I attended Sir Wilfrid Laurier High School today as the Guest Speaker. It was an amazing experience; 1500 students, staff and honoured guests. The gym was packed. I am very glad that I went to speak with the students last week to gain an appreciation of what it is they feel about Remembrance Day and its relevancy in today's world. When I initially asked the question, what to you think of when you remember…and, why do you remember…to my surprise the answer was, 'its too difficult a question to answer!'. So I decided that I would help them find a small part of their answer. I focused on the journey of the injured soldier.
At zero dark buffalo this morning, icky here dawned her wetsuit for the last
of the seasons open water swims. Its October 8th and I am about to step
into the lake at Petrie Island.
To be honest, the water is not that cold. About 14 celcius so not that bad.
I would not want to stay in the water any longer than 25-30 mins though. It
was 6:45am a few minutes before sunrise when I took my first step into the
water. I was pleasantly surprise; not too bad at all. The water was as
still as ever this morning. As soon as the sun broke the horizen, the most
beautiful hue of orange and pink streamed through the clouds and onto the
water. It made for a picturesque camera shot for sure.
The best time to do cold water training truthfully in the fall. I truly
dislike the early spring swims because the water is infinitely colder. I
forgot my ear plugs this morning though...my only regret. Ear plugs do a
great job to stop cold water getting into your inner ear and causing brain
freeze. Very annoying particularly when you are trying to get up out of the
water. Its like having vertigo - inner ear imbalance. Good thing I
remembered them for Budapest.
It was a beautiful morning and I feel refreshed. Mind you, I just took a
long hot shower so I am feeling awesome. A hot cocoa in front of the
fireplace and by lunchtime, I should be ready to go for a run.
Have a great long weekend everyone.
I've got a soaking wet, slightly disappointed, but overall content Kimberly upstairs here in the hotel. She had a great race, but just couldn't run as hard as she wanted to - the mind was there, but the leg(s) couold only do so much. Once I look after the care and feeding of my little triathlete, I'll write more!!
Quiet day in Budapest. Lots of race prep. Getting ready to head down to the transition area to drop off Kim's bike - it's rainy, so we are going to get wet!! Got some nice emails from CF members (including the CDS - thanks sir!!) Kim seems pretty calm and ready to race, so all is good!!
Well, it was a long and busy day here in Budapest. Got up early for a team breakfast, followed by a trip (for Kim) down to the race site for registration. I headed into Pest to recce out the other spots we would be visiting today. We linked up for the Paratriathlete Briefing at 1330 and went to the Team Canada Meet and Greet at a local sports bar (owned by an expat Canadian and, supposedly, Wayne Gretzky). This was followed by the Team Canada photo. While the rest of the team headed out for the opening ceremonies, we headed over to the Hotel Intercontinental to get Kim classified. So, according to the experts, Kim is actually missing her right leg above the knee - can you see the sarcasm at all? Anyway, she has officially been classified and can qualify for medals now.
We will head down to the race site again tomorrow, to check out the newly-set up transition area and to drop Kim's bike off. After that, it is all race prep, all of the time...
I think I will go and drink a tasty beer now...
Hi All,
Overall, another good day. Did a bit of bike work with Kim this morning. I (2Legs) then went out for a 16k run (not entirely intentionally...) Went to the Race site and watched the Aquathon (Swim/Run competition). Had a good lunch, then a nap, then some mental skills training. Kim is now writing out her race plan for Saturday, while I am slaving away over this blog.
The race site is pretty nice. The only issue we are having right now is that the water temp is 14 friggin' Celcius - kinda chilly. This may stop the paras from going for a pre-race familiarization swim, as they tend to suffer in the water more than the average age-group athlete. I ran the bike/run course today - relatively flat, so it should be fast!!
Took lots of pictures, so they will be up as soon as I figure out how to upload them!!
Busy day!! As mentioned earlier, Kim went for a swim with the team. She got to meet some of the elite Team Canada athletes and had a good workout. Did some mental skills training later with the coaches, put together her bike and did some transition training. Had a nice meal at a swanky restaurant and am now thinking very hard about going to bed. Tomorrow will be a route recce of the bike course and some more mental skills training. As far as I'm concerned, Kim doesn't need any mental training...
Have a good one.
OK, we made it. Long flight but all right. Bit of an adventure to get downtown from the airport, but nothing too crazy. It is 0900 on Tuesday morning - Kim is off for a Team Canada swim with her para teammates. There are about 8 of them, along with 2 coaches. I am off to look for coffee - in my humble opinion, a more important mission than swimming...
Budapest is very nice. Lots of old buildings and tons of tourists. It is sunny outside and a bit cool. All of the triathletes are contemplating what they are going to wear on race day because of the coolness.
Our hotel is nice. Food is pretty good and cheap - paid the equivalent of $10 last night for a pizza and a 1/2 litre beer - most awesome, I must say!!
We'll put together Kim's bike later this afternoon, then do a transition skills session. Tomorrow we'll go for a bike ride - you take your life into your hands biking on some of these roads, so I'll have to do a bit of a recce later.
More to follow later!!!
This week had a few rough patches, but training has gone well. I am fit and I am so ready to race. I have been ready for over a month now and trying to stay mentally sharp has been a challenge. Run training this week was phenomenal - thank you Helen Cooper. Bike training was also good. We had some major winds to contend with this week - parts of Hurricane Earl, I think. Really challenged me to figure out how to handle my bike with race wheels. Its all good. So if there is any wind, I'm still going to burn up the course. Same same with swim training. I am very ready. Many thanks to Vicki Keith and Tom Anzai.
Hi everyone!
Well a couple of good things have happened since my last post.
I had a great interview with Carolyn Waldo of CTV Sports. She's an amazing women and a true inspiration to me. Carolyn is helping me document my road to the World Paratriathlon Championships in Budapest, Hungary on September 11th. Please be sure to watch !!
I also had some promotional photography done by G.R. Martin photography. Julie and Guy are phenomenal photographers and I am so fortunate to be working with them. We did a running photo shoot up at Major's Hill Park. It took a few 100 snaps to get the right shot, but I believe we got it. Sunset and Parliament in the background. Can't wait to show them off.
Unfortunately I had a bad fall while running over the weekend. Road paint, wet weather conditions, and a running flex foot don't mix !! If they call it road rash when a bike slips off its wheels, wonder what I should call a slip off a prosthetic...a road wax? Was thinking that leg wax can remove hair on your leg just as effectively as the road will falling off your leg!! I am out for Nationals in Kelowna however. My running leg goes in for a tune up next week. I want to make certain its ready for Budapest and there are no surprises.
Gotta go.
Hello everyone. 1 Leg Reporting - Well, the NYC Tri was a blast. Had an excellent 1500m swim (00:22:17) which was a personal best, and beat the two USA girls I was told that I would never beat !! Ha ! Swimming in the Hudson River - not so OK. Salty and the small amount I swallowed (accidentally) caused me some gastro issues that took a week to resolve. Very very humid day, 102 F. Made the bike hard - made breathing hard. Great day overall.
OK, a week later and we are off to Lake Placid for the Ironman. Curtis and I were both a little nervous - me moreso because I was not feeling so great following the NYC Tri. Remember, I swallowed water from the Hudson. The weather was absolutely perfect though. Water temperature equally perfect. The race started at 0700h. Off we went. The first loop for Curtis was uneventful. He started wide and swam inward towards the buoy. I drew the straw to wait and then pick my way through the slower swimmers. Plan A - Curtis' plan - worked like a dream. Plan B - Kim's plan - sucked !! I got some dude's big toe up my right nostril that gave me a bloody nose. Grooming gentlemen…they care called toenail clippers !?! After I shake that off I run into another kook who's punching out everyone who passes him. The guy clocked me so hard, it popped my ear plug out and I was seeing stars. I was so angry, and swam up beside the guy and elbowed him in the gut and then blasted off past him. Can you say 'jerk' or what? Guy had issues with being passed by a chick with one leg. Well get used to it buddy…I'll be back again next year too !! My race was slower than my norm, but I finished the full swim and that was the goal. Curtis had a great swim too and a really good bike up until the 120km mark. His left knee started to bother him so he took it a bit easy for the last 70km. No biggy, onto the run. It was a tough run, but he made it through. CURTIS SMITH YOU ARE AN IRONMAN; 15:25:10. Long day, but a great one. I am so proud of my IRONMAN. He rocks !!
Here we are - Kim and I are sitting in the Starbucks in Lake Placid, waiting for the transition area to open at 5am (it's currently 0429). We are both kinda nervous, but excited too. Actually got a bit of sleep - whenever I happened to wake up, I grabbed a bite of sandwich (peanut butter, of course) or a sip of my Gatorade.
Swim should be fine - key is to stay calm and to swim steady. Same strategy for the bike - easy for the first hour so I can eat and drink, then pick up the pace for the remainder of the first loop and all of the second. Key to the run is to start easy and pick things up (and people off) on the second loop.
Kim is doing the swim. When asked for a quote she said "Blah, blah blah" (I wasn't paying attention...). Actually, she said "Time to get it done. Be glad when it's over!"
More to follow!!
- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone
Hi all - 2Legs here,
Racing season has officially begun!! My first race was actually last Sunday (Limestone), but this weekend is chock full of goodness!! I'm doing the Law Day 5K today in downtown Ottawa - nice and easy, just a workout. Tomorrow (Saturday) is the Cumberland Duathlon with the lovely and talented 1 Leg - I'll do the first run and the bike (2.5k and 20k respectively) and she'll do the final 2.5k run. Still haven't decided what bike I'm going to use - my old reliable Trek 1000 or my borrowed Quintana Roo Tequilo. Got some work to do tonight to sort that out!! Finally, on Sunday, I'm doing some kind of run at the Place d'Orleans race - 1/2 marathon or 10k (depending on how I feel). Watch here for our results!!
Everyone please take note! I conquered Blair Road hill....me... the chickadee with one leg. It was tough but I now know that I can do it. The tough part was actually coming down the hill. I have no break ability on my prosthetic. So in effect, I'm hopping down the hill on the steep parts. As it slowly flattens out, I can start running again. It was a little 'out of control' on the first time down the hill. I really had no control of the speed, so I decided to just to be one with the wind. Thank goodness I didn't fall - it would have hurt - alot !!
YEAAAAHHHHHH...I did it !! Another mountain conquered.
It's been a while since we've put anything up here and there is A LOT GOING ON!!!
First off, we got an email from Triathlon Canada this evening - Kim has officially been named to the National Paratriathlon Team for the 2010 World Triathlon Championships being held in Budapest this September. Yay!!! We've been waiting for this word for a while now and it came at absolutely a perfect time!!
Second, Kim has recently gotten some absolutely awesome support from her coaches and a few sponsors have stepped up to the plate to support her efforts. We'll blog a bit more about that soon, as we want to give these great people the attention they deserve.
Our training has been going very well. Kim is running better than ever (as am I) and we are both swimming fairly strong. More to follow on the biking - we have to hit the roads harder!!!
Stay tuned!!
Hi All,
So, Kim & I had a good solid training weekend. Started off with a 3:15 bike on Saturday (our longest yet) at Cyclelogik. Ian put us through our paces and we left with sore butts!!! Nothing that a soak in the tub couldn't cure, though.
Sunday was the Winterman 1/2 Marathon. I went in with two goals - 1. Beat my time of 1:49 that I laid down in Afghanistan in November, and 2. See how the body reacts to a long post-bike run. I am happy to report that I did beat my Afghanistan time (not by much - depending on who's timing you use, it was either by 5 or 30 seconds!) and that my body reacted fairly well. Sore knees today, but I am walking around reasonably well. On another note, if I had entered the 5km race, I would have (in all likelihood) won my age group - thanks Helen & the Lions!!
Stay chilly!!
Yes, we accepted the challenge and we both made it !?! It was a very tough class but exhilerating at the same time. Using our heart rate monitors, we started at a relatively low heart rate level. The goal was to maintain a good solid spin rate with a stabilized heart rate - something you could easily maintain for an extended period of time (for about the first 60 mins). Then the paced picked up and by about the 2 hr mark, we were spinning at the top of our zone 3 (very hard). While we were up in this range for 3 sets of 3 mins high zone 3 followed by a momentary reprive in the low zone 3 range. OK, let me explain that low zone three is NOT a reprive by any measure. We maintained this tempo for about 12 mins in total. I thought I was going to puke after the 3rd set. Curtis and I were both in the hurt locker. Spinning beside Curtis is always a challenge when we are working hard because he sweats so much. Gadzuks there was a pond developing below his bike and it was heading my way!! When sweat is flying everywhere, the last place you want to be is right beside him. Good thing I love him dearly!! Once our zone 3 sets were over, we started our decline back into the more gentler kinder zone of 2 and then 1. You would have thought that at the end of 3 hr class there would have been a resounding 'hooray'!? But no. There was only silence. I felt great afterwards. My muscles weren't sore and my butt was in good shape, but I didn't want to be the only one to yelp, 'good job'. I must admit that sometimes, I do have the advantage in having only one leg. I only feel half the exhaustion, pain and stress. I can use my prosthetic leg to give my biological leg a break. So if my knee is starting to hurt, and use my prosthetic side more to give my biological side a break. Its particularly advantageous for longer distances. Thank God. I have finally found the one advantage over people with two legs where a prosthetic actually comes in handy. Things to make you go, hmmmmmm !
As promised, here is a video of Kim running 6 months later. See how much more relaxed and smoother her stride is. Awesome!!!
Here's a video of Kim running on an outdoor track in June 2009. Compare it with the video that I am going to put up in our next post. You rock Kim!!
Happy New Year everyone. We just returned home from Lake Placid. The trip was a lot of fun and I am glad we went. We tried out the bobsled run ! Holy crow !! Think we managed to get up to speeds in and around 55mph (89km/h)...and our start point was only 1/2 way up the race course ! Not for the faint of heart. A highly recommended activity if you have a need for speed. The skeleton course was also open to us, but somehow barreling down this same course head first just was not in the cards for either one of us. We also tried Biathlon. OK, this was a bust for me. I now know why they push the sleds on AK amputees. The range was fun though - typical for a military soldier. Curtis hit 5/5 targets. I shot a whopping goose egg !! This is where I have to admit that I actually needed my glasses. Drats !!
Hi All,
Well, contrary to the idea of a vacation being "relaxing", we have managed to go all out over the past week or so. Kim got a new front door installed here at the house - I will never understand the pure, unadulterated joy that she gets from stuff like that. A door is a door as far as I'm concerned...
We have been keeping up with our workouts and have been steadily improving. I signed up for a running challenge on Slowtwitch.com - 100 Runs in 100 Days. It's kinda tough, but I'm pushing along. Kim is working hard on getting her running up to snuff and is making good progress. We had a great spin bike class last Saturday - 2:15 on the bikes!!! We're both feeling strong and should be hitting the roads in the spring ready to rock.
We're heading up to Napanee to see my Grandmother on Christmas - just a quick up and back. We have a birthday party to go to on the 27th (Happy 4th Nolan!!) and then we are travelling down to Lake Placid, NY for a couple of days of rest and relaxation. Well, maybe not complete rest and relaxation - I want to keep my runs up and have been googling to find out where I can get on a rowing machine down there. The Nationals are only 1 1/2 months away and I've got a bit of work to do!!
Anyway, stay chilly. I'm working on a Facebook page to go along with this blog, so stay tuned for that.
Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!!
Curtis, Kim, Fiona & Drama
Hi all,
Kim and I have started a new blog - kimandcurtis.blogspot.com. It will be the best way to keep track of what Kim and I are doing in our very hectic lives!!! Check it out!!! I will continue to post here, too!!
Hi everyone,
First off, I would like to thank everyone who has followed me on the blog over the past four months - it was great to get your comments and emails!!
I have been home for almost a week now and am getting adjusted back to North American life. I am just about waking up at a proper hour (not 2:30am!!) and have managed to find some of my warm clothes. I had to go to work for 3 x 1/2 days (to "reintegrate" me), but now I am off until the New Year!!!
The family met me at the airport - Kim, Mom, Dad, Wade & the niece & nephews (Kayla, Nolan and Carson). The combo of Kim & Mom crying and the three kids was too much for the media to resist - they were all over me like stink on a camel... Here's a link to a video taken at the airport and here's a shot of Kim & I:
Hi Everyone!!
Well, the title tells it all - I'm almost outta here!!! Can't say exactly when here on the blog, but it's soon!! Things have been pretty hectic here over the past couple of weeks. My replacement arrived a couple of days ago and I've been handing over my duties to him - things have went pretty smoothly overall.
Been continuing to go to the gym. I did the Terry Fox Run here (5km) last Saturday - lots of fun. I was also named the Concept2 Rower of the Week last week!! Concept2 is a company that makes rowing machines. I have one at home an there are a couple in our gym here. I've been pounding away on the one here and manged to do over 50000m one week. Well, because of that, I was named the rower of the week!! Cool, eh? I get a t-shirt and everything...
Before I forget, "Hi Mike!!". Hope you are feeling better!!
So, when I get home, I have to work 3 x 1/2 days and then I get just over a month off. No real plans for the off tim yet, but I imagine they will include kicking back with a beer or two!!
Anyway, got to go. Will post again tomorrow.
Stay chilly.
Hi everyone!!
It's been a while since I've written anything, so here goes...
Things are going well. Not much time left - yay!!! For OPSEC reasons, I can't write about flights, but I'll let Kim & Mom know when I'm going to hit Canada. I intend on doing some visiting when I'm back, so be prepared!!
We are a little busy right now because people are finally realizing that the legal issues they have been holding back on getting sorted out for 9 months need to GET DONE SOON!!!! Nothing too crazy, but busy.
I have been working out like a demon. This Kandahar place is the best "fat-camp" I have ever seen. I'm down 33lbs in 3 months!! Feeling good and looking fine... Only problem is that my clothes don't fit anymore!
Did a 1/2 marathon this morning - that's 21km (13 miles) - in 1hour 49 minutes. I used to be a runner, but kinda fell off the wagon in the last few years. Here's the first shot fired in the war to get back in shape.
Things are starting to cool down - it gets down to about 10C at night and hovers around 32C during the day - not too bad. Apparently, the rainy season will start right after I leave - perfect - couldn't have planned it better!!
The lovely ladies at the Orleans Starbucks (and the stunning Kimberly, of course) sent me some of the new Starbucks instant coffee to try. Here's a shot of me and said java out in front of Headquarters.
Hi everyone,
Sorry that it has been so long since I last posted. No real excuse other than being lazy!!! Things are going well - work has been busy, but not too crazy. Only 26 days left!!
I've been keeping up with my workouts and feel pretty good. I broke to 200lbs barrier a couple of days ago - yay!! I don't think I've been this light for 10 years. Did a 1/2 marathon on the rowing machine this morning (that's 21km or 13 miles) and will run one on 7 Nov here at KAF. The guys are bugging me that Kim won't recognize me when I get back!!
Got a bunch of packages in the mail from Kim - lots of coffee and treats. I also got my birthday present - a Star Wars Force Trainer. It's pretty cool - there's a headband that reads your brain waves and, if you concentrate hard enough, transmits a signal to a little apparatus that turns on a fan an "levitates" a ball. Look it up on the internet to see it in action. Very funny!!!
Here's a picture for you:
OK - to clear up any worry, the bazaar is actually held here at KAF - I'm not trooping around downtown Kandahar looking at knick-knacks!!
Hi everyone,
Well, I am over the hump!! 1 Oct was the middle day of my tour over here, so everything is downhill from now on! Things are starting to cool down a bit more - high of 36C today, low of 22C. I am going to be so cold when I get back to Ottawa, it isn't going to be funny...
Vance & I went to the KAF Bazaar today. Every Saturday there is a market (kind of like the old Stittsville Market) where a bunch of locals
set up stands and sell stuff. There are a whole whack of carpets and jewellery and pirated DVDs, among other things. I will put up a few photos over the next few days to show you what it's like. Vance bought a carpet for his brother and I scoped out some stuff to bring home (maybe) - I really don't need knick-knacks, but there are a few nice gifty things.
Thanks to everyone for the birthday packages. I got one from Mom & one from Wade and the crew - thanks Kayla, Nolan and Carson for the cool $1 store stuff!! The candies went pretty fast, I have to say.
I'm running the US Army 10 Miler tomorrow - that's 16km for you metric types. It starts at 0530 in the morning and I expect it will take
somewhere around 1 1/2 hours to finish. Good thing it's early or else the sun would probably melt me. There are over 600 people running, so there will be lots of company. I feel like I'm in pretty good shape - down 20lbs as of today!!
Overall, things are going pretty well. I am well-established in a routine and I am feeling pretty good. Now that the end is near, it
should be a relatively easy ride.
Anyway, got to go.
Here's something different. When I went out on a bit of a tour, I found that some of the troops had adopted pets - the odd cat and dog was fairly normal. In this particular location, though, the guys had a goat! It would come up behind the troops and butt them in the butt to get their attention. Usually, the troops would grab hold of his horns and tug him around a bit, playing with him. At night, when the guys were relaxing a bit, he would sit down next to them, just like a freakin' dog. Very funny and, apparently, a very good guard.
Here's a picture of me receiving a commemorative coin from one of my clients earlier this week. I'll put a picture of it up in a few days..
Hi everyone,
It is freakin' warm today here at KAF. Numbers wise, it isn't any different than usual, but it feels like the sun is really beating down
today. Thankfully, the nights are still relatively cool (21C).
Went for a long run on Sunday morning with Vance - did 12.5km. I was pretty tired when I was done, but happy - that's the longest I have run for a couple of years. Still going to the gym every day - was working out beside one of my clients this morning. He's a really big Newfie who is a rabid hockey fan. There was a Montreal-Boston game on the TVs in the gym and he'd let out the occasional bellow at a stupid play, scaring the heck out of me.
We're working on the plan to come home. We leave here and have 3 days of "decompression" at a place in Europe. It gives us a chance to relax a bit and get our heads back to normal before we hit Canada. Great idea, as far as I'm concerned. I'll let you know where I'm going later.
Apparently I'm changing jobs when I get home. Since there is a lot going on in the area where I was working before I deployed, the powers that be have decided to put someone into my spot in Canada and find a new spot for me once I get back to work. We'll see where they put me!!!
Other than that, not much going on. We are in the middle of a holiday here in Afghanistan called "Eid", which celebrates the end of Ramadan. Ramadan is a farily long period (3-4 weeks, I think) where Muslims aren't allowed to eat or drink while the sun is up. They do some extra prayers during the day as well. Very tough, especially when it is so hot. Eid is kind of like their Christmas, with feasts and gifts and stuff.
Got a couple of letters - thanks Mom!! I'll try to write you back soon.
Here's our Ball Hockey rink - it gets a lot of use and we get the odd Hockey Superstar here - Guy Lafleur in a couple of weeks!!
Hi all,
Sorry I haven't been blogging as much lately. We've been working pretty hard and I'm usually pretty tired by the end of the day.
Life is pretty good. Going to the gym everyday for 1 1/2 hours and the weight is just falling off me (down 13 pounds) - don't worry Mom, I'm eating!!! I am actually pounding back a ton of food - it just happens to be all healthy stuff (except for the odd Oreo. I can't help myself!)
I finally got a roommate. Wouldn't you know, it's someone I know well - Vance!! For those of you who don't know (or remember), I went through RMC with Vance and he was the best man at my wedding - we've known each other for almost 20 years. He's here for a few weeks filling in for someone and he needed a place to stay, so he's staying with me. It'll be good to have him around - we are going to have to take a picture to send to our friends in Kingston when they get together for our RMC 15 Year Reunion at the end of the month. We'll title it "Protecting the World While the Rest of you are Drinking".
I now have internet service in my room, which is great. It costs a few bucks, but its worth it. No more having to line up to get onto a computer and getting booted off once your 30 minutes is up.
Kim is doing fine - just spoke with her last night. She's having some work done on the house, so that's keeping her busy. She doing well in her new job, as well, so that's a relief. She's heading down to New York soon to get her new legs tweaked, so I had better keep working out so I can keep up with her when I get back!!!
Almost pretty... as long as you don't look at the barbed wire!!!
Hi all,
Been a busy couple of days here at KAF!!
Saw the CANCON show last week. These are Canadian entertainers who do a show tour to all of the deployed CF members around the world. This one consisted mostly of French performers due to the fact that the majority of the Canadians over here are French. The show was pretty good - lots of dancing girls for the benefit of the troops!!
Did the Canada Army Run 5km on Sunday. I haven't been running much in the last couple of years, so this was truly going to be a test of whether my body was going to be able to handle it. Well, I am happy to announce that I finished the run in fine form. I went in expecting to do 5:30/km and that is exactly was I did, finishing the 5km in 27:30. Very happy with that result. I have signed up to do the US Army 10-Miler on 4 Oct - that's 16km for you metric types. I am going to speed up for this race and expect to finish it in around 1hr 20 min. I think that's achievable with another month to train.
Things have cooled off considerably over here in the past few days. I actually had to pull out an extra blanket last night 'cause I felt a bit
chilled. On that, my boss just gave me his cold, so I've been sneezing and sniffing like crazy over the past few days. I've been trying to hit the sack a little earlier over the past few nights to sleep the cold off, and it seems to be going away.
Kim seems to be doing well. She's been busy working on our deck and keeping the cats from doing each other in. I get to talk to her about every other day, so I'm updated on what's happening at home!!
OK, time for a picture. On the theme of cats, here's a shot of one of the wild cats that lives here on the base. This one is pretty well fed
and has been named "Chloe" by the staff. You can't tell from this shot, but she has differently shaped back legs than your normal Canadian cat. Apparently, these help her run faster, which comes in handy when chasing down mice and rats.
Provide legal services to CF units in the NCR.
Slightly off-topic, but this absolutely rocks....
Jake Shimabukuro plays "Bohemian Rhapsody" | Video on TED.com
Hi All,
You may have seen my Facebook post from a couple of days ago, asking for you to go to the Pepsi Refresh Project to vote for a project that could have positive consequences for my lovely wife, Kim. The project is called "Lead A Road Running Revolution for Canadians with Disabilities" and its mission is to invest $100K in putting together a running and funding program for para athletes.
We are being a bit selfish in our support for this project, as Kim is working hard on her running and will tap into it if it is successful - she has been approached by Athletics Canada to potentially become a sprinter and is still working on her 5k time for triathlon purposes. We are also contemplating putting together our own proposal for the next round of the Pepsi Refresh Project, looking for funds to help create and train the Canadian National Paratriathlon Team. So, this running project is a bit of an experiment to see if we can harness our extended network to help us out.
The Pepsi Refresh Project is decided through the votes of the masses. There are projects at the 100K, 25K, 10K and 5K levels, with a total of $200K being awarded each round. You can vote 10 times per day over the course of 2 months. You can only vote for a specific project once per day.
Unfortunately, the process to vote is a bit awkward. To help you out, here is a bit of a primer:
1. Go to the project page at http://www.refresheverything.ca/comerunwithus
2. Sign in (lower left corner);
3. Plug in a throwaway email address;
4. Cick on the appropriate bubble (Yes or No);
5. If you are new, go through the sign-up page. This includes doing the two word confirmation captcha. If you are returning, you'll still need to do the captcha;
6. If you get thrown off of the project page, go up to the search bubble and punch in "road running" - that will get you to the right place.
Please vote at least once - the more the better. If we can harness our networks to make this project a success, then the one that Kim & I are working on will be even easier. Let us know that you are voting via Facebook, Twitter, email - whatever.
Thanks for your time!!!
Curtis
T-8 days until I start my Endurance Nation Outseason Plan - looking forward to layin' it down...
Attended a sports nutrition seminar yesterday with Kim. Learned some good stuff that I'll have to let percolate in my head for a bit before I take action. The figures say that I'll need 4000+ calories/day
Am working on clarifying my 2011 Race Schedule - the only thing in stone right now is Ironman Canada on 28 Aug 11.
Two more races this year - Cookie Run 5k on 6 Nov & the National Cross Country Championships on 27 Nov. A few more on the edges, but we'll see how I feel.
Toodles...
OK - I am really bad at keeping this blog updated.
I was cleaning up my office here at home today and came across the two training logs that I used this past year. I started keeping the log when I went to Afghanistan last year and kept some pretty good notes. So, here's the summary:
17 Aug 09 - Started log. 230lbs.
6 Sep 09 - Canada Army Run 5k (Kandahar) - 27:30. First 5k race in many years.
4 Oct 09 - US Army 10-Miler (16k) - 1:25:35
24 Oct 09 - First rowing 1/2 marathon (on Concept 2 rower) - 1:43:39
7 Nov 09 - US Airforce Freedom Run (1/2 marathon) - 1:51:00
10 Nov 09 - Concept2's 50k+ Rower of the Week
? Nov 09 - Terry Fox Run 5k - 24:45
25 Nov 09 - Home from Afghanistan - 185lbs!!!
7 Dec 09 - Joined Ottawa Lions Track Club Masters Team
21 Feb 10 - Winterman 1/2 Marathon - 1:48:38
13 Mar 10 - St. Patrick's Day 5k
25 Apr 10 - Limestone 5k - 22:37
30 Apr 10 - Law Day 5k
1 May 10 - Cumberland Duathlon Relay (with Kim)
2 May 10 - Place d'Orleans 1/2 Marathon - 1:45:16
17 May 10 - Limestone Charity Triathlon
6 Jun 10 - Mooseman 1/2 Ironman (1.9k swim, 90k bike, 21k run) - 6:47:36
4 Jul 10 - Sydenham Olympic Distance Tri (1.5k swim, 40k bike, 10k run) - 3:11:19
18 Jul 10 - New York City Triathlon - Acted as Handler/Assistant for Kim in Paratriathlon category
25 Jul 10 - Ironman Lake Placid (3.8k swim, 180k bike, 42k run)- 15:25:11
How do I feel about the past year overall? Pretty friggin' good, I should say. I went to Afghanistan last year with two major goals - 1) to get some operational experience as a Legal Officer, and 2) to get fit again. I had let myself go since my battalion days and with 40 staring at me in the face, I decided to take the opportunity that TFK was offering. There really isn't much else to do, so why not work out like a fiend?
The Ironman was my goal from day 1. I have been a fan of the sport since forever (I gave a speech on the Ironman in my Grade 6 class in 1983!) I signed up for it while on my holidays in Lake Placid last summer, with the full intent of finally knocking the Ironman off my bucket list this year. I had also made a promise to my little guy Keiran that I would do an Ironman for him one day.
Now, Afghanistan isn't the best place in the world for getting triathlon-specific training done. You can run fairly easily, and there are lots of stationary bikes available, but swimming is a challenge (unless you try the poo pond...) I substituted rowing for swimming and managed to pound out 600km worth of it while I was there. I entered and ran every road race that was offered and had a lot of fun. I came back to Canada in better shape than I had been in 12+ years.
The challenge was going to be maintaining the fitness. My lovely wife Kim was aiming to compete in the World Paratriathlon Championships in Budapest in Sept 10, so we decided to team up and work hard in pursuing our individual goals. We joined the Ottawa Lions Track Club, under the guidance of the supremely awesome Helen Cooper. I ran fast for the first time since my RMC days. The improvement in my technique and times was nuts!!
We also started attending an endurance spinning class at Cyclelogik, under the coaching of Ian Fraser. We started with a 1 hour session one Saturday in Dec 09, working our way up to 4 hours by the end of Mar 10. Again, awesome training that helped build a great base for the summer.
Finally, we joined the Swim Ottawa club, under the guidance of Tom Anzai. We didn't have nearly enough time with him (we joined late), but are looking forward to working through the winter with him and the other members of the team.
I was not particularly happy with any of my triathlon times this year - I had some higher expectations, I guess. The Ironman was tough. I am scared to death of the swim, but managed to have a personal best time by 20 minutes. The bike (on my brand new Cervelo P1) was difficult - I definitely need to increase my saddle time by a factor of 2 if I want to compete further. I was a bit of a wreck by the time the run came around, with a pretty sore knee that degenerated into a pretty painful knee by kilometer 20. I was in semi-survival mode for the last half of the run, but finished. You can't imagine the feeling of working for 15+ hours and finally hearing "Curtis Smith, you are an Ironman", the culmination of almost a year's worth of training.
What's next? Indoor track season starts in a couple of weeks and my coach wants to train me for an indoor 5k sometime this winter. Kim & I are heading to Budapest in 2 weeks, where she will do the World Paratriathlon Championships. I am bashing around some ideas for more races to do, which could include something at the Army Run this September, a 24 hour race, the Canadian Indoor Rowing Championships in Feb and maybe another Ironman next summer (I haven't told Coach Helen yet - she thinks that this Ironman thing is out of my system!) On a non-competitive note, I am going to be pursuing getting on either the Triathlon Canada or Ontario Association of Triathletes Board of Directors, with the agenda of getting Paratriathlon wider participation and notice. Similarly, I'll be working with Kim, getting her ready for a bid at the 2012 Paralympics in London, where (fingers crossed) Triathlon will be a demonstration sport. Busy stuff!!
Anyway, that's it. Once my schedule gets clarified, I'll put it up here. Check out our other blog - kimandcurtis.blogspot.com - for other updates on what we're doing.
Stay chilly!
OK, it has been almost a year, but I'm back. I am training hard for Ironman Lake Placid and am currently in Week 10 of an Endurance Nation Ironman Training Plan.
More to follow...
OK, enough is enough. I've messed around with this whole Ironman thing for too long, so I am now drawing a line in the sand. I signed both Kim & I up for the 2010 Ironman USA in Lake Placid and we are going to complete it. It has begun....
Interesting Slowtwitch thread on Tri/Du Training logs. Looking for one of these - I'll report back on what I think works.
The newest issue of "Get Out There" is now available online at http://www.getouttheremag.com/whicheditonmag.htm. Some interesting articles on winter training and gear and a really good event list (especially for Ontario).
The Ottawa Triathlon Club (OTC) is very excited to announce that Samantha McGlone and uber-coach Cliff English will be visiting the OTC on November 15th. The one day clinic will feature sessions on training plans, technique, sports psych and more. We have 5 spots remaining that are now available to non-members of the club. The cost for the one-day clinic is $100. Email geordiem at yahoo dot com to grab your spot.