I haven't written any race reports in a while so here are the details of my Calgary 70.3:
This was my second half Ironman distance race, ever, and I was very excited to be competing on my stopping grounds opposed to in Stoney Plains. I was looking forward to sleeping in my own bed although not much sleeping occurred on the evening prior to the race. I went to bed around 10:30 but woke up at 12, 1:30 and 3am to thunder and lightning and when my alarm went off at 3:40 it was pouring. My scheduled bus out to Ghost lake was at 4:15 and I wondered if I should take a later one to avoid standing around in the rain while officials debated whether there would be a delay or possibly the cancellation of the swim portion of the race. I decided to continue on as planned and by the time I got to the lake the rain had stopped and everything was proceeding as scheduled.
Once on site, I hit the bathrooms first, pumped my tires, organized my bags, and then ran into Elaine and Steph who were also racing. I put on my wetsuit and started heading towards the lake and ran into Tina and Viv. This was a total surprise. My family was away this wkd and I had assumed that I would not have any support on the course. It was so great to see familiar faces and get a last minute pep talk. Ambient temp. was 13C and water temperature around 17C. It didn't feel too cold to me but lots of competitors had on neoprene caps so I decided to double cap and wore ear plugs to prevent the cold water from piercing through my ear canals...I hate that feeling.
Elaine positioned us in an optimal spot amongst all the other female age groupers (about 250) in the front of the pack on the far left. She kept telling me to hug the boats to our left. This worked out really well and although I lost her immediately at the start I was swimming hard (could hear myself breathing)and had a great line to the farthest buoy. The swim course was 1 loop that I was visualizing as a rectangle. Turns out it was more of a wedge shape. I never asked Elaine what to target when heading back to the boat launch. From the farthest point away I could not see any landmarks. I swam straight back not sighting anything and continued to stay to the left. I remembered the official saying stay left in order to not collide with swimmers in subsequent heats. After about 300m, I started observing that I was the farthest person left and about halfway back concluded that I was very wide. Made correction but extra swimming cost me some time. Oh well, lesson learned- know where you are going!
T1- I'm used to having my stuff all set out in transition. Getting changed in a muddy, grassy area, out of a bag, is new to me and I felt very disorganized = slow T1. Temp was about 13C and stormy (although not raining) so I donned only arm warmers but grabbed my light rain/wind resistant jacket just in case. Wind was minimal on the bike and I got excited to ride the familiar course. My core was a little cool and my feet very cold but within minutes they were numb. Glad I decided to take the time to put on socks but also should have had toe warmers on my shoes as well. I underestimated the effect of 17C water on bare feet. Was reasonably comfortable and biking well but then it started to rain around 40k and I was really cold and uncomfortable. I decided to take the time to stop and put on my jacket. Was so thankful I had it- it made a huge difference. I had a decent ride with a really strong last 20k. Course was a wee bit long at 94k but I had done many 90k+ rides (thx Tina, Viv, Kendall) in the weeks prior and unlike last year at GWN, I wasn't wishing I was done with the bike leg at 60k. Transitioned to run and conditions were ideal. Overcast and 15C. Hit the 1km mark and realized I still had 1 arm warmer on. Oops. Better than realizing you are running with your bike helmet. Saw "my crew", now including Kendall, Ian and Lisa, tossed my arm warmer, and headed down into the weaselhead. BTW, it took about 3km for my feet to thaw and along the way I ran into Alex, another No Limits athlete, who commented on her thawing feet. Then she was off- a very speedy runner!
When I don't have earphones in my ear I often struggle with lots of negative thoughts. I picked a mantra and said it to myself the ENTIRE time. There wasn't any room at all for any negative thoughts. Another good distraction was saying something positive to every runner I passed. This technique worked really well.
I watched for and spotted Elaine, Steph, Doug, and Alex running by on their way back. They all looked like they were running strong although I did note that everyone looked fairly uncomfortable. I reminded myself that racing is hard and I tried to run a bit harder myself. Made it to the 10.5k turnaround and was still feeling pretty good although there was definitely tightening in my glutes and hamstrings. Made my way through the undulating course and braced myself running down the steep hill. Everyone always says take advantage of gravity but running down steep hills is hard on the legs. At 16km there was a final uphill (weaslehead) to crest to get back towards the finish for the final 4km out and back portion. This is where I hit the proverbial wall. I got to the top of the hill and my legs were done. Not only were my hamstrings really tight but my quads were now screaming. I slowed a bit and walked the next aid station and found that walking was as painful as running. I continued with my slow jog to the finish feeling like I had to anvils strapped to my feet. I had taken 2 gels on the run...maybe a 3rd would have helped? I'm not sure. Many of the other finishers were also lamenting on how hard the last 4km were even though that was the flattest portion of the course.
I finished in 6:16 missing my overall goal time by 16 min. However, I feel like I had a very successful day. Yes, I had a mistake on the swim, but, I had a great first 900 meters. My goal pace on the bike was slow by 2km/hr but it wasn't exactly ideal biking conditions and I pushed as hard as I could and felt strong for the entire 94km. And, although I also missed my goal time on the run, my pace for the first 16k was bang on and I had no knee or GI issues as I did last year at GWN. Now I have some things to work on and improve for next year. I'm already looking forward to Calgary 70.3 2011.
Wednesday, August 04, 2010
Calgary 70.3 half ironman
Last weekend was Ironman Calgary 70.3. This is a big race for many in Calgary as they have been training all year to see how they do.
Well we had a few racers taking place.
1st off we had Monika taking place in her 1st Half Ironman. She was a bit nervous about the distance and unsure how she would do. After a few pointers regarding her pacing she managed to survive just fine leading the No limits crew to a 5:17 finish and 1st in her age group.
Doug was also racing. Just another stepping stone on his way to IronMan Canada. Doug used this race as a great chance to practice his pacing for IM. He held back on the bike and this enabled him to have a solid run. Doug finished in 6 mins back of Monika in 5:23.
Another IMC racer was Elaine. Just like Doug was using this as a practice day for pacing and racing an Ironman. Elaine did great and finished 2 mins back of Doug in 5:25 and quick enough for 2nd in her age group.
Next up was Alex, and yup you guessed it. Also using this as a training day for IMC. Alex did well by crossing the line in 2:04.
Lastly Mary was up. This was her big race of the year and typical of Mary's races the weather was poor on the bike. I will not say much about Mary's race as there is a race report to read above.
Great racing everyone!!! If anyone has any photos please send some my way so I can show them off.
Well we had a few racers taking place.
1st off we had Monika taking place in her 1st Half Ironman. She was a bit nervous about the distance and unsure how she would do. After a few pointers regarding her pacing she managed to survive just fine leading the No limits crew to a 5:17 finish and 1st in her age group.
Doug was also racing. Just another stepping stone on his way to IronMan Canada. Doug used this race as a great chance to practice his pacing for IM. He held back on the bike and this enabled him to have a solid run. Doug finished in 6 mins back of Monika in 5:23.
Another IMC racer was Elaine. Just like Doug was using this as a practice day for pacing and racing an Ironman. Elaine did great and finished 2 mins back of Doug in 5:25 and quick enough for 2nd in her age group.
Next up was Alex, and yup you guessed it. Also using this as a training day for IMC. Alex did well by crossing the line in 2:04.
Lastly Mary was up. This was her big race of the year and typical of Mary's races the weather was poor on the bike. I will not say much about Mary's race as there is a race report to read above.
Great racing everyone!!! If anyone has any photos please send some my way so I can show them off.
Thursday, July 29, 2010
Katie's Salmon Arm race
I forgot to mention that Katie also raced the Salmon arm triathlon. She was a bit tired just having completed the West Coast Trail. Katie was 2nd Female overall. Nice job Katie and we are looking forward to your next race in Vancouver.
Wednesday, July 28, 2010
Ben's 1st ever triathlon!
Here's a quick recap of my race in Devon though:
First off, I kicked ass. All this training has really helped me
improve. Final time was 1:17:28 (I figured I'd finish at about 1:20,
so I did better than I had estimated). I came 6th overall, 1st place
time was 1:13.
Swim:
Pool swim, three people per lane. My swim time was 15:24 with a pace
of 2:04/100m. I was first out of my lane. Stroke felt good, I was
really focused on not letting myself "go" too early and wanted to swim
a neg split. As it turned out I think I kept the same pace the whole
way through. Of the two other people in my lane, one was a woman who
exited the pool about 3s behind me, and the other was a man who I
lapped about 3 times. About 400m in I lost track of my lengths
though, and I think I may've swum and extra 50m...In talking to my
other lanemate afterwards, she thinks the same thing. If that's the
case then it would've dropped my final time by ~1min.
1st Trans:
Went really smooth. After my experience with trying to put my feet
into my shoes while riding and falling off 2 weeks ago, I decided to
simply slip my bike shoes on first and run with my bike to the mount
line. Only place I could've lost time was in fiddling with my bike
jersey, had a bit of an issue sliding it on, which probably only cost
me 5 seconds.
Bike:
Stayed in the drops the whole ride. Cadence avg was 87rpm. It was a
simple out and back loop, really flat, no hills. On the way back
though there was a wicked headwind.
2nd Trans:
Managed to slide my feet out of my shoes while still on my bike, so I
hit the dismount line barefoot and running. Threw my bike over my
shoulder and ran to the rack. Unfortunately I ran to the wrong rack,
and realized my stuff was two racks over. Cost me maybe 10s. Slipped
my shoes on fast though, I'd put elastic laces in my runners the day
before, so total transition time was maybe 30s.
Run:
Legs felt weird. Took me awhile to find my stride. I'd tried
increasing my cadence at the end of the bike to get some blood
flushing through my legs to prepare me for the run, but it still felt
really weird. They had the kms marked out on the bike route with
little signs, so by about 3km I started to hit my stride. I was
really cautious about not starting out too fast, although in
retrospect I realize I probably could've upped my pace sooner. Once I
hit 4km I was really moving, and I ended up sprinting the last 200m to
the finish.
Overall:
I'm pleased with how my race went, I had a really good time. The
whole time I was biking and running I had a big smile on my face. The
entire race nobody passed me, which is kind of a good feeling. And
right up until the end of the day (when the faster heats started
going) I was in first position on the leader board. Still, I'm
pleased with a 6th place finish for my first tri (pun intended).
Can't wait until Lake Chapperal though, as I have a feeling it'll be
more competitive, as the tri community in Calgary is a lot larger than
the one in Edmonton. Should be a good race!
Cheers!
Ben
First off, I kicked ass. All this training has really helped me
improve. Final time was 1:17:28 (I figured I'd finish at about 1:20,
so I did better than I had estimated). I came 6th overall, 1st place
time was 1:13.
Swim:
Pool swim, three people per lane. My swim time was 15:24 with a pace
of 2:04/100m. I was first out of my lane. Stroke felt good, I was
really focused on not letting myself "go" too early and wanted to swim
a neg split. As it turned out I think I kept the same pace the whole
way through. Of the two other people in my lane, one was a woman who
exited the pool about 3s behind me, and the other was a man who I
lapped about 3 times. About 400m in I lost track of my lengths
though, and I think I may've swum and extra 50m...In talking to my
other lanemate afterwards, she thinks the same thing. If that's the
case then it would've dropped my final time by ~1min.
1st Trans:
Went really smooth. After my experience with trying to put my feet
into my shoes while riding and falling off 2 weeks ago, I decided to
simply slip my bike shoes on first and run with my bike to the mount
line. Only place I could've lost time was in fiddling with my bike
jersey, had a bit of an issue sliding it on, which probably only cost
me 5 seconds.
Bike:
Stayed in the drops the whole ride. Cadence avg was 87rpm. It was a
simple out and back loop, really flat, no hills. On the way back
though there was a wicked headwind.
2nd Trans:
Managed to slide my feet out of my shoes while still on my bike, so I
hit the dismount line barefoot and running. Threw my bike over my
shoulder and ran to the rack. Unfortunately I ran to the wrong rack,
and realized my stuff was two racks over. Cost me maybe 10s. Slipped
my shoes on fast though, I'd put elastic laces in my runners the day
before, so total transition time was maybe 30s.
Run:
Legs felt weird. Took me awhile to find my stride. I'd tried
increasing my cadence at the end of the bike to get some blood
flushing through my legs to prepare me for the run, but it still felt
really weird. They had the kms marked out on the bike route with
little signs, so by about 3km I started to hit my stride. I was
really cautious about not starting out too fast, although in
retrospect I realize I probably could've upped my pace sooner. Once I
hit 4km I was really moving, and I ended up sprinting the last 200m to
the finish.
Overall:
I'm pleased with how my race went, I had a really good time. The
whole time I was biking and running I had a big smile on my face. The
entire race nobody passed me, which is kind of a good feeling. And
right up until the end of the day (when the faster heats started
going) I was in first position on the leader board. Still, I'm
pleased with a 6th place finish for my first tri (pun intended).
Can't wait until Lake Chapperal though, as I have a feeling it'll be
more competitive, as the tri community in Calgary is a lot larger than
the one in Edmonton. Should be a good race!
Cheers!
Ben
Tuesday, July 27, 2010
Race resuts - Ian and Shane
Last weekend Shane took part in the Regina Beach triathlon. He was really looking forward to seeing how he would do as his training has been going very well. Unfortunately Shane crashed on his bike. He is OK. Just a lot of scrapes. Even with the fall and not being able to shift his bike post fall he ended up placing 12 Overall. It was nice to see his brother do so well in 5th overall. Nice job Kim! Shane I hope you heal fast! :(
Ian was racing his 2nd race in 2 weeks. This time it was the Salmon Arm triathlon. this race has a bit of a different order. Swim, run, bike. 4 years ago this was his 1st ever triathlon and this time he was the overall champ! By almost 5 mins. Nice job Ian!
Next race up is Calgary 70.3. Best of luck to all racers!
Ian was racing his 2nd race in 2 weeks. This time it was the Salmon Arm triathlon. this race has a bit of a different order. Swim, run, bike. 4 years ago this was his 1st ever triathlon and this time he was the overall champ! By almost 5 mins. Nice job Ian!
Next race up is Calgary 70.3. Best of luck to all racers!
Thursday, July 22, 2010
Tuesday, July 20, 2010
Busy weekend
Lots of races this weekend.
Briefly here we go:
Coral Springs had a perfect day to race. Myron was out running his last triathlon of the summer fresh off his IM France finish. He had a good day and finished 6th overall, 1st in Age group in the Olympic distance event.
In the Sprint event we saw Monika take the overall win for the women. This was a warmup race for her big race coming up quick 70.3. Also in this race was Bill who finished just behind Monika in 8th place overall and 2nd in Age group.
Out in B.C. the peach classic was on. Ian had a good race and finished in a time of 2:15 which was fast enough for 3rd in his Age group. Doug also did the race after completing a week long IMC training camp. Doug was a bit tired going into the race but did well in 2:41.
Also in B.C. was the Heart of the Rockies triathlon. Kim and Gord were racing this one and believe it or not they unknowingly finished in the same time 3:19.
Back to AB was Magrath triathlon where Marj was racing. She was happy with her race and finished in 3:07.
Great work everyone and keep up the hard training.
Briefly here we go:
Coral Springs had a perfect day to race. Myron was out running his last triathlon of the summer fresh off his IM France finish. He had a good day and finished 6th overall, 1st in Age group in the Olympic distance event.
In the Sprint event we saw Monika take the overall win for the women. This was a warmup race for her big race coming up quick 70.3. Also in this race was Bill who finished just behind Monika in 8th place overall and 2nd in Age group.
Out in B.C. the peach classic was on. Ian had a good race and finished in a time of 2:15 which was fast enough for 3rd in his Age group. Doug also did the race after completing a week long IMC training camp. Doug was a bit tired going into the race but did well in 2:41.
Also in B.C. was the Heart of the Rockies triathlon. Kim and Gord were racing this one and believe it or not they unknowingly finished in the same time 3:19.
Back to AB was Magrath triathlon where Marj was racing. She was happy with her race and finished in 3:07.
Great work everyone and keep up the hard training.
Thursday, July 15, 2010
Stampede running events
Last weekend was the Stampede 10 Km. Sean was out testing his leg speed and new racing strategies. He fininshed in 44:24. This was a 4 min improvement over his last 10 Km time. Nice.
Newcomer Monika was also running this weekend. Monika was using the half marathon in preparations for the Calgary 70.3. She finished in 1:37. Next up is another half with a short swim and bike as a warmup. :)
This weekend we have racers in Penticton doing the Peach Classic. Good luck to Doug and Ian! We also have some racers in Calgary at the Coral Springs events. Good Luck to Myron, Bill and Monika.
Also there is the heart of the rockies event in Invermere. Good Luck to Kim and Gord!
SO many races! :) Good luck and have fun everyone!
Newcomer Monika was also running this weekend. Monika was using the half marathon in preparations for the Calgary 70.3. She finished in 1:37. Next up is another half with a short swim and bike as a warmup. :)
This weekend we have racers in Penticton doing the Peach Classic. Good luck to Doug and Ian! We also have some racers in Calgary at the Coral Springs events. Good Luck to Myron, Bill and Monika.
Also there is the heart of the rockies event in Invermere. Good Luck to Kim and Gord!
SO many races! :) Good luck and have fun everyone!
Sunday, July 11, 2010
Kevin's lucky number 13
Lucky number thirteen
It’s been a busy season with a schwack of races so far. The big one (IMC) is still on the horizon and I am hopeful of a good day.
Thus far I have done the Hamilton around the bay 30k, Wildflower training camp and half Ironman, Oliver half, Banff Bikefest, Great White North and cheered Lisa on at IMCd (did a few stellar rides there as well). Not too sure where I found the time to work but it all seems to get done with only a few rough spots along the way.
My goal for Hamilton was to finish in 2:15 or better and get a silver medal. A gold medal and a sub 2:00 time seemed beyond my reach. My brother lives in Hammer Town and it was a great reason to make the trip east. Hanging with family was definitely the highlight of the trip. Had been very diligent with training coming into the race. Race day was great – big crowds, cool conditions and feeling good coming into it. The race was great for the first 22 km, on pace and feeling fine. What happened from km 22 to 30 was not as much fun… Legs cramped up and saw my goal time vaporize at about km 29. Actually watched the clock roll past 2:15 and felt very disappointed. Post race I was SORE! Legs and feet were killing me.
After licking my wounds and getting over being slow…It was back to training! Had a rocking camp with Todd and the No Limits crew in Cali! Even better, Lisa and I got to spend a few days in Santa Barbara before the camp – It was a great time. Wildflower was an amazing event! Super huge race with the youngest/cutest/drunkest fans ever – unreal. The race was great with an average swim, a great ride on the Kevelo and a trail run that was to die for. Felt strong throughout and happy to be racing in such a great place.
Next on the list was Oliver. Treated myself with a flight to Kelowna as Mike (Deluca) took my stuff out. Got to hang out for a day before the race which was fantastic. Race day was (again) great. It was the first ride on my new bike, an Argon 18 E-114. Interestingly, my swim/T1/bike time was almost the same to the previous year – 30 seconds slower… But I had a great run for the first 15 km then had some hamstring issues and had to stop for the occasional stretch. Even still it was a good run... Just have to dial the bike position a bit.
After Oliver it was up to Banff for the second annual Banff Bikefest! I did the ITT and new Road Race. Skipped the crit this year which turned out to be a crash fest. Felt like I left it out on the road for the 21 km TT but was almost a minute thirty slower than last year… The road race was 6 loops around Tunnel Mountain with almost 1000m of elevation gain. It was a combo of Cat 4/3/2 riders. The 2’s hammered from the gun forcing a break. Managed to reconnect with the leaders on lap 3 only to get popped again. Managed to not get swept from the course and had a BLAST – doing 80 kph ripping it down Tunnel Mtn. Dr., rotating pace lines on Banff Ave. It was everything I love about road racing!
Went to Coeur d’Alene to watch Lisa do IMCd. She had a great day and finished strong. I got some great rides in. Did the IM course and the Oly course along with a stellar loop around Hayden Lake. Got some new Newton shoes – the gal there said they’d make me fast (and sore at first…).
Last race was GWN. Missed racing with Todd as in years past but got to cheer on my sister-in-law in her first tri experience, she did the team thing with Lisa and Viv. Had an OK swim (same as previous attempts…). Had a good bike, feeling more settled with the position now and had a great run. Maybe the Gal in CDa was right. I was faster than before and my calves are still sore.
So here’s the funny thing. In Wildflower, Oliver and Stony I have been 13th in my age group each time. As they are progressively flatter courses – my times have fallen accordingly 5:20:07, 5:01:15 and 4:39:42. Similarly, my times from previous years has fallen 10:30 for Oliver and almost 21 minutes for GWN! Almost all of the changes come from the run. It makes me think that Hamilton maybe wasn’t such a bad thing.
I wonder if 13th at IMC is possible…
It’s been a busy season with a schwack of races so far. The big one (IMC) is still on the horizon and I am hopeful of a good day.
Thus far I have done the Hamilton around the bay 30k, Wildflower training camp and half Ironman, Oliver half, Banff Bikefest, Great White North and cheered Lisa on at IMCd (did a few stellar rides there as well). Not too sure where I found the time to work but it all seems to get done with only a few rough spots along the way.
My goal for Hamilton was to finish in 2:15 or better and get a silver medal. A gold medal and a sub 2:00 time seemed beyond my reach. My brother lives in Hammer Town and it was a great reason to make the trip east. Hanging with family was definitely the highlight of the trip. Had been very diligent with training coming into the race. Race day was great – big crowds, cool conditions and feeling good coming into it. The race was great for the first 22 km, on pace and feeling fine. What happened from km 22 to 30 was not as much fun… Legs cramped up and saw my goal time vaporize at about km 29. Actually watched the clock roll past 2:15 and felt very disappointed. Post race I was SORE! Legs and feet were killing me.
After licking my wounds and getting over being slow…It was back to training! Had a rocking camp with Todd and the No Limits crew in Cali! Even better, Lisa and I got to spend a few days in Santa Barbara before the camp – It was a great time. Wildflower was an amazing event! Super huge race with the youngest/cutest/drunkest fans ever – unreal. The race was great with an average swim, a great ride on the Kevelo and a trail run that was to die for. Felt strong throughout and happy to be racing in such a great place.
Next on the list was Oliver. Treated myself with a flight to Kelowna as Mike (Deluca) took my stuff out. Got to hang out for a day before the race which was fantastic. Race day was (again) great. It was the first ride on my new bike, an Argon 18 E-114. Interestingly, my swim/T1/bike time was almost the same to the previous year – 30 seconds slower… But I had a great run for the first 15 km then had some hamstring issues and had to stop for the occasional stretch. Even still it was a good run... Just have to dial the bike position a bit.
After Oliver it was up to Banff for the second annual Banff Bikefest! I did the ITT and new Road Race. Skipped the crit this year which turned out to be a crash fest. Felt like I left it out on the road for the 21 km TT but was almost a minute thirty slower than last year… The road race was 6 loops around Tunnel Mountain with almost 1000m of elevation gain. It was a combo of Cat 4/3/2 riders. The 2’s hammered from the gun forcing a break. Managed to reconnect with the leaders on lap 3 only to get popped again. Managed to not get swept from the course and had a BLAST – doing 80 kph ripping it down Tunnel Mtn. Dr., rotating pace lines on Banff Ave. It was everything I love about road racing!
Went to Coeur d’Alene to watch Lisa do IMCd. She had a great day and finished strong. I got some great rides in. Did the IM course and the Oly course along with a stellar loop around Hayden Lake. Got some new Newton shoes – the gal there said they’d make me fast (and sore at first…).
Last race was GWN. Missed racing with Todd as in years past but got to cheer on my sister-in-law in her first tri experience, she did the team thing with Lisa and Viv. Had an OK swim (same as previous attempts…). Had a good bike, feeling more settled with the position now and had a great run. Maybe the Gal in CDa was right. I was faster than before and my calves are still sore.
So here’s the funny thing. In Wildflower, Oliver and Stony I have been 13th in my age group each time. As they are progressively flatter courses – my times have fallen accordingly 5:20:07, 5:01:15 and 4:39:42. Similarly, my times from previous years has fallen 10:30 for Oliver and almost 21 minutes for GWN! Almost all of the changes come from the run. It makes me think that Hamilton maybe wasn’t such a bad thing.
I wonder if 13th at IMC is possible…
Friday, July 09, 2010
Thursday, July 08, 2010
Shane's 10 Km race report (Moose Jaw)
I would like to start off by quoting a good friend of mine, “What a great day to be me!!!”
Well if you could not tell already I had a great day at the race this morning. I did not put any pressure on myself expecting a great result but I did have in the back of my mind that I could really run fast and I showed it.
I warmed up with my brother before the race and I felt pretty good…a few aches and pains but otherwise a felt great. We only had a few minutes to change into our racing flats and get down to the start and within a short time the gun had gone off and off I went. The first km or so, I just thought about getting into a rhythm with controlled breathing and fast pace. It was an unusual feeling in a race to be so relaxed and still run fast. I looked at my watch at the 2 and 3K marks and I was about 10 seconds under a 4 minute/km pace and still felt good. At the 5K turn, I was at 20 minutes flat and still felt in control and told myself that I needed to push. During the final 5K I kept thinking that the only way to beat my personal best in this distance was to keep pushing. And that I did, just when I thought I was taking it easy I would pick it up and keep the pedal to the metal. I think I slowed a bit between the 5.5K mark and the 7.5K mark as I had not looked at my watch and at the 8K mark I looked and the watch read 32:48, so I said only 8 more minutes of pain. (In the back of my mind, I said if I can do that I will beat my overall pb in the 10K). As well at this point I was dealing with some cramping issues in my side as well as feeling a little nauseous but I tried to think of something else.
I kept looking to the guy that was just in front of me and tried to focus on trying to catch him, he was approximately 5 to 10 seconds in front of me. (I kept saying that if I can close the gap a bit and then kick close to the end I will be able to beat him.) Well over the next 1K I closed the gap and at approximately 800m to go I passed him but soon after he passed me back and so I bided my time and with 200m to go I kicked it into high gear and blew passed him and into the finish line. It felt great and I was still nauseous but could hold it in. I completed the last 2K in 8:10 and finished in a time of 41:03, which is a new personal best for my ‘30s and only 13 seconds off of my fastest ever of 40:50 (at the age of 21). I felt so sick after the finish line but I also knew that I had put everything out on the line and I felt great for it. What a great day to be me!!!
I was so proud of what I have accomplished and I look forward to competing again in 3 weeks at the Regina Beach Triathlon. I ended up finishing 7th overall and 3rd in my age group.
Well if you could not tell already I had a great day at the race this morning. I did not put any pressure on myself expecting a great result but I did have in the back of my mind that I could really run fast and I showed it.
I warmed up with my brother before the race and I felt pretty good…a few aches and pains but otherwise a felt great. We only had a few minutes to change into our racing flats and get down to the start and within a short time the gun had gone off and off I went. The first km or so, I just thought about getting into a rhythm with controlled breathing and fast pace. It was an unusual feeling in a race to be so relaxed and still run fast. I looked at my watch at the 2 and 3K marks and I was about 10 seconds under a 4 minute/km pace and still felt good. At the 5K turn, I was at 20 minutes flat and still felt in control and told myself that I needed to push. During the final 5K I kept thinking that the only way to beat my personal best in this distance was to keep pushing. And that I did, just when I thought I was taking it easy I would pick it up and keep the pedal to the metal. I think I slowed a bit between the 5.5K mark and the 7.5K mark as I had not looked at my watch and at the 8K mark I looked and the watch read 32:48, so I said only 8 more minutes of pain. (In the back of my mind, I said if I can do that I will beat my overall pb in the 10K). As well at this point I was dealing with some cramping issues in my side as well as feeling a little nauseous but I tried to think of something else.
I kept looking to the guy that was just in front of me and tried to focus on trying to catch him, he was approximately 5 to 10 seconds in front of me. (I kept saying that if I can close the gap a bit and then kick close to the end I will be able to beat him.) Well over the next 1K I closed the gap and at approximately 800m to go I passed him but soon after he passed me back and so I bided my time and with 200m to go I kicked it into high gear and blew passed him and into the finish line. It felt great and I was still nauseous but could hold it in. I completed the last 2K in 8:10 and finished in a time of 41:03, which is a new personal best for my ‘30s and only 13 seconds off of my fastest ever of 40:50 (at the age of 21). I felt so sick after the finish line but I also knew that I had put everything out on the line and I felt great for it. What a great day to be me!!!
I was so proud of what I have accomplished and I look forward to competing again in 3 weeks at the Regina Beach Triathlon. I ended up finishing 7th overall and 3rd in my age group.
Wednesday, July 07, 2010
Tuesday, July 06, 2010
Canmore Olympic distance triathlon
Canmore olympic distance triathlon was also last weekend. Here we had Katie steppping up her racing for her 1st olympic distance event. In her words "My first Olympic Distance went great today and I'm so happy, but completely exhausted. I think my love for triathlon is just beginning and thanks to you and the optimistic athletes I've met it will be a lifelong one for me!"
Katie finished in a time of 2:46 and fast enough to win her age group. Katie is off to UBC to start her studies and resume her triathlon training. Keep looking for her name in the results as I think she is one to watch. :) Good Luck in Vancouver Katie!
Carrie was also at Canmore and was taking a break from moving homes. Carrie and Kyle moved the day before and both raced on Sunday. Carrie was very happy to cross the line in a cold 3:01 and Kyle finished in 2:26. I think moving is much harder than an Ironman. Congrats to both of you!
Katie finished in a time of 2:46 and fast enough to win her age group. Katie is off to UBC to start her studies and resume her triathlon training. Keep looking for her name in the results as I think she is one to watch. :) Good Luck in Vancouver Katie!
Carrie was also at Canmore and was taking a break from moving homes. Carrie and Kyle moved the day before and both raced on Sunday. Carrie was very happy to cross the line in a cold 3:01 and Kyle finished in 2:26. I think moving is much harder than an Ironman. Congrats to both of you!
Great White North Results
Last weekend was the annual GWN triathlon held in Stoney Plain. This is one of my favorite races and was a bit sad that I was not up there to race or cheer. We just arrived the day before from our big trip and we not ready to travel right away.
We had some good results:
Kevin was using this race for IMC training. He finished in 4:39. Very happy with his run.
Elaine was using this race to get into IMC and she was successful finishing in 5:07.
Mike was also using this day to train for IMC. He felt great from start to finish and crossed the line in 5:23.
Ken was finishing the goal he set for himself in 2010 and came home in 5:34.
Tina was hopeful to grab an IMC spot here today. She suffered through a cold but was able to get her spot. Tina finished in a hard battled 5:52. Now the fun begins! :)
Looking at the results it is nice to see many familar names and old names returning to race again. I look forward to hear what happened with Patti and Kendal who finished side by side. I am sure it is a good story.
We had some good results:
Kevin was using this race for IMC training. He finished in 4:39. Very happy with his run.
Elaine was using this race to get into IMC and she was successful finishing in 5:07.
Mike was also using this day to train for IMC. He felt great from start to finish and crossed the line in 5:23.
Ken was finishing the goal he set for himself in 2010 and came home in 5:34.
Tina was hopeful to grab an IMC spot here today. She suffered through a cold but was able to get her spot. Tina finished in a hard battled 5:52. Now the fun begins! :)
Looking at the results it is nice to see many familar names and old names returning to race again. I look forward to hear what happened with Patti and Kendal who finished side by side. I am sure it is a good story.
Ken's GWN race report
Early in the new year Ken contacted me and asked if I would help guide him to his 1st ever Half ironman. This was a cool idea for me as Ken was my University roommate and we have not seen each other for over 10+ years. I still have not seen him. :) It was great to reconnect with an old friend and awesome to help him reach his goal. Below is Ken's Great White North race report:
Hey Todd,
The race went well. Got myself a PR (since it was my first 1/2 Ironman)!
I don't think any amount of training can prepare you for your first "mass" open water start. Was fairly calm waiting for the race to start. When I hit the water, and there were tonnes of people "thrashing" around me, the nerves started to kick in. Could not get my breath. I made my way over to the open water and flipped on my back to do the backstroke. Tried to calm myself down and catch my breath. It took a while but I managed to do it. The first lap took me 23 minutes. The second lap went a lot better, I was calm and breathing well. Swam the whole second lap and finished it in 19 minutes. Overall, the swim took me about 42 minutes.
Little upset at myself from the swim. Told myself to put it behind me and to make it up on the bike. I did. Starting "chewing" up riders a head of me. Was feeling strong and it showed. Was going at a pretty good clip, and I told myself I should slow down. Might not last the whole ride at this pace. Not sure what my ride time was. Think it was about 2:50 (ish).
The T2 transition was quick. Made a rookie mistake and started running with my arm sleeves and gloves on. Took them off and ran with them in the back of my bike shirt. Took me about 3 km to get my legs underneath me. After that I was running at a 5 minute pace. Had to take a "personal" break around 12 km. Knew I was well hydrated. My pace began to slow around 13 km. By the end I was running at a 6 min pace. Again, not sure what my run time was. Think it was about 1:50 (ish).
My unofficial race time (my watch time) was 5:34:27. Was pleased with that. Wanted to finish between 5:30 and 6 hours. My training buddy beat me by 7 minutes. I was ok with that. For a half ironman, I did not think that was much.
Congratulations on your Race Ken and I look forward to seeing what your next goal will be!
Hey Todd,
The race went well. Got myself a PR (since it was my first 1/2 Ironman)!
I don't think any amount of training can prepare you for your first "mass" open water start. Was fairly calm waiting for the race to start. When I hit the water, and there were tonnes of people "thrashing" around me, the nerves started to kick in. Could not get my breath. I made my way over to the open water and flipped on my back to do the backstroke. Tried to calm myself down and catch my breath. It took a while but I managed to do it. The first lap took me 23 minutes. The second lap went a lot better, I was calm and breathing well. Swam the whole second lap and finished it in 19 minutes. Overall, the swim took me about 42 minutes.
Little upset at myself from the swim. Told myself to put it behind me and to make it up on the bike. I did. Starting "chewing" up riders a head of me. Was feeling strong and it showed. Was going at a pretty good clip, and I told myself I should slow down. Might not last the whole ride at this pace. Not sure what my ride time was. Think it was about 2:50 (ish).
The T2 transition was quick. Made a rookie mistake and started running with my arm sleeves and gloves on. Took them off and ran with them in the back of my bike shirt. Took me about 3 km to get my legs underneath me. After that I was running at a 5 minute pace. Had to take a "personal" break around 12 km. Knew I was well hydrated. My pace began to slow around 13 km. By the end I was running at a 6 min pace. Again, not sure what my run time was. Think it was about 1:50 (ish).
My unofficial race time (my watch time) was 5:34:27. Was pleased with that. Wanted to finish between 5:30 and 6 hours. My training buddy beat me by 7 minutes. I was ok with that. For a half ironman, I did not think that was much.
Congratulations on your Race Ken and I look forward to seeing what your next goal will be!
Canada Day Triathlon for Amy
For 2010 Amy set a goal for herself to complete a triathlon. Amy chose the Turner Valley sprint triathlon. Below is her race report.
Hi Todd, Just wanted to let you know how the race turned out. I drove the bike route the morning of the race and was freaked out by the hills. I knew I trained for them on the trainer but I had biked flat areas outside. The swim was okay. It was a wavy pool and I don't know my times yet. The bike portion was AWESOME! Other than a guy in a speedo who I called Turner Valley Todd who passed me and was really fast, I passed lots of people, even on hills. A guy named Randy and I duked it out. He would pass me downhill and then I would pass him on flat areas and uphill. I guess my downhills could be faster. He didn't pass me in the final portion either. I think my time was around 45 or 46 minutes. Going up the hills I would think about different loved ones and "pedal" their names. My legs felt like cement during the run but I never stopped or walked and was able to pass people. I was tired but never "ran" out of energy. I think my time was about 31 minutes. I think my time was around 1:45. The results will be on the website soon.
Todd, thank you so much for the excellent training you provided. Before the thought of being clipped to a bike and riding fast was terrifying. You saw me the first day I rode the Felt outside. No clipped shoes and really slow. I wasn't sure that day if I would even be able to do 90 rpm on the bike outside. But I made myself do it in the last part of training and I'm so proud of myself. Your encouragement that I was prepared really helped too.
Amy's final result was 1:39. Congratulations and welcome to the crazy sport of triathlon!!!!
Hi Todd, Just wanted to let you know how the race turned out. I drove the bike route the morning of the race and was freaked out by the hills. I knew I trained for them on the trainer but I had biked flat areas outside. The swim was okay. It was a wavy pool and I don't know my times yet. The bike portion was AWESOME! Other than a guy in a speedo who I called Turner Valley Todd who passed me and was really fast, I passed lots of people, even on hills. A guy named Randy and I duked it out. He would pass me downhill and then I would pass him on flat areas and uphill. I guess my downhills could be faster. He didn't pass me in the final portion either. I think my time was around 45 or 46 minutes. Going up the hills I would think about different loved ones and "pedal" their names. My legs felt like cement during the run but I never stopped or walked and was able to pass people. I was tired but never "ran" out of energy. I think my time was about 31 minutes. I think my time was around 1:45. The results will be on the website soon.
Todd, thank you so much for the excellent training you provided. Before the thought of being clipped to a bike and riding fast was terrifying. You saw me the first day I rode the Felt outside. No clipped shoes and really slow. I wasn't sure that day if I would even be able to do 90 rpm on the bike outside. But I made myself do it in the last part of training and I'm so proud of myself. Your encouragement that I was prepared really helped too.
Amy's final result was 1:39. Congratulations and welcome to the crazy sport of triathlon!!!!
Thursday, July 01, 2010
Myron's Ironman France race report
I'm sitting in my hotel in Paris after a wonderful day with my wife, Catherine. Most of the soreness in my legs is gone and all I have left to show for battle scars is the chafing on my neck from the wetsuit. I have been thinking about my Ironman France race with a mixture of pride and disappointment. While I am thrilled to have become an Ironman and happy with my mental strength during the race, I feel like I am capable of much more.
I had some trepidation about this race and, because of my achilles issues, no idea what to expect on the run. I could only hope that my prior training and overall fitness level would allow me to run when the time came. In the days before the race, I swung between feelings of excitement / confidence and worries about my achilles and the bike course descents.
I woke up at 3 am on race day after only a few hours sleep and had a good breakfast. I checked in for the race at 5 am, organized my gear and lined up with the faster swimmers. I had planned to do a good warm up but was disappointed to see that the warm up area was way off to the side and, had I gone there, I would have had to line up at the back of the beach. I chose to stay in the second row and forego the warm up. The swim was in the Mediteranean sea, just off the coast of Nice. The water was quite calm and the weather was perfect.
The gun went off at 6:30 am and I hit the water flying. I was quickly able to get to some open water and then looked for a good draft. I settled in and began enjoying the swim. I felt comfortable and strong and was pretty excited to be in my first Ironman race. I figured it was going to be a good day. I kept a steady pace throughout and completed the swim in 57 minutes, which was about I expected. I was 66th out of the water out of 2500 athletes. More importantly, I kept calm and held my heart rate in check throughout the swim.
The run up through transition took a bit of time. I threw on a bike jersey, grabbed my nutrition and headed out on the bike course. The first 20 kms of the bike ride felt amazing. I was riding with mostly pros and young guys. I was going about 40 km / hour and it felt effortless. At 20 km, we hit a 500 m, 12% grade hill. I went up in a controlled way, doing my best to stay under threshhold. A 6 km, 4.2% grade climb followed and then a nice flat section. I was still feeling good. At about 50 kms, we started the tough 20 km climb, with over 900 metres of elevation gain. I had planned to take this section slowly and then gradually pick up pace on the last half of the course. Unfortunately, about half way up the hill I bonked hard. I lost all power in my legs and struggled to get up the last 10 km in my lowest gear. It was a disaster and I started getting passed by everyone.
When I got to the top of the climb, I was thrashed and hit a very low point, with visions of a DNF or 15 hour race. I spent the next 50 kms trying to get my legs back. It was not pretty. The descents on the back half of the course were looping with tricky turns and narrow, winding roads. In fact, this course was a former leg of the Tour de France and is a true bike riders' course. I let some of the packs of speeding Europeans go by, opting to stay safe. I did manage to pick up some time on the back part of the course and eventually felt some strength come back in my legs.
By this point, though, I started feeling throbbing in my back and achilles, and began thinking about the run. I finished the bike in 5:54, a pace that was slower than all of my big training rides and far off my expectations.
When I hit the transition area, I hopped off my bike and started running with it. I immediately felt the pain in my achilles and had a flashback to my Wildflower race. I did not think I would be able to run the marathon. I sat in transition for 9 minutes trying to decide what to do. I put on a pair of compression socks, massaged my calves a bit, ate some gels and then decided to start walking.
When I got to the start of the run course I started jogging and felt shooting pain up my calves with every step. I just kept moving and hoped it would settle down. I was not thinking too much about my pace, as I was focused on my achilles and back. As I completed the first 10.5 km lap, I saw my wife Catherine and friends Doug and Claire, which gave me a boost. I thought that if I could get through one more lap, I'd be able to walk the last half of the marathon and still finish.
I just kept plugging away at the same pace and at about 20 kms my achilles started feeling numb, which made it easier to run. Great, now I could focus on other things. The weather was about 25 degrees celsius but with the sun it felt much warmer. I used every mental trick in my arsenal - counting steps, thinking about special people in my life, reeling in other runners with my magic rubber band, being in the moment, etc.
At the end of the third lap, I knew I was going to be able to hold it together and started thinking about crossing the finish line. I pictured my kids checking the updates at home and watching the live webcam. I felt an incredible wave of appreciation that I was able to be here, running, being part of an Ironman race, living life. I also thought about all of the training and discipline it took to get here as well as the many people who had supported me in this quest.
I pushed to the finish line and crossed in 11:14:57. I was about 470th out of 2500 people. My marathon time was 4:09 (far off my personal best of 2:57), but I was able to run a consistent pace for the entire race, walking only at the aid stations. I crossed the line with a huge smile on my face and felt pretty emotional. I was now an Ironman.
I am, of course, thrilled that I was able to accomplish this goal. When I phoned home, my 5 year old daughter said: "Daddy Tetreault - YOU ARE AN IRONMAN", which is about the sweetest thing I have ever heard. I am proud of how I fought through the run, I am glad I did not crash on the descents or have any mechanical issues on the bike, I am thankful for the wonderful weather and spectacular course. I am extremely appreciative of the support of my family and many others. It was fun to be able to share this experience in France with my wife, my coach Todd, his wife Claire and our friend Doug.
However, I am also disappointed with my time. I did not achieve my goal of qualifying for the Hawaii Ironman World Championship race. I genuinely believe that I am capable of a sub-10 hour Ironman race - but it did not happen today.
I don't understand my bonk on the bike course - I felt I had the fitness, nutrition strategy and ability to do better. The course highlighted my relative cycling inexperience. While I worked hard this year at getting leaner, building my leg strength and developing endurance, I did not get enough outside riding. I remain frustrated with the achilles issues and the impact that had on my training and race. In short, I feel I can do much better.
I am not going to let those feelings ruin my joy and satisfaction at having achieved my goal of becoming an Ironman. I have truly enjoyed the journey and did the best I could on this day.
I've gotta go now - there is a cafe in Paris calling my name...
Myron
I had some trepidation about this race and, because of my achilles issues, no idea what to expect on the run. I could only hope that my prior training and overall fitness level would allow me to run when the time came. In the days before the race, I swung between feelings of excitement / confidence and worries about my achilles and the bike course descents.
I woke up at 3 am on race day after only a few hours sleep and had a good breakfast. I checked in for the race at 5 am, organized my gear and lined up with the faster swimmers. I had planned to do a good warm up but was disappointed to see that the warm up area was way off to the side and, had I gone there, I would have had to line up at the back of the beach. I chose to stay in the second row and forego the warm up. The swim was in the Mediteranean sea, just off the coast of Nice. The water was quite calm and the weather was perfect.
The gun went off at 6:30 am and I hit the water flying. I was quickly able to get to some open water and then looked for a good draft. I settled in and began enjoying the swim. I felt comfortable and strong and was pretty excited to be in my first Ironman race. I figured it was going to be a good day. I kept a steady pace throughout and completed the swim in 57 minutes, which was about I expected. I was 66th out of the water out of 2500 athletes. More importantly, I kept calm and held my heart rate in check throughout the swim.
The run up through transition took a bit of time. I threw on a bike jersey, grabbed my nutrition and headed out on the bike course. The first 20 kms of the bike ride felt amazing. I was riding with mostly pros and young guys. I was going about 40 km / hour and it felt effortless. At 20 km, we hit a 500 m, 12% grade hill. I went up in a controlled way, doing my best to stay under threshhold. A 6 km, 4.2% grade climb followed and then a nice flat section. I was still feeling good. At about 50 kms, we started the tough 20 km climb, with over 900 metres of elevation gain. I had planned to take this section slowly and then gradually pick up pace on the last half of the course. Unfortunately, about half way up the hill I bonked hard. I lost all power in my legs and struggled to get up the last 10 km in my lowest gear. It was a disaster and I started getting passed by everyone.
When I got to the top of the climb, I was thrashed and hit a very low point, with visions of a DNF or 15 hour race. I spent the next 50 kms trying to get my legs back. It was not pretty. The descents on the back half of the course were looping with tricky turns and narrow, winding roads. In fact, this course was a former leg of the Tour de France and is a true bike riders' course. I let some of the packs of speeding Europeans go by, opting to stay safe. I did manage to pick up some time on the back part of the course and eventually felt some strength come back in my legs.
By this point, though, I started feeling throbbing in my back and achilles, and began thinking about the run. I finished the bike in 5:54, a pace that was slower than all of my big training rides and far off my expectations.
When I hit the transition area, I hopped off my bike and started running with it. I immediately felt the pain in my achilles and had a flashback to my Wildflower race. I did not think I would be able to run the marathon. I sat in transition for 9 minutes trying to decide what to do. I put on a pair of compression socks, massaged my calves a bit, ate some gels and then decided to start walking.
When I got to the start of the run course I started jogging and felt shooting pain up my calves with every step. I just kept moving and hoped it would settle down. I was not thinking too much about my pace, as I was focused on my achilles and back. As I completed the first 10.5 km lap, I saw my wife Catherine and friends Doug and Claire, which gave me a boost. I thought that if I could get through one more lap, I'd be able to walk the last half of the marathon and still finish.
I just kept plugging away at the same pace and at about 20 kms my achilles started feeling numb, which made it easier to run. Great, now I could focus on other things. The weather was about 25 degrees celsius but with the sun it felt much warmer. I used every mental trick in my arsenal - counting steps, thinking about special people in my life, reeling in other runners with my magic rubber band, being in the moment, etc.
At the end of the third lap, I knew I was going to be able to hold it together and started thinking about crossing the finish line. I pictured my kids checking the updates at home and watching the live webcam. I felt an incredible wave of appreciation that I was able to be here, running, being part of an Ironman race, living life. I also thought about all of the training and discipline it took to get here as well as the many people who had supported me in this quest.
I pushed to the finish line and crossed in 11:14:57. I was about 470th out of 2500 people. My marathon time was 4:09 (far off my personal best of 2:57), but I was able to run a consistent pace for the entire race, walking only at the aid stations. I crossed the line with a huge smile on my face and felt pretty emotional. I was now an Ironman.
I am, of course, thrilled that I was able to accomplish this goal. When I phoned home, my 5 year old daughter said: "Daddy Tetreault - YOU ARE AN IRONMAN", which is about the sweetest thing I have ever heard. I am proud of how I fought through the run, I am glad I did not crash on the descents or have any mechanical issues on the bike, I am thankful for the wonderful weather and spectacular course. I am extremely appreciative of the support of my family and many others. It was fun to be able to share this experience in France with my wife, my coach Todd, his wife Claire and our friend Doug.
However, I am also disappointed with my time. I did not achieve my goal of qualifying for the Hawaii Ironman World Championship race. I genuinely believe that I am capable of a sub-10 hour Ironman race - but it did not happen today.
I don't understand my bonk on the bike course - I felt I had the fitness, nutrition strategy and ability to do better. The course highlighted my relative cycling inexperience. While I worked hard this year at getting leaner, building my leg strength and developing endurance, I did not get enough outside riding. I remain frustrated with the achilles issues and the impact that had on my training and race. In short, I feel I can do much better.
I am not going to let those feelings ruin my joy and satisfaction at having achieved my goal of becoming an Ironman. I have truly enjoyed the journey and did the best I could on this day.
I've gotta go now - there is a cafe in Paris calling my name...
Myron
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!
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!
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.... :)
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!
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
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!
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 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. :)
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
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!
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
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.
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.
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!
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!
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!
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!
Great running Elaine!
Sunday, May 30, 2010
My Calgary half marathon race report
Today I finished the calgary half marathon. I put this in my schedule as it is 4 weeks out from IM France and I knew this would force me to get a long run in, and it did. My longest to date. :) All week I was thinking about what my race strategy was going to be. 2 weeks ago I decided I would run with Katie during her 1st half and this would proove to be a fast run. Probably low 1:30's. Katie's ankle is healing so that option was out. Then there was the option to run with Stan. He was looking to set a PR in the distance. Then I was thinking about holding back and just getting a long run in without too much pain in my legs. This weekend I was hoping to get 6 hrs of riding in on Saturday and then race sunday. When I woke up on sat at 5:45 I realized this was not to be so I went back to sleep and later rode for 2.5 on the computrainer. Had a great ride but just not the same as outdoors.
So since I did not get the big volume in (as was planned) my last option was to run hard from start to end and run a 1:2? something.
Well after a lot of humming and hawing I decided to run most of the race with my HR upper limit set at 171. Last year during the marathon I ran the 1st half very close to 178-182 (with a time of 1:29) so 171 is quite a drop in pace, but I thought let's see how fast I can go at 170.
Well after the gun went off I started to quickly get into position behind a good group. I now was ahead of Stan. Soon my watch beeped. 171+ need to slow down. HR under control for a few momnets and then back up. My body was fighting the pace but I was sticking to my decision to hold 170. My watch must have been driving the runners around me crazy, so much beeping. Once lady asked does that mean you are going too fast. I said yes or I am about to blow up (my little joke ha ha).
As I kept this pattern going I soon realized that my pace was quite a bit slower than last year and many were passing me. No worries concentrate on your plan and just run. If you want to run faster try to relax your body so your HR decreases. At the 10 Km mark I was ~44:50. This was about 3 mins slower than last year. No worries keep running. As I passed Tri It Rose yelled out come on Todd this is a race not a jog. (this was my 1st whip). No worries stick to your plan. As I get closer to the turnaround I see Stan on his way back and he looks good. I hear a few cheers of Go Todd (this was my 2nd whip), then I heard Mark yell Go Todd (this was my 3rd whip) and about all I could take. I decided that after the turnaround (~13-14 Km) if I could turn off my beeper I would then pick up my pace. Well as chance had it this turned out to be redicuously easy so then I no longer had my watch beep at me and I allowed myself to run with No Limits. This felt so good. I had 7 more Km to go and I was ready to push myself. My pace quickened and my HR soared to the mid 180's. I was loving it. At this point I did not look at my watch as I did not care about time or HR. I was then just counting off the Km's and imagining I was running 4 min Kms. 5 KM to go means only 20 min. 4 km 16 min etc... Even down to 1 Km means 4 min. Well I could see Stan in the distance wit 2 Km to go and I was hoping that I would catch him and help him finish strong. I caught him at the last hill and then we had to zig zag through the many 10 Km runners. This was quite a challenge due to the different speeds. I dropped Stan a bit but waited for him at the finish shoot and we ran strong together for a time ~1:33.
Looking back on the race I am very please with how it went. Happy that I was able to stick to my game plan and then increase to my desired pace for the last 7 Km. This was a great practice in suffering for me as I know that the last quarter of IM can be so much mental. The great news is also that my legs are not toast and I will be able to get some great training in this week.
So good! I love racing!
Ironman in 4 weeks! :)
So since I did not get the big volume in (as was planned) my last option was to run hard from start to end and run a 1:2? something.
Well after a lot of humming and hawing I decided to run most of the race with my HR upper limit set at 171. Last year during the marathon I ran the 1st half very close to 178-182 (with a time of 1:29) so 171 is quite a drop in pace, but I thought let's see how fast I can go at 170.
Well after the gun went off I started to quickly get into position behind a good group. I now was ahead of Stan. Soon my watch beeped. 171+ need to slow down. HR under control for a few momnets and then back up. My body was fighting the pace but I was sticking to my decision to hold 170. My watch must have been driving the runners around me crazy, so much beeping. Once lady asked does that mean you are going too fast. I said yes or I am about to blow up (my little joke ha ha).
As I kept this pattern going I soon realized that my pace was quite a bit slower than last year and many were passing me. No worries concentrate on your plan and just run. If you want to run faster try to relax your body so your HR decreases. At the 10 Km mark I was ~44:50. This was about 3 mins slower than last year. No worries keep running. As I passed Tri It Rose yelled out come on Todd this is a race not a jog. (this was my 1st whip). No worries stick to your plan. As I get closer to the turnaround I see Stan on his way back and he looks good. I hear a few cheers of Go Todd (this was my 2nd whip), then I heard Mark yell Go Todd (this was my 3rd whip) and about all I could take. I decided that after the turnaround (~13-14 Km) if I could turn off my beeper I would then pick up my pace. Well as chance had it this turned out to be redicuously easy so then I no longer had my watch beep at me and I allowed myself to run with No Limits. This felt so good. I had 7 more Km to go and I was ready to push myself. My pace quickened and my HR soared to the mid 180's. I was loving it. At this point I did not look at my watch as I did not care about time or HR. I was then just counting off the Km's and imagining I was running 4 min Kms. 5 KM to go means only 20 min. 4 km 16 min etc... Even down to 1 Km means 4 min. Well I could see Stan in the distance wit 2 Km to go and I was hoping that I would catch him and help him finish strong. I caught him at the last hill and then we had to zig zag through the many 10 Km runners. This was quite a challenge due to the different speeds. I dropped Stan a bit but waited for him at the finish shoot and we ran strong together for a time ~1:33.
Looking back on the race I am very please with how it went. Happy that I was able to stick to my game plan and then increase to my desired pace for the last 7 Km. This was a great practice in suffering for me as I know that the last quarter of IM can be so much mental. The great news is also that my legs are not toast and I will be able to get some great training in this week.
So good! I love racing!
Ironman in 4 weeks! :)
Saturday, May 29, 2010
Patiently waiting to get outside
Today I was hoping to get out and ride for 6 hours. Woke up to snow. Not going to happen. I did 2.5 hrs on the computrainer instead (kona course :) ).
I was really hoping the rain / snow would let up.
Tomorrow is the calgary half marathon. A great training day for France. Myron once again has placed a carrot before me. I will see what I can do.
Good luck to all tomorrow
Tuesday, May 25, 2010
Try this triathlon
On the weekend we saw Try this triathlon at the university. Trevor once again put on a great race and it was great to see sp many triathletes (many newbies) trying their 1st ever race. the weather was brisk in the morning at zero degrees. Brrr. The big question was what to wear. Luckily no rain or snow. :)
We saw katie finish her 1st ever triathlon with a very sore foot. It was hard to watch her run as I knew every step was hurting her. She slowed down her pace enough to finish the race and believe it or not won her age group. Congrats Katie, when your ankle heals you will be flying at your next race.
Sean was also at this race. He was also completing his 1st ever race. Sean looked great from start to finsih and was happy that the sun came out and warmed up the day when it was his turn to race.
Martha was all smiles today for her 1st race of the year. The cold weather did not deter her. One more step on your way to Kelowna!
Rob was also on the course today and he was running the race with his good friend who was completing his 1st ever race. That is a great thing for a friend to do.
Watching the race from the sideline was very cool as it took me back in time to my first tri and the old pool swims. Lots of nerves and excietement running around the pool.
Until next race!
We saw katie finish her 1st ever triathlon with a very sore foot. It was hard to watch her run as I knew every step was hurting her. She slowed down her pace enough to finish the race and believe it or not won her age group. Congrats Katie, when your ankle heals you will be flying at your next race.
Sean was also at this race. He was also completing his 1st ever race. Sean looked great from start to finsih and was happy that the sun came out and warmed up the day when it was his turn to race.
Martha was all smiles today for her 1st race of the year. The cold weather did not deter her. One more step on your way to Kelowna!
Rob was also on the course today and he was running the race with his good friend who was completing his 1st ever race. That is a great thing for a friend to do.
Watching the race from the sideline was very cool as it took me back in time to my first tri and the old pool swims. Lots of nerves and excietement running around the pool.
Until next race!
Wednesday, May 19, 2010
Canmore 12 Km
Congrats to Marj who completed the womens only Canmore 12 Km on the weekend. the course was challenging 2 lap course with mud, sand, rocks, snow & some paved paths. Marj did a great job finishing 397 out of 870 women. Nice running Marj!
Wednesday, May 12, 2010
Ken's U of A race repot
My First Tri
The nerves started the night before. As I gathered my gear, I realized this was no longer just a simple run where you grabbed your shoes and a water bottle and headed out the door. Thank goodness for Todd’s checklist. It helped me get organized and enabled me to get some sleep the night before, confident that I had not forgotten anything.
I arrived sharply the next morning at 6:15 when the transition area opened up. Glad I arrived early. It gave me time to get my bearings before the big “rush” of athletes arrived at 6:30. There were a lot of extremely expensive looking bikes around. This intimidated me. Felt a little out of my league. All of the expensive bikes seemed to be on the racks closest to the exit of the transition area. I avoided this area. Went to the rear of the transition area where I saw a few mountain bikes racked. Figured these people were tri newbies as well. I’d be right at home.
The swim went well. When registering for the race, I told them it would take be about 20 minutes to complete the swim. It retrospect this was too slow. I ended up lapping all of the other swimmers in my lane twice. Had to slow down frequently, as the lanes were narrow and hard to pass other swimmers. Managed to get kicked in the face during my swim. Somebody’s heal hit me squarely in the right goggle. Sucked it right into my eye socket. I felt this was my “christening” as a tri-athlete. Could not help but chuckle. I exited the pool at 15:27. 52nd place out of 135.
The transition to the bike did not go as smooth as I wanted. Found my jersey hard to put on over my damp body. After wiggling around, for what seemed like minutes, I managed to get it on. I calmed down and got all of my other gear on and headed out for the ride. Thought the bike went well. Managed to pass a lot of other riders. Was glad Todd told me to practice the course the day before. The practice gave me confidence on heading down Groat Road (a relatively steep hill) and then digging in to head up Emily Murphy Hill (another steep hill). Finished the ride in 41st place in a total time of 43:51.
The transition to the run went a lot better than the first transition. Got my shoes on and took off. Felt really good. Thought my legs would have been hurting more from the bike. Was really strong all the way to the turnaround point. I put my sights the runner ahead of me and was determined to pass him. He must of known, because he took off. Could not catch up to him. As hard as I tried, my legs would not go any faster. Finished the run in 22:50 which was good for 26th place.
Overall, I finished in 35th place out of 135 competitors, and 4th place in my division (19 total in my division). Was really proud of this result. Normally I place right in the middle of the pack. The training schedule Todd has me on for the past few months is really working. Thank you Todd!
Let the training continue. Bring on Great White North!
The nerves started the night before. As I gathered my gear, I realized this was no longer just a simple run where you grabbed your shoes and a water bottle and headed out the door. Thank goodness for Todd’s checklist. It helped me get organized and enabled me to get some sleep the night before, confident that I had not forgotten anything.
I arrived sharply the next morning at 6:15 when the transition area opened up. Glad I arrived early. It gave me time to get my bearings before the big “rush” of athletes arrived at 6:30. There were a lot of extremely expensive looking bikes around. This intimidated me. Felt a little out of my league. All of the expensive bikes seemed to be on the racks closest to the exit of the transition area. I avoided this area. Went to the rear of the transition area where I saw a few mountain bikes racked. Figured these people were tri newbies as well. I’d be right at home.
The swim went well. When registering for the race, I told them it would take be about 20 minutes to complete the swim. It retrospect this was too slow. I ended up lapping all of the other swimmers in my lane twice. Had to slow down frequently, as the lanes were narrow and hard to pass other swimmers. Managed to get kicked in the face during my swim. Somebody’s heal hit me squarely in the right goggle. Sucked it right into my eye socket. I felt this was my “christening” as a tri-athlete. Could not help but chuckle. I exited the pool at 15:27. 52nd place out of 135.
The transition to the bike did not go as smooth as I wanted. Found my jersey hard to put on over my damp body. After wiggling around, for what seemed like minutes, I managed to get it on. I calmed down and got all of my other gear on and headed out for the ride. Thought the bike went well. Managed to pass a lot of other riders. Was glad Todd told me to practice the course the day before. The practice gave me confidence on heading down Groat Road (a relatively steep hill) and then digging in to head up Emily Murphy Hill (another steep hill). Finished the ride in 41st place in a total time of 43:51.
The transition to the run went a lot better than the first transition. Got my shoes on and took off. Felt really good. Thought my legs would have been hurting more from the bike. Was really strong all the way to the turnaround point. I put my sights the runner ahead of me and was determined to pass him. He must of known, because he took off. Could not catch up to him. As hard as I tried, my legs would not go any faster. Finished the run in 22:50 which was good for 26th place.
Overall, I finished in 35th place out of 135 competitors, and 4th place in my division (19 total in my division). Was really proud of this result. Normally I place right in the middle of the pack. The training schedule Todd has me on for the past few months is really working. Thank you Todd!
Let the training continue. Bring on Great White North!
Tuesday, May 11, 2010
U of A sprint
Congrats to Ken who completed his 1st ever triathlon at the U of A last weekend. Ken finished 4th in his agae group. Nice Job Ken!! Welcome to the club.
Friday, May 07, 2010
Boston Update
It is now official. Boston marathon had some trouble with Sue's time but she now has an official finish time of 3:48 which is quick enough for 8th in her Age Group. Nice job Sue!!!
Thursday, May 06, 2010
Eugene Marathon
Congrats to Carrie who took place in the Eugene Marathon last weekend!
This was Carrie's 1st marathon in 10 years. The marathon was a stepping stone race en route to IMC. Overall Carrie had a great day (3:47) and just missed qualifing for Boston by 2 mins. Great job Carrie!!
Tuesday, May 04, 2010
Another Medal
I just completed the olympic distance course at Wildflower over the weekend. I was supposed to do the half IM but catching a cold mid week altered my plans. As most know I am training for IM france in 8 weeks and this camp was my kick start to training with the half as a great training day. My body had other plans. I was OK with my decision to switch races as I have never done the Olympic distance before and I really like the distance. I can always easily wrap my head around the distance and know that the pain is very tempory and short lived. My swim was good. A bit choppy in the beginning but I had clear water right from the start. There were a lot of waves of swimmers in front of me and I had too keep my wits about me so that I did not swim over anyone. Near the half way mark I saw 2 swimmers and one looked to be in trouble so I slowed down and had a good look. What was happening was here was a disabled man along with an aid helping him through the water. Everything looked OK they were just slow. After watching this immediately all my pain went away and then I could feel a nice gentle push from the lake carrying me back to shore. What a great way to finish the swim. My time was 25 mins. Only 2 mins slower than Shane so this was great. Once on shore I quickly removed my wetsuit and headed toward T1. This year I am swimming in a new Swordfish wetsuit and it feels very comfortable and comes off super easy. Love it! Once in T1 I get to have fun. Lets see how fast I can get through. I really love this part of the race. Controlled speed. I was in and out quite fast and then immediately had to climb a crazy steep / long hill. The week of training in the camp really helped me on this and I was flying past many other riders. More fun!
Once on the main course I pushed hard on the bike and tried to make up for lost time on the swim. You see Shane started 15 mins ahead of me and I was joking the night before about how I was going to try and catch him. I had a lot of work to do as 15min + 2 mins lost in the lake = 17 mins. I have changed my aero position a lot this year and I also have a new bike. This was my 1st race on my new Ceepo Venom and I was curious to see what would happen. Well the bike performed great and I finished the ride in 1:11. I did not see Shane on the course. I was too focused on staying upright on the descents. :). Once in T2 I had more fun. Another quick exit and I was on the run. Near the start of the race the No Limits crew were cheering me on and Myron yelled...Shane is only 6 mins ahead...you got him... Well I did not know about that, but I gave it a good try. My pace felt good and I did not stop once throughout the run. I kept looking for the blue and white jersey and everytime I thought I saw him it turned out to be someone else. I crossed the finish line strong and then I saw Shane on the other side. he was already done. My time 2:20. Shanes time = 2:29. Even with the fastest run split in my Age Group (yes 40-44)I could not catch him. Myron lied when he knew Shane was 10 mins up, not 6. But I will tell you what. That motivated me to run fast and I loved it. I finished strong and so happy to get that medal. Back in August I never got the IMC medal and I now realize that just because you are planning to race does not mean you will cross the line. I was grateful for the day, for the volunteers, my fellow campers and for everthing. What a brilliant day and then to share it with Shane at the finish was great. This was supposed to be a short entry but I got carried away and now it is off to bed. Thanks for reading. IM France in 8 weeks. :)
Myron's Wildflower Race report
During the last couple of months, I have been training hard for Ironman
France. I have met many of the training goals I set for myself. My
functional threshold on the bike has increased significantly; my weight is down under 170 pounds; my swimming speed is starting to come back. I have been mostly quite consistent with my training and, during the last month have averaged over 16 hours a week. Overall, things have gone
quite well and I am looking forward to Ironman France.
Two issues have been causing me concern. Since I ran a 10 km race last month, I have been struggling with some achilles tendonitis, which has impacted my running. Everytime I try to ramp up the volume or intensity of my runs, my achilles get inflamed and I spend a few days limping and icing my tendons before I can run again. Secondly, the delayed spring has limited my outside riding and I have had minimal opportunities to test my riding off the trainer since my bike crash last September.
This past week, I headed down to California for a training camp led by my coach, Todd Malcolm. The plan was to train hard for a week and then race in the world famous Wildflower Half Ironman race. My main objective was to get lots of hill riding, some good volume of training and to experience the Wildflower race. I also wanted to make sure I didn't thrash my achilles for the race in France, which is my main goal this season.
The day before we left, I decided to connect with some friends for a 2.5
hour bike ride. I had put my race wheels on the night before and when
I went to leave for my ride, I had a flat. 15 minutes of mucking around made me late for meeting the group, so I left in a mad rush and hammered up the hill to the top of Bow Trail. I went tearing down the hill at top speed and then turned to head down the hill to Edworthy Park. I continued racing down the hill to meet the group and as I came around a corner going 65 km / hour, a deer jumped out of the bushes and stood on the road in front of me. I had a fraction of a second to decide what to do and, since it didn't move, I slammed on the brakes. The deer hopped away, but my back tire starting sliding out and I went into a mad wobble as I struggled to avoid a crash. I was barely able to avoid a nasty wipeout, that would have surely resulted in a second broken collarbone (or worse). I arrived at my bike ride a bit frazzled.
I left the next day for California and connected with Todd's group. We spent the afternoon in LA picking up a few pieces of triathlon gear and then spent the night in Paso Robles. On Monday, we picked up some groceries and got set up at our house in Oak Shores, near Lake Nacimiento. The setting was idyllic, other than the complete lack of cell phone / internet connection (I know, this may sound great, but it was not what I had planned as I had a few fires burning at work). We spent the afternoon cycling, swimming and going for a brief BRICK run. I cut the run short, since my achilles was very sore. Our house was at the bottom of three big hills, which we had to ride up to get out to the road. It was great to ride outside and ride hills in the nice Californian weather. I felt amazing on the bike and chewed up the hills.
I was, however, quite tentative on the descents.
The next day was a bit rainy and windy. We went for a swim in the lake and then set out to ride the 90 km Wildflower bike course. While I still felt good on the hills, the wind and wet roads made the descents treacherous. I had Zipp 808 race wheels on my bike, which are quite deep and caused my bike to be blown around by the wind. Everytime I got above 50 kms / hour, the bike would start to wobble and I had to hit the brakes on wet roads. I was still freaked out from my near crash with the deer and found this ride rather sketchy on the descents.
We did more swimming, biking and running on Wednesday. Hill repeats on the bike at the race course got the legs going. I felt amazing in the swim and bike and decided to test out my achilles for an 11km tempo run.
The run went well and I was able to finish strong in a sub 4:00 / km pace. Unfortunately, my achilles flared up almost immediately afterwards and I spent the next day limping in pain. We swam and cycled again Thursday, but I skipped the run, as I was starting to think about the race on Saturday. My legs were getting quite fatigued from the week of training and I decided to skip the ride Friday to recharge the batteries and give myself a shot at a good race.
In the evenings we did sessions on changing tires, mental training, race planning, etc. The group was fantastic - lots of fun banter and storytelling, everyone pitching in with meals and a laid back atmosphere.
I reviewed the results from the race during the last couple of years and wrote up my race plan for Saturday, which was perhaps a bit ambitious given the intense week of training. Despite my tired legs, I figured I would try to race with the leaders in my age group and shoot for a top 10 finish (out of about 260 competitors). On this difficult course, I figured it would take a time of about 4:55 hours. However, I made two key caveats: (i) this was a training race for France and mental toughness / smart decisions were more important than the result; (ii) if I felt acute pain in my Achilles, I promised myself that I would drop out on the run rather than trash my achilles right before my final build up to France.
I woke up Saturday morning feeling rested and confident. We made our way down to the transition area and got set up for the race. The venue was amazing - lots of friendly young volunteers; a well organized check in and tons of support. The day was stunning - 72 degrees farenheit, clear blue skies and no wind. We listened to the US National anthem and watched the start of the elite race.
The start was organized in waves based on your age group, with a wave leaving every five minutes. There were two waves of 40-44 year old men and I was in the first wave. I lined up front and centre and hit the water running. There was a bit of thrashing at the start and I caught an elbow in the head that half knocked off my goggles. I kept swimming and was able to do a quick fix on the fly. Within 150 metres, I was out front with two other swimmers. I settled into a comfortable pace and was enjoying the race. We quickly caught the slow swimmers from the wave that started in front of us and I had to pick my way through the pack. I lost sight of the two other swimmers from my wave that I was swimming with and wasn't sure if I had passed them or not. I finished the 1900 metre swim in about 28 mins (right on pace with my goal). and was at the
front of my wave.
My transition was a bit slow, but I got on the bike and tried to settle into a comfortable pace during the first mile before I hit the long, steep climb up from the lake. I felt a bit tight in the legs on the first part of the climb but quickly warmed up and steadily worked my way up through the pack of riders on the hill. Once up top, I settled into an aero position and continued passing people.
I clipped along at a decent pace and began knocking off the miles. My tentativeness on the descents was gone today and I hit 70-75 km / hour going down the bigger hills. Only three people passed me (all of whom were in the 40-44 age group) and I repassed two of them on the Nasty Grade Hill. I hit the transition area in 3:16 total time(including the swim and transition), which meant a 1:38-1:40 half marathon would get me to my goal and perhaps a top 5 finish. There were only three bikes in our section of the transition area, so I figured I was in a good position in the race (although I had no idea how fast people in the second wave had gone). When I hopped off my bike, I immediately felt my right achilles seize up and I knew that the run was not going to happen for me today. I put on my shoes anyways and walked / jogged out to the people from our group who weren't racing today. I felt like I had lots of energy for the run and spent a few minutes thinking about whether to push through the pain in my tendons. Logic prevailed and I sat down and sulked for a few minutes. The competitor in me found it agonizing to drop out, even though I knew it was the right decision. I tried my best to enjoy the rest of the day but was quite upset by the way things ended.
Looking at the bright side of things, I had a fantastic week of training and proved to myself that my fitness and training is on track for my goal race at Ironman France. I enjoyed the company of the group and found the whole Wildflower event to be great. Over the course of the week, I was able to regain my confidence on the descents. Despite racing on tired legs after a hard training camp week, I was able to race the first two legs with the leaders in my age group (and, in fact, a top 5 age group (out of 260) and a top 50 overall (out of 2600) was within my grasp with even a half decent run). Nonetheless, I can't help feeling frustrated by having to drop out and missing the chance to finish the
race strong. I am motivated to do the necessary rehab work on my
achilles so I can get back running as quickly as possible.
Eight weeks until Ironman France.......
France. I have met many of the training goals I set for myself. My
functional threshold on the bike has increased significantly; my weight is down under 170 pounds; my swimming speed is starting to come back. I have been mostly quite consistent with my training and, during the last month have averaged over 16 hours a week. Overall, things have gone
quite well and I am looking forward to Ironman France.
Two issues have been causing me concern. Since I ran a 10 km race last month, I have been struggling with some achilles tendonitis, which has impacted my running. Everytime I try to ramp up the volume or intensity of my runs, my achilles get inflamed and I spend a few days limping and icing my tendons before I can run again. Secondly, the delayed spring has limited my outside riding and I have had minimal opportunities to test my riding off the trainer since my bike crash last September.
This past week, I headed down to California for a training camp led by my coach, Todd Malcolm. The plan was to train hard for a week and then race in the world famous Wildflower Half Ironman race. My main objective was to get lots of hill riding, some good volume of training and to experience the Wildflower race. I also wanted to make sure I didn't thrash my achilles for the race in France, which is my main goal this season.
The day before we left, I decided to connect with some friends for a 2.5
hour bike ride. I had put my race wheels on the night before and when
I went to leave for my ride, I had a flat. 15 minutes of mucking around made me late for meeting the group, so I left in a mad rush and hammered up the hill to the top of Bow Trail. I went tearing down the hill at top speed and then turned to head down the hill to Edworthy Park. I continued racing down the hill to meet the group and as I came around a corner going 65 km / hour, a deer jumped out of the bushes and stood on the road in front of me. I had a fraction of a second to decide what to do and, since it didn't move, I slammed on the brakes. The deer hopped away, but my back tire starting sliding out and I went into a mad wobble as I struggled to avoid a crash. I was barely able to avoid a nasty wipeout, that would have surely resulted in a second broken collarbone (or worse). I arrived at my bike ride a bit frazzled.
I left the next day for California and connected with Todd's group. We spent the afternoon in LA picking up a few pieces of triathlon gear and then spent the night in Paso Robles. On Monday, we picked up some groceries and got set up at our house in Oak Shores, near Lake Nacimiento. The setting was idyllic, other than the complete lack of cell phone / internet connection (I know, this may sound great, but it was not what I had planned as I had a few fires burning at work). We spent the afternoon cycling, swimming and going for a brief BRICK run. I cut the run short, since my achilles was very sore. Our house was at the bottom of three big hills, which we had to ride up to get out to the road. It was great to ride outside and ride hills in the nice Californian weather. I felt amazing on the bike and chewed up the hills.
I was, however, quite tentative on the descents.
The next day was a bit rainy and windy. We went for a swim in the lake and then set out to ride the 90 km Wildflower bike course. While I still felt good on the hills, the wind and wet roads made the descents treacherous. I had Zipp 808 race wheels on my bike, which are quite deep and caused my bike to be blown around by the wind. Everytime I got above 50 kms / hour, the bike would start to wobble and I had to hit the brakes on wet roads. I was still freaked out from my near crash with the deer and found this ride rather sketchy on the descents.
We did more swimming, biking and running on Wednesday. Hill repeats on the bike at the race course got the legs going. I felt amazing in the swim and bike and decided to test out my achilles for an 11km tempo run.
The run went well and I was able to finish strong in a sub 4:00 / km pace. Unfortunately, my achilles flared up almost immediately afterwards and I spent the next day limping in pain. We swam and cycled again Thursday, but I skipped the run, as I was starting to think about the race on Saturday. My legs were getting quite fatigued from the week of training and I decided to skip the ride Friday to recharge the batteries and give myself a shot at a good race.
In the evenings we did sessions on changing tires, mental training, race planning, etc. The group was fantastic - lots of fun banter and storytelling, everyone pitching in with meals and a laid back atmosphere.
I reviewed the results from the race during the last couple of years and wrote up my race plan for Saturday, which was perhaps a bit ambitious given the intense week of training. Despite my tired legs, I figured I would try to race with the leaders in my age group and shoot for a top 10 finish (out of about 260 competitors). On this difficult course, I figured it would take a time of about 4:55 hours. However, I made two key caveats: (i) this was a training race for France and mental toughness / smart decisions were more important than the result; (ii) if I felt acute pain in my Achilles, I promised myself that I would drop out on the run rather than trash my achilles right before my final build up to France.
I woke up Saturday morning feeling rested and confident. We made our way down to the transition area and got set up for the race. The venue was amazing - lots of friendly young volunteers; a well organized check in and tons of support. The day was stunning - 72 degrees farenheit, clear blue skies and no wind. We listened to the US National anthem and watched the start of the elite race.
The start was organized in waves based on your age group, with a wave leaving every five minutes. There were two waves of 40-44 year old men and I was in the first wave. I lined up front and centre and hit the water running. There was a bit of thrashing at the start and I caught an elbow in the head that half knocked off my goggles. I kept swimming and was able to do a quick fix on the fly. Within 150 metres, I was out front with two other swimmers. I settled into a comfortable pace and was enjoying the race. We quickly caught the slow swimmers from the wave that started in front of us and I had to pick my way through the pack. I lost sight of the two other swimmers from my wave that I was swimming with and wasn't sure if I had passed them or not. I finished the 1900 metre swim in about 28 mins (right on pace with my goal). and was at the
front of my wave.
My transition was a bit slow, but I got on the bike and tried to settle into a comfortable pace during the first mile before I hit the long, steep climb up from the lake. I felt a bit tight in the legs on the first part of the climb but quickly warmed up and steadily worked my way up through the pack of riders on the hill. Once up top, I settled into an aero position and continued passing people.
I clipped along at a decent pace and began knocking off the miles. My tentativeness on the descents was gone today and I hit 70-75 km / hour going down the bigger hills. Only three people passed me (all of whom were in the 40-44 age group) and I repassed two of them on the Nasty Grade Hill. I hit the transition area in 3:16 total time(including the swim and transition), which meant a 1:38-1:40 half marathon would get me to my goal and perhaps a top 5 finish. There were only three bikes in our section of the transition area, so I figured I was in a good position in the race (although I had no idea how fast people in the second wave had gone). When I hopped off my bike, I immediately felt my right achilles seize up and I knew that the run was not going to happen for me today. I put on my shoes anyways and walked / jogged out to the people from our group who weren't racing today. I felt like I had lots of energy for the run and spent a few minutes thinking about whether to push through the pain in my tendons. Logic prevailed and I sat down and sulked for a few minutes. The competitor in me found it agonizing to drop out, even though I knew it was the right decision. I tried my best to enjoy the rest of the day but was quite upset by the way things ended.
Looking at the bright side of things, I had a fantastic week of training and proved to myself that my fitness and training is on track for my goal race at Ironman France. I enjoyed the company of the group and found the whole Wildflower event to be great. Over the course of the week, I was able to regain my confidence on the descents. Despite racing on tired legs after a hard training camp week, I was able to race the first two legs with the leaders in my age group (and, in fact, a top 5 age group (out of 260) and a top 50 overall (out of 2600) was within my grasp with even a half decent run). Nonetheless, I can't help feeling frustrated by having to drop out and missing the chance to finish the
race strong. I am motivated to do the necessary rehab work on my
achilles so I can get back running as quickly as possible.
Eight weeks until Ironman France.......
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