The last registration is in..

I just registered for the 2009 Aspirus Keweenaw Copperman Triathlon. So the event schedule is now locked and loaded. Should be a fun event year.

I'm looking forward to easing back into the triathlon routine. I've hit the pool three times already (missed this past Sunday however). And I'm on the trainer between 5 and 7 times a week in the basement. While nothing will substitute for taking the bike on the road, at least I'm rebuilding my comfort level to being on the road bike, and being in the aerobar position.

I'll keep you posted on that stuff... and I've got some more news I'm waiting for a few spare moments to post about. Namely something regarding the previous post.

Peace

Night, Nite, Knight... (part I)

A homophone is a word that is pronounced the same as another word but differs in meaning. Ok, so maybe Night and nite are really the same word, and are not homophones. But I thought it made the post more fun.

Dictionary.com list the following for night

1.	the period of darkness between sunset and sunrise.

2.	the beginning of this period; nightfall.

Dictionary.com list the following for Knight:

1.	a mounted soldier serving under a feudal superior in the Middle Ages.

2.	(in Europe in the Middle Ages) a man, usually of noble birth, who after an apprenticeship as page and squire was raised to honorable military rank and bound to chivalrous conduct.

Night closes out each of our days. It begins a period of rest and recovery. It prepares us for the new beginnings that the following day will bring up. Long gone are the days of Knights (at least in the medieval sense), or are they? In today's society Can an individual learn to serve from others (e.g. page), begin to assist (e.g. squire) and eventually transform themselves and their behaviors, attitudes, and conduct for the betterment of the greater society (e.g. Knighthood)?

Perhaps yes, Perhaps no. But with something cooking in the medieval kitchen, you'll just have to wait for the next installment...

Peace

The Juice Cleanse

Always looking for a way to do something a little different, or to approach a challenge a little off center. I found this snippet from a periodical called "The Bottom Line". It was within a larger article that dealt with eating healthy, and eating varieties of food.

Given that the blogs name has "Sacrifice with purpose" in it; its lent so I'm already fasting on some days; the article seemed like an easy way to incorporate an extra "fast" day into a monthly routine. In America we don't fast enough, so much so the benefits are just not apparent to most.

Enough said... now about the "The Juice Cleanse"

Juice fasts allow the digestive tract to rest while promoting detoxification, reducing inflammation and dramatically increasing energy. One study even found that people who fasted once a month were 39% more likely to have healthy hearts than nonfasters. Once a month, consume nothing but juice for an entire day. Use a juicer to combine a variety of organic vegetables, such as spinach, carrots and broccoli. Add a small amount of apples, cherries and other fruits as a natural sweetener. ...

Peace

Its progress.. (more)

With spring in full swing. Yard work needing to be done, hopefully work can continue to proceed on the basement. I did spend a bit of time on some more framing. I would say the rough carpentry is about 70% done. I got a little bit let on a the wall. I need to frame up a pre hung door, and build a small soffit around some of the newer plumbing from the remodel. Once the wall are up and I got the door framed, I'll snap a picture.

hope you all have a great week!

Any way you can get it!.. (right?)

So after being knocked out a few days fighting something off, I suddenly find myself much closer to my weight loss goal. Yeah yeah, I know, just because I didn't eat a few days, that doesn't really count. Well consider it motivation...

I've got a few more projects added to my pile at work, so the 6 week honeymoon is over and its time to deliver. With enough of my plate to last a long time, deadlines suggest it all needs to be done by the end of may. Yikes!

Basement framing, hoping to get some more done this weekend.

Lastly I'll close with a quote from a Lenten Calendar that provides daily and weekly reflections. I thought this was pretty cool.

Sometimes I get sad, but then I feel comfort when I ask God for our health and our children's health. That's a gift from God.

- Margarita, Nicaragua

Do me a favor. Smile to a stranger today, and also Have a Great Day!!

Peace

Slow going

A bit slow going in the updates lately. I've been under the weather. Just a quick sync up for those that are anxiously following all that's going on in the household.

- got in my 2nd hour swim on Sunday (prior to getting sick). A good swim, but this facility didn't have any kickboards for personal use, so it was tough to do all the drills.
- got the 2x4 framing started in the basement. I ran out of 2x4s so I needed to get more. Probably have another 1/2 day or so or framing left. So given that I piece together hours to work in it, it still might be a number of days.
- Got E1s "trailer" bike setup. It wouldn't hook up to J's bike, so Papa gets to have E1 bike attached to mine. He had a blast testing it out on Sunday.
- work has suddenly gotten quick busy. we'll see the impact on the rest of life, but there is a lot on my plate right now. Being new to the group and department, I need to deliver to show they can count on me...

more to come as I get healthy and more progress is made..
Peace

Determining Zones and Pace

Getting back into triathlons this year, I've started to dig out old training articles to reacquaint myself with some training tip and principals. And with a couple of new triathletes possibly following this blog, I figured I would repost the info as find it.

Basic training for a marathon is getting in your miles. As you progress, you tweak workouts to include more hills, or speedwork, or intervals. Its relatively easy to monitor progress and improvement during that training.

How do you monitor improvement for triathlon training? Well here's an article that describes how to determine your HR zones, and pace for swimming, biking, and running. The technique is about using time trials. Enjoy the article Determining Zones and Pace

Peace

Splash! and Uuugh!

For the first time since the completion of the 2007 Chicago Accenture Triathlon I went to a pool with the intent to train. After more than 1 year away from competing in triathlons, I registered for a few this years. So I felt it was time to get the feet wet, literally.

I spent 1 hour, with some rest breaks, in the pool. Just going through some basic drills that I remembered from years past. It felt good to be back in the pool, but it didn't take long at all to feel the effect of almost 1.5 years away from swimming.

Arms and shoulders are now sore. The lung capacity isn't there. And to top it all off, towards the end of the hour, I actually began to feel nauseous. No had I been swimming in a lake with waves, I might have expected that, but not in a pool. Its a good thing that I talked myself into going, and taking a break from the basement remodel. Clearly I need to start putting in some training time in the pool.

So how was YOUR Saturday?

Peace!

There's a hole in my wall, Dear Liza

There's a hole in my (foundation) wall, dear Liza
There's a hole in my wall, Dear Liza, a hole
Then fix it dear Henry, dear Henry
Then fix it dear Henry, dear Henry, then fix it!

There's water coming from the hole, dear Liza, dear Liza,
There's water coming from the hole, dear Liza, dear Liza,
Then plug it, dear Henry, dear Henry,
Then plug it, dear Henry, dear Henry, then plug it!

With what shall I plug it dear Liza, dear Liza,
With what shall I plug it dear Liza, with what?
With hydraulic cement, dear Henry, dear Henry,
With hydraulic cement, dear Henry, with cement!

There's an electrical panel in the way, dear Liza, dear Liza
There's an electrical panel in the way, dear Liza, dear Lisa
Then move the panel dear Henry, dear Henry,
Then move the panel dear Henry, then move it!

..and on an on...

So.. work on the basement has resumed. As I mentioned in my last post, the combination of unusual amounts of rain, and frozen group, led to flash flooding, and a veritable lake in our back yard. Bad news as it results in some water in the basement, good news, that I found out now before I got any further. It was quite a chore to loosen up and shift our main electrical panel to get at the hole. But I did. I cleared out the joke of a plug that was there, filled it with some good hydraulic cement, and also waterproofed the surrounding area.

The panel is now back in place, we had another TON of rain, and half our back yard is a pond. And the basement is bone dry. I've got the radiant heaters reinstalled, and I've got the first section of framing done. Its been a whirlwind of progress this weekend. With some good fortune, and some time, there's a remote chance I could have the majority of the framing done by the end of then next weekend. We'll see how things go.

Peace!

Water and Water

The Chicago area got a solid rain mid to late last week. Enough to cause some flash flooding. It was a good test for the new basement damp/water proofing. It all worked great, except there was still some water. It turns out, there was another old rebar support whole directly behind the electrical panel. So all the holes I filled, they held just fine. The water from the excess rain must have just moved down the wall until it found a new opening. Drilling out and filling that hole is going to be tricky, since the electrical panel is on top of the hole. I have a plan. We'll see how it works out.

On the 10lbs in 40 days. I had made some decent 1st week progress, but with hosting a family party on Sunday, looks like I consumed one to many walking tacos. I never said this goal would be easy. We'll see what this week brings.

Peace