A great way to spend a Saturday morning.

Saturday Spin today was great fun. About 30 of us met at 9AM at Belmead school in west Edmonton.
Some onehad set up a big screen projector and we watched a 2000 Tour de France video. While we did our ride.
Today had an endurance focus to the ride. We did 4X15min sets of steady cadence 90 - 100 RPM with a few short hill climbs. The idea was to stay in HR Zones 2 and 3. I managed to keep my hart rate in the right zones at the right time so I felt pretty good about the workout. An 1 hour 25 minutes overall time on the bike.
After the spin Kerry led us through a series of yoga like stretches and some core work.  It was a great way to spend a Saturday morning.

Still don't feel good about going to a pool.

Another day without swimming.  I still don't feel good about going to a pool. I want to swim but with a cold and plugged nasal passages,  I think it is better to just hold off for a few more days.  I managed to get a run in yesterday while at the hockey arena. It seems the only time I get chance to work out is when I am working a hockey game.  At least I am able to do that.  I am looking forward to the spin session tomorrow.  I get a lot of satisfaction burning up the calories and training on the bike in a group setting.

I have an opportunity to work at the Olympics next month.  I am looking forward to it, but I am going to need to find a pool so I can get in some swimming.

Ready to get back into the pool.

Working a lot of hockey games this week, so I have been able to get in some indoor running and running some stairs during my lunch breaks. I have been running 15 laps of the building which I figure works out to about 5kms. It feels great to get these runs in and to be able to use my time wisely.

I am really ready to get back into the pool. I still have a bit of a cold so I am not sure how that is going to go.

I am very excited because I booked a hotel room in Penticton for the May long weekend. The Cops for Cancer team is having a Iron camp where we will be able to ride the Ironman course.

I am in search of some silent auction items for the team fundraiser. If you can think of anything please let me know.

Backin the saddle.

I am stating to feel better. I have gone all week without working out at all. Just trying to get over this cold as fast as possible. I went out to the group spin today. We did some endurance work. It ended up being a 80 minute spin. it felt good to be back in the saddle again.

Notes from my journal looking back to Oct. 20 /08

I went for a run with Deb at the YMCA. We did the treadmill for 1/2 hour. My first time with a HR monitor. It worked OK  164  We did 22 mins. straight through then hopped on the bike for 15 mins. It was nice to try a spin after a run.

Notes from my journal looking back to Oct 19/08

I went swimming with Garnet.  He did a nice job of explaining the front crawl and helping me with the breathing.  I appreciate his help and it will give me a good start to my swimming.  I really need to practice my swimming.

Notes from my journal looking back to Oct 18 / 08

I met Rob at the south side YMCA for a 9AM run.  We did a 1/2 hour run. I felt pretty good. I pushed for the final 2 mins.  I am going to Mountain equipment co-op for a heart rate monitor and also register for a summer marathon.

Notes from my journal looking back to Oct 15/08

Ran for 32 mins. at the YMCA. I booked Garnet to teach me how to swim tomorrow. I also went to a bike shop called Way Past Fast to "look" at bikes and heart rate monitor. I saw some nice bikes.

Notes from my journal looking back to Oct 13/08

Deb and I went to the YMCA and ran side by side for 30 mins. Pedaled for 5 mins @ 90 rpm.

Notes from my journal looking back to Oct. 11/08

My 1st workout with Rob Thirlwell. We met at the west end YMCA. It was a bit cool for outdoor running, so we hit the tread mill for 3 sets of 10 mins. with a break for a fire alarm. Rob asked if I was interested in joining the Cops for Cancer team. It is a fund raising group he trains with that raises money for cancer research. I told him I was interested.

Notes from my journal looking back to Oct 10 / 08

Oct. 10/ 08 At the Y, I peddled on a stationary bike for 22 mins. and then went for my first swim.  I managed to swim one length of the pool twice.  Only 178 lengths to go.

Notes from my journal looking back to Oct 08/08

I went to the YMCA this afternoon. On the treadmill for 5 min. walk, 10 min run, 2 min. walk, 10 run, 5 cool down. 32 minutes total.  297 calories burned. It felt great!

Notes from my journal looking back to Oct 04/08

Oct 04 /08, Swift Current,  I ran for 10 min. walk for 2 min. approx 3 kms with Pixel. Plus 24c. beautiful day today.

Notes from my journal looking back to Oct 02/08

A couple of days off while we traveled to Swift. 9AM run through the river trail system. 5 min. walk, 12 min run for 3 km, 2 min. walk, then 12 min. run back, 5 min cool down. Approximately 6 kms of running total. Today I put up a post on facebook that I have started training of the 2010 Ironman.

Notes from my journal looking back to Sept. 29/08

Sept. 29/08 I let Rob Thirlwell know that I was ready to commit and he offered to train with me.

I took my dog Pixel for a run and we ran for 10 minutes, walked for 2 minutes, then ran for 10 minutes. I think it was about 3 kms. It felt great!

Notes from my journal looking back to Sept. 28/08

Sept 28/08 Golfing with Deb and our very good friends Karen and Garnet. I mentioned to the that I am interested in entering the 2010 Ironman. They agreed to be my support team and Garnet said he would teach me to swim.

I thought OK great.

Skip head to Sept. 28/08.
We had Rob and Sheila Thirlwell over for dinner to hear about how his 2008 Ironman race went.
He had some great stories and we discuss the idea of me joining Rob in the 2010 Ironman. I thought, gee, that would be great but I don't know how to swim. Rob tels me he didn't know how to swim before he signed up. I thought OK great.

Should rest and try to save energy?

It is now four days without working out. This cold has put my training on hold. I am not sure if I should rest and try to save energy to heal or if I should still be training even while I am under the weather.
I am starting to feel a bit better so I think I will do a little run tomorrow.

To me "diet" was a dirty word.

In August 2007, I returned home from three weeks on horseback working in the mountains.
My wonderful wife, Deborah had been doing some research into looking at getting back into shape. She had found a book called the GI Diet, By Rick Gallop.  Deb suggested that I read it. I have never ever considered going on a diet. To me "diet" was a dirty word, something for fat people. I said,"It wouldn't do me any good."
I spent my entire adult life eating what I wanted, when I wanted, skipping meals, eating cheeseburgers, fries, chips, beer, you name it. I never ate breakfast. It is easy for me to blame the fact that I was working in a high time pressure business with tight deadlines, so taking a proper lunch break often was discouraged.
I knew I needed a change, I just didn't how or what. I had tried to cut back on certain things, like beer and french fries, but that didn't make any difference.
This GI Diet book gave me a plan. A very clear cut plan that was easy to follow and it worked!
In 3 months - just 16 weeks I lost 40 pounds! No exercising, no starving, just eating right.
I started eating breakfast everyday and the pounds started to fall off.
By the 16th week my weight was down to 160lbs.  I felt great and because of that I started going to the gym to build my cardio. I just used the eliptical machines a few times a week. I was not into running because I thought my knees could not take it, What did I know. Here is a picture of me August 09 after I completed the Edmonton half marathon.

It has been over two years and I still on this "lifestyle" and I it has been easy to keep the weight off.
Some of  my very close friends have tried this "diet" and have had even better results.

The beginning of a new lifestyle

Edmonton hosted the ITU Triathlon for 5 years and I was involved in the coverage of those races. I never once thought about participating or competing in the event.
It seems that over the years I had gained a few extra pounds. I never really thought that I was that overweight. Who does really?  I guess I just carried it well or my friends were too polite to say anything. The only person to tell me what was going on was a dear friend, Betty Buffam.  Deb and I would see Betty at Christmas and she would say something like,"My Nick you're getting round." Betty is in her 80s or 90s.

I gained weight one pound at a time. Over time it all adds up. Here is a picture of me in August 2007.
I top out at a bit over 200lbs. I knew I needed a change but I did not know how to create it.

August 2007 was the beginning of a new lifestyle.

Gee, I'd like to try that.

I woke up with a sore throat. I was supposed to go swimming tonight but I though better of it. If I rest up today I will hopefully get rid of this before it really gets in the way.
Since I have some time, let me tell you how this whole Ironman thing got started for me.

Ten years ago I had a chance to work on the TV coverage of the Ironman Canada race. It was a grueling day that started very early in the morning in a boat and I spent most of the day sitting backwards on a motorcycle.   It was a great way to see the race.  I would be assigned to follow the lead male or the lead female for the entire race. I had a good chance look at the course, facing backwards, and while at the time I was in no shape to attempt participating in this event, I said to another cameraman "Gee I'd like to try that." He laughed.

I had a scheduling conflict so I was not able to work on the coverage after a few years and I never thought much about it again.

This is a long story, so I will split it up over several posts.

Some people are good at kicking.

Today's swim at the Hardisty pool was a good one. Lots of people from the team were out and it went better than last week. I have a better idea of what to expect now.  We learned some drills, swam some lengths and did a lot of kicking.  It surprises me how good some people are at kicking. If my legs are not kicking they sink like a rock and I am swimming up hill.  I really need to work on my kicks.

After the swim, the group went for a run. It was a cooler -4. I had to cut the run short today because I had some work to do, so I did a fifty minute out and back for about 9 kms.

I managed to meet my weekly exercise goals. Hurray!

Saturday Spins

During the winter months my favorite workout of the week is the Saturday group spin. The Cops for Cancer group meets at a local high school gymnasium. This week it was at McNally high school. Some of the team members are teachers at the school so they are able to book the gym for us. It is pretty a comfortable space and I am grateful for the chance to get in a good ride during the winter months.

I did a 90 minute ride today with the Cops for Cancer Ironteam.  I joined this team a year ago last fall because of a good friend of mine Rob Thirwell.

I first met Rob back in 1978 when I started working at CFRN in Edmonton. We worked together for a number of years and became good friends then. At the time I knew he was into volleyball and we did some canoe trips together with his wife Shelia and a bunch of other friends.  I was also an usher at their wedding. Rob and I have kept in touch over the years through various social and business activities. He always seemed to be working towards some kind of new goal.
Rob is an Ironman. He completed the course in August 2008 as a member of Edmonton's Cops for Cancer Ironcops team.  I was very excited for him and I thought, Wow, what a great achievement.

I have Rob to thank for my current state of sore muscles.  I will write more of the back story and fill in some details when I get a chance.

Here is the plan

Today I am working the hockey game at the Coliseum. I am taking advantage of my lunch breaks and getting in a short run.  I run laps around the top concourse level of the arena. 15 laps is about 5k and takes me a little over half an hour. Sometimes I will run the stairs for an additional workout. I am supposed to do a couple of shorter runs each week and this fits in nicely.

Swim lessons

8:30 Tuesday night and it is back to the Peter Hemmingway pool for another drop in swim lesson with Lincoln.  A few other of my team members showed up and I thought that it was a good sign that I am doing the right thing by being here.
Here is the workout for today:
100 meter Swim
100 meter Kick
3sets of 6X50 with 30 second rests
1st set swim
2nd set kick with fins
3rd set swim with fins
3x200 meter swim with fins 1 min. rest.

I didn't quite get to finish the whole workout in the time allowed but it did feel good to be swimming.
Still pretty tough just to get to the other end of a fifty meter pool. I plan on getting to a pool 4 days a week.

Monday is supposed to be a day off.

 I figured out my bike gear ratios and made up a chart to stick to the handlebars of my bike so I know how to find the perfect gear to be in when I need it.
There is a formula:
gear= number of teeth on the crank divided by number of teeth on the sprocket times the size of wheel.
with this information you can make up a chart of your bikes gear ratios.

 I was a bit stiff and sore this morning after a bit of a longer run than I expected yesterday.  I have a computerized endurance training program that sets a schedule for how much and what kind of workouts I should be doing. It is very detailed and specific about what I should be doing on which days. Monday is supposed to be a day off.
I need to be swimming so I went out tonight at 8:30 to the Peter Hemingway pool and take some additional swim lessons. The city offers a drop in class Mondays and Wednesdays. Lincolin is the swim coach and he is the same guy coaching the Super Sunday swim.
The Hemingway pool is a fifty meter pool so it is a lot more challenging to get from one end to the other. We swam about 800 meters. The coach gave us some great instructions and some one on one time so it was very productive.
I need to practice swimming more than anything else. I am going to make attending these sessions a priority. Near the end we did some swimming with fins and my calf muscles cramped up. I managed to finish the drill, but I am going to need to work out a few kinks in these legs.
I think I will sleep well tonight.

Super Sunday - I have never sweat so much in a pool.

This is my first attempt at the weekly group work out called "Super Sunday". 7AM Sunday morning the alarm clock goes off. I hesitate to get up. I am a bit tired from a late Saturday night of movies.  I also have just learned to swim last November, so I am not sure how I will fit into the group swim with a bunch of well trained Ironman triathletes. In order to complete the Ironman swim I am going to need some practice. A lot of practice.


We are meeting at the Hardisty Pool, a city run pool in Edmonton. When I arrived I met the team coach Lincolin. A likeable guy who organized the swim lanes and the swim workout like a pro. He asked me the do a length and see how I fit in.  He put me in the beginners lane,
Our assignment was to swim 100 meters every 3 minutes.  After the first couple of trips back and forth I soon realized I am not ready for this at all!
Lincolin would not let me quit. I got out of the pool and suggested that I should practice more before working out with the team and he said "no just get back in and finish. I swam some more and thought "No I need to get out this is a mistake." The coach said "I am not letting you out. Get back in and finish."  So I did and I have never sweat so much in a pool.


Then the team went for a run. A very nice winter day, -2c , run through the river valley and back. 140 min. run with a couple of stops and a total of 15kms.


After burning 1144 calories, according to my heart rate monitor, a nap was definitely next on the schedule.

Spinning with Lori-Ann

I will get caught up with more of the back story when I get time. Right now things are happening!
Each week in the winter, twice a week, my training team gets together at a local school for an indoor group bike ride. This Saturday morning at the Cops for Cancer group ride I learned few things.
We had a special guest join our group and what a special treat it was. Olympic Gold medalist Lori-Ann Muinzer gave us a seminar on the proper fitting of a bike to a human. Then she lead us in a spin session that lasted an hour and a half. Great information and a great workout. I will have more information to follow when I get a chance.

Day 01

Here we go... Welcome to my blog. My goal is to write a journal and document my thoughts while I am training to compete and complete in the 2010 Ironman Canada race. Wish me luck!