Vancity Tri Guy

Motivation

Lately Ive been exploring the concept of motivation. Specifically, what motivates me in all aspects of my life. I suppose its just the time of year for reflection with all racing behind me and the goal races of 2012 off in the distant future.

If I could only pick one word to describe my year in sport it would be spontaneous. Initially, I came into the year with no plan of racing an iron distance race. Quite the opposite, I had intended on focusing on the shorter distance races before taking on another IM again in 2012. Well, that plan lasted only a few weeks into 2011 before I had discovered some friends were racing Ironman France and happened to have an extra spot in their condo. For some reason, months earlier I had been looking at races all over the world suffering from a bit of post-first-ironman blues and had decided that Ironman France would be on my One Day list.

Well, needless to say, it came a lot sooner than initially thought and I was elated to have the opportunity. So much for not racing an ironman in 2011! Add to this, my journey to France represented my first trip off the continent! Nothing like crossing that one off your list while packing all of the necessary toys to complete an ironman. With the flights booked and registration paid, I had a few months to get myself together. I opted to go self coached this season as a bit of an experiment of my motivation. Coming off of a tremendous first ironman with a great coach, I was curious to see if I could use this energy and motivation along with my passion for the sport and follow a plan from one of the many books on the market.

On balance, I did okay. I enjoyed planning out my weeks one month at a time and completed most workouts. What I noticed is that more often than not, I completed the specified duration or distance but I didnt really focus on the intent. As a result, most of my workouts were done at the same effort which did yield improvement, just not as much as could be realized by mixing it up both weekly and throughout the season. Lesson learned: variance in training has a purpose.

In terms of other races, here too spontaneity rang true. Throughout the season I had signed up for several races. Come race day, I ended up not racing in several due to a combination of fighting injury or, as in the case of the Oliver Half Iron, dropping due to realization that perhaps it was just too close to Ironman France and would potentially jeopardize my readiness to take on the mountains in Provence. The interesting part of all this was that I was generally okay with it. All along I continued to train but for one reason or another just didnt feel ready to toe the time or didnt want to risk longer term injury. What I realized was that I liked the training for the sake of training. Race or not, I was happy to get out there on the bike or to lace up my runners. Swimming was a completely different story. If I cant go out my door and do the sport, motivation wanes greatly. Even the short 10 minute walk to the pool was and still is enough to deter me where as on the bike or run, I open my door and Im ready to go. So here I am at the inflection point transitioning from one season to the next.

Taking the lessons from last year, I feel grateful for taking the opportunity to explore myself in the sport unguided. These are lessons that needed to be learned and looking back, I wouldnt change a thing. For 2012, I have enlisted the expertise of an excellent coach with whom I have shared many training ideas over the years. Heck, he even sold me my first road bike back in 2009! Having someone else to make the plan removes having to do it myself and adds the confidence that comes from trusting your coachs experience and ability to put the big picture together. Now I can focus on executing the plan and also benefit from having a sounding board for all of the thoughts and ideas that come to mind about training and equipment (aka – toys) although I try to keep it limited and save my questions. Sorry Doug! Other steps in the right direction are having signed up for several races already which are intentionally spaced in relation to key races throughout the season. 2012 is shaping up to be a good one!

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On the life front, the one descriptive word would be chance. You know when something so absolutely amazing happens that you just cant help but wonder how or why? Well that very feeling started one Saturday night at the end of March. I was at a good friends birthday hanging out with some familiar faces when my attention was almost immediately stolen by the presence of someone I had never met. She walked into the pub and immediately I noticed her. She was tall, confident and wore the girl next door demeanor that absolutely captivated me. I knew that if I didnt say hi that eventually Id be labeled as some sort of creeper that kept checking her out. Eventually, I summoned up enough nerves to go over and talk to her after exchanging enough looks from across the table. What I didnt expect was that the conversation would last most of the night. In reality, it felt like a blur.

Prior to that night, I had been quite comfortable in being single and had long since shut down my PoF profile. I had a solid career and a consuming passion for the sport of triathlon, what more could a guy want?! Its funny how one minute you can be completely complacent with an idea and the next be completely smitten. Perhaps Im a bit of a hopeless romantic. Whatever it was, it marked the beginning of the best occurrence of 2011. In the months that have followed, those same feelings persist but grow stronger with every day. It has only been a 8 but we have shared many great memories and trips which I can only hope will continue. Not wanting to expose my bleeding heart to the interwebs anymore than I already have I will leave it at this. Sometimes, things happen for a reason. Not always, but when they do, you have to be ready.

——

In terms of work, it comes down to an expression: growing pains. This year has marked the most challenging to date in my still relatively young career. After 18 months since my most recent job change, my manager was leaving on a sabbatical and I was gunning hard for the opportunity to fill her shoes. Starting in April, I was granted the opportunity to lead the group. What wasnt expected at the time however was the team would see a large amount of movement in terms of people. It was thought that we had stability in staff and that we would be hiring only to replace myself. Unfortunately, there appears to be something in he water at the office and several other departments had openings to cover maternity leaves which resulted in two people leaving the group. Add another who took an opportunity at a different company and I had to hire 4 people right off the bat. One didnt work out so it ended up being 5 hires within the first 6 weeks on the job.

Needless to say, those weeks brought a tremendous amount of stress and also a steep learning curve resulting in a few too many sleepless nights. While trying to balance my added responsibilities both on the HR front and daily operations of running the team, I was also excited to have someone new in my life while simultaneously training for an ironman. Was I crazy?! What I have learned over the past several months is to take things in stride. Work, and life for that matter, will bring challenges outside of your control. I like a certain amount of spontenaiety in my life but too much makes me feel uneasy. As a function of this experience, I feel that I more readily accept the unexpected and just roll with the punches as they come along.

With all of the above said, I look forward to 2012 and beyond. 2011 has been a year of many lessons in all facets of my life but I appreciate that I am still learning and have much to realize. With a solid support network of my family and friends I am ready for the challenges the may be waiting ahead.

Tags: France, Injury, Ironman, Ironman France, Lessons, Motivation, Oliver, race, Reflection, Season

Gearing up for France

As seems to be the trend recently I have been a bit behind on my writing. Lots of good continues to go on with just over 8 weeks until the big day! That means just seven short weeks until I depart for France. I’m excited and a bit nervous all at the same time as I have never traveled abroad before let alone while packing all the gear that goes along with triathlon.

I have my accommodation covered for a week once I get there but before that and for the week and a half after I’m on my own. I’m debating between camping versus the hotel/hostel option as both are appealing in their own right. I’ve always loved camping as it is a great way to see an area and waking up to fresh air is always pleasant. I’m still mulling it over and will likely do a bit of both. The question will really come down to what to do with the bike while I’m not riding it.

One of my goals is to explore some of the French villages that I have always wanted to see ever since watching the Tour de France. Part of the draw of doing Ironman France has always been the bike course which is not only challenging in it’s relentless climbs but also because it takes you through many of these villages. I’m hoping to spend some time in Carpentras or Bédoin which are well known for great cycling. Perhaps a bit crazy but I’m hoping to have some time to just noodle on the bike and check out some of the sights on two wheels. After a week of recovery post ironman I may even attempt to climb Mont Ventoux.

Added to this, I’ve recently started a new role with my existing employer and I’m really enjoying the opportunity. I am learning more with each passing day. Interestingly, the lessons learned from sport have come to provide me with some added tools in managing the multitude of information and work that comes along with it. That and I’m surrounded by great people who are both knowledgable and keen to lend a hand.

On the training front, all is going well. I have really enjoyed going the self-coached route this year and have found that I am far more accountable to myself. That is, I’m more inclined to reach the targets that I set out for myself and have learned a lot in terms of assessing my personal performance and when I need to take a recovery day. It has meant spending more time researching different methodologies but by in large I have enjoyed the process and have used Joel Friel’s book “Your Best Triathlon” as the basis to my training. Admittedly, I don’t do everything by the book in an attempt to maintain some balance with the rest of life but I’m definitely the fittest that I have ever been and with 6 more weeks of the build phase prior to starting my taper I am confident that it will be a fantastic race. In combination with the training I have had a number of great rides with the fellas from Speed Theory where I have laughed until it hurts while still getting the work done. We did a long day on the north shore a few weekends ago with a combined total of 7,000 feet of climbing. It was a long day and I definitely felt it but it made my feel good knowing that IMFr has 5,000 feet. Still, I need to make sure I can run a marathon after so I intend on spending more time in the hills over the coming weeks.

That’s it for now!

Tags: France, Ironman, race, Speed Theory, Travel

First Half Marathon

The first race of 2011 has come and gone. Back in November when I signed up for the First Half I was excited about it as I had been told that it was a great race both in terms of organization and the course it self. I was not disappointed! Since my last race at the Seattle Marathon, a few things had changed.

1) I took the month of December off from running due to some knee issues – learned a hard lesson in Seattle NOT to hammer downhills at sub 3min/km pace

2) My continued experimentation with the Paleo diet has left me 12 pounds lighter than when I finished Ironman back in August. Despite the concern from some that my energy or recovery might be hampered, I have never felt that I have more energy and actually feel that my recovery is coming along faster than before which isn’t hard to believe given my former belief that I could eat whatever I wanted as I was burning so many calories while training.

Anyhow, so I went into the race feeling curious as to what these changed would mean. A potential loss of some fitness after the off season, potentially countered by loss of weight and improved running economy.

Race morning was pretty standard. I woke up with 2 hours to spare, had my morning shake and a couple of cups of coffee for good measure. Given that the race was pretty much in my backyard, I took my time and clicked around on the interwebs for a bit before jogging down to Yaletown as a warmup. I felt pretty good in terms of rest and just overall mental and physical preparedness. Walking through the throngs of people I saw many familiar faces and knew that it would be a fast race given some of the talent on deck. Going with my usual mindset, I simply choose to race my own race as my goal is always to improve upon my past. As I collected myself, I began to focus on my goal for the day of running a 90 minute or faster half marathon. I was ready for this race and ready for a new personal best!

As the gun went off, the crowd slowly got off the line. I had seeded myself poorly and found myself running up the side once the stampede finally broke out into somewhat of a running pace. Not to dispair, I made up some good time as I let the legs open up a bit. After the first couple of kilometers, I figured my body had settled into it’s pace and everything was looking good. My heart rate was holding steady just a few beats below my threshold and was where I expected given the average pace of 4:10/km.

I chose not to listen to music when I race for a variety of reasons. First, you’re not allowed to in triathlon and for me it just seemed to carry over to running as well despite it being allowed. Second, I like hearing myself run. From my breathing to the sound of my foot strike, I know when I’m on form and when I’m getting sloppy and need to pay more attention to maintaining a good turnover. It’s too easy to get wrapped up in the beat of the music and before you know it you’re usually running too fast or too slow. The one good thing that it does is give shelter to the sound of heart rate alarms and talkers. I laugh about it now but at the time of the race, there was this one lady easily carrying on conversation at a 90 minute pace! I almost wanted to stop and tell her that she would run faster if she would just stop talking. Instead, I picked up the pace just long enough to dump her out of earshot.

Passing the half way point, I was well on pace to shatter my previous personal best from the 2010 BMO Half so long as the legs held up. Unlike over race before it, I opted not to carry any nutrition with me. After reading that most people have enough glycogen stores to fuel a 60-90 minute workout and experimenting in training, I figured I would be okay and if needed I could grab some nutrition on course. Almost out of superstition I downed a few cups of Gatorade although I doubt that it amounted to more than 50 calories. The good news is that it affirms my experiment with myself and in future halfs, I will stick to just water unless it’s super hot where electrolytes might be more of the issue.

With 6 km to go I was still on pace but could feel (and hear) that I was starting to face ever so slightly. My heart rate was now right at threshold while my pace had dropped just a bit to around a 4:15/km. As I continued around Lost Lagoon I let the pace undulate along with the terrain. The mental math began in my head and I knew I would have to totally explode not to get a PB. But I didn’t just want to beat my best, I wanted 90 minutes or better so I mentally put my head down and continued to give when I had left. With just 1 mile to go, I was pretty sore but knew it would be over in 7 minutes or less. With 100m to go I did a quick shoulder check (Yes Megan, I even do it when running) and was startled to see someone right on my 9 o’clock. I actually jumped which spirred me into an all out sprint to the finish.

1:30:33!!

I was (and still am) stoked! I reached my goal and paced it perfectly not feeling that I could have given anymore throughout the race.

A huge shout out to the Pacific Road Runners for putting on such a well organized race! Many of their members are unable to run this race as they’re too busy volunteering to make it happen. Great work as well to all the runners out there!

And to prove that it happened, here’s the Garmin file. The first couple of splits are wonky as I forgot to turn on my autolap but after 3km each lap represents 1 km.

Tags: First Half, Nutrition, Pacific Road Runners, Paleo, race, Run

Ironman France – It’s Official!

Last week I made a spontaneous decision to do something that I really wanted to do.  It was something that I didn’t see myself doing for quite some time for a number of reasons.  That decision: to race Ironman France in 2011!

Ever since I became engulfed in the sport of triathlon, Ironman France was on my radar as a race that I knew I just had to do one day.  Known for being one of the most scenic courses as well as one of the toughest with its 5000 feet of climbing it had my name all over it.  One of the barriers keeping me from doing this race unfamiliarity of travelling abroad as up to this day the furthest that I have traveled is to Antigonish, Nova Scotia.  Travelling to France will open a new frontier for me in terms of cultural experiences.  The other barrier is of course the cost of travel.  The catalyst was when I ran into a friend of a few friends at the YMCA last week who happened to be going to race as well.  In conversation it came up that they had one more spot in their condo in Nice.  With the seed already planted long ago, this was the water that made it sprout as the thought of racing in a foreign place with three familiar faces made it that much more approachable as well as a means to keep the costs down.  I went home and couldn’t think of anything else as I scoured the web for information on the race.

Two days after the conversation initially took place, I had an email in my inbox confirming that I indeed did have a spot on the beach on June 26, 2011!  One of the things I like most about triathlon is the logistics of executing three different sports in succession as well as the fourth sport of nutrition.  Of course, travelling with all the gear adds to the logistical puzzle and I am all over it.  I’m watching flights to see how the prices move and have booked three weeks off work to fit it all in.  Right now, I have a roof over my head for the critical race week but I am leaving some of the vacation open to chance outside of this.

Spontaneity isn’t something that comes naturally to me so I want to be outside of my comfort zone just a bit.  Plans are still up in the air but I would like to explore Provence while I’m there and hope to see some of the villages in the area by bike.  If last year was any indication, I should be okay to ride around within a few days of the race provided that I keep the effort down to a reasonable level.

Training has already begun as I had initially planned on racing the Oliver Half Ironman which unfortunately was given the boot for this year with the opportunity to see a dream come true by racing in France!  Fortunately, base training is much the same for half and full iron-distance races so I should be in good form on race day.  Now it’s time to remain focused as the training continues to build over the next 5 months.  As I mentioned in a previous post, my goal is to improve my consistency for the 2011 season.

One of the changes that I have made in order to achieve this goal is to get up at the same time each day regardless of whether or not I have a training session before work.  Right now I’m getting up at 5:45am each day but I’ll be moving that to 5:00 next week as my ultimate goal would be to get a couple of double sessions in before work on non-tempo days.  For days when I don’t have a workout before work I’ve been using this time to read which is something I have no done much of since university.  Reading topics of personal interest is far more rewarding and I’ve really enjoyed learning again as the topics I’ve been reading about include nutrition, focus management, coaching and appreciating the smaller things in life.  It’s going to be a great year!

Tags: France, Nice, race, Triathlon

Seattle Marathon 2010

Preamble:

In the post-IMC doldrums I decided that I needed another challenge to shoot for. Given that the triathlon season generally comes to an end in September I knew that this challenge would come in the form of a run. The Victoria marathon was just 6 weeks after Ironman and being unsure as to how I would recover I decided to opt out and watch a friend run it instead. This led me to the Seattle marathon! Always up for a challenge as well, Cam decided to take me up on this challenge as well!

Pre-Race:

With our hotel just a few blocks from the start line, it was nice to get to sleep in. Where I would usually get up 3 hours prior to the race for something like a 70.3 or full IM, the alarm was set for just over an hour away from the start. Once awake, there was time for a quick breakfast and it was out the door arriving at the start line with 10 minutes to spare. Perfect timing!

Race:

With the gun sound blaring we were off and running through the streets of downtown Seattle. Wanting to play it conservative, I set my sights at maintaining a steady 5:00/km pace. The challenge here was that my GPS was all over the place given the signal bonk off all the buildings. A bit frustrating but I had a pretty good feel for the pace and used my heart rate as well to keep me in check. Cam and I went back and forth for the first quarter as I let the pace back on the ups and blasted down the hills.

One of the neat parts of the race is that you run on the HOV lane out towards Mercer Island before entering a tunnel for about a km. It went quick but the downside was that it threw my Garmin through a bit of a loop throwing my pace off as I calculated that it said I was 800m further than I actually was. Not a huge deal but it made my overall pace a bit of a challenge to calculate in my head.

Things went pretty smooth through the second quarter as I passed the half way point at 1:43 plus some change. My goal was to run the first half at a 5:00/km pace and then pick it up with what I could for the second half. With this, I picked up the pace ever so slightly leading into the third quarter. Nutrition was good with no GI issues to speak of. I was enjoying the race but not all was to continue so well. With just over 6 miles to go I was passed by the 3:30 pace bunny. I held on for about a mile before I just couldn’t maintain the turn over. The pain was getting the better of me with both my hip flexors giving me grief as well as my left knee. Added to this, the seemingly endless climbs.
Not one to get into my own head, I just kept on dieseling along with all that I could. The pace was what it was but it was beyond my control. My goal shifted from maintaining a pace to continuing to run other than walking up a couple of the particularly steep stretches of road. What goes up must come down but in this case it was an unwelcomed assault on my already flaming quads. Back in the streets of downtown Seattle where the race had began, I was just 2 miles from the finish. Let me say that those were two of the most bittersweet miles of my life. I was sore but pleased with my performance. I tried to pick up the pace for a strong finish but I was out of gears. Into the stadium I ran through the finish line where I ran into Cam once again who had finished within a couple of minutes.

Post-Race:

This was my first open marathon. The one closing out Ironman was an entirely different beast. With this, I started fresh in contrast to the Ironman marathon where I had already been racing for over 7 hours. The first thing that I said to Cam was “that was harder than Ironman” as I was hunched over my trembling legs. After giving it some additional thought, it’s not that the marathon was harder but it hurt more…a lot more. Looking back on it just a few hours later, it was a great experience! The weather was perfect ranging between about 4 degrees when we started to about 8 by the time we finished. This race has a history of being cold and rainy so the cool temperatures and mixed cloud and sun were a welcomed treat.

Nutrition:

Well, my iron gut succeeded again. No matter what I threw at it, not so much as a cramp! I used my usual supply of Inifnit in my race belt which was good for about 450 calories. In addition to that, I took on 5 gels, some Gatorade and lots of water. I didn’t have a particular frequency, rather just going with the flow. All in all I figure I consumed about 1000-1100 calories during the race and about 600 calories at breakfast. I did struggle with leg turnover in the last quarter but I suspect it was a function of pain and muscle fatigue more than depletion of glycogen stores.

Thanks!

As always to my friends and family for putting up with my obsessive antics . To Cam for racing a fantastic race and making for an entertaining road trip. Last but certainly not least, Coach Calvin for putting together a fantastic race prep program over the past 3 months and the folks at Speed Theory for all the advice…and my fancy new compression socks!

Tags: Injury, Pain, race, Run

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

BMO Half Marathon 2010

Preamble:

Going into this race I was excited as I knew the course well having done it the past 3 consecutive years and would have a good metric to compare how my training has been coming along since I started working with Coach Calvin in October.  At the same time, I wasn’t expecting a PB in the half marathon distance as my training the three days leading up to the run included my hardest tempo ride to date on Thursday, a tempo run on Friday and just for fun a 147km ride from Ladner to Aldergrove and back the day before the race.  So in other words, I didn’t taper at all.  When it comes to racing, I believe that 95% of it is between your ears and the rest is racing to what the day holds.  I wanted to see how my legs would hold up after putting in some serious mile to give me an idea as to how I will do in my first half Ironman in just over a month in Oliver.

Race:

With 10 minutes before the gun went off, I self-seeded myself around the 1:45 runners as I figured I could at least do that having run a 1:48 last year with a full taper.  Shortly there after the start sound blasted and off we went!  As is usually the case, it’s a mash of people passing eachother, running on side walks, weaving and generally just a mess of people.  Nothing compared to the swim start in a triathlon however so easy to deal with.  In the past year, I’ve really focused on running smart and not being concerned with trying to keep up with someone who looks like they would be at my speed.  Instead, I sat back and let them go quickly settling into my pace which I held steady.  Up and over the Dunsmuir viaduct the mild hill hurt way less than I remembered.  I continued to push on as the rain started to fall.  Fortunately, with all the rain we’ve received so far this fall, I mean spring, I’ve grown accustomed to being in the wet and it did little to detract from my focus on even pacing.

Next up, the climb to Prospect Point just over half way done.  I had run this section earlier in the week as part of my hill repeats and felt confident remembering that it felt way easier then than I remembered from the last time I ran it in 2009 during the BMO Half Marathon.  I settled into a reduced pace and made it to the top feeling ready to open the taps on the downhill.  I used to struggle on the downs just as much as the ups but such is no longer the case.  Having been passed by a few on the up, I quickly reeled them back in averaging 4:13 and 4:07 per km on the two km’s of downhill.

Back on the flats, I had 5 more km to go and was feeling terrific.  Looking at my average pace so far, I was elated that a new PB was easily within each as my watch read 4:40/km avg.  My last half marathon was the Historic Half in February of this year where I averaged 4:45/km.  With this, I continued to push away focusing on good form and digging as deep as I could.  Down on Beach Ave I saw Jeremy from Speed Theory for one last bit of motivation to keep me going to the end.  In the last km I wanted it so badly.  I came across the line in 1 hours 37 minutes 37 seconds.  That’s a personal best by 1 minute and 43 seconds.  Compared to the 2009 BMO half, my time represents an approximate 11 minute improvement!

Summary:

Overall, a well paced race that adds a huge boost to my confidence going into my longer distance triathlons coming up over the balance of the summer.  This is the last run that I’ve registered for so far leaving another 4 triathlons spread throughout the season.  I’m STOKED!

Nutrition:

My usual bowl of wheaties and coffee got me going in the morning.  On the race, 1 scoop of Infinit spread over my 3 water bottles in my hydration belt.  At no point was I hungry or did I feel low energy.  I’ve been training exclusively with it since the fall and swear by it as it negates the need for gels as it has all the calories, carbs and electrolytes in one  easy to consume package.

Tags: personal best, race, Run

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