I can be useful. I got Brian to figure out the pacing for track workouts* (200's, 400's, 800's etc) based on race times. None of that if you want to go this fast then you have to train at this pace type thing... this is more for those workouts where you are told to do a gazillion 400's "at pace". To which we respond by whispering to each other:
"what pace are you doing?" "no you're too fast... I'll go over here" "so for a 47:30 10k I have to do 400's on what?" "do you know?" "I don't know" "JJ do you know?"
And while JJ can tell left from right (which is better than me) he's not so good at the math side of things and instead just asks for a butt scratch or licks your face or sticks his nose in your crotch. So he's no use.
So Brian came back with a handy chart which I translated into hh:mm:ss form and put into Google spreadsheets and added a few lines. The result is this (click on it to get a bigger readable/printable version:
So essentially the bolded entries are common target 1k, mile, 5k, 10k, half, and full times and then we figured out what the individual paces are for that. I know there are a billion and a half calcualtors out there for this purpose but I just wanted to see if all listed nice and clear so that was born.
I'm going to do another one for swim pacing. And maybe a post on how to use the thing on the wall with the four coloured arms and numbers since the swim clock seems to challenge people.
*Which is essentially how the wedding planning worked. I said we're doing such and such and Brian would execute. We work well like this.
I was going to post about being sick. (Again... that's twice in two months... ick)
I was going to post about being scared shitless about Big Sur (have you seen the profile? )
I was going to post about all the spring flowers and blossoms and green things growing. I love spring. And Vancouver has a spring that rocks! It's pink, and green, and fresh, and springy, and lasts forever.
While usually...
And that brings us to what I want to talk about.
It's forecast to snow a bit tonight. Snow!!!! Again! WHAT THE HELL???!!! You'd think we live in Canada or something! We had enough of the nasty white stuff in January thank you very much. You can send it back to the rest of Canada where it belongs. And just watch next year when we really want snow... you know... for the Winter Olympics there will be none.
Well I'll go back to watching curling. Man if you want to hear the best of Canadian accents you can't beat curling. HURRY. HURRY HARD. HAAAARD.
TriGreyhound posted something today that got me thinking. He spoke of enjoying the fact that he has the station in life of a 42 year old, with the advanced state of his work and income. But he rued having missed out on starting triathlons in his twenties and thirties.
I am frequently reminded of how lucky Amy and I are here in Vancouver. We have the most incredible group of friends that I can imagine who we train with many times a week. We have a spectacular climate that allows us to train almost 365 days of the year if we want. We are in a financial situation where we do not go wanting for any of our true needs nor for many of our simple desires. Yet for the last several weeks I've been waking up every day thinking about friends Nic and Wolf. The two of them are the same age as us. I met Wolf while we were getting engineering degrees together, though we then diversified our educations with me getting a masters degree in business while he got one in education. The biggest difference between us is that when we both started triathlons nearly ten years ago, he was actually fast! While Amy and I head in to the office every day from 9 to 5 (or more often 8 to 5:30 or later), Nic and Wolf now race as professionals Ironman triathletes. They also do a lot of coaching and balance off the remainder of their expenses by picking up whatever work they can find, be it giving speeches, organizing training camps, substitute teaching, or anything else that fits in the schedule.
What I'm curious about is the "grass is greener" phenomenon at work here. I know there are have been times when we've had Nic and Wolf visiting and Wolf has wished for some of the stability and some of the frivolous stuff that Amy and I have (like the ridiculous coffee maker that is going to make him want to settle permanently in our kitchen next time they come). On the flip side, there are a lot of days when I really wish that we could make training and coaching what we do, rather than something we just manage to squeeze in after all the other responsibilities. And that all brings me back to Greyhound. While Wolf and I look at each other approaching 30 thinking that the other really has it good, we both desire some of what Greyhound has got to make it all perfect. Obviously, there's no realistic way to have it all. I just keep dreaming that one of these days I'm going to come up with the solution to brings in all of the cash we need to support this lifestyle without all the responsibilities that get in the way!
I got a mocha and fresh muffins in bed this morning. Yup. Brian is that awesome. Usually it's just a mocha and cereal but we ran out of milk so he made muffins. I know you're jealous.
Sad to say that the race reports don't get much better as we transition from Amy's post to mine. I was feeling pretty good about this race since we've been running a fair bit and I've been quite comfortable with our long training work. I didn't expect a PR, but my goal was to pace it right and finish strong. Mission failed!
Prior to the race, my stomach wasn't feeling great, but I just chalked it up to normal pre-race jitters and put all thoughts of it aside. I was excited to get rolling and ran the opening mile just the way I wanted to, letting people go by and being careful not to go out too fast. The goal was to take the first 6 miles around 8:20 pace and then pick it up on the way back in. Unfortunately, at the first mile marker my stomach began showing signs that it wasn't just pre-race jitters, but actually some minor GI issues. Still, I managed to run fairly strong through the first three miles and by mile four, I was finally hitting a groove and my pace picked up a bit. I noticed this higher tempo and had to convince myself to back off a little despite feeling strong. As I approached the six mile mark, my pace was averaging out to 8:15/mile which I knew was a little too fast, but not completely out of the ballpark. Unfortunately, right about that time my stomach started to voice its displeasure a little louder. By the 6.5 mile point, I was approaching the bathrooms in Stanley Park and my stomach made it clear that I was either going to stop or I was going to suffer the consequences. Figuring that a couple of minutes in the bathroom would settle the stomach and let me run better as the race wore on, I caved in to the pit stop and gave away about four minutes. Finally feeling better, I got back on track crossing the 1/2 Way marker at just over 58 minutes (approx. 54:00 + the stop). I had a bit of a tough time getting back into any kind of rhythm, but brought the effort level up to compensate and found myself still ticking off the next couple of miles in 8:15 each. I held pretty strong around the seawall, but started losing the mental battle when I had to turn back into the park for the mile and half loop around the pond. At the 10 mile marker, my hip flexors were starting to hurt a lot and I started having the "this isn't fun ... why the hell am I out here?!" thoughts. I managed to fight through some of that, but with my hip flexors further aggravating me, I quickly ran out of fight and turned the final three miles into a mindless slog to the finish line. In the end, I ran the back half of the race in 57 minutes, a brutal +3:00 split for a total of 1:55:10 (or 1:52ish of actual running).
Obviously, I'm a little disappointed that things didn't go totally as planned. I'm fine with sacrificing the few minutes to deal with the stomach issues, but I'm mad at myself for not fighting harder in those last three miles. I definitely need some mental work before I'm ever going to manage to push through that 1:45 barrier that still sits as my 1/2 marathon goal. A little further fitness in the legs, some more speed work to train my heart rate down a few ticks, and increasing the flexibility through my hips are all in order as well. I'm pleased to get this out of the way though and learn a few more things. If I can keep learning, one of these days I'm going to make it happen. Does anyone know where I can learn to keep pushing when I'm suffering?!
I want to weigh in on the protestors here in Vancouver disrupting every event related to the Olympics, now less than a year away.For full disclosure, I am a supporter of Vancouver and Canada playing host to the games.I think that the potential positives to having the world come here vastly outweigh the negatives.However, I can also understand why some people would object to the whole affair and they are fully within their rights to do so.What I do have a problem with is the way the protestors continue to handle themselves in public when nothing they say at this point is going to change the fact that the Olympics are coming next February 12th, whether they like it or not.
Last night, in an effort to draw attention to the poverty on the city’s Downtown Eastside and to the use of native land for games venues, the protestors took to the streets of Vancouver.With many wearing masks to hide their identities, the protestors stopped in front of the local buildings of major corporations backing the games (Hudson Bay Company, Canada Post, CTV) before eventually making their way down to paint-bomb the countdown clock. It was, to be frank, disgraceful.
When asked about their cause, the protestors typically bring up the money being spent on the venues and security and other items surrounding the games.In all honesty, the numbers are breathtakingly large.I will even admit to being occasionally surprised at how much some of it all costs, such as the $1 billion estimated for security (don’t get me started on how the security bill would be lower if these protestors stopped showing up).The protestors, obviously, would rather see all of that money spent on their own priorities, like housing for the homeless, and, evidently, more handouts to natives.But where do they think the money is coming from? Sure, some of it has come from tax dollars, but those resources have all been for the infrastructure work like the new rapid transit line and the highway development between Vancouver and Whistler.Those are all dollars that the government planned to spend anyway, and the entire population is going to benefit from long term.But the money for venues and events surrounding the games?Those are all private dollars.VANOC set a budget and has managed to stick to it on almost every front.Every venue was completed ahead of schedule and under budget.The only hurdle that remains is the Olympic Village which has received an ungodly amount of negative press, much of it false.Yes, the city has had to come up with financing for it after the private equity firm that had committed to financing the project backed out.But the city, in providing financing, is taking a stake in the development.When the games are finished and these suites are sold, the city will recover at worst, a significant portion of their investment, and at best, a sizeable return for the taxpayers.When you also consider that hosting the games creates an enormous influx of tourists spending their foreign dollars in the city not only for the two weeks of the games, but well beyond, businesses across the entire region are sure to benefit from these games over the long run.The cumulative increase in the local economy will pay back handsomely in tax revenue over decades to come.
So , to these protestors, I feel the need to ask: Have you really looked into where the money is coming from? Do you honestly believe that if we chose not to have the Olympics, there would be billions of dollars just sitting around waiting to be spent? To be spent on your cause? Are you really that naive?
I hate people. I like individuals. Select individuals. But people in general. I don't like them. I especially don't like stupid people. Or people who have just no clue.
Today's example:
Went out to get soup for lunch. I get to the shop and there are three people in line who look like med school students (one of them had The Backpack that they get in their first week) (and no offense intended to med school students but in general the ones around here (I'm by the hospital) have their heads up their arses). And for the life of them they could not decide what to eat. One even pulled the "What's the best sandwich? What's the best soup?" line. I LOATH people who do that (hang up from the days of working in the bakery/deli "What's the best muffin/danish?") They were completely oblivious of the line up growing behind them as they hmm'd about the rocket scinece that is lunch. And they also managed to take up the ENTIRE counter space so that you couldn't get around them to flag down one fo the other staff to take your order. Nope you had to wait for the doctors-to-be to decide.
Those types of people are marginally better then the ones that stand in line for several minutes and only when they get to the front do they look at the board and start actually thinking about what they want to order. What were you doing for the last 10 minutes people???? Gawd!
OK time for soup and calm blue oceans.
Monday, February 09, 2009
as told by
Amy
According to the dictionary of pants:
Train - verb: to sweat for at least an hour usually during which time you discover the bits that are tight from the last workout because you failed to stretch last time or you don't know HOW to stretch that bit or you find that no matter how well you think you are orgainized you will forget something be a it a watch, your nutrition for your 2.5 hour run, or your underwear.
Training - noun: an excuse to wear spandex and socialize with friends; also used as an excuse to go to bed early on a Friday or to have fries as in "OK I'll have another basket of fries I'll just have to do some extra training tomorrow but I have to leave soon even though it's only 7:45 since I have to go to bed so that I can be rested for my training session."
Eat - verb: why we do all the training; also known as refueling or nutrition to some keeners.
Eat - noun: as in "Get your eat on"
Sleep - verb: what you do on Sunday afternoon in front of the television after you get your eat on after training.
Triathlon - noun: combination of three activities such as train, eat, sleep - of course sticklers will say that this word only applies to a combination of swim, bike, run but the dictionary of pants disagrees with this and says that the pants's definition is a more common practise to those who refer to themselves as triathletes and therefore is probably the more likely source of the name of their choosen sport
So after running some errands at lunch today, I was craving a burger. Since Fat Burger is right across the street from the office, I thought I would just stop in there on my way back and grab some food. I really wanted some fries too, so I asked the manager who was taking orders at the till if I could get a half order, since I didn't want to overdo it. He looked at me as though I had walked in with three heads. Apparently, the idea of not filling myself with the copious portion of fries they normally serve was completely alien to him. After about three seconds of blank staring, he managed to blurt out a very blunt "No", with no further thought or explanation. Is it any wonder why society grows more obese daily?
Anyway, since a half order was clearly out of the question, I had a decision to make. Could I buy the full order and convince myself to stop when half were gone? Who are we kidding? That's not likely. So, I just ordered the burger and a drink and moved on. Do you think that makes up for me deciding I didn't feel like doing the mile time trial last night?
We managed to get through the Superbowl XLIII (43 for those of you who missed that class in grade 3) without blowing up the neighbourhood or running out of beer or food. In fact we sent people home with doggy bags. That's what you get when your Tex-Mex themed Superbowl menu includes:
Beer Chips Salsa Beer 5 layer dip... we don't know what happened to the other 2 layers Chicken wings Jalapeno sliders with home made garlic ketchup More Beer Sausages Taquitos A 15lb deep fried turkey pre-injected with Southwestern spices Pie Ice cream bars Cookies And I think there were salads and veggies in there too.
We picked TexMex to sort of fit a theme to at least one team playing. We did some research on this. Pittsburgh is not a culinary capital. Their signature dishes were listed as chipped ham, anything with Heinz, and a sandwich with fries and slaw (and not on the side). Tex-Mex it was.
So much food: And so much propane used:
Yup that would be my baby the BBQ and Craig's turkey deep frier
And for those who were around last year. Look at all the room on that grill!!! Big improvement on the wee grill I had last year on which we could cook 5 sausages at a time.
I think the most impressive bit was the deep frying of the big bird. By some miracle we didn't blow up the neighbourhood. I was hiding behind the corner when the flames started.
Bird goes in....
It was shortly after this that all hell broke loose and I got out of Turkey Torpedo range.
You should always trust Craig. It'll be OK
And 54 minutes later... or 4 beers in Craig's timing system
And this was followed by the carving of the bird:
and some manly eating of the bird:
Don't get between a man and his turkey leg.
Craig and mini-Craig aka Nick
And what's the Superbowl without a big screen:
OK it's one of our bedroom curtains and a projector. But still! Big screen!
So I think we covered all the aspects for a good... dare I say GREAT Superbowl party.
Even our littlest tailgater had to agree.
But the line and photo opt of the night goes to Nick:
