Further Overdue...

At the end of my last post I promised that I would post on a more consistent basis. I completely failed. The last couple of weeks have been hectic. Not only due to the weather, but work and social commitments.

Due to these social commitments, I have fallen off the training wagon. I have not been to the gym in over two weeks. I could create an entire post on why I failed to train (maybe that will be next week's post?), but rather I should focus on the positive things that I have done.

Having a social life is a key aspect in one's overall health. I just need to learn to create a balance. Over the past two weeks instead of training I have seen three movies. I saw Bruno, The Hangover, and Public Enemies. I have been to two sporting events. I saw the Vancouver Canadians play the Spokane Indians in a thrilling 10 - 8 win for the Canadians. I also saw the B.C. Lions get absolutely crushed by the Calgary Stampeders 48 - 10.

"A panoramic view of the stadium"

"This photo was taken while the Lions were still doing relatively well"

For the record I did attempt to do some physical activity. I tried to ride my bicycle, but I got a flat tire. I did try to go to the gym, but I ended up having a nap.

Hopefully this next week is more productive. I need to start looking at maps and bus routes to familiarize myself with downtown Vancouver.

All the best, Cheers.

Overdue Update

It's been a hectic week. I have felt physically and mentally drained. But, I am a self proclaimed champion, so I must move forward.

On Tuesday I went to the Guilford Recreation Centre and had a nice, light workout on the recumbent bicycle. Anna and I believe that in order to be successful in the City Chase we must be ready to run, and run fast. I find that working on one's cardiovascular fitness indoors very difficult, but if I drive myself to the gym, and pay the fee to get in, I will want to get my money's worth and work out. To kill the boredom of working out on the recumbent bike, I listened to my iPod and read the newest issue of Men's Health. The magazine gave me some good workout ideas and there was an article on how music effects blood pressure rates.

Wednesday was a day of high and lows. Low, at Slo-Pitch I got pooped on (by a bird) while stepping up to home plate to bat.

"There is no need to panic. This is just a re-enactment"

The bird pooped on my left arm, on my freshly washed Under Armour. Needless to say, I was less than impressed. I was too focused on the bird poop on my arm to hit the ball very far. I hit a single, but was able to progress forward to second on an outfield error. However, later on in the game there was quite a high. I hit the furthest home run I have ever hit. I do not want to say that I crushed the ball, but I did hit the ball into the trees behind left field. This high was followed by a low. In last week's post I mentioned that I wanted to begin to eat healthier. However, after the game a few of my teammates and I went to Jack's Pub. I attempted to eat healthy, but the menu mislead me. I order the vegetable spring rolls to start, and a Philly Cheese Steak sandwich as a main dish, with a side of sweet potato fries (give me some credit, because I did order the healthier fries). I thought this was all good, until the spring rolls came out with a side of french fries. So instead of just getting one type of fry, I got both. Not wanting to waste the food, I ate all the fries.

On Thursday I realized I needed to work off the fries from the previous day, I decided I needed to start running. But, in order to start running I had to look the part first, I needed to go shoe shopping. My father is a member at the Langley Peninsula Runners so he took me shopping there. The staff is very friendly and spend time with you to make sure you get the right shoes. The lady who helped me had me walk up and down the centre isle to examine the way that I walked. She informed me that I had a neutral walk and recommended that I try on three different styles of shoes. After trying on multiple pairs I ended up purchasing a pair of Nike Air Pegasus+ 25.

"I feel faster already"

The shoes are very light and have a location for a Nike + iPod. Fortunately, my dad has one of these and he is willing to let me borrow it. I will be able to track my time, distance, pace, and calories burned. I will know when I am slacking and slowing down.

Even though I got new shoes, I have not gone for a run yet. Instead I went for a couple of bicycle rides. A few weeks ago I took my bicycle in to Velocity Cycles, and they tuned up my bicycle to make it durable enough for my vigorous workouts. I not only went for a 14 kilometer bicycle ride on Thursday, but I also went for an 18 kilometer bicycle ride on Sunday (it may not seem like many kilometers, but there are many hills in my neighbourhood).

"Tour de France 2010?"

The main reason that I went for the bicycle ride on Sunday though, was not for training, but to try out more new gear that I bought myself. During the City Chase, Anna and I will need to carry maps and cellphones on us to be able to locate different locations. It will be difficult to carry all these items in our pockets, and there is no way that I will be carrying the items around in a fanny pack. To solve this problem I bought myself a light weight running backpack at Coast Mountain Sports. A fellow Douglas College Sport Science student was nice enough to show me several different backpacks. I decided to go with the North Face Hammerehead. One of the several perks, besides the light weight, is that it has a camel pack built in. Now while running the race I will not have to worry about dehydration.

"You better get a good look at the front of me. Because on race day, this is all you will see!"

As for physical activity, my weekend rounded out with some Bocce. My Aunt and Uncle had their annual barbecue on Sunday, and I, once again, reigned supreme. I do not like to use the word dominate when I speak of my Bocce playing abilities, so I will say that I did not give the other players (my family members ranging from 2 - 98) a chance of winning. I showed no mercy.

"This is what the follow through of a true Bocce champion looks like"

Finally, in regards to my healthy eating goals, I was pretty well behaved this week. I had a few minor slip ups, but that happens to everyone. It was my brother's (Nathan) 18 birthday on Friday, so we went to The Keg. I happened to gorge myself with delicious appetizers and one of the best prime rib's I have ever had. Also, I knew the waiter, and he was nice enough to give me a free dessert. This probably was not the best idea because after dinner we were headed back to my house for birthday cake.

"It's all his fault that I was eating cake"

That's pretty much it for the week. I will try to blog more often so that my entries are not so long.

After the busy week that I had, here are two songs that really helped calm me down

1. Sia "Breathe Me" - I find this song incredibly calming. It's been used in numerous television shows including the HBO drama "Six Feet Under" and one of my guilty pleasures "So You Think You Can Dance".
2. Radiohead "Fake Plastic Trees" - This is off their second album "The Bends". I was on my way home from my Aunt and Uncle's barbecue, and the moment I heard this my heart rate began to slow, and I just began to relax.

Cheers,

A Brief Introduction

Before I give away the secrets of how Anna and I will be successful in the City Chase, it is important for everyone to get to know me. My name is Patrick Taylor and I am enrolled in the BPEC (Bachelor's of Physical Education and Coaching) program at Douglas College. In September, I will be entering my fourth year. I do not only go to school at Douglas College, I also work at Douglas College. I work for the CSRW (Centre for Sport, Recreation, and Wellness) which is composed of the Chris Johnson Fitness Centre, and the Sports Facilities offices. I work out of both offices, and help with the organization of intramurals. You may have spotted me at one of several Table Tennis Tournaments. I was the one with the Douglas College Table Tennis Championship Belt.

"Table Tennis Champ"

Not only do I actively participate in sport at Douglas College, I am heavily involved in athletics outside of school. During the Winter, I curl out of the Cloverdale Curling Club and during the Summer I play for a variety of Slo-Pitch teams. In the past I have participated in many sports ranging from individual sports (golf, badminton, and judo), to team sports (soccer, hockey, and basketball).

"I am pretty sure that I hit a home run"

Now that you know some information about me, I will inform the world of our success plans... as soon as we figure them out. This is the first time that Anna and I are participating in the City Chase, so we are dealing with the unknown. There are a few hints on the City Chase website that lead me to believe there will be many physical tasks, but also tasks that test our mental health, emotional health, and spiritual health. In order to prepare for these unknown tasks we are exposing ourselves to multiple scenarios that we may face, and some that I hope we do not face (I do not want to eat any bugs).

But prior to all this training, I needed to throw myself one last party.

"Training like the champ that I am"

For the record, I tend to live somewhat of a healthy lifestyle. I do not drink alcohol and I do not participate in recreational drug use. However, fast food/junk food is my kryptonite. This was supposed to be the last big meal prior to my dedicated training, but the exact opposite occurred. The pizza was unbelievably good. The pizza ended up being a gateway to more fast food/junk food. With the type of work that I do (I work for the City of Surrey Roads And Drainage Department), it is difficult to bring warm food to eat at coffee and lunch time. So, instead I tend to buy my lunches. Now this is not bad everyone once and awhile, but when I purchase my lunch three days a week, it is not so healthy. Now that I have admitted my fast food/junk food problem, hopefully I will be able to resist the temptation of buying my lunches.

So this is it for update one. I will be posting on a weekly basis with updates regarding the specifics of my training. If anyone has any suggestions regarding events that we should try, feel free to leave a comment or send me an e-mail.

As well as sharing my training, I want to share with everyone the type of music that I listen to while I train. Each week I will be mentioning bands and certain songs that motivate me to train harder or help me relax.

1) MSTRKRFT - "Bounce" - This song is from the album "Fist of God". Really good song and great album to do cardiovascular training to. While listening time goes by quickly and the beat helps me set a good pace to run to.
2) Phoenix - "Lisztomania" - I enjoy listening to this song while cooling down on the bike after a tough workout. It is an upbeat song, but is not overpowering and keeps me at a good cool down pace. This song is off the album "Wolfgang Amadeus Phoenix".
3) Matisyahu - "One Day" - This song is off his upcoming album entitled "Light". Not your typical reggae star, but his songs really calm me down, especially on a warm Summer day. Listening to Matisyahu after a workout helps me relax.

Cheers.

Rising up...

With less than 2 months left to prepare for the Mitsubishi City Chase the weeks have been getting more action packed and busy. Patrick participated in a long weekend of slowpitch and has been very physically active at work everyday. We have been focuseing on individual training to be in peak condition to be able to take on any physical challenge. We will be doing a few more team building activities in the community over the next few weeks such as a beach soccer tournament and tricycle races along the New Westminster Quay.

Not only is the focus on being in top physical shape, but we are also challenging our minds and our ability to think fast and efficiently. We will be researching the whereabouts of certain parks in the lower mainland and other areas that we think may be part of the event. We want to be very well educated with the history of Vancouver and well known landmarks.

Some things we have been doing over the past few weeks are listed below:
Running, swimming, playing slowpitch, hiking, biking, exploring Vancouver's Seawall and learning the names of the parks around the area, learning the numbers of the public buses and knowing where they go, looking at maps of the city, and trying to think of strategic plans.

We will add some pictures and possibly some short video clips in the next couple of weeks!!

The training begins - June

What we've been up to...

We just participated in the Urban Rec Beach Volleyball Tournament in Vancouver on June 13th. It was a beautiful day with over 200 participants in total. This was our first competitive and team building activity we have taken part in sign we signed up for the City Chase. We plan to do a lot more of activities like this.

Our plans over the next couple of months are to increase our aerobic endurance so we will be in shape to run fast and for an extended period of time if needed to do so in the race. We also will be doing a lot of research and exploring on the different recreational areas in Vancouver so we have a good idea of where we are going when it's game time!! During the first few weeks Anna has hiked the Grouse Grind, Ran a few 5 - 10 km runs, played softball, participated in Bootcamp classes, and other activities to keep the fitness level up.

Patrick has been working a lot, running, playing softball, and a lot more. His update is coming up very soon. So keep posted to hear more!!

First Month

In May 2009 Anna Schachner and Patrick Taylor registered in the Vancouver Mitsubishi City Chase taking place on Saturday, August 22nd, 2009. We are students from Douglas College's Bachelor in Physical Education and Coaching Degree Program. We have been sponsored by the Douglas College Rec. Department and hope to train hard and place in the top 15% of all participants. But, of course the main objective is to have fun, learn, be involved in new experiences and use some of the skills we have learned in our program such as leadership, partner dynamics, motivation, logistics, and, the famous pearl of wisdom by Allan Chin, "fun with a purpose".

We are Team Royals! We will be updating this blog every week so keep posted and you will read about all of our training, bumps along the road, and everything else we have been up to.

Team in Training (Anna & Patrick)