The engine is starting to purr....

Well I have been back at things a bit more consistently as of late and I am starting to feel better. This week could be the second week where I get in 6 workouts. I came across a website called posetech.com while looking for something else and I am really excited by what it has to offer. Posetech or the Pose Technique was created by, well lets just cut and paste and you can read it in their words.

WHAT IS POSE METHOD?
The Pose Method is a system for teaching of human movement, by determining the key poses, and a model of working with the laws of nature instead of against them. In running, this is achieved by using gravity as the primary force for movement instead of muscular energy. The POSE METHOD OF RUNNING Book was published by Dr. Nicholas Romanov in 2002, but the Pose Method is in a continual state of refinement both for coaches and athletes as understanding increases.

Well I have been employing some of the ideas off of this site and have been having great success with my foot. I have been able to run for 20min pain free on three seperate occasions. Wahoo!

What's next? Well I think I will start to make sure I get in two core workouts a week and then see about the pool.

Technique is the theme for this winter and I am making good progress so far. One legged drills are really starting to come along on the bike. Mark and I did a great set on Monday. We did a pyramid of 15,20,25,30,35,40,45sec and back down alternating legs. I am at the point now where 30 seconds is starting to feel easy. I am excited to see how this is going to translate when I get out on the road in the spring. I will actually get a taste of it in December as we are heading to Florida for a week afer X-Mas.

Feels great to be finding some form again....

Restart

Well it appears my attempt to get my training going again stalled. I had the best of intentions but that didnt seem to be enough. I am ready to have a go at things again though. Em and I jsut got back from Vancouver where we had gone to celebrate Issac's 3rd birthday. The trip was a lot of fun and I managed to get in my first run in about six weeks. Em and I did a nice 25min run through Stanley Park in the rain. It rained pretty much the whole time we were there. I keep jokeing that I have never seen the mountains when I have been in Van and you know what I am going to have to wait till my next trip.
I have fit in two workouts since being home which is a good sign. I had spin class on wednesdday night and just got back from a short 20min run. My foot didnt feel so great tonight though. I could start to feel the bone hitting again. Oh well I will stick to the plan of trying to run 20min three times a week and see how it goes. I also want to start to swim again which is a good sign. I think I will just ease into that before the holidays and then committ to it sull in the new year. Weights and core work will also start to be part of the regular routine.
It is almost 9pm so I better go eat some supper.

"keep on rollin' baby"

In my quest for more efficiency in my pedal stroke I have decided to finally give rollers a try. So from under a pile of dust I pulled out the set of rollers a friend of mine "gave" me a year ago. I now understand why he was more than happy to get them out of his apartment as they were just collecting dust there as well. Rollers are something I have been meaning to try out for a while but for whatever reason havent gotten around to.

This little experiment started earlier this week when a customer came in looking to buy a set. As part of our discussion I decided to drag them out so we could have a good look at them. This resulted in me wanting to give them a go (after everyone had left ofcourse). Despite lack of instruction I managed to keep the rubber side down on the maiden voyage. Now after some instructions from a few friends and some adjustments to the rollers things are rollin smoothly.

The plan is to start out with three one hour sessions a week and take it from there. With any luck these little babies will help make my pedal stroke a little less like a polygon and a little more like a circle.

Stay tuned for the results of this little experiment but more important

"keep on rollin' baby"

Bring on the Funk!

As is typical of this time of year I have been in a bit of a funk. This seems to be a common theme amongst the locals this time of year. Well I have decided to take this challenge head on. I declare "Bring on the Funk"! I am determined to win this time around. Diet, training, sleeping well and great tunes will be my weapons in my battle against the winter Funk.

This week marks the beginning of my rebellion. The day has to start off with the proper fuel. I have decide that my daily fuel intake will start with coffee, hot oatmeal (my grandpa ate it everyday, so its gotta be good), a fruit yogurt smoothie (ingredients to follow) and something I am stealing from SQW, ginger tea. I should be off to a good start with all this.

Next up is daily training. Doesnt matter what it is but I gotta get in something everyday. This may involve me getting back into the pool a little sooner than planned but thats ok. The foot is getting better but we cant let it help out mother nature. Good core routine as well as some weights I think this winter. Improove the power output a bit for next spring.

Ah lack of sleep! My life long nemesis we meet once again. This is the year I will conquer you! I will no longer be a slave to your oppressive regime. By the spring I will no longer declare I am tired when someone asks how I am feeling.

As for good tunes. I am fully hooked up in that department. I may have a dinosaur of a computer but I have the webninja to hook me up in that department. He safely keeps well over 35000 songs in his secret underwater base. One quick call and the Ipod is fully loaded with brand new tracks.

I am all packed and ready for battle.

"Bring on the Funk"

Weather Forcast

The weather forcast for today is rainy with a chance of rain later in the day. This evening you can expect some more intermittent rain.

What is this? I feel like I am living out west. To make matters worse it seems that when it is nice outside I have a spin class scheduled. This doesnt help my dislike of this time of year. I have been having a hard time with the shorter days this fall. Don't seem to want to get out of bed in the morning. This may also have something to do with not having an immediate goal. Ever since IM LP I have been lacking in motivation. It isn't that my body doesnt want to do the work, in fact it feels great to exercise. The problem is with my brain. I look outside and will find any excuse not to go out. It is getting dark. It is wet and I dont want to get wet and then have to clean my bike. I seem to be full of all these pathetic excuses.

I need something or maybe somebody to kick my ass and get me out the door. I did manage to run last night again. I have been off with a bit of a foot injury for about a month. It seems some bone has slipped in my foot which makes it feel like there is a pea in my shoe. I hope this is just part of an adjusment period to my attempt to run with a more natural gait. IM training caused me to adopt the shuffle approach to running.
I am now on a mission to learn to run with proper form. I grew up with a few guys who cold really fly. I always admired how light and quick they were on there feet. I realise now that alot of that had to do with their form. Proper form is what I hope to adopt in the next year before I attempt to do another IM. I want to be able to run like these guys. Check out this site http://www.chasingkimbia.com/ if you want an example of how it should be done. Yeah yeah I am dreaming to think I will run like that, but I have always believed to learning from the best in whatever you strive to do.

With another cross race looming this weekend I will keep my fingers crossed that the forcast and my motivation improves.

Many hands make light work.

With fall in full swing we are trying hard to get all the things done that got put off as a result of the Ironman. Today we took a big step. With the help of some friends and family we were able to finally put all three pieces of our inherited deck in place. What a nice feeling it is to have that pile of gravel covered up. Thanksgiving weekend saw the addition of sod and this weekend a deck. Does this mean a fence will follow next weekend. Six post holes were dug five posts set in place (in june i think) now it is time to set the last post and get on with the fence raising. Knowing how these things go that should take us to winter. I am not sure who is going to be happier the fiance and I or our good friend Mike. I promised him it would all be done by Thanksgiving. Oooops! Oh well there will be beer and a BBQ for all those who helped out along the way. Can't wait for that first deck party even though we may need toques and scarves.

New Partner in Crime

This past Thanksgiving brought about some big news at 199 York St. Friday night the IronBarista joined forces with a new partner in crime when he asked his to date "Living in Sin" partner to be his lovely bride sometime in the next twelve months. She ofcourse was surprised once again! Haha! Score to date 2-0 for the IronBarista. We will need to come up with a new name for the new partner in crime. Hmmm?
That was the big news of the weekend. In addition to todays top story, 199 York St also saw the addition of some new long overdue sod in the side yard. Sunday which was suppose to include another cross race ended up being spent rolling out the green carpet and digging up some pesky roots from a tree that we believe is actually a very large weed.
It is Tuesday and back to reality. Looking forward to the year ahead planning a wedding. Shouldn't be hard compared to last years prep for IM Lake Placid.
I will try and post a pic of the new "Rock" when I get a chance.

Maybe this wasn't such a good idea.

It has been nearly a year since I had the bright idea of starting this blog. I have in the last year managed to take a huge step toward becoming the "Iron Barista" . On July 23rd I completed Ironman Lake Placid in a time of 11:49:21. Not bad for my first triathlon. In the process of preparing and competing in the IM LP race I have become hooked on the sport. All along the way people would keep telling me that it wasn't just about the race itself but also about the journey getting there. Now I truly understand what they meant. You don't just spend a year training physically but also mentally. In the end it is the mental toughness you develop in training that carries you on race day. All those workouts were you wanted to say forget it and head home early or not even go out the door because it was raining paid off come race day. In a meeting with my coach before the race he told us that the satisfaction of the race came from overcoming the many "dark" places your brain would go throughout the day while out on the race course. Now I fully understand what he meant. The race was an emotional rollercoaster. Hell the ride started before the race even began. We had some pretty shitty weather the day before the race which sent competitors scrambling to find bad weather gear encase it didn't clear up on race day. We were also given a warning that wetsuits could be disallowed for the swim because the water temp was at 77, a degree off of the cutoff. Then there was the added stress of the potential descent into Keen with wet roads. This is a descent that riders will hit up to 90km/hr in good conditions. Luckily all of this pre race panic was unneeded because the weather just got better and better as the race went on. There were only a few unlucky ones who finished late who had to put up with some rain as the clock approached midnight. I feel that I have now recovered and am ready for the next challenge this new lifestyle has too offer. Ironically Cross starts next weekend so the next post may be like the last.