Thailand

 Taken near Chiang Mai, Thailand.

Philosophy of Sport

We have our second ultimate frisbee game today and so I thought I would post a picture of a field for inspiration. I am on my lunch break and the students aren't harassing me, so I get to spread some inspiration. Below is a picture of a football field in Calgary. My Dad did all the lighting for this field and when you view it at night it is an amazing place. Great job Dad.

So as i tell my players, there are two reasons to play sports. First, you love the game. Second, you want to win and push yourself to be the best that you can.

Vince Lombardi said it best when he stated that "Winning is not a sometime thing; it's an all the time thing. You don't win once in a while; you don't do things right once in a while; you do them right all the time. Winning is a habit. Unfortunately, so is losing..."There is no room for second place. There is only one place in my game, and that's first place… "I don't say these things because I believe in the "brute" nature of man or that men must be brutalized to be combative. I believe in God, and I believe in human decency. But I firmly believe that any man's finest hour, the greatest fulfillment of all that he holds dear, is that moment when he has worked his heart out in a good cause and lies exhausted on the field of battle — victorious."

So everyday at practice we work hard, the kids get corrected constantly and told how they can improve. Never tell an athlete they suck, tell them they need improvement and there is no end to what they can achieve. If you place limits on students they will never become better. Secondly, although we work hard we have fun. If you are having fun and working hard then you will ultimately be successful. Having fun comes from finding what you love and pursuing it until then end.

So enjoy the picture and find what you love and succeed.

Where does Democracy come from?

GET OUT AND VOTE IN THE CANADIAN FEDERAL ELECTION ON MAY 2!!!! 

There I have done my civic duty.

I figured I would post two pictures relating to democracy today, as it seems to be a rather important topic in Canada this month. Plus, I am teaching all my Socials 11 students about the Canadian government and it is making me happy and sad to be a Canadian. I am happy that we are able to vote in free elections but also sad that events like the exclusion of the Green Party from the debates and screening and evicting from rallies is happening in our glorious country. 

I love Canada, and I wear my pride on my sleeve. I admit that I get emotional when I hear the anthem being played or watching highlights from the Vancouver 2010 Olympics. Anybody who knows me can vouch for this. I absolutely love Canada and could not imagine living anywhere else in the world. I tell this to my classes all the time and I hope they realize the potential that Canada has, especially if young generations like myself and my students work to make our world right again. Erase the pain, save the environment and be the best person you can be. Our countries best years are still ahead of us. The youth of today can make the 21st century, Canada's century.

Anyways, these pictures were taken in 2005 as Cam and I made our way across Europe. I thought that pictures representing the birth place of democracy were very appropriate as the future of our country is decided in the next month.

The photos were taken with a basic point and shoot camera and although not perfect, I love and treasure the results. So get out there and shoot, it does not matter the camera. 

Cameron Cotton-O'Brien looking thoughtful as he looks out over Athens.

The Parthenon in Athens.

Southern Africa — Landscapes

Here are some amazing landscapes from Southern Africa. I hope that you enjoy.

Beach stand in Jeffrey's Bay, South Africa

Victoria Falls from Zimbabwe

God's Window, Drakensberg Escarpment in Mpumalanga

Lighthouse in Jeffrey's Bay, South Africa

Baobob tree

Penguin colony in south Africa

From my balcony in Wilderness, South Africa

It is spring time in Vancouver (despite the rain) so I thought a picture of a flower would be most appropriate. I am sitting at my desk, in my classroom wishing the rain would just go away. Vancouver is amazing but even more amazing when it is sunny. UNtil then, or if you have snow, enjoy this picture.

Sunday's Scrutiny

This week was a great week, absolutely great week for running. This was a speed week and so that is why the weekly mileage is down. On tuesday I joined my young track athletes in a speed workout. We did 6 x 400 metres on the track. 20 minutes warm-up and a small cool-down. They were fast and even though I train for ultra-marathons, doing speed works makes you faster overall.

I followed that up with two 10k fartlek runs on thursday and saturday. A fartlek is where you run fast, then, slow then fast for a predetermined distance or time. The name sounds funny but they make you a lot faster. The week ended with a nice slow recovery run as I get ready for a big week coming up. It is only two weeks until the Vancouver Sun Run. Although I'm not treating it like I  would a normal race I am still going for a decent time. I am not tapering as much as I would for a normal race.

This week was also great teaching wise. The new units were absolutely great and I was able to help numerous students after school and during lunch with some hard to understand concepts. IT feels absolutely amazing to help people and recognize that they begin to understand what you are talking about. So a great week at school ,this whole teaching thing is really shaping up nicely. And, after reading another blog over at Smile with your Heart, I have created a bucket list and currently in the process and finalizing my life goals. Also I am intrigued about making a digital pictorial goal board. Seems really motivation and a good way to take perspective on what is important in your life.

Weekly total: 32 km

Year total: 160 km

Absorb Life

This is St. Paul's Cathedral in London. Enough said. Amazingly this pictures was taken with nothing more than a cheap little point and shoot camera. Many people think that you have to have great cameras to get great pictures. That is simply not true. You just need the desire and willingness to get out in the world, absorb what it presents and find a subject matter that is enthralling. It is not the quality of a picture that makes people remember it, it is the story it tells. 

The story that this picture tells us is that we need to look beyond the spectacle and absorb all the little details of life that make it so worth while. Sometimes we get so absorbed with one thing we forget everything else going on around us. To me, this picture shows a side of St. Paul's not often seen by the flocks of tourists who are on a whirlwind holiday. People need to take time to walk around and take in all the little details. Sometimes we just need to slow down and absorb more. We can still keep focused on spectacle but take time to wander around and gain new perspectives on life and the world.

"We should stop trying to control life and instead simply absorb it."

                                                                                  Chris Pedersen

If you have time, grab your camera, find something in your city that is photographed a lot and walk around it. I guarantee you will find something that nobody else has even thought to look for before.

Southern Africa — Animals

Here is the first instalment of my Southern Africa photo series. I have pored through my photos and found some deserving candidates. The first series focuses on the animals found in the national parks of Southern Africa from elephants to rhinos to giraffes. In 2008, my sister and I travelled to SOuth Africa, Botswana and Zimbabwe to see sights, safari and absorb the magic of a vibrant continent.

There is nothing more confusing than waking up in the darkness of an African winter, crawling out of your tent, having a quick roiboos tea and then heading out in the jeep to scout for animals. As you wonder to yourself (while shivering) "What do they expect us to see this early in the morning" the soft hues of the sun peak through the bushes and begin to warm your toes and fingertips. Along the trail you see everything from elephants feeding to giraffes galloping across park. I don't want to ramble on much, I will provide more personal stories in the future posts. I will let the animals do the talking.

Stanley Park

Selfishly, I always talk about Vancouver and how great is is running around the sea wall surrounding Stanley Park. Its hard not to talk about it when it is an absolutely amazing place. 

Now, I am posting a picture that shows you this glorious place where you feel like you can run forever and never see a bad view. It is absolutely amazing. The greenery, the deep woods, ocean, rock formations, birds, tons of interesting people and lovely park benches. It is places like this that make Vancouver the absolute best place to live in the entire world. So enjoy todays photo of a park bench in Stanley Park.

Also, I have almost completed the first section of my South Africa series. I will be presenting them later tonight or tomorrow. So be ready for that multi-post series of photos from the south, of Africa.

The tamer and groomed section of Stanley Park. Continue along this path to get to the wilder side of Vancouver.

Fisheye in Oregon

Several years ago, went climbing down in Oregon and brought my camera with me. This was my first time using a fisheye lens. It is freaking awesome. We camped on the edge of the gorge with full views of the rock. Climbed some amazing routes, did some great trail running and met some amazing people. Great trip.