for now...

I'm going to have to put my IM Canada dreams to rest. Sad, yes, I know. I was sitting doing my finances, the other night, and realized that, with our new location and with my job paying less than my previous job, I'll be able to save a whopping 700 dollars between now and the race in August. There's no way, legally, for me to squeeze out a bicycle, wet suit, running shoes, trips to Penticton, and who knows what all else, out of 700 dollars.

I think I'm going to still train, because I still 'really' want to do it, and hope that I can find a cheap bike somewhere or something. We'll see.

Until then, there's always next year, I guess.

ttfn

Still with the back

Still laid up, though getting better. It's been over a week and only today do I feel as though some progress has been made. It could be that it was only two days ago that I started with some appropriate drugs, something to reduce swelling and something for the pain. I'm sorry Robax but you're over the counter remedy isn't worth the fifteen bucks a box you charge.

I'm thinking I might try swimming and maybe put some time on the elliptical trainer, so I can at least keep my body in some type of aerobic condition.

We'll see how it goes. Work doesn't help, either. Walking around for eight hours puts a wee bit of strain on the lower back.

Prince George's finest hour - so far

So, to add to the recent Ironman drama, our car was ransacked the other night. At first we didn't think anything was taken. Because my back's been fubar and I've been either couch-ridden or bed-ridden I hadn't kept track of my gym bag. Last night, however, we needed a towel to dry off the dog, so I remember, my bag's behind the drivers seat still....no it isn't. There's nothing behind the drivers seat, except air. My gym bag was stolen, inside said gym bag were my running shoes, swim trunks, iPod nano, running gear, goggles - both sets that I had, and, last but not least, certainly not least, was my Garmin gps gadget slash birthday present that I bragged about last year.

Taking a pay cut to move to Prince George I'm going to struggle enough to replace the iPod and goggles and crap let alone the 500 buck Garmin.

Oh well, here's to rolling with the punches.

On a side note our car was broken into the same day that my boss' car was broken into. Within a half hour, after arriving at work, a van pulled up, a guy jumped out and pried open his door with a crowbar, and he was robbed. His car was, literally, feet from the front door of the store and he lost his lap top and stereo and a whole bunch-o-crap.

So this is what Prince George has to offer....at least my partner's making good money, but it seems to be sucking for the rest of us.

I'm 'Back'

Last Thursday, during work, my back started getting tight, by the next morning I was immobile, pretty much. Took twenty minutes to get out of bed. Since then I've been to the doctor, who told me to get some robax and stay on my back - advise I could have garnered on my own. It's now Monday and I'm still pretty immobile. The NP (Nurse Practitioner) I live with has informed me that I'll probably need 6-8 weeks off, as it's an overuse issue, muscles pulling on bones and tweaking my back sideways. What this means for my run at IM Canada, I dunno yet. We will see, I guess. :(

Double Your Pleasure

Last night, swam an hour and biked an hour. How tiring was that? Pretty tiring. It doesn't help that Paul wants to do the whole P90X thing, on top of all the other training we do. It's either feast or famine with that boy.

Drowning

So...swimming. Think I might need a coach, cuz I'm sucking some water. Granted I'm better than when I began but...wow, I'm just tanking, or so it feels. Seriously gonna have to join a group or buy those total immersion dvds/books. It's my mission by the end of Feb. to feel comfortable in the water.

Steroids

Hitting the gym, somewhat, regularly. Paul and I have noticed a little something something about Prince George that's both disturbing and, dare I say, slightly, amusing.

The particular gym we frequent is our gym of choice, in the new town, because of it's 50 meter pool. The actual weight room is tiny and full of people, let me rephrase that, full of hopped up, roid junky, freaks of nature. Sure they're attractive, in that look but don't touch way, but when you're working your chest and the guy next to you collapses because the muscle in his forearm, now detached, is balled up in to a bundle, just above his wrist (truly, this happened). You gotta wonder...

That was the disturbing part, the humorous part was that he complained about the pain, showed of his lumpy muscle to anyone that was willing to look, and then went back to working out, as though nothing were wrong.