Okay, starting for real this time.

Right, so over the past month and a half I have "started" training for next year. Ya, right. This week however is the "real deal", as I am for sure 100% started my training that includes structure and some (note the"some") attention being payed to what is fueling the "old fire". Cause lately it's been Fruit loops and mmmmmmm' fruit loops......Where was I? So my week has gone a little something like this:

Monday: 1 Hr run with 25 min modified strength tossed in.

Tuesday: 4.5hrs Road ride in crappy weather and on my heavy bike. Note, it was also windy, which can make you sad. I also decided to find a sweet little bike park around the 2hr mark of my ride to jam some laps on. It was fun. Also Tim Horton's Candy Cane Doughnuts are fantastic!

Wednesday: Wow, haven't ridden my bike that long for quite some time. Sure can feel it today. Whimp.... Nothing that a 3hr pole run wouldn't cure. It was raining cats and dogs, which made the clay extra clay'y and worse to run on than ice! That's right ICE!! (note: good thing I was... pole running!). Also found some sick new trails which I will have to go throw down on, on my bike on a dryer day.

Thursday: AM: Banks suck. Officially, all banks suck. So this mornings workout was unrecorded(wish it was) it involved a bunch of crap that I hate doing and probably ends up burning as many calories as riding, and or pole running. Again just putting it out there, but "the banks" are bloody frustrating!
PM: 2.5hr road ride, quite enjoyable actually. Followed by a un-enjoyable foam roll/ stretch session.

Tomorrow: Not sure yet.

That is all.

A New Bike Club? Cool.

I have my winter bike all set and ready to rock and roll (Trek 6000). Training has commenced, and started with a "easy" mt bike ride on my old stomping ground Tuesday. Good day out, around 2.5hrs ride time or 1750kcals. Wednesday was a 3hr mt bike ride with Wagon Wheel at the famous 3 stage trails. We were both sporting bikes that made getting the heart rate up that much easier. Funny thing, I think there may be a new club in the making titled "Pro's on 30 plus pound bikes, with tubes and high tire pressure". It was all Pete's idea, I am just going along. I did 3hrs or 2300kcals worth of work. We then chatted at my place about stuff and realized we should be drinking coffee over this conversation not sitting on my floor. p.s I found your apple core Pete!

I was all stoked to get more hours in on the bike today,,,, but it's raining and being only November I opted for only 1.5hrs or 1000kcals of riding bike paths and exploring my "new" stomping ground! It doesn't matter how tough you are, 5 degrees and raining buckets will make even the strongest willed athlete fall. Computer time and maybe some picture hanging for me today!

Peace.

Way To CLOSE!!!!!!

I ran into a Bear. Straight up ran into a 2-3yr old male(guessing) bear. 250ish pounds of power and muscle way over capable of ripping me in half.

It Started out like most "Rocky" training days, usually with a destination in mind, I had wanted to go check out a few cliff bands on a topo map that map that I had been eying up for quite some time now. It is a great time of year to scope new areas because looking through the forest is possible, unlike the summer time when you can't see crap. Not to mention the bugs. Anyways I found a great cliff and followed it along for a few hundred meters until it petered out to the lake, I then went up over the cliff/hill and found a even better cliff on the other side of this one and descended into the gully to check out the cool lines I had found! Note: I am roughly about 1hr from the car, which is also the nearest road. It was one of the days when you just "followed your nose".

As I am standing there in awe at the potential lines, no farther than 5ft away a bear comes out of a perfect looking hole under a tree that I had neglected to notice(I was way to excited for what I had found). He rears up on his back legs, ears up and glares at me.. Uh. Hmmmm Right, so 5ft away there is a bear ready to make out with me. I have had some "close" encounters with bears before, but 5ft!!!! Come on, that's way to close for comfort!! I could of shoved him if I wanted to. Now the little dude inside me said, "run"! The other dude in their said "Arms up, act calm and cool", "make eye contact and don't look away", "Straighten up, big as you can make yourself" and at a whooping 5ft 7inches tall that not much! I spoke in a deep mellow voice, "easy there big fellow, we are good, we are good, easy there". I slowly backed away, fully crapping my pants! Once I got about 7-10 steps back he dropped onto all fours and with his ears still up maintained to stand in front of his perfect den under the Perfect cliff. I backed around a corner a bit more until I was well out of sight and then RAN!!! like no tomorrow, I ran hard!!! Through the thick Muskoka Woods, I bloody "hit it hard"!. A few hundred feet later I found myself at a point where I either went up a cliff, across a lake(oh, so cold) or back past the bear. Up I went, probably life wet 5.5 climbing in trail runners and with trekking poles in hand, I literally ran up the cliff. Once on top I ran along the ridge to a safer area away from the bear (a few hundred meters down wind). Since nobody really knew where I was (smart) I called Meg and filled here in on where I was and what had just happened(Good old iphone). I Proceeded to make my way back to familiar terrain and then onto the car.

I have had a few close calls over the last few years, most of you probably already know them, but this was seriously one I will never forget! It is almost impossible for me to explain the details that I can remember on this bear and needless to say I hada rough night sleeping last night.

It is so beautiful outside and I am.......Sick.......(sigh).

It is sunny out, has been for awhile now. I am stuck inside quarantining myself from all others except Meg. This November has been a beautiful month(so far) and the last four days I have felt horrible. I should be outside cramming in as many hours of riding, pole running and climbing, but no, I am sick. It seems that everyone around me has, or had some sort of illness.... oh no, cough, sniffle H1N1! Sneeze..H1N1! Headache? probably safe to say H1N1. Come on for real? Everyone thinks they had the "swine flu". There are still just as many other illnesses jumping around as there has ever been and most people who think they have had H!N! probably didn't. They like me probably were just sick with the "common cold" or maybe they happened to eat too much dinner at the Mandarin last night( possible they forgot or something) whatever, from what I have read about the H!N! is that the people that did have it felt like they were about to die. I am not ranting at anyone in particular, just the public in general.

Anyways enough about that, on a more positive note, Collingwood is great! Over the years I have lived and traveled to some cool locations. I have been all over the map, some stops for a quick visit, others for an extended period. I however have not every lived in Collingwood. I have spent a wee bit of time exploring the area in years previous, but nothing too extensive. Since moving here 4 weeks ago, I have ridden a pile of the roads(sick) ran a mountain of the trails(also sick) and climbed at a few locations that I have never been to(super sick x3).

From my door I can jam 1400ft of vertical ascent on pavement, or dirt (whatever you choose) in the first 30min of a ride! I have not ridden anything over a few hours, but I can only imagine the loop possibilities when I will venturing out over 3 hrs(I can hardly wait). I am still hammering the pole running in full force, I have just recently decided that these not too often "beautiful fall days" are meant to be enjoyed on me bike. Pole running can wait until I get into the sloppy time of year(and the lazy, note: I don't really like cleaning my bike). I have only had a couple days out on the rock this fall(also a sigh) I was really hoping to get out and climb some fantastic limestone more than just a handful of days. I am also pumped for a possible ice year(ya that's right,, ice baby!). Last year I climbed no ice..But.. this year, All the ice!

Gotta run, the kettle is boiling,, time to make some more tea(cheesy, but unfortunately true).

Peace.