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Labels are a funny thing, and can be a contentious subject depending on the label (and the person being labeled). We embrace some and eschew others, and somewhere in between there are some we just live with.

I’m a musician, and an athlete. I like these labels because I work hard to achieve and maintain them, but they’re pretty broad-spectrum. They lack the specific nuance that sets me apart from other musicians and athletes. Regardless of the specifics, these labels are like clubs I belong to, that have pride and prestige despite some bad apples who inevitably spoil the perception of the bunch. I’ve also been a lot of things I never wanted to admit – drunk, fat, rude, underachiever, lazy, narrow-minded, set it my ways… it’s a long list.

But there’s a whole other kind of labeling we’re not quite so aware of. We label what we don’t understand, and we do this as an excuse to differentiate ourselves. Now the obvious example here are racial slurs (which I won’t use or condone the use of). However; in a more nuanced way, we label individuals as ‘special’ ‘talented’ or ‘gifted’ (among other flattering terms) as a way of assigning limitations to ourselves.

At the risk of blowing my own horn, I’ve been told “I could never do what you do” by some of the people in my periphery, and told that I am “more motivated” or I’m “driven” or I am “talented” that are intended to be complimentary, but when we say these types of things to each other, we place limitations on ourselves. For example, if I tell someone who’s a thoughtful and considerate speaker that they are “crazy smart,” I am not only putting them on a pedestal, I’m lowering myself at the same time because the implication is that they are “crazy smart” and I am not. What’s more, they may not feel my complement is accurate and feel inclined to console me about my self deprecating comments. It’s possible that this is what some of us are looking for when we do these things – consolation.

Beyond that, we provide ourselves with excuses for mediocrity at the same time. By someone telling me I am “talented” they are excusing themselves from achieving a possible goal, when the reality is this: Anything that is humanly possible can be done by you. That’s a lot to swallow all in one gulp, but the difference between a couch potato and an endurance runner is an allocation of time.

Don’t sell yourself short. We honor those around us by offering the best of ourselves. Don’t gloat… but don’t misrepresent yourself either. Words carry a lot of value, and you should know that you can do what you want to do.

Speaking of doing what we want to do… Training this week has been solid and consistent. Getting out and running in our River Valley is truly a gift, a measure of prosperity beyond money. I’m fortunate to do it, and I’ll be even more fortunate if I can conjure up a short run around Calgary tomorrow morning before I head back north. This week’s efforts have included cycling to work, which has been liberating in ways I hadn’t imagined. The commute has been 14.5kms with 83m of elevation change, twice a day. Completely magical.

Today, my band The Confusionaires are departing for Calgary to play the East Town Get Down festival. We’re on at 9pm at the Border Crossing – Hope you’ll swing by if you’re in the area. Lovebullies and Chixdiggit, and Julius Sumner Miller are playing the same room, so show up early and settle in!

Hey all,

We’ve set our sites on a goal for next year that is super exciting, that I’m not quite prepared to to share just yet. What I will say is that the event is a formal event, and takes place in 2023, and that we’re going to be training hard all the way up to it. I will also say that it involves a team of 5 people… and we’re a couple people short right now, so if you’re into crippling punishment, feel free to reach out!

In the meantime, as part of gearing up for the yet-to-be-named event, I’ve decided to run the Edmonton Half Marathon at the end of August of 2022. Completing this length is a goal I believe I can reach, but since I’ve never run a formal race in my life I believe there is a vibe I need to familiarize myself with. The training program I’ve put together is centered around that event in conjunction with some other non-competitive strength goals I have. It’s difficult to convey how someone can be passionate about picking up heavy things and then putting them back down, but if you’re into it, you’re into it. Weight lifting is a thing I’ve missed through endurance training – to the point that I started doing it more in the past month or so and am making it part of my plan going forward.

I’ve really been pushing my running distance with running since the triathlon training, too. I’m mainly focused on being able to maintain my elevated heartrate and keep my legs moving for extended periods of time right now. I don’t aim to let the swimming and biking drop off too much though, as I love them and really want to keep them as part of the regimen, as well as lifting weights to work the muscles I don’t get to hit with the tri-sport. There’s a mental game there that I need to take on as well and I’m excited to see how that manifests for me.

So I’m officially utilizing a new training program for the next 15 weeks, and I’ve included it below. If anyone ever wants to join me for a session, or connect and share some fellowship over sweating & cursing, don’t hesitate to reach out. I don’t expect that anyone will since I do all of this at 6am, BUT sometimes I can be flexible with my schedule, too.

Feast your eyes on the next few months of training:

Upon reflection of our triathlon event this past Wednesday and the clocking of 40 planetary revolutions, we’ve suitably depleted ourselves. It’s be a build-up as we anticipated, but one thing we hadn’t counted on happening was the uptick in normal life that has happened in the more recent weeks.

The video below does a good job of recapping the the journey here over the past several months, but what it doesn’t illustrate is an increasing demand on what used to be our free time. Work schedules, social schedules, and familial needs have made the last bit of our training schedule challenging – not tot he point that we were ever worried about completing the event, just to a point that there were certain training days we couldn’t both do. This has more to do with normal life, and the transition into a post-covid-19 way of behaving.

We also both had Covid-19 at different times, which meant dropping training and picking it back up as we were available to do so, and thankfully neither of us had to navigate the after affects some people cope with.

Also, although I’ve posted more than a couple of videos at this point, I can say with certainty that when I first thought of maintaining a YouTube channel, that video’s like the one below are essentially what I had in mind. I’ve tried not to be too precious about them, or they’d never get done – but this one I am the most proud of as far as production and overall feel. I hope you enjoy it and I hope you stay tuned, because although this particular event is complete, my journey is not.

My opinion is that this video is a level-up and I look forward to more bar-raising home-made productions of this calibre or better. I’m also pretty proud of the subject matter and content.

I’m starting a new training program this week in anticipation of a big event next summer (only because this year’s iteration of that event is RIGHT around the corner). In the mean time I’ve elected that I should train for and run the Half Marathon race in the annual Edmonton Marathon, which takes place on August 21st of this year.

I’ll post that training schedule soon.

From there, we’ll pepper in other milestones on our way to the big one next summer, for which we’re building a team – so if you’re feeling particularly bonkers, reach out and I’ll fill you in. Otherwise, we’ll announce our plans once our team is built.

Thank you for joining us.

You’ll have to pardon me if this post is a little more activity oriented and a little less psychological than usual… but this Wednesday we embark on our 51.5km journey of endurance to cap off our training program. We’ll likely find ourselves taking a couple days to recover and recuperate before digging in on what’s next.

I’ve written a bit about connection to environment and I’ve centered the latest video installment around that subject. All the visuals show scenes from my corner of the world – my neighborhood – my environment.

Here’s the new video:

We’ll be continuing along with the environmental relationship focus through the summer months, and focusing on trail running, but in conjunction with more weight training and swimming and biking. As much as I’d like to adjust my focus to trail running and completely lose myself in nature, I do have hours to keep and thus must have a regimented training program through the week. There’s a balance to be found and I’ll talk about that more in depth as the training program gets posted. It’s seeing it’s finishing touches now.

Lu and I have arranged to embark on another heavy long-term goal that we aim to train for through the next 14 months that we’ll get into later – and growing our team, which is super exciting. We’ll certainly take on some smaller challenges along the way, some as a means to prepare for the big event next summer, and some just because they’re new experiences.

If you’ve been following along on this journey so far, it’s certainly appreciated and I hope you continue to do so. It’s been a real blast thus far, and an amazing journey of self discovery.

But first – this triathlon is happening on Wednesday.
Truthfully, it’s more of a victory lap that caps off a heavy training program than a challenge.

We’re excited to celebrate this physical milestone in conjunction with my 40th birthday milestone.

Much as I’ll relish in the moment of walking away from my truck in an otherwise empty gym parking lot, and occasionally take a photo of such a landscape, it should be noted that I park in the back, and there is a whole other parking lot that’s roughly 2/3 full of cars.

6am is the opening time, and with the advent of my usual entrance being closed for maintenance, I rounded the corner en route to the main entrance at 5:59 as a small army of people emerged from their vehicles and funneled toward the entrance.

Personally, I find this to be an amazing sight. Lu an I frequently walk our faithful hound past the very same rec centre as one of our dog walking routes and often remark on the vibe. It’s truly fantastic to see such a great number of people simultaneously doing something good for themselves – something to enrich their own lives.

The 6am crowd is a collection of badass people. Maybe they don’t always look it, but badass is not measured by appearance so much as it’s measured by deeds. That’s not to say the evening crowd isn’t badass – a crew of people who can get up in the morning, conduct their business through the day with ample opportunity to talk themselves out of completing their self care regimen, and do it anyway – they impress me. These people are the real deal.

What you’re doing to improve your life is awesome.
Walk tall in that.
Of course you can do more.
I can do more… and I will.
What you’re not doing isn’t the point.
What you’re doing is important, and how you’re progressing.

Training this week has been wild. I missed a day, and then as a result went in for a double session – A 3 hour gym visit. When I left I felt both depleted and nourished at the same time and I want to live in that state as much as I can. I’ve been thinking a lot about what comes next after this triathlon, because I’m going to need a new training program, and I can’t wait to find out what it is.

This morning, Luann asked me if I feel prosperous.
Prosperity. That’s a heavy concept.
The answer is yes, but the reasoning behind the question is a shade deeper.

The root of the question is the notion that when you’re meditating, using mantras, and concentrating on things, that you don’t get what you want – you get what you are.

What am I? Self depreciative thoughts need not apply.
I’m driven. I’m innovative. I’m a songwriter. I’m both disciplined and motivated. I sleep well. I’m well-nourished. I’m warm and healthy. I’m an environmental steward. I’m a boyfriend and a dad and a dog owner (though, often a dog student) and a vegan and a triathlete and an entrepreneur. I’m growing and learning. I’m progressing. I’m an earner. I am prosperous!

What are you?

Training this week… is quite honestly hard right now. We’re closing in rapidly on our event, which is a massive undertaking and we are rising to every challenge, every day. I’m proud of what I’m able to do and I look forward to the event, not because of what it is, but because of what it represents. After this training program, the event is essentially a victory lap.