New Years Day 50k Ride

1-1-11
Morning at Dennys, nap, then out with the fiance to park in Pitt Meadows and go for a road ride for 50k. Good ride, nice and flat, not busy, but holy shit cold feet.  Like ice blocks by the end, painful as the sun set. Definitely buying booties.

First ever ride with the EDGE 500, and IT.IS.AWESOME.

Google Aerial

BING Aerial - Just to show how bad of a decision garmin connect made when switching their maps over from Google

The new Garmin!

Gu Chomps frozen into one block

New Years Eve - rounding out the year

Rounding out 2010 with a 100k month.  Start out the workout by running a 13k out to central park, looping, and back. Swung by the metrotown pharmacy to sort out their mistake from 2 months ago and get my 50 clams back.

Didnt run for time on this, but tried to keep my heart rate just under 150bpm. Running through the park the k's went slower but so nice in there it was good to take it a bit easy. Pushed hard the last 4k to keep them all under 5:20. Finished at starbucks for a skim latte.. thats it thats all!

After the 13k run at a good clip, I figured I'd be set to sip my latte, but with the sun out and feeling jacked up I was out the door and down the elevator for a ride. Then back up 27 floors to get my gloves, then back down.. 10 minutes gone there.

Wanting to beat my last 2 weeks rides of this same route of 1hour 21 minutes I pushed a bit harder. Slowed for a few pics with my iphone along river road though, so nice in the sun but cold out. Definitely much more comfortable in the aero position on this ride, probably the mid 28k was aero, wicked!

Back as the sun set, time to eat up and hit the bottle.  Happy New Year!


mx 50.2

cadence 76 / 105

Shitshows, Snow, and a Swim

November 16th, 2010


Vancouver's been dumped on with a healthy amount of snow, no way to compare it to the snow-walls of Hokkaido, but enough to turn the roads into an official 'idiots on ice' competition.  I started to drive to work then once getting logjammed I cut back and headed home to work there instead, 1 hr driving to get back where I started!  Traffic absolutely crushes my soul, stuck and taking 30 minutes to cover a distance that should take 7, I was rocking my head back and forth like a captive polar bear. 

Rare to see snow from my place like this

Worked from home for the morning, put the 'cross tires on my jake, then souped up the caad9-4 for a ride in to work, no driving for this cowboy. Rode the long way, deer lake, Burnaby lake, lougheed, rochester. Almost got clipped by a redneck in a pickup. Instead of 10k it took 16k, but more fun.

Worked/printed for an hour or so then left at 4 since it was getting dark. Rode home the shortest and steepest way, up holmes again. that pitch is insane. Got home in pretty good time, my legs actually feel pretty good on the bike these days, im going to keep up the trainer all winter.  Good 26k of riding had me pretty rejuvenated after the morning.

Flashback to Sapporo - snow walls banking the sidewalk

Quick change at home after the ride then off to Bonsor Pool (my favourite pool, Chimo, is closed for 3 weeks of maintenance).


This pool is pretty ghetto. But dead at this time, a pleasant surprise! I did what Coach Heavy told me to do, a few 100m sets pushing hard with only 30s break in between. After the first 3 I could feel my heart pounding.

Did a long 1000m set in the middle which felt pretty good and steady, about 2:30's per 100m.
Midway through lifeguard tells me to go in a large rectangle for the wide middle lane, zero logic to that since there were only 2 people in the entire double lane. She suggested I use the single lane then, I pointed out the girl doing breaststroke barely moving in there and how I'd have to pass her. Not sure she appreciated my words, but I was polite as possible.  I think lane etiquette is lacking here.

After the 1000, 30s rest then 3x100 before a 300m cool down. Short hot tub rest for the shoulder, then up to the cardio room to get a run in, which didnt happen, because every guido and chawchie and his dog were there. Canadian gyms are ridiculous, chip n pepper shirts, tap out workout tops, grunting, puffin the chest, makes me miss the comedians at konami. Dont miss seeing the same guys at konami blowdrying their ass* however.


*-true story

Mini Brick

November 13th, 2010

Set the CAAD9 up on the trainer last night as the rains were due to come, looked gross out anyways so decided on the spin workout. Still missing my precious HR strap so just went by cadence, time, and perceived effort. Set up the iphone handlebar mount and watched IM 2007, 65 minutes sweat at least 1ltr. Jumped off, out of cycling shoes and superman like change into running clothes to head out for a good paced 7k.  One thing I hate (HATE) about condo life is waiting for the elevator on move-in day, sometimes 5-10 minutes which feels a lot longer when you have just jumped off the trainer and want to get running.  I decided to run down 30 flights of stairs instead of waiting then had to wait for the forerunner to grab its signal outside amongst the big buildings... ahhh cities.  I managed to hold 5 minute k's on the run, felt decent and then off to the weekly hockey game.

November 6th, 2010

Out for the long group ride with the tri club.  I don't know many people who ride in the lower mainland (personally), and a lot of other friends are baby'd up so the bikes are set to rust mode.  The tri club though hasn't been the most welcoming place in the world, partly because I joined right after Ironman Canada, and I'm guessing a lot of members were done the season and ready to relax.  


A bit of a scramble at 630am to find stuff, continually losing things since re-organizing the house, need space!

Only 3 riders out today. Prez just finished IM canada, then IM hawaii, he's a beast. C's done 3 IM's. Ive done a sprint. Intimidating! Held on to their wheels but my legs are so cooked from running down the Grind. Just to touch my quad or calve is painful. I needed a decent workout though so decided I could probably bike. I cant walk right yet, definitely no running, but bike was possible. See the map later to tell where we went, but it was a good 54k ride anyways on a chilly day. Frozen nuts and frozen feet. Drank HEED, 4 scoops for 2 hours, felt no hunger and felt good after. More hydration though next time.

Love my bike! BSP did a wicked job tuning it up. 

The Route

Deep Cove

October 31st, 2010


It felt awesome to get a long ride in again today after the 'reset' week of doing hardly anything except run for the washroom.

Snuck out of the house by 10am, arm and leg warmers on, it was COLD outside, maybe 6 degrees? Rode across burnaby to sussex, then the sea to river bike route, lots of hills, so many hills, makes me realize and appreciate (and miss of course) how pancake flat sapporo is.

Once in to north Vancouver on the dollarton it was smoother sailing, felt good. Rode to Deep Cove (one of the best places in lower mainland) and chilled for a coffee and whole wheat fruit scone at Honeys cafe.  Managed to spill my coveted coffee, my hands were so cold, thankfully got a refill. Chilled on the beach for 20mins then rode back towards the ironworkers bridge. GPS was paused this entire portion, piss off.



Riding on the bridge, which is pretty long and sensed someone behind me. Took a quick glance and was going to let whoever past. Its a fucktwat on a MOPED! He stops and looks away from me as if i never saw him. I made sure to take the entire SIDEWALK that he was riding on, and rode slowly. Tool.

Around this time did some map calculations and texting to realize I could meet my buddy from Sapporo, MEEF, downtown on his paid vacation, might not catch up for a long time. Ripped Dunsmuir bike lane a new one then climbed up to Robson, walked awhile to a timmys for a chill sesh/fend off homeless crack addict beggars.  Ahh the life in the big city.

Ride home from there took Dunsmuir, Adanac, Mosaic, Central Valley, then BC Parkway. Into the wind and hilly the whole way. Felt a mini bonk coming but the HEED drink was absolutely mint, the timmys coffee got my sugar up a bit and I felt it crash, sipped the heed, the water, and then an apple cinn hammer gel. Good stuff! Felt awesome and punched it out through central park to imperial and home.

max seed 55.3
avg cadence 69
max cad 120