10K Run Challenge

With participants uploading their training runs onto the blog now and the banter getting increasingly serious, I thought I would step up the pressure just a little.... by signing up for two 10K runs next year. I have completed the registration process for the Vancouver Sun Run on 9th May 2010 and the Victoria Garden City Run on Sunday April 25th.

Anthony has to take the credit for this idea, as entering more than one run means that I can choose the best timed result to help my cause. More chance of me avoiding being the guy on YouTube! If you are interested in registering for the Vancouver and Victoria runs, links enclosed:


The Vancouver Sun Run:
http://www.vancouversun.com/health/2010+Race+Details/898166/story.html

The Victoria Garden City Run:
http://www.tc10k.ca/

Keep up the hard training!

Hockey in Edmonton

The week that was saw me once again fly around Western Canada and visit the Prairies, including Winnipeg, Saskatoon, Regina and Edmonton. Building up the air miles that's for sure - nearly 25,000 in 5 months! Although it was a busy traveling week, the highlight was easily on Wednesday night when I was taken to a ice hockey game - Edmonton Oilers versus Colorado Avalanche. We had front row seats, up against the boards, next the away team players bench - up close and personal. Not only was it a privilege to have these VIP seats, but the game itself was fantastic with ten goals, couple of good fights and a player concussion. The home team, the Oilers, were down 2-4 going into the final period and managed to turn it around to win 6-4 with some spectacular hockey. As you can imagine the crowd went wild!

In other news, Nancy has announced is her unassuming way she has signed up for a half marathon, on her birthday in May, as part of Team in Training program with the Leukemia Lymphoma Society. The aim is to raise more valuable funds for research into cancer treatment. But not only that, but she will be following this run up with a sky dive in the afternoon to add to her birthday celebrations. She already has a couple of people joining her so if you'd like to do this as well - game on! Nancy's training schedule starts this Sunday.

First Snow of the Season

This week provided us with a public holiday on Wednesday, as it was Remembrance Day, so Nancy and I took the opportunity for a last minute getaway. We choose to explore a part of Canada that I had not been to before - Harrison Hot Springs and the town of Hope. After an hour and half drive on Tuesday night we made it to Harrison and we spent the next morning enjoying a relaxing dip in the hot springs - just what the doctor ordered. The views from the hotel were stunning as you can see from the photos.

The season is certainly turning to winter as we saw our first snow on the roads out to Hope. We were stopped from seeing the local tourist attraction of Hope Slide due to snow covered roads. The Hope Slide is one of the largest landslides ever recorded in Canada. It occurred in the early hours of January 9th 1965 and killed four people. Although the picture of Nancy posing as Rambo makes up for the disappointment. Snow is also appearing on all the local Vancouver mountains and even the ski slopes are starting to open early. Winter skiing here we come!

What would you pay for an Olympic Torch?

On Friday night, Nancy and I enjoyed a fund raising event at the Vancouver Aquarium - all thanks to tickets from Mercedes-Benz who were a main sponsor. The event was great fun with local wineries and restaurants offering their product for tasting. Although, it felt slightly wrong eating fish and chips in an aquarium with the live fish staring back at you.... maybe that was just me.

As you can imagine, at this sort of event an auction was par for the course. The main prize was an Olympic torch that was used on day two of the current torch relay across Canada. I seized the opportunity to have my photo with this torch and we even considered bidding for the item. However, when the price went past $2000 it proved too high for us, eventually selling for $2500.

The rest of the weekend was enjoyably spent in Victoria with Bob, Wendy and the other Scott as Bob reached the grand age of 68. Couldn't quite fit 68 candles onto his cake though. Nancy and I also went along to see Salmon spawning in a local river, which proved fascinating as there were thousands of fish heading upstream. Nature at its best!

Less than an 100 Days to the Winter Olympics

An impressive set of 14-metre tall Olympic rings were lit on Coal Harbour Wednesday night, marking the 100-day countdown to the opening of the 2010 Olympic Winter Games. Certainly took Nancy and and myself by surprise, as these are right outside our window.

"The Olympic Rings are one of the iconic symbols of these Games and this inner harbour showpiece will be a visual focal point for billions of people watching 2010 Olympic and Paralympic Games worldwide and for visitors and residents to our province during the Games," B.C. Premier Gordon Campbell announced.

The rings have thousands of individual LED lights that can be programmed for complex light show displays and will be visible from around the harbour, the premier's office said. They measure 13.7 metres (45 feet) high by 29.3 metres (96 feet) wide. As part of B.C.'s commitment to a green games the lights in the display use energy efficient bulbs that consume approximately eight per cent of the electricity of equivalent incandescent bulbs.

There are now two sets of LED Olympic rings in the lower mainland. The other is near Vancouver International Airport.