Dolphins Swim Clinic

"A goal is never fully defined by just one number. The number is always set in a context, and it's the overall context that endows the number with its true value."
Gregory Bassham

This morning I went to a clinic put on by the UBC Dolphins with coaches from the UBC varsity swim team.

There is so much involved in swim technique, much of which I'm not doing correctly, that it's hard to cover much in an hour but the session was very good. We worked on kick, (apparently if you want to have a good kick you should stop running!), recovery and pull. We didn't have time to get to breathing (we had to go for an hour with no air! okay, maybe not) but the notes they gave us have some useful tips.

I'm looking forward to getting back in the pool tomorrow to see how much I remember and if it has an effect. By Monday I'll have four days in a row of swimming, that should have some sort of positive effect!

On a different topic, I've been reading "Running & Philosophy." Not quite what I expected, I get the feeling the philosophers are trying to dumb things down for a general audience, but there are occasional gems and good quotes, such as the one above. I'll try to post any others I like, and maybe build my own database of inspiring quotes.

Quiet Evening (except for the war movie)

Spun for 55 minutes while watching episode 4 of Band of Brothers (Replacements).

As per Alan I did 3, 5 and 7 stride sprints every two minutes. This was easier to do at the gym last week when I no other distractions. (I'm not sure the overall boredom makes up for it though.) Getting caught up in the drama of whether Bull Randleman is going to get run over by a tank made me lose track at bit.

Not including the sprints, I tried to keep my cadence over 90. I wanted to stay at 100 but that just wasn't doable today so I went for 95 and mostly kept to that.

Had a good, long stretch after and then one of my all time favourite comfort food meals - marinated tofu on brown rice. The tofu recipe, from an old Ann Lindsay cookbook, is super easy and super tasty. I let the tofu marinate and the rice cook while I was spinning, heated up the oven while stretching then put the tofu in the oven before showering and changing and when I was done the food was done.

Spent the rest of the evening reading "The Ladies of Gracei Adieu" by Susanna Clarke. I have to finish the book by the end of the weekend as it's my roommate's girlfriend's book and she'll be reclaiming it then. Luckily it's short!

The Perils of Recovery Week

Two years ago someone in the tri club told me that training for Ironman made you manic/bipolar. I remembered that this week as I'm doing everything to prove their words.

Last week I was tired, cranky, had moments of rage and got pretty unhappy. Laundry and dishes piled up (although that's somewhat normal). On my training journal I ranked most of my workouts as "Bad". At work I forgot how to spell.

This week, life is rosy, things are great and I'm making plans. Lots of them. And not just for me! I've finally done all my dishes, cleaned the kitchen and reorganzied the tri gear section of my closet. My workouts have been "Great" (even the evil spin session), I had a breakthrough in the pool and I've been blogging like a crazy woman. I've finalized housing for Ironman. I've read two Raymond Chandler novels (I should pace myself as he only wrote seven). At work I've tackled my filing and finished up a bunch of dull Joe jobs that have been sitting around forever. For the tri club I've sent about 500 emails to my fellow tri club Board members, come up with new projects (we need a newsletter!!), and updated, sorted and generally made pretty the shared spreadsheets.

What makes me truly realize I'm in a manic state is that I've started pondering what would be involved in organizing a triathlon. A half iron, to be specific. Not that I'd really do it, just a thought excerise of course. But it would be great if there was one in the Lower Mainland so that lazy Vancouverites wouldn't have to deal with ferries or mountain passes. I even got as far as picking a possible location and getting excited because I think I could easily get a good core of 50 volunteers there without too much effort. Once I started thinking about sponsors I realized I needed a serious time out. Reality check - my organizational experience in triathlon involves three hours holding up a stop/slow sign and 10 minutes picking up cones.

Reminds me of that time in Penticton, August 2004, when I stood on Eastisde Road watching bikes go by and pondering what would be involved in racing in a triathlon. Ironman, to be specific. Not that I'd actually do it ...

Too Much Julian May

Reading too much pulp scifi can be dangerous to your sanity. I’ve realized I’ve started to think in effusive prose and excessive 3rd person!

As she sits at her computer; that culmination of science, technology and design so perfected at the entry to the 21st century (humanity’s salvation or its ruin?); she tries to marshal her swirling and chaotic thoughts. The triathlete, shoulders and hamstrings pinging with exhaustion and strain yet still game for one more workout, tries to rid her mind of the hyperbolic and adverb heavy prose of 1980’s era pulp fiction. She attempts to write a sentence not weighted down with ridiculous metaphor or simile, smothering her thoughts like an unexpected late spring snowfall burdening a delicate lilac bush.

She has only just begun her arduous year of training, her quest towards that athletic ideal and pinnacle of physical achievement – Ironman. The first month is always the hardest, exhaustion and pain settling into muscle, brain and nerve like pigeons in a stately historic building – unwanted but unavoidable. She knows, she knows deep in heart and to the very fibre of her being that if she perseveres, perseveres and does not let this stop her that the pain and exhaustion will fade and she can glory in the joy of training, finely tuning her muscles and honing her psyche for the unimaginable quest she has chosen, heading toward the ecstasy and glory of completion.

Her bicycle, black and yellow, sits in her closet unused but impatient, like a wasp forced into idleness, abuzz with internal tension. Although inanimate, it almost vibrates in anticipation of the morrow’s ride and the season ahead. Hills! Backroads! Scenic vistas! So much distance just waiting to be ridden and explored after so very many months, long months of idleness and unuse. It could once again exult in its ultimate purpose, ecstasies of glory in the simple perfection of balance, speed and centrifugal force.

The triathlete is content in her tiredness, her cocoon of exhaustion. She knows that in a few weeks she will be ready for the program and exulting in her physical reshaping. She also knows that if she reads a couple of Cormack McCarthy novels, with their spare and minimalist style, stark like a winter birch in the frigid north, that she will free herself of this obnoxious yet strangely addictive style of prose.

Last Post of 2006

It's my last post of the year and my last chance to say something significant in 2006. No pressure or anything!

So far I've spent the last few days of 2006 as the antithesis of how I spent the bulk of the year and (hopefully) of how I'll spend 2007. I've gotten reacquainted with the couch and spent a lot of time reading and drinking tea. This is helped by the fact that I inherited several hundred books from a friend who is moving to Japan at the end of the month, without this literary treasure trove on hand I may have actually accomplished something this week. I also got the coolest tea cup ever from the same person and have been infusing like a mad woman (albeit a lazy one), and good tea is best appreciated while one is relaxing so I didn't want to ruin the karma or anything like that.

I do have a cold so the lack of workouts is justified, although I should have been able to do a bit of housecleaning or organizing around the place.

Today is definitely the laziest day yet, it's past 3pm and I'm still in my pj's. However, if I'm going to be in the pool by 8am every Sunday for the next four months I'm darned well going to enjoy one last lazy weekend!

Just in case you think I've been thoroughly slacking, over the past week I've read the following:

Sophie's World by Jostein Gaardner (basically an idiot's guide to philosophy. Unsurprisingly, I liked it.)
Home for The Vinyl Cafe by Stuart McLean (it's always a good time to have a laugh)
Vinyl Cafe Unplugged by Stuart McLean
Dead Famous by Ben Elton (more laughs)
Shopgirl by Steve Martin (I think I liked it. It was certainly engrossing and interesting. A little dry. I'll probably read it again. And still not be sure whether I like it.)
And I'm most of the way through The Many Colored Land by Julian May, a ridiculous scifi/fantasy novel that I've seen on bookshelves for ages and never gotten around to reading, which is too bad because I would have absolutely loved it if I'd read it in junior high.

I also had a two hour plus conversation with my friend in Australia, who recommended more books for me to read.

Well, not much in the way of sobering reflection or deep insights, just an ode to idleness before I give it up!

Happy New Year!

Looong Weekend

I packed (and unpacked) a lot in three days.

Saturday Ride to & Run in Steveston
The start of my day was a gong show as I couldn’t find anything: Where are my gloves? Panic! Oh right, they’re in my helmet. Where is my helmet? Panic! Etc… I finally got all my bike gear together, managed to get out the door then realized I’d forgotten my running shoes. What was planned as a leisurely ride to Steveston became a frantic time trial endeavour. On the upside, it took me almost exactly as long as I’d predicted to get there – 46 minutes (I was thinking 45).

I missed Joanne and co.'s transition to the run by about five minutes but met up with them soon enough on the dyke and had a good run. I felt slow and asthmatic and was suffering from a case of pancakes eaten too close to exercise (PETCTE??), but other than that it was a good run.

Great lunch and a good time hanging out after.

Sunday: Ontario Bike Route Run
I had a lazy morning: I had some tea and read my book and generally took it easy before going out for an easy run on the Ontario bike route to 59th & back. I used to run that route when I lived at 19th & Cambie, wish I knew how it took me then so I could compare.

Had fun with Gmaps pedometer mapping out the distance on the run - very cool!

Cassandra came over in the afternoon to help me unpack my books; she was in charge of anti-dither measures and wouldn’t let me read anything so the packing went fairly smoothly. I managed to unload my old computer monitor and some other stuff on a friend of hers so it was quite a successful unpacking exercise.

Monday: Pure Laziness
Monday was a holiday (Remembrance Day fell on a Saturday so we got the Monday off), so I did a bit of exploring in the new ‘hood and discovered/rediscovered some cool places on Main. I think I have a lot of dining out ahead of me to fully get in touch with the neighbourhood – luckily I'll need to consume a lot of calories next year.

I finished the book Helen lent me, Prodigal Summer by Barbara Kingsolver. I really enjoyed it, even if it did get a little Harlequin-esque in parts. I think this is what Ruth Ozeki's All Over Creation was meant to be. Aside from being a good story there were some very interesting arguments against pesticides in that they actually increase the number of bugs and that hunting coyotes increases their populations. Read the book, it'll all make sense!