DIY TTT: Stage 4

DIY TTT: Stage 4

Race Director's Report

It's been a long day, and a Race Director's job is never done. Stage 4 got underway at the beautiful UWO Aquatic Centre. I was so happy to see the entire field still intact! This feat was largely due to the gala Triple T dinner provided by Chief Antonio last night, who is always my first choice to cater such affairs. I get tired of saying he outdid himself every time, but he did again, serving Pat and I plus the entire race field a delicious grilled Trout, with a delicious rhubarb Tart with vanilla-Tyme ice cream (get it TTT!). Magnifico!!!

Anyway today at 1015 prompt the Race Harmonica blew and the field was off. Again AO set the standard with another gem of a perfectly paced swim, sailing through 1900 m in 30.50. The morning was grey but no rain as she left T1 in first place for the 3 lap loop of the country north of London. By the time I was able to catch AO in the gold race chase vehicle she was already on her 3rd lap and riding strong. She powered into T2 with a 3.18 bike split (including phone calls), as the sky clear and the Sun came out.

A quick T2 and AO was off on the 13.1 mile run in the hills of north London. Yours truly decided to test his wonky knee and rode the lead athlete bike for the run. AO ran a steady first lap, after getting her running legs after her hardest bike ride of the season (and after 2x40 km rides yesterday). Coming into the halfway point at Chez Sica she had a quick stop for fluid then off for the 2nd lap. Unfortunately I had a brain cramp, and I went the wrong way on the lead bike. Whoops! Fortunately I found her before she had completely withered up and dehydrated from the heat, and she picked it up again trying to break 2 hrs. She worked really hard up the final hills and came into to the cheering crowd in just over 2 hours, still in first place. AO's course record performance was:

Stage 4 Results

1. Ann Onymous, London, ON, 30.50/6.41/3.18.08/2.57/2.03.50 6 hrs 2 min

Overall Results (Final)

1. Ann Onymous, London, ON 11 hr 58 min 35 sec

Here is a picture of AO on the podium receiving her award and prize. The custom made winner's medallion is gold(ish) chain holding 3 nuts, one for each discipline, with the middle (bike) one extra long. The nuts, well this was a nuts weekend! And yes, AO won a working cell phone (it rings) courtesy of the Dollar Store in London. After the medal ceremony the racer enjoyed a post-race feed catered by the local Dairy Queen.

Look for next year, where we will hopefully be doing this craziness in Ohio! And congrats to Ontario's Rich Pady who was first overall solo competitor in the other TTT.

Sincerely,

the RD

ps: click below to see some photos of this epic weekend!

DIYTTT

DIY TTT: Stages II & III (Day 2)

DIY TTT: Stages II & III (Day 2)

Stage II (dualthon, 5/40/10 km)

It was cool and clear at dawn as race leader Ann Onymous led the field out for the 5 km run, blazing into T1 in 25 min. Race partner AT and her left for a fast 40 km, and AO led into T2 after 1:22 on the bike. She then hammered at 49 min hilly 10 km to solidify her lead. I slept through this but it sounded exciting. Being Race Director is cool as all your flunkies do all the work.

Stage II Results

1. Ann Onymous, London, ON 2:35

Overall

1. Ann Onymous, London, ON 3:08.30

Stage III (1.5/40/10 km)

I was awake and at the pool for final race instructions at the new and shiny UWO Aquatic Centre. I was happy to see that the entire field was still together, no one had dropped. At exactly 1518 or something like that the Race Harmonica sounded and the field left on the swim. No surprises here as AO continued her pool domination, swimming a beautifully paced 7.49/7.45/7.36 (23:10, 1.32.6 pace!) SC swim.

After a flying min transition she led the field out on the 40 km bike course and with the crowd frantic in concern, finally showed up not on a milk carton but in T2 in 1:35.24 , with a big smile on her face. Again, the RD apologizes for the "many red lights", "viscous Kona-esque winds" and "crappy bike support" issues AO mentioned. A big gulp of water and off she went out of T2.

The run for this leg is a challenge and hilly loop around the NW end of London, ending in the famous quad-smasher Col de Brescia. I question whether I will see any of the participant running in at the end of this Stage!

However, as the picture shows I was wrong and AO was race leader with a 52.10 run.

Stage III Results

1. Ann Onymous, London, ON 2:59.05

Overall

1. Ann Onymous, London, ON 5:56.35

DIY TTT: Stage 1 Race Director's Report

DIY TTT: Stage 1 Race Director's Report

Stage 1 of the DIY TTT race was held this afternoon under warm, partially sunny skies. The athlete (UPAO) attended my race briefing on deck at the new and beautiful UWO Aquatic Centre. After receiving the race instructions I raised the Canadian flag and the athlete and I sang an abbreviated (but moving) rendition of Oh Canada. The athelete then took to the water for warm up until I raised my right arm signifying start anyware within 15 s. Tension was high and my racer was relieved to hear the chord from the race harmonica (couldn't find a whistle and they wouldn't allow me to discharge my 2" barrel Bulldog 44 magnum in the pool) and off she went. AO as expected flew on the swim with the following splits/stroke count over 50 m:

40.5/20

43.2/21

42.3/20

44.4/21

42.5/21/3.34.12

Would post a picturebut you are not allowed to take one without written permission of the Aquatics coordinator!

Yours truly won the race down to T1 and had the contestant's bike in the racks and a orange cone on the mount/dismount line. AO screamed through a 4 min, 3 sec transition, almost as fast as her swim! The racer then left on her bike for the grueling 5 mile test. AO kept her lead and was first in on the bike in 18.36 (couple long stop lights, I couldn't afford to have the roads closed), although AO was inches away from receiving a 4 min penalty in T2 for a dismount line violation.

After a screaming fast 45 s transition AO led the charge out of T2 for the hilly 1 mile "loop", which isn't a loop and I had to hobble about 1/2 mile to get to the finish. AO hammered through the elastic cord finish line (which accidently snapped back on her, whoops I was futzing with the camera!) in 7.30 for a 34 min 30 s first place finish.

Stage 1 Results

1. AO, London ON, 34.30 (received 1 min time bonus)

Overall Results

1. AO, London ON, 33.30

We all look forward to tomorrow's racing which includes the morning Stage 2 3/40/10 duathlon with a team bike ride (AO and TF) followed by the Stage 3 Olympic race in the afternoon.

boB

Race Director, DIY TTT

Pity Party

Pity Party

Grab a spoon people. The SOBs dumped me. After all these years, just like that, poof. Gone, right in the middle of Victoria's Duathlon Monday. A group of 3 tendons in my right knee with latin-o names decided they had enough and just left me all dressed up and no-way to race. And our split is serious for now, forcing me and AO to have to scratch from Triple T, which was supposed to start for us tomorrow afternoon. Sigh, tendons are all alike. Pamper them, stretch them, ice them but they get a notion into them and poof, where are they? Where are they? How really needs them? Who am I kidding, I do, boo hoo.

SPOON PLEASE!

Fortunately my daughter was there for me today, and we attacked the situation by hitting the Mall and doing some shopping. I'll be the sharpest looking geophysicist at the American Geophysical Union Meeting in Hogtown next week, the one with the hot new jacket, shirt and limp. Well the limp is pretty much gone now. But I don't know when I can get back on the bike and eventually run again. The Milton Tri is still on the sheet for next weekend, and I really want to be able to compete as Cass is making this is first tri.

We also did some deck shopping. Chey's longboard got run over (fortunately she was OK) and ruined by some doofy woman driving through campus who didn't stop after knocking her over and running over her board. We hit the Boardshop after the Mall and got her a cool new deck, kind of a slightly longer than normal board (so not a longboard) but with longboard wheels and regular trucks. I gave it a little test and it is a sweet ride, I hope she enjoys it. Hopefully Cass will do some whittling on her old board, she may be able to shorten it and still ride it.

OK, I surfing over to FML to post something like:

Tomorrow was the day I was supposed to leave with my teammate for a race we trained for 11 months mostly in the dark and the snow so 1 week before I could cripple myself trying a shim in my bike shoe. FML.

Still,

boB

ps: oh yeah, today we booked a cabin in Shawnee Park with a kitchen for race weekend 2010, who's in?

Mstie (1996 - 2009)

Mstie (1996 - 2009)

That old King was a friend of mine

Never knew a dog

that was half as fine

I may find one, you never do know

'Cause I still got a long way to go.

Neil Young, Old King

Mstie lost her 2 month battle with bone cancer today. Pat and I were there with her. I can't yet tell you what a great dog she was but believe me she was. Unlike me she raced professional and was pretty good, making it to a Track "C" which means she won some races. Her racing is hardcore. You win you race against other 1 year old greys and you prize is avoiding euthanasia. You make yourself a regular on the scene and you move up to a "D". "B" is national level and "A" is top dollar, e.g. million dollar dogs. She raced until 4, which is like playing lineman in the NFL until 41. We recused her at 4.5 years in 2000 when the kids were still in grade school and had a great time since. She could run 500 m faster than the world record for Men's speed skating, sub 32 seconds, steal food off you plate before you could move and winnie like a thoroughbred when happy.

Just found out the boys used to call her "Knifedog". Yeah, how appropriate, even in retirement she barely gained a lb or 2 over her racing weight. She was real big for a girl, usually they top at 60 lb but she was 64 lb of muscle. And in greyhound racing you don't have age groups or races divided by sex, the girls race the 90 lb boys straight up. She was a trainer's favorite as she had less of the shy personality most greys have and let everyone know how she felt about a situation, and no stranger was safe from getting sucked up to for pets.

No more pain, girl. Love you to pieces.

I Will Survive

I Will Survive

Prologue: W/Th/Fri/Sat/Sun/Mon, well I though the headaches every day were just allergy season. And the cold weather. And being past half way to 100. The Usual.

Chapter 1: Tuesday

1 am: I'm going to hurl. 3 am up again: almost hurled. The 6 o'clock alarm rang and I wasn't singing nothin'. Had usual pre-train bfast, well half of it anyway. Crawled to coach, woke up again at 9 and did not feel like eating. Film loop from Wayne's World playing in my head as I put on the running shoes:

Garth Algar: Uhm, Wayne? What do you do if every time you see this one incredible woman, you think you're gonna hurl? 

Wayne Campbell: I say hurl. If you blow chunks and she comes back, she's yours. But if you spew and she bolts, then it was never meant to be. 

Obviously Wayne meant run and if you're meant to feel better you will. So I did. The short story is don't believe in all this mystical karma BS and don't try to train if you are not able. Or else the following happens.

I went out with the ideal of doing some interval work, 4 sets of 6 min, and was doing "OK" other than the fact I was running 12 min miles at best. The breakdown came about 1/2 way in (as you know if you train lots, the underlying theme of any disaster workout is everything begins to go to sh*t at the farthest point from where you started, so there is no turning back), at what I believe AO is the same corner I face planted in the dark on the ice during the snowstorm a few months back, I did it again. Cept I didn't have gloves on, there was not plenty of snow and I didn't get to make a snow angel and quip "I meant to do that." This time I did it on pavement and it was less pleasant. Don't worry, I bounced up and finished the piece (and none of the people in their cars rolled down a window for a "u 'k?"). I was getting bad. Made it around the turn onto Wonderland, on the blind turn on the downhill part (uphill for me) this kid came full bore on a MTB and I dropped into my lineman stance with my forearm up. He just grazed me and at this point I was getting delirious and headed into the woods, hoping the recently spotted in town wolf was not chillin' there. Got down to the river and Cake saved my ass, calling from my Thump earbuds:

(Gentle reader: Click the link, get Cake singin' and we can all join him as I type)

Did you think I'd crumble

Did you think I'd lay down and die

Oh no, not I

I will survive

As long as I know how to love I know I'll be alive

I've got all my life to live

I've got all my love to give

I will survive

I will survive 

The irony here was no lost, even on me. My corporal self somehow found home and in 15 min I was headed into work for a meeting, after which I rode home and punched out of life for the day.

Chapter 2: Wed

I watched TV. Oh boy what fun. Some random crap then things got serious with the classic The Trouble with Tribbles. Hadn't seen that in a long time, what an episode. Love that look on Jim's face when he opens the grain storage unit. 

This was followed by Chuck Norris, Missing in Action. Body count on a par with Arnold in Commando, but I miss the pithy comments, Chuck is all business, no:

Soldier: Anything left for us?

Arnold: Just bodies.

Ha ha! Oh right Pat, Arnold does row into shore in his speedo (wouldn't want to get my fatigues all wet would I?). But how many times have you been in a long boring meeting and wish someone would solve everything by going out into the jungle solo, rescuing MIAs and bringing them back to prove the VK wrong, all before the meeting ends? Round to Chuck.

This was followed by Escape from Alcatraz, which was a movie about a prison break and not a televised triathlon event. People were not as tough in the 60s as today, when floating 1 mile clinging to a raft after tunneling out in the dark was considered tougher than swimming into shore, then biking and running. And these guys used to avoid trying to go to Alcatrz, now people fill up the race in minutes when entries open.

Wanted to watch the 7th game of the Pens-Caps series but unfortunately Washington had other plans last night that didn't involved playing hockey. That was harsh, but they folded like a tent.

Chapter 3: Thursday

I'm doing much better today thank you and have been able to plow through great expanses of the fertile fields of my inbox where work stuff grows and grows. Must be feeling better because it is into mid-afternoon and I haven't turned the TV on yet. Why when we can all sing together:

It took all the strength I had

Just not to fall apart

I'm trying hard to mend the pieces

Of my broken heart

And I spent oh so many nights

Just feeling sorry for myself

I used to cry

But now I hold my head up high

Epilogue

Did I get swine flu from Wilbur. Interesting theory, but I don't think so. I did not crave bacon or covet Miss. Piggy more than normal. I think it was food poisening, I ate some frozen fruit that had unfrozen? Possibly flu? So I looked up all these separately and it is interesting, the symptoms for all different things of this nature as all about 97% overlapping. So I'll claim all of them.

I did survive,

boB

Our New Friend

Our New Friend

Wilbur: Are you writers?

Charlotte's daughters: No, but we will be when we grow up.

Wilbur: Then write this in your webs, when you learn: This hallowed doorway was once the home of Charlotte. She was brilliant, beautiful, and loyal to the end. Her memory will be treasured forever.

Charlotte's daughters: Ooh, that would take us a lifetime.

Wilbur: A lifetime. That's what we have.

If you've trained with me you know that at some point the chit chat does stop and the work begins. When the Master says fast I ride fast, fast enough conversation is not an option. I take work/rest seriously and stay on task. Usually. But today we all made a new friend!

It was convectively unstable here today, that is cold air was coming in from the west unwilling to wait for the warm, slow moving southern air we had enjoyed to mosey along eastward. When, in cycling terms, the "catch" is made warm air gets trapped under cold and thunderstorms are born. It was that kind of morning but looking at the radar it looked like I could squeeze my 2 hours in. The WO was not a kind one, with several long fast pieces in it. I rode out to the Queen J (formerly 9 mile road) and headed east, cognizant of the fact this would mean coming home in a growing wind as the weather moved up from the southwest.

I was in the rest over the top of the pyramid, fighting the wind with my head down slumped over the bars on my venerable P3c heading back west near Dirt Side Road when I looked up and there he was: Wilbur (his actual name given by his owner), a happy little Vietnamese Pot-Bellied pig! I did a double take, stopped and he ran up and started sniffing my bike and demanding pets (and gummies), which he got plenty of (well, pets that is). His person soon came out, along with her 2 big dogs but Wilbur would not come when called! He preceded to snort, run across the road and be a naughty little piggy. His person fetched him (see the pictures) below. I wished you had the sound. Upon capture he was, well, literally, squealing like a pig. It was so cool. I was petting the big black dog at the time who seemed very mellow about the whole thing.

AO and others we venture with out with this way, I sure hope we get to see him again, he was so cool and 'fess up, specially the guys who read this, anyone here going tell me they didn't cry when Charlotte died? This Wilbur was that humble! What a T-E-R-R-I-F-I-C ride today. No cracks about reading this "on the web" and I've got to get ready for the half tomorrow, so g'night (oooh, BTW also saw a cat running across the road with a mouse in its mouth).

PO,

boB

Our Own Private Idaho

Our Own Private Idaho

Like Garth (re: Wayne's World) I fear change, but sometimes change is good and it was today. We've had our Merry Band of Morning Swimmers doing our best to isolate a lane at the crowded CGAC pool. The band got smaller when Ryan & D left for Capitol City, but the 4 of us have had many a good time (UPAO: I mean GOOD time, not good TIME, though a few of these also). At 0615 EDT today we broke routine and swam at the new UWO Rec Centre pool, and it was great. There were maybe 5 of us at opening, rather than 5 to a lane and we had a challenging WO (i.e. one from Ann Aerobic, one of the 2 morning Ann(s)). First of many I hope, we were jazzed enough to say why not Wednesdays as well. Now if they just get some decent clocks.

Back from the pool then runrun, get a few pickups in prep for the 1/2 marathon Sunday. Work was a bummer today. This economy crash hit Ontario universities hard and the trickle down has trickled down to job cuts, including an immediate one in our Dept that was like losing family. People bummed out, some crying.

The buzz up North is the violation of the sanctity of the locker room by those Crosby homers at the CBC. Shown here, they actually broadcast the Coach's pre-game plan off the board: I haven't seen that since Mad magazine as a kid when they had the reported go into the huddle and the other team watching the TV to know the play.

My boys at PTI said this was because Canadians were pro-Crosby and hence pro-Pens. Not so, I like Ovechkin he's a lot more fun to watch than Crosby and after not watching much hockey for a long time I'm enjoying the series (3-2 Pens after 2 now). Looks like it going 7!

Interesting how triathlon has no locker room, occasionally a change tent and I understand at Ironman Germany only one shared tent. Is that why JS is doing it? I just realize I heard that this morning in the middle of a kick set. I'm glad his retirement was so short from IM (hear that UPAO!). Kinda like the Favre thing now. I'm betting Favre becomes a Vi-Queen just to get the Pack back. And speaking of JS and Tone what was that skimpy garment JS was returning to Tone on deck today? To Ann and I it sure looked like a skimpy green thong. I thought they weren't swimming much in Clermont?

Running back today I was just groovin' on Cream Puff War from the 1st Grateful Dead album.¹ They were so young and energetic, just playing manically fast and free. Weren't we but sometimes aren't we? Lightning, thunder starting outside, think I soak up some organic electromagnetic fields.

PO,

boB

Wait a minute, watch what you're doing with your time

All the endless ruins of the past must stay behind, yeah

---

1. certified "good ol' Grateful Dead"

bobsica.com is live(ish)

I finally got the semblance of a website up on bobsica.com. Have a look, leave a comment, whatever. It ain't much but I can put files up in the bobiki, got a video of my favorite turtle, Tardy, and a place for photos should I ever get around to taking any. I can put some more stuff on the Dashboard, Pat wants to put up some crosswords she is working on. The site has feeds to let you know when things update, but posts will continue here until one of us cracks...

I made it a good day

My Girl's Day (9-Toolbox plus Price Grab)

First: come on everyone, join me:

Oh, I could hide neath the wings

Of the bluebird as she sings.

The six o'clock alarm would never ring.

Whoops its ringing and I rise,

Wipe the sleep out of my eyes.

My shavin razors cold and it stings.

dah, dah, dah, dah, dah, dah

Well the 6 o'clock alarm did ring (and who was your favorite Monkee? I wavered between Mike/Peter, mostly Mike), and my body did its morning thing with little connect with my brain and suddenly I was running into the new and amazingly well done UWO Campus Rec centre. The sun was shining into the pool, the water temperature pleasant and I had a good swim. Read some emails walking over to work and including one I knew was coming and didn't want to read. To cheer up before I geared up to sharpen the cutting edge of knowledge I pursued the iTunes App Store for something cool. And I was rewarded with 9-Toolbox.

9 tools in 1 plus bonus plus broken English instructions plus free. 9 useful functions plus the surreal. I'm down.

1. Currency: converts between $, including lots of Earth $ but not Imperial Credits.
2. Date Calculator: now at a push of a button I know it is only 16 days until Triple T, 93 days to my birthday, Christmas will be on a Friday in 2026 and May, 2009 is a Leap Month.
3. Days until: 116 days until IMC
4. Holidays: in 2020 August Civic Holiday is on the 3rd
5. Inclinometer: yup, my iphone can now act as a level in 2-dimensions simultaneously, so if I am so "inclined" I can measure my knee angle bend while I am riding and still be on the speaker phone. "153 deg, whoops hold on, I'm going to raise my seat 2 mm, call you later"
6. Loan calculator: I have no interest. Ha ha, get it!
7. Tip calculator: interesting but not needed in Ontario as you can figure the tip from the sum of GST + PST (15%).
8. Unit conversion: on the fly conversion between psi and kPa means my tires will always be perfectly inflated.
9. Price Grab (bonus app): what's cheaper per item, 11 of this item for $80 or 12 of this item for $88. I'll now know in a flash.

10. My Girl's Day

I quote: "It calculates ovulation, probability of pregnancy and next bleeding with calendar view."

After my initial shock, embarrassment ("gross") and "yuk its on my phone" I manned up and tried it. It appears accurate. It tells me I have 0% probability of Ovulation or Pregnancy. That is a relief, believe me. I am particularly impressed with the +/- 2 days accuracy claim. Wonder how they figured that?

Well I could handle no more excitement and commenced to the attending to our posters for AGU and CMOS and other work stuff.

It would be cool if I could get one of those birds like in the quarry in the Flintstones so I could pull its tail when it was time to go, which it finally was. With the 1/2 marathon looming on Sunday the Program has commanded I get fast, and I was greeted with the good ol' 10/1, 9/1, ....., 1/1 run with the pick it up as the time gets shorter reminder. The key to this workout is to realize that you can figure out how long it is using Gauss' summation rule (N(N+1)/2), so 11, 10, ...., 2, N = 11 so that's 66 minutes, minus 1 minute since the last one is 1/1, that is, 2. So 65 min of hell.

It went pretty well for a tough workout. With Triple T (only 16 days, just checked again on my iphone) I ran the first part on the trails. Spring is here, I saw a couple trillium coming up! Was on some trails I hadn't been on since UPAO and I were snowshoeing. On one of the hills I caught one of 2 mountain bikers. Much later after talking the loop around Fanshawe Park back through Western, going up the Brescia hill, I paced up with 2 university kids on their mountain bikes who didn't drop me until the path leveled out. Nice way to close it out. Some great tunes during the run including a good song for all of us today:

The fortunes of fables are able

To sing the song

Now witness the quickness with which

We get along

To sing the blues you've got to live the dues and

Carry on

Just love trying to sing along, the harmonies are so tight and it gives some hope on those rainy days life occasionally throws at us.

PO,

boB

Cycling News Release

Cycling News Release

Long time in the hills today (yes we have hills in Lon-ONT: skeptics are invited out here for a ride!). On the tri bike, bent over the bars. After wearing out the big cogs on my rear cassette for a few hours I made it back home and saw this story.

Amsterdam, Holland
Tour de Vas Deferens : Stage 5 Time Trial Report.

Fabio Castrato of Team Eunuch/NADs smashed the race open during today's individual time trial averaging over 60 km/h for the 47 km course. Castra's attributed his record-setting speed to the aggressive position he is able to obtain on his machine since having surgery to remove his "boys". Ecstatic at the finish line he stated: "I have no saddle issues and could stay low and worry soley about powering my bike to the finish". Triathletes, always keen for an advantage in the "Race of Truth" have been quick to clog up the swine-flu swollen health care systems of North America and Europe to obtain this edge as quickly as possible. Top age-group triathlete Biff Roberts, caught on the way in to surgery in Boulder, Colorado today said "unlike the small advantage of shaving my legs or wearing an aero helmet my riding position after this surgery is going to cut my drag factor by 300 g". Addition advantages are the ability to really wail those high notes and less preoccupation with activities that distract from training, eating and stretching.

And people think wearing compression gear in public is weird....

boB

Battle of the Blizzaks

Battle of the Blizzaks

One of the delights of the afore-discussed Camp Sheri was the daily "mocking of the van". Each day I would delight in needling Dave about his van, which looked more out of place in FLA then my initially lilly white skin. Dave you see, had driven down from northern Ontario with his Blizzaks¹ on. No kiddin', winter rims and all. No doubt by now he has accomplished his goal of getting his money's worth out of them, as those suckers must be smoother than a baby's bottom by all that driving in +30 deg weather.

Mrs. S. was handling the tire switchover on our van back home, and I had full confidence on my return the summer tires would be on and I wouldn't be lugging 8 tires/wheels around, especially with the boy home for a few days from b-ROCK before starting his summer job. Wrong and wrong, and that was one of the day's highlights for me. Count it as upper body work. And now Dave, you can let me have it. We also got the exhaust systems fixed and you can actually hear the stereo which is nice.

I took a good bit of time today to figure out how the next month is going to work. Forest City Half Marathon, Victoria's Duathlon, Triple T, Milton Tri, ACE Science Team Meeting, 10th International Mesosphere-Stratosphere-Troposphere Radar Meeting, American Geophysical Union Spring Meeting, I will be stretched a bit thin methinks. Least I'll stretch some extra in all the meetings.

Hey, one other thing. As reported yesterday I did a 30 min JRA before I ran long. Son of a gun, I am less sore than I can ever remember for a long while from a run like that. Coach Sheri said this is because you get a deeper warmup before you start running, which you can't do even starting running at a low intensity. Plan to do this before the 1/2 Sunday for sure.

---

1. Winter tires with special cold weather rubber treads.

I'm Toast (and other news)

I'm Toast (and other news)

Back in, ooh, '08 about this time of year our toaster died. This is serious stuff. I train lots and I seldom hit the water, street or trail without bagels/waffles/b'fast pita/toast or some combination. With almond butter. The key to this operation is a first rate toaster, but what does that mean? Gimmicks, fancy name, lots of buttons, do I care at 0530? F no. So last year I went retro with this beauty: the Lancaster toaster. White like the fresh fallen snow. You don't read the manual. You plug the sucker in and set the dial, usually just flat out. Pop, done gone. That's it. I see they are up to $9.49 CDN now, when I got mine they were less than $9. Eat my crumbs Cuisinart.

Time however, is hard on all of us. Take today, 30 min JRA¹ on the bike and then 2:15 hill run, including one of the few tasty hills we have near town, the affectionately named "Snake Hill". I'm home now and know if I drop something on the ground I'll have to go through the usual "prayer drop" to my knees to pick it up, then slide over to the nearest piece of furniture and use my arms to get up. The smart asses among you have already said to themselves some comment about "you are what you eat".

But here's the thing, the Lancaster is dying on me, and it took a real slap to the face, or like Dre would say "like a slug to your chest" Friday morning to get me out of denial. I was late to the pool cause the toaster though still working, now has an unacceptable MTTB (mean time to bagel). I suspected this after returning from FLA and having a hard time getting out at the proper time for Thursday's savage run with University Prof. Ann Onymous (henceforth in this screeds UPAO). The original plan was so what, at $10 a whack that's 7 to 10 Lancaster's for one pretty boy toaster.

Friday I knuckled. I drove by a CDN Tire and found myself checking out all the hot young, sleek toasters from exotic places in China the Lancaster never even passed through in transit. Check out my trophy toaster, the T-fal Avanté Angle Design Deluxe Toaster. Angle designed so you can watch the bread toast. No wonder the Commies gave up and made Russia a democracy, when we have stuff like this. Toast a bagel and anything within 1 m in less time than it takes to get out the cottage cheese (of course you need your protein, little cups of 1% cottage cheese my, protein bombs). And yeah, as an emerging DOM² how could I resist that pair of huge handles. No sticking knives down this puppy and giving my Mom fits ("people get electrocuted like that every day"), left one pops her down, right one gives you some extra lift if you need it, kinda the Wonder Bra of toasters. Big dial and off course a bagel mode, toasted on the inside, warm on the outside, just like most of my students!

My life is truly blessed but there is much too be reported to keep UPAO and my little Sunset in the loop of life. The latter has life stuff going on and the former is in the wilds of Quebec at "Geology Field Camp", where I'm sure she is making maps and living on the cheap beer that Quebec offers. Doubtless all the Queens kids came with an empty suitcase to stuff in at least a 2-4 to bring home. So in the coming days we must keep them appraised of import stuff, like I am doing today. For instance, 'bout 1 hour into my run coming into the subdivision in Byron, with all the good people of London cleaning their cars and doing whatever it is they do to their lawns, singing For You way too loud for a guy in knee length shorts, compression socks and lime colored sunglasses.

Tomorrow: report from the first go at the Tanita scale and "the sh*t that will kill them" for Triple T, which I now possess.

PO,

T-bob

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1. Just riding around
2. dirty old man, right Dave?