March 24th, 2005: Site launched. Training has been ongoing for the past month. Every weekday morning, I'm on the track at Talisman Centre. They open at five in the morning. I run and do other related exercise until quarter past six, then hit the showers and head to work for seven. You'd think I'd be tired, but I'm not. It's great. I'm sore all over, but I feel wonderful. Going to start adding some swimming to the routine soon, to make sure I'm getting the full-body workout that you sometimes don't get with running. Hitting the weights a bit too, just to make sure I'm not out of proportion. Lots of sit-ups. I've got about ten years of beer gut to make up for - it's not going to happen overnight. Starting weight of around 210. Hope to be sitting arond 190 by September. Here's hoping. Still waiting on the AB government for permission - once I get that, I can start planning this all the way, and actually start promoting it. For now, holding back - don't want to make promises that the government won't let me keep. Still not sure if I need civic approval, too. Something to check on.March 28th, 2005: Still no word from the highways department. Not surprising, but I'm anxious. There's a story on the wire today about a guy who ran 262 miles non-stop. Geez, not only does that dwarf my effort, I'm worried it might make me look like a copy-cat. Just remember, I've been training for a month before this story hit the air. But then again, let's see him tackle that kind of distance in something other than a running outfit. Back on the track again this morning. I'm trying to cut cola from my diet - again. At my worst, I was guzzling 4L a day. I managed to cut back significantly, but I've noticed it creeping back in. I'm trying to keep water and Gatorade around instead.
April 13th, 2005: Started a new shift at work recently that has drastically impacted my training schedule. Instead of working out before work in the mornings, I'll be punching the clock at two in the morning. So after work, around eleven, I'll be hitting the gym. All the same to me - whether it's 5AM or noon, Talisman Centre shouldn't be too crowded, which means I'll be able to run and do my weights in peace. It also means I don't have any excuses not to get a personal trainer to help me set up a program. Oh well. And it's official - I'm not getting Highway 2. Seems that as a high-speed corridor, it's too dangerous. The number one option right now is Highway 21, but that will require adding some distance to get to the nearest access point, which means running straight out towards Strathmore, then up from there. But it remains to be seen what the exact route will be at this point.