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February 22, 1999
Marathon Training Begins.
Sore calves and a weird limp seem to have been fairly common for me
over the past month. It could be coincidence, but I am fairly sure
it is due to the tough training regime I am currently executing in
preparation for the 28th Annual Vancouver International Marathon
(http://www.wi.bc.ca/vim).
Training seems to be progressing forward very well indeed, with only
a few hitches. It looks like there could be a very slim chance of
achieving our goal of 3 hours and 10 minutes so we can qualify for
the biggest and most prestigious marathon in the world … the Boston
Marathon, in April, 2000.
Administratively, things seem to be running very smoothly, our team,
The Shaggy Yaks, already has 7 star runners. We are limiting numbers
to 10 to ensure exclusivity. A sponsorship deal has been secured,
which should pay for the Shaggy Yak running gear that we are
currently in negotiations for.
Slogging along in the rain, with wet shoes, absolutely exhausted, is
a great way to see the city, and I’m really appreciating how pretty
Vancouver is during our 1-2 hour training runs.
Les Jickling, a fellow Net Nanny employee, and co-founder of the
Shaggy Yaks franchise seems to be the driving force behind the
success of the running squad, with his experience and knowledge of
the 42km run. When we have conquered the great race, his next plan
for the Shaggy Yaks is to climb the 8,813 metres of the treacherous
Mt. Everest. We are currently considering ways to finance the
US$65,000 trek.
I competed in my first running meet for the Yaks a couple of weeks
ago - a half marathon with about 2,000 competitors, around the city.
The only thing I won was a nice blue bag, which was a spot prize, but
I was very happy with my 1:34.05 time, although I am told that it is
the same pace that I must keep up for the whole marathon, which will
require some work. Hill training started last night, which is the
hardest exercise that I have ever done since my rowing days with the
infamous Michael Venezwick.
Other than the marathon training, things have been chugging along
very well in 1999. The departure of my good friend from Australia,
James McCracken, has meant that I am not being woken up every weekend
to the sound of burping and farting, but I still do miss the clown.
Juan, the Colombian, has moved into his bed in the lounge, and
although there is a slight language barrier, my Spanish is
progressing and I have taught him some of the finer expressions of
the kiwi vocabulary.
Last Saturday was my first game of rugby for ’99, of which I am still
recovering from the battering my body received up against the big
Canadians. Although the match seemed fairly close, we were hammered
by the visitors 32-10. I was hoping that the running that I have
been doing would make me a bit fitter, but after 80 minutes in the
mud, I was absolutely pooped.
I finally made it up to the Whistler-Blackcombe Ski Resort, which is
apparently the best ski field in North America. It is about a two-
hour drive from Vancouver, and surrounds a neat little town full of
chalets and Aussies, dwarfed at the foot of the towering ski fields
above.
Snow Boarding was on the agenda, and Stu Nash, a snowboarding
veteran, taught me the ins and outs of the sport. By the end of the
day, after many hard falls, I was really enjoying it, and I seemed to
be able to negotiate most of the beginner to intermediate trails
pretty well. The village of Whistler has some great little pubs, and
while sitting around the table with the fine company of Maria, the
Argentinean, and Stu and Adrienne, the Canadians, we met some very
drunken Australians who we ended up singing along with.
Tomorrow afternoon, I look forward to the arrival of my beloved
sister Clare, and I will do my best to show her the cosmopolitan city
of Vancouver. When she leaves on the 2nd of March, my long-time
buddy, Mr. Wheeler will be blessing me with his presence for a
while. I am looking very forward to their arrivals and the supply of
Watties beans and sausages that my sister is bringing over to
replenish my diminishing stockpile of the great nutrient.
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