Vancity Tri Guy

Ironman France Race Report

p class=a href=https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-bG4N7e7LzV0/Tgo5k0K5u-I/AAAAAAAABPM/z80J2OqmeiE/IMG_00046.jpg target=_blankimg src=https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-bG4N7e7LzV0/Tgo5k0K5u-I/AAAAAAAABPM/z80J2OqmeiE/s500/IMG_00046.jpg id=blogsy-1309429343950.573 class=alignleft width=312 height=234 alt=/a/ppEver since getting turned on to the sport of Ironman I began looking for races that would take me to places with beautiful views and challenging conditions. Upon doing some research, I knew that at some point Ironman France would be on my list of races to do. Upon finishing Ironman Canada last year, I was excited and even to this day look back at it as being one of the best days of my life. With this said, I wasnt planning on doing any iron-distance races in 2011. That is, until I met a mutual friend at the YMCA who mentioned that she was racing with a number of other people that I knew through Speed Theory. As luck would have it they just so happened to have an extra spot in their condo for the week surrounding the race. Taking an evening of restless sleep to think about it I was enthusiastically in and signed up the next morning. /ppOver the next several months I trained, this time going to self-coached route with a major emphasis on power on the bike as I wanted to be prepared for the 1,800m of climbing. Training for this race was a challenge thanks to the Spring that never arrived. An ironman in June is considered a relatively early season race and I was prepared for plenty of ninja training in the darkness but I was hoping that the weather would improve by May as it normally does. Such was not the case this year but it didnt matter. I logged the miles in all conditions, even when it meant putting fenders on my race bike and pounding out 5 hours in the pouring rain. /ppFast forward 6 months and I arrived in France one week before the race. Nice is beautiful and as I have mentioned in my other blog posts, the weather sure hasnt disappointed either. In the days leading up to the race I prepped all of my equipment and practiced my transitions and organized my nutrition so that on race day I could be sure that everything that I could control was in order. The rest was out of my hands for better or worse which is one of my favorite parts of endurance racing. The you never know what will happen factor. And with that, heres how the day went for me. /ppstrongThe Swim – 1:08:25/strong/ppa href=https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/-l4XjkkxxXXo/TgwK0rJLkvI/AAAAAAAABRc/ubZv_ASv5h0/IMG_00078.jpg target=_blankimg src=https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/-l4XjkkxxXXo/TgwK0rJLkvI/AAAAAAAABRc/ubZv_ASv5h0/s500/IMG_00078.jpg id=blogsy-1309429318435.6577 class=alignleft alt= width=208 height=312/aI got to the swim nice and early to allow myself to go for a warm up as always. The tough part with the beach was that it consisted of irregular rocks which were far from pleasant on the feet making it hard to walk, let alone run. With my wetsuit on I took a few steps out into the water and dove in to the salty abyss. The sea was warm, about 21 degrees in fact! I took a few strokes and swam away from shore for a few minutes. With the salt water and wetsuit combined, I was uber buoyant and proceeded to simply float in the water for a bit and collect my thoughts and energy for the adventure that was about to begin. After swimming a few more strokes I headed back to shore to queue up with my fellow 2,500 competitors. As the time ticked down from 20 minutes to race start, the MC pumped loud pop music and generally pumped us up into a flurry of energy, albeit nervous energy. /ppa href=https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/-YsjKgIJTPmQ/TgwK11NGkAI/AAAAAAAABRg/j-FAaWQetSo/IMG_00079.jpg target=_blankimg src=https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/-YsjKgIJTPmQ/TgwK11NGkAI/AAAAAAAABRg/j-FAaWQetSo/s500/IMG_00079.jpg id=blogsy-1309429318443.6543 class=alignright alt= width=434 height=289/aFinally – 10, 9, 8, 7, 6, 5, 4, 3, 2, 1… Instantly the group erupted into a mass of flailing arms and legs turning the water into a washing machine just like the other races I had been in before. True to form, I took a few good whacks to the face and body and gave a few as well. Where I was surprised was when the physical battle didnt let up beyond the first few hundred meters. It was like that to the first buoy which was about 1km off shore! At one point, I had a mini panic as I was pushed under the water on my lower back. I scrambled for the surface and shoved the guy off me. I searched for the closest open water but there was none. Just a wall of swimmers in all directions so I had to try to calm myself and settle back in to the mess. Fortunately I found my focus again by recalling how good it felt to cross the finish line at Ironman Canada. I wasnt going to give in. Once I got around the first buoy I found my rhythm and generally stayed in some nice open pockets of water amongst the crowd. The interesting thing with Ironman France is that you get out of the water after 2.4km, run around a buoy on land and head back into the water for the last 1.4km. The final swim went relatively smoothly. A few hundred meters from shore I saw one lonely jellyfish about 5 feet down. I had heard that they can be an issue around here but fortunately that was not the case today. As I emerged from the water, never before had I been so happy to be out of the swim and more happy that I stuck with it. What came next was nothing short of breathtaking – the bike. /ppstrongT1 – 5:32/strong/ppThe transition was a long one. The bike area was narrow, stretching the bikes out for some distance. I grabbed my transition bad, pulled of my wetsuit and asked a volunteer to hit me with some sunscreen. With that, I found my bike without issue and took off on foot to the bike mount line. /ppstrongThe Bike – 6:11:13/strong/ppa href=https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/-4XWb9zGNtz4/TgwIFdsco7I/AAAAAAAABQ0/rQC9S9owDeY/IMG_00070.jpg target=_blankimg src=https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/-4XWb9zGNtz4/TgwIFdsco7I/AAAAAAAABQ0/rQC9S9owDeY/s500/IMG_00070.jpg id=blogsy-1309429318454.455 class=alignleft alt= width=500 height=336/aThe bike started out well as I headed down the Promenade dAnglais. I soon settled into my rhythm and began taking on nutrition. I had set up my plan with one bottle of regular Infinit as well as a second bottle mixed to double concentration. Ill get more into the nutrition part of the race later. About 20km into the ride the first climb came. As mentioned in the race briefing, it was the hardest climb of the day with 500m of 10%. I remained seated and spun my way up while many others hammered their way to the top of it. Upon reaching the crest I continued on at pace through some cute little villages. Gattièrs, Saint Jeanett, Bar Sur Loup, followed by Gourdon. All were packed with locals and supporters alike lining the streets cheering us on. Next came the 20km ascent up Col de LEcre. By this time the heat really started to climb into the mid 20s. I was still able to enjoy the climb and took in some of the amazing scenery of the surrounding peaks and valleys. I sat back once again as others crushed the hills. The power meter really helped me to stay on pace and not take chase setting me up for what I knew would be a tough run to follow. /ppa href=https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/-5LGCb5RE6tM/TgwIRBgXkNI/AAAAAAAABRA/WUpQ9PqudMs/IMG_00073.jpg target=_blankimg src=https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/-5LGCb5RE6tM/TgwIRBgXkNI/AAAAAAAABRA/WUpQ9PqudMs/s500/IMG_00073.jpg id=blogsy-1309429318457.8577 class=alignleft alt= width=224 height=336/aAt the 70km point we reached the top of the climb and special needs where I took on two new bottles of Infinit mixed the same as before. The interesting part of Ironman France is that the 70km point represents more than half way through the race in terms of time as there is so much climbing in the early stages. The remaining 110km definitely went faster. There were some additional climbs but this part of the course was generally downhill with some nice technical corners. After talking to the rest of the crew following the race we all agreed that our favorite part of the course was this one village where we tore through a narrow cavern about as wide as a car between adjacent buildings. Super fun! Next up, we began the major descent back into Nice. This is when the heat could be felt more than any other point in the day. Coincidentally, my stomach started giving me grief as the mercury continued to climb. I knew it was going to be a long marathon as the cramps churned in my stomach for the last 10km of the bike.br/ /ppstrongT2 – /strong/ppI got off my bike and the legs felt pretty good. Of course, the first few steps were a little wobbly as I handed my bike off to one of the volunteers and headed to grab my running gear. Helmet and cycling shoes off I dawned my cap, more sunscreen and running shoes./ppstrongThe Run – 4:16:08 /strong/ppa href=https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/-9VFBebXnL4M/TgwH_keixGI/AAAAAAAABQs/nt79z9nrfio/IMG_00068.jpg target=_blankimg src=https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/-9VFBebXnL4M/TgwH_keixGI/AAAAAAAABQs/nt79z9nrfio/s500/IMG_00068.jpg id=blogsy-1309429318371.416 class=alignright alt= width=349 height=233/aI started the run and everything was feeling pretty good with the exception of the heat. Looking down at my watch I had to scale back the pace as I was going way faster than the plan to start out at a 5:00 min/km pace. As I settled into this new pace the stomach issues from the last section of the bike reared up once again as I hit the first aid station. I cramped up and had to cut back on the pace some more which was too bad as my legs felt like they had lots to give. Thats endurance racing for you though – anything can happen and you have to adapt on the fly. In my race plan I had intended on breaking the marathon into quarters starting at a pace of 5 min/km and increasing the pace by 5 seconds per km for each lap ending with what I hoped would be a pace of 4:40 for the last lap. This just was not in the cards today. Not with that heat at least. /ppAfter the first lap, I started to feel a bit better and continued on my new plan that consisted of walking the aid stations and taking on water, Powerade and cola at every stop as well as two salt pills each lap. They had cold showers on course which looked appealing in the 35 degree heat but using them meant soaking your feet which almost guaranteed blisters. Instead, I opted to soak myself with cups of water which also had the downside of washing off the sunscreen. By the second lap, I could feel my skin physically burning. Fortunately, Kevin was out by the airport and had some sunscreen which I liberally applied to my arms and back. /ppa href=https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/-MdXERiiyHZ0/TgwIDRbbtCI/AAAAAAAABQw/RH4lfLJjNS0/IMG_00069.jpg target=_blankimg src=https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/-MdXERiiyHZ0/TgwIDRbbtCI/AAAAAAAABQw/RH4lfLJjNS0/s500/IMG_00069.jpg id=blogsy-1309429318405.832 class=alignleft alt= width=261 height=392/aThe most challenging thing about the marathon was that it was 4 completely exposed laps. With each lap, I collected a different colored wrist band to signify that I had completed a lap. They also served as a constant reminder of how much more I had to do. Upon collecting my third band as I headed on the final lap I thought to myself that it was just like running a lap of the sea wall and the sooner I finished, the sooner I could stop running and get out of the sun. With each km, I was getting closer to having completed my second ironman. As the finish shoot approached, I could hear the announcer and loud music blasting. I took my last few strides and crossed the line throwing both hands in the air! Contrary to Ironman Canada the year before where I had no doubt that I would finish, this race had numerous times where I wasnt sure that I could go on. Especially in the marathon. I pushed through it and was glad that I did. /ppstrongNutrition/strong/ppFor breakfast, I had a couple of cups of coffee, two waffles with jam and a few other pastries. For the swim, I had a gel about 30 minutes before the swim washed down with some water. /ppOn the bike is where I took in the majority of my calories for the day. I started the bike with two bottles of Infinit – 1 of normal concentration and the second a double concentration which I alternated with water. I also had 4 gels and a couple of Stinger Waffles. I lost not one but two packages of energy chews out of the pockets on my jersey which was a bit frustrating but fortunately those were just for a change in taste from the liquid nutrition and not essential to my nutrition plan. All in all, I took on about 2,500 calories on the bike which set me up well for the run. /ppBreaking the golden rule of not trying anything new on race day, I opted not to run with a hydration belt on race day as I was not allowed to access my running bags on the morning of the race which would have meant that I would have had to check my liquids in the night before and have them baking in the sun for 24 hours. This required a slight change to my plan as I had never used salt pills before. I usually run with a hydration belt with Infinit which takes care of replacing electrolytes for me without having to experiment and see how many I needed to take to avoid cramping. Given how much sodium I had taken on in the 6 servings of Infinit on the bike, I went conservative and took two pills per lap. Otherwise, I relied on a combination of water, sports drink and cola to get me through the run. The system worked out fairly well once I settled into the heat. /ppstrongPost Race Thoughts/strong/ppThat was the hardest thing that I have every physically or mentally done. We simply have not have the heat in Vancouver to be able to acclimatize to the temperatures that were experienced on race day. I had never experienced doubt in a race before. Sure, I had come across challenges that I could work through but never did I think that I couldnt or didnt want to go on. It was a good experience to have and only now am I beginning to appreciate it now that Ive had a few days to collect my thoughts on the day. I didnt give up and I feel stronger for it. Also, I had no idea how I would react to heat in a racing situation. Generally, I dont do well with heat and now I know how my body reacts for the next time that I race when temperatures exceed 30 degrees./ppWhen I crossed the line I wasnt sure when I would do another Ironman. Two days later, I registered for Ironman Coeur dAlene on June 24, 2012! Now the big question is whether or not I will race Ironman Canada as well making for a double Ironman year…/ppstrongThank You/strong/ppI am one lucky guy to have such an amazing support network around me. Training for an Ironman can really take a tole on ones non-triathlon life. Thanks to my amazing family and friends for being there and taking an interest in my passion. I promise youll see a bit more of me over the next few months. Mom youre my biggest fan – thanks for everything you do! Of course, I cant forget the new lady in my life who enthusiastically supports me through training and racing. A big you rock to The Girl and I cant wait for the vacations we have planned this summer!/ppSuper thanks to Lauren and the rest of the gang for having me along! Honestly, it was a blast to be in such good company for the week of the race. Congrats to Katrina and Stephen on your engagement at the finish line! /ppThanks to Speed Theory for all the advice, and mechanical expertise that kept my bike running like a dream throughout the race. The Cervèlo S3 for me was the perfect bike for climbing the long hills and ripping the descents and hairpin turns. When does my S5 with Ui2 arrive? Kidding!/p

Tags: Adversity, Bike, Heat, Ironman France, Race Report, Run, Speed Theory, Swim

Cypress Training Vlog

A ride up Cypress and a new iPhone…a video was bound to happen!

Tags: Argon 18, Bike, Cypress, iPhone, Training, VLOG, YouTube

Ironman Canada 2010

It’s hard to believe that the day has come and gone!  It all started on August 31, 2009 when I stood in line with hundreds (make that thousands) of others keen to take on the challenge of Ironman Canada the following year.  Some were seasoned veterans and others were newbies like myself with the look of excitement and trepidation in their eyes as they wondered what they were getting themselves into.

Pre-race:

My alarm was set for 4:15am but I started to wake up at 3:30am.  What’s a guy to do but drink a bottle of liquid nutrition and attempt to go back to bed for those last 45 minutes.  Sleep just wasn’t in the cards so I got up a few minutes after 4 and began the pre-game nutrition process.  A bowl of mini wheats and coffee and I was good to go.  My mom and I headed out the door and towards transition.  Driving through the darkness from Naramata towards Penticton allowed plenty of time to reflect on all that had got me to that point.  I was really thankful to have my mom there as she kept me calm and ready to go!  Once in transition, I set up the bike, continued eating and drinking before finally wedging myself into wetsuit and toeing the beach.

Calm before the storm

Swim (1:04:57):

As I stepped into the water, reality set in.  A year of preparation was about to pay off…or so I hoped!  I stood there with a couple of friends of which I had spent many hours training with.  We went for a short warm up swim and settled in to our starting position.  We were dead centre and about 2 rows of people back from the rope…aka the mosh pit!  My initial reaction was to slink back a few rows of people from the start line but Cam said I’d be fine up at the front.  With that, I stayed put and counted down the last few minutes before the start horn rang.  We all sang Oh Canada together which even as I write this still sends a flush of solidarity through me.  Steve King (the voice of triathlon) announced the last 90 seconds which flew by in rapid succession.  At 7am the horn sounded! Instantly, the water erupted in a torrent of feet and arms flailing, everyone fighting for position.  This was by far the largest start I have experienced yet with some 2,800 athletes starting all at once!

The first 2-300 meters were a sprint effort jockeying for position before finally settling into a more sustainable pace.  Nobody likes getting kicked and shoved around but it did little to phase me as it’s all part of what makes triathlon what it is!  I kept the effort up and looked for some fast feet to draft.  The rest of the swim went quicker than I thought it would.  It was cool to see the divers waving on the bottom at the first house boat.  Rounding the first corner buoy I found some open water which allowed me to pick up the pace a bit.  I was sighting well and holding it tight to the buoys with the second corner coming up fast.  I had rounded the club house turn and was on the 1,800m straight away to T1.  In the last few hundred meters the pace picked up once again.  Having paced well, I felt up for the challenge and pushed out the last few hundred meters before once again taking on my bipedal form.

It’s always an interesting experience going from horizontal to vertical after a long swim.  Especially when you’re trying to do things in a prompt manner.  A look at the photos of this section makes this evident as most people are overcome with looks of confusion, nautiousness or just plain being pissed off after being kicked in the face too many times.

T1 (5:04):

Transition was straight forward.  On with my helmet, cycling shoes and race belt.  I opted for arm warmers and some sun screen…two things which usually wouldn’t be considered together but it was a chilly start to the day with potential for sun later on so I thought the extra few seconds was time well spent.  At my bike, my mom and a friend, Jeni, were at the fence to send me off.

Bike (6:04:19):

Climbing up Richter Pass

Heading out of town along Main Street, my focus was on getting the legs moving and mainly holding back.  Being Mark and Megan as well as the throngs of cheering people, it was not easy to hold off but I managed thanks to My Quarq.  Coach Calvin advised that I hold back on the stretch out of town to Osoyoos and letting the effort climb at Richter Pass.  That was exactly what I did.  At the McClean Creek aid station I was stoked to see my best friend Matt and his girlfriend Lori handing out Gatorade as well all flashed by.  With that little jolt of energy, I continued the climb followed by the fast descent into Oliver.  This section was particularly congested as a function of the sheer number of competitors.  A course marshal called out a drafting penalty but much to my relief it was the guy behind me.  It was next to impossible not to draft but I did my best to minimize this while maintaining a safe line.  Lots of people were weaving in and out without so much as a shoulder check making for some hairy moments.

Once at the Husky station in Osoyoos the work really began.  My goal for steady climbs was to keep it under 265 watts.  With this, I held it as close to or below this number to save my legs for the run later.  The crowds of people on the climbs were fantastic.  Hundreds of people cheering and screaming gave everyone that extra little lift.  Next up were the Seven Sisters (aka the 7 Bitches) which consist of 7 rolling hills.  I managed to find a few other people racing with power and chatted it up with them a bit as people went flying by us on the ups which were invariably caught on the downs and flats.

At 120km I grabbed my special needs bag which consisted of an additional 3 bottles of pre-mixed nutrition.  Loaded and ready to go, I was back into the aerobars and continued making my way to Yellow Lake.  This is where the weather started to act up.  Gusty winds and pouring rain ensued.  I stopped to put my arm warmers once again and let the effort climb a bit higher as a means of staying warm.  The head and cross winds were nasty but I was still enjoying myself and at one point recall thinking “I am having the best ride of my life and I have trained in weather much worse than this!”  I was thinking of the ride up to the first lookout of Cypress in February or March with Jeremy and Mike where we were confronted with gale force winds and a little sleet and snow for good measure.  This little bit of rain wasn’t going to ruin my race.  Soon I was surrounded by a gauntlet of people up the backside of the Yellow Lake climb.  Despite all the commotion, I managed to recognize Jeni and the crew from Speed Theory.  With the last big climb of the day done I cruised along the plateau for a bit where I saw Coach standing by the side of the road.   The Finish Line Coaching colours really stand out making it easy to spot!

I took the descent into Penticton really conservatively given the abundance of standing water on the roads.  I was still feeling fantastic but was a little nervous given that I was soon to enter unfamiliar territory.  Going into the race, my longest run ever was 28km and I had to do 42.2km!  Refusing to get worked up, I cruised down along Main Street once again and got off my bike, handing it off to one of the volunteers.

T2 (4:32):

Coming off the bike the legs felt good.  I grabbed my bike to run bag and threw on my socks, runners and hydration belt.  After this, I took my first and only bathroom break of the day.  Fortunately my camel sized bladder saves me lots of time on these events!

Run (4:11:47):

On the way out...still fresh

I started the run down along Main Street with one final hollar of encouragement from Steve.  I knew I needed to run a smart run and watched my pace closely on the watch as my perceived effort scale was completely out of whack with all the people lining the first 4km of the run.  I played in my zone bouncing between 5:20-5:45/km for the first 15km or so.  I took on nutrition at every aid station sticking to gels, water and Gatorade.

As the hills approached, I made a deal with myself to run up slowly and hammer the back of each one. It worked well at gaining a few spots at minimal energy expenditure.  The only walking that I allowed myself was the aid stations.  Coming into the half way point, I was first greeted my Coach, his wife and his mom.  Next I saw Brianne, Jon and Mark!  That was just the boost that I needed as the day was starting to wear on my physically.  Mentally I was feeling great and seeing them added fuel to my fire just in time to the climb out of OK Falls and back into town!

My pace climbed well above my average goal of 5:45/km but I attributed that to the hills and just being tired.  It didn’t matter as I was still running, albeit slowly.  They say that in Ironman the race doesn’t really begin until the half way point on the run.  I believe it!  Jeremy reminded me of the importance of continuing to take on calories which I’m thankful for!  With that advice I took on as much as I could.    Now that I was on the second half of the run, I started taking on chicken noodle soup and cola at every aid station as well as gels, water and Gatorade.  Once back on Main Street, I had just 8km to go.  I felt that I still had some legs left and once again picked up the pace.  The last 2km were simply magic.  The streets were packed and filled with the thunder of thousands of cheering onlookers.  I saw many familiar faces and gave it all I had coming into the line!

I had done it!  I am an Ironman with a total time of 11:30:38!!!

Post-race thoughts:

Trying to maintain balance!

The day couldn’t have gone any better.  I felt great both physically and mentally the whole way.  No dark places were visited.  I stayed on top of my nutrition and managed to consume about 4000 calories throughout the race.  At some points, I took on extra gels on the bike just because I knew I would need it and my stomach seemed tolerant.  I learned a lot about myself that day.  Some of the things:

- I can stomach almost any combination of sugary concoctions
- not having to go to the bathroom saves ALOT of time
- trying new things on race day isn’t the end of the world as many advise against (new cycling shoes, new running socks that have never been tried, and using on course nutrition not used during training)
- I gain a lot of energy from the crowds and fellow competitors
- I like a little adversity on race day

Can’t wait to do it again in 2012!!

Thanks:

To everyone who supported me getting to this point over the past year and the years before!  A huge thanks to everyone that was out on the course to cheer.  You really made this day even more meaningful!

• Mom
• Jack
• Matt
• Lori
• Brianne
• Jon
• Mark
• Jeni
• Megan
• Marie
• Calvin and family
• Igor
• Steve
• Murray
• Jeremy
• Mike
• Anyone else that I may have missed…sorry!

My #1 Fan

The best friends a guy could ask for!

Of course, the event wouldn’t be what it is without an amazing city like Penticton,  it’s army of volunteers and all of the other competitors!!

Tags: Bike, Penticton, race, Run, Speed Theory, Swim, Triathlon

Oliver Half Ironman 2010

Preamble:

The Oliver half ironman represents my first attempt at this distance.  Going into the race I was confident I would finish it barring any major setback but I had no idea as to what time to expect. Suprisingly I was a lot less nervous going in than I though I’d be. I really tried to focus on what I had done up to this point and felt the long rides with the Speed Theory crew and Sunday runs set me up well for the race. I was staying up just outside of Oliver with a bunch of friends, one of which dared me to do my first tri back in 2008. They’re such a great group and I’ve had a blast. My rib hurt from laughing so hard all weekend!

Pre Race:

The alarm went off at 4:30am. I had been up since around 4 but tried to sneak in a few extra minutes. When my alarm went off I was quick to rise and begin the nutrition program which I’ll get to later. My gear was all layed out in three groups so all I had to do was throw them in a duffle bag and I was good to go! We hit the road by 5:30 and began the 40 minute drive into Oliver. Once there we packed the car and headed to body marking to avoid what was soon a monumental line of athletes waiting to be marked up. With the transition set up and in good order I put on my wetsuit and made my way to the water with the rest of the crew. It was comforting having people that I knew around as we were all doing this distance for the first time. We hit the lake for a little warm up swim before heading to the start line.

Swim (35:24 – 1:47/100m):

5…4…3…2…1. The water errupts in a torrent of flailing feet and arms as these mass starts always do. The first 200m were fast before settling into my pace.  My main goal was to have a comfortable swim and utilize the draft to save energy for the bike and run.  Unfortunately, I was a little too focused on form and efficiency that I didn’t sight nearly as much as I should have and as a result likely swam an extra couple hundred meters.  Coming out of the water, I was greeted with my first exposure to wetsuit strippers which really made it easy to get out of my frog suit!  Next came the looooooong run to T1.

T1 (5:53):

After exiting the water and getting used to being vertical once again, the run/shuffle to transition began.  The organizers did a great job of making sure the route was well swept which I was grateful for as bare feet and rocks just don’t go well together.  When I arrived at my bike I plopped on my helmet and began to wrestle with getting my socks over my wet feet.  Locked and loaded I was off.

Bike (2:43:16 – 34.2km/h)

Coming out onto the bike I felt pretty good but took Coach Calvin’s advice to settle in and not go out too hard at the beginning.  I wanted to get on my nutrition early and began taking small but frequent sips of my Infinit in the first few kilometers.  For the bike I mixed one bottle of regular strength Infinit which I had up on my aero bars as well as a second bottle of double concentrate Infinit in the frame.  Once the first bottle was done, I picked up water on course and began taking one sip of concentrated mix as well as a gulp of water to ward off any potential GI issues.  But back to the bike…  The course is absolutely spectacular and fast to boot.  It sweeps through many vineyards with a few minor hills and a couple of fast downhills.  Here my goal was to put down an average of 205-245 watts and not go out too hard on the hills.  Overall, I did fairly well at pacing with the exception of Highway 97.  It was hard to stay within my goal range as we were faced with a bit of a head wind and for some reason this stretch of road faced the most congestion of anywhere on the course.  Trying to avoid the “draft zone” was next to impossible unless you felt like tempting fate with traffic.  With this said, I did the best that I could to get out of it and push past to get some clear space.  Coming back in after the second lap, I felt good for the run.

T2 (1:56):

The second transition was quick.  I racked the bike, remembered to take my helmet off and put my shoes off and I was away.

Tags: Bike, Lessons, Oliver, race, Relaxation, Run, Swim, Triathlon

UBC Olympic Tri 2010

Preamble:

My second triathlon of 2010 and 4th race over all.  I was going into this one looking forward to it as it’s a great course and marks the race that really kicked off my love for the sport last year (although I wasn’t my first triathlon).  Contrary to most of my races over the past few weeks, I was coming into this one having taken a good taper and I was feeling good to go!

Pre-race:

Given that my heat wasn’t to start until 12:40, it was a bit of a different game in terms of eating so that I wouldn’t regret it once the race started while still having lots of fuel in the tank for the race ahead.  I got to UBC with plenty of time to set up and see some friends racing in the earlier heats.

Swim (26:53):

As far as pool swims go, UBC has by far the most civilized approach as you make your way zig-zagging across the pool.  This negates the usual “washing machine” encountered in most swims.  I started off strong and quickly caught up to the person in front of me.  After enjoying the draft for a lap, I gave a little tap and passed at the next wall.  As time went on I settled down a bit into a comfortable pace.  Feeling the tap of a swimmer behind, I let him pass and again, resumed my pace with the benefit of the draft conserving energy.  After 800m out of the pool I went only to jump pack in at lane two and continue for another 700m.  I continued on my pace which left me feeling better than normal getting out of the pool.

T1 (3:44):

After getting out of the water, I began the long walk/run to T1.  I had played this through many times in my head and everything went to plan.  I’m still not comfortable to do the “flying mount” so I put my shoes on and just ran with the bike to the mount line.

Bike (1:10:41):

Once I was all clipped in my main goal to tuck down in the aero bars and get on my nutrition early.  After discussing nutrition with Coach Calvin earlier in the week, I wanted to get a bottle of Infinit down in the first 2.5 laps leaving the last 1.5 to let it settle and hopefully no issues on the run.  A few huge gulps down and I began to get to the business of laying down the watts.  The nice thing about SW Marine Drive is on the stretch going towards 41st Ave, there’s an appreciable downhill.  Away I went with a quick exchange of hollars with Jeremy who was finishing up his last lap and looking strong!  After the run around, there was the gradual uphill heading back towards UBC. I stayed in aero and kept turning over  the pedals.  Soon enough I was upon the climb up 16th and lap 1 complete.  The other laps went much the same and with a quick peak at my pace goal thanks to Garmin Virtual Partner, I was on pace for my goal of finishing the bike in around 1:10.  I managed to get all my nutrition to plan and was feeling good…for now.

T2 (1:10):

In transition, I was quick to rack the bike but had a minor struggle getting the socks on.  I managed to remember to take my helmet off and with that, I was out on to the run course.

Run :

My legs felt great off the bike.  Sadly, about a minute into the run my stomach wasn’t feeling all that great.  I had a debilitating cramp on the left side right below the rib cage.  I continued to “run” with my pace getting slower and slower as I struggled to breath deeply enough.  The thought of pulling the plug came to mind for a brief moment until I pulled it together and thought about the book I’m reading at the moment (The Triathlete’s Guide to Mental Training) and pulled myself together.  I was not about to accept a DNF.  Even if I had to walk to whole damn thing I would finish.  I continued a mix of walking and running and took on some water at about 3.5km.  Starting to breath again, I began to run and noticed that the cramp was subsiding.  My focus then was to build up speed gradually until I cramped up again or the race was finished.   Speed continued to come and I refused to be frustrated with the cramp that had plagued the beginning half of my run.  The legs were turning over and I started to overtake some of the people who only a short time ago had passed me.  On the final stretch up the hill on East Mall I could see the finish line.  I was there.  What cramp?

Summary (2:37ish):

All things considered, I was happy with my swim, and stoked for my bike.  The run was what it is but highlights that I should have likely consumed some straight water on the bike to help with the digestion of the relatively carb/calorie dense Infinit mix.  Although I was hoping to be closer to 2:20, I gave my all and am satisfied that I gave what I could.  More than anything, I’m glad to have pushed through as going forward, if I ever have a similar struggle I’ll be able to look back on this one and say “I didn’t give up then, I’m not about to now.”  Hopefully it doesn’t come to that again.

Nutrition:

Note to self, drink some water in the mix as well.  Seeing how I managed to recover after consuming some on the run, I’m hopeful that I’ve managed to pinpoint what went wrong today.

Thanks:

A HUGE thanks to Speed Theory, Argon 18 and Finishline Coaching for all your support and advice!  Of course, thanks to my friends and family for your support as I continue down the path leading up to Ironman.

Tags: Argon 18, Bike, cold, race, Run, Swim, Triathlon

Delta Triathlon 2010

Preamble:

This was my first time doing this particular race and I was eager to race after a looooooong winter of putting in the hours.  As most of my training has been oriented towards long course races, I was anxious to see how the step up in intensity would affect me.

Pre-race:

I managed to score a solid 9 hours of sleep and ended up not being able to swim the night before as the local pool was closed unbeknownst to me.  Note to check the pool schedule online before walking all the way there.  I arrived what I thought to be early which was a good thing given that finding parking was the challenge that it always seems to be.  As I departed the car and found my way to the race package pick up I was informed that they were running 30 minutes AHEAD of schedule.  A sense of haste came over me that I have never experienced.  Prior to this I had ample time to get myself organized but now I was running short on time.  After getting marked up I literally ran to transition to get things set up and ready to go.  Once the bike and run good were set up, I ran towards the leisure centre (kind of an oxymoron in this case as I was hardly in a leisurely mood) to quickly run to the bathroom.  As always is the case, even the men’s restroom was lined up.  Adding to this, I noticed in the scuffle at the bike rack I had forgotten my goggles.  In keeping with the frantic start to the day, I ran back to transition, grabbed my goggles and then back to the pool once again.  Standing  around waiting for my heat to enter the loading area, I passed the time talking to Rob and Don which helped bring me back down to reality.  What surprised me is that somehow they went from being half and hour ahead to half an hour behind by the time I started the swim.  My guess is more people in the faster heats than the anticipated.

Swim:

As with all pool swims, it was fierce out there.  Put 10 fast swimmers in one lane and you see all kinds of things.  Swimming three abreast in both directions, line ups at the walls and the constant stream of white water and bubbles of the person in front of you.  I settled into a good rhythm after really pushing the first 100m.  I passed some people and some people passed me.  I snuck in a flip turn here and there but only after doing a shoulder check to ensure no one else was immediately behind me after almost being impaled by other swimmers who didn’t deem the same consideration necessary prior to doing their flip turn.  I kept it all together and continued to hold a good pace.  700m came and I was ready to hop out of the pool.  You can imagine my shock when they told me I had another 50 meters to go.  I counted every single lap and am sure that I didn’t miss one.  Frustrated, I decided not to argue and continued to swim the additional 50m.  It sucks because it effectively added an extra 50m penalty to my time.  In all sincerity, for the lane counter, I understand it can be challenging to count to 14 when there are 9 or so other people in the lane all wearing similar attire and swim caps.  It’s not an easy task and is likely one of the most challenging volunteer positions in a triathlon.  The official results read 12:31 but calculating that was for 750m rather than 700m, it should actually read 11:40 for 700m based on my average.

T1:

I was still frustrated from swimming the extra 50 meters but I knew I had to shake it out of my head.  I got to my rack, put on my shoes and helmet and off I went for my first race on the e-112.  I’m not sure on the timing on this one but I figure around 2 minutes.

Bike:

My goal here was to see just what I had to put out there and get on top of my nutrition.  I quickly settled into the aerobars and began putting down the power.  I was a bit cold to begin with still being soaked from the swim and the cool air and speed didn’t help but within about 5 minutes I was bone dry.  I played a bit of leap frog with a guy that I had spoken to while waiting for the swim to start before saying our goodbyes as I charged up the highway overpass.  On the way out there was a nice little headwind which meant the reward of a tailwind on the stretch coming back.  Here I gained some major speed and continued to feel good while taking in more Infinit.  The first lap went by in a hurry and before I knew it I was back into the headwind for lap 2 of 2.  Overall, I averaged a speed of 33.5kph and 212W.  I thought I would have averaged higher than that for power but the numbers don’t lie unless forgetting to recalibrate the Quarq to the temperature counts?

T2:

Coming off the bike, I quickly racked up the bike, put on my race belt and tied up my placed before heading out.  Yes, I said tie.  Having just bought new racing shoes, I forgot to get my bungee laces.  By my Gamin’s count I was through T2 in 1 min 35 seconds.

Run:

Fresh off the bike, I felt really strong on the run.  I settled my focus on having a good turnover as I proceeded to make ground.  With the swim fiasco seeming like an eternity ago, I just laid down what I could.  I still held back a bit thinking I should save some for the last km but in hindsight I really should have pushed harder.  One of the things I always make an effort to do is thank the volunteers while out on the run.  It’s hard to do on the bike as you go whipping by but on the run it’s much easier.  As the KM markers passed, I continued to feel strong with the threat of rain picking up with a light shower before dissipating once again.  Coming into the home stretch I pulled out all the stops and finished in an overall time of 1:10:45.

Summary:

My goal was to beat an 1:10 and taking into account the extra swim I came in right on target.  Overall, it was a good race with great volunteers!  Without them and the event organizers, we wouldn’t have a race in the first place so THANK YOU!  As the first triathlon of the season, this was more to sweep out of the cobwebs from the winter.  I need to work on my transitions as I continue my training which will hopefully yield a payoff in terms of speed.  I finished 28/327 overall and 6/15 in my age group.  In the grand scheme of things, the extra lap cost me 1 position in the over all and none in my age group so not a whole heck of a lot.  Had I been in position for a top 3 finish it would be a different story but given that I would need to break an hour, I’m a long way off.

Nutrition:

Pre-race I had my normal bowl of frosted wheaties at home along with a latte before heading out to the race.  A bottle of water down on the drive and half a bottle of Infinit pre-race.  The extra hour delay prior to the start of the swim didn’t really affect my nutrition as at no point leading up to the start did I feel hungry or lacking in energy.  On the bike I consumed about 3/4 of a bottle and nothing on the run.  No GI issues to speak of and only a little bloating on the bike when I swallowed a bunch of air along with my mix from the bottle.

Thanks:

As always, a HUGE thanks to Speed Theory and Argon 18 for all their support!  And where would I be without Coach Calvin keeping me on track in my training leading up to IMC

Tags: Argon 18, Bike, race, Run, Speed Theory, Swim, Triathlon