Thursday, June 25, 2009

Turner Valley Tri on Canada day

Do not forget that the turner Vally tri / KOS is this wednesday.

http://multisportscanada.com/TurnerValleyTri.html

Monday, June 22, 2009

Victoria Half IronMan

Frank completed his first 2/3 of a 1/2. :)

He never planned on running due to his knee, but for him to swim 2 Km and then ride 90 Km is quite a big deal for sub 30 Frank.

He swam 38:12 and then rode 2:52. Nicely done!!!

The other Frank finished all of the 1/2 in a time of 6:22.

Nice job Franks!!!

IronMan Coeur D'Alene

Congrats to Elaine who finished IM Couer D'Alene yesterday in a time of 11:36.

I look forward to hearing all about the day!

Great job Elaine!!!!

Sunday, June 21, 2009

Kyle and Jenny at Chinook Half (2nd and 1st)


Kyle looking strong on the run


Rob at the aid station (chinook half)


Tara is happy to be racing!


Kelly on the run at Chinook half


Jackie on the run


Rob and Todd enjoying french fries




Chinook Half Ironman

Yesterday was the chinookhalf ironman. What an amazing day to race. After my bike class Rob and I went down to fish creek to cheer on the runners. Keeping with my tradition I stopped off at McDs for lunch and ate it as the runners ran by. Water, Gatorade..French Fry... :)

If anything the expressions and comments we got was totally worth it.

The sun was out and the temp was heating up for the run. It was great to see everyone do so well. Here are the results. http://www.resultscanada.com/results2009/2009_ChinookHalfIronman/2009_ChinookHalfIronman_Overall.txt

Kyle came in 2nd overall in a time of 4:53
Rob came in 4th overall in a time of 5:05
Jenny Won the women's race in a time of 5:16
Tara pushed through a tight IT to finish in 6:08
Kelly learned a lot about lake swimming :) and finished in a time of 6:12
Jackie finished her 1st triathlon post surgery and finished in a time of 6:19

Unfortunately Rose had a flat tire near th 3/4 mark on the bike and had to DNF.. ARghhh!

We had a great time cheering everyone on and I am looking forward to GWN where I get to toe the line with many of you.

Happy Father's Day!!!!

Wednesday, June 17, 2009

Tanya's Wasa report


Well, all in all i am very happy with my race. My swim time I think would have been a PB, hard to tell because it ended up being short and there was a 200m run to transition. It was definitely challenging for the first 500m or so,a lot of getting beat on, then i rounded the corner to come home and basically swam by myself for the last 500m. I actually stopped and turned around to make sure 1) that i wasn't last and that is why I was swimming by myself 2) to make sure I hadn't gone totally off course and was aiming for the wrong buoy. Was pleased that neither of these were true and I was just in the middle of the pact, people ahead of me and behind me but not beside me anymore. Got on my bike and just started pedaling, I must have passed about 20 people on the bike, one of which had a disc wheel on there bike, which made me feel really good. I know that my swim is not my strong point so biking is were i need to be making up time. My goal was to hold 34km/hr. I pushed hard and held a steady 32.5km. I was feeling strong coming off the bike and started running and didn't even have the usually heavy legs right off the bike. Held a pretty steady 5:20 pace which was great, right on track for 53-54min/10k.....then the 6km marker popped up and my IT was getting REALLY tight. I slowed my pace and it kept getting worse, I tried walking for a bit but it didn't help. So I figured if it hurt equally while walking, then i might as well run as much as i can and get to the finish line faster. It was a 1hr 10k for me, which I was very unhappy with but it could have been worse. ALL in ALL it was a great day.


One more down and GWN to come YIPPPEEE

Lynn's Wasa race report


Wasa Race Report
We had a spectacular day, I mean spectacular! Little bit overcast, little to no wind, sunshine, warm water to swim in, and a great course surrounded by mountains. Who could ask for more?

The swim was fun because they sent the guys off before us, so no thrashing by them. The water was warm and reasonably clear. I lined up at the front, with my sights on the first and second orange marked. Mary Jesse was with me and hesitated to start front and centre with me, but in the end she stayed with me and had a great swim. We swam side by side until the first marked and then she pulled away from me. Unfortunately the swim was a bit short, which makes most triathletes smile with glee - me I wish the swim was longer.......

We had a challenging transition, 200m run uphill with a bit of sand mixed in for good measure!

Wasa bike is flat and fast and once again no wind. I got passed by lots of girls, but you have to race your own race. It was interesting to see six Lamborghini's go by all in a row, don't know where they were going?

Run, well it didn't hurt as much as last year and I thought I was going faster, but ended up slower by just over a minute. Oh well, 4 minutes faster than last year. I'll take it.

Evan and Dylan did the Kids race Saturday, and finished 1st and 2nd in the 10&11 year olds. They totally enjoyed their day racing and working a run aid station the next day.

Tuesday, June 16, 2009

Nina's nutrition choice = stingers


Rob and Nina at MS bike tour


MS Bike Tour

Congrats to Nina who successfully completed the 2 day MS Bike Tour. Day 1 was 94 Km and Day 2 was 70 Km. Nina had a great time and enjoyed the ride with her husband and #1 supporter Rob. The really cool part of this story is that Nina only learned how to ride a bike in 2009. Riding a bike was something she never did as a kid.

Wow, very cool. great job Nina and Rob!!!!!

Good Luck this weekend

Good Luck to Elaine who is taking on IronMan Coeur D'Alene this weekend. Also good luck to the many taking part in the Chinook half ironman. I hope you all have a great day of racing.

Wasa Race Results

Wasa was held on Sunday in near perfect conditions. The swim was ~200m short which made some happy and others not quite.

Myron 12 overall 2:04. 3rd in Age group
Ian 32 overall 2:09. 5th in Age group
Louise 22 Female 2:25 2nd in Age group
Mary 57 Female 2:32 15 in Age group
Lynn 102 Female 2:40 13 in Age group
Tanya 128 Female 2:44 32 in Age group

This was the 1st Olympic dist race of the year for many. From talking / emailing everyone was very happy and looking forward to the next race. This is the Great White North for many.

Nice racing!

Mary's Wasa race report


I had a great race @ wasa this wkd. My goal was to go sub 2:40 and I finished in 2:32. Bettered last year by 11 min! The swim course was short this year. I never heard official word on how shy of 1500m it was but my guess is 175ish. There was a bit of a run to transition so maybe they "accidentally" shorted the swim to compensate for the 200m run to transition so racers wouldn't be disgruntled with slow swim splits? I ran into Lynn in the water minutes before the race started and she convinced me (actually, forced me) to start front and center in the pack alongside her. I usually start front line but on the wings so this was a new experience for me. I cursed her for the first 500m or so as I was being pummeled from all directions. However, it was a perfect line to the first buoy and by the time I got there I was thankful I allowed her to take me out of my comfort zone. The bike was fairly uneventful as there were clear skies, little wind, and a flat course. I was pleased that my bike split was 5 minutes faster than last year. This year there was a new run route which in my opinion was much more pleasant than the old route. There was running on concrete pathways, dirt paths, grass and sand and there were plenty of well man'd aid stations. I think the relatively mild temps and new course both contributed to a fairly good 10k run split for me- it was only a minute off my personal best. Wasa is a great race that is well organized, well supported and very family friendly. I highly recommend it!

Myron's Wasa race report

On Saturday, my three sons competed in the Kids of Steel Triathlon at Wasa Lake. Elias finished 2nd overall in the 7 and under category. Emery and Magnus battled it out in the 10 & 11 year old age group. Both did great, but Magnus was happy to beat his older brother with his strong swim and run legs.This morning, I competed in the Olympic Distance race and my wife, Catherine was participating in her first ever triathlon in the Sprint Distance. Catherine finished in 1:23, finishing 11th / 37 in her age group. Pretty impressive for a rookie!I had high hopes for this race. Since qualifying for the World Age Group Championships last year, I have ramped up my training and have been working with a coach, Todd Malcolm. The Wasa Lake race last year was my first ever triathlon and I finished it in 2:25. Last year, I was 88th overall and 10th in my age group. I was somewhat disappointed with that result - I had a slow transition, a lousy bike ride and my legs felt like rubber on the run. This winter I decided to work hard on my biking skills. Working with a computrainer and some excellent workouts from Todd, I logged some good hours over the winter and felt that I had improved my cycling technique dramatically. I am also about 10 pounds lighter than a year ago, which makes a big difference on the bike and run. I have been swimming much more regularly this year, working on switching my "water polo" stroke back to more of a long distance swimming stroke. I posted a couple of good results over the last few months, which gave me reason for some confidence. A 1:24 half marathon in February and a 45:50 result in a 30 km time trial cycling race were both personal bests by far. On the negative side, I have been battling a foot injury the last 4-5 weeks, which had prevented me from running until the last 9 days. I was not sure how my foot would hold up or if my running fitness had suffered. I did a much better warm up than usual this morning. My goal time for the swim was under 21 mins. I started the swim very fast and was able to get in the lead pack. I found a good draft target and settled into a comfortable pace. I came out of the water and looked hopefully at my watch - 17 minutes. Although it had felt fast, I knew that this was not right - my guess is that the swim course was about 2-3 minutes short and this was confirmed by post race discussions and the other times. However, I think I still would have been under 20 mins, which was a great result for me. I had a good transition and hopped onto the bike in 11th position overall. Last year, this is when people started passing me. I settled into a good pace and was happy to be able to hold my position. I passed a couple of young bucks and they fought back to regain their spots. We battled it out the whole course and I finished right with them, still in 11th spot. My bike time was 1:04 (including transitions) and I was in a great spot heading into the run. I had another fast transition and hit the run portion of the race. I knocked off the first two kms at a 4 min / km pace and my legs felt surprisingly good. I settled into a slightly slower pace, but was able to hold my spot. One runner passed me at about the 6 km mark, which motivated me to take it home strong. I dug down and crossed the line in 2:04:13, in 12th overall out of a competitive field of over 500 racers and 3rd in my age group. My run time was 41:57. I am thrilled with this result, which is much faster than my times from last year. The race was a great validation of the training I have been doing and makes me excited about the rest of the season and the big race in September. It was also wonderful to spend the weekend with my parents, who came out to watch the races, and to have my whole family participate in a healthy and fun filled weekend.Cheers,Myron

Myron finishing strong at Wasa Olympic distance


Oliver Race results

The Oliver Half Ironman took place 2 weeks ago. Here are some results.

Kevin D 5:01
Kevin W 5:11
Mike 5:19
Vivian 6:37

Nice job everyone!

Shane's Mountain View Triathlon Race Report

Swim Portion:
The swim was good. I was pleasantly surprised that the pool was cold and I knew at that point that it was going to be a good swim. The only problem was, that the race organizers let the slow person go first or ahead of me (I asked her about her time and she said she was only a 24 minute 1500m swimmer. I then asked her what happens when I catch her and she said to tap her feet and she will pull over at the end wall and let me go by. This did not happen.)

So, after approximately 200metres I caught this girl and touched her feet several times for one length, thinking she would pull over at the wall, she did not. So the next length I got half way up her and touched her on her thigh. Once again she did not let me by. So on the third length of following her I hammered down the 25m and passed her. But even at this point she would not settle back into swimming behind me and we swam partially beside each other. Finally after I recovered enough, I pushed a bit more and moved away from her. For the next, 1000m I felt good and felt like I was pushing. The guys that started at the other end eventually caught me and passed me and then about 200m after following them I passed them again. I was out front and stayed out front for the remainder of the swim. (I also lapped the girl who started at my end and went through the same fiasco as the first time but I was better prepared for it and had a much better time passing her. But I think I wasted more energy passing her than I would have liked. I ended up swimming the 1500m in 22:50. Which I think considering I had not been swimming very much leading up to the race due to colds, that was pretty awesome.

T1: Now coming out of the swim and remembering that it was about +3~4 degrees outside I took my time to dry off and I proceeded to put on a shirt, a long sleeve shirt, my no limits jacket (the older one) and then I put on my cycling shoes that already had the booties on them and then of course the helmet and took off. I also wore my ski gloves. (I had remembered back quite a few years ago when both Rob and I froze on the bike in similar weather and had to quit.) I also had decided that I did not have to worry about my transition times for this race. My time in T1 was 3:30. (I also know for a warmer weather race I could take 2:30 off my transition time.

Bike:
Well getting away on the bike I quickly realized that I was so glad to have my ski gloves and booties on. There were some guys out there that just wore a singlet (that they had worn swimming) and a jacket. They looked really cold. The first part of the bike I just tried to take in some liquid and get into a rhythm as best as I could. My head was cold (as I did not wear a toque) but that quickly passed. The first hill out of Hinton seem to take a lot to go up and I suspect my HR was through the roof at this point. My breathing felt good and my legs not bad. I got out onto the highway and tried to push. The wind was in my face, and as you know it is uphill pretty much the whole way out. At about the 10K mark I took in my first gel (Hammer gel) and then got back into the hard grind it was up the hills. There were a couple times were it flattened out a bit, when I thought I would get a break and then there was the wind. So no easy way out on the way up. I talked my way through a lot of the uphills and just told myself to get to the turn around. I got to the 20K mark in just over 45 minutes. At this point I was amazed at the time and was thinking it better not take me another 45 minutes to get back to town or I may die. It wasn’t until probably on the way back into town that I started not to feel to great. (I was flying down the hills but something wasn’t agreeing with my stomach.) On the last 20K, I threw up at least 3 or 4 times. Not very much each time but enough to wonder what the hell was going on. I remember at about the 30 K mark to take my last gel (Clif Shot) as I needed this for the run. I can’t remember exactly the last time I puked on the bike but I think it was before I left the highway and I think before I took the last gel in. But coming off the bike I did not feel very well and was not sure if I could take anything else on (ie. food). But the positive thing, that ended my ride, is that I came back in just over 30 minutes for the last 20K. That is approximately a 15-minute negative split.

T2: This transition was not to bad and I spent a little more time than usual because of the cold weather but I was about 2 minutes here.

Run:
At the start of the run my stomach did not feel very good and after taking a swig of my little bottle (Heed mixture) I immediately felt ill and decided not to drink any more during the run. In addition to this my calves hurt quite a bit at the start and for most of the first half of the run. On the way up the long hill (between km’s 1 and 3) I actually stopped to tried to stretch my calves as they hurt so much. That seem to help a little bit but once I got into the trails even the slightest incline hurt my calves and I could not go very fast. I just kept telling myself just get to the turn around and you be able to hopefully pick it up at that point. At the turn around I decided that I was going to try and catch the guy that I had ran with up to about the 3K mark. He (Roger) was about 200 or ahead of me at the turn around. (Time at 5K: 26:38) So, as I went back my calves still hurt but not as badly, so I decided I would speed up. Once I sped up, I new things were going to hurt and I was fine with that; however, my quads felt like they were going into lactic acid right away (and I wasn’t even going that fast). But I pushed on, in the trails as they wound around I could not see Roger for a lot of the time and I thought I had lost him. But when I came out of the trail I could see him about 100m up on me with 3K to go. That is when the wind got me coming down the hill. I tried to push really hard coming back down the hill (and I could see Roger looking back every so often) and thought for the last 2K that I could catch him. My legs hurt a lot and my stomach wasn’t much better but I kept trying to go get him. In the end, I just missed passing him and he ended up beating me by one second. My last 5 K was 23:44, which is not very fast but it is still almost a 3-minute negative split.

Total time: 2:33:17, 12th overall, and 6th in my age group.

Tuesday, June 09, 2009

Janice Plewes

Janice Plewes was hit by a car last week training in Penticton for IMC. Sadly she died on the scene of the crash.

I did not know her but I know that many of you did. It was very touching to see everyone at the pool deck on Monday as they helped each other through this tough time.

She was a great Mom, triathlete, person and will be greatly missed by many.

Please train and drive carefully.

Phoenix's Calgary Marathon race report

My first 25 kms or so I was consistent in running a 5:15-5:30 pace (I was happy with that) the aid stations were annoying because in my rush to start the race I forgot my Carbo Pro, meaning I had to deal with gatorade...gatorade tends to give me tummy troubles...well today that came to fruition. It was hell from just past speed theory (when the body tremors started) to all the way around back to 53rd. (my old hood :-)) I was forced to walk at times because ....well just because it would have been gross. lol


Then the speed wasn't as much in the legs but I did my best. At around the 7 kms to go sign that old knee pain from last year came back. I quickly popped some Ibupropren but could still feel it, the 39 km aid station took FOREVER to appear before my eyes, then the last 3 km I didn't stop but I took it easy with my knee and such. My time on my garmin was 4:19 (thanks for coming out, better luck next year...lol)
But I still think it was a success: I am most proud of keeping a positive attitude, I tried to smile at everyone, and not get too stuck up in the goal. You never know who is looking at that smile, or who a positive attitude can touch.

After running the wildflower my 13 year old babysitter states she was inspired and wants to tri triathlon, and in fact she ran the 5 km today (she only started running two weeks ago) so we are all proud of her, and it just shows me that keeping a positive face on is more important to the kids then getting down on myself. (it is inspiring to me because her parents are quite fit, but it was me that inspired her :))

Next race is GWN.

Todd at the 10Km mark


Tanya in the half


Suzanne at the finish of the 10 Km


Rob finishing the marathon strong


Rob running in the 10Km


Brian running the half


Calgary HSBC marathon / half / 10 Km

The Calgary HSBC run weekend was last week. What a great day to run. This was my 1st attempt at a marathon without a swim and bike warmup. I had my sights on qualifying for Boston. I needed to finish in a time of 3:15.59. I was very optimistic that I would reach my goal. I knew that if I held 4:30 - 4:37 min /Km I would make it.

That would have been the smart choice. Steady pace from start to finish. I decided on race day to run by feel and a bit by HR and leave it all on the course and see what the time is on the clock at the finish. My 1st Km was sub 4:00 (just under). That is OK. Next few Km's were very close to 4:00's Still feel good. 10km = 41 mins. Ok I am working now, but I still feel good. My pace slowed a bit going up Shag hill and then settled down to the 4:15 - 4:19. Still under the 4:30 - 4:37 pace. I know I am working and my legs are getting tighter. At the half I was 1:29. STill feel good and under my goal time. The next few Km's were tough, legs heavy, tight and sore. Stopped at a porta pottie for a pee break. It felt great to stop. Maybe a little too great and I had urges to stop along the rest of the course. I minimized this the best that I could. My Km's were now in the 5 min range and I was quickly doing the math in my head. I should still be good, just keep my legs moving and stay near 5 min Kms.

Now I forgot to mention that one main reason for me running this race was so that I could visit my friend in Boston who lost his Dad last year to Cancer. They are both from Kenya and as I was struggling on the course I saw a sign that read "embrace your inner Kenyan". This made me smile and I focused on the 2 of them and what they had to go through. For me all I had to do was run 12 more Km and I could rest. EASY. I also did similar thinking as I passed the Children's hospital and thought how easy running is compared to what some of the kids and families are going through. Running is easy.

Back to the race: Once back on memorial I was in survival mode. I saw some friendly faces and I know my was not too cheerful. Thanks for cheering, I appreciate all your words and claps! Still doing the math, it will come down to seconds. Still thinking of my friend and pushing on the absolute best that I can do. Why can't I go any faster! ARghh.

1 Km to go. Should make it. Rob catches me on the last turn as asks if we are on pace, we will see what the clock says. He passes and I pick up the pace as much as I can until I look at my watch on the last corner. It just passed 3 hour 16. That's it. No Boston today. I finished in a time of 3:16.28. Missed Boston by 29 seconds. Next time!

As I finished Rob and I got a great finishers photo together with our belt buckle medals and then Shane helped me to the ground where I could rest. Then he helped me slowly shuffle to Darryl's house where he drove me back to my car.

Wow, what a great day and amazing experience. I was sad to have missed qualifying for Boston as I had dedicated this race to Allan and his Dad. But very happy that I pushed as hard as I did.


Other great finishes of the day:
Rob 3:16.11 (missed qualifying by 11 sec)
Todd 3:16.27
Phoenix 4:28

Half Marathon
Darryl 1:32
Tara 1:35
Brian 1:50
Janice 1:54
Tanya 1:58

Tuesday, June 02, 2009

Ian's Shawnigan Lake race report

The race went fairly well. The swim was a mosh pit for the first half loop. Probably the roughest I have been in. It was the Provincial championships and there seemed to be a lot of fast swimmers. I was pretty happy with the bike. It was a four loop course and on the first loop nobody passed me. Second loop wasn't going so well and about halfway through the third loop I concentrated on your bike strategy and got my cadence up. I think I tend to "grind it out" at too low a cadence. When I picked up the cadence I passed six cyclists on the fourth loop. The last loop was also my fastest loop. That loop gave me the confidence that if I cycle properly I can put a decent bike split together. My only disappointment was the run which was slower than I would have liked. Probably a mixture of some trade-off from a faster bike and a slightly slower course because it was all gravel. My nutrition seemed to work with no major issues. I was getting concerned on the run because there were supposed to be gels every 2 km and I went an hour before I realized that you had to ask at the aid stations for a gel. My time was about 4:54 so I am getting faster.

Shawnigan Half Ironman Triathlon

Shawnigan Lake Half Ironman took place 2 weeks ago. I have heard very good feedback about this race. If you are searching for a new half. I would put this one high on the list.

Ian and Elaine ventured to the West Coast to take part in this great race.

This was Ian's 2nd half ironman in a month. And this was Elaine's test for her upcoming IronMan in Couer D'Alene. Both found the weather and conditions great for racing.

Ian finished in a 4:54 (happy to break 5 hours) and came in 3rd in his age group.
Elaine finished in 5:21 finishing 4th in age group and know what to do for IM.

Nice work Ian and Elaine!