I knew someday I'd have to write about this great man, but there is no way to really prepare for it.
Jimmie was a true legend in every way. As an athlete, and a top notch guy. I've got too many stories and that wouldn't scratch the surface of what Jimmie was all about or all the things he'd experienced.
Near the end of his racing career, I got to know Jimmie quite well. The last time I saw Jimmie, he invited me to his place for the weekend so we could hang out and so I could sleep over and have a quick and convenient drive over to Wasaga Beach to race. Unfortunately, my plans changed and I never raced and nor did he. Jimmie raced his last duathlon in 2008.
How crazy is it that I was cleaning up my home office last week and came across a letter and some pictures that Jimmie sent me via good old fashioned mail, and now this week I find out that Jimmie passed away on Monday.
For all those who are still regularly checking in, thanks for doing so.
As I've said before in previous posts, I'll try to regularly blog but all the "extra" time I used to have to produce blogs, now go towards other things like dedicating time more time on the home front, helping my athletes at Ignition Fitness, and of course trying to fit in my own training, amongst a host of other things.
Here are a few things floating around in my mind that I wanted to make note of:
1. Ignition Fitness. We have an exciting year ahead and we have a great group of athletes at a variety of levels. My particular group is kicking tail already and we've still got most of the year to go. If you are interested in training for the Barrelman, we have an affordable program.
2. I am honoured to be back with Team Running Free for my ninth year. Running Free is the place to stock up on your shoes and gear. Owned and staffed by top drawer people too.
3. The Garmin 920xt is a near perfect device..........when it's working properly. I was all set to write a glowing review then after a month, the automatic wifi uploads stopped working (a huge reason why I got it), and with no wifi, you can't update the device. There is no apparent fix. There are a few solutions posted online --- it is a common problem, but none have worked for me. When things take a turn for the better, I'll write something. Aside from that issue though, it has a ton of features I love. Another big one of those is being able to use it every day as a watch and daily activity tracker (steps, sleep). You'd want to spend extra to get the HR monitor strap option. The strap allows you to run indoors without the use of a footpod, it track ground contact, etc. All the features are here.
Thanks to the demand of this new device, you can pick up the 910xt for cheap (as low as $150). Pick up one of those if you can get your hands on one. I had zero issues with that device. I just could not wear it as an everyday watch.
4. Octane Zero Runner. I used it exclusively during the winter and it saved me a ton of impact. It took almost one week to transition to running outside again to get used to all the impact/shock once again. But I noticed immediately that my flexibility improved. My run stride was complete (heels coming up and not just Ironman shuffling around), and my hamstring strength improved. I can definitely conclude that you can't 100% replace real running with the Zero Runner, but you can effectively mix it in with real running to help with recovery, and to get in some extra run movements without all the impact. With it being a new machine, there are a few growing pains. I had to replace the display on the console, there is a noise issue with the dampers (major moveable part of the machine). A full review to come. For now, a fellow Running Free teammate and very fast dude, Mike Bosch provides this demo.
5. Pacing - I just paced the Yonge St 10km and had a lot of fun. The Canada Running Series always puts on top notch events and this was no different. You should not hesitate to do any one of their events. Next up for pacing is the Goodlife Half Marathon.
7. Twitter. I am a lot more active on Twitter these days. It's a lot quicker and easier for me to share thoughts on there. Check out the banner on the right and follow.
That's all for now. I hope to check in again soon.
