Wednesday, June 30, 2010

IronMan France 2010

Well IronMan France is over and so is the big goal that Myron and Myself set for ourselves. It is day 3 after the race and I feel quite recovered. I am able to do much better sight seeing and walking down and up stairs. :)

We had an absolutey beautiful day to race, which as it seems is almost everyday in Nice! The water was sort of calm for the race with a bit of stir during the 2nd lap. No jelly fish stings so I was happy. Myron was out of the Sea in a very quick 57 min. I was a bit further back fighting with the crowds and came out 10 min later in 1:06. The bike is a stunning ride. Lots of climbing and descending and breath taking scenery. Simply amazing. We saw many strong riders ride away from us during the 20 Km climb. I basically found my pace and settled in not worry (too much) about the many that were passing me. Myron pushed strong up the hill but unfortunately was starting to bonk. Just after the top (after the 70 Km Mark) I caught Myron and he said he was feeling low and trying to bounce back. I said I will see you soon and continued to ride. In the end I rode a 5:34 and Myron was 5:54. During the swim my right foot was cut from either finger nails or a watch. Also when I had to get out of the sea I stepped on a rock on my heal and it bruised. After the bike I was a bit uncertain how I would run. When I stated to run with my bike at T2 I could not land on my heal as it was too sore. Ouch Ouch Ouch... I decided to keep running and once my shoes were on I was hopeful that I would be able to run (and that the cut on my foot was only minor despite the blood on my bike shoe). As it turned out the cuts did not look too bad so I put on my socks and shoes and off I went. My heal did hurt but I decided to run through it. After a while the pain was gone. This was good. The run course is 4 laps of 10.5 Km. The 1st lap was about just getting my running legs going and this took longer than I hoped. The 2nd loop felt better but it was getting very hot. I would drench myself at every aid station with water and the supplied run through showers. Lap 3 was ugly, I was forced to walk and I started to question about how long lap 4 was going to take. Arghh! This was tough. After starting the last lap I saw Claire and Catherine and they inspired me to pick it up. I started doing the math in my head and I knew I could still finish sub 11 as long as I continued to run. So I did with all of my focus. I was so happy to be done and see the clock at 10:45. Another IM complete and this is my 1st finish in the 10 hr range. 2nd fastest. Happy! Myron was able to run with his achilles and he finished in 11:14. We were 277 and 472 overall out of ~2700 athletes. Good day! I am sure Myron will post his report soon.

Thanks for reading and all of your support and well wishes! Bonsoir!

Friday, June 25, 2010

Photos

I was going to upload some photos but my iPad will not allow this. Sorry.

Myron and i drove the course on Wednesday. Wow this is going to be once amazing ride. No shortage of climbing or take your breath away views. I did not see most as I had car sickness from no sleep the night before so I spent most of the drive with my eyes closed. One of the cool parts of the ride was the car we were in. Myron had the option between 2 cars at the same price. A tiny fiat or a Bmw z4. He picked the BMW

After the drive and dinner i was out to sleep and slept 12 hrs. Nice way to reset the system. I was so happy to be back in my apt and very grateful to have a bed to sleep in.

Life is funny as you never know what the adventure you will have each day. Just do your best to enjoy it! This am the sun is shining and the temp is 28. Have a great day!

Thursday, June 24, 2010

Chacter building night

Ok, so after i last left you i was heading out for a nice 10km run on the IM course. This was just after 10pm. Those who know me this time is nothing new for me to run at. I enjoy it plus the sun is down so it is much cooler and less crowded but still it has lots of people walking running biking etc.....

So i had a great run as I was nearing the end i had a great visualization of my finish at the finish line. The scaffolding is up so i knew exactly where it was. After my run i stretched was staring at the sea. What a great place to stretch

On my short walk lot my apt i saw an ice cream seller and I thought i would really like on of those. Checked my watch and it was just after 11. I quickly went upstairs and then grabbed my money and keys. Out the door, the door closes and i am thinking should i lock the deadbolt. I decide why not and then I go to lock the door and the keys that i grabbed were just 3 ket tags and my bike lock. I am now locked out at 11pm in nice with no way to get back in. I have no idea where the lady i rented the apt is or her ph number. Myron is now in nice but I have no ideas where or his ph no or email. What to do????

My options were to sleep in the hallway of my apt or head outside and get the wheels moving in terms of getting my door opened.

I was optimistic that i could get a hold of Myron and then i could stay with him. All i needed was a computer.

No probelm. There are 3 doors to get into my place. I gently closed the 2nd just in case needed to get back in. Once I left the main door i tried so hard to gently close the door but no use, it was locked. I now would not be sleeping in my apt tonight.

Ok, let's get a computer. I went to the pub opera where I have had diner there 2x and asked if they had a computer. The server said you can asked the boss. He is inside. So i ask please can i use your computer. He can speak pretty good english and he agrees. Now i start sending emails...to Claire, doug and Myron. Cross your fingers. I then surfed the net and found thewebsite that i rented the apt from. I emailed them about my predicament and then hoped they had a spare key. I gave Claire and doug locations where i may be. In hindsight i should have also told my rental lady where would be. But I was stressed and not thinking too well. The 2 locations i gave were the pub and the location at the beach. I waited there for about 1 hour and then gave up hope for a rescue by Myron.

Now what to do?

I then just sat on a beach and watched people, still a surprising amount of people out. I walked for a bit and then remembered hey i have a small bit of money let's go get a cafe from mcds. This helped warm me up. Remember my awesome day....great swim, great bike even with getting lost in monaco, then a great dinner with Myron followed bh a great run.

Now here I am in my running gear, all salty and tired.

I took my cafe and started to walk. Thereis this great castle on a top of a hill that i always wanted to see so i walked to see it. Time now is about 2. Unfortunalte the gates are closed and i cant access the stairs. Oh well keep walking. Next I saw this amazing monument to the fallen of ww1. Great to be able to see this in the dead of night with any pesky tourists. :)

.....Technical problems ...........


In summary. I tracked down a computer and was able to email everyone i needed to. Buti was not going to be rescued until 8 when i arranged with Myron the night before where we would swim.

Thenightwas long and i did some sightseeing by walkingtheold town.
I visited mcds few times as they closed at 230.
Had enough money for one cafe
Sat and watched the many groups of drinkers of the beach. Who some end up running in theoceean
Once the winds picked up I headed down to the beach to find some shelter from the wind. I found a wall and some cardboard to sit on. Then it was a matter of waiting until daylight. Oh i also asked the police if it was ok that I could sleep on the beach. No problem. I also visited the police post where they would get a locksmith and get me i not my apt but thiswoukd beabout500 can dollars. I figurerd i could tough out the night.

The night was cold but I lived to see the light of day and to type on my blog. What a great place to spend the night homeless .
I always say that in order to race well you need to be able to handle discomfort and the fatstest person is usually the one who can handle the most discomfort. Well i had some discomfort that night for sure and did not sleep at all. But i saw some amazing things. The moon, the stairs, birds that i swear spelled something out to me. They were French birds so i. Could not decipher.
It took so long for. The sun to come up and then to finally break through the clouds enough to warm me. I was very cold.

I saw a lady praying to the ocean and then went for a dip in the ocean and laid down for a few minutes. She seemed like this was very special for her.

Overall that was one amazing day and i am glad to have had the experience. I have a new appreciation for having a place to sleep. Lasts night sleep was amazing, went to bed at 9 and up and 930.

Things to learn ...... Remember your keys.... :)

Tuesday, June 22, 2010

France update cont

So back to the story. I did get lost in monoco and wow was it hard for me to get out. It was beautiful and all but i was tired hot and wanting to leave. After asking a few times for directions i made it out. Whew! Not going to bike there again.

Just had dinner with Myron. He is very keen to race. Tomorrow we drive the course. Should be lots of fun!

Time to digest dinner and then an easy run tonight before bed. Hopefully no more street parties tonight so I can sleep!

France update

Ok, i know i told many of you that i would update my blog while in france so here goes. Today was magnificient. Right now i am in an outdoor cafe waiting for Myron who just arrived in nice. The weather is a mere 28. I am doing ok for not getting burned as I put on lots of sunscreen. This morning started off with a swim in the med sea. Nice swim. I found a set of buoys that I used as a giant rectangle. I wou ld not go to the last one as it was quite far from shore. I will wait until tomorrow when myron and i swim together.

Then off on the bike again. After my trip to the bike store I now have co2 and a small pump. I am ready for the flats....

I went on my typical ride to monoco. And actually I did not arrive there until today. Wow what a place. I saw some crazy cars. Ferraris, super crazy benz, bentle and rolls. The scenery here is quite something as well. The big news about monoco though is that i got lost trying to get back to nice. I mean how hard could it be? Well there are so many tunnels and circles and loop de loops.

Myron is here, he says hello, gotta go

Monday, June 21, 2010

More races

Busy weekend of racing. Let's start with the chinook Olympic. Tim was out there for his 1st tri of the year and testing his fitness. Training is going well as he finished 14overall and 2nd in his agegroup. Nice job Tim!!!

Doug was also racing. He was using this as a training day with no real pressure. He did want to see what he could do on the olympic distance and he did well. 42 overall and 13 in his age group. Good job doug!!

For Chris's Fathers day gift he was racing in the Olympic distance race as well. He swam 30:25 in somewhat fists to keep his hands warm and then waited until his body warmed up during the bike and run. He started to feel again near 4Km. Brrr. Congrats on getting to the finish in 2:43 Chris!

Marj was also racing. Having some lake swim sessions the week before the race really helped get ready for the cold. She did a great job in the race and finished 193 overall and 20 in age group. Marj has her sights on magrath olympic which may be the alberta hidden jewel for triathlon.

Katie was back in action in another sprint distance race in canmore. With her ankle feeling better she was able to have a better race than try this tri and finished 1st overall. Congrats Katie. Her big race is the Olympic dist coming up quick in Canmore.

Nice racing everyone. Keep up the great work!

Wednesday, June 16, 2010

Wasa lake - Myron on run and with his sons


More Saturday Ride photos



Wasa results

Last weekend was Wasa lake Triathlon. This is always a great race for many to kickstart the season. There is always top competition and the course is made to go fast. Flat!

Myron's race report is below so to keep it short he won the Sprint distance event. Congrats on your 1st overall win! next up IM France.

Ian did well at the Olympic distance event placing 5th in his AG and 27th overall. This was a great race after Boston marathon and he knows that he can go faster.
Like Ian, Elaine was compelting her 1st triathlon since Boston Marathon. Elaine showed that she has recovered nicely and raced to a solid 1st in her Age Group.
Mary was testing out her new Guru red rocket. Did you name it yet? anyhow...this was Mary's 1st triathon of the year. Mary felt good on the swim, bike and for the start of the run and then she ran into unusual breathing difficulties. This realy slowed her pace but Mary was able to get her breathing under control and finish 12th in Age group.

Great racing everyone and I am looking forward to this week's result from Chinook. Good luck to all and I will be thinking of you from the beaches of Nice. :)

Monday, June 14, 2010

Myron's Wasa lake race report

Yesterday, I got my first overall triathlon victory in the Wasa Lake Sprint race.  It was a beautiful day and I was able to win in front of my four kids, my wife, my parents, my brother and my sister in law.  It doesn't get much better than that.

I originally signed up for the Olympic distance race about four months ago. I had planned to do this race as a final tune up before Ironman France, which takes place on June 27th.  The Wasa Lake race was my first triathlon in 2008 and last year I set my PB time on this course. I thought that it would be fun to come back and compete against the strong field and that it would be a good gauge of my fitness heading into my first Ironman race.

Unfortunately, the last two months of training have not gone as well as I had hoped.  I have been struggling with persistent achilles' tendon issues that have severely restricted my running.  The longest I have run in the last 10 weeks is 60 minutes and most runs have been 15-30 mins, followed by a few days of limping in pain.  I have been a regular visitor to the massage therapist, physiotherapist,  chiropractor and naturopathic doctor, trying to solve the Achilles problems.  As of a couple of weeks ago, I had decided not to do the Wasa Lake race.   

Fortunately, my swim and bike training have gone well.  I have been swimming 4 times / week, averaging 10k to 12k metres.  As a result, I have fought back from the broken collarbone injury and my swimming feels as strong (or stronger) than last year. I have also done lots of cycling, including many hill repeats and 4 big bike rides > 170 kms in the last month. Last weekend, I did a stunning 200 km ride over the Highwood Pass and back, which was the furthest I had ever gone.

Last Monday, I underwent a relatively new treatment on my achilles called PRP injection therapy.  This was my second time having it done and I had some good improvement after the first one until I thrashed my achilles again during a hike up Ha Ling Peak with the kids.  My achilles gradually improved over the course of the week and I went for a relatively painless 6 km run on Friday.  As a result, I started thinking about doing the race this weekend.

I knew that if I went in the Olympic distance race, I would be up against some tough competition and would find it difficult to ease up if things were not going well. I also knew that I would be comparing my performance to the great race I had last year and would be disappointed if I fell short.  I thought about doing the first two legs and dropping out but eventually decided that I wanted to test myself running in a short tune up race.  Accordingly, I switched to the Sprint distance race, where I knew I would be competitive based on the times from the last few years.  I had several people advise me against doing the race and, instead, just focusing on the Ironman. I knew there was some risk in running at race pace this close to my goal race, but felt strongly that I needed to test myself and come into the big race in a positive frame of mind.   

I woke up Sunday morning to a beautiful day.  I travelled to the race with my father, racked my bike in a good spot, visited with some of my fellow competitors and did my regular warm up.  There were over 200 other racers in the sprint distance and I lined up in the front and centre of the swim start.  When the gun went off, I hit the water and swam hard for the first 100 metres. I was able to clear the pack and hit the first buoy in the lead.  I settled into a comfortable swim, feeling strong and confident.  As I approached the second buoy, I was surprised to feel someone drafting off me. It turned out to be Megan Bird, a former competitive swimmer.  As we came around the final buoy and into the direct sunlight, l let her go in front so that she would have to do the difficult sighting and I could take a nice draft to the finish.  I came out of the water right behind her and then passed her in the run up to the transition area. We were almost 2 mins in front of the next swimmers in a 750m swim.

I had a smooth transition and headed out onto the three lap, 20 km bike course in first place. I took about 5-10 mins to warm up on the bike and then held a 41-43 km pace for the rest of it. It felt really good to hammer the bike and I lapped a good portion of field.  When I came into transition I got to hear the legendary voice of Steve King telling everyone that I was winning, how my kids raced in the kids of steel race yesterday, what place I finished last year, etc.  That guy is amazing - he knows everything and is a total pro.

The first two kms of the run were really good. I was holding a sub 4 min / km pace comfortably and my achilles felt ok. It was also fun, as the race leader, to have a mountain bike rider clearing the course in front of me and showing me the way. That was a new experience for me.  After the first turnaround, I saw that I was over 3 mins in front of the second place racer, so I knew I was in great position.  However, as I headed onto the "off road" portion of the course, my right foot landed awkwardly and I had a shooting pain along my calf. From that point on, my achilles started getting sore and I had to block out the pain.

I backed off the pace and finished in 1:05, over 3 mins ahead of the second place finisher (and 10 mins ahead of the second place athlete in my age group). As I ran up the final portion of the course, I high fived each of my kids and basked in the glory of hearing the "go, daddy, go!" chant. It was extremely fun to win in front of my family. I felt strong and in control the entire race.

My achilles and calves are now very sore and I'll know over the next few days whether they bounce back.  It may or may not have been the right decision to race but, irrespective of what happens in France, yesterday I got to be the Champion on a beautiful day in the mountains.  It was pretty sweet.
 
Next stop, Ironman France.

Myron

Thursday, June 10, 2010

Wednesday, June 09, 2010

Busy weekend of races - Vulcan, Oliver and Kona

Last weekend was a very busy weekend for races. The first race was held in Vulcan and this year they had better weather than last. Marj was out there for No Limits and running in her 1st triathlon for 2010. Months ago Marj set a time goal of 1:15 and now was time to test her training. With a small slip Marj was off and swimming. Considering the slip Marj did great and swam 11:31. The bike was Hard and Marj was happy with her efforts. Her run was 29:33 which is the 1st time for a while for be sub 30 on the run. Overall Marj's time was 1:14.53 and 1st goal is reached for 2010. Nice Job Marj, next race is Chinook olympic!

Off to Oliver half ironman. We had a few athetes racing. Kevin was out testing his new bike. An Argon 18. I have not seen it but I have heard that it Humms. Kevin's swim was good, bike was good and run was going good up until the 15K and then his legs starting talking. Overall Kevin had a great training day. 5:01
Doug is an athlete who will always be smiling. :) His swim was continuously bumpy and even in clear water someone would find him remind him to swim faster. He had some cramping issues in the calf but this soon went away. Doug was very aero on the bike using an aero helmet for the 1st time and his Hed Tri spokes. These worked very well as he passed many. While on the run Doug focused a lot on his form. This worked well and brought him home in 5:16
Mike had a great IMC training day. His swim was his best ever and had a very comfortable swim. Unfortunately his TT bike was out of commision and he had to use his road bike for the 90 Km. This put him in not the optimal TT position and caused his legs to scream at him during the run. Still, thus didn't get him down and had a lot of fun. 5:41
Alex was also for this race and she had a tough swim. Alex had some difficulty breathing due to the cold water. Her calf muscle also knotted up and stayed like this for the duration of the race. :( This made the bike and run quite difficult. Alex soldiered through the race and finished in 6:04.
Lastly we had Carrie at Oliver. Her race report is below so feel free to read. Hip issues caused Carrie to wisely pull out after the bike. This is such a difficut decision to make but this was the best choice for the day.

Now off to Kona! Kevin was competing in the 70.3 Kona triathlon held on the big island where IM hawaii takes place. This is such a special place to be and race. Kevin was very fotunate to be able to take part in this race. The island did not fail to produce tough conditions. Rough ocean, windy Queen K highway and the very hot and rolling run. Kevin enjoyed the race and I am sure that he is dreaming of one day coming back to test himself on the lava fields in the full IM. Kevin finished in 5:36.

Great racing everyone! This weekend many are racing Wasa! Good luck to all!

Tuesday, June 08, 2010

Doug at the half marathon - Calgary

Carrie's Oliver race report

Carrie Oliver Race Report:

Since I was lazy and never wrote a race report on the Eugene Marathon last month I figured the Oliver ½ IM would be my report redemption!

As our family life currently revolves around 2 little boys with both parents training for triathlon, many summer weekends are spent traveling to races. So we again packed up the truck with gear, bikes, tools, snacks, new toys, books and many hours of DVD’s. Kyle and I often joke how our road trips used to be spontaneous and never included a Happy Meal. Anyway….

Race morning was great. Got up early to eat and walked down the block to catch a ride with Kevin and Mike (thanks guys!!). We arrived at transition in plenty of time and organizers had everything running smoothly with body marking and picking up timing chips. I’m not one to chat and mingle before races so I put on the headphones and tried to make all the nervous energy and sizing each other up, drift away. Headed to the washroom right away so I didn’t miss my wave start and went over my gear…again. Mike mentioned he goes over his checklist many times as well so I feel better about my obsession with lists.

Started down to the beach to warm up as I was in wave #2. A guy ran by me into the water asking “Has the first wave gone yet?” Ahhh….yeah. They’re at the first buoy. He yelled a word I can’t repeat and took off. Made me laugh. Had a nice little warm up and then tried to seed myself appropriately. I tend to underestimate my swim and start towards the back and then find myself trying to swim around slower swimmers. This time I was feeling bold (I know, such a rebel) and started toward the mid-front of the pack. Gun went off and I sprinted for about 400 meters until I could see people dying off around me. I wanted to get out with a faster group and try to hold on instead of playing catch-up. It worked and I settled in with the same group of girls for most of the swim. I was comfortable and could hold that pace easily. Came out at my goal time and then ran to T1. This was really another portion of the run course…seriously…the longest run to a T1!

Off on the bike! I really enjoyed this bike course. The back roads took us past vineyards and through rolling hills. The little rollers and inclines were my favorite part. I was able to spin up them staying seated and passed a handful of people on each hill. Riders then returned the favor by passing me on the downhill’s since I get freaked out going over 60km an hour. Oh well. Kevin and Doug passed me (their wave started after mine) and they looked great. I think Kevin was having a conversation with someone and Doug was smiling way too much to be racing!

I wanted to hold back on the bike so I could test my run. I’ve worked hard this year at running and was looking forward to seeing how it would translate off the bike. At 60 km I was feeling great with no gut issues, plenty of nutrition and then at 65km a little ache in my right hip started to show up. Hmmm…this hasn’t happened before. The ache turned into pain and by 75km I was able to pedal about 10 strokes and then have to coast a few seconds so the pain would dull. All I was thinking about was “can run through this”? Made it to T2 and jumped off my bike…ouch! Limping to rack my bike I knew that if I tried to run I would either not finish the run or hurt myself more. Since IMC is my goal this year I decided to opt out and take my first DNF. Humbled but also, I believe, smart. Kyle and the boys were just outside T2 so I went to talk to him and he confirmed that I’d made the right decision – which eased the guilt a bit.

We walked over to the finish to watch everyone run in and talked about the things you can’t control in a race. I popped some painkillers, grabbed a shower and we decided to head back to Calgary a few hours early. My race didn’t end the way I wanted but I left Oliver with a renewed respect for the sport, a great training ride under my belt and 2 sleeping kids in the backseat. Beautiful.

Thursday, June 03, 2010

New Outdoor swim class

No Limits will be having a new summer outdoor swim class. This will be a great way to train and enjoy the summer. The class will be held at the South Calgary Outdoor pool 3130 16 St. S.W. and will run Wednesdays and Fridays from 12:00 - 1:00.

The class will start on July 7 and finish on Aug 25.

Cost = 135+GST

Please email Todd to register.

Wednesday, June 02, 2010

Mtn Biking

Today George and I got out to COP for a great mtn bike ride. It is so cool to be taken up the hill in a chair and then whip down the runs. So much fun. Later tonight I put on my shoes and out for a run. I was planning on just running easy but I had to change the settings on my polar HRM and next thing you know I selected a new workout. One of my Fav's Fartlek 6 : 4. It is so quiet running at 11:00 at night. Very peaceful. The run went well, legs still a bit sore from the half on Sunday but all in all a good run.
The picture below is from 2 weeks ago when I was preparing my bottles for the Sat long ride. Believe it or not this is one of my favorite things to do. :)

Until next friday night when I get to make up the bottles once again.
Good luck to all the Oliver and Vulcan racers this weekend. And Kevin in Kona!

IM training

Tuesday, June 01, 2010

Calgary half marathon / 10 Km

The Calgary marathon / half / 10 Km and Timbit is over for another year. This was a great training day for many. I did not realize how many were running until I was about 6 Km from the finish line. All I could see was a very deep field of runners. What a cool sight!

I was using this race as a training run for IM france and finished in 1:33. Happy
Doug was using this as a training run for Oliver and IMC and finished in 1:38. Very pleased to break his goal of 1:40. Next time a new goal. :)
Tina was racing with Katies spot (sore ankle) and was please with her run of 1:55. Tina knows she can go faster.
Sean was competeing in the 10 Km and he ran a 48:26. This was a 7 min improvement from his last 10 Km. Wow!!!

Congrats to all who braved the cold temperatures and challenged themselves. Until next race: Oliver and Vulcan and Kona 70.3 (all this weekend). Good luck to all!

Tender Knee knarly trail race

Congrats to Elaine who took part in the Tender Knee knarly trail race in Vancouver. The race started in Lynn Valley Canyon and then went up and OVER Mt. Seymour and down into Deep Cove. This was a crazy trail race and Elaine was for sure in her element. Loving every minute. But not too many minutes as she won her age group in 1:07 and was 7th female overall.

Great running Elaine!