Pole.......pulling...

Ahh, c'mon, I know what you were all thinking.....pole dancing.....none of that here.....just pulling poles heh heh.
I have this pole out by my driveway and this is where I do most of my speed skating technicals....you should hear all the wise cracks from the neighbours and friends passing by in their cars....."Dee, a little more to the left"...."Hey, you actually moved it"....."Dee, why is my cable and phone not working?"......."Dee, can you put it back now?".....we all get a good laugh meanwhile, I am the one sweating my hump off but at least I haven't gotten any splinters yet......I really do think that I have moved it though.
Every time I do those exercises, it is amazing how I feel it in the rump and outer hips which tells me that those muscles are working and that I'm doing them right.....Wednesdays and Saturdays.....
Speaking of Saturday, hill day but this time with my new steel sled that my buddy and neighbour Marc built for me earlier this year....the same guy that worked on my skeleton sled...thanks Marc. Along with doing more technicals on the street pulling this thing, and practicing starts with it, I took it to the hills. After running the 4 hills of 30, 40, 50, and 60 degrees, I strapped on the harness, hooked up to the sled, and pulled an extra 70lbs up the 30 degree hill 3 times......man, if there was ever a time I felt like giving up.....but I didn't cause that's what it's all about.....pushing it always, making your body go further, mind over matter....and then when it's done.....you're happy you got it done....even though there is a little puke dribble on the side of your mouth heh heh.
Well, now my body rests on the Glorious Sunday....
Peace.

Pleasure....without the pain....

Wow, what a great job I have!! I mean, I work hard but when I get a trip like this to Los Angeles and I get to hang out at Manhattan beach......what can I say....awesome!! I have never been to LA before so this was interesting....next time I will do the whole Rodeo Dr and Hollywood...etc. I tell ya, life is different out there.....
In the pic you see the Manhattan pier from street side and also me about to jump as the sign says.....No Jumping From Pier. As usual, I forgot my camera so these were taken from my BB.
Earlier in the week, I was also in Calgary. I got a chance to see a couple of houses for possible rental and I got to skate twice. No luck on the rental side as one was too far and the other I couldn't even get in to see the place.....don't ask. As for the skate, well the first one I got there late cause I went to see the rental....the far away one....and it took me awhile to get to the Oval by bus but I still managed to get an hour of ice in but without a warm up.....I really don't like that but geez....I can't be in Calgary and not skate...right?!
The second day, I actually tried a 5,000m.....I just wanted to see if I could do it. Well, I did it but I can honestly say that I wasn't ready for it if you know what I mean.....need more ice time and acclimatisation time....is that a word?!
Next week I will be there again. The stride is coming along but I really have to think about it......I gotta do it enough times that it becomes second nature and with speed, things tend to change or fall apart pretty quickly.
Anyways, July is just about gone....crunch time is coming......
Peace.

Hot and humid hills.....

You know when you are sweating from your nostrils.....its thickly humid out there.....welcome to Ottawa summer dryland training.
Started up on the famous hills a couple of weeks ago and am now trying to do them twice a week on Weds and Sats. My good friend Joel also joins me and endures the torture along side me......although the pic shows us after the workout....trust me, we forced the smiles......heh heh. All the stay-down-low training I was doing since my knees got fixed have really given me more power.....I feel it in the hills. I just hope I can stay disciplined in form while skating even under extreme fatigue during many laps.....when you get tired, the first thing to go is form.....
The other pic is a bunch of guys I work with....it was taken at our annual team BBQ. It's fun to get together out of the work space and frame of mind and just chill.....also the wives get to see everybody and really believe that we have jobs....heh heh. The kids cuts loose, the adults chill, and then we all have something to talk about on Monday!! I am gonna miss all those freaks at work......
I am actively looking for a place in Calgary now and have made some contacts.....there is a lot out there for rent but it just has to feel right too. I understand that shared accomodations will be quite the experience.....like a blast from the past but I am not sure if I wanna share a place with 3 students. It would be great to rent a place where the owner is rarely home so that way we both have our own space. Anyways, I will be heading out to Calgary soon to check up on a few places.
I am looking forward to my next skate......believe it or not, my first race will be in early August....the Summer Classic......not sure what kind of 'skating shape' I will be in but I'm doing it anyways.
Well, until the next pic.

Peace.

Ahhh....first times are memorable

Remember your first time?? Now I know what your thinking but even including 'that', any first time is memorable, whether good or bad, you still remember it.

Well, I was in Japan for the first time and besides the long flight, it was a great time and an awesome experience. The Japanese are so polite, respectful, and disciplined. Their subway and train systems are unbelievably huge and complex but so organized and always on time. The city is so clean despite having millions of people living there. There is no garbage on the ground, no cigarette butts laying around either. Nobody talks on their cell phones when in tight public places so as to not disturb others. Nobody walks around eating and drinking....truly different than North America.

These are just a few things that I noticed while there but a very interesting thing to watch was when at a busy intersection, with crosswalks going straight ahead, diagonally, across......to see hundreds and sometimes thousands of people, cross all at the same time when its their time....unreal, and it all goes down in a matter of seconds and then before you know it, everyone has reached their destinations and the cars start rolling again......I actually had to take a video of it.

A good trip.....and, speaking of first times......I actually tried real sushi for the first time and really enjoyed it. You sit around a bar like counter and in the middle you have a couple of sushi chefs preparing plates and putting them on a conveyer belt and you pick the plate you want as it comes around to you. They charge you by the amount of plates you have in front of you as you stack them up.....so there I am, the foreigner, with 10 plates stacked up high.....good stuff but not very filling.

So back from Japan and off to Calgary I go for my first skate of the year. All I can say is that my 'staying low' exercises I have been doing all summer seem to have paid off as I put it into practice. I say 'seem' cause we'll see if I can maintain that during higher speeds in races. I felt real good and my knees were not an issue. It was good to see everyone again....it was like I never left there. I am getting a bit excited now as I am more comfortable on the ice and I can feel that it will be a good season. I am playing with the thought of trying the 5,000m (12 1/2 times around the Oval)cause I feel I get stronger as I go longer compared to the sprints.....we'll see.

In the pics, a busy Tokyo street, big Bonsai trees near the Imperial Palace, and the Oval ice is back!!

Peace

Peace and preparation....

Rainy River......we go once a year and I can honestly say that this is the place where my mind and soul can release themselves from the day to day garbage......I am so at peace here, my mind thinks of absolutely nothing. It was a good place to be before I begin my speed skating adventure........the next few months will pass very quickly and the next thing I know, I will be in Calgary......I am looking forward to my first skate!!

None the less, training must go on and I found that the dock provided an excellent workout area......as solid as it was, there was still movement which made my stride exercises all the more challenging as I had to use all my twitch muscles. My daughter and her cousin Maggie also help me out by calling out the start commands just like in a race, as I practiced my starts......I appreciated their help but they got more of a kick by hosing me down after the workout.

As the time approaches closer, even though I am still quite nervous about it all, I am extremely confident that things will go well, thanks to my off ice training. Going from hockey to speed skating, the most challenging change is staying low, and perfecting the stride......all summer I have concentrated on these two aspects and I know that if I can apply these properly, it would mean the difference in seconds.

In the pics, my daughter sporting the Greek colours, dock training, and even though there is nothing to do in Rainy River....the girls after a day of self enjoyment.

Peace.