Penticton to San Diego

Ironman Canada was great to watch. The locals put on a gutsy show & Jordan Rapp grasped the glory & had a hell of a performance. He's a BAMF! Viewing the race as a spectator sure gave me some internal hunger for the future. This sport is definitely a longterm lifestyle for me & I am excited to keep training at a higher level.

On August 31st Jon & I left on our Journey to bike ride from Penticton to San Diego. It was a heck of a journey to say the least. biking through Washington, Oregon & California was epic. To look back on 3300km of bike riding in under a month is quite substantial. I haven't been able to completely reflect on the overall trip however It shows me that I really enjoy riding my bike. I aspire to join a cycling team in 2010 regardless of starting in Cat5 or Cat4 at the beginning whatever it takes im okay with. I learned that mentally I can persuade my body to do unbelievable things in terms of physical activity. Some days were 4 hours long & other days were 7 hours long. Distances each day ranged from our shortest being 65km to longest days being 170km. Consecutive bike riding for almost a month straight did something to my body & mind. It allowed me to realize that my performance can still be high when my entire being is completely fatigued & mentally drained. At certain times throughout the trip I stepped outside myself mentally. It was as if I was on the bike riding it with the proper balance, however didn't have my usual wits. My typical body awareness & sensations of feeling the bike while I ride were absent. It was unreal to reflect on afterwards. I was in a certain zone mentally that allowed me to almost stop time & just watch myself ride the bike. The feeling makes me uncomfortable looking back because I haven't harnessed it properly. I believe that this is the feeling that will help an athlete overcome any obstacle in a performance event if it is harnessed properly. This was the greatest event of the entire trip because It gives me a tast of feeling that zone. I had glimpses of it in the Wasa triathlon but not the entire race. I strive to think about this feeling & try to psychologically allow my mind to pull this sensation out when I need it.

The scenery was beautiful going down the Oregon coast. Being near the ocean almost 80% of the bikeride was amazing. The redwood forest was quite surreal & almost like it wasn't reality. I felt like I was in a movie biking through a mystical forest. California was awesome to see. San francisco was incredibly trendy & the San fran bridge was very neat to see. Fairfax, Santa Barbara, Laguna beach, San Diego were all beautiful places to bike ride through. The required pace we were going didn't allow us to thorougly enjoy this amazing scenery to it's fullest but we definitely got glimpses of the beauty Cali has to offer. Bodega bay was also a neat surfing lifestyle atmosphere & an incredibly laid back environment. As we got further south the affluence of the state was very noticeable. Luxury vehicles, unbelievable property & breathtaking scenery was the norm. Very well dressed people trying to stay fit & recreationally active was the impression from the state. It is a very attractive state to be in but there was no doubt it was a high end monetary lifestyle that was only possible if your financial status was not an issue. Once we reached the border & celebrated our victory we packed up our bike boxes & prepared for our first NFL game where the Chargers faced the Miami Dolphins which was great to see. 67,000 people & a way smaller field than in CFL made for a packed facility of patriotic fans that gave the building an incredible buzz. The regular season game intensity was comparable to a stanley cup playoff buzz at the saddledome watching the flames. It was a wicked treat made possible from papa bear that arranged the tickets through ebay & had them waiting at our hotel. Thanks papa.

Now back to Calgary & great to be home. Writing in a journal every night has given me the ability to reprioritize myself & set in place some new goals for the future.

Most importantly I am attempting to start up a professional cleaning business & hope to have it operational at the beginning of 2010. The foundation blocks are being laid & the necessary meetings are taking place to set things up. Time To Shine Cleaning Services will be the name of the business I hope to make successful. A great reputation & high standard of excellence is what I will consistently strive for. I will make a continuous endeavour to allow my customers the ability to provide a critical feedback system that will only help potentially grow this company into a strong industry leader.

I also strive to keep riding my bike & potentially join an amateur cycling team in 2010. Balancing the two of these very important goals will be difficult but am excited to find manageable equilibrium.

Some pictures & possibly video of the trip are coming shortly