Almost There!

I can certainly see the light at the end of the tunnel! 

My last 2 essays were handed in this past week. I have my English final exam on Thursday and my Histroy final exam next week (Monday, Aug 8). I will have all of August off. We'll be able to actually do fun stuff...not that writing essays is not fun...but given a choice, I'd rather be golfing! On a bright note I now know what "verisimilitude" means!


What's next...my left calf is cooperating nicely so I will resume my 1/2 marathon training program. Tons of golf with Carter and Jackie. We have the first 2 weeks of August out at Sioux Narrows...unfortunately I will be back and forth from Winnipeg due to my last 2 lectures and exams. We plan on a lot of kayaking, beach sitting, golfing, bike riding and BBQ'ing. There may even be some adult beverages involved! 

P90X has kind of been the odd man out in all this. Jackie and I have been finding it difficult fitting in the workouts. Life can be busy, even when you think you shouldn't be too busy. I think that instead of working out 6 days a week it will most likely morph into a workout as much as we can fit in kind of program. It's not that we have a lack of commitment...it's just flat out hard to logistically fit the workouts in. (I guess instead of blogging I could...)



Luckily, I do not feel like the dude who is sitting down in the cartoon! 

Golf Weekend

With both Jackie and Haley away for the weekend, the boys went golf crazy!

Friday Carter and I played Harbour View in the AM, then The Meadows in the PM. Saturday we played Steinbach Fly-In Course (27 holes!) Then on Sunday I played Granite Hills while Carter visited with Nana and Grampa Chudley.

The weather was hot and sticky, the golf was actually very good. My ball striking off the tee is out standing...it's the best it's ever been. My iron play is solid...not perfect but solid. Where I am struggling is around the greens. If I miss a green I am having trouble getting the ball up and down. My chipping is not very sharp. I end up having 5-6 footers for pars. While I do manage to make many of them, missing them means a bogey! The focus of my practice will be on the short game the next while. When you don't play/practice much this is the one area of your game that suffers. I am very confident that I will get the feel for the short shots perfected again, it will just take some work.

This week I have to finish a history paper (due Friday). Other than that, Carter and I will be out at the course (probably everyday!) working on our chipping and putting. We may do the beach one day. Next weekend we are camping at Falcon with some friends, should be fun!

Tired...so tired!

Week one of P90X is in the bag! I feel a little stronger up top...which is encouraging. I'm working on getting rid of my neck! (hahaha) Jackie and I have been trying to get up at 5am to do our workouts but It seems we hit snooze until 5:30 then sit on the deck drinking coffee until 6:30! What can you do...quality time! I've been getting my workouts in usually in the afternoon and Jackie is tearing it out in the evenings. (yeah us!)

The KONA is in the bike shop getting some much needed TLC...new chain, new rear cogs cluster, new bar tape and BRAKES! So I am stuck commuting to university on the old TREK mountain bike...I just need a turret and I could be a tank. On the positive side, it's a good leg workout.

Running has been strong. Haley and I went 10km on Sunday and I managed to tweak my left calf when Haley decided to swerve hard left to see some golden retrievers. I should have seen it coming...my fault! It was at about the 9.5km point and I was just cruising nicely not really paying as much attention as I should. You see running with a dog is much more interactive than just hitting the road and turning your mind off (which I can do very well!) It seems you must spot things like fences, poles, bunnies and other dogs before your partner does! I let my guard down and bang...sore calf. We are going to start slowly upping our weekly mileage over the next couple of weeks so in anticipation I went out and bought Haley a backpack! She will have to hydrate along the way, now she can carry her own water and fold-able dish, not to mention poop bags! I have to post some pics of her in it...she looks pretty tough!

Saw "Transformers - Dark of the Moon" (3D) today with Carter, it was....OK. Not as good as the original. Very violent...and very 3D.

I should be getting an English paper and test back tonight. Fingers are crossed!

That's it for now,
SC

Carters crazy train

Yesterday I watched a video called barnwars. It was funny, take a look at the link. I went to Fun Mountain for my birthday party. we went on water slides, ate hot dogs, and ate cupcakes!

good-bye.
Carter 

The maiden post of an 9 year old! Thanks for that Carter! The link he's included is actually kind of funny. 

Well, week one of P90X is just about over....my hamstrings are killing me (kind of feels like after my first full marathon!) We did about 300 lunges the other day. The nutrition plan is going very nicely. I have noticed a little decrease in NRG due to the reduction of carbs (this is a very short term reduction...only 3 weeks or so.) The program puts your body into a ketosis state. Again this is only for a short time. I don't think I would like to live like this long term (eating 60% protein, 20% carbs and 20% fat). I have noticed my reliance on coffee in the AM has diminished as well...not sure why!

Today is a massage day! YIPPEE!!

That's it for now,
Scott

...BRING IT!

Jackie and I started the P90X system this past Friday. For those of you that do not know what the P90X system is check this LINK out. This system has been around for a few years now and people genuinely have spectacular results. There is nothing crazy about the system...just a lot of hard work (6x a week) and a very sensible nutrition plan. We have been eating very health for the past 5years so this part is not a stretch for us. What will be difficult is the workouts! 

Here is what we face over the next 3 weeks:

Weeks 1, 2, and 3

Day 1 – Chest and Back, plus Ab Ripper X

Day 2 – Plyometrics

Day 3 – Shoulders and Arms, Ab Ripper X

Day 4 – Yoga X

Day 5 – Legs and Back, Ab Ripper X

Day 6 – Kenpo X

Day 7 – Rest or X Stretch

The workouts revolve around about a million push ups per session, pull ups, free weight work, squats of various variety and a lot of high heart rate movement.

Plyometrics...is essentially "jump training". You load and unload the muscles you're working in a very "quick" manner.  

Ab ripper X is a 20 minute ab workout that will make you cry like a baby!

Kenpo X is based on kick boxing, karate and a crazy amount of CARDIO!

Updates will come much faster now that the school year is over and all I have to focus on is parenting, domestic stuff (I'm trained well!) and working out...oh ya and university until the end of July! Keep an eye open for my before pictures which may appear soon. (uggg!)

See you next time!

A New Start!

After much consideration...(and weight gain ~ 20lbs!)...I've decided to get back into the running game. I haven't run much since Christmas. This hiatus was due to an unfortunate combination of a very, very busy school program (the IT course) and a major lack of motivation. Well we all know what happened to the IT course and now that the school year (read: job) is winding down I think it's time to get back in the saddle. Pictured above are my great new shoes...NIKE LUNARGLIDE +2...size 9 (if you're curious!). I have a very willing running partner now as well, her name...HALEY! TO motivate my daily running I've signed up for the Imagine Run it's a half marathon (21.1km).

I've started the Running Room training plan (half marathon target time 2hours), on tap for this week:

Saturday: 6km (done)
Sunday: 0
Monday: 4km
Tuesday: 4km
Wednesday: 4km
Thursday: 5km
Friday: 0
Saturday: 9km

It's kind of funny, I look at the half marathon plan and think to myself - piece of cake! The last training plan I was on for last years full marathon was brutal...the bulk of the long runs were 25km+...my longest run on the half-mary program will only be about 20km! So these "short" runs are a welcome treat. I figure that with my fitness loss the past couple of months it should take me about 3 weeks to build up to my previous speed. I did today's 6km in 38 minutes...it usually should only take me about 35 minutes.

Poor old GPS...complete with teeth marks courtesy of Haley!

On a negative note: Haley ate my Garmin Fore Runner GPS watch over the winter. As a result I'll I think I'll be doing much of my training with my heart rate monitor...old school!!

I received my latest essay marks late this week:
English: B+ (79%....one percent away from an "A", c'mon!!!)
History: B (74%) 

I was hoping for an "A" on the English paper so I'm a little disappointed with the "B+". The History paper on the other hand was much more difficult...so all things considered I'm OK with the "B"...of course I would like a higher mark, but given the stringent criteria required to get an "A" in Dr. Perrun's class, a "B" is very, very good.

Also be on the look out for the debut of my son's blog posts. It will be a weekly chronicle of his summer adventures! He has decided to name it: "Carter's Crazy Train!" under the banner of:

It should be interesting...not sure if I'll let go of the "parental controls" too much!

See you next time!
SC

Oh my, have ever I fallen behind!

Blue Shirts represent Brain Tumour Survivors (that's me in the orange hat)!

bus·y:

[biz-ee]   

adjective, bus·i·er, bus·i·est, verb, bus·ied, bus·y·ing.

–adjective

 

1. actively and attentively engaged in work or a pastime: busy with her work.

2. not at leisure; otherwise engaged: He couldn't see any visitors because he was busy.

3. full of or characterized by activity: a busy life.

4. (of a telephone line) in use by a party or parties and not immediately accessible.

5. officious; meddlesome; prying.

6. ornate, disparate, or clashing in design or colors; cluttered with small, unharmonious details; fussy: The rug is too busy for this room.

 I have been all of that...and more. Let's see this past week I had:

1. a history paper due (Topic: What did the Seigniorial System do for Canada, and what did it not do?)
2. an English paper due (my Topic choice: Compare and contrast the voice of Gwendolynne Brooks' "We Real Cool" and Thomas Hardy's "The Ruined Maid". Who is the speaker and what does it make the reader, see, feel, think etc, etc, etc!) 
3. History seminar summary due (summary of 5 in-class discussion questions)
4. the Spring Sprint on Sunday
5. Oh ya, it was also my Birthday!

Life has a funny way of slowing you down even if you can't do it yourself. As adults we take on many roles, we wear many hats, we over extend ourselves and not understand why we feel like crap some mornings. If you stop to listen that "feeling" is your body saying: "slow down there big fella". Well, some of us can listen to that inner voice, some cannot. I'm one who has trouble listening to the little voice. So, in an unfortunate twist of fate, a higher power decided to slow our lives down for us. Carter has been sick all week. As an adult it's easy to ignore signs and symptoms of exhaustion, but when one of your little chidlins becomes ill, all bets are off. It forces you to slow down, take time off, put things aside and take care of the most important thing! The doc says he thinks it's just a "virus"...code word for "I have no clue!" (don't get me wrong our doc ids the best, we love him, but sometimes even they just don't know!) So, as a result of this short pause in life, I'm able to get back ahead of the game and little Chudley gets to drink litre upon litre of Gatorade!

 

The Spring Sprint:

This is a walk/run event that I'm involved with in support of the Brain Tumour Foundation of Canada. We managed to raise just over $46,000 this year! It goes without saying I'm very, very proud to be part of the organizing committee that came together to pull this one off! I hope that we can retain all our committee members moving forward. We had 9 tremendous people involved this year. Unlike last year, I actually felt relatively calm before the event! 

What's up next? 

My courses at U of M continue until the end of July. Carter, Jackie and I are planning on playing a ton of golf this year. (with the Spring Sprint out of the way...we can focus weekends on that, yeehaa) I am sneaking up on some minor projects around the house as well. This year on my short list are:

1. ceiling hung storage for the garage
2. a walk way from our front sidewalk to our back gate at the side of our house 
3. paint the shed in the backyard
4. become a good golfer...again
5. Play some golf tournaments
6. Paint the basement ceiling white, before I finish the drywall
7. finish the drywall (maybe next summer!)
8. I think I'd like to be a runner...so start running!!

It feels strange not to be feeling the pangs of nervousness I've felt the past 3 years as the Manitoba Marathon looms large on the horizon! It's almost comical to see the people in our area hitting the pavement on "training runs" getting the old body ready for the super run, the 10k, the relay,  etc...people you never see all year out there..."training"! Then, once they cross the finish line, they fall back into the obscurity and comfort of their vehicles, warm with the glow that they "ran the marathon, sort of!" I need to start running again...I'm getting way to sarcastic!

 

Time Goes By

It's certainly been a while since my post, I have been extraordinarily busy. School is going great. Work is fantastic. Family is awesome! Golf, when I get a chance to play, has been great. I am in a period of contentment...it's a cool feeling.

I had a craving for a "Blizzard" on Thursday night after my class (I was kind of tired so I took he car to class that night!) I go to the Dairy Queen on Pembina Highway out by the University and the line is right out the door! Even the drive through his jammed...this again points to the positive place I'm in right now...things are so good,"something" won't even let me eat ice cream! Have you seen the calories!!!

Going to enjoy another "beautiful" May long weekend....break out the rain gear, as usual!

Week one in the bag!

Week one of school is done! My History course looks to be very interesting and my English Lit course is full of...well, reading. More importantly though, I feel a lot more comfortable in this environment. There is a mountain of reading to be done with no logarithms in sight, hallelujah! I am very confident in my abilities in this line of study the reverse cannot be said for the IT course I was taking. I will likely post up some of the more interesting stories and essay ideas I'm working on in the future.

On a sports (golf) related note: Carter played his first round of golf of the season yesterday at Harbour View. He shot a cool 55 on 9 holes AND he managed 2 pars! AWESOME! He was super excited running from shot to shot, Jackie and I are so proud!

 

The Looooooong DRIVE!

I had the afternoon off today, so I decided to practice for a couple of hours before I had to pick Carter up at school. I hit the ball great, but was a little distracted. I don't normally make it a habit to look around at others on the range when I'm practicing but today there was a fellow out there hitting the ball hard....I mean REALLY HARD! I watched him hit a few drivers between my shots. I went back to my work and before I knew it he was standing...watching me! I, being the chatty person I am said "hello!" Turns out this fellow is a competitive long driver. (just missing a trip to Mesquite, NV by about 2 inches....oh, for those who don't know, Mesquite Nevada is where the World Long Drive Championships are held every year.)  He hits the ball 300+ yards consistently. It's funny, you always hear people say: "I hit that one over 300 yards!" but very few people ever actually do. Most amateur/weekend golfers are lucky if they hit it 230 - 250 yards...never mind keeping it straight down the middle! I hit the ball extremely well, and I can only move it out there 280 - 290 (down the middle of course!). You just know when someone hits it 300+, it's a very different sound!   

We had quite the chat, I tried some of his equipment (5.5 degree Kranked Golf driver with a 47" XX flex shaft) I could barely hit it! He was something to watch...by his own admission, he's not a very good golfer score wise, but can he could sure rip the cover off a ball with a driver! At the end of our session, we agreed we'd hook up to play sometime. It was a very interesting experience.

On another note the facility where I practice asked if I'd like to teach their Junior and Ladies programs. (I know the course owners very well) I am looking forward to it, aside from playing competitively I really do miss the teaching. There is a special excitement when someone hits a ball where they intended to hit it for the first time...the looks on their face when it all comes together is magical. Especially juniors! 

Lastly.....WHAT THE HELL IS UP WITH OUR WEEKEND FORECAST?!?!?!?!?!

	Friday Apr. 29	Saturday Apr. 30	Sunday May. 1	Monday May. 2	Tuesday May. 3	Wednesday May. 4
Conditions 6am - 6pm
	Cloudy with showers	Light rain	Scattered flurries	Cloudy periods	Variable cloudiness	Isolated showers
P.O.P.	40%	80%	40%	20%	40%	40%
High	20°C	6°C	3°C	13°C	15°C	12°C
Feels Like	-	-	-5	-	-	-
Low	9°C	0°C	-3°C	-2°C	5°C	5°C
Wind	S 15 km/h	N 25 km/h	N 25 km/h	S 10 km/h	S 25 km/h	N 20 km/h
24-Hr Rain	5-10 mm	5-10 mm	-	close to 1 mm	1-3 mm	less than 1 mm
24-Hr Snow	-	close to 1 cm	less than 1 cm

Just as I suspected!

Round one of the year is in the bank. The score was dismal...80! I was expecting to have an awful short game and that was precisely what I had!! I had one 3 putt, one 1 putt, and sixteen 2 putts! When I missed a green I had trouble finding my chipping weight...hence all the 2 putts. Other stats:


Fairways: 10/14 hit - very solid anytime of year.
Greens in Regulation: 9/18 - AWFUL!!!
Putts: 36 - not very good....definitely need to be under 30 or under per round.


Overall: I am not to displeased. I had a whack of pars, an eagle opportunity, many realistic birdie chances. I had about 5 holes where normally I would easily get up and down but my chipping was not sharp at all....leaving me a longer than ideal putts for par. Sadly, I also made 2 double bogeys. All said and done I am very pleased with my ball striking especially off the tee. Today Jackie, Carter and I are going to practice....I think it will be full swing practice for the most part, the greens at my practice course are not very consistent yet. I plan on throwing in a lot of pitching 100 yard and in. I had a few shots of that length....and I had no feel (YET!).

Today is the day!

Today is my first round of golf of the season!! We are off to the Meadows Golf Course, probably the best public track in Winnipeg, I'm pumped!! I plan on being very meticulous with my stat tracking this year. It's been 4+ years since I've taken golf seriously and I'm curious to see where the game has deteriorated over the years. There is no question in my mind I'll have to dust the old game off, chip away some rust and deal with some swing issues. I have hit balls a few times the past few weeks at the driving range and what I've seen is very encouraging.

Check back often for practice and play updates!

Can't Speak....

Well the forecast was right, we had a nice little dump of snow last night. What can you do! I went over to Golf Central this morning and hit 100 balls. Once the swing was warmed up I was hitting it great. I keep having some minor difficulty with finding the perfect left hand position (as mentioned in a previous blog post - "Stoke the Fire"). When I do find it...the ball flight is awesome, high and straight. I have also decided to return to wearing a golf glove. My last few years as a golf pro saw me move away from wearing a glove. This was due to my zero practice habit! Since I need to dig my game out of the dirt again it's a good idea to wear one!

I have also been waffling on whether or not to get some new irons. I don't really need them, but it is my 40th birthday coming up and I think new irons would kind of symbolize a new era for me. You know...out with the old, in with the new! I have been very interested in getting set up with a custom set of KZG Tour Evolutions. My current irons are old Callaway X-14 pro series, (4-PW)...nothing wrong with them (although I have changed the shafts out 2 times!). I just think it would be nice to start this new journey off with some fresh gear.

Some of the gear that I can't see changing are my forged Callaway wedge set (50, 54, 58 degree) I have perfect distance control and spin with these, plus I love the swing weight (D4). I also have a Titleist 905 driver and a relatively old Taylor Made 300 pro 3 wood which will never (???) leave my bag! Two Srixon hybrids (18 & 21 degree) make appearances in the bag from time to time depending upon course set ups, wind and par 3 lengths. My flat stick is a Scotty Cameron Pro Platinum Mid-Sur belly putter cut down to 33"...I have never putt bad with this putter - SERIOUSLY! I have used a long putter also known as a "broom stick" putter in the past (2000 - 2002)...quite successfully I might add! I think if I made any change other than the irons, it would be back to a long putter. Not that my Scotty is a bad putter or my stroke with the Scotty is bad but long putters are just plain old deadly from 5 feet and in. We'll sit on that one for now!

The waiting game....literally!

 

OK...what did we do to deserve this weather forecast? I don't think we'll be playing on the golf course too soon. It's back to just hitting balls at the range and putting & chipping in the basement, I guess. Damn you Mother Nature!

Weather forecast for Winnipeg this weekend...can you speak!

	High (°C)	Low (°C)	Conditions
Friday Apr. 15	2	-3		Wet snow
Saturday Apr. 16	5	-3		Variable cloudiness
Sunday Apr. 17	5	-3		Few flurries
Monday Apr. 18	4	-3		Light snow