This past Friday was the “first day of the rest of my life”. I have been coaching girls’ basketball this year and our season came to an end Thursday evening when we were beaten in the playoffs. So, immediately after school on Friday (I am a high school math teacher), instead of giving hours to basketball practice or hours devoted to the responsibilities of coaching, I headed straight home to get back in the saddle again!

When I got home, I checked the weather channel for the direction of the wind and temperature, and changed into my brand new bike shorts and gear. After the normal pre-ride routine and strapping on my Bodylink, I carried my bike downstairs and was officially back in the saddle, again!

Initially, the entire “feel” of my bike was somewhat awkward. I use PowerCranks, and was surprised at how quickly I adapted to riding in my aeorbars – last season it seemingly took me a week to be able to ride in the aero position for more than 5 minutes! Though the wind was awful (there were gusts up to 40 mph and we were under a “red flag alert”!) and being pelted by the residual sand (from all the ice and snow we have experienced) was a little obnoxious, I was excited about the opportunity to be on my bike and getting my bike legs back.

Training as of recent has been hard to find consistency. If you have watched the Weather Channel, Wisconsin has been in a deep freeze. For almost three weeks the average temperature was not above zero degrees with windchills often at 30 below! This even forced me onto the treadmill, which I had to run on for 5 days when there was wind-chill warnings.

But one of the motivating factors to finishing a long run on a cold morning is looking forward to a warm breakfast and hot cup of coffee when you get back. Besides the cold, we have about 10″ of snow or so on the ground, so the local xc ski trails have a decent base. I have been getting out skiing for some great cross-training.

This is the hardest time of year for me to train, as I really get sick of being indoors. But I am really just trying to lay down a foundation for the season and get my body fully adapted to working out 2x a day again. The forecast is calling for a few 10 degree (above 0) days coming up, I might have to get out the Australian Gold Tanning Oil.

Hi All,

As I prepare for my 8th Ironman, I have chosen to race the Ironman Florida on November 4, 2006. This will be my second Ironman of 2006, as I was in Tempe Arizona in April for a very enjoyable race in the desert.

Both of these events have proven to be a challenge, as I live in Canada and training can be, well, “a little chilly” at times for these events that are on the fringe of our summer. After giving it some thought, I guess that is why I chose Ironman Florida.

Where I live it is quite mountainous, so finding any prolonged time where I stay aero to simulate the Florida bike course is difficult and all part of the challenge. Running is the same given the rolling terrain of the east coast of Vancouver Island.

I have spent the summer doing a couple a series of races from sprint to 1/2 Ironman and just having a great time. The last couple months, my coach & I have been working on training specifics to make my race in Florida a great experience. We have a bit of a new plan for the race and nutrition which I am excited about and know it will spell success.

This is all happening with many of the hockey leagues already starting in Canada, and Thursday marks the start of the National Hockey League schedule. With that said I am am off for a long run before settling in to my last big week of training before the taper.

Oh did I mention that the night I fly into Tampa on my way to Panama City I have tickets to the Tampa Bay Lighting vs San Jose Sharks hockey game. I guess I truly am Canadian :)

See you in Florida (I can hardly wait)!

Bruce “IronCanuck” Bauman