A few things

Thursday, May 31, 2007

While the legs still are not feeling sore, I could feel some deep whole-body fatigue setting in after an 1hr 20min run yesterday following 1.5hours on the bike on Tuesday that included a few 4-5 minute time trial efforts. So today, I decided to err on the side of wisdom (the other side being stupidity) and to not train at all.  I haven't slept well this week either, and experience tells me if I don't rest a bit now, I'll pay in spades very soon.  

Timing for a break is good with my West Side Story audition on Saturday, a stats exam on Tuesday and, to heighten the circulation of adrenaline in my system, an interview for another position I applied for, for which I have to prepare written responses by Monday.

As for the WSS audition, as much as I feel quite unlikely to get the part, I don't want to embarass myself or waste the panel's time, so I have been practicing to the point where I know the songs I'll sing well enough to be at least worthy of going in for it.  Scott has helped enormously, as have the practice piano accompaniment tapes that Hiromi made for me. 

For the stats exam, I am comfortable that a few more hours of review will allow me to pass the exam, and hopefully with a reasonable score.  The interview is for another (!) temporary assignment in policy analysis with the court services branch of the AG.  I am not enamoured of the idea of another TA (as opposed to a permanent position), but my supervisor did tell me TA's "are still on the table" if I get the opportunity for them, despite my promising not to take any more after I had returned from my last one.  Generally I suck at interviews, but I've done enough of them by now, I should be getting better at them.

Last night I enjoyed a fantastic performance by the fledgling Canadian Pacific Ballet company - their debut performance.  The ballet was Le Flute Magique, music by Riccardo Drigo, original choreography by Lev Ivanov.  Apparently this was the world premiere re-staging of the ballet, after originally being staged in 1893 in St. Petersburg, Russia.   Scott Vannan had one of the lead character roles, so it was great to see someone in it I know.  Apparently a Times-Colonist review today described him as "elegant and priceless".  

As luck would have it, I bumped into Rachael E and her friend Dianne, who actually lives in my apartment complex and whose son, Patrick Johstone, was in the performance.  I joined them at their seats in the second row for the second half of the performance. Apparently Patrick has been offered a professional position with the company, and he certainly looked very fluid to me (although what do I know, as that's about the second or third ballet I've ever been to). I'm already looking forward to seeing the company perform Ezmerelda in the fall!

Not the Dutchman, yet

Monday, May 28, 2007

And today I nearly lept one year ahead and called it 2008.  This was not merely a typo, but a reflection of what, momentarily, I truly thought the year was.  All the hours, all the days and all the years seem increasingly to blend together, blurring in a morass of uncertainty. Inexorably the days, the months, the years become indistinct, and soon I will no longer know what is past, what is present, or what is future....ha!! How's that for melodrama!  Had you going, though, didn't I?

No, I really don't believe my brain has reached quite that advanced stage of alzheimers - no, not yet...

In any event, today I ran easily for about 50minutes, following on a fairly full weekend.  Training included 50 minutes running in the afternoon after over 2 hours on the bike with Rob Breathet in the morning, when we did Munn Road at a time trial effort and then across to Willis Point Road, and back from there. 

On Saturday, I ran for about 22km in the morning, followed by 2hours on the bike out the waterfront, passed Mt Doug and Matticks farm, across the highway, around the back of the lakes and home. Total running for Saturday and Sunday, about 32km, and about 4.5 hours of riding, much of it fairly hard.  Generally, the recovery is good, and I'm not, for now, experiencing much soreness in my legs - a very good sign.  I am feeling fatigued, but as long as the muscles keep holding up, I should maintain consistency - not necessarily high intensity, but just some form of training every day.  If and when some real inflammation and soreness kick in, I'll take a significant break then. 

____________

The Dutchman's not the kind of man
To keep his thumb jammed in the dam
That holds his dreams in
But that's a secret that only Margaret knows

When Amsterdam is golden
In the morning Margaret brings him breakfast
She believes him

He thinks the tulips bloom beneath the snow
He's mad as he can be
But Margaret only sees that sometimes
Sometimes she sees her unborn children in his eyes

Let us go to the banks of the ocean
Where the walls rise above the Zuiderzee
Long ago I used to be a young man
And dear Margaret remembers that for me

...

Michael Smith, The Dutchman

The Wednesday that is Thursday

Thursday, May 24, 2007

Oddly, I thought it was Wednesday today, and nearly called it so. That is what happens when Monday is a holiday. 

Well, now that I have stated the obvious, as I am frequently wont to do, today I jaunted in an easy sort of fashion around Beacon Hill park and along the waterfront.  Until, that is, the same fellow who exactly one week ago went straining by me, breathing like a locomotive, approached yet again.  Last week I let him lope by me, just barely staying ahead of me, but this time I decided not to give him the satisfaction two weeks in a row, and sped off for a couple of kms of tempo, contrary to my better judgement. 

What's with the human ego, anyway?  And surely it isn't just men who surrender to the desire to show someone up in circumstances like these.  If the agenda is to run easily, why would one choose to run fast just because someone else is passing by?  In this case, for some reason I was ok with it last week, but not this week.  Besides, there's no reason to think he was doing anything other than getting in what for him was a good hard run, and was paying no mind to the fact that he was passing me at all.  Ummm - nah, it doesn't happen - he was full on trying to race me...Just kidding.   I think...
_________

The Wednesday that is Thursday
Is no day to weigh which is the worst day
When the first day before the second day
Is equal to the last day of the two days,
And Tuesday is much like
Either of the two days ahead of it;
And someday, when all days are holidays,
We forget them all, maybe even one May day,
And Monday to Sunday all jumble together
Like one day, anyday, anyway. 

- h

This and that

Tuesday, May 22, 2007

Isao from the Prairie Inn Harriers running club put together a nice little video of the Oak-Bay half-marathon on Sunday, replete with a few little interviews, including one with me in the third frame:

http://inetdb.org/video/

I find it strange to watch videos of myself, especially when I see them so infrequently.  I must confess to watching the clip a few times, fascinated by my own running style and the awkward shape of my body.  Cliff said I looked huge, and he's right!  It's amazing I can run at all!  Interesting also to see the different styles of other runners - for example, the differences in arm carriage of Steve Mureenbeld, in 3rd, and Todd Howard, in fourth. 

And to add to the present narcissistic post, here's another shot from the race, courtesy Kristine George. 

_________________

Today was a rest day.

Next stop for me will be the NB Half Ironman relay, with Sarah Macdonald as the swimmer for our team and me on the other two legs.  "Splash & Flash" is our new team name, going with   Sarah's choice for a slightly more creative name than simply our last names, as it has been the other times we've done this.

I'm now giving some thought to the National long course duathlon championships on July 15 in New Brunswick.  The distances would be 15km run/73km bike/7km run, I think I saw.  Good distances for me - not too long to require enormous volumes of training, but long enough to favour endurance and strong cycling over pure 10k running speed (but still decent speed).  Granted, I've no evidence that I'm cycling particularly well at this point, but hopefully that will be on track by mid-June/July.

I have not decided to do this race yet, but after the relay I should have good long-course fitness.  So I'll see how I'm feeling at that point.  I may wish to focus on either riding or running, for a while - we'll see.  At the moment I'm proceeding with only a vague idea of what my objectives are - for now I'm just enjoying an increased training volume and the accompanying sensation of gaining fitness.

______________

"Religious views: I believe in Odin, specifically his testicles."
    
            -- Demian Seale

Weekend review

Monday May 21, 2007

Another long weekend winds down with a cool but mostly sunny Monday following a wet Sunday and a breezy, somewhat seasonable Saturday.  There seems to be no stability to the weather patterns and I'm beginning to think the only stretches of warm summerlike weather I may enjoy will be in some location other than Victoria when I take vacations, most likely much farther south.  So far this year, I'm relying on memories of Mexico in December to carry me through the cold days here.

The weekend training summary: 

Today - three hours on the bike with the Burnside group out to East Sooke, finishing up with an extra jaunt on my own around the waterfront to ensure I got a solid three hours in.  People wanted generally a recovery ride, which suited me for the most part, so the group ride was mostly easy, with a few short bursts here and there up the odd climb through the rolling hills of East Sooke.  Brett, recently back from India for work, was suffering from an intestinal infection that had him bee-lining for the bushes once during the ride, while Roger complained of the cold penetrating his knees, whilst I regretted removing my leg-warmers when I mistakenly believed it was warm enough to do so. 

Yesterday, I ran the Oak Bay 1/2 marathon and was reasonably happy with a 1:14.38 time - about a minute slower than the last two years, but I felt strong and was glad for how I ran it, having begun conservatively and leaving enough in me to push with greater effort and determination through the last two thirds.  I was eighth versus third last year, and fourth the year before, but the field was deeper this year, and I was happy with my place.  Jim Finlayson won, setting a new course record, over Steve Osaduik, with Steve Murenbeeld in third; Todd Howard in fourth, Kris Swanson 5th, Nick Walker 6th.

Royd Burkhardt, of Courteney, and I have been close competitors in a couple of other half-marathons, and although we ran together for about 7km after I closed a gap he'd gained at the start, he opened the gap again with about four km to go, and ended over 30seconds in front of me - a new PB for him, he said.   Hicham was a couple of minutes back of me.  Cheryl Murphy set the new women's course record of 1:17.45, with Heather Wurtele about 6minutes back.  Heather had done a 5hour ride on Saturday, she mentioned.

Aside from a blister on the outside of my right foot, my legs felt excellent after the run and, upon arriving home, I proceeded to ride in the rain for another two hours out the Goose and up Munns road and back through Langford.  My legs felt so good, it was almost as though I had not even done a half marathon earlier.  It was rather uncanny, even, to arrive home from the ride with no soreness, but just a bit of heaviness in my legs, and not much more than a ride up Munns Road would have caused in any event.  When I awoke this morning, at first the legs felt heavy, but they loosened up nicely on the bike - a good sign. Generally, I am in very good condition at the moment and am recovering well from my training/racing.

Saturday I did only an easy run of about 7k with a stop in the ocean to dip in my legs, since at that time they did still feel a little knackered from my run Thursday and from the little quirky burst I made off the front of the Russ Hays' group ride.

A glorious 3 minutes

Thursday, May 18, 2007

The evening began with a gentle 45 minute run to loosen the legs up after two days of no training. 

I then thought to hop the bike for a short spin as well.  So, after dingling down Dallas at a comfortable pace I encountered Roger approaching from the other direction.  I turned to join him, and he persuaded me to join the Russ Hays hammer fest that would soon be thundering up the road along Dallas.  The ride leaves from the Russ Hays shop at 6:00, and reaches Beacon Hill park at about 6:15.  Knowing that ride can be quite fast, I figured I would sit in the back and spin for about 10km before peeling off. 

But riding in a pack can do strange things to people -- a different personality sometimes emerges.  From my position at the back I could sense the pace hotting up, and by the time we hit King George Terrace a few guys ramped it up to split the pack of about 25 riders.  At that point my own adrenaline levels had increased substantially and I made a go for the front.  After the descent and a short lull in the action, I decided to take a flyer, entirely contrary to everything I said I wouldn't do. 

Soon after my breakaway began, with a little gap of about 50m, I could see a couple of guys taking up the chase.  A minute or two later of pushing really quite hard, I looked back and I could see about seven had formed and were coming on me like a pack of wolves.  That's when I spotted the Oak Bay turnoff approaching and...with a wave to the group approaching, I turned off!  Ha! did I feel just a bit cheeky! My three minutes of fame.

That sort of move might be frowned upon by some, but it was certainly wise given that I had just run, had been resting for two days, and would like to be fresh for the Oak Bay Half this weekend.   So a short burst of intensity won't hurt me, but had I kept going, I might very well have hurt myself.  No point in that.

Checking the fun-stress ratio

Wednesday, May 16, 2007

A short note on the Summer Cathedral Series, for which conductor Michael Gormley is running the first Act of Iolanthe during the last concert of the series on July 14.  Mr. Gormley and Adrian Sly of the G&S Society recently decided to audition all the lead parts after a number of the leads from our show in March chose not to do the summer concert.

Prior to that decision, the plan for me was to work with Mr. Gormley in private a bit so we could see where the respective comfort levels were with my abilities and in working together.  While I performed admirably for our six shows in March, so I'm told, a couple of entries and timings were sufficiently shaky to warrant some direct work with Michael prior to the rehearsals for the Cathedral performance so we could isolate the weak points before the rehearsals (of which there were to be only two). 

In any event, the decision to audition all the leads for the Cathedral performance has given me an opportunity to weigh my commitments for the summer, and to decide to opt out of the audition.  I'm already auditioning for a part in West Side Story, as much as I'm not really taking it very seriously and am not holding out any great hopes of getting the part (and frankly, it would be a good thing if I didn't!).  I just need to take a bit of stock of the commitments I'm piling up, and need to ensure I'm not putting myself on a road to high-stress and low-fun -- must keep that ratio somewhere tipped in favour of "high-fun" I think, as much as possible.   The ratio has slipped the other way temporarily with a mid-term exam I've scheduled in three weeks for a stats course I'm taking, so something has got to give.

Strange things

Tuesday, May 15, 2007

Today I learned of one the more remarkable facts of human culture I've encountered in a long time. 

Those of us who are not anthropologists generally seem to learn about the vagaries of human cultures in bits and pieces over a period of many years.  During our lives we may well learn about many of the customs of various native African groups, or those of native North and South Americans, Australian natives and so on, not to mention many time-honoured European customs.  Some such customs are very different from what we in Canada are accustomed to and are sometimes surprising, if not a little shocking. 

So, after so many years of learning of what sometimes seem to be strange rituals, adornments, dances, languages and songs, colorful clothing or lack thereof, there are few things among human cultures that still surprise us the way they may have when we were first exposed to National Geographic or Sunday evening television documentaries.

But yesterday an old friend, Jim Perry (once a 2:17 marathoner), who runs tours in Meghalaya  a part of north-east India, through his outfit called Cultural Pursuits, distributed the following item of interest that for me counts as a surprise equal to that which I experienced, for example, when first I saw images, many years ago, of women wearing earings the size of saucers inside their highly stretched earlobes.

Jim says of a recent tour:

    "...we hiked down from the village and to a small monastery and area by a fast flowing river, river goes on its way to Bhutan.  Here something happens that I am sure many have not heard of or could imagine - when a bhuddhist dies they may request to be brought to this place.  When their body is brought here it is laid by the river, the head cut off and put to the side and the rest of the body cut into 108 pieces and all thrown into the river, finally at the end the head is thrown into an area where there is a bit of a whirl pool - simply put, if the head goes straight in and disappears it is a good thing for that person, if it is thrown out and takes longer to go down river it is not a good thing."

Certainly a custom quite different from what we are used to here! 
______________

In any event, before returning home from Penticton yesterday, Ben and I rode to the top of Apex Mountain, which is one of the longest, if not the longest, climb I've ever done.  The road is 31 km and, although the first 20km is only steep in a few places and is mostly a gradual ascent, the last 11km tilts up at a nasty pitch - 12-14% I'm guessing.  This section makes for about 35 minutes of very slow and relentlessly painful riding.

Ben was fatigued from his 7 hours+ in the saddle the day before (plus an additional 20minutes of running for him that day as well) and the race on Saturday.   I was also tired from the racing/training of the previous days, but my efforts were not nearly as long, which explains why I had a little more juice in my legs.  So after about 10km, I set off on my own pace ahead of Ben.

After I made it to the top, where it was about 3 degrees, I stopped in at the Apex resort office, where thankfully I discovered a stack of free magazines and, as my body temperature began to drop rapidly, I quickly stuffed two of these magazines under the front of my jersey and one down my back.  This common cycling practice saved me from what was potentially nearly hypothermia on the cold descent. 

Ben and I ended up missing each other at the top.  So while I returned home the way I came, Ben went on to find a road then descended down the far side of the mountain.   He ended up doing 30km farther than me as a result.  But I was ok with that.  It was 2.5 hours in the saddle for me as it was, and much of it very hard, so when I hit the bottom my training was done for the weekend.

Today there was no training, only great fatigue.

Du champs/Blossom 10mile

Sunday May 13, 2007

Wireless internet is quite amazing.  I can sit on a bed in a hotel room with a laptop computer and write a blog post, knowing it will be broadcast to the world with the press of a button. 

So Ben and I are sharing a room at the Lakeside Motel in Pencticton.  After taking the 7:00am ferry yesterday, picking up Joanne Fox on the Vancouver side, sharing the driving and Ben getting tagged for speeding while I was napping, racing at 4:00, me having dinner at Pam and Dan Macdonald's place while Ben was off for another ride and Joanne joined some family for the rest of the weekend in Summerland; after racing the Blossom 10 miler this morning while Ben was off for a five hour ride, coming back to join Ben at noon for over 2hrs more on the bike for a total of over 7 hours on the bike for him; wandering downtown, going for coffee, then having dinner on the waterside -- after all that, here I am now, typing on my laptop. 

The Provincial du champs went reasonably well, and I'm happy with how it went.  There were about 150 competitors and the conditions were good - about 18 degrees, although quite windy along the lakeside.  While I ended up fourth -- for the third time in as many years -- I momentarily harboured delusions that I might actually win when I found myself briefly in first place on the bike out of the run-to-bike transition.  Up-and-comer Nathan Champness and I found ourselves in 1-2 on the first 5k run in about 16:57 (not especially fast, but with the new course, it was apparently about 100m long) while another four or five were not far back of us.  However, my momentary delusions were quickly shattered when three or four guys who were just back of Nathan and I on the first run, including Ben, rocketed by after about 10k on the bike.

While I stuck near them until about 18km, they escaped on the downhill and the flat, and by the time I came into transition I was over a minute back of them.  Dan Macdonald, Cat 1 cyclist,  whom I knew when he lived in Victoria, went by me with about 4km to go on the bike.

Into the bike-to-run transition I was not far behind Dan, and I caught him fairly quickly, which is forgivable from his point of view given that he had run twice in the last week only, and none prior to that, to prepare for the race.  From there I made a little ground on Ben, but he ended up third to my fourth, while a fellow from Scotland, in town training for the Ironman, won overall (whose name escapes me at the moment), and Scott Tremblay was second.  Nathan ended up in 5th behind me, while Dan hung on for sixth.  Anne Marie Madden won the women's race.  Joanne set a PB on the course by about six minutes. 

We noted the bike course was about a km shorter than in previous years, but the run course a bit longer, so the total time comparable to previous years. 

Afterward Ben, Nathan and I did a 2km cooldown and dipped our legs in the frigid waters of Lake Okanagan.  From this my legs felt quite good and I knew I would be able to race the Blossom 10miler today.  My lungs felt worked over, but the legs were good.  So this morning it was a light breakfast at Tim Hortons followed by a drive to the start after missing the bus to the start of the point-to-point race that starts in Naramata and ends in downtown Penticton.  Fortunately I found a kind woman involved in race organizing to drive my car back to the finish line in town for me.

Over the constantly undulating course overlooking the lake and the beautiful wineries alongside, I started the race comfortably, finding myself in fourth soon off the start. I let a sizeable gap go to the next two, while the first guy was pulling away quickly.  At about 3miles, I began to push harder and caught the next two, and then ran with Rory Switzer for the next 2 miles or so.  I thought I should make a push for the leader at that point and started some really hard work to close the gap which had increased to about 45 seconds.  On the last downhills into down, I had the gap down to about 15 seconds, but on the last 1200m of flat straightaway, he got all of time back again. So Hans Abbey won the race in 55:39 (my time two years ago), while I was second in 56:25.  Rory was third in 57.30 approximately.  I was happy with the race and how I felt. 

After dipping my legs in the lake again, I was ready for a ride in the aftenoon with Ben.  We covered the 10mile course and kept on that road for another 10k or so before turning around. 

Tomorrow the plan is for an easy short run and a ride to Apex mountain before Ben and I journey back to Victoria.   A tough weekend, and I'll be rather exhausted on Tuesday.  The balance of the week will be mostly rest, and hopefully I'll recover ok by the Oak Bay half marathon next weekend.

Evening light

May 10, 2007

A short run to the rec centre, albeit at a quick pace, 10 minutes on the rowing machine, some stretching and core exercises, and an easy run home - that was it for me today.  Yesterday, I did an easy 1hr 15 with Roger on the bike with a couple of medium paced efforts for a couple of minutes each.   The legs felt quite good today and generally I feel quite good, but do feel like I need more sleep.  Tuesday was an easy run of about 50 minutes, with a brief stop to check in with Don and his friendly tire as he prepared for his workout in Beacon Hill park.

I found the lovely light through my windows this evening worthy of a photo or two.  The process of uploading these is somewhat time-consuming (largely because I need two computers to do it - long story) and every minute spent on that equals a minute of guilt for not working on my stats course, which is near to the point where I can schedule a mid-term.

In any event, a few photos...

A glance

Monday May 7, 2007

Well perhaps there is a change of weather in the air, at last.  Today it felt - really the first time - like it was truly a spring day.  Although low lying cloud in the morning suggested more of what we're used to now, by lunchtime it was sunny and I'm guessing it levelled at 18 degrees.
By our standards that is positively balmy, and there is a feeling that there is more of it to come.   It is interesting how, although it has been cold, there are noticeable signs of the intensity of the sun, namely a tanning of the skin, amid even relatively minimal exposure.  Of course I tend to tan rather easily, but there are others who have noticed the effect as well.

Yesterday, Chris and I managed to find ourselves riding during the worst part of the day.  It started spotting just as we departed at about 9:45, turning to a fine mist within a few minutes, and then to a soaker within half an hour.  Still, we persevered and travelled out to Munns Road, up and over the long climb, and then across to Willis Point, down and then back toward town, past Royal Oak and toward the waterfront and home from there - about 2.5 hours.

There was no training today, and it is seeming like whatever was ailing me the last week is dissipating, and I'm optimistic that with some rest this week I will be in reasonably good shape by Saturday's Provincials in Penticton. 
__________

A glance

The gypsy cyclist was startled to hear the old man's rasping cough as they approached each other along a sidewalk of a crowded street of a city in a south-eastern township.  Locating the source of the cough, the gypsy cyclist observed the man as they neared each other. 

In seeing him, the gypsy cyclist considered how his cough and the palour of his skin surely betrayed a lifetime of smoking; surely the array of creases that adorned his face like a multitude of mismatched necklaces, or ropes, or a pile of sticks - those creases betrayed ten thousand stories of enemies and lovers and family; of alcohol and cigarettes and sometimes a life of ease, but mostly a life of labour and hardship.  A gifted palm reader, thought the gypsy cyclist, might transpose her talent for reading hands to reading faces and be overwhelmed by the immensity and complexity of this man's life.

Then the eyes of the man and the gypsy cyclist met, and the gypsy cyclist recalled the words of a dying artist he once knew: "It is in the eyes that youth remains.  If you see a face full of wrinkles, then look in the eyes, for there are no wrinkles in the iris and the pupils of the eyes. The eyes remain as pure as when that face was twenty."

The shared glance was a fleeting one but sufficiently long for the gypsy cyclist, upon seeing the greenness of his eyes and the clarity of his irises, to understand the man's life was nearly a universe removed from the wrinkles on his face.  The man looked off in the distance behind the gypsy cyclist; the gypsy cyclist looked off in the distance behind the old man: in both directions the sun was setting, spreading a pale glow of orange on the horizon, and a darkening sky above.  They stepped away from each other and continued on their way.

Transition training

Sunday May 6, 2007

And where did I hear the forecast that said we could expect temperatures of up to 21 degrees this weekend?  I think the high yesterday was about 11 degrees, and that was when it peaked between about 1:00 and 3:00 in the afternoon - the rest of the day it was about 8 degrees; it even rained later in the evening. "WOOT WOOT!", to quote Kevin from his recent Facebook post.

To boot, I am not entirely sure a paper cut I sustained on my left index finger on Friday isn't becoming just a tiny bit infected.  It's slightly swollen and the cut itself is splayed about half-a-millimetre open, and it pulses just sufficiently to keep me alive to the fact that it remains in the healing stages, as minor as it is.  It reminds me of an episode of Three's Company, that old sit-com from a couple of decades ago, in which Felipe, the cook, tells Jack about a friend with a paper cut that "got a leetle beet infected, and he went to thee doctor...and..." - at which point Felipe gestures with his other hand the motion of an ax over an outstretched finger. 

So, the weather, my mildly infected finger, together coupled with this lingering smidge of a cold that is "there", but fortunately not really affecting me all that much, and I could compile a litany of things I could complain about.  But I won't, so let me stop there. 

On the positive side of the ledger, yesterday morning the skies were blue and, somewhat excited about a velodrome transition training session, I stuffed a pair of running shoes into the pockets of a cycling jersey, an extra long-sleeved shirt, and donned the balance of my cycling attire and made my way into a biting headwind toward the velodrome, located about 12k out the western end of greater Victoria from where I live.

To my relief the velodrome was open, as it seems generally to be these days, although the decrepit bleachers have all been dismantled, as they have apparently become a liability hazard.  There are at least two Trackfests scheduled this year, I believe, and I wonder: how are the spectators, which could well include myself, going to enjoy the grande spectacle of track racing?  There has been talk of closing the track altogether and replacing it with soccer fields or some such. Hopefully the cycling community can prevent that, or convince the powers-that-be of the need for a new, indoor velodrome, which has also been discussed.  But will we be singing a dirge for the Juan de Fuca velodrome?

Setting down my bike on the infield astro-turf, I shed my tights and replaced my cycling shoes with running shoes, and ran a couple of km on the outside edge of the astro-turf to warm-up, along with 3 or 4X100m strides.  Then to my workout:

    3 laps running; transition onto the bike for 9 laps; transition back to the run for 3 more running     laps.   Rest for about 5 minutes and repeat.

    Do this three times in total.

    Each lap is 333 m - perhaps a smidge less when running on the blue stripe, where the surface is flat enough to run, but which is just on the inside of the black line, which is exactly 333.3m.   So it was 1km run; 3km bike; 1km run - times three.  Times were:
         
        12 minutes even
        11:52
        11:55

Transitions during the first two sets were poor, but I went harder all around on the second one.  Transitions were fastest on the last one, but I think the bike leg was slower, while the runs were about the same, I think. 

Note, in "transition training" we are training two different types of transitions: one that involves physically mounting and dismounting the bike and changing gear from run to bike and back.  The second type is to train the muscles and the physiological system generally to switch quickly from one activity to another. 

The efforts were hard, but felt good, and I felt like I benefitted from the session, and didn't go into "the well", as it were.  I think when one is feeling a bit flat, sessions like that can dig you into a hole.  I don't think I'm flat (yet!) as I'm still building base fitness at this point.  With Provincials next week, I'm not expecting much from myself, but this was good preparation to get my head and body back familiar at least with the concept of a duathlon.
 
Today the plan is for an easy, short run, followed by a couple of hours on the bike with Chris.

________

The stars are not wanted now: put out every one;
Pack up the moon and dismantle the sun;
Pour away the oceans and sweep up the wood;
For nothing now can ever come to any good.

    from Funeral Blues, WH Auden

Facebook, thief of time

Thursday, May 3, 2007

The flashing red lights of a firetruck on Johnson Street are casting an eerie glow against the walls of houses and telephone polls, while the night is darkening under the clearest sky I have seen in a very long time.  A lovely evening, albeit made somewhat ominous by the lights and the prospect of whatever the emergency may be.

I have also found myself being highly entertained by people's Facebook entries, and in playing with a few entries myself.  Quite an interesting medium, as it allows very immediate interaction among many people simultaneously, replete with photos, videos and what-have-you.  Interesting how a very, very distant relative named Katie Trenchard from England ended up connecting with me - quite by accident, but her father's name is Hugh and the Facebook program somehow operated to make the connection.

In any event, I ran today for about 1:15mins, with about 40mins at tempo.  I stopped in at the rec centre for 15 minutes on the rowing machine as well and a few core exercises.   This I did in spite of a mite of a scratchy throat, that seems to be just hovering on the verge of getting really bad, but my system seems to be keeping it in a sort of equilibrium between getting quite bad and just niggling slightly.  Strange. 

Yesterday I did quite a hard just sub-2hr ride, and my legs felt quite good.  Tomorrow I am definitely resting, while on Saturday I hope to do some combination of run/ride intervals, perhaps at the Velodrome if it is dry and I can get in.  That will depend on the state of my immune system, however, so I'll be playing that one by ear.  With the BC Duathlon Provincials in Penticton just over a week away, I'd rather not be sick for it, but the prospect actually isn't bothering me much.  Strange X2.

May Day

Tuesday, May 1, 2007

May Day it is today, and nearly no warmer in temperature than any randomly chosen day in all the days in the months of November through February.  Of course there is plenty of evening light and all the leaves are in full bloom, and yesterday a strange bird alit and rummaged momentarily within the foliage of the Mona Lisa Lipstick plant I hung a couple of days ago from the hook above my balcony - surely a sign that it is spring.  Perhaps disappointed there were no worms to be found amid the soil prepared so recently by human hands, the bird disappeared, leaving me to wonder when it might return. 

Spring though it may be, in the hours after returning home from work, I wore tights during a 1hr 20min run, an undershirt and a sweater. I was not overdressed. 

This endeavor was not the Sidney Time Trial I originally had in mind, but beginning yesterday, there has also been a hint of scratchiness in my throat, and there are signs that perhaps my body could succumb to an unwelcome virus, unlike the bird that took briefly to the foliage of my plant and whose presence I would welcome again.  An easy, longish run, was preferable in these circumstances.

But to complement my run, for a short time I stopped at the Oak Bay rec centre for tidbits of this and that, including a few minutes on the rowing machine, which helped to stretch out some rather sore muscles resulting from the 10k race and my cycling repeats afterward on Sunday.

I sense that sleep may overwhelm me soon.