Give it a Tri

It's been a fun exercise week overall. Progress is a positive thing.

Over the last five weeks I can feel a major change in running endurance. Heart rates have stabilized and it's continuously getting easier to run faster and longer.

On Tuesday night I managed to break a goal I have been teetering with for the last week - running 5K in 30 minutes. (I actually had nearly 40 seconds to spare.)

Saturday saw me come close with a 30 minute 15 second completion of the 5 km distance. For a competitive person, coming that close brings a feeling of wanting to jump back on and try it again. Saturday's run came an hour or so after a 5K cross country ski with Charlene. When I got home the legs felt warmed up and ready to go. Was a great day of calorie burn.

On Sunday, Charlene and I returned to Dollar Lake Provincial Park for another ski adventure. This one was a little more strenuous. The trail system is not very well marked and I took a different route only to get caught in continuous loops. Google Maps on my iPhone (and some trailblazing) put me back on track, but it was an 8.5 km slog with some pretty intense elevations to climb.

Monday was a day of rest.

Tuesday was a good running day and I have since returned to slower pace to continue this training path to the May 18, 2014 Blue Nose Marathon 10K event.

I am really interested in taking the running outside and see if I can keep pace. Treadmills are one thing - Mother Nature may have a different plan. I'll keep you posted.

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I have really noticed the endurance change during my two weekly hockey games. It's great to feel less winded after some hard skating shifts. I hit the ice in another two and a half hours. Look out boys, the lungs are ready!!

The endurance will come in handy this coming weekend when I compete with two other team members in the Tri-the-Oval III event at the Emera Oval in Halifax.

Jeff Nearing, Tina Lum and I competed last year in this 5 km skate (me), 6 km bike (Tina) and 4.2 km run (Jeff) event. We had friendly competition from three other Chronicle Herald employees, who bailed on it this year. They say it was a scheduling issue - we know the real story! Another three have signed up to take us on. I'll report back on results next week.

There's still room for individuals and team to register. Click for the official website or e-mail Marie-Claude Gregoire if you're interested. Tri-the-Oval III is this Sunday, February 16 starting at 9 a.m.

I'll be counting down the 12.5 laps of the Oval to complete the 5K skate portion. I'm betting it will be a whole lot easier this year with this new found endurance. Tina and Jeff are in great physical shape so I'm glad to have them carrying the weight of the team.

It feels good to be active again. It's a lifestyle Charlene and I have embraced. Longevity and good health in our senior years is dependent on what we do today. I'd encourage everyone to start living life - it's a lot of fun.