Thursday, December 18, 2014

FORE!

I'm kind of a sucker for list/questionnaire things on other people's blogs, and I've seen this bad boy floating around the interwebs quite a lot lately, so thought I'd throw my hat into the ring and play along as well…

Four names other people call me other than my real name.
Dibbs
Darlo (Shane calls me this occasionally – more often when he is texting me than in person though)
??
??
For the record, people don't call me "double question mark" – I'm just suddenly realizing I don't actually have a lot of nicknames.

Four jobs I've had.
Concession Worker
Box Office Manager
Communications & Finance Assistant
Yoga Teacher

Four movies I've watched more than once.
Inventing the Abbotts
Hook
Amélie
A Christmas Story

Four books I recommend.
The Art of Racing in the Rain, by Garth Stein
The Life and Times of the Thunderbold Kids, by Bill Bryson
I Know This Much is True, by Wally Lamb
Wild, by Cheryl Strayed

Four places I've lived.
Victoria
Malahat
I spent a month living in Tofino in my early 20s, and Ucluelet is currently kind of a second home, so umm, yeah, does that count?
I got nothing.
Hmmm... Seems I have never actually lived anywhere other than South Vancouver Island.

Four places I've been.
Mexico, Belize, Guatemala (all on one trip, so I'm counting it as one)
New Zealand
Grenada
Hawaii
While my list of "places I've lived" is rather small, this list could go on and on. I've been pretty lucky in my travels.

Four places I'd rather be right now.
Ukee
Europe – any and all of it!
A beautiful beach, with an umbrella drink in hand. Hawaii would do, or Mexico, or Cuba, or the Domincan…
Peru (I really, really want to see Machu Picchu)

Four of my favorite foods.
Ice Cream
Pizza
Vegetable Medley (a casserole-type dish my Mom makes)
Quinoa (it's just so darn versatile)

Four things I don't eat.
Meat
Poultry
Fish
Olives

Four TV shows I watch.
The Walking Dead
Modern Family
Survivor
The Amazing Race / The Amazing Race Canada

Four things I'm looking forward to this coming year.
Time off from work over Christmas
New adventures
Eventually choosing a goal race for the 2015 triathlon season
[Hopefully] cheering on and/or crewing for Kirsten at her first 50k

Four things I always say.
"Colonel." (With a slight head nod greeting when I see Rusty)
"I don't know. You decide."
"I don't know if you know this about me, but I can eat."
"Sorry." (I am Canadian after all)


Want to join in the fun? Leave some of your answers in the comments or on your own blog.

Tuesday, December 16, 2014

This & That


HELLO! It's been a while, non?

Oddly, it seems a rather daunting task to keep up with writing on a triathlon training blog when you don't have any clear set triathlon goals for the coming season (somebody make a decision for me, mmkay?) and your training is, ummm – in an extended off season?

The trusty old "do what you feel like when you feel like" training method has been my reality for the last couple months (probably since the half marathon in fact). This is easily the longest I've gone without some sort of structure since I started doing triathlons. Couple that with the fact that I don't have a “big goal” to work toward for next season, and I'm feeling a little all over the map.

Don't get me wrong, this is not necessarily a bad thing. Just a different thing. I think off seasons are a good thing and are definitely needed to refresh and recharge. Unfortunately, it just doesn't leave me with a lot to write about.

Anyway, (as usual) I'm rambling. Let's get to what I have been doing…

Workouts with other people! This is somewhat new for me. I tend to be the type of person who does the majority of my training solo (especially when working toward a big event) as I like to be able to get the workout in at a time that works best for my schedule. My preferred exercise time is often very early in the morning – and sadly, there don't seem to be a lot of early morning groups around these parts.

Anyway, as of late, I've hit up a couple different (free!) classes and am also attending group (run/cycle) sessions with Kelly's group in the evenings two days a week. This means that probably over 50% off my training time is spent with other people. Weird.

One of the classes I've attended a couple times now has been a Core & Stretching for Cycling class at Trek Bikes Victoria's new spin studio The Loft. It's pretty much just an intense 30 minutes of core work – core work that I could probably do on my own at home, but that I do not do on my own at home – so it's definitely nice to go and get that little push that's needed (oh, and did I mention it's free! That's some good value right there).

The day of and day after the first time I attended this class, my whole entire core (and other body parts too) felt so exhausted and sore, but in the best possible way. It was amazing.

I also attempted my first Lululemon Run Club last week – and while it didn't leave me feeling quite as pumped as the core class, that could be because myself and one of the run leaders got separated from the group and got a little lost – so we pretty much just went for a run and chatted. It was nice to meet someone new who shares similar interests though and to have some company for a solid hour long run. Considering this is also a free group, I will most likely give it another shot in the near future.

Mostly, with no schedule tying me down, I'm really trying to stretch out of my comfort zone, maybe make some new friends who share similar interests and try some new/different things. So far, I'd say it has been moderately successful.

On top of all the above, I also ran a very muddy and challenging 16km trail/cross country race in a somewhat under trained state (and it was really fun).

Kirsten and I ran the Harriers Stewart Mountain Cross Country Challenge 10 Mile race on the weekend. 

I had absolutely no expectation and really only signed up because Kirsten talked me into it with the promise that she would stay with me and not ditch me (which she actually held true to – this might be a first). 

For me, it was a pretty solid effort – not my hardest fastest race pace ever, but definitely an honest effort and a really fun time. The mud puddles and stream crossings were pretty high and it was great to just splash away. Running around through a park on trails that don't get used that often, up and down a mountain, splashing through mud and muck, definitely brings out your inner child.

Next on the agenda of new things – I'll be trying out a power meter at trainer class this week. It both excites me and makes me nervous. Stay tuned for an update on how that turns out.

Trainer Class in the Pain Cave (aka. Straight Up Cycles)
Source
Oh, oh! Also, speaking of new things and stepping out of your comfort zone… If anyone wants to drop large sums of money on me for Christmas/birthday this year, umm, I think this would be awesome!