We are refugees from Talisman, we said

This last week Talisman has been hosting a big swim meet so there isn't much lane space for us recreational swimmers. I didn't mind taking a week off, but I wanted to swim today. No, really, what I wanted was the hot tub. While checking lane availability at Talisman I noticed the hot tub is out of service till further notice. Catastrophe!

Then I noticed they had made an arrangement with the Y to accept Talisman memberships during the swim meet. I call that good service on the part of both organizations. I got all excited about swimming in Seton, as I remember a buddy of mine saying she had a job there. I couldn't find any swim times though, and there was a blurb about construction starting in 2018, which seems odd to me.

Eventually I called the Shawnessy Y, and confirmed swim times. Me and my famous swim buddy strolled in, and tried to show our Talisman cards. "We are refugees", we said. He sent us back to another person. She took a copy of our Talisman cards and drivers license. Then started asking about emergency information and contact numbers.

Michelle gave hers, but I was baffled. I gave them our home number, which is the number we give to people we don't want to talk to, but told her she had to talk to the answering machine before someone would pick up. She asked for a cell number. There is no point giving Linda's cell number, so I told her my wife didn't have one. I got this look of stark disbelief. Then she wanted mine, and I was trying to explain it would be in my pants pocket, in a locked locker, doing no good to anyone. In the end, I just told her to find Michelle if I was hauled out of the pool drowning or spasming or something.

The pool would be sunny if it wasn't raining out. It's odd the guys locker is upstairs, and the women's is downstairs, but ok. The locker rooms are nice, and they have the little spinny swimsuit dryer. That's a nice touch.  We had a lane to ourselves for most of the swim. Mostly an older crowd that time of day.

My flip turns were slightly off. I think the way they've tiled the lines is slightly different and it threw my perspective off a bit. Still, I had a nice swim. Maybe 1 K or so, nice and easy, mostly, with a tiny bit of fast. I couldn't really see the pace clock very well unless I stopped to look. Can't have that.

The hot tub is nice. We were in there for a while, me stretching and enjoying the heat on my legs, Michelle recovering from specialty workouts of her own.

Napped with the cats. Easy core, going through the motions mainly just to get used to it again. Contrary to what some of my fitness buddies think, you don't just jump into core, and bang out 2 minute planks, and dozens of push ups and pull ups and squats and who knows what else all. That will put your body into shock and it just might pack up the whole show in protest. No, you have to sneak up on it, gradually working in more and harder core stuff. There is a list. Of course there is a list. I even found my old jump rope, and that's supposed to be excellent conditioning. Before the patio the only place I could use it was the front sidewalk, and I just couldn't. Now the patio will give me some privacy, so when the rain stops, I'll have a go.

I have the run plan up on the fridge. I suppose I could put it in my phone to remind me not to schedule anything else. I already know the weekend of Aug 13, 14 is going to be tough because of the writer's convention I'm going to. Let's hope there aren't any really really compelling panels first thing in the morning.

All you people that have done a marathon. I know some of my readers have done this. What advice do you have for someone tackling their first stand alone marathon, and wants to finish under 5 hours?  What got you through yours? What did you wish you had known before you started? Any funny stories? Would love to hear what you have to say in comments.

 It's still raining, so the grass is still wet, slowly turning into a jungle again. I don't think Calgary has ever seen so much rain. I'm sick of it, myself. If I wanted this much rain I'd live in Tofino.

Here's the last major treat before going into serious marathon training. And Curtis, supervising me.

The marathon plan, and MCK explained

MCK is going to be my motto till October 22. That's the day I'm going to run a marathon. It's the last one of the MEC races of the season, starting at Telus Spark, running down to the Bow river and noodling through Inglewood, then west to Silver Springs and back. Mostly flat, with a big hill at the turnaround.

I consulted with Katie, who coached me through IMC 2010. She is so enthusiastic, and started researching a training plan for me. We met up for coffee to discuss it, and I took Michelle along, almost in self defense. I think Katie forgets how old I am, and she has boundless confidence about my ability to soak up training. I'm less sure. Michelle suggested a minor modification to the plan that just might save my ass.

As I knew she would, the words 'More Core Keith' came up. MCK. That's my motto for this training. Run my ass off, with some swim and biking for variety. Plus lots of core. Lots and lots of core. I need it. Weak and flabby, thy name is gut and butt. Make of it what you will.

Technically the plan starts tomorrow, with a rest day. Today I was out and ran 16 K along the ridge near Douglasdale. The view to the west and towards downtown is stunning. No wonder those people paid big bucks for those homes, and every one of them has a big deck to enjoy the view from.  Not that I saw anyone doing that. Maybe it gets old.

I've walked there a long time ago, before most of those homes were built. It's different now. Much of it is a very nice run, but the bit beside the golf course got hot coming and going. The intent was to run easy on the way out and a little faster on the way back. No matter what I did, I couldn't run much slower than 7 min/K on the way out. My breathing is easy, and my legs are happy. The way back was a bit harder, with a big steep hill at the bridge beside the Fish Creek plant that I walked. I don't think I negative split it, but it was pretty even so I didn't miss it by much.

My phone says it was about 20 C, so not too hot, but the sun was pretty fierce. I sprayed on a good layer of sunscreen. Technically this is the last non-training run. Thus far this year has all been building base. I'll find out how well I did in the next 12 weeks.

I've been looking forward to this 4 day weekend for a while. Yesterday started with the consultation over great coffee from Monogram. Then meeting up with some buddies to see Life of Pets, then tea and munchies after. The rest of the afternoon was taking it easy.

Linda has been tending her garden, and worrying about hail. We've been hailed on 4 times now. Once a year is more like it. Mostly it's been fairly light by Calgary standards, though the most recent bout was almost dime sized driven on a strong wind. These particular lilies have been through a lot this year. They were attacked by lily beetles, we don't think they like the soil, and the hail has been really hard on them in particular. Still, they're trying. See?

After my run I fired up the BBQ for bison burgers, then started writing my blog and editing some photos. Here's my support.

Laptop, wine, Madagascar vanilla ice cream with fresh BC blackberries, and the camera to take photos of the building thunderhead to the north. Or the garden. Here's my view the other way.

Some of you might know my boss hinted my contract will not be renewed at the end of August. I've heard this before. I don't know if he was expecting me to break down and beg for my job or what, but no. I've got things to do in September. August too, come to think of it, and the original plan was end of July. In any case, if it does end, I'm not broken up about it. It started May 2012 going till the end of the year with no idea about renewal. 5 or 6 renewals later, here I am, surviving the departure of almost everyone I knew.  There isn't any particular virtue in it, I think my particular skills lined up with what Penn West needed.

My retirement theory was that I'd look for interesting projects to work on. If one of those is a paid gig, so much the better. I figure a few months at my current hourly rate covers my average yearly expenses, so why should I work any more than that? Every year I do that, puts off drawing on my retirement savings another year.

Now, I drafted that plan back before the price of oil crashed. Lots of my buddies are looking for work, and telling me there isn't much. That's now. The Calgary and Alberta economy is a roller coaster. Sooner or later the price of oil will go back up. It has to. There is a limited supply of the stuff, and it's one of the most useful commodities around. Sooner or later demand will come back.

The question will be if I'm drooling on my shoes by then. That would be too long. But I've had nearly 5 years of work with only minimal vacation, so I'm not going to mind several months off, or even a year. If I'm thinking about doing Calgary 70.3, it would be nice to be not working till this time next year. What with photography, novel writing, the blog and working out, plus whatever trouble my buddies get me into, I expect I'll be busy.

For those people that might be thinking of hiring a guy like me, keep in mind I'm willing to talk about all sorts of projects, in oil and gas or not. A bit of advice is free, and even the paid stuff isn't too expensive and well worth it according to some people. There's all sorts of pies I've had my finger in, and I'm willing to taste others. But keep this in mind. I don't need any argy-bargy about working hours, and I'm not interested in monkey turning the crank entry work. I'm looking for interesting work requiring thought, and figuring stuff out. Building processes to get the best value out of software is fun. If you have any of that, get in touch. Remember, lots of my SQL statements start with WITH, not SELECT. Ask your data guru what that means.

Gradual build triumph!

One of the recurring themes here is that I suck at gradually builds. I don't know how many times that appeared on the training plan, and every time I failed. When difference between doing the activity at all, and doing it at top speed is very small, the idea of a gradual build doesn't work so well.

So for example, my swim cruise speed is about 110 seconds per 100 m and I've done that over 3 k. My all out pace is ~90 seconds for 100 m, and not 25 m further. Not much space for a gradual build. Running and biking was much the same idea.

But running Tuesday! Holy totally by accident doodle! Check out these splits.

I started feeling pretty good after a warm up walk from my office to the downtown Y. My thought was mainly to run smooth and light, and trying to recruit my butt into helping run. It seemed like every time my phone chirped the time and pace info, there was noise around me so I didn't hear it very well. On the way back from the Crowchild bridge I could feel my running really settle into the groove. At times it felt effortless. I was beginning to feel my breathing a bit, but knew I didn't have far to go.

Seeing the splits after was astonishing to me. I hadn't planned to run each K faster than the one before, but that's nearly exactly what happened. And the final 2 K I was working, but it wasn't hurting, and I could have kept going for a little while anyway.

I'm not sure where all this has come from. Partly it's consistency, getting out there 3 days a week. I've shed a little weight, so the existing leg muscle doesn't have to carry around as much. Maybe I'm finally getting the hang of this running thing. I'm planning a bike ride this weekend, and it will be interesting to see if the run fitness carries over.

I ran Thursday, first attempt at hill repeats since forever. 3 x a little hill. I didn't puke. 5 K overall, 32:30, legs feeling kind of clunky and heavy.

I am loving the new camera lenses! I took the 100 mm to the race. If I got the focus right, I could shoot through the fence and it totally disappeared. Neat trick. There was a morning thunderstorm building, and the wide angle let me get it all in.

YYC70.3, part 3, the famous Michelle

Last year I did the swim, and Michelle did the bike and run. This year the swim was all hers! Take it away, Michelle!

I wasn’t ready to swim, bike and run all by myself yet but was delighted when half a dozen friends answered my call to form a team.  We ended up with two teams.  Yarn Bombers and Triple Threat.  The story continues…

Friday I did my practice swim at Auburn Bay in about 42 minutes and figured I had seriously shorted the course but was able to practice sighting.  My swim cap and goggles slipped off so I made sure to crank everything down for race day.  Friday package pickup went smoothly.  The information on the website wasn’t consistent with information in the promo video, on FB and twitter and the maps at package pickup but it was the same thing last year so I just didn’t sweat it.  Luckily, someone filmed the athlete briefing and posted it there so I was able to get that most reliable information very easily and it answered all  my questions. 

Saturday:  Bike drop-off had some challenges but luckily I had lots of time to deal with them.  As I added air to the tires of Tigerlily for Antje to borrow for her ride, I noticed the back tire was 50% flat and was hissing as I added air.  I discovered a horizontal slash in the valve stem.  The pump had not been put straight on and had pushed the valve against the sharp hole in the aluminum rim.  I took both wheels off, zipped over to MEC for new tubes, hubby ground off the sharp edge on the rims and we re-installed new tubes before I dropped her off.  I made sure to ride her and adjust the brakes and check the quick release before checking her in.  Good thing I had nothing else planned for the day.  We all made sure to stay hydrated and carbo-load.  Pasta for dinner for me (although it was a bit too much in hindsight). 

Sunday race morning:  I woke up around 3 a.m. (an hour earlier than my alarm) so just got up to have breakfast and get ready.  Antje and I drove to the start for 6 a.m., parked at the hospital and got Jennifer to do our body marking.  Jennifer was volunteering to do body marking and wetsuit stripping at T1 before she headed to T2 to rock the run.  We found the bike, checked the air in the tires.  The front was good but the back tire needed a top up.  We had been told not to bring pumps as volunteers would be on hand with pumps but we couldn’t see any.  A nice gal next to us offered her pump to us.  I supervised so the valve wouldn’t go sideways while pulling my wetsuit on.  Unfortunately the pump seal was broken and wouldn’t put air in.  The back tire was about 80 psi and should have been 90 but we just went with the flow. 

The start:  I was a bit frazzled by then with everything going on around me.  Antje recognized my parents who came out to cheer us on.  Tara came over around then and it was great to chat with her to calm my nerves.  I headed out to the beach and recognized Saskia (way to go girl – she is competing in worlds!) who sized me up and asked if I had already been in the water.  Nope, I had not.  Jeez.  I ran in to get some water down the front of my wetsuit and get my face and goggles wet before the start.  Back on the beach, I was looking around for my parents and Keith but couldn’t see them.  I heard the announcer tell us to all go over the mat if we were in the first two waves (pros followed by relay teams).  I heard the first horn go and figured that was the pros.  I was still looking around.  Then I heard the announcer say the relay teams were off but hadn’t heard the second wave horn!  I looked over, and my eyes focussed on a pod of swimmers wearing green caps.  My pupils dilated… OMG, that’s supposed to be me!  I ran into the water and threw myself in and paddled like crazy. 

The swim:  We headed west and then north around the first buoy and by then the male age groupers were coming up behind us and passing us…  I remember thinking “I don’t like this.  I don’t think I want to do another open water swim ever.”  I got bumped but not kicked so I know I got off easy.  I sighted the additional buoys on the route north, then around that big buoy and headed east. 

Somewhere around the north end of the lake, I got off course.  I found it quiet and peaceful… because all the swimmers were off to my right.  Argh!  Time to sight more and head back to the pack.  By now, I was getting in the groove.  I definitely ate too much and felt heavy and burpy but my inner shark came out!  I pulled hard!  I even kicked!  I had now graduated from “Goldfish 101” and was taking the test for “Shark 201!” 

Heading east into the sun, it was hard to see the buoys.  I realized my goggles were completely fogged up as I almost swam into the corner of someone’s dock.  I was able to put my feet down and touch the bottom, pull my goggles forward, dunk them in the water and stick them back on and keep swimming.  Much better.  Much clearer.  Stupid anti-fog treatment I used the night  before. 

Around the next big buoy and it was time to head south.  I just kept swimming and tried to stay clear of the breaststroke kicker beside me.  He was a fast breaststroker and/or I was a slow front-crawler!  There were swimmers doing head-up front crawl.  I agonized over learning to front crawl for two years.  Jeez!  Right then, I caught a tsunami wave off the elbow or foot of another swimmer and gulped in a cup of water, dog paddling, coughing and choking.  Wheezing until my breathing returned to normal.  Face down, arms forward, pull, kick, keep moving.  This thing is ON!  

Swim finish; T1:  I could see the triple yellow triangle buoys and knew I was almost done.  Pedal to the medal.  Go go go!  Around the first triangle buoy and heading east to the finish line.  I kept swimming toward the shore until I could dig my hands into the sand the way Keith had me practice before jumping up to run over the finish line, and heard Amy call my name before heading into the tennis court to hand off the timing chip where Antje was waiting with Tigerlily to head off on her 90K ride to Bragg Creek and North Glenmore Park.  (That was possibly a run-on sentence but that’s how my brain was).

(Ed note, I think this picture says everything there is to say about how the swim went!)

The bike:  This story belongs to Antje. (Her blog, but at publication time her race story wasn't up.)

I tracked Antje on Find Friends and knew she was fine when I saw she was in Bragg Creek.  I had time to have coffee with Keith and my parents before heading home for a shower and to meet Jennifer at T2.  My parents really enjoyed hanging out with Keith during the swim as he broke everything down for them and gave them the play-by-play. 

Tigerlily is so proud to wear her shiny new sticker on her stem.  She spent many years collecting dust listening to the odysseys and journeys and feats and accomplishments of another road bike named Estela.  Tigerlily is my favourite bike.  She is so enthusiastic all the time like “Pick me! Pick me!” while Luna is a little more reserved and deigns to let me ride her if I treat her like royalty. 

At T2, I found parking (yay!) and met up with Jennifer to chat while we tracked Antje and waited for her to arrive at T2.  Transfer done and Jennifer was off like a flash!  I got video of that. 

The run:  This story belongs to Jennifer.  

While Jennifer ran, Antje and I sat on the grass between the two paths to watch for her and cheer her on but sadly, we completely missed her.  Eventually we headed to the finish line.  Everyone thought our Cookie Monster “Ride bike, Eat cookie!” jerseys were hysterical and many people asked where we got them.  We waited for Jennifer to run and both started getting suddenly very hot, thirsty and hungry. 

The finish:  Yay!  Jenn was there and we ran in with her but the video I took didn’t work.  Grrr.  We each got awesome medals and finisher shirts.  Time for some refuelling and visiting.  Thank goodness the sausage was gluten free and there were yummy little potatoes.  My favourite gluten-free Cliff bars were on hand as well. 

Reflections:  Two years ago I couldn’t swim.  Last year I biked and ran while Keith swam. This year I worked really hard on my swim and was so happy that Antje biked for our team and Jennifer ran.  I have been biking with Antje on her long rides and commuting to work as well as running with Keith on his long runs and running at lunch but my focus has been on the swim 3-5 times a week before work.  Keith has been a great coach, mentor and training buddy!

I was really worried up until about two weeks before the race that I might not make the cut-off in 70 minutes but was pleasantly surprised by a fast swim and then a second and third fast swim to reassure me it wasn’t a fluke.  I’m now a MID-PACK AGE GROUP SWIMMER!  How did THAT happen?  I’m no longer a dork-a-saurus goldfish.  I’m a SHARK too now!  I can’t wait to swim, bike and run solo in IMYYC 70.3 2017! 

more storms

It was a perfect weekend for the race. Even this morning was nice, though I was still too tired to really appreciate it. The clouds rolled in late this afternoon. By the time I was home and selecting run gear, the rumbles of thunder started. Then the lightning, off in the distance and getting closer quickly. The sound track could have been used to build tension in a suspense movie.

I had time for a bison burger and tweaking a couple of the race photos for a fan that wanted them. (Thank you!) There were tiny drops coming as I scampered out to shoot some Dahlias and other lilies that are blooming. Back in just as the rain really started.

The same sound track could be used for the US presidential election. Polls now are meaningless, but it makes me just a little uncomfortable that Trump is going up in the polls, and might even win if the election were today. I can't think off-hand of anything more catastrophic to happen to the North American economy, or anything more detrimental to continental safety and security. Trump is practically a billboard of hatred and intolerance, and a walking recruitment poster for Islamic terrorist groups.

Although my calm demeanor hid the excitement, I was pretty charged up watching the swim part of the race yesterday. Here's some of the relay wave starting their 1.75 K swim; I'm not sure if Michelle is in the picture or not.

As triathlon swim packs go, that's pretty spread out,and not very big. What's important is that someone who couldn't swim 2 years ago is in that group, swimming confidently. That is such a huge step for anyone to take, and I'm so happy for her!

Their swim went really well, but I was channeling the gong show from last year.  Now that they've got the bugs out of the route, I'm tempted to try it again. Not just the swim. The whole thing. Not just to finish, (been there, done that) but aim for at least mid-pack. This year mid-pack in my age group means 6 hours. The winner was well under 5 hours. That means I need to start bike training again. That will help the marathon training too.

Gives me a goal. Will you follow along? Want to join me on race day?

Weekend meet blur

If this is what retired life is like, I'm not sure I can take it. I'd better go into training.

Ran Thursday, kind of a clunky run, still feeling the half-marathon. I'm not sure what else happened all last week that kept me from blogging.

Friday:
Up and tackled the lawn-jungle. That goes into the books as a workout! Long wet grass is no fun.
Then off to the 70.3 expo. My race shirt from last year is a L, but is a small L. I tried to trade it in, but the guy said just buy another the right size for $5. I guess he's heard it a lot. No, I'm not doing the race this year.
Coffee with my buddy Neil to talk lenses. I did a round of research ending up with expensive lenses, then more budget priced. Then Neil asked what I was taking pictures of and what I wanted to do. That got me recommendations for two different lenses (see below).
I rode up to Monogram, and back the scenic route around the reservoir, with only a bit of rain.
Cleaning wine bottles. They've built up lately. Can't imagine where all the empties come from.
Slept like crap.

Saturday:
Up to help Linda prepare for a rampage and trample expedition with a buddy to the Millarville Market. The buddy showed up and we had a lovely coffee and visit on the patio.  (Look out world!)
After they left, I went and picked out these bad boys.

Home and some quickie photos of the garden. It was like the first time I got on Estela. I'd been riding a bike all my life, but getting on a carbon race bike is a new world. These lenses are a new world! Focus and depth of field is critical!

15 K run 1:40. The weather channel said 20 but it was hotter, maybe 22 or 23, and direct sun. I was trying to run easy, keep my heart rate low, stay hydrated, and keep my cadence and pace even. Mostly it was good, falling off a bit towards the end. I never got to the place where it felt like the heat would overwhelm me and make me stop. For all that I was trying to take it easy, this turned out to be the fastest 15 K of the 6 I've done recently. Yay me!

After some putter around I scouted out a great place to watch them install the pedestrian bridge over Anderson Road. I was up till midnight watching. Here's an iPhone shot, and a T6 shot. I think I've picked out the two shots from the same time. The T6 is only slightly edited.

Sunday:
Up early and off to the Calgary 70.3 race to cheer on Michelle, and play with my new lenses. She had an awesome swim, and her team, 95 Yarn Bombers had a super day! Here they are, about to get started.

Then out to Bragg Creek for a garden viewing though the Horticultural Society. Very nice. The idea was to go into Bragg for lunch, but that took much longer than it should have. Traffic was terrible, but the rest of it was nice.
Home, short nap. BBQ bison burgers. Edit photos. Write blog, drink wine, out on the patio. So lovely.

Bang! Weekend over. I need a weekend to recover.

Odds and ends

Half marathon recovery has gone well enough that I ran today. I achieved a big goal at work and I rewarded myself with a mid morning run. The only problem is that I somehow turned on auto-pause for almost the entire run, or my phone lost track of the satellites. I figure it was 4 k, 26 minutes, feeling pretty good. Downtown must have got quite a bit of hail and rain. There were leaves and little branches all over the path near Stampede grounds, and technically, the path under Macleod Trail was closed because of high water. I ran there anyways. It was only a little damp.

I don't spend a lot of time concerned about my readership stats. This blog is to amuse me, and if it amuses others that's a nice bonus for them. I'm still surprised at what gets the readership. Sometimes I know. The NIMBYISM post got lots of retweets, and the issue hit the news. The followup had some retweets but didn't do anywhere near as well. The children of the canola got ONE, count'em ONE retweet, but that was enough to power it into 4th place for overall readership, and slowly inching towards third.

Stock at Large is by far the earliest post in the top 10, and I'm pleased to see it holding it's own. I know why, but I suspect many of you don't. Any guesses?

Once upon a time, "Boobs, a rant" was proudly the second most read post. Lately it's fallen out of the top 10 where it's harder to see readership. I'd mentioned it to one of my buddies, who was in shock they hadn't read it. There you go, happy early birthday.

I could wish Blogger was better about stats. I see page views for individual posts, and an overall page view number, but the latter is usually far bigger. Lately I think I've been hit on by bots that artificially inflate the count. I tried Google stats, or whatever it's called, but there's something I don't get about it.

So far it hasn't rained today. There's been a lot of that lately. My lawn is turning into a jungle, but it's still too wet to cut. The garden has had a little more hail, but seems to be doing ok. Here's a lily leaf hanging in there.

I like this contrast between the plant and two pots.

There's a tonne of photos I'm working on processing. Even though I knew the RAW format size was huge, I'm surprised how quickly it ate my laptop hard drive. This is the first time ever I've had to think about hard drive space. Some photos have already been shuffled off to an external drive. I need to figure out if I want to keep any significant number of the photos I take, or just the ones that have been tweaked in Lightroom. Still thinking. The latest batch of photos are 25 to 30 MB each. EACH. I took nearly 1000 in one weekend. That's 25 to 30 GB, which is a good sized chunk even on a TB sized drive. Good thing they aren't expensive. Also thinking about just how big a dedicated photo drive and backup needs to be. Lots of fun. Still lens shopping. Any advice?