Various and sundry

Friday, June 30, 2006

No news is good news - no response yet from TriCanada on my clothing dispute.  Honestly, it still bothers me: I didn't work my ass off for the last six months to keep the Orca clothing company in business.  That's perhaps a bit of an extreme sentiment, but that's how I feel at the moment. I do take some consolation in the many stories I've heard from cyclists and other athletes (including runners) about their experiences with Canadian national teams (and I'm not talking about good experiences).  Anyway, it's not good to begin harbouring sour sentiments - it just makes things more difficult.  Chances are I'll simply buy a new uniform.  Sometimes, though, one has to stick up for his principles, or at the very least make them known clearly. 

Enough of that for now. With my day off, after watching a bit of the Germany/Argentina soccer game in the morning, I drove out and parked at a little side road near the start of Interurban road and ran from there along rolling country roads to Prospect Lake road, along there, with a brief stop at the lake itself to observe a little school of fish darting about and a water-skier; over to its connection to W. Saanich Rd., back along Interurban and, with a few loop-de-loops, back toward the car.  After about 20k of running - about 1:35 - I finished up at a greenspace with a baseball diamond and tennis courts where I did 8X100m strides.  I was amazed how much my stiff legs seemed to loosen up by doing the strides to finish up.  So - it's now been 4 days in a row of average about 20km per day.

Haven't quite decided what's on the agenda for tomorrow - there's a possibility I will spontaneously choose to do the 5km in Sidney as the last 5km of a long run.  But I will decide in the morning.  One possibility was to run Hurricane Ridge (and partly ride), since a number of cyclists are heading over on the ferry first thing in the morning for that, but given that my legs are beginning to feel some heaviness, it may not be a great thing to throw in a long hill run at this point.  I might be better off with 5km of speedwork than a long strength run.  If it isn't either of those, it will be another long run.

My beef...

Thursday, June 29, 2006

Went for another 1.5 hour run, 3X around Beacon Hill before heading up the waterfront to Willows Beach, back to Oak Bay and up Oak Bay home.  Finished up again with about 1km of slightly faster than race pace running.  Legs felt generally fairly good, and they do not seem to be accumulating too much fatigue at the moment.  I'll just keep stacking up the mileage for now and see how it goes.

I've managed to stir up a wee spot of controversy with TriCanada.  It's expensive enough that those selected for Worlds have to pay for everything as it is, but now they are also insisting that we buy National team uniforms that are made by Orca and that we cannot use uniforms from previous years that will look essentially the same and otherwise conform to International Triathlon Union standards. 

The uniform I have from the Belgium 2004 Worlds conforms to ITU standards, but is made by Sugoi and not Orca.  I've written to TriCanada and said that we should not be expected to have to pay for for a new uniform when we already own one that meets ITU standards.  Just because TriCanada has a new contract with Orca shouldn't obligate me to pay for a new uniform if I already have one.  Sure, if I didn't already have one (granted it's a bit small, and I should get a new one, but I'm trying to make a point!), I would buy a new one. 

It's bad enough TriCanada won't at least supply the elite competitors with uniforms for the Worlds when they are occurring in our home country (Corner Brook, Nfld), when we are already paying our own way plus "team fees" to accommodate the hiring of a manager, a doctor, and a mechanic, who will all get their way paid for -- but at the very least relax a little if your competitors already have a uniform! 

So, I may yet get myself kicked off the team, we'll see.  I am willing to be flexible, but I felt I needed to make my point, and to see what their response will be (I haven't yet heard).   I will be interested to find out.

I've taken tomorrow off for a full four days off.  Looks like it's shaping up to be a great weekend weather wise.

Their hastened end

Wednesday, June 28, 2006

Like as they did yesterday, my legs felt heavy all day long, and I generally felt tired. And like yesterday, while creating lovely little flowcharts ("process maps") for a policy manual at work, I questioned how beneficial any sort of run today would be. Perhaps an easy spin would be better, I thought.

But when time was right for quitting time and I made my way home, the pegs seemed to liven up and another easy-ish, longish run was in the cards.  This time I decided to stay off the pavement though, and for a change of pace drove out to Elk/Beaver Lake for two loops around in 1hr 30 minutes at a nice comfortable pace.  I picked up the last 500m or so to near race pace just to be sure my muscles experienced some amount of faster contractions rather than have them finish up at the same relatively slow pace they started at.   I sense that I will recover nicely and be able do some more long runs through the weekend - I can hardly wait for them!  In the words of a fellow runner from my Vancouver days, "my long runs are sacred". 

Results are now up for the Kamloops du.  I see for 5.5k/35k/5.5k course I was in at 1 hour 34 mins 06s, to Andrew Russell's 1hr 33 mins 32s.  Allan Boos was third in 1hr 40 odd mins - he had done the 1/2 Ironman the week before.  So, Andrew got a bit more than 30s (0.5 minutes!) out of me on the second 5.5km run, which he did in about 19 mins 30s; I was 20 mins 01s (the last run split wasn't timed, so that is finish time minus bike+first run split, but it doesn't account for transitions, so run time was actually faster).  First run was 18mins 24s for me and 18min 25s for him - roughly 16min 40s for 5km - not super fast, but reasonable.
 ____________

Like as the waves make toward the pebbled shore,
So do our minutes hasten to their end
Each changing place with that which goes before
In sequent toil all forwards do contend

  --Shakespeare

Released my burden

Tuesday, June 27, 2006

Well, I finally stopped evading Simon the census man.  The guilt was overwhelming. It's not easy being a wanted man.  So yesterday, in the absence of my paper census form (recycled), I phoned Simon, let go my burden and passed on my specs.  I even went beyond the call of duty and voluntarily made my info available to data miners 100 years from now.  Didn't hafta, but darn it, I wanted to.   

While walking to and from work and home for lunch and back, my legs felt fairly heavy, and doubted whether a run this evening would feel very good or provide any benefit.  But I went anyway, and for the full 1hr 20mins, I felt surprisingly smooth and relaxed.  I felt a momentary twitch in my groin near the end, but I think it will be fine.  My other little perineal problem has mostly resolved itself too.  So, back on the mend, I hope.

I'm currently questioning the wisdom of racing this weekend, as I was thinking of doing the Sidney 5km and/or the Cypress Hill Climb.  But since the second weekend in May I've raced six weekends: Provincial du, National du, Oak Bay 1/2 Marathon, Maple Bay Masters cycling race, 1/2 Iron relay, and the Kamloops du, not to mention at least two midweek bike races.  This has meant really inconsistent running mileage in all those weeks, plus a few inconsistent weeks before that. So, leading up to the Worlds on July 29 - just over a month away - I really need just to focus on some running mileage for a few days (with a few easy rides), and then incorporate some hard interval sessions/time-trials. 

That means I really shouldn't do either race this weekend - just some longish runs, with a view to a couple of days off next week, and then focusing on long intervals (5X2k type stuff) and time trials, both running and cycling for a couple of weeks and then tapering for Worlds.

Kamloops duathlon

Sunday, June 25, 2006

Slipping out yesterday just as Simon the census man was knocking on apartment doors, I somewhat spontaneously decided to head over to Kamloops for the Funstuff Duathlon, one of the duathlons in the TriBC duathlon series.  "Funstuff" is the name of a recreation store in Kamloops and sponsors the race. 

And no, I haven't done my census yet.  I have it on good advice that "they" have factored in an 11% no-count, so I figure they might have to lump me in that category.  Not that there is anything particularly onerous about filling out a census form, I just happen to have accidentally plunked it into the recycling bin, and haven't been bothered to deal with it since.  As a result, I was on high adrenaline when I heard Simon around the corner introducing himself to my neighbours just as I was foisting my bag down the stairs and out.  Yes, down and out. 

I'll probably do it, gee-wiz shucks, but in moment of rebelliousness just knowing this thing is required by law puts me into "oops, forgot" mode.  If they really want to take a census, do it using information that's available - birth records, immigration records, phone books, internet searches etc - there are a zillion ways of gathering that information, fairly cheaply too, I think, without requiring people to fill out a form.  Ok, ok it's nothing, I'll do my civic duty for our government policy-makers and fill it out... :-o   ]

So - in the scorching summer heat (at last!!) I was on the 3:00 ferry, and soon afterward booting my way up the Coquihalla yesterday afternoon, and into Kamloops. 

Originally I was rather non-committal about doing the race, partly because it wasn't necessarily the best thing for my training schedule at the moment in terms of building running mileage for Worlds, and partly because it was a long way and expensive, and with my groin injury and other more recent "problem" it was all rather iffy.  On the other hand, the duathlon series winners have not been determined, and having won it the last four years in a row, I'd like to keep the streak going, and there is $500 to the winner at the end.  It also brings more credibility to the series if the elite category competitors make a point of going to them.  

By rights Graham Cocksedge should win the series, but I'm not sure if they made him elite retroactive to UBC (because he wasn't in the elite category at the time of that race) - if he has been, he will probably win the series - if not it's still open. 

Nonetheless, I certainly went to Kamloops with an eye to winning the race, but that did not happen.  Andrew Russell from Revelstoke won.  He was behind me at Provincials, but he was either fitter today than he was then, or I was flat, or possibly a combination.  Certainly having raced a long race last weekend will have left me a bit flat, though I think Andrew is also fitter now.  The race was a 5.5km run/35km bike/5.5km run.  We were through the 5.5km run in about 18.15, which was reasonably quick, and we stayed fairly close on the bike, which was mostly flat but featured some long climbs, which made the course not particularly fast, and I think it took us about 56minutes, which is not overly fast for 35km.   Although Andrew was out of the transition ahead of me, it took about 15km to catch him, but I was unable to put any more time on him and he  ended up passing me again and putting some distance on me on a descent.  That also took forever to close - basically until the last 5km of the race, and I didn't bother passing him then - we just more or less rode side-by-side until transition.  He said I was nearly two minutes faster than him at Provincials on the bike, so I think it was the combination of him being fitter and me being flat.

In any event, Andrew was definitely faster on the second run than me, and opened up a sizeable lead by the finish - about a minute I think.  I believe Nathan (?) was 3rd - he ended up winning the UBC du after Graham and I went off course.  Perennial strong-woman, Yvonne Timewell, won the women's race.

So, Andrew got the big $250 gift certificate to the rec store and the points toward the series.  So, now I might have to do the Sri Chinmoy the week after Worlds and hope that neither Graham or Andrew want to do it!

A fun weekend, but I definitely feel a little burnt and sun-shocked.  During the post-race BBQ a few of us mingled under the pelting sun, while the smarter ones among us found shady locations to congregate.  Apparently the weather has been crappy in the Interior as well right up until Solstice, when all of a sudden it became blazingly hot!

Those infinite affidavits

Thursday, June 22, 2006

Originally the plan was to go for an easy ride this evening.  However, I discovered, unhappily, that after my Monday easy spin and the race on Sunday, I seem to have acquired an additional member to my family jewels, as they appear to have multiplied in number by 1/3.  Sitting on the nose of a bicycle saddle for two and a half hours in multi-sport shorts which feature only a very light chamois can have that effect, though I must say I don't remember encountering the effect to this degree before.  If the additional member to my jewel count came with any real benefit (such as a testosterone increase) I would welcome it! But alas, I suspect it is entirely sterile, and so it is wholly unwelcome.

The upshot being I decided not to inflame "it" even more by riding on it this evening, and decided to run instead.  I'm sure I wouldn't like it if it were angry! So for the first time in quite a long time, I have now run two days in a row.  I ran for an hour at a comfortable pace and it generally felt good.

Afterward I reviewed the powerpoint presentation I'm giving at work tomorrow and read a bit more of "Incompleteness" about mathematician Kurt Godel.  In the vein of Godelian paradoxes, a couple of years ago I encountered this little self-referential gem:

"Attached to this affidavit is Exhibit "A", which is a copy of this affidavit".  Of course in that situation, the Exhibit was supposed to be a previous draft, but even so, imagine that each exhibit, or copy of the affidavit, also contained Exhibit "A".  The result would be an infinitely large affidavit!  As any good paralegal ought to, I pointed out the problem to the lawyer.  In practice, you could just attach the body of the affidavit as Exhibit A without any further attachments, but there is definitely a theoretical problem to attaching an affidavit to itself!

The Longest Day

Wednesday, June 21, 2006

I can still feel deep fatigue, and I napped again at lunch hour after the eyes began drooping while reading a paper "Bureaucracies and Self-organization", which I'm reviewing for a presentation I'm giving at a work Community of Practice group meeting on Friday.  My topic is "Complexity Theory and Policy-Making", applying basic principles of complexity theory to public policy making. 

Then when I arrived home, I napped for another half-hour before venturing out for a 50 min easy run.  My legs felt good, and the system feels ready to wrack up some running miles, since the consistency and running mileage has been down for several weeks.  I will continue to take this week easy, though, with a view to ramping up mileage next week. 

So it is here at last, the longest day.  I'm not sure I understand my own sense of sadness at the passing of this day, although I do truly experience it every year. There will be many more long evenings ahead, summer has only just now officially begun and the warmest days are still ahead of us. 

Even so there is a sense that something that has grown has ceased to grow, and now diminishes in tiny increments each day.  The days become shorter now, signaling an inevitable return to dominating darkness.  Still, I admit this last winter was one of the few in which I felt a coziness to the dark evenings - I came to accept that not only was I powerless to resist each day's early passing of the sun, but I welcomed it.  Knowing that, why now should I resist the inevitable turning of the days to be dominated by darkness, when it is useless and impossible to resist and when at times I even revelled in it this last winter? 

Regardless, the day is significant to me.  Here is a silent toast to its passing.

________________

"There is nothing good or bad, but that which thinking makes it so."

       -- Shakespeare

The day before the longest day

Tuesday, June 20, 2006

The day before the longest day expires with clear skies and only a gentle breeze.  It is still cool, though, and indications of truly summery conditions are few, and I am chilled in a short-sleeve shirt with the balcony door slightly ajar while a single bird crosses my line of sight and melts into the horizon.

Below there is still Johnson Street and, though it is mostly obscured from view, I can hear the vehicles loudly pass, reminding me that the serene sky does not, in this place, exist in some pristine, remote and ancient wilderness.  But during moments of silence while gazing up at the expansive and soothingly darkening sky, I can imagine that it does; then I can feel some affinity for a dropping sun in an open sky that has repeated its pattern of rising and falling for millions of years; that it is the same sun which, a billion years ago, flung itself up to its highest point and trickled down streaming into its purple bed over a landscape below, vastly different from the one before me now with houses and streets and streetlights interspersed by puffs of green; the same sun which did that (rose and fell) a hundred or a thousand years ago; and the same sun that will, a million years from now, linger in the same sky on the day before the longest day over a landscape that may be not just different, but inconceivably different from the one that, tonight, now disappears into dusk... 

Tomorrow is the longest day.

_________
Today there was no training.  Went to see "Why we fight" at UVic with Roger and Kerri.  It is a powerful documentary about the American public's perception about the reasons for war generally; the reasons as stated by US presidents since Eisenhower as to America's continuous involvement in wars since Eisenhower and his warnings about the dangers of a "military-industrial complex"; and how the stated reasons fit (or do not fit) the historical context and the realities and results of US policies on war since World War II. 

__________

"Absolute power corrupts absolutely"

    - well-known truism

Monday

Monday, June 19, 2006

Legs were feeling a tad heavy, but I still managed to get out for an easy 50min spin on the bike after work.  The idea is now to take tomorrow off completely.  I was also somewhat spacey during the morning at work, although I caught some zzz's over the lunch hour and felt much rejuvenated for the afternoon.  But now fatigue seems to be tightening around me like a bear-hug, and tonight I should have a sleep deeper than purple and the blue sea; deeper than the note of the left-most piano key; deeper than rims of Zipp racing wheels...

At nearly 10:00 pm there remains plenty of light in the sky.  It seemed warm for a short time this morning, until the winds swept in and brushed back the trees and sucked away the warmth.  The longest day approaches, and so far we've only had hints of summer.  Oh well, whatevah; too bad so swell! To bed...

1/2 Ironman Relay

Sunday, June 18, 2006

Conditions were reasonably good for the 1/2 Ironman this morning.  About 12 degrees and overcast at the start, but not windy and slightly muggy.  While the open men's wave started at 6:45 followed soon after by the women's wave and age-group waves (I believe), the relay portion went last, beginning at 7:15   There were about 50 teams in the relay.

I met up with Sarah, who holds world records for the 45-49 age group in both the 50m and 100m freestyle, briefly before the start so she could see where I had placed my bike and where I'd be at the tag transition.  After the swimmers were off, I had 28 minutes to do last minute preparations - pumping up my tires a bit more and making sure my water bottles were full etc, and warming up on the wind-trainer.  Sarah was the second relay swimmer out in 28.05 and ended up with the 15th fastest swim time overall - which is amazing given that she is a sprinter and trains specifically for the short course events.  Granted, her typical training days are more than 2km in the water, so the distance itself is not a problem for her.

In the transition zone, Sarah passed on the timing chip, which I still managed to put on velcro side up at first (so it didn't stick), and had to take it off and flip over.  Although my warmup was mediocre at best, I had done two hours of riding on Saturday with the group and, after eating plenty of carbs over the course of the day yesterday, I could tell I didn't need that much of a warmup.  And I think the "HSBC Runner's Recovery Muscle Care" lotion (a mixture of camphor and various oils) I had put on earlier also helped to keep my legs warm. 

So I was off onto the 92km bike course (though yesterday they said it was 93km).  I could tell by the way I had accelerated out of the start that my legs felt quite good and the time would be reasonable on the day.  The course is relentlessly rolling, and I tucked into a rhythm of pushing  just sub-threshold on the flats and downhills, and at just over the threshold on the uphills, most of which were 500m or less. 

Generally it didn't feel like I was pushing myself exceptionally hard, but I did get the sense that I was moving along at a relatively high speed.  But because I don't use a speedometer, I could only judge my speed by the gears I was using, the cadence at which I was turning them, and by the number of people I was passing and how quickly I was passing them.  In retrospect I could have gone a tiny bit harder on the bike, but it probably saved me on the run.  I ended up with the 5th fastest bike time (although of course I didn't swim before riding like the guys ahead of me did), one second off of Mike Flegel's fourth place time, and 5 minutes slower than Tom Evans' course-record setting time of 2:20 for the 92km.  Trev Williams from Calgary had a great ride too at 2:22. He had started with the intention of setting the record for the bike leg, but was of course outdone by Tom Evans on the day.

Dismounting and heading onto the 20km run (2 loops of the lakes), my left ham cramped momentarily, but it was short lived, and I was able to knead it out within a few seconds and was on my way.  Unlike one relay Sarah I did a few years ago, when I didn't drink or eat much on either the bike or the run and bonked in a serious way, I drank most of my two bottles on the ride, and was drinking and taking gels at virtually every stop on the run.  This made the difference, as I was able to run the two loops without ever feeling in trouble or like I needed to stop. 

My groin/sartorius held up without any real discomfort (yay!), although the balls of my left foot were in some pain, particularly when I ran over sharpish rocks -- my light racing shoes were not providing much cushioning.  I was happy with 1:20 for my time, good for the 14th fastest run time, particularly because I haven't been running much since my injury (or quasi-injury), and what runs I have done have all been slow.  Admittedly, however, I thought I was on sub 1:20 pace. 

In any event, our overall time was 4:15, a ways off of Tom Evans winning time of 4:02, but we had the sixth fastest time overall and won the relay division, good for a pair of shoes each.  That makes it two out of three in winning the relay division overall - and one year in which we won the mixed-relay division, while a men's team of three beat us that year.

With awards at Hamsterly Park at 3:30, the day was just a whole lot of fun.  Thanks to all the people who were out cheering competitors on, including me!  It is so nice to be a part of an event like that when so many people are supportive - in the end it really is the support and the camaraderie that makes it all worthwhile.

Whither change?

Thursday, January 15, 2006 (oops I mean June)

After the ride (semi-race and ride) yesterday, I thought the groin/sartorius would be in a dubious state of repair today.  But the ride yesterday didn't seem to set it back, and it was perhaps even partially saved by the fact that I cut the race short.  Today, it wasn't aching and I thought, "hmm this is dangerous, but I think I'll try a run on it".

So, I did and happily it held up for 20k or so of easy running.  It was beginning to tighten toward the end, and I stopped to walk for a km or so before home. I do get the sense it will be ok for Sunday, he says, trepidatiously. The left achilles is now bothering me more than my groin, but the achilles is just (just!) sort of chronic problem that never really seems to get worse or better either way.

Here again at the coffee shop, a pair or paramedics are loading up on coffee, reminding me that I've been offered a temporary assignment with the BC Ambulance Authority Service headquarters (policy/legal/freedom of information area), which I applied for when it was looking like my TA as an associate manager of legislation with MCFD might not be extended. I would have been happy to return to the Attorney General to my position there, but there are positions in “greater government”, as I call it, that pay better, and let's face it, we all want more money. However, since applying for the TA with BC Ambulance Authority, there has been some discussion about extending my TA at MCFD, which leaves me in an interesting predicament. Some things to consider.

I've signed up for another relay event – the Esquimalt triathlon on July 16, an Olympic distance tri. Sammy Saleh will do the swim, and I'll do the bike and run again. It seemed to be good timing leading up to the Worlds on the 29^th, so I liked the idea when Sammy suggested it.

My training/racing plans leading up to the Worlds are roughly as follows, subject to adjustment as we go:

Relay this weekend (2km swim for Sarah; 91km ride, 20k run for me)

Easy ride Monday; Tuesday off. Some easy rides/runs for the rest of the week.

Begin three weeks of intensive training – 10 days high mileage; a couple of days easy, reducing mileage but increasing intensity, cuminating in the triathlon relay on the 16^th,, and tapering from then to 29^th. I'd like to do the 5k Sidney Days race July 1, and the Mt Cypress Hill Climb (bike race) the next day, and then go from there for 10 days of high mileage, but low intensity. I'm not sure yet about total volume, but it'll be heavy on the running and lower on the cycling – about 160km running for the 10 days, and perhaps 300k cycling. We'll see, though.

Rob B recommended I seek the coaching advice of Dave Smit (Commonwealth gold triathlete in 1992 (I think that was the year)). I may consult with him and see what sort of a program he would provide. It would be interesting to see if it is substantially different from what I have in mind. Generally I'm uncoachable, in the sense that I usually end up following my own program regardless of any advice I've been given, but it is possible to change!

_____________

I am no longer enamoured by evolution
To the degree that once I was.
Astounding, I thought, that a fish,
By eons and generations of change,
Becomes a horse; a pig becomes a whale;
The nimblest survive to multiply.

So why, now, should I be amazed
The process does not select for old age?
True, it rewards no
Metamorphoses in one single life;
Propagates change through countless posterities,
Molding the species to the vagaries that envelop it.

But I have learned, at last, how best to adapt
This organisim to its varied surroundings.
I have made it! There need be no more changes!

Why does it mock me now,
Render void my catharses,
Declare they are not enough?
What can it tell me about change,
That I cannot explain from
My seventy years of life?

    - HT

Up down up down

Wednesday, June 14, 2006

Not a great day at the races today.  Under grey skies and cool temperatures, I pulled out of the hilly criterium on about lap 8 of 18.  The field was small today, perhaps 15 in the A group.

After taking a flyer off the front on about lap 5, being caught by several guys later that same lap, then making the front group of six when it split again -- two laps after that my legs locked up on me heading up the climb as the signals from my brain that said to my muscles "contract, contract" seemed to disconnect, and I simply had to dismount the bike.  I have all manner of excuses, from it being too cold for my legs to facilitate lactate acid removal, to being insufficiently recovered from the race on Saturday, to not allowing enough time to get my system into the rhythm of the race before taking a flyer  -- which seems to be a pattern of mine in this race -- etc. etc. 

After my last two races, which went well, I do think the fitness is there now to be faring better on this course, so perhaps at least one of the excuses might have some legitimacy.  Also, because the mileage base on the bike is relatively low, it's difficult to maintain being strong from race to race - it probably is true that I have not recovered well from the race on Saturday, which recovery would be better with a bigger base. 

Bob C also suffered the same fate as me, pulling out a couple of laps later.

It was nice to see Qayam have a good race in the B group, looking strong and smooth.  Looks like he's bounced back from some flatness earlier in the season.  Nice work Qayam!

After riding out to the race on my own, I returned with Bob ("discombobulatin' Bob" - my new nickname for him that I just came up with this minute).  These races always take up virtually the entire evening, starting with riding out almost immediately after work around 5:00, to the race beginning at 6:30, and then riding back and not usually returning home much before 8:30.  They are fun, but one definitely sacrifices having the energy for much else - which is ok - the training/racing lifestyle is great, but with such a time squeeze, there certainly can be potential for feeling a bit burned out at points during the season.  I'm not feeling burned out by any means, but I do feel tired at the moment and ready for some sleep!

Minin' Blues

Tuesday, June 13, 2006

Did about an hour on the bike, with a few efforts thrown in, as the plan is to race the Mt. Newton (hilly crit) race tomorrow.  Would have been nice to run today, but I'm quite worried about the groin.  In addition to adjusting the lateral position of my saddle, I also tipped the nose up just a tiny bit to ensure that the seat is level straight across.  I'm hoping that may also help relieve pressure on my groin muscles a bit.  Saddles tend to tilt forward over time, since so much of your body weight gets shifted forward, gradually forcing down the nose, requirement a periodic adjustment.   Fingers remain crossed for the relay this weekend.  Fortunately it isn't an important race, but pride is always on the line and, when you're part of a team, you never want to let your team-mates down.  But if necessary, I will pull out of the run.  I'd better make the ride count, in that case.

Deprivation diet, day 2.  I'm throwing in the towel already.  A tad of tiramisu this evening, and I'm surely expanding exponentially.  T'aint no muscle I'm puttin' on any more.

___________

Goldminer's Blues

T'ain't no gold beneath them hills
T'aint no gold beneath them hills
Between them rocks, behind that sun
Gold digger's glory is grave digger's story
Axes, picks don't chip no more
Blades be blunt and dull as stones
Fingers raw and worn to bones
T'ain't no gold beneath them hills
T'ain' no gold beneath them hills

                 - HT

We, the enemy

Monday June 12, 2006

So far day one of my deprivation diet is a bust.  There was yet a double chocolate cookie this morning at coffee break with my name on it, and, as I speak, there is a low fat fudge brownie whispering my name in unison with the gnawing voice emanating from my stomach, saying “hungry, hungry.” 

But it is low fat, so I haven't deviated too much from my requisite deprivations.  Still I do confess to momentary confusion when I heard the brownie whisper “Hugh, Hugh”, in tandem with my stomach saying “Hungry, hungry”.  Because I'd heard the two voices only fleetingly, it was somewhat ambiguous as to whether the words were “Hugh, hungry; Hugh, hungry”, or “hungry, Hugh; hungry Hugh” or “Hugh, hungry, hungry, Hugh”; or  "Hungry, Hugh, Hugh, hungry."  Then in my whirling state of discombobulation, I swooned, and all the syllables instantaneously were tossed up like in a pan full of popcorn kernels, landing all in a jumble.  The new words became: “Hughry, Hugh-hung, ryHung; Hung-Hugh, Hughry.”  But that was before I ate it.  Afterward my blood sugar levels were sufficiently restored and the fog cleared and I came face to face with my culinary demons and saw myself for the man I truly am.

Facing the demons of my gastrointestinal tract, I did manage to get out for about 10k of running, at a very easy pace. Twice I felt the wee-est of twitches in my groin, after which I stopped immediately to walk for a bit before resuming. But it held out overall, and I think with a couple more days of being very careful with it, it will be ready for this weekend's Half Iron relay. At the moment, the plan is to go hard only on the bike, and just to get through the run without pushing too hard. I'd like to use it as training and be able to recover and not be injured afterward. I'd like to think if the groin bothers me I'll pull out of the race, but knowing myself better than that, I simply hope like heck it's ok by then.

___________

“I have seen the enemy, and it is us.”

A scary thing...

Sunday, June 11, 2006

I decided to do no real training today, due to my race yesterday and the fact my groin is still bothering me.  I did get down to the gym though and, after a 10min warmup on the exercise bike, a few weights and sit-ups etc, I decided to take the plunge and hop on a scale after not weighing myself in nearly a year. 

I was frightened and flabbergasted to observe that over the last year I've quietly become an elephant,  nearly breaking the scale at 158 pounds (minus maybe a pound for my runners and gym clothes)! Agh, that's easily 5 pounds over a good running weight for me! I don't know how I ran almost as fast at the Oak Bay half this year as I did last year being so profusely overweight. For a non-competitive person being a few pounds heavier than usual might not fall under the category of being "profusely" overweight, but it is a huge weight gain when you're serious about your training and when it is important to be light.   I recall reading how Greg Lemond (multiple Tour de France winner) said he would be terrified if he was a single pound over his ideal raceweight - so one can imagine how I feel to discover I'm 8 pounds overweight.  Yes, a few pounds is serious. 

So when Dave Milne told me at the Oak Bay half that it looked like I'd been working out in the weightroom, he wasn't joking! I'm fairly certain I have put weight on my upper body, even though I've been averaging about .75 weight sessions a week, and all with light weights.  I actually hope I'm fatter too, since it's easier to lose fat than muscle, I believe. I probably am fatter, although the pinch test seems to suggest I'm as lean as I have ever been. 

In any event, one of my goals between now and the Worlds on July 29 is to be 150 pounds. I don't think the extra weight is hurting my cycling, and may be giving me a bit more strength out of the saddle pulling on the bars, but it is probably slowing my running down.  I suppose I should also weigh myself in the morning too for a few days just to see if the 158 pounds was a daytime increase due to water and food - my morning weight may be quite a bit lower.  Even so, I almost certainly  need to pare a good 4 pounds off either way.  Ok, well, something to shoot for!

Met up with Cliff to watch some of the track racing at UVic for the International track meet - very inspiring to watch so many fast runners!

Masters race, Maple Bay

Saturday, June 10, 2006

Today I hitched a ride with Matt D and Dylan S. to the Masters cycling race in Maple Bay just north of Duncan.  Matt's wife, Tasha, was riding her bike up to watch, and returned with us after the race.

Conditions for the 65km race were ideal, very little wind and about 18 degrees and sunny when the race started at 11:00.  Course was 4 loops on a rolling circuit with a significant climb but not overly steep along the southern section of the course.  A nice, safe course, with wide sweeping turns. 

Masters races are in Australian pursuit format: age groups are given a time handicap and the goal is to catch up each group ahead, although prizes are still awarded to each sub-group.  So, in this case the 50-59 year group started 4 mins ahead of the 40-49 group, who all started 2.5 mins ahead of the 30-39 group.  On a 65 km course, that's a lot of time to have to make up, and I've heard that so far in the races this year the groups have generally not come together.

There were about 20 in each group, it seemed and, including those over 60, there were roughly 80 competitors in total. In the 30-39 group we had several strong riders, including Matt D, Dylan, Demian S, Jaime F, Menno H from Nanaimo, and others.  In the 40s were also many strong riders, including Bob C, and John Tolkamp from Vancouver, who still rides a 53 min 40k TT. 

So when our group went, we went hard right off the gun intending to catch at least the 40s. Some of the less fit riders began falling off the pace immediately, while the five mentioned above and myself drove the pace to catch the 40s, 2.5 minutes up the road.

With some very even and hard paceline work, we reeled in the 40s on lap 3, which group had already been whittled down substantially, while Bob C and John T were off the front of that group. So the 30s and 40s were all together.  Some discussion ensued as to whether we, members of IRC, wanted to chase down Bob, another IRC member, but I could tell the group as a whole was going to split if we kept driving the pace, which I kept on doing along with a couple others until we caught Bob and John up the climb.   Dylan, Matt, Jaime, myself and a couple others continued hammering the pace even though the pack seemed to stick together up the climb.  Eventually, the string broke and Jaime and myself escaped clear of the group, although we still had the 50s still ahead of us. 

Jaime and I managed to gain 30 seconds on the group, although soon I could see Bob, Tolkamp and one or two others chasing hard. On the fourth lap, just past the last climb long climb up a shorter one, I drove it hard since I was afraid Jaime and I would be caught.  Jaime dropped off the pace and I was soloing for the last 7km.  Behind me Jaime was caught and I could see Bob and John chasing hard, though Bob was allowing John to do most of the work in order to not be chasing me down.

I was in a world of pain, but staved them all off with my solo effort to the finish.  Bob stormed in to take the bunch sprint, as he so often does, only a few seconds behind me in the end. Although we did not catch the 50s, we took a further two minutes out of them (and there are several very strong riders in that category) and I will have had the fastest time on the day, which was satisfying.  The bike fitness is definitely coming around, and just a whole lot of fun to be out there in a smooth paceline and to be strong enough to break away at the finish.

So, a fun day all around, aside from the part when I realized I had lost my keys! Somewhere in the transition from getting my stuff from my car to Matt's when I parked at his place, I managed to misplace my keys.  Fun logistics in getting back to my place, getting into my apt, retrieving my spare car key, and getting back to p/u my car, getting home and arranging for a new set.  Yay! At least it was beautiful day!

Yesterday was an enjoyable evening, meeting Leann and several of her friends and family at Vista 18 to celebrate the completion of her Masters in Education.  We are all very proud of her.

Time warped, again

Thursday, June 8, 2006

Well, from all the sci-fi movies I've ever seen, I would have ascribed more than a little romanticism to the concept of time-travel.  But this continuous repetition of being time-warped back to January has got to stop!  It is June 2006!  It is June 2006 on all the calendars!

So, I ran for an hour and a half, mostly in a deluge befitting of preparations for the selection of two of every species to be gathered up for safekeeping - about 20km at a nice comfy pace. It was soothing to go at such a relaxed pace after yesterday's session of crazy intensity. The groin/sartorius was still sore, but I was able to make it through the run without injury.  I will still need to ice it and be careful.  I won't do any training tomorrow, and hopefully it will be fast on the mend when I run next.

I am thankful, though, that it wasn't raining yesterday for the Latoria road race, which would not have been so much fun.  Infinitely preferable to run in the rain, than to ride in it.
_________________

On the road

Under the thunderclap and winds whose rearward generosity altered course to send the gypsy cyclist careening sidewards into a most fecund ditch, rich in an algae and mosquito-laden broth of browns and golds, he found himself sour and faceward in soup. 

The gypsy cyclist is a small man, perhaps a 125 pound sack of fatless skin on a frame of chicken bones.  Absence of mass rendered him a feared climber in his racing days, though his legs belied his slightness, revealing an anatomy lesson of veins and intricate striations of muscle, sometimes numbered one-by-one by riders who spent so much time watching him from behind, their faces twisted in agony, as he vaulted himself up mountains toward the sky.  But he believed that when he conquered mountains ahead of the rest, it was never because he was faster than anyone, it was only because he had learned to endure a universe of agonies that made every following riders'  face of pain manifest but a pinprick on their fingers. 

But in a stiff lateral wind he is a fleck of dust, especially when it comes upon him without warning. And his days of conquering mountains were a long time ago.  Though he is 52, his full head of  hair is still sandy brown; everyone tells him he looks barely thirty-five, and his legs are preserved like Rodin sculptures and, in every sun-tanned detail, look as they did 25 years ago.

But how does the wind switch its course instantaneously and with such ferocity? Will his hair all fall out tomorrow, or turn shock white overnight?  Will he wake up blind or peer through his curtains at 9:00 in the morning only to see blackness and blinking stars and learn that the sun has gone out?  Such things are as improbable as the wind changing course so suddenly, he reasoned.  This was not the first time he'd been blown from his bicycle, but the first time it had happened so suddenly.

A vehicle stopped, and a man got out.  "Are you all right?" He yelled into the ditch, as the wind cracked the air with whips, while the sky, defeated by billows of blackness, began pitching spears of water sideways across the surface of green fields, sprawling on both sides of the tarmac that flung itself back toward town.  The gypsy cyclist stood knee deep in water, gathering his bike from beneath the water's surface.

"To be quite, honest, no!" shouted back the gypsy cyclist, into the wind. "I'm a bit winded, I've got crap in my mouth, and I'm embarassed that you had to witness that! That must have been hilarious!"

"Well," shouted the man, "I'm only concerned that you are ok!  I saw you go down. It was a freaky sight, it's true, but I wasn't laughing, believe me.  Do you need a hand? Is anything broken?"

"Ah! " said the gypsy, as he lifted the rear of the bike from the water and turned a pedal by hand. "I think the rear derailleur is busted! Damn thing is unrideable now! What's with this bloody wind anyway!  It was behind me the whole time, and the sky was blue.  Out of nowhere, it switched on me; chucked me into this ditch.  Good thing I wasn't riding on a cliff."

"Well, you should get in my car, then, and I'll drive you into town. Where are you going?"

"I've been to hell and now I'm coming back!" shouted the gypsy. The man laughed. "I'm so embarassed.  This sort of thing doesn't happen to me often. You could give me a lift to the bike shop! Maybe on the way, you could explain just what happened to me! It happened so fast, and you saw it happen, didn't you?  I still can't believe that happened!"

"I've already told you what I saw," said the man. "It was no big deal - it was just the wind.  It happens.  Sometimes gusts come up unexpectedly."

"Well, perhaps you are right," replied the gypsy.  "But it still bothers me!" 

"Why?" asked the man. "Why does it bother you? It was just the wind.  Now come up here and we'll get you cleaned up.  I don't know what bike shop you want, but my home isn't far from here.  We can stop there.  Are you hungry?  I've heard about cyclists and their appetites.  Even if you are not hungry, you look like you could use an extra meal! My wife just baked some banana bread last night. Would you like some?"

.........

Logy Bay

Wednesday, June 7, 2006

I had almost forgotten how intense bike racing can be.  The last two races I did were both the Mt Newton "hilly crit" which is intense, but because of one brutal, steep hill done continuously on a short circuit, the actual speed for much of it is relatively slow.

The race at Latoria tonight in Metchosin (not Caleb Pike as I originally thought), entails much faster overall actual speeds.  It does have a significant climb in it, but it is a "sprinters climb" in that it is short enough -- about 400-500m with two steppes-- to do it all anaerobically.   The total course is also longer than the hilly crit with plenty of flat and some corners that require sprinting out of the turns.  That sort of circuit race requires continual anaerobic efforts, and it was a nice reminder of how punishing bike racing can be.

The course is about 3km, which the A group did 18 times.  There were 25-30 riders in the A group, with 9 of us from the IRC group - Bob C, Jon W, Jamie F, Brett B, Vaughn H (not to be confused with little Vaughn), Dylan (I think), Matt myself, and Roger, representing a sizeable proportion of the peloton! 

My goal was to stay near the front and to do what I could to chase down breaks in order to assist Bob and Jon, who are both riding well, with Bob being the main man in the sprint.  The pace was fast off the start.  I found myself in a couple of short lived breaks during the first 4 laps, which, in terms of team work, presumably would force other teams/riders to chase. So even if the breaks were not destined to survive, they were likely beneficial to the team. 

The first 7 laps were steaming fast.  A couple of times up the second part of the climb I thought I might be popped off the back, but I found when I really dug deeply, my body responded and I was able to hang in.  At about lap 9 lap, a decisive split occurred, with about 7 guys off the front, which included Bob and Jon.  Andrew Kyle was in there and some guys I don't really know. In terms of a team effort, this was good. The rest of us did not need to chase much and we seemed to do a decent job of controlling the pace in the pack while the front group dangled about 30 seconds off the front. 

I could tell that, as the race proceeded, I was getting stronger relative to the rest of riders. Each time up the hill, I felt I could push the pace.  On the last lap, I was surprised to find that, when two or three guys really accelerated away on the flat before the turn to the hill, I was able to go with them and was second in the group sprint, coming in for about 9th or 10th place overall, catching the tail end of the front group.  I was happy with my race; my bike fitness has improved.  With the ride out, the race, and the ride back, I'm tired, though still a bit wired and may not sleep well.

On another note, I've decided finally to attend the  World Duathlon Championships.  Part of my hesitation arose because I had offered up my spot to Badih Schoeri who crashed on the bike leg of the race at Nationals.  He would almost certainly have finished ahead of me at the end, and seeing how devasted he was by the accident, I decided to tell TriCanada that he could have my spot, especially since he was certainly fitter than me on the day.   Today TriCanada told us that the roll down (ie some competitors who qualified are not attending Worlds) has panned out and Badih can go to Worlds and that I will not need to give up my place!  So, it's time to start turning my mind to training properly for it!

Because the Worlds are in Newfoundland (first time in Canada), and I love Newfie music, I am waiting for someone to dare me to sing a Newfie song at the party following the closing ceremonies for all those duathletes from all over the world !!  I once had learned "The Star of Logie Bay", a great little Newfie folk song, and it will not be difficult to re-learn it... Actually, I don't think I need a dare...!

Three to five in the afternoon

Tuesday, June 6, 2006

Being up at 6:00 am, which is fairly normal for me these days, I decided to use the time to go for a run, rather than to do my usual dithering aimlessly at that time in the morning. I ran for about 8km down to the waterfront and twice around Beacon Hill.

My left groin/sartorius ("g/s") was tight and when it started to feel on the verge of being injured near the end of my run, I stopped to walk. It seems like it will be ok, and I think I've traced the source of the problem to a slightly mis-aligned bike saddle.  I didn't, however, come to that conclusion until I'd finished 1hr 45 of riding this evening. The g/s felt generally good on the bike, but it did seem the discomfort was due to askew saddle alignment.  Still, I wasn't able to fix it until I retured home. The seat wasn't out by much, and it could be that that isn't the cause. I'll see.

My legs felt great on the ride and, but for the sore g/s, they would have felt good on the run too. I'll give the Caleb Pike circuit race tomorrow a shot and see how it feels.

I've begun reading Seeing by Jose Saramago, the writer of Blindness and Nobel prize winner in 1998. I found the initial setting, on a dreary day of pouring rain, somewhat discomfiting, given that I'd rather read about broad stunning vistas and ubiquitous blue sky, especially when the last 6 months in Victoria have exemplified the setting of the book; one longs for variety, not extended sameness. I might as well be dreaming grey skies too. Well, I exaggerate, as I often do, but you get my point.

In any event, there is an election occurring, but almost none of the voters are coming to the polling booths, largely because of the rain, at least so the polling staff speculate. The weather clears at three in the afternoon, and at four in the afternoon suddenly the electorate, en masse, pour from their homes to the polling booths. But when the tally is complete, 70 percent of the ballots are blank! That's the point in the book I am currently at.

___________

...The wounds were burning like suns
at five in the afternoon,
and the crowd was breaking the windows
at five in the afternoon.
At five in the afternoon.
Ah, that fatal five in the afternoon!
It was five by all the clocks!
It was five in the shade of the afternoon!

Federica Garcia Lorca

Phone home, ET

Monday, June 5, 2006

Sometimes I swear people think I'm from another planet.  Today I went down to Oak Bay for my usual spate of light weights, which, by the way, I think I should stop doing - I know this when my teeth start separating and I begin to get that Arnie look.  You'd think by now I could do light weights and not start bulking up, but no such luck.   I think when I'm seventy I'll start bodybuilding for fun.

After my little weight session and a few sit-ups, I thought to go to the sauna for the other half of my routine - a spot of stretching and massage in the sweltering warmth.  Lo and behold when I got to the door leading through the locker room to the pool and the sauna room, I discovered it was locked. 

A fellow walked by and said,"pool's closed".

I said, "well, what about the sauna?"

"That's right," he said, "pool's closed." 

I replied, "but the pool isn't part of the sauna?" 

I think it was my combined statement/question that threw him. He said, "yes, that's right. Closed".  

Doh!  How is "that right"? I thought. No, I thought further, emphatically, what I am saying is that there isn't necessarily a connection between the pool and the sauna, as they are two separate things and it doesn't necessarily logically follow that just because one is closed, the other is too!  "Ok, gotcha," I said.  But he was looking at me oddly.

And then when I saw a sign that said "sauna and steam rooms are available" I pointed it out to the cashier. 

She proceeded to chuckle.  "No", she said, "that's when it's open!"

Doh! again!  Why would they have that sign up when it's all closed!  Granted, the other side of the sign said it was all closed, but that was... er... facing me when I walked past it to try to open the door...

Oh well, what can you do?  But I did have fun before going to the gym, dancing around my apartment to the Portuguese song "Molinera", swirling the two black socks I'd just taken off my feet around like ribbons in my hands and using my keychain for castenets.  Coincidentally, I learned later that "molinera" means "windmills", so it was actually perfectly fitting to be swirling socks around!  Fortunately, it's unlikely anyone was witness to this, or they would no doubt have also categorized me in that extraterrestrial category, just as the two people at the gym seemed to do.

Doing the time warp (again)

Sunday, June 4, 2006

Met up with Ian at his place for a 5km tempo effort along Lochside, where the km markers are all nicely noted.  Originally we had thought to do it at the Uvic track, but given the recent propensity for the weather to be rather uncooperative (just when you think the weather is turning for the better, the very next day you do the time-warp back to January), we chose just to run from his place and do the Lochside thing. We warmed up for about half an hour before the hard effort. 

We were through the first km in 3:13 at which point Ian gradually began to pull away from me until he got about 8-10s ahead - I managed to hold that distance, though, for the remainder.  My HR watch is painfully difficult to get the timer on it going, so I just relied on Ian's splits.   At 15 mins, when we still had almost half a k to go, Ian stopped, saying he'd gotten 15 mins in and thought to stop then (since orginally we had talked about just doing a 15min tempo). 

At that point, however, we agreed we might as well run to the 5km marker to see where we were at.  We got there at 16.40, but because we had stopped for a few seconds, I'm guessing it was about 16.25 for Ian and 16.35 for me, not super fast, but a pretty good hard, close-to-race-pace, effort for me (though not as close to race pace for Ian). 

My quads were definitely feeling heavy from yesterday's hard ride.  Aerobically I felt pretty good and it felt like I could have maintained that sort of pace for a fair bit longer, at least were it not for my tight legs.  The total distance run was about 20km and it was just the sort of effort I needed, given that the plan is to run only about three times a week for the next two weeks.

The ole' clipped toenail in the sky

June 3, 2006

(from the coffee shop)

Today Pano emailed me the results of the “worst first line” literary awards. The original worst first line, as legend has it, was “it was a dark and stormy night...” I remarked how uncanny was the resemblance of the writing of this year's winner to my own, noting I had no idea my writing was so bad! My personal favourite from a few years ago is “the moon hung like a clipped toenail in the sky”, and I think of that line whenever I see the first slivers of a new moon in a night sky.

I met up with a few of the IRC club riders plus a few others (about 12 in total) for a ride to Shawnigan Lk.  Pace was relaxed on the way out through the western communities, until we hit the base of the Malahat, when Jon W. started to quicken the pace. I joined him and shortly thereafter Andrew K., recently 11^th in the Cat 1,2 Sooke to Port Renfrew race and 6th in Harris-Roubaix and winner of a couple of mid-week races, came storming by. Feeling quite good, I leapt onto his wheel and the two of us traded pace to the top ahead of the rest.

Interlude: hmm, interesting, a man was just in the coffee shop with his bicycle helmet on backwards. As long as it works!

Seeing that we had a large gap on the rest, Andrew and I thought to proceed down toward the lake and take a short detour up a km or so of the new subdivision road that ascends for 4.5 km off the main road, before rejoining the group.  But when we got back to the main lake road, we saw a few of the later riders and realized we'd missed the front group who had gone by and were well on their way toward Shawnigan Lk. So Andrew and I began the chase to reintegrate, sharing hard pulls. Catching up to a couple of others but without seeing the rest of the group ahead, we decided the chase was futile.  After stopping briefly at a store we eventually caught a few others and found out the front guys had gone up the 4.5 climb, where we proceeded and eventually met up with them just as they were turning for the descent back out.

Between the rumble strip and the rocks on the road, the descent down the Malahat was a bit sketchy and there were a couple of tense moments. All in all, I felt fantastic on the ride, and it was encouraging to feel as strong on the climbs as I did.   Andrew is a strong climber, so it is a good sign to be riding with him.

Although I just raced three weekends in a row (Prov du champs, Nat du champs, and the Oak Bay Half last weekend), I trained only very lightly in between, and it feels like the accumulated rest has done me well, especially on the bike.  I am getting closer to feeling like I would like to do the duathlon Worlds at the end of July.

Tomorrow the plan is to join Ian H for a TT on the track at Uvic.  I'll see how responsive my legs are after today's workout.

Da Vinci Code

Friday, June 2, 2006

No training at all. Got out to see The Da Vinci Code with Don P.  After reading the book a couple of years ago (actually I never quite finished it), I was looking forward to seeing the movie, esp since I always imagined the movie would be better than the book.  Usually it's the reverse with a well-written book, but I found Dan Brown's writing style left a lot to be desired, although it was a highly interesting and entertaining story.  The movie was definitely better, in my opinion.

A highly fascinating book/movie, though, since it's based on a plausible theory - that Jesus had a line of descendants and that Mary Magdalene's highly significant role in the original spreading of the Christian message was suppressed by successors to others of the twelve disciples.  This has really profound implications for the Roman Catholic Church and much of its doctrine.  It is less significant if one takes a Protestant point of view, since the Roman Church structure is immaterial to Protestants.  I am familiar with these notions, having come from a household in which the differences between Protestantism and Roman Catholicism were mentioned a lot; my father's parents were both Protestant ministers in Spain prior to the rise of fascism there and devoted their lives to the cause. 

In the end Dan Brown's own message, it seemed, was that even if the current Roman Catholic Church is founded on a fundamentally wrong factual basis (which is profoundly significant if true) the factual underpinnings of such a church organization ultimately should not matter if there is value in the message being spread.  Brown seems to suggest that yes, it is highly significant that the Church was always meant to be founded on a premise of male/female equality, but also that all the squabbling that could ensue either to prove or deny the truth of that premise detracts from the basics of the original message of love and forgiveness spread by a person 2000 years ago and whose message was disseminated by a few who heard it and believed that it had sufficient value to be shared with others.  It is truly amazing -- though really not surprising when one considers how easily people can be corrupted -- that such a simple beginning can result in 2000 years of bloodshed.  Quite mind boggling, but again really not surprising.

Laptops and coffee shops

Thursday, June 1, 2006

After discovering the joys of using a laptop in a coffee shop in Cardiff, I think it could become a regular pastime. There was a deep satisfaction in being in a foreign place, looking out occasionally on the busy marble walkpath where passed Welsh office dwellers, knowing that the familiarity of my own words accompanied me as they appeared on a computer screen as I typed. At the time I was finalizing a PowerPoint document for my presentation the next day, so there was a certain tension in my fingers as I typed, but despite any diminished sense of relaxation, the atmosphere in that cafe among the Welsh accents and the occasional speaker of native Welsh, was far richer than if I had been sitting in my Sandringham hotel room undertaking that very same task.

So here I sit, laptop open, in a Cook Street Starbucks in Victoria, on a dreary first day of June that harbours an oddly comforting mugginess beneath a ubiquitous colorlessness that lingers like some kind of immense great-coated panhandler, tolerated but not necessarily welcome, his grey cape swinging across the vast breadth of the sky as he switches his weight from side to side exhorting passersby for donations.

Beside me a couple is evidently on their first date, the man from Peru, and the woman from some location my prying ears missed. Perhaps they were introduced through internet dating, who knows, but I try not to listen too intently. But it's hard not to, now! I will not think of pink elephants, I will not think of pink elephants....

I managed 1.5+ hours on the bike, mostly at a tempo pace. My legs felt far better today on the bike than they did yesterday on my run. It was nice to push a sustained hard pace on the bike and I feel much invigorated by a hard workout, despite the wetness and wild fluctuations in temperature from location to location as I rode.  I say this because for the last few weeks I've only done easy mid-week training sessions between races.  I am looking forward to a group ride to Shawnigan Lk on Saturday.

Ah – she was born in Vancouver....! I should leave now.  Now, with laptop in hand, the entire annals of the gypsy cyclist, should they be written, may well be borne in the coffee shops of the world (but mostly Victoria).