A Sponsor!!!

Wow! I can't believe it that after all these years since I've raced that I have a small sponsorship. Well, I'm calling it that anyways since I'm getting a deep discount on the products. Bonus, for me since I was going to use it anyways.

For my Ironman training, I was wondering what kind of nutrition I would want to use for my training and racing. A lot of the stuff out there has a lot of simple sugars and are really sweet, although taste OK, but I wanted something that would digest easily in my sensitive stomach and not give me sugar highs and lows which I'm prone to. So I decided on using Vega products which are raw, alkaline and vegan. It is a complete meal replacement with electrolytes, protein, vitamins, minerals and essential fats!!!! Yes, all in one!! I have tried training with it and am amazing at how it keeps my energy levels so steady. Another reason that I like this product is that it's formulated by a fellow pro triathlete, Brendan Brazier, who I have known from my race days. He's a wonderful guy and a fabulous triathlete. He has used this product for his races and done superbly on them. I read his book, Thrive, and really liked what he had to say. Brendan is coming out with a more comprehensive book out this spring. I was happy to find an endurance athlete who promoted this kind of eating as I hadn't found that before.

So I contacted the company with the help of another Vega user (thanks Jackie), and they were willing to help me out some. So for any of you who want to keep their energy levels steady and can trust that they are getting all the nutrients they need, try the Vega products. It's not the creamiest, sweetest tasting product, nor the cheapest, but it's OK. You get what you pay for and the results show. Not bad for a "has been" triathlete.

Body Worlds

So I finally got to Body Worlds today. I can't believe it has taken me this long and it was over this weekend. It's amazing the dissections that they did and the postures they got the bodies into while retaining the real tissues. It was great for me to review my anatomy for work. I did actually dissections in university, but you can never know your anatomy well enough!! The coolest was the arterial dissections. There was one with only the arteries of the brain and that's it!! Very cool. Anyways, it was well worth seeing. Also, recently I saw the remake of Casino Royale, which by the way was fantastic and I loved Daniel Craig as Bond. Very raw and sexy. Oh yeah, back to my point, but he have some great bod scenes!! In the movie, there was a Body World scene - nice advertising for them. So I highly recommend both!

Ear Candling

There is this thing called ear candling which I tried with my friend, Marcia, on Friday nite. I think it's supposed to be an older way of really cleaning out you ears. It's a candle length hollow tube of waxy substance that you light it on fire and stick the other end in your ear. We had the candle through the middle of an aluminum pie plate to catch the ashes, although one did fly into Marcia's mouth - sorry, it was my first time. The pressure from the flame draws out the wax from your ears. It's not the most pleasnat feeling with a pointy wax thing in your ear, but it's OK for the 15 minutes it took to do each ear. After we finished, we cut open the bottom of the candle and could see the stuff that was drawn up. I'd like to light one on it's own to see if anything would be in the bottom as a comparison. If all the stuff that was there, truly came from my ears, then I would be doing this again since I didn't think that much stuff could come from deep inside my ears. I'll have to do an experiment. Anyways, it's been something I've thought of trying. Haven't noticed a lot of difference with it yet, but at least I've tried it now.

Rollers

So I just got my hands on some rollers for my new bike. Have I told you how much I love my new bike yet?? :) Anyways, I was speaking with a former pro bike racer and he was selling me on how rollers can make me a much more efficient rider. it really shows how little movements or bad positioning can make you ride not in a straight line so you lose energy with all the lateral movemnt. For those of you who don't know what rollers are it looks like this.



Like a bike trainer, but with no fixed attachments. Yes, me the klutz has one. I tried it last nite for the first time and wasn't half bad. I put it between a door frame and did need to use it for support. Better than crashing!!! I'm all for training more efficiently since my base is smaller than before and I'm that much older than when I last raced. The gal that lives below me came up and said that it sounded like a truck was going through her condo. Great. Not sure what to do about that except do it in the morning when she's at work. Oh well. Here's to me staying upright!

Bear Bell

Well I had a fantastic Xmas back in Ontario. I only had a few days there so, sorry to all Ontario friends - it was a family only vacation. I'll see you when I have more time there. I have a new nephew, Emmitt, and I was assured quite strongly from both brothers that this will be my last niece or nephew. Since I am a 6 time aunt, I'm ok with that and had so much fun visiting with all of them over the holidays.

Amongst all the wonderful cards, gifts, greetings I received, the funniest gift was from my Aunt Polly who got me a bear bell. This is something you put on your pack and it jingles so bears know that you are coming so they usually leave you alone if they hear you. She bought it after my solo backpacking on the Nootka Trail. Just for the record, I did have bear spray with me and it was on my waist pack ready for emergency use. I'm not completely unsafe!!! Anyways, I got a kick out of the bell and I also need it for a shorter adventure race I'm doing in May as part of the mandatory gear. Hope you all had a great Xmas and New Year!