127 Days Left
Weight: 212 (maybe I gained muscle? Rrrright.)
Total training time: 1:10
A good run was had today. I'm sticking with the coach's advice and using my heart rate monitor. I upped the pace a bit today, so I din't ever have to walk to keep my HR in the target area - which is what I had to do on Friday.
I downloaded Google Earth today. They finally have a Mac version. It is so incredibly cool. Any of you who don't have it should be downloading it this second. Among other things I'm going to be able to use it to plan routes for distance. I checked out the route that left me so disheartened after my first run and found that it was actually 50% longer than I had initially calculated. That was an enormous relief. It put my pace much closer to The Enemy than I thought.
I'm expecting some pledges in the next day or so, they should be entertaining. My father, who is also my biggest supporter ($200!!!) was shocked that so many other people had pledged as well - basically I'm famous.
Sunday, April 30, 2006
Saturday, April 29, 2006
128 Days Left
Pledge value: $316.00
No training news today, I got the day off from the coach. Good thing too, a late and drunken evening was had by all last night and that left me in pretty rough shape for the whole movement and exercise thing.
I do have some fun and exciting pledges to report though. Katie is an accomplished painter of robots and has pledged one of her creations. I've always coveted her art and now I stand to win one. I'm totally gonna end up selling it at auction after Katie goes crazy and her art gets real expensive. For now I'll list the value as priceless. Sharon, who goaded me into starting this blog in the first place wrote in with an eccentric little pledge "...a Shakespearean sonnet and a game o' jacks." Here's to foursies! And finally, my girl Zoe pledged me a pony. She lives in London these days and apparently that's what the Brits call £25 - weird. But whatever, that's like 50 bones yo! I'm starting to think that I'm gonna be wearing some very tight shorts for the big race.
I spoke to The Enemy today. I think she's regretting making the bet - can anyone smell that? It smells like fear.
Pledge value: $316.00
No training news today, I got the day off from the coach. Good thing too, a late and drunken evening was had by all last night and that left me in pretty rough shape for the whole movement and exercise thing.
I do have some fun and exciting pledges to report though. Katie is an accomplished painter of robots and has pledged one of her creations. I've always coveted her art and now I stand to win one. I'm totally gonna end up selling it at auction after Katie goes crazy and her art gets real expensive. For now I'll list the value as priceless. Sharon, who goaded me into starting this blog in the first place wrote in with an eccentric little pledge "...a Shakespearean sonnet and a game o' jacks." Here's to foursies! And finally, my girl Zoe pledged me a pony. She lives in London these days and apparently that's what the Brits call £25 - weird. But whatever, that's like 50 bones yo! I'm starting to think that I'm gonna be wearing some very tight shorts for the big race.
I spoke to The Enemy today. I think she's regretting making the bet - can anyone smell that? It smells like fear.
Friday, April 28, 2006
129 Days Left
Height: Still 5'10"
Weight: Still 210 lbs (despite a night of drinking)
Training time so far: 45 mins
Total Value of Pledges: Approx. $264.00
Money Invested: $99.00
Buoyed by the of pledges I recieved yesterday, I realized that I stand to profit handsomely from posting a W on Labour Day. Coach has got a good training plan for me and one of the metrics we use to chart progress and set goals is heart rate. With that in mind, and hundreds of dollars in cash and prizes on the line, I decided to invest in a heart rate monitor. This little monster is great for training, you can keep an eye on your heart rate and adjust your pace accordingly. Despite the fact that I spent money on it and felt like a pro, it didn't make me run faster. The only thing it really did was show me how far I will have to go in order to beat The Enemy. In fact, my first words to the coach were "I'm mother-fucked." He assured me that I was not and that we would be starting slow but things would be ramping up quickly.
No pledges to report today. Its entirely possible that some were made last night, but they've been obscured by the haze of alcohol and late-night mini cheeseburgers. Its possible that I will have to adjust my lifestyle for training purposes at some point, but while my training consists of very slow jogging, I think I'll be ok. In hopes of inspiring further pledges, and thus making my eventual victory that much sweeter, I've decided that should the pledges top $500 in value, I will compete in this outfit. If nothing else, it should distract The Enemy and reduce any spectators to fits of laughter.
Height: Still 5'10"
Weight: Still 210 lbs (despite a night of drinking)
Training time so far: 45 mins
Total Value of Pledges: Approx. $264.00
Money Invested: $99.00
Buoyed by the of pledges I recieved yesterday, I realized that I stand to profit handsomely from posting a W on Labour Day. Coach has got a good training plan for me and one of the metrics we use to chart progress and set goals is heart rate. With that in mind, and hundreds of dollars in cash and prizes on the line, I decided to invest in a heart rate monitor. This little monster is great for training, you can keep an eye on your heart rate and adjust your pace accordingly. Despite the fact that I spent money on it and felt like a pro, it didn't make me run faster. The only thing it really did was show me how far I will have to go in order to beat The Enemy. In fact, my first words to the coach were "I'm mother-fucked." He assured me that I was not and that we would be starting slow but things would be ramping up quickly.
No pledges to report today. Its entirely possible that some were made last night, but they've been obscured by the haze of alcohol and late-night mini cheeseburgers. Its possible that I will have to adjust my lifestyle for training purposes at some point, but while my training consists of very slow jogging, I think I'll be ok. In hopes of inspiring further pledges, and thus making my eventual victory that much sweeter, I've decided that should the pledges top $500 in value, I will compete in this outfit. If nothing else, it should distract The Enemy and reduce any spectators to fits of laughter.
Thursday, April 27, 2006
Still 130 days to race day.
Height: Still 5'10"
Weight: Still 210 lbs
Training time so far: 20 mins
Total Value of Pledges: Approx. $264.00
I really doubt that I'll be making multiple posts most days, but today is a landmark day and deserves noting. I went for my first run, a grand total of 20 minutes of running. For competitive reasons, as well as pride, I'm going to keep the distance secret. Suffice it to say that I have much room for improvement. I will say that it felt good to go out and run, I know I have a long road ahead of me, but I have inspiration and the fear of derision pushing me along.
In the pledge department, my last post has inspired a few more unusual pledges. An high school friend, Matt has pledged "a roll of toilet paper. Jumbo sized, 425 sheets to the roll, individually wrapped." I have no idea where he's going to track it down, maybe he's a janitor in his spare time. Or maybe he just robs janitors. He's also going to pay to ship it from Ontario. My cousin Ryan, a man who clearly respects the value of training and the power of incentive, has pledged a case of beer. I assume it is limited to domestic, but still, good show old boy. Just now my friend Jeff pledged a warm can of beer. More specifically, "a can of Lucky that's been in the bottom of my hockey bag for a year." Frankly, I expected more from a guy who has a summer job in Toronto, cheap bastard.
Finally, behind Enemy lines, The Enemy claims that I am taking this too seriously. At the same time, in her blog she claims that she plans to beat me by ten minutes and goes on to question my squash abilities. Clearly, the value of modesty was not highlighted at The Enemy's finishing school.
Height: Still 5'10"
Weight: Still 210 lbs
Training time so far: 20 mins
Total Value of Pledges: Approx. $264.00
I really doubt that I'll be making multiple posts most days, but today is a landmark day and deserves noting. I went for my first run, a grand total of 20 minutes of running. For competitive reasons, as well as pride, I'm going to keep the distance secret. Suffice it to say that I have much room for improvement. I will say that it felt good to go out and run, I know I have a long road ahead of me, but I have inspiration and the fear of derision pushing me along.
In the pledge department, my last post has inspired a few more unusual pledges. An high school friend, Matt has pledged "a roll of toilet paper. Jumbo sized, 425 sheets to the roll, individually wrapped." I have no idea where he's going to track it down, maybe he's a janitor in his spare time. Or maybe he just robs janitors. He's also going to pay to ship it from Ontario. My cousin Ryan, a man who clearly respects the value of training and the power of incentive, has pledged a case of beer. I assume it is limited to domestic, but still, good show old boy. Just now my friend Jeff pledged a warm can of beer. More specifically, "a can of Lucky that's been in the bottom of my hockey bag for a year." Frankly, I expected more from a guy who has a summer job in Toronto, cheap bastard.
Finally, behind Enemy lines, The Enemy claims that I am taking this too seriously. At the same time, in her blog she claims that she plans to beat me by ten minutes and goes on to question my squash abilities. Clearly, the value of modesty was not highlighted at The Enemy's finishing school.
130 days to race day.
Height: 5'10"
Weight: 210 lbs
Training distance so far: 0 km.
Total Value of Pledges: Approx. $228.20
The deadline for backing out of my wager has passed and now I must take ownership of my choice. When telling of the wager I have received a number of responses with the same theme. Namely, "You are stupid." Sometimes, for variety, they also say "...and soon to be $200 poorer."
However, I have secured a coach. On the down side, he doesn't live in Vancouver, and at present is occupied with dodgeball and exams. But soon he will emerge from his cocoon of nerdiness and the fun will begin.
I have also begun to solicit pledges from family, friends and total strangers. These pledges are intended to be motivational in nature and to be paid out if I win the race. They aren't wagers because my downside is limited to the shame of defeat. For now I have received three pledges, $200, 25 cents and the price of a bottle of Hennessey, respectively. All pledges are welcome and I will keep a running tally of the total. Incidentally, my coach has refused to pledge on the grounds that I should be able to beat a girl in an athletic contest based purely on my Y chromosome. What a dick.
Finally, my opponent has decided to start a blog as well. I have decided that "my opponent" is unwieldy, and "Debbie" is far too humanizing, so from now on I will be referring to "The Enemy". You can read The Enemy's blog here. She is an inveterate shit talker and has told me that not only will she beat me, but her blog will be better too. I invite you all to join me in scoffing. "Pshhh!"
Height: 5'10"
Weight: 210 lbs
Training distance so far: 0 km.
Total Value of Pledges: Approx. $228.20
The deadline for backing out of my wager has passed and now I must take ownership of my choice. When telling of the wager I have received a number of responses with the same theme. Namely, "You are stupid." Sometimes, for variety, they also say "...and soon to be $200 poorer."
However, I have secured a coach. On the down side, he doesn't live in Vancouver, and at present is occupied with dodgeball and exams. But soon he will emerge from his cocoon of nerdiness and the fun will begin.
I have also begun to solicit pledges from family, friends and total strangers. These pledges are intended to be motivational in nature and to be paid out if I win the race. They aren't wagers because my downside is limited to the shame of defeat. For now I have received three pledges, $200, 25 cents and the price of a bottle of Hennessey, respectively. All pledges are welcome and I will keep a running tally of the total. Incidentally, my coach has refused to pledge on the grounds that I should be able to beat a girl in an athletic contest based purely on my Y chromosome. What a dick.
Finally, my opponent has decided to start a blog as well. I have decided that "my opponent" is unwieldy, and "Debbie" is far too humanizing, so from now on I will be referring to "The Enemy". You can read The Enemy's blog here. She is an inveterate shit talker and has told me that not only will she beat me, but her blog will be better too. I invite you all to join me in scoffing. "Pshhh!"
Tuesday, April 25, 2006
After a couple of years of perusing blogs (and an evening of goading) I've decided to join the unread masses. That's right, like all good things, this is the product of verbal abuse (from this kid). So, read at your own risk. Feel free to direct any negative comments here. Ok, on to the blogging.
In the spirit of dares, I made a very ill-considered wager this evening. I have bet a rather healthy friend that I will beat her in a 10km running race on Labour Day. I've been looking for a reason to get in shape, and this seems like a good one. I'm no athlete, but I hate losing more than Jesus hates sinners. So, if nothing else, I'll have my training or slacking to talk about here.
In the spirit of dares, I made a very ill-considered wager this evening. I have bet a rather healthy friend that I will beat her in a 10km running race on Labour Day. I've been looking for a reason to get in shape, and this seems like a good one. I'm no athlete, but I hate losing more than Jesus hates sinners. So, if nothing else, I'll have my training or slacking to talk about here.
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