End of a Great Camp

Just wrapped up a bootcamp this morning and I'll really miss the gals - maybe the best group I've had. Here's a quick shout out to each of them:

Wendy: I'll be getting up every morning at 5:30 just to clap for you, so know that someone, somewhere is always cheering you on.

Karlene: You're the first client I know of to be injured and still come out to a 5:30am class to encourage your fellow participants. Wow.

Jennifer Chan: No one else in the group knows this ('til now) but you've got the coolest email address ever: "chanimal@..."

Melissa: Free Lunch Bowl coupons on the last day of class - yahoo!

Rachel: The flowing ponytail and superb flexibility turn squats into an art form.

Jane: Hacking up a lung while sick but still showing up to class - what a trooper, and an inspiration.

Marci: What a polite gal - I called her by the wrong name for the first week of camp and she kept following my instructions anyway.

Kerri: It goes like this: circuit / TRX / circuit / TRX... It's not rocket science :) You got it in the end!

Andrea: On her 3rd maternity leave and getting up bright and early to push it harder every day, for her 9th camp! - an encouragement to mom's everywhere.

Bango

I've participated in many sports, and have followed a few others as a spectator, but I've never played organized basketball or seriously followed a team. I may however start following a basketball mascot. Wow! I didn't know what Bango was about to do until he did it, and it was impressive:

Random updates

A hodge podge of small news items / updates:

1) I've officially taken on some admin duties with Sustainable Fitness, supplementing my involvement with their boot camps, TRX classes, and personal training. When coupled with my casual, part time work at Olympia and the maintaining of their website, along with TheTrainingCoop.com personal training and related duties I'm thinking of calling myself a 'Fitness Consultant', so that when new acquaintances inevitably ask "what do you do?" I can give them a label. If anyone has a better label for me (be kind) let me know. Frankly it's all a little more work than I'd like at the moment but it should settle into something that's still only part time (a couple of personal clients, a class, one bootcamp, 10-15 hours a week of admin work, a few hours a week on the website, a day at the shop, etc.). We'll see how it goes.

2) You may notice that we're following Team CMU on twitter, along the left column of this page (scroll down a little). We're also planning to sponsor them with some in-kind donations - we'll post more as things are sorted out.

3) Keep checking Dean's training journal (also on the left hand column) - he's being really good about updating stuff. His first outdoor bike training ride was yesterday, in addition to a lot of running he's done lately, all in prep for an upcoming triathlon.

4) Our bottle cap headset adapter thingies recently arrived, to be used as prizes for our fall cyclocross race! Custom bottlecaps should be ordered by the end of the week.

Jessica Watson on the home stretch

This might sound lame, but as I was paddling on the river a few days ago I was thinking of Jessica Watson nearing the end of her 'round the world sailing expedition (I say 'lame' because to make any comparison between our boating exploits and hers would be an unbelievable stretch).

I headed out on my paddle to Lake Winnipeg last fall in part because I was shamed into spending a couple of days on the water after reading about the 6 months that Jessica was heading out on. Well since then we've put our boats away, seen the water freeze over for a few months and then melt with the beautiful spring weather before we've brought the boats back out, but Jessica has been sailing the entire time! Non-stop. Solo. Wow.

Here's a video produced a week or so ago as she finally re-entered Australian waters for the first time in half a year: http://www.youtube.com/user/jessicawatsonvideo#p/a/u/1/vS9aZegTjMU

Almost there!

Quote:

"It seems, to me, like the downhills are longer than the uphills".
-Blair, first time on a nice bike in the hills

Newest TrainingCoop member

We're one step closer to world domination (only 6,800,000,000 to go) as we announce TheTrainingCoop.com's latest recruit: Kara Dennis.

Kara, who also happens to be Dean's wife, is a life-long outdoor enthusiast and athlete. In fact, Kara and Dean met at the University of Lethbridge where they both studied and ran on the cross country team.

We'll post more about Kara in the days to come, and we promise to update the banner graphic at the top of this page to contain pics of our two newest members (and update the member page) but we wanted to at least get a good pic and announcement of Kara up here ASAP.

Most importantly we wanted to say WELCOME to Kara! Great to have you on board.

Good paddle in new wetsuit

What a great day for paddling! I took my surf ski out on the river for a quick hour or so of 'fitness' paddling up and down the river, and wow were the conditions perfect: 23 C and sunny, no wind, and almost glassy water (on the river in spring no less).

The only potential downside was the water temperature. You pretty much have to get wet entering and exiting a surf ski (unless you're launching off a dock) so I picked up a paddling-specific wet suit from MEC. I was choosing between a wetsuit and dry pants but for a few reasons went with the former, and they were the perfect choice. It's strange to have air temps this warm when the water is still pretty cold but I was dressed perfectly.

As for the boat, it sure is nice to be able to paddle efficiently up stream in a spring current (almost impossible in our other boats that are much wider and shorter). I came as close to tipping as I've ever come in a boat though - in fact I thought I was headed in but somehow pulled out a samba hip move than kept me upright (must have been the Zumba class last month). Initial stability isn't great on the ski but secondary stability is decent - the problem is that the line between stable and unstable is much finer and if you flirt with the edge you're bound to go over. I guarantee I will at some point, but not today.

I was also surprised at how well the boat fared after hitting a pretty big dead head, considering there is no gel coat on its shell. Not bad. In fact all in all it was a great little outing.

Time for the 1st official TrainingCoop paddle of the spring. Deanna and I are headed down to Dean & Kara's this coming Sunday to paddle a small part of the Roseau River. Other TrainingCoop members are welcome to join in, though we don't really have any extra boats. If Dean says the paddling is safe enough (ie. no exposed rocks) I might be willing to take my surf ski which would leave my other kayak available.

This also happens to be the weekend of the 1st bike race of the season so some folks may have a conflict - it was the best weekend that worked for paddling so we grabbed it, though we wish the bike races and organizers all the best - looks like a well organized, fun event.

With kids in tow I assume it won't be a hard workout paddle, and it won't be very long either, but it'll be great to get out with some friends and spend a little time on the water.

I ride a bike!

Multiple times. I've had only maybe two good hard rides so far this spring, but I have managed to swing a leg over quite a few times now. Even kept the TNR going in Shoal lake...



and Russ invited me to tinker









Thanks James

Official race season begins

Ian Hall requested that we help get the word out on the upcoming local spring classic race, Sunday, April 25th. The info he submitted has been posted to the Olympia shop site and more will likely be posted to the Olympia Cycling Club site as well, but for ease of browsing (who wants to make an unnesessary click?) the info is also posted below.

Het grote Ras (The Big Race)

The first bike race of 2010 is coming up on April 25th. This year’s season opener, organized by the Olympia Cycling Club, will be something special. Hosted by the Belgian-Manitoban community of Bruxelles (about 90 minutes southwest of Winnipeg), the course comprised of some of the most scenic (and most hilly) roads in Manitoba.

I'm Too Sexy

Had a great workout today after a week of feeling under the weather (got a few decent workouts in last week none the less), so it's time for the unofficial TrainingCoop theme song (not that I've okayed this with any of the other members.

Just Growing

This summer under the direction of TrainingCoopTom we'll be hosting a mtn bike event at the A Rocha Field Study Centre in the Pembina Valley. A further connection with A Rocha is right here in this picture - we've donated a couple of bike trailers to A Rocha to assist with a community garden initiative in Wolseley called Just Growing.

Jen Kornelsen, local A Rocha gal, and Green Team staff and volunteers will be using our front yard (and others) to grow produce for others in the community and they'll haul the vegetables of their labour in these carts. Cool stuff. Way to go Jen.

Following Dean's training

For anyone who's unaware, Dean is keeping a training journal on this site, and so far he has been really good at keeping things updated (and more importantly his training is looking good!). He even posted yesterday from Carlyle, Illinois on a business trip (with a little short sleeved running on the side).

Check out his latest training exploits by clicking on "Dean's Training Journal" in the left hand column of this page, or simply click here.

Muscle Cruiser

A weird thing happened yesterday - I didn't spend any money. I test road a Victory Hammer S (the tenuous connection to the TrainingCoop and the justification for this posting is that the bike is called a MUSCLE cruiser) and went away thinking that I liked my bike more.

That's notwithstanding a 350cc larger engine, about 20 more hp, and more. Great bike, but I think I really like what I've already got. Not a problem I guess. The only remaining problem is the amount of time motorcycle riding takes away from bicycle riding, the latter being a little bit better for my cardio.