tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15672608304668549422024-02-19T10:17:20.797-05:00Iron RogueTriathlon training, equipment and tips from a wannabe/dilettante/family man.Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01460872603454460967noreply@blogger.comBlogger255125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1567260830466854942.post-80688244161453947842016-05-31T21:40:00.002-04:002016-05-31T21:40:27.704-04:00Race Recap: 5 Peaks Trail Run - Terra Cotta<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Well, race season has started! It looks like this is not going to be a season of great personal accomplishments in endurance or fitness, but I’m happy to report we’re keeping active as a family. Our inaugural race for the warmer months was the 5 Peaks Trail Run at Terra Cotta.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial"; font-size: 14.6667px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Luckily, 5 Peaks seemed to have no problem with parents running alongside their kids at this event; I guess there was plenty of space on the trail. Though plenty of kids took off in front of us, I tried to get him to reign in his pace and save the best for later on. I’m really glad he listened, because he got to trade in his disappointment at being in the back of the pack for the thrill of passing others on the uphill climbs, who had already blown up. He did give me a good scare when he tripped and landed practically on his face, but he got up again and kept running without any tears, so no blood, no foul, I guess. He ran the entire 3 km and ended up in 20th place overall.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial"; font-size: 14.6667px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">The Lightning Kid did the 1 km 'fun run' with his mother. He's picked up some speed from last year, and I think the concept of racing is starting to sink in, but he still does take his time to smell the roses on the course. I think he just loves all the attention he gets.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial"; font-size: 14.6667px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">I participated in the Sport course race. Since the race was some time ago, I don't really recall too many details, but Terra Cotta isn't the hilliest course in the series, but it is still very pretty. I came in 22nd in my age group, which I was happy enough with, considering I wasn't really training prior to the race. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial"; font-size: 14.6667px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">I mostly wrote this recap to entice readers to come join us<a href="http://www.5peaks.com/shop/rattlesnake-point-race-3" target="_blank"> next time at Rattlesnake Point</a>. You can use the discount code of MARK (courtesy of my friend <a href="https://www.instagram.com/mark_sawh/" target="_blank">Mark Sawh</a>) or JESSICA (courtesy of <a href="http://lacesandlattes.com/" target="_blank">lacesandlattes</a>) for $5 off each registration. The 1 km fun run for kids is free. Hope to see you there on June 25th!</span>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01460872603454460967noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1567260830466854942.post-64109473698912049502016-02-11T06:19:00.000-05:002016-02-11T06:19:59.173-05:00Climbing Out Of The Hole<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 14.6667px; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><i>"No, no... Dig Up, stupid!" - Chief Wiggum, The Simpsons - Homer the Vigilante</i></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">I think this is becoming an annual tradition. Every year around Christmas time, the chaos of the holidays eats up my ability to get any blogging done. So that when other bloggers are writing up end of year round-ups, Iron Rogue is in radio silence. After that, come the new year resolution/goal/plans posts, and this space is still in hibernation.</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">I almost don’t mind. While I don’t have a problem with the end-of-year and new year stuff, I certainly don’t need to do what everyone else is doing. The start of 2016, though has dealt us some extra turmoil that has kept me from getting started again. The nature of that turmoil, I’m going to choose to keep private, but it’s comprised of more than one unexpected event, and dealing with it has eaten up not only time to blog, but also time to exercise and take good care of my health and fitness, which dries up the well of subject matter for this space.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial"; font-size: 14.6667px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">I’m going to start, and this post is a declaration of that beginning. Does that mean I have goals and plans? No, not yet. I guess I have... Ideas. If I discuss those ideas here, that won't make a plan, but it's a good start to not only creating a plan, but starting to write again. Also, many of these ideas will make for future posts, which I will label in an effort to pique your interest in reading this blog going forward.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">To start getting my house in order physically and creatively, I started following <a href="http://bexlife.com/" target="_blank">BexLife</a> more seriously. I signed up to do a 21 day mantra challenge, where she provides a mantra every day (the above image is from Day 6) that you meditate on for 4 minutes. I'm generally lousy at this kind of thing, and I did struggle with some of my meditation sessions, but for others, I had an epiphany or two. You can see some of my experiences on my <a href="http://instagram.com/apkussma" target="_blank">Instagram account</a>. As Bex says "Look How Dope My Life Is" (#lookhowdopemylifeis).</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">I have to be honest and report that I didn't get it done every day of the challenge, but I did learn about myself and I think I can make meditation a more regular part of my life - daily would be ideal. I also didn't manage to make every day of a core challenge called #thegetthatcorechallenge organized by Heather Rose Scott of <a href="https://www.facebook.com/FITSTRONGFIERCE/" target="_blank">Fit Strong Fierce</a>. How did I drop the ball on two daily challenges that didn't have much of a time commitment beyond a few minutes each? </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">WE WENT TO JAMAICA! [<i>future post alert!] </i></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">So I guess I traded guided meditation for feet-in-the-sand and core exercises for swimming with the kids, but it didn't do much for getting back in physical shape. It wasn't the most active of our family vacations (plus unlimited Jerk and Red Stripe), but I will do a write-up to talk about it soon.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Before I even started the <a href="http://www.bexlife.com/21mantras/" target="_blank">21 Day Mantra Challenge</a>, I did an exercise recommended by Bex to build Do-It-Yourself Mantras. You can find the video to explain it on the page linked above. Briefly, you take a list of 10 things you want...</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">I WANT...</span></div>
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<li><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">...freedom to go outside</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">...a super hero body [<i>future post alert!]</i></span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><i>...[PRIVATE]</i></span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><i>.</i>..harmony in my family</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">...robots <i>[future post alert!]</i></span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">...a working side hustle (i.e. monetizing this space, as mentioned in last year's <a href="http://ironrogue.blogspot.ca/2015/03/motivation-monday-my-vision-board.html" target="_blank">Vision Board Post</a>)</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">...to keep learning</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">...to be a good Scouter <i>[future post alert!]</i></span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">...to travel as much as possible</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">...respect for my contributions</span></li>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">You also need a list of 10 things you can offer...</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">I CAN OFFER</span></div>
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<li><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">...my integrity</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">...my knowledge of active family life</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">...my knowledge of mobile communications and wireless networks</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">...my empathy</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">...my strength</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">...my experience with scouting</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">...my willingness to learn</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">...my words</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">...my love</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">...my flexibility</span></li>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Anytime you want a mantra, pick one from each list (with some correlation between the two, hopefully) and your meditation session is good to go.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">So, I've slipped in my meditation, my core challenge exercises, and many other ways as I try to put my life back into the shape I want; climbing out of a hole means slipping back down sometimes. If you watch this space (and also my </span><a href="http://instagram.com/apkussma" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;" target="_blank">Instagram</a><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">, especially with the #ClimbingOutOfTheHole hashtag), you'll see how that shapes up.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">I'm hoping to build a community around this site, too. That means active families, and hopefully some novice triathletes too [<i>future post alert!]. </i>Besides BexLife, I'm also getting plugged into <a href="http://www.nerdfitness.com/" target="_blank">Nerd Fitness</a>; I think this year's adventures will be guided by the kinds of connections I start making.</span></div>
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<dd style="background-color: white;"><i><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">"This guy's walking down the street when he falls in a hole. The walls are so steep he can't get out.</span></i></dd><br />
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<dd style="background-color: white;"><i><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">"A doctor passes by and the guy shouts up, 'Hey you. Can you help me out?' The doctor writes a prescription, throws it down in the hole and moves on.</span></i></dd><dd style="background-color: white;"><i><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">"Then a priest comes along and the guy shouts up, 'Father, I'm down in this hole can you help me out?' The priest writes out a prayer, throws it down in the hole and moves on</span></i></dd><dd style="background-color: white;"><i><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">"Then a friend walks by, 'Hey, Joe, it's me can you help me out?' And the friend jumps in the hole. Our guy says, 'Are you stupid? Now we're both down here.' The friend says, 'Yeah, but I've been down here before and I know the way out.'"</span></i></dd><dd style="background-color: white;"><i><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"> -Leo McGarry, The West Wing - Noel.</span></i></dd></div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01460872603454460967noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1567260830466854942.post-35562075934805244682015-11-11T23:05:00.001-05:002015-11-11T23:05:13.330-05:00Race Recap: Angus Glen Half-Marathon<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The Angus Glen Half-Marathon is one of my wife's favourite races, largely because of the post race brunch. Last year I wasn't feeling too well on race day, so I ended up with a DNS (Did Not Start). We had arranged for a sitter starting at 7:00 AM and the half-marathon start time was 8:00 - Google was predicting a 45 minute drive, so the scheduling wasn't too smart on our part.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Luckily we made better time than predicted (not having to pack kids in and out of the car certainly helps). After trudging across a frosty field (temperatures that morning were just above freezing) to the golf course clubhouse, I had a few minutes to grab my bib, and race kit, greet my friend John (who you might remember from my <a href="http://ironrogue.blogspot.ca/2015/06/race-recap-huntsville-half-marathon-aka.html" target="_blank">Huntsville Half-Marathon Recap</a>) and his wife Tina (and ask her to keep my race kit bag), before being one of the last through the starting line as the race began.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I was wearing a hat and gloves, yet I still felt cold for a good long while. The good news is the first few kilometres ticked by quickly. By 3 km my core was starting to feel warm but my hands weren't, and I can't imagine how cold people running in shorts (!) were. Those first few kilometres went through a residential area, and somewhere near kilometre 4, we came doubling back to see some of the 10 km racers who started 15 minutes after us. I hoped to see my wife but I think I got to that stretch too late, since the majority of the racers I observed were power walkers.</span><br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">This course has a lot of climbs.</td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Kilometre 5 was followed by an early turn-around point for the 10 km racers, who would do a U-turn, whereas the half-marathoners kept going for a stretch. I saw John on his way back from our turn-around and we trash talked each other; total strangers offer us encouragements, but we're friends long enough to say things that are terrible, yet funny to us.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">At the 3 km mark I had seen a porta-potty, but in retrospect, I think it belonged to a construction site, since there were no others anywhere on the race course. At kilometre 7 or so, I was regretting not having enough time to an extra break before the start. Up ahead, I saw a woman break off the road and head to a farmhouse. I figured she was going to ask the homeowners if she could use their washroom - not a bad idea, I suppose. She returned to the road scant minutes later - not enough time to have made a polite request and a proper thank-you. I realized the farmhouse was abandoned and she had simply ducked behind it to do her business, so I did the same.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">It cost me a lot of time, but I'd rather run comfortably and I always tell myself that the comfortable pace is faster than the clenched one. I even saw a red-tailed hawk, and it screamed that scream that hawks do in the movies, but never real life.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">My initial goal of 2:06 meant running about 6 minutes/km, and I was holding under that for the most part. I had a Salted Caramel Gu Gel (soooo gooooood!) at the 10 km mark, and I was able to pump up the effort a little. The sun was doing its thing and I not only had my hat and gloves off, but my jacket open too.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">There would be another call of nature for me after 14 kilometres (effectively breaking the entire course up into thirds), but after that I really started hauling it, and I started to calculate that a 2:04 or even 2:02 finish was within reach.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The final 3 kilometres or so went along the golf cart paths of the golf course itself. It was kind of fun, but the twists and turns and hills really did a number on my pace. I talked with other runners after the race and they all felt the same way about it. I climbed out of the golf course and sprinted down the road and into the car entrance of Angus Glen toward the finish line. Official time: 2:02:34 - I think if I could have had better bladder management (for lack of a better term), I could have cracked the 2 hour mark for this half-marathon. I still pleased, because I know the speed is there now - or more accurately, the pain threshold is higher since my <a href="http://ironrogue.blogspot.ca/2015/10/barrelman-triathlon-recap-race.html" target="_blank">half-iron</a> training.</span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiRcfo4aTnkV4SWHQiigxbwG-irIFT80Lb_FXYB37RJnH-jijj6bw2BaLEJLY5Z4EGoMxLR26SvaJLJnDJbW2BZt2f4EQXUc5F8yoxzhm32o-mrql0dkYlC9BZhgzxdxqT9sN1ZopJYgKg/s1600/12189879_10156158101490125_9149974081785232224_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiRcfo4aTnkV4SWHQiigxbwG-irIFT80Lb_FXYB37RJnH-jijj6bw2BaLEJLY5Z4EGoMxLR26SvaJLJnDJbW2BZt2f4EQXUc5F8yoxzhm32o-mrql0dkYlC9BZhgzxdxqT9sN1ZopJYgKg/s640/12189879_10156158101490125_9149974081785232224_n.jpg" width="480" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhTTR6PrVasESMBVofG5cbJMDgHMrrSbTA-HkaLKGDJsly8jL9BUmDTFa4cOcPJppHCuCZpdbteEx51bbPDtVSle-N5GlZM1bh1ZDHmTFrCY_nrJouZwSmKCMQ5X13dhzFs3rHs1augMus/s1600/12190044_10156158101555125_2087029994898620202_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhTTR6PrVasESMBVofG5cbJMDgHMrrSbTA-HkaLKGDJsly8jL9BUmDTFa4cOcPJppHCuCZpdbteEx51bbPDtVSle-N5GlZM1bh1ZDHmTFrCY_nrJouZwSmKCMQ5X13dhzFs3rHs1augMus/s640/12190044_10156158101555125_2087029994898620202_n.jpg" width="480" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhua0SXolu7NrRVzrgy4AJjOaNh8LGl6etiHq6jnWv46TwPRkxyC1d8ikiv32ydqg2Z8SDaqXHURqSOf4thQyIQ_pPRbtOLcUpdxHhvQoUe6UVjyc6QEpRn9qWrGRlkLtRhwW8I_3LQVcU/s1600/12189940_10156158101650125_9216448570786089415_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhua0SXolu7NrRVzrgy4AJjOaNh8LGl6etiHq6jnWv46TwPRkxyC1d8ikiv32ydqg2Z8SDaqXHURqSOf4thQyIQ_pPRbtOLcUpdxHhvQoUe6UVjyc6QEpRn9qWrGRlkLtRhwW8I_3LQVcU/s640/12189940_10156158101650125_9216448570786089415_n.jpg" width="480" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjTK70-oIxkGEfJ8HqsLqGVHUh2ipXymBEvDXoVQdV61gP-tKAcn2v1qqQBpgoGfgLl69kmtyPO0b5ApsF_YFftUfLkockpeiz_mxfY9mdEpaZEGvl32r0UJTf2fKNKr2yftrrGAMHGQA8/s1600/AngusGlenHalfMarathon.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="508" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjTK70-oIxkGEfJ8HqsLqGVHUh2ipXymBEvDXoVQdV61gP-tKAcn2v1qqQBpgoGfgLl69kmtyPO0b5ApsF_YFftUfLkockpeiz_mxfY9mdEpaZEGvl32r0UJTf2fKNKr2yftrrGAMHGQA8/s640/AngusGlenHalfMarathon.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The post-race brunch consisted of a brown bag with a sandwich and a couple of other cold foods - which is a step down from the hot brunches that they used to provide. I really, really love the race shirt (which is a long sleeve - a very refreshing switch from the endless supply of short sleeve t-shirts I've accrued over the years). Have a look:</span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg-UqJ3qSlme0-QJoKzvuZcfLs1G7T3THXn84O0BRdZl1FtHZ7vlFkXrDBb-QZZp_TXdZiywROFTsOAH1erOKDvfX_5xLNDuWZ8FzPdPV6VvF4S40SpoivrFAgeTaSQePY5zApyR2lqcvE/s1600/20151108_104831.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg-UqJ3qSlme0-QJoKzvuZcfLs1G7T3THXn84O0BRdZl1FtHZ7vlFkXrDBb-QZZp_TXdZiywROFTsOAH1erOKDvfX_5xLNDuWZ8FzPdPV6VvF4S40SpoivrFAgeTaSQePY5zApyR2lqcvE/s640/20151108_104831.jpg" width="360" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The Angus Glen Half-Marathon is a nice race for this time of year, where it's harder to find a race of this length and calibre, but I'm not sure I'm really stoked to do it again next year - I think we're still dealing with the Daylight Savings time change physiologically speaking. I've almost never had so much of a problem dragging myself out of bed on a race morning. Still, it was a day of running in the sunshine with friends and family, and that's worth a smile. See?</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01460872603454460967noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1567260830466854942.post-41227145202216435182015-10-16T16:54:00.001-04:002015-10-16T17:56:04.136-04:00Introducing the FAT Project<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Do you like transformation stories (as in, whole body makeovers/big weight loss success stories)? I confess, they are generally not my thing, but in this case, I'll make an exception, maybe because the end goal of this one is to become an Olympic distance (not in the actual Olympic Games, mind you), triathlete, and because it's a friend.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Paul McIntyre Royston named his weight-loss effort/triathlon dream the FAT Project not to invoke the pejorative use of the word FAT... it's actually an acronym for Food Addict to Triathlete.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">One of the last times I saw Paul in person was the Wasaga Triathlon in 2008 (sadly, I don't have a recap of that race as I wasn't blogging regularly yet), where he completed their Try-A-Tri event of a 375 m swim, a 10 km bike and a 2.5 km run. He'd spent the summer getting healthier, and completing the race was the culmination of that effort. Sadly, the results didn't stick, which can be a problem in getting healthy for any of us.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">He's now over 400 lbs, living in Calgary with his wife and 3 daughters, but this time, he's building a village, or at least surrounding himself with a team. His weight loss efforts will be medically supervised by a doctor, dietician and nutritionist. He's also documenting everything through a website, with a PR firm and Film company on board to capture the big milestones on his journey. And of course, putting his message out there helps with accountability, so there's a full on social media campaign too, see below.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><a href="http://www.fatproject.ca/" target="_blank">Website</a></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><a href="https://www.facebook.com/thefatproject" target="_blank">Facebook</a></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><a href="https://instagram.com/thefatproject" target="_blank">Instagram</a></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><a href="https://twitter.com/thefatproject" target="_blank">Twitter</a></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><a href="https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC_EXmgctveCKJucbwP_mXpQ" target="_blank">YouTube</a></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I'm really excited to be able to follow Paul on his journey - I think it's going to be uplifting and a lot of fun, and I'll hope you'll join me in cheering him on!</span></div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01460872603454460967noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1567260830466854942.post-53324447807685459772015-10-07T21:33:00.002-04:002015-10-13T15:17:03.832-04:00Barrelman Triathlon Recap: The Race<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">If you haven’t read Part 1 of my Barrelman Weekend Recap, you can find it </span><a href="http://ironrogue.blogspot.com/2015/09/barrelman-triathlon-recap-part-1-pre.html" style="text-decoration: none;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: #1155cc; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: underline; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">here</span></a><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">.</span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiroatn5fHmXGJiNtwSSQAi789DA1XLyJtk6jWiTvAvfpCAZXXNEihaNt6dlcGb7W7GxnKNOKKwXuAcp07ONzTtMaOjJ9pwI4I_KQ3F9qVk7p4tQG_IfQ4sojNrnBBnwzuz0wHw1-naqnc/s1600/IMG_20150920_073631.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiroatn5fHmXGJiNtwSSQAi789DA1XLyJtk6jWiTvAvfpCAZXXNEihaNt6dlcGb7W7GxnKNOKKwXuAcp07ONzTtMaOjJ9pwI4I_KQ3F9qVk7p4tQG_IfQ4sojNrnBBnwzuz0wHw1-naqnc/s320/IMG_20150920_073631.jpg" width="240" /></a></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 26.666666666666664px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">The Swim</span></h1>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">So there I was, floating in a sea of red swim caps. Though I had picked the less crowded side of the overall swim lane, I noticed it had filled in with new bodies behind me. I guessed I’d have to justify my confidence in my swim pace. Toot went the horn, and the swim began.</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">As I mentioned last post, the Welland International Flatwater Centre is used for various boat races, and you couldn’t find a better venue for an open water swim. For starters, the word ‘flatwater’ is right there in the title; it’s not a large lake with waves (nor any boat traffic - but more on this in a bit). Some swimmers claimed there was a current, but I couldn’t detect any. We swam more or less one kilometre to the other end, and there were even signs on the shore every 250m or so which not only helped you keep track of your progress it was great for motivation - you didn’t need to be </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 700; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">at </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">750m (for example) but merely knowing you were coming up on your next milestone was a great mental boost.</span></div>
<b style="font-weight: normal;"><br />
</b> <br />
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Traffic collisions were a factor, including one punch in the face I took in the first 100m. I wasn’t expecting it to be that bad, but maybe I’ve been spoiled by the Bracebridge Triathlon this year, or maybe lane isn’t wide enough for that many swimmers to spread out without some bump and grind. </span></div>
<b style="font-weight: normal;"><br />
</b> <br />
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">At one end of the course there were lime green buoys which you kept on your right, cornered to cross to the other side, then straight back to the starting end of the course; navigation could not be simpler - everything is straight lines and 90 degree turns. On the way back, the distance signs seemed less visible, maybe they were obscured by bushes, so I didn’t rely on them as much. There were some small white (and orange) buoys that must serve some purpose for the boat races which had the potential for collisions, but I mostly swam right past them without incident (I think I hit one head on, and it cost me all of a second or two to get dislodged). Somewhere in the last 400m or so, I found myself boxed in by other swimmers on all sides. To whoever’s legs I swam over, I apologize, but ultimately I think I saved us all a few bumps by getting to the outside and passing that way.</span></div>
<b style="font-weight: normal;"><br />
</b> <br />
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">I did most of the swim on auto-pilot without really giving much thought to my pace, and I think that worked out in my favour. I neither overdid it nor slacked off too much, based on my time. I had hoped to complete in 38 minutes, but it was 40. On the other hand, my Garmin shows I kept an average pace of 1:54/100m for over 2100m. I was initially expecting the official 1900m, but the race day literature mentioned a 2km swim (and 89km bike ride instead of 90). The Garmin map shows I did do some zig-zagging, but nothing to be ashamed of.</span></div>
<iframe frameborder="0" height="500" src="https://connect.garmin.com/activity/embed/906216202" width="465"></iframe><br />
<b style="font-weight: normal;"><br />
</b> <br />
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 16pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: #666666; font-family: Arial; font-size: large; font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Swim Stats: 2112m in 0:40:00</span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: #666666; font-family: Arial; font-size: 20px; font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">.</span></div>
<h1 dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 6pt; margin-top: 20pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 26.666666666666664px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Transition 1</span></h1>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">After the swim exit you ran past the grandstand to hear people on the bleachers cheering you on (thanks guys!) and up some stairs into the transition zone. Bike racks were organized by bib number, and each number had a designated spot that we all had identified the day before. I took my time in this transition, and once my wet-suit was off, I made a bathroom break - I was going to make the next 90 (or 89) kilometers as comfortable as possible. My biggest struggle in T1 is managing my Garmin while taking off the wet-suit. I don’t trust the sleeve to be able to go over the Garmin on my wrist, so I take the Garmin off, and juggle it while I’m stripping. The upshot was that I left the wrist band behind while mounting the Garmin onto the bike mount. I stuffed everything in the black bag that would be transported to the finish area, and walked my bike out of transition (helmet on, of course).</span></div>
<b style="font-weight: normal;"><br />
</b> <br />
<iframe frameborder="0" height="500" src="https://connect.garmin.com/activity/embed/906216203" width="465"></iframe><br />
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: #666666; font-family: Arial; font-size: large; font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">T1 Stats: 0:05:40.6</span></div>
<h1 dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 6pt; margin-top: 20pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 26.666666666666664px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Bike</span></h1>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Once I mounted, the first few hundred meters were a little bumpy; my hydration bottle kept spraying droplets onto me and my bike, but most importantly my phone. I had promised to text my wife at the end of each leg, and I hadn’t punched in “Swim Done” while in transistion. I stopped just before a bridge where the road part of the course started to open up and struggled with reading the screen in the intense sunlight, with the stains not making it any easier (I keep my phone in a Lifeproof Case, if you’re wondering how I’m able to risk taking it along in all these extreme circumstances - </span><a href="http://www.avantlink.com/click.php?tt=ml&ti=126983&pw=184202" style="text-decoration: none;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: #1155cc; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: underline; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">here is an affiliate link for some of their products</span></a><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">). Once I had sent that first text, I got down to business.</span></div>
<b style="font-weight: normal;"><br />
</b> <br />
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">The course had been described as having segments “The Out”, “The Loop”, “The Back” and “The Ride to Niagara Falls”. “The Out” was the first 20km and very straight along a road called Feeder. It was easy going, and I was averaging over 30 km/h while feeling like I was just on an easy spin. In hindsight, I think I had a tailwind.</span></div>
<b style="font-weight: normal;"><br />
</b> <br />
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">“The Loop” took us down to the shore of Lake Erie. I tried to take photos of several things while riding, but as I mentioned, the glare made it difficult to see what I was doing, especially while riding. It probably wasn’t worth the risk, and the camera didn’t take pictures when I thought it did. Once I hit the shore of Lake Erie, the view was so beautiful, I had to actually stop and pull over to capture this shot. </span></div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgp8bRhe3SFkIqmwi5rgDHaAjGRkE68y6J6ykR3XvGWZYCJmChbsVvj4ymaEcXwHJUXmJZVok8C6yeVSo3qzHfzk8re9XGwUVVEoUxoTRLmaKyKMJ6AJvZjZWLj-8FsTLT77HtNeC7bFyI/s1600/20150920_104245.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="360" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgp8bRhe3SFkIqmwi5rgDHaAjGRkE68y6J6ykR3XvGWZYCJmChbsVvj4ymaEcXwHJUXmJZVok8C6yeVSo3qzHfzk8re9XGwUVVEoUxoTRLmaKyKMJ6AJvZjZWLj-8FsTLT77HtNeC7bFyI/s640/20150920_104245.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Lake Erie</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<b style="font-weight: normal;"><br />
</b> <br />
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">At aid station #1 they had a bottle exchange, but I stuck to my aero bottle in my handlebars. I figured I still had plenty of drink in there, and only grabbed a gel for later. I had been eating </span><a href="http://ironrogue.blogspot.com/2014/11/tried-it-tuesday-review-of-gomacro-bars.html" style="text-decoration: none;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: #1155cc; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: underline; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">GoMacro bars</span></a><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> until that point. Somewhere near the halfway mark I switched to a Clif Bar. I began to notice the wind. It always felt like a headwind, no matter what, but I think for the most part, it came at a kind of diagonal. I saw the impressive wind turbines which had been mentioned in the pre-race briefing, and I figured (according to the laws of thermodynamics) they must be slowing the wind down at least </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">a little.</span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> Thanks wind turbines!</span></div>
<b style="font-weight: normal;"><br />
</b> <br />
<div dir="ltr" style="margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<div style="line-height: 1.38;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">It was turning into a bit of a slog for the way back from “The Loop”. My neck and shoulders were beginning to hurt in aero position. Reaching the second aid station at 57km was quite a relief, and I opted to make it a bit of an extended break.</span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; line-height: 1.38; text-align: center;">
<iframe allowfullscreen="" class="YOUTUBE-iframe-video" data-thumbnail-src="https://i.ytimg.com/vi/fm9-KiTKOxk/0.jpg" frameborder="0" height="266" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/fm9-KiTKOxk?feature=player_embedded" width="320"></iframe></div>
<div style="line-height: 1.38;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br />
</span></div>
<div style="line-height: 1.38;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">After taking that video, I rode about another 2 km. I was heading down a nice downhill stretch toward one of the more interesting features of the bike course - a tunnel under the Welland canal - when I felt my rear wheel go directly over a rock. That's not good, I thought. I rode through the tunnel, and started climbing up the hill on the other side when I felt a familiar rhythm under my saddle - whump, whump, whump. I stopped and felt my rear tire - it was a little soft and getting softer. A flat. On the biggest race of my life (so far).</span></div>
<div style="line-height: 1.38;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br />
</span></div>
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.6667px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; line-height: 1.38; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Having had an ambivalent attitude toward motivation the whole race helped me not panic and freak out. Obviously I wasn't going to set any impressive time now, I just needed to focus on getting the tire fixed. I had wisely opted to take along my repair pouch rather than extra bottles behind my seat. I actually saw another rider a mere 200m up the road from me that had the same problem. I walked my bike up to where he was </span><span style="font-family: Arial;"><span style="font-size: 14.6667px; line-height: 20.24px; white-space: pre-wrap;">(with a runner who seemed to be helping out) under the guise of "misery loves company" but the truth was that I wanted guidance on fixing the problem. I'd practised switching out a tube enough times at home, but I felt a little less comfortable using a pressurized CO2 cartridge. They're expensive, so I didn't like the idea of using one when I didn't have to.</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial;"><span style="font-size: 14.6667px; line-height: 20.24px; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br />
</span></span> <span style="font-family: Arial;"><span style="font-size: 14.6667px; line-height: 20.24px; white-space: pre-wrap;">The other guy was having no luck with his CO2 cartridge, and blamed the valve he was using, so I offered him mine. Once I had my new inner tube installed on the wheel, I waited for him to give me my valve back. It hadn't worked for him, and sure enough, it didn't work for me and my lone cartridge either. Luckily, the runner volunteered to run back to the aid station, where a repair van from <a href="http://www.velofix.com/" target="_blank">VeloFix</a>. We waited for a bit, and sure enough the van pulled up, and was able to inflate my tire with the all the effort of pulling the trigger of a motorized pump. I was off, and though I hadn't watched the clock at the time (in the interest of staying calm), I had blown over 30 minutes on the entire misadventure.</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial;"><span style="font-size: 14.6667px; line-height: 20.24px; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br />
</span></span> <span style="font-family: Arial;"><span style="font-size: 14.6667px; line-height: 20.24px; white-space: pre-wrap;">There would be just over 30 km left to ride, and those clicks became more and more painful. Maintaining aero position was doing a number on my neck, and I was compensating by having my head tilted more forward, which reduced my field of vision to only a few meters in front of me - not good, not safe. I started to come up on my brake hoods, and abandoned aero position altogether. No body position was helping my neck at all - I wished I could have rode "no hands" and sat upright. Somehow I finished the ride, but the last 10 km were at a very low speed; it's a shame I was in such a bad state, because that seemed to be very pretty countryside.</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial;"><span style="font-size: 14.6667px; line-height: 20.24px; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br />
</span></span> <span style="font-family: Arial;"><span style="font-size: 14.6667px; line-height: 20.24px; white-space: pre-wrap;">I pulled into the T2 transition area, wondering if I should bother trying to finish at all.</span><br />
<iframe frameborder="0" height="500" src="https://connect.garmin.com/activity/embed/906216204" width="465"></iframe></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial;"><span style="font-size: 14.6667px; line-height: 20.24px; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br />
</span></span> <span style="color: #444444; font-family: Arial; font-size: large;"><span style="line-height: 20.24px; white-space: pre-wrap;"><i>Bike Stats : 88.99km in 3:52:40</i></span></span><br />
<span style="color: #444444; font-family: Arial; font-size: large;"><span style="line-height: 20.24px; white-space: pre-wrap;"><i><br />
</i></span></span> <span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: large;"><span style="line-height: 20.24px; white-space: pre-wrap;">Transition 2:</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: large;"><span style="line-height: 20.24px; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br />
</span></span> <span style="font-family: Arial;"><span style="line-height: 20.24px; white-space: pre-wrap;">I got off the bike and went through the motions of going out for the run. That became the strategy: simply try to put my legs on auto-pilot and see what happened. If my neck pain didn't decrease in the first two kilometres, I think I would have packed it in. Shoes were on, and out the run exit I went.</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial;"><span style="line-height: 20.24px; white-space: pre-wrap;"><iframe frameborder="0" height="500" src="https://connect.garmin.com/activity/embed/906216205" width="465"></iframe><br />
</span></span> <span style="color: #444444; font-family: Arial; font-size: large;"><span style="line-height: 20.24px; white-space: pre-wrap;"><i>T2 Stats - 0:5:45.7</i></span></span><br />
<span style="color: #444444; font-family: Arial; font-size: large;"><span style="line-height: 20.24px; white-space: pre-wrap;"><i><br />
</i></span></span> <br />
<h2>
<span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: large;"><span style="line-height: 20.24px; white-space: pre-wrap;">Run</span></span></h2>
<span style="font-family: Arial;"><span style="line-height: 20.24px; white-space: pre-wrap;">The good news was that my neck stopped hurting pretty fast as soon as I was upright. For the bad news, I need to know if you've heard of an entity known as t<a href="http://theoatmeal.com/comics/running" target="_blank">he Blerch, as featured on Matthew Inman's webcomic, the Oatmeal</a>. If not, head over there and come back. Now I remembered the Blerch as a demon of general self-doubt more than one of sloth and laziness, and to me, that was what he represented. I generally try to keep the language on this blog pretty clean, but right here, I'm going to pull out some much saltier stuff, so if that offends you, you can skip the next paragraph.</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial;"><span style="line-height: 20.24px; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br />
</span></span> <span style="font-family: Arial;"><span style="line-height: 20.24px; white-space: pre-wrap;">For all 21 km, the Blerch and I had a knock-down, drag-em-out street fight; I'm talking about head-butts, knee-cap kicks, elbow strikes, groin shots, kidney punches, rabbit punches, biting, scratching, fish-hooking, you name it, for every inch of that course, that motherfucker and I went at it. <i>"What are you even doing?" ... "A real man would be at that hospital with his family!" "What do you think you're going to prove? Are you supposed to be some kind of hero? Big deal, like a million people have already done this distance, and most on harder courses, in less time." </i>In short, I felt like I didn't have the right to be there, 6 months of training or not, but my legs kept moving.</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial;"><span style="line-height: 20.24px; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br />
</span></span> <span style="font-family: Arial;"><span style="line-height: 20.24px; white-space: pre-wrap;">The only way to take the fight back to my own Blerch, was to try to finish, and do it with a smile on my face. That meant trying to enjoy the weather, the locale and the environment in general.</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial;"><span style="line-height: 20.24px; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br />
</span></span> <br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiejlXKMBrla7mIBN7lZnXZAn6eN6LEATEOhjNDwhkw6tq4PTUEM2r9di9ZBbbtoN0FXL_S_ClOtdpH4xozo8FfoKpFRTpDKaI2vcWcGhZGuk0ji2CE-w18xRTpjC0xMAGywr38B6Pe0EY/s1600/20150920_135605.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiejlXKMBrla7mIBN7lZnXZAn6eN6LEATEOhjNDwhkw6tq4PTUEM2r9di9ZBbbtoN0FXL_S_ClOtdpH4xozo8FfoKpFRTpDKaI2vcWcGhZGuk0ji2CE-w18xRTpjC0xMAGywr38B6Pe0EY/s640/20150920_135605.jpg" width="360" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">This put a smile on my face within the first kilometre... it was almost exactly what I was thinking at the time.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span style="font-family: Arial;"><span style="line-height: 20.24px; white-space: pre-wrap;">It was a two-loop course, and it was later in the day, and I probably <i>looked</i> like I might be fast enough to be on my second loop, but it was a little demotivating having spectators tell me I was "almost done" with less than a quarter of the running mileage under my belt.</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial;"><span style="line-height: 20.24px; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br />
</span></span> <span style="font-family: Arial;"><span style="line-height: 20.24px; white-space: pre-wrap;">The aid stations were nice and frequent, just about every kilometre I think (my memory has gotten fuzzy as it's taken a long time for me to get this post written). I turned down Coke at my first opportunity, but it wasn't a mistake I was going to repeat, and I think I had it every chance I got after that. Coke's gotten some bad press lately, but caffeine and sugar felt pretty good to me at that stage; it didn't even matter when it started to get luke-warm and flat.</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial;"><span style="line-height: 20.24px; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br />
</span></span> <br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhXD5BjtC9bmtmSWdGme2nAaL5esq7sGsb7s3-Jnqph1DzFzBTHW-Oh5PabO2zSNCUT-szoJmQ0kwNoSRD7YAmuq9zoA-grR8O8luMhyphenhyphen7ticfcfOvp0NYC8q0CrnGO1pE8DGT9RrunfEZc/s1600/20150920_140844.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhXD5BjtC9bmtmSWdGme2nAaL5esq7sGsb7s3-Jnqph1DzFzBTHW-Oh5PabO2zSNCUT-szoJmQ0kwNoSRD7YAmuq9zoA-grR8O8luMhyphenhyphen7ticfcfOvp0NYC8q0CrnGO1pE8DGT9RrunfEZc/s640/20150920_140844.jpg" width="360" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The run course took us through some lovely parks in the area.</td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: Arial;"><span style="line-height: 20.24px; white-space: pre-wrap;">There was plenty of variety on the run course. Shady parks were one of my favourites, but there was a climb that got you to a decent vantage over the falls, then you wound through a pedestrian pathway and stairs in the "downtown" of Niagara Falls, then around to main strip where you could keep the Falls on your left while being gawked at by tourists. The mists cooling you off was an added bonus.</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial;"><span style="line-height: 20.24px; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br />
</span></span> <span style="font-family: Arial;"><span style="line-height: 20.24px; white-space: pre-wrap;">I was closing in on 9-10 km when I remembered there was a cut-off time for completing the first loop... but I didn't know what time that was. John Salt, the race director, had mentioned that exceptions could be made if they felt your first loop time wasn't representative of your potential finish time. I got panicky, because I doubted that would be the case. I kept asking volunteers if they knew the first loop cut-off time, and they didn't. The Blerch had me in a choke-hold - I reckoned if I didn't make the cut-off, I wouldn't argue the point and fight for my finish. A volunteer told me the overall cut-off time was 5:00PM, so it turned out I was fine, but running alongside so many others who were finishing only to make a turn and head out for another loop was disheartening.</span></span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjfzWdBfug7jl8AJfOL7hM_XslwOFqlgdHPH2lPcHjlrvVsG2uYSI2TY9dXqdbVWhrDZ9MInRrlVsNtpnGQsrK3kIjojGw06o0eaVdX3XScBzc52zt1c-_3Vy3WsiF4Rn0J6FhHjN8hvI4/s1600/20150920_150924.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjfzWdBfug7jl8AJfOL7hM_XslwOFqlgdHPH2lPcHjlrvVsG2uYSI2TY9dXqdbVWhrDZ9MInRrlVsNtpnGQsrK3kIjojGw06o0eaVdX3XScBzc52zt1c-_3Vy3WsiF4Rn0J6FhHjN8hvI4/s640/20150920_150924.jpg" width="360" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">A hawk, watching the procession. Apparently I have time to bird-watch while tri-ing</td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: Arial;"><span style="line-height: 20.24px; white-space: pre-wrap;">While the fatigue was certainly there, my spirits lifted with the idea that I could (and probably would) get the job done and finish that race. More coke, more bananas, more water, more smiles and jokes with the volunteers. I tried to find things that would amuse me.</span></span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj8GZMKPh7SlAyPJduvQ-nMQ_LozUIFxlcOGUh2tlEIelsiR74334z_vxpWW9IO6Nd0QxvGWElHQWt1TUhAqjt4ddXFKfvUnJ2LAfaP5CKEAE_YB1WQBFjSMXZUxbj2RbMS1bNvhdDWXlM/s1600/20150920_152417.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj8GZMKPh7SlAyPJduvQ-nMQ_LozUIFxlcOGUh2tlEIelsiR74334z_vxpWW9IO6Nd0QxvGWElHQWt1TUhAqjt4ddXFKfvUnJ2LAfaP5CKEAE_YB1WQBFjSMXZUxbj2RbMS1bNvhdDWXlM/s640/20150920_152417.jpg" width="360" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">NO STOPPING: Traffic instruction or Mantra? You don't have to decide.</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgRkVimfWBl7IzMalq9u4ZXgO89qLPZf4CaWukG649FFHTTF9vNceiBmN_YPC_SjfwevLzM75tCoNUzIyaFoD0c0TKd6J3vWz9JTecB1IfDW-j3HOutfE59rAwg4LwHsNZ7fD1T1Bs-CrU/s1600/20150920_142029.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="360" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgRkVimfWBl7IzMalq9u4ZXgO89qLPZf4CaWukG649FFHTTF9vNceiBmN_YPC_SjfwevLzM75tCoNUzIyaFoD0c0TKd6J3vWz9JTecB1IfDW-j3HOutfE59rAwg4LwHsNZ7fD1T1Bs-CrU/s640/20150920_142029.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The course went by Marineland... I wished a dolphin would splash me to cool me off</td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: Arial;"><span style="line-height: 20.24px; white-space: pre-wrap;">The kilometres kept ticking off, and soon the end was in sight. Without having to chase a time goal, I wanted to cross the finish line in style. Some click their heels, but that is NOT my style. I wanted to try a cartwheel, but I didn't think my body was up for it, so I opted for what I thought was the Ickey Shuffle (named after Bengals Fullback Elbert "Ickey" Woods), but I must have mis-remembered it, and mixed it up with some of Cuba Gooding Jr.'s steps from Jerry Maguire. Behold, the Iron Rogue Shuffle.</span></span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiXFRNVopQK2G8pkNpmO7NMp6gUdwTYrLFuLFYxyIRxjIxueA8H2gdqUvtv7PZt9Ivn49Fh4aeg06G05O1hdUIXoCMG_ph5uHHEvVt5_yG6LXC8f2rCm1bozqN-6R_TW8e8F1in4g25sdI/s1600/2015_09_22_15_33_034.webm" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiXFRNVopQK2G8pkNpmO7NMp6gUdwTYrLFuLFYxyIRxjIxueA8H2gdqUvtv7PZt9Ivn49Fh4aeg06G05O1hdUIXoCMG_ph5uHHEvVt5_yG6LXC8f2rCm1bozqN-6R_TW8e8F1in4g25sdI/s320/2015_09_22_15_33_034.webm" width="320" /></a></div>
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</span></span> <span style="font-family: Arial;"><span style="line-height: 20.24px; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br />
<iframe frameborder="0" height="500" src="https://connect.garmin.com/activity/embed/906216206" width="465"></iframe></span></span><i style="color: #444444; font-family: Arial; font-size: x-large; line-height: 20.24px; white-space: pre-wrap;">Run Stats : 20.13 km in 2:27:03</i><span style="font-family: Arial;"><span style="line-height: 20.24px; white-space: pre-wrap;">
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<span style="font-family: Arial;"><span style="line-height: 20.24px; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br />
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</span></span> <span style="font-family: Arial;"><span style="line-height: 20.24px; white-space: pre-wrap;">I got my medal. I got my free hat. I found a shady place to lie down. I called my wife, and simply said "It's done." I was emotional, but not entirely happy. The entire race I had been questioning this whole multi-sport, outdoor, active adventure lifestyle we pursue as a family. All the kinds of things you've read about in my posts (unless this is your first time visiting - in which case, stick around and see what we've gotten up to).</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial;"><span style="line-height: 20.24px; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br />
</span></span> <span style="font-family: Arial;"><span style="line-height: 20.24px; white-space: pre-wrap;">I'd given up a chance to be with my wife and child during a hospital visit (they were discharged shortly before the swim began). During the six months prior to the race, several times I'd been gone for hours off on a run or a bike ride. When things didn't go my way in regards to my training, I was probably a miserable dick (sorry again about the language) to be around. I craved "normal", and promised everyone more time, and more of me for the next year at least. Living the adventure has had costs, and I wasn't sure of the rewards anymore.</span></span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgpwLHBBXASmGnP0DloPahrl9xHdw6oqQHx6Pj62a0PBpM0YnIY-pu0PL7e0B6nZi9-edjSlQZq5qbYUOfZbRCEPDJOHJrkEkiPkUfIndSzOV7EES_oqmxBzUOuA_w3hMXUnULTrRsIbfo/s1600/20150920_163031.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgpwLHBBXASmGnP0DloPahrl9xHdw6oqQHx6Pj62a0PBpM0YnIY-pu0PL7e0B6nZi9-edjSlQZq5qbYUOfZbRCEPDJOHJrkEkiPkUfIndSzOV7EES_oqmxBzUOuA_w3hMXUnULTrRsIbfo/s640/20150920_163031.jpg" width="360" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Finished.</td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: Arial;"><span style="line-height: 20.24px; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br />
</span></span> <span style="font-family: Arial;"><span style="line-height: 20.24px; white-space: pre-wrap;">It's been weeks since I finished, and I've tried to fill in the time I used to spend training with "normal" people activities. The kinds of errands that seemed to get put off - a couple of have been completed, but many seem to rely on others, or bureaucracy so they're incomplete, and the time I spent on them feels wasted. I guess that's what I love about endurance sport - I put my own time in, and my effort dictates my results. A half-hour spent running equals a half-hour spent running.</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial;"><span style="line-height: 20.24px; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br />
</span></span> <span style="font-family: Arial;"><span style="line-height: 20.24px; white-space: pre-wrap;">One thing that has filled in the void left by a half-iron training plan is work. It's a big reason why this post hasn't been published before now; and while I'm not lazy and I'm willing to put in an honest day's work, my father told me that no-one ever lies on their death bed wishing they spent more time at the office.</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial;"><span style="line-height: 20.24px; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br />
</span></span> <span style="font-family: Arial;"><span style="line-height: 20.24px; white-space: pre-wrap;">Lastly, just 20 minutes before I started writing this paragraph, my wife told me about how well he does somersaults in his Acro Dance class, or more to the point, how much some of the other kids struggled with them. I don't know all the science, but even if they hadn't had formal instruction in gymnastics and other activities, we let our kids "off the leash" enough (especially in the outdoors) that they're able to make the neural connections to integrate various body movements and have body awareness enough to learn complex movements in a hurry. </span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial;"><span style="line-height: 20.24px; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br />
</span></span> <span style="font-family: Arial;"><span style="line-height: 20.24px; white-space: pre-wrap;">So maybe we won't give up our active family (multi-sport) lifestyle just yet. After all, what else am I going to write about?</span></span></div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01460872603454460967noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1567260830466854942.post-33709203786248477672015-09-25T10:59:00.000-04:002015-09-25T10:59:23.991-04:00Barrelman Triathlon Recap - Part 1: Pre-Race<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">I’ve read triathlon race recaps that have to be broken up into several parts; I used to complain (to myself) that they were too long, but I think I get it now. A lot goes into these longer races, and my experience at the </span><a href="http://niagarafallstriathlon.com/" style="text-decoration: none;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: #1155cc; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: underline; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Barrelman Triathlon</span></a><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> fits the bill. I learned a lot, felt a lot, suffered a lot, smiled a lot. So, while I’m not sure how to break up the actual race experience, I’m going to devote this post to everything leading up to my swim start.</span></div>
<b id="docs-internal-guid-3f072cf4-0251-f28b-86da-a3791a791775" style="font-weight: normal;"><br /></b>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">On the Saturday, we took the Kids to Ashbridges Bay for the Beaches Kids of Steel Duathlon. I wanted to devote my energy to getting the Lightning Kid through his first race, and it turned out we had registered Shark Boy for the age 6-7 category, which meant no parents on the race course. Luckily, he’s always been able to roll with changing circumstances, and he’s done </span><a href="http://ironrogue.blogspot.ca/2012/09/shark-boy-duathlete-scoundrel-of-steel.html" style="text-decoration: none;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: #1155cc; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: underline; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">enough </span></a><a href="http://ironrogue.blogspot.ca/2013/09/a-september-of-family-races-part-3.html" style="text-decoration: none;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: #1155cc; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: underline; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">of these</span></a><a href="http://ironrogue.blogspot.ca/2014/09/best-of-beaches-kids-of-steel-duathlon.html" style="text-decoration: none;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: #1155cc; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: underline; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> to feel confident</span></a><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">.</span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgIeKgfmVgYMqRQfpLtBniFoYiiwLU1ql544-iwZPhqcuh9Kk-DgWuhhnN8JyiTESeBMWOLA5NIxKo_CHFrEPHg8sI5WBwMY-SQ25xEaC22_LlSar2Gu997tFYk5rFBdint7hQ3Rv-8CTE/s1600/20150919_082021.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="360" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgIeKgfmVgYMqRQfpLtBniFoYiiwLU1ql544-iwZPhqcuh9Kk-DgWuhhnN8JyiTESeBMWOLA5NIxKo_CHFrEPHg8sI5WBwMY-SQ25xEaC22_LlSar2Gu997tFYk5rFBdint7hQ3Rv-8CTE/s640/20150919_082021.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
<b style="font-weight: normal;"><br /></b>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Taking the Lightning Kid through his race acted as a nice little shake-out run for me, and he did a fantastic job. He ran the first leg (50m) hard enough to get a little gassed, and I helped him with his helmet and bike. He walked the bike (which he didn’t get to practice much before hand) out of transition to the mount line, and then we took off. There were occasional stops to look at dogs, and I’m actually proud he chose to dismount for the one part where a decline was too steep - discretion is the better part of valour, after all. Not that he lacks guts; he managed to get his glider bike up the biggest incline on the course (600m) and rode quickly back into transition. The way to get him to keep up the pace was simply to say “FAST!”.... I must have said it 100 times in the race. We headed out for the final run (100m) and before I knew it he was crossing the finish line to collect his medal, and his high-fives of course.</span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEihTLVn67v8wZDqWAEm6kKNBhzPg8wkZFgcs1Ysj2sFwiPHQ2RSNj7QdPpTHZjUAGiS84CsHV30DhQsPvMS7o1Ao4qu73I2NHUYLrxaoostbA5XZ9uzPIXQczapfW4z3-kDe8gkt_yww2c/s1600/20150919_083601.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEihTLVn67v8wZDqWAEm6kKNBhzPg8wkZFgcs1Ysj2sFwiPHQ2RSNj7QdPpTHZjUAGiS84CsHV30DhQsPvMS7o1Ao4qu73I2NHUYLrxaoostbA5XZ9uzPIXQczapfW4z3-kDe8gkt_yww2c/s640/20150919_083601.jpg" width="360" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhMzz7rsNmLgVrQdRQi_DyT4gD-aCZfgAgnY7mGcRYWncDC2IsupPNfZjI75sIun9wrVKO2sZRedmg0tLWFLQScIGrOKfd9c4GQ4oucxWWOGcBGWs3_cjR2Z8vVR6j3KSsB8NkEZHfUz88/s1600/20150919_085152.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhMzz7rsNmLgVrQdRQi_DyT4gD-aCZfgAgnY7mGcRYWncDC2IsupPNfZjI75sIun9wrVKO2sZRedmg0tLWFLQScIGrOKfd9c4GQ4oucxWWOGcBGWs3_cjR2Z8vVR6j3KSsB8NkEZHfUz88/s320/20150919_085152.jpg" width="180" /></a></div>
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<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Shark Boy had to tackle new distances this year. I already mentioned how well he dealt with having his expectations subverted - this was a big deal, since he hasn’t turned 6 yet, and was expecting to win or place in a race where everyone was younger or smaller. In the 6-7 age category, he’s a small fish in the big pond again. He handled all the distances (longer than he’s experienced before 250m run, 1.0km bike, 100m run) no problem, and I explained that running with the big dogs and not coming first was worth more than coming in first in a contest that is easy. He seemed to get it.</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">After a celebratory round on a trampoline they had there, we headed home and I got to packing. I had intended to dash off right after the kids’ race, but with the mandatory athlete briefings at 2:30 and 5:00, I could opt for the second one and linger a bit. I figured I’d be leaving my wife with both of them for the rest of the night, so whatever I could do to lessen the load before leaving was a good move. The Lightning Kid was tired, so I helped get him down for a nap, and apparently the plan was to go see a movie, Shaun the Sheep, which would be the Lightning Kid’s first trip to the movie theatre. I left the house at 2:00PM for the drive to Welland, and got a text message that while they were all playing in the back yard, Shark Boy had locked his mother out of the house in a fit of pique. Guess he’s the one who should have had a nap - not a good sign for peace on the home front.</span></div>
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<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">The drive to Welland was peppered with rain showers and some downpours, but the forecast for Sunday/Race Day was good, so I didn’t get too worried; I just didn’t like my bike getting wet on my car roof. The swim and T1 were located at the </span><a href="http://www.canalcorp.ca/site/international-flatwater-centre" style="text-decoration: none;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: #1155cc; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: underline; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Welland International Flatwater Centre</span></a><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> which is used for open water races such as Dragon Boating, Kayak, and Rowing. I got my race kit/swag, different gear bags and timing chips. The rain kept me from experiencing the exhibitors at the expo, and some were packing up for the day anyway. I did get a chance to talk to Jessica from </span><a href="http://www.lifesportcoaching.com/" style="text-decoration: none;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: #1155cc; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: underline; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">LifeSport Coaching</span></a><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> about getting our kids involved in multi-sport; getting them on bikes seems to be a common difficulty.</span></div>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEie6yeJz49BHx71lkHgjp6dGOhO9iyaQowLTaPbrqnYIdJNk_ZhYECPgnZGopxhi1ZxakeJiZWeKWQgdXrlwLtuLhuewt9ijm34XaKihEITYHV1bFTkO0SrVd6wCLXavGbFBJvOetIbgMs/s1600/IMG_20150919_162234.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEie6yeJz49BHx71lkHgjp6dGOhO9iyaQowLTaPbrqnYIdJNk_ZhYECPgnZGopxhi1ZxakeJiZWeKWQgdXrlwLtuLhuewt9ijm34XaKihEITYHV1bFTkO0SrVd6wCLXavGbFBJvOetIbgMs/s640/IMG_20150919_162234.jpg" width="480" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The Welland International Flatwater Centre in the rain</td></tr>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">I was on Periscope a fair bit that day, and I've compiled all the scopes I did on Saturday into one video:</span></div>
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<iframe allowfullscreen="" class="YOUTUBE-iframe-video" data-thumbnail-src="https://i.ytimg.com/vi/hAdFQ1l0tFs/0.jpg" frameborder="0" height="266" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/hAdFQ1l0tFs?feature=player_embedded" width="320"></iframe></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">As you can see, I got my race kit, scoped out the swim venue as best I could, spied on bikes and drove to Niagara Falls. During the race briefing, they mentioned several spots on the road where large trucks carrying the blades for wind turbines had damaged the roads. I knew those wind turbines would be an interesting sight on the ride, and it certainly was windy in the general area.</span><br />
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span>
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">From Welland, I made my way to the Chippawa area of Niagara Falls, where I stayed in a cheap motel steps away from Kingsbridge Park where the T2 transition area was to be. I described the motel as a "great place for a drug deal to go bad", it reeked of cigarette smoke, had borderline no hot water, and various other failings, but it had free wifi, the owner was a nice enough fellow, and it was one of the better deals for accommodation in the local area.</span><br />
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span>
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">I organized my gear into the various bags (black was to keep my wet-suit and anything else I would drop in T1 - Welland to be transported to the race finish, red had anything I'd need in T2 for the run, and a clear bag for anything I'd need after the race was done like clean, dry clothes), then tried to go to sleep.</span><br />
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span>
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">I got a late night text message. The Lightning Kid was having difficulty breathing; throughout the cold and flu season this seems to happen. He wakes up wheezing, and difficulty breathing is pretty serious. When we take him to the hospital emergency room, sometimes it's not really anything, but at least once he's had pneumonia. This time ended up being one of the worse ones - my wife stayed up with him from 10 PM to 3 AM before taking him to the hospital - he would be put on an oxygen mask and given oral steroids for the better part of Sunday morning. Plan A had been for my mother to take care of the kids so my wife could take a bus to Niagara Falls and cheer me on for the run portion, and we'd take Sunday night as a romantic getaway. Instead, my mother went to the hospital to assist my wife, Shark Boy went to his grandfather's house for Sunday, and I would race alone.</span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEioEId3vb9ocTgC-lTwm9oZIXUkIV5tMQWFn07SL3RPmYW_Sn2rhZB2mSbbvldLRoDIyqRjKizeRDxgmFecnuIgdsus5TU8pxl5YDHbvyy9nAvaHKTtxKKMNEgAdIZKscuikaOdzcyK8ag/s1600/IMG_20150920_055741.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEioEId3vb9ocTgC-lTwm9oZIXUkIV5tMQWFn07SL3RPmYW_Sn2rhZB2mSbbvldLRoDIyqRjKizeRDxgmFecnuIgdsus5TU8pxl5YDHbvyy9nAvaHKTtxKKMNEgAdIZKscuikaOdzcyK8ag/s640/IMG_20150920_055741.jpg" width="480" /></a></div>
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span>
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Of course, a big part of me was questioning what kind of man I was, not being at the side of my wife and family, and instead gallivanting about in some vain attempt to prove something... to who? For what? Did I think I was some kind of hero or something? Then I'd argue that I'd come this far (including a fair distance from the hospital and home), and I should try to enjoy the day. So my mindset went from giving my all to simply trying to auto-pilot my way through the race and soaking in some of the experience while fighting the temptation to throw in the towel and go home to take care of business on the home front.</span><br />
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span>
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<iframe width="320" height="266" class="YOUTUBE-iframe-video" data-thumbnail-src="https://i.ytimg.com/vi/29WA5bDHJqA/0.jpg" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/29WA5bDHJqA?feature=player_embedded" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe></div>
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">I drove to the parking lot of the Rapidsview Park (getting a little lost on the way), with plenty of time to spare. I'm guessing I caught one of the first shuttle buses. Though I joked to the crowd:"Anyone feel like doing a little swimming, biking and running today?" my mood was dark and I mostly kept to myself on the bus ride back to Welland.</span><br />
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span>
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">I verified my fear that I hadn't packed my timing chip into any of my gear bags, it was still back in my car. This is the kind of little mistake that is no big deal when you arrive with time to spare, but the end of the world when you're running late. Fortunately, I fell into the former camp and joked with the volunteers about being in a special little club with other who had done the same.</span><br />
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span>
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">I set up my transition area, including mounting my phone on my bike, but not before I took my last selfie before the swim.</span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhxor1kMhUgvlGdrOIX3dteUNxPWha45uaeW05szjqHVUdMTzLK31yYB3QCIjL-btJnY_UB4N1jQ0Y0oE1P3ieO84iavnY3W_0Isy7jA0_aUwmlZjEj5rF6oCoQBoZc7rENkgUh0CJTqa8/s1600/IMG_20150920_082906.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhxor1kMhUgvlGdrOIX3dteUNxPWha45uaeW05szjqHVUdMTzLK31yYB3QCIjL-btJnY_UB4N1jQ0Y0oE1P3ieO84iavnY3W_0Isy7jA0_aUwmlZjEj5rF6oCoQBoZc7rENkgUh0CJTqa8/s320/IMG_20150920_082906.jpg" width="240" /></a></div>
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span>
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">I headed down to the water and waded in to get a few practice strokes in. The water was surpisingly warm, and the swim was less about a warm-up than just checking that the wet-suit was on comfortably. I met my friend Peter, and helped him with his Garmin. The elite and first two swim waves went off starting at 9:00 and every 5 minutes after that. You could start on either side of this floating divider, and though they encouraged faster swimmers to go on the far side of it, the far side was more crowded so I ended up floating on the side closer to shore as I waited for the horn to go off.</span><br />
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span>
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">I had a long day ahead of me.</span><br />
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span>
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.6667px; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><i>To be continued!</i></span><br />
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.6667px; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><i><br /></i></span>
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.6667px; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><i>You can still donate to my RODS Racing <a href="http://rodsracing.org/team/axel/" target="_blank">Page</a> to aid in the adoption of an orphan with Down syndrome.</i></span></div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01460872603454460967noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1567260830466854942.post-3256205855345052082015-09-21T10:40:00.002-04:002015-09-21T10:40:27.853-04:00Half-Iron Rogue<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">So this happened...</span><br />
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<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/--7Gbdffdg7Y/Vds7sja-HDI/AAAAAAAASfI/n8JlNLIJtcE/s1600/Half%2BIron%2BMan.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/--7Gbdffdg7Y/Vds7sja-HDI/AAAAAAAASfI/n8JlNLIJtcE/s640/Half%2BIron%2BMan.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Race recap of the Barrelman Half-Distance Triathlon to come soon!</span>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01460872603454460967noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1567260830466854942.post-69005261072096880962015-09-15T09:00:00.000-04:002015-09-15T09:00:20.011-04:00Looking Ahead to Barrelman, Looking Back on the Training Season<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">This is the final week of “training” before the Barrelman Triathlon. I put training in quotation marks, because between lower back pain, a head cold (that descended to my chest on Sunday), and some of the rainiest weather I’ve seen in at least a month, I haven’t been hitting a lot of workouts. I thank my lucky stars that I’m tapering, and the workouts don’t count as much (or at least that’s how I’m consoling myself). </span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhwzYrKAa2AQKZLFSKNWPznVMFoDMlTdh9EiMzQbDcKCNYI0GfwN5s4SnnmVFlkVxlc7Y7DboJNtHfeQd8JfuGfgTEq1kgvZX_9zc8nMieOD1uWA2OYaieAydekRkj9WhgI3-Q3aRsOjpU/s1600/barrelman-rwm-logo-web.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="220" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhwzYrKAa2AQKZLFSKNWPznVMFoDMlTdh9EiMzQbDcKCNYI0GfwN5s4SnnmVFlkVxlc7Y7DboJNtHfeQd8JfuGfgTEq1kgvZX_9zc8nMieOD1uWA2OYaieAydekRkj9WhgI3-Q3aRsOjpU/s640/barrelman-rwm-logo-web.png" width="640" /></a></div>
<b id="docs-internal-guid-79cd88ea-ce54-a3f6-ddf0-389a93ab3bef" style="font-weight: normal;"><br /></b>
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<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">The good news is that I’ve gotten chiropractic treatment for my back and it’s been improving slowly yet steadily, and I’ve got until next Sunday to shake this cold. Doctor Wife’s prescription is to be in bed by 10:00PM (N.B. my wife is not a doctor, but I still think it’s a good prescription).</span></div>
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<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">I’m feeling ambivalent about the last few weeks of training that I’ve been through. On the one hand, I’ve hit new records for distance in every sport (<a href="http://ironrogue.blogspot.ca/2015/09/restube-how-to-enjoy-your-safest.html" target="_blank">all time distance for open water swim</a> and <a href="http://ironrogue.blogspot.ca/2015/08/the-120-km-weekend-20k-run-with-legend.html" target="_blank">bike, and 2 year records for running</a>, pool swim record probably occurred earlier in the season), I’m faster and stronger than I’ve probably ever been, and I’m thankful that I’ve been able to undertake the journey at all. Still, I feel controlled by the program: Monday=Strength, Tuesday=Swim+Run and so on. I was watching a Periscope a few weeks ago where the host was distinguishing between exercise and training. If I understood her correctly, training has a finite goal, and is structured to serve that purpose, whereas exercise is more about general maintenance, health and fun. I commented that I missed exercise and was sick of training, but I don’t think I really made myself clear. I just want to take an exercise class for fun sometimes, without questioning which of the 3 masters (Swim, Bike, Run) I'm serving.</span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi3KQlburt8ZmmS03K7XqaL44STgQSpb6Hks-x0jrdxQ5ToiLXrxsjAEtZJLypwoiypTOUvKJhAd8IAclqh9tsn47F72fk8bSsbjrDk9ELOkjLifTGTd7JDA7ti8iDjFruqoXBzjVwAlY8/s1600/TriathlonBrain.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi3KQlburt8ZmmS03K7XqaL44STgQSpb6Hks-x0jrdxQ5ToiLXrxsjAEtZJLypwoiypTOUvKJhAd8IAclqh9tsn47F72fk8bSsbjrDk9ELOkjLifTGTd7JDA7ti8iDjFruqoXBzjVwAlY8/s640/TriathlonBrain.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">This needs updating with a bunch of other new ideas...</td></tr>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">I'm already wondering what I'm going to do with myself when it's done; which feels like a mistake, because I haven't finished the race yet. Still, stay with me for a bit while I ruminate. Most of all, I want to re-devote my time to my family; while I think I did 'Walk The Line' the way I said I would on my <a href="http://ironrogue.blogspot.ca/2015/03/motivation-monday-my-vision-board.html" target="_blank">Vision Board</a>, how can I ever really give enough? Big ticket items include volunteering with Shark Boy's Beaver Scout Colony and helping the Lightning Kid with speech and occupational Therapy work.</span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi7dGI0-PJXNdrLOqQMHGAbBwpPrkKiSBPlHsedIB5dVEXlh1mS2yoKNGlMKNzniOKgs8UXmfGj05I9v55vjUmMshXhyphenhyphen3IsqqnEaNXRAqc4Fablk1TqYvWzdLr6Q3Tel7aUktjQkfKzvVU/s1600/42.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi7dGI0-PJXNdrLOqQMHGAbBwpPrkKiSBPlHsedIB5dVEXlh1mS2yoKNGlMKNzniOKgs8UXmfGj05I9v55vjUmMshXhyphenhyphen3IsqqnEaNXRAqc4Fablk1TqYvWzdLr6Q3Tel7aUktjQkfKzvVU/s640/42.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">The race weekend is going to be a hectic one. On Friday, I turn 42, so this race is kind of my birthday present to myself, and the sacrifices my family has made are the only presents I really wanted. Saturday will see us put both boys in the Family Fun Fit Beaches Kids of Steel Duathlon. This will be <a href="http://ironrogue.blogspot.ca/2012/09/shark-boy-duathlete-scoundrel-of-steel.html" target="_blank">Shark Boy</a>'s <a href="http://ironrogue.blogspot.ca/2013/09/a-september-of-family-races-part-3.html" target="_blank">fourth </a><a href="http://ironrogue.blogspot.ca/2014/09/best-of-beaches-kids-of-steel-duathlon.html" target="_blank">year</a>, but the Lightning Kid's first. He's been really improving on a glider bike, and participated in a bike camp during the summer to get better on a pedal bike with training wheels. The trick will be keeping him focused on forward motion rather than waving at fans. He also does fall off sometimes, and even steers into his father's legs (trying to cause a DNS no doubt). From the race, I'm going to Welland to set up my T1 and bike, pick up my race kit and get informed and oriented, then I head to a cheap motel in Niagara Falls on my own. My wife will be in Niagara Falls on Sunday to cheer me on (for the run leg) and then we'll have our romantic getaway night... sore muscles and all.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial;"><span style="font-size: 14.6667px; line-height: 20.24px; white-space: pre-wrap;"><i>Remember, you can still <a href="http://rodsracing.org/team/axel/" target="_blank">sponsor me and donate to RODS Racing</a>; we're still short of sending Laura home to a loving family. I'll be wearing my official kit if you see me there! </i></span></span><i style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.6667px; line-height: 1.38; white-space: pre-wrap;">Wish me luck this weekend!</i></div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01460872603454460967noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1567260830466854942.post-13231310068542015782015-09-09T14:24:00.000-04:002015-09-10T20:23:44.136-04:00RESTUBE - How To Enjoy Your Safest Triathlon Open Water Swim<div style="color: #333333; font-family: sans-serif, Arial, Verdana, 'Trebuchet MS'; font-size: 13px; line-height: 20.8px;">
<i>Disclaimer: I was provided with the product for review purposes and compensated for preparing the review. All opinions are my own.</i></div>
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I write about triathlon, I read about triathlon, and I talk about triathlon to people both in real life and online. What's keeping most non-triathletes from participating in the sport, as far as I can tell, is swimming. Improving your swim is as straightforward as spending time practising in your local pool.</div>
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What unnerves even experienced triathletes who have logged countless hours in the pool is swimming in the open water. For example, see Organic Runner Mom <a data-cke-saved-href="http://organicrunnermom.com/fresh-five-five-triathlon-race-day-worries/" href="http://organicrunnermom.com/fresh-five-five-triathlon-race-day-worries/" style="color: #0782c1;">here</a>, or Fitness Cheerleader <a data-cke-saved-href="http://fitnesscheerleader.com/fitness/triathlon-fitness/ironman-70-3-muskoka-race-recap/" href="http://fitnesscheerleader.com/fitness/triathlon-fitness/ironman-70-3-muskoka-race-recap/" style="color: #0782c1;">here</a>. While I see this as mostly a psychological hang-up, it is true that open water swimming carries a little more risk than the pool: you might not be able to see or touch the bottom, there are wind and waves (or maybe even current) to deal with, there could even be an encounter with watercraft or wildlife. Yet training your open water swim is very necessary to a triathlete; unless every race you compete in is in a pool, you'll need to deal with some of the aforementioned factors, as well as skills like sighting, bilateral breathing and rounding corners, or simply the novel sensation of wearing a wet-suit.</div>
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It seems to me like if there was a way to give triathletes a psychological crutch AND something to use should an actual emergency or physical difficulty occur, without impeding the swimmer's technique, we could have a lot more happy triathletes.</div>
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I think RESTUBE is the solution. RESTUBE is a portable buoy that can be used for flotation. With it folded up on a belt pouch, you can swim with it strapped around your waist without it getting in your way at all, and a simple pull on a cord will inflate it should you find yourself needing extra flotation. It can also be manually inflated with a mouth valve - then you’d simply pull it along behind you and it’s size and colour would make you more visible to boaters or any other people observing you from a distance.</div>
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Have a look at this video for further illustration:</div>
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<iframe allowfullscreen="" class="YOUTUBE-iframe-video" data-thumbnail-src="https://i.ytimg.com/vi/hftHWHVaB6A/0.jpg" frameborder="0" height="266" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/hftHWHVaB6A?feature=player_embedded" width="320"></iframe></div>
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A few notes from the video:</div>
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<li>The weight I mention in the introduction comes from the extra two CO2 cartridges in the box. When you swim with just one, it's much lighter, and if you were to manually inflate the RESTUBE and have no cartridge, the weight would be next to nothing.</li>
<li>I'm 5'11" tall and a lot of that length is in my legs. Many other swimmers would not experience their feet hitting the tube while swimming. Even for me, it wasn't a physical impediment to my swim, just a bit of a mental distraction.</li>
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The CO2 cartridges use compressed gas, which have special considerations for air travel. If you were travelling by air to a destination where you wanted to use your RESTUBE, you’d need to notify the airline and follow the procedures they mandate, simply limit the number of cartridges you pack. The RESTUBE instructions include guidelines for air travel - which is great, because RESTUBE would be handy for snorkeling, surfing, and stand-up paddleboarding or other water activities you might undertake on vacation.</div>
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<a href="http://innovation-sports.com/en/56-restube-water-safety" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">RESTUBE is available from Innovation Sports</a>, and you can find out more about the product at <a href="http://restube.com/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">RESTUBE.com</a>.</div>
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UPDATE: Innovation Sports contacted me and let me know that:<br />
"<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px; line-height: normal;"><b>Quick note about the green clip you didn’t find in the box, if you had opened the RESTUBE before using it in the water, you would have noticed this little green clip was on the unit. </b></span><b style="color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px; line-height: normal;">When you trigger it, it breaks the clip and it is now in the lake somewhere… it is normal.</b><br />
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<b>When customers are purchase the pack of 2 replacement cartridges, there are 2 clips in the package for this use. </b><b style="font-size: 12.8px;">We haven’t provided you with the green replacement clips as we sent you demo cartridges that are only used normally for demos, trade shows and testing. They are bulk, not to be sold and they do not come with the clip.</b></div>
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<b>The unit can be used without a clip no problem. The green clip normally just reminds you that the cartridge is FULL of air. Once used, it becomes RED to tell you the cartridge is empty and needs to be replaced. This is a visual help. </b><b style="font-size: 12.8px;">The clips also ensure that you do not trigger it too easily… just a safety clip to avoid triggering it for nothing.</b></div>
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<b>Please note that Triathlon Quebec is accepting the product for races. We are working on getting the approval for races by Ironman and also Triathlon Canada.</b></div>
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<b>We just got yesterday the note from RESTUBE that USAT approved it for races in USA!"</b></div>
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Additionally, they have provided a code which lets Canadian customers get FREE Shipping! Simply use <b style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px; line-height: normal; outline: none !important;">RT2015 </b><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px; line-height: normal; outline: none !important;">when checking out. Again, here's the link to <a href="http://innovation-sports.com/en/56-restube-water-safety" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Innovation Sports</a>.</span><br />
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<em>How about you? Would knowing you had a flotation buoy at your fingertips make you feel more comfortable and secure in the water? Would you inflate the buoy before starting for visibility, or just keep it folded up for the just-in-case?</em></div>
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01460872603454460967noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1567260830466854942.post-58594397758361508512015-08-31T22:05:00.003-04:002015-08-31T22:05:51.451-04:00Getting To Know Everlast Nutrition <span id="docs-internal-guid-fb497cc7-8679-27ad-998f-13c969a09d74"><span style="font-family: Arial; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">I’ve never exactly been Mr. Supplements. I’ll take multi-vitamins, but I’m pretty unreliable at taking them regularly. Other than that, I started doing an occasional smoothie during the <a href="http://ironrogue.blogspot.ca/2015/02/tri-ed-it-tuesday-doctor-diet-stat-and.html" target="_blank">Doctor's Diet</a> at the beginning of the year. </span></span><br />
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<span><span style="font-family: Arial; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">I knew though, that the coming year of Half-Iron training would require some changes. I need protein to build muscle and recover from harder workouts, but most of all, I need it to feel full during the day and help me steer clear of sugary carbohydrate loaded snacks that are too easy to come by around the office and in my life in general. </span></span><br />
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<span><span style="font-family: Arial; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">I'd also need to replace electrolytes lost in sweat on longer efforts; simply putting water back into my body wasn't going to be enough. So I'm glad I'm an Ambassador for Everlast Nutrition which has put me in a position to access both Everlast VP Vegan Protein, and Ever last Fuel.</span></span><br />
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<span><span style="font-family: Arial; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">VP Vegan Protein</span></span></h2>
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<span><span style="font-family: Arial; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">I've already <a href="http://ironrogue.blogspot.ca/2015/06/review-everlast-vp-vegan-protein-mix.html" target="_blank">reviewed the VP Vegan Protein here</a>, but since then, I've gotten better at mixing it into smoothies and other products. I've mixed it into our pancake mix which I'll call a success. I've used a VP smoothie (just water and the powder) instead of milk on my cereal with fruit. It was a sweeter treat than the usual, but something I could definitely get used to.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial; white-space: pre-wrap;">I thought that Vanilla/Sea Salt flavour might go well in my coffee, but that mixture was not a success; somehow it just didn't work taste-wise. I might try again with some coconut oil to make it creamier and add some healthy fat, like a bulletproof coffee.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial; white-space: pre-wrap;">Everlast FUEL</span></h2>
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<span style="font-family: Arial;"><span style="white-space: pre-wrap;">This is my favourite. Do you remember creamsicles? Orange popsicles with a vanilla creamy filling? Putting FUEL into water makes a sports drink that tastes like that. I've noticed a lot of performance nutrition breaks down into pre-workout, during the workout or post-workout categories, but it all gets a little confusing and inconvenient for me. FUEL acts as all three (without too many calories) and I've been using it on all my longer runs and bike rides.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial;"><span style="white-space: pre-wrap;">I've never really gotten to liking the taste of coconut water, but adding a little FUEL mix makes a supercharged source of electrolytes with a much better taste.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial;"><span style="white-space: pre-wrap;">Mixing into my coffee might be a little too crazy, plus the diuretic effect of the coffee would probably cancel any good the FUEL might be doing me...</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial;"><span style="white-space: pre-wrap;">Everlast Nutrition has some special offers on right now:</span></span></div>
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01460872603454460967noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1567260830466854942.post-53032962323639358372015-08-25T01:00:00.000-04:002015-08-25T01:00:01.291-04:00The 120 KM Weekend: 20k run with Legend Compression, and a Century Ride with MEC<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I think I've hit the big times. This weekend (according to my training plan) called for 2 hours of running, 1 of swimming on Saturday as well as a 5 hour ride on Sunday. I woke up at 5:00 AM on Saturday with running gear laid out in advance in the basement. I even remembered hydration for myself.</span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgewqp9eswJ1h1ZV8A7Bzds73X1Sv7GCu8CO8OBSTkr5VM0eq1oKRoNb45LP33a6lcKaZ_wa4-ZRR8c_zx9c8rcEFUnlwgrM8RW2wy6acJ0UCtaiGuBtzmfKnedDSiR5m3Yshnf7HvJ5pQ/s1600/20150822_051621.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="360" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgewqp9eswJ1h1ZV8A7Bzds73X1Sv7GCu8CO8OBSTkr5VM0eq1oKRoNb45LP33a6lcKaZ_wa4-ZRR8c_zx9c8rcEFUnlwgrM8RW2wy6acJ0UCtaiGuBtzmfKnedDSiR5m3Yshnf7HvJ5pQ/s640/20150822_051621.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Ready to roll... before sunrise.</td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br />
</span> <span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">My weather app said the sun wouldn't rise until 6:30, so I had over an hour to make up my own course that would keep me under street lights. I went towards my office and ran through the industrial areas there. Seeing a truck yard at sunrise isn't really my cup of tea, but if you want to fit your run in and be available for your family, you have to make some sacrifices.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br />
</span> <span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I had a few peaks at a map and I felt 99% sure I could connect back to the Etobicoke Creek Trail once the sun was up. The problem was I would be running beside the airport runways. I got to a point of no return on one of the airport service roads where there were signs saying that you couldn't go any further... then I saw two cyclists go exactly where I wanted to run. I followed. It was nerve-racking, as I knew there were plenty of police cars patrolling the area; I'd been seeing them all morning. As I envisioned explaining myself to a police officer, my confidence in knowing my local geography dropped from 99 to somewhere in the 80s...</span><br />
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</span> <span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Suddenly I recognized a familiar rolling in the landscape and some of the runway lights, and hopped onto the trail for the run home. I thought I'd be over 19 km and find myself trying to go around the block to get 20, but I only clocked 19 once I was already near home.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiCDrOeSkFzrUSHkc31lbyPO_muBr-PwH21cRYnTHzW05H-Nntk2z-vu5o2_sZK36flkftMN6TH_D-Za00zJNpMdi1Yfqh4s0ehqfpk3FbkIoc2MxqHV_flIHQDZwXaDrmmE7sVrmjO19M/s1600/20150822_071738.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiCDrOeSkFzrUSHkc31lbyPO_muBr-PwH21cRYnTHzW05H-Nntk2z-vu5o2_sZK36flkftMN6TH_D-Za00zJNpMdi1Yfqh4s0ehqfpk3FbkIoc2MxqHV_flIHQDZwXaDrmmE7sVrmjO19M/s640/20150822_071738.jpg" width="360" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjyYI8-RXslapx-NFWqSuaISVECO55UZuWDWUsQCBeuGu0rqPLh9M2jEWHLDEBTsI6On8SewPKHaP30iMtUtPgojJrm_KrzCwEtILB2PaOgSyhDS4vlNAtlZvo_u1su0VJIUcbYP4BDPcU/s1600/20150822_073115.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjyYI8-RXslapx-NFWqSuaISVECO55UZuWDWUsQCBeuGu0rqPLh9M2jEWHLDEBTsI6On8SewPKHaP30iMtUtPgojJrm_KrzCwEtILB2PaOgSyhDS4vlNAtlZvo_u1su0VJIUcbYP4BDPcU/s640/20150822_073115.jpg" width="360" /></a></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br />
</span> <span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">On my calves, I was wearing <a href="http://legendcompressionwear.com/product/legend-compression-leg-sleeves-lavender/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">lavender calf sleeves by Legend Compression</a> (<i>Disclaimer: I was given a pair of Legend Compression calf sleeves for review purposes, all opinions are my own). </i>I wear compression sleeves while running (and sometimes cycling) mostly to combat Achilles tendinitis and any other calf tightness/injury. What I noticed about the Legend compression sleeves it that the fabric felt very natural and breathable on my skin, like regular socks, and quite unlike most compression wear I've tried. That morning was quite cold and though I don't regret wearing shorts and short sleeves, having a little extra insulation for my lower legs was nice. I could still feel some twinging in the lowest parts of my calf (which don't get covered by sleeves - which I prefer to socks for the sake of wearing them in a triathlon where my feet get wet from swimming), but I think I weathered my 19 km run better for having worn them.</span><br />
<iframe frameborder="0" height="600" scrolling="no" src="https://www.endomondo.com/embed/workouts?w=s4n4jUeOi-E&width=580&height=600&width=950&height=600" width="950"></iframe><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br />
</span> <span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I was a lucky man that morning, as the kids had slept in, and I found them and my wife cuddled up together. I snuck in a few cuddles of my own and made pancakes (with extra protein from both <a href="http://manitobaharvest.com/" target="_blank">Manitoba Harvest</a> and <a href="http://offers.everlastnutrition.com/vp1?_ref=ns6_vpf" target="_blank">Everlast Nutrition</a>). We had a busy afternoon planned, and to make sure it happened, my wife ran errands while I took the kids to L.A. Fitness. The Lightning Kid has been to their Kids Klub daycare a few times, but it was Shark Boy's first time; I tried to couch it as less than a play centre, but more than a daycare (which he kind of equates with 'school'), while I quickly got 1150 m (a.k.a 1.15 km) of swimming in to round out the day's mileage at 20 km.</span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgxoO-tjfejk30LHEZpT3tXdM5wxEMhAzVyf7RWrUZP7VxS4Fi0RWUWFFEyVJfmG16ATEZAE-YSBkmBJn8D94evLWTyYlkdAg5CPEQEzfwqXE6TCK_1qPkQeLNn72EVVReWA2k9BBVQ1zg/s1600/20150822_105819.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgxoO-tjfejk30LHEZpT3tXdM5wxEMhAzVyf7RWrUZP7VxS4Fi0RWUWFFEyVJfmG16ATEZAE-YSBkmBJn8D94evLWTyYlkdAg5CPEQEzfwqXE6TCK_1qPkQeLNn72EVVReWA2k9BBVQ1zg/s640/20150822_105819.jpg" width="360" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">I got your Fitspo right here..</td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">That busy afternoon, I mentioned? Two birthday parties. The first was a classmate of Shark Boy's and they went to <a href="http://www.airriderz.com/" target="_blank">Air Riderz trampoline park</a>, which also had some climbing features (complete with safety harnesses and helmets). I took the Lightning Kid down the road to a favourite play centre called '<a href="http://www.ballsoffun.ca/" target="_blank">Balls of Fun</a>' where we goofed off and recreated a scene from the old 90s video game Street Fighter II: the Hadouken 'Fireball' technique (minus actual fireball).</span><br />
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<iframe allowfullscreen="" class="YOUTUBE-iframe-video" data-thumbnail-src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgFz0oQLS1aLdfxTYUnA3XQHa5hHSl64dciS-Mf0YpnXdec3Ilj1s9P_gnJTLQTs6LohKkza8LDM5guTavaojUgpUBDKTqltgaWphvnk6-C1XfM6Yn9U3QCyEe5hdrKUmSBG5jtLEhFVzQ/s0/2015_08_22_14_41_040.webm" frameborder="0" height="266" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/6186395010078777778?feature=player_embedded" width="320"></iframe></div>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br />
</span> <span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I collected them from those two venues and shuttled them to another birthday party, with a Frozen (Lighting Kid favourite) theme and bouncy castle. I don't need to tell you how well they slept that night.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br />
</span> <span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">As for myself, I had some nerves before the longest bike ride of my life. I had signed up for the Burlington <a href="http://www.mec.ca/Main/home.jsp" target="_blank">Mountain Equipment Co-op</a> <a href="http://events.mec.ca/event/80231/mec-burlington-century-ride-50k" target="_blank">Century Ride</a>; 100 km in Niagara Escarpment country.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br />
</span> <span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I had put out my gear the night before, and I woke up before everyone else. I dressed in my new gear from RODS Racing. If you don't know, RODS (Racing for Orphans with Down Syndrome) helps get children with Down syndrome who are currently being housed in orphanages around the world into the loving arms of families who would like to adopt them; the families are ready, the kids are great, all it takes is cash to get around the bureaucracy and logistics. If you would like to help, my donation page is here.</span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh4AuVJWurRwvfR_OkJV490UuMF1YBxra7iS9DrnhlgIjqxlWHkcjdmGWw1x58izc7qK37Fh1ka9LbsqD8Uk2M49V0UvdxiEk6dnfNYt8viT-bY-PA0RZT7vl2CCMp7BmAmcN6-nhaeEuc/s1600/IMG_20150823_063751.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh4AuVJWurRwvfR_OkJV490UuMF1YBxra7iS9DrnhlgIjqxlWHkcjdmGWw1x58izc7qK37Fh1ka9LbsqD8Uk2M49V0UvdxiEk6dnfNYt8viT-bY-PA0RZT7vl2CCMp7BmAmcN6-nhaeEuc/s640/IMG_20150823_063751.jpg" width="480" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">#RedAndBlackAttack</td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I drove to Burlington's Hidden Valley Park to find things in full swing; although I was there before 8:30, which I considered early for the 9:00 start, I had just enough time to switch shoes and put the bike together, pick up my numbered bib and take a bathroom break before they wanted us to start lining up on the road to head out; this was around 8:45.</span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiE_7WwasOg7qAVik903WaWeuZTO9Uqzu_9-Oo2Wb-pyqW9DTxkHGTR5OUwPvhwJSajF_rWfQSYU9taWr0b2bckzeriE2GcN9NSh88fXS89Q7Epu6c2-1WA4H52t_s1AWll_lYa5QEOYmo/s1600/IMG_20150823_083950.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiE_7WwasOg7qAVik903WaWeuZTO9Uqzu_9-Oo2Wb-pyqW9DTxkHGTR5OUwPvhwJSajF_rWfQSYU9taWr0b2bckzeriE2GcN9NSh88fXS89Q7Epu6c2-1WA4H52t_s1AWll_lYa5QEOYmo/s640/IMG_20150823_083950.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br />
</span> <span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I asked someone in the crowd what their estimate of the number of participants was, and they figured 250. I couldn't help but notice that I was the only one with a triathlon bike there; I did see one girl with aero-bars on a road bike (much how I used to ride), but I still felt like a freak among what seemed to be a hard-core cycling crowd. The large numbers did make it seem like it would be safer out on any heavily driven roads. The marshals emphasized this was a ride, not a race, and the roads were open to all traffic, so safety first!</span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiHBT5tp8H3OsY4dW7xSSvZEqIvg-I1LjtFv1cJjwBY4JMHI1aq62pP1oSrCKkLoh7QiPn17H0d0JVKizWAeLjQQL-iceQRi9wMilfJK_qaNAr4d1cAQVFw_J64obpU562Zen9zSgZUJJw/s1600/IMG_20150823_084917.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiHBT5tp8H3OsY4dW7xSSvZEqIvg-I1LjtFv1cJjwBY4JMHI1aq62pP1oSrCKkLoh7QiPn17H0d0JVKizWAeLjQQL-iceQRi9wMilfJK_qaNAr4d1cAQVFw_J64obpU562Zen9zSgZUJJw/s640/IMG_20150823_084917.jpg" width="480" /></a></div>
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</span> <br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The ride started uphill, of course. For the first 5 km or so, I was happy to take an easy meandering pace, but soon it felt too slow. I needed to pace myself to last for 100 km - I knew this, but if the pace felt unnatural, and maintaining it was going to mean taking longer to finish than I was ready to spend on this event, that meant I would have to pass. This is where I seem to have a bit of a disconnect with pure cyclists. They like to ride at least 2 abreast and occupy the whole lane. This is considered the safest practice, I know, because it forces cars to acknowledge that the bicycle is entitled to the entire lane under the highway traffic act. When cars pass, they go around the group in a separate lane. As a triathlete, though, I have an aversion to crossing the centre line, even when there is not oncoming traffic, just because the rules so strictly prohibit it - it can mean disqualification. Plus, it seems dangerous. So I found myself sometimes waiting for opportunities to pass; I don't think "on your left" is as much of a thing in straight-up cycling.</span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiR3snJv-fnu17S-8RPgN-q7IkoXs7it_LPhZhgvzY0U_acePgyA5kG6jLaWMx6DX3QxDPc2_jVZMN7GzRQg4sg1DHxmyU_rBMSebz2H9rnL9JHnW9UoPIpAC9nuyKWMccT4lD8RuyMtBg/s1600/20150823_103137.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="360" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiR3snJv-fnu17S-8RPgN-q7IkoXs7it_LPhZhgvzY0U_acePgyA5kG6jLaWMx6DX3QxDPc2_jVZMN7GzRQg4sg1DHxmyU_rBMSebz2H9rnL9JHnW9UoPIpAC9nuyKWMccT4lD8RuyMtBg/s640/20150823_103137.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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</span> <span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br />
</span> <span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">After some climbing to get over the Niagara Escarpment, there was plenty of flat land to really see what kind of speed you could build up to on flat land. It was a beautiful day, with perfect weather. The first rest stop came at 23 km, and they had bananas, Clif Bars, Pro Bar Base protein bars and Nuun hydration tablets. No porta-potties though; that might have been a little prohibitive for such a small support crew to transport, but I could have used one. From that point, the century (100 km) and 50 k routes split up.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br />
</span> <span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">That was also the point where I separated from the crowd. Sometimes I rode behind a pair of riders or so, but for the bulk of the ride I was on my own. The course maps they had provided us had a list of 'cues' on the back that told you when your next turn would come in terms of total mileage. That came in handy for reassurance, but for the most part I could see the little white arrows painted on the road because they came as such logical junctures. The route was so rural and abandoned that I often forgot that cars could come by.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br />
</span> <span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">At the second rest stop (48 km) my drink mix (<a href="http://offers.everlastnutrition.com/vp1?_ref=ns6_vpf" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Everlast FUEL with BCAAs and electrolytes, use the code IRONROGUE for a discount</a>), was getting weak from being diluted with the water I had added, so I popped in a NUUN tablets. I have many blogger friends who rave about NUUN, and now I get it. It gave me some nice pep for the remainder of my ride. I didn't see any of the <a href="http://shop.theprobar.com/Cookie-Dough-BASE-sleeve-of-12-bars" target="_blank">Pro Bar Cookie Dough</a> flavour that I had promised myself at the second rest stop, and the third rest stop (same location as the first) had run out by the time I got there.</span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhEpE-JxJ_NyuP0NFlfw3tCx73XPknPvk_elSR5UlyhWqrBTBjj1FB_w_adlf_XyEHTbxCndVTosCN_U7Ntn0OKinHsmm5SJc7UGiKCjz6SkuuSxviy1HgjdiAQYra5XRDqBeRFQHQm-94/s1600/20150823_112252.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="360" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhEpE-JxJ_NyuP0NFlfw3tCx73XPknPvk_elSR5UlyhWqrBTBjj1FB_w_adlf_XyEHTbxCndVTosCN_U7Ntn0OKinHsmm5SJc7UGiKCjz6SkuuSxviy1HgjdiAQYra5XRDqBeRFQHQm-94/s640/20150823_112252.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br />
</span> <span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The ride went through so many small villages that I can't remember the names of them all, but one location I did recognize was African Lion Safari. One of the riders jokingly suggested a detour through there; "What could possibly go wrong?" I asked.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br />
</span> <span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Overall on the ride, I had my chain pop off way too much. Other riders suggested replacing the chain, but the bike is still too new. I think the front derailleur needs an adjustment - this is something I have to take up with my bike shop, as it costs me way too much time, and trying to put the chain back on while balancing the bike at the side of the road seems to get a lot harder as my legs get tired.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br />
</span> <span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The last 25 km were a bit of a struggle. I can remember thinking at 82 km "I don't want to do this anymore." It wasn't so much that I wanted to quit, but the aero position was hurting my neck and shoulders quite a bit, and to not ride in aero was making the ride slower and ultimately take longer. Still that part of the ride was a net downhill, and all familiar from the ride out, so the kilometres clicked by fairly quickly.</span><br />
<iframe frameborder="0" height="600" scrolling="no" src="https://www.endomondo.com/embed/workouts?w=gl1oI756wTU&width=580&height=600&width=950&height=600" width="950"></iframe><br />
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</span> <span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I rolled into Hidden Valley Park after nearly 4 hours of time in the saddle (I paused Garmin tracking during the rest stops) with a big smile of accomplishment on my face. While I was tired, I think my legs would still have responded to the command to run, if I had to, so things are looking up for Barrelman. The local Rotary club was grilling burgers for free and a bike shop had put up a beer tent with a local brew; sadly they only took cash so I have a future date with <a href="http://www.nickelbrook.com/our-beer/" target="_blank">Cause and Effect by Nickelbrook Brewery</a>.</span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiusZfdShhzs4xardhOuYiK2kLgKLIugNM2REK3O4CT-oKrWKlSHMbWylgtlnfFniSMwxL_GsHmqFQ50K7EhGMIa5mXs6NKZEdhT6ek9eW0_wRh5gFz_g-I2vYD9YVCUx6V3bv-T_scvSc/s1600/IMG_20150823_140129.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiusZfdShhzs4xardhOuYiK2kLgKLIugNM2REK3O4CT-oKrWKlSHMbWylgtlnfFniSMwxL_GsHmqFQ50K7EhGMIa5mXs6NKZEdhT6ek9eW0_wRh5gFz_g-I2vYD9YVCUx6V3bv-T_scvSc/s640/IMG_20150823_140129.jpg" width="480" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Century Ride Finisher (minus beer) selfie</td></tr>
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</span> <span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I drove home and tried to clean myself up - I had chain grease everywhere: my hands, my face, my legs, the insides of my arms. Then I took the boys to the splash pad; they rode their bikes, showing me maybe someday they'll be up for long rides too. Trips to the splash pad, long bike rides, birthday parties, swimming, running... I wish the summer didn't have to end.</span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEibUoutwVU-gOL9O7J5c-waPENAh-8l8bOm8PdY-YgQHiwfMhgx3y-SpGzGHrKW_dsD7doDLJf1rdkGX80GxnrpyiQ-4nzRmCQBoA0gd_PgyBwFa7KTY937YTwCMqulDMMRlBjqwaOiQpY/s1600/20150823_155858.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="360" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEibUoutwVU-gOL9O7J5c-waPENAh-8l8bOm8PdY-YgQHiwfMhgx3y-SpGzGHrKW_dsD7doDLJf1rdkGX80GxnrpyiQ-4nzRmCQBoA0gd_PgyBwFa7KTY937YTwCMqulDMMRlBjqwaOiQpY/s640/20150823_155858.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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</span> <span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><i>What's the longest bike ride you've ever done? How are you consoling yourself over the end of summer?</i></span>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01460872603454460967noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1567260830466854942.post-57332374538928250492015-08-14T00:30:00.000-04:002015-08-14T00:30:01.500-04:00Race Recap: Bracebridge Olympic Triathlon 2015<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Bracebridge is a great race; I thought so when I did it 2 years ago, and this year confirmed it. In fact, I’m now wondering what was wrong with me that I didn’t do it last year - what probably seemed like a good reason at the time wasn’t.</span></div>
<b id="docs-internal-guid-ebff7776-28c3-f665-44d1-7dc87ccedebf" style="font-weight: normal;"><br />
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<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">I went to bed the night before with pain in my right shoulder, and I woke up with a tightness in my right hamstring, but luckily both were long gone by the time I had breakfast (bagel with peanut butter, apple, and 2 cups of coffee) and hit the road. </span></div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhPk7vgLbY7yP6aPuam1ZT5iexpK3xIZ5Oi5YRvsRj1dYlQdQsVaPlkI2528fSyKebHOc5BStgelESSLTr8w__Q9MpUe1o-giuUrbgzKJ3dTtatfvCeaa2a81t52GBeXrew6rJ1gkBQz0c/s1600/20150809_063013.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhPk7vgLbY7yP6aPuam1ZT5iexpK3xIZ5Oi5YRvsRj1dYlQdQsVaPlkI2528fSyKebHOc5BStgelESSLTr8w__Q9MpUe1o-giuUrbgzKJ3dTtatfvCeaa2a81t52GBeXrew6rJ1gkBQz0c/s640/20150809_063013.jpg" width="360" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Breakfast</td></tr>
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<b style="font-weight: normal;"><br />
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<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Due to logistical concerns that I won’t bore you with, I was travelling to the race solo. Though I love having a cheering section, and there were lonely parts of the day, I did appreciate being able to focus like a laser on being organized before the race. Having gotten to the site with a little under an hour to spare, I still didn’t get everything perfect.</span></div>
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<h1 dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 10pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS'; font-size: 21.333333333333332px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">From the “Don’t Do Anything New on Race Day”</span></h1>
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<li dir="ltr" style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; list-style-type: disc; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"><div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Somehow, I had left my </span><a href="http://ironrogue.blogspot.com/2014/12/review-saucony-triumph-iso-shoes.html" style="text-decoration: none;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: #1155cc; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: underline; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Saucony Triumphs</span></a><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> in the gym locker room at work, and I couldn’t access it on a Saturday while packing. Luckily, I keep a pair of Mizuno Wave Riders with other running gear in my desk for emergencies (like, I forget to pack running gear) and I’ve used them mostly for treadmill runs. So they were my shoes for race day.</span></div>
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<li dir="ltr" style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; list-style-type: disc; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"><div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">I dropped a lot of cash on aerodynamic hydration accessories. While I also got a double bottle cage for my seat-post, I focused on a hydration system that would let me drink while riding. I’m pretty proud that I got it installed correctly, as I’ve seen pics of some jury-rigged setups in some triathlon Facebook groups that would make MacGyver puke. At least, I thought I had it correct; can you see what I did wrong?</span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhegBMkmkW55dR5Ad0Rjos9XRGlCExmBcLYekzRcLrpXe3Zd1OwzmF9Zwor74X22M8EMkEyvBpbJ7tBmLrC4B-17BKIuloGxgMENB6Ozo7Qef_G619XcQq789JiukNmRW6u7GH4kWnlafw/s1600/20150809_081213.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhegBMkmkW55dR5Ad0Rjos9XRGlCExmBcLYekzRcLrpXe3Zd1OwzmF9Zwor74X22M8EMkEyvBpbJ7tBmLrC4B-17BKIuloGxgMENB6Ozo7Qef_G619XcQq789JiukNmRW6u7GH4kWnlafw/s640/20150809_081213.jpg" width="360" /></a></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span></span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">I won’t tell you yet, you’ll find out around the same time I did if you keep reading.</span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiZn0gaLmU3-FaoI_5lcinFz5ipWpT-7lWtZdpJkzyjBsK1ajOCdC_j5wCMoBbtbbkdqyYrtfQ2uWSALLPzou8-k2PzeuXMpNpMkU7jSE6RH8x5803B5Jp546_TU26vv1O1jo-QbzihrSY/s1600/20150809_081329.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="360" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiZn0gaLmU3-FaoI_5lcinFz5ipWpT-7lWtZdpJkzyjBsK1ajOCdC_j5wCMoBbtbbkdqyYrtfQ2uWSALLPzou8-k2PzeuXMpNpMkU7jSE6RH8x5803B5Jp546_TU26vv1O1jo-QbzihrSY/s640/20150809_081329.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Race Site</td></tr>
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<h1 dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 10pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS'; font-size: 21.333333333333332px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Other misses</span></h1>
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<li dir="ltr" style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; list-style-type: disc; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"><div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">I did do a small swim warm-up to make sure the wet-suit was on properly, but ideally I would have done even more swimming before the race. I crossed the river and back, that’s it.</span></div>
</li>
<li dir="ltr" style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; list-style-type: disc; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"><div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">I hadn’t cleaned and oiled my chain the day before, but I had inflated my tires.</span></div>
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<li dir="ltr" style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; list-style-type: disc; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"><div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">I packed both gels I planned to have on the race course in my race belt, and set up my running shoes in transition with laces </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">untied</span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">, but the silly part is that I thought I </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">hadn’t, </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> and ended up fretting over it a little during the race.</span></div>
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<b style="font-weight: normal;"><br />
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<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Besides actually having a swim warm-up, which never happens to me, the other big hit for me was being able to make two trips to the port-a-potty before the race, and not over-hydrating, which meant not having to take any pit stops during the entire race. Let’s break down the legs:</span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgWXeg_COtLzGBXZO59t9MV6Sn-Xo6gAtYjjtR5fqSVMLNhkBGtISOs8JtkpHYSnaSZ_6fI985vHyq8XMB8Chaoe16NO_h9Y5PhWFB6S3Tgowa0TrZSW0FPG0H8IAXJmuQ1z9NKEXJhQqM/s1600/20150809_081324.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="360" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgWXeg_COtLzGBXZO59t9MV6Sn-Xo6gAtYjjtR5fqSVMLNhkBGtISOs8JtkpHYSnaSZ_6fI985vHyq8XMB8Chaoe16NO_h9Y5PhWFB6S3Tgowa0TrZSW0FPG0H8IAXJmuQ1z9NKEXJhQqM/s640/20150809_081324.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">A view looking toward the Swim Exit</td></tr>
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<h1 dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 10pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS'; font-size: 21.333333333333332px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Swim</span></h1>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Bracebridge maintained its usual format of having a seeded swim start. You simply line up by bib number. Marshals got everyone organized in batches of about 50 people at a time, and it looked like everybody tried to find people close to them in number so it made things really straightforward. Everyone wore red bathing caps, so there was no identifying your age group by colour, but I still like the format, and I think having different colour bathing caps might confuse people into trying to get into waves. When you reach the front of the line (the end of the dock - you are already in the water), the final marshal calls out your number to confirm (I was 107), and finishes the countdown which is 5 seconds from the previous swimmer and you’re off!</span></div>
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<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">The first part of the swim is with the current. I honestly think the current was negligible; someone had commented that they’d seen leaves on the surface that “weren’t in any hurry”, and I couldn’t see much difference in pace from the downriver part to the upriver part. There was no line of sight between the start and the turn-around, so sighting to the next buoy was important, and also was a great way to prevent collisions, but you didn’t have to sight too often. I had the sinking feeling that I wasn’t pacing myself well, and I had to make a persistent effort to calm myself down and not swim too excitedly, so that I’d have a good pace on the second part of the swim.</span></div>
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<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">On the way back, sighting became nigh impossible. The sun was reflecting off the water and directly into our eyes. Sticking close to the shoreline seemed like a good idea because the current would be weaker, and it would keep me on the right side of the buoys, so as long as I was seeing dazzling sunlit water ahead of me, I figured I was doing fine. Besides a minor bump or two with other swimmers, the rest of the swim was uneventful. I could swear I saw some bikes whizzing by along the river, but when I look at the maps, the bike course did not go past the North shore of the river. I still have issues with the seam of the wet-suit bunching up by my neck as I swim, which causes a lot of irritation and makes me lose time when I stop to re-adjust it. I need to find a fix for that which won’t stop me from being able to open the zipper and take off the wet-suit when I hit transition. I finished in 28:12, and that gives me an official pace of 1:52/100m which I’m pretty happy about. The thing is, that’s based on 1500m exactly; my measurements show 1575m in 27:42 which gives me a crazy pace of 1:46/100m!</span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjKrFLh04ipzVlY8QOCYZ5GucIFG9HV3ULg-yFwXNYsW7dXJ1gZI6NI-b15rRjyt1biLOKca50SR4Vp2XnIdZxMHj6mchE9xfBa8VKPKzlvGkHcTXLk1ejYrYI1eZIaNPomUnULoJMDpak/s1600/11850615_10153432165216233_6097620540332354785_o.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjKrFLh04ipzVlY8QOCYZ5GucIFG9HV3ULg-yFwXNYsW7dXJ1gZI6NI-b15rRjyt1biLOKca50SR4Vp2XnIdZxMHj6mchE9xfBa8VKPKzlvGkHcTXLk1ejYrYI1eZIaNPomUnULoJMDpak/s640/11850615_10153432165216233_6097620540332354785_o.jpg" width="424" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Courtesy of MultiSport Canada</td></tr>
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<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">My biggest challenge in transition seems to be getting the Garmin off my wrist before pulling off my wet-suit, only to put the Garmin back on again. I just don’t like the idea of the wet-suit getting damaged by me trying to fit the watch in under the sleeve. Other than that, I think it went pretty well, as 2:35 is actually a pretty good T1 time (in fact, it’s a personal best!). I tried to take a sip from the straw of my aero-bottle while running the bike out to the mount line and nearly knocked a tooth out... I won’t try that again.</span></div>
<b style="font-weight: normal;"><br />
</b> <br />
<h1 dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 10pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS'; font-size: 21.333333333333332px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Bike</span></h1>
<b style="font-weight: normal;"><br />
</b> <br />
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">I was so excited to take Sable (see</span><a href="http://ironrogue.blogspot.com/2015/06/introducing-my-new-bike-sable.html" style="text-decoration: none;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: #1155cc; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: underline; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> here for the bike name explanation</span></a><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">) out for the first race? Are there words sweeter to say than “on your left”? Again I think race excitement was making me a little aggressive with my pace at first, but I think I brought the pace/effort down well enough without slacking either. As I passed some athletes, I looked at their gear and their muscles and began to doubt whether passing them was the right thing to do. Still, if the speed I wanted to go at was faster than I needed to go to stay safely behind them without drafting, I really did need to pass, didn’t I? </span></div>
<b style="font-weight: normal;"><br />
</b> <br />
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">One notable... observation, shall we say? I passed a female racer who’s tri outfit left something to be desired in the opacity department. Remember that </span><a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/sheer-lululemon-yoga-pants-illustration-2013-10" style="text-decoration: none;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: #1155cc; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: underline; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Lululemon controversy</span></a><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">? They were like that. Now this was a custom kit with a team name or something on them, but I felt bad about the view I had, and again, she wasn’t really going at a speed I wanted to match, so I passed her. Guilt absolved... until I hit a hill and my chain popped off. While I was replacing it she passed me and I went through the whole scenario again. Twice this happened.</span></div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjNsPQYQKAyLvrz74xNoUW0VAHS6ciGQf1BK_lnh1jlMS746pXD1IyL-Pj7YdCPiXGLa9F8daGvvAVAjT-WG5fgXIGP__zuhvMGQjuZLCD4SdgLlzs35rEAq9FJbyFpUkl92tonDtPPJe8/s1600/Feature-Aquacell-ABB.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="476" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjNsPQYQKAyLvrz74xNoUW0VAHS6ciGQf1BK_lnh1jlMS746pXD1IyL-Pj7YdCPiXGLa9F8daGvvAVAjT-WG5fgXIGP__zuhvMGQjuZLCD4SdgLlzs35rEAq9FJbyFpUkl92tonDtPPJe8/s640/Feature-Aquacell-ABB.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">See how the front comes into a point?</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<b style="font-weight: normal;"><br />
</b> <br />
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Sometime in the last 15 km or so, I looked down at my aero-bottle and noticed that the front had a flat surface facing into the wind. That’s not aero-dynamic! I do believe that I mounted it backwards, although I thought I’d prefer having the main chamber closer to me (there are two different chambers which can be used for different liquids, or the inner chamber can be used to store ice to cool the outer chamber... that’s what I did on race day).</span></div>
<b style="font-weight: normal;"><br />
</b> <br />
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">My overall goal, one I’ve been chasing my entire triathlon career, is to average speed over 30 km/h. In spite of some tough hills and stopping to place the chain back on the ring twice, I achieved that goal... as long as you count the course as 42 km which it was (thanks to a last minute course alteration that was made for racer safety). In the books (i.e. </span><a href="https://www.sportstats.ca/display-results.xhtml?raceid=27313&status=results&bib=107" style="text-decoration: none;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: #1155cc; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: underline; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Sportstats Website</span></a><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">) doing a 40 km course in 1:23:09 makes for 28.9 km/h. Drat.</span></div>
<b style="font-weight: normal;"><br />
</b> <br />
<h1 dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 10pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS'; font-size: 21.333333333333332px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Transition 2</span></h1>
<b style="font-weight: normal;"><br />
</b> <br />
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">I noticed heavy legs as soon as I dismounted. With </span><a href="http://ironrogue.blogspot.com/2015/08/what-kind-of-changes-my-bike-underwent.html" style="text-decoration: none;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: #1155cc; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: underline; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">my cleats in a new position</span></a><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> on the sole of my feet, I was a little unsteady heading back to my space on the racks.</span></div>
<b style="font-weight: normal;"><br />
</b> <br />
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">This is where I got two pleasant surprises: my running shoe laces were untied so I could do them up right and quickly, and I had packed the second carb gel into the same pocket as the first (instead of on the opposite side, as I intended), but I still had it on me and wouldn’t waste time going to my tri-bag (which was off to the side, as Triathlon Ontario rules dictate, which I found out at </span><a href="http://ironrogue.blogspot.com/2014/09/race-recap-lakeside-sprint-triathlon.html" style="text-decoration: none;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: #1155cc; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: underline; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Lakeside last year</span></a><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">). I forgot to wear my visor, but ate the carb gel on the way out of transition. Time elapsed: 2:13. I should have gotten that under 2 minutes.</span></div>
<b style="font-weight: normal;"><br />
</b> <br />
<h1 dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 10pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS'; font-size: 21.333333333333332px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Run</span></h1>
<b style="font-weight: normal;"><br />
</b> <br />
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">My legs were still heavy as I headed out of transition, but I knew that would pass, more or less. I was 3 for 3 on being a little aggressive with pace at the start; I could see my heart rate was too high, and I wanted to finish strong. The run course was quite enjoyable as it followed the river and trees provided plenty of shade. There were plenty of aid stations with water or </span><a href="http://www.hammernutrition.com/products/heed-reg--sports-drink.he.html" style="text-decoration: none;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: #1155cc; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: underline; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">HEED</span></a><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> available every 1.5 km or so. By the time I was 3 km in, I felt quite settled; my pace seemed to be hovering close to 5:30/km, which was better than I expected. My legs were hurting, but I noticed that they were still responsive - when I told them to move, they moved and I kept good form.</span></div>
<b style="font-weight: normal;"><br />
</b> <br />
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">As I closed in the last few kilometres, I saw the promise of a 55 minute finish, but again, the course was a little long, and I completed 10.43 km in nearly 56 minutes. I had thought about doing a cartwheel or something goofy across the finish line, but when you’re chasing a time goal, there’s no room for fooling around.</span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg_0XhCRvuwvjzUnIna-DzYU_ksceypUq31-GH9YMyQilUKRqAgfuQkPtsF_9kVs9mFn2ZDOXZS8g2kqAoYjxo5fWcDeOUvyEylCpnlwC6yydH8ED1dvzvqdfWr2CHSgUmG_2QKoENmjCc/s1600/11838534_10153432254566233_5060470680714097166_o.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="424" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg_0XhCRvuwvjzUnIna-DzYU_ksceypUq31-GH9YMyQilUKRqAgfuQkPtsF_9kVs9mFn2ZDOXZS8g2kqAoYjxo5fWcDeOUvyEylCpnlwC6yydH8ED1dvzvqdfWr2CHSgUmG_2QKoENmjCc/s640/11838534_10153432254566233_5060470680714097166_o.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Courtesy of MultiSport Canada</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<b style="font-weight: normal;"><br />
</b> <br />
<iframe frameborder="0" height="598" src="https://connect.garmin.com/activity/embed/860674128" width="465"></iframe><br />
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">I had two goals for this race overall going in, and beforehand I thought they might be at odds with each other:</span></div>
<b style="font-weight: normal;"><br />
</b> <br />
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<li dir="ltr" style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; list-style-type: decimal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"><div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Use it as a ‘B’ race to work on transitions and other race-day logistics</span></div>
</li>
<li dir="ltr" style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; list-style-type: decimal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"><div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Beat my previous time at this race, and maybe, thanks to a heavy training load this season, achieve a Personal Best for the Olympic Distance.</span></div>
</li>
</ol>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjWepWWreyl0j9AUbUmhS0IDCYNmlHXekCdrkfk2x_-YWlh_vrHFJPfwFCflTaobR5tewELcjPbQFt3nDInQrJf19_ge7DancsXL-XD6_K7n02lel4bKxlQStcoSd840xPmX0XUoN6cVzk/s1600/11230044_978893595495269_9166907212034291912_o.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjWepWWreyl0j9AUbUmhS0IDCYNmlHXekCdrkfk2x_-YWlh_vrHFJPfwFCflTaobR5tewELcjPbQFt3nDInQrJf19_ge7DancsXL-XD6_K7n02lel4bKxlQStcoSd840xPmX0XUoN6cVzk/s640/11230044_978893595495269_9166907212034291912_o.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
<br />
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">I’m really happy to have achieved both of those things. While the new PB makes me happy, I needed the confidence that I know what I’m doing in terms of technique and strategy to carry me forward to the </span><a href="http://niagarafallstriathlon.com/" style="text-decoration: none;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: #1155cc; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: underline; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Barrelman Triathlon</span></a><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">.</span></div>
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</span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEivkAFPAbjlJ5zMmTyyn77Anc3J9vOdnhD-tRJzGImS9mwq5KfKpDmzciv-G7eYNryJpGMSCaB7BLcJSK-Q5cYDSeobNBKLtiahPrIula-BLb-JUHEO7wYX8nH8rvQ_52GVT5l6uOjgLXc/s1600/IMG_20150809_121540.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEivkAFPAbjlJ5zMmTyyn77Anc3J9vOdnhD-tRJzGImS9mwq5KfKpDmzciv-G7eYNryJpGMSCaB7BLcJSK-Q5cYDSeobNBKLtiahPrIula-BLb-JUHEO7wYX8nH8rvQ_52GVT5l6uOjgLXc/s640/IMG_20150809_121540.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br />
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01460872603454460967noreply@blogger.com2Bracebridge, ON, Canada45.0389565 -79.307878744.679959999999994 -79.953325700000008 45.397953 -78.6624317tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1567260830466854942.post-88671870298610019872015-08-09T22:34:00.001-04:002015-08-10T07:41:52.935-04:00What Kind Of Changes My Bike Underwent From An Aero-Fit<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I've been wanting to write up about my experience getting an aero-fit at<a href="http://www.thebikezone.com/" target="_blank"> BikeZone Mississauga</a> with <a href="http://www.wincyclingcentre.com/index.html" target="_blank">Coach (Kris) Kurzawinski</a> for some time now. When I finally had some blog post writing time available, it was shortly before the <a href="http://www.multisportcanada.com/bracebridge/" target="_blank">Bracebridge Olympic Tri</a> weekend, and I wanted to get <a href="http://ironrogue.blogspot.ca/2015/08/a-special-announcement.html" target="_blank">my announcement about RODS Racing</a> out there first.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The next thing I'm going to spend time on writing will be my Bracebridge Race Recap, but fear not! As usual, I have a cunning plan to provide you with the relevant info, without spending time churning out text and photos.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I've been playing around with <a href="https://www.periscope.tv/" target="_blank">Periscope</a>, and though I've made some fairly bad (e.g. a live broadcast of a bike ride where you couldn't hear a word I was saying thanks to wind and vibration), I think this one turned out OK. I think only a few people saw it live, but I figured out how to edit the video so everything is right side up, and put it on YouTube (<a href="https://www.youtube.com/user/apkussma/videos" target="_blank">My Channel - Please Subscribe!</a>).</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Here it is.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
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<iframe width="320" height="266" class="YOUTUBE-iframe-video" data-thumbnail-src="https://i.ytimg.com/vi/-HH4UywejQo/0.jpg" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/-HH4UywejQo?feature=player_embedded" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe></div>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01460872603454460967noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1567260830466854942.post-14870977854761996632015-08-06T23:37:00.002-04:002015-08-06T23:37:31.104-04:00A Special Announcement<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I'm racing in the Bracebridge Olympic Triathlon on Sunday... but that's not the announcement. A charity I've been following (and supporting) for the past year or two, has opened up applications to their team, and on the spur of the moment, I've joined the <a href="http://rodsracing.org/meet-the-team/" target="_blank">RODS Racing Team</a>.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgpeudCNgOeeiMMqece8XzVYRp-NwpWUIkol_lJTZs5idbhS3pjcBoWIliZaFHhs-XtlOF7rCT2F_qCKVFXYP5MlLUBbq7jhY3_dyvApF0g0ToZLaTGlGQ_CtA3CcD8NiwmLB9j3QlSIkA/s1600/MeetOrphanSidebar.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="606" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgpeudCNgOeeiMMqece8XzVYRp-NwpWUIkol_lJTZs5idbhS3pjcBoWIliZaFHhs-XtlOF7rCT2F_qCKVFXYP5MlLUBbq7jhY3_dyvApF0g0ToZLaTGlGQ_CtA3CcD8NiwmLB9j3QlSIkA/s640/MeetOrphanSidebar.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Donation link below.</td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I've seen first hand how a child with Down syndrome can flourish and thrive with a loving family's support. I've seen it in my own child and in the children belonging to the community I've joined. Sadly, in other countries, whether because of cultural bias, bureaucracy, or simply lack of resources, children not unlike the <a href="http://meandthelightningkid.blogspot.com/" target="_blank">Lightning Kid</a> end up in orphanages, where they won't know the kind of love that every child deserves, and you can imagine how their development wilts, as they are left in society's furthest margins.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">There are sad problems in this world that don't have easy solutions. This is not one of them; you see, there are parents out there just desperate to adopt these children - but the path to international adoption is not a cheap one. The good news is that this is a problem that money can solve.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">That's where <a href="http://rodsracing.org/" target="_blank">RODS Racing</a> comes in. Donations go to helping achieve an adoption for a child with Down syndrome from an orphanage, one child at a time. When an adoption is successful, the next child's adoption campaign starts.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">As a member of the racing team, I'm looking to raise at least $2500 for <a href="http://rodsracing.org/meet-our-rods-orphan/" target="_blank">Laura's </a>adoption. I'll be racing <a href="http://www.multisportcanada.com/bracebridge/" target="_blank">Bracebridge </a>for Laura, and <a href="http://niagarafallstriathlon.com/" target="_blank">Barrelman </a>too (probably while sporting RODS Racing Team apparel).</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Please consider visiting<a href="http://rodsracing.org/team/axel/" target="_blank"> my team page</a> and making a donation. RODS Racing is a registered charity and donations are tax deductible. In addition to this campaign, I'll also have other news for really cool events from RODS Racing in the near future, so stay tuned here, follow their social media accounts (<a href="https://twitter.com/RODS_racing" target="_blank">Twitter</a>, <a href="https://www.facebook.com/RodsRacing" target="_blank">Facebook </a>and <a href="http://instagram.com/rodsracing" target="_blank">Instagram</a>) and spread the word for this wonderful cause.</span>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01460872603454460967noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1567260830466854942.post-86056481715750413112015-07-30T21:51:00.000-04:002015-07-30T22:19:41.542-04:00A Long Bike Ride: Tour De Lake Of Bays<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">You might say I crossed an item off my bucket list this weekend - the odd part is that I forgot that it was on my bucket list (insofar as I have one). You see, when I was little, my <a href="http://ironrogue.blogspot.ca/2015/03/march-4th-march-forth.html">father </a>and a friend rode their bicycles around Lake of Bays over the course of a day. He’d repeated the feat with my mother a few years later, though I had forgotten that little factoid. At any rate, he told me that it was a challenge worth taking on, and I always thought I would do it one day “when I was grown up”.</span></div>
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<a href="https://instagram.com/p/5h4Nalt0D1/" style="color: #c9c8cd; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: 17px; text-decoration: none;" target="_top">A photo posted by Axel Kussmann (@apkussma)</a> on <time datetime="2015-07-24T18:42:35+00:00" style="font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 17px;">Jul 24, 2015 at 11:42am PDT</time></div>
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<script async="" defer="" src="//platform.instagram.com/en_US/embeds.js"></script><br />
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">I was trying to come up with a good long, training ride to do at the cottage when I remembered all this, so it fell to me and Sable to get the job done. I called it “Tour De Lake of Bays” #TourDeLakeOfBays.</span></div>
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<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">The first 24-25 km of the route were very familiar to me, as I had rode them last week. It was a lot hotter and sunnier this time, though. There is bridge construction in Dorset, which made for a good time to text a status update and take a CLIF Shot (chocolate flavour) gel.</span></div>
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<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">After Dorset came the Highway 117 leg, which probably caused me more suffering than any other part. It was very long and unfamiliar, and though I hoped that it would be flatter thanks to how it hewed close to the lakeshore, I was confronted with the same kind of hills I’d been climbing the whole time in my own backyard parts of Muskoka. It must have gotten monotonous and seemed worse than it was, because the Garmin analysis shows I kept up a speed average of over 25 km/h for over an hour.</span></div>
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<a href="https://instagram.com/p/5pI4_2t0K3/" style="color: #c9c8cd; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: 17px; text-decoration: none;" target="_top">A photo posted by Axel Kussmann (@apkussma)</a> on <time datetime="2015-07-27T14:23:02+00:00" style="font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 17px;">Jul 27, 2015 at 7:23am PDT</time></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">When I rolled into Baysville, I was seeing familiar sites. I’ve heard stories of people on long bike rides stopping for Starbucks, or Tim Horton’s or whatnot, but stopping at a brewery would take the cake. I didn’t though, since I knew I wasn’t going to be keeping to my projected 3 hour schedule, and I didn’t want to shirk child-minding duties entirely. I doubt the alcohol would have done much for my safety or performance, but it would have tasted SOOOO good.</span></div>
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<a href="https://instagram.com/p/5nMmlpt0Jl/" style="color: #c9c8cd; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: 17px; text-decoration: none;" target="_top">A photo posted by Axel Kussmann (@apkussma)</a> on <time datetime="2015-07-26T20:17:00+00:00" style="font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 17px;">Jul 26, 2015 at 1:17pm PDT</time></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br />
</span> <span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">While being familar ground, the final stretch of Brunel Road followed by South Portage were the toughest. For starters, there was construction on Brunel Road for the first 3-4 km. I had been forewarned about it, but I figured it would be a closed lane or some narrowing; the road was as good as gone!</span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjpixcMuj3nz1fbuHVhvo36VjiU_hrMJRAD0vlOj3ore_NW7WNsCU1IOgSZC-tdnXbYMFG7amvX6xccUgJ4UH1PKzFfF74EMQcoDSGrXM2f4-pONjPscjffwqCtF4zTh-tbAWqxopy0_UY/s1600/20150726_123711.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="360" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjpixcMuj3nz1fbuHVhvo36VjiU_hrMJRAD0vlOj3ore_NW7WNsCU1IOgSZC-tdnXbYMFG7amvX6xccUgJ4UH1PKzFfF74EMQcoDSGrXM2f4-pONjPscjffwqCtF4zTh-tbAWqxopy0_UY/s640/20150726_123711.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br />
</span> <span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">I didn't like taking my brand new bike over that gravelly road, but I didn't have much choice, and taking it easy for safety was a good excuse to take it easy, and give my legs a rest. When I reached the end of the construction zone, I saw a sign that put me a little on the defensive...</span></div>
<blockquote class="instagram-media" data-instgrm-captioned="" data-instgrm-version="4" style="background: #FFF; border-radius: 3px; border: 0; box-shadow: 0 0 1px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.5),0 1px 10px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.15); margin: 1px; max-width: 658px; padding: 0; width: -webkit-calc(100% - 2px); width: 99.375%; width: calc(100% - 2px);">
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<a href="https://instagram.com/p/5nX1wbN0HS/" style="color: black; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: 17px; text-decoration: none; word-wrap: break-word;" target="_top">Who you callin' a turtle? I might have been feeling a little defensive at this point. #TourDeLakeOfBays #LakeOfBays #Muskoka #trimuskoka</a></div>
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A photo posted by Axel Kussmann (@apkussma) on <time datetime="2015-07-26T21:55:11+00:00" style="font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 17px;">Jul 26, 2015 at 2:55pm PDT</time></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br />
</span> <span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">The last part of the ride along Brunel takes you by some very pretty lakes; there's Shewfelt - which is nearly a pond, and Axel Lake (!) which isn't too visible from the road. I stopped to take a pic of North Tooke Lake (I think) and it's one of the nicer landscape pictures I've ever taken (at least with the help of an Instagram filter).</span></div>
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<a href="https://instagram.com/p/5nF5-Kt0Dk/" style="color: #c9c8cd; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: 17px; text-decoration: none;" target="_top">A photo posted by Axel Kussmann (@apkussma)</a> on <time datetime="2015-07-26T19:18:28+00:00" style="font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 17px;">Jul 26, 2015 at 12:18pm PDT</time></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br />
</span> <span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">I finished the ride back at my starting point with a time of 3:17 and texted for a pick-up. I was pretty spent, and even laid down in the dirt for a bit. Being attacked by bugs made me realize that at least I'm in good enough shape to recovery quickly from when I think I'm all tapped out.</span></div>
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<a href="https://instagram.com/p/5m99eqN0NY/" style="color: #c9c8cd; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: 17px; text-decoration: none;" target="_top">A photo posted by Axel Kussmann (@apkussma)</a> on <time datetime="2015-07-26T18:09:03+00:00" style="font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 17px;">Jul 26, 2015 at 11:09am PDT</time></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br />
</span> <span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br />
</span> <span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">I've still got some time before <a href="http://niagarafallstriathlon.com/" target="_blank">Barrelman</a>, so I may use this route again (with some add-ons, probably).</span></div>
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<iframe frameborder="0" height="500" src="https://connect.garmin.com/activity/embed/846193924" width="465"></iframe><br /></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">It would be great to be able to get it under 3 hours.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial;"><span style="font-size: 14.6666669845581px; line-height: 20.2399997711182px; white-space: pre-wrap;"><i>Do you have a training ride that is like a dragon that you have yet to slay?</i></span></span></div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01460872603454460967noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1567260830466854942.post-75949583790010320152015-07-20T20:03:00.001-04:002015-07-20T20:03:21.903-04:00Going Long On the Bike & Starting My Race Nutrition Journey <div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Disclaimer: I am an Everlast Nutrition Ambassador and earn commission on sales made with my discount code.</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">The origin of the term ‘Brick’ for a bike-run workout has somewhat disputed origins, but I’ve always believed that it comes from the heavy feeling in your legs after you get off the bike and try to run - the legs feel like they’re made out of brick. You know what’s been giving me the brick feeling in my legs lately?</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Waking up in the morning. The last week I’ve woken up with legs that just don’t want to move, and it’s been disconcerting. I’ve known soreness in my time, but this seemed worse. I didn’t panic about it, since my legs seemed to work fine once I got moving, and by the time I was dressed each morning, I felt fine except for a bit of a tired feeling in the legs.</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Still, it was a wake-up call that maybe I need to be more formal and regimented in my efforts to recover post-workout; the volume of training has taken a sharp uptick, especially since the training program’s phase that would have had me ramping up more slowly coincided with our </span><a href="http://ironrogue.blogspot.com/2015/07/german-vacation-2015-recap.html" style="text-decoration: none;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: #1155cc; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: underline; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">trip to Germany, where I’ve already documented I got less than the prescribed amount of training in</span></a><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">.</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">So on Friday, I took a 3-pronged approach to my 1 hour, 15 minute ride (accomplished by tacking on a little extra saddle time before and after a spin class).</span></div>
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<li dir="ltr" style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; list-style-type: decimal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"><div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">I drank a shake made with </span><a href="http://www.everlastnutrition.com/everlast-vp-pro-vegan-protein-mix" style="text-decoration: none;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: #1155cc; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: underline; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Everlast Nutrition VP Vegan Protein Powder</span></a><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">. This time I simply </span><a href="http://ironrogue.blogspot.com/2015/06/review-everlast-vp-vegan-protein-mix.html" style="text-decoration: none;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: #1155cc; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: underline; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">mixed it with water and it was more pleasant to drink</span></a><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">.</span></div>
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<a href="https://instagram.com/p/5Pw9Zgt0Ch/" style="color: black; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: 17px; text-decoration: none; word-wrap: break-word;" target="_top">The way my legs have been feeling, I know it's time to take post-workout #recovery a little more seriously - that means foam rolling, compression, and the best tasting vegan protein out there... remember to use the discount code IRONROGUE when checking out! #ad</a></div>
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A photo posted by Axel Kussmann (@apkussma) on <time datetime="2015-07-17T17:52:54+00:00" style="font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 17px;">Jul 17, 2015 at 10:52am PDT</time></div>
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<script async="" defer="" src="//platform.instagram.com/en_US/embeds.js"></script><br />
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Even though I got to bed late after a long drive up to the cottage, I felt great the next morning and totally rocked a brick workout on Muskoka’s hills, first thing in the morning! In addition to feeling validated about my recovery strategy, it was my first time taking </span><a href="http://ironrogue.blogspot.com/2015/06/introducing-my-new-bike-sable.html" style="text-decoration: none;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: #1155cc; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: underline; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Sable </span></a><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">out on the road.</span></div>
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<iframe frameborder="0" height="600" scrolling="no" src="https://www.endomondo.com/embed/workouts?w=sYOdIZZCvvQ&width=580&height=600&width=950&height=600" width="950"></iframe><br />
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">I rode 30 km with an average speed of 25.9 km/h, which I never thought I’d manage on those Muskoka hills, and I still had enough gas in my tank to run 6 km with a 6:05 min/km pace after that.</span></div>
<iframe frameborder="0" height="600" scrolling="no" src="https://www.endomondo.com/embed/workouts?w=jf-L2Z1966c&width=580&height=600&width=950&height=600" width="950"></iframe><br />
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Now in addition to being recovered well, I had another weapon. Since I wanted to get a 3 hour ride in on Sunday, I knew I had to start playing around with taking in calories while on the bike. Sable isn’t kitted out with many accessories yet, so I don’t have any bottle cages or fuel boxes (aero or otherwise) attached to it. Instead I wore my hydration pack, and loaded it with </span><a href="http://www.everlastnutrition.com/everlast-fuel-performance-drink-mix" style="text-decoration: none;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: #1155cc; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: underline; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Everlast FUEL</span></a><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">. I’m a big fan of all-in-one solutions, and though you can take care of hydration, calorie intake and electrolyte balance with combination of drinks and/or gels, this product has BCAAs for the protein to start rebuilding muscle right away as well as vitamins to pre-charge the workout. So if I start sipping it before the ride, or as I’m putting the bike away, I’m doing myself good just as much as when I’m drinking during the workout.</span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhl-bP0xvF3WfiFf-lxoS5edxo5mXb6fjzTzkooP3WCbO8eagehKNsC3nFwdkxHRKXZSI7F4ZjMTNs0-cg6dqQPLlfognlZoSWxWuUPFtLn_PdAyWOvk0wB1mAW-pvKHq5jWyVRITOFhxc/s1600/20150720_162652.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhl-bP0xvF3WfiFf-lxoS5edxo5mXb6fjzTzkooP3WCbO8eagehKNsC3nFwdkxHRKXZSI7F4ZjMTNs0-cg6dqQPLlfognlZoSWxWuUPFtLn_PdAyWOvk0wB1mAW-pvKHq5jWyVRITOFhxc/s640/20150720_162652.jpg" width="360" /></a></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">I used the brick to test it out before the long ride. I mixed two packets in about 24 ounces of cold water (measured with the free shaker I got when I ordered two boxes worth of Everlast FUEL). The taste reminded me of a milkshake I had the weekend before from </span><a href="http://kawarthadairy.com/" style="text-decoration: none;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: #1155cc; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: underline; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Kawartha Dairy</span></a><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">, obviously less creamy and not quite as tasty given that FUEL is not a milkshake made with real ice cream, but reminiscent of a Creamsicle - does anyone else remember those from when you were a kid? Anyway, it was tasty and no problem to digest.</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">While my long ride (and Half-Iron race) nutrition strategy is a work in progress, I’m planning on drinking FUEL and some water, packing along some gels, and maybe a nutrition bar or two (lead contenders are </span><a href="http://www.clifbar.ca/" style="text-decoration: none;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: #1155cc; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: underline; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">CLIF </span></a><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">and </span><a href="http://ironrogue.blogspot.com/2014/11/tried-it-tuesday-review-of-gomacro-bars.html" style="text-decoration: none;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: #1155cc; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: underline; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Go Macro</span></a><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">).</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Getting that 3 hour ride on Sunday proved more challenging. There were threats of thunderstorms that seemed to be zeroing in on the time and place that I was planning to ride. We were going to go visit another cottage on the way home, and I opted to ride ahead on my bike. Altogether it was a good plan that let me get more riding in than one might expect, since with my wife and kids coming along the same route while having left an hour later, I was in perfect position for a rescue when the weather did turn nasty. In fact, I heard the first lightning strike just as the car pulled to a stop in front of me; it was a little shy of 2 hours on the road, and again I averaged close to 25 km/h. My neck was starting to wear down from aero position a little, and I’m looking forward to getting a proper fit in the near future, but again, I felt pretty strong and solid for the duration of the ride. I wish it was longer, but you can’t control the weather.</span></div>
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<blockquote class="instagram-media" data-instgrm-captioned="" data-instgrm-version="4" style="background: #FFF; border-radius: 3px; border: 0; box-shadow: 0 0 1px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.5),0 1px 10px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.15); margin: 1px; max-width: 658px; padding: 0; width: -webkit-calc(100% - 2px); width: 99.375%; width: calc(100% - 2px);">
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<a href="https://instagram.com/p/5VXRVMt0Ov/" style="color: black; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: 17px; text-decoration: none; word-wrap: break-word;" target="_top">Disappointed. My "3 hour" ride from #Muskoka to #Haliburton got cut short due to a thunderstorm. I'm lucky thaty wife caught up to me in the car when she did. I'm also lucky I got out at all - I wanted to quit when I saw the forecast. My mom said "why don't you see how far you get?" #momsarethebest Disappointed again for not capturing and photos/video or Periscope from the road. Drinking a beer and sharing the story makes me feel better though. #IronRogue #fitfluential #ffcheckin #ffoutside #triathlon #trichat #trifluential #HalfIron #ffobsession #furtherfasterforever #thetrihood #zfive #top_triathletes</a></div>
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A photo posted by Axel Kussmann (@apkussma) on <time datetime="2015-07-19T22:03:53+00:00" style="font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 17px;">Jul 19, 2015 at 3:03pm PDT</time></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">If you’d like to help fuel your efforts or try the best tasting vegan protein on the market, be sure to enter IRONROGUE at checkout when you visit </span><a href="http://www.everlastnutrition.com/" style="text-decoration: none;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: #1155cc; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: underline; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Everlast Nutrition</span></a><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">. They’ve got a great sale with free shipping to the US on orders over $20 and a free Drink Shaker if you order 2 boxes of FUEL (the shaker worked great for mixing the fuel before I put it in my hydration pack).</span><br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Use the code IRONROGUE at checkout for a discount!</td></tr>
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01460872603454460967noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1567260830466854942.post-30714581615231009952015-07-13T21:43:00.001-04:002015-07-14T07:39:40.171-04:00What I've Learned About Clipless Pedals (Tri-Talk/Tri-ed It Tuesday)<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjavFZvenLie8UkjeOMN-cdGxZHJwNQLW5DYa1ndkEeMYq4fXSalfNixNwdwAbTTRiCc_TfluQjHwhH691wiQHq76VnEbZIP82funQhg3rw6Hn1lxLdsd6jjJcSrXYwyK9W5ZJqLWCjQ1M/s1600/What+I%2527ve+Learned+About+Clipless+Pedals.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="360" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjavFZvenLie8UkjeOMN-cdGxZHJwNQLW5DYa1ndkEeMYq4fXSalfNixNwdwAbTTRiCc_TfluQjHwhH691wiQHq76VnEbZIP82funQhg3rw6Hn1lxLdsd6jjJcSrXYwyK9W5ZJqLWCjQ1M/s640/What+I%2527ve+Learned+About+Clipless+Pedals.png" width="640" /></a></div>
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<i>I'm doing a double link-up with <a href="http://lakeshorerunner.com/" target="_blank">Lakeshore Runner</a> for Tri-ed Tuesday and both <a href="http://www.yousignedupforwhat.com/" target="_blank">You Signed Up for What?!</a> and <a href="http://blistersandblacktoenails.blogspot.ca/" target="_blank">Blisters and Black Toenails</a> for Tri-Talk Tuesday to talk about some new knowledge about bikes that I picked up...</i><br />
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<span id="docs-internal-guid-5c0bc354-893e-597e-a090-8c3a1a4918ec"></span><br />
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">In my </span><a href="http://ironrogue.blogspot.com/2015/06/introducing-my-new-bike-sable.html" style="text-decoration: none;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: #1155cc; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: underline; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">post announcing my new bike, Sable</span></a><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">, I mentioned I had </span><a href="http://bike.shimano.com/content/sac-bike/en/home/mtb1/pedals/pedals.html" style="text-decoration: none;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: #1155cc; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: underline; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Shimano SPD pedals</span></a><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> installed. My rationale was that I wanted to be able to use my existing shoes in a Spin class, as spin bikes tend to have SPD compatible pedals. I had been initially disappointed that I didn’t have such pedals on my original bike as I had been sold a set of </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: #1155cc; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.6666666666667px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: underline; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Shimano 105</span><span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.6666666666667px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> pedals.</span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjUpJM8D376sToNfuiQ8rcfV7ViQ2aR6xAgODDWD7rF4Zp9PN_vTbkrrUe0bG1lzhZDV_-Q2731qQ2RTeAiIL4zo_jeByGR9OJskEBinOJE6JWblDKGfpM1Ry-vUUig6ny2bXGdM45TprQ/s1600/20150712_225301.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="360" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjUpJM8D376sToNfuiQ8rcfV7ViQ2aR6xAgODDWD7rF4Zp9PN_vTbkrrUe0bG1lzhZDV_-Q2731qQ2RTeAiIL4zo_jeByGR9OJskEBinOJE6JWblDKGfpM1Ry-vUUig6ny2bXGdM45TprQ/s640/20150712_225301.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The Shimano 105 pedal</td></tr>
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<a name='more'></a><span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.6666666666667px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.6666666666667px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">The problem was that the bottoms of my shoes had three holes, which would make them compatible with a variety of road cleats, but not the SPDs. There did seem to be some kinds of adapters in existence, but I was never able to find any at local stores (in the very short amount of time I had to drive to stores and shop around).</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.6666666666667px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">One option would have been to buy new shoes, but a slightly cheaper one was to re-install the Shimano 105 pedals and buy new 105 cleats to install on my old shoes (the old ones were pretty worn out). I hadn't had much luck taking my 105 pedals off my old bike with my own tools, so I also purchased a 15 mm pedal wrench; I consider that one of the smarter moves I've made when it comes to buying cycling accessories.</span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjHcXIyv0nAOLWRfyy0MSWIXfbGKwbgK4Wv7Qz051s00ckeKbia9kcQ2CJkEeUYjhQgwTpYxwffTpAmuIl8MaLnaL2nYPP-u9eYVr3NaXHDEIkvfsED8Y0vlByNI1pp3wL2aP3EqOVsbgY/s1600/20150712_225310.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="360" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjHcXIyv0nAOLWRfyy0MSWIXfbGKwbgK4Wv7Qz051s00ckeKbia9kcQ2CJkEeUYjhQgwTpYxwffTpAmuIl8MaLnaL2nYPP-u9eYVr3NaXHDEIkvfsED8Y0vlByNI1pp3wL2aP3EqOVsbgY/s640/20150712_225310.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The Shimano 105 pedals on the left have some little pads that are better for walking on if you dismount your bike on a long ride. At the bottom left you can see my old cleat. The SPD equipment, you can see is much smaller and doesn't fit the 3 holes you can just make out on the bottom of my shoe.</td></tr>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.6666666666667px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">For removing the SPD pedals and installing the 105s, I followed this video:</span></div>
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<iframe allowfullscreen="" class="YOUTUBE-iframe-video" data-thumbnail-src="https://i.ytimg.com/vi/YmPkYMPVqQU/0.jpg" frameborder="0" height="266" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/YmPkYMPVqQU?feature=player_embedded" width="320"></iframe></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.6666666666667px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Then I used an Allen Key to screw the cleats to the bottom of the shoes; there was still an outline from where the old ones were, so alignment didn't seem to be an issue.</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.6666666666667px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">I'll keep the SPD accessories and eventually install them on my mountain bike and buy new shoes for them too - apparently SPDs are intended almost solely for <a href="http://ironrogue.blogspot.ca/search/label/mountain%20bike">mountain biking</a>. So I don't meet my goal of having one pair of shoes for both road riding (and triathlon races) and spin class, but the good news is that Sable is finally ride-ready.</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.6666666666667px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">I celebrated with a 2 hours 15 minute ride on the trainer while I watched the movie Man of Steel - I think the recent trailers for the sequel </span><span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.6666666666667px; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><i>Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice </i> have gotten into my head. Superman makes for surprisingly good training inspiration, considering he never had to work for his superpowers...</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.6666666666667px; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><i>Do you find bike technology as confusing as I do?</i></span></div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01460872603454460967noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1567260830466854942.post-61724219759541746952015-07-10T21:40:00.001-04:002015-07-12T07:09:38.026-04:00German Vacation 2015 Recap<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">I used to break down these <a href="http://ironrogue.blogspot.ca/2014/07/snapshots-from-germany.html" target="_blank">trips </a>into multiple parts, thanks to extensive journals I kept, but I think I’d just prefer to do a single round-up and not just because I didn’t keep a journal this time. I think I’m just going to do a summary by category.</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS'; font-size: 21.333333333333332px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Family Adventures</span></h1>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS'; font-size: 17.333333333333332px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: bold; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Climb UP! Climbing Forest. </span></h2>
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<a href="http://climbup.de/International/English/" style="text-decoration: none;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: #1155cc; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: underline; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">This was one of the cooler adventures we got up to</span></a><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">. For adults, there are various challenges to climb up into the treetops, and of course, some zip lines. We didn’t do the adult challenges in favour of accompanying the kids. They each wore safety harnesses with 2 carabiners that got hooked into safety lines that ran alongside each climbing challenge. The challenges were strung together to form an entire course to traverse. At the end of one challenge, you’d unhook a carabiner from the completed challenge’s safety line and hook it into the new, then you’d repeat for the second carabiner, so that in principle, you were always tethered. The kids never got any higher than around 5 feet off the ground, but I guess it’s the principle that’s important. Shark Boy loved it and managed his own safety harness, and while the Lightning Kid seems to be a born climber, he got a little tired about halfway through the course so I let him bail.</span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhYPg57XGuuHhoL827vqN8zSJ2eC4UzzF1UO1THIM3B-JEopXKBGPlmrieW2FhLlpL6fBCyFGjqR34nX-RtnjGADWL92-e71leBpwVzTq1tFCtn6eXWhSLORGqVlQMmJPYLfxiR5ho7TTw/s1600/20150626_120125.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhYPg57XGuuHhoL827vqN8zSJ2eC4UzzF1UO1THIM3B-JEopXKBGPlmrieW2FhLlpL6fBCyFGjqR34nX-RtnjGADWL92-e71leBpwVzTq1tFCtn6eXWhSLORGqVlQMmJPYLfxiR5ho7TTw/s640/20150626_120125.jpg" width="360" /></a></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS'; font-size: 17.333333333333332px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: bold; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Germendorf Zoo/Theme Park</span></h2>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">We’ve visited </span><a href="http://www.freizeitpark-germendorf.de/" style="text-decoration: none;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: #1155cc; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: underline; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">this place</span></a><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> annually for at least 3 years now. When we got in, Shark Boy found a dead snake beneath a statue of an elephant, and by the time we were done, he still considered it a highlight. This year I had us navigate toward the ‘Dinosaur’ section before we got too close to the carnival rides and playgrounds that always seem to high-jack the kids’ interest in the animals there. I think I only saw one dinosaur (statue) but we got to see some animals we haven’t seen in prior visits. For me the highlight was a puma, which is not only one of my favourite animals, but this one actually got up and walked around, which is kind of rare for big cats in captivity (in my experience). He did seem to take an unhealthy interest in Shark Boy; at least, unhealthy for the boy - his ears pricked up, he stared, licked his chops, you name it. </span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjp051iQH34fCTAdA3T6YhcFlelfd-bKX8RL25f7uvTJvfgYOn_k_1YOYJZcRo3jg986dr8fIs24P4-6R7COY-pZpvOja9HRvBMXoco9kgm8SmcHLLTh_waDvkRdE9NaENJgVWg-M8l_HY/s1600/20150625_121201.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="360" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjp051iQH34fCTAdA3T6YhcFlelfd-bKX8RL25f7uvTJvfgYOn_k_1YOYJZcRo3jg986dr8fIs24P4-6R7COY-pZpvOja9HRvBMXoco9kgm8SmcHLLTh_waDvkRdE9NaENJgVWg-M8l_HY/s640/20150625_121201.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">We got to see monkeys playing, meerkats, parrots and even pet and feed a deer.</span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjotkPlucE-qvBXe52m-6Ku8AjIcbQb-zUYCxXlPx6mzzNdHp-f4l1_8fyhcnAvd3ctAZRFMJrA2zs4A4rxhShI0Sm9o-9vFJH770qLZYf1SuttxfBR9NnKHSpCAHseC-aOL09yinsAPlI/s1600/20150625_123246.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="360" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjotkPlucE-qvBXe52m-6Ku8AjIcbQb-zUYCxXlPx6mzzNdHp-f4l1_8fyhcnAvd3ctAZRFMJrA2zs4A4rxhShI0Sm9o-9vFJH770qLZYf1SuttxfBR9NnKHSpCAHseC-aOL09yinsAPlI/s640/20150625_123246.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-left: 31.5pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Then it was time for lunch and rides. We shelled out for them to ride these electrically powered motorcycles (they move fairly slowly), which not only gave us a sweet moment of the two brothers riding together, but we actually got the Lightning Kid to ride his own. He did a great job of steering until he’d get distracted by what his brother was up to, and then he’d crash - which didn’t hurt him but resulted in tears from the sudden shock. There was an indoor play area which used to house a ball pit and a few bouncy castles, but they’ve expanded it into a much more extensive play area with all kinds of climbing structures.</span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj8_3g04i0ceYGUIQu61hf2X8e73hoz42T68QL7UgVDP3UtJP0o7jzVtVtQ6Owo_yXvmj92QlaJfEEMD0fqVhUDAREVjc33aaZQ61p-rhQ8YdDD3Px1Hbw0m35-q4THqqGv4xTBsqHLX5Y/s1600/20150625_132629.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="360" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj8_3g04i0ceYGUIQu61hf2X8e73hoz42T68QL7UgVDP3UtJP0o7jzVtVtQ6Owo_yXvmj92QlaJfEEMD0fqVhUDAREVjc33aaZQ61p-rhQ8YdDD3Px1Hbw0m35-q4THqqGv4xTBsqHLX5Y/s640/20150625_132629.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgzb9897fUu-6tjB9JAEVSNp7TkWbChZb44Q-UM-EnIdGM2jbKM2gj3_mDxnnxZNVyxu8sTvxpW91XcN5DLdXA3G_iEAdg-q_RrWVN751ZAY5r6tSxRnTAIsFe-4McunQmp7WwEurMN4go/s1600/20150625_133620.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="360" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgzb9897fUu-6tjB9JAEVSNp7TkWbChZb44Q-UM-EnIdGM2jbKM2gj3_mDxnnxZNVyxu8sTvxpW91XcN5DLdXA3G_iEAdg-q_RrWVN751ZAY5r6tSxRnTAIsFe-4McunQmp7WwEurMN4go/s640/20150625_133620.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-left: 31.5pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">I don’t like to make fun of personal appearances, but I have to tell this story. My wife and I were sitting near the ball pit which was intended (according to the signs) for kids aged 0-5. There were kids much older in there, and they were throwing the balls out of the pit and generally making a nuisance of themselves. The supervisor turned up and told them off - and they got off light, because the supervisor was a witch from a storybook, I kid you not. Hook nose, wild and wiry hair, crazy eyes... all that was missing was a wart. I know we weren’t all created to have movie star good looks, but maybe using a brush once in a while... on the other hand, maybe it helps with her job. My wife and I have read a lot of German children’s literature (as children ourselves, we don’t like it too much for our kids) where there is often some kind of boogeyman who comes and gets you when you don’t follow the rules (</span><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Struwwelpeter" style="text-decoration: none;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: #1155cc; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: underline; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">see here for an example</span></a><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">) - so we couldn’t help but laugh to see one of these scenarios brought to life.</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS'; font-size: 17.333333333333332px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: bold; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">River Cruise</span></h2>
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<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-left: 31.5pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Another annual mandatory outing. We had lovely weather, but this year they stopped making a stop near where we were staying, so we had to make a round trip. The food menu seemed reduced too, but at least it’s getting easier to keep the kids safe while they roam the decks.</span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj356mlB_WdqbmXNHl-7h4zX9h2Zzq0-ckK3tzQhKwUgS8v2I6Wj855_B5xQdNy5_5A_3Yyp5b4hnivjsLZAcoppmZPpNjJTNfrp2_9wjcXat4mxJFaCJ9ZTY4lJr78Qg_m4eC-QRyRGi4/s1600/20150630_125240.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="360" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj356mlB_WdqbmXNHl-7h4zX9h2Zzq0-ckK3tzQhKwUgS8v2I6Wj855_B5xQdNy5_5A_3Yyp5b4hnivjsLZAcoppmZPpNjJTNfrp2_9wjcXat4mxJFaCJ9ZTY4lJr78Qg_m4eC-QRyRGi4/s640/20150630_125240.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjIHpaEL_rqq-_9IY4UMZYRbWMsl5BxJXnGcLFjdUznHWeLCnOPPsM_2TSdiJixCQVnpwSKpFm4eFUTHcswr3ERNNRQpDUOYoblHb7a-LAbsndefjU1cy18aWTiA7_6TwpBJOvZ1kYP4_4/s1600/20150630_132637.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="360" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjIHpaEL_rqq-_9IY4UMZYRbWMsl5BxJXnGcLFjdUznHWeLCnOPPsM_2TSdiJixCQVnpwSKpFm4eFUTHcswr3ERNNRQpDUOYoblHb7a-LAbsndefjU1cy18aWTiA7_6TwpBJOvZ1kYP4_4/s640/20150630_132637.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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<li dir="ltr" style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS'; font-size: 17.333333333333332px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: bold; list-style-type: disc; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"><h2 dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 10pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS'; font-size: 17.333333333333332px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: bold; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Bike Ride</span></h2>
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<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-left: 36pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">We rode our bikes through the local forest into the town of Tegel to find a playground. This day was particularly hot, so the shade provided by the trees was very welcome. Shark Boy had been getting over a flu, and I think we overestimated his recovery, because he simply quit well before we could get home, in spite of covering a much bigger distance last year. Still, taken as a whole, I have to call it a successful outing, and hopefully a precursor to future family bike trips.</span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhRSJmF-fQYw5o21mGhogGRQzjbneUuTdc0jp9rnIcamK1rSYiBfwQZxkoNaOK7d4rCNoleZfi_u09Msb7zR4eqf-Nzplb6NfYTrE4g8n8e6CMTEP0oK2kWBMPocphqyvDeYV8AqV9p31k/s1600/11722413_10155717461325125_689060994429097590_o.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhRSJmF-fQYw5o21mGhogGRQzjbneUuTdc0jp9rnIcamK1rSYiBfwQZxkoNaOK7d4rCNoleZfi_u09Msb7zR4eqf-Nzplb6NfYTrE4g8n8e6CMTEP0oK2kWBMPocphqyvDeYV8AqV9p31k/s640/11722413_10155717461325125_689060994429097590_o.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi7UBLKQKACR18DRphkHAVn6MCF0NEfQznnwDGDYDSGaxI5sUlHkfQznTSVvkxD_M6PXSJndP6Qa3YfVDDOLjNUYIzwCJCMyTs87F_rcjYz0AVpmfMa_0gLJQySKE57C_RnWoEh1IhdS1M/s1600/11722593_10155717482045125_5920491069008210823_o.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi7UBLKQKACR18DRphkHAVn6MCF0NEfQznnwDGDYDSGaxI5sUlHkfQznTSVvkxD_M6PXSJndP6Qa3YfVDDOLjNUYIzwCJCMyTs87F_rcjYz0AVpmfMa_0gLJQySKE57C_RnWoEh1IhdS1M/s640/11722593_10155717482045125_5920491069008210823_o.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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<h1 dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 10pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS'; font-size: 21.333333333333332px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Food</span></h1>
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<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-left: 31.5pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">There’s a Simpsons episode where Germany is referred to as the land of chocolate, so we had plenty of that. I honestly don’t quite understand how Germans stay thin (my observations of people make me think that they’re thinner on average, though I found this on Wikipedia - Canadian men are 2 kg lighter than Germans [who are 6 kg lighter than Americans] on average). They have some good habits like more walking and biking as transportation, not to mention that the evening meal is generally quite light, with lunch being the big hot meal, but still! The bread is made with white flour, the meat is often red; I have a hard enough time eating fruit at home, but with fresh cold cuts and cheeses bought on a daily basis, they really get pushed to the side.</span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg2Wbw4qhW3JFVSa6A-hipZ0ZFaC-wTEgjua_IEht8J4SGLxhFIPH47aBF6P4009IJ96W48Ird6QpoMLkeaW8iP2-i5UlsblYXdV8oeodbYZ9jd7h2zYXsoE1Xr8Rhbcc9VAKwrlI1zWJo/s1600/20150627_122150.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="360" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg2Wbw4qhW3JFVSa6A-hipZ0ZFaC-wTEgjua_IEht8J4SGLxhFIPH47aBF6P4009IJ96W48Ird6QpoMLkeaW8iP2-i5UlsblYXdV8oeodbYZ9jd7h2zYXsoE1Xr8Rhbcc9VAKwrlI1zWJo/s640/20150627_122150.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-left: 31.5pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">And then there’s my fetish for ice cream made in the image of pasta... I try to eat Spaghetti Ice Cream as often as I can get my hands on it while I’m in Germany since I can’t get it back home. The ice cream is pushed through a press to make noodles, the tomato sauce is actually strawberry sauce, and the grated cheese is either grated coconut, or grated white chocolate. I didn’t get to try any new places this year, but I got enough samples to keep me happy.</span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgCtyE4OHFzOv-ySnvORlnaZ1dz4I30svcvH12e_Comr4uJeM0sX2p4HOGNnwmwnYHmieJpwEkV51juOfuxE4eiMYy_EZjWcbccszCq-9uudFS5G6g8I0x3LDCGoDIgkow6AaU1G_K80i0/s1600/20150625_220339.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="360" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgCtyE4OHFzOv-ySnvORlnaZ1dz4I30svcvH12e_Comr4uJeM0sX2p4HOGNnwmwnYHmieJpwEkV51juOfuxE4eiMYy_EZjWcbccszCq-9uudFS5G6g8I0x3LDCGoDIgkow6AaU1G_K80i0/s640/20150625_220339.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhocmdyPHFGsAcYwZkjrTYYWgxXxj8fwpRQ2SMhdIEFOfO_IiDhrZEsyBEAtSJUUsxtAaWuPD4oW6m1guRVTAoKpbdb9f4F76LA15UaVd5Ezkmpe4-KEnS0_Gcbj7OobHjbsEZ3AY5LJqE/s1600/20150629_215157.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="360" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhocmdyPHFGsAcYwZkjrTYYWgxXxj8fwpRQ2SMhdIEFOfO_IiDhrZEsyBEAtSJUUsxtAaWuPD4oW6m1guRVTAoKpbdb9f4F76LA15UaVd5Ezkmpe4-KEnS0_Gcbj7OobHjbsEZ3AY5LJqE/s640/20150629_215157.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-left: 31.5pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">My wife and I had two date nights: once at our favourite little Italian place, where they always treat us like royalty and once at </span><a href="http://www.restaurant-alter-fritz.de/" style="text-decoration: none;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: #1155cc; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: underline; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Alten Fritz</span></a><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> (which has been open, in some capacity or another, </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">since 1410!</span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">). We actually went to this restaurant twice: once with a larger group, and once with just the two of us. The first time I had a Goulash made with Wild Boar, and the second time a platter with 3 kinds of dumpling; it was really an eye-opener to how fine traditional German cuisine can be. There’s outdoor seating and even a little forested area with pond that really adds to the ambience.</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">I used our proximity to the Havel River to my full advantage and I’d packed my wetsuit. I got in 3 open water swims, and since I’ve been doing a lot more than usual pool training, the difference that the open water makes was a bit of a surprise to me. I’m not sure of my technique in open water, but I’ve got the rest of the summer to figure it out. I got 3 different swims in, and one was 1800m, close to a half-iron distance swim. I think I’ll be putting together a post about swimming in an unfamiliar river.</span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgBB98UCz5BTSq-0kL7TflZHhs5z4K2dPzOailR7FizIlPkflQRS1PUQioSdyTlPD5lqQhuu76CW5JkjbhDUALmGpjdhd07SkUz7jMsbI6Xr6QzI3dPFJByqz8sj6LNgUm6QCyhiVN_wjk/s1600/IMG_0148.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgBB98UCz5BTSq-0kL7TflZHhs5z4K2dPzOailR7FizIlPkflQRS1PUQioSdyTlPD5lqQhuu76CW5JkjbhDUALmGpjdhd07SkUz7jMsbI6Xr6QzI3dPFJByqz8sj6LNgUm6QCyhiVN_wjk/s640/IMG_0148.JPG" width="480" /></a></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS'; font-size: 17.333333333333332px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: bold; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Bike</span></h2>
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<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-left: 36pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">In addition to the family bike ride mentioned above, I got in 3 rides. I knew my cycling training would suffer the most for not having access to a road or tri bike, but two of my rides were with the Lightning Kid, including one that had us out for about 3 hours (2 hours of actual riding) - it was great bonding time for us, and he liked seeing the sights and sounds including visiting a pens where boars and deer are kept. My third ride got cut short by a flat tire.</span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEibTcXbm1-BA6uZ9rPq5amBnyq-FjPfQdF_GYQI5PMD6TLB8enX7pKXpQUHRwkZMAbwOwmB8CL7cOAzhYFPUvhVo2juRfO_0FutPaGL8VhVriaCIRGbZZ92cPqMcWOY4lryy1pXELX1Jqw/s1600/IMG_0150.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="478" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEibTcXbm1-BA6uZ9rPq5amBnyq-FjPfQdF_GYQI5PMD6TLB8enX7pKXpQUHRwkZMAbwOwmB8CL7cOAzhYFPUvhVo2juRfO_0FutPaGL8VhVriaCIRGbZZ92cPqMcWOY4lryy1pXELX1Jqw/s640/IMG_0150.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>
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<li dir="ltr" style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS'; font-size: 17.333333333333332px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: bold; list-style-type: disc; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"><h2 dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 10pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS'; font-size: 17.333333333333332px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: bold; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Run</span></h2>
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<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-left: 36pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Running is the easiest form of training to accomplish on vacation. Running with my brother on the day we arrived with jet lag (after an overnight flight) was pretty challenging; I expected to feel tired, but I had this dead feeling in my legs that I wasn’t prepared for. For the first few days in Berlin we had a lot of cold weather and rain so my first solo run was not enjoyable, but I also had nice runs in sunnier weather, alternating between going along the Havel River (and trying, unsuccessfully, to race one of the Steamboat cruises) and through the forest.</span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjtzLQQCkcgL8ppQzRg01mhmzBh6qXpV8pDC1lrpr_VGTlL6aUyWpFozJL6t6HMHIlS2osU5cJ6w-rz4KmeLqTtDbTn6OREoI9XHw2cR65fDo2ypog9tIDwuDoPCifzfRoGFDCzZjS5ipU/s1600/IMG_0129.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><br /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjtzLQQCkcgL8ppQzRg01mhmzBh6qXpV8pDC1lrpr_VGTlL6aUyWpFozJL6t6HMHIlS2osU5cJ6w-rz4KmeLqTtDbTn6OREoI9XHw2cR65fDo2ypog9tIDwuDoPCifzfRoGFDCzZjS5ipU/s1600/IMG_0129.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><br /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjtzLQQCkcgL8ppQzRg01mhmzBh6qXpV8pDC1lrpr_VGTlL6aUyWpFozJL6t6HMHIlS2osU5cJ6w-rz4KmeLqTtDbTn6OREoI9XHw2cR65fDo2ypog9tIDwuDoPCifzfRoGFDCzZjS5ipU/s1600/IMG_0129.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="478" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjtzLQQCkcgL8ppQzRg01mhmzBh6qXpV8pDC1lrpr_VGTlL6aUyWpFozJL6t6HMHIlS2osU5cJ6w-rz4KmeLqTtDbTn6OREoI9XHw2cR65fDo2ypog9tIDwuDoPCifzfRoGFDCzZjS5ipU/s640/IMG_0129.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg3jd26-7xdHnFUPZArzl2MF31zuusSurvBgD6Z-2YfHR9L0Avswnfi-J9oVMlCNVP0i8gXrJlD8nnnxBitX-Wx3ohahxvF_GXY0LUXiQDrfVbkiWRtM4H86NpXcx1VoZHseQWW8aa4Bls/s1600/20150701_165512.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg3jd26-7xdHnFUPZArzl2MF31zuusSurvBgD6Z-2YfHR9L0Avswnfi-J9oVMlCNVP0i8gXrJlD8nnnxBitX-Wx3ohahxvF_GXY0LUXiQDrfVbkiWRtM4H86NpXcx1VoZHseQWW8aa4Bls/s640/20150701_165512.jpg" width="360" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEijL3IZhcDJ8EDZx53Y6oBWsJcFUpnKJpZEdWRyET_acXKyDHwoxSSlL3jd74Ni3zraRf9h3UmBDDRa4jdzjfab6w82MmtiK7BBSbfDaVPy-I2dL_uaiPJ8uU8yOb8b71jT5ThglSEkq4Y/s1600/20150627_165759.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEijL3IZhcDJ8EDZx53Y6oBWsJcFUpnKJpZEdWRyET_acXKyDHwoxSSlL3jd74Ni3zraRf9h3UmBDDRa4jdzjfab6w82MmtiK7BBSbfDaVPy-I2dL_uaiPJ8uU8yOb8b71jT5ThglSEkq4Y/s640/20150627_165759.jpg" width="360" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjvhEnyU1GAAoHqGMvqcPq2SbpBQbB6HjTh5RLe_SdR6tdC7M-XYmwsEAx8JVtu4UlIrsc-TKDew6BxYPq8zj5fVXZrL0Hc62gqiTSUV5Um2y8UkT4YQ-UGGxXUirCa8D3TsnuUT1xcK1k/s1600/20150627_164601.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="360" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjvhEnyU1GAAoHqGMvqcPq2SbpBQbB6HjTh5RLe_SdR6tdC7M-XYmwsEAx8JVtu4UlIrsc-TKDew6BxYPq8zj5fVXZrL0Hc62gqiTSUV5Um2y8UkT4YQ-UGGxXUirCa8D3TsnuUT1xcK1k/s640/20150627_164601.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS'; font-size: 21.333333333333332px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Beer</span></h1>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-left: 36pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">In addition to the <a href="http://ironrogue.blogspot.ca/2013/07/will-tri-for-beer.html" target="_blank">usual suspects </a>I also got to try the original <a href="http://www.budweiserbudvar.co.uk/" target="_blank">Budweiser</a>. This Czech lager is nothing like the American brew and I really enjoyed it. There was also Altenmuenster, which I gave 3.25 stars out of 5 and my wife and I both had a </span><a href="http://www.krombacher.com/UnsereBiere/KrombacherRadler/" style="text-decoration: none;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: #1155cc; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: underline; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Kronbacher Radler</span></a><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">. If you haven’t heard of a Radler (Moosehead is making one, for example), it’s a little like a shandy or other beer based beverage. A mix of sparkling lemonade and beer, the story goes that a bar owner was getting cleaned out of stock by thirsty cyclists stopping in, so he found a way to stretch his inventory while still quenching his customers’ thirst - Radler translates to ‘Cyclist’ as it turns out. So of course we had one while on the family bike ride mentioned above.</span></div>
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<br />Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01460872603454460967noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1567260830466854942.post-82674219919968175522015-07-08T20:57:00.001-04:002015-07-09T06:54:16.610-04:00Thinking Out Loud Thursday<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh-WgQT6rH2jGPSUTmZmw4zCoB-UlZb1vjRoDIJdBSulPaLv72ClMBb85PwwNqCJ5OE2uGW4qKic4KmifxDn6ZIcrA6n5jEnjSqloemcyNeqgtnRxW832O60gSu2taZV3GGJ1JBFeFCZfY/s1600/Thinking-Out-Loud2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="170" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh-WgQT6rH2jGPSUTmZmw4zCoB-UlZb1vjRoDIJdBSulPaLv72ClMBb85PwwNqCJ5OE2uGW4qKic4KmifxDn6ZIcrA6n5jEnjSqloemcyNeqgtnRxW832O60gSu2taZV3GGJ1JBFeFCZfY/s640/Thinking-Out-Loud2.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span>
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">I’m back from our </span><a href="http://ironrogue.blogspot.com/2014/07/snapshots-from-germany.html" style="text-decoration: none;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: #1155cc; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: underline; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">annual trip to Germany</span></a><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> and while I should be typing up a recap of it, or attending to other important (at least, important to this blog) topics, I thought I’d use a <a href="http://www.runningwithspoons.com/thinking-out-loud/" target="_blank">Thinking Out Loud Thursday Link-up</a> as a way to clear some of the junk that’s been rattling around my brain lately.</span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhIjmxLkV8bWcTYfGK4t3MycYdFxSuhxLMBFslIKJ8POkPZzP7bteHhKGrtquRFzGr3fYhpT2FJl4igslANO7gPFrnaFU6j0NPjSX4sjlrAvXWbSOKfkOUNSMBti3JGrifugwJ6dB-Wgww/s1600/Thinking+out+loud+thursday.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="360" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhIjmxLkV8bWcTYfGK4t3MycYdFxSuhxLMBFslIKJ8POkPZzP7bteHhKGrtquRFzGr3fYhpT2FJl4igslANO7gPFrnaFU6j0NPjSX4sjlrAvXWbSOKfkOUNSMBti3JGrifugwJ6dB-Wgww/s640/Thinking+out+loud+thursday.png" width="640" /></a></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS'; font-size: 21.333333333333332px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Robots is Good People</span></h1>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Far too many people are still talking about the Zombie Apocalypse and not enough are worried about the Robot Uprising. Not me, I’m going to work on making friends with our future overlords - I’m a survivor like that. The Lily Camera has been getting some attention from outdoor and extreme sports enthusiasts for being able to intelligently follow its user that is wearing a small tracking device.</span><br />
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<iframe allowfullscreen="" class="YOUTUBE-iframe-video" data-thumbnail-src="https://i.ytimg.com/vi/4vGcH0Bk3hg/0.jpg" frameborder="0" height="266" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/4vGcH0Bk3hg?feature=player_embedded" width="320"></iframe></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">I had fantasies of making cool </span><a href="https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCakktsnPJrekN20dVlr2pbA" style="text-decoration: none;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: #1155cc; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: underline; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">videos featuring me</span></a><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> swimming, biking and running (not to mention</span><a href="http://ironrogue.blogspot.ca/search/label/burbathlon" style="text-decoration: none;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: #1155cc; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: underline; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> *Burbathlon*</span></a><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">, </span><a href="http://ironrogue.blogspot.ca/search/label/cross-country%20skiing" style="text-decoration: none;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: #1155cc; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: underline; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">cross-country skiing</span></a><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">, maybe </span><a href="http://ironrogue.blogspot.ca/search/label/mountain%20bike" style="text-decoration: none;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: #1155cc; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: underline; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">mountain biking</span></a><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> ) with chase cam footage. A couple of days after I came across the video, I started seeing it everywhere - Facebook friends shared it with me having similar ideas to mine, and I even saw a couple of co-workers watching the video too. Apparently one of the gotchas of drones is how much skill it takes to fly them, so this one having automatic ‘Follow Me’ modes (among others) is something of a breakthrough. I also like how it’s waterproof and portable.</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">The thing is, with the autopilot feature being so desirable, they can’t be the only ones who have come up with a potential solution. I also wondered if I might want a GoPro or other action cam to do First Person video too, and then have a drone that can mount the camera for the chase cam stuff. I found the</span><a href="http://store.3drobotics.com/products/iris/" style="text-decoration: none;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: #1155cc; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: underline; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> Iris</span></a><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">, the </span><a href="https://hexoplus.com/" style="text-decoration: none;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: #1155cc; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: underline; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Hexo+</span></a><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> as well as some highly experimental smaller drones like the </span><a href="https://www.indiegogo.com/projects/micro-drone-3-0-flight-in-the-palm-of-your-hand--2" style="text-decoration: none;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: #1155cc; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: underline; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Extreme MicroDrone 3.0</span></a><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> and the </span><a href="http://flynixie.com/" style="text-decoration: none;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: #1155cc; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: underline; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Nixie</span></a><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">.</span></div>
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<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Of course, these are the serious thoughts of someone richer than me - I need to stay focused on getting my </span><a href="http://ironrogue.blogspot.com/2015/06/introducing-my-new-bike-sable.html" style="text-decoration: none;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: #1155cc; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: underline; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">bike</span></a><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> up to snuff for </span><a href="http://niagarafallstriathlon.com/" style="text-decoration: none;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: #1155cc; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: underline; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Barrelman</span></a><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">.</span></div>
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<h1 dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 10pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS'; font-size: 21.333333333333332px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Video Killed The Blogging Star</span></h1>
<b style="font-weight: normal;"><br />
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<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">In a fit of Shiny Object Syndrome/Me Too Disorder (a.k.a Blogger Peer Pressure), I started using Periscope, an app for doing live broadcasts from your mobile device. Tamara from </span><a href="http://fitknitchick.com/" style="text-decoration: none;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: #1155cc; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: underline; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Fit Knit Chick</span></a><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> did a great little beginner’s tutorial and you can see it </span><a href="https://youtu.be/anJ4InRWe6Y" style="text-decoration: none;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: #1155cc; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: underline; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">here</span></a><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">. I guess I thought I’d do similar content to what I had in mind for the drones and action cam; walking an audience through what I consider to be a fun workout or something.</span></div>
<b style="font-weight: normal;"><br />
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<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">I started with trying to incorporate a Bike Hill Training/Strength #WorkoutHack, previously seen </span><a href="http://ironrogue.blogspot.ca/2013/07/bike-workouthack-hill-repeats-and.html" style="text-decoration: none;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: #1155cc; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: underline; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">here</span></a><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">. I don’t think the broadcast was terribly good or successful, though people were kind and generous with their ‘hearts’ (which are like ‘Likes’ on Periscope). I didn’t enable a tweet share, and I haven’t found a way to share it now; even by uploading the MP4 file to YouTube (and the file doesn’t seem to be able to play natively on my phone either). You may be able to see the replay if you find me on Periscope (in app, search for </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: underline; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">apkussma</span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">). Based on that initial experience, here are my thoughts on Periscope (and yes, I’m aware of </span><a href="https://meerkatapp.co/" style="text-decoration: none;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: #1155cc; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: underline; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Meerkat</span></a><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">, which is pretty similar).</span></div>
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<li dir="ltr" style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; list-style-type: disc; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"><div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">You have to have something to say or show. Either you have a prepared presentation/speech/lecture or tutorial, or your location is interesting enough to provide the scenery giving your audience a show and a way to virtually join in your experience, (for example, a concert or show).</span></div>
</li>
<li dir="ltr" style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; list-style-type: disc; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"><div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">You have to have a good network connection; this rules out doing any kind of swim or underwater video, and if you’re outside your home network (and are unwilling to pay roaming charges), there’s no chance to do a live broadcast. This kept me from doing some Periscope video while in Germany... I could have shown you guys around.</span></div>
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<li dir="ltr" style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; list-style-type: disc; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"><div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">If you want to broadcast action, be prepared for technical hiccups. My broadcast ended accidentally and an error popped up. I’m not sure if it was because the phone was being manhandled by me while trying to ride my bike, or if the phone ran out of memory while recording (you can enable the video to store a local copy) or if it was just a bug. I’m glad I didn’t put too much thought or preparation into it.</span></div>
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</ul>
<b style="font-weight: normal;"><br />
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<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">With those caveats, I’m probably not done with Periscope, but I think I prefer doing video with Instagram; 15 seconds is enough for a lot of the messages I’m trying to send, and I’m not limited to a character count for when I want to add some extra hashtags (unlike </span><a href="https://vine.co/u/1185386183941894144" style="text-decoration: none;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: #1155cc; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: underline; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Vine</span></a><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">). Here’s an example:</span></div>
<blockquote class="instagram-media" data-instgrm-captioned="" data-instgrm-version="4" style="background: #FFF; border-radius: 3px; border: 0; box-shadow: 0 0 1px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.5),0 1px 10px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.15); margin: 1px; max-width: 658px; padding: 0; width: -webkit-calc(100% - 2px); width: 99.375%; width: calc(100% - 2px);">
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<div style="background: #F8F8F8; line-height: 0; margin-top: 40px; padding: 50% 0; text-align: center; width: 100%;">
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<a href="https://instagram.com/p/42S3yht0HH/" style="color: black; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: 17px; text-decoration: none; word-wrap: break-word;" target="_top">Did a 2000m #swim workout from @caitlinhtp for #twofertuesday and captured this little #lifeproof video... First Person Swimmer! (including a flip turn that knocked the phone off my head - my goggles strap had held it in place) #fitfluential #ffcheckin #ffobsession #furtherfasterforever #thetrihood #zfive #top_triathletes #triathlon #trichat #trifluential #HalfIron #IronRogue</a></div>
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A video posted by Axel Kussmann (@apkussma) on <time datetime="2015-07-07T20:28:59+00:00" style="font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 17px;">Jul 7, 2015 at 1:28pm PDT</time></div>
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<script async="" defer="" src="//platform.instagram.com/en_US/embeds.js"></script><br />
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<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> </span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Last but not least on the Video Star front, here’s the official video recap of Spring Into Action 2015.</span></div>
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<iframe width="320" height="266" class="YOUTUBE-iframe-video" data-thumbnail-src="https://i.ytimg.com/vi/4jmrSX857Ms/0.jpg" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/4jmrSX857Ms?feature=player_embedded" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe></div>
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<h1 dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 10pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS'; font-size: 21.333333333333332px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Mo’ Media, Mo’ Problems (Mo’ Money?)</span></h1>
<b style="font-weight: normal;"><br />
</b> <br />
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Both of the aforementioned feelings (desire for a little cash to spend on gear and tech abd Blogger Peer Pressure) have coupled which has me looking at expanding some of the ‘business’ aspects of the blog. I’ve already joined some affiliate programs, you may have noticed some of the links in </span><a href="http://ironrogue.blogspot.com/2015/06/friday-five-top-five-fathers-day-gifts.html" style="text-decoration: none;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: #1155cc; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: underline; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">previous </span></a><a href="http://ironrogue.blogspot.com/2015/06/review-everlast-vp-vegan-protein-mix.html" style="text-decoration: none;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: #1155cc; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: underline; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">posts</span></a><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">. Affiliate programs, Ambassadorships and Partnerships, better advertising are all potentially on the horizon, and yet I constantly remind myself that this blog is a </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">hobby... about my hobbies.</span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> I do this mostly to go through the practice of writing, and share my experiences like some kind of glorified post-card. I train, I get outside, and I try to develop my writing ‘voice’ by describing those adventures. I do like to try new things, obviously, so I’m willing to put some effort into the kinds of things more professional bloggers spend time on, but I need to balance that with my sanity, and not make blogging yet another chore.</span><br />
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span>
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Ahhh... that feels better. See you next time with something more triathlon/family/something related, OK?</span></div>
<br />Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01460872603454460967noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1567260830466854942.post-89296307387560883332015-06-29T21:37:00.000-04:002015-06-29T21:37:00.957-04:00Introducing My New Bike: Sable<b id="docs-internal-guid-a963cde2-044e-64fb-1780-f64e432ffa2b" style="font-weight: normal;"><br /></b>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.8327272415161155; margin-bottom: 6pt; margin-top: 6pt;">
<span style="background-color: white; color: #252525; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">From </span><a href="https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/sable" style="text-decoration: none;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #1155cc; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: underline; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Wiktionary</span></a><span style="background-color: white; color: #252525; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">:</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #252525; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: bold; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">sable</span><span style="background-color: white; color: #252525; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> (</span><a href="https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/Appendix:Glossary#countable" style="text-decoration: none;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #0b0080; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">countable</span></a><span style="background-color: white; color: #252525; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> and </span><a href="https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/Appendix:Glossary#uncountable" style="text-decoration: none;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #0b0080; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">uncountable</span></a><span style="background-color: white; color: #252525; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">, </span><span style="background-color: white; color: #252525; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">plural</span><span style="background-color: white; color: #252525; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> </span><a href="https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/sables#English" style="text-decoration: none;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #0b0080; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: bold; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">sables</span></a><span style="background-color: white; color: #252525; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">)</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #252525; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">A small </span><a href="https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/carnivorous" style="text-decoration: none;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #0b0080; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">carnivorous</span></a><span style="background-color: white; color: #252525; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> </span><a href="https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/mammal" style="text-decoration: none;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #0b0080; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">mammal</span></a><span style="background-color: white; color: #252525; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> of the </span><a href="https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/Old_World" style="text-decoration: none;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #0b0080; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Old World</span></a><span style="background-color: white; color: #252525; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> that resembles a </span><a href="https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/weasel" style="text-decoration: none;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #0b0080; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">weasel</span></a><span style="background-color: white; color: #252525; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">, </span><a href="https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/Martes_zibellina" style="text-decoration: none;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #0b0080; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Martes zibellina</span></a><span style="background-color: white; color: #252525; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">, from cold regions in </span><a href="https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/Eurasia" style="text-decoration: none;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #0b0080; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Eurasia</span></a><span style="background-color: white; color: #252525; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> and the</span><a href="https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/North_Pacific" style="text-decoration: none;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #0b0080; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">North Pacific</span></a><span style="background-color: white; color: #252525; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> islands, valued for its dark brown fur (</span><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sable_(animal)" style="text-decoration: none;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #663366; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Wikipedia</span></a><span style="background-color: white; color: #252525; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">).</span></div>
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<li dir="ltr" style="background-color: white; color: #252525; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; list-style-type: decimal; margin-left: 47px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"><div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.8327272415161155; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: white; color: #252525; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">The </span><a href="https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/marten" style="text-decoration: none;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #0b0080; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">marten</span></a><span style="background-color: white; color: #252525; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">, especially </span><a href="https://species.wikimedia.org/wiki/Mustela_americana" style="text-decoration: none;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #663366; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Mustela americana</span></a><span style="background-color: white; color: #252525; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">.</span></div>
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<li dir="ltr" style="background-color: white; color: #252525; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; list-style-type: decimal; margin-left: 47px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"><div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.8327272415161155; margin-bottom: 1pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: white; color: #252525; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">A black colour, resembling the fur of some sables.</span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjmt5UKnqw0IhGWz2wN4xwL3LJ5Sv6oAd6HVrQQtg5oAU17YKUkFXiMCrTIDZ-uWEX7ajAoEvXRfggdZGNDJNYFUiTPTEd3s-Ce2mmdBdRFKCorUKxGcRRfkpojhy0EYmfcVNtEew-4zEI/s1600/20150617_174042.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="360" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjmt5UKnqw0IhGWz2wN4xwL3LJ5Sv6oAd6HVrQQtg5oAU17YKUkFXiMCrTIDZ-uWEX7ajAoEvXRfggdZGNDJNYFUiTPTEd3s-Ce2mmdBdRFKCorUKxGcRRfkpojhy0EYmfcVNtEew-4zEI/s640/20150617_174042.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.8327272415161155; margin-bottom: 1pt; margin-top: 3pt;">
<span style="background-color: white; color: #252525; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">My new bike is an </span><a href="http://www.argon18bike.com/velos/clmtriathlon/e-80-en-ca.html" style="text-decoration: none;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #1155cc; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: underline; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Argon18 E-80</span></a><span style="background-color: white; color: #252525; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">. I’m not an expert on bike technology, but this is a solid bike with a combination carbon/aluminium frame, with an aerodynamic design that has been fully validated in a wind tunnel. One thing I noticed in some research I did, is that for example, the front brakes are behind the fork to benefit from their aerodynamic shape; some bikes put the brakes in front of the fork where they only spoil the effect of the aero fork. And of course, it fit my budget of $2000.00.</span></div>
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<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.8327272415161155; margin-bottom: 1pt; margin-top: 3pt;">
<span style="background-color: white; color: #252525; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Argon18 is a Canadian company, which doesn’t hurt, and I’ve been playing around with red and black as an aesthetic; these things </span><span style="background-color: white; color: #252525; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">shouldn’t</span><span style="background-color: white; color: #252525; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> matter, but I can’t help myself.</span></div>
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<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.8327272415161155; margin-bottom: 1pt; margin-top: 3pt;">
<span style="background-color: white; color: #252525; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">So, back to the introduction, the bike is not only black, but named after a swift predator that relies on guile and skill more than raw power. That’s why I picked the name.</span></div>
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<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.8327272415161155; margin-bottom: 1pt; margin-top: 3pt;">
<span style="background-color: white; color: #252525; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Sadly, as of this writing, I won’t have ridden her yet. I put on new SPD pedals, and when I wanted to switch my shoes to the correct adapters (I had bought both the pedals and the adapters over a year ago from a different store), it appears there were parts missing, so it couldn’t be done on the spot, and they didn’t have any more in stock. There are some other complicating factors which I can’t go into right here, right now, but I do like the store where I bought the bike, </span><a href="http://www.thebikezone.com/" style="text-decoration: none;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #1155cc; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: underline; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Bike Zone Mississauga</span></a><span style="background-color: white; color: #252525; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">.</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #252525; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.8327272415161155; margin-bottom: 1pt; margin-top: 3pt;">
<span style="background-color: white; color: #252525; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Between getting a proper fit, and accessories (like water bottles), I'm sure I'll be spending more money...</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #252525; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Have you named your bike? What’s the silliest bike name you’ve heard?</span></div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01460872603454460967noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1567260830466854942.post-38595859482204169912015-06-24T00:30:00.000-04:002015-06-24T00:30:01.180-04:00#WorkoutHack: Explosive Power For Triathletes Using A Heavy Bag<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Disclaimer: I am not a certified fitness professional. Please consult one or a medical professional before undertaking any new forms of exercise - you are at your own risk. I present these exercises only as a way to exchange ideas and inspire others to be creative in their methods for attaining their fitness goals.</span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjbXFZpgYlDn3n2i6moPNTGnNxC7ExMIuoNK-EA_ilLmgkEKnXgzrMawDanB733WU53LkWvuNbHkOEgNDk5gFGcH3Zq60EbfyBCR7gvjdijO6oMRpKyzxycdNmiZYwnnnTidskXR7XdyQE/s1600/HeavyBagCoverWithTitle.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjbXFZpgYlDn3n2i6moPNTGnNxC7ExMIuoNK-EA_ilLmgkEKnXgzrMawDanB733WU53LkWvuNbHkOEgNDk5gFGcH3Zq60EbfyBCR7gvjdijO6oMRpKyzxycdNmiZYwnnnTidskXR7XdyQE/s640/HeavyBagCoverWithTitle.png" width="426" /></a></div>
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<b id="docs-internal-guid-3f0bad71-0331-9e67-42c2-ecdb36ba77de" style="font-weight: normal;"><br /></b></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">I’m now into the “Pre-Competitive 1” Phase (weeks 13-16) of my Half-Iron training (from </span><a href="http://galebernhardt.com/products/training-plans-for-multisport-athletes" style="text-decoration: none;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: #1155cc; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: underline; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Gale Bernhardt’s Training Plans for Multisport Athletes</span></a><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">), and strength training is only once per week and the workouts are meant to be for “strength maintenance”. For the preceding “Specific Preparation 3” phase (weeks 9-12), my strength workouts were coded as being “Power Endurance” (PE).</span></div>
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<b style="font-weight: normal;"><br /></b></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-left: 36pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">“The PE strength training phase is intended to combine strength with velocity. Making fast movements with weights, however, is controversial. At least one study has shown that when lifters were asked to move a weight as quickly as possible while maintaining contact with the weight bar, power actually decreased....”</span></div>
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<b style="font-weight: normal;"><br /></b></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">So Gale Bernhardt wants me to lift the weight explosively, but is concerned I won’t get the most bang for my buck if I have to control where it goes? I’m more concerned about whether I can handle the weight coming back down on the negative phase, and what that’s going to do to my body....</span></div>
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<b style="font-weight: normal;"><br /></b></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-left: 36pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">“One of the best options for a hip extension exercise with fast movements is a leg press machine that allows you to explosively jump off the platform with a load and return to the start position at a moderate speed.”</span></div>
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<b style="font-weight: normal;"><br /></b></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">So if I understand it correctly, most of the PE movements should have an explosive lift, and ideally not carry any extra weight on the way back down. I’m not sure my gym wants me dropping weights on the floor like that, but luckily, I’m good at finding ways to improvise...</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Enter the Heavy Bag. This thing has been hiding in my mother’s basement from the halcyon days of the late 90s when I took kickboxing and other martial arts. It weighs 70 lbs, and that’s a lot less than the weight I dead-lift or squat, yet somehow carrying it out of her basement (and subsequently into/out of mine) is a workout unto itself. Once I did, though, I found a way to get some great, explosive strength workout, and get a little Vitamin D in my own backyard.</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Have a look.</span></div>
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<iframe width="320" height="266" class="YOUTUBE-iframe-video" data-thumbnail-src="https://i.ytimg.com/s_vi/GcsShZ1OeMU/default.jpg?sqp=CJyvh6wF&rs=AOn4CLD3iNIsnv6UtaKlEJmf_vynMSMuiQ" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/GcsShZ1OeMU?feature=player_embedded" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01460872603454460967noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1567260830466854942.post-80273329550013142932015-06-18T02:00:00.000-04:002015-06-18T02:00:09.927-04:00Race Recap: Huntsville Half Marathon a.k.a. Band On The Run<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I had vowed to do Band On the Run this year after missing out the year before due to a <a href="http://ironrogue.blogspot.ca/2014/08/how-much-does-vasectomy-hurt.html" target="_blank">certain procedure</a> being performed. In fact, at last year's <a href="http://ironrogue.blogspot.ca/2014/11/friday-five-five-things-i-would-have.html" target="_blank">Angus Glen Half-Marathon</a>, we hatched a plot for my friends John and Tina to visit us at the cottage and for John to do the race together. Though our schedule was crazy enough that the plan was touch and go for a while, I'm happy to say that we all did the Huntsville Half Marathon last Saturday.</span><br />
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</span> <span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">We drove up to the cottage on the Friday night, and traffic was not kind so we got to bed much later than one likes to before a race. Fortunately, the kids slept well, and we didn't feel too rough the next morning. Though we parked and got to the race site on time, somehow we dallied in saying goodbye to the kids (who would be watched by Tina and my mother - thanks again!) and we only put ourselves in the back of the very small corral a few seconds before the start of the race.</span><br />
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</span> <span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Before the race, I had tried to do some analysis to come up with the right pace and thus a good goal for finishing time, or at least a rough estimate. The problem was I hadn't run a half-marathon type distance this season, and my longest run was the 5 Peaks Heart Lake Conservation Area Trail Race. I figured that 16 km of trails was worth at least 18 km of road in terms of training, but I doubted it would give a good estimate of speed. I also tried looking at training runs and figuring out an average speed that would keep me in Zone 2 of my heart rate. That proved difficult visually; the graphs spike up and down in a way that's difficult to simply eye-ball. I even tried exporting my data into a spreadsheet and doing some analysis that way, but the numbers didn't work, or at least, I couldn't make them work for the time I could afford on the effort. There's probably another post in there - the raw data probably needs to be smoothed out by some algorithms to be usable.</span><br />
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</span> <span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">My final strategy before the race began was to simply set an alert on my Garmin to go off if my heart rate went into Zone 3. I had 3 gels on me, and I took the first before the start... it has a lot of caffeine.</span><br />
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</span> <span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The course starts climbing right away... and my heart rate alarm went off before I had gone 300m. I tried to slow my pace, but there didn't seem to be a pace more than a crawl that was going to keep me in Zone 2, so I reset the alarm to go off if I crossed into Zone 4, and I tried to keep an eye on the absolute value of my heart rate, and simply be conservative for the first third to half of the race. Maybe it was the hill climbing, maybe it was the caffeine, but without much recent experience at the half-marathon distance, I knew I had to be conservative.</span><br />
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</span> <span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The climbing continued. I was a little shocked to see so many people walking within the first 2 km of a half-marathon, but there was a great sense of community, and I joked with people at the appearance of each new incline as if the hills were a novelty, and not becoming tedious. The race had promised musicians at regular intervals, and they delivered for at least the first 7 km. </span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The race course at one point crossed Highway 60, which they couldn't close for the race completely, and a police officer stopped traffic so that runners could cross in batches. I was impressed, because some people in front of me must have had to wait a little, but I don't think this contributed any significant delay.</span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgMgi-vpEWB8C_B1KmXjSZMvKFiaI9BOe5qffdqUN7TnkhJVgbk9iyeVWoJLrhiiuMQH3HZ1W83IAMHvPwY-8juL82sT7RqVriS6DiSXNgV6VytNhpRFTHCWHZq1FvTuVlVTznyZqnzCfw/s1600/20150613_084135.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="360" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgMgi-vpEWB8C_B1KmXjSZMvKFiaI9BOe5qffdqUN7TnkhJVgbk9iyeVWoJLrhiiuMQH3HZ1W83IAMHvPwY-8juL82sT7RqVriS6DiSXNgV6VytNhpRFTHCWHZq1FvTuVlVTznyZqnzCfw/s640/20150613_084135.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Seen on my run: clowns on bikes, fire trucks, bagpipers. </span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Like I said, there was a great sense of community in this race, even though the number of runners was small - from the back of the pack, there was only 22 seconds difference between gun and chip time for me. I was impressed by how often spectators seemed to know runners by name, though Huntsville is a major hub of cottage country and population swells seasonally, I guess it's really just a small town when it comes down to it. In the first third of the race course, I also found my new favourite race sign...</span><br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; text-align: start;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">Yeah, that's right... potty humour. I'm not even sorry.</span></span></td></tr>
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</span> <span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I heard someone mention that we'd be visiting <a href="http://www.ontarioparks.com/park/arrowhead" target="_blank">Arrowhead Provincial Park</a>, and I could tell by the route we were taking that they were right. The park's front gate had porta-potties, an aid station and a great musician; I can't remember what he played when I was on my way in, but he played R.E.M.'s "The One I Love" on my way out, and it was awesome.</span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhmJsb2oRGoKqH7vVfb6Vvhc1nZ_gSqtvorUZAQZurDwabSlhAkyQjWVMvFrAFVMCOmbJrY6vdJPPlOKO-UjtgPxqvL75Dnvrkt8LyNUrzjBXV_jLsFkHk3kQKgxBZtFHSD-cco9y8o2dc/s1600/20150613_092342.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="360" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhmJsb2oRGoKqH7vVfb6Vvhc1nZ_gSqtvorUZAQZurDwabSlhAkyQjWVMvFrAFVMCOmbJrY6vdJPPlOKO-UjtgPxqvL75Dnvrkt8LyNUrzjBXV_jLsFkHk3kQKgxBZtFHSD-cco9y8o2dc/s640/20150613_092342.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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</span> <span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">While the park's road was more peaceful for traffic, and provided shade and some of the nicest scenery on the run, it was also the biggest climb. I saw John on the way in, he had already hit the turn-around at 10 km and was moving fast. He told me it was only 3 more hills then corrected himself to 2. He was actually right the first time.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The last musician I saw before the turn-around point was playing the Lumineers' "Ho Hey", and I joined in with my own "HO" and "HEY"s which probably only confused everyone else; I guess <a href="http://meandthelightningkid.blogspot.com/2015/06/the-lightning-kid-and-king-as.html" target="_blank">they don't know that's my jam...</a></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">As soon as I hit the turn-around I felt some relief. I knew I'd have lots of downhill to look forward to, and I congratulated myself for playing it safe and leaving plenty in the tank to try and get a really significant negative split. Up until that point, I'd been running at a pace that would have netted me 2:15 finish time, and that's being optimistic. I saw my wife around the same spot that John had gone by me, and we shared a kiss for luck. She was smiling when we saw each other, which I took to be a good sign, as I knew the hills would be rough on her. That moment definitely gave me another little boost.</span><br />
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</span> <span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I really picked up the pace for the last half; I took my gels, didn't have any more bathroom breaks, and generally paid more attention to the pace than my heart rate. The route seemed a little deserted by that point, and I crossed the Main Street Bridge and ducked into the alleyway that led to the finish line. Shark Boy and the Lightning Kid (along with my mother, John and Tina) were all there to give me my finish line hugs.</span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgpGHEIY7kfptEosvwQB3vf0-OM43ofkHGCWsabtz6ipsMxdRS_LuxBQYnbNW-z-e39K2ttiHA5GaN7ujdLYydx2n7yui26gfs3FDmb4j8QpLNvpXqtvGELU0zx6NFyX_Imy2D5sVGv1xg/s1600/20150613_105001.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgpGHEIY7kfptEosvwQB3vf0-OM43ofkHGCWsabtz6ipsMxdRS_LuxBQYnbNW-z-e39K2ttiHA5GaN7ujdLYydx2n7yui26gfs3FDmb4j8QpLNvpXqtvGELU0zx6NFyX_Imy2D5sVGv1xg/s640/20150613_105001.jpg" width="360" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The Lightning Kid with makeshift sun-protection as it had gotten quite sunny.</td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">My finishing time was 2:06:05 which gives me an average pace of 6:00 per km. I'm pretty happy with that, even if the total time was well over 2 hours or even 2:05. What I'm proudest of is the negative split. I did the first 10 km with a 6:24/km pace, and the final 11 with a 5:29/km pace. Or, put another way, the first 10 km took me 1:04 and the next 11 km took me 0:54:45... now that's a negative split!</span><br />
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</span><iframe frameborder="0" height="500" src="https://connect.garmin.com/activity/embed/805449210" width="465"></iframe><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">We did have to wait a while for my wife. Apparently the last 3 km were the worst for her; like I said, it was a tough course. It was nice, however, being able to spot her crossing the bridge to alert the boys to her arrival - I cheered her on from under the bridge and she pulled out some last effort to break back into a run. Once she came down the alley, Shark Boy accompanied her on the last stretch, and the Lightning Kid let me know he did not want to be left out. The race announcer took note of the whole family coming into the finish line and it was a nice moment.</span> <span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">We slowly (painfully), made our way back to the car and headed home, with a stop at <a href="http://kawarthadairy.com/" target="_blank">Kawartha Dairy</a> for ice cream. We had beer and ribs for lunch and took a dip in the lake to cool off our inflamed joints and muscles.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">We did want to attend the music festival... all the runners were entitled to it, and the Lightning Kid got a kick out of dancing and making a spectacle of himself last year. We arrived a bit into the head-liner's show. It was the Joel Plaskett Emergency, and they were a lot of fun. Joel Plaskett managed to put some fun word-play into his lyrics and even mash-up covers into his own songs. His son Shannon (less than 5 years old by my rough estimate) danced and took videos from up on stage which only added to the fun, family-oriented vibe. People were dancing and having fun with their kids in front of the stage, and the Lightning Kid was not to be left out; Joel Plaskett even called out to him as "the kid in the Spider-Man hat".</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Having live music to enhance the whole musical theme of the Band On The Run race really makes for a whole day of fun and fitness, and I already can't wait till next year.</span>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01460872603454460967noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1567260830466854942.post-64709273604950791562015-06-16T00:30:00.000-04:002015-06-16T00:30:02.901-04:00Indoor Sky-Diving at iFly (with Shark Boy)<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><i>I'm linking up with Lakeshore Runner for Tri-ed It Tuesday. Wait till you get a load of what Shark Boy and I tried the weekend before last!</i></span><br />
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</span> <span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">OK, this post is going to be off-topic, since it's got nothing to do with triathlon, or fitness or any of the usual subjects. I suppose it is related to active family living, as one of the ways we manage to get the whole family involved in physical activities and travel is to treat our life as an ongoing adventure. Plus, the experience was simply too cool not to use this space to shout about it.</span><br />
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</span> <span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">During the winter, we were taking the <a href="http://meandthelightningkid.blogspot.com/" target="_blank">Lightning Kid</a> to a hearing test at <a href="http://www.erinoakkids.ca/" target="_blank">ErinOak Kids</a>. I spotted a building called <a href="http://iflytoronto.com/" target="_blank">iFly</a> and deduced it was dedicated to indoor skydiving; something I had read about when I was a kid, and seen on TV, but never experienced. The idea is that you're put in a wind tunnel that simulates the air rushing by you when you're in free fall. By assuming a spread-eagle position, you float on the air currents. All the fun of sky diving without jumping out of a perfectly good airplane - far less risk, somewhat less adrenaline.</span><br />
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</span> <span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Unbeknownst to me at the time, my wife was taking mental notes, and gave me a pass to be used in the future as a Valentine's Day present. I waited for my chance (i.e. a break in our weekend schedule) and took Shark Boy, as they take kids as young as 4.</span><br />
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</span> <span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">We had booked a 6:00PM slot, so after a rushed dinner at Boston Pizza, where I think Shark Boy was too excited to eat even his favourite foods, we walked into the facility and reported to the front desk. I was sent to a screen to fill in waivers for the two of us. They asked the usual health questions you'd expect, as well as asking about a history of shoulder dislocation. Doing it digitally was nice since it auto-filled a lot of Shark Boy's information with mine (e.g. address, email, and phone number).</span><br />
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</span> <span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">After that, we were weighed for the record and sent upstairs to the viewing area where we could see flights in session. We were told we'd have about 2 and a half hours of time to spend there which would include some training time. I worried about Shark Boy's attention span for any classroom orientation, but watching others tackle their flights was exciting enough to keep him engaged.</span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhYHC9ll8Cq9uFq5SbiwjHjrBbfGarFZRmRGjhA3iRT-CsvCeSb4LYdR2JCQMsVuWF873keH5Lz-vd72F3Js5HlODJBFKJ_oguKfOpb-ysK1VQmTFsNp4V3wJE9VToQWAPtqqOQPxWzg2g/s1600/20150607_181749.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="360" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhYHC9ll8Cq9uFq5SbiwjHjrBbfGarFZRmRGjhA3iRT-CsvCeSb4LYdR2JCQMsVuWF873keH5Lz-vd72F3Js5HlODJBFKJ_oguKfOpb-ysK1VQmTFsNp4V3wJE9VToQWAPtqqOQPxWzg2g/s640/20150607_181749.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br />
</span> <span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">We were assigned a group number, and our instructor, Mike G, came to the viewing/waiting area to gather us into a classroom. He was very laid-back and casual, and told us the classroom training would be an hour and a half. That was apparently a joke, as it turned out to be about 15 minutes. He was great and engaging kids and adults alike, and walked us through the basic rundown of what our flights would be. We had two flights each, although you could book 4 beforehand and one lady in our group had. The suggested method for her was to make her flights twice as long, and still have two sessions which would give her more time to hone her skills.</span><br />
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</span> <span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Mike explained the basics of the correct body position; the hips should be the lowest point of the body, the hands should be level with the plane of vision and most importantly the chin should be up. There are hand signals used in the tunnel because between the ear plugs and helmet for protection and the noise of the turbine, you can't communicate verbally. Some of the signals are for safety, some for guidance (straighten your legs=two straight fingers, bend your legs=two bent fingers), but my favourite was 'relax'... it's the old 'hang loose' sign from surfer culture (thumb and pinky extended from the fist).</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">He showed a video to get us oriented with the basics of entry and exiting the tunnel, and it ended with an expert rising to the top of the chamber and diving back down in an array of flips and turns. One concerned parent asked if it was possible for someone (especially a child) to rise up that high accidentally. The answer was no, it actually took a high degree of skill to get up that high - you need to build up momentum somehow. Of course, getting us excited about getting to that skill level is how they get people to come back!</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I made sure Shark Boy was paying attention and repeated as much as I could to him to make sure it was sinking in, I also volunteered him to lie on a special chair to simulate the position. I probably came off as a little intense, but I just wanted to make sure we got the most out of the experience (it's not cheap!)</span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhQZQHrzikd4z2AgaPTVmNnE1f3Obtt4dFKY6wt0mZErndYwMVwy8pBzHqVsB8_FZ3-peyNWDWENGpGA8-lKZcAn8oy7_IwHBGDTolw9mbh7Q-5dQ-EpNs27IoCTaPPyRsXtA6MQVm2HU8/s1600/20150607_183431.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="360" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhQZQHrzikd4z2AgaPTVmNnE1f3Obtt4dFKY6wt0mZErndYwMVwy8pBzHqVsB8_FZ3-peyNWDWENGpGA8-lKZcAn8oy7_IwHBGDTolw9mbh7Q-5dQ-EpNs27IoCTaPPyRsXtA6MQVm2HU8/s640/20150607_183431.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">We headed out of the classroom, and got suited up. The jumpsuits have little handles on the back to make sure the instructor (who is in the chamber with you) can control your motion if necessary. You can't bring valuables (including cameras or phones) into the wind chamber with you, but they have lockers which are easy to use. I snapped a few pics before putting everything away.</span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhtBYsyfSlbqtRBMQ-neh-ufPhBxov2Rph7qe8jlioJIr09-quOliW1_pbLSv96KWd5XElS5Ci98d74FzUmVYKu6kmFrh9c0QCXP8sS6a0uiLrYBlI3X8aE7_hI0yi5jsPMlR1UvrhZwmg/s1600/20150607_190517.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="360" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhtBYsyfSlbqtRBMQ-neh-ufPhBxov2Rph7qe8jlioJIr09-quOliW1_pbLSv96KWd5XElS5Ci98d74FzUmVYKu6kmFrh9c0QCXP8sS6a0uiLrYBlI3X8aE7_hI0yi5jsPMlR1UvrhZwmg/s640/20150607_190517.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgd2BGtjePQXbBUg3T7BArGYVeCW7OEd9387a7WtpZ12vYhCEtZLv94LO1qApXZLPiIxrqevNyuwihjY9wWqHjBwqj62jQG-DuPHnIWNUzBDwv72hyphenhyphen7sI0A0a1rYP82Uup4NHYP0iViLEw/s1600/20150607_190440.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgd2BGtjePQXbBUg3T7BArGYVeCW7OEd9387a7WtpZ12vYhCEtZLv94LO1qApXZLPiIxrqevNyuwihjY9wWqHjBwqj62jQG-DuPHnIWNUzBDwv72hyphenhyphen7sI0A0a1rYP82Uup4NHYP0iViLEw/s640/20150607_190440.jpg" width="360" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">There's a control booth with a window into the chamber where an operator can control the wind speed (or shut it down completely) and also a camera recording video (so they can sell you a DVD of the experience, of course). While we were waiting for our group to get its turn, I checked out a few facts that were printed on a wall. Apparently the wind tunnel is built with the motors at the top, meaning the air is actually being sucked from the top as opposed to blown from the bottom - though it does feel like the wind is coming from below, and your cheeks and face show it. There was also a list of other such facilities all over the world - I only counted 26, so figure we're lucky here in the Greater Toronto Area (this place was built in 2014).</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I have to tell you, each individual flight is only a minute long, which seems dreadfully short when you're spending 2 hours there, but I swear the time flies (my puns are always intended). The inner chamber's floor is simply a net that air can flow through, but enough to cushion your landing should your flight skills not be up to scratch. You enter the inner chamber through a doorway, and just outside that is a bench where you wait for your turn. The kids went first, and when they get in, they all flop around like fish out of water. The instructor is very attentive to every possible movement and keeps the whole situation under control though - that's for adults as well as children. I sat on the bench next to Shark Boy, because I wanted to make sure his exit was as smooth as possible. I needn't have worried, since it went perfectly.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">For my first flight, I was glad to be able to go independently, without Mike holding on to me, though I had a bit of a laugh at how I crashed into the sides. I even mugged for the camera.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">We went through the entire line-up, and when it was the second round, the girl at the front of the line had lost an earplug. The effort of getting it put back in meant shutting down the turbine for a minute or two, and by the time we had everything going again, she had lost her nerve. She declined a second flight. Then the kid behind her (her brother, same age as Shark Boy, I believe) declined too. I was worried that it would be contagious and Shark Boy would follow suit, but no, he was game. On the second flight, you're a little more comfortable and you do a little better. Shark Boy flew in what we called a 'helicopter' with both he and Mike in the air unanchored, spinning around the tunnel, and I got right up to the top of the viewing window, which apparently is as high as a beginner can get.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The session ended with our instructor Mike demonstrating flips and spins with big rises to the top of the chamber (a good 30 feet up from the floor) and dives to within inches of the floor.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Once the group's session was over, we got out of our flight suits, and there was an option to save on future flights if we purchased them that day. It was enticing, but I wasn't willing to commit. If we do go back, we'll spend less time in orientation and the flights will cost less. As part of our package, we got the DVD and I managed to not only rip the video from it, but edit it to show only the exciting parts (i.e. Shark Boy's flights and mine).</span><br />
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<iframe width="320" height="266" class="YOUTUBE-iframe-video" data-thumbnail-src="https://i.ytimg.com/vi/BcmEV9qBAWU/0.jpg" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/BcmEV9qBAWU?feature=player_embedded" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe></div>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I talked at length with Shark Boy about how glad I was that he didn't chicken out because this was a really rare experience that not everyone will ever get to enjoy. I really meant that.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><i>What do you think? Would you give it a try? What about the real thing (i.e. jumping out of a perfectly good airplane)?</i></span>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01460872603454460967noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1567260830466854942.post-83257522332630603242015-06-11T21:21:00.001-04:002015-06-11T22:40:09.071-04:00Review: Everlast VP Vegan Protein Mix<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Disclaimer: I’m officially an Everlast Nutrition Ambassador. I earn commission on orders made through my discount code.</span></div>
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<img alt="Vegan Protein" border="0" height="78" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj5Pzfcouev4t4KQ8mmUa3DwPwcvEbmMk8HL6wUMPHOa8kyQH4Av95LQV0M3Y0iYqdUmsNT5Y58t28JsAzsGM0bbinPv_58NmsnemW1vnvWKWfGvRux6zilIuWS-bXxiU7uLWZ-5w9iGV4/s640/728x90_vp.jpg" title="Everlast VP" width="640" /></div>
<b id="docs-internal-guid-81796234-e541-c57f-22a7-8978abeb1849" style="font-weight: normal;"><br /></b>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Everlast is a known brand in fight sports; I’ve got a heavy bag (from a previous life where martial arts played a bigger role in my fitness) and a jump rope from them, and they’re still part of my workout regimen today (stay tuned to this site in the future to find out how). What about the nutritional side of things?</span></div>
<b style="font-weight: normal;"><br /></b>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">I see two dueling trends when I look around the fitness/wellness blogosphere:</span></div>
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<li dir="ltr" style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; list-style-type: decimal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"><div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Athletes with incredible bodies who take pre-workout, post-workout supplements to optimize everything from performance to recovery.</span></div>
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<li dir="ltr" style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; list-style-type: decimal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"><div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">A trend toward “real food”, and staying away from artificial ingredients and compounds with unpronounceable names.</span></div>
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</ol>
<b style="font-weight: normal;"><br /></b>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">My experience with supplements is limited. I do take a multivitamin more or less as insurance against nutritional deficiencies that I might be accruing through an imperfect diet. I also try and get extra protein for two purposes: a) re-building muscles that are getting torn up from daily workouts and b) feeling full so that I stay clear of less healthy snacks that I run into throughout my day. Sometimes I throw hemp seeds onto cereal or other foods, but my most frequent protein supplementation is to make a smoothie, usually for breakfast. Typical ingredients include some combination of </span></div>
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<li dir="ltr" style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; list-style-type: disc; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"><div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Milk</span></div>
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<li dir="ltr" style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; list-style-type: disc; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"><div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Strawberries</span></div>
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<li dir="ltr" style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; list-style-type: disc; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"><div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Peanut/Almond butter</span></div>
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<li dir="ltr" style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; list-style-type: disc; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"><div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Banana</span></div>
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<li dir="ltr" style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; list-style-type: disc; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"><div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Coconut Water</span></div>
</li>
<li dir="ltr" style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; list-style-type: disc; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"><div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Hemp Protein</span></div>
</li>
<li dir="ltr" style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; list-style-type: disc; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"><div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Ground Flax Seed</span></div>
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<li dir="ltr" style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; list-style-type: disc; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"><div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Blueberries</span></div>
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<li dir="ltr" style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; list-style-type: disc; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"><div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Kefir</span></div>
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</ul>
<b style="font-weight: normal;"><br /></b>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">I had tried the pre-ready protein powders in the past, but because I liked my shakes to be creamy, I always used milk which never dissolved the powder well, and I found eating the powder after drinking a near-flavourless shake to be a little unappealing.</span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg_hbmCqBcimCABgmtYAouO1J9i4IH5a8hJPivfuxj4PXAX1-GjmoM6Hzjs6GBfO1r0stpfIbnDOqAdEvL5NFW9vD2c7SAJf7eVaxR0U2a5eStCA8Rr1u_qfQszHjqCfablplKrDRw9NWI/s1600/20150608_135518.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg_hbmCqBcimCABgmtYAouO1J9i4IH5a8hJPivfuxj4PXAX1-GjmoM6Hzjs6GBfO1r0stpfIbnDOqAdEvL5NFW9vD2c7SAJf7eVaxR0U2a5eStCA8Rr1u_qfQszHjqCfablplKrDRw9NWI/s640/20150608_135518.jpg" width="360" /></a></div>
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<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Everlast nutrition sent me this sample pack of their new Vegan Protein mix to try. Looking at the ingredients I saw:</span></div>
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<li dir="ltr" style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; list-style-type: disc; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"><div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Pea protein</span></div>
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<li dir="ltr" style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; list-style-type: disc; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"><div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Carrageenan</span></div>
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<li dir="ltr" style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; list-style-type: disc; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"><div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Sea Salt</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Natural Flavor</span></div>
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<li dir="ltr" style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; list-style-type: disc; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"><div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Rice Protein</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Hemp Protein </span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Stevia Glycoside</span></div>
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<br /><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The carrageenan would be a source of concern, but the truth is, I haven't found a chocolate milk product (even organic ones) that don't have it, so I guess it's necessary for the whole 'shake' experience. A lot of people swear by stevia (I'm not a convert), but I guess I'm grateful for sweetness without sugar (or the attendant calories). The rest sounds like really good stuff. The sample pack was only good for one serving, so I opted to try it simply with milk to get the best idea of its taste without going the watery route.</span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjfu-eqsu-FA1UlQNzfLjj3J8AzvJnyNqfK1Yl6yntQB2Qa9x1piPALDRwLDa1TfPRqiay7eIZRZzRtuVGHBCIGa172Hi-Koop_zTjP3NhwAxQ667ugPGZqEfNhX5AlqIj4mWlycxdEr00/s1600/20150608_135528.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="360" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjfu-eqsu-FA1UlQNzfLjj3J8AzvJnyNqfK1Yl6yntQB2Qa9x1piPALDRwLDa1TfPRqiay7eIZRZzRtuVGHBCIGa172Hi-Koop_zTjP3NhwAxQ667ugPGZqEfNhX5AlqIj4mWlycxdEr00/s640/20150608_135528.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">After a really intense session at the gym, I bought a large milk and went to my desk to try mixing it in a smoothie bottle. I'll bet I shook that bottle for at least 5 minutes before I tried it. Bad news first: like all other protein shakes I've tried to make in the past, the end result had only a portion of the powder dissolved and the rest sat at the bottom. That makes the flavour weaker than it needs to be, and the idea of eating the remnant powder alone is disgusting.</span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiHH9xf4a8iiqIA0xsCYHQWJvfiM8-pNsaucpEQDRQSm2Bjgr4cgraeZE7xKw597QoS1AG_fe1WE3H2ivHTSZDqhK6oMu7wK7rttcal_nd0l6nQlcAlk2b-KhMCJkl4j4cm0GkYcFdytLo/s1600/20150608_140428.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiHH9xf4a8iiqIA0xsCYHQWJvfiM8-pNsaucpEQDRQSm2Bjgr4cgraeZE7xKw597QoS1AG_fe1WE3H2ivHTSZDqhK6oMu7wK7rttcal_nd0l6nQlcAlk2b-KhMCJkl4j4cm0GkYcFdytLo/s640/20150608_140428.jpg" width="360" /></a></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Now the good news: the taste is fantastic. I think it's the sea salt; you know how the only thing better than caramel is <i>salted</i> caramel? It's like that, only with vanilla plus a little bit of nuttiness. I refilled the container with water and enjoyed the rest of the drink. And in case you hadn't figured it out (and it's important to you) the product is vegan (though the warning label admits it's produced in a facility where dairy products, eggs, wheat and soy are also handled).</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">If you want to try Everlast VP Vegan Protein, you can use the code IRONROGUE at checkout when you visit <a href="http://everlastnutrition.com/">EverlastNutrition.com</a>. In addition to this Vegan Protein, they have a performance drink mix called Everlast Fuel that has both electrolytes (for optimal re-hydration) and protein (for muscle recovery).</span>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01460872603454460967noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1567260830466854942.post-33923667814462969302015-06-08T00:00:00.000-04:002015-06-08T00:00:03.410-04:00Motivation Monday: Crashing the Sport Chek #SweatForThis Party<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<a href="http://www.sportchek.ca/" style="text-decoration: none;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: #1155cc; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: underline; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Sport Chek</span></a><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> invited some of my favourite local bloggers, like </span><a href="http://wildly-fit.com/" style="text-decoration: none;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: #1155cc; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: underline; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Wildly Fit</span></a><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">, </span><a href="http://robynbaldwin.com/2015/06/02/sweatforthis/" style="text-decoration: none;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: #1155cc; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: underline; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Robyn Baldwin</span></a><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> and </span><a href="http://www.darwinianfail.com/2015/05/is-this-real-life.html" style="text-decoration: none;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: #1155cc; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: underline; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Darwinian Fail</span></a><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> (as I composed this sentence, I envisioned them as Charlie’s Angels, and I’m like Bosley or something) to participate in their #SweatForThis campaign. </span></div>
<blockquote class="instagram-media" data-instgrm-captioned="" data-instgrm-version="4" style="background: #FFF; border-radius: 3px; border: 0; box-shadow: 0 0 1px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.5),0 1px 10px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.15); margin: 1px; max-width: 658px; padding: 0; width: -webkit-calc(100% - 2px); width: 99.375%; width: calc(100% - 2px);">
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<a href="https://instagram.com/p/3bJ3TuwPKF/" style="color: black; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: 17px; text-decoration: none; word-wrap: break-word;" target="_top">Stronger every day. I #SweatForThis @sportchek. At 30, I'm in the best shape of my life. I spent my 20s looking for answers to my chronic pain problems. I remain undiagnosed today but I now know exactly what I need to do to feel my best: move my body, eat nutritious food, practice inner peace. Now, I eat trails for breakfast and am grateful for every step. What are you sweating for? #Ad #allsweatisequal ______________________________ I've teamed up with @sportchek to share my running story and what I sweat for. Share your story with us by tagging #SweatForThis. Look out for more stories this month!</a></div>
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A photo posted by Morgan Shuker (@wildly_fit) on <time datetime="2015-06-02T10:59:23+00:00" style="font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 17px;">Jun 2, 2015 at 3:59am PDT</time></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br />
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Krysten (a.k.a. Darwinian Fail) is even on a TV commercial which you can see <a href="https://youtu.be/rNLUrF1QpfY" target="_blank">here</a>.</span></div>
<b id="docs-internal-guid-abcff4bb-cbe5-3a16-fd8d-b21294b57d4e" style="font-weight: normal;"><br />
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">I love this campaign, because everyone has their reasons to run, swim, bike, lift and generally break a sweat, so I decided to crash the party with my own reasons. I’ve compiled them into this video, I hope you like it. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">I #SweatForThis</span><br />
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<iframe allowfullscreen="" class="YOUTUBE-iframe-video" data-thumbnail-src="https://i.ytimg.com/vi/lKlh20s-CAE/0.jpg" frameborder="0" height="266" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/lKlh20s-CAE?feature=player_embedded" width="320"></iframe></div>
<span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: Arial;"><span style="font-size: 15px; white-space: pre-wrap;">For some of the stories behind those images, our active family adventures can be found under the tag '<a href="http://ironrogue.blogspot.ca/search/label/family" target="_blank">family</a>'. I'll call out some particular highlights like the<a href="http://ironrogue.blogspot.ca/2015/06/race-recap-5-peaks-heart-lake-trail-race.html" target="_blank"> 5 Peaks Heart Lake Race</a>, our <a href="http://ironrogue.blogspot.ca/2015/04/active-family-travel-review-smugglers.html" target="_blank">Ski Vacation to Smuggler's Notch</a>, the <a href="http://ironrogue.blogspot.ca/2014/04/toronto-yonge-street-10k-race-recap.html" target="_blank">2014 Toronto Yonge Street 10k</a>, and our <a href="http://ironrogue.blogspot.ca/2012/09/shark-boy-duathlete-scoundrel-of-steel.html" target="_blank">First Kids of Steel Duatlhon</a>.</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><i><br /></i></span>
<span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><i>What do you think of the video?</i></span>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01460872603454460967noreply@blogger.com1