Mud Hero 2015

 

So last Saturday Anna and I participated in the Mud Hero Ottawa run. It was an absolute blast as you can probably tell by looking at the smiles on our faces. We took a bunch of pictures during the day which I have in an album over here.

First up Anna ran the kids course which was three 500 meter laps with 6 obstacles. The announcer constantly mentioned to parents to make sure that the kids schools were on tight or else they would lose them in the mud pit. Predictably, this led to a bunch of parents having to dig in the mud pit for their child's missing shoe.

Anna escaped with both of her shoes but as you can see she got super muddy which I encouraged whole heartedly.

Then I finally had my chance to run the 6km course with 20 obstacles with my buddy Hicham and one of his neighbours. There were some really fun obstacles like walls, tires, ropes, slides but by far the most fun was the waist deep (or deeper) mud. You can see in this pic I've just come down the slide and luckily retrieved my hat from the mud puddle.

After the race the team from Muscle Mlk was there to hand out ready to drink protein shakes. I don't know if it was because I just ran 6km but that was the best vanilla shake I've had in a long time.

For anyone who is interested in these types of races I can offer a few tips:

1. Bring a complete change of clothes including shoes. You will not want to put your muddy shoes on after getting clean.
2. Wear non-cotton underwear. You really need something that isn't going to trap in a pound of dirt in your skivvies. 
3. Bring a big fluffy towel to get warm. The "showers" are generally hoses of cold water so you will go from being over heated to freezing in no time. The fluffy towel will help.

Next up is the Bad Ass Dash on July 18th in Nepean. Anyone interested in joining?

Spartan Race 2013

In the tradition of "pictures or it didn't happen" here are some shots of me and my friends participating in the Spartan Race this past Sunday.

So it begins

Probably the first time I've ever successfully climbed one of those ropes. Amazing what the threat of 30 burpees can do.

Flying Matrix crane fire jump

You're almost done, so guys hit you with sticks

and scene!

Robin and I (pictured above) finished the race in a time of 1:49 which is much longer than I expected to take. However, I think we did pretty well considering the race was done in the pouring rain which made the course slick and muddy. Considering we ran up and down Edelweiss three times I'm thinking 1:49 was a pretty good time.

The race course was advertised as 5km but I've heard it was 6.7 km which makes sense to me. As well each time up/down the mountain was a 200m change in elevation.

Things I learned that are important for Spartan Race competitors:

1. Cotton fiber underwear is a bad idea. They get soaked and weigh you down. Better to go with lycra biking shorts as they don't absorb quite so much water.
2. Thiner shoes! I hate to buzz market those Vibram FiveFingers shoes but I can see how they would come in handy in this race. By the time we were heading up the mountain for the 3rd time I believe my shoes and socks gained an extra couple of pounds of water, muck and rocks.
3. If it is raining I'd go with some gloves as it is pretty tough to grab the rings, monkey bars, etc. when everything is slick with rain.

Anyway, I had a blast and I would definitely do it again. Anna really wants to do one so I'm going to have to look into a kids version for her as she is very, very excited to get full of mud.

Friday Book Review: Street Gang

Did you watch Sesame Street as a kid? I sure did! So much so to this very day I still pronounce Z as zee instead of zed. Much to the chagrin of my Canadian brethren. Apparently, I found the Muppets to be more influential on my growing mind than my grade school teachers.

Also, did you ever get upset that no one believed Big Bird that there really was a Snuffleupagus? I always thought it was one of the greatest injustice of our time. Luckily they rectified this situation in 1985 with and episode where the adults met Mr. Aloysius Snuffleupagus.

If you ever wondered how such a show got off the ground then you need to read Street Gang which bills itself as the complete history of Sesame Street. I can believe it as the book works its way through all of the beginnings and bios of the writers, producers, actors and Muppets that made up the show over the years. It truly is an engaging read and it won't dampen your enthusiasm for the show.

I leave you with this link to 10 amazing performances from Sesame Street including James Taylor, Stevie Wonder, Billy Joel, Paul Simon and more.

Coffee Making Robot

If you liked this video Digg it!.

Lattte Art

Via Digg:



That looks so good I'm off to Bridgehead where the do a nice leaf in their lattes.

Anna at Alexsa's Ballet Birthay Party

On Saturday we attended Alexsa's 4th birthday party where all the kids got a chance to be ballerinas for awhile.



This kids all had a great time and the cake Anmar made was amazing!

A ScotiaBank Place Filled Week

ScotiaBank Skate

On Sunday we headed to ScotiaBank Place to see the sens skills competition. The coolest thing to happen that afternoon was 11 year old Ethan MacLean hitting all four targets in the accurate shooting contest. He beat all the pros.

Then on Monday I played hockey with my Friday night group from Ottawa Rec Hockey. The game ended in a 7-7 draw with Luis, our goalie, making a game saving stop with seconds to go.

We were back once more on Thursday night for the IBM Family skate. Here are some pictures and a short video. Phew...maybe I'll get to see a hockey game there sometime.

Halloween 2008

Here are some pictures of Anna and friends in their Halloween costumes.

Halloween 2008

P.S. Still working on getting more pictures up. Expect the ones from France and Switzerland next.

My Second Triathlon

I completed the Last Chance Triathlon 2008, my second triathlon ever, on Sunday. With my buddy Paul being in the UK for the week I was able to borrow his speed bike and use it in lieu of my mountain bike. What a big difference, it was like I was riding a feather around the course. This time around I finished in 20th place which was a big improvement over my last tri. Once again I had a blast and I'm going to look at investing in a speed bike for next year.

My First Triathlon

From Triathlon 2008

I did my first triathlon on Saturday with my buddy Paul Brun. I was a blast and I'm hoping that I'll be able to do some more next year. We were in the tri-a-tri category which is a 200m swim, 15km bike and 3km run. This is ideal for new tri-athaletes especially for those of us using our mountain bikes. I finished at 78 while Paul did incredible coming in fourth overall. Click on the photo to the left for more pictures.

Terry Fox Run 2008

Once again I'll be taking part in this years Terry Fox Run. The run will be taking place on Sunday September 14th where I will participate with the Blades@Ease team. We are always looking for more members for the team so if you are interested in doing the run on roller blades please contact me.

My goal in fund raising this year is $1200. Last year our team collected over $2000. Let's work together to end cancer and keep Terry's dream alive. All money raised goes to cancer research; please support my participation by donating.

How to Catch Catfish

About 10 years ago on the Tennessee Nashville Network (which became The National Network and is now Spike) I saw a show where guys were catching catfish by sticking their hands into the fish's mouth up to their forearms. Everyone I've ever told this story to expressed some skepticism but now I have proof. Video of the event has been posted on-line.

Vindicated!!!

Halloween, Halloween, Trick or Treat

We headed up to Janice & Ted's house tonight to take Anna and Peyton out Trick or Treating. You can see some pictures of Anna in costume here.

Uncle Scrooge's Money Bin

One of my fondest memories as a kid was sitting back and reading Don Rosa's Uncle Scrooge comic books. Now an artist has reproduced it faithfully in miniature. His photos also link to some more great information on the money bin and Uncle Scrooge.

An Afternoon at the Biodome

While we in Montreal on Friday we decided that we should stop by the Biodome and visit the animals. You can see some pictures here.

Boba Fett Hoodie

I know that Christmas is about 3 months away but I just wanted to make all family members aware that Ecko has just release a line of Star Wars influenced clothing. My personal favourite is the Boba Fett hoodie.

Put Paul in the Hall

It was 35 years ago today when Paul Henderson scored the goal to give Canada the win in the 1972 Summit Series with Russia. This moment is such a part of the Canadian psyche that everyone can tell you where the were when it happened. Even I remember where I was when the goal was scored and I wasn't born for another 2 years. It was that big of a moment.

Terry Fox Run 2007

So the Terry Fox Run is over for another year. I've collected $1255 which surpasses my $1000 goal.

My team mate, Paul Brun, and I decided to walk the 10 km as he's got a busted ACL and I have a broken ankle. The entire "run" took us an hour and a half during a beautiful fall day here in Ottawa.

It's still not too late to support my participation by donating.

Terry Fox Run Friday Update 5

Continued to fund raise for this year's Terry Fox Run with the run taking place this Sunday September 16th. I collected another $180 in donations this week. To bring me up to a total of $980 of my $1000 goal.

Please support my participation by donating.

Terry Fox Run Friday Update 4

Continued to fund raise for this year's Terry Fox Run with just over a week to go. I collected another $120 in donations this week. To bring me up to a total of $800 of my $1000 goal.


Please support my participation by donating.