It’s smokin’ hot in Pemberton these days – like 35C at 7pm hot – and the kids have a love/hate relationship with it. They had a big, fun weekend (as did I) and today I think we all felt a little rundown.
As I was putting Anja to bed tonight, she came apart at the seams for no apparent reason. Oh wait, sorry. It was because I couldn’t locate Barbie’s bikini bottom YES THIS IS A CRISIS.
Me: “Anja, it’s time to go to sleep and just not worry about this.”
Anja (through quaky tears): “I don’t want to go to bed I’m too tiiiirrrred!”
I don’t travel all that often, but when I do, I always find the people watching in airports to be top notch. As I stood in an interminable line at the airport the other night, I mentally categorized the travellers I was surrounded by. I’m sure I’ve left a few types out, but what’s not to love about these fine folks? Because chances are, you’ve encountered each and every one of them in your travels.
The Deep Sigher
He’ll subtly shakes his head to indicate displeasure at being forced to wait in line. He’ll frequently and deeply sigh at the clear incompetence surrounding him. Usually stands with arms crossed, casts around impatiently trying to figure out what could possibly be the hold up. I imagine him to be the type of person to use the line “Do you KNOW who am?” And not facetiously, either. Also prone such displeasure when seated within 10 rows of small children.
The Extreme Comfort traveller
Granted, we were boarding a red-eye, but come on now. I followed a man onto the plane in his pyjamas. Not track pants, not flannel pants; full-on, top-and-bottom pyjamas. Clutching a full-size pillow. Dignity, people, dignity.
The Personal Space Invader
Listen, I want to get on this plane just as much as you do, but if you step on my heels one more time, I’m going to call security.
The Over packer
I may have been guilty of this once or twice, but I’m learning to curb my evil ways.
You can see her coming, anxiously shuffle-running to the gate. She’s pulling her wheelie carry-on; her gigantic over-stuffed shoulder purse, a bag of snacks and one of those neck thingies strapped to one of her bags. She’ll board, then hold up boarding for the rest of us as she tries to heave the wheelie bag in the overhead bin (it won’t fit). Can’t quite stuff purse and food under the seat in front of her. May or may not be spilling into the seat next to her. She’s a gem, this one.
The No Packer
Behold the opposite end of the spectrum. The dude who gets on a 6 hour flight with absolutely nothing, not even a freaking brochure to read. Spends the entire flight staring at the seat back in front of him. Maybe he’s meditating.
The Catapulter
It’s always when you finally drift off to sleep that the passenger behind you uses your head rest to hoist themselves out of their seat and then lets it go with such ferocity that you get whiplash when the thing hits you in the back of the head. And then does it again when he sits back down. Love that guy.
The Newbie/Exasperated Frequent Flyer
These two inevitably go hand in hand at security. The newbie will always go first, completely unawares that she has to relinquish her water, take off her shoes, her belt, empty her bags and must ask 76 questions in the process. This lovely, naive traveller is always followed by the razor-sharp frequent flyer who can do all those things in the blink of an eye, while on the phone sipping his triple espresso from Starbucks. But who cares! Because his coffee will have time to cool in the time it takes our newbie friend to go through all the steps. EFF is not to be confused with Heavy Sigher, though they may exhibit similar same traits.
The Overeager Stander Upper
I had the distinct pleasure of sitting next to one of these. As soon as the plane’s wheels come to a halt at the gate, this guy springs out of his window seat and stands hunched over me. Guess what? Hovering over me will do nothing but make me take my sweet time. How’s your neck feeling, by the way, as you tilt yourself awkwardly under the overhead bins for the next 5 minutes?
The Carousel Hoverer
This one, hands down, is my favourite. Everyone’s favourite, I think. You know the ones: if they could, they’d stand on the revolving part of the carousel. Since they can’t, they like to stand so close that they can press their shins to it, as if this would make their bags get
Mind your kneecaps, friend.
there faster. I will admit that it gives me tremendous pleasure to stand back, approach when I spot my bag and then hurl it off the carousel into their knees with near super-human force. “Oh, terribly sorry, didn’t see you standing there!”
I’ll confess that I probably am a combination of all of these… except for the catapulter and the carousel hoverer. You’ll never catch me doing that.
It’s been hot these past few days and it’s awesome. Feels like someone turned on summer, suddenly. The kids don’t adapt that quickly — they love it but it seems to sap their energy at the same time. I spend an inordinate amount of grocery money on popsicles.
Why can’t I find these anymore?
Remember smacking them on the counter and splitting them with a friend? Or shafting your sibling by eating 3/4 of it and giving them the piece that fell off into the package in the smacking process? Ah, the good old days.
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Summer means lots of time biking here. BMX started last night. By no means are my kids competitive at this sport, but they do love going to the track. They ask me for tips and all I can provide by way of insight is:
“um, yeah. Don’t stop pedaling.”
“But what if I’m in the air?”
“Then don’t pedal.”
“But you said –”
“Never mind what I said. Just go have fun.”
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I’ll be on the start line at Victoria 70.3 next week, no matter what. Which of course means I did this yesterday. Someone needs to save me from myself.
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This guys has provided entertainment, companionship and lots of headaches these last few weeks. He’s adept at escaping from the backyard but I can’t figure out how, despite spying on him (yeah, I spy on my dog. So what?) If you see this friendly face on the trail, take him for a ride/run. He’ll love you for it.
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Any bets on how long this Teacher’s Strike will go on for? Kids are enjoying the 4 day weeks. Parents… less so. Summer vacation starts early, I think…
So, Ironman Canada is back in town this year. Same course, new date. I, for one, am excited to see it roll through again. Even more exciting this year is the fact that a whole lot of Sea-to-Sky athletes were inspired to sign up to toe the line in 2014, presumably after witnessing last year’s event and likely getting all misty-eyed right around the midnight cutoff.
I wonder how many of them will regret that bout of inspiration as they are riding through the cold, driving rain in April.
Anyway. Race day coverage and media in general tends to focus on the pros and the super-fasties (that’s a word. I just made it up.) Allow me to introduce you to some of the regular folks who are racing this year. And by regular, I – of course – mean super-awesome human beings who deserve your cheers, signs and cowbells on race day.
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Meet Danny Ng. I first met Danny when he and his family had just moved to Whistler. I also remember chiding him for commuting to the pool brand-new Cervelo, which he then locked up next to the beaters on the bike rack. Pretty sure that was the last of this commuting!
Danny and Christine Suter – local coach to the STARS
Tell me a little bit about yourself, you family and your lifestyle.
I’m joining a new age group category 41 this year. Dad of three kids (Tyler 12, JoJo 8 and Ava 4 yrs old). Julie has been the biggest supporter, full time mom with the kids. Full time job as group sales manager at Four Seasons Resort Whistler, celebrated my 20th anniversary with the company this year, Whistler is my fifth relocation (and is my favorite location) after Kuala Lumpur, Hong Kong, Chicago and New York.
Tell me about your athletic background.
Zero…Nada…Couch Potato, I don’t know how to swim, I don’t bike and my furthest run was 3k.
What inspired you to try your hand at triathlon? When was your first race?
This article back in 2009 pretty much sums it all:
Try-A-Tri launches local’s pursuit of half-Ironman
Whistler – At this time last year, Danny Ng completed his first Whistler Adult Try-A-Tri. Twelve months later, he’s gearing up to tackle a half-Ironman event in Hawaii.
Ng’s tale of triathlon training begins just over two years ago, when the Whistler resident received what he described as a “wake-up call” from his uncle during the holiday season. Ng said his uncle pulled him aside to tell him, “You are looking too healthy,” indicating that he appeared to have gained a lot of weight. In fact, Ng guessed he had gained about 50 pounds over the previous two years.
That “reality check” set Ng on a path to discovering his hidden athletic side. A senior sales manager for the Four Seasons Resort Whistler, Ng said he had never really been involved in sports, other than occasional volunteering or carrying water, he joked.
“It took me over 35 years to be athletic,” Ng said he tells his wife Julie, who he said has supported and engaged with his quest for fitness along with their two sons.
He began the process of tuning himself up by buying a bike and getting out on Whistler’s trails. When friend Jackie Fulton invited him on a bike ride one day, Ng discovered fresh inspiration to get himself into shape.
“I just got smoked — of course, my ego kicks in,” he laughed.
After Ng began biking to and from work, another friend, Ciro Tacinelli, got him into the hotel pool for early-morning sessions, during which Ng essentially learned how to swim. One lap became 10, and then 20 and 30, and in about November 2007, Ng found his way to the Masters swim run by Brandi and Dave Higgins at Meadow Park Sports Centre.
With their drills and instruction in breathing, strokes and style, the Higginses “were the ones that really straightened me out,” Ng said.
After other friends got him out doing some jogging, Ng found his way to the Whistler Triathlon Club, and the Adult Try-A-Tri. In May 2008, he decided to take a stab at the Try-A-Tri, where he finished third overall and first in his age category while he was cheered on by his sons’ shouts of “Go Daddy go!”
Completing that race, with its 300-metre swim, 14-kilometre bike ride and four-kilometre run, made Ng think, “Wow, I could do this.”
With the Try-A-Tri tried, Ng began looking for ways to step up his efforts, taking on sprint and Olympic-distance triathlons such as the Squamish and Vancouver events. Then he thought about setting his sights on an even bigger target: the Ironman 70.3 Hawaii. The May 30 half-Ironman event boasts a 1.9-kilometre swim, a 90-kilometre bike and a half-marathon run of 21.1 kilometres.
Last November, Ng starting working with Christine Suter, the Whistler Triathlon Club president, accomplished triathlete and Ironman racer, and coach and personal trainer through C2Sky Multisport.
“She basically reconstructed everything,” Ng said.
What drew you to Ironman in particular?
It’s a personal goal and an inspiration to my kids to “dream big, set their goals high, stay focus, work hard, anything is possible”.
Pre-triathlon career
What has you most excited about taking the start at Ironman Canada 2014?
Crossing the finish line in Whistler completes my journey of where it all began…Whistler Try A Try in 2008 to Ironman Whistler 2014.
Do you have a particular goal for this race?
My goal begins with “how do I achieve balance in my job, family, training and have fun throughout the journey”. Let’s face it, with my DNA, the only way to Kona is the lottery slot. In short, I do my best to train, cross the finish line before midnight.
Will you complete any races prior to Ironman?
Squamish Olympic Distance
How did you find training through the winter months?
Christine prescribed 2 hours of Skate Skiing every Saturday to make it more exciting.
How do you fit in family life, work and training. Are you able to find balance or did “something have to give”?
Julie and I take one year “turns” being the in-season athlete. My “on” year I trains 6 times/week and in my “off” year it’s 3 time/week. We get to choose what want to focus on and they go for it full steam. Our children are also quite involved; Tyler, Jojo, follow along on their bikes while Ava, 3 gets pushed along in the stroller. Tyler is already competing in his own triathlons and Jojo is so excited to join him that he’s been taking swimming lessons to catch up.
Really, there is no “right” way to train while ensuring your family is looked after, every situation is unique. However, you need to be open and honest with your family and yourself about how much time you will realistically have to dedicate to your training and whether you’re ALL willing to commit to a very involved training schedule. How much training your family can accommodate is something that needs to be discussed and even negotiated in some cases. Also, don’t be afraid to change plans mid-stream.
Ironman can be one of the greatest achievements of your life, but if it comes at the cost of a happy family it’s not worth it.
The awesome Ng family
What do you consider your strength on race day? What about your weakness?
I’m very comfortable on the bike but I’m worried about the run.
What sporting/athletic accomplishment are you most proud of?
Ironman New York Finisher in 2012.
What do you find most enjoyable about training? Is there anything that you dread?
The best part of training is when I’m travelling abroad for work. I woke up 5am and exploring the streets of San Francisco, Florence Italy, Sydney Australia, London, New York. I have also reached out to the local TRI clubs in these cities to allow me to join them as their “guest” of the week. I dread the RAIN!!!!
What are you most looking forward to once you cross that finish line?
A nice steak dinner with my family.
Any race-day superstitions?
Yes. Be humble, Respect the Water, Road & Trails.
Couldn’t love this picture more.
Name 3 things you can’t live without while training and racing.
1) Prescription Goggles, Prescription Oakley Glasses and Polar watch.
2) I have a first nation coin with a salmon symbol with the back in scripted “perseverance”.
3)Rainbow Loom !! Yes, I got one made by the kids with each of our favorite color.
If you could have your dream day – perfect racing – describe it.
A calm swim, Wind pushing my back to Whistler, No cramps on the run, No stomach issues.
If you could pick 3 dream sponsors, who would they be?
Cervelo, Vega, Asics
If you could pick 3 dream training partners, who would they be and why?
Karen Blaylock – Swim, Greg Sandkuhl – Bike and Jackie Fulton, Run. They are easy going, fun to be with and no pressure.
What’s your favourite way to recover after a hard race or workout?
Vega Smoothie and the couch. Kids leave me ALONE !!!
I’ll be out there cheering Danny on on race day, and if I see his kids out there, I’ll be sure to tell them to leave Daddy alone for a few days post-race!
Sitting at the counter, surrounded by bits and pieces of Christmas and New Year’s detritus. 1 kid at daycare, the other 2 playing outside with a friend in what can only be called an honest to goodness downpour. Welcome 2014!
So… whatcha been up to these last few weeks? I wish I could think of something riveting to say but I can sum up the last 6 weeks in bullet points and pictures. Hurray for the iPhone camera feature! Otherwise I’m pretty sure my memory would erase 87% of the daily stuff that goes on in these parts.
– Ski school, blessed wonderful ski school has resumed for 2/3 kids. That means we can now all ski together. And that also means we don’t fit on one chairlift (cue the “I want to ride with Mama/Dada!” arguments).
-I couldn’t really hack retirement. Back to work! Thrilled.
-I’ve tackled some more structured training in light of some looming races (damn you, foolish near-unachievable goals!) It feels good to shift into a routine. And hey! I can almost swim! And I’ve remembered what it’s like to sweat on the wind trainer. GTs.
-Contrary to all the lovey-dovey, 2013 was so wonderful #lucky13 posts I’ve read lately, I am not at all sad to see this year end. It was a frustrating one for me and I’m ready to move into even numbers.
-Speaking of the New Year, I’m not one for resolutions but I suppose I resolve to eat better (hahaha – I say that every year) and to spend at least one weekend every month totally unplugged. I think even I can manage that.
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In kid news, this 2 week/3 weekend Christmas break with very little snow is kind of kicking my ass. They might be loath to admit it, but I think even the boys are ready to head back to school.
A few of the latest Anja quotes:
“Mama, when you were on your trip, I was looking at the ground and then I splattered my face on the ground.”
Me: “Can you be quiet?” Her: “No. My heart doesn’t like that so I listen to it.”
“Mama, elephants do not wear bathing suits.”
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And lastly, a round up in pictures, in no particular order.
Best friends. Who fight like cats and dogs.
My men.
Proof that I’ve been riding my bike. However, when watching Scandal I get an urge to drink wine while spinning.
I believe this was the last time I saw sun.
Cousins!
Steep learning curve.
Yeah!
In the running for my favourite picture of them of all time.
Teeny weeny slays the “tree runs”.
She really hates skiing. Can you tell?
Oh so rare.
Courtesy her brothers.
Worked at the Luge World Cup. Twas not warm.
Santa Claus parade. No snow but lots of fun (for kids). This parent undecided.
This morning was not one of our more efficient mornings when it came to getting out of the house. We all woke up just a few minutes later than usual and those few minutes tend to make things noticeably more frantic when trying to get 3 kids out the door, 1 adult to one job and the other to another office. We all made it, despite some raised voices and (1) construction delay.
I barely made it to my meeting on time, and then floated from task to task for the rest of the day, before coming home to reconnect with the little people. I didn’t take a lot of time to do much of anything else between tasks but I did force myself to sit outside at lunch and read an actual paper paper – such a luxury these days – and avoid screens for 30m.
This got me thinking about this article I read the other day. I don’t think I’ve read anything better in ages. The only thing I’d have done differently would be to change the title from “PLease Stop Complaining About How Busy You Are” to “Shut up with the busy, already.” Seriously. The more I hear the “ohmygodimsobusysobusysobusy” refrain, the more I have to peel my eyes out from the back of my head, the results of rolling them so hard. It’s interesting that people try to “out-busy” each other. Why would you strive to be more busy? Lord, how dreadful. I’d rather strive to be like my more zen-like friends (hi, Tandy! Hi Martin!)
Everyone’s busy. I get it. But guess what? No one wants to hear about it.
I caught myself answering a “how are you” question with that typical “oh so busy” response the other day but I caught myself: God, how obnoxious. Am I really so busy that this person cares to hear about it? Bleh. No, thank you.
So next time you ask me how I’m doing, I’ll have a host of responses ready, none of which will refer to the state of my Outlook Calendar, to-do list or how much I need to get done in X amount of time. I promise.
See these girls? Not busy. Lots of awesome. Chilling after the Pemberton Terry Fox run.
There have been some incredible articles written by athletes and journalists about how the Lance saga has affected them or their sport: all you have to do is peruse Twitter or any of the running/triathlon/cycling sites and you’ll get a good taste of everyone’s disgust, particularly in light of last night’s confession. Most are very well written, some are matter of fact, others are bitter and vindictive. I’ve yet to read a single article shedding positive light on the interview.
I’ll be clear: I know precisely nothing about doping in sport. I have no first had experience with it but as an amateur athlete I’ve read a ton about it: who’s done it, who’s suspected of doing it, the whys, hows and whos. I’ve never, to my knowledge, been directly affected by it, so perhaps that negates my right to voice my opinion on this topic. That being said, what knowledge I do have is of the he-said/she-said variety of articles; my eyes glazed over when reading the USADA report. I guess I don’t care that much about the scientific side of it, what with having no interest in doping myself.
I watched Lance on Oprah last night with an interest bordering on fascination. Most people I know/read today are saying that his apology wasn’t sincere, that he was arrogant, controlling and all the rest. There’s no doubt he was well prepared for the tête-à-tête; he’d be an idiot to go in blind and we all know he’s not that. He’s been called out for not naming names, dragging others down. But wasn’t the point of the interview for it to be about him and his actions? Not others who were, ostensibly, doing the same thing (minus, say the bullying and the Foundation building). Yes, I came away with lots of questions – particularly about his “clean comeback” and a few other salient points that didn’t seem to add up. I’m going to watch again tonight and see what else he’s got to say.
Here’s the thing. I don’t know the man, so obviously can’t speak to his personality. However, I suppose I am naive enough to hope that his apology was true – whether he gave us all the details or not. People are screaming “it’s not enough!” So then, what more do we want? Why do need so many details? He himself – and several of his critics – have admitted that this whole “coming clean” business is a process. So perhaps it’s merely a starting point for better things to come? Would people have been happier had he broken down and wept? I don’t get it. Who am I to question his sincerity? Yes, I think he’s got ulterior motives here – millions of dollars of evaporated sponsorship will likely do that to a guy – but frankly, he’s got to start somewhere.
We teach our kids to accept apologies, to look each other in the eye and move on. Why aren’t we doing the same here? I’m not implying we all need to “forgive and forget”, but why not move on? The press has devoted enough ink to the man and his myth, why not start dictating change and focus on those clean athletes doing incredible things instead of rehashing the past over and over?
We’ve been home for about 3 weeks now, after 10 days on the road with the
kids. We’ve had the chance to reflect on the event, shop-vac the truck and
well, recover. There were some ups, some downs, some very long stretches
but the reality is that I think we’d do it again.
Highs:
Spending time together, all 5 of us. It made me realize how rarely we do
this for extended periods of time without “outside influence”, so to speak.
It took some adjustment but I’m fairly certain we all enjoyed this. It was entertaining watching Anja do her best to keep up with the boys and seeing the boys adjust their habits to include her a little bit more.
Learning we can all be pretty adaptable despite the curve balls. Extra
night in Northern Cali due to snowstorms? Frustrating for the parents but
the kids thought the 10×10 freezing cold pool in the hotel was pretty cool.
Broken down truck? Anxiety-inducing for mom, annoying for dad but the
kids got to RIDE. IN. A. TOWTRUCK! A low-light turned highlight.
The San Diego Zoo. Amazing place. Our recipe for success included going in
the pouring rain, on Christmas Eve. We practically had the elephants and
giraffes to ourselves. Plus, it was the first day in about 5 that we really
got to move, and we all needed it. Everyone walked/ran/skipped/shuffled/piggy-backed the entire park. Highly recommended.
Legoland, for the kids. Ultimately, this was the reason for the trip and the kids did enjoy it. Parents, meh. I don’t need to go back. EVER.
Christmas dinner outside. Not a turkey in sight.
Lows:
Screen time. For parental-sanity’s sake, we broke our own “no TV/Screen
time on such and such a day” and tried to make it painless for both the
kids and ourselves. Which meant that the kids watched a lot more movies
than usual, but that was ok. After all, it was their holiday, too. But I felt like my Mum when I kept saying “look out the window! look at what you’re missing!”
Road food. Ugh. Despite how much I was able to pack, we still had to rely
on some fairly unreliable establishments for sustenance. We hit a few
highs, for sure — the breakfasts dives were the best, as was the cafe in
Crescent City, Nor Cal. Otherwise, it was pretty grim. We stuck to Liz’s suggestion to
avoid chains – which we did, for the most part. When we do this again, I’d
research food options a little better.
Physical activity, or the lack thereof. None of us are used to sitting for
so long – I think I got 35 minutes of exercise the entire time we were away.
Every time we opened the truck doors, it was like unleashing caged animals
into the wild – whether we were in a parking lot, a beach or a gas station.
Everyone scattered. I’d definitely do this differently next time: lots of daytime activity, save the driving for the nights.
All in all, it was pretty great – an experience the kids remember and the parents enjoyed. We’ve been talking about the next adventure… Suggestions welcome!
Every day
Taken by Rory
She’s totally fascinated by everything that crawls, slithers, molts or kills.
Team
Someone thinks boys swim shorts are awesome!
It was 13C. And we swam every day.
Volvo driving school
Thumbs up
When the boys roller coaster, the girl gets painted.
I freely admit this roller coaster scared the crap out of me.
The SMO's stories 