A couple quick excerpts from my journal before I hit the hay.
Today I was reminded of a favorite memory from my UofG experience.
Every day after our morning training session we would walk out of the athletics centre and take a deep full breath of the day to come. We were happy with our accomplishments so far, and ready for more. Having triumphantly conquered what was usually an epic strength workout, walking along the cobble stone one of us would pipe up with something to the extent of, "Today will be a great day." The response would always be "You know what, today is a great day."
Quietly we pause to experience the conscious thought, the moment, and prepare ourselves for the rest of our great day. That's all it took. At any point during the day we could think back to that moment, preparation, and we were again filled with the energy we felt at that time.
This brings me to my next thought which asks the question, "Where does your energy come from?" Being the "science minded, HK'er," the first time I thought about this my conditioned response was: "well essentially energy comes from the release of a phosphate molecule from ATP." (lame, I know)
But energy comes from other places as well. Think about the change in your physical energy when you change your thoughts. Just as we prepared for at the beginning of each day walking out of the AC.
I'll leave it at that and let you ponder where your energy comes from.
One more technical matter. Today I was watching some PCS swimmers and I saw the double breathe... U G l y. Sooooo in conclusion, that's never going to happen again.
Wednesday, October 31, 2007
Tuesday, October 30, 2007
Pie in the Sky
My favorite food is leftovers. 100% Guaranteed, every time, no questions asked, always.
It doesn't matter the time of year, the time of day, what I've been eating lately, what I feel like eating, or even what it is. Up to a certain point it really doesn't matter how long it's been sitting in the fridge either, and the freezer solves this problem completely.
The thing about leftovers is that you can enjoy a meal you put some time into, day after day. You can also use leftovers to start something new, like soup, a stew, or just more flavor in a "dirty" pan. Another added bonus is that you can heat up pretty much anything in a frying pan with a little olive oil.
Leftovers are where it's at.
Today's diet:
Pre-swim: yoghurt, apple, handful of almonds.
Post swim: VEGA with Youth Juice and Antioxidant blend.
Official Breakfast: Leftover Shepherds pie
Lunch: Leftover Shepherds pie
Pre bike: Leftover Shepherds pie
Post bike/pre-run: Banana
Post run: Banana
Dinner: Leftover Shepherds pie.
Dinner #2: not sure yet 'cause there's no shepherds pie left.
It doesn't matter the time of year, the time of day, what I've been eating lately, what I feel like eating, or even what it is. Up to a certain point it really doesn't matter how long it's been sitting in the fridge either, and the freezer solves this problem completely.
The thing about leftovers is that you can enjoy a meal you put some time into, day after day. You can also use leftovers to start something new, like soup, a stew, or just more flavor in a "dirty" pan. Another added bonus is that you can heat up pretty much anything in a frying pan with a little olive oil.
Leftovers are where it's at.
Today's diet:
Pre-swim: yoghurt, apple, handful of almonds.
Post swim: VEGA with Youth Juice and Antioxidant blend.
Official Breakfast: Leftover Shepherds pie
Lunch: Leftover Shepherds pie
Pre bike: Leftover Shepherds pie
Post bike/pre-run: Banana
Post run: Banana
Dinner: Leftover Shepherds pie.
Dinner #2: not sure yet 'cause there's no shepherds pie left.
Monday, October 29, 2007
skills for skilshaw
Crunch time. Next cyclocross race is in 1 week and it's officially time to learn the skills.
Practice session yesterday at Clarmont was decent. It seems to me like the faster and more aggressive you are going into any technical section, the better it goes. Just throw yourself into it head first, eyes open, ready to have a good time.
Our swim in the afternoon was a good opportunity to stretch out the arms and legs after Saturday's effort. Today is devoted to sleeping, eating, laundry, and my mistress across the street....O'Brec.
Practice session yesterday at Clarmont was decent. It seems to me like the faster and more aggressive you are going into any technical section, the better it goes. Just throw yourself into it head first, eyes open, ready to have a good time.
Our swim in the afternoon was a good opportunity to stretch out the arms and legs after Saturday's effort. Today is devoted to sleeping, eating, laundry, and my mistress across the street....O'Brec.
Sunday, October 28, 2007
Made it.
Well, yesterday's biggest accomplishment was making it to the washroom after the race. That was my mind set and focus for the last 4k. Once I got home I was king of the throne in the white room for the rest of the evening. Enough said. If you're interested, race results are at www.raceday.ca.
Today we had a spectacular sunrise. I made it onto the roof just in time to catch a good glimpse.
As I was just throwing on the clown suit for today's cyclocross ride I had a strong gut feeling (different from yesterday's) that this is going to be a great year. You know when you're just sure of something... well that was the feeling.
Time to hit the trails with Papaya, my trusty steed.
Today we had a spectacular sunrise. I made it onto the roof just in time to catch a good glimpse.
As I was just throwing on the clown suit for today's cyclocross ride I had a strong gut feeling (different from yesterday's) that this is going to be a great year. You know when you're just sure of something... well that was the feeling.
Time to hit the trails with Papaya, my trusty steed.
Friday, October 26, 2007
Hot ... Cold
Today I had the pleasure of participating in a heat chamber time trial at UVic. Most of the stats are hidden from the athletes participating in order to keep it "blind." Here's what I was able to figure out from today's TT:
Temperature - 25 C
Humidity - 60 % (Not supposed to know these, but it was fairly obvious)
We couldn't see speed, time, Heart Rate, power, or cadence but, I could see the distance traveled. Three hours earlier I had swallowed a pill which measures core body temperature. This was unknown to me, but monitored by the experimenters.
My strategy was go out hard and get right into the race. After all it's only 20Km, and will be over quickly. Every 2K I got out of the saddle and pumped the legs as if there were a hill, just to keep things interesting.
I was in a good rhythm, going hard with 5K to go. I thought, "Ok, start thinking about picking it up, then with 2K left, sprint for the line."
At 18.5Km I was told, "Stephen, time to stop." My core temperature was 39.5 +. I have a feeling athletes routinely get their temperature this high during hard work, but in Canada, this is the ethical limit for studies. Too bad because I was almost finished.
I threw on the ice vest and spun on the bike for 20 minutes, then hopped in the ice tank for 10. 8 degrees is COLD! These techniques are used for recovery, leaving me ready to rock for BC XC Champs tomorrow.
Swim this morning included some new challenging drills I will describe later.
Other news is that Papaya got a major makeover yesterday. She has new cables, housing, brake pads and rides better than ever. I can't wait for cross riding thisSunday, and racing next weekend up in Nanaimo.
The Weekend on the Rocks recording of Dave Matthews Band playing #41 is soo chill. Definitely one of the best.
Soleed Ruben, Soleed.
Temperature - 25 C
Humidity - 60 % (Not supposed to know these, but it was fairly obvious)
We couldn't see speed, time, Heart Rate, power, or cadence but, I could see the distance traveled. Three hours earlier I had swallowed a pill which measures core body temperature. This was unknown to me, but monitored by the experimenters.
My strategy was go out hard and get right into the race. After all it's only 20Km, and will be over quickly. Every 2K I got out of the saddle and pumped the legs as if there were a hill, just to keep things interesting.
I was in a good rhythm, going hard with 5K to go. I thought, "Ok, start thinking about picking it up, then with 2K left, sprint for the line."
At 18.5Km I was told, "Stephen, time to stop." My core temperature was 39.5 +. I have a feeling athletes routinely get their temperature this high during hard work, but in Canada, this is the ethical limit for studies. Too bad because I was almost finished.
I threw on the ice vest and spun on the bike for 20 minutes, then hopped in the ice tank for 10. 8 degrees is COLD! These techniques are used for recovery, leaving me ready to rock for BC XC Champs tomorrow.
Swim this morning included some new challenging drills I will describe later.
Other news is that Papaya got a major makeover yesterday. She has new cables, housing, brake pads and rides better than ever. I can't wait for cross riding thisSunday, and racing next weekend up in Nanaimo.
The Weekend on the Rocks recording of Dave Matthews Band playing #41 is soo chill. Definitely one of the best.
Soleed Ruben, Soleed.
Thursday, October 25, 2007
I like these colours.
On Tuesday I brought the camera along with me for the ride. It's possible to take some pretty good shots without even stopping to get off you bike. That probably speaks to the amazing scenery in and around Victoria, instead of my photographic prowess.
Of all the 1000's of hours I have spent staring across the water at Mt. Baker. Tuesday had to be one of the clearest. You can see the entire mountain range.
(click to enlarge)
There is nothing quite like the early afternoon sun on an Autumn day. Reminds me of mid afternoon naps in the sun. I'm actually part cat; don't worry about it.
Another favorite part of Fall are the wet leaves on the ground. This makes it easy to drift corners on the bike...
This picture of the goose reminds me of Elk lake. If you get the opportunity, take a look at the Hamsterly Beach from the Beaver Lake end. The lake is lined with colorful deciduous trees with a layer of green pine trees above. You might see a blue sky above that.
Pretty sweet, but you definitely need to be there.
Maybe a cross ride is in order. Then I can bring the camera.
Today's run was at the lakes. We did a little Fartlek, again as prep for Saturdays effort. The second 1/2 felt much better than the first. Warm up is important.
Cool down was a little exaggerated with a 10minute icing in the lake. Nice.
Run like the Gazelle.
Of all the 1000's of hours I have spent staring across the water at Mt. Baker. Tuesday had to be one of the clearest. You can see the entire mountain range.(click to enlarge)
There is nothing quite like the early afternoon sun on an Autumn day. Reminds me of mid afternoon naps in the sun. I'm actually part cat; don't worry about it.
Another favorite part of Fall are the wet leaves on the ground. This makes it easy to drift corners on the bike...This picture of the goose reminds me of Elk lake. If you get the opportunity, take a look at the Hamsterly Beach from the Beaver Lake end. The lake is lined with colorful deciduous trees with a layer of green pine trees above. You might see a blue sky above that.
Pretty sweet, but you definitely need to be there.
Maybe a cross ride is in order. Then I can bring the camera.
Today's run was at the lakes. We did a little Fartlek, again as prep for Saturdays effort. The second 1/2 felt much better than the first. Warm up is important.
Cool down was a little exaggerated with a 10minute icing in the lake. Nice.
Run like the Gazelle.
Choices
This morning, just like every morning, I was presented with a few choices.
One of the seemingly simple choices was how to react to time split I was given. I'll be perfectly honest. I chose to be a little rattled and closed off my Self, and my mind. Not much can be accomplished in this mindset, let me assure you. Fortunately for me, the practice was just about complete.
When I walked out of the pool I looked up and saw nothing but blue sky. I took a deep breath of fresh, clean, crisp fall air, and surrendered, allowing the recently closed window in my head to open. The fresh air rushed in, clearing out some dusty cobwebs on the way. One deep breath and my day changed.
Yesterday was a double swim day followed by some Yoga, Hatha style.
There is lots of work to be done these days at OB Rec. It's great; I like to be busy.
Training updates and some pictures will follow. Now it's time to follow up this talk with some walk, or in my case ... run.
One of the seemingly simple choices was how to react to time split I was given. I'll be perfectly honest. I chose to be a little rattled and closed off my Self, and my mind. Not much can be accomplished in this mindset, let me assure you. Fortunately for me, the practice was just about complete.
When I walked out of the pool I looked up and saw nothing but blue sky. I took a deep breath of fresh, clean, crisp fall air, and surrendered, allowing the recently closed window in my head to open. The fresh air rushed in, clearing out some dusty cobwebs on the way. One deep breath and my day changed.
Yesterday was a double swim day followed by some Yoga, Hatha style.
There is lots of work to be done these days at OB Rec. It's great; I like to be busy.
Training updates and some pictures will follow. Now it's time to follow up this talk with some walk, or in my case ... run.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
