Norm MacDonald rules

Norm had a classic appearance on Conan a few nights ago.
Loved the way he cut in on Thomas Haden Church's boring story about his ranch, and plugging his cruddy movie.

Ooops

I just checked in and realized that I haven't posted in a while. Sorry for being neglectful but there is only so much time in the day. I regularly post on Twitter, and on my column at MySportShooter.com so check things out there.

The last few weeks have all been about getting in some final training hours before I headed into the taper this week for the Canadian 226.

I raced the Cobourg International Du today and the weather was brutal. Crazy rain and wind, and top that off with a hilly bike course.

I had a decent race. 7th overall, 3rd on my age group. I did not have the bike I wanted but it was likely due to the wonderful weather conditions because I felt good. It took me 46 min to ride the first 20km, and 32 minutes the do the 2nd 20km. Most of the really bad weather was during that first 20 km so surely messed up my time. I was definitely happy with my run, it was 7-8 in terms of perceived effort. One of my better runs and I resisted red-lining.

More racing to come on Sunday. The GT 12.9 at 8am, followed by the Sprint Du. I may just have to push hard and let go of the reins. We shall see how the body feels.

US Open Tennis starts in a few days. I love the TV coverage and camera angles. The best of all the Grand Slams.

Have a great week.

Performance

Thanks to my Markham Tri Group for turning me on to this video. Enjoy.

9.58

I just witnessed Usain Bolt's 9.58 100m world record at the World Championships in Berlin. Wow wow wow wow wow wow wow wow wow wow wow wow wow wow wow wow wow wow wow wow! Still not enough wow's.
Chicken nuggets for lunch too. Maybe I gotta start using that as my pre-game meal.

DNF this past weekend

Yes, my first DNF.

Although there was one quite a few years ago I don't really count that one since it was due to a poorly designed run course that got a got chunk of athletes lost in the woods and going in circles. We finally made it out and somehow popped out a few meters from the finish line.

Anyway, this past weekend, I did the Bracebridge Half Iron and flatted 3x. The final time I replaced the tube and when the tire deflated soon after I checked the tire and found a bunch of cuts in it and a few pebbles sticking out of a few cuts. My day was over with 10km to go.

I should have done the run to get in some run training but I was not in the mood.

Hopefully I got my share of flats to last me for a while.

I just found an old article from the local paper. Gotta get back into the positive.

http://www.yorkregion.com/article/93213

Have a great week.

By the way, if you didn't already know, Chrissie Wellington changed coaches again. She just dropped Simon Lessing. No news on the new one, or if there will be one.

A plug for Alzheimers- please donate if you can

http://my.e2rm.com/personalPage.aspx?SID=2254334

1st Post for August

I just realized I did not make a post for August.
I am not slacking. Really I am not.
Just got lots of stuff and writing going on elsewhere.

Check out this post on My Sports Shooter

http://mysportsshooter.com/rogers-world/bracebridge-half-iron-this-weekend

Have a great weekend.

Bike Aerodynamics

http://cobbcycling.com/aero-video.cfm

Worth a look to learn a bit about bike aerodynamics.
Likely to bring some doubt to what you think you might know.

14:27:06

Yup, that was my time from this past weekend's IMUSA.
Not the greatest time ever by any stretch but I'll take it considering where I was one year ago. Now it is time to rest up and put in a few more days of training until the next Ironman on Sept. 5.
The ugly details of the race are documented below.
Nice swim and nothing much else.

SWIM BIKE RUN OVERALL RANK DIV.POS.
1:16:03 7:02:39 5:49:48 14:27:06 1586 304

LEG DISTANCE PACE RANK DIV.POS.
SWIM SPLIT 1: 1.2 mi 1.2 mi (37:19) 1:57/100m
SWIM SPLIT 2: 2.4 mi 1.2 mi (38:44) 2:02/100m
TOTAL SWIM: 2.4 mi 2.4 mi (1:16:03) 2:00/100m 1239 233

BIKE SPLIT 1: 36 mi. 36 mi. (2:00:00) 18.00 mph
BIKE SPLIT 2: 56 mi. 20 mi. (1:23:17) 14.41 mph
BIKE SPLIT 3: 92 mi. 36 mi. (2:10:13) 16.59 mph
BIKE SPLIT 4: 112 mi. 20 mi. (1:29:09) 13.46 mph
TOTAL BIKE 112 mi. (7:02:39) 15.90 mph 1478 297

RUN SPLIT 1: 13.1 13.1 mi. (2:14:48) 10:17/mile
RUN SPLIT 2: 26.2 mi 13.1 mi. (3:35:00) 16:24/mile
TOTAL RUN 26.2 mi. (5:49:48) 13:21/mile 1586 304

TRANSITION TIME
T1: SWIM-TO-BIKE 9:09
T2: BIKE-TO-RUN 9:27

Ironman Lake Placid Updates on My Sportshooter

Check out my race week updates at http://mysportsshooter.com/

Entries are located at Roger's World or at the Sidenotes.

Enjoy or be bored.

Have a great weekend!

Big Sale at Running Free

A huge sale at Running Free starts tomorrow - Thursday July 23.
There is lots of savings to be had.

The online sale starts today at 9pm.

www.runningfree.com


If you don't have a coupon, make sure to use my discount code 11296.
You can still use it even though the stuff is marked down already (provided that you spend at least $50).

Enjoy the sale.

How to ride responsibly?

It only makes sense to me to behave nicely while out riding on the roads. I've never littered, given anyone the finger, etc. However, I know there are a lot of rider who do and spoil it for the rest of us. Think "Pay it Forward" and treat drivers well and maybe they too will treat the next rider they see much better.

Anyway, have at look at this from Coach Patrick. I could not have said it better.

Lance Interviews Cav & Hincapie

Tour+de+France+Stage+10%3A+Lance+with+Mark+Cavendish+and+George+Hincapie -- powered by http://www.livestrong.com

Shaq's MJ Tribute

Lance & Robin

Check out Robin Williams goof on Lance's compression socks.

Tour+de+France+2009%3A+Lance+Armstrong+Chats+With+Robin+Williams -- powered by http://www.livestrong.com

8:31:59

That is the new world record time for a woman at the Ironman distance. This was set to today by the phenom - Chrissie Wellington at Quelle Challenge Roth. Quite a wicked athlete.

I rode 76km and ran 6km today. Now its time to get back to course work, magazine work, and Newsletter stuff.

Have a great week.
H

Ben Stiller riding Lance's Bike

A great clip from the TDF, just before Astana headed out on the Team Time Trial.
Lance posts videos daily so check it out.

Tour+de+France+2009%3A+Ben+Stiller+on+Lance%27s+TT+Bike+Before+Stage+4 -- powered by http://www.livestrong.com

An oldie but a goodie

I watched this a long time ago but stumbled across it today. I forgot how much I loved this. Now this is reality TV! Have a great week.

Happy Canada Day!

Hope all my fellow Canadians had a great Canada Day!



There is no better place and don't forget it.

Raising Money for the Alzheimer Society

Each year I use my racing to raise money for the Alzheimer Society. This year they have made it easier for me.

I have a dedicated webpage and donations can be made online. Securely, easily and quickly. No more of you trying to track me down to pay me or me trying to track you down. As usual, tax receipts will be provided for all donors.

Here is the website:

http://my.e2rm.com/personalPage.aspx?SID=2254334

Thanks for your generous support.

Binbrook Race Weekend

Click the link below to read my full race report from this past weekend (sorry for the late post).

On paper I placed well, but physically I was not 100%. Felt real slow.



http://resources.runningfree.com/articles.php?article=binbrook-du-gt-129





Photo is courtesy of the "Great" Mike Cheliak.

My Lakeside Weekend Part 2

To read the full race report. Please check out this website.

http://www.teamrunningfree.com/blog/2009/06/09/the-lakeside-triple/

Have a great week.

A return to racing....

Yesterday and today, I made my return to duathlon and triathlon racing and I enjoyed every second of it (even though some of the races hurt like heck).

It was at the HSBC Triathlon Series Lakeside Weekend of races. I did one race on Saturday and 2 races today. Hey, I gotta make up for the year I missed right?

Here is the stats rundown:

Saturday June 6, 2009
Lakeside Sprint Duathlon - Run 3 km, Bike 18 Km, Run 3 Km
5th overall in 1:02:56 First in the Men's 40-44 category
The splits:
3km run (14:24) 4:48/km pace, T1 - 45 secs
18 km bike (32:32 - 4th best) 33.2 km/hr, T2 - 23 secs
3 km run (14:54) 4:58/km pace

* At the turnaround of the run, I thought I might get caught. I saw I had a chance at a top 5 and just went for it. No one passed me. Red line effort the whole way. I did not feel all that great on the bike.


Sunday June 7, 2009
Lakeside Duathlon - Run 5 km, Bike 30 Km, Run 5 Km
15th overall in 1:48:21 3rd in Men's 40-44
5km run (26:50) 5:22/km pace, T1- 51 secs
30 km bike (52:36 - 7th best) 34.2 km/hr, T2 - 51 secs
5 km run (27:14) 5:27/km pace

* Fatigued from the day before. Hardly made it out of bed. Decided to race at Ironman heart rate 150-160 bpm. Thought it would rain heavily so brought out my road bike with no computer and raggedy aerobars. Somehow I managed the 7th best bike and was not passed by anyone during the bike ride. I could have finished at least 5 spots better but it really would not make much of a difference in the whole scheme of things. So chilled the final run to save the effort for the second race.

Give-it-a-Tri - Swim 300m, Bike 10 Km, Run 2 Km
4th overall in 38:02 First Men 40-44
300 m swim (6:43) 2:15/100m, T1 - 1:19
10km bike (18:52 - 2nd best bike) 31.8 km/hr, T2 - 40 secs
2km run (10:30) 5:15/km
* Water was cold but felt good on my tired legs. Legs were toast but pushed through. Final run actually felt good. I had a lot more in me. Made me wish I pushed harder.

Here is a nice article by the greatest photographer I know. A great guy too.
http://mikecheliak.com/mike-cheliak-posts/lakeside-triathlon-day-1

Have a great week.

One year ago....

What a difference a year makes.
Last year at this time, I was in hospital getting my Achilles tendon sewed back together.
Today, I am back swimming, biking and running like I used to.
Things are not at 100% yet but I am getting there.

My first set of races comes up next weekend and I am excited to get back at it.
Sat - sprint duathlon (3k/18k/3k)
Sun - duathlon (5k/30k/5k) and triathlon (300m/10k/2k)

I will post the results and my thoughts next weekend. Have a great week!

Read this excellent Steve Larsen article

I just read an awesome article on Steve Larsen.
It really gives you a clear impression about what he was all about.
It is a must read.

http://jayprasuhn.blogspot.com/2009/05/steve-larsen-study-in-balance.html

Don't tinkle!

http://www.cnn.com/2009/HEALTH/05/22/pools.urinate.hygiene/index.html

RIP Steve Larsen

My condolences go out to Steve Larsen and his family.

Steve shockingly died yesterday after suffering a heart attack while doing a run workout on the track. This guy was stellar and had one heck of an Ironman debut at Ironman Lake Placid in 2001 which I saw with my own eyes. Arguably the greatest performance at IMLP. He will be missed.

http://www.slowtwitch.com/News/Steve_Larsen_gone_at_39_816.html

http://ironman.com/events/ironman/2001-ironman-lake-placid-champion-dies-at-39

An update on the last 11 days

Since I last posted here is what went down:

Sore throat led to a cough, ploughed through it - treating cough drops like a new food group, cough got worse, sick day from work, saw my doc, diagnosed with bronchitis, ran mississauga 1/2 marathon as the 2:30 pace bunny.

Got really cold at the end of the race, got the chills, got a fever for 10 hrs, shook the fever but still a bad cough, barely survived work as the fever came back halfway through the day, home to rest - but not too much rest since I was finishing a website I created for a course I am taking, back to work and feeling crap -- hardly a voice but I had to be there for an important interview, the interview must have went great because they awarded me the promotion, back home to sleep as much as I could, took a sick day and slept all day, finished the website later that night, have not worked out for 3 days at this point.

Back to work and still coughing but not as bad, went for a swim workout that night (70 min - 2700m--problems breathing due to congestion and felt sluggish), woke up with sore shoulders, still coughing and sucking on cough drops to control it at work, took the last of my antibiotics, ran for 12 minutes (2km), dinner with family to celebrate b-day of my sis, then came home to write this.

I found this today, I thought it was pretty cool. I you are a fan of LL Cool J or Eminem you will like it. Til next time. RH

Now this is bike riding!

I've seen dudes do some crazy things on bikes, but not one guy who can do all of this.
I must thank my buddy Kent for sending me this one.
Watch it all. It is quite incredible.
Now if only he could do all of this on a tri bike and in the aero position. Hmmm................

What teachers make?

My Return to Tennis

This past weekend marked my first return to the tennis courts since my Achilles tendon rupture on May 29th, 2008. The good news is that the Achilles felt great during play and the day after. The bad news, everything else is sore. I need a new shoulder and arm.

Staying with the tennis theme, check out this cool commercial.

Appearances are not everything

A perfect example of why you should not judge a book by its cover.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RxPZh4AnWyk

Lance is riding

Just in case you thought Lance was sitting around adn chillin', think again.

http://twitpic.com/2zbbw

Check out his twitter page.

http://twitter.com/lancearmstrong

My latest work

Got a chance to interview and write an article on one sports hero of mine - Jimmie Georgas.

Check it out here, along with a collection of my other work.

http://www.multisportcanada.com/ms/events/series_faces.cfm

Team Running Free Party - Friday April 17

Please buy tickets to this party, proceeds go to the team and to the Mission Haiti Charity.

$40 for an open bar (all the tasty Amsterdam beer you can drink, plus more). Make sure to find a designated driver or take a taxi home of course. The band is awesome, there is lots of free parking, and a silent auction with cool items.



http://www.runningfree.com/kickoffparty.aspx

Drop me a line if you want more information.

Sweetland rocked it this weekend

One of my fave triathletes started the season with a kick butt win.

Check out all the info here:

http://www.triathlon.org/?call=TVRBMg==&nwsid=2369

Earth Hour Tomorrow

In case you did not know, Earth Hour is occurring tomorrow, Saturday March 28 from 8:30 pm to 9:30 pm.

All you have to do is shut off your lights, computers, TV, etc., for the hour to show your support for the Earth and our environment.

For more details visit this site.

www.earthhour.org

Light a candle, and read a book for the hour. Or go for a walk.

Lance Update via video

http://www.livestrong.com/lance-armstrong/video/5342-exclusive-postop-interview-lance/5342/?utm_source=otwl&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=marnewsletter

CB4 Troubles?

Interesting story. If the allegations are true, it doesn't look good for Bosh.

http://www.thestar.com/article/607198

Lance update

Here is what Lance wrote a few hours ago on twitter. http://twitter.com/lancearmstrong

"I'm alive! Broken clavicle (right). Hurts like hell for now. Surgery in a couple of days. Thanks for all the well wishes."

"Sitting here with @johanbruyneel at his house. Glass of wine, cheese and crackers. Now going to bed. Night, y'all. http://twitpic.com/2e0z4"

Lance crashes

Hopefully it is not too serious, but a fractured collarbone can't be good. I just hope he is good to go for the Tour de France. He will surely spice things up there for sure.

http://www.cyclingnews.com/news.php?id=news/2009/mar09/mar23news3

BSG Finale Tonight

Battlestar Gallactica Series Finale will air in 27 minutes.
Can't wait but tough to see the end of one of the best shows on TV.

If you plan on calling for computer help via telephone, good luck because all the sci-fi nerds and computer geeks will be busy for the next few hours. I am not quite sure what category I fall into though.


http://www.scifi.com/battlestar/

http://www.battlestargalactica.com/index.htm

The rapping flight attendant

I hope this happens on my next flight. If it does I might just get up and throw down a few rhymes.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ivjybzdXVmI

The new Ironman St. George

http://www.triathlonmagazine.ca/breaking_news/index.html

How about this?

http://ironman.com/mediacenter/pressreleases/new-finish-line-policy-to-take-effect-at-ironman-70.3-california

I just hope the policy is enforced.

Female Drivers

I wish I could embed this but they wont allow it.
But check it out it is definitely worth it.

Warning, you may bust out in laughter several times while viewing this.
Nice musical accompaniment as well.

There is nothing rude or offensive about this video, just plain funny real life stuff caught on tape.

Enjoy, You will not be disappointed.

Thx Sauly.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ygtBxhFc24A

Secret training?? Not!

This is post goes out to a few buddies in particular.

In the past we always kidded each other about "secret training" that the other ones were doing.
For the most part, we all did a whole lot less training than 99% of the people doing the Ironman race we were about to do.

However, we then competed with each other to claim the title of who did the least training. When someone pulled off a kick butt race we surely knew who was throwing out false numbers.

We here is my attempt to put everything out there. Which I've done on the blog for the most part, but I will go a step further. I will now post my daily training on twitter.

So for those who care to follow this humdrum info, here is the twitter link:

https://twitter.com/hosspro

Whitfield on WADA

I recall reading a wicked post from Simon Whitfield a while back and often quote that blog entry to many people. It was quite hilarious but also gave an insightful look into the world of the world class athlete and the drug testing saga they go through every day.

The Star's Randy Starkman wrote this a few days ago based on those comments. A great piece.

http://thestar.blogs.com/olympics/
New WADA “whereabouts” testing system – WADA joke!

Canadian triathlon ace Simon Whitfield made a desperate plea on his blog nearly two months ago after trying to fill out the new forms that the World Anti-Doping Agency created for out-of competition testing, also known as the “whereabouts” rule.

“I Simon Whitfield volunteer to pay for and wear a GPS tracking unit so that CCES, WADA and any other acronym totting organization can track me down at any minute of the day and make me pee in a bottle while taking blood from my arm. Seriously I do. I'll start tomorrow if only to not have to fill out this insane form. I have nothing what so ever to hide. You can track my whereabouts via GPS to your hearts content.”

Whitfield wasn’t kidding. In hindsight, he was the canary in the coal mine on this "whereabouts" issue which is causing consternation to athletes around the world, from the likes of tennis stars Rafael Nadal and Serena Williams to ski star Lindsey Vonn and American hurdler Lolo Jones.
WADA is under fire – and rightly so – for an ill conceived system that now forces athletes to provide three months’ notice of their location an an hour each day for seven days a week between 6 a.m. and 11 p.m. for testing.

Even beyond the unwieldiness of such a program and its restrictions on right to privacy, Canadian athletes like Whitfield and Olympic speed skating champion Clara Hughes have found the computer system set up to monitor the program ridiculously hard to navigate. It has cost them hours in time trying to register – with “trying” being the operative word, as they wind up having to give up in frustration.

Wrote Hughes on her blog: “It has become an absolute nightmare. It’s been revamped and I strongly believe the individual who created the new format should be fired. It’s virtually impossible to fill out accurately, and after over six hours of trying this past time I gave it the ‘as good as it’s gonna get’ seal and gave up.”

You know the crazy thing? Athletes like A-Rod, who make gazillions of dollars, don’t have to go through anything like this. (A-Rod would probably get his cousin to fill out his form). They can test positive, we don’t hear about if for years – if at all – and their livelihood isn’t affected at all.
Olympic athletes like Whitfield and Hughes have to fill out forms notifying pee collectors of their every move three months in advance using forms so complex that their livelihoods are put at risk if they get it wrong.

What a farce. WADA joke.

Check this out

It is a good thing that I've started swimming regularly again.
According to this study swimming is going to extend my life.

http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/137549.php

Lance got his bike back

Police recovered Lance's TT bike that was stolen a few days ago. However, it seems like everything was returned except for the hot aero wheels.

http://www.cyclingnews.com/tech.php?id=/tech/2009/news/02-19

Wicked stuff!!

First on the "wicked" list is the great development that is happening to a former student of mine who is playing basketball for the University of Waterloo. She will now be a part of a semi-pro women's team based out of Toronto. Pretty cool stuff.

Check out the article here: http://www.thestar.com/Sports/NBA/article/588213

Second on the "wicked" list but on the negative side of it came up this past weekend.

Someone bike into the Astana team van at the Tour of California and stole 3 bikes, one of them being Lance Armstrong's one of a kind TT rig. Does someone think they can actually sell this thing off? Or ride it in some race somewhere? Good luck buddy!

Check out Lance's twitter page for his comments on the whole situation and the current T of C.

http://twitter.com/lancearmstrong

Finally, on the wicked list (and going back to the positive) is my own training. Everything is going well. Lovin' the swimming and getting faster (but at my previous snail-like speed I could only get faster, but still some shoulder issues--especially after Sunday's 1500m TT), my biking and running is are also making improvements but I am mindful that my right leg is doing more than its fair share of the work. In fact, my left calf is still 2 inches smaller than my right.

Happy training,

RH

Random thoughts (edition #1)

Life is busy so all I have time for is some random thoughts to kick off February.
Many of these are great revelations I'm sure but here we go.

1. The Raptors are absolutely horrible. Come on dudes, at least look like you are trying out there. This is the first year that I've not tuned into every game (that TSN2 nonsense is also a factor).

2. Leafs. Just tank the season already and get a top draft pick.

3. If he keeps going on this pace, Rafa Nadal may end up being greatest tennis player of all time. At least in terms of Grand Slam victories. Federer just can't beat this guy, and he appeared to have given up during the 5th set of the Australian Open final. His bawlin' at the awards ceremony may have shown his realization of his poor effort or even some despair. Nadal just keeps getting better. We all know he is a clay court master, but he tinkered and improved his game to win all all surfaces. If he can stay healthy, it will be real interesting to see what he can do because he is still a young buck.

4. See Slumdog Millionaire. It is on my all time top ten list for sure. Gran Turino is quite the swan song for Clint Eastwood too.

5. My Achilles is coming along great and is feeling as normal as it can be. I am not pushing the intensity too much and main keeping things aerobic. Clocked a 3:39 for 200 m at swim practice last night. It was during a set of 4 x 200m. I did all 4 in a total time of 15:03. Nothing crazy, but just a steady high aerobic manageable pace. I'm actually lovin' the swimming who would have thought?

6. All the best to my "Aunt-in-law" who is recovering from Achilles tendon surgery. I hope I didn't start some epidemic among my friends and family. This not an experience I want to wish on anyone.


Till next time, thanks for reading.
H

Training Update

For those who care, here goes.

As of 2 weeks ago, I've now started swimming 3x a week with the Markham Masters Swim Club.

Given that I've only swum no more than 30 times since the year 2000, this is a major training addition for me. Why the change? I started swimming in September due to my recovery from Achilles surgery. I could not do the amount of running I wanted to do so this was the easy option. I only planned on swimming once a week from September to June, but I've been enjoying my swimming so much that I extended my membership to swim 3x per week.

My right shoulder is holding up ok due to all of the swimming. Some days are better than others but I can feel the strength building up despite the pain. In fact, I hit a personal best time of 1:36 for 100m last week (although I've never timed myself before at a full out effort). I was not looking to make serious time improvements for my Ironman swim but that may happen as a bi-product. I will gladly take it if it comes. I know I can swim tons faster if I push it, but I will focus on getting faster at a fairly easy effort. After all, there is still 180 km of biking and 42.2 km of running to do afterwards.

The Achilles is making slow but steady gains. I am up to 1 hr and 20 minutes of constant running (avg. pace 6:27/km). So I am not breaking any speed records yet.

That's all for now, thanks for reading.

H

Lance to race an Ironman

According to Outside Magazine (Lance is featured in the February issue), Lance has confirmed that he will enter an Ironman after he is done with his cycling comeback. And when he does do it, he isn't just showing up. He wants to go as fast as he can. This should be very interesting indeed but we will have to wait for at least a couple of years.

The online article can be found here:

http://outside.away.com/outside/culture/200902/lance-armstrong-reader-questions.html

Here is the exact question and response to the Ironman question.

Will you ever do the Ironman? You've got a lot of triathlon fans out their desperate for an answer.

Yeah. Whenever I'm done with this [comeback]. I can unequivocally say yes to that. That's a fact. And I get asked that question every day. I don't know when it was, less than a year ago, that I got some of these Ironman DVDs. I said, Let's see what that's all about. So we've been watching them for the past year. I'm definitely motivated to do an Ironman. We'll go back and I'll be close to 40, but I've swam more in the last three years than before that. And I don't want to just do an Ironman. I don't want to approach it like I approached the marathons. I want to do it as fast as I can.

WTC buys out NA Sports

What does this mean for us racers? Hopefully, not a thing as far race prices or race quality is concerned.

Graham Fraser puts on the best races period! So it will be interesting to see what happens to these U.S. races. Apparently, the deal is that the NA Sports staff will remain intact to do their jobs. Only time will tell and I will find out first hand at Ironman Lake Placid this summer.

The interesting thing is that Ironman Canada remains under Fraser's control. Will it be stripped of official "Ironman" status in the future? Will it matter? Or will it become like Roth which still remains a juggernaut despite losing that official status and Kona slots. Are those who are really serious about Kona going to IMCAN to qualify anyway? That race is unique and has a cult-like following so I think it keep chugging along and I'm glad to have done it twice. I really love that course. Maybe I'll go back one day. When I win the Super 7 or 6/49?

Will Fraser try to get another "Ironman" race going in Canada? Again, it is all speculation but all pretty cool as well. I see it as a win-win for all of us. If there are more races there will be more competition and maybe some reduction in race fees. And maybe we can will see more of those races happening in Canada. Time will tell. Graham, since you a few extra bucks in your pocket, can you adopt me? You can reach me at hosspro@hotmail.com

Click on the link to see the official announcement.

http://ironman.com/mediacenter/pressreleases/world-triathlon-corporation-acquires-seven-u.s.-based-races

Happy New Year!!!

Sorry for the tardiness of this post but......




I hope you didn't celebrate so much that you looked like this Boston Terrier.

I am busy writing articles for the HSBC Triathlon Series, Triathlon Magazine Canada, doing assignments for my courses, etc. So I will try and post some triathlon related stuff soon or whatever interesting things I may find.

In my own training related news, I finally eeked into the double digits as I did 10 hrs and 1 minute of training last week. Capped off by 2500m of swimming last night. I've done more swimming in the past 4 months (still only once a week) than I've done in 10 years and I think it will definitely pay off this summer. My right shoulder is taking a beating though. Which is why I didn't swim much in the first place---too many years of competitive tennis and cranking out serves in the 144 mph range. For a vertically challenged dude I am paying for those efforts now.

If you want to know about the nonsense that an elite athlete has to go through on a daily basis check out this classic post by Simon Whitfield.

http://simonwhitfield.blogspot.com/2008/12/unreal-my-whereabouts.html

Til next time
RH

Retul Bike Fit. Hmmm???

Now that my buddy Ian Maclean has the Retul Bike Fitting system, I am seriously considering doing a re-fit. Due to my injury and subsequent recovery, my postition may need some tinkering with. Check out a Retul demo with uberbiker - Normann Stadler (2x Ironman World Champion).

You can check out Ian at www.imfit.ca or www.youniquecycles.ca.

Merry Christmas!

Let me begin by wishing everyone a Merry Christmas!!!

Life has been hectic lately so sorry for the infrequent posts. I would get the urge to post and then something would come up.

Here are a few quickie items I wanted to mention (if you didn't know already). You can always google some of these items yourself to get more details.

- Lance Armstrong is having a baby with his new girlfriend.

- Chrissie Wellington has switched coaches again (now its Simon Lessing).

- I strongly recommend Sugoi R & R Compression Knee High socks (from Running Free). I will post a compression sock article/review soon.

- Fallout 3 is an awesome game for the PS3 or XBOX 360.

- Get an HD box so you can enjoy HD Channels. Discovery Channel in HD is incredible.

- You must see Discovery Channels Miracle Bodies: Michael Phelps. They show and explain why he is so fast in the water and superior to everyone else. Quite wicked! Especially in HD.

- TMN (The Movie Network) on Demand kicks butt. My trainer rides are so much easier because of this service. Lots of great TV series and movies.

- Lets go Raptors! You better pick it up in 2009. Leafs???

That's all for now.
Merry Christmas and enjoy all that Boxing Day shopping.

RH

Get yourself a pair!

Since August I've been experimenting with compression socks (not run specific) to help speed my recovery from the Achilles tendon rupture (ATR). For the most part, the only place to get them was from the USA, and they were expensive.

Recently, my favourite store, Running Free, got some run specific socks in stock and at a reasonable price ($30 vs $50 us +). I gave them a try and loved them. I have done every run in them since getting them on December 12. Provided that there are any left, I suggest you rush over to the store to get a pair or two for yourself or for that favourite athlete in your life.

They are the Sugoi R & R Knee High. They provide support, and while the compression is not super high, it feels more comfortable than those that do have more.

http://www.runningfree.com/detail.aspx?ID=13243

Spend a few bucks more ($50) and use code 11296 to save $5.

I've been working on an in depth compression sock review since the summer and that will be posted soon.

Til next time, thanks for reading.
RH

Running Free Newmarket Grand Opening & IM Hawaii

The Grand Opening of Running Free Newmarket is set for this Saturday, December 13th – 10:00 am – 6:00 pm.

All day this Saturday, industry representatives will be on hand to show off the latest footwear, clothing, and equipment. We’ll have lots of special offers and give-aways just in time for some great holiday savings.

Some of the familiar Running Free faces on hand on Saturday will include Henrietta Hopkins, George from the Jungle, John Posca, Nick Capra, John Yip, Glenis McLaren, Ken and Carol Dee, Janis Jarvis, Janet Bell Crawford, and others.

Industry Representatives on hand on Saturday will include – Canada’s 1st marathon Olympian and current record holder Silvia Ruegger from Brooks, Darren Goodrich from New Balance, Ellen Oatmeyer from Sugoi, Andrew King from Saucony, Arnold Tse from Mizuno, and Didier Chung from Asics.

The new store is on 201 Main street South, the directions can be found here: http://www.runningfree.com/location.aspx#newmarket

I plan to check out the new store, and then head home to watch the Ironman Hawaii broadcast on NBC from 2:30 - 4 pm.

If you plan on doing some shopping, make sure to make use of my discount code: 11296.

Til next time
RH

Wanna smell like me??

Ok! I am not sure you would really want to do that but you can smell like an Ironman. Sort of.

A new Ironman branded product will hit the market in May 2009. Drum roll ...................

An Ironman men's fragrance.

Maybe they are trying to send a message to us Ironman athletes? I wonder if they will have it available in the change tents so we can spritz up a bit before heading off on the bike or run. And maybe a refresher for when we cross the finish line?

http://www.gcimagazine.com/marketstrends/segments/finefragrance/30267989.html?page=1


By the by, the Muskoka 70.3 race will air on TSN this Saturday December 6 at 3pm (EST).

Then the following week, the Ford Ironman World Championship wil air on NBC on Saturday December 13, from 2:30 - 4 PM (EST).

I'm still working on my compression socks article.
Til next time. Thanks for reading.
RH

An Awesome Deal from Rudy Project

Rudy Project has the best sunglasses on the market and now is the perfect time to get a pair or two. With this new promotion, you buy a pair of eyewear and you get a ton of stuff with it (worth $290). Bike helmet, extra lense, t-shirt, bag, and hat.

Check it out:

http://www.e-rudy.com/rudy-project-gear-kit-details.php?s=scoop

A great Cyclocross article

Michael Barry (Canadian Pro Cyclist) wrote this great piece for the New York Times. I can thank some guy by the name of Lance Armstrong for directing me to it.

http://www.nytimes.com/2008/11/13/sports/othersports/13cycling.html?_r=1&ref=othersports

Enjoy.

RH

Mizuno shoes environmentally friendly

Mizuno already makes kick butt shoes but now they are stepping up even further but utilizing materials that are better for the environment. Yet another reason to wear Mizuno.





Norcross, GA (June 16, 2008) - Mizuno, a leader in running footwear and apparel technology, has announced the use of a new thermoplastic elastomer range for the Wave® Technology plates in four models of high performance running shoes set to debut in 2009. This new thermoplastic elastomer range named Pebax® Rnew (1), is made from renewable resources, castor oil, and contributes to global warming reduction.



In 1991, Mizuno Corporation, Mizuno USA’s parent company, established CREW 21, an acronym for Conversation of Resources & Environment Wave towards the 21st Century. Mizuno Corporation’s environmental program incorporates the idea that everybody needs to be responsible for the spaceship called “Earth” that we live on. Mizuno USA has taken this environmental responsibility seriously through recycling programs as well as various other programs to help protect the environment.



For example, all Mizuno footwear boxes are made from 100% recycled paper, and through the Clean Air Campaign, Mizuno USA employees help improve the air quality of the Metro Atlanta area, home of Mizuno USA’s headquarters, through car-pooling to work, and Mizuno USA employees participate in community clean up and beautification projects.



“Mizuno consistently takes initiative to protect the environment,” said Mizuno USA’s Director of Marketing of Athletic Footwear, Rod Foley. “By being the first in Athletic Footwear industry to use Pebax® Rnew, we continue to exemplify our commitment to managing the limited resources that the Earth provides.”



The Pebax® Rnew will be utilized in both men’s and women’s models of the Mizuno Wave Rider 12, Wave Inspire 5, Wave Creation 10, and Wave Nirvana 5. The Wave Rider 12 will be available December 5th, 2008, while the other 3 models will be available for purchase beginning January 5th, 2009.

14 Year Old Finishes an "Ironman"

Yes, you read correctly.
He did the race in 13 hrs 41 minutes (he did the race last year in 15:27).

I actually raced side by side with his father during the Ironman run in Lake Placid. I got a great history lesson of Lake Placid during the run. Their family has quite a legacy down there (a figure skating rink named after them, etc.).

Quite an incredible story. I am not sure I'd let me kid do such a race at that age but if they are physically and mentally ready why not I suppose???

Check out the whole story here:

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/story/2008/11/09/ST2008110902085.html?sid=ST2008110902085&s_pos=top

Great post on cheating

I was going to chime in on this topic after some great debate on various forums this week.

I found this great post (he makes quite a few of them on his site --- I agree with him big time on S-bend issue) so please check it out. I am still too busy to post something detailed on my own at this point.

http://www.bikesportmichigan.com/editorials/0000132.shtml

Enjoy.

Congrats to Obama!

Gas Price to drop 5.7 cents at midnight

I've been slacking with my posts here lately but that is what happens when life gets in the way.
Congrats to BL, AG, and KS on their performances at the Angus Glen Half Marathon and 10 km yesterday. And a wicked showing by all my fellow Team Running Free members out there too.

Here is a bit of a PSA for you so you can save some $$$.

According to AM 640 news, Liberal MP Dan McTeague says gas prices will drop 5.7 cents at midnight, down to 85.1 cents per litre. This is the lowest price at the pump since 2005.

Save your filling up for tomorrow.

Til next time.
RH

Youniquecycles.ca Grand Opening

After 3 years of running the business from his house, my friend, bike fitter, fitness tester, and coach held the Grand Opening of his new Bike Store/Bike Fit/Fitness Testing location this past weekend in Milton.

The slick new place is located on 511 Main St East (Milton). Along with being one of the best FIST certified bike fitters around (I've never felt better on my bikes), Ian carries wicked lineup of products like Guru bikes, HED, Shimano, Selle SMP, etc.

Personally, it quite awesome to see Ian's business grow to the point it is today and hopefully there is more to come. I just hope that he doesn't get too big that I can't afford to see him anymore :)

Ian really is great and I recommend him highly for his bike fitting and fitness testing (and coaching services if you so require it). Now that he sells Guru, he can get your measurement and have Guru produce a custom made bike for you. No more messing around with trying to find a bike on sale, and trying to make that bike work for you. You will only spend more time in the long run because you will likely end up buying another bike after toiling in trying to find a comfortable position.

Check out Ian Maclean and his services at:

http://www.youniquecycles.ca/home.html

http://www.imfit.ca/home.html

It is worth the drive to Milton.

Ironman Hawaii

What a wicked day of racing!

The online coverage was awesome. Lots of great interviews, insight, and camera shots.
Having Macca stop by to provide commentary of the race was truly a treat. Great stuff. Today was like Christmas for me.

The racing was incredible. The bikers (Sinballe, Stadler and Lieto to name a few) took it out hard and went for it on the run. They got caught by the runners but at least they laid it out there. Hats off to them. Macca snapped a cable on his bike which would have taken 20 minutes to fix so he unfortunately had to drop out of the race.

As I said, Craig Alexander was going to tear up the run and he sure did. He plunked down a blazing 2:45 marathon and cruised to victory. When he was interviewed this morning (530am) I could tell that he was there to crush the competition. He looked super lean, intense and ready to rock n' roll. Well done Craig!! You are wickedly fast.

Men
1. Craig Alexander 8:17:45
2. Eneko Llanos Burguera 8:20:50
3. Rutger Beke 8:21:23
4. Ronnie Schildknecht 8:24:46
5. Timo Bracht 8:23:04
6. Cameron Brown 8:26:17
7. Patrick Vernay 8:30:23
8. Andy Potts 8:33:50
9. Mathias Hecht 8:34:02
10. Michael Lovato 8:38:47

Now for scary fast. If it were not for a flat tire (which killed 7-10 minutes) we surely would have seen the women's course record be broken today. Chrissy Wellington is a pure phenom. I just hope she keeps on racing and doesn't get bored of demolishing the women's field (and many pro men too). She did set the new women's marathon record in Hawaii by running 2:57.

Women
1. Chrissie Wellington 9:06:23
2. Yvonne Van Vlerken 9:21:20
3. Sandra Wallenhorst 9:22:52
4. Erika Csomor 9:24:49
5. Linsey Corbin 9:28:51
6. Virginia Berasategui 9:29:15
7. Bella Comerford 9:34:08
8. Gina Ferguson 9:36:53
9. Gina Kehr 9:37:06
10. Dede Griesbauer 9:39:53

I got so inspired by the coverage today that after the big players made the bike turnaround in Hawi, I got dressed and headed out on my first "real" outdoor bike ride. I don't remember loving riding so much. It felt great to be outdoors again and enjoying the great weather. Not to mention being on my fave ride---Siena. I did a quick 40 km on a hilly route and my Achilles felt strong. I hammered all the hills and my heart rate went through the roof. It was good to be back. With 2 more days of awesome weather here I'll be sure to head out again.

Brian Bennett, a local massage therapist and acquaintance, had the good fortune to take part in today's race in Hawaii and is still on the course as of this post. In fact, he has raced for 10 hrs and 18 minutes and has 21 miles left to go on the run. He should cruise home easily and finish his first race in Hawaii. Way to go Brian.

Ironman World Championships this Saturday

The biggest sport event of the year is about to happen in a few days. That's right, the Ironman World Championships.

Lots of great coverage can be found at http://www.ironman.com/ every day up until the actual race.

My picks:

Women
1. Chrissie Wellington
- Can anyone touch her? If they let her get away on the bike forget about it. She has never lost an Ironman race and it will be very tough on the field to make this her first. Too bad Samantha McGlone has been suffering from Achilles (another one bites the dust, welcome to the club Sam) and has not been running for 2 months. She is supposed to be getting married in November so she will rest up and come back with a vengence in 2009. Like me!! :)

You need to keep an eye out for Yvonne van Vlerken who set the new Ironman world record at Roth this summer (8:45:48) and Erika Csomor who was only less than two minutes behind that (also breaking the previous record held by the great Paula Newby-Fraser).

Men
1. Chris McCormack
- Macca better have some kind of lead off the bike or Craig Alexander might run him down with that scary run leg of his. Watch out for Andy Potts, Normann Stadler and Faris Al-Sultan too.

This should be a very interesting race. There are a ton of fast gals and guys who can do some serous damage if they are at 100%.

I'll be glued to my computer screen all day watching all the live streaming footage.

Haile Rules

Ethopia's Haile Gebrselassie is one fast dude!

Today in Berlin, he laid the smack down on his own marathon world record (2:04:26) by running a crazy fast 2:03:59. Not too shabby for a 35 year old eh?

Check out the splits:

5 km 00:14:35

10 km 00:29:13

15 km 00:44:03

20 km 00:58:50

half 01:02:05

25 km 01:13:41

30 km 01:28:27

35 km 01:43:05

40 km 01:57:34

Let me break that down for you. This incredible athlete averaged a 4:43/mile or 2:56/km for the entire 42.2 km. Now go out your door and try to run 1 km or mile at that speed.

I guess skipping the Olympic Marathon paid off. But would he rather have an Olympic Gold medal or a world record? The hot and humid conditions of Beijing definitely would have made a world record attempt not possible though. The conditions on Berlin today was perfect for running a marathon. Sunny, 9 degrees Celsius to start and 13 degrees by the end of the race.

As great as Gebrselassie is, I think that Kenenisa Bekele could even be better. He holds the world record in the 5km (12:37.35) and 10 km (26:17.53 ). If he makes the move to the half and full marathon the world better watch out.

Congrats go out to a few buddies of mine who ran the Scotiabank Half and Full Marathon today (a race I was supposed to be a pace bunny at for the 4th time -- but couldn't due to my wonderful Achilles injury). Special mention goes out to a few former students who finally stepped up to the plate. Both were first timers and one did 1:53 half, and the other completed his first marathon. Way to go dudes.

Til next time, thanks for reading.

RH

Paul Newman (January 26, 1925 – September 26, 2008)

I loved his salad dressings and movies but Paul Newman sadly passed away a few days ago due to cancer. There are lots of tributes everywhere on the web so check it out yourself if you want more information. If you haven't tried the Newman's Own product line give it a go. Not only does it taste great but all profits go to charity. RIP Mr. Newman.

Politics Schmolitics

Let me get political for a moment.

Yes, they have zero chance of winning but I like a lot of things the Green Party stands. Plus, the leader, Elizabeth May, is quite a cool lady.

Too bad the Liberals don't have such a leader (Dion is a nice guy but not a great leader that instills confidence in most Canadians) or else they would de-throne the Conservatives for sure.

Anyway, the Green Party is growing with popularity each day, and I'll be supporting them this next election. Here are few links to investigate if you feel so inclined.

http://www.greenparty.ca/

The Green Platform

That is as political as I am going to get here.
Til next time
RH

Lance is back

With all the rumours floating around the past few days, Lance Armstrong finally confirmed today that he is returning to professional cycling. I guess he will not be doing an Ironman for a while (despite what others have speculated).

Here is what he said:

"I am happy to announce that after talking with my children, my family and my closest friends, I have decided to return to professional cycling in order to raise awareness of the global cancer burden. This year alone, nearly eight million people will die of cancer worldwide. Millions more will suffer in isolation, victims not only of the disease but of social stigma. After the passage of Proposition 15 in Texas, a $3 billion investment in the fight against cancer which is helping to make this disease part of the national dialogue in America, it's now time to address cancer on a global level."

The article can be found here:
http://www.livestrong.com/article/12511-stub-article/

The video statement is here:
http://www.livestrong.com/lance2009/

This should be an interesting year of cycling for sure. Now why couldn't he have come back this past summer when I had all the time in the world to sit and watch all the coverage from the Tour de France?

Til next time
RH

I swam last night and I liked it

That Katy Perry song was in my head so why not alter it a bit and make it the title of this post.

After 12 years I made my return to the Markham Masters swim club.

This had nothing to do with the club because it remains great (probably better now) it is just that my goal back then was to get competent enough to swim in an Ironman.

I was able to do so and as many of you know, I only swam 2-3 times per year. Thursday and/or Friday before the race for 10-20 minutes, and then on race day. Extra swim practice did not make me much faster, plus my constantly dislocating right shoulder made a lot of swimming not possible. The amount of time I would need to put into swimming to improve just a few minutes would be better spent biking for running where I could chop some major time.

However, last night felt great and this fall/winter/spring might bring about some swim improvements that I might try to maintain for years to come. I am only swimming one night per week so I am not expecting miracles. I am actually thinking about boosting my membership to swim 3 times per week because it was so enjoyable (I never thought I'd be saying that). A lot of that has to do with me not being able to run until January (hopefully) so I had to find something else to do other than biking right now.

All you non-swimmers who want to get into triathlons need to join a Masters Swim Club in your area. It really is the only way to get your swimming up to par. Unless you have some serious dough to hire a private coach and find pool time.

Til next time.
Thanks for reading.
RH

Beijing Olympic Triathlon Results Booklet

Things are busy on the home front since I started back at work today.

All is well on the healing process. I'm riding my bike everyday, getting physio 3x a week, and getting stronger each day. Only my heel is taking a beating. Especially after being on my feet most of the day today.

If you want to see detailed splits from the Olympic Triathlon, click on the link and enjoy. If you didn't know already, these girls and guys are super fast.

http://www.triathlon.org/docs/official-results-book-Beijing2008.pdf

As usual, Simon has a wicked blog entry where he reflects on his journey over the past 4 years.

http://simonwhitfield.blogspot.com/2008/08/final-globe-blog.html

Til next time.
RH

Support our Canadian Athletes

Two more medals today and more to come tomorrow for sure.

If you don't know about this organization already, Canadian Athletes Now has provided much needed funding to many of our needy athletes. Check out the site and donate to the cause if you want to personally do something about the lack of adequate funding that the athletes receive.

http://www.canadianathletesnow.ca/home/

Til next time
RH

By the way, Simon Whitfield will be live and answering questions on Slowtwitch tonight at 8 pm ET.
http://forum.slowtwitch.com/gforum.cgi?post=1947056;sb=post_latest_reply;so=ASC;forum_view=forum_view_collapsed;;page=unread#unread

I'm Lovin' it

Like I said almost one week ago, the medals will come for Canada and they sure did. Lots of other great performances and close calls too. Unlike the first week, I haven't heard any Canadian athletes cry babying about lack of funding and making other excuses for their performances. Just HTFU and get the job done. These athletes are doing just that. Awesome job!

The perfect example of that was last night when Simon Whitfield clearly gave it all he had to valiantly claim a silver medal. It was truly incredible. All athletes should check out the final 5 minutes of this race to see what HTFU, giving 110%, and laying it all on the line is all about. He had nothing left by the end of the race and that is how it should be. Drain that tank and have no regrets. The bronze medal performance by Priscilla Lopes-Schliep was wicked too.

Here are the Canadian medals as of today:

Diving
Silver - Alexandre Despatie (3 M Springboard)

Equestrian Jumping
Silver - Team Canada (Mixed Team)

Trampoline
Silver - Jason Burnett (Men's Individual)
Silver - Karen Cockburn (Women's Individual)

Rowing
Gold - K. Light / B. Rutledge / A. Byrnes / J. Wetzel / M. Howard / D. Seiterle / A. Kreek / K. Hamilton / B. Price (Men's 8)
Silver - D. Calder / S. Frandsen (Men's Pair)
Bronze - I. Brambell / J. Beare / M. Lewis / L. Parsons (Men's Lightweight Skulls)
Bronze - M. Kok / T. Cameron (Women's Lightweight Double Skulls)

Swimming
Bronze - Ryan Cochrane (1500 m Free)

Track and Field
Bronze - Priscilla Lopes-Schliep (Women's 100m Hurdles)

Triathlon
Silver - Simon WHITFIELD

Wrestling Freestyle
Gold - Carol Huynh (48 kg)
Bronze - Tonya Verbeek (55 kg)

Canada's updates are available here:
http://stats.cbc.ca/olympics/medals.asp?country=CAN

We have more medals coming for sure so keep cheering and checking for updates.

The CBC Widget

Here is a real cool tool to get quick access to all the Olympic results and stories. I have the widget on the right hand side too.

Enjoy
RH

Nothing New...sort of

Like the title says, there is nothing new happening with me. But I have a lot to say.

I finished my online course, volunteered at a race this weekend (forgot about my condition and accidentally ran a few steps..oops), keep watching the Olympics to see Canada win its first medal (by the weekend for sure), and try to keep healing from my ATR.

I sorta hit the wall in the healing process over the past few days. Plenty of soreness and swelling. I had a bit of a slip a few days ago, heard a bit of a click but suddenly the heel pain went any and so did a lot of the tightness. Very eerie! I was just hoping I didn't re-rupture the darn thing. I poked around and the middle section felt softer as compared to the rest of the Achilles so maybe I tore away some scar tissue? So I've been taking it easy and today is tons better.

I had some physio today and he checked out the area and said all was OK. He also thinks I just jarred some scar tissue loose. At any rate we put off the start of my strengthening exercises for another day. This didn't prevent him from doing the super deep and painful massage of the tendon of course.

Since most of my time has been spent watching the Olympics, I wanted to spout out a few comments.


If you have been watching the CBC coverage over the past few days, you probably saw some interviews where a few Canadian athletes were complaining about the Canadian Government's funding. While the funding has improved over the last 1-2 years, it has been too little too late for these Olympics (and for many sports it is still too little).

I agree with the athletes 100%, but only if the Canadian public, media, and government is going to scoff, complain or be ashamed of the medal count at the end of the day. If they expect these athletes to compete at the same level as the rest of the world the need the same support. Canada must decide one way or the other. Either support our athletes properly and make the athletes accountable for their funding (no free handouts - they must meet performance standards, do public speaking, coaching, etc.) or let them go at it alone to find their own deals or fleeing to other countries if need be.

My only disagreement with the athletes comes in the fact that they decided to make athletics their "job" in a badly funded sport society so why am I (the Canadian taxpayer) being made to foot the bill. Does a person wanting to go to University or take a course to get a better job get free government money to do so? Simple answer. No. If I decide to give support athletes I'll donate to a specific sport organization or pay a membership fee in which much of that money goes to support up and coming athletes. I'm sure many potential world class athletes from Canada saw the sad funding situation and chose another path in life.

While I like watching the Olympics, is it that worth it for the government to spend millions of dollars to see Canadians bring home a zillion medals? I admit it would be nice but, no. I really just appreciate the spirit of the competition, seeing their efforts and achieving personal bests, and the many cool and inspiring stories of the athletes. I am proud of their efforts to even make it to the Olympics because it takes major skill, talent, determination, hard work and sacrifice.

This is why if any Canadian brings home a medal of any kind, I admire their efforts even more. I know that they have risen above extreme hurdles to beat the best in the world.

Let's go Canada! Medals will be coming your way soon. And if it doesn't, does it really matter?

If it does to you, then you better contact your local Member of Parliament and complain for Canada to change its system and give more money. Otherwise, don't slag the athletes, keep your mouth shut and enjoy their efforts. Remember, they haven't spent years of training to go to Beijing to be embarrassed. They all want to win and are trying to make Canada, their families and themselves proud.


I'll stop my rant on that note.

Don't forget the Women's Olympic Triathlon - Sunday August 17 @ 10 pm ET, and the Men's race on Monday August 18 @ 10 pm ET. No matter what happens it will be a wicked two days of racing. Go Team Canada!

Til next time.
RH

Beijing Olympics are underway

If I don't poste regularly it is due to the Olympics.
I will be watching every minute of the coverage on CBC, TSN, and NBC.
Despite what many ignorant fools in the mainstream media have to say, I'll watch the Olympics over baseball, etc., any day.

Here is the schedule of events:

http://results.beijing2008.cn/WRM/ENG/Schedule/index.shtml

The CBC generally covers the Olympics every day from 6pm-12am and 6am-12noon. With some added coverage and schedule tweaks in there (depends on the day). Check your own local listings.

Just look for the Women's Olympic Triathlon on Monday August 18 (10 pm Eastern) and the Men's Olympic Triathlon on Tuesday August 19 (10 pm Eastern).

Here is the excellent CBC site. All the events and times are on the right side and can be customized for your own time zone.

http://www.cbc.ca/olympics/

It is going to be a great next couple of weeks.
Enjoy

RH

McEnroe & Nadal Roadtrip

Enjoy two of the greatest tennis players of all time getting together for a road trip.



By the way here are my top 10 players of all time:

Men
1. John McEnroe
2. Roger Federer
3. Bjorn Borg
4. Rod Laver
5. Andre Agassi
6. Pete Sampras
7. Stefan Edberg
8. Ivan Lendl
9. Raphael Nadal - and rising qickly
10. Daniel Nestor - Canadian content & has career Golden Slam in doubles.

Women
1. Martina Navratilova
2. Steffi Graf
3. Serena Williams
4. Billie Jean King
5. Chris Evert
6. Martina Hingis
7. Monica Seles
8. Justine Henin
9. Ana Ivanovic
10. Anna Kournikova - If she is on court I'm there. It's "my" top 10 after all. Let me refresh your memory below.




Oh yeah, check this out too. Mac does Rafa.