Greetings loyal readers! It’s been a pretty busy year once again for me in the race world. I’ve participated in and covered a whole range of events from simple running events to obstacle runs, mountain bike races and triathlons. I do all of these because I love participating in them, regardless of the outcome. I enjoy the challenge of new events, and just getting to spend time outdoors with like-minded people. However, not a single one of these events could ever have gotten off the ground without the help of volunteers. To those ends, even though I’m very busy, I do try to pay it forward now and again. This past weekend, I did just such a thing at the 4-hour Raid Pulse sprint race. The key with volunteering at these events is to view them as fun, not work, and to see the great time participants are having as they tackle what could be their greatest challenge of the year. Don’t they deserve a well-run race and to cross the finish with a big smile? I think they do, so read on about the fun I had at this top-notch event!
Yee haw! Well, after a 6-week course comprising of classroom, pool, and open water training, Jody and I now have our PADI open water dive certifications. Yup, we can now go pretty much anywhere in the world where there is scuba diving and do some diving either on our own, or with other people. We can rent gear, get tank refills, join charters, etc. etc. Yippee! We’re hoping to put that to the test when we go visit Andrea, Patrick and Helena over in the Magic Kingdom over the holidays. Guess that means I’m part of the Scuba Squad now. Overall, I’d have to say that if you’ve ever thought about getting your scuba certification, there’s really no reason not to. The price is pretty reasonable (well, if you don’t count the fact that you’ll need to spend money on gear and every time you dive!), and the course not all that difficult. If you’d like to see some pictures from our open water dives, head on over to the folder I put up on flickr. After that, read on for a little more about the weekend fun.
Hello again! You’re probably reading this blog post at about the same time as my last one, so you’ll quickly see that I’ve found another way to avoid the blues of sitting on the sidelines as a result of my knee issues. Yup, I’ve decided to still be as involved as possible in the race world by doing it the only other possible way: volunteering! I’ve long mentioned to Jody that I would like to help out at some adventure races and experience ‘life on the other side’. AR is a sport that demands a lot out of not only the competitors, but also of the unsung heroes that are the volunteers. The logistics to put on these types of races can be overwhelming, and without the dedication of people who do it just for the joy of helping out, most races just wouldn’t happen. With that in mind, read on to see how I tried to make a recent adventure race just a little bit easier for all those involved 🙂
Hey gang, just thought I should check in with everyone and let you know what Deanna and I have been up to. As you are all aware from the last post, the winter race season was over, so now I’m sort of in between races and events, and focussing on training and also just trying to have a good time. With that in mind, I figured I’d write a quick post about a trip to a friend of ours’ sugar shack a little over a week ago. Deanna had never been to a sugar shack, and we decided that we’d go for the full-on authentic experience. It was made doubly a good idea by the fact that we were hosting Deanna’s sister Cheryl with us for the weekend! What exactly do I mean by the full-on authentic experience? Well, read on and find out. Here’s a tip though: there were no tourists, we had to hike in, and we were even put to work! To see pictures of our little visit to Mike Caldwell’s Ark, and his very own sugar shack, head over to the flickr folder chock full of maple syrupy goodness. Aftwerwards, click through to read the rest of my little story.
