Monday, January 11, 2010

And so it begins...

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The last time I can remember being in decent physical shape was when I was six years old. My parents still have my tee ball team picture from the summer of 1985 (also the year of the Toronto Blue Jays won their first American League East pennant), as part of the Bramalea Boys Minor Softball Association. I must say, I look rather svelt.

It was about then that I got sucked into a fierce, loving, yet destructive love triangle with food and television. Well, lets just say its been downhill from there.

In the last few years, I have made a couple attempts at getting into shape. Four years ago, with encouragement from my brother, I tried my hand at hockey. Of course, having never skated before, I was doomed. The only thing I got really good at in the three years that I played was ploughing full speed into the boards, face first.

A few of our friends have taken to triathalons in the last couple of years. Stupid me thought with a little practise in the pool, I could at least make an effort to complete a tri-tri (which is essentially a mini-triathalon). A while back, I took up swimming lessons too, primarily to impress my girlfriend (now my wife), so I had the technique down. I joined the Oakville YMCA, and every week was out there in my goggles, nose plug, and flippers. Unfortunately, going swimming with more equipement than a football player proved futile. I learned that my feet appear to have cinder blocks attached to them, resulting in the distinct ability to swim precisely three-quarters of one pool length before hyperventilating. Good thing she married me when she did.

Alas, here I am at the turn of a new decade, and with a new get-in-shape scheme. I can count on both hands the number of times I have been on a bicycle since I was 15 years old. Surely, that is enough to ride 200km in two days, right? After constant nagging from my friend Peter, I signed up to do the Ride to Conquor Cancer, a two-day bike ride covering 200km from Toronto, to Milton, to Hamilton, and across the escarpment to Niagara. Cancer has affected all of our lives in some form or another, and the Princess Margaret Hospital Foundation is a great cause.

I am doing the ride with my friend Aaron. We both live in Oakville, and have copious amounts of body hair. That is where the similarities end. He is a tall, pencil thin, med student, that will ride 50km before breakfast, and run a half-marathon after lunch. I am a short, pudgy, management consultant, that is out of breath after brushing his teeth.

The next six months are going to be full of intense training, and to make things a little more interesting, my lovely wife and I expecting our first child in the next two weeks. I have decided to document my ride preparation in this blog for your amusement. This is the second blog I have decided to write. The first one was supposed to be with my friend Armen, about all things pop culture. It lasted long enough for me to set up the blog site and to write half a paragraph on why Joey and Pasey belonged together.

Hopefully, this one will last a little longer. Please bookmark this site, and check in every few days for an update on our progress. Ciao.

4 comments:

  1. Good luck! I know you have a lot of training ahead of you but I know you'll be able to do it when the time comes.

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  2. I CANNOT WAIT....to see how this blog thing does...and for the baby to come...

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  3. 'copious amounts of body hair'?? Speak for yourself.

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  4. Aaron, don't make my blog into a blog of lies. You have so much body hair, it accounts for 30% of your weight.

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