This is what I drank in training, and the Ironman. Now it's the Goofy Challenge

Saturday, July 26, 2008

My Wedding Suit, and Video Game Stag Party



This is the first really nice suit I have ever owned. It was purchased at Holt Renfrew and cost the same as a down payment on a house. It was altered to fit me perfectly. I apparently have huge thighs from my biking.

The Video Game Stag Party is tonight. It's going to be me, my best man, my friends, parents and a few other people all chilling at my friends place. I am bringing my Chair, my HD Screen, my Xbox 360 and my Steering wheel. My Best Man is bringing Rock Band, Dance Dance Revolution, and a Wii. The house we are going to already has a HD big screen and PlayStation 3. So this going to be three consoles going at the same time in the same room. With lot's of accessories, gone are the days of Stag party Strippers/Bars. We are going to order Pizza and Sushi, I am really looking forward to it.

Can't wait for the wedding to be over though. Way to much drama, to much stress, not enough payoff for you investment. I mean Mandy is worth the whole world. Don't get me wrong. I would recommend eloping to Vegas, tell people about it when you get back, save your money for a house.

That is all.

Cheers

Sunday, July 13, 2008

Peak Center Training for Penticton Ironman 2009





This is my first attempt at Video Blogging. Mandy got me a new Handy-Cam as a pre-wedding gift. So I am able to record the wedding and my training. I started my workouts at Peak Center for Human Performance. Man I love that place, I blogged about it earlier. I got the first months' workout plans. They include my Run and Bike, and workout in detail. They include at what points during the run or bike, I should be picking it up to which zone. When they took my blood samples during the initial assessment, they were able to advice me what each setting in my Garmin is. So I get to input the Data to my Garmin. I want to run in zone 1 for 10 minutes, then zone 3 for 20 minutes, then back to zone 1 to taper down for 15 minutes. My zone 1 is about the pace I use when I do a long, slow run. Most runners know what I am talking about. But to figure out what zone 3 was, was a little harder. Basically it's not a full out sprint, but it's uncomfortable. Hard to talk, but I can maintain the tempo for as long as I can. My little Garmin will yell at me if I slow down, or speed up. Very cool for the traumatically injured brain people of the world, Or even the normal people of the world who don't have the time on top of school, work, crack smoking and hookers to do a detailed Ironman training plan. I have not posted the information because I want to make sure legally I can. So join me as I count down until the 2009 Penticton Ironman. With my wedding, school, and the all encompassing brain injury. Let's see where this goes!!

Wednesday, July 09, 2008

Microsoft Zune; Peak Center, and The 2009 Penticton Ironman

I got to meet two awesome people from Microsoft last weekend. We got to meet Sue and Tony, what really great people. You guys rock!!They came to Vancouver, from Toronto, to interview me about my use of technology after my accident.

This all started with my winning story about how I use Outlook as my memory. This is the link to the story. http://www.microsoft.com/canada/home/amazingstories/summerlovin.aspx#1


This story won me a HP laptop, Vista Ultimate, a Webcam, Office 2007, and a whole bunch of other software. I have blogged about this before.

When we met downtown Vancouver we went down near Stanley Park and I explained how technology helps me with my memory loss. On top of a great dinner, they gave me a 4 GB Zune.

I love the Zune. The first thing I did was sync it at home. I have added it to my network at home. I downloaded the Zune software and did the expected updates. What was really neat was it found all my friends. It also set's wirelessly to my PC. So I have a Triathlon Podcast and I was able to download it. Unlike my IPod it syncs without having to connect it to my computer.

The Zune also has FM Radio; it's a nice little addition. It's a little smaller than my IPod, and the screen is also made of glass instead of plastic. While I always put a protection cover on things, it is less resistant to scratches.

The software is similar to the IPod that it finds all your songs and files on the computer. I have not found an online movie store yet though. I have only had it for a day or so, and it is very new. I am looking forward to an online store. Apple has done a good job and it will be hard to match. We will see what happens.

I had my second meeting at Speed Theory. I have all my data and I will get weekly updates on my workouts to make sure I am training at the optimal level for me. I also get access to there gym, and a breakdown of how far to run, bike, and workout. I also know exactly how much protein and crabs I burn, and what I need to replace. So I am looking forward to my update this Sunday to start my Training in earnest.

I will be on track for the Ironman.

The wedding is almost here. This has been a roller coaster of preparation. I think I like the Triathlon Training better. It is just me I have to organize. It is hard making everyone happening.

It has been an interesting time since my accident. I have lost some very close friends that don't know how to deal with the new me. Some relationships have gotten closer, but others have been slowly dying. My Best man has informed me less than a month before the wedding he is not coming.

Apparently everyone else knew about this but me. So that sucks, he was one of my best friends and we were really close. So yeah, I don't know after my accident I learned that what matters wasn’t an extra hour at work, wasn’t getting that promotion. It was my family, my friends and what else I did with my life. I am a person who works to live, not lives to work.

Still it's hard loosing friends though, while I understand things change, people move and drift away. You expect them to let you know they won't be at your wedding ya know. I just don't want to get to bitter so that years down the road I am not still angry. As I am sure it really doesn’t affect him. I am sure he is sleeping just fine tonight, while I am still feeling the loss of a friend. People are weird.

Anyway, I have a tone of energy. Things are moving ahead, school starts in September, I have the wedding in August, and I am back in training mode. It's nice.