So much for attempting a triathlon this season — I’m suffering from a neck injury that should keep me from training for some time. That bus driver was right to worry about me. The diagnosis: either torn connective tissue or a damaged facet joint in my neck. Thankfully, it’s much better since the weekend when I could hardly move my head at all. Painkillers and ice have helped immensely.
I think it happened early last week while helping Agnes practice for her lifeguarding certification. She didn’t escape unscathed either and is sporting one — possibly two — broken toes. So we’re in pretty sorry shape for hiking the Chilkoot in two weeks.
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I’ve come a long way since last year, swimming-wise. It wasn’t too long ago that I counted every millisecond between breaths and dreaded the next 25m. Now I look forward to sessions in the pool and my biggest dilemma is whether to swim 400m or 500m sets!
The key indicator of my progress is the blissful experience of “time loss” (at least that’s what I call it). I’ve been there many times on a long bike ride, the kilometres slipping by as my mind drifts at a higher level of consciousness. It’s a peaceful experience where you can either have some really deep thoughts or just revel in the moment. When it’s over you have no clue whether five seconds or five hours have passed.
My only concern about “time loss” in the pool is that I lose track of how many laps I’ve done — very frustrating when doing a steady 500m set! Still, it’s fabulous to have become this relaxed in my most dreaded sport. When your fears of drowning have been replaced with fears that you’ll do an extra 100m, that’s not such a bad thing, is it?
Agnes discovered this on Friday. My immediate — and enthusiastic — response was, “So what distance should we do?”
The Pacific Populaire is an annual cycling event held by the BC Randonneurs Cycling Club. From their website:
Greater Vancouver’s first major public ride of the cycling season is the Pacific Populaire. Since its inception in 1986 the focus of this event has been to encourage participation by all cyclists regardless of fitness level, cycling experience, or age. For some, the ride is a challenge to turn in a fast time, a personal best, or to complete a greater distance than in a previous year. Others will be out for a relaxed spring ride, fresh air, and exercise.
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Cold and crisp in Vancouver today, but flooded in sunshine. It’s amazing how much more energized I am after running rather than swimming. I guess that’s why there’s no such thing as “swimmer’s high”.
The fact that I haven’t been running much recently didn’t stop me from having a great run. Beat my previous best with a time of 29:25. Maybe one of these days I’ll resemble the running form of my teens? Probably not, but a 4min/km pace sure would be nice…
Photo taken by Morgan Petroski 
, posted on Flickr.
Great triathlon shot I spotted on Technorati’s triathlon tag page. The photographer did an excellent job with this one.
