Posted on by Iron Rogue

Friday Five – Coming Soon

In an effort to keep some momentum in my writing and posting (I’m a little stalled on a Lightning Kid post), I’m going to do a Friday Five post with 5 things that could be their own posts – and probably will be in the future.  Rather than beat myself up about my inability to get a good, quality piece written and published this week, I’m going to give you this, the bastard love-child of a clip show and sneak preview/trailer.


  1. Cross-country skiing.  Finally there’s enough snow for us to do one of our favourite family activities in the winter.  I think the Chariot is coming to the end of its service life; it’s in fine shape – it’s just the boys are getting a little big for it.  I stated in my submission to Pavement Runner’s Best Photos of 2014 that we probably wouldn’t be able to do running races as a family going forward.  It’s a bittersweet thought.


For cross-country skiing, which is more tiring than walking or running, we might have a bit of a reprieve.  Shark Boy can ski, he’s just slower than my wife or I which only makes sense. 

Last weekend he finished a 2 km trail on his own, and we were incredibly proud.  He never lets falling down (which happens when you’re learning or rusty, never mind both) get him down and kept the smile on his face.  He needed some coaching, coaxing, cajoling and cheer-leading to keep moving until the very end, but he did it!  We tried the Lightning Kid in a simple pair of toddler skis (that don’t require special boots) – and he was keen in theory, but hated it once he had to manage them and a pair of poles.  Once we had lunch, Shark Boy was still too worn out to go on his own, and we got a 3.7 km trail done with me pulling – fortunately, the boys kept the peace in the Chariot despite being packed in like sardines.  I had done an extra loop alone (besides pulling the Lightning Kid in the Chariot) while my wife and Shark Boy finished their 2 km, but pulling both boys along was super tiring.  I had to take breaks to let the lactic acid clear from my hamstrings, sometimes even in the middle of an uphill climb (which I dislike doing, as it always feels a little precarious).


The boys’ different stages of development (on skis) puts us at an interesting juncture in our ski days.  We’re going to have to learn to break the days up and split up – divide and conquer as far as teaching them and keeping them entertained, happy and content.  This will be an interesting season.


  1. 5 Peaks Trail Run Series Ambassadorship – I ain’t got one.  I was, however offered one, and though I didn’t like doing it, I had to turn it down as the time commitment was a bit much for me.  I am still happy *to talk up this race series as much as possible*; it’s accessible/beginner-friendly, has great venues, and the little kids’ races make it family friendly on a level that is unmatched by any other race or athletic event I’ve seen.  I’m adding Terra Cotta to my Race Calendar this year, and probably others too.
  2. DietBet – After the holidays, some of my clothes didn’t fit too well.  For pants to be too tight at the waist is one thing, but I had some favourite shirts that were feeling tight.  Something I’ve gathered (besides pounds on my midsection) is that losing excess weight (especially fat) is probably the best/first thing I can do to get faster in my runs and the bike (probably in the water too), never mind the health benefits.  Weight loss was recommended during my *sleep study* too.  My wife and I got a book called The Doctor’s Diet (by Dr. Travis Stork) as a Christmas gift (shout-out to my cousin-in-law Stefan, and a great triathlon series in the Pacific Northwest USA – TriFREAKS).  I know ‘diet’ is a four letter word, and that they don’t work, but we needed a real change, since we weren’t effectively implementing what we know are better nutritional principles.  We’re hoping to use this book’s principles (most of them, anyway) permanently, but for now we’re on a 2 week STAT plan, which is working quite well for me.  I’m taking part in not one, but two DietBets (again)…. and I’m going to win too.  I’ll be reviewing the plan and my experience with it in a future post.
  3. Hot Yoga –  One of my resolutions goals aspirations for the New Year was to try Hot Yoga.  I found a place nearby that has an introductory package of a week’s worth of classes for $25.  I’ll have a complete review of the experience in a future post, but it’s going well overall; here’s the website if you’re looking for Hot Yoga in Mississauga.
  4. Word of the Year – Remember how I mentioned I was doing 2 DietBets? One is being run by Diatta of Femme Fitale Club.  She recently did a post called *Ultimate Tps to Resolve Your Resolutions in 2015… it was the first time I’d seen the word ‘Resolve’ in conjunction with ‘Resolution’.  First point: I am extremely late to the game in terms of setting real goals for 2015.  I have wishes that are starting to turn into ideas, but they have no commitment or plan yet, but mentally I’m starting to gain confidence in myself and my ability to make them happen.  Second point: I don’t generally go in for a lot of the ‘touchy-feely’ stuff a lot of bloggers do, but I am open to trying new things, so I may find myself working on Law of Attraction type journal writing, vision boards, who knows what?  I like the word ‘Resolve’ because it refers to two meanings: 1) the idea of finding a solution to a problem; I’m an engineer by trade and a problem-solver by nature 2.) the concept of determination, endurance or grit, which is the stuff a triathlete is made of.  So, I’m making ‘Resolve’ my word of the year.

Can I get a high-five?

14 Replies to “Friday Five – Coming Soon”

  9. *high five* Great job on the skiing! My 9 yr old is going downhill skiing with school next month and I can't wait to hear how she likes it. She's a natural athlete and plays select hockey so I imagine she'll pick it up with ease. We're talking about going on a family trip next year and I'm pushing for a ski trip. They'll be 5, 8 and 10 by then so they should all be ready for it. It's been a LONG 10 yr wait to go skiing with them, though we could have divided and conquered with them as soon as they were 4 or so to teach them how to ski.
    I'm curious to hear more about hot yoga and how it would benefit athletes – I've been wanting to try it but I'm not sure of the benefits and where it fits in with the training.
    And perhaps I'll see you at Terra Cotta? I apparently won a free entry to any 5 Peaks race from RunCarmyyRun. My oldest is dying to try a trail race, she was really intrigued by my North Face Endurance Challenge race report (yep – she's at that age where she reads my blog posts now…). I'm hoping to register her and bring her to race too. Soon I'll be racing with my kids and perhaps yours will too!

  10. *high five* Great job on the skiing! My 9 yr old is going downhill skiing with school next month and I can't wait to hear how she likes it. She's a natural athlete and plays select hockey so I imagine she'll pick it up with ease. We're talking about going on a family trip next year and I'm pushing for a ski trip. They'll be 5, 8 and 10 by then so they should all be ready for it. It's been a LONG 10 yr wait to go skiing with them, though we could have divided and conquered with them as soon as they were 4 or so to teach them how to ski.
    I'm curious to hear more about hot yoga and how it would benefit athletes – I've been wanting to try it but I'm not sure of the benefits and where it fits in with the training.
    And perhaps I'll see you at Terra Cotta? I apparently won a free entry to any 5 Peaks race from RunCarmyyRun. My oldest is dying to try a trail race, she was really intrigued by my North Face Endurance Challenge race report (yep – she's at that age where she reads my blog posts now…). I'm hoping to register her and bring her to race too. Soon I'll be racing with my kids and perhaps yours will too!

  11. Janice, I think you should bring all the kids to the 5 Peaks trail run. The eldest can be registered in the "competitive" kids run (I think it's 2k) and the younger ones can do the kds fin run (1k). Stay tuned for a report on a family ski vacation in the spring!

  12. Janice, I think you should bring all the kids to the 5 Peaks trail run. The eldest can be registered in the "competitive" kids run (I think it's 2k) and the younger ones can do the kds fin run (1k). Stay tuned for a report on a family ski vacation in the spring!

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