57 Du's in 57 Days Challenge

To help keep you fit in these winter months, you might want to take part in this challenge.
Please sign up and enjoy.

http://www.teamrunningfree.com/forum/viewtopic.php?p=619#619

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year

Local newspaper articles

Here is a link to a story in the local paper.

http://www.yorkregion.com/News/Sports/article/64476



Here is another one from the summer:

http://yorkregion.ca/News/Sports/article/48285

It's Been a While But Check This Out

I'll post some more stuff soon (at least once a week).
But check this video out of a girl who snapped her leg (quite a few times actually) just before the finish line at a cross-country race. It happens just after the 30th girl finishes.

ESPN did a story on it. The link is below.

http://sports.espn.go.com/ncaa/highschool/news/story?id=311184&lpos=spotlight&lid=tab8pos1

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Ironman Hawaii results

There were some surprises but my picks were pretty good.
Congrats to Macca on a wicked race. I'm a huge fan of his. He is clearly on of the greats of this wicked sport.
It would have made my day if Sam McGlone or Michellie Jones had won as well.
Nice job by Tim DeBoom too. What a great comeback from a few years of bad luck and injuries.

Men’s Results
1. Chris McCormack (AUS) 8:15:34
2. Craig Alexander (AUS) 8:19:04
3. Torbjorn Sindballe (DEN) 8:21:30
4. Tim DeBoom (USA) 8:22:33
5. Marino Vanhoenacker (BEL) 8:23:31

Women’s Results
1. Chrissie Wellington (GBR) 9:08:45
2. Samantha McGlone (CAN) 9:14:04
3. Kate Major (AUS) 9:19:13
4. Joanna Lawn (NZL) 9:26:47
5. Rebecca Preston (AUS) 9:26:55

Congrats to Rick Choy on his finish (first time at the big dance).

Til next time
RH

Kona goes tomorrow

Some people look forward to the Superbowl as their big yearly sports event, not me. This weekend is all about the World's Greatest Sporting Event, the Ironman World Championships in Hawaii.

Tomorrow morning, the world's best athletes will jump into the waters to do a 3.81 km swim, ride 180 km and finish with a 42 km run.

So who is going to win at the big dance?
I know who I WANT to win. But will they?
My faves for victory are Michellie Jones (no surprise--see my first blog entry), and Chris McCormack. I'll be cheering for them the whole way along with Canadian Samantha McGlone of course.

Here are my picks for top five in both the women's and men's race.

Women
1. Michellie Jones
2. Samantha McGlone
3. Natasha Badmann
4. Desiree Ficker
5. Kate Major
Also watch for: Joanna Zeiger, Joanna Lawn, and Heather Gollnick.

Men
1. Chris McCormack
2. Normann Stadler
3. Craig Alexander
4. Rutger Beke
5. Tim DeBoom (suspiciously quiet and under the radar)
Watch for: Jasper Blake, Cameron Brown (also under the radar), Tom Evans and Chris Lieto. Faris Al-Sultan just dropped out of the race (6:10am).

Go Canada!!!
It should be an awesome day of racing.

Til next time
RH

Toronto Waterfront 1/2 Marathon

This past weekend I performed the role of the 2 hr (10 and 1) Pace Bunny at the Toronto Waterfront Marathon. I finished with a time of 2:00:00.4, and I am happy to say that all those that followed me finished sub 2 hrs and reached/surpassed their goals (I told them to blast off with 1 km to go if they hadn't taken off already).

I did this last year and once again it was a ton of fun. This year we more more recognizable so I had lots more followers and runners asking me questions along the way.

This is one of the better races to do. Brilliantly organized, nice route, a cool finish area, it always seems to have awesome weather, the Expo is one of the best on the circuit, and their pacer program is unique.

I was also real cool to see the fastest marathon run on Canadian soil. Check this out. http://www.teamrunningfree.com/forum/viewtopic.php?t=98

Thanks to Alan and Michael of the Canada Running Series. They put on awesome running events and this event keeps getting better and better. I hope they take me back for pacer duties for a third year in a row.

Ken Danby

My favourite artist died this past weekend while on a canoe trip up in Northern Ontario. I just love his artwork. It's too bad the world will not see any more brilliant art from this Canadian legend.
My condolences go out to his family.



Ken Danby


At the Crease

Race: Wasaga Beach Sprint Duathlon
Date: Saturday September 8, 2007.
Location: Wasaga Beach, Ontario
Description: Duathlon 5km/20km/2.5km
Website: www.multisportcanada.com

After doing Ironman Canada a few weeks ago, all I’ve been doing is slacking and not partaking in much exercise at all. This week I finally did 2 slow runs totalling 41 minutes (6.5 km). Both achilles were still achy and so was my left knee. So while I was looking forward to letting it all hang out at Wasaga, that possibility was not likely.

I got 2.5 hrs of sleep (no explanation), I did not feel like racing but headed out anyway since I love racing at Wasaga. Got to the race site in 1 hr and 25 minutes (found a new quicker route: 400, 26, 27, and 92 into Wasaga).

The wind was strong and for the second year in a row the swim was cancelled for the triathletes. This meant everyone would be doing the duathlon. No difference for me but it would be cool to compare times with the faster triathletes.


The Race

The Run (5km) – Everyone was off like a shot. I was running faster than I normally do (usually holding back to ensure I stay injury free for my upcoming Ironman races) but I was not making much progress on the leaders. They were either going way faster than they should, or there were lots of fast runners out this morning.
I ran hard but comfortable, finishing the 5km run in 22:29. I was in 35th position at that point so I was looking forward to doing some passing on the bike leg.

T1 at Wasaga is one of the hardest on the circuit. You do about 1 minute of running on soft packed sand, then onto the asphalt to the bikes, and then you run your bike out another 50m or so to the bike mount line. I did it in 2:13.

The Bike (20 km)

Aerodynamics are especially important on this flat and windy course so I was excited to be back on board my Litespeed Saber (back from IMCAN).

I was hoping to plow through and catch up to the top 10 runners. But after 5 km, my legs felt heavy (still cooked from IMCAN) and I could not tap into my extra turbo boost effort. I was making calls to the engine room for more power but no one was answering. I lost some time in the no passing zone (trapped behind one guy taking it as a no speed zone as well), but I still managed to pass 19 people in the short 20km ride.

I did the bike in 34:03, averaging 35.2 km/hr. It was the 9th best bike overall.
T2 was quick except for that tough sand section before reaching the boardwalk, did it in 1:58.

The Final Run (2.5 km)

Out onto the run I saw that Pat Menzies, the first place guy in my age category was about 1 km ahead (we said hi to each other), and the second place guy was too far ahead as well so I just held a hard tempo until the end. I did the final run in 10:33. Total time for the race: 1:11:13, 19th overall, 3rd in the 35-39 age group.


The Stats:
5 km Run - 22:29
T1 – 2:13
20 km Bike – 34:03 (9th best overall)
T2 – 1:58
2.5 km Run – 10:33
Total Time – 1:11:13


Other thoughts

This is my 6th year doing this race and it still remains one of my favourites. The run course definitely has variety (sand, boardwalk, asphalt, some dirt and grass), and the bike is flat (but the ever-present wind makes it tougher).

Multisport Canada gave us cool tech shirts for this race, and arranged for free parking on the municipal lots for all racers.

Team Running Free was well represented and all looked to have kick butt races. Congrats to Karen Gamble, Peter Geering, Prem Hall, Gary Kennedy, Mike Leader, and Horacio Werchow. I missed some others but those races took place when I was chowing down on KFC (see below).

I was feeling tired and hungry on the way home. So since I had not yet rewarded myself with my yearly visit to KFC (usually happens after my last Ironman race of the year), I stopped off in Barrie, had a 4 piece meal, fries, cole slaw, and washed it down with a giant Dr. Pepper. It loved every morsel and I’m happy to report that it did not come back to haunt me later. Only 364 days until I get to eat it again. Mmmmm. I love the rewards of training and hard work.

As I write this, Rick “Crazyman” Choy has just finished Ironman Wisconsin in 13:37:40 (remember the dude just did Ironman Canada a few weeks ago). That’s 5 Ironman finishes so far this year, and 2 more to go (unless he has more planned). Way to go Rick. I’m jealous.

Up next: Borden Duathlon, Scotiabank 1/2 (2 hour 10 and 1 Pace Bunny)

Extended Ironman Canada Race Report

Ironman Canada Race Report
The Extended Version

Location: Penticton, British Columbia

Description: 3.8 km Swim, 180 km Bike, 42.1 km Run

Website: www.ironman.ca

* WARNING: This is very long (could have been longer) and is pretty much just a spewing of thoughts that I jotted down during my trip to Ironman Canada. Hopefully you might find some interesting/entertaining stuff but I’ve included a lot of things so that I can remember what happened.

Wednesday

Flew out of Toronto at 11am on Air Canada.

Maybe this is not new but it is great to see Air Canada finally getting into the modern age and having touch screen on-demand personal entertainment devices at each seat. It was really cool and made the 5+ hour flight much easier to cope with.

Finally landed in Penticton at 5 pm (a bit delayed). Got picked up by Doug Copithorne at Best Car Rentals. Got our rental car (Doug upgraded us to a SUV at no extra charge—sweet) and made an immediate beeline for the ECM Tent to throw down a bunch of cash at Ironman Canada merchandise. I was only in town for 1 hr and spent $500+ already.

Checked in at Lakewynd B&B, and then went to dinner at the Hillside Estates Winery.
Had Potato & Leek Soup, Spinach Salad (w/ blueberries, papaya & goat cheese, and a New York Strip Steak, and a few glasses of wine. Then it was off to bed for a nice sleep at 11:15pm.


Thursday

Headed down to Okanagan Lake and had a 20 minute swim. Drove down to the Carmi Hotel to pick up my bike from Aubrey Bryce (Enduro Training Systems), the best bike shipping service around. Then headed back to Okanagan Park for race kit pick-up.

Spent some more time in town before heading back to the B & B.

Went for a 45-minute bike ride, followed by a 20 minute run.

Went to the Welcome Dinner. The regular sort of stuff had a decent spread. Lasagna, Cheese Ravioli, BBQ ¼ chicken, pasta salad, regular salad, brownies, Gatorade and water.


Friday

Got up at 8am, weighed in at 170 lbs and went for a 41 minute run on the KVR Trail. Everything felt great and the scenery along the trail made me wish that I lived and trained here.

Got back to the B&B for a shower, breaky (Omelette, 2 pcs of toast with jam, juice, and coffee).

Drove into town, met with the gang (Marie, Angus, and JP). They went for a ride along the run course while I stayed in Okanagan Park to walk around the expo again and to see the pro press conference.

Had a late lunch (2:30pm) at the Sumac Ridge Winery Bistro with Wifey, Michelle and Angus. A must do if you are in Penticton. We ate tons. I had a goat cheese platter, kosher salt fries with blackberry ketchup, sirloin steak, and 3 types of ice cream. I knew that I probably threw on an extra few pounds in this sitting but it was well worth it. On the way out I bought a few bottles of their special edition Ironman Canada wines.

Got back into town at 4:50pm and attended the Welcome Banquet. I knew from last year that for some unexplainable reason people start lining up for this thing over an hour before the doors open. We arrived at a perfect time because we walked right in and joined the food line (like we needed to eat more). We did have to sit in the overflow section outside but that was fine. Since we did not need more food, we took the opportunity to stock up on Gatorade, pop and water. They did show some nice videos and presented lots of stuff about the history of the race but other than this you really don’t need to attend this dinner. Use the money you would have used for tickets for your family and take them to a nice dinner in town or at some winery.

Ooops. Almost forgot to mention that Angus had a case of the waterworks during a video clip of Dick Hoyt talking about his son. Caught you in the act buddy. I could not resist mentioning it.

The whole gang was in a social mood so we wasted a bunch of time chatting outside the convention centre and then made our way over to Salty’s at 9:30pm for some drinks and some eats. I had a giant pint of Naramata Nut Brown Ale (I think I’m hooked on this stuff—smooth, refreshing and no aftertaste), and 12 East Coast Oysters. We checked out of there at 10:45 pm and called it a night.

At the B&B I packed my transition bags, showered, weighed in at 178.5 lbs, and hit the sack at 12:30 pm.


Saturday

Woke up at 8:30 am, weighed in at 172.5 lbs (what a relief), had breaky and left for town with all my equipment.

Got to the race site at 10 am and quickly checked in my Bike and Transition Bags.

Walked around the Expo again, chatted with the Triathlon Magazine Canada guys, caught up with the rest of the gang and we went for lunch at the Penticton Lakeside Hotel. Took advantage of their great deal (BBQ Chicken Breast sandwich and salad bar for $10-12).

We all broke off to do our own thing, and the Wifey and I went to the movies and saw the “Bourne Identity”.

It was then off to Subway for my traditional night-before meal. I ordered a Footlong Oven Roasted Chicken Breast.

Back at the B&B I started on my Infinit mixing, eating, relaxing, showering, shaving, and prepping my stuff for race day. The Infinit mixing is long process since I was fitting in 12 scoops of fuel into one bike bottle, along with 4 scoops into a Fuel Belt flask. It takes quite a while for the mix to settle before you can put in more power and start again. But I will put up with this minor irritant because it is the fuel source that works best for me in Ironman racing.

Feel asleep in between 10 and 10:30 pm.


Sunday

Woke up at 3:15 am and had 2 bottles of Vanilla Boost and 1 Powerbar (Milk Chocolate Brownie), and went back to bed.

Got up again for the final time at 5:15 am, got ready for the day, had another bottle of Boost and sipped on my Infinit Ironman race formula up until race start.

Got to transition at 6:05 am. Got bodymarked, put nutrition in run transition bag, and did some final prep on my bike. I waited until the 5 minutes to go to make my final Porta-potty stop, I was the last one to cross the timing mats and made my way to the water. Someone zipped me up at the waters edge and a minute later the cannon went off the start the race.

Goal: Be patient, do the race at the top end of Zone 2 (150 bpm), and see what happens.

Swim: I started at the back and due to the water being so shallow it took about 2 minutes of wading before I could actually start swimming. Since this was my 4th swim of the year, I was not out to set any speed records, just getting through it healthy was the prime objective. Other than the multitude of swimmers zigzagging all over the course it was fairly enjoyable swim. Not the smash-em up derby like Lake Placid. I came out of the water in 1:27:30. Average HR: 152 – Ended up being my hardest effort all day.

T1 - 5:53. I changed outside the tent to make sure I didn’t sit down. I made sure to secure my own transition bag so I lost some time there.

Bike: The plan was to ride steady and controlled the whole way. If I felt like I was racing I would back off. I made sure to get in all my Infinit so I would not bonk later. I had a few bouts of GI problems but nothing major. Popping salt tablets seemed to settle things down. I took a brief pee break at the bottom of the Richter Pass climb, and saw that I needed to take in more fluids.

The wind picked up big time with about 60 km to go. I haven’t ridden in winds like that since the National Duathlon Championships in 2006. It forced me to be very careful on that huge downhill section back into town. I completed the bike in 6:21:10 with an Avg. HR of 145 bpm.

T2 - 6:50. Went inside the tent, changed into run shorts, got on my Adidas Formotion Control shoes, my fanny pack, put Vaseline on some vital areas, made a Porta-potty stop, and headed out on the run with my pal John Clark.

Run: John and I ran together for about 5 miles and then he let me go on my way after an aid station. Unlike last year, I behaved myself and kept my HR between 145 and 150 bpm.

I really wanted to get revenge on the hills late in the course and maintain my pace throughout. I sipped Infinit and water for the first 13 miles but I was soon getting sick of it and wanted something else. I started snacking on Sport Beans and wanted more, unfortunately I only had one package. I finished the first half of the marathon in 2:22:37. Not exactly what I wanted but patience is key on this run course.

I knew at that point that breaking 13 hours would happen if I could maintain my current pace. However, I wanted a 12:45 so I picked up the pace slightly. I started drinking cola, chicken soup and water at each aid station and got a boost of energy. I was able to maintain approx. 10:30 per mile pace (including aid station walks) and started pushing the pace a bit more when I got back onto Main Street. With 2 km to go I just gave it all I had, finished that last 2km in 10 minutes, scared the people I passed with my horse snorting, and crossed the finish line in 12:42:14. My personal best time and 31 minutes faster than Lake Placid five weeks ago.

I had actually negative split the marathon! Running the last half in 2:18:14. Out of everything I am most surprised and proud of that. My Avg. HR for the run was 148 bpm.

My Avg. HR for the entire day was 149 bpm, and I burned off 11 492 calories. I’ve never felt so fresh after an Ironman race.

After finishing I had a nice long chat with Wifey and Michelle. Then get my finisher picture taken, had a Powerbar Recovery drink, and got a great massage. I was starting to feel especially chilly so I nixed my plans of “icing” my legs in the lake.

Gathered all my belongings and went back to the B & B. Showered changed and headed back to town to watch JP and Angus finish.

JP finished in 14 and change and Angus rolled in at a comfortable 16:30ish. headed back to the B & B. I was wired and did not fall asleep until 3 am.

The stats:
Swim – 1:27:30
T1 – 5:53
Bike – 6:21:10
T2 – 6:50
Run – 4:40:51 (2:22:37/2:18:14)
Total – 12:42:14


Monday August 27th

I really did not sleep much, I was still hyped from the race and going through it in my head a million times, wondering where I could have been faster. Got up at 6 am and did not bother trying to go back to sleep.

Had breaky and went to the race site. The line-ups for race registration was nuts, and so was the lines for pictures and the merchandise tent. So I decided to drop off my bike to Aubrey first and come back later when the lines hopefully would be shorter.

Dropped off the bike, visited Starbucks (Lite Mocha Frapp), hooked up with the rest of the crew, and finally got my pictures, results, and checked out the finishers stuff (resisted the temptation to buy anything).

We tried to have lunch at the Dream Café (healthy but really tasty food) but they were closed on Mondays. So the A & R Ironman crew headed up to the Lost Moose Lodge. Nestled on the east side of one mountains neighboring Penticton, this place had an awesome view of the city. The lunch menu was half decent and their burgers had some unique ingredients. Their dinner menu looked much better. We ate tons anyway, and had some more Naramata Nut Brown Ale.

Went back to the B & B and napped from 2 – 5:45 pm.

Made our way to the Awards Banquet at 6:30 pm (making sure to be at least 1 hr late), and walked right in. Got some food/slop (No taste chicken breast, Fake Ribs/McRib, overdressed Caesar salad, rice & chickpeas, a small offering of desserts, water, pop and Gatorade. Definitely not worth the $35 some people had to pay to get their family and friends in.

This was also the most boring event I’ve ever sat through. It is best to go and have a nice dinner with family and friends and then show up in time to see the Pro awards presentation, the race video, and get a copy of the DVD.

Interesting note on the DVD this year. While the video was playing, I walked out of the hall and 2 ladies were giving them out (they usually wait until it ends), so I got a copy and was hustling out to tell my friends to hurry up and get theirs before the madness begins. By the time I get them the mad rush for the video has started and the ladies announce that they had run out of videos, and that everyone had to contact NA Sports to have a copy mailed to them (after paying the shipping fee of course). Needless to say that there were a ton of angry people since they only had 2 boxes worth of videos. The ladies were facing the wrath of the crowd and so they quickly packed up and got out of there.

People still waited in the lobby for their videos for at least 20 minutes (not believing that they ran out already) and no one made any further announcements. Most of the peeved off throng eventually dispersed and only a small few remained just chatting with each other (as our group was doing). Suddenly, some NA Sports staff run in with a huge shipment of DVD’s. They were wondering where everyone was and we told them what transpired. They commented that someone should not have made that announcement that they ran out of DVD’s because they had enough for everyone. So basically whoever was left hanging around the convention centre luckily got their videos. Not good, but it was the only poor organizational thing I’ve seen all weekend though.

Since it was our last night in Penticton together, we all went out to a pub (KVR Brew Pub? At the Ramada). We enjoyed some beverages, had a fun time, and left just after midnight.

Back at the B & B, Wifey and I packed like mad because our flight left at 6:50am. I finished packing at around 3:30 am and hit the sack.


Tuesday August 28

Left the B & B at 5:40 am, got to the airport at 6 am, checked in quickly (my suitcase weight 53 lbs—the 5 bottles of wine and 2 bottles of Gatorade helped contribute to that).

Waited for the flight and saw Lance Watson and Lucy Smith. They ended up sitting right in front of us on the flight. We flew out on time at 6:50 am.

Our flight was delayed in Vancouver. We boarded on time (an older plane from 1988, a 767-300), but sat on the plane for 75 minutes for it to take off. It finally took off at 10:33 am (1:33 pm Toronto time) and we landed in Toronto at 5:15pm. There was no fancy entertainment system on this flight so I used the time to finish at book called “Full Time in Sub-Nine.” A solid read but I didn’t really learn anything I didn’t already know. A lot I learned at the race a few days ago.


Other stuff:

After 13 Ironmans I think that I may have figured out how to race this thing. I’ve never felt so fresh during and after an Ironman race. Yes, I had lots left but who knows what would have happened if I took the risk and pushed too hard. I’ll save the risk taking for short course racing.

No more banning of alcohol before the race. With all the great wineries in the area I was unable to resist every day and I had my best race.

Angus Kim: Congrats on another Ironman finish. This time as a married man.

Johnny P: I know you wanted to go faster but you did wicked with what fitness you had. Congrats. Thanks for waiting for me in T2, running together for that 4-5 miles was fun.

Thanks to the A & R Ironman Crew (Lana & Michelle) for all your support and cheering all day. We couldn’t do it without you guys. Marie – tough luck but you will achieve your goal one day.

Thanks to Ian at www.imfit.ca for his guidance for the past few months in making sure I improved my aerobic engine on both the bike and run, for the FIST bike fitting (I’ve never been as comfortable on my bike), and his fitness testing services (which accurately determined all of my HR training/racing zones). All of these were key to all of the improvements I made this season. Don't mess around with your bike fit and go to see him. Also if you are serious about your training, you need to get a fitness test done.

If you plan on doing this race here are a few tips:

- Pick up your race kit on Friday (crazy long line-ups on Thursday but none on Friday).

- Don’t waste your money buying Banquet tickets for your family. It is a huge rip-off and the food is absolutely horrid. Monday’s dinner saw the return of the McRib – not a good thing.

- There really is no reason to show up to either banquet (unless it is the second one where they give out the DVD – even then you can show up late). Very boring, bad food and huge line-ups to get in (people start lining up over and hour before). If you show up an hour late you can walk right in though.

Check out this genius

While you wait for my very long IMCAN report, check out this wonderful product of the USA's education system.

Super Grover is here

It was on order but I finally got it.

It is one of the greatest Birthday presents I ever received.

Thanks Doreen and Lionel. You are both the best and the coolest!

Hopefully it will make me a superhero out there on the bike and run. Up, up and away!!!



If you want to learn more about Super Gover check this out:

http://muppet.wikia.com/wiki/Super_Grover

IMCAN Race Pics

Haven't written the full meal deal yet so enjoy these pictures:

Found these on the net:

PB at Ironman Canada

Whoo hoo! I was secretly aiming for a 12:45 at Ironman Canada and got 12:42.
Everything felt awesome all day largely due to the fact I raced in my Zone 2 the entire time (my average heart rate for the day was 149 beats per minute).

Maybe I took it too easy but you never know. I'll gladly take my 12:42 knowing that I am capable of going lots faster. I just have to tap into that short course bike speed and bring it over to Ironman racing and so some run focus months (achilles permitting) to bring my marathon time down.

I will have a full scale report coming (talking about restaurants to visit in Penticton, etc.), but here is a shorter race day version.


Race Report
By Roger Hospedales, Team Running Free

Race: Ironman Canada

Date: Sunday August 26, 2007.

Location: Penticton, British Columbia

Description: 3.8 km Swim, 180 km Bike, 42.2 km Run

Sport: Triathlon

Website: www.ironman.ca

Race day

Woke up at 3:15 am and had 2 bottles of Vanilla Boost and 1 Powerbar (Milk Chocolate Brownie), and went back to bed.

Got up again for the final time at 5:15 am, got ready for the day, had another bottle of Boost and sipped on my Infinit Ironman race formula up until race start.

Got to transition at 6:05 am. Got bodymarked, put nutrition in run transition bag, and did some final prep on my bike. I waited until the 5 minutes to go to make my final Porta-potty stop, I was the last one to cross the timing mats and made my way to the water. Someone zipped me up at the waters edge and a minute later the cannon went off the start the race.

Goal: Be patient, do the race at the top end of Zone 2 (150 bpm), and see what happens.

Swim:

I started at the back and due to the water being so shallow it took about 2 minutes of wading before I could actually start swimming.

Since this was my 4th swim of the year, I was not out to set any speed records, just getting through it healthy was the prime objective. Other than the multitude of swimmers zigzagging all over the course it was fairly enjoyable swim. Not the smash-em up derby like Lake Placid. I came out of the water in 1:27:30. Average HR: 152 – Ended up being my hardest effort all day.

T1:

5:53. I changed outside the tent to make sure I didn’t sit down. I made sure to secure my own transition bag so I lost some time there.

Bike:

The plan was to ride steady and controlled the whole way. If I felt like I was racing I would back off. I made sure to get in all my Infinit so I would not bonk later. I had a few bouts of GI problems but nothing major. Popping salt tablets seemed to settle things down. I took a brief pee break at the bottom of the Richter Pass climb, and saw that I needed to take in more fluids.

The wind picked up big time with about 60 km to go. I haven’t ridden in winds like that since the National Duathlon Championships in 2006. It forced me to be very careful on that huge downhill section back into town. I completed the bike in 6:21:10 with an Avg. HR of 145 bpm.

T2:

6:50. Went inside the tent, changed into run shorts, got on my Adidas Formotion Control shoes, my fanny pack, put Vaseline on some vital areas, made a Porta-potty stop, and headed out on the run with my pal John Clark.

Run:

John and I ran together for about 5 miles and then he let me go on my way after an aid station. Unlike last year, I behaved myself and kept my HR between 145 and 150 bpm.

I really wanted to get revenge on the hills late in the course and maintain my pace throughout. I sipped Infinit and water for the first 13 miles but I was soon getting sick of it and wanted something else. I started snacking on Sport Beans and wanted more, unfortunately I only had one package. I finished the first half of the marathon in 2:22:37. Not exactly what I wanted but patience is key on this run course.

I knew at that point that breaking 13 hours would happen if I could maintain my current pace. However, I wanted a 12:45 so I picked up the pace slightly. I started drinking cola, chicken soup and water at each aid station and got a boost of energy. I was able to maintain approx. 10:30 per mile pace (including aid station walks) and started pushing the pace a bit more when I got back onto Main Street. With 2 km to go I just gave it all I had, finished that last 2km in 10 minutes, scared the people I passed with my horse snorting, and crossed the finish line in 12:42:14. My personal best time and 31 minutes faster than Lake Placid five weeks ago.

I had actually negative split the marathon! Running the last half in 2:18:14. Out of everything I am most surprised and proud of that. My Avg. HR for the run was 148 bpm.

My Avg. HR for the entire day was 149 bpm, and I burned off 11 492 calories. I’ve never felt so fresh after an Ironman race.

The stats:
Swim – 1:27:30
T1 – 5:53
Bike – 6:21:10
T2 – 6:50
Run – 4:40:51 (2:22:37/2:18:14)
Total – 12:42:14


Other stuff:

After 13 Ironmans I think that I may have figured out how to race this thing. I’ve never felt so fresh during and after an Ironman race. Yes, I had lots left but who knows what would have happened if I took the risk and pushed too hard. I’ll save the risk taking for short course racing.

No more banning of alcohol before the race. With all the great wineries in the area I was unable to resist every day and I had my best race.

Rick Choy: Way to finish another one. 4 down 3 to go, and I thought I was crazy for doing 3 Ironmans last year.

Angus Kim: Congrats on another Ironman finish. This time as a married man.

Thanks to the A & R Ironman Crew (Lana & Michelle) for all your support and cheering all day. We couldn’t do it without you guys. Marie – tough luck but you will achieve your goal one day.

Thanks to Ian at www.imfit.ca for his guidance for the past few months in making sure I improved my aerobic engine on both the bike and run, for the FIST bike fitting (I’ve never been as comfortable on my bike), and his fitness testing services (which accurately determined all of my HR training/racing zones). All of these were key to all of the improvements I made this season. Don't mess around with your bike fit and go to see him. Also if you are serious about your training, you need to get a fitness test done.

If you plan on doing this race here are a few tips:

Pick up you race kit on Friday (crazy long line-ups on Thursday but none on Friday).

Don’t waste your money buying Banquet tickets for your family. It is a huge rip-off and the food is absolutely horrid. Monday’s dinner saw the return of the McRib – not a good thing.

There really is no reason to show up to either banquet (unless it is the second one where they give out the DVD – even then you can show up late). Very boring, bad food and huge line-ups to get in (people start lining up over and hour before). If you show up an hour late you can walk right in though.


Up next:

Wasaga Beach Sprint Duathlon, Base Borden Duathlon, Pace bunny at Waterfront ½ Marathon.

Toronto Island Duathlon Race Report

Race: Toronto Island Duathlon
Date: Saturday August 18, 2007.
Location: Toronto Island, Ontario
Description: Duathlon 5km/30km/5km
Website: www.multisportcanada.com

This race was used as a final tune-up for Ironman Canada and I didn’t care much about placing anywhere. So I will try and talk about the new course, my prank on Angus, and my mishaps.

The Race

The Run (5km) – As I mentioned in my last report, my buddy Angus Kim (Team RF member) got married last week. So my plan was to decorate this bike with Just Married stickers, and signs that morning. The only obstacle in the plan was that he did not leave the transition area until a few minutes before the start of the race.

When he finally left, I got to work with my decorating. Unfortunately for me the horn went off to start the race and I was still in sticking my stickers on his bike and hanging signs on the racks. Since I didn’t care much for today’s result I finished my decorating and ran out of transition to catch up with the rest of the 1st wave. I was a little over 3 minutes behind at that point. I was not going to kill myself to get back into the thick of the field (I have IMCAN in a week) so I just ran steady the whole way. I somehow still ran 25:16 for the 5 km. My Avg. HR was 155 bpm.

The Bike (30 km) - My Litespeed Saber is being shipped to IMCAN so I brought out my Litespeed Siena for this one. I love flat courses so I was looking to kicking some butt on this one. After the first lap of the bike I was feeling cruddy. I was pushing fairly hard but was not passing anyone, and people who I usually pass by time on the bike were gaining on me. I was severely puzzled. Yes, it was windy but not that windy. Could it be fatigue or overtraining? I was thinking that this is not a good thing heading into Ironman Canada. It felt like I was doing a spin class with a tension of 10.

At the 15 km mark I was still struggling to hold 27 km/hr so I decide to flip open the latch on both of my brakes just in case they were rubbing. Eureka! All of a sudden my speed kicks up to 37 km/hr and I maintain 35 km/hr or higher for the rest of the course. This is going to mean a not so stellar bike split but I was relieved to know that I was still in good form heading into IMCAN. I did the bike in 54:34, averaging 33 km/hr, and with an Avg. HR of 165.

The Final Run (5 km) – I was so far behind any of the top age groupers so there was no need to kick it into overdrive and catch anyone. I kept it controlled (avg. HR of 159) and finished the final run in 23:45 - a negative split by 90 seconds (of course this was due to my delayed start). My legs felt great during the run and I hope it is a sign of things to come in one week. My Avg. HR for the entire race was 161 and I burned off 1818 calories.

The Stats:
5 km Run - 25:16
T1 – 41 seconds
30 km Bike – 54:34
T2 – 41 seconds
5 km Run – 23:45
Total Time – 1:44:55

Other stuff

Multisport Canada did another great job putting on this race. Despite the swim being cancelled (the water was 56 degrees), they staggered things fairly well to ensure that the bike course was not too crowded. A few things need improving (areas where the run course and bike course are too close to each other, line-ups for race kit pick up and ferry service, even more of a stagger to the waves). But John Salt of HSBC already mentioned improvements to all of these things at the post race awards so things should be perfect for next year.

During the bike leg when I was not feeling all that jovial, I was sure that I would not return to race here. But sitting and writing this hours later I am thinking that I will. It is a nice setting, I like the mix of asphalt, grass and trail on the run, and the bike course is tight in certain areas but flat (which suits me perfectly). The only real negative was the fleecing on parking fees in the area (not Multisport Canada’s fault), and the line-ups for the ferry and race kits. Hopefully this will be rectified by next year.

Mike Leader - thanks for unintentionally providing a distraction so I could decorate Angus’ bike before the race. You came by at the right time. Well, maybe a few minutes earlier would have better since I could have started with my actual wave. Nice race by the way.

Angus - Thanks for being a good sport and keeping that big “Just Married” sticker on your bike the whole day (even on the ferry ride back to Toronto).

Up next: Ironman Canada on August 26th.

Cobourg Race Weekend

Race Report
By Roger Hospedales, Team Running Free

Race: Cobourg Duathlons (International & Sprint)

Date: Saturday August 11 & Sunday August 12, 2007.

Location: Cobourg, Ontario

Description: International Du: 10/40/5 & Sprint Du: 5/20/2.5

Sport: Duathlon

Website: www.multisportcanada.com

Prelude
Having pulled my hamstring the weekend before (still don’t know how), and with my ongoing Achilles problems, I did not do anything but ice, stretch and physio from Sunday – Wednesday. With Ironman Canada only a few weeks away this was a huge scare. But things came around and I felt good enough to race on Saturday. I just was not going to push hard. It was all going to be about going at Ironman pace on the run, push a little harder on the bike if I felt good and pick up some points for the overall standings of the HSBC Duathlon Series.

The Races
Saturday - International Du:

The Run (10km) - Like Gravenhurst, I ran with my buddy and Team RF member, Angus Kim (getting married later today). However, this time we ran a bit faster. I wanted to run at my planned pace for Ironman Canada (HR in the 150’s) so Angus (also doing Ironman Canada) and I ran together for the entire 10 km, finishing it in 52:23 (well below our previous 1 hr run at Gravenhurst). My Avg. HR was 155 bpm.

The Bike (40 km) - In previous years my best bike leg at Cobourg was barely 30 km/hr so my goal for the bike was see how much my biking has improved and boost that average speed. I ended up having a good ride and averaged 32.4 km/hr. Could it be due to my new ride this year (Litespeed Saber)? I caught myself coasting a few times so there is still of room for improvement. My Avg. HR for the bike was 171.

The Final Run (5 km) – I surveyed the field and realized that I could be in the top 3 of my age group. I calculated that I had at least a 2-3 minute lead over the next guy so I ran at a slightly faster pace than the first run because I did not want a sprint finish. With about 2 km to go I saw that guy in my age group about 30 seconds back so I pushed the pace a bit and finished just 6 seconds ahead of him. My Avg. HR was 170. When the results were posted I was pleasantly surprised to find out that I had finished 1st in the 35-39 age group. Sweet! I think all of the speedsters are showing up tomorrow but you can only race against the people that show up. That’s 150 points to my series standings and that should put me out of reach for anyone to catch me. My Avg. HR for the entire race was 165 and I burned off 2795 calories.

The Stats:
10 km Run - 52:23
T1 – 40 seconds
40 km Bike – 1:14:10
T2 – 40 seconds
5 km Run – 25:05
Total Time – 2:32:56


Sunday - Sprint Du:
Other than my usual tight Achilles, I felt fairly fresh race morning. I just felt a bit heavy from eating way too much food at Angus’ Wedding reception. I weighed in this morning with an extra 7 lbs on my frame.

I checked out the list of competitors and saw there were a lot of fast dudes here today. So I was just hoping to pick up some more points, and race at the upper end of my aerobic zone to make sure I don’t injure myself.

The Run (5km) – Ran a controlled up-tempo pace (for me anyway) and finished the run in 23:24. My Avg. HR was 162 bpm.

The Bike (20 km) – Once again I wanted to average more than 30 km/hr, and despite my chain falling off I was able to do this, averaging 31.9 km/hr for the bike leg. I had the 9th best bike split overall and my Avg. HR for the bike was 164. I definitely could have gone much faster. No excuses other than I was being a wuss.

T1 & T2 – I mention these because I had had the fastest transition times in the field. Gotta love free speed.

The Final Run (2.5 km) – The first 2 guys in the race were in my age group and there was no catching them. So I just ran steady until the end and finished the run in 12:16. My Avg. HR for the race was 164 and I burned off 1352 calories. I was 12th overall and 3rd in the 35-39 age group.

The Stats:
5 km Run - 23:24
T1 – 34 seconds
20 km Bike – 37:38
T2 – 28 seconds
2.5 km Run – 12:16
Total Time – 1:14:18


Other stuff
Congrats to the Multisport Canada crew for putting on another awesome race. The venue is in a cozy park setting, it is close to home, and there is a waterpark for the kids or for you to cool off in. Don’t let the tough bike course scare you, add this race to your calendars for next year.

Congratulations to Angus and Michelle on getting hitched this weekend. Thanks for inviting me to take part in your special day. It was awesome.

Congrats to Marie on completing her first Olympic Distance Triathlon. Now get going on that freestyle.

Great to see Team Running Free out in full force: Congrats to Syd, Kalon, Badith (first overall in the International Duathlon), Prem, Karen, Laurent, and Angus on some great racing in that heat and humidity.

Up next: The Toronto Island Duathlon on August 18, and then Ironman Canada on August 26th.

Woe is me

I was looking forward to putting in a solid 3 weeks of training before IMCAN and things were going well. I had an excellent bike ride on Saturday (aerobic ride - 120 km in 3 hrs 50 min) and enjoyed my rest day on Sunday.

However..........later that night my left hamstring acts up and it feels like I pulled it big time. This is after feeling perfect all day. I am totally puzzled.

So as of today, I have done zero exercise. I've just been icing, stretching, TP Massage balling, and finally some physio today. I am just hoping this clears up in time for IMCAN. We will see about the Cobourg races this weekend. Maybe I'll walk that run.

By the way, look for the new Ironman 70.3 Muskoka race on Sunday September 14, 2008. Signup is this Thursday at 7 am - www.ironmanmuskoka.com

But the HSBC series is going to announce a new Half Irondistance race that is coming to Bracebridege, Ontario too. I'll keep you posted or check www.multisportcanada.com for updates.

Now back to more icing.
Later
RH

How about taking up skateboarding?

Check out this crazy stuff.

Ironmen are still tougher and crazier though.

Cool Cycling video montage.

Check out this video. Real cool. Gotta love the Johnny Cash.

Ironman USA Lake Placid 2007

Race Report
By Roger Hospedales, Team Running Free

Race: Ironman USA Lake Placid

Date: Sunday July 22, 2007.

Location: Lake Placid, New York

Description: 3.8 km Swim, 180 km Bike, 42.2 km Run

Sport: Triathlon

Website: www.ironmanusa.com

For your reading pleasure I plan on making this report a lot shorter than last year’s.
If you have any questions or want to find out other details, you can always post your questions or send me an email.

Thursday
- Angus (also of Team RF) and I arrived in Lake Placid at 3:30 pm, and it was pouring rain.
- Got our race kits. I weighed in at 170 lbs.
- The rain nixed my plans to do a 90-minute ride.
- Had a nice dinner of awesome sandwiches from Simply Gourmet.

Friday
- At 9:20 am, I jumped into Mirror Lake for my first swim of the year. It was a comfortable 21- minute dip. My rhythm felt good, practiced my sighting and I felt all set for race day.
- It was raining on and off all day. Angus and I managed to squeeze in a 15-minute ride. We cut it short due to a dark storm approaching. I had my bike all prepped (cleaned, lubed, etc.) and was not going to do it all over again.
- Went to the Welcome Dinner. The regular sort of stuff had a decent spread. Lasagna, Cheese Ravioli, BBQ ¼ chicken, pasta salad, regular salad, brownies, Gatorade and water.
- Caught a flick, Chuck & Larry (Adam Sandler). Lots of laughs. The only problem was that I now had the stupid James Blunt song in my head – if you see the movie you will know what I mean.

Saturday
- Checked in my Bike and Transition Bags bright and early (the line ups get crazy later). I saw Lisa Regan and had a nice chat.
- Had some lunch, and then had a 4 pm hang out session with some pals to celebrate the culmination of our training to get to race day. I broke with tradition (no alcohol at least one week before the race) and had 2 beers.
- After a dinner of a footlong turkey sub, I did a final weigh in of 179 lbs. What!!! So much for carefully watching what I ate the last few days. But I was drinking lots of fluid that I hopefully what all that weight was.

Sunday
- Did my usual 2 cans of Boost at 3 am, and another at the final wake-up at 5:15 am.
- Got to transition at 6:15 am (the town was packed, I’ve never parked that far away from the oval before). Pumped tires, put nutrition on bike and in transition bags, had a Starbuck Double Shot Espresso, hit the Porta-potty one last time and Angus and I made the trek up to the lake.

Goal: Use this as a long training day to dial in my nutrition, pace, and HR for Ironman Canada.

Swim:
- The crowd was awesome. There was an estimated 15 000 spectators surrounding Mirror Lake for the start of the race. After the US Anthem, they pumped us up with some Ozzy, and sent us off with the cannon and played U2’s Beautiful Day. I stayed back on the beach to suck in the incredible sight and let the swim start madness subside a bit.
- The first lap was slow (45 minutes). I swam wide to avoid lots of breaststrokers, sidestrokers, backstrokers, etc. On the second lap I hugged the line but doing so means traffic. I found a big Clydesdale dude to follow and we were making great progress. It felt much faster than the first lap and I had thoughts of negative splitting. However, with 1 km to go the zipper on my wetsuit opened, I started going slower, and then started sinking. I spent a lot of wasted time trying to zip it back up but ditched that attempt because I was using a lot of energy just trying to stay afloat. So I let the wetsuit fill with water and found a way to plug away with a heavy freestyle stroke right to the end. Came out in 1:32 (I was expecting 1:40 plus).

T1:
- I changed outside the tent to stay away from the madness inside. Could have been faster but I made sure to secure my transition bag to ensure no lost equipment.

Bike:
- The plan was to ride the first loop easy and keep the heart rate no higher than 145 bpm. I completed the first 90 km in 3:15 and feeling good. I was looking forward to letting loose a little bit on the second loop, allowing myself to ride at a heart rate no higher than 155 bpm. Everything was going well until the 150 km mark. I was climbing the hill at Hazelton and my right thigh cramped badly. I clipped out, dismounted the bike, drank some Infinit, stretched and waited out the cramp. After a few minutes I started back up the hill again and the cramp returned as I approached the top. I clipped out again but this time I did some one-legged pedaling while shaking out my right leg. The cramp eventually went away but I now dialed back my heart rate to the high 140’s because the higher intensity seemed to be bringing on the cramps. I continued fuelling, hydrating and keeping things steady for the rest of the loop, and finished it in 3:22. I was fairly happy with only a 7-minute difference from first loop to second. Especially after taking 2 breaks (cramps and pee break/back stretch).

T2:
- Did a total change of clothes and was done in 3 minutes. But I decided to take some extra time to visit the facilities and slap tons of Vaseline on all my chaffing areas.

Run:
- The sun was out in full force with no cloud relief, so the run was nice and toasty. I checked my skin and I was already caked with a film of salt from the bike ride. The mission was to keep a heart rate of 150-155 bpm for the entire run and try to make sure I kept hydrated, fueled and took in my electrolytes. I did the first 21 km loop in 2:18. I was maintaining 10-minute miles but lost a few seconds at each aid station (better to be fueled than to totally bonk and walking later). These aid station walks were a bit longer in the second loop as things got tougher. I started on cola and water from the 30 km mark (I was done with sipping concentrated Infinit at that point) because I was dehydrated and fuelling was not as important at that point in the race. I tried to maintain my goal HR zones but I could feel the onset of cramps if I did so I lowered the HR to the high 140’s and maintained it right to the finish line. I crossed the line in 13:13:48, my best time at Lake Placid. Considering I trained right through to race day (no full fledged taper since my goal is to go sub 13 at Ironman Canada) I was happy with what I did. I can only hope that this is a sign of good things to come on August 26.

The stats:
Swim – 1:32:59
T1 – 7:12
Bike – 6:37:20 (3:14:59/3:22:21)
T2 – 6:27
Run – 4:49:50 (2:18:55/2:30:55)
Total – 13:13:48

Kudos and post race thoughts:
- Lisa Regan on a kick butt Ironman debut. No major meltdown on the run and she looked strong all day. You kept me running out there, congrats on the 13:03.
- Rick Choy. Way to keep pushing out there despite not feeling all that great.
- Angus Kim. Nice job on finishing on just 7 days of training. We must get started on that book idea. And thanks for playing a huge role in making me gain 10 lbs from Thursday to Saturday night. There is no way I will go out and eat with you before Ironman Canada.
- Teena Bogner. Wicked job on race day considering you had to balance motherhood along with the other tons of crap going on in your life. You did yourself, Ian, Nigel and those 2 kids you were racing for real proud. Thanks for motivating me to keep running.
- Much love to Lana and Michelle who were out cheering all day and dealing with our nonsense for 4 days. You are a crucial part of the A & R Ironman Team.

- The "Avalanche" - thanks for your company and for getting me out for those long rides.

- Ian at IMFIT.ca - you rule. You should all get tested to find out your true training zones.
- You always learn something at an Ironman and I am glad I learned how to swim with an open water logged wetsuit. This something that you should practice. I spooked me out for a while but now I know how to swim in such a situation. I read on a forum that some kayakers (those watching us during the swim) saw athletes intentionally punch others and pulling their wetsuit zippers. Crazy stuff.
- Yes, my right shoulder dislocated once again during the swim. It finally went back to normal (somewhat) by Thursday. This is why I don’t do any swim training.

- Angus & I got in line and signed up for next year. That will be IMLP #10 for me.

Up next:
- Rest. Rest. Rest. Then start a 3-week training block for my “A” race – Ironman Canada.
- Before that though I’ll be racing at Cobourg and Toronto duathlons.

I'm Off!

Hey All,

In a few hours I'll be off on my annual trek to Ironman Lake Placid.
It will be a nice test (experimenting with my racing HR zones) as I try to nail down things for Ironman Canada on August 26th.
I did not do much of a taper and I will do my first swim of the year later today hopefully and definitely tomorrow.

Check out www.ironman.com or www.ironmanusa.com for live race updates.
They usually have a live video feed so you might see me cross the line.

Race report to follow asap.
RH

Gravenhurst Double Du Report

Race Report
By Roger Hospedales, Team Running Free

Race: Gravenhurst Duathlons (International & Sprint)

Date: Saturday June 9 & Sunday June 10, 2007.

Location: Gravenhurst, Ontario

Description: International Du: 10/40/5 & Sprint Du: 5/20/2.5

Sport: Duathlon

Website: www.multisportcanada.com

Race plan
Saturday’s International Du – Run at Ironman pace, and Bike at a dream Ironman pace.
Sunday’s Sprint Du – Run at the top of my Aerobic zone, push hard on the bike, and run hard as possible in the final run segment if a podium position was possible.

Execution of said plan
International Du:
Ran the first 10 km at the lowest intensity I’ve ever done at a race. My average heart rate was 139. This was largely due to the fact that I was running with my good pal and Team RF member, Angus Kim. We are driving down to Lake Placid together so we spent the time (1:00:57 to be exact) making arrangements and catching up on a few things. It was one of the most memorable runs I’ve ever had but it put me behind the eight ball heading into the bike. I knew I could make up some time but that much? By the way, the run is hilly.

Got onto the bike and started hammering away immediately. The course is rolling and today there was a bit of a breeze out there. While I was not feeling all that great, I was making up ground on the faster runners. I finished the bike in 1:10:29, averaging 34.1 km/hr (5th best overall) and an average Hr of 163. I could only wish I could do that at an Ironman race.

In the final 5 km run, I pushed a bit harder than the first run (HR average of 157), completing the run in 26:19. The overall completion time was 2:39:56, and an overall average HR of 153. So I basically did the race aerobically and still managed 3rd in the 35-39 age group. It started to rain heavily after the race so I quickly got my stuff, some food, said bye to Marc & Danielle (friends I have not seen for 3 years) and headed home.

Sprint Du:
I woke up and did not have any soreness from the day before (racing aerobic will do that for you). I did the normal race prep, and waited for the race it start. The race was a bit delayed due to the start of the Triathlon (waiting for the Steamships to drop off the athletes) so it gave me a chance to warm up a bit more. I got some extra shut-eye this morning and only got to the race site 20 minutes before the original race start.

When the race finally started, everyone just took off. With Ironman Lake Placid being only one week away I was not going to go nuts and be sore for 2-3 days so I kept my HR in the top end of my aerobic zone (Avg. HR of 159) and finished the 5 km in 24:18. I hope this is a sign of things to come in a week from now because this is the HR zone I plan to do the run in. I made the quickest first transition of the day (37 seconds) and was off and riding.

I was more prepared for the bike course today. I attacked early (that section in town is tight and crowded with racers just chillin’ out) and passed a ton of the first run heroes. I completed the bike in 34:59, averaging 34.3 km/hr (Avg. HR of 165) and it was the 6th best bike of the day. I lost some precious time once back in town because I had to wait behind a lot of slower riders until I could get a safe chance to pass them. I once again made a super fast transition (30 seconds—best of the day), and headed out on the final 2.5 km run.

I did a steady tempo and finished the run in 12:06. My finish time was 1:12:28, 14th overall and 4th in the 35-39 age group (3 of the top 4 people in the entire race were from my age group--lucky me). My average HR on the day was 164 bpm.

The weather was much better today so I hung out for a bit, talking to Peter Geering for the first time, along with Mike Leader, Eon D’Ornellas (thanks for the Amino Vital drinks), Gord Avann (doing his second Tri) and bunch of others my feeble mind can’t recall.

Other tidbits
During the bike segment on Saturday, some jerk in a cement truck was madly weaving in and out of us. In fact, I was coming around a corner and saw him crossing the center line and coming right at me. Well after making the turnaround and heading back from whence I came, I eventually saw the truck lying in a ditch with cement oozing out of it. Talk about sweet justice.

The race kit was full of goodies. A cool tech shirt, tuna snacks, HSBC Hand Sanitizer, HSBC Sunscreen, HSBC Sore Muscle Balm, Hammer Gel, small Body Glide samples, and a few other things that don’t come to my mind right now.

If you live in Markham, it is a shorter (distance wise) to drive to the race via Hwy 48 when compared to the Hwy 400 route, but it takes 10-20 minutes longer due to the speed limit.

Up next:
Ironman USA Lake Placid on Sunday July 22. I think something happened to me 6 years ago on that date but I can’t seem to remember what? Hmmmm. : )
I’ll likely be at the Bala Falls Tri doing some volunteering and racing again after that at Cobourg.

Another character building run

I was sort of looking forward to today's run, but mostly dreading it. I knew it had to be done in the hopes that it will all pay off at Ironman Canada and maybe next weekend too at Ironman Lake Placid. This is why I love this Ironman thing. Putting in an honest effort in the whole training process makes your tougher, and changes lives (I see it all the time at the races). Will it pay off for me in terms of race time? Hopefully, but if it doesn't it sure has made me tougher and in better shape. That is a huge reward in itself.

My legs were still sore from yesterday's Hill Repeat day (9 x 3:30 min.) and 90 minutes of tennis. Getting physio treatment done on my Achilles and knee after the run sure helped with reduced soreness today but it was still there.

I finally got out there at 330pm. It was mega windy and 26 degrees. Both Achilles and left knee were achy but after 2 hrs the pain mostly went away. I did 20 km in 2hrs and added another 12 km on top of that. I felt fairly good after. Just the usual soreness from doing a long run. I spent a ton of time stretching out my Achilles, rehydrated and drank 2 servings of Omega Whey (I still have to go through all those boxes I won at my last race in Welland).

Despite drinking 60 oz of water during the run, I lost 5 lbs. I had a nice pasta dinner, iced my knee and Achilles, wrote this and chilled out for the rest of the night.

Only a tough interval bike ride to do tomorrow morning before my 90 minute massage (that is going to be a nice reward), and the mini taper starts before IM Lake Placid next weekend.

Racing 2x on the weekend so look for some race reports.

RH




Here is my Dream Bike. Cool eh!

Get your Triathlon News Fix

Just a plug.
Please check out the following site http://www.triathlonmagazine.ca/breaking_news/index.html for up to date news with a Canadian twist.
Enjoy
RH

I proved my worth as an "Ironman" today

It has often been said that just getting to the start line of an Ironman race is a victory in itself.

I've finally accepted that belief today.

Prior to this year, I did my 11 Ironman races relying on whatever fitness I had at the time (1/2 ironman fitness or less) and willpower. So while it was a victory of sorts to get to the start line and do the race, I knew I could have dedicated much more training to it all.

Today in the miserable weather we had here in Toronto (about 17 degrees celsius and raining), I did a solid 3 hour run.

I was not in the mood to do it at all. The gloomy weather was not inviting, both of my aching achilles and my left knee didn't want to head out there either. But the thought of slugging it out and putting in an honest day's worth of training towards doing a good Ironman got to me and got me out the door.

I feel tons better for doing it (maybe my achilles and knee wont think so tomorrow) and hopefully these little mental and physical victories will do me some good for Ironman Lake Placid on July 22.

Time to recover. Bring on the Cytomax Recovery - Vantage Vanilla, and some steaks.

Til next time.
R

Welland Duathlon Race Report

Race Report

Race: Welland Duathlon
Date: Sunday July 1, 2007.
Location: Welland Arena, Welland, Ontario
Description: 5 km Run, 30 km Bike, 5 km Run
Website: http://www.multisportcanada.com/

After a one-year absence, the Welland Tri/Du made its triumphant return on Canada Day (it was previously known as the Mike Burwell Triathlon for 21 years). The new race site is just south of the old location, and there is lots of parking right beside the transition area (an improvement over the previous site). The bike course is pancake flat (no more monster hill), and the run is on a paved path along the Welland Recreational Waterway. It is perfect for a first time racer or if you just want to go fast.

I did my usual race prep at the car, hauled my gear over to Transition to set-up and then made my way into the arena to pick up my race kit and to get body marked. While doing my final prep in transition I met Team Running Free members: Laurent Saugrin and Gary Kennedy.

Having done a 4.5 hr ride and a 20-minute run the day before, I was slightly fatigued. Plus, I’m still continuing to deal with my Achilles issues. With one huge week of training left before Ironman Lake Placid, the plan for today was to try and ride like Normann Stadler and run like Fat Albert. Hey, hey, hey! My injuries usually surface from anaerobic running so cruising the run and saving myself for the upcoming week was the only smart way to go. If that was good enough for a top 3 I’d gladly take it but it was unlikely.

As planned, I ran the first 5km in my aerobic zone, completing it in 26:26. With all those competitors in front of me, I was looking forward to the challenge of passing as many as I could during the bike ride. I made a quick transition to the bike and began my assault on the leaders.

It is safe to say that I had the ride of my life. I was not passed by anyone (there were triathletes with fresh legs out on the course too), I passed tons of people, and I ended up with what may be my fastest ever bike split - 47:07 (Averaging 38.2 km/hr) for the 30 km. It ended up being the 5th fastest bike split of the day and looking at my heart rate data, I could have gone faster. Yes, the flat course helped with my speed (I love flat courses) but it was windy out there. I just wish it were longer so I could build more of a gap between me and those faster runners.

I made another quick transition to the run and just held a steady aerobic pace from start to finish. I was temped to go after someone who eventually placed 2nd in my age group, but quickly decided to can the idea of a top 3 age group finish and did the wise thing of saving myself for this important week of training. My left knee and both Achilles are feeling awesome right now (the day after the race) so I feel good about that decision. I did the final run in 26:56 (most racers were 2 minutes slower in their second run), and finished in a time of 1:42:04 (Avg. Hr: 168, 1971 calories burned). I was 12th overall and 4th in the 35-39 age group. By the way, the finish line in this race was inside the arena, along with the post race food, race expo, and awards presentation.

As I waited for the awards and draw prizes I snacked on all the great post-race food (pizza, fruit, tuna, etc). I got the chance to chat with tons of great people too: Kent Parkinson (all-round great guy who volunteers and then races), Speedy Gonsalves (Blue Competition Cycles, HED Guy and fast too), Jimmie Georgas (one of my idols and duathlon legend), Gord Avann (Cycling Guru), and Kelly Anthony (Combination of Fastest and funniest Clydesdale Duathlete) among others. While enjoying all that socializing, I was sort of rewarded for my bike performance when a won an OmegaWhey prize pack (6 boxes) in the prize draw.

This is race now among my favourites and I will be back for sure. Chalk another one up for Multisport Canada and the excellent group of local volunteers. Next up for me is the Gravenhurst International Du.

Click on the Title of this post to see the race results.

Click on the links below to see pictures from the event.

http://www.mikecheliak.com/details.php?gid=245&sgid=&pid=24472
http://www.mikecheliak.com/details.php?gid=246&sgid=&pid=24863
http://www.mikecheliak.com/details.php?gid=246&sgid=&pid=24864

The Sweeeet Archon T1

Check out this new, sweet bike from Litespeed.

http://www.archont1.com/

Getting your hands on one of these will be tough.

Kirsten Sweetland still rules

I've wanted to write about Kirsten for a while but never got around to it until now.

She set off alarm bells in my head when she had success as a junior and when I saw her compete at the National Duathlon Championships in Hamilton last year.

Without a doubt, she is Canada's best female Olympic distance triathlete.

Thus, I was shocked when she was picked as an alternate for the the Pan American Games team back in May. I realize that there was some selection criteria but Canada should be represented by our best and she definitely is. I suppose some sort of vindication came a few weeks later when she went out and won her first ITU World Cup race in South Africa.

Fastforward to this past weekend where the huge ITU World Cup race took place in Des Moines, Iowa. How huge was it? Well, the men and women's winner each got a $200 000 US first place cheque, and a brand new Hummer (Yes, the car). Kirsten was racing and I thought she had a great chance of winning. In fact, heading into the final lap of the run, she was running alongside Laura Bennett (the eventual winner) and Annabelle Luxford (2nd place). However, in the last 500 m, severe heat exhaustion took Kirsten out of the race. She was taken to hospital where she made a quick and full recovery. Simon Whitfield finished 6th in the men's race and took home a $10 000 US payday. More money for baby clothes :)

She is still Canada's best and at such a young age she has the potential to re-write the record books. I look forward to tracking her career and cheering her on.

Here are my early Beijing Olympic Picks:

1. Kirsten Sweetland

2. Vanessa Fernandes

3. Emma Snowsill

Right now I would only have patriotic guys picks:

1. Simon Whitfield

2. Colin Jenkins

3. Paul Tichelaar

Binbrook Duathlon Race Report

Race Report

Date: Sunday June 17, 2007.
Location: Binbrook Conservation Area, Binbrook, Ontario
Description: 4.5 km Run, 27 km Bike, 4.5 km Run
Website: http://www.multisportcanada.com/

Binbrook is about 1 hr and 20 minutes from Markham. If you are travelling to the race with someone, you can save a few bucks on their entry fee to the park by saying that they are racing too (I didn’t do this, I’m just providing a tip). Just say you are doing a relay and make sure that they are dressed to look like they might be racing. The park is very receptive to dogs so feel free to bring them along.

Like last year, the morning air was already hot. So the actual race temperature was going to be nice and steamy. Just the way I like it. I quickly got my race kit and while in line, I caught a few Team Running Free members (Mike Leader and Gary Kennedy). Got my equipment together, set up in transition, and headed out for a 10 km warm-up ride. Got back to the race site and did my final race set-up. Chatted with Prem Hall, and met Larry Bradley just minutes before race start.

I had not run for 3 days (my left knee was swollen and had a bit of pain and both Achilles were still sore), so the race plan was to take it real easy on the run and go bonkers in the bike. This would get me a respectable finish but not a podium.

The run at Binbrook is on varied uneven terrain (grass, gravel, pavement and trail), so taking it easy was of paramount importance to ensure I didn’t aggravate my Achilles further. I also walked the downhill sections of the course to prevent more pain in my knee. I cruised in with a time of 23:54 for the 4.5 km run (avg. hr 162). By the way, Larry Bradley put the boots to everyone and led the entire way of the first run.

Transitioned to the bike quickly and mentally got into the mode of making up all that lost time from the run. To quote The Thing from Fantastic Four “It’s clobbering time.” My warm-up ride indicated to me that the early sections were windy so I attacked early, passing a lot of people. I lost focus in a few areas but for the most part I pushed hard the entire time. I realized things were going well once I passed a few of the regular top racers late into the bike ride. But with their blazing run capabilities, I knew I would be passed later. I did the 27 km ride in 48:03, the 5th best on the day (Avg. Hr: 172).

On the final run, I was able to keep a steady aerobic pace and make sure not to be passed by any competitors my age group. I finished the race in 1:38:42. 11th overall and 3rd in the 35-39 age group (Total Avg. Hr of 168). If I knew I was that close to the top ten, I might have gone a bit harder during the final run. However, writing this one-day later in not too much pain, I am glad I took it easy on during both runs. I look forward to this recovery week and getting my knee and Achilles back to 100%. While I did not podium (10 year age groups), I did win a box of tasty OmegaWhey in the prize draw.

This was another great race put on by Multisport Canada and I will be back next year. Team Running Free was out in full force and reaching the podium were: Larry Bradley, Mike Leader, and Karen Gamble. I hope I did not miss anyone. Next up for me is the Welland Duathlon on Canada Day.

I should also give credit to Dr. Andrew Romanelli of SPC (http://www.sportsperformancecentres.com/). They had a free post-race treatment station at the race and I took full advantage. He diagnosed some possible causes for my knee pain and used ART to treat my aching knee and Achilles. He detected a lot of tightness and definitely broke down a lot of scar tissue in the area. I felt tons better and much better one day later. I definitely need to seek out an ART practitioner in Markham or go back to see him at SPC in Thornhill. If you haven't tried ART you must because it works wonders. I've had it before at Ironman races but the treatment totally slipped my mind for my current bout of injuries.

Click on the Title of this posting to see the race results.

Lakeside Double Du Weekend

Lakeside Double Du

Race: Lakeside Duathlon (Sprint & Regular)
Date: Saturday June 9 & Sunday June 10, 2007.
Location: Lakeside, Ontario (in between Woodstock and London)
Description: Sprint Du: 3 km run, 18 km bike, 3 km run // Regular Du: 5k/30k/5k
Website: http://www.multisportcanada.com/

Warning: This may be a little on the long side. However, it is a double race report and I write so that I can remember what happened.

Pulling off the double (2 races in 2 days) is always a bit of a challenge. You never really know how your body is going to react the next day. So the plan was to put the “hammer” down during the Sprint Du on Saturday and get on the podium, and come back on Sunday to “hammer” the bike and see what I had left on the run (likely being hammered by everyone else).

The drive to Lakeside takes approximately 1 hr 50 minutes from Markham (depending on how fast you go). The directions are easy but keep an eye out for that left turn on County Road 16, it is easy to miss. For the first time in the history of this race they were charging for parking. I guess the farmer that opened up his property for free parking previously decided to rake in a few dollars this year. It was only $2 and it is the only viable place to park in the area. So be forewarned if you plan on racing next year.

Picked up my race kit (awesome looking tech shirts for this race and some nice eats), and chatted with Mike Cheliak (the HSBC series photographer). He was going to do his first ever race today (Sprint Du) and had dropped 55 pounds for the occasion. That gave me a bit of extra inspiration as I made my way to the car to get my gear and all set for the race.

Warm-up consisted of chatting with more people: Mike Leader (fellow Team Running Free Teammate), John Salt (HSBC Series director), Kent Parkinson (all round good guy who is always there to help people out at the races), Gord Avann (an uberbiker doing his first Tri today), Speedy Gonsalves (Ride Blue Guru), Kelly Anthony (not racing due to a hockey injury) and a few other familiar faces from the series. It is like a whole other family and it is great to catch up with everyone after a long winter.

With this being my first Du of the season, I was raring to go. The first run was quick. Everyone seemed to be flying out there, except for me. I just kept plugging away but thinking that there was no podium happening for me today if these dudes can run like this.

Officially, I did the first 3 km run in 15:16 with an average heart rate of 170 bpm. I suspect that the posted distance was a little on the long side because I was not running that slow. I pride myself on my transitions and the first one took 27 seconds (fastest of the day). However, during transition, I broke the left heel piece on my Pedal Platforms. I found this out at the mount line. This heel piece is very important as it secures the heel, and maximizes the power of the pedal stroke. The only thing I could do was to tighten the strap even more, and not pull up on the pedals or else my foot would pop out.

My approach to the bike was simple. Push as hard as possible, pass as many people as I could, and hopefully position myself for a chance at the podium. Throughout the 18 km bike (more like 16.5 km) I picked off quite a few competitors but I had no idea where I was positioned. I stayed aero the whole way, and I can safely say that my new Litespeed Saber is the fastest and most comfortable bike I’ve ever raced on in 16 years. I finished the ride in 28:51 (Avg hr: 170). I had super fast transition of 19 seconds (fastest T2 of the day), and headed out on the run.

Once onto the run I realized I was in 7th place overall. I wasn’t going to catch the first place guy in my age group so I just held a steady pace that would allow me to maintain my position and not get caught. I finished the second run in 16:07 and an overall time of 1:00:58 (Avg Hr: 172, Calories burned 1241). I was 7th overall and 3rd in the 30-39 age group. A nice kick-off to the season. I waited for Mike Cheliak to finish up his race and cheered him in. He didn’t feel too bad afterwards and said he had a new respect for duathletes. Hopefully he will do a few more races.

I had some food, waited for the awards ceremony, got my medal (posing in my Team Running Free Long Sleeve Top), and headed home. Team Running Free was well represented on the podium: Peter Geering, Karen Gamble, and Mike Leader (who actually podiumed but a category mix-up officially didn’t give him the credit he deserved—but you earned it in my eyes buddy).

A few hours after getting home the aches and pains came knocking on my door. My left knee was in a lot of pain (felt like patellar tendonitis) and I had some pain in my right hamstring along with my Achilles (usual thing since I started playing competitive tennis again). So I basically spent the rest of the day icing constantly. Sunday’s race would be interesting.

Woke up on Sunday and walking down the stairs brought left knee pain. But it was a little bit better than yesterday and there was less pain when walking. Conventional wisdom would say don’t race today but I’m not conventional, so I gathered my stuff and headed down to Lakeside.

Once on site, I set up in transition, chatted with more people, and waited for Angus Kim (fellow Team Running Free teammate) to give him some spare 650 tubes. He somehow got lost and finally arrived with about 15 minutes until race start. I pretty much determined that I would play it smart and shuffle/walk/crawl, bike hard, and then shuffle in to finish. There was no need to push hard on the run, injure myself and mess up my Ironman training just for a possible podium finish.

A few minutes before race start, that large travel mug of Peets Coffee I had earlier was making its way through me. I waited in the port-a-john lineup but while in line, the horn went off for the start of the race. The line was going nowhere so I ran over to join the throng that had just taken off. I caught up with Jimmie Georgas (a duathlon legend who is now 81) and kept pace with him to catch up with what he has been up to. After a few minutes he told me I shouldn’t feel obligated to run with him so at the 1 km mark, I wished him a good race and went on my way.

My bladder was building with immense pressure so once the coast was clear, I ran off into the bushes and lightened up. I did the rest of the run aerobically. For some reason the official results only picked up my final run split so by my watch I did the first 5 km run in 30:25 (seemed slightly longish) and an Avg. Hr of 151. I did a quick transition and let it rip on the bike, passing many along the way. The calm conditions led to a nice 30-32km bike split of 53:32 (Avg. Hr: 165). Back onto the run, I kept it aerobic again to do an easy 30:34 final 5km run. This was good enough for a 1:55:38 clocking, 30th overall and 5th in the 35-39 age group. My average heart rate for the day was 160 bpm, burning off 2007 calories. I headed back out for a 20 minute cool-down ride, got some food, and headed home to start the icing process all over again. It feels great to be back racing and seeing all the familiar faces (new ones too).

Up next for me is the Binbrook Duathlon next weekend. Right now I know I'll be joined by Mike Leader, Larry Bradley, and hopefully a bunch of other Team Running Free teammates.

Click below for the Saturday Sprint Du Race Results:
http://www.multisportcanada.com/ms/events/results/display_results.cfm?resultID=634

Click below for the Sunday Duathlon Race Results:
http://www.multisportcanada.com/ms/events/results/display_results.cfm?resultID=633

Rest in Peace Blazeman

Jon “Blazeman” Blais, gained worldwide attention when his incredible story was covered during NBC’s Ironman World Championship broadcast in 2005.

Blais, who completed the event while suffering with ALS (Lou Gehrig's disease), succumbed to the fatal disease on Sunday, May 27th.

Blais has left a permanent mark on the sport of triathlon. He has inspired many to join him in raising awareness and important funds to battle ALS.

Please visit http://www.alswarriorpoet.com/ and http://www.waronals.com/ to find out more about Jon, to donate, and to continue his fight against the horrible disease of ALS.

Jon “Blazeman” Blais (August 30, 1971 – May 27, 2007)

My thoughts and prayers are with his family during this sad time.

A wicked day for riding

What an awesome day for a ride here in the Greater Toronto area.
The temperature was just about perfect.
The sun was shining, and the air clean and fresh.

I took the Sabertooth out for her second journey this year and it continues to feel great.
It is still early but I feel at one with this bike. The compact gearing suits me perfectly and there is not any wasted gears. Hill climbing has never felt so good.
I was fortunate enough to have "The Avalanche" as my riding partner this morning and we were able to click off 67 km.

As soon as I got home, I went for a 2.5 km transition run. Then decided to ride over to my tennis club to see if I could catch some teams practicing and inquire about try outs. I was too late but I managed to catch up with a long lost friend and we had a nice chat. By the time i got back home I had tacked on another 17 km of riding. A total of 84 km for the day.

Caught a flick in the afternoon (free pass) - The Condemned. It was what I expected. Stone Cold played his role well and there was lots of carnage of course. Not Academy Award winning stuff but entertaining. A lot better than I expected.

Now let's see if the Raptors can get their butts in gear and start playing like they can.

I've got The Mississauga 1/2 Marathon in 2 weeks so I will be getting in some last minute training and will likely write again in a few weeks.

RH