Tuesday, December 28, 2010

Active.com – not just a website to sign up for events

I discovered activetrainer.com a few months ago and have been recording every workout on it ever since. I already have an active.com ID from all the races I’ve signed up for, so it is easy to go out to the site and create a workout log. Now, I log all my training workouts (including weight training and cross training) on this site (for free).



It not only gives me a sense of accomplishment that I’ve finished workouts (did I mention it is free) but it also allows me to log such esoteric data such as stress level (1-10), sleep quality (1-10), and my personal favorite, Well Being (1-10).


This is the daily option


but there is also a weekly and monthly view. I like the weekly summary to show total hours.





Plus, I can choose an avatar (the graphical representation of a user). This is what I like to think I’m like; even if I’m not.


I’m on a 36 week training plan for Ironman Lake Placid and it’s fun to track my progress; even my weight. There are free training plans and training logs out on the world wide web, and here are my favorites:


Training Plan: SuperCoach

Training Logs: Active Trainer

Wednesday, December 15, 2010

My Column: The Seasons Always Surprise Me

Last week I wrote my Outdoor Column about a poem my sister wrote and how I thought of the words of her poem while skiing on the Fraser River Trail.

It's amazing the thoughts and pictures your mind remembers while doing an activity outside. Skiing, hiking, and just walking dogs, clears my mind. I think of so many things, remember so many events and people. I'm consider myself lucky when I remember enough of them to write the thoughts down when I get back home.

My sister's poem is amazing. Here is a link to the story: http://www.skyhidailynews.com/article/20101211/NEWS/101219988&parentprofile=search 

One of the important aspects of writing, writing anything: poems, stories, non-fiction - revision. My sister revised her final poem from the original one she sent me and the one line that was edited out, much to my dismay, is this line:

And I believe in the power of the earth
And the power of people to be strong and generous and good.

I just love this line and I think it means so much; I believe, too. I believe in the power of people to be strong, generous, good. The best line, the best thoughts, ever.

Friday, December 3, 2010

Bicycle Dreams

I found this by clicking on a Facebook Ad that said:
TOUGHER THAN IRONMAN?bicycledreamsmovie.com


"Bicycle Dreams" the celebrated movie about the world's toughest race. Do triathletes have what it takes to finish this cyclist beast?

Nice Target Marketing to me.

Wednesday, December 1, 2010

Ironman Arizona - Done

So I finished Ironman Arizona. Just about a year ago I signed up and was hoping for an amazing day; I did have an amazing day.

Sign ups for next year sold out quickly and I'm reminded of the column I wrote about a year ago regarding winning the Ironman lottery.

As I re-read the story, I am reminded about what Ironman is, what it really means, and that Ironman is anyone who sets out to find out what they are truly capable of doing.


“Ironman is Not a Superhero: Ironman is anybody who's ever dreamed of becoming more, who's ever wanted to become better than what they are now, who's ever desired to find out the kind of person they were meant to be.
“Ironman is anybody who's then decided to act, and picked themselves up, and opened the door, and gone outside, and taken the first step of many steps ... towards the number of 140.6 as marked in miles, on a journey that will ultimately last a lifetime. Ironman is anybody. Ironman is you.”
From: http://www.jonathaninthedistance.blogspot.com/

Here's the start of the original column from:
Anything is possible, Outdoor Adventures
"I won the lottery.
Not the lottery where you get a pile of money; the one where a triathlete sits online trying to gain entry into the big race: Ironman Arizona. The athlete pays active.com $550; I am lucky - I get into Ironman Arizona Nov. 21, 2010. Entry for all Ironman races is the day after race day, for the following year. Most races typically sell out on the Internet in the first few hours; Ironman Arizona sold out in 25 minutes."
Read the rest of the Story in Outdoor Adventures