tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-61657803523816648442024-02-06T18:08:37.404-08:00Brian Cowie ParalympianBrianhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10894569525231048251noreply@blogger.comBlogger37125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6165780352381664844.post-55011928989513291892013-02-11T13:58:00.000-08:002013-02-11T14:03:33.288-08:00MTNAyiti in Haiti-Day 1:Now that I have been home a few days from Haiti I am going to tell you about my experience at mtbAyiti.
Day 1 – Day 1 started on Sunday January 27th and ended on Monday the 28th. I left Vancouver Sunday afternoon and arrives in Port-au-Prince, Haiti Monday morning. As I stepped off the plane I was immediately greeted by the heat and humidity of the Caribbean island. The ride from the airport was chaotic. The traffic was crazy and there seemed to be no order. Lots of trucks and small motorbikes with as many as 3 people on one motorbike. The roads were a real mess. Potholes everywhere. First stop was the Olofson Hotel where everyone had been staying for the past few days. Met up with my tandem partner Eric Miller from Pueblo, Colorado. Eric was here as the medical director and also my tandem pilot. The Olofson, built in the 1800’s, is an historic landmark in Haiti. It was a favorite destination for a number of celebrities including Jacqueline Onassis and Mick Jagger.
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg46bl5sTWGmUQxOzSVC4P8PZPjNh3bZG721rkPvRlUjwxmRhPvZyonjWnK6fv2nWB68u579FekIr-c1H0cxXmcP3MxTL6Bas2q6xXmIt5FEYkeU8c4j3ZSgTA2opu_HVJUH5Idy34vU6c/s1600/olofson+1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left:1em; margin-right:1em"><img border="0" height="240" width="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg46bl5sTWGmUQxOzSVC4P8PZPjNh3bZG721rkPvRlUjwxmRhPvZyonjWnK6fv2nWB68u579FekIr-c1H0cxXmcP3MxTL6Bas2q6xXmIt5FEYkeU8c4j3ZSgTA2opu_HVJUH5Idy34vU6c/s320/olofson+1.jpg" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEibT-lBQonCzN7ADIeaa-ZS2JJHR0tqs1VbBb-lt-40_6qXB9xn5t-3POFiB7QSJLuCQfUWgni1woTP8yk_Z6AFA4gkfeLo3PypdY2k-YJikl5MPF3Y-y0ysLk-8y9Wm7xCI_N3rXQXIi4/s1600/olofson+2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left:1em; margin-right:1em"><img border="0" height="240" width="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEibT-lBQonCzN7ADIeaa-ZS2JJHR0tqs1VbBb-lt-40_6qXB9xn5t-3POFiB7QSJLuCQfUWgni1woTP8yk_Z6AFA4gkfeLo3PypdY2k-YJikl5MPF3Y-y0ysLk-8y9Wm7xCI_N3rXQXIi4/s320/olofson+2.jpg" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhoEYp65tYLuj-o3mhedQUOAb4T6wLooIHlYDzeA3wpVNK3UriVD-tR8OcHrLLvfNX_zvFWgcVaJHHIeSLcGzN1wsfb3Qfieq4isq-N5jQ2xy5fpZbwmWjDj_K1dlH7PrbDOMWwCeMENwg/s1600/olofson+3.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left:1em; margin-right:1em"><img border="0" height="240" width="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhoEYp65tYLuj-o3mhedQUOAb4T6wLooIHlYDzeA3wpVNK3UriVD-tR8OcHrLLvfNX_zvFWgcVaJHHIeSLcGzN1wsfb3Qfieq4isq-N5jQ2xy5fpZbwmWjDj_K1dlH7PrbDOMWwCeMENwg/s320/olofson+3.jpg" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjQrf5zC34cY3lyCMRAt_EQ6SgIoWPzVAOMpJzilp3_c7JNvanqmTlW3p4CiuaDmMHFE1d1O_40Oi44EwJqLYf4mnA5Z2PAj5UWToC51FaD1NzgBn8dtVbh_0vG94SShR_yrQmvAEfEZ_Q/s1600/olofson+4.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left:1em; margin-right:1em"><img border="0" height="240" width="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjQrf5zC34cY3lyCMRAt_EQ6SgIoWPzVAOMpJzilp3_c7JNvanqmTlW3p4CiuaDmMHFE1d1O_40Oi44EwJqLYf4mnA5Z2PAj5UWToC51FaD1NzgBn8dtVbh_0vG94SShR_yrQmvAEfEZ_Q/s320/olofson+4.jpg" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjyspI1yMQTPlqItvcOTRtCevJzN4ppxjdfO1gu5G5893PGas-HO5gtLYfttKf4Tm7Tc3UZ-qZSTFYC5yEPPQCTn2npfTCKeIKeWXA4h52ipkVJFQrMeQr-FztQYIwe-J2Q8wX3CHaMdF4/s1600/oofson+5.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left:1em; margin-right:1em"><img border="0" height="240" width="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjyspI1yMQTPlqItvcOTRtCevJzN4ppxjdfO1gu5G5893PGas-HO5gtLYfttKf4Tm7Tc3UZ-qZSTFYC5yEPPQCTn2npfTCKeIKeWXA4h52ipkVJFQrMeQr-FztQYIwe-J2Q8wX3CHaMdF4/s320/oofson+5.jpg" /></a></div>
From there we headed to the Plaza Hotel where we would stay for the nest 3 days. A nice North American style hotel, I heard it used to be a Holiday Inn. One of the first people I met after Eric was Hans “ No Way” Rey, www.HansRey.com a legend in the sport of trials.
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiXy59x0iufavsHPz4pHA1-UXktjd3SLjtVLCjEqyZDwdaDokqP7KASaz4s6wjCtXRGFtjs0tqE7hyIyIM4oWm2vyNQUctWhhDTjSIKnfsU-NnTceO2q3V0-6T4vJc59Ja0lexx6fnFZsY/s1600/hans+rey.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left:1em; margin-right:1em"><img border="0" height="300" width="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiXy59x0iufavsHPz4pHA1-UXktjd3SLjtVLCjEqyZDwdaDokqP7KASaz4s6wjCtXRGFtjs0tqE7hyIyIM4oWm2vyNQUctWhhDTjSIKnfsU-NnTceO2q3V0-6T4vJc59Ja0lexx6fnFZsY/s400/hans+rey.jpg" /></a></div>
The rest of the day was basically spent meeting the other riders, staff, organizers and video crews who had arrived. About half were here and the other half would be arriving on Tuesday.
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiCOVxxPjmeQhzzZd4v3TDQKWX6HPaB5NWUIBwjfBTPdiIwHN4I4bQuEpnnlMZD4ztykrfF4B7B3qRyBL77tvNJNcKEBnKt54Kj4MIoUSf_U0EHk8n3-EddJZ_d46i5IX1w2TsfvuSdd7E/s1600/plaxa1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left:1em; margin-right:1em"><img border="0" height="300" width="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiCOVxxPjmeQhzzZd4v3TDQKWX6HPaB5NWUIBwjfBTPdiIwHN4I4bQuEpnnlMZD4ztykrfF4B7B3qRyBL77tvNJNcKEBnKt54Kj4MIoUSf_U0EHk8n3-EddJZ_d46i5IX1w2TsfvuSdd7E/s400/plaxa1.jpg" /></a></div>
Brianhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10894569525231048251noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6165780352381664844.post-56102866346878885782013-02-10T18:59:00.002-08:002013-02-10T18:59:46.099-08:00Heading for HaitiOn Nov 30th of last year I received an email from Jan Ditchfield, friend, agent and President of PARA Promotions, asking me if I would be interested in doing a race in Haiti. Seems a colleague of hers, Eric Miller, founder of the Rush-Miller Foundation, an organization that donates tandem bikes to visually impaired kids throughout the US and also internationally was looking for a stoker who might be interested in this challenge. Haiti huh……sounds interesting. Never been to Haiti. Always looking for new places to race. “Ya, I’m in, when is it?” I was having a sport hernia repair in 4 days so the timing of the race was important. I was thinking it was going to be in early spring and I would have ample time to recover and train for the event. Turns out it is February 1st & 2nd. This could be a bit of a problem, only 8 weeks after surgery. After a minimum of 4 weeks recovery it would give me only 4 weeks to prepare. I wasn’t sure but I really wanted to go so I said “Let’s go for it”. Now to find out the details. Turns out it is not a road race but a 2 day mountain bike race and we are going to do it on a borrowed full suspension mountain bike. OK, I am still in. We had a few issues putting this together and there were a few times I thought it wasn’t going to happen but thanks to the “ Never take no for an answer” attitude of 3 stubborn people (Jan, Eric and myself), we finally put it together and things were set. As time passed I learned more about the event Eric had planned and I became much more excited about it. Turns out Eric and the Rush-Miller Foundation were going to donate a tandem to St. Vincent’s School in Haiti. St. Vincent’s is a school for kids with a disability from aged 5 to 18 years of age. So now this was going to be more than an insane mountain bike race on a tandem but a chance to make a difference in some less fortunate kids lives. If you remember Haiti was devastated by an earthquake in January 2010. Now the bike race took a backseat and now it was all about the kids. It also has a number of health issues as I soon found out. I felt a bit like a pin cushion after all the inoculations that were required fro cholera, typhoid, yellow fever, tetanus and probably a few mire I can’ remember. There is also the threat of rabies from the dogs, cats, monkeys, chickens , pigs and whatever else can bite you. Malaria is also a real danger from mosquito bites. The race doesn’t sound so bad now. I began focusing on them and we have put together some adaptive sports equipment together to take down to Haiti for them. This is going to be the perfect example of “it is better to give than to receive”.
I am going to get so much out of giving this equipment to those kids. I almost feel a little selfish because I think I am going to get more out of this than are they.
The race www.mtbAyiti.org as I said is a 2 day stage race. The first day is basically uphill, with 10,000 feet of climbing the first day, topping out at about 7,000 feet . The second day is basically downhill to sea level. Each day is about 35 miles (56 km). As Eric and I discussed, nobody remembers and talks about the easy rides. The way I look at it is going to be one day of PAIN for a lifetime of memories. Not only about the race but about the smiles we hopefully put on the faces of the children from St. Vincent’s School
Brianhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10894569525231048251noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6165780352381664844.post-79247273571701913592013-01-03T00:17:00.000-08:002013-01-03T00:17:45.327-08:00It is a new year and I plan to post regular blog posts and keep everyone up to date with the happenings from now on. I have been very neglectful over the past year and I apologize. I will be posting both text and video posts. Check in regularly and see what I have been up yo and what is upcomongiBrianhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10894569525231048251noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6165780352381664844.post-50263403886280632052011-03-09T10:54:00.000-08:002011-03-09T11:05:39.618-08:00A Few More Pics<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjvNJ8-dG4BcHN6Tk46G-G5MgH6cRu3W_r_JMkoqrcP99PnYf5iC-PifXyJLQARQFX0sUeG8Ch9Q47kWz92FZCG0e6wjrgrZsmHZim3KT_jF-eoYBT8C-mo1iOnHR7y5gRTcRn6jQipAbM/s1600/IMG_0971.JPG"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 200px; height: 150px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjvNJ8-dG4BcHN6Tk46G-G5MgH6cRu3W_r_JMkoqrcP99PnYf5iC-PifXyJLQARQFX0sUeG8Ch9Q47kWz92FZCG0e6wjrgrZsmHZim3KT_jF-eoYBT8C-mo1iOnHR7y5gRTcRn6jQipAbM/s200/IMG_0971.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5582157911637800050" /></a><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhrI6zPajN56VsZdcg-X1D9WRkxHi5vglUsBj23k6turT_6U_imOjggsGWn-7aIQeLdcutSSk7cqmGJedlm1-NWoh7G27F6I7bIfz7XMGZryXcR4Uf0fE1oqn19Q4M942J2cXwvIf5DEjU/s1600/IMG_0970.JPG"><img style="float:right; margin:0 0 10px 10px;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 200px; height: 150px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhrI6zPajN56VsZdcg-X1D9WRkxHi5vglUsBj23k6turT_6U_imOjggsGWn-7aIQeLdcutSSk7cqmGJedlm1-NWoh7G27F6I7bIfz7XMGZryXcR4Uf0fE1oqn19Q4M942J2cXwvIf5DEjU/s200/IMG_0970.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5582157631862952642" /></a><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjfiyphOI10AA4Wd2OAowzBx-DnTXSXO8kCA2IXoFj3frycK7SIERZicuaoXrf72Mwsi1jUMXK29IVDDfsQJ8Oi_CozAoHfFo6OHMwzVo3J0JSK5snK46_PLsEH42uj1uuH9qfRyCoB8jU/s1600/IMG_0969.JPG"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 200px; height: 150px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjfiyphOI10AA4Wd2OAowzBx-DnTXSXO8kCA2IXoFj3frycK7SIERZicuaoXrf72Mwsi1jUMXK29IVDDfsQJ8Oi_CozAoHfFo6OHMwzVo3J0JSK5snK46_PLsEH42uj1uuH9qfRyCoB8jU/s200/IMG_0969.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5582157163202079714" /></a><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEixQZLFLo08GeWGYc-wtl_yskck2xAgFRojJLxOxj5xoo6V7N-Unz25-fOhOlcOH580UVAIC5m-SCigQRzGK3iS_dEYG6IL9ARXLZPbXO35ERF2Z3xSKxYhAkIrlPF8KH04T9feXND1010/s1600/IMG_0967.JPG"><img style="float:right; margin:0 0 10px 10px;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 200px; height: 150px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEixQZLFLo08GeWGYc-wtl_yskck2xAgFRojJLxOxj5xoo6V7N-Unz25-fOhOlcOH580UVAIC5m-SCigQRzGK3iS_dEYG6IL9ARXLZPbXO35ERF2Z3xSKxYhAkIrlPF8KH04T9feXND1010/s200/IMG_0967.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5582156618210593954" /></a><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgCHiGJVOve21pnvIKqs7sntjdcP0tn2XpSMLDJ-P0Wq_IcddJGV5SCE36mhyoqomCdD7I62Bnoz9Ow7bI_0N3wmCMyTyr2s1abKK2eD_tdbeHCpp-9pVqF2lPdnI0p0xMESA7hGfu2rTk/s1600/IMG_0966.JPG"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 200px; height: 150px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgCHiGJVOve21pnvIKqs7sntjdcP0tn2XpSMLDJ-P0Wq_IcddJGV5SCE36mhyoqomCdD7I62Bnoz9Ow7bI_0N3wmCMyTyr2s1abKK2eD_tdbeHCpp-9pVqF2lPdnI0p0xMESA7hGfu2rTk/s200/IMG_0966.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5582156254987825906" /></a>Brianhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10894569525231048251noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6165780352381664844.post-82189850009637325692011-03-09T05:16:00.000-08:002011-03-09T10:30:59.066-08:00Montichiari,Itaky - 2011 Track WC<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEimKEdbO2yT9MbJHFlbJztj01faLlv7hfoBaJtV4EqB07k9qxTCX6VW5NuVJzvXDKrflePLTveqXs6gTGXq-sZej_xgGX_ctGt-GHvXrQmOZuMk4kzGZ4_E5OFapHSaYsZIu9rZZDz-ZWE/s1600/IMG_0964.JPG"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 200px; height: 150px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEimKEdbO2yT9MbJHFlbJztj01faLlv7hfoBaJtV4EqB07k9qxTCX6VW5NuVJzvXDKrflePLTveqXs6gTGXq-sZej_xgGX_ctGt-GHvXrQmOZuMk4kzGZ4_E5OFapHSaYsZIu9rZZDz-ZWE/s200/IMG_0964.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5582075492921705634" /></a><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjWNftMP3Nib-0ldSdG3aXHkg6XeVhY3mUYwPCUZ_CBTeDFlHTw-BE5cv9Og2gLjlZeqbvFna03TmldcecN0ubiRga_cKAWJcwPOf6XsBxjRVB9caHIht8maWOFk-Y6lJ_eorMBMGJHi6I/s1600/IMG_0963.JPG"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 200px; height: 150px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjWNftMP3Nib-0ldSdG3aXHkg6XeVhY3mUYwPCUZ_CBTeDFlHTw-BE5cv9Og2gLjlZeqbvFna03TmldcecN0ubiRga_cKAWJcwPOf6XsBxjRVB9caHIht8maWOFk-Y6lJ_eorMBMGJHi6I/s200/IMG_0963.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5582074157237844130" /></a><br />I wish I had some more interesting news and some great pics but I don't have much. One of these projects is never much of a sight-seeing vacation. My day today goes like this:up at 6:45,have breakfast and leave for the track at 7:30. Training is from 9:00 - 10:30. Back to the hotel by about 12:00, ear lunch and rest. Later we will go to a laundrymat, then to the grocery store and then back to the hotel to make a pasta dinner about 7:00. The TV here is all in Italian so I will do emails, check Facebook and browze a bit before going to bed about 11:00. Another exciting day in Italy (or maybe I am in Abbotsford BC). Could be! Here are some pics from a short ride rhe other day.Brianhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10894569525231048251noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6165780352381664844.post-26313399675928089712011-03-07T02:19:00.000-08:002011-03-07T02:32:01.069-08:00Arrival in Italywe arrived in Montichiarri, Italy early this morning. It's cold here. It was a long day of "hurry up and wait". when you are travelling with a large group you always have to be way aheag of schedule. Our day started at 7 am In Sanghallos, Portugal amd ended in Montiachiarri at 1 am with only apporoximately 4 hours of the day actually in the air. Today we will go for a short recovery ride this afternoon and have look around. Hope to have some pics later.Brianhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10894569525231048251noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6165780352381664844.post-57078133667236526412011-03-03T03:33:00.000-08:002011-03-03T03:58:38.833-08:00Aveiro, Portugal<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjYHQZNGFF_cW9ZlXXMgViADBAGBaLArHcjUS93BHa-hdxL8zz6-01mSfSdFa7MlHNTzf6PQBbpBw38E0qWNFHQ6NGFEuk-Vjif7w5PxtSotGNKK-R8BnDSvCnzyPUolhuNqFikqKSSjVA/s1600/IMG_0902.JPG"><img style="float:right; margin:0 0 10px 10px;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjYHQZNGFF_cW9ZlXXMgViADBAGBaLArHcjUS93BHa-hdxL8zz6-01mSfSdFa7MlHNTzf6PQBbpBw38E0qWNFHQ6NGFEuk-Vjif7w5PxtSotGNKK-R8BnDSvCnzyPUolhuNqFikqKSSjVA/s320/IMG_0902.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5579821666801223938" /></a><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiwGbASZoKTu7OOFUTWOxPOL5uxt5smt-6cA2tXMnp3i6jos82iwtndYKFN-1ZRh98Hz5ZtamcOl0NKWMu-QT7qTxFyJm-3mC_BrQBuEeDCXAgruPim_AJnZOCxFQ09bCh1FCP5srDOgco/s1600/IMG_0901.JPG"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiwGbASZoKTu7OOFUTWOxPOL5uxt5smt-6cA2tXMnp3i6jos82iwtndYKFN-1ZRh98Hz5ZtamcOl0NKWMu-QT7qTxFyJm-3mC_BrQBuEeDCXAgruPim_AJnZOCxFQ09bCh1FCP5srDOgco/s320/IMG_0901.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5579821087461166866" /></a><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEig-ciM2rejt7ZUZeIueteCcw_Ai-wnronauQ5wWcQbqzvLUCrpmu-GDGZu6OqqlQI-oSVhnoqmoGVAyTjdEeaNhsvqBHmjR8TrcXyfyyjnd13vUNi33tpLiqpeG_-lWjCer0E30jrS7Ls/s1600/IMG_0900.JPG"><img style="float:right; margin:0 0 10px 10px;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEig-ciM2rejt7ZUZeIueteCcw_Ai-wnronauQ5wWcQbqzvLUCrpmu-GDGZu6OqqlQI-oSVhnoqmoGVAyTjdEeaNhsvqBHmjR8TrcXyfyyjnd13vUNi33tpLiqpeG_-lWjCer0E30jrS7Ls/s320/IMG_0900.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5579818654253889250" /></a><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhDR_Cub_rkeTrx6eAcSNoreuN7TtTgKwrgBMamc9LxgO_lHA3AszxwnOiQxiKZM1aykxYLEGatOBVH9YDoBHab4aKeXtdhejh9XNibTzuQ-9dRvvbNWz9_AmijKqROELAp5nlg6bGS_38/s1600/IMG_0899.JPG"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhDR_Cub_rkeTrx6eAcSNoreuN7TtTgKwrgBMamc9LxgO_lHA3AszxwnOiQxiKZM1aykxYLEGatOBVH9YDoBHab4aKeXtdhejh9XNibTzuQ-9dRvvbNWz9_AmijKqROELAp5nlg6bGS_38/s320/IMG_0899.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5579818055680759570" /></a><br />The other day we visited the oceanside city of Aveuro.Brianhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10894569525231048251noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6165780352381664844.post-62603795448838591662011-03-02T12:41:00.000-08:002011-03-02T12:55:31.295-08:00A Ride in Portugal<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgA7w_ew3dftO83EaybHfW2a5pIMP14ht-QsTBPzBrbZtrjxl-iVMOXO_NSdoD5zqKJN8JAzXMjcpO_o_z88QDvb933LZJqPImdCwJaRvmVsNFUUezwi3Uj5nDJIGhU7Tz3WyS8ovT27ko/s1600/IMG_0946.JPG"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgA7w_ew3dftO83EaybHfW2a5pIMP14ht-QsTBPzBrbZtrjxl-iVMOXO_NSdoD5zqKJN8JAzXMjcpO_o_z88QDvb933LZJqPImdCwJaRvmVsNFUUezwi3Uj5nDJIGhU7Tz3WyS8ovT27ko/s320/IMG_0946.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5579588937759256962" /></a>Brianhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10894569525231048251noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6165780352381664844.post-38330213690361161902011-03-02T08:46:00.000-08:002011-03-02T12:40:28.791-08:00Portugal 2011<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjuk4F3QwoSJOpzjQqA03zdW5H62WUNnGYk0vxrbkTg0S6UTuUXUUaU1XUJGrpXrIPhw7TJWoUCu4_QUZn8BoS2MN5luSpkk07wxdFDXBQvDQAPB-76UFki5WcVcdWHwDswPc2HX5xRihI/s1600/IMG_0895.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjuk4F3QwoSJOpzjQqA03zdW5H62WUNnGYk0vxrbkTg0S6UTuUXUUaU1XUJGrpXrIPhw7TJWoUCu4_QUZn8BoS2MN5luSpkk07wxdFDXBQvDQAPB-76UFki5WcVcdWHwDswPc2HX5xRihI/s320/IMG_0895.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5579581623251297682" /></a><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjChYB5ppSum_uraQ7wW_E3HMmlPUfNpVTmwwUqAEqVlB7sON9NMnyRL_hYDWq9CbhQjJ3vUGDwMLnD-pH_i9hAK6dzU6pFCrK9tBRSF6co-UqX6sAuTdDyjF_vfggtARflHhghkJoFDD4/s1600/IMG_0895.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjChYB5ppSum_uraQ7wW_E3HMmlPUfNpVTmwwUqAEqVlB7sON9NMnyRL_hYDWq9CbhQjJ3vUGDwMLnD-pH_i9hAK6dzU6pFCrK9tBRSF6co-UqX6sAuTdDyjF_vfggtARflHhghkJoFDD4/s320/IMG_0895.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5579580944897363730" /></a><br />Well we have been here just ober a week and things are going great. Yhe facilities are new and everything is attached. The residene, the track and the meals, all in one complex. Couldn'r be simpler.Training is going well and Kuc, my pilot, and I are getting along great.I kmow I have the same pic twice bur I don't know how to change it !Brianhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10894569525231048251noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6165780352381664844.post-29405356080359303532011-02-22T06:33:00.000-08:002011-02-22T07:06:46.096-08:00Training Camp in PortugalFinally something in my sporting life worth blogging about. The Canadian National Paracycling Track team is in Sanghallos, Portugal for a 2 week training camp prior to the UCI Paracycling Track World Championships. We are staying at a fabulous new facility here which consists of a 250 meter wooden track and an attached athlete residence. The team currently consists of 13 athletes and a head coach, an assistant coach and a physio. It will grow by 3 when we move to Montichiari, Italy . There will be a doctor , a team manager and a mechanic added. The weather here is not as warm as I had thought it would be. Today is cloudy , threating rain and about 15 degrees celcius. All in all things are going well. Facilities are awesome, food is good and we begin serious training tomorrow. I am here with a replacement pilot, Luc Dionne, from Quebec. My rebular pilot, Devon was unable to attend because of personal reasons at home. Luc is an experienced pilot and a super nice guy but this is our first time riding together. Our first time on the track yesterday went well all be it an easy recovery ride after travel. Tomorrow we will do some serious efforts and we will kmow more then.Brianhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10894569525231048251noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6165780352381664844.post-74951632621188571342010-12-18T14:40:00.000-08:002010-12-18T17:06:00.013-08:00Lifesport CoachingTraining for an olympic distance triathlon without proper coaching can be a difficult task even for someone with years of experience in the sport. Training for an Ironman can be that much more daunting. I am quite confident that with 20+ years in the sport I could put together a training program that would get me through an Ironman in a respectable time but Meyrick and I are not looking for omly "respectable". We are hoping to go fast. To that end we will be working with Lifesport Coaching to achieve that goal for 2011. Lifesport is one of the top coaching systems in the sport. Lifesport was the official coaches of Ironman and have names such as Olympic gold medalist Simon Whitfield on their resume. Meyrick and I are really excited and motivated to work with Lifesport.Brianhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10894569525231048251noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6165780352381664844.post-16467781210988845722010-12-18T14:03:00.000-08:002010-12-18T14:39:47.120-08:00Train the TrainerA couple of weeks ago I attended Innovative Fitness-Port Moody's first year anniversary party. It was a great turn out of friends, relatives, clients abd hopefulli future clients. They incorporated a fundraiser called "Train the Trainer". This event allows the clients to get even with those personal trainers who have been working them so hard during the year. For $50 you got 5 minutes to put the trainer of your choice through the activity of your choice. The trainers were asked to do many things from traditional exercises such as push-ups and sit-ups to singing Christmas carols and even a patriotic, resounding version of O Canada. Everyone had a great time and the trainers were great sports. At the ebd of the evenibg two very well deserving charities received a sizable donation. The Eagle Ridge Hospital and the Michael Cuccione Foundation, The Michael Cuccione Foundation helps fund childhood cancer research. Nuch credit to Meyrick and Chris along with the staff at IF-Port Moody for putting on such a fun evening.Brianhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10894569525231048251noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6165780352381664844.post-32651422530085582012010-11-27T05:47:00.000-08:002010-12-02T15:32:09.616-08:00Ironman 70.3 World ChampionshipsIt has been just over a week since I have returned from the Ironman 70.3 WC held in Clearwater Florida. First of all let me clear up one misconception I had and probably many others still hav. There was bo oil on Clearwater beach and I saw no evidence that there ever was. The beaches are clean. Back to the race. Devon and i arrived 6 dats prior to the race and had a chance to check out the bike course and ride it, It is very flat and we new it would be a fast course. The weather leading up yo race day wa not as warm as I thought it would be in Florida but still very nice, about 72 degrees. The forecast for race day was for the tamperature to be about 80. As predicted, it was a beautiful mornibg when we arose at 4:30 am November 13th, race day. The water was much calmer than it had been during our 2 training swims earlier in the week. Rhe swim went ok, sighting proved to be a bit of a problem for Devo but he was not the only one as we found out late. We got through trabsition and started the bike. As we had thought ther were a lot of competitors ahead of us and we were constantly passing others. One of the problrms with such a flat, mon selective course is drafting. We passed packs of riders numbering as manyb as 40. As w hought the bike course was fast. we had hoped to go under 2 hours but we failed and did a 2:08 for the 90 km. The run was faitly flat also excep for the bridge we had to cross twice. TYou don't really think os a bridge as being much of a hill until you have to run over it after a 1.9 km swim and a 90 km bike. The run was slow. Over the past 13 months I have done 2 full Itonman races and the Ironman 70.3 WC on experience and not near enough training. I took these events for granted, relying on my past knowledgeand knowing I could do the distance. Having done these distances several timea before I was more mentally prepared than phsically. I think it is disrespectful to the Ironman to take these races for granted. It won't happen again. <br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjpQPJo8d44FjDp75z2g282FjZtZJEghbhDTUIv2CR_7zwY1g4h8dVcWAGqVfHzAP-ewUUQtG2EK8T60DfJAndTwvV2wVvFDnG6poNYgB52O_j-y4lH5U6JohaAsQ6dnKYfbr3kGa2CTaM/s1600/IMG_0834.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjpQPJo8d44FjDp75z2g282FjZtZJEghbhDTUIv2CR_7zwY1g4h8dVcWAGqVfHzAP-ewUUQtG2EK8T60DfJAndTwvV2wVvFDnG6poNYgB52O_j-y4lH5U6JohaAsQ6dnKYfbr3kGa2CTaM/s320/IMG_0834.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5546231500589423666" /></a><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiLSFng0deO65XVu_eAVdUqhWCgtNhKpxDZBSFXrM1zi2mtPaHjxpT3F-0CNV9p7tkaulkZ6xaYCWcVCvmDY9vzoSz1YUnkC33TZW26C2UIN35Gb2_IAuEzUOBew2MVI_UJRoIYCnMd9po/s1600/IMG_0828.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiLSFng0deO65XVu_eAVdUqhWCgtNhKpxDZBSFXrM1zi2mtPaHjxpT3F-0CNV9p7tkaulkZ6xaYCWcVCvmDY9vzoSz1YUnkC33TZW26C2UIN35Gb2_IAuEzUOBew2MVI_UJRoIYCnMd9po/s320/IMG_0828.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5546231499029167234" /></a><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjHNybAxDDlKC02Naih5fp1-dZf-nVdNdo1W8wo-mlhG8H_qRjZs99Ge5xXygiXy97RT7NHRNqIEZfOekU5EiglqnCuNBplBMAnxAhHchR3wqgGj-IuA7Adu7_1oba3gtE0GOPXuhutJcU/s1600/IMG_0831.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjHNybAxDDlKC02Naih5fp1-dZf-nVdNdo1W8wo-mlhG8H_qRjZs99Ge5xXygiXy97RT7NHRNqIEZfOekU5EiglqnCuNBplBMAnxAhHchR3wqgGj-IuA7Adu7_1oba3gtE0GOPXuhutJcU/s320/IMG_0831.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5546231484963300162" /></a><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjRweaDaFtiOsZBNM6AjbnouteuTqSaAOveAuuKgExrclsU6F_8XxydIQhs7DKt7weN2JsSV4jsRyZwrGlR9ZwXW_ixeaoZxlzIFjnd1ibobBiNupnem23oV8SlI3ZbWlbBtfDukVt-o9M/s1600/IMG_0827.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjRweaDaFtiOsZBNM6AjbnouteuTqSaAOveAuuKgExrclsU6F_8XxydIQhs7DKt7weN2JsSV4jsRyZwrGlR9ZwXW_ixeaoZxlzIFjnd1ibobBiNupnem23oV8SlI3ZbWlbBtfDukVt-o9M/s320/IMG_0827.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5546231473476693826" /></a>Brianhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10894569525231048251noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6165780352381664844.post-59873289339684845772010-11-12T15:10:00.000-08:002010-11-12T15:37:55.025-08:00The Night BeforeIt is the night before the Ironman 70.3 World Championships here in Clearwater ,Florida. Everything is done. We checked in the bike today, dropped off our gear bags and are set. Everything did not go so smoothly. While droppung off the bike and letting some air out of the tires because it is not a good idea to leave a bike to sit in the sun with fully inflated tires. As he let som air out of the front tire Devon noticed a crack in one of the carbon blades. This could have been disasterous if the wheel had failed tomorrow during the race at speeds over 65 km/hr. Luckily they have a wheel rental service and we rented a Zipp 808 carbon front wheel, so all is well. Nothing left to do but eat dinner amd get some sleep. I hear it is supposed to be a beautiful day in Clearwater tomorrow. I hope the water is calm and the sun is out.Brianhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10894569525231048251noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6165780352381664844.post-70183205801401813292010-11-08T20:07:00.000-08:002010-11-08T20:29:00.698-08:00Ironman 70.3 World Championships, Clearwater, Fla.Devon and I arrived in Clearwater last night.<br /> This place is deserted. we went looking for a restaurant near our hotel located right across from the beach and there was nobody on the streets and this was at 7:00. Today we went for a short ride and swim. The water was a little cold, 63 degrees and the air temperature was about 72. These tempe are below seasonal average. The weather is supposed to improve over the next 4 - 5 days, up to about 80. I sure hope so.Brianhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10894569525231048251noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6165780352381664844.post-38958391276360884092010-11-08T19:32:00.000-08:002010-11-08T20:04:56.379-08:00IMC RunIn transition I was not sure I was going to be able to run. During the latter stages on the bike my knees were really hurting. I was also cramping but this is not unusual for me , it happens more often than not to me during Ironman races. We shuffled out of transition and to my amazement my legs started to feel pretty good. What a relief ! Our plan was to run from aid station to aid station, approxiamatly 1 mile apart.We agreed that whoever was feeling the worst would set the pace. Run when we could ,walk when we had to. This strategy worked out great and we were in great spirits the whole marathon. Nuch credit to Meyrickfor gutting it out after spending the night in the hospital 4 days earlier.<br />It was an awesome experience. There were some tough times for both of us during the run but our support for each other, teamwork, made it happen and it was FUN ! Admitadly neither of us was properly prepared for an Ironman for various reasons ( Meyrick's new business and maybe I took it for granted. How foolish). Never again. Next year we are both going to be 100% ready.Brianhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10894569525231048251noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6165780352381664844.post-79202938437267092902010-11-08T19:06:00.000-08:002010-11-08T19:29:32.571-08:00Ironman Bike ( finallt )I am finally going to finish our Ironman Canada saga because I don't feel I can continue to add new posts without finishing with IMC. The bike was very interesting. It had a little bit of everything. Sunshine, wind, rain and even some hail. The first sectiom down to Osoyoos was summy and very fast. Even throught the Richter Pass the weather was pretty good, windy maybe. Heading up Yellow lake the weather got worse. It was raining, windy and quite cold. As I mentioned earlier we even had sone hail. On some of the downhill sections we hit speeds over 90 km/hr. A little bit scary considering the roads were wet . I waso happy to see Main Street in Penticton. My knees were hurting and I was cramping for the last 30 km.Finally, transition ! (some photos to follow )Brianhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10894569525231048251noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6165780352381664844.post-58534262542641871652010-09-14T02:30:00.000-07:002010-09-19T18:02:03.139-07:00The SwimThe swim was extremely challenging. Besides the fact that you start the 3.8 km swim with over 2700 other competitors , this time I did it tethered to another swimmer. I had never done an Ironman tethered before. We had tried it the week before at Nationals, an Olympic distance race. At Nationals there was a para triathlete wave but there were only 4 swimmers with us. Now we were getting into the water with over 2700 others. As you might imagine we had problems with other swimmers getting between us and becoming tangled in the tether. The first few minutes of the swim were tough, trying to maintain my position directly behind Meyrick. However as the swim progressed we were able to find more open water on the outside and things began to get better and we were able to get into a rythym. Our time was not bad, 1 hour 16 minutes. Our whole thing about doing this race was to do everthing ourselves. Normally when Meyrick races alone he has a "handler" who would meet him at the end of0 the swim with his prosthetic and help him out of the water but this is where our team work came in and I helped Meyrick into transition.Brianhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10894569525231048251noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6165780352381664844.post-62847992927626871152010-09-14T02:04:00.000-07:002010-09-19T18:01:36.506-07:00Ironman Canada 2010-August 29thIt's been 2 weeks since Meyrick and I completed Ironman Canada in Penticton. Meyrick his first Ironman and I, my 12th. I envy those who complete their first Ironman distance triathlon. While completing this distance always gives me a great sense of accomplishment, it is never quite like the first one. When you are never quite sure if you can do it. It must have been especially satisfying for Meyrick as he had spent the night in hospital 4 days before the race with a fever over 102 and unable to get hydrated. However he gutted it out and completed his first Tronman, Congratulations Meyrick. Also this was the first time two para triathletes had teamed up to tackle the Ironman. If you didn't know already. Meyrick is a below the knee amputee. You may think calling this Meyrick's "first" a little presumptuous,(assuming there would be a second or third....) but we have already signed up to do it again next year. Besides I am not sure anyone can do this race only once. I can be addicting (speaking from experience). I love this race!Brianhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10894569525231048251noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6165780352381664844.post-39403792299249797972010-08-09T21:41:00.000-07:002010-08-09T22:04:36.570-07:00Ironman Canada 2010We are in the final month of preparation for the Ironman Canada triathlon in Penticton, BC to be held on August 29th. While preparation for an Ironman distance race has not been optimal I am confident we will accomplish our goal. To be the first physically challenged team to complete the Ironman. You may be aware that along with my paracycling partner Devon we completed Ironman Hawaii last October. This time my pilot is a below the knee amputee named Meyrick Jones. Meyrick lost his leg in a cable car accident in San Frabcisco in his early 20's. Meyrick is Married and has 3 children. He is part owner of Innovative Fitness in Port Moody BC, a personal training facility. We hope to inspire, motivate abd raise awareness for physically challenged athletes. Our teamwork will prove that anything is possible. Individually we would each need assistance during the race but together as a team we will do it all on our own. It's going to be a fun and exciting day.Brianhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10894569525231048251noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6165780352381664844.post-43084141931112901232010-07-28T22:33:00.000-07:002010-07-28T22:38:39.029-07:00It's About TimeSorry for the long wait between posts or maybe it's been a blessing. Never the less the posts are about to resume. There are some interesting and exciting things happening and about to happen. I hope they will be of interest to you. Stay tuned.Brianhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10894569525231048251noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6165780352381664844.post-26431777585435968922010-04-10T10:22:00.000-07:002010-04-10T11:13:27.500-07:00Better late than neverSorry this took so long to get this video on here, but there was no internet in Cuba. So finally here is my 2010 Paralympic Torch Relay Run.<br /><OBJECT id=BLOG_video-54e47d5bfb7d69c8 class=BLOG_video_class width=320 height=266 contentId="54e47d5bfb7d69c8"></OBJECT>Brianhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10894569525231048251noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6165780352381664844.post-13142408612562160242010-03-24T15:34:00.000-07:002010-03-24T15:34:13.465-07:00Paralympic Torch RelayCarrying the Paralympic Torch. What a thrill! Off to Varadero, Cuba for a one week training camp. The season has started. Will try to upload the torch video soon.Brianhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10894569525231048251noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6165780352381664844.post-60351419700670623482010-01-17T00:58:00.000-08:002010-01-17T00:58:50.744-08:002010 Paralympic Torchbearer<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh9NCeOb2xa8XPhJYki-Gtl9u7iPbaQsPJaiutUyz9MlRFb_RumSbtvOESK9qI2rUGHrY6svH71cEC6KRx91cQ57FJ5xxbkqETk1Keh2cM8j5mLnph-Os722j_vZZhkL4ZeycUjYkLrtGk/s1600-h/Paralympic_torchrelay.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" ps="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh9NCeOb2xa8XPhJYki-Gtl9u7iPbaQsPJaiutUyz9MlRFb_RumSbtvOESK9qI2rUGHrY6svH71cEC6KRx91cQ57FJ5xxbkqETk1Keh2cM8j5mLnph-Os722j_vZZhkL4ZeycUjYkLrtGk/s400/Paralympic_torchrelay.jpg" /></a><br />
</div>I received some great news this week, I have been selected to carry the torch for the 2010 Paralympic Winter Games. It was awesome to finally get the phone call confirming my selection as one of only 600 in the torchbearear relay. It is a great honour to be a torchbearer and I am very excited. I don't have any details as to when and where I will carry the torch but I will let you all know as soon as I know. Pictured above is the official torchbearer uniform and Paralympic torch.Brianhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10894569525231048251noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6165780352381664844.post-79510913177074116112009-12-15T09:51:00.000-08:002009-12-15T09:51:11.374-08:00I'm Bored<div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;">It has been 3 weeks since my double sports hernia repair. I am going to see the surgeon in 3 days to hopefully get the green light to resume training. This will be the longest time without training for me in the last 21 years. I feel pretty good but I am waiting for the doctor to give me the ok to get back at it. I didn't wait long enough in the past and I don't want to make the same mistake again. I plan to start slow with some easy Computrainer rides over the next two weeks and then get into some running, cross country skiing and swimming. I recently received some photos from the Hawaii Ironman (finally) and thought I would share them with you. While we are in the early stages of our winter at home these pics take me back to the beautiful weather in Kona.<br />
</div><div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhQ6Fs26XlzI0VOLVKvllr1wLNvIHBBZtg0Q11whykbUzx8uZBy8rpvG451MAyFfxB4K49ndClMk1EV37OiGY8c2nwCHZElGzUuKAlJTynx4kKjceDixvF1DqHfC4JGM5C3wWU15KXF44I/s1600-h/47958-511-022f.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; cssfloat: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" rs="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhQ6Fs26XlzI0VOLVKvllr1wLNvIHBBZtg0Q11whykbUzx8uZBy8rpvG451MAyFfxB4K49ndClMk1EV37OiGY8c2nwCHZElGzUuKAlJTynx4kKjceDixvF1DqHfC4JGM5C3wWU15KXF44I/s320/47958-511-022f.jpg" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg2OsD6uzhYwDsiUzC6JAuW9Qhe0UD7fzCZFeg4yAvxWRnnz-LP8_xii2SwtI3GoUB63BPRFNySNFec0CtubhYPlFXp3v9PlnpNucOEFlqjUQZf1hhl_FWpy46ArvNFiQSWQJM96DYquSg/s1600-h/47958-033-023f.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" rs="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg2OsD6uzhYwDsiUzC6JAuW9Qhe0UD7fzCZFeg4yAvxWRnnz-LP8_xii2SwtI3GoUB63BPRFNySNFec0CtubhYPlFXp3v9PlnpNucOEFlqjUQZf1hhl_FWpy46ArvNFiQSWQJM96DYquSg/s320/47958-033-023f.jpg" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgE1FFtsJdIk7KsrXbEmYKdIh3IS68X4XtoUB8f-B6rxCzBY2xRB7yOH1eOE_oPHjEdDdA4LkxtLsYaLE2KtDjqCekqqOz6pCqm13vXfb6PHZnuX0sB44rOEd6nObzWjTwVhkRUtALGFQ4/s1600-h/47958-125-015f.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" rs="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgE1FFtsJdIk7KsrXbEmYKdIh3IS68X4XtoUB8f-B6rxCzBY2xRB7yOH1eOE_oPHjEdDdA4LkxtLsYaLE2KtDjqCekqqOz6pCqm13vXfb6PHZnuX0sB44rOEd6nObzWjTwVhkRUtALGFQ4/s320/47958-125-015f.jpg" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhdc_Zy1mczyd1rKGYLkz2tz3zafJDuhUlAZGiG6nz2jjtoCRWaQOh3oncN7sZI7dalNamgjjpELMUb-4XOLvBdPqIMhgf98XpvZ7iw8JDa5IwPstagWDVcJy6gxaEBWR8Idy0edrdznnM/s1600-h/47958-125-014f.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" rs="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhdc_Zy1mczyd1rKGYLkz2tz3zafJDuhUlAZGiG6nz2jjtoCRWaQOh3oncN7sZI7dalNamgjjpELMUb-4XOLvBdPqIMhgf98XpvZ7iw8JDa5IwPstagWDVcJy6gxaEBWR8Idy0edrdznnM/s320/47958-125-014f.jpg" /></a><br />
</div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"> <br />
</div><div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiO-dm1mGW2zQNezuLJXeQ1ZtUhwdqeICOcB8Ip51wiHZks7bON0oQIy_W-uhA-bfwoDU9i7tZNj8vpuKnCI5LfTllPLnce1gbkCvoZR77X4dT8pp42xUIZY3dbxs_Azk5jkI8bmRu-mhA/s1600-h/47958-581-013f.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; cssfloat: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" rs="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiO-dm1mGW2zQNezuLJXeQ1ZtUhwdqeICOcB8Ip51wiHZks7bON0oQIy_W-uhA-bfwoDU9i7tZNj8vpuKnCI5LfTllPLnce1gbkCvoZR77X4dT8pp42xUIZY3dbxs_Azk5jkI8bmRu-mhA/s320/47958-581-013f.jpg" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgjwb6gGz0zrvEalNMSvrpjQyT0djKppQiy2Tb6lGcNlSr0gtdBZ5h0USwW0Yv0aToYjBjtWHXsKYBgj2pR904dN3waYkqABUdv2tgqvoJsjRwKR5xLWEVnIl0l0DSwf4tduJiqadCcU78/s1600-h/47958-425-002f.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; cssfloat: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" rs="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgjwb6gGz0zrvEalNMSvrpjQyT0djKppQiy2Tb6lGcNlSr0gtdBZ5h0USwW0Yv0aToYjBjtWHXsKYBgj2pR904dN3waYkqABUdv2tgqvoJsjRwKR5xLWEVnIl0l0DSwf4tduJiqadCcU78/s320/47958-425-002f.jpg" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjQIDRnXpv0GFCRE49gKa-xpyh9bKC1eKJYTKaLklDyQ8a1Y3-xNAQZ2P40WcqRbmB0ye6T2ioDUbKTHFoiCO-XimBnGBiMPCwoMy7eev1gTrwf0e-TEbwR35W9hjq4XlPhGdf0-rUQ0CE/s1600-h/47958-315-005f.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" rs="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjQIDRnXpv0GFCRE49gKa-xpyh9bKC1eKJYTKaLklDyQ8a1Y3-xNAQZ2P40WcqRbmB0ye6T2ioDUbKTHFoiCO-XimBnGBiMPCwoMy7eev1gTrwf0e-TEbwR35W9hjq4XlPhGdf0-rUQ0CE/s320/47958-315-005f.jpg" /></a><br />
</div>Brianhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10894569525231048251noreply@blogger.com1