"Too Lazy"

Fortunately I stumbled on this.  Enjoy...or not.  It's from Feb 17, 2009!  I think I was smarter back then.


Honesty,
A pretty important part of life in general, I think we could all agree, but when it comes to training for an Ironman it becomes paramount. You can lie to everyone else I suppose but any self deceipt will simply catch up to you. And in a very big way come race day. I have seen it before in individuals who time and time again failed to complete races, or were much slower than they told the world they were going to be. And they always had an excuse....something they ate, or someone who held them up, or equipment problems or whatever. After a while I find those types to become a bit tiresome as it seems they're clearly deluding themselves about their own readiness. I remember the nuns way back when telling us that if we cheated on a test we were only cheating ourselves, and I remember thinking what bullshit that was, but I am gradually figuring it out. Cheating or lying is simply self delusion that you have to pay for sometime, somehow. How do I know? Personal experience! The truth, is the truth, is the truth and that's all there is to it. I know that I am still not where I want to be but I do at least acknowledge it as the only road to happiness and as such continue to strive for the ideal.

Today I want to share something with you that I started to work on even before I was sick. It is a work in progress and I have come back to it a few times and will come back to it again. For some reason today seemed like a good day to share it, complete or not. I hope it doesn't seem too corny. No one has ever seen it before. I call it my

"Personal Statement of Philosophy"

"I will search for the truth in everything I do. Not just the superficial truth but the deep down everlasting truth. I will especially look to find the truth within myself
I will learn to give of what I have and learn to gain joy from it.
I will constantly measure my activities to see that they add value to my life, and to my world.
I will not influence/manipulate others for my own peace of mind.
I will focus on becoming one in mind. body, and spirit...me, myself, and I.
I will avoid wasting time on activities that simply keep up appearances.
I will strive to be a leader for my family by doing the right things for the long term.
I will be an exemplary role model for my children.
I will remind my self often that material things have no lasting value and I will govern myself accordingly.
I will always accept responsibility for my own actions and my own condition.
I will monitor the level of my self-talk.
I will wear no mask.
I will be humble.
I will be honest."---Peter W Rooyakkers

I wish to dedicate day 153 to Aurel Bisaillon, Grampa B. to my grandchildren

"We tell lies when we are afraid... afraid of what we don't know, afraid of what others will think, afraid of what will be found out about us. But every time we tell a lie, the thing that we fear grows stronger."---Tad Williams

"The highest compact we can make with our fellow is - "Let there be truth between us two forevermore."---Ralph Waldo Emerson


"I believe that the purpose of life is to be happy. From the moment of birth, every human being wants happiness and does not want suffering. Neither social conditioning nor education nor ideology affect this. From the very core of our being, we simply desire contentment. I don't know whether the universe, with its countless galaxies, stars and planets, has a deeper meaning or not, but at the very least, it is clear that we humans who live on this earth face the task of making a happy life for ourselves. Therefore, it is important to discover what will bring about the greatest degree of happiness."---Tenzin Gyatso, the 14th Dalai Lama

Love
Peter

"And So It Begins"

It feels like training doesn't really begin until you start riding outside.  It was a damn late start this year, but I finally got my butt out there today.  And of course it was on the new black beast!

Let me tell you a little about it...

It has this cool little storage cubby behind the seat.  To my knowledge Trek is the only manufacturer that incorporate this into the bike.  That's where I put my spare tube, my CO2 cartridges, my emergency tool, and even my phone.

If you've followed my bike chronicles over the years you will know that I have tried ever seat under the sun.  This may be the best one yet.  The width is actually adjustable, with that nice space in the middle to ease the pressure on my important parts!

This is the rear derailleur and of course it's electric.  Believe it or not, I actually opted for Shimano Ultegra, instead of the top of the line Dura-Ace.  Last time I bought a bike this more reasonably priced option was not available.

This is the brains of the whole electric shifting system.  I can't show you a picture of the battery because it is actually hidden inside the frame.  Very, very cool!  My old one was externally mounted on the chain stay.

Of course my  GPS connected computer.  It tells me speed, cadence, power, distance, elevation, grade, time, and even my heart rate!  

The aerobar shift buttons.

And the alternate base bar buttons.

And this is probably my favourite part of the whole bike.  The brake pads are nicely tucked away, but more amazingly the cables are completely hidden inside the frame.  Both front and rear brakes.  Amazing!

11S  52-36 means that it 11 speed (times 2) and that the front chain rings have 52 and 36 teeth respectively.  The net result of this is that I have 2 extra speeds than my old bike, one higher, and one lower.  For my old engine, the lower one is the important one!

The "torpedo" hydration system. 

And of course some extra bottle cages.

The wheels are 100% carbon fibre without even an aluminum braking surface.  Very light, and they look cool.

And last but not least my Vector pedals, which I actually transferred from my other bike.  These pedals send the power data to my computer, so I can tell how hard I'm working irrespective of wind or hills.

So I still have some adjustments to make but after my initial ride today it all feels great.  Of course I admit that the old engine is indeed wearing out a bit, but I'm coming to terms with that. 

I love my bike!

Ride 62 kms, 5 km transition run/walk.

"To begin, begin."---William Wordsworth

Love

Peter

"More Tomorrow"

You don't need to ask twice to get me to talk bicycles.  But it will have to be tomorrow cause I'm too lazy tonite.  I had a very busy day working on my task list, as well as preparing the new machine for the road.  Weather permitting, that first expedition will be tomorrow.

I would however just take a moment to enlighten Odd John about old engines.  Do you know why today's cars require so much less horsepower, and why they are so much more fuel efficient than in days gone by?  Well, I'm gonna tell you.  It's because they are lighter, more aerodynamic, and have much more complex transmissions.  Just like my new bike!!  That's why this old engine is gonna be just fine, thanks for asking!

swim, 3000 metres

"You are never too old to set another goal or to dream a new dream."---C.S. Lewis

Love
Peter

"Here ya go!"

No more beating around the bush.  I struggled for a long time with this decision, and then struggled longer yet as to whether to tell you about it.  But this is the "other" reason I had to go out of town last friday.

I don't need this bike.  Nor do I think I "deserve it, or that I "earned" it in any manner.

But!

I don't smoke!
I don't drink!
I don't buy jewellery, or expensive clothes!
My wife is a cheap lay, (and a damn fine one I might add), so I don't even need to visit prostitutes!

So I bought a bike!

I really, really like it a lot, and I'm not gonna pretend otherwise.
I won't bore you with the details, but it is an engineering marvel!
I am blessed!

computrainer 90 mins, 5 km transition run

"When I was a kid I used to pray every night for a new bicycle. Then I realised that the Lord doesn't work that way so I stole one and asked Him to forgive me."---Emo Philips

Love
Peter

"Busy, Busy"

Sometimes it seems these retirement days are busier than when I had a job.  But, it's a good busy!  One of the reasons I had o go out of town the other day was to pick up some stuff at Ikea.  Anyone who's ever shopped there knows that picking it up is the easy part.  I spent all day assembling this happy spot for my precious.  It was fun!

Of course she helped, which didn't really add a lot of time.  :)  God I love seeking her happy.  We had a day to last a lifetime!!

And hopefully I only have to drive to Burlington one more time to get the 3 drawers I forgot!

And maybe tomorrow I'm gonna tell you the other reason I had to go out of town last Friday.  Fortunately my other stop was in Burlington as well,  just down the street from Ikea!

No workout.

"The trouble with retirement is that you never get a day off."---Abe Lemons

Love
Peter

"I Never Promised"

I only said that today I "may" tell you about why I had to go out of town yesterday.  I do still want to tell you, but I'm too bagged to do it right, and so it will wait for a better time.

I did however promise to post every day, but again I never said it would be relevant.

You see I did my long run/walk today, and now I'm sick!  I had to quit after 28 kms of a planned 30, which considering that I spent 25% of the time walking, just ain't right! It's hard not to get frustrated.

But I'll try....

28 km 3/1, run/walk.  5:50/km

"When you are angry or frustrated, what comes out? Whatever it is, it's a good indication of what you're made of."---H. Jackson Browne, Jr

Love
Peter

"Here's The New Plan"

I've talked about this before but never implemented it.  It's amazing how after a lifetime of organizing my world around the seven days of the week, that even in retirement it's hard to let go of it.  But there is absolutely no good reason that I need to differentiate between the week and the weekend from here on in.  After all, I can just as easily go to church on Tuesday, as on Sunday  :)

So I'm structuring the rest of my training around a six day schedule.  Like this.

Day 1-Long bike with transition run
Day 2-Off
Day 3-Long run/walk
Day 4-Off
Day 5-Short to medium ride, with transition run
Day 6-Long swim.

That is a very relaxed schedule compared to what I used to do, but I think it's sufficient to get me around the Mont Tremblant course before midnight on Aug 16th.  And the real beauty of ignoring the days of the week is that when I feel crappy, or when I have something more important to do, I just take a day off, and carry on the next day from where I left off.

Today was a perfect example.  I had to go out of town, and rather than try to cram my long run in and then feel stressed all day I simply moved it to tomorrow.  Life is good.

And tomorrow I may tell you why I had to go out of town today.

No workout!

....I like this one....

"Anybody can observe the Sabbath, but making it holy surely takes the rest of the week."---Alice Walker

Love
Peter

"Dream On!"

Yes! Today I feel like the dream is back on.  So much so that I am inspired to write my first post in a month.  Actually I'm gonna commit to posting every day again, even though they may often be brief.  At the very least I need to keep a diary of my training, and of how I'm feeling.

So why all the enthusiasm you are probably wondering?  Well I'm gonna tell you!

You see I've been stressing for months now about my eyes, knowing that I needed surgery soon, and worried that it would seriously impact my training.  It seems that running and swimming are both off the schedule for at least a month after cataract surgery.  The whole thing was compounded by the horrible interaction I had with the first ophthalmologist I seen several months ago.  I can safely say that he was the most unpleasant, uncaring doctor I have ever seen in any discipline!...and I've seen lots.

Fortunately he does not do the particular type of surgery that I wanted to pursue, and so after a whole bunch of aggravation I finally got a referral to another doctor.

Today was that appointment, and I think I was more nervous going into this meeting than when I went to see my first cancer doctor years ago.  I'm sure it was a combination of things; fear for my training, the previous bad experience, and the very basic worry about my eyes.

Within 5 minutes of meeting Dr Tingey I knew all my fears were unfounded.  The other guy told me there was great danger in waiting until September...this guy said "no worries".  The other guy was sceptical about the particular type of lens implant I want...this guy has done it many times, and thinks I'm an excellent candidate.  The other guy was vague, unsupportive and uncaring about my ironman....this guy totally got it!

Both eyes are scheduled for the early part of September, and with only a 2 week wait between eyes.  According to Mary, even that is unusually good, as the bare minimum is usually 3 weeks.   That other doctor I mentioned above wanted six!  And if you're wondering why that matters is about juggling glasses and prescriptions once one eye is done, and the other not.

There is a good chance that I will still need glasses after the surgery, particularly for reading, but, and here's the exciting part, there is also a very good chance that I will be able to swim, bike, and run without any kind of corrective lenses!!!  That would be amazing!!!

So in closing, I guess I'm feeling pretty grateful today, and just a wee bit sheepish about how grouchy I've been for the last while.  Just to give credit where credit is due, my resolve to do better comes from my special adopted sister Gail.  We had a marvellous visit today, and through our conversation I was reminded how petty my little health worries are  Gail has, and continues to, overcome much bigger challenges, and still she keeps on keeping on.  Thanks Gail!!  You rock!!

Tomorrow I'm gonna tell you about my new training regimen.  I'm excited about it as I think I've hit on the best way to adjust to my new limiters, while still getting everything I can out of this old carcass.

Oh, and today was a rest day.

Life goes on.

"It is often said that before you die your life passes before your eyes. It is in fact true. It's called living."---Terry Pratchett

Love
Peter