Fresh start

It has already been close to a week into the new year. How time flies! To many, starting the new year means starting with a clean slate, a fresh start. I've decided to jump on the Twitter bandwagon. I know... it has been around for ages and I'm lagging behind. My Twitter page is listed on the right hand side of this blog. I've also given my blog a new look. For most people, the new year is also a time to set new goals and for many triathletes, this relates to their training and races for the upcoming year. My latest article was featured on Lycraheroes here on how to get back into training after the festive season, thank you Lycraheroes!

We had a nice 9 day break for the Christmas - New Year period. There was a bit of ice storm in Southwestern Ontario the weekend before Christmas which left certain parts to have their power cut off for days. It was a pretty sight with trees being coated with shiny ice but it was inconvenient and sometimes dangerous getting around. We had a lovely Christmas dinner with Li-Ann's cousins and had a short visit to downtown Toronto, our first since we've been here. It was pity that it kept snowing and we could barely spend much time outdoors.

For New Year's, we took a drive to Niagara Falls. Again, the roads were very slippery with snow and the wind was pretty strong that day. Our car actually skidded on the way to the winery where we initially planned to visit for some ice wine tasting. Luckily nothing bad happened. The wheels did get stuck in a thick layer of snow but a kind couple who were passing by in their 4WD came to our assistance and towed us out. After that, we decided to call it off and head back to the B&B. At night, it was still windy and cold -20C with the wind chill! The plan was to watch the countdown concert featuring Demi Lovato, but we skipped that too and watched it on the live stream from the comfort of our room. Still, it was a nice getaway and the Always Inn Bed & Breakfast is a great place to stay if you're visiting Niagara Falls. It's managed by a Zimbabwean couple and we highly recommend the place.

On my training front, I've just been ticking along, nothing too crazy. About 2-3 sessions each of swim, bike and run. All of these are done indoors. One of the bike sessions include the group bike class with Coach Sheri, with our own bike trainers. It's a nice change in environment from facing the window in our living room. The aim each week is try to get just over 200kms of mileage or about 10 hours of training. I can't wait until summer comes when I can start getting serious in my training.

So far the first week of 2014 has been pretty uneventful except for this morning where we had over 1 foot of snow blocking our driveway. The road in front of our house doesn't get ploughed as it's a residential road with not that much traffic. Took us (my wife shovelling and I tried to steer the car out) over 30 minutes before I could get moving. I thought it would have been a day off from work but unfortunately, it wasn't.

Until then, we'll drive safe and keep warm over here. For our friends back home and in Australia, I have to say I'm really envious of the sun and heat you guys have over there!