May 1st cometh!

Hi again friends and family,

Our latest update here at chez Spencer is really not about sports at all (I do my best NOT to write about political matters, I just gave that up all together. My vote will speak enough).

So what the hell is May 1st all about?

Well for 2010 is all about my hotty little Mere-Bear (otherwise known as Meredith my wife!) turning 40! Yep - 40! She enters the only decade that matters (till the next one!). Here is what we have planned:

- PARTY!

- PARTY with Caterer and lots of wine!

- PARTY with alumni from Dalhousie!

- PARTY with friends from Dundas!

- PARTY because we have cleaning services coming before and after - YIPPIE!

- PARTY PARTY PARTY!

Sunday May 2nd is going to suck BIG TIME!

In preparation my training this was has gone like this:

- Monday, 2K light swim

- Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday off

- Friday, Saturday, Sunday planned off days.

A wise coach once laid out a killer season for me and in it, I had 1 week of nothing leading into a big training block. ZIP, ZILCH, NADDAH! It worked once, it shall work again.

Starting May 3rd is my 4 month build to IMC August 29th. Just today I booked our flights to and from Kelowna August 26th thru to September 2nd. A few extra days to visit around our favourite spot in Canada. We just love the Okanagan, it is so gorgous.

I will write a PARTY REPORT! Yes, not a race report, A PARTY REPORT!

Party on!

Thanks for reading.

Here's a photo of Meredith and I, she's such a babe! As you can tell this photo is taken with us a little "PARTIED" during our dinner with said wise coach and his babe in Sonoma California. Yep, that is what a bottle of Cali's best does to us-:)

PS: Coach referral? www.bentleycoaching.com - Ask for Steve, he's pretty good!

Fitness is a lifestyle; live it!

Thanks for checking back in friends and family, March and April has been quite the *RIDE*. LOL!

After Tucson work has been consuming but I have taped my moddo to my laptop to keep me focused and determined, that is: LIFE IS WHAT YOU MAKE IT. To often we hear can't vs. CAN, me vs. US, won't vs. SHOULD; I ask a lot why that is? Ironically the word can't is in my answer, as in I can't control others behaviors. I CAN influence, I CAN motivate, I CAN coach.

To often perceived obstacles are not obstacles at all, they are triumphs in waiting.

So, April has been that way. Squeeze a run here, ride to work there, swim when you can. AFter a few weeks I look at my training log and see a good run of workouts without even realizing it! Funny that, LIFE IS WHAT YOU MAKE IT.

To that end, here's a photo from last weekends bike race, a 75km pavement and rail trail race around Bronte Park in Burlington. HARD and FUN racing.

Aaaannnddd the SEASON BEGINS!

Good Friday is the traditional bike season opener and the past few years it has been raced close to where I grew up in Flamborough. I know these roads like the back of my hand and really enjoy the area for cycling. This season we had record temperatures of 26 degrees (80+ degrees!) and over 100 riders to start.

First, the bad news. There were quite a few crashes in the races before ours. 2 ambulances were picking up the pieces just before our race set off. NOT the way you want to start a season. Mike V. from La Bicicletta (my old team) appeared to be the worse off but apparently, a crash even earlier in the day has one gentlemen in very serious condition in hospital. Cycling is dangerous, anything can happen and quite often it is not the guys fault who takes the most road rash. I hope these guys turn out ok and their families are coping with the trauma as best they can. My thoughts and prayers with you.

OK, the good news? The good news is the race went well for the team. We don't have a sprinter to take out a win if the race finishes in a pack sprint so we need to attack, attack, attack. That was my game plan, ATTACK A LOT AND OFTEN in hopes of either a break sticking, or, a counter attack from a team mate sticking. We played this card all day but in the end a sprint is how it ended and Mark Carli on our team stuck his nose into it finishing in the main sprint group at 17th place.

My fitness is quite high for this early in the season, courtesy of Tucson I suppose. Saturday I hopped on the P3 Tri bike and rode 140km's with Tara Norton, Bill Wells, and Gareth Scobie. A great tempo ride that just about killed me (us maybe??) then a 20 minute tempo run after.

Sunday, and today, I am still fried from the back to back days. Hard not to drill it when the weather is this sweet.

Meredith is now back to so all is so very right with the world!

Here is a picture of my solo break courtesy of Ryan Jones at www.Canadiancyclist.com

Thanks for reading!