Catching up

If you follow the little mileage counter I have in the right hand column, you'll see how far I've swam, biked and ran each year. I have an on-line that totals everything up for me, so it's not hard to keep track of.

So far this year I've run a little over 136 km. Nothing special, I know.

However, in January and February combined I ran 69 km. So far in March I've run 67.25 km. I plan on going out on Saturday to increase that total.

My bike is in the shop right now, getting the wheels trued and some spokes replaced, as well as fixing a clunk that I had in the steering column (probably a dead bearing). I should have it back soon and then I'll be cranking out those miles too.

24 C - nice.

I was sitting here at the computer and I noticed that the temperature was 23 C outside. By the time I got this post opened up, it jumped up to 24 C. And today is an off day for me! What was I thinking. Oh well, I have to work this afternoon, so there's no time to squeeze in a short run. Tomorrow is only supposed to be 18 C, I'll have to survive.

Warm weather means I can put the tights away! I think Sue is happier about that than anyone else.

Did you see the Amazing Race last night? It was, well, amazing. The teams are really spread out now, like over 24 hours between first and last. That never happens. The only unfortunate part is that the most annoying team is in first place.

First Race

Today was the first running race of the season, held by our local Running Factory. For grown-ups it is a 5 km race, for kids the offer a 1 km event and for little ones they have the Kids Dash, about 100 metres or so. Darcy came to see me run a few times last year and ever since then, she's been talking about doing a race. When I told her we could race together, she could hardly contain her excitement!

The big day was this morning, although the event is called the Spring Thaw at -5C it didn't really feel all that much like Spring. But the cold didn't dampen Darcy's spirit. She was ready to run the whole race, and she did! I don't think she's ever been this excited, she laughed the whole way down the street. Being one of the littlest little ones, she brought up the rear of the event, but that seemed to get the crowd going in her favor. I saw several people taking her pictures and heard lots more calling out to her. I heard someone say, "Look at how determined she is."

Once we crossed the finish line, she got her medal and several high-fives from the volunteers. Then she started asking for her racers treats, so I made my way over to the athletes snack table and grabbed something for her. Before her nap this afternoon she asked Mommy, "When's my next race with Daddy?" Hopefully she remembers this for a long time.

Oh, I ran the 5 km. Overall I finished in 52 place, 6 of 19 in my age group. I ran a 21:18, an improvement from last year, but I've still been unable to break the 20 minutes mark in a race. Jake ran too, blew away his PR and finished with a 19:05! That's sick. Fortunately, he got another year older and is now out of my age group, so I move up a place. Full results are here.

Close call

I've done a lot of driving in my day, 7 years doing some delivering and about 3 years working in car rentals. I haven't had an accident yet (knock on wood). That streak almost came to a brutal end last night.

We were on our way to Cambridge through some rainy weather and the closer we got, the worse the roads got. Near London the gusts of wind were moving us around pretty good and then we hit a big patch of ice that sent us into a wicked spin. Sue thinks we went around 2 1/2 times, I thought it might have only been 1 1/2. Who cares really. The point is that we were spinning out of control with traffic behind us closing in, including a tractor-trailer. Somehow we stayed in the lanes, off both shoulder, off the wall and out of the ditch. I have no doubt that my hands weren't the only ones trying to steer the car.

After the last spin we straightened out and I thought I had it fully corrected, but gave a little too much gas and we did another half spin. This sent us across the road and towards the ditch, but we were going slowly at this point and I was able to stop before going into the ditch.

It all happened so quickly that I really don't remember it all very clearly, but the one thing that I remember is that while were spinning, the tires barely squealed at all. Which tells me that we were on a pretty solid sheet of ice. I have to think that if we had been going sideways and hit a dry patch, this story would be completely different.

When we stopped, Darcy said, "Wow, what was that?!" We told her it was a big spin, she said, "I didn't like that. It scared me." Yeah, kiddo, it scared me too.

So we stopped at a hotel for the night and finished the last 30 minutes this morning. It was the right thing to do, as we saw several cars being pulled out of the ditch this morning.

Corner Gas

Do you watch Corner Gas? If you like good sarcastic Canadian humour, you should. Last night's episode was a brilliant parody of the Canada-Russia 1972 Summit Series. It was a table hockey match up between Karen, the rookie cop who passes crisply and trains fiercely against Brent, a beer swilling out of shape talent. I've been known to be a bit of a hockey history buff and this had all the details. Right down to Brent doing a spoof of Eposito's famous rant after game 4, Alan Eagleson (Wanda) getting carried away from the ice shooting the bird to the Russian officials, even having Espo fall on the ice before game eight, to great embarrassment.

Since art reflected life, I'm not spoiling the ending by telling you that Brent won.

I've been watching the first couple of seaons on DVD and a great question was raised by Hank: Where do people who live in igloos go to the bathroom? I've often wondering that about astonauts, but thanks to the internet, I can sleep well knowning that the space toilet only cost $23.4 million US.

The Great One

He turns 46 today.

Name Game

When we were expecting Darcy, choosing a name was not an easy task. Eventually we narrowed things down to a few shorts lists for either sex and after much negotiating we agreed on Darcy.

This time I think we're going to have a bit more fun. Like getting Darcy to approve suggestions. I had a good friend write with an idea, which I think is brilliant, but Sue is less than convinced. Sue asked Darcy about a different name and we let her decide which one she liked better. It went pretty much like this:

S: Darcy what name do you like better for the baby; Lucy or Omegatron?
D: Omegatron!

I think that settles it. Omegatron Titcombe, has a nice ring to it, don't you think?

And then there were two

I took a little heat at home for only being willing to throw out one pair of running shoes. So I took a leap of faith and threw out two pairs. Both pairs of Asics (#1 & #2 pictured) are now gone. A bit of a sad day...

Another thing that there'll soon be two of is children for Sue and I. You can read about that here.

And another thing that there'll be two of is Sue's cousin Glenn running two races in two days, also known as the Goofy Challenge. First a 1/2 marathon (21 km) and then the very next day a full marathon (42km). You can read about that craziness here.

Running Shoe Anonymous

Hi, my name is Nick and as this picture displays, I may have a problem. When it comes to shoes, everyday shoes, I own four pairs; one pair of winter boots, one pair of casual/dress shoes, one pair of every day runners (I don't actually run in these) and one pair of work boots. The work boots are issued to me and are only ever worn to and from work, so those don't really count.

I do, however, own a lot of running shoes. Some people would say that I have too many pairs. I probably have two many pairs (yes, very clever, I know...). But I can defend almost all of their existences. As you can see I have six, count 'em S I X pairs of running shoes and most of them are used frequently and only for running. Most of them...

What is perhaps the most disturbing part of my problem is that I know when I got them, how many races they've been used in, what the longest distance is that I ran in each pair and how many total miles/kms are on each pair. Oh, and I can tell you any of that off the top of my head.

Here's a partial index for you:

Pair #1: Asics Gel 1090: Apr 05 - 500km total (retired - now used only to cut the grass)

Pair #2: Asics Cumulus: Jan 06 - 465km total (retired - about to be disposed of)

Pair #3: Saucony Grid Pheonix: Jan 06 - 376km total (racing shoe for 06 - still active)

Pair #4: Adidas Tundra: Apr 06 - Used only for walking (still active)

Pair #5: Saucony Azura LC: Jan 07 - 3.2km (racing shoe for 07)

Pair #6: Adidas adiStar: Jan 07 - 5km (trainer for 07)

I know I'm not the only runner who is a little too obsessive about their shoes, I expect to hear some support from of you!

Good to know

Darcy was telling us about her day tonight during supper.

D: Bradan picked his nose and ate it.
N: That's gross.
D: Yea, that's yucky. I did it to my ear.
N: Did you eat it?
D: No, I put it on the blanket.

New Shoes

If you notice my sidebar, you'll see that I've started my distance counters over again. It's a new year, time for new counters. I'm not going to predict how far I'll go this year, but I do hope it's farther than last year.

One thing that remains the same is that I got two great deals on running shoes. I was really happy with the Asics Cumulus that I had last year, but they're dead now, after nearly 500km, and causing me some heel pain after 3 miles. I also used Saucony Grid Pheonix for shorter distances (less than 10km) and that pair is still going strong at about 380km. But since they're too firm for long distances I needed a pair of good cushioning shoes. Unfortunately, there were no Cumulus in my size, so I went with the Adidas adiStar Cushioning.

Since I know that the Pheonix won't last me the year, I got a pair of Saucony Azura LC. They are racing flats. A light weight shoe that is designed to have the absolute minimum cushioning and stability necessary to get you through a shorter race (10km or less). A big plus is that the bare bones nature of the shoe will increase my foot strength and my feet will be stronger longer. That's the theory anyway. Some people are able to adapt to using this sort of she during marathons and say that their feet feel less tired than when they use regular trainers. We'll have to see...

She's gifted

We're home from our little trip to visit family for Christmas. It was nice. A quick couple of days, but nice to see everyone and catch up. I hadn't seen some people since before going away for three months, so there was a fair bit of catching up to do.

It doesn't really need to be said, but Darcy is extraordinarily gifted, at least from my point of view. This trip she proved that she has an undeniable for having to go to the "baff-yoom" right as we're passing the last rest stop on the voyage. She did it Sunday afternoon and laughed about it all the way to her grandparents house, "Woo hoo, I have a stinky bum!"

She had a blast playing with her cousins, eating garbage and staying up way too late. Last night we managed to get her to bed at a relatively normal time and she slept for nearly 12 hours. When I went in to get her this morning I was immediately engulfed in two distinct smells; poop & vomit. She claimed that she hadn't pooped, but said she had a scratchy throat (while whipping her face off on my shoulder). My theory was that the smell of toxic poop her diaper had forced her to choke on her own filth. She was fine for the rest of the day. Eat well, played hard and had a solid nap.

On the drive home tonight, right as we were passing the final rest stop, she declared that she had "pee and poop". What a gift. And then she pooped. I find out later that even if we had stopped, it would have been too late. She wasn't upset by the dirty diaper and we were within 20 minutes of being home, so we pressed on. As we got about 5 minutes from home, the smell of toxic poop again forced her to choke on her own filth and she spewed all over herself, her blanket, her car seat and her brand new Dora doll. But she was remarkable calm and patiently waited for us to get home. As I was getting her out of the car she said, "Oh no, what a mess I made. Oh no, look at my Dora." But we got her cleaned up and put her right in bed and she never even shed a tear.

Sue can't sleep because she's worried D's going to be sick again tonight and I'm on midnights. So I should be sleeping now to prepare myself, but I can't sleep either. I'll pay for this around 4am...

--------

UPDATE (12/27)

Well, I was wrong about two things. One, I was paying for not sleeping closer to 2am. Two, Darcy must actually be sick because she was up from 4:30-6:00am with Sue throwing up again. This kid is so needy, geez!

The tally last night was something like:
Sets of sheets: 2
Pillows: 3
Pyjamas: 3
Hours Sue slept: 3.5

Happy Birthday to me

I turn 32 today. It was a good day, I worked the midnight shift and came home to hear Darcy say, "Happy Boofday Daddy" she was pretty excited for me. Then she said, "My boofday is June 6!"

Somehow I fluked my way into having the 25 & 26th off, not bad for the rookie. So were headed out of town to see some family.

And I quote!

My dear wife and I were recently discussing books to read. She said that she could recommend a couple that she knew I was going to like. On Dec. 13, 2006 at 1337, referring to one book, her exact words were, "It's not like Pride & Prejudice, it's good stuff."

She tried to take the words back. But at last I was able to uncover the truth; Sue is not the P&P fan that she claims to be. Now we're going to have to change Darcy's name.

Never a dull moment

*** Warning, this post is about a 2 1/2 year old pooping.***

Today Darcy was on the toilet, pushing her brains out. As usual, she needed to have a book read to her to accomplish the task at hand. So I was reading about Baby Pluto following his nose, but she kept getting distracted and was forgetting the task at hand. I asked what I thought was a simple question and the following conversation ensued.

N: Darcy, did you do your poops? Where did your poops go?
D: I dunno. Did you take them?
N: No.
D: Did Mommy take them?
N: No. Are they still in your bum?
D: Yes, I will pull them out (tries to put her hand under her bum).
N: No honey, push them out. No hands.

Sorry kiddo!

Tonight's Daddy-Daughter night, while Sue is at work. We were playing some silly games, like where she throws the mini-nerf football off my head and laughs like a maniac or when she says, "Don't laugh Daddy." And then I laugh and she laughs. Good times.

She also asked for a horsie ride and climbed on to my back. We took a bit of a ride and then she decided to get off. But before I could let her, she did a back dive and landed on her toy telephone, head first. The bruise came up within a minute. She's going to look like football player tomorrow.

She's the birthday girl

Happy birthday to my beautiful wife, Sue.

I can't believe you're really that old.

Love,
Nick

PASS

I'll save you the suspense; I passed.

However, it's a total hollow victory. Four of my classmate did not and I feel like I've lost family members. This morning was the worst few hours I've ever been through, seeing people disappear was unreal.

Thanks for your support during these last three months. Big thanks go especially to those who helped Sue while she was alone. I'm just glad that it's all been worth it.

I just wish it felt better than this.

The Waiting Game

So it's all over but the waiting. I find out my results Wednesday morning, hopefully by 10am. If all goes well, I graduate Thursday and start work back home on Monday.

I'm not going to lie. Yesterday was the most stressful day of my life. Although I'm reasonably sure that Wednesday morning will surpass it, up until this point, I've never been as nervous as I was yesterday. I know that a lot of my classmates feel the same way, so at least I know we're all feeling the same way.

It's time to let it all go now. Sue and Darcy arrive this afternoon and Sue and I are going to see Elton John tonight. That will be a great time and, for the record, it is her birthday present, so that has to earn me some big points in the husband of the year category.

ps: I switched to the new version of blogger (I'm sure you could tell). Now chalk full of beta-goodness.

Ironman Florida

Yesterday was Ironman Florida. Several people from Windsor made the trek and competed. I found a few of their results and as if completing an Ironman isn't sick enough, they did it some disgustingly fast times.

Matt Gervais: 9:45:49
Mark Kloppenburg: 9:58:40
Shelley McKee: 13:52:20

World class guys! That is amazing.