Wednesday, December 26, 2012

Asleep in the chair.....

Well, Christmas has come and gone (and a great Christmas it was too!) but my off-season work has been, well....    work!   I have to admit that I have struggled to stick to my off-season plans and that I have been a bit of a vegetable for the last couple of weeks.   All too often my days seem to have finished up like this...


Santa certainly earned his rest, but I have just been (to use an English term) "knackered" all the time.  Not quite sure why, but I guess that it doesn't hurt to get my body some real rest and chill for a while.  I'm also still finding myself coughing a little, so maybe that's a contributing factor?

Anyway, time's up and I need to get busy!   I have managed to swim most weeks and have managed the odd long ride and some mountain biking, but running has been almost non-existent, so it's time to get busy down at the coast over the New Year break.   

Sadly I can feel my calves this morning after playing "Just Dance 4" on XBox Kinect yesterday, but I have to say that it is an awesome workout!   Best of all, SWMBO and the two junior misses hate that they can't touch me dancing to "Call Me Maybe"....   this Old Fart still has a few moves!  :-)

Keep-calm-and-call-me-maybe-695_large

Bring on the 2013 season!

Friday, December 14, 2012

Vidal....

OK, so it's time to come clean....    I have been annointed by my esteemed training buddies Compass and Rabbit with a nickname that seems to have some staying power.   No point in fighting it.....

For kicks last week I changed my facebook profile picture to this one:


Since then I have had numerous puzzled enquiries, including two people who seemed to think this is a picture of Bob Barker from The Price Is Right!   No people, this isn't Bob, this is Vidal Sassoon, the famed hairstylist and 60s style guru.  Apparently there is a certain amount of fascination with my hair......

I've always had plenty of thick hair and certain individuals are apparently marveling that it sort of looks the same after I come out of the water from a swim; take my bike helmet off after a 50 mile ride or come in sweaty from a long run.   I really don't think this is true, but who am I to argue with the ladies?  

So yes, my new monniker appears to be....   "Vidal".   What can one do?   I would certainly have preferred "Sparticus" or "Thor", but it's better than "Baldy" I guess.   One thing's for sure, my current "uber blonde" color much  more closely resembles the now departed Mr. Sassoon in this picture from later in life!


What's with this strange fascination with my freakin' follicles?   I have had people previously say that I have hair like this guy:

....and this guy:

...and my lovely wife, SWMBO, has previously compared my hair to this guy's:



So, in closing, I'll quote Jack Donaghy from 40 Rock....   "It dries like this.....".   Get over it ladies!







Wednesday, December 12, 2012

A blast from the past....

While my "triathlon swim" has only really taken good shape over this past season, I learned to swim at a very young age and have always enjoyed being in the water.

This picture surfaced recently....


This picture was taken circa 1968 and that splashing mess in the pool is apparently me!   The occasion was the opening of the new, outdoor, unheated pool at Parkfield County Primary School in Taunton, Somerset, UK.   I was selected as one of the first kids to get in and swim a couple of laps.   As you can see in the picture, it was a rainy day and I vividly remember the water being FREAKIN' COLD!!!

The pool was covered a couple of years later, but when I left to go to "the big school" in 1971 it still wasn't heated.   I also very clearly remember the Edwardian era municipal town pool in which I learned to swim......    the ugly brick building, the tiled pool, the stench of chlorine and the antiquated changing facilities were enough to put any kid off swimming for life!   Thankfully the town opened a new pool complex in the mid 70s, but believe it or not the original pool is still in use!   I found this photo on the web....


How I remember our neighbors' Dad taking us swimming every Wednesday night and going through that door.   I wonder if the fish and chip shop up the road is still open?

Monday, December 10, 2012

Why My 11 Year Old Daughter Will Soon "Chick" Me On The Run

As posted previously, we did our annual family fun run at the Outer Banks Gobbler 5K in Nags Head, NC on Thanksgiving morning.  I mentioned then that it's much easier now that our two girls can race the whole thing independently.

Thankfully I appear to still be the fastest family member over 3.1 miles, but I have a feeling that this may change soon based on some photos posted to facebook this morning by the race organizers.

Before I go on, I should probably also refer you to posts that I have made here recently about "running like a cart horse" and my need to improve my forward leg lift; strengthen my toe-off and lengthen my stride finish so as to increase my stride length slightly and decrease my contact time with the ground.

Now look at these two pictures....

 In this one, look at the great leg lift on the forward stride of the left leg.   She seems to have a really nice forward lean too and, as far as I can tell, good arm movement!


And in this one, look at the awesome finish with the left leg....  her left heel is almost kicking her own butt!


Finally, in both pictures, look at that awsome smile as she finishes the 5K in just a little over 30 minutes!

I'm completely and utterly inspired by her...   love!   :-)