Monday, December 26, 2011

Year 2, Week 12


Wow. This means there are only 26 weeks of training and preparation left until we hit the waters of Hong Kong. G and I had planned on getting together for a Christmas Day workout yesterday, but, life and holidays being what they are... it didn't happen. Not that we just sat home idling and eating mind you!! We didn't. G ran and I had a near-normal 40-minute workout on the rowing machine for the first time since my surgery! Very exciting :)



26 weeks to worlds, but less than 3 weeks to the next fit test. Preparations for that are going well, but progress is not as fast as either of us would like. Still, we have to take care not to overdo it... no matter how much we want to push it and improve, we have to take care not to hurt ourselves.

This week's schedule: gym together today; individual workouts tomorrow; pool paddling and gym on weds; circuit on thurs; more weights on fri; and a new year's present ... a couple of sessions with A, our personal trainer extraordinaire, who's coming to ring in 2012 with us this coming weekend. Yay!

OK off to do some chinups then.

Happy Boxing Day everyone!


Wednesday, December 14, 2011

Hong Kong on the Horizon

Coach M has announced half the roster for Hong Kong... the rest will be set on January 16th, the day that rosters need to be submitted to the IDBF (I think anyway). Team reaction was a mixed bag, but overall I think it's been very positive. Those who have been confirmed have nonetheless been struck with the humble-slash-fear stick... at the next fit test (January 14) these 10 better perform even better than at the first one and show that our coaches do actually know what they're doing (they do). The rest of the crew has a fire lit under their respective tushies and are absolutely killing it in training over these next few weeks to make sure they are their leanest, strongest, fittest, and best possible selves and crewmates.

Practices are looking amazing. The whoosh whoosh of the paddles in the pool could literally make me cry it sounds so good. (And no, it's not the meds talking.. i ditched the narcotics day two of being home!) Goosebump moments all around. I managed to paddle the whole practice 3 days after surgery.. the boot served me well (tho it got a bit nasty sweaty in there, ewww) and then Coach A put me through my paces in the weight room, since I couldn't partake in the killer circuit Coach P had put together for the rest of the crew. I'm glad he rode me as hard as he did, cuz G and the other beasts looked half-dead when P was finished with them!

G and I have not missed a beat in the gym either - but are pushing each other harder than ever. It's a bit odd looking with me in my cast (do you have any IDEA how hard it is to stay put on the decline bench when you can only hang on by one leg???!!) but we're both thrilled to bits I don't have to sit out. That would suck eggs for the both of us. I'm having to be super creative with cardio since i can't do any running, biking or elliptical-ing.. but we discovered that one-legged rowing IS possible.

Other than that we are excitedly shopping for OC-1 canoes. Like little kids were are playing with the design tool at www.huki.com (try it, it's super cool!) and dreaming of getting our very own boats. The kids will have to eat Ramen noodles for a while and forego most of their Christmas presents but I'm sure they'll be totally cool with it ;-)


Thursday, December 8, 2011

Countdown to the end of the year...

A good friend reminded me today that things have been awfully quiet around here. I blinked and a whole month went by.. how did that happen? Cuz SO MUCH has happened.

First, we figured out that the trials were not for an IDBF world championship competition, but for an ICF (International Canoe Federation) event. We're still a bit confused by how it all relates, but have come to the conclusion that there is no way we can do Hong Kong in July and then Italy in September, plus tryouts and training camps and everything else in between. So we're sticking to the IDBF circuit... phew!


Second... what happened second? Oh yeah, that Christmas present from G? Well, it involved dressing up and public humiliation. Of course. But it was all for a good cause :) We ran in the first ever Burlington Santa Run.. a 5K through Burlington in a full Santa suit (beard and all... or you risked being DQ'd) with 1199 other similarly attired human beings.. a fundraiser for the Make-A-Wish Foundation. I wonder how many children who previously thought there was only one Santa (hey, make a small typo and you get "Satan"... hmmm) were traumatized by the sight of MILLIONS of red-suited ho-ho-ho-ers..?

Third we had our first fit test of the season. It was tough and I don't really wanna talk about it. Suffice it to say that we are going to be working our butts off this month in preparation for the next one in early January.

Fourth... ah yes, fourth... I had surgery on my foot yesterday. Note to self.. next time I let G take me anywhere that involves me getting undressed and drugged up - make sure she leaves her phone in the car. As she picks me up at 6am, she asks if my underwear is clean and sans holes. Oui oui... nice looking, clean underpants and bra. Just in case. Cuz you never know who is going to see you in it.


First, they give G a tracking number for me. She decides I need to have my mugshot taken.  
I'm stripped naked, in a gown that i can't close, and all the nurses (coached by my friend Pam who works on this floor) are threatening me with a series of enemas. The bag they give me for my clothes is of clear plastic.. i neatly fold all my apparel (A! You'd have been proud!) and place it inside, with my pretty bright red bra on top. G about has a heart attack.

"Could you please fold that up and tuck it BETWEEN your clothes?"
"Why?"
"I'm not carrying that THING around the hospital. How embarrassing."
I of course am beside myself at this point, and thinking thank goodness there is a rubber pad under my naked butt should I accidentally pee myself with laughing.
"I'm not folding it up! My memory foam cups are gonna get squished."
"Just fold one under and into the other and tuck it in. I'm serious."
"Oh ok fine. But first..."
This photo apparently started a good rumor that I'm in here for a boob job.  HA.
The nurses took my vitals, and removed all my jewelry. That was a bit of a production. Enough said.

In pre-op, the doctor marks which foot gets the knife... 
There's another photo of me with cap and also a video.. but I think I'll keep those to myself for a bit longer. Apparently by the time I was done the ward was under the impression I was a dancer, I was professing my love to all, crying like a baby and generally extremely loopy. Good times.

Everything went well, my foot got all bandaged up, I got some free pants (scrubs are so hot right now!), G bundled me into the car and off we went home. First though, I made her stop at the tattoo shop so I could get my jewelry back on :) (Ears people, ears!!) 

So here I am, on the couch, bored as all $%^! and looking forward to next practice. Doc says if I can do it in my cast, I can do it. So paddling and weights on Saturday - here I come! Two days of rest is enough right?