Monday, October 31, 2011
New Beginnings
Saturday turned into a wonderful day for me. All in just an hour. John and I did a quick trip from Cardston to Magrath on our bikes - took just over an hour (I think about 1:08?) I was once again saddened, but not surprised, to see how terrible I was on a bike. But, we talked about some future plans, and I've decided to get there. The plan is in January to do a week down in Phoenix/Tucson just riding. It's been a few years since I've done that, and it sounds really exciting to me. I'll need to have dropped some serious weight by then, but I know I can do it.
So I started in ernest yesterday. STRICTNESS is my moto for the next month. Give myself a good fighting chance! Then I'll start to allow myself the OCCASSIONAL treat - meaning something once a week. I've been amazed at how easy it became to justify a slip. "I'm doing something with my son, and so we should have an icecream together" or "I worked hard and need a break"... the excuses go on and on.
This morning I jumped out of bed (okay, maybe "jump" isn't the right word - more like crawled) at 5:30am. Should've gone for the run then, as a little later it had started snowing and was just plain miserable. I ended up finding a reason not to go (there were lots) - and so tonight I'll set-up my trainer in the basement so that I always have a fall-back.
Sunday, September 11, 2011
Minot, North Dakota
After I returned from Minot, ND I learned that my Great Grandmother was born and raised in Minot - I guess this was a chance for me to say thanx to my ancestors. This is an article I wrote for our local paper, and I've included some pictures here.
Friday, Sept 2, 2011. My son, Brady, and I were leaving on what I hoped was to be a fun experience, but more, a way to really help somebody else – to make a difference, a positive difference, in someone else’s life. Ten hours later we arrived in Minot, North Dakota. Each person that went had their own unique experience. This is mine – I think it’s largely representative of what we all saw and felt.
My brain couldn’t believe what my eyes were seeing. Minot looked like it’d been hit by a bomb. What was more shocking to me, was this was TWO MONTHS after the flood had hit! This was a classic case of “it gets worse before it gets better.” Houses had to be gutted before anything could start to be repaired, and all that stuff was being piled outside on the curb. We immediately found our way up to the church (which was literally up, at the top of one of the hills.) When we arrived the first order of business was to get tents set-up and organized. It was funny to watch a churchground turn into a campground, complete with outdoor showers! A quick trip to Walmart for all the things we forgot and a quick meal and we were off to bed so that we could get an early start.
In the morning we were all assigned to a group leader (complete with our uniform of a yellow “mormon helping hands” t-shirt), and that leader then gave us our assignments. I was in a group of 16, with Bob Quinton as our leader. Our first assignment was on the outskirts of town. On the way there we saw lots of little lakes, later to learn that all of them were in areas that were once dry. The home that we were working on was big, and was situated by what looked like a beautiful lake – it wasn’t. It used to be a horse pasture.
In home after home the story was the same – weeks after the waters had receded homeowners were trying to get things cleaned up, but the sheer volume of work to be done was overwhelming. An individual could work all day and not notice a dent in the project. A crew our size could come into most average-sized homes and clean out the basement and main floor in 5 or 6 hours. It wasn’t just that there were more of us. We had the equipment to be efficient. We had the time to work straight through instead of having to go to work to pay for all of the repairs. And most of all, we hadn’t been fighting this battle for two months, we were fresh.
Our first home had deep mud in the basement – all of us in the basement had to wear gum boots. We found frogs and crawdads crawling around there. Water had been in the basement for about 8 weeks. One of our group got to taste his breakfast twice that morning. It was a slimy, stinky mess. We have a picture of the garbage we took out of the house – it’s almost 8 feet high, with a 10 foot base and stretches for 70 feet down the curb. It would have taken the homeowners 8 or 9 weeks to get it done, by which time the house would’ve been lost. Anytime you get a bunch of teen-age boys working together you know there’s going to be some kind of shenanigans – someone found some old golf clubs and a bucket of balls. Soon we were all making little mud tees and taking a swing to see how far over the “pond” we could hit a ball.
Sunday morning brought a sacrament service at 7am. I don’t think I’ve seen a sight like that before. Honorable men blessing the sacrament in pajamas and yellow t-shirts. As soon as our service was over we headed back out for another day of mucking!
The next home-owner we helped was serving in the airforce. He was on duty out-of-state when the flood hit, and his wife and kids were visiting her parents over-seas. They never had a chance to save any of their personal belongings. His neighbors shed (from three doors down) was in his backyard. His was upside-down. He was a strong man, and had done a lot of the initial work – but we still spent our entire Sunday morning helping him. His gratitude was evident as we left.
Our last home was a doozy. It was right beside the dyke that was breached. Water got 7 feet up the walls of the main floor. Everything had to go. The dark basement, with only small windows, was difficult to get stuff up and out of. The old steele tub, and all the mud and waste. It made for some hard work! Thankfully, the church has put into place some amazing emergency equipment – we had generators, saws, hammers, crowbars, sleds – anything and everything that might be needed! It was a remarkable experience to see how organized and efficient the church is at these temporal kinds of needs.
As we left we got the greatest reward ever – a tearful thank-you from the home owners. We were given this blessing time and time again all weekend long. What a wonderful opportunity to serve and to help some who had previously been bitter towards the church. They now see us in a different light. The “angels in yellow” as some called us made a real difference in Minot. The local members were grateful for the help – they had been working at this for the whole two months! They’d come home from work and put in a couple of hours of service each night. They were exhausted and our numbers were a welcome break. Local businesses didn’t get mad when we trudged mud into their restaurants. Instead they thanked us for coming.
I’m so grateful to the local men who arranged this service opportunity. I’m sure I’d forget a few names if I started naming them, so I’ll just say a big thank-you to all of those who gave us the chance to see and experience this. My son and I had our testimonies grow, and felt the Spirit of the Lord helping us. Hard work with good men, (and a few women!) engaged in a good cause – what a great way to spend the weekend!
Friday, Sept 2, 2011. My son, Brady, and I were leaving on what I hoped was to be a fun experience, but more, a way to really help somebody else – to make a difference, a positive difference, in someone else’s life. Ten hours later we arrived in Minot, North Dakota. Each person that went had their own unique experience. This is mine – I think it’s largely representative of what we all saw and felt.
My brain couldn’t believe what my eyes were seeing. Minot looked like it’d been hit by a bomb. What was more shocking to me, was this was TWO MONTHS after the flood had hit! This was a classic case of “it gets worse before it gets better.” Houses had to be gutted before anything could start to be repaired, and all that stuff was being piled outside on the curb. We immediately found our way up to the church (which was literally up, at the top of one of the hills.) When we arrived the first order of business was to get tents set-up and organized. It was funny to watch a churchground turn into a campground, complete with outdoor showers! A quick trip to Walmart for all the things we forgot and a quick meal and we were off to bed so that we could get an early start.
In the morning we were all assigned to a group leader (complete with our uniform of a yellow “mormon helping hands” t-shirt), and that leader then gave us our assignments. I was in a group of 16, with Bob Quinton as our leader. Our first assignment was on the outskirts of town. On the way there we saw lots of little lakes, later to learn that all of them were in areas that were once dry. The home that we were working on was big, and was situated by what looked like a beautiful lake – it wasn’t. It used to be a horse pasture.
In home after home the story was the same – weeks after the waters had receded homeowners were trying to get things cleaned up, but the sheer volume of work to be done was overwhelming. An individual could work all day and not notice a dent in the project. A crew our size could come into most average-sized homes and clean out the basement and main floor in 5 or 6 hours. It wasn’t just that there were more of us. We had the equipment to be efficient. We had the time to work straight through instead of having to go to work to pay for all of the repairs. And most of all, we hadn’t been fighting this battle for two months, we were fresh.
Our first home had deep mud in the basement – all of us in the basement had to wear gum boots. We found frogs and crawdads crawling around there. Water had been in the basement for about 8 weeks. One of our group got to taste his breakfast twice that morning. It was a slimy, stinky mess. We have a picture of the garbage we took out of the house – it’s almost 8 feet high, with a 10 foot base and stretches for 70 feet down the curb. It would have taken the homeowners 8 or 9 weeks to get it done, by which time the house would’ve been lost. Anytime you get a bunch of teen-age boys working together you know there’s going to be some kind of shenanigans – someone found some old golf clubs and a bucket of balls. Soon we were all making little mud tees and taking a swing to see how far over the “pond” we could hit a ball.
Sunday morning brought a sacrament service at 7am. I don’t think I’ve seen a sight like that before. Honorable men blessing the sacrament in pajamas and yellow t-shirts. As soon as our service was over we headed back out for another day of mucking!
The next home-owner we helped was serving in the airforce. He was on duty out-of-state when the flood hit, and his wife and kids were visiting her parents over-seas. They never had a chance to save any of their personal belongings. His neighbors shed (from three doors down) was in his backyard. His was upside-down. He was a strong man, and had done a lot of the initial work – but we still spent our entire Sunday morning helping him. His gratitude was evident as we left.
Our last home was a doozy. It was right beside the dyke that was breached. Water got 7 feet up the walls of the main floor. Everything had to go. The dark basement, with only small windows, was difficult to get stuff up and out of. The old steele tub, and all the mud and waste. It made for some hard work! Thankfully, the church has put into place some amazing emergency equipment – we had generators, saws, hammers, crowbars, sleds – anything and everything that might be needed! It was a remarkable experience to see how organized and efficient the church is at these temporal kinds of needs.
As we left we got the greatest reward ever – a tearful thank-you from the home owners. We were given this blessing time and time again all weekend long. What a wonderful opportunity to serve and to help some who had previously been bitter towards the church. They now see us in a different light. The “angels in yellow” as some called us made a real difference in Minot. The local members were grateful for the help – they had been working at this for the whole two months! They’d come home from work and put in a couple of hours of service each night. They were exhausted and our numbers were a welcome break. Local businesses didn’t get mad when we trudged mud into their restaurants. Instead they thanked us for coming.
I’m so grateful to the local men who arranged this service opportunity. I’m sure I’d forget a few names if I started naming them, so I’ll just say a big thank-you to all of those who gave us the chance to see and experience this. My son and I had our testimonies grow, and felt the Spirit of the Lord helping us. Hard work with good men, (and a few women!) engaged in a good cause – what a great way to spend the weekend!
Sunday, July 31, 2011
Climbing To The Snow
Like most of my grand adventures with John, this one got started late. We orginally had decided to leave around 9am. I called him at 8 and we moved it back to 9:30 - I think we got going by around 10:15.
I hate climbing the south hill right off the bat when I haven't had a chance to warm-up yet. After we got to the top I started to feel some real pain in my right achilles tendon. Oh oh - I've had my achilles blow up on me before, and it's extremely painful, and it sidelined me for about a month back then. I locked my ankle into place rather than letting my foot "ankle" through the pedal stroke and the pain eased up. I was sure hoping that this would be a temporary thing, but with my leg being pretty tight from my hamstring pull, I was a little concerned.
John and I decided that this was not going to be a hammer-fest (okay, I decided) and that we'd stop and enjoy the ride like we rarely do. So, here's a couple of photos from the first few miles.
Arrival at the border
I've never seen the line at the border this long - it stretched all the way past the Canadian customs side and started down the hill. I'd have taken a picture to show you, but John just kept on riding. Yup, he free-wheeled right past everybody. Being about 20 feet behind him I could hear the comments as people saw him go by - we weren't making any friends! We rode up to the front of the line, John's intent was to see if they'd wave him up. As we got to the front, a couple of kids from Cardston were sitting in a little blue truck. I chatted with them for a minute and then got this great idea. "Hey, is it alright with you guys if we jump in the back of your truck to cross the border?"
So we do, as we pull up the border guard looks at us and says "how do you know these guys? Did you just jump in the back of their truck to try and avoid the line? 'Cause that's not happening." I replied with - "we know them" - and she asks the driver how - he explains that we're all from Cardston. She lets it slide.
John mentions to her that it sure is busy today and she says, "yeah, seems like you Canadians have a holiday and everybody evacuates the country!" She waved us through and we jumped out to continue our ride.
I've never stopped here to take a picture (though it seems like everybody else always stops there.) We didn't stop here this time, either - just pulled out the camera and snapped a photo as we went by.
Did I mention that the ride all the way to the border is mostly up-hill? It took us an hour to cover 25km. But, there was NO WIND! (How often does that happen in this country?) Well, that all changed from the border all the way to St Mary's - we got to fight a head-wind all the way. A wind that consistently blew at about 30km/hr and there were places it was upwards of 40km/hr! YUCK! Being the kind, out-of-shape guy I am, I let Johnny pull as much as he wanted.
Here's a favorite photo I took as we got nearer to St. Mary's.
Finally, we arrived in St. Mary's - we'd been riding for awhile, so we decided to stop and get some lunch and refill bottles. The Cafe was pretty busy, so we had a bit of a wait, but the Turkey Sandwhich I had was excellent! We decided we'd be stopping on the way back for a piece of PIE!
The entry fee for cyclists going into Glacier National Park has gone up - it's now $12!! So, John and I both decided to purchase seasons passes for $35. The lady working the booth didn't have much of a sense of humour - so maybe I shouldn't have let John do the talking. He was trying to convince her that he was "an American with disabilities" so that he could get in free. I was bowled over laughing, but she didn't seem to see the humour in it. Oh well. 5 more miles to the beginning of "the climb"
Finally got past the boat docks. This is where we will often start our rides of Logan's Pass. From this point to the top is 12 miles. It's mostly all climbing (there are a couple of breaks in the climbs.) It's not steep - average is 7%, max is 10%. But, I'm overweight and out-of shape.
The hard part was keeping my heart rate in check - especially given where Johnny was today. My HR averaged 172 for the climb - John was around 150. We're usually within 10 of each other, but not today!
We continued our little stops along the way to enjoy the views and take some photos - which also helped to keep me from going too deep intot he red zone. Here's a classic photo of Goose Island.
This one here is a view I grew very acustomed to on today's ride:
This is one of the many waterfalls we pass on the way up.
Our last stop was one of the most entertaining - two young couples from Checkaslovakia. They thought we were crazy and were very impressed with how light and "cool" our bikes were.
Finally we reached the top. The last 500m were especially tough - I was tired and there was a fierce headwind blowing at the top. Finally got there, though - and there was lots, and lots of snow! (And alot of people. Normally we hang around up there for awhile, but there were so many people we just took a couple of pictures and headed back down.)
The ride down was ugly - the road had lots of gravel (which wasn't too big of an issue climbing, but going down...) and so lots of brakes used on the way down.
I learned an interesting lesson on motivation - as tired as I had been, and as bad as shape as I was in, after we got to the bottom and had 5 miles left to town, my stomache was giving me troubles and I needed to get to a bathroom - I pulled ol' Johnny at 40km/hr for 5 miles to get to town fast! I'd rather find a different kind of motivatioin, but...
A nice stop for something to eat and a piece of pie and we were off for the border and home.
All in all, a great ride, was good to get 105 miles in with some good climbing, and it's always a pleasure to ride with John! Next week's adventure will be with Steve (also known as BowWow) and a little road trip down to Flagstaff Arizona to ride with some friends. I can't wait!
I hate climbing the south hill right off the bat when I haven't had a chance to warm-up yet. After we got to the top I started to feel some real pain in my right achilles tendon. Oh oh - I've had my achilles blow up on me before, and it's extremely painful, and it sidelined me for about a month back then. I locked my ankle into place rather than letting my foot "ankle" through the pedal stroke and the pain eased up. I was sure hoping that this would be a temporary thing, but with my leg being pretty tight from my hamstring pull, I was a little concerned.
John and I decided that this was not going to be a hammer-fest (okay, I decided) and that we'd stop and enjoy the ride like we rarely do. So, here's a couple of photos from the first few miles.
Arrival at the border
I've never seen the line at the border this long - it stretched all the way past the Canadian customs side and started down the hill. I'd have taken a picture to show you, but John just kept on riding. Yup, he free-wheeled right past everybody. Being about 20 feet behind him I could hear the comments as people saw him go by - we weren't making any friends! We rode up to the front of the line, John's intent was to see if they'd wave him up. As we got to the front, a couple of kids from Cardston were sitting in a little blue truck. I chatted with them for a minute and then got this great idea. "Hey, is it alright with you guys if we jump in the back of your truck to cross the border?"
So we do, as we pull up the border guard looks at us and says "how do you know these guys? Did you just jump in the back of their truck to try and avoid the line? 'Cause that's not happening." I replied with - "we know them" - and she asks the driver how - he explains that we're all from Cardston. She lets it slide.
John mentions to her that it sure is busy today and she says, "yeah, seems like you Canadians have a holiday and everybody evacuates the country!" She waved us through and we jumped out to continue our ride.
I've never stopped here to take a picture (though it seems like everybody else always stops there.) We didn't stop here this time, either - just pulled out the camera and snapped a photo as we went by.
Did I mention that the ride all the way to the border is mostly up-hill? It took us an hour to cover 25km. But, there was NO WIND! (How often does that happen in this country?) Well, that all changed from the border all the way to St Mary's - we got to fight a head-wind all the way. A wind that consistently blew at about 30km/hr and there were places it was upwards of 40km/hr! YUCK! Being the kind, out-of-shape guy I am, I let Johnny pull as much as he wanted.
Here's a favorite photo I took as we got nearer to St. Mary's.
Finally, we arrived in St. Mary's - we'd been riding for awhile, so we decided to stop and get some lunch and refill bottles. The Cafe was pretty busy, so we had a bit of a wait, but the Turkey Sandwhich I had was excellent! We decided we'd be stopping on the way back for a piece of PIE!
The entry fee for cyclists going into Glacier National Park has gone up - it's now $12!! So, John and I both decided to purchase seasons passes for $35. The lady working the booth didn't have much of a sense of humour - so maybe I shouldn't have let John do the talking. He was trying to convince her that he was "an American with disabilities" so that he could get in free. I was bowled over laughing, but she didn't seem to see the humour in it. Oh well. 5 more miles to the beginning of "the climb"
Finally got past the boat docks. This is where we will often start our rides of Logan's Pass. From this point to the top is 12 miles. It's mostly all climbing (there are a couple of breaks in the climbs.) It's not steep - average is 7%, max is 10%. But, I'm overweight and out-of shape.
The hard part was keeping my heart rate in check - especially given where Johnny was today. My HR averaged 172 for the climb - John was around 150. We're usually within 10 of each other, but not today!
We continued our little stops along the way to enjoy the views and take some photos - which also helped to keep me from going too deep intot he red zone. Here's a classic photo of Goose Island.
This one here is a view I grew very acustomed to on today's ride:
This is one of the many waterfalls we pass on the way up.
Our last stop was one of the most entertaining - two young couples from Checkaslovakia. They thought we were crazy and were very impressed with how light and "cool" our bikes were.
Finally we reached the top. The last 500m were especially tough - I was tired and there was a fierce headwind blowing at the top. Finally got there, though - and there was lots, and lots of snow! (And alot of people. Normally we hang around up there for awhile, but there were so many people we just took a couple of pictures and headed back down.)
The ride down was ugly - the road had lots of gravel (which wasn't too big of an issue climbing, but going down...) and so lots of brakes used on the way down.
I learned an interesting lesson on motivation - as tired as I had been, and as bad as shape as I was in, after we got to the bottom and had 5 miles left to town, my stomache was giving me troubles and I needed to get to a bathroom - I pulled ol' Johnny at 40km/hr for 5 miles to get to town fast! I'd rather find a different kind of motivatioin, but...
A nice stop for something to eat and a piece of pie and we were off for the border and home.
All in all, a great ride, was good to get 105 miles in with some good climbing, and it's always a pleasure to ride with John! Next week's adventure will be with Steve (also known as BowWow) and a little road trip down to Flagstaff Arizona to ride with some friends. I can't wait!
Friday, July 29, 2011
Getting cold
Okay, everyone knows that I've absolutely HATED the cold - and have threatened to move to Arizona for the winters if we have another one like this last one. Just to show how much I LOVE the heat - next week I'm heading down to Arizona (yes, in AUGUST!) for a bike event. My buddy, Steve (known on-line as BowWow) and I will be making a classic tailwinds roadtrip - drive all night and ride for the weekend, and then drive back. Should be alot of fun!
However, when it comes to weight-loss, I'm absolutely convinced that cooling the body helps. I wrote an article a few months ago that talked about my beginning efforts in this regard - and I'm now continuing it. I thought about video-taping my experiences, but thought that would scare too many people and leave permanent psychological scars... and then I found this today. This is pretty much what it's like, so enjoy!!
A Cold Shower Experience!
However, when it comes to weight-loss, I'm absolutely convinced that cooling the body helps. I wrote an article a few months ago that talked about my beginning efforts in this regard - and I'm now continuing it. I thought about video-taping my experiences, but thought that would scare too many people and leave permanent psychological scars... and then I found this today. This is pretty much what it's like, so enjoy!!
A Cold Shower Experience!
Saturday, June 18, 2011
Now I remember...
This morning I awoke early - too early. 4:30am came very quickly when one of the kids had been out until 2am. UGH! Steve had to wait for me as I collected the last of my stuff (I forgot a couple of things, but nothing major.) Then off to Magrath to pick up Johnny. Then the drive into Lethbridge for the start of today's little adventure. I probably should not have done such a tough kettlebell workout 2 days ago, as I was still feeling the effects of it.
Today was a charity century - they had arranged for a couple of semi trucks, with good bike racks inside of them, to transport our bikes, and a couple of school buses to transport us. We were driving 100 miles to the start.
The drive out was extremely entertaining - John and I found three new friends with the same warped sense of humour as us! The jokes came fast and furious for almost 2 hours! (School buses are slow.) Before we got there the inevitable questions came up on expected times - and turns out they were figuring the same kind of pace as us, so maybe we'd be riding together. Hmmmmm MAYBE!
It always amazes me how at every cycling event I go to it doesn't matter how many bathrooms there are, there will always be a significant line as it gets close to take-off time.
We stood and got a group photo before we took off - and then I ran to get my bike. John already had his - and wouldn't you know it, he thought I'd taken off already, so he took off. I spent the next hour and change chasing him down! Aghhh!
I rode the first 15km with my buddy Steve - then he tailed off. Then I caught up to my friend Jody. He was making a pretty good pace, so we worked together to try and close the gap up. He made me laugh, as he had his iphone with him while we were riding, and every now and then he'd pull it out and tweet. He had never drafted before and was amazed at the difference. I was about ready to start teaching him some of the tricks to smooth transitions when another group caught us. We jumped in with these other 2 guys and the pace kicked up. Another few km and Jody had had enough of that pace and waved me on. So the three of us hammered away for a few more km. We picked up another rider and she shared the work-load with us nicely. Then we hit a good hill and me and one of the other guys eased back. The hill tilted up at a 8% grade, and went for a couple of km, so I just stayed within myself and spun up it. At the crest the faster guy was waiting for his buddy (who was way behind me) and the girl had really layed it down. I chased. When I caught her she didn't want to hammer, so I went off solo. I probably should not have done that.
At about the 50km mark Phil rode by. Phil is awesome. He is one of fastest guys in our area. He had chosen his TT bike for this one, and was planning on shattering 4 hours. I was doing 46km/hr up a slight climb (nice little tailwind behind me) and he flew by me at 60km/hr. How do I know? Well, I was stupid enough to think that maybe I could use him to drag me up to John! I sprinted to speed, grabbed his wheel, and was only able to hold on for about 1 minute. I had to let him go. Another match burned, and once again in no-man's land.
John was riding with one of our new friends, and they were knocking out a pretty good pace. At the 80km mark (roughly 50 miles for my American friends) I caught up to them, and our time was 1:50. The problem for me was that I had been riding with my Heart Rate at 172-174 trying to chase! My LTL is 171 - I knew I was going to pay a big price for this down the road - I figured at around the 3 hour mark.
After catching John the 3 of us got into a nice little rotation and managed to hold onto a 44km/hr pace without killing me off too badly. Phil had stopped for a quick break at the 80km mark, so we got to see him fly past us again about 10km later. I was trying desperately to get fuel and fluid into my system HOPING that somehow the crash would pass me by. Over the next 20k we picked up a few more riders and got caught by the two guys and a girl that I'd ridden with earlier. As we came up to Fort Macleod we had a good paceline of 8 rotating through. HEAVEN! A hard pull, and then wheel-sucking paradise. Fort Macleod was where lunch was at, and was basically the 2/3rds done point.
I made a quick bathroom break, and when I came out, everybody in our little group had taken off - oh no! Another chase was in store for me.
I wondered at the time if this was a particularly smart idea - I knew 3 hours was coming up quickly, and I could feel things starting to tire. Oh well, I wanted to ride with these guys!
I hit the highway and started pushing hard. I could see them about 1km ahead of me. Over the next 25km I chased harder than I have ever chased anybody. I got the gap down to about 100m at about the 18km mark, but my HR was at 184, and I needed to ease up a bit. I got it back down to 170, lost about 100m, and began the chase again. I got back up to about 100m behind, and once again was pegged at 184 and had to ease off (my max is 192).
At this point I remembered why riding a century ride at full tilt when you've only put in a couple of hundred miles for the whole year is not a good idea. CRAMPS!
Both legs. Quads and Calves. OOOOUUUUCH! I had stood up to try and sprint that last 100m and get into the draft. I almost fell off my bike. I realized that now I was into survival mode. Just get this last 40k done and call it a day. John had finally seen me and was drifting back (at least, that's what he says, I suspect he was one of the guys pushing the pace BECAUSE he saw me!) He gave me a draft, but even with that, anything over 34km/hr would cramp me up. Hills, little as they were, were a killer.
Finally hit the second last hill. It's not steep - about 6% average grade, and only 2km long. I couldn't manage anything faster than 15km/hr up it, and the mosquitoes had swarmed me! (I later found out it wasn't just me they made a good lunch of, but at that point it sure felt like it was all me!) Pedaling without cramping was hard - and trying to swat my arms, legs, butt, face, etc. while doing it was REALLY hard. Finally topped out and got the speed up high enough to leave the mosquitoes behind.
Entered Lethbridge - and worked my way for the last 12km to the finish - one last hill. Down into the river bottom, then up the other side... The Pain! Both quads were right on the edge of a full-out cramp. I couldn't push faster than 8km/hr. For about 200m of the climb it tilted up to 10%. I couldn't stand, I couldn't push hard, and I couldn't spin (was already in granny) I eeked my way up. I knew if I stopped and had to walk I'd never be able to get back on again, so I forced myself to inch my way up the hill. Finally the top arrived and I spun the last km to the finish line. John finished just ahead of me. My first century of the year was done. What in the past I would've considered a pretty easy ride had turned me upside down.
They had massage waiting for us - which was great - and a little bite to eat, and the day was done. Said good bye to our new friends - and hope that we'll be able to get together for a ride again sometime. Off to home!
I'm tired. No sleep and that effort are really slowing me down. I need to make sure I keep riding now so that I don't lose the form I picked up in pushing myself so hard. I don't want to have to be reminded of how out of shape I am during a tough ride like that again!
Today was a charity century - they had arranged for a couple of semi trucks, with good bike racks inside of them, to transport our bikes, and a couple of school buses to transport us. We were driving 100 miles to the start.
The drive out was extremely entertaining - John and I found three new friends with the same warped sense of humour as us! The jokes came fast and furious for almost 2 hours! (School buses are slow.) Before we got there the inevitable questions came up on expected times - and turns out they were figuring the same kind of pace as us, so maybe we'd be riding together. Hmmmmm MAYBE!
It always amazes me how at every cycling event I go to it doesn't matter how many bathrooms there are, there will always be a significant line as it gets close to take-off time.
We stood and got a group photo before we took off - and then I ran to get my bike. John already had his - and wouldn't you know it, he thought I'd taken off already, so he took off. I spent the next hour and change chasing him down! Aghhh!
I rode the first 15km with my buddy Steve - then he tailed off. Then I caught up to my friend Jody. He was making a pretty good pace, so we worked together to try and close the gap up. He made me laugh, as he had his iphone with him while we were riding, and every now and then he'd pull it out and tweet. He had never drafted before and was amazed at the difference. I was about ready to start teaching him some of the tricks to smooth transitions when another group caught us. We jumped in with these other 2 guys and the pace kicked up. Another few km and Jody had had enough of that pace and waved me on. So the three of us hammered away for a few more km. We picked up another rider and she shared the work-load with us nicely. Then we hit a good hill and me and one of the other guys eased back. The hill tilted up at a 8% grade, and went for a couple of km, so I just stayed within myself and spun up it. At the crest the faster guy was waiting for his buddy (who was way behind me) and the girl had really layed it down. I chased. When I caught her she didn't want to hammer, so I went off solo. I probably should not have done that.
At about the 50km mark Phil rode by. Phil is awesome. He is one of fastest guys in our area. He had chosen his TT bike for this one, and was planning on shattering 4 hours. I was doing 46km/hr up a slight climb (nice little tailwind behind me) and he flew by me at 60km/hr. How do I know? Well, I was stupid enough to think that maybe I could use him to drag me up to John! I sprinted to speed, grabbed his wheel, and was only able to hold on for about 1 minute. I had to let him go. Another match burned, and once again in no-man's land.
John was riding with one of our new friends, and they were knocking out a pretty good pace. At the 80km mark (roughly 50 miles for my American friends) I caught up to them, and our time was 1:50. The problem for me was that I had been riding with my Heart Rate at 172-174 trying to chase! My LTL is 171 - I knew I was going to pay a big price for this down the road - I figured at around the 3 hour mark.
After catching John the 3 of us got into a nice little rotation and managed to hold onto a 44km/hr pace without killing me off too badly. Phil had stopped for a quick break at the 80km mark, so we got to see him fly past us again about 10km later. I was trying desperately to get fuel and fluid into my system HOPING that somehow the crash would pass me by. Over the next 20k we picked up a few more riders and got caught by the two guys and a girl that I'd ridden with earlier. As we came up to Fort Macleod we had a good paceline of 8 rotating through. HEAVEN! A hard pull, and then wheel-sucking paradise. Fort Macleod was where lunch was at, and was basically the 2/3rds done point.
I made a quick bathroom break, and when I came out, everybody in our little group had taken off - oh no! Another chase was in store for me.
I wondered at the time if this was a particularly smart idea - I knew 3 hours was coming up quickly, and I could feel things starting to tire. Oh well, I wanted to ride with these guys!
I hit the highway and started pushing hard. I could see them about 1km ahead of me. Over the next 25km I chased harder than I have ever chased anybody. I got the gap down to about 100m at about the 18km mark, but my HR was at 184, and I needed to ease up a bit. I got it back down to 170, lost about 100m, and began the chase again. I got back up to about 100m behind, and once again was pegged at 184 and had to ease off (my max is 192).
At this point I remembered why riding a century ride at full tilt when you've only put in a couple of hundred miles for the whole year is not a good idea. CRAMPS!
Both legs. Quads and Calves. OOOOUUUUCH! I had stood up to try and sprint that last 100m and get into the draft. I almost fell off my bike. I realized that now I was into survival mode. Just get this last 40k done and call it a day. John had finally seen me and was drifting back (at least, that's what he says, I suspect he was one of the guys pushing the pace BECAUSE he saw me!) He gave me a draft, but even with that, anything over 34km/hr would cramp me up. Hills, little as they were, were a killer.
Finally hit the second last hill. It's not steep - about 6% average grade, and only 2km long. I couldn't manage anything faster than 15km/hr up it, and the mosquitoes had swarmed me! (I later found out it wasn't just me they made a good lunch of, but at that point it sure felt like it was all me!) Pedaling without cramping was hard - and trying to swat my arms, legs, butt, face, etc. while doing it was REALLY hard. Finally topped out and got the speed up high enough to leave the mosquitoes behind.
Entered Lethbridge - and worked my way for the last 12km to the finish - one last hill. Down into the river bottom, then up the other side... The Pain! Both quads were right on the edge of a full-out cramp. I couldn't push faster than 8km/hr. For about 200m of the climb it tilted up to 10%. I couldn't stand, I couldn't push hard, and I couldn't spin (was already in granny) I eeked my way up. I knew if I stopped and had to walk I'd never be able to get back on again, so I forced myself to inch my way up the hill. Finally the top arrived and I spun the last km to the finish line. John finished just ahead of me. My first century of the year was done. What in the past I would've considered a pretty easy ride had turned me upside down.
They had massage waiting for us - which was great - and a little bite to eat, and the day was done. Said good bye to our new friends - and hope that we'll be able to get together for a ride again sometime. Off to home!
I'm tired. No sleep and that effort are really slowing me down. I need to make sure I keep riding now so that I don't lose the form I picked up in pushing myself so hard. I don't want to have to be reminded of how out of shape I am during a tough ride like that again!
Friday, June 10, 2011
Paradise on the Pedals
I decided to spend some time with my bike today. Give it some of the attention it deserves, and that I really need. It started with a good cleaning. It's been awhile since my S-works and I have spent some time with a cleaning rag. I took a bit of a short cut for the really ugly stuff - there was some mud and grunge caked from yesterday's ride - and, come to think of it, from a lot of my rides 'cause it's all been rainy and ugly... - anyway - I went to the car wash. I even brought my bike stand and spent $1 and hosed it down. Packed it all up, and set-up again in the garage for a good cleaning and polishing (yes, I wax my bike, not just my legs!)
Then I went for ride. For old times sake I threw on my Bikejournal.com jersey. Been awhile since I had that one on! It's really a comfortable jersey.
Then I got some bad news - my Garmin died! I've had it for awhile, and we've been through alot together, but it's dead. Won't boot up, won't even recognize it's plugged in. Good thing I was able to get all of my data off of it last night!
So, today I ride NAKED! (Don't panic, that's what I call it when I don't have a bike computer with me!) I could've grabbed my Garmin running computer and worn it on my wrist, but I thought I'd just go out and enjoy a good ride. I haven't ridden without a computer for a long time.
The weather was nice and warm - about 20C - but the wind was up. I headed out towards Leavitt. I knew it was going to be a bit of a battle on the way out, fighting 40+km/hr winds, but the ride back would be sweet!
I don't know what my heart rate was on the way out (no computer) I don't know how fast I was going (no computer) I don't know what my cadence was (no computer) and I don't know how many feet of elevation I climbed (no computer) - except that I knew all of that stuff. I've ridden this course so many times I know how many feet of elevation it is, and based on what gear I'm pushing and my perceived effort and perceived cadence, I know pretty close how fast I'm going. It was really fun to just ride. I was surprised how many times I looked down to check the computer though!
After roughly 35 minutes of pushing hard to get to Leavitt I turned around and headed back. Going up Monson's hill (750m and average grade of 8%) it was interesting to note I was going UP the hill faster than I'd come down it. Okay, maybe not quite, but it was close...
I found myself in the 52 x 11 and spinning high cadence - over 100 and often-times up towards the 120 range - and just LOVING it! The freedom, the speed, and the great ol' 80's tunes pounding away on my ipod! A little Lover Boy and ACDC to keep me company. It took me only about 18 minutes to get back, but what a great 18 minutes!!
My legs are tired. (Went for a nice long walk with my wife this evening) - but it's a good tired. I'm looking forward to another good ride tomorrow. Today's ride didn't have any profound insights generated. I didn't learn any more about myself. I didn't learn any more about my bike. I just rode. I just enjoyed the wind in my face and tunes in my ears.
Then I went for ride. For old times sake I threw on my Bikejournal.com jersey. Been awhile since I had that one on! It's really a comfortable jersey.
Then I got some bad news - my Garmin died! I've had it for awhile, and we've been through alot together, but it's dead. Won't boot up, won't even recognize it's plugged in. Good thing I was able to get all of my data off of it last night!
So, today I ride NAKED! (Don't panic, that's what I call it when I don't have a bike computer with me!) I could've grabbed my Garmin running computer and worn it on my wrist, but I thought I'd just go out and enjoy a good ride. I haven't ridden without a computer for a long time.
The weather was nice and warm - about 20C - but the wind was up. I headed out towards Leavitt. I knew it was going to be a bit of a battle on the way out, fighting 40+km/hr winds, but the ride back would be sweet!
I don't know what my heart rate was on the way out (no computer) I don't know how fast I was going (no computer) I don't know what my cadence was (no computer) and I don't know how many feet of elevation I climbed (no computer) - except that I knew all of that stuff. I've ridden this course so many times I know how many feet of elevation it is, and based on what gear I'm pushing and my perceived effort and perceived cadence, I know pretty close how fast I'm going. It was really fun to just ride. I was surprised how many times I looked down to check the computer though!
After roughly 35 minutes of pushing hard to get to Leavitt I turned around and headed back. Going up Monson's hill (750m and average grade of 8%) it was interesting to note I was going UP the hill faster than I'd come down it. Okay, maybe not quite, but it was close...
I found myself in the 52 x 11 and spinning high cadence - over 100 and often-times up towards the 120 range - and just LOVING it! The freedom, the speed, and the great ol' 80's tunes pounding away on my ipod! A little Lover Boy and ACDC to keep me company. It took me only about 18 minutes to get back, but what a great 18 minutes!!
My legs are tired. (Went for a nice long walk with my wife this evening) - but it's a good tired. I'm looking forward to another good ride tomorrow. Today's ride didn't have any profound insights generated. I didn't learn any more about myself. I didn't learn any more about my bike. I just rode. I just enjoyed the wind in my face and tunes in my ears.
Sunday, March 27, 2011
Speeding & Discipline
This was originally written March 17, 2011 - I've since edited out all of the parts I didn't really want to post out here in the public domain.
Interesting week - I spent most of it sick and miserable. That's meant no working out - which makes me more miserable. I'm sure my family is ready for me to not be sick anymore. Completely off my topic (which I know I haven't gotten to - but remember, this is MY place for ranting, so if you don't want to read it, click...) ever noticed how those we love the most are those we take for granted and treat the worst? I'm working on that...
Anyway, I've been reading a GREAT book the last couple of weeks: The Speed of Trust by Stephen M.R. Covey (Stephen Covey's son). It's not often I read a book that changes the way I see things - this book has totally changed my perspective, and I find myself looking at the world through the eyes of trust. The first level of trust I'm working on is self-trust. How does this relate to weight-loss and fitness? Wait for it.... wait for it....
How many times have I promised myself that I would get up early, go to bed early, work-out at such and such a time - not eat badly... and every time I do NOT do that it creates what Covey calls a "trust tax" - it makes it that much more difficult to trust myself. He suggests making - and keeping - small promises to yourself to build up a "trust dividend" - a growing confidence in myself that I'll do those things. This week I've been unable to put alot of this to work in terms of fitness due to my illness - but the coming week should be fun! I've made up a list of small promises that I'm going to keep this week - let's see what kind of results THAT brings!
Another book I've been reading is called "What the Dog Saw" by Malcolm Gladwell. I like his way of looking at the world a little differently and asking different questions (same reason I like "Freakanomics" so much.) The book is compilation of his essays that have appeared in the New York Times. Anyway, the title of the book comes from a story he was doing on a dog whisperer - a guy who could take the most hostile canine and with a simple touch turn him into a happy puppy. One of the people studying him asked "wow, what's he THINKING when does that?" Gladwell asked, "What does the dog see?"
The story that caught my eye was that of an experiment conducted with kids - I think they were 6 years old. They were put in a room and shown a small cookie and a large cookie. Then they were given a bell. They were told if they rang the bell, a person would come in and give them the small cookie, but if they WAITED until the person came in on their own they would get the large cookie. Amazing how many of the kids WAITED - and what they did to try and distract themselves from the task of waiting. The self-control and discipline they were exhibiting is amazing. They were willing to sacrifice something "good" for something better - they were willing to be patient and "save" for what they wanted rather than the instant gratification we seem to jump at so often.
So where do we go off the rails? Kids can do it - why do we search for that instant "numbing" with food? And is the answer as simple as finding something to distract us?
I'm finding that exercise does just that for me. When I'm working out hard I don't WANT to eat emotionally - in fact, it's easy. The work-out itself is not what causes me to lose weight - put bluntly, you cannot out-exercise the damage your mouth can cause! Figure that running a marathon burns anywhere from 2600-5000 calories, takes an average of 4-5 hours, and is EXHAUSTING. It doesn't take that long to pound back that many calaories! If you eat badly, no amount of excercise can lose the weight (I think I've mentioned before - I've bicycled 8,000km/year and not lost any weight.) BUT, the act of excercising - excercising HARD, really pushing myself - seems to distract me from the bad food, the bad habits. Is this my answer? Will this give me the insight/discipline to do what needs to be done? I don't really know - the answer will be revealed with time, my young padawan.
Interesting week - I spent most of it sick and miserable. That's meant no working out - which makes me more miserable. I'm sure my family is ready for me to not be sick anymore. Completely off my topic (which I know I haven't gotten to - but remember, this is MY place for ranting, so if you don't want to read it, click...) ever noticed how those we love the most are those we take for granted and treat the worst? I'm working on that...
Anyway, I've been reading a GREAT book the last couple of weeks: The Speed of Trust by Stephen M.R. Covey (Stephen Covey's son). It's not often I read a book that changes the way I see things - this book has totally changed my perspective, and I find myself looking at the world through the eyes of trust. The first level of trust I'm working on is self-trust. How does this relate to weight-loss and fitness? Wait for it.... wait for it....
How many times have I promised myself that I would get up early, go to bed early, work-out at such and such a time - not eat badly... and every time I do NOT do that it creates what Covey calls a "trust tax" - it makes it that much more difficult to trust myself. He suggests making - and keeping - small promises to yourself to build up a "trust dividend" - a growing confidence in myself that I'll do those things. This week I've been unable to put alot of this to work in terms of fitness due to my illness - but the coming week should be fun! I've made up a list of small promises that I'm going to keep this week - let's see what kind of results THAT brings!
Another book I've been reading is called "What the Dog Saw" by Malcolm Gladwell. I like his way of looking at the world a little differently and asking different questions (same reason I like "Freakanomics" so much.) The book is compilation of his essays that have appeared in the New York Times. Anyway, the title of the book comes from a story he was doing on a dog whisperer - a guy who could take the most hostile canine and with a simple touch turn him into a happy puppy. One of the people studying him asked "wow, what's he THINKING when does that?" Gladwell asked, "What does the dog see?"
The story that caught my eye was that of an experiment conducted with kids - I think they were 6 years old. They were put in a room and shown a small cookie and a large cookie. Then they were given a bell. They were told if they rang the bell, a person would come in and give them the small cookie, but if they WAITED until the person came in on their own they would get the large cookie. Amazing how many of the kids WAITED - and what they did to try and distract themselves from the task of waiting. The self-control and discipline they were exhibiting is amazing. They were willing to sacrifice something "good" for something better - they were willing to be patient and "save" for what they wanted rather than the instant gratification we seem to jump at so often.
So where do we go off the rails? Kids can do it - why do we search for that instant "numbing" with food? And is the answer as simple as finding something to distract us?
I'm finding that exercise does just that for me. When I'm working out hard I don't WANT to eat emotionally - in fact, it's easy. The work-out itself is not what causes me to lose weight - put bluntly, you cannot out-exercise the damage your mouth can cause! Figure that running a marathon burns anywhere from 2600-5000 calories, takes an average of 4-5 hours, and is EXHAUSTING. It doesn't take that long to pound back that many calaories! If you eat badly, no amount of excercise can lose the weight (I think I've mentioned before - I've bicycled 8,000km/year and not lost any weight.) BUT, the act of excercising - excercising HARD, really pushing myself - seems to distract me from the bad food, the bad habits. Is this my answer? Will this give me the insight/discipline to do what needs to be done? I don't really know - the answer will be revealed with time, my young padawan.
Tuesday, March 15, 2011
What Women Want
Okay, I'll admit it - I'm a Mel Gibson fan. From the Patriot to Braveheart to the Lethal Weapon series, they're all great. Last night my son wanted to watch a comedy (it was late - that's when he usually wants to watch something.) and so I grabbed 4 movies and let him choose - he chose WHAT WOMEN WANT.
My favorite part of this movie is actually the Hat Dance to ol' Frankie crooning (I really do want to learn to do that someday!) I mean, that's just soooo SMOOOOOOTH! - but last night there was another part that grabbed me.
It's near the end of the show. Darcy (Helen Hunt) has cut-off contact with Nick (Mel Gibson) and he's wondering around in a daze. He's tried to vist her, then tries to call her - nothing. He goes to the fridge, opens it, and says, "What am I doing? She's not in the fridge!"
What?! You mean I'm not the only one that walks to the fridge and stares in it when there's NOTHING in there that I want? Move things around a little, after-all, there might be something REALLY AMAZING hiding under yesterdays left-overs. The problem is, so often I don't RECOGNIZE that what I want is not in the fridge! Emotional eating does not mean sitting over a bucket of ice-cream and crying. (though it can - but I'd guess that most people who are engaging in that behavior recognize it and choose not to do anything about it.) No, emotional eating can mean anything from trying to fill an emptiness to perking yourself up. Food can be used as a drug (I know, I've done it many times) - it can deaden the bad feelings and heighten the good ones. And I think I've figured out that almost all of it stems from not being able to recognize the feelings and deal with them in the moment. So what do I want? It's not in the fridge.
What I want is on the road somewhere. Yup, that's right - the road. I want to be on my bike grinding up a steep climb and feeling the burn. Or running down the road with nothing but the rhythm of my breathing to listen to. (Okay, and occasionally a little AC/DC!) The weather has finally turned a bit warmer, and now I can run outside. Tomorrow, if the weather holds, I may even try to ride my bike outside!
So, if you see a bundle working it's way down the highway tomorrow, say "HI!" - it'll just be me out for a morning ride - and hopefully I'll be feeling nothing but my legs screaming at me in that special way.
My favorite part of this movie is actually the Hat Dance to ol' Frankie crooning (I really do want to learn to do that someday!) I mean, that's just soooo SMOOOOOOTH! - but last night there was another part that grabbed me.
It's near the end of the show. Darcy (Helen Hunt) has cut-off contact with Nick (Mel Gibson) and he's wondering around in a daze. He's tried to vist her, then tries to call her - nothing. He goes to the fridge, opens it, and says, "What am I doing? She's not in the fridge!"
What?! You mean I'm not the only one that walks to the fridge and stares in it when there's NOTHING in there that I want? Move things around a little, after-all, there might be something REALLY AMAZING hiding under yesterdays left-overs. The problem is, so often I don't RECOGNIZE that what I want is not in the fridge! Emotional eating does not mean sitting over a bucket of ice-cream and crying. (though it can - but I'd guess that most people who are engaging in that behavior recognize it and choose not to do anything about it.) No, emotional eating can mean anything from trying to fill an emptiness to perking yourself up. Food can be used as a drug (I know, I've done it many times) - it can deaden the bad feelings and heighten the good ones. And I think I've figured out that almost all of it stems from not being able to recognize the feelings and deal with them in the moment. So what do I want? It's not in the fridge.
What I want is on the road somewhere. Yup, that's right - the road. I want to be on my bike grinding up a steep climb and feeling the burn. Or running down the road with nothing but the rhythm of my breathing to listen to. (Okay, and occasionally a little AC/DC!) The weather has finally turned a bit warmer, and now I can run outside. Tomorrow, if the weather holds, I may even try to ride my bike outside!
So, if you see a bundle working it's way down the highway tomorrow, say "HI!" - it'll just be me out for a morning ride - and hopefully I'll be feeling nothing but my legs screaming at me in that special way.
Monday, March 07, 2011
It's over - whew!
No, not directly related to weight loss - though I suspect that the removal of this particular stress from my life will help!
The best place to start is the beginning - so here we go!
June 16, 2009 the local constabulary conducted a raid on a local business, Pic-A-Flick Video. A number of years earlier I had been a partner in this business, but had sold it to my partner, Dale Cahoon. On this particular day the police seized all of the movies. Why? Dale was running a "Clean Flicks" type of business - renting and distributing edited copies of movies.
Background: In the US, a Denver judge ruled that Clean Flicks was in violation of copyright and ordered the liquidation of their stock at all stores within District 7. There was an orderly liquidation and none of the stores incurred a loss, though they were no longer able to access edited movies. FYI - District 7 included Colorado and Utah. Dale found an editing company in Idaho - outside of that district - and that's where he was ordering his movies from.
Back to Canada - Canada's copyright laws are not like the US. A fact that our gov't has tried to correct a number of times, but they keep putting stupid things in. Like the most recent version: You can legally make back-up copies of any movie you own, but only if there's no security measures put on the original. Ever seen a DVD produced that DOESN'T have some form of security on it? That means you can't copy ANY movie, including changing the format to put it on your ipod. It's a poorly written law, is largely unenforceable, and I expect that it'll get tossed like previous versions.
At one point, one of Dale's shipments was seized by Canada Customs on the basis that it violated copyright law. He appealed that, and eventually got all of his movies returned to him, along with a letter apologizing for it and confirming that he was able to do what he was doing. At this point Dale made a deal with the editing company: rather than sending up all the movies, they would send ONE Master copy, and he would be able to make the number of copies he needed off of that and simply pay them a fee for the movies he burned. He asked if my son and I would like to do the work for him, and we said okay. That's how I got involved in this mess.
After the seizure I went down to the police station and gave a statement - I was there for about 2 hours. At numerous times during this interview the officer who was leading the investigation indicated that they had been doing this investigation for 6 months and that they "knew everything" including my ownership of the company. I pointed out to him that they didn't - that I didn't own the company anymore. He said I did, and as evidence pointed to the Alberta Registry documents showing me as an owner of the company, and a director. I pointed out to him the dates of DISSOLUTION - the company was a dead company and no longer functioned. When I had sold my interest to Dale I had not had myself removed as an owner or director because we DISSOLVED the company. Dale had simply bought the assets from the company. The number of other easily checked errors in his investigation piled up.
Two days later the Constable and a couple of other officers executed a search warrant of my house. I had a pretty good idea that they were coming. They had come the day before and ASKED if I'd give it to them - I called my lawyer and he indicated that I should make them do the work of getting a warrant. They seized some computer equipment from me and my label printer. (A couple of months later I was able to get that returned to me.) In a subsequent interview a supervisor from Calgary (I cannot remember her name now.) admitted to me that there was no law here - that they were attempting to set a precedent. I asked her to estimate how much time/money they had spent so far on their investigation and was told somewhere around 6 months, and probably $100,000 or so. I re-iterated that this was a joke - and that even IF what we had done was illegal, we had a "get out of jail free card" in that letter from Customs. Shortly after that I learned something else - this was not a "criminal" case. Even if found guilty, it's like getting a speeding ticket and does not create a criminal record.
For the next YEAR I regularly asked for my equipment to be returned to me, and what the progress of the case was - no charges were pressed - until ONE YEAR later. (I got my label printer back) A week before the one year mark, the officer approached Dale to ask him if the two of us would sign a form allowing the police to hold onto our equipment until their investigation was complete. I told him to "pound sand." - I'd go to court first. NO JUDGE would grant an open-ended seizure like that, and he knew it. The day before their one year deadline (at which point they would have had to return everything and drop it) they filed charges.
At that point I had to go down and get fingerprinted and photographed, and appear at court for first appearance - ideally to enter a plea and set a trial date. I went down and got photographed and printed. (At which point I learned that they still had all the movies and equipment still at the police station - that I had been lied to about it going up to Calgary for processing. They had told me that the reason for the delay in pressing charges was because they had to send ALL those movies to be checked. We told them numerous times we had already attested to the fact that they were NOT originals. That, unlike piracy, we were not wanting EXACT duplicates, that these were edited. In fact, Dale showed the officers conducting the seizure of his store how to tell which ones were originals and which were edited. Fact is, in court the prosecutor said they had sent TWO movies to be checked.)
Our first trial date came along - and the prosecution asked for a month more time, as they hadn't gotten disclosure to us yet. The next date came, and the same thing happened. The next date came, and the same thing happened. This went on and on...
Finally, they got us disclosure - it was a joke! The Crown handed me a copy of a single DVD that consisted of every document they had gathered and every interview they had done. (including the HOURS of transcripts of their interviews with Dale and I.) They had done ZERO further investigation. At any rate, we were finally, so we thought, going to be able to enter a plea and get this going.
Not to be. For the next 4 months the Crown had one reason after another for another delay. Fortunately for me, my lawyer was giving me advice, but was not actually retained by me - if he'd been showing up in court every time I'd have racked up over $10,000 in legal fees just to have him stand beside me while the Crown asked for another extension.
Finally, we got to enter a plea - and then a date needed to be set for trial. My defense was really simple - Color of Right. Simply put, I had done what was reasonable and necessary to make sure I was on-side legally. At the pre-trial conference between a judge, the Crown, Dale's lawyer, and my lawyer, the judge slammed the Crown for this mess. Basically, there is NO VICTIM (Dale's company bought one regular version of every copy of the movie, so "Hollywood" was not out any revenue - and then he destroyed that copy.), we had a "get out of jail free" card, and there was little chance of a conviction, and there was a good argument about whether there was even a violation of the Copyright Act. My lawyer said he wasn't even going to argue about the law, my defense was simply "color of right" - and the judge agreed that it would be pretty difficult to convict me.
Shortly after that the Crown called and made an offer to settle - they'd drop all the charges against me if Dale pleaded guilty and accepted a "substantial" fine. That got rejected by Dale. (Hey, I had no problem with it!)
Finally, today, a deal was worked out. Basically, Dale would plead guilty to one count of being in violation of the Copyright Act and pay a $1,000 fine and forfeit all the movies seized, and all charges against me would be dropped. My lawyer was unable to be there today (was in Phoenix) but I didn't expect anything significant, so wasn't worried. I believe Dale had a good argument to make that he did NOT violate copyright law. BUT, to make that argument in trial would cost him somewhere around $40,000. $40,000 to defend a business which had been shut down for two years, and still run the risk of losing. Or, pay a $1,000 fine and have it go away. He plead guilty and paid the fine. The Crown dropped the other 3 charges against him, and all 4 charges against me - and then asked that all of my goods seized be forfeited as well. WHAT?! NO CHARGES AND YOU WANT TO SEIZE MY PROPERTY??!!
I made an application to the judge that it didn't seem right that all charges could be dropped against me, and yet I could still be "made to pay". We discussed that for a good 10 or 15 minutes, and then the judge made his ruling. He accepted the $1,000 fine recommendation, tossing out all the charges, Dale forfeited his goods - and then gave me back all of my stuff. I wish I could remember the judges exact wording, but I don't. It left the Crown Prosecutor speechless.
In the end I learned this: justice is not done in the legal system. The police officer involved made a determination that a crime had been committed, and from that point on it becomes up to the individual to prove otherwise, and that's expensive. I've seen CCRA (Revenue Canada) do the same thing with taxes. Make a claim for $50,000 - knowing it will cost $20,000 to fight it, and settles it for $10,000. Financially, you've got to settle it, right or wrong. Dale lost his business - but even if he won he wasn't going to get that back, it was dead. So, the government spent how much $$$ to get a $1,000 fine? We were ready to go to court IMMEDIATELY - and had provided to the police all the evidence - we never tried to hide anything, we never tried to distort facts. We told them exactly what we had done, why, and how. Yet, the process took almost a full two years and alot of money - and stress! We weren't doing something evil, we weren't trying to break any laws, and I don't believe we did.
That's it. The whole story in a nutshell. Obviously there's been lots of drama I've not included here - I mean, it was TWO YEARS - but you get the picture. Dale's in a bit of an interesting situation, where he can't even say "I'm innocent" 'cause he plead guilty. But, I have yet to see any evidence that shows that he actually broke copyright law.
In the on-going saga of Hollywood vs moral choice... Hollywood argued in the District 7 court that it wasn't about money, but about the directors artistic ownership. (Which still didn't explain why it was okay for airlines and TV stations to edit, but not for anybody else to.) Offers were made numerous times to purchase the already edited versions of these movies - but they refused to sell them. Well, now you can buy some edited versions! Avatar and The King's Speech are available in edited format. Here's an interesting article in the Deseret News about The King's Speech.
The best place to start is the beginning - so here we go!
June 16, 2009 the local constabulary conducted a raid on a local business, Pic-A-Flick Video. A number of years earlier I had been a partner in this business, but had sold it to my partner, Dale Cahoon. On this particular day the police seized all of the movies. Why? Dale was running a "Clean Flicks" type of business - renting and distributing edited copies of movies.
Background: In the US, a Denver judge ruled that Clean Flicks was in violation of copyright and ordered the liquidation of their stock at all stores within District 7. There was an orderly liquidation and none of the stores incurred a loss, though they were no longer able to access edited movies. FYI - District 7 included Colorado and Utah. Dale found an editing company in Idaho - outside of that district - and that's where he was ordering his movies from.
Back to Canada - Canada's copyright laws are not like the US. A fact that our gov't has tried to correct a number of times, but they keep putting stupid things in. Like the most recent version: You can legally make back-up copies of any movie you own, but only if there's no security measures put on the original. Ever seen a DVD produced that DOESN'T have some form of security on it? That means you can't copy ANY movie, including changing the format to put it on your ipod. It's a poorly written law, is largely unenforceable, and I expect that it'll get tossed like previous versions.
At one point, one of Dale's shipments was seized by Canada Customs on the basis that it violated copyright law. He appealed that, and eventually got all of his movies returned to him, along with a letter apologizing for it and confirming that he was able to do what he was doing. At this point Dale made a deal with the editing company: rather than sending up all the movies, they would send ONE Master copy, and he would be able to make the number of copies he needed off of that and simply pay them a fee for the movies he burned. He asked if my son and I would like to do the work for him, and we said okay. That's how I got involved in this mess.
After the seizure I went down to the police station and gave a statement - I was there for about 2 hours. At numerous times during this interview the officer who was leading the investigation indicated that they had been doing this investigation for 6 months and that they "knew everything" including my ownership of the company. I pointed out to him that they didn't - that I didn't own the company anymore. He said I did, and as evidence pointed to the Alberta Registry documents showing me as an owner of the company, and a director. I pointed out to him the dates of DISSOLUTION - the company was a dead company and no longer functioned. When I had sold my interest to Dale I had not had myself removed as an owner or director because we DISSOLVED the company. Dale had simply bought the assets from the company. The number of other easily checked errors in his investigation piled up.
Two days later the Constable and a couple of other officers executed a search warrant of my house. I had a pretty good idea that they were coming. They had come the day before and ASKED if I'd give it to them - I called my lawyer and he indicated that I should make them do the work of getting a warrant. They seized some computer equipment from me and my label printer. (A couple of months later I was able to get that returned to me.) In a subsequent interview a supervisor from Calgary (I cannot remember her name now.) admitted to me that there was no law here - that they were attempting to set a precedent. I asked her to estimate how much time/money they had spent so far on their investigation and was told somewhere around 6 months, and probably $100,000 or so. I re-iterated that this was a joke - and that even IF what we had done was illegal, we had a "get out of jail free card" in that letter from Customs. Shortly after that I learned something else - this was not a "criminal" case. Even if found guilty, it's like getting a speeding ticket and does not create a criminal record.
For the next YEAR I regularly asked for my equipment to be returned to me, and what the progress of the case was - no charges were pressed - until ONE YEAR later. (I got my label printer back) A week before the one year mark, the officer approached Dale to ask him if the two of us would sign a form allowing the police to hold onto our equipment until their investigation was complete. I told him to "pound sand." - I'd go to court first. NO JUDGE would grant an open-ended seizure like that, and he knew it. The day before their one year deadline (at which point they would have had to return everything and drop it) they filed charges.
At that point I had to go down and get fingerprinted and photographed, and appear at court for first appearance - ideally to enter a plea and set a trial date. I went down and got photographed and printed. (At which point I learned that they still had all the movies and equipment still at the police station - that I had been lied to about it going up to Calgary for processing. They had told me that the reason for the delay in pressing charges was because they had to send ALL those movies to be checked. We told them numerous times we had already attested to the fact that they were NOT originals. That, unlike piracy, we were not wanting EXACT duplicates, that these were edited. In fact, Dale showed the officers conducting the seizure of his store how to tell which ones were originals and which were edited. Fact is, in court the prosecutor said they had sent TWO movies to be checked.)
Our first trial date came along - and the prosecution asked for a month more time, as they hadn't gotten disclosure to us yet. The next date came, and the same thing happened. The next date came, and the same thing happened. This went on and on...
Finally, they got us disclosure - it was a joke! The Crown handed me a copy of a single DVD that consisted of every document they had gathered and every interview they had done. (including the HOURS of transcripts of their interviews with Dale and I.) They had done ZERO further investigation. At any rate, we were finally, so we thought, going to be able to enter a plea and get this going.
Not to be. For the next 4 months the Crown had one reason after another for another delay. Fortunately for me, my lawyer was giving me advice, but was not actually retained by me - if he'd been showing up in court every time I'd have racked up over $10,000 in legal fees just to have him stand beside me while the Crown asked for another extension.
Finally, we got to enter a plea - and then a date needed to be set for trial. My defense was really simple - Color of Right. Simply put, I had done what was reasonable and necessary to make sure I was on-side legally. At the pre-trial conference between a judge, the Crown, Dale's lawyer, and my lawyer, the judge slammed the Crown for this mess. Basically, there is NO VICTIM (Dale's company bought one regular version of every copy of the movie, so "Hollywood" was not out any revenue - and then he destroyed that copy.), we had a "get out of jail free" card, and there was little chance of a conviction, and there was a good argument about whether there was even a violation of the Copyright Act. My lawyer said he wasn't even going to argue about the law, my defense was simply "color of right" - and the judge agreed that it would be pretty difficult to convict me.
Shortly after that the Crown called and made an offer to settle - they'd drop all the charges against me if Dale pleaded guilty and accepted a "substantial" fine. That got rejected by Dale. (Hey, I had no problem with it!)
Finally, today, a deal was worked out. Basically, Dale would plead guilty to one count of being in violation of the Copyright Act and pay a $1,000 fine and forfeit all the movies seized, and all charges against me would be dropped. My lawyer was unable to be there today (was in Phoenix) but I didn't expect anything significant, so wasn't worried. I believe Dale had a good argument to make that he did NOT violate copyright law. BUT, to make that argument in trial would cost him somewhere around $40,000. $40,000 to defend a business which had been shut down for two years, and still run the risk of losing. Or, pay a $1,000 fine and have it go away. He plead guilty and paid the fine. The Crown dropped the other 3 charges against him, and all 4 charges against me - and then asked that all of my goods seized be forfeited as well. WHAT?! NO CHARGES AND YOU WANT TO SEIZE MY PROPERTY??!!
I made an application to the judge that it didn't seem right that all charges could be dropped against me, and yet I could still be "made to pay". We discussed that for a good 10 or 15 minutes, and then the judge made his ruling. He accepted the $1,000 fine recommendation, tossing out all the charges, Dale forfeited his goods - and then gave me back all of my stuff. I wish I could remember the judges exact wording, but I don't. It left the Crown Prosecutor speechless.
In the end I learned this: justice is not done in the legal system. The police officer involved made a determination that a crime had been committed, and from that point on it becomes up to the individual to prove otherwise, and that's expensive. I've seen CCRA (Revenue Canada) do the same thing with taxes. Make a claim for $50,000 - knowing it will cost $20,000 to fight it, and settles it for $10,000. Financially, you've got to settle it, right or wrong. Dale lost his business - but even if he won he wasn't going to get that back, it was dead. So, the government spent how much $$$ to get a $1,000 fine? We were ready to go to court IMMEDIATELY - and had provided to the police all the evidence - we never tried to hide anything, we never tried to distort facts. We told them exactly what we had done, why, and how. Yet, the process took almost a full two years and alot of money - and stress! We weren't doing something evil, we weren't trying to break any laws, and I don't believe we did.
That's it. The whole story in a nutshell. Obviously there's been lots of drama I've not included here - I mean, it was TWO YEARS - but you get the picture. Dale's in a bit of an interesting situation, where he can't even say "I'm innocent" 'cause he plead guilty. But, I have yet to see any evidence that shows that he actually broke copyright law.
In the on-going saga of Hollywood vs moral choice... Hollywood argued in the District 7 court that it wasn't about money, but about the directors artistic ownership. (Which still didn't explain why it was okay for airlines and TV stations to edit, but not for anybody else to.) Offers were made numerous times to purchase the already edited versions of these movies - but they refused to sell them. Well, now you can buy some edited versions! Avatar and The King's Speech are available in edited format. Here's an interesting article in the Deseret News about The King's Speech.
Tuesday, February 22, 2011
To THE PAIN!
I actually think I used this title once before. (March 2009 when I started hitting the gymn again.) But, the movie is such a good one, and there really isn't anything else that describes my thoughts.
First - I learned a valuable lesson this last week - just because someone isn't a "follower" of my blog doesn't mean it's not being read. Second: I have a nasty habit of opening my mouth a little bigger to stick my foot in a little further.
I've realized that when I write here I tend to "tailor" my comments to my percieved audience. I guess that comes from talking about money all the time. However, this is really supposed to be me talking to me - and letting whoever wants to drop in to this crazy, mixed-up part of my head listen in.
A big THANK-YOU goes out to Duanne for his help in getting my computrainer back up and going. I've been without a computer to run it (it's OLD stuff, and I just didn't have anything old enough to run it!) since my "friends" from the RCMP stopped by and siezed it. - he gave me an old laptop and POOF! I'm off and riding in my basement again. It's so much better than my rollers. I like rollers - great for improving my form and balance - but long rides on the rollers make things go a little numb, and standing for any length of time is difficult.
Of course, the disappointing thing is how far down my performance numbers are from a year ago!
I love my computrainer - it's basically a regular rear-tire mount bicyle trainer - except that for the resistance there's a cable that runs to this cool little box, and that runs to a computer. As the terrain changes (up hill or downhill - or even drafting!) the resistance is adjusted. All the while it monitors and records heart rate, cadence, watt output, leftleg/rightleg balance, time, etc. (and shows it all on the screen while hammering along.)
So this morning I went for a little 30km ride with a little climb in the middle. I was disappointed that my average wattage output has slipped by 60-65 watts. My max is almost half what it used to be. I worked hard this morning - and now that I've got it set-up, I can work hard again and get those numbers up in time to do some racing. Johnny, LOOK OUT! I'm coming for ya man!
On another note: I've gotten my numbers back from my DEXXA scan. Wow. I guess I'm going to have to hit the gymn. I've got some serious muscle imbalances. Pretty hard to correct those through running or cycling. The news wasn't all that great - but at least it tells the whole story and I know where I'm at now. I hope to be able to have another one this summer and that it'll tell a whole different story.
A special thank-you to my wife who is always so encouraging when I get down about where I'm at.
First - I learned a valuable lesson this last week - just because someone isn't a "follower" of my blog doesn't mean it's not being read. Second: I have a nasty habit of opening my mouth a little bigger to stick my foot in a little further.
I've realized that when I write here I tend to "tailor" my comments to my percieved audience. I guess that comes from talking about money all the time. However, this is really supposed to be me talking to me - and letting whoever wants to drop in to this crazy, mixed-up part of my head listen in.
A big THANK-YOU goes out to Duanne for his help in getting my computrainer back up and going. I've been without a computer to run it (it's OLD stuff, and I just didn't have anything old enough to run it!) since my "friends" from the RCMP stopped by and siezed it. - he gave me an old laptop and POOF! I'm off and riding in my basement again. It's so much better than my rollers. I like rollers - great for improving my form and balance - but long rides on the rollers make things go a little numb, and standing for any length of time is difficult.
Of course, the disappointing thing is how far down my performance numbers are from a year ago!
I love my computrainer - it's basically a regular rear-tire mount bicyle trainer - except that for the resistance there's a cable that runs to this cool little box, and that runs to a computer. As the terrain changes (up hill or downhill - or even drafting!) the resistance is adjusted. All the while it monitors and records heart rate, cadence, watt output, leftleg/rightleg balance, time, etc. (and shows it all on the screen while hammering along.)
So this morning I went for a little 30km ride with a little climb in the middle. I was disappointed that my average wattage output has slipped by 60-65 watts. My max is almost half what it used to be. I worked hard this morning - and now that I've got it set-up, I can work hard again and get those numbers up in time to do some racing. Johnny, LOOK OUT! I'm coming for ya man!
On another note: I've gotten my numbers back from my DEXXA scan. Wow. I guess I'm going to have to hit the gymn. I've got some serious muscle imbalances. Pretty hard to correct those through running or cycling. The news wasn't all that great - but at least it tells the whole story and I know where I'm at now. I hope to be able to have another one this summer and that it'll tell a whole different story.
A special thank-you to my wife who is always so encouraging when I get down about where I'm at.
Thursday, February 10, 2011
I Really Didn't Know
So the big news I was so excited about on Friday was.... nothing. On Monday it got squashed like a mosquitto on the windshield of a Porshe at 200mph. It wasn't pretty. And at that moment I finally realized just how much stress I've been living with for the past 2 years. Stress that has permeated everything in my life - including my weight loss - and that because it's "always been there" I didn't really see how deep it was.
Two years ago my house got searched by the RCMP. It all had to do with "Clean Flicks" movies. I won't go into the whole legal battle here (someday...) but we've been fighting without being able to fight for almost two years. The first year was a year of complete unknown. Then, finally when deadlines were nearing they finally charged us. Then we fought for a couple of months (and court appearances) to get disclosure from the crown so that we could even enter a plea and then get to go to trial (and spend more legal money). We STILL do not have a trial date. On Friday I was told that the crown was going to drop all the charges against me (put simply, I have a "get of jail free card" and they KNOW they can't win.) - but with the weather on Monday court was cancelled and so nothing was put in front of the court, and, well, the battle goes on.
On Friday, for the first time in two years, I felt that burden completely lift. I felt "normal" - and then on Monday I felt it all come crushing down on me again. The sudden swing was the catalyst to make me see just how bad it was. I've known all along that it was there (kind of hard to forget that) but never really understood just how bad that stress was.
So, now we have another date to go before the court (it's another month away) - but I've heard nothing further from the Crown as to where they're at anymore. Long story, but there's some politics involved, too. I really do look forward to the day when I can finally tell the WHOLE story.
Anyway, weight is moving down, but not near as fast as I'd have expected. I'm glad that I took measurements, 'cause I've been able to see some of those shrinking even if the scale isn't co-operating much right now. I'm looking forward to next week having a meeting with Doc to get all the juicy details on my scan from last week.
That's it for now!
Two years ago my house got searched by the RCMP. It all had to do with "Clean Flicks" movies. I won't go into the whole legal battle here (someday...) but we've been fighting without being able to fight for almost two years. The first year was a year of complete unknown. Then, finally when deadlines were nearing they finally charged us. Then we fought for a couple of months (and court appearances) to get disclosure from the crown so that we could even enter a plea and then get to go to trial (and spend more legal money). We STILL do not have a trial date. On Friday I was told that the crown was going to drop all the charges against me (put simply, I have a "get of jail free card" and they KNOW they can't win.) - but with the weather on Monday court was cancelled and so nothing was put in front of the court, and, well, the battle goes on.
On Friday, for the first time in two years, I felt that burden completely lift. I felt "normal" - and then on Monday I felt it all come crushing down on me again. The sudden swing was the catalyst to make me see just how bad it was. I've known all along that it was there (kind of hard to forget that) but never really understood just how bad that stress was.
So, now we have another date to go before the court (it's another month away) - but I've heard nothing further from the Crown as to where they're at anymore. Long story, but there's some politics involved, too. I really do look forward to the day when I can finally tell the WHOLE story.
Anyway, weight is moving down, but not near as fast as I'd have expected. I'm glad that I took measurements, 'cause I've been able to see some of those shrinking even if the scale isn't co-operating much right now. I'm looking forward to next week having a meeting with Doc to get all the juicy details on my scan from last week.
That's it for now!
Saturday, February 05, 2011
Ummm - WHAT? REALLY?!
That line completely describes my last week. I can't go into much detail right now (hopefully more on Monday) but in virtually every aspect of my life and stress there's been major developments.
Sorry for it being just a teaser, but I AM excited and wanted to let the vast world of my followers (all one of you!) know it, but can't put any details out there just yet.
So, until next week...
Sorry for it being just a teaser, but I AM excited and wanted to let the vast world of my followers (all one of you!) know it, but can't put any details out there just yet.
So, until next week...
Wednesday, January 26, 2011
Progress??
So this morning at STUPID O'Clock in the morning (that would be approximately 4am) I woke up absolutely COOKING! Threw all the blankets off and curled up with just a sheet. HMMMMMmmmmmm that's better. Slept well for the next couple of hours. Is my metabolism finally starting to shift up? I don't know yet, but this morning's shower was much more bearable. (don't get me wrong, I'm still not enjoying the freezing cold, but I'm able to stay it in much longer.)
As I amp up my bike time and effort I'll start taking some ice baths. I'm putting that off as long as possible. I've done those before, and it's way more than just uncomfortable, it's very painful.
Weight was up this morning (WHAT?!!!) I hate it when that happens.
As I amp up my bike time and effort I'll start taking some ice baths. I'm putting that off as long as possible. I've done those before, and it's way more than just uncomfortable, it's very painful.
Weight was up this morning (WHAT?!!!) I hate it when that happens.
Sunday, January 23, 2011
YIKES! That's cold
Sunday 23 January, 2011:
Started my first REAL step into the world of thermogenex today - the cold shower. Here's the instructions for 5-10 Minute cold showers before breakfast and/or before bed. Like my Finanancial Planning life, I've broken it down to a 6-step process.
1)Use hot water for 1-2 minutes over the entire body (I like this part, no problem!)
2) Step out of water range, apply soap and shampoo to hair and face. (again, no problem.)
3) Turn water to PURE COLD and rinse head and face. (YIKES!)
4) Turn around and back into water, focusing water on lower neck and upper back. Maintain this position for 1-3 minutes. (This morning - ummm, ONE MINUTE!)
5) As you acclimate (does this REALLY happen?!) apply soap to all the necessary regions.
6) Turn around and rinse off normally. (Normally? Are you kidding? There's nothing NORMAL about any part of this!)
So, why am I doing this? Well, it's all part of the "thermogenex" stuff I mentioned in my last post. We'll see how this whole experiment goes. There's 3 other "options" for this phase, and I'll probably incorporate a couple of them - I'll tell you all about them once I've tried them.
Results so far? Nothing measurable of course, but I DO feel VERY awake! I'm going to try and do this twice/day and see what happens.
Last night's roller work-out was a little more adventurous than I'd have liked. I've got a bruised, possibly seperated shoulder this morning. Took a nasty spill off the rollers and couldn't get clipped out fast enough. It was loud enough that one of my kids, who was upstairs playing LOUD games heard it and came running. I got back on and finished my ride along with some ab-work and push-ups afterwards - but I HURT this morning!
25 January 2011
Still not enjoying these cold showers! Trying to do two/day. I've gotten the length of time for them up - last night I managed 10 full minutes at full cold. I also watched a show with ice-packs on my shoulders and neck as per protocol B. That and drinking 500ml of ice water first thing in the morning. Is it working? I don't know. Only a couple of days into it, and still not really doing it 100%.
Started my first REAL step into the world of thermogenex today - the cold shower. Here's the instructions for 5-10 Minute cold showers before breakfast and/or before bed. Like my Finanancial Planning life, I've broken it down to a 6-step process.
1)Use hot water for 1-2 minutes over the entire body (I like this part, no problem!)
2) Step out of water range, apply soap and shampoo to hair and face. (again, no problem.)
3) Turn water to PURE COLD and rinse head and face. (YIKES!)
4) Turn around and back into water, focusing water on lower neck and upper back. Maintain this position for 1-3 minutes. (This morning - ummm, ONE MINUTE!)
5) As you acclimate (does this REALLY happen?!) apply soap to all the necessary regions.
6) Turn around and rinse off normally. (Normally? Are you kidding? There's nothing NORMAL about any part of this!)
So, why am I doing this? Well, it's all part of the "thermogenex" stuff I mentioned in my last post. We'll see how this whole experiment goes. There's 3 other "options" for this phase, and I'll probably incorporate a couple of them - I'll tell you all about them once I've tried them.
Results so far? Nothing measurable of course, but I DO feel VERY awake! I'm going to try and do this twice/day and see what happens.
Last night's roller work-out was a little more adventurous than I'd have liked. I've got a bruised, possibly seperated shoulder this morning. Took a nasty spill off the rollers and couldn't get clipped out fast enough. It was loud enough that one of my kids, who was upstairs playing LOUD games heard it and came running. I got back on and finished my ride along with some ab-work and push-ups afterwards - but I HURT this morning!
25 January 2011
Still not enjoying these cold showers! Trying to do two/day. I've gotten the length of time for them up - last night I managed 10 full minutes at full cold. I also watched a show with ice-packs on my shoulders and neck as per protocol B. That and drinking 500ml of ice water first thing in the morning. Is it working? I don't know. Only a couple of days into it, and still not really doing it 100%.
Saturday, January 22, 2011
2011 Thoughts
Shock of all shocks, it's been two months since I've posted - again!
with some ideas this week. (related to weight loss) Here they are: I've said MANY, MANY times that I think I've found my answers, and that I expect the weight to come off. And, in fact, I've seen the weight come off in big chunks. And yet, this last week my weight was EXACTLY where it was 3 years ago. When I was challenged on that I struggled with how to answer that. I don't want to SAY anything about it, because I want the results to speak for themselves. I do think I've found some answers.
This week's big read is "The 4 Hour Body" by Timothy Ferris. Basically, the guy likes to experiment with his body and see what happens. Some of his experiments are things I've done myself. Others... not so much. I've decided to try out some of his thoughts. They all still fall within the general "lifestyles" program I'm committed to - but I've decided that enough is enough, I'm getting rid of this weight once and for all.
This month I've lost yet another friend to cancer. Her screen name is "Pansy Palmetto" - and she was a real charactor. A cyclist like no other, and one who has been fighting cancer for 7.5 years. She made a point of living every moment to it's fullest. What a great example. And so, I will try to emulate that.
Today my brother came over and weighed. I won't give his weight here, as I don't know if he'd appreciate that, but I think he was a little shocked. He's a big boy and I'm really concerned for him. So, I've invited him to join me in my experimental journey.
So, on to the experiment.
1) Nothing white. I've already started on this, but have had a couple of slip-ups. White bread has always been one of my kryptonites.
2) I'm going to try a little Thermogenex. The concept here is pretty simple: our bodies maintain a core temperature. If we make it work harder to maintain that, our metabolism has to increase. So, turn down the thermostat and turn up the metabolism. I'm sure it's going to drive my family a little crazy, and if you come into my office and feel a little cooler... well, smile and ask me if it's working!
3) TRAINING! Not exactly part of Tim's program, but I want to race this year, and I know that if I can shed 40lbs and put some miles in on the bike that I'll be very competitive. I've decided on a race schedule that I think my family can live with, and one that rewards me with some "trips" with my good friend, John.
Speaking of which - here's the schedule that I'm shooting for:
May 20-22 - Saskatoon's Bikes on Broadway. A stage race consisting of 3 stages. An Individual Time Trial, A Road Race, and a Criterium. I've done this one once before a couple of years ago, and this was the first race I ever managed to get on a podium for.
June 16-20 (or there-abouts - the 2011 dates haven't been posted yet.) Banff Bikefest. While there are many stages to this one, I'm basically interested in the Criterium in downtown Banff. It's a tough, competive race. My last trip there I didn't race, but took some photos (got some great ones, too!)
July 11 - Magrath Triathlon. I've participated in this one for years - this year I'd like to COMPETE in it. I'll be doing the Olympic distance again.
July 23 - Bob Cooke Memorial Mt Evans Hillclimb. Definitely the "peak" event for my season. I'll need to be down to weight and in top cycling shape for this one. Climbs to the top of Mt Evans at 14,264 ft. Pros and Amateur's alike struggle on this one, and it's steep and windy enough that if you have to stop, there's a good chance you won't be able to get started again.
July 30-Aug 1 Tour de Bowness - My final stage race for the year. Another stage race consisting of a Hillclimb, Road Race, and Criterium. I've competed in this one a number of times, and have yet to be able to finish the criterium. So, this year's goal will be to finish!
August 20 Fort Mcleod Triathlon. Done this one a number of times, and will be targeting a personal best here again.
That's the one's I'll definitely be going to. The two other cycling events I'm contemplating are the Hotter 'n Hell 100 (HHH) in Wichita Falls. I've done that one a few times, and it's a whole lotta fun! It's the 25th of August. I'll be going to race it, so better be fast! And the final possibility of the year will be the Tour de Tucson in November. 109 miles with 9,000 of my closest friends. I'll be trying again to Platinum (must finish in under 5 hours) - I came close 3 years ago with 5:14.
Yup, lots of events. Only 2 triathlons scheduled at this point (that's not to say I won't be able to be talked into one at some point.) and they're both Olympic distance. One open water, one in the pool.
All of it is hugely dependent on my weight getting down and I'm hoping that will give me the continued motivation to keep working hard at it. Speaking of which, my rollers are calling my name. Never seen rollers in action? Here's some pictures my buddy Steve and I took years ago - they're all hosted on the Bikejournal website, hope you enjoy the read!
Paceline Practice Canadian Style
Roller Wheelies
Hope you enjoy those as much as we did!! LOL
with some ideas this week. (related to weight loss) Here they are: I've said MANY, MANY times that I think I've found my answers, and that I expect the weight to come off. And, in fact, I've seen the weight come off in big chunks. And yet, this last week my weight was EXACTLY where it was 3 years ago. When I was challenged on that I struggled with how to answer that. I don't want to SAY anything about it, because I want the results to speak for themselves. I do think I've found some answers.
This week's big read is "The 4 Hour Body" by Timothy Ferris. Basically, the guy likes to experiment with his body and see what happens. Some of his experiments are things I've done myself. Others... not so much. I've decided to try out some of his thoughts. They all still fall within the general "lifestyles" program I'm committed to - but I've decided that enough is enough, I'm getting rid of this weight once and for all.
This month I've lost yet another friend to cancer. Her screen name is "Pansy Palmetto" - and she was a real charactor. A cyclist like no other, and one who has been fighting cancer for 7.5 years. She made a point of living every moment to it's fullest. What a great example. And so, I will try to emulate that.
Today my brother came over and weighed. I won't give his weight here, as I don't know if he'd appreciate that, but I think he was a little shocked. He's a big boy and I'm really concerned for him. So, I've invited him to join me in my experimental journey.
So, on to the experiment.
1) Nothing white. I've already started on this, but have had a couple of slip-ups. White bread has always been one of my kryptonites.
2) I'm going to try a little Thermogenex. The concept here is pretty simple: our bodies maintain a core temperature. If we make it work harder to maintain that, our metabolism has to increase. So, turn down the thermostat and turn up the metabolism. I'm sure it's going to drive my family a little crazy, and if you come into my office and feel a little cooler... well, smile and ask me if it's working!
3) TRAINING! Not exactly part of Tim's program, but I want to race this year, and I know that if I can shed 40lbs and put some miles in on the bike that I'll be very competitive. I've decided on a race schedule that I think my family can live with, and one that rewards me with some "trips" with my good friend, John.
Speaking of which - here's the schedule that I'm shooting for:
May 20-22 - Saskatoon's Bikes on Broadway. A stage race consisting of 3 stages. An Individual Time Trial, A Road Race, and a Criterium. I've done this one once before a couple of years ago, and this was the first race I ever managed to get on a podium for.
June 16-20 (or there-abouts - the 2011 dates haven't been posted yet.) Banff Bikefest. While there are many stages to this one, I'm basically interested in the Criterium in downtown Banff. It's a tough, competive race. My last trip there I didn't race, but took some photos (got some great ones, too!)
July 11 - Magrath Triathlon. I've participated in this one for years - this year I'd like to COMPETE in it. I'll be doing the Olympic distance again.
July 23 - Bob Cooke Memorial Mt Evans Hillclimb. Definitely the "peak" event for my season. I'll need to be down to weight and in top cycling shape for this one. Climbs to the top of Mt Evans at 14,264 ft. Pros and Amateur's alike struggle on this one, and it's steep and windy enough that if you have to stop, there's a good chance you won't be able to get started again.
July 30-Aug 1 Tour de Bowness - My final stage race for the year. Another stage race consisting of a Hillclimb, Road Race, and Criterium. I've competed in this one a number of times, and have yet to be able to finish the criterium. So, this year's goal will be to finish!
August 20 Fort Mcleod Triathlon. Done this one a number of times, and will be targeting a personal best here again.
That's the one's I'll definitely be going to. The two other cycling events I'm contemplating are the Hotter 'n Hell 100 (HHH) in Wichita Falls. I've done that one a few times, and it's a whole lotta fun! It's the 25th of August. I'll be going to race it, so better be fast! And the final possibility of the year will be the Tour de Tucson in November. 109 miles with 9,000 of my closest friends. I'll be trying again to Platinum (must finish in under 5 hours) - I came close 3 years ago with 5:14.
Yup, lots of events. Only 2 triathlons scheduled at this point (that's not to say I won't be able to be talked into one at some point.) and they're both Olympic distance. One open water, one in the pool.
All of it is hugely dependent on my weight getting down and I'm hoping that will give me the continued motivation to keep working hard at it. Speaking of which, my rollers are calling my name. Never seen rollers in action? Here's some pictures my buddy Steve and I took years ago - they're all hosted on the Bikejournal website, hope you enjoy the read!
Paceline Practice Canadian Style
Roller Wheelies
Hope you enjoy those as much as we did!! LOL
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