Wimpy

In the end I didn`t race yesterday. A short run on Thursday (very short) led me to believe trying to do the 10km in snowshoes would have been painful. Instead I`m going to let it heal and then get back on track. I`m planning to walk Wolf loop as a Superbowl warm-up next Sunday if anyone is interested in coming along.

I`m adding another practicehike this year as well. The La Cloche Silhouette trail in Killarney Provincial Park. The trail is approximately 80 km and the website says to be prepared for the 7-9 days it will take to hike the park. 7-9 days! I`m going to plan for 5 because even if the terrain is rough, 80 kms of trails should be manaegable in 4 days. The dates for Killarney are May 10-16 including the 10 hour drives to and from. Let me knwo if you are interested in joining me.

I`m thinking that I am going to do my annual spring fishing trip in Algonquin on the long weekend rather than drive back toOttawa and then back out to Algonquin. I`m not a fan of going to the Parks on the long weekends due to the crowds.

Second Race Comming Up

Saturday is the second of the four snowshoe races I have signed up for this winter. I wish there was a word for inbetween race and course. When I read race I think of challenging to win but really I'm just running against the clock to test my fitness.

The rib is still bothering me so I'm going to go for a short run tomorrow to decide if I will try the "hilly" course Saturday. I'm not enthused about doing the race anyway since this stupidest of injuries has kept me from doing any training so it's not like there will be any progress to measure from the last race and it's going to be really cold again (-18).

But then, I've already paid my entry fee...

Hard Going

It`s been a rough start to 2009. The bus strike and a snow filled driveway have played havoc with my free time. A bruised (cracked?) rib has kept me in from getting out and about much but this is to be expected. Whenever I let my weight get up like this I tend to stagger from one injury into illness and to the next. Hence the need to be in reasonable shape BEFORE I start on the AT.

At least I have managed to get some work done on planning the diet. It looks like I`m going to be eating more than I do now and I might even save some money! I just hope at least some of the stuff I haven`t tried before doesn`t taste too bad.

A New Dawn

December 2008 was a month of unprecedented gluttony for me in which I literaly ate myself sick. Sick to the point of having to take time off work. Needless to say I am fatter now than at any time in my life, just 3 short months after an 11,000 km bicycling season. If I am going to hike 3500 kms in 2010 I am going to have to change direction. To this end 2009 will be a year of aesthetic living such as I have never before attempted.

For starters I will be foregoing my usual "caffeine free January" as it will be replaced with a January of diet normalization. Eating the leftovers and clearing the cupboards of my "regular foods". In February starting the day after the Superbowl (!) for 6 weeks I will be adopting a hypoallergenic-low glycemic index diet strictly following the Canada food guide proportions (by weight) for middle aged men. This is a period of cleansing to boost my immune system. If it goes well I will do it again right before the AT. So from February 2nd, 2009 to March 15th 2009 I will be unable to accept dinner invitations. I'll probably be pretty grouchy anyway...

After the cleansing I want to sit myself down and re-evaluate foods based on my experiences from the diet. I'm pretty sure I also want to increase the portion of raw foods to at least half my calorific intake. My goal is a lean 175 pounds by the end of the Adirondack Trail (CDN Thanksgiving). If I don't meet that goal then I'm going to get stupid.

Oh yeah, and I'm going to cut my stemu ration to $100 for 2009. Considering the number of canoe and hiking trips I have in mind for 2009 this may not be as easy as it sounds. That said, after rationing myself one stemu per day for 2008 I never came close to my limit despite an eleven week long trip. This year, in order to account for multiple platforms, I am going with a dollar based system.