Adventuresaurus

g-RAD-uated!

2011-11-10T19:44:00.000-08:00

Nanaimo Double-header!

2011-10-20T10:31:00.001-07:00

This past weekend was the Nanaimo double header; Cross on the Rock's Island Championships on Saturday at Beban Park, followed by race #4 of the series at Bowen Park. In the midst of the two races, Oak Bay Bikes Nanaimo hosted their infamous ‘cross social on Saturday night. Many people have came from all over the west coast to race and rave about the Cross on the Rock (COTR) series. Places like Port Alberni, Parksville, Courtney, Vancouver (and it’s greater area) and the majority from Victoria, to name a few, can be seen on the start list in each division.

The Island Championships were run a little differently than any other COTR races, grouping racers together by age group, rather than skill level (beginner, intermediate, expert, etc.). This certainly brought on the cold sweats for me, as now I was racing against Internationally known cyclist, Mical Dyck along with locally (and beyond!)-famous riders, Dawn Anderson, Sarah Stewart, Tanya Berg and Joele Guynup. COTR just got brought up to a whole new level for me; I was terrified. These women are all incredibly strong and fit. My goal of the day = don’t get lapped. Starting out, I didn’t know how realistic that goal would be. The course was bittersweet. A solid amount of technical skill was needed to get your way through tight corners, fields and muddy sections, a pump-track, and loose dirt with roots. With that, my fitness was definitely put to the test during the run-up of 6-7 steps and the 8-or-so flat open sections that would allow you to pass others and gain up some speed. Being the “last not lapped” was surprisingly rewarding and I’m sure if we went another lap Mical would have caught me, but I was still disappointed on my last time through the pump-track.

In the Women’s 20-35 category Dawn Anderson came 2nd, Tanya Berg came 4th, and I came 14th, out of strong field of 17. In the Men’s 16-19 category, Adam de Vos took the win, Chris Sundby placed 3rd, and Jordan Kinghorn came 6th. The Men’s 20-39 category was almost as competitive as the women’s category (in my completely unbiased opinion!) Tom Skinner came 3rd, Dan Scott came 8th, Derek Brain came 13th, and Chris Dickinson came 38th. To cap it off, Rob Williamson came 27th in the 40-49 age category.

COTR race #4 held up to it’s reputation. According to COTR organizer, Normal Thibault, 104 people raced both events. Located about a kilometer or two from Beban Park, this was also another technical but fitness oriented course. Not sure if it was the race the day before or the OBB Nanaimo social (or both!) but this was a grueling race. From the start there is a long open section on the road that leads you into a brutal switchback climb and into a nice piece of singletrack. There’s a number of sections that were my favourite, and this was one of them. The fast descents were fun and required a lot of concentration to follow your line along the grass section and into some tight corners. The absolutely silly 30-something step run-up was killer but luckily for me it came with a flat grassy section afterwards and then a steep downhill. There were not only one sand pit, but TWO. This was my least favourite section, although I’m pretty sure I got the hang of it by the last lap. The second sand pit came after a steep 50m descent that flung you around a corner on a hill and gave you momentum to pedal through at least half of the pit. This was a great spot to watch during the other races! On the last lap coming out of the trail section and into the field, a slack piece of course tape that was fluttering in the wind caught hold of my bars and pulled my bike out from under me. I was pretty angry but it didn’t take me long to hop back on my bike and get going again.

This race, like most other COTRs, was divided into beginner, intermediate, masters and experts. In the Intermediate men’s category, Chris Sundby came 2nd, Jordan Kinghorn came 13th, Chris Dickinson came 20th, and James Peacock came 26th. I came 5th in the intermediate women’s field and Katie Rabien was doing well and fighting for some positions before she had to unfortunately pull out of the race from an existing back injury. Barry Rempel pulled in at 5th in the Master men’s category, followed by James Tarrant in 10th and Rob Williamson in 27th. Dawn Anderson reeled in a 1st place finish in the expert women’s field followed by Tanya Berg in 3rd. Tom Skinner is the only men’s expert rider to race on both Saturday and Sunday and podium at both events. What can I say – I’m a very proud sister! Dan Scott rolled in at 10th place and Adam de Vos came 14th. Big ups to Kevy Calhoun from Rocky Mountain Bikes who killed it on Saturday and entered the Bowen Park cross race but broke his frame!

Highlights of this weekend involved meeting the infamous Corey and Sean from Nanaimo, mega-phones, loud cheers and more cowbell. The race organizers and announcers did such a fantastic job with course set-up and take-down, organizing race times, racer support, primes along with top finisher’s prizes and draw prizes. Everything was top notch. Roland and Katie Rabien worked on the race results and timing for each race – HUGE thanks to them (especially when they raced, too!) They are always up in a flash!

To leave you on a semi-sappy note, I’d like to say thanks for all the people who came out, cheered and offered support. Big thanks to my brother, Tom, who stood on/ran along the sidelines for my whole race, shouting words of encouragement, even though I’m sure it wasn’t super great race prep for his upcoming race. Many, many thanks to all my friends and supporters – you guys are the best and make the races so much more fun! There were so many shout-outs around the course, each one hasn’t gone unnoticed! I swear, every time I’m on a race course, I always feel like I am the most popular person out there. I’m still hurting from this double header but already looking forward to COTR #5 – Transfer Beach in Ladysmith! Hope to see you out there!

Port Alberni Cross

2011-10-05T21:01:00.000-07:00

Last weekend, Libby, Jeff, Tom and I loaded up the Corolla and with 4 people, 4 bikes, headed up to Port Alberni for Lumber Cross. The road trip was super fun, but might have to do with the company! For my second cross race in the last couple years, it went fairly well. Here's some pictures:

Next up: Turkey Cross on Monday!

JS

Whistler Weekend

2011-08-13T23:16:00.000-07:00

Last weekend I went to Whistler with 5 other girls for Joele's stagette. It was so much fun, it was unreal. Tanya, Dawn, Joele, Libby and I drove up last Friday and stayed in a friend's condo just outside of the village. We met a friend of Joele's once we got there and had copious amounts of nachos, taco salads, stagette games, wine, and we all managed to run the warrior dash (pretty much the whole reason we went up there).

Now, you can't do a ridiculous running race like the warrior dash without a theme. Our choice: tight'n'bright. Man, did we ever rock it! Here are the highlights in point-form:

-Playing fun games with the girls

-Getting dressed up in running costumes

-Destroying a family pack of M&M's in less than 24 hours

-Seeing (and screaming for) Dawn on the podium for 1st overall woman

-The girls making fun of me for the small cut on my knee (I swear, it did hurt a lot!)

-Hitting Buffalo Bill's post race

-Nachos. Lots of 'em. With salsa and guac.

-Getting hosed off post race, and almost making Tee deaf from the screams.

-Girl talk

-Blasting sappy romantic songs from T's ipod in the car

We had hopeful plans of hiking the chief afterwards, too... but everyone was way to sore to barely make it up and down the stairs in the place, so we decided to b-line it right back to Vic.

2011-08-12T17:07:00.000-07:00

I'm not entirely sure why I think this is funny. Compliments of Brandon.

Amurica, hell yeah!

2011-08-09T23:20:00.000-07:00

Last week I went to Amurica. Definitely an impromptu trip having booked my tickets Tuesday afternoon and then leaving Victoria on Wednesday at 6am. After a 13 hour travel day, I got into State College, Pennsylvania, at 10pm on July 27th and Dee was there to pick me up. I stayed there less than 12 hours before we set tracks the next morning. Dee was finishing up a work project there and needed to transport a helicopter to Bakersfield, California for another work project.

Thursday morning, 8am we were on the tarmac and ready to go. Over 2.5 days, 20 hours of flying, 14 stops, Marshlands, the dessert, the Rocky Mountains and Cascade Mountains, the Grand Canyon, Vegas and we finally made it to Bakersfield. Here's some of the best pictures:

There's more pictures from Dee's camera that I'll upload when he gets back into town next week.

Keep thangs fresh,

East Sooke

2011-07-27T00:31:00.001-07:00

Last week, Dan and I went on an awesome hike around East Sooke. We brought along a lunch with some snacks and stopped at a bench on the coastline. We even had a contest to see who could spit our cherry-pits the furthest: Dan cheated and therefore I claim the title.

Tom and I did a hike here last year, but no where near as long as this one - 4 hours round trip, including lunch and random stops. I definitely need to come back and explore these trails more.

Stories are always better in picture form, so here they are:

Wussy in the cold water

"don't fall in.... look where you want to go"

On the main beach

hanging around the shoreline

Keep it fresh,

Bike Lanes

2011-06-16T10:02:00.001-07:00

Taken from Stuckylife.com, the youtube clip about bike lanes in New York almost made me pee my pants laughing so hard. Check it out here.

Dear body: Thank you for choosing to live

2011-05-25T12:17:00.000-07:00

I have now spent a total of 40 consecutive hours in bed (minus the trips to the bathroom, and occasionally struggling out the front door for some fresh air). Ah, food poisoning, I haven't had you in so long I forgot what it feels like. Reminder to you all: Worst experience of my life.

Now that my face has returned it's colour and I'm thanking my body for choosing to live, I can now keep down juice and some lighter-foods (but foods none-the-less). Woooo!

Trying to figure out where I picked this up from, Monday night's bbq steak is the only thing I can pin it down to. Weird, huh? I didn't know it was possible to get food poisoning from steak, but I guess anything is possible. As I've also been fighting off a pretty bad cold, I feel like I was getting kicked while I was down.

I'm in better spirits today. I'm taking a Theatre Appreciation class and I have to perform a play on Friday. I'm relieved that I am on the mend and hopefully everything will go off without a hitch. In the meantime, I'm still on the couch recovering.... visitors are welcome. I like popsicles and ice cream.

Awesome, in full force

2011-03-25T18:01:00.000-07:00

It's the Year of Jenny. Yep, you heard it here..... well, second. Taken from my good friend, Jenny Scott, I'm using this expression and making it my own. Simply said, this year is going to be all about the things that will make me a better Jenny; friends, adventures, traveling, and the rest of life somewhere in the mix.

Here are some highlights and future goals for 2011:

-First mtb race - 2 flats, still finished.

-Uvic development rowing team winning streak, including Elk Lake Spring Regatta, CRUSHED Oregon State University.

-GRADUATION, June 2011! Wooooooo

-Won a week resort vacay at destination of choice.

-Tom/Jenny trip to Guatemala, December 2011!

-Get my ass kicked in the 2011 racing season, but still have tonnes of fun! VCLs, Island Cups, X on the Rock!

-Girls Vegas Trip, October

-Visit Dr. Skinner in San Fran, November!?

-Apply for international exchange - Masters/B.Ed

Like I said before, the Year of Jenny. It's going to be a good year.

Reminiscent...

2010-12-02T09:48:00.000-08:00

As I sit here on my couch, early December, I'm trying to push myself to start my term paper. I look for distractions; something that will help me procrastinate.

Ah, I've found it: Pictures! I love looking through old pictures. Skimming through folder after folder, I've been here for about an hour. I stumble across my Hawaii folder, and got a huge grin on my face. I remember the feel of the warm sun on my skin, the tower of power, the row boat, lavajava, the frigid Hilo pool, "prairie doggin' it", Safeway sandwiches, Jamba Juice, and many others...

I could say way more, but pictures are always more fun. Here's some of my faves:

Next adventure, 2011!?!?

Ouch

2010-07-11T18:14:00.000-07:00

A couple days ago at the shop, I went to open a drawer (which notoriously gets stuck) and my nail got snagged and pulled partially off. The darker side around the edge is actually bruised skin. It hurt at the time, but now it's all good and feels numb. I'm still deciding if that's a good or bad thing.

Anyways, I thought I would share with pictures:

I think it's actually kinda neat, in a weird way. But definitely not as neat as Gillian's thumb, which she got caught in her chain and cassette a couple years ago. Here, take a look:

Tomorrow, I head for Europe. Wish me luck and keep thangs fresh.

Reminder

2010-03-25T12:21:00.000-07:00

I was walking back to my car today after class when I spotted...

I figured it's a good reminder every now and again.

Keep it fresh,

Helmets

2010-03-08T20:25:00.000-08:00

I don't get it; people ride their bikes all over town and all over campus with a helmet either hanging from their handlebars or sitting in their basket. It's never on their head. Haven't people grown up enough to realize that no one will make fun of you if you wear a helmet? Why even own a helmet if you're not going to wear it? I think that if you add up the amount of money that a person would spend on a helmet (which aren't cheap), and you add up the amount of money you'd spend on an average number of lifetime tickets, you'd be SAVING money by not owning one.

Some people might argue that non-helmet wearers is a form of modern day natural selection. However much I agree with this point, I must also point out that current medical technologies are so advanced that they work to keep these morons alive, sucking out more money from our health care system than needed. Money that I think could go to PREVENTATIVE health care, such as not implementing HST, or tax cuts for sports programs, etc.. Some say it's their choice to not wear helmets, my argument is that it's not my choice for our government to be forced into wasting money on a person who wasn't smart enough to wear a helmet.

I think Jerry said it the best:

"There are many things that we can point to that

prove that the human being is not smart. The helmet

is my personal favorite. The fact that we had to invent

the helmet. Now why did we invent the helmet? Well,

because we were participating in many activities that were

cracking our heads. We looked at the situation. We chose

not to avoid these activities, but to just make little plastic

hats so that we can continue our head-cracking lifestyles.

The only thing dumber than the helmet is the helmet law,

the point of which is to protect a brain that is functioning so

poorly, it's not even trying to stop the cracking of the head

that it's in..."

I just don't get it, so wear your helmet.

Christmas Shopping

2009-12-21T19:32:00.001-08:00

I went Christmas shopping today and it was hard to find a spot. I think this guy is onto something.

Exams!

2009-12-13T21:01:00.001-08:00

Wow, it seems as though this semester has flown by... although, sitting in the midst of exams, perhaps not fast enough. I've gotta say - I can't reeeally complain too much this year. Tough, but not "pull my hair out of my scalp, drink 5 cups of coffee a day, eyes bulging out of my head" kind of tough. Yesterday, Saturday Dec.12th, was my first exam. It was definitely nice to have a full week to study for my hardest, highest percentage exam: Sociology of family relationships - 50%... ouch. After doing quite well on the two given assignments for the course, I BOMBED the midterm... double ouch. I definitely had my socks pulled up to my knees this past week. I know the textbook inside and out. I probably shouldn't count any chickens before they hatch, but I couldn't help leaving that classroom without a huge grin on my face and the feeling I nailed it outta the park... although I should give credit to the fact that the final was written with more concrete, clear questions, compared to the midterm. Still, feeling good about a final, especially a final that is weighted SO heavily, is probably one of the best feelings!

Now, 1 down and 2 more to go. I've got an exam tomorrow afternoon that I'm a little nervous for: Sociology of Gender. We didn't have a midterm in this class, so there's nothing to base what tests will be like. The format: 3 essay questions in 2 hours. Yeah, you read correctly. And to make matters worse, they are based directly on course readings. I almost feel like I've used up all my memory on my Family class, there's no more space in there for more readings... but I'm trying. I'm reading the highlighted ones over again. They're not sticking now, but I'm hoping the sight of the exam papers in front of me will scare the thoughts out of me.

Tuesday, Dec.15th is my last exam. It's a condensed exam schedule that definitely has some pros to being done so early, but I'm hoping that the short time will keep me motivated enough to keep studying!

After that, I fly to Ontario!!! I'm really excited to visit family again - my extended family get togethers are something that I've missed most about being away. It will definitely be nice to be back with some familiar faces. Danny is also joining me, but he is flying separately, because of his exam schedule and timing - he goes straight to the airport after his last exam and takes a red eye flight and I pick him up in the morning. Hopefully, I will also get to meet up with Heather Hollman, who is currently living in Toronto to attend Chiro school - it will definitely be bizarre (but in a good way) to meet up with her there!

On the afternoon of Christmas Day, Danny and I fly together to Regina. His parents just moved there from Whitehorse this summer, so his whole family is celebrating Christmas there. I am very excited! His parents are such friendly, fun people. His sister has come to Victoria for a few visits and we've spent a fair bit of time together and always had a blast. We stayed with his brother and sister-in-law in Lethbridge and went on some fun adventures over the summer. Regina will definitely be another wonderful adventure!

On top of all the holiday jetsetting, I fly back to Victoria on the evening of the 30th. My Dad, Paulie, is going to be waiting to pick Danny and I up there with a HUGE smile on his face (hopefully). I have 3 full days before I have to start work and school, and we're planning some awesome day hiking trips. My brother, Dan, gets in from Calgary sometime in the New Year, which is when I'll be celebrating my FOURTH Christmas get together! Wow, Christmas sure puts a few things in perspective - like how fortunate I am to have so many wonderful people in my life!

Happy Holidays... I've got to get back to studying!

Keep your chin up,

Almost there...

2009-11-11T15:57:00.001-08:00

The fall semester is almost done.... only 2.5 weeks left of classes, 10 papers and only 3 exams. I've started a 'To do' list of the last assignments I have left to do in hopes to be more productive. This week is reading week. I've been doing a fair share of work. I still have a good chunk of work cut out for me. I think my list is a good motivator!

Last Monday was Danny's birthday. To celebrate, I threw not one surprise party, but TWO! Sunday night, I surprised Danny by taking him downtown. He didn't know where we were going. We parked the car, walked around the block, then.... Dan jumped out and scared the heck out of me. We met a group of people downtown for a couple games of lazer tag. The equipment was a little beat up, with cords sticking out, and taped back together, but regardless, it was ridiculously fun, and I think we should go again soon! To make things even better, I had ANOTHER surprise party for him on Monday. He had a class and midterm to write at 6pm. I picked him up from class, with everyone waiting at his place for him to arrive. I secretly called the house when we were 60 seconds away, and gave everyone time to hide. Coming home to a very dark house, Danny was slow to enter... then after he gets in the house and heads for the lights, the group turned on the lights, jumped out from behind the couch and yelled surprise. Tom hid in the deep freeze and popped out first. It was a super fun night and totally surprised Danny!

I also booked my tickets to Ontario for Christmas this year. I'm excited to be back and see family and friends again. I haven't been back home for Christmas in 2 years... and what's better? Danny's coming with me! ...well, not exactly. I am arriving a few days before he does, because his exam schedule runs later than mine. He catches a red eye on the 20th and I pick him up early in the morning on the 21st. I'm really hoping I can meet up with Heather Hollman. She moved to North York to go to Chiropractic School. Christmas is usually a busy time of year, so hopefully something can be worked out! On the 25th, Danny and I fly together to Regina, to meet his parents who just moved there for work. We stay there for 5 days before we head back to Victoria to meet my Dad and celebrate my 3rd Christmas! (wow, can you say lucky!?)

Keep fit and have fun!

Ah, Septmber...

2009-09-25T16:42:00.001-07:00

September only means three things: the transition from summer to fall, the celebration of my birth, and the start of SCHOOL!

Since school has started, I decided to take 5 courses this semester. Originally, I was going to take 4 courses, but I really want to get them done and over with. With my pre-req's out of the way, I have the chance to take some courses that I am really interested in. The line up: Sociology of Gender, Sociology of Family Relationships, Sociology of Mass Media and Popular Culture, Sociology of Aging, along with a first year English class that is needed as part of my major.

I'm thinking the English class, with it's many 2.5%-merit assignments is going to prove itself the most challenging.

So far, the semester is going well. We're 3 weeks in, and assignments are already coming due. I'm still working at the shop; Weekends, and Monday/Wednesday afternoons. I'm lucky that they're so flexible so I can take any time off I need. It's definitely going to be a busy 3 months ahead of me, but something I think will be relatively manageable.

I'm also going to be buying a new road bike for the spring. The 2010 lineup of Specialized bikes is ridiculously good-looking. My only hold-back: Tarmac or the Roubaix? Any recommendations?

Back to the paper-writing... Keep fit and have fun!

Pender Island

2009-08-15T21:31:00.001-07:00

Pictures from Pender a couple weeks ago... Enjoy!

Map

ferry terminal

Giving Paulie the race report from that morning

Excited for Pender!

Checking out the route

"How do you know when you're a pirate?"

I spy with my little eye...

Don't try to defeat the system

Plan under fire?

fueling up with some delicious granola bar.. yummmm...

Here we come!

Such beautiful roads!

Only 15 minutes to the pier

So pretty

Pender is really hilly

Bridge to South Pender

Crossing the bridge

Taking in all the sights..

The point at South Pender

Passing by a family of deer

We filled up our bottles alot

Tom thinking up ideas so people don't have to touch shit

In a world of hurt

So fresh

Sri Tri

2009-08-04T21:25:00.001-07:00

Last Sunday was the Sri, Self transcendence tri. Coming up to race day, I was pretty pumped that I had the day off to race. Working 40+ hours a week, I knew going into it that it wouldn't be anything miraculous.. but I was just content with excercising in the sunshine!

The swim went quite well for me. I'm pretty sure I offsited tonnes and made a 3 leaf clover instead of a triangle, but I still came out of the water sub 26 minutes which went pretty quickly. The bike was rough - really rough. I just didn't feel any power in my legs and felt like I couldn't push anymore than I was. Coming in off the bike, the run felt really bad. Luckily for me, it went by really quick and I had my best tri-10k time ever.

Post triathlon, I headed home really quickly. Showered, changed into riding gear and ate some left over pasta all in 7 minutes then I was out the door.

I met Tom, and we rode out to the ferry and caught the next sailing to Pender! We rode around the northern coast and took a little bridge across to south pender island. The island is really small and really, really hilly! Tom was on me every 20-30 minutes telling me to eat and drink more. I kept complaining about how much I hurt, but he would put me in my place and tell me to think about better things. Pictures will come when I get them off of Tom's camera.

Danny and I are heading to Hornby tomorrow morning. I took out a 29'er from the shop and we're going to hit some flat and hopefully fast trails. I've heard amazing things about Hornby, so I'm super excited!

Do like Hal Johnson and Joanne McCloud,

JS

spills and skills

2009-07-29T16:51:00.001-07:00

check it here.

On another note, my good friend, Heather, started her 2 phase trip to Onterrible today.

She is one person that is dedicated to changing the world, by leaving it in better condition than how she started with it. She is such a beautiful person and always puts a smile on my face. She is going to Ontario to specialize in Chiro. We've had a couple 'goodbye' dinners, and here's a couple pics.

Exuding lots of passion and motivation, I am going to miss her A LOT!

Keep fit and have fun!

JS

Slaving

2009-07-23T10:21:00.000-07:00

I've been working 5-6 days a week at OBB. It's been great; lots of fun and a nice pay cheque. The only down side, is that I don't have much time to excercise. I just got into a nice routine and I'm feeling really motivated with the new schedule.

I've just started an early morning swim practice with Tyee. Clint Lien is the coach, and practices usually run about 1 hr and 15 minutes. They run Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays. It's phenomenal!! I'm really pumped to get my swim fitness back!

This week, I've also went to my first Prairie Inn Harrier's run on Tuesday evening. It was nice to be off work to get out there for once... especially since I registered in March!! It was nice to have a familiar face, so Mike Janes ditched his usual Tuesday TT to meet me for the run. We did 4 x 2km loop, with each loop having 4 sections, and approximately 30 second recovery between the sections. On the last loop, during the second section, Noe gives me a shout out while her and two others ride by! It felt amazing!!! After the workout was done, they had bins of candy for everyone to eat, and we're talking some good stuff; cherry blasters, licorice, marshmellows, gummy bears, and 3 kinds of gatorade. Wow, my $7 membership certainly got it's money's worth!

On an even cooler note, This week I won the Zone's free food friday. After sending in an email, the Zone called me yesterday telling me I won. They come to your workplace and bring you hot house pizza for you and all your co-workers. Pretty deluxe. Needless to say, I was pretty pumped. They are going to be recording live for the lunch hour, directly from the shop!

I'm also planning a trip to Hornby Island for a couple days during the first week of August! The island looks so beautiful, I'm really excited for the trip!

Keep fit and have fun!

JS

jet-setter

2009-07-02T14:44:00.000-07:00

Last week, I got back to Victoria from a two week vacation. Flying to Toronto, I went to my younger cousin's wedding In Kingston. It was great to see fam and friends again, after being away for so long. I'm very happy for Sarah! I also got a chance to see family from the Skinner side. Both of my older cousins recently got engaged, so it looks like I will be going back sooner than I thought.

While I was at the wedding, Danny was racing the Canada Cup #4 in Edmonton.

He drove my car from Victoria so he could pick me up. I had a fairly quick turnover in Ontario, staying only 5 days. I flew to Calgary where Danny was waiting for me. We stayed with a friend of Danny's from the Yukon, Nicole, for 3 days. Traveling with 5 people, and 5 bikes takes a little ingenuity! While we were there, we went to Lethbridge for a horseback riding trip!

Danny's sister-in-law's family owns a 2,000 acre ranch somewhere between Calgary and Lethbridge. The trip was ridiculously fun!

On the trip, it was also Tom's birthday. As a celebration for his bones turning older than time itself, I made a cake. It took a lot of patience, but luckily Amber, Danny's sister-in-law, helped me work on it for hours!

From there, we headed to Canmore for Canada Cup #5. Canmore is incredible. The views were spectacular and the riding was hard!

And I made a friend along the way...
Not a bad backdrop for a race...
Tom coming through the top of the first climb really quick...

Danny flying through the singletrack that's riddled with roots, stumps and rocks...

Driving back to Victoria, we took two stops; One in Salmon Arm to see Paulie, one in Kelowna to see Danny's family. Salmon Arm was a quick over night stop, and we spent 3 days and 2 nights at Danny's grandad's house. His parents are moving from the Yukon to Regina, and we met in Kelowna during their move. Danny took me on a pretty hilly road ride, we went for some good walks and ate some delicious meals!

On our way back to Victoria, we brought along Danny's parent's dog, Sadie, for the week while they flew to Ontario to visit more family. While this dog would jump up on you, pull the leash, jump on beds and couches, bark, I worked tirelessly to help her kick these bad habits. Danny's Mom was impressed that Sadie wasn't pulling on the leash when Danny returned her. Maybe I missed my true calling.. ?

Canada Day was lots of fun. No work and all play makes for a good day! I had a little get together and made moose burgers and a HUGE lasagna. After eating as much food that would fit into my belly, a few of us drove up Mt. Doug to watch the fireworks. It was nice seeing them, but it wasn't the same being that far away from all the excitement.

This month is going to be crazy busy at the shop. I'm working lots of hours and don't have much time off for any sort of racing... which is fine by me because I'm not entirely race fit right now...

I'm looking for some early morning/late afternoon training buddies... if you're interested in some swims, rides, and/or runs, let me know!

Keep fit and have fun!

JS

Cali and OBB

2009-05-14T19:53:00.001-07:00

Last week I've started working at Oak Bay Bikes. It's been an adjustment, but the shop is amazing. The guys there are super helpful (and patient!) and Karl, the owner, is one of the best bosses out there. Really, I don't think I could say enough about the fabulousness of the Oak Bay crew. Come into the store for a visit! I should be around all week except Tuesdays and Wednesdays.

I'm hoping by throwing myself into this environment, I'm forcing myself to learn the things I want to know, but rarely put the effort into understanding. I'm wanting to know more about the trade and bike industry as a whole, and this will be the best way to do it!

A few weeks ago, I came back from a trip to California. The weather was beautiful, the people were entertaining, and though I didn't ride much, from what I did ride, it was incredible! Check out the pics:

We did some camping between the boy's race weekends. The scenery was unbelievable!

Stay fresh,

JS

Road Runner

2009-03-29T20:20:00.000-07:00

It's official. I splurged, spent the seven dollars and I'm now a PIH'er! I'm pumped! For those of you who don't know what the Prairie Inn Harriers are, they are one of the biggest running groups in Victoria. Known for their love and passion of running, I'm hoping some of it will rub off on me.
I've been regularly attending the Lifesport Saturday runs, and they've definitely been making me quicker. However, I think that I need to get in more than one run a week. The Harrier's run on Tuesday night, Thursday morning, and Saturday morning. Although I wont be giving up my Lifesport run on Saturday, I think the extra two runs a week will hopefully make me faster!

This morning, I drove out to the Caleb Pike crit. I watched the boys race and walked around the course. It was such a beautiful day! It made me feel great knowing I was going to ride that afternoon. I met Jenny at the switchbridge and we did the reverse peninsula ride. Averaging about 30k an hour, it was perfect! It's been my longest ride since September, not to mention, some of the best company I've had on the bike in a while! Finishing our ride along the goose downtown, I felt like I could keep riding for a while. Ah, I've got to remember this feeling when I am feeling lousy on the bike. Today has been a fabulous day! As for tomorrow, I've got a swim at noon, and I'm hoping to make it to the OBB women's ride, if I can get my homework done in time. I've got one more week of classes.... I can't wait until this semester is over! I've got 4, 10-12 page papers to write, but I can finally see the light at the end of the tunnel!!

Keep fit and have fun!

JS

yew - bee - sea

2009-03-14T12:24:00.000-07:00

Last weekend was the UBC tri. First of the season and also happened to be -1 degrees, so it hurt!! There was 4 races; short, sprint, olympic, and the duathlon.

I was a little choked that the week coming up to UBC, I caught a horrible cold/sinus infection. I made the best of it though, and took it as a training day.

I was really nervous for the swim. I've never done a pool swim before, and wasn't sure how it would be like swimming under the lane ropes every lane. It seemed a little confusing.

We headed across the day before, and I stayed with my cousin, Katie, who lives across the street from campus! Nathan, Julia, Danny, and I met up with G-Day to do a pre-ride of the bike course. Although my visit with Gav was cut a little short due to poor planning on my part, it was awesome to see him! Danny also gave my bike it's bi-annual cleaning. It's been a while since I saw it sparkling that white before!!

I had some super support pre-race; I met Mike Janes, a swimming/running friend of mine. (Sometimes, with a combination of me feeling really good and him having a hard training week, we are lane buddies!) He's a veteran at this race, and helped me check off my entire to-do check list. It was awesome having someone to show me where to go, what to do, and chat and hang out with!!

I had a great warm up; cutting it super close, I was about 20 minutes from my heat start. I wanted to watch Chris Miller's swim start and cheer him on before I did my race. Mark Schurch came up to me asking for an extra swim cap. No one else had one, so I ran back to my cousin's apartment about 3 blocks away, grabbed 2 swim caps, then headed back. My heart was pounding!

I ran to the pool deck, quickly undressed just to hear an official say "you're heat 1f? You just made it." I asked people what their predicted times were for the swim, and with a 24 minute goal, I quickly made my way to the front of the heat. I only stood there for a max of 60 seconds. I went second. The swim was fabulous! The swimming under the lane rope was a little awkward, but after about the 20th or so length, I got used to it! I swam 23:30!!

At -1 outside, I took my sweet time in "transition". There were two tents out of the pool; one for males, one for females. I took off my swimsuit, toweled off, put on my spandex. I kept telling myself to calm down because it's when I start rushing that I make a lot of silly mistakes. I then ran out of the tent and started my 400m run to the real transition. I kept my swim cap on my head for some extra warmth!!! I realized in transition that I forgot to put my race number with my stuff! Oops!

I felt really good starting out on the bike. The first lap was amazing - I felt strong, fast, and passed the girl who went first in our swim heat. After the first lap, I lost it... literally. I wasn't hurting, I wasn't sore... I just had no energy. I was disappointed that I was going so slow and couldn't push harder. It would be another story if I was in the pain box, or really pushing hard... but I had nothing to give. I wasn't expecting to be 100% with my cold, anyhow. Somewhere on the bike course, Nick Gottfried whizzed by me saying,
"Good work, Skinner!"
It was nice to see someone I knew, and give me some extra motivation!

Sidenote: I have some seriously amazing friends/training buddies!! I keep asking how I managed to score that...!? Lame, I know... but true!

After the 4th lap, I headed back to the transition. After thinking about my race number for 40km, I realized I would just take the number off my helmet and put it on my shirt. It worked. I switched over my orthotics and I was set to go!

Just running out of transition, I passed this group of people. In the corner of my eye, I see no other than Matt Corker. A friend I went to high school with... a very exceptional guy always challenging me to be better... at everything!
"Matt Corker!?!?!!", I yell as I run off course.
Him and other course directors are yelling at me,
"No, that way!! You're going the wrong way!" .... Oops!
Back on course about 50m away, I scream, "Matt, see what your handsome face does to me!?!?"

The 10Km hurt. It always sounds way easier when I'm NOT running it. Even now, I'm thinking "It can't be that bad... it's only 10km." Nope, I've got to remember that it hurts! I should start building into doing more brick workouts to get me used to that feeling.

It took about 6.5km until I could feel my feet again. If I hadn't run 10k before, I would be screwed. I kept saying to myself,
"You've done it before, you can do it again", over and over and over.

I saw Chris Miller riding his bike along the run course when I hit the 8km marker. Oh how I wanted to take his bike from him. He cheered for me as he rode by, I yelled out
"Hey, lemme borrow your bike. I swear, I just for 2km!!"
He laughed, but not the result I wanted. I wanted that bike so badly.

It felt good crossing that finish line and stopping. I keep forgetting the feeling of the 'racing high' you get every time at the finish of a race... it's what keeps me going, keeps me signing up, keeps me attending practices. Well, that and chocolate, of course!

It was great to talk to Matt Corker for a bit, without running at the same time! He's been at UBC for 3 years now, and I've been on the island for 2.... and this is the first time we've met up. Anyone that knows me, knows I'm petrified of Vancouver and the GVA, but I realize I definitely need to make a bigger effort to come across more and visit with friends.

Pictures aren't posted yet, but I'll post the important ones when they're online. You can check results here.

The picture production with my #1 boys is in the works... soon to be posted!! (Yes, MY #1 boys!)
Mike Janes - 1st short 20-24
Chris Miller - 1st sprint 25-29
Mark Schurch - 1st sprint 35-39 (Wait Mark, you're how old!?!?)
Nick Gottfried - 1st first olympic 25-29

Also, HUGE props to: Nathan 'Nate Dawg' Doering, Julia 'Goolia' Musial, Danny 'Stopwatch' Sessford, Heather 'Natural Talent' Hollman, Anna 'Secret Weapon' Dahonick, Hannah 'Stripping' K, Ali 'Superstar' Boyle, Katie 'Super Support' Skinner, Gavin 'Up for Anything' Day and Matt 'Always Smiling' Corker.

These people are so rad, so motivating, so inspirting.. not to mention they are also extremely good looking, it almost disguists me. Almost.

Keep fit and have fun,

J 'Shotgun' S

Better Late Than Never

2009-03-02T16:16:00.001-08:00

Before I start on my blog, I first want to recognize all the beauty around me and all the wonderful influences in my life. The city of Victoria, on Coast Salish territories is one of the most amazing places I've been. My friends and family provide me with enough love, support, motivation and inspiration to not only keep up with what I am doing, but appreciate every second of it. I am so blessed!

Now, on to my entry.

Lent. It's been on my mind the past week or so. Lent represents the 40 days Jesus spent in the desert, refraining from the temptations of the devil. This is a symbol of sacrifice and commitment, which ends on good friday and leads to his resurrection at Easter. Now, I know I'm a little late. I think the fear that my motivation and self-will most likely would fall 39 days short of that time period has been impeding my commitment. I think today, I finally found what I've been needing. It just struck me.

Over the past year, I've become less religious and more spiritual. Some might group the two together with the same definition. If you would have asked me a few years ago if there was any difference, I would have answered, 'slim to none'. Now, I hold a definition that has a vast separation between the two. I think this is partly due to my year-long Indigenous Studies class where, among many things, we analyze the influence of religion on the assimilation and integration of Canadian aboriginal peoples into white settler culture, and the demolishing effects of the Indigenous cultures. This has played a huge factor into my ideas and knowledge of religion, gods, and the meanings of life. I must say, I do feel an overwhelming sense of guilt concerning the first nations. I try to tuck those feelings away, deep inside of me. It doesn't work that well. Instead, I'm trying to use that energy for positive things. Appreciating this land, the people, and all the different cultures that make life as fabulous as it is. Increasing awareness is also high on my list. We've forced the Catholic/Anglican religion on the first nations tribes during the contact and throughout the post-contact years. This has been detrimental to the aboriginal peoples, and the ripple effect is showing throughout aboriginal communities now. There is part of me that aches with heartache and makes me want to disassociate with religion because of this.

I will however, always believe in a "god", a higher power, an ultimate being. I believe this is the same god that all religions believe in and pray to. Ironically, this would be the reason to my final commitment to Lent. In a religious sense, but more so in a spiritual sense. I know it's coming late, but for me, it is going to symbolize not only suffering and sacrifice but motivation, determination and love.

As I was leaving class today, walking along campus grounds, I passed by a drumming circle, and a native singing. I stopped. I listened. I smiled. The sun was shining and I felt amazing! Seriously, can it get any better!?!? What a wonderful celebration, a wonderful culture, wonderful people!

Long ago, I had a "thankful" journal, writing at least 5 things I was thankful for that day. I'm resurrecting that. I'm hoping to reignite my appreciation for the little things, and living my life spreading as much love and positive energy that I can!

How are you celebrating Lent? Better yet, how are you celebrating life?

J

Hatley

2009-02-23T19:42:00.000-08:00

Yesterday was the Hatley Castle 8K.

After talking with Paulie the night before, he convinced me I should race... and I'm glad I did! I keep forgetting what the 'runner's high' is like, and I'm reminded with every race I enter.

The course is notorious for showing no mercy on the steep climbs and rolling hills. Heading for the start line, I was beginning to question myself if this was a smart decision... but it was a little late to be backing out then --too many people have already seen me.

Hoping to run under 40 minutes, I crossed the finish line at 41:04 - which isn't a bad time for me. I was thinking sub 40 was a little unrealistic. But, on the plus side, I got a calf massage at the end!! And total bonus: my masseuse was pretty dang cute.

Today, my body feels pretty good! I'm pumped.... I have no aches, no pains! Perhaps I wasn't pushing hard enough.. !? I must say, I gave it a pretty hard effort on the last 500 m stretch. There was a fleeting 2-3 seconds at the finish line where I thought it was possible I could have met my '09 goal, and puked. Sigh... It vanished pretty quick, though.

I'm hoping to get into a regular running routine to get myself into better running shape. I'm looking into joining a running team. A little ambitious, I know... but all those runners from PIH, Westshore, or Running Room are so fit and look so damn ripped. I'm hoping I can hold off from my regular junk food binge - wish me luck!!

I've also given some serious consideration to running some longer running races. The Merville 15k is coming up... and maybe even a 1/2 sometime this season.. ? I suppose that would mean that I have to be doing some longer training runs... I'll keep you posted on how/if those go!

Meanwhile, here's a picture of me from the race:

Keep fit and have fun!

J

ah, simply marvelous...

2009-02-20T14:38:00.001-08:00

These past three days have been my saving grace.

It all started Wednesday. I woke up early. Ran at 10:30, swam at noon. Came home, had lunch then napped for two hours. The rest of the afternoon was dedicated to creeping on facebook, organizing my room, lazing around. Thursday was much of the same. Swam at 9:45, home for lunch at noon, then had a nap. I cut it to 30 minutes to avoid the groggyness I experienced the day before. It worked - I woke up feeling rather refreshed. My afternoon consisted of lots of wasting time, facebook, and writing emails. Then at 5:30, it was off to spin. I don't know if it's possible, but I bet I lost around five pounds through my sweat. That was the first night I did the run off the bike. Just a ten minute steady jog, but it felt great! I'm hoping it's getting my body prepped for UBC, which is only 2 weeks away!!

Today, I'm hoping to be slightly productive and get a start on some papers due next week :-(

The last few weeks have been hellish to say the least. The copious amounts of work and stress have been wrecking havoc on my body; mentally, physically, emotionally and spiritually. I couldn't even begin to explain how low I've been feeling, so reading week couldn't have come at a better time. The last few days have been reminding me of my hawaii days...

...riding to the hot ponds...
...running along shower drive...
...swimming in the pahoa pool because it's warmer than the hilo one...
...talking with the hippies at the pahoa market...
...going into town for random fun events...
...ecstatic dance...
...sunday markets...
...safeway sandwiches...
...the 'be cool' loop...
...richardson's beach..
...being serenaded to sleep by the coqui frogs...
...talking with Chad at Safeway...

ah, simply marvelous...

J

Tuh - aw - muss

2009-02-17T11:15:00.000-08:00

Two years ago today, Tom was riding his bike down Elk Lake Drive when he got hit by an astro van. In celebration of this anniversary, his recovery, his amazing positive attitude, motivation, devotion to a better lifestyle and making life as awesome as possible... this blog entry is dedicated to him.

Tom is nothing short of amazing. No more than a month after his accident, he was back riding on the roads again!

Today, Tom is still dealing with side-effects of his accident, but still continues to train as hard as he can and keep a positive mentality.

He's taken a horrible situation, and gives it a positive light; making other cyclists aware of dangers on the road, reminding drivers to be more cautious when they're driving, and generally helping others grasp a greater appreciation for life and striving to achieve all the wonders that comes out of it.

Tom is one of the most amazing people I know. I look up to him as a big brother, an athlete, a person, a friend. I'm very glad he didn't get completely crushed by that astro van!

Got 5 minutes? Check this link!

Keep fit and have fun!

J

Cobble Hill 10K

2009-01-27T18:02:00.000-08:00

This past Sunday, I ran the cobble hill 10k. As per usual, it was very last minute... I only found out about the race the day before. I decided that I was going to run the night before when I saw online that there was day-of registration.

When I got out to Mill Bay, I wasn't feeling too keen on the run - I must have sat in my car for a solid 10 minutes trying to coax myself out of it...telling myself I didn't have to run. Finally, I pushed myself to get out of my car and onto the scene - and I'm glad I did!

I started out feeling pretty good. I kept trying to relax as much as possible, which I noticed helped considerably for maintaining a regular breathing rhythm. The course was fabulous, too; beautiful, rolling, winding roads. It was pretty chilly out - when I was about halfway, it started to snow! I definitely should have worn gloves! I thought I was being courageous wearing capris, that is until I saw the real runners in their shorty shorts and tee's.

For the last 6-7 kilometers, I had a guy run right on my hip. Oddly enough, every race I've entered, I've had someone pace off of me for almost the entire race. They usually thank me for it at the finish line or through internet correspondence. At 100m from the finish line, he sprinted me... and unfortunately, won. He did shake my hand afterwards and told me how good of a pacer I was.

I ended up running a 48:40 10k - my best time, yet!

Most of my regular circle of friends are mainly elite athletes. Sometimes I get very discouraged with my training because they are always better, faster, stronger, or the excitement about my finishing times get overshadowed by their times because they blow mine out of the water. I've decided that I'm going to focus more on my progress than on theirs, and try to keep in mind that I am a beginner athlete. I need to remember that I've been in sport, coming up on 2 years now. Comparisons between them and I are not relevant because most have them have been training for more than a decade, if not for their whole. This also led into more thought about my goals for this season. Taking a cue from Tom, I've decided to make some serious goals for 2009. They include:

1. Running so hard I puke
2. Running a sub 46 minute 10 km
3. Sub 2:45 time at UBC - March 8th
4. Sub 3:40 10k swim in July
5. Completing a week long cycling trip up the coast of California in mid-April

Pictures from the race aren't online yet. I am going to get a new camera soon, so I wont be picture-less for long. I'll be sure to upload race pictures when they're up.

Also, with all this school-work procrastination, perhaps another goal should be to pass all my classes..!? haha! ...Next September, please remind me never to take a full course load again. It really wreaks havoc on all other parts of my life.

Keep fit and have fun,

JS

Don't you ever wonder what your appendix was ever used for a million years ago?

2009-01-14T08:53:00.000-08:00

Well.... don't you?

JS

Happy Birthday Jesus!

2008-12-26T16:30:00.001-08:00

Merry Christmas! The past couple days in Salmon Arm have been a nice change of pace. We've been going on some nice hikes, eating some delicious food, and chillin to the max. I would have taken some pictures, but Tom soaked it when he was raped by ocean waves during his Juan de Fuca hike. Instead, I made my own picture to illustrate the awesome-ness. Enjoy!

Stay fit and have fun!

JS

Love Your Mother

2008-12-21T23:19:00.000-08:00

The only good thing that came out of the bio class I took this semester: www.storyofstuff.com

Yes, Reading articles, listening to lectures, and getting engaged in debates/discussions might be a little overwhelming at first, but here are a couple suggestions to get the ball rolling:

Political action: participate in rallies/protests - uvic is really good for supporting all sorts of crazy things. Keep an eye out around campus and read the signs they have posted up. Sign petitions and join activist groups. Ask questions. Most importantly - contact elected officials! Gary Lunn of the Conservatives is the MP for the Saanich area. Not living in Saanich? You can find your MP here. Write them letters, give them a call, or drop by there office on the way to the ferries.

Consumer Action: Buy organic and locally produced products. Support your local farmers and tradesworkers. Check the labels to see where something was made. China? Indonesia? Thailand? Put it back.

Personal Action: Get informed about our world and its production. Let friends and families know about this, too. Spread the word. Shun them when they want to go to WalMart to buy knock-off items that 9 year old girl just got paid 2 cents a day for making in mass amounts. Also, walk, bike, or take the bus to work/school as much as possible.

Don't forget to smile,

JS

Light at the end of the tunnel...

2008-11-20T16:56:00.000-08:00

I am feeling pretty damn good! I just finished all my term papers for the semester. It's been a grueling week; having one paper due every day, Monday through Friday. I can't articulate any intelligent thoughts, or any thoughts for that matter, but at least it's done (and I can recover)! I just have to hand in my last assignment tomorrow afternoon and then I'll be on cloud nine. Now have close to two weeks before finals start and I feel like I am needing to do something fun; maybe a camping trip or something of the sort. I can't shake the desire to skip some classes. I haven't missed a single one this year and I feel like I am deserving of it. Realistically, though... I know I wont miss any.

I have a few goals for my week and a half of freedom. They include:

*Swimming, cycling or running at least once a day
*start reading "Life of Pi"
*Bake copious amounts of treats
*Perfecting the waltz
*Running Gunner Shaw
*Dance at swing city
*Start my Christmas shopping (Can you believe that we're only 35 days away!?)
*Get my FULL motorcycles license!
*Start to take more pictures for my blog

I made some pretty delish peanut butter cookies yesterday. I've got some other good ideas of things to make that I'm pretty excited about. I'm hoping I don't get fat this Christmas.

To balance out the cookies I just ate, I'm going for a swim.. the 10m board is open tonight - we'll see how gutsy I am, a little later tonight.

Keep your chin up,

J

Ouch!

2008-11-12T19:57:00.001-08:00

Yesterday I did the Thetis 20K relay. As per usual, I got on a team last minute - approximately an hour before the race start. I don't know how, but I always seem to get on relay teams with such fasties! Matt Sharpe led us out, then Aaron Thomas, I did the third-leg, and Nicolas Bocherens was our anchor (I told you I was with fasties!) I ended up running a 23-something minute 5K, which is pretty good for me!

I've been thinking lately, I think I need to hang out with elite athletes less and make friends with some fatties to boost my self-confidence a bit.

Tom, Danny, MJ and Nathan put together a pretty rad team, too. After getting on the Running Room/NTC All-Star team, I had to lay out some serious trash talk - but they crushed us! All of them ran a solid 18-something minute 5K, bringing them to 4th place overall. Not bad at all for cyclists!

I'm off for some more paper writing....
Keep your chin up!

J

Getting up to date...

2008-11-07T10:37:00.000-08:00

It's been a while since my last blog. If you read my last one, entitled, "back to school..." you would understand why. Well, I suppose now is a better time than any, so lets play catch up. I'm still trying to decide if this is worthwhile or not, considering the only people who read my blog are Paulie, Tom, and occassionally Jess (maybe?).

On September 14th, I did the Sooke half iron relay with Linday's Mom, and Barb Bialokoz. I don't know how I pulled that one off, but I managed to get an amazing team with 2 fabuolous athletes to race with. It was a blast! Not only did I have one of my best swim times of 31:50 for a 2K, but Barb dominated on the bike and Mel FLEW on the run. We managed to pull off a first place overall finish for the relays. I also did the individual sprint race for fun. I didn't know how well my knee would like the 5K run, but I decided I needed to man up. That is the last triathlon race of the season.

Mid September was my birthday. I think with hearing me stress out for the past 2 weeks, Paulie decided he would come to Victoria and celebrate with me. It was pretty rad that Nic, Ferg, and Brendan hosted a great shin-dig at the Sandell Manor. With a 'Cowboys and Indians' theme to the get together, I was fairly impressed with some of the costumes. Paulie even made an appearance with a Cowboys football t-shirt. Pound it, Paulie! Also, during the summer, my Mom bought me a motorbike for my "early birthday present". It's proven to be quite the challenge, as I'm sure Kent can attest to, but I've been getting better and better. I rip around the waterfront loop, and through downtown and I get so many funny looks, and people doing double takes. I often get a lot of thumbs-ups, all of which I chuckle to myself about.

Thanksgiving weekend - my favourite holiday of the year - Paulie came into town, like normal. It was so rad spending time with him and going for some wicked hikes. I'm pretty lucky that I get to talk about anything and everything with him... all the while hiking around local trails. When I was in Hawaii, I decided to sign up for the RVM half. Due to a persistent knee 'injury', for lack of a better word, I decided to demote myself to the 8K. I was ecstatic with my run time! Considering a lot of other factors, I was extremely happy to finish with a 39:20 - far better than I ever thought I could do in that state.

Lately I've been motorpacing Danny Sessford up climbs. The first time we went out, we were at the observatory. Half-way up the third climb, I ran out of gas! I coasted down in neutral, and rode back at a slow pace, and turning my bike off at every red light. It finally caught up with me going up the hill at Broadmead Village. Danny then started to push me, while he was on his bike! We decided to pull off to the side of the road because it was probably not the best idea to push a motorbike in the bike lane. My ginger friend, Katie, came to our rescue and brought a gerry can with a full tank of gas. Later that night, we realized that I had a reserve tank! Good to know for next time, I guesss!

Yesterday, I got hammered on the OBB ride. I was trying to tap out of the pain box, but it just wasn't working for me. I was feeling pretty good, and pretty strong for the first half of the ride. Then, coming around the corner by the airport, I knew I was fading fast. I was at the back of the lead group and they were slowly pulling away from me. I got hit hard by a very strong head wind.... the strongest I've ever riden in, which made it impossible for me to bridge back up. I looked behind me, to see the second group, and I tried really hard to catch a wheel, but I was spent. Long story short, Tom and Danny ended up pushing me the rest of the way home. Needless to say, I had a great nap when I got home.

School has been going really well. I did a lot of switching around with classes during the first two weeks of classes, and I'm happy with the ones I am taking. Because I'm super busy with all my school work, my training is definitely on the back burner, which I'm a little bummed about... but c'est la vie. I'm pumped about the classes that I have lined up for next semester. I've 4 set out for now, so I'm just trying to decide how much training I want to be doing in the spring and how much time I will need. I might drop a class once second semester comes around.

Now, I am going for a nice easy spin around the waterfront. It looks like a good day for riding, so this will be my abrupt ending.

Keep your chin up,

J

Back to school to prove to Dad that I'm not a fool

2008-09-09T21:43:00.000-07:00

Ater some laughs, some screams, a couple tears, and a hissy fit or two, I've successfully made it through my first week of classes. It's been hellish to say the least to organize my classes and transfer credits, but I'm the only one to blame for putting it off this long. I'm currently taking 6 courses, with a tutorial. One of my classes is a full year long. I'm waiting it out until the end of this week to decide if I'm going to drop a class or not. My schedule isn't TOO bad, considering, so no complaints here.

I'm still trying to fit in as many swims, bike rides and runs as I possibly can, but it's inevitable that my training is going to be on the back burner this fall and winter. Ultimately, it's a good thing. I feel a little burnt out from the summer. I'm tying to keep my diet on track so I wont turn into much of a heffer.

I'm also working very part time, looking after a 12 year old girl with autism, OCD, ADHD, and tourettes. It's very challenging at times, but it's a fun job and time flies by pretty quick. Not to mention it's going to be a good addition to my resume.

I went over to Tom's this evening, and overheard a conversation between him and his roommate, Craig. The conversation is as follows:

(Tom's standing and eating a bowl of cereal, Craigs sitting on the couch)

Craig: "What you got there, buddy?"

Tom: "Raisin Bran"

Craig: "Didn't you tell me a while ago that you were shitting a lot, lately? Why the hell are you eating BRAN?"

Tom: "I like Bran"

Craig: "Bran will only make you shit more"

Tom: "I just really like all the foods that make me shit. It's not my fault"

Craig: "Do you like Mc Donalds?"

Tom: "No"

Craig: "Well that shit will really make you shit"

I hope you found that as funny as I did.

Keep on rockin in the free world,

J

Compliments of Coops

2008-08-25T20:16:00.001-07:00

classic.

J

Tribute to Paulie

2008-08-20T22:17:00.000-07:00

I went to Salmon Arm this weekend to visit Paulie and, for lack of a better word, compete in the Apple Triathlon in Kelowna. It was a great weekend.

Not only did Paulie wash my car AND bike, we also had some wicked night hawk walks. Paulie treated me to lots of delicious ice cream, and to some of the best company that I've had in a long, long time.

The night I got there, Paulie and I chilled out and relaxed, watched the Olympics and caught up on things. The following day, we went for a short, but awesome ride in Salmon Arm - my first ride in the Okanagan. You can't go anywhere in Salmon Arm without climbing a bloody hill.. other than that, it was fabulous. Paulie then came down to Kelowna with me for package pick up and came to the race meeting with me - you know, all the fun stuff!

Not only did Paulie wake up super early on race day and drive me to kelowna, but at the race, Paulie was the best support - always had what I needed, whether it be water, cheering, or my time split for the previous lap... you would have thought I was elite or something!
Because we only took one car, Paulie ended up riding back to Salmon Arm, a 130 kilometre ride, which translates into 4.5 hours of riding.... AFTER wandering around the race course, cheering me on in the 38 degree Kelowna heat for 2 hours and 50 minutes. The heat really takes it out of you.

Paulie is one of the most amazing people I've ever met. So devoted to his family, work and training. He is one of the most positive people I know. He always has the best advice and delivers it in the kindest, most respectful way. Somehow he knows exactly what to say at exactly the right time. Sometimes I think he's not human.

Regardless if he's human or not, Paulie is one of the best people I know and I feel so blessed to have him apart of my life.

Thank you, Paulie, for everything you do for me, and for everyone else you meet along your way.

Coincidentally, as I finish this post, I realize that today is the 20th of August, one day shy of Paulie's birthday; A day that I will be thinking of Paulie every minute and asking the heavens above "What good deeds have I done to deserve such a marvelous father?"

Happy Birthday, Dad. I can't imagine where I would be without you.

Pound it!

J

Pain Train

2008-07-20T20:45:00.000-07:00

When it hits you, it really hurts. The past couple weeks, I've been trying to recover from my encounters with the pain train.... it's been a struggle, but I feel like I am getting on the up and up. Two weeks ago, I did the Cowichan Challenge - a triathlon in located in the heart of Duncan. A friend of mine convinced me into doing it, and she didn't register herself! 5am on race day, a time on the clock that's a little too familiar to me, I head up there for the first time. I think if I would have known how hilly the bike and run course was ahead of time, I wouldn't have done it! It's a good thing I didn't have time to pre ride or drive before hand. All in all, I was pretty happy with my times, and I had a great day with some friends I met up there. Since then, I've been working on improving my motivation and diet, and I am looking forward to seeing some improvements soon... (hopefully!) I'm hoping to get in some good swim workouts before my 3K swim for MS on the 27th. Yesterday, Carolyn and I did beach-to-beach at Elk. Swimming from the boat house was fabulous. We had a tail wind - that we were practically riding waves on, but it was easily made up for as we were being thrashed around by the head wind on the way back.

My Mom has been in town for 5 days now, and this week I am planning on taking her sight-seeing spots... hiking up Mt. Doug, going to see the gardens at Royal Roads Uni, etc.. If anyone else has some suggestions, I'd love to hear em!

Until next time,

J

To race, or not to race?

2008-06-30T17:28:00.000-07:00

Ah, Yaletown, the infamous crit that takes place in downtown Vancouver and known for the mass amounts of spectator's all around the course. I am debating whether I should race or not. I find it's extremely hard to pick a first race, because I don't know how fast I go, or how fast the women's cat 4 goes. Tomorrow morning I hit the road for the mainland... the registration deadline is at noon, and the race goes out at 1pm. That's when I am going to decide to race or not.... so wish me luck!!

J

Strokes for MS

2008-06-20T16:49:00.000-07:00

I registered myself for the Thetis Lake 3K open water swim for MS the other day. I'm a little nervous about it, seeing as I've never swam that far in one period of time before, but I thought it would be a great experience, good training and for a great cause.

BUT, this does mean that I'm going to have to do some fundraising for the MS Society of Canada... meaning: asking people to donate money..... not my most favourite thing to do, but I would love if you could help me reach my goal.. Nothing too extravagant, even a couple dollars will do some good!

Check out my Fundraising Webpage for more info.

J

Family Fun Weekend

2008-06-16T13:41:00.000-07:00

This past weekend was the Squamish Test of Metal. With both, Tom and Paulie racing, we also decided to double it up with some family fun! After chilling at the beach for most of Friday afternoon, Tom, Craig and I drove to Squamish in the evening where we met Paulie and Dan at our hotel room. We quickly got settled and pumped for the race Saturday morning.

The race started at 11am, so we had a chance for a sleep in and to leisurely get our acts in gear for the start. Paulie is such a trooper for racing only 8 weeks after his surgery! Not only did he have an amazing finish time, I never saw him without a smile!

Saturday wrapped up nicely with going over to a friends for a bbq potluck.

On Sunday, we decided to hike 'The Chief'. I didn't realize how epic of a hike it is. Tom, Dan, Paulie and I met Marty and Tara at the lower level parking lot in the morning and then made our way to the top in an hour and a half. It was one of the hardest hikes I've ever done.

Tom, Dan and Marty layed down the hammer!

Happy Father's Day, Paulie! (and Happy Birthday, Tom and Dan!)

Shawnigan Lake Triathlon

2008-05-26T12:46:00.000-07:00

This past weekend was the 2nd annual Shawnigan Lake Triathlon. It was great seeing so many familiar faces again after being away for so long. It was easy to get wrapped up in the excitement and anticipation of the race during the set up and kids race. As a bonus, it was great catching up with some old friends and training buddies.
Sunday morning, bright and early, Kent and I head up to Shawnigan Lake. I keep forgetting how beautiful it is up island. All it takes is 30 minutes on the highway, and you've made it to paradise. Driving along the Malahat, Kent and I couldn't take our eyes off the most beautiful sunrise I've ever seen; the sun inching it's way higher and higher through the mountains, reflecting off the lake. A done deal - I have to go out there more often this summer.
The race started at 7:40am. Arriving with Kenton at the start area at 6am, I got all my things organized in transition, and got my body marking done.
The water at Shawnigan Lake was freezing!!! I spent a lot of time debating weather or not I should use Lindsay's neo-prem cap with a chin strap; I chose nay figuring it was only 500m. About 50m out, I was kicking myself for my decision.
This was my first swim with a wetsuit in 8 months. Coming out of the water I felt pretty good; my removal of my wetsuit went a lot better than expected.
The bike course was absolutely beautiful - circling around Shawnigan Lake for the first time, I was amazed. It was a steady push, and a couple decent upills, at the end of the loop, I definitely wasn't jealous of Lindsay doing 4 of them.
Going back into transition, I felt strong. My legs weren't cramping, and I was keeping a decent pace and directing my bike farely well. Then I get to my spot on the bike rack. I get flustered, I have a hard time undo-ing my cycling shoes, and transferring my orthotics. I got majorly discouraged. Heading out for the run, I hear Kenton cheering me on, which gives me back some motivation. The run course is unbelievable. The whole way to the turn around, I am scoping everyone out, making sure they're not Melinda, Lindsay's Mom, who's racing with me. As I see the turn around marker, I breathe a sigh of relief..... until I turn around and she is 10m behind me! Running scared for the next kilometre, I can hear her footsteps getting closer and quicker to me, until she's running beside me. She tells me to stay with her, and we ran together for 1.5 kilmeters, until we both explode at the 1km remaining marker - her going faster, me going slower. I cross the finish line 2 minutes after her.
Feeling really lethargic and heavy, I was a little bummed out about how I felt during the race. It was easily forgotten once you make your way around the race site and start chatting with friends. I was reveling in the positive energy that everyone was emitting. It was wonderful. All in all, it was a great race experience, great venue, great weather, great coordinators... I couldn't ask for anything more.

J

Juan de Fuca trail

2008-05-12T13:45:00.000-07:00

I'm finally back in Victoria! It's never felt better to be back home, back in my own place, sleeping in my own bed. It was relieving to unpack my suitcase and put everything back into my closet. After living out of my suitcase for 7 long weeks, it's nice not having it in sight. After flying back from Hawai'i, I went to see Paulie in Salmon Arm. It was a long couple days of traveling! Needless to say it was very much needed, and I had a great visit. Paulie's recovering quicker than anyone imagined he would; hiking and walking lots, and even went out on a mountain bike ride last week! Paulie is an inspiration in every sense of the word. On Sunday, we went to the Salty Dog mountain bike race, where Paulie and I stayed in the feed zone, calculating the time Tom and Kevy would be coming through, and chatting away about life and summer plans. It was great!

This weekend, I went hiking with Kenton along the Juan de Fuca trail. It was so so so amazing to say the least. Two days of hiking with no real agenda set out... we just moved according to how we felt. Day one, started out at 6am, driving out past Sooke, to the start of the trail. Arrived at the China beach parking lot at 7:30am. We got our packs organized, parking permits settled, and left shortly after that. We traveled from China Beach to Chin Beach, which was approximately 21km. Kilometers 11-20 held the roughest terrain, with intense uphills and some sketchy descents.
Kent's back and my feet surely felt it. In an 8 hour hiking day, we took approximately an hour of rest which was broken into 3 stops for our PB & J bagels, and smarties out of the trail mix. Thanks to Marsh for his delish homemade granola bars and water purification tablets.

Hiking along cliff edges, suspension bridges, tree stumps, insane mud sections, and some of the most serene and breathtaking views you could ever imagine, I have never felt so happy, so peaceful, so humbled. There is nothing more beautiful than Mother Nature. Well, maybe besides the sound of the comfortable silence (and occasionally the bursts of my heavy breathing) while being surrounded in such a gorgeous environment. The smell of the ocean, the vibrant green leaves on the trees, all of which stimulated my senses and led to a sensory overload. For the most part, I found myself speechless.

We arrived at the Emergency Shelter at 3:30pm... our much anticipated stop... our safe haven. The walls were covered in names, dates, sayings, poems, etc.. The most prominent one, written in thick black marker, right in front of the door read, "Juan de Fuc this trail in the ass". Repeating that saying over and over never got old. We decided to stop in the cabin for an hour, rest a little, eat some dinner, then trek down 100 meters to the beach and set up our tent and campsite. While sitting on the wooden bench of the cabin, we heard only the sounds of the birds chirping, the waves riding up against the beach, and our own sighs of relief. The more time we spent sitting in the cabin, the more tired I got and heavier I felt. The idea of staying over in the emergency shelter kept sounding better and better to me. The only problem: How to convince Kenton to staying in the cabin overnight? Especially after pumping up the idea of how cool it would be to camp in a tent on the beach. As I'm thinking what to say, I hear, "Do you just want to stay here tonight?" Ahhh, music to my ears!

Kent pulled out a deck of cards, and taught me how to play Gin Rummy. In no time flat we're playing hand after hand, as I picked the all the smarties out of our trail mix.
I have a feeling that Gin Rummy has become what crib is to Brad and Libby.
Our dinner, cold Spaghetti from tupperware containers that we made the night before, had never tasted so good. After having enough of Kenton slaying me over and over in Gin Rummy, we decided to set up our bunk beds and head to bed. It didn't take long after we turned off our canoe brand flashlights (Pound it, Paulie!) did I hear the scurrying of mice along the floor of the cabin. The combination of the crashing waves, and the mice searching throughly for leftovers, woke me up at 3:30 and couldn't get back to sleep... I couldn't stop watching the mice. I was impressed with their climbing abilities... It was quite entertaining. For such small creatures, they sure make quite the racket.

Day two started quite later than the one previous. We woke up at 8:10. I could tell I was really tired. We ate our breakfast; an apple, some orange slices, and a bagel with PB. Taping up my blistered heals and packing up our backpacks we set out on the trails at 9:30. We decided to head onwards on the trail (as opposed to hiking the 20km back to China Beach, which was one options we were thinking of). We re-routed, and headed onward on the trail, to Sombrio.
Coming to an ATV trail that merged with the Juan de Fuca, we evaluated our options and ruled that it was a safe bet it would lead to the highway. With 3 hours of hiking for day two, we finally found the road and tried our luck with hitchhiking back. After being passed by a couple of vehicles packed with people, camping materials and surf boards, we finally got picked up by two hot surfer chicks; Kelly and Morgan. Oddly enough, one of them being friends with Kenton from Calgary. Go figure.

Very soon, we were back at the China Beach parking lot. It felt great to get into the car, and take off my shoes! After a short drive home, (and appreciating another mode of transportation besides the heel-toe!) I found myself lying around the house, trying to recuperate and reminiscing over a very fun and eventful couple of days. Plans are still pending for another hiking adventure to complete the other side of the Juan de Fuca. Anyone wanna come with?

J

So long, and thanks for the zen!

2008-05-01T09:14:00.000-07:00

Here I am, writing to you from the Vancouver airport; a place that is like a labyrinth to navigate through and filled with tonnes of anxious travelers, grumbling, unhappy airport workers, and overpriced everything... but I have never been so happy to be here - back in Canada - almost back at home... I can see the light at the end of the tunnel! Although I am really looking forward to getting back to my place, I am also a little disappointed that I'm leaving Hawaii. This means no more talks about life with Jess and Marcelo... no more coqui frogs to serenade me asleep... no more Chad making me the best sandwiches at Safeway slash telling me his life stories... no more ecstatic dance... no more hitchhiking. It seems like it was a couple days ago that I was watching old greg with Dan and Jamie, 6 weeks ago. With awesome trips to the hot ponds, riding the 'be cool loop', Climbing up a Volcano on my bike, Waikoloa for the lavaman, a weekend in Kona with Lindsay, Sailing with the Hanza's, hiking trips to the Hamakua falls, and quality time with Jess and Caro, Paulie's safe and successful surgery with a quick recovery, this is definitely a trip that is going to stay with me forever. I am so blessed to have such amazing people in my life. If you are reading this, chances are you're one of them - so thanks!

Keep Dreaming,

J

Geronimo

2008-04-26T20:10:00.001-07:00

This morning, Marcelo took AJ, Jess and I up the Hamakua Coast, approximately 17 miles from downtown Hilo. Even the car ride was amazing, taking us along the shoreline, past the Onomea hiking trails, and into a secluded windy road with beautiful flowers and trees. We hiked out on the rocks through the river for about 20 minutes until arriving at what we called paradise. With a 30-foot waterfall at the end of our trek, it was well worth it, and was one of the most beautiful trips I've ever taken. We even got a chance to cliff-dive beside the falls, and swim in the water. It reminded me so much of cottage-country in Ontario; cliff-diving and swimming in Georgian Bay. Here are the highlights of the day...

Without a doubt, Marcelo is the best tour guide in Hawaii. Kudos to him for sharing his knowledge and patience with us. He really is a gem.

Keep Dreaming,

J

week 5 in Hawaii

2008-04-24T22:01:00.000-07:00

The last couple of days in Hawaii have been awesome. There was a solid 6 days of quality 'Jess-Caro-Jenny' time at Jess' place. Beyond the obvious bonding, we've also done some wicked swim workouts, gone for some nice bike rides and runs, and shopped til we dropped! Not to mention having some much needed 'girl talk' - the one thing I've been lacking since coming here. Carolyn left for Victoria on Sunday afternoon. I miss her already, but I think she's already started to plan her next trip out.

AJ arrived at the Hilo airport on Tuesday morning. It's been a productive couple days... so far, we've hiked the Onomea Trails, been hiking at the ocean cliff's close to Jess' place, and we made it down to the hot ponds today for snorkeling/tanning. I'm really looking forward to what my last week in Hawaii is going to bring.

Besides adding a couple extra shades of brown to my skin tone, I also did the 'be cool' loop this morning. I kept a steady pace, and surprisingly the time just flew by. I've been feeling quite good the last few days.. I'm hoping it's a trend.

Keep Dreaming,

J

Cheers

2008-04-19T22:39:00.001-07:00

Yesterday, Marcelo's dad, Ivo, took Jess, Carolyn, Marcelo and I, out sailing into the Pacific. We were on the water for a few hours on a boat named "Cheers". Ivo was definitely in his element, teaching us all the basics of sailing; the names of the different pieces, how and when to use them, etc.. Going sailing with the Hanza's was one of the highlights of my trip to Hawaii. Even though I've been here for a little over 4 weeks, it seems as though I'm unable to grasp the idea of actually being in Hawaii. I find myself narrating my own actions in my head, "You're sailing in the Pacific ocean, off the coast of Hawaii right now!" and "You are riding your bike up a Volcano", etc.. I wonder if it will ever fully sink in. This is such a beautiful place, I am trying really hard to absorb it all and appreciate how blessed I am to be here!

Today, The girls and I hit up the Pahoa pool for a swim workout in the morning. Pahoa is a neighboring town to Hilo, and resembles the characteristics of a developing country. A town that is 'off the beaten path', but I love it all the same. The pool is a fabulous facility and I still can't comprehend how they make them free. They are definitely a step ahead of Canada in this department. Here's a picture of me goofing off after the workout:

This afternoon, We drove to the top of the Volcano. When we were there, Carolyn and I went for a little jaunt, and ended up on a trail that ran 2 feet from the edge of the Volcano crater. It was a phenomenal site to say the least! We kept stopping every 5 minutes to take a peek off the edge, which for half of it, was NOT guarded by railings. Afterwards, we all met up and went to the Lava tubes. I think I might have found Greg's place.

All in all, the last couple days have been fabulous, especially with the news of Paulie recovering so well.... Pound it, Paulie!

Tomorrow, Carolyn flies back home to Victoria, which I hear got hit by 6cm of snow this morning.

Ending today with a glass of wine, I can't think of a better way to celebrate a fantastic trip.

Keep Dreaming,

J

Dedicated to Lindsay

2008-04-18T12:28:00.000-07:00

With the training camp wrapped up late last week, I had an AMAZING weekend in Kona with Lindsay. What started out as a nightmare, ended with a hell of a story and some of my favourite memories. We stayed at Patey's Place, a hostel in the centre of town and also about a 5 minute walk away from the local pool. Lindsay and I would head there for our swim workout in the morning, and then have the rest of the day to play and explore. Most days consisted of hitting up the beach, walking along the strip, and shopping. Here are a few of my favourite pictures:

Lindsay and I sitting in the hammock at the hostel..

Lindsay and I at Bubba Gump's for dinner..

Us on the FREE bus...

What a bad ass!!...

A cool shot of a boogie-boader at the beach..

Lindsay petting her new pet sea turtle...

The view on the way to Lavajava (which we hit up everyday!)...

Lindsay and I on the Kailua pier..

Magic Sands beach..

The waterfront strip in Kona..

I love you L-Dubb!

Keep Dreaming,

J

Epic Proportions

2008-04-09T01:00:00.000-07:00

Since I've been in Hawaii, I've been climbing on the bike more than I ever have! This past weekend, I competed in the Lavaman triathlon - the longest triathlon I've ever raced! It was amazing. I had my best swim, and I felt great through the bike, too. My goals were to go strong on the swim and bike, and dealing with my knee injury, my run could go to shit - as long as the rest was a good effort - and it was! I was so happy with my race... not to mention all my friends had amazing races, too. Good day, all around.

Lindsay and I, pre-race, setting up in the transition..

Group shot during awards ceremonies...

And some post race relaxation at the pool!!....

Today was the first day of the Lavacamp. We started out doing the epic ride up Koloko. The climb was so steep I had to weave back and forth along the road to make it up. From previous years of the camp, some riders have even fallen off their bikes because you can't climb in a straight line. With 4.5 hours of riding, this makes the longest ride I've ever done. Needless to say, I was spent at the end of it. Here are some of the highlights of the day..

And my favourite picture of the day...

Special thanks to Jess for the company... I'm looking forward to the next days of the training camp....

Keep Dreaming,

JS

Gordie Howe Hatrick

2008-04-02T15:52:00.000-07:00

Hawaii has been absolutely amazing... gorgeous weather, phenominal riding, FREE pools and great company! It's hard to think that I've been away for two weeks already... it doesn't seem like I've been away that long... the homesickness is starting to fade away as I start to develop my new routine here. Lindsay arrived in Hilo yesterday, and it was SOOO nice to see her again, which seemed like forever (I guess it has been forever when you're used to seeing someone every day!). We picked her up from the bus stop, and then went down to the hot ponds for a dip, some sun tanning, and a little run.

For the last week or so, I've been feeling a lack of energy and really sluggish - I think due to the lack of sugar in my system. Yesterday, after a very stressful and mentally tiring day, I nearly had a meltdown. Dan, Jamie and Lindsay knew exactly what to do.... take me to MCD's for some ice milk. I outdid Dan's previous record, with a hatrick... Gordie Howe style; a McFluerry, a sundae, AND an ice cream cone... and ended with knocking myself out! Not only after that did I start feeling like myself again. Now that I have my binge out of my way, I think I've learned my lesson - everything in moderation... I mean, that's why I am in this crazy sport!

This morning, Janet Lindsay and I dropped Dan off at the airport, said our goodbyes and wished him a safe flight back to Victoria. Then, we hit the Hilo pool. An extremely cold pool, but a good workout none-the-less. On the way home, we also happened to hit up the Mauna Loa Chocolate factory for some samples and a factory tour. It was magical.

This afternoon, we're going to go for a bike ride and then drive to the lavafields to see the lava flowing into the ocean. The eruption of Kilauea has been continuous since January of 1983, and the cooled lava has added 600 acres (and counting) of land mass to the big island. On an exploration ride last week, I stumbled upon the lavafields, after riding approximately 3 kilometres in, I decided to turn around due to the rough road conditions. It's about 4 -5 kilometres to the ocean from the closest parking lot.... so I'm excited to be making it down to the ocean side.

Tomorrow, Janet, Lindsay and I head to Kona. The Lavaman is coming up quickly and I'm having some mixed feelings about racing. I'm really looking forward to the race, but I'll be happy when this weekend is over!

And yet another picture of a gecko. I just love these guys. There are two kinds here: the aligator type - all brown and creepy looking (but still cool!), or the geiko type, pictured above, that will save you loads on car insurance.

Dan and Jamie left this morning, and I miss them already! I never thought I'd see the day that I miss their hating on everyone and everything.... not to mention, the Square of Power has been demolished. It's a sad day.

Now that the rain has cleared and the sun is coming out, it's off for our bike ride! Compliments to Mauna Loa for supplying me the energy for a good ride!

Keep Dreaming,

Life in Hawaii

2008-03-29T14:29:00.000-07:00

This was one of the grocery stores that we went to last week...

Puna is the district that Jess lives in. The jokes never get old.
Here's one of the geckos that I've spotted. There all over the place and I love them.

On a side note, yesterday I went for an hour run in the afternoon... the longest run I've done since getting here, and my knee didn't hurt as bad as it normally does! I actually felt pretty good, now I just gotta get out there more often and then I'll be back in decent running shape in no time.

Now, Jess and I are cycling to the town 'Volcano'. This will involve a decent effort on my part, and a huge mental effort. Wish me luck!

Keep dreaming,

JS

Week 1 in Hawaii

2008-03-27T12:00:00.000-07:00

Today marks my one week of being in Hawaii. Hawaii is pretty awesome, and I've been able to do some pretty sweet stuff. Here's a little list of the things I've done so far:

*Rode my bike more in 7 days than I normally do in 14
*Eaten the most amount of macadamia nuts in one sitting period
*Swam with sea turtles
*Danced with naked hippies
*Watched more Old Gregg vids than ever before
*Eaten the most amount of fruit than I have in my life
*Swam in the Hot Ponds
*Danced on stage with an Australian dance group
*Been to many local markets
*Watched a modern-day church jam sesh
*Hitchhiked (and the guy driving was drinking a Milwaukee's Best)
*Started a blog!!

I'm super excited because my roommate, friend and training buddy, Lindsay, is flying into Kona next week. I've been feeling a little homesick lately, and I have a feeling she's going to be the cure. Another friend of mine, Carolyn, is joining us shortly after on the 4th. Their arrivals are going to kick start a fabulous week which leads into the Lavaman Triathlon on the 6th in Waikoloa. For the four days following the race, LifeSport is putting on a triathlon camp that I am equally excited about. This will be a trip of many firsts for me, so I am feeling so thankful that I can be apart of so many things with such awesome people!

Keep Dreaming!

JS

Monopoly Anyone?

2008-03-26T18:11:00.001-07:00

I can't get over how silly American money is. It all looks the same!!! I've had a couple chats with a few locals here, and each of them always bring up the fact that Canadian currency looks like monopoly money. I think coloured money is cool, along with the metric system! But seriously though, American money is very silly!!

The states don't have the $2 anymore, though.

Keep Dreaming!

JS

eating right

2008-03-24T23:42:00.000-07:00

After pillaging the easter sale racks at the grocery store (and paying for it during workouts), Jess and I have developed a plan to start eating better. Cutting the shit out of our diet, and using each other as support when one of us gets weak. Here are our guidelines:

Beginning March 25, 2008

No ice cream
No cookies
No chocolate (exception of one small treat once a week – after a hard workout)
No simple sugars (including ketchup and Jenny only allowed small amount of PB on toast once a week)
No aspartame or sugar substitutes (like splenda)
Gatorade and sugar drinks allowed only on rides and up to an hour post ride
No Arizona iced teas
No corn pops or sugar cereals
Granola/power bars only allowed on rides
Limit of two pieces of bread a day
Minimal eating out, in the restaurant form
Maximum of one glass of wine a day
No pop
At least one litre of water a day
No chips or tortillas
One apple a day for Jenny
One salad a day with dinner
At least one handful of nuts a day
No Mauna Loa’s, except in riding your bike form
One serving of fish at least three times a week
Each grocery basket is at the judgement of the other person

Paulie has bet us a large blizzard we don't last a week. Perhaps he knows me a little to well to appeal to the super competitive side of me to help me in this challenge. Thank you, Paulie.

Today, I ran, swam and went for a bike ride. Nothing spectacular, but a decent effort. I ran 4 miles today, my knee was acting up a little bit, but has improved a lot from a couple days ago! Hopefully this is a trend and will continue on this path.

Keep Dreaming,

JS

that's trippy

2008-03-24T00:27:00.000-07:00

As I've been meeting more and more locals, most are some of Jess' friends, the more I hear the term 'trippy'. I don't know if it's a Hawaiian thing, or even an American thing, but it's trippy! I hear that term more in one day, than I have in my whole life. When I strike up a conversation with someone, and it comes up that I'm Canadian, I get the same two responses; 'That's trippy, EH!?, what's with people from Canada always saying eh?' or 'oh wow, Is it always cold up there?'.
I find it funny, and try to come up with some ridiculous story to tell.

On another note, today I hit up this awesome beach, with Jess' friend, Marcelo. He is a really cool guy. We sun bathed for an hour, and then jumped in the ocean to see some sea turtles! There are some really cool looking fish we saw, too! I'm looking forward to doing some snorkeling and surfing in the near future! Here are some pics from the beach:

Yesterday, Dan and I rode to the Natural Hot Ponds for a dip! The Natural Hot Ponds is a pond of water that is heated naturally by the earth underground. The only thing man made is the siding along the pond that is concrete, and a couple steps on each side. It was a great ride, and then we plugged in the tuneskies and soaked up the sun for an hour. It was a Skinner-bonding experience... I loved it. Then we headed back home early afternoon. I also bought a pair of crocks yesterday. They're the best pair of shoes I think I own. If you don't have a pair, you should consider investing.

Keep Dreaming... cause it's a trip!

JS

two a days

2008-03-22T02:33:00.000-07:00

No, not the two a days of training rides that Jamie refers to in his blog, or even the hit TV show on mtv, but two postings a day!

Today, Jess and I went to the Hilo pool for a swim. It was a good workout and a cool place to visit, not to mention that it's completely free! Working a lot on technique and pace, I did a choice warm up, with a couple drills and 10 x 200m. After the pool, we went into town and did some shopping. We hit up the market, where I bought this gorgeous 6-foot flower for $1. Yes, you read correctly - $1.

After Jamie was shaking it around a bit, a little friend fell out and landed on the floor. Here's a picture.

Best dollar I've ever spent.

We also went to see 'Descendance' - an Australian tribal group here in Hilo. They were amazing! They're staying next door, so Jess and I got to meet them when they arrived yesterday. We were speaking to one man after the show, and found out that they've been on a couple tours with Xavier Rudd! We were hoping to have a dance party with them tomorrow, but unfortunately they leave early in the morning.

Keep dreaming,

JS

The Square of Power

2008-03-21T13:16:00.000-07:00

You know that when you wake up and Dan and Jamie are already awake, you must have been really tired and needed the 11 hour sleep. For the hour commencing my wake up, my life has been filled with Old Greg video clips, The 'swim, bike, run' song that Jamie plays every morning, eating cereal, surfing the web, and planning our day.
Here's a a picture of our square of power:

Today, Jess and I are going to run some errands downtown, and take a dip in the ocean.

keep the dreams alive,

JS

p.s. I forgot to put on suntan lotion before I went on my ride yesterday, so I got a nice sunburn on my arms and shoulders. At the very least, I'm glad that I wore a sleeveless jersey, so I wont have the complete cyclist's tan.

Adventure Crew

2008-03-20T22:38:00.000-07:00

I arrived at the Hilo International Airport this morning at 6 am. After flying to Honolulu on Wednesday night, and staying at the Honolulu airport, I'm feeling great about getting settled at Jess'. Today has seemed like the longest day I've ever had, probably due to the fact that I had approximately 40 minutes combined sleeping at the Hono Airport, combined with lots of activity. Here's a pic of my bed for the night in Honolulu. Don't let the picture fool you, it was much more comfortable than it looks.

Wrapping up my first day in Hawaii, I'm quite impressed with myself for accomplishing so much in one day. Jess had a morning class for an hour at 8 am, so we hit up the local starbucks, pick up a box of milk chocolate covered toffee macademia nuts (delish!) and then headed to campus. While Jess was in class, I was out and about walking around the university of Hawaii, in complete awe - I'm dealing with sensory overload, my mind can only take in so much in a day and I'm still not fully comprehending the fact that I am in Hawaii... this is not reality yet.

Jess and I also went for a 3 hour bike ride today. I can't even begin to try to put it into words. It was hard to concentrate on training, pushing myself, cadence, and even traffic on the road when you're constantly being distracted with such a gorgeous surrounding. The ocean side here is unbelievable. We rode by it, and I was captivated by the enormous swells and the splashes against the rocks. This place is unlike anything I've ever seen, although this feeling of astonishment and amazement reminds me when I first came to Victoria.

After our ride, Jess and I went for a little jaunt down her street. It's a gravel road, so it forces you to go slow, which in my case is not a bad thing because I am trying to nurse my knee back to perfect health. This run wasn't anything over the top, just a 15 minute out-and-back peregrination. My knee started to aggravate me, but hopefully I can work through it and that it's going to be in runnable condition for Lavaman on the 6th.

It has been great to see Dan and Jamie again. They've been in Hawaii since the beginning of February. Those two boys are looking darker than Denzel Washington. They're taking their training quite seriously, and it shows! I can't believe the amount of training they do in a day, but what's more impressive than that, is the amount of time they spend updating their blogs, comparing each others shiny stats, and other miscellaneous things on the interwebs. These next couple weeks are going to be great though.

Tomorrow it looks like we are going to take a swim in the ocean and then hit up Dangerousway for some grocery shopping. It also seems as though I'm booked up for the next couple nights for movie nights, dance parties, aboriginal Australian tribal band night, ECSTATIC dance on Sunday (which I've been looking forward too since I've heard about it when Jess moved here in October!) This sounds so exciting, and I am really looking forward to encompassing a new lifestyle and learning more about Hawaiian culture.

Stay tuned for the future adventures of adventuresaurus! I promise I will upload some better pictures soon.

Keep the dreams alive,

JS