March 30

Friday, March 30th, 2007

What a great morning! Today was my day off so I was able to sleep in until 6:45!

It sounds crazy, but that extra 45 minutes was a little slice of Heaven!

Yesterday evening I skated over to North Vancouver. On my way back over the Lions Gate, I saw an incredible sunset. The sunsets in Vancouver are some of the best I’ve seen in the world. I spent a year in Australia and saw some amazing sets, but nothing like the sun here tucking in behind the Island moutains.

The weather looks promising for the weekend. I should get some great training in. I wish I had a hydration pack so I could go out for longer than 2 hours at a time. I may just carry some water in a back pack and have Crystal drop me off in White Rock and I’ll skate home. Although I’ll have to map that route out first.

I know there are a few ‘lurkers’ out there reading this journal. I want to encourage everyone that comes to this site to contribute. Post a comment in the messages section, add a reply to any of my journal entries, or e-mail me directly. Mom, I know you’re on here all the time, but I haven’t seen any comments from you yet!

Have a great weekend everyone!

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March 29

Thursday, March 29th, 2007

As I was skating this morning, a strange thought occurred to me. When I first began training a month ago, the weather was much more unstable. It seemed that I was blading every morning through the cold pouring rain. Now the weather is beautiful almost every morning. But the weird thing I’m noticing is that fewer people seem to be out running, walking or cycling in the mornings now than before when the weather was miserable. I’m beginning to think that maybe Vancouverites have become so adept to the rain that they actually prefer to be outside in it rather than the sun!

But then again, maybe it’s just a weird coincidence and actually has more to do with the daylight-savings.

I got a phone call from the editor of the St. John’s Telegram newspaper yesterday. I will be having an interview with a reporter early next week and hopefully running a story shortly after. This should be good to help generate some publicity in Newfoundland before I get out there!

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March 28

Wednesday, March 28th, 2007

The last couple days have been fantastic blading conditions! There has been a bit of wind which makes it a little tough, but it just forces me to work harder.

I just worked a half day yesterday since I had to go to a dreaded dentist appointment. It was my first time going to see this dentist. The clinic is actually a ‘dental spa’. It was a great experience. Everyone was exceptionally nice. I even had a mini massage just before the hygienist cleaned my teeth! The ladies working there seemed really enthusiastic about my plan to rollerblade across Canada. So I want to say “Hi and Thank you” to all the girls at the clinic!

My current blades are starting to feel a bit rough. I’ve been using them for the past 2 years so they are getting old. But they’ve really been taking a beating since I’ve been training in the rain. They still work great, but they are getting loud. I think it’s time for my bi-weekly wheel rotation.

Have you ever see the shoe covers that cyclers wear if the weather is wet? I was considering getting a pair of extra large covers and trying them on my skates. Think it would help keep the wet out on the rainy days?

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March 26

Monday, March 26th, 2007

Finally a gorgeous morning! Even though it’s a Monday, I’m in a great mood! I saw a beautiful sunrise as I bladed around False Creek today. And the rest of the week should be pretty decent weather, too!

Yesterday I skated out of downtown and headed south. It was a bit different blading along the sidewalks, weaving around pedestrians and stopping at so many red lights. But it was good practice for when I go through some major cities across Canada. I followed Main St until around 33rd, then cut over to Fraser St and went almost to Richmond. I didn’t cross the bridge, though. I took a break at a friends place before turning around and heading back home.

When I got home, Crystal wanted to go for a run. So I kept my skates on and went back out for another 10 km with her (this was more of a cool down for me, but it was too nice to stay inside yesterday).

I still prefer the morning rollerblading, though! The seawall is getting really busy which makes it tough to keep my speed up.

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March 25

Sunday, March 25th, 2007

Yesterday was a busy day.

I started the morning with an hour-long massage (sounds nice, but it was more therapeutic than relaxing). I just had my legs and hips worked on. Kara (Heights Massage Therapy) gave me some great stretches for my lower body.

The rain let up later in the afternoon so I was able to get a lot more skating in than I originally planned. I warmed up with my usual morning loop around False Creek. When I got back to my apartment I decided to continue along the water into Stanley Park. I wasn’t raining at this point, but the path was still wet and a bit slippery.

I went past the Lost Lagoon and through the Park on Causeway. By the time I had gone over the Lions Gate into North/West Van and back home again, I had covered roughly 30 km. I know I’ll be covering a lot more than this on a typical day, but 30 k isn’t bad considering everything else I had to do during the day.

After a quick dinner, Crystal and I headed up to the Buffalo Club. Halfway through the set, my buddies in the band, Like A Storm, called me up on stage and presented me with a check for $100 towards my cause! This was great exposure. There was between 300-400 people in the audience. I was also able to collect a few other cash donations from people at the bar.

The gig was fantastic, too. The guys played 6 new songs and really had the bar rockin. After they were done, there was a special guest appearance by the 80’s band Loverboy! All-in-all it was a great night.

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March 23

Friday, March 23rd, 2007

No Training today!

Tomorrow night I will be accepting a donation on behalf of the band ‘Like A Storm‘. They will be presenting me with a check on stage at their show at the Buffalo Club. Should be an amazing show, too! Tickets are only $10 at the door. Trust me, you’ll want to hear these guys play!

Thanks for the support Kent, Chris, Matt and Lou!

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March 22

Thursday, March 22nd, 2007

Remember when you were a kid and you used to HATE onions! As time went on and you were forced to eat them you began to develop a taste for them. And now you actually enjoy their flavour!

Well, the Vancouver rain is my onion! When I first started training, I didn’t know what I was getting into. But now I find some enjoyment in the wetness. I typically have the entire path or sidewalk to myself because no one else would be crazy enough to be out in this weather. So I get a real sense of peacefulness.

But at the same time, I’m glad tomorrow is my day off so I don’t have to skate in the rain! 🙂

On a separate note, the online donation form is now live! You are welcome to donate any amount you wish. However, if you donate $50, you will buy one mile (actually a kilometer) to be dedicated to anyone you would like. Please do not lecture me that a mile is not the same as a kilometer. I’m well aware of that. I decided to call this feature “Buy A Mile” simply because it rolls of the tongue nicer.

Please be aware that I only receive donation reports every 2 weeks. So if you Buy A Mile and you don’t see your dedication up right away, be patient. If your dedication is not up within 2 weeks, e-mail me and I’ll look into it for you.

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March 21

Wednesday, March 21st, 2007

Happy Anniversary!

Today is my parents anniversary. I’m sure they’re spending the day on a golf course in Florida followed by a walk on the beach. Must be nice.

Well, instead of a walk on the beach, I spent my morning rollerblading in the cold! Today was one of the colder mornings so far. The temperature was 2 degrees!
But I can’t complain. At least it was dry!

I skated past City TV again and waved at Dave and Simi. I don’t think they saw me today. One of these days they’ll stop me for an interview.

These 2-A-Day workouts have been pretty good so far. But I’m a bit torn between which I prefer:
a) morning skate
b) night skate
The mornings are nice because they’re quiet and it really helps to wake me up. But I’ve never been a morning person, so it’s torture dragging myself out of bed at 6am.
The night skates are good because I’m already awake so it doesn’t take much effort to become motivated. But by 9pm I’m starting to wind down and just want to veg out on the couch. I can’t seem to get out any earlier than 8:30pm since I have to have dinner and do some chores first.
Are there any volunteers that want to come cook and clean for me while I’m training so I don’t have to worry about those things??

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March 20

Tuesday, March 20th, 2007

I woke up to the sound of rain pounding against my window at 4am. Luckily, when I got up at 6am, the rain had stopped! However, I couldn’t help but notice the trees really seemed to be tossing in the wind. As I started out on the Seawall, the wind was at my back and it was fairly enjoyable. But I was a bit worried about the last leg of my skate since I’d be heading straight into the gusts.
So around Science world and up past City TV I went. Once past Science World, The wind was in my face, but I was somewhat protected by the buildings. I really wasn’t until after I crossed the Burrard Bridge into downtown that the wind became a significant factor. As strong as the wind was, it made for a great work out! Other than snow, I think I’ve faced all off natures’ elements that I can expect when I come across the country!

I spoke to Princess Margaret Hospital and the University of Alberta yesterday. I’m keeping my fingers crossed that I’ll be able to begin accepting donations later today or tomorrow! I’ll be sure to make an announcement on the main page as well as facebook and myspace so everyone knows when the form is ready!

Maybe it’s just a coincidence, but I have a few people e-mail me yesterday asking if they can join me when I come blading through their city. Absolutely! I encourage EVERYONE to come out and blade, skate, run or bike with me when I’m in your area! The more people we can get involved, the more impact this 5 month journey will have! If you are wondering when I’ll be in your area, just send me an e-mail and I’ll try to give you a better estimate. Obviously I can’t guarantee the exact day, but I’ll give you an idea and you can keep an eye on the website as the date approaches.

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March 19

Monday, March 19th, 2007

It was a busy weekend. I didn’t even have time to post a new journal entry!
Saturday was tough to get motivated, but once I got out in the pouring rain, I was ready to go! I headed over the Burrard bridge into Kits. I went straight through Kits to Point Grey and then decided to head up the hill to UBC. I followed 4th around until I hit Westbrook and then cut back through campus on University. By the time I made it home, I had skated about 30 km or so. But it was a solid 30 km of hills, rain, bumpy and slippery terrain. An overall great training run…and I was only out for about an hour and a half!

Yesterday I had an appointment with a Nurtionist/personal trainer. I know I’m a fairly healthy guy, but Judy really helped steer me towards a more sustainable diet. Nutrition is something that’s out of my element, so I have a lot of learning, but I’m already looking forward to some of the changes. And they seem so simple to make, too!

This week I should finalize a few big aspects of my journey. A few big sponsorships should fall into place which will take a lot of stress off my shoulders. Now I’ll be able to focus on training and the smaller sponsors. My last big hurdle will be finding a driver for the Prairies. My Dad is driving for about 2/3 of the trip. But he can’t commit the entire 5 months. So he’d prefer to do the beginning and the end. If anyone is interested in driving for a little bit through Ontario and the Prairies, let me know!

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