2008- Bike IV

If you go for 4 bicycle rides, what are the chances of getting a flat tire, not once, but twice?

don't ask...

16 miles.. 1 hour.. not including bus ride home..

2008- Run 41 Vancouver LSD VII

13.2 miler= half marathon in 2 hours and 10 minutes

very tough first leg of this run. really struggled.. Ate a big bowl of porridge, 2 eggs and 2 pieces of toast to fuel up about an hour and a hlaf before I hit the road.... Felt like I had a cinder block in my gut for the first 45 minutes.. But, eventually, the run got better, particularly towards the end... Tomorrow, I think I'll try and Brick .. or if the weather is bad... some speedwork.. ugh

Weekly total= 9+9+13= 31

yoga tonight... well, the yoga didn't happen.. i was feeling a bit tired out so i stayed home and watched the hockey game.. playoff season is coming and my Colorado Avalanche are looking better and better. Peter Forsberg is coming back from Sweeden, they resigned Adam Foote, and Joe Sakic is back from injury! They also signed another new defense man.

And, my Av's came from behind to tie the game and then won in a shootout! But the return of Forsberg to Colorado is the kind of swan song the brought the cup to Colorado with Roy and Bourque... Bring the Cup back to Colorado Peter!!

I'm a Pescetarian on the edge

I don't eat meat, but I do eat fish, eggs and diary....

After visiting PETA.org.. it may be time to reconsider... forget the whole cruelty angle.. it's ecological footprint arguments that are attracting me. The problem with being pescetarian, (also spelled pescatarian) is that our Oceans are in peril. The fish stocks are not rebounding and fish are full of all the crap we pump in the ocean! Mercury messes us up! It's hard to deny these many pronged arguments... pass the tofu and soy beans mate!

2008-Run 40

9 miles in 1:20... a bit of an overcast day. Had some motivational issues but once I got going it was a great run. Funny I feel like I can go for an hour and a half now without carrying water or something to snack on... The Spanish Trail here is so beautful.. Each day, the light in there is so different, it's a different place. Magical.

2008- Run 39 Vancouver

9 miles in 1:24.. beautiful sunny day.. met a runner named Nicola from Toronto.. chatted for awhile about Vancouver running scene. Went to Anusara practice. Got a good stretch in cobblers pose. Push heels and shins together.. Same thing I need to do with form when running.. pull into the middle, keep core engaged, shins active. Went for a drive around the city with my buddy after that. Crazy place

2008- Run 38, Bike 3- Brick III

well, headed out on the old bike today.. rode an easy 20 miles in 1:20 then went for a 4 mile run

So, my third Brick.. the bike ride was a bit slower than it might have been given the fact I almost hit some pedestrians about 1 mile in.. the car in front of me stopped unexpectedly to let these people cross, there was no way I could stop without hitting the car, and the pedestrians didn't even look! .. well, until after I blew by them at about 20 miles an hour... I geared down a couple gears after that.. Just too many people out and about today to be hammering it down near the beach. On the way home, I took the beach trail, which was very slow going, but enjoyable to see everyone out and about.

The run was interesting. It took me about 5 minutes in transition given that I have to bring the bike inside the apartment, change, and scarf 2 scoops of peanut butter. The peanut butter really got me through the run. Weekly total running was 45 miles.. pretty much according to plan.
Afterwards, went out with friends for Mexican food and beer. Need to count up my yoga days too..

Year to date:
Arrived Van. January 7th. First run January 8- been here 48 days now.. have run 38 times.. biked 3 times & been to 36 yoga classes
Bike 48 miles
Run 228 miles

2008- Run 37

took yesterday off.. was kind of tired all day in the no energy sense.. moon & family stuff dragging me down, but, later in the day, went to yoga with my sister.. it was a power class and a good workout.. then went for sushi and a movie.. No Country for Old men.. Great Film .. but i think i'll write more about it after I get to watch it again, or at least when I have some more time.. It was definitely worth watching and I'm sure everyone will be talking about it for quite some time. Parts of it were just brilliant!. As for the running, I tried to do an up-tempo workout today! It's funny when I stop suddenly after up tempo stuff, the sweat pours off so intensely! Maybe it's a sign I need to up temp more often! ha-ha! But didn't have much time, because my sister, Elissa is taking me to a 3 hour Yoga Inversion Workshop where, hopefully, I will finally learn how to stand on my head...

After pressing it for about two miles in this run, my ears popped! What the hell? Anyways, it was easy for a while after that, but running at 8 minute pace is tough! I need to do it way more often, then maybe I will lose this spare tire I am lugging around (not a bike tire!) fartleks?

3 miles: 24 minutes

The plan was.. do 3 miles to leave myself at 39.. then I would definitely have to go tomorrow, but I miscalculated a bit and this run puts me at 40.3 for the week... A 5 miler tomorrow and maybe a short bike ride... oooo, sounds like butter...

the yoga workshop was awesome! I can now, officially, do a handstand!

Run 36

Trail Run and Lunar Eclipse

2008- Run 36

9 miler 1:40.. ran through the trails and stopped often to take pictures.. sure was a beautiful day!

2008- Run 35 Vancouver LSD VI

12. 3 miles in 2 hours 4 minutes... tough slog but finished.. need to pack gels or more snickers bars for these longer runs

Run 34

3 miles.. 30 minutes.. after thinking about what my old friend Egan had to say, I opted for 3 miles tonight  instead of 6. Besides, I'd been walking all over the city all day, then I went to my sister's 5 pm yoga class for 1 and 1/2 hours of yoga. One thing I don't need is shin splints. I've had 'em and they suck! You get shinsplints when you overtrain (period). Bumping up to 50 miles this month after basically running between 20 and 30 miles a week for the past number of years might not be the best thing, but I was feeling like a bag of crap by the time I made it out here after two months of not being on top of my game. 

Knock on wood,  I haven't had any splints yet! Thankful for that! I think a big part of the reason I have been able to stay injury free so far is yoga. It has been especially helpful with opening up my hips. Down Dog (adho mukhasvanasana) is such a good stretch!  Tomorrow, will shoot for a longer run.. 2 hours.

week so far: 9+3+3..........  AND gotta get out on my bike!

Run 33

3 miles in the morning 28 minutes then off to do some errands.. yoga.. then will try for a 6 miler tonight... 

2008- Run 32 Vancouver

9 miles..1:26.. another beautiful day. went to yoga with lil Sister this morning.. Had some good hip stretches.. wasn't feeling that great all day though.. Couldn't sleep last night... Darned full moon is only two days off.  Actually, had a pretty good run tonight considering mile 3 split was 15:19 due to unplanned pit stop in woods... Luckily, didn't see any bears.

2008- Run 31

HIT 50

Today was simply a spectacular day! It is absolutely gorgeous outside! The temperature is listed as 7 degrees but it has got to be at least 10 degrees with a slight breeze that blew all the clouds away! All the Vancouverites (?) are out and about and it is just beautiful! There were people doing every kind of summer activity you can think of except for maybe swimming! There were people picnicing, boaters, kite fliers, bikers, runners, bocci ballers, bird watchers, frisbee players, field hockey players, walkers, football, soccer, strollers, sand castle builders and dogs galore! Ran past a car show... Mustangs mostly and a Shelby with Arizona plates. Cut up onto Spanish Trail where the Bald Eagles live. Was maybe 25 feet from a big immature one. 

As for the run, well, a 9 miler  in 1:24 puts me up to 50 miles this week! I'm a bit nervous.. I've never done 50 miles in a week before. Next week, I'll only go 40.. so, that will make it (if all goes according to plan):

February: Week 1: 36 Week 2: 51 Week 3: 40 Week 4 :40... weeks 1 and 2 completed!

2008- Run 30

recovery run.. tight legs.. hurting buckaroo

3 miles in 30 minutes.. going to yoga to try and stretch it out

2008 -Run 29 Vancouver

9 miles- 1:23

First time I have ever gone for a run of more than 3 miles after a LSD run... I had planned on just doing 6 miles, but I turned up onto this trail down by Spanish Beach, and what was planned as a 5 minute detour turned into a 20 minute detour. Without water, I was starting to feel a bit crampy towards the end, but what a great run.. up-tempo most of the way... I have to head to the track soon for some speedwork.. Maybe I'll set that for a goal in March after I make this goal of completing 4, 40 mile weeks in February! (It's more than 10% but sometimes you gotta go for it!)

So far this week, 10+6+13+9= 38 miles

Run 28- LSD V

2:02 = 12.78 Miles..

was going to for 16 but bailed out in order to make yoga..

beautiful day 10 degrees and sunny

great run!

16+ 13 = 29 miles so far this week

Run 27- ouch

6 miles - 59 minutes Run 27 was not the best day, having been up late to go see DJ Shadow and Cut Chemist.. so, no matter what, it was going to be a terrible run, and, it was! But, the concert was awesome! 

Never Let Me Go by Kazuo Ishiguro

Never Let Me Go by Kazuo Ishiguro was a great book. Ishiguro creates a world where the scourge of cancer and other human diseases are eliminated by establishing a race of human clones,  clones raised solely to be organ donors. A clone herself,  she meticulously describes the reality created at the school where she and her classmates grow up, and we follow her through her many years there. Obviously, their education  presents many dilemmas for the teachers and we are interested to follow her through these years. The book becomes interesting as the ways in which the the clones are carefully raised to meet their fate with such solemn resignation are slowly unveiled.

I read the book on the recommendation of a good friend of mine and to be honest, I struggled with it early on. When I say struggled, what I mean is that I would never have gotten past the first three pages if my friend had not recommended the book. It wasn't especially interesting for me, this ethical examination of organ donation. It initially seemed contrived and heavy handed and I was immediately bored. The opening made it seem like a book written for Middle Schoolers. But my friend is a pretty smart cookie and I quite like her so I didn't follow my instincts to toss the book aside.

I was glad I stuck with it once Ishiguro develops  the character of Ruth, the narrator's best friend and confidant. The character of Ruth is so masterfully portrayed, so elegantly constructed, so rich, vibrant and ultimately intriguing, that she steps out of the novel and becomes a placard arguing against cloning. Ruth is a bully and a demon. She behaves deplorably but yet she is completely likable. She becomes the centerpiece of the novel and ultimately it is her intriguing character that gives  the book the last word on the evils of cloning humans for their organs. 

It is the strength of the character of Ruth the makes Ishiguro's novel a great book. Her complexity, her need to fit in, her desperation to bring meaning to her existence, her everyday struggle becomes the ultimate argument against human cloning. Ishiguro's masterful character portrayal make Never Let Me Go not only worth reading, but quite possibly the definitive anti- human cloning novel. 

Run 26- Spanish Park

1:40 = 10.3 miles

cool park, will run there much more often..

10 is a good start on week.. only made 36 last week due to chinese new year interrupting yesterday and the celebrations meaning a day off...

Run 25

7 miles 1:03 

week so far -  36

got tempo up a few times.. a real nice feeling run...

was feeling a bit of a cold coming on this morning. Hopefully, it was just allergies because I wasn't feeling congested during run.. with another 7 tomorrow.. or even just 4... i will hit 40..

40 miles a week for each week in February.. wow! would that ever be awesome.. it's more than a 10% increase.. whatever, it's a good goal!

Run 24

3 miles easy recovery run

no yoga today

week so far: 7, 3, 16, 3=29

making 40 would be sweet.. see what weekend brings

:)

2008 Run 23 Vancouver LSD IV

Long Slow Distance (LSD) IV

16 miles took 2 1/2 hours miles in the glorious sunshine! What a beautiful day! Did the 40-40-40 snickers bar routine and added 3 tough ones at the end!

Anusara yoga afterwards.. keep arms (elbows) straight on downward dog..

then Umphrey's McGee show at richards on richards.. they were on fire!

Run 22

run 22

Quick 3 miles up tempo

2008- Run 21

1:03.. overcast, cloudy, and a bit windy ...

didn't get long run in last weekend since weekend ended up lasting 3 days..

maybe do a long run mid week.. like tomorrow.. feeling guilty..

a 40-40-40 would be cool, up thru UBC again..

Nearly finished "Never Let Me Go" by Kazuo Ishiguro..

Run 20

Last Friday was a good run. Easy to add on a little at the end. Then, on the weekend I went away and had some fun with friends. I think I need to back the mileage down a bit this week, then shoot for a longer run this weekend.. Maybe two and half hour run on Sunday... Sometimes you need to back off to move forward..

January.. starting 1 week in due to being on the road traveling out here.., 

19 runs... 1 brick..

Week 2: 30.27 miles- 4 runs

Week 3: 35.81 miles- 4 runs

Week 4: 24.16 miles- 6 runs

Week 5: 22.03 miles- 5 runs

112 miles......

Next month.. shooting for 120 miles in February!

Went to Hot Yoga on Friday.. Sweaty! Try to practice Eagle on floor

Vancouver 19 and random

Yesterdays run was not good! My legs were dead the entire time and I was rarely able to keep stride. In fact, I felt like a sack of crap all day until I got to yoga at 4. After yoga, I stopped into a 7-11 for some water and looked in at the Gatorade... I had an epiphany right there in aisle 4 looking in  at that Gatorade. It looked so delicious, my mouth was watering! I guess I haven't drank much Gatorade since I left for Turkey last Fall, and I had also slowed down on it after watching Idiocracy! They do such a scathing job satirizing Gatorade in that film. 

Standing there, I realized that I need to think about getting rehydrated a little more seriously. I think drinking water is fine with just running, but to go run 7 miles in a day, then go to yoga and sweat balls for 2 hours, might be leading to days of feeling crappy like yesterday. (Then again, it might be the lentil soup I made!)

In any case, I bought a water and the Gatorade and downed it in a gulp. It was very refreshing "cause it's got electrolytes" and if nothing else it made me feel better! So, new rule, gatorade after Hot Yoga if I am running that day as well...

Then I went to this cool Movie Theater called the Pacific Cinamatique, which plays Independent films and such for the Premiere Release of Metric: Live at the Metropolis! It was an awesome film and the Metropolis is such a great place to see a show. That Emily Haines is a sexy beast!

Metric

After that was Bodog Battle of Bands. Most of the bands sucked but Arthur Funkarelli rocked!