with the running crew and did the usual 11km loop and it was relaxed and comfortable. The best part about the run is the coffee and hanging out afterwards. It's great to talk triathlon with everyone afterward and it's exciting to hear about some of the tough training people are putting in this time of year. I love to hear about some of the races other people have done but I have to remember not to get caught up in what other people are doing and simply stick to what works for me. It's easy to start doubting what you are doing when you hear that so and so did this and had their best season ever! Well that worked for so and so but there's no way it would work for me. I think I've found a nice balance of hard training and aerobic workouts that helps me peak when the season comes around. I'm looking forward to seeing how all the hard workouts will have paid off come May, June, July, and August. Of course you can't "peak" for four months but I can be in great shape and peak for a couple focus races.

Sunday we had a group of six other people join us for a two hour easy spin that was anything but easy! It took a good 20 minutes for my legs to feel normal but then I got into a groove. I pushed for the remaining 1:50 and by the end I'd gone through two bottles, four towels, one fruit bar and I was soaked. Someone asked if I dropped my water bottle, no that's just my sweat.

Today I was really tired and passed on the outdoor run some people were doing (in -25' weather!) and did an hour on the treadmill and half hour on the bike. That's all I had left this weekend. Great long weekend of training and time to get back to normal work life tomorrow.

I'm Going to Rock the Swim This Year!!!

I'm really starting to get used to swimming in the morning now. Amber started a 6am bootcamp on Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday and I've been trying to use it as motivation to get to the pool during those days. It's so nice to see every other triathlete in town at that time and I don't feel like I'm doing this all alone. My swimming has come a long way and my "feel" for the water is getting much better. I can push a little longer at the end of the workout and my dolphin kick off the wall takes me a lot further. I haven't actually timed myself in an all out effort but Duncan (fellow triathele) timed us for a 750m time trial on Sunday and said we were moving really well (1:38/100m). I'll take it for February.

The only downside of getting up early is that I'm exhausted by 8pm. Amber already thinks I'm an old man because I like to go to bed at 10:00 but if I keep this up I'm going to have to crash at 8:30 (sorry babe).

It's February Already?

I don't know about anyone else but it seems to me like January just flew by. I'm still not used to it being 2009 (and me being 36 years old) and we're already in the second month of the year. Oh well 2009 has been great so far. I only missed 4 days of training all month, that's 27 days of swimming, biking or running. Not bad considering we had some brutally cold weather during the first part of the year.

Things have been going well with work and I've managed to put our cluster near the top of the pack for Alberta in new investment dollars closed for the first quarter of the year. That's good because 2008 was a difficult year and transitioning from Calgary to Grande Prairie half-way through the year was very difficult. There were times when I was so broke I couldn't afford to stay in a hotel in the branches I was visiting and I just ended up sleeping in my car. However now things are going well and I'm really, really happy Amber and I made the move up here. She has been my inspiration and I'm very proud of her for making such a difference in her clients' lives.

I'm finishing my Jasper-Edson-Whitecourt trip and the roads look a little crappy today but fortunately they clear them often and it shouldn't pose a problem (stop worrying babe). I'm very happy that I've been able to get in some good training while on the road; I did a tough hour on the stationary bike in Jasper and ran two hours on the treadmill yesterday here in Whitecourt. I hope to get in another hour on my bike when I get home but it depends on when Amber wants to start the weekend celebration with a glass of wine. I love the weekend!

Superbowl Spin

It's Superbowl Sunday and Amber and I plan on having our annual winter pig-out! Neither of us are that interested in the game but it's always a great excuse to have beers and chips. If we're planning on over-indulging then it's probably a good idea to burn off some calories beforehand. Today's ride was 3 separate workouts that were 30 minutes long; one tough interval session, one technique session, and one all out sprint session. My legs are toast and today I felt a little sluggish but after not being on my bike for a week I still managed to get through it.

It was nice to have our usual crew come over to keep us motivated, thanks GP altheles. It's so hard to complete these workouts on your own and both Amber and I love the company of other strong athletes. There are some really great people here to help keep you motivated and we're lucky enough to be able to train with a lot of them.

Feel Better Soon Babe

It's been a rough week for Amber, she's been very, very sick and has had to soldier on and complete her tough three days of classes; Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday. Fortunately she found an alternative for her class Thursday night and cancelled another class but I have never seen her this sick before. I wish there was something I could do to make her feel better but unfortunately sometimes the body just has to work through it.

I've had a fairly good week of training, just a couple swims and a couple runs but I feel fairly good and I'm looking forward to keeping it up when I hit the road next week. I'm completing my Peace River- High Level trip next Tuesday to Friday and I'm hoping it will work out well. I need to get back on my bike, I haven't been on it since bike class on Sunday and I'm itching to ride again. I've seen a lot of local triathletes at the pool and it's obvious everyone is still focused on training, even though it's January! It's brutally cold out there and I really don't enjoy running outside but I keep telling Amber it's supposed to make us tougher. I have to remind myself of that whenever I'm out there; it never seems to bother Harley!