This section lists all blog posts, regardless of topic.
Cliff jumpingJuly 8, 2007
Last weekend we were in Massasauga Provincial Park with Dave & Gena and Gideon & Brenda. On the Saturday, we decided to go for a bit of an adventure since we weren't moving our campsite that day, and while we were paddling back to the campsite we stopped at a cliff that was in the 25-30 foot range. Dave and Gideon jumped without hesitation, which amazed me. And that left me, standing up there looking way down at the water thinking, how on earth do you convince your brain to do something it's convinced is completely idiotic. Well, you tell your brain to shut up, take a deep breath, and before you realize what you're about to do, you jump. Then there's that half second of terrified glory as you hang in weightlessness 25 feet above the water. Wow.
Once you start falling it takes all of a second and a half to hit the water... amazing. I got a fair amount of water up my nose as was expected, and I hit the water at a bit of an angle, but I was no worse for wear. It was amazing! I have to recommend this to anyone who hasn't done it.
Forza Motorsport 2June 19, 2007
Yesterday as I opened our mail box I was greeted by a bubble wrapped copy of Forza Motorsport 2. Back in November, the Xbox 360 I won was supposed to come with this game, but due to the game being finished several months later than they had anticipated, it only arrived now! While the visuals are nothing the write home about, the realism factor is a little mind blowing, and I love that you can race everday cars made by Honda, Acura, Toyota, Ford, etc. I like how they've organized all of the cars into classes: What a difference to race a Ford Focus and then to switch to a formula 1 racing car. I've never been that excited about car races on TV, but driving a formula 1 car in this sim has given me a real appreciation for the beasts that these cars are.
InjuriesJune 17, 2007
As I've become more active this year, I've been more prone to injury. It started a ways into my half marthon training with a tight back and tight legs. Then my left calf muscle went haywire on me, taking 3 weeks to recover. Not long after that was fixed, I hurt my left foot. And now, just when that's feeling back to normal, I've pulled my groin. What's my problem?? I think partly it's due to following a race preparation schedule that hasn't been tailored for the individual (me), and partly it's due to not knowing my body well enough to see the problems before they hit. If I've learned anything it's that, while the body can adapt and grow stronger, it is a complex thing, and any weakness can cause a breakdown as you push yourself further and further.
Now that I'm getting back into some half marathon training (targeting September), it will be interesting to see whether I can train injury free. This time I'd like to fare on the side of progressing slowly, even if it means that my long-slow-distance runs aren't up to 20k by September.
July 8th Update: This week I pulled the other side of my groin at ultimate. Two realizations: 1) Not wearing cleats appears to put more stress on your stability muscles, and 2) Playing ultimate in a competitive setting is not a good idea unless you're in a very good, injury free state!
My plan at this point is to train for next May's Ottawa marathon.
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