Absolutely Ridiculous

Bekele is a Tank!

Back Home

Well im Back home now, and i can feel the difference between altitude and sea level. I went for a run and was blown away by how much i just wanted to "GO!" while i was on a cruise run. I felt like racing, but had to resist. It is finally warming up and the roads are clear and i am very excited to get rid of winter, although mother nature sure has a few curve balls up her sleeve im sure she will throw this way. Next saturday im off to the Sunshine state to get on my bike for the first time in 2010, and am getting set to perhaps get a brand new Opus Bike thanks to Opus and Aarron at Gears and Grinds! The camp will be a great way to train hard without 10 layers of clothes on, and get in some serious mileage on new scenic routes in the Florida Hill Country.....some even peak up to 300 feet. Anyways for now its still officially winter and training on the trainer is still the case.

Off to Kingston now for a ride and Swim in the AM tomorrow.

PHEW. this thin air is takin a toll on my cardio system. I have been running quite a bit at this altitude and it is not as tough as it was on day 1. I have been seeing quite a bit here in Ajijic, and its beautiful but there is no lack of Mexicans calling me names as i wear my running shorts through town. I must be the first runner they have ever seen sans shirt and wearing short shorts
here is a list of things ive seen here in Ajijic


Dogs making love on the main street at noon
no lack of hats and corona anywhere in town
Filet Mingion with mashed potatos and veggies with corona for $5.50
Cactus Galore
Bread company called BIMBO and milk company called LALA
A very nice man who remembers my name, wasted giving me directions......i found it on my own.
and much more.


Its been great and a few more days of altitude before i can catch my breath!

Mexico

Well, as i catch my breath, what i can say is the altitude is a different experience. I'm sitting at nearly 7000 feet and the weather is beautiful. warm days and very cool nights. I went for a nice 10k run yesterday, at a pace i usually go at for a nice cruise. It went fine, but it felt like i hadn't ran for a month and was struggling to keep running. The altitude makes you feel out of shape...that's how to explain it, along with headaches. The scenery here in Chapala and Ajijic is beautiful and authentically Mexican. cobblestone streets and narrow roads with small shops set up all around, makes running exciting and easy to turn a recovery run into a long easy sightseeing event. Today I'm off to see Guadalajara and finish the day off with some Hills....wish me luck.

training, training, training...

Mid winter..halfway to spring! next week i fly down to Mexico and am staying with Jordan and her Aunt and Uncle in Chapala, a small town south of Guadalajara. Training will be difficult but a great chance to train at Altitude. The town lies at around 6000-7000 feet which will make my body adapt to the lower oxygen levels. It will be a great time to get in some tough runs and swims in while enjoying the scenery. Then, in March a group of us are travelling to Central Florida to really train hard for the first time outdoors in summer gear rather than throwing on layers of clothes. It will be nice to FINALLY bike outdoors instead of staring at the TV for hours on the trainer.

Winter

So it has been a long time since my last post. Winter is a tough season to cope with but its movi'n along quickly. My schedule in regards to triathlon is moderate and i am enjoying myself. I have been running and cycling quite a bit and have been very light with swimming, but that will change soon. I bought a new fluid trainer and its been motivating me to get on the bike for 2+ hours after work. Running is also going well, especially when i can jump on a treadmill when conditions are sub par outdoors. Today it is warm and raining, feeling like Vancouver in the winter. The snow is melting and is looking good for outdoor running.

Down Under

Well, it has been an eventful week or so. Last week in Hawaii, while preparing for tomorrow's worlds i went out at 6pm for a light 6k run and about 50m into it something awful went wrong. A sprinklet system that has its maintence "thing" grate on the sidewalk was slightly open by a crack, enough for my leg to fall into it. i fell, smashed my leg and knee and scraped up my back and arms. i was very swollen and unable to run or bike for a few days. As well, while biking in hawaii i ran over something and had a flat....then ran the 2k back to the house to finsd out i now have blisters on my feet. things were not going well! i did manage to get in a few good runs but all my muscles were sore from all the training and were not recovering prpoperly. However, i rested them from the fall and now they weel like they are going to explode....in a good way. Im well rested and want to explode on the start line and tackle the race. thats a good feeling and i am hoping my luck will be on MY SIDE for the race. It is nice down here in gold coast. a bit cooler than the Hawaiian weather...around 23-25 durig the day and 9-11 at night....but brilliant sunshine. Im still getting used to the rules of the road having some close encounters on the roads gere. I Also keep getting lost with my directions. the sun goes from right to left in the sky and points towards the north at noon in the southern heisphere.....its hard to tell N.S.E and west! However, getting up at 5:45 to bright sunrises in a clear sky is a wonderful sight. Tomorrow is my race, which i have been preparing for. Although my foot is now infected with hugh swelling (i forgot to mention that as another god fortune on my part) i am on 1000 mg of IB and not feeling much. I am excited, AND not as nurvouse as last year...we will see how i feel in a few hours when i wake up and its race day. Im gunnning for a fast swim with or without wetsuit ( temperature keeps fluctuating between 21.5 and 22.5 and the border btwn wetsuit and non wetsuit is 22. ) hammer the flat as a pancake bike and rip up the road on the 10k run. wish me luck as i will need it the way things are going.

no matter what happens, ive done my best and thats all i can do.

Scott Takala