One month to go! One month from today I will be setting off on my biggest journey of my life! July 28th I will step into the waters from Queens Royal park at Niagara on the lake and set forward stroke after stroke until I break or touch the wall at Marilyn Bell park in Toronto.....Woooo!
Today's training - I planned on swimming this morning but it's raining and I don't want to get wet, so I guess I'll do some weights and run the treadmill...
Long weekend coming up and lots of swimming planned, after which I start summer hours at work and will be working the day shift for 4 days next week then I'm off for two days of vacation to do my planned 6 hour time trial on Monday or Tuesday, then I work 3 days and then off for vacation for 3 1/2 weeks in prep for my Lake swim!
:)
Friday, June 28, 2013
Thursday, June 27, 2013
Bike and swim day.
I biked 30K today, altering my route instead of riding home i kept going and rode down to Centennial beach with swim gear in toe. I locked up my bike to a tree and swam 2k in a balmy 60F water temp, then rode back home with enought time to make breakfast and get ready for work.
Wednesday, June 26, 2013
Cold water training
I'm getting lots of cold water training, not that I want to? it's just the frigging lake seems to be getting colder rather then warming up! Today the water temp was 58F.... I blame global warming! Why not? everyone else blames the weather for it! lol ...Brrrrrrrrr! The price you have to pay swimming in Barrie's Kempenfelt bay when the wind blows from the north west pushing the warm water out, not nice without a wetsuit!
But really, I know it's a good thing! Lake Ontario is not know for it's warm waters either! and When I reach the wall on Toronto shores at Marilyn bell park I'll be thankful I did this cold water training!!
:)
But really, I know it's a good thing! Lake Ontario is not know for it's warm waters either! and When I reach the wall on Toronto shores at Marilyn bell park I'll be thankful I did this cold water training!!
:)
Tuesday, June 25, 2013
Cold swim
It amazes me how the lake water temp changes so much so quickly? All depend on wind direction!
Saturday's 6 hour swim was a cool 18C but comfortable, today's water temp was 14C 60F .....Dang it was chilly! but refreshing! but
I did managed a 2k easy swim today at Centennial beach, and my Shoulder and forearm were ok too!
:)
Saturday's 6 hour swim was a cool 18C but comfortable, today's water temp was 14C 60F .....Dang it was chilly! but refreshing! but
I did managed a 2k easy swim today at Centennial beach, and my Shoulder and forearm were ok too!
:)
Monday, June 24, 2013
Swelling in forearm??
So what were the after affects of my 6 hour swim? Surprisingly I felt good Sunday except for some swelling on my right forearm and a pain in my right shoulder and took the day off resting them so I didn't swim.
So, what might cause the swelling in my upper forearm behind my thumb? The only thing I could think of that might cause it is the fact that my middle finger which I can't use or bend because Of an accident I had 18 years ago when I had it cut off by a punch press and surgically re-attached had to be the factor. My thought is that with the way I stroke, which I now realize I pull my hand not only down, but as I push I give a flick and side twist off the end of the stroke, plus with the water resistance pushing on my finger as I'm pushing tightens up the tendon along my forearm repetitively giving my tendon a workout it's not used to. If you look at my profile pic up top you will see my hand in the twisty flick away position with my crooked finger as I come around on my stroke.
I also had a tight muscular pain in my right shoulder by the end of my six hour swim which I think I tweaked because of swimming harder into the wind and waves on the way back. My right arm that night was just dead and throbbing, but nothing that a few ice packs couldn't cure.
Today my arm and shoulder are allot better but decided not to test them out in the water, so I biked an hour and ran 20min.
:)
So, what might cause the swelling in my upper forearm behind my thumb? The only thing I could think of that might cause it is the fact that my middle finger which I can't use or bend because Of an accident I had 18 years ago when I had it cut off by a punch press and surgically re-attached had to be the factor. My thought is that with the way I stroke, which I now realize I pull my hand not only down, but as I push I give a flick and side twist off the end of the stroke, plus with the water resistance pushing on my finger as I'm pushing tightens up the tendon along my forearm repetitively giving my tendon a workout it's not used to. If you look at my profile pic up top you will see my hand in the twisty flick away position with my crooked finger as I come around on my stroke.
I also had a tight muscular pain in my right shoulder by the end of my six hour swim which I think I tweaked because of swimming harder into the wind and waves on the way back. My right arm that night was just dead and throbbing, but nothing that a few ice packs couldn't cure.
Today my arm and shoulder are allot better but decided not to test them out in the water, so I biked an hour and ran 20min.
:)
Saturday, June 22, 2013
6 hour swim in the books!
Well I managed to swim the longest and furthest I have ever swum in open water....nothing to it! ;)
I started out from Centennial beach at 7:30am as planned and swam out 3hours with fairly calm waters and slight overcast skies, which was good for both me and my crew Keith Hodgson and Joanne.....
Oh btw, I got last min news that my coach Zack couldn't make my swim and I mean last min at 11pm last night! Apparently he didn't get my message about the swim being today, but part of that was my fault because when I messaged him last week I told him my swim was on the 29th, he got that message but I realized I meant I needed him for today the 22nd, and sent off a second message right after which he didn't see? and couldn't make it because he had to work form 7-9am and then was off to a wedding after...No harm no foul! :)
So I put a shout out on FB last night to Keith who was still up and who was kind enough to come out for support in Zack's place! If not for Keith I wouldn't have been able to do my swim today because Joanne was adamant last night about not going out on the zodiac by herself! Thank Keith! you saved the day!!
I managed to swim 8k in the first 3 hours, then I turned around to swim back, hoping to keep the same pace. Well that wasn't going to happen! the wind picked up, causing what seemed to be 2 foot high waves and I was swimming into it! Well I kept on pounding out the waves and kept going only to take my nutrition breaks every 20min as per secondary plan. Originally I planned on taking food and hydration breaks every 30min but soon changed it to 20 min as it felt better for me...Hence the purpose of this training swim, live and learn! lol
So the end result is some sore shoulders and neck but I did the 6 hour swim easily, covering 14k or 8 miles in 18C water temp naked! ( no wetsuit ) .....
Keith and Joanne said after when I came out of the water how consistent and even my stroke was the whole way, as well as how straight I swam! ....I said; I Know! lol ;)
If you check out my Garmin data you can see what a straight line I swam in!
http://connect.garmin.com/activity/331600956
Here is s short video of my swim back into the wind.
And some pic's of the day! ....Calm waters to start.
Starting to get windy and waves picking up...
When I got out after 6 hours of swimming, a lot windier and ruffer water.
As I got out of the water, Keith did a great job driving.
Picnic lunch eating subs Joanne prepared before hand after we docked
I started out from Centennial beach at 7:30am as planned and swam out 3hours with fairly calm waters and slight overcast skies, which was good for both me and my crew Keith Hodgson and Joanne.....
Oh btw, I got last min news that my coach Zack couldn't make my swim and I mean last min at 11pm last night! Apparently he didn't get my message about the swim being today, but part of that was my fault because when I messaged him last week I told him my swim was on the 29th, he got that message but I realized I meant I needed him for today the 22nd, and sent off a second message right after which he didn't see? and couldn't make it because he had to work form 7-9am and then was off to a wedding after...No harm no foul! :)
So I put a shout out on FB last night to Keith who was still up and who was kind enough to come out for support in Zack's place! If not for Keith I wouldn't have been able to do my swim today because Joanne was adamant last night about not going out on the zodiac by herself! Thank Keith! you saved the day!!
I managed to swim 8k in the first 3 hours, then I turned around to swim back, hoping to keep the same pace. Well that wasn't going to happen! the wind picked up, causing what seemed to be 2 foot high waves and I was swimming into it! Well I kept on pounding out the waves and kept going only to take my nutrition breaks every 20min as per secondary plan. Originally I planned on taking food and hydration breaks every 30min but soon changed it to 20 min as it felt better for me...Hence the purpose of this training swim, live and learn! lol
So the end result is some sore shoulders and neck but I did the 6 hour swim easily, covering 14k or 8 miles in 18C water temp naked! ( no wetsuit ) .....
Keith and Joanne said after when I came out of the water how consistent and even my stroke was the whole way, as well as how straight I swam! ....I said; I Know! lol ;)
If you check out my Garmin data you can see what a straight line I swam in!
http://connect.garmin.com/activity/331600956
Here is s short video of my swim back into the wind.
And some pic's of the day! ....Calm waters to start.
Friday, June 21, 2013
Swimming long
Training is going good with solid workouts daily this week.
Today I took out the Zodiac with Joanne to show her how to run it and the route i want to swim tomorrow. We went out about 4k then came back, but about 1k off shore I jumped in and swam back to the beach with Joanne in support along my side driving the zodiac,...she done good! ;)
Tomorrow (Saturday) I'll be swimming long. My plan is to swim from Centennial Beach out along the North shore of Kempenfelt Bay about 3 hours towards Orillia and back with both Zack ( my coach ) and Joanne in support on the Zodiac and to practice my feedings which I plan on doing about every 30 min along the way.
Hopefully I will make the round trip 6 hour swim to ease my mind knowing I can swim the distance, which will be my longest swim ever and be better prepared for my official 6hr trial swim which will be July 8 in front of my swim master who decides if I get to swim across lake Ontario based on my preformance on the trial swim. ......
Wish me luck!
:)
Today I took out the Zodiac with Joanne to show her how to run it and the route i want to swim tomorrow. We went out about 4k then came back, but about 1k off shore I jumped in and swam back to the beach with Joanne in support along my side driving the zodiac,...she done good! ;)
Tomorrow (Saturday) I'll be swimming long. My plan is to swim from Centennial Beach out along the North shore of Kempenfelt Bay about 3 hours towards Orillia and back with both Zack ( my coach ) and Joanne in support on the Zodiac and to practice my feedings which I plan on doing about every 30 min along the way.
Hopefully I will make the round trip 6 hour swim to ease my mind knowing I can swim the distance, which will be my longest swim ever and be better prepared for my official 6hr trial swim which will be July 8 in front of my swim master who decides if I get to swim across lake Ontario based on my preformance on the trial swim. ......
Wish me luck!
:)
Tuesday, June 18, 2013
Some pictures from the Barrie E-Games
The eliminator run, the first event of the day.
Bike race before the tri....
Getting used to the cold 58F water before the race, I'm the only one without a wetsuit!
The race is on!...
T1 after swim.
Starting out on the bike out of T1.
Biking the first leg...
Biking the first leg
Starting out on the first leg of the run.
on the first of two run legs...
Off on the second leg of the bike...
Of on the second run after the second leg of the bike.
Simon Whitfield...
Simon getting ready to lead the children's run...
Fun race! but did I do all the loops? Apparently not! I missed a bike loop on the second leg of the bike only doing 5 loops instead of 6....But on that note I did 7 loops instead of 6 loops on the first leg of the bike race! So I did the distance but still DNF'd as did half the field! lol
Simon Whitfield leading the children's 1 mile run...
Graham Fraser driving the lead car...
Steve Fleck race announcer and Simon Whitfield watching the prospects race ...
ITU Olympic prospects racers!
:)
Starting out on the first leg of the run.
:)
Sunday, June 16, 2013
Me and MR Ironman Icon
Me and Graham Fraser at Barrie E-Games! ..He always has time to chat! What a great guy!
Golden Opertunity
Ironman champions have posed with me around the world, but this is a first for me meeting an Olympic Gold Medalist (2000 games) and silver medalist (2008 games) Simon Whitfield Olympic Triathlon Gold medalist took time to chat and pose with me with a thumbs up, in my own stomping grounds and home here in Barrie during the E-Games! What a tiny guy! ;) ...I say that in jest because he commented on me saying what a big guy I am! lol
Friday, June 14, 2013
Cough! Cough! Cough.....
Yesterday- One hour bike and 30 min run
Today- 1 1/2 hour pool swim.
I'm still having problems shaking this walking pneumonia I've been fighting the last few weeks with bouts of constant coughing. For the most part my lungs are clear but sinuses are a little inflamed, albeit it hasn't hampered my swimming as the chlorine seems to clear my sinuses and I don't really feel worst for wear, it's just annoying!
I'm looking forward to tomorrow e-Games, I should have lots of pictures and story's to share! Wish me luck!
:)
Today- 1 1/2 hour pool swim.
I'm still having problems shaking this walking pneumonia I've been fighting the last few weeks with bouts of constant coughing. For the most part my lungs are clear but sinuses are a little inflamed, albeit it hasn't hampered my swimming as the chlorine seems to clear my sinuses and I don't really feel worst for wear, it's just annoying!
I'm looking forward to tomorrow e-Games, I should have lots of pictures and story's to share! Wish me luck!
:)
Tuesday, June 11, 2013
Fun weekend coming up!
I had a solid hour swim yesterday. Today i biked and did weights. I'm feeling good and strong.
This Saturday there is a new world class event going on here in Barrie called the e-Games organized by Graham Frasier ( former president of NAS Ironman who now resides in Barrie and now owns and runs Centurion Cycling. http://centurioncycling.com/ ) and Simon Winfield ( Canadian Olympic Gold medalist for Triathlon.)
They will be having running races tri races and cycling races all on a closed course in the heart of down town Barrie. the concept is you can enter all events to try to be the all around e-Games champion or enter individual events like i will be. I entered the tri which is a short 400m swim then transition onto your bike and bike for 5k on a closed course oval around the down town core, then transition to run 2.5k then back on the bike for another 5k ride and then one more transition to run the final 2.5k. This should be fun!!
the other races are a elimination run, and a 45min crit bike race it's all here on this link....e-Games invite
The best part is it's all FREE! as it is an exhibition to promote it for next year 2014! Sweet!!
Then the next day is the Barrie half marathon which I'll be volunteering, again, fun!!
No worries though, I will be doing some long lake swims at the beach in between!
:)
This Saturday there is a new world class event going on here in Barrie called the e-Games organized by Graham Frasier ( former president of NAS Ironman who now resides in Barrie and now owns and runs Centurion Cycling. http://centurioncycling.com/ ) and Simon Winfield ( Canadian Olympic Gold medalist for Triathlon.)
They will be having running races tri races and cycling races all on a closed course in the heart of down town Barrie. the concept is you can enter all events to try to be the all around e-Games champion or enter individual events like i will be. I entered the tri which is a short 400m swim then transition onto your bike and bike for 5k on a closed course oval around the down town core, then transition to run 2.5k then back on the bike for another 5k ride and then one more transition to run the final 2.5k. This should be fun!!
the other races are a elimination run, and a 45min crit bike race it's all here on this link....e-Games invite
The best part is it's all FREE! as it is an exhibition to promote it for next year 2014! Sweet!!
Then the next day is the Barrie half marathon which I'll be volunteering, again, fun!!
No worries though, I will be doing some long lake swims at the beach in between!
:)
Sunday, June 9, 2013
Swam 600 m in 50F water
Yesterday was bike day and rode 75km. Today I ran down to the lake around 5k and Jumped into the lake for a short but long 600m swim in 50F 10C waters of Kempenfelt Bay! I was truly amazed at how the body adapts to the cold water after the initial shock, It's all mind over matter and stay cool literally! lol just keep calm and stroke. I kept to the shallows in case something happened so I could stand if needed. I didn't want to push myself either, so I only swam the length of the beach and back for 600m. NOw time for some hot coffee!!
My garmin stats....
http://connect.garmin.com/activity/325166318
:)
My garmin stats....
http://connect.garmin.com/activity/325166318
:)
Friday, June 7, 2013
Today's swim steady
My legs were a bit sore today after yesterdays run and weights, I may have over done the squats! lol but today's swim was still good and steady.
Still no open water swim in sight as the weather has been cool this week with highs of only upper teens C and lows around 4C But I may try again to get in the lake this weekend if not just to acclimatize myself and get used to the cold water.
Still no open water swim in sight as the weather has been cool this week with highs of only upper teens C and lows around 4C But I may try again to get in the lake this weekend if not just to acclimatize myself and get used to the cold water.
Wednesday, June 5, 2013
Water at Centennial beach was perfect....
....IF! you were a penguin!!
I went...
I tried to swim....
I failed.....
Why? ...check out the video. :)
:)
Sunday, June 2, 2013
Only 47?
My workshop yesterday was very informative. I had a good time and learned plenty of what to expect. Only 47 people have made the Lake Ontario crossing successfully. ..Well enough daydreaming, todays swim was only an hour straight swim pretty consistant stroke and good comfortable speed, My garmin stats below.
http://connect.garmin.com/activity/322026285
http://connect.garmin.com/activity/322026285
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