Retul Bike Fit. Hmmm???

Now that my buddy Ian Maclean has the Retul Bike Fitting system, I am seriously considering doing a re-fit. Due to my injury and subsequent recovery, my postition may need some tinkering with. Check out a Retul demo with uberbiker - Normann Stadler (2x Ironman World Champion).

You can check out Ian at www.imfit.ca or www.youniquecycles.ca.

Merry Christmas!

Let me begin by wishing everyone a Merry Christmas!!!

Life has been hectic lately so sorry for the infrequent posts. I would get the urge to post and then something would come up.

Here are a few quickie items I wanted to mention (if you didn't know already). You can always google some of these items yourself to get more details.

- Lance Armstrong is having a baby with his new girlfriend.

- Chrissie Wellington has switched coaches again (now its Simon Lessing).

- I strongly recommend Sugoi R & R Compression Knee High socks (from Running Free). I will post a compression sock article/review soon.

- Fallout 3 is an awesome game for the PS3 or XBOX 360.

- Get an HD box so you can enjoy HD Channels. Discovery Channel in HD is incredible.

- You must see Discovery Channels Miracle Bodies: Michael Phelps. They show and explain why he is so fast in the water and superior to everyone else. Quite wicked! Especially in HD.

- TMN (The Movie Network) on Demand kicks butt. My trainer rides are so much easier because of this service. Lots of great TV series and movies.

- Lets go Raptors! You better pick it up in 2009. Leafs???

That's all for now.
Merry Christmas and enjoy all that Boxing Day shopping.

RH

Get yourself a pair!

Since August I've been experimenting with compression socks (not run specific) to help speed my recovery from the Achilles tendon rupture (ATR). For the most part, the only place to get them was from the USA, and they were expensive.

Recently, my favourite store, Running Free, got some run specific socks in stock and at a reasonable price ($30 vs $50 us +). I gave them a try and loved them. I have done every run in them since getting them on December 12. Provided that there are any left, I suggest you rush over to the store to get a pair or two for yourself or for that favourite athlete in your life.

They are the Sugoi R & R Knee High. They provide support, and while the compression is not super high, it feels more comfortable than those that do have more.

http://www.runningfree.com/detail.aspx?ID=13243

Spend a few bucks more ($50) and use code 11296 to save $5.

I've been working on an in depth compression sock review since the summer and that will be posted soon.

Til next time, thanks for reading.
RH

Running Free Newmarket Grand Opening & IM Hawaii

The Grand Opening of Running Free Newmarket is set for this Saturday, December 13th – 10:00 am – 6:00 pm.

All day this Saturday, industry representatives will be on hand to show off the latest footwear, clothing, and equipment. We’ll have lots of special offers and give-aways just in time for some great holiday savings.

Some of the familiar Running Free faces on hand on Saturday will include Henrietta Hopkins, George from the Jungle, John Posca, Nick Capra, John Yip, Glenis McLaren, Ken and Carol Dee, Janis Jarvis, Janet Bell Crawford, and others.

Industry Representatives on hand on Saturday will include – Canada’s 1st marathon Olympian and current record holder Silvia Ruegger from Brooks, Darren Goodrich from New Balance, Ellen Oatmeyer from Sugoi, Andrew King from Saucony, Arnold Tse from Mizuno, and Didier Chung from Asics.

The new store is on 201 Main street South, the directions can be found here: http://www.runningfree.com/location.aspx#newmarket

I plan to check out the new store, and then head home to watch the Ironman Hawaii broadcast on NBC from 2:30 - 4 pm.

If you plan on doing some shopping, make sure to make use of my discount code: 11296.

Til next time
RH

Wanna smell like me??

Ok! I am not sure you would really want to do that but you can smell like an Ironman. Sort of.

A new Ironman branded product will hit the market in May 2009. Drum roll ...................

An Ironman men's fragrance.

Maybe they are trying to send a message to us Ironman athletes? I wonder if they will have it available in the change tents so we can spritz up a bit before heading off on the bike or run. And maybe a refresher for when we cross the finish line?

http://www.gcimagazine.com/marketstrends/segments/finefragrance/30267989.html?page=1


By the by, the Muskoka 70.3 race will air on TSN this Saturday December 6 at 3pm (EST).

Then the following week, the Ford Ironman World Championship wil air on NBC on Saturday December 13, from 2:30 - 4 PM (EST).

I'm still working on my compression socks article.
Til next time. Thanks for reading.
RH

An Awesome Deal from Rudy Project

Rudy Project has the best sunglasses on the market and now is the perfect time to get a pair or two. With this new promotion, you buy a pair of eyewear and you get a ton of stuff with it (worth $290). Bike helmet, extra lense, t-shirt, bag, and hat.

Check it out:

http://www.e-rudy.com/rudy-project-gear-kit-details.php?s=scoop

A great Cyclocross article

Michael Barry (Canadian Pro Cyclist) wrote this great piece for the New York Times. I can thank some guy by the name of Lance Armstrong for directing me to it.

http://www.nytimes.com/2008/11/13/sports/othersports/13cycling.html?_r=1&ref=othersports

Enjoy.

RH

Mizuno shoes environmentally friendly

Mizuno already makes kick butt shoes but now they are stepping up even further but utilizing materials that are better for the environment. Yet another reason to wear Mizuno.





Norcross, GA (June 16, 2008) - Mizuno, a leader in running footwear and apparel technology, has announced the use of a new thermoplastic elastomer range for the Wave® Technology plates in four models of high performance running shoes set to debut in 2009. This new thermoplastic elastomer range named Pebax® Rnew (1), is made from renewable resources, castor oil, and contributes to global warming reduction.



In 1991, Mizuno Corporation, Mizuno USA’s parent company, established CREW 21, an acronym for Conversation of Resources & Environment Wave towards the 21st Century. Mizuno Corporation’s environmental program incorporates the idea that everybody needs to be responsible for the spaceship called “Earth” that we live on. Mizuno USA has taken this environmental responsibility seriously through recycling programs as well as various other programs to help protect the environment.



For example, all Mizuno footwear boxes are made from 100% recycled paper, and through the Clean Air Campaign, Mizuno USA employees help improve the air quality of the Metro Atlanta area, home of Mizuno USA’s headquarters, through car-pooling to work, and Mizuno USA employees participate in community clean up and beautification projects.



“Mizuno consistently takes initiative to protect the environment,” said Mizuno USA’s Director of Marketing of Athletic Footwear, Rod Foley. “By being the first in Athletic Footwear industry to use Pebax® Rnew, we continue to exemplify our commitment to managing the limited resources that the Earth provides.”



The Pebax® Rnew will be utilized in both men’s and women’s models of the Mizuno Wave Rider 12, Wave Inspire 5, Wave Creation 10, and Wave Nirvana 5. The Wave Rider 12 will be available December 5th, 2008, while the other 3 models will be available for purchase beginning January 5th, 2009.

14 Year Old Finishes an "Ironman"

Yes, you read correctly.
He did the race in 13 hrs 41 minutes (he did the race last year in 15:27).

I actually raced side by side with his father during the Ironman run in Lake Placid. I got a great history lesson of Lake Placid during the run. Their family has quite a legacy down there (a figure skating rink named after them, etc.).

Quite an incredible story. I am not sure I'd let me kid do such a race at that age but if they are physically and mentally ready why not I suppose???

Check out the whole story here:

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/story/2008/11/09/ST2008110902085.html?sid=ST2008110902085&s_pos=top

Great post on cheating

I was going to chime in on this topic after some great debate on various forums this week.

I found this great post (he makes quite a few of them on his site --- I agree with him big time on S-bend issue) so please check it out. I am still too busy to post something detailed on my own at this point.

http://www.bikesportmichigan.com/editorials/0000132.shtml

Enjoy.

Congrats to Obama!

Gas Price to drop 5.7 cents at midnight

I've been slacking with my posts here lately but that is what happens when life gets in the way.
Congrats to BL, AG, and KS on their performances at the Angus Glen Half Marathon and 10 km yesterday. And a wicked showing by all my fellow Team Running Free members out there too.

Here is a bit of a PSA for you so you can save some $$$.

According to AM 640 news, Liberal MP Dan McTeague says gas prices will drop 5.7 cents at midnight, down to 85.1 cents per litre. This is the lowest price at the pump since 2005.

Save your filling up for tomorrow.

Til next time.
RH

Youniquecycles.ca Grand Opening

After 3 years of running the business from his house, my friend, bike fitter, fitness tester, and coach held the Grand Opening of his new Bike Store/Bike Fit/Fitness Testing location this past weekend in Milton.

The slick new place is located on 511 Main St East (Milton). Along with being one of the best FIST certified bike fitters around (I've never felt better on my bikes), Ian carries wicked lineup of products like Guru bikes, HED, Shimano, Selle SMP, etc.

Personally, it quite awesome to see Ian's business grow to the point it is today and hopefully there is more to come. I just hope that he doesn't get too big that I can't afford to see him anymore :)

Ian really is great and I recommend him highly for his bike fitting and fitness testing (and coaching services if you so require it). Now that he sells Guru, he can get your measurement and have Guru produce a custom made bike for you. No more messing around with trying to find a bike on sale, and trying to make that bike work for you. You will only spend more time in the long run because you will likely end up buying another bike after toiling in trying to find a comfortable position.

Check out Ian Maclean and his services at:

http://www.youniquecycles.ca/home.html

http://www.imfit.ca/home.html

It is worth the drive to Milton.

Ironman Hawaii

What a wicked day of racing!

The online coverage was awesome. Lots of great interviews, insight, and camera shots.
Having Macca stop by to provide commentary of the race was truly a treat. Great stuff. Today was like Christmas for me.

The racing was incredible. The bikers (Sinballe, Stadler and Lieto to name a few) took it out hard and went for it on the run. They got caught by the runners but at least they laid it out there. Hats off to them. Macca snapped a cable on his bike which would have taken 20 minutes to fix so he unfortunately had to drop out of the race.

As I said, Craig Alexander was going to tear up the run and he sure did. He plunked down a blazing 2:45 marathon and cruised to victory. When he was interviewed this morning (530am) I could tell that he was there to crush the competition. He looked super lean, intense and ready to rock n' roll. Well done Craig!! You are wickedly fast.

Men
1. Craig Alexander 8:17:45
2. Eneko Llanos Burguera 8:20:50
3. Rutger Beke 8:21:23
4. Ronnie Schildknecht 8:24:46
5. Timo Bracht 8:23:04
6. Cameron Brown 8:26:17
7. Patrick Vernay 8:30:23
8. Andy Potts 8:33:50
9. Mathias Hecht 8:34:02
10. Michael Lovato 8:38:47

Now for scary fast. If it were not for a flat tire (which killed 7-10 minutes) we surely would have seen the women's course record be broken today. Chrissy Wellington is a pure phenom. I just hope she keeps on racing and doesn't get bored of demolishing the women's field (and many pro men too). She did set the new women's marathon record in Hawaii by running 2:57.

Women
1. Chrissie Wellington 9:06:23
2. Yvonne Van Vlerken 9:21:20
3. Sandra Wallenhorst 9:22:52
4. Erika Csomor 9:24:49
5. Linsey Corbin 9:28:51
6. Virginia Berasategui 9:29:15
7. Bella Comerford 9:34:08
8. Gina Ferguson 9:36:53
9. Gina Kehr 9:37:06
10. Dede Griesbauer 9:39:53

I got so inspired by the coverage today that after the big players made the bike turnaround in Hawi, I got dressed and headed out on my first "real" outdoor bike ride. I don't remember loving riding so much. It felt great to be outdoors again and enjoying the great weather. Not to mention being on my fave ride---Siena. I did a quick 40 km on a hilly route and my Achilles felt strong. I hammered all the hills and my heart rate went through the roof. It was good to be back. With 2 more days of awesome weather here I'll be sure to head out again.

Brian Bennett, a local massage therapist and acquaintance, had the good fortune to take part in today's race in Hawaii and is still on the course as of this post. In fact, he has raced for 10 hrs and 18 minutes and has 21 miles left to go on the run. He should cruise home easily and finish his first race in Hawaii. Way to go Brian.

Ironman World Championships this Saturday

The biggest sport event of the year is about to happen in a few days. That's right, the Ironman World Championships.

Lots of great coverage can be found at http://www.ironman.com/ every day up until the actual race.

My picks:

Women
1. Chrissie Wellington
- Can anyone touch her? If they let her get away on the bike forget about it. She has never lost an Ironman race and it will be very tough on the field to make this her first. Too bad Samantha McGlone has been suffering from Achilles (another one bites the dust, welcome to the club Sam) and has not been running for 2 months. She is supposed to be getting married in November so she will rest up and come back with a vengence in 2009. Like me!! :)

You need to keep an eye out for Yvonne van Vlerken who set the new Ironman world record at Roth this summer (8:45:48) and Erika Csomor who was only less than two minutes behind that (also breaking the previous record held by the great Paula Newby-Fraser).

Men
1. Chris McCormack
- Macca better have some kind of lead off the bike or Craig Alexander might run him down with that scary run leg of his. Watch out for Andy Potts, Normann Stadler and Faris Al-Sultan too.

This should be a very interesting race. There are a ton of fast gals and guys who can do some serous damage if they are at 100%.

I'll be glued to my computer screen all day watching all the live streaming footage.

Haile Rules

Ethopia's Haile Gebrselassie is one fast dude!

Today in Berlin, he laid the smack down on his own marathon world record (2:04:26) by running a crazy fast 2:03:59. Not too shabby for a 35 year old eh?

Check out the splits:

5 km 00:14:35

10 km 00:29:13

15 km 00:44:03

20 km 00:58:50

half 01:02:05

25 km 01:13:41

30 km 01:28:27

35 km 01:43:05

40 km 01:57:34

Let me break that down for you. This incredible athlete averaged a 4:43/mile or 2:56/km for the entire 42.2 km. Now go out your door and try to run 1 km or mile at that speed.

I guess skipping the Olympic Marathon paid off. But would he rather have an Olympic Gold medal or a world record? The hot and humid conditions of Beijing definitely would have made a world record attempt not possible though. The conditions on Berlin today was perfect for running a marathon. Sunny, 9 degrees Celsius to start and 13 degrees by the end of the race.

As great as Gebrselassie is, I think that Kenenisa Bekele could even be better. He holds the world record in the 5km (12:37.35) and 10 km (26:17.53 ). If he makes the move to the half and full marathon the world better watch out.

Congrats go out to a few buddies of mine who ran the Scotiabank Half and Full Marathon today (a race I was supposed to be a pace bunny at for the 4th time -- but couldn't due to my wonderful Achilles injury). Special mention goes out to a few former students who finally stepped up to the plate. Both were first timers and one did 1:53 half, and the other completed his first marathon. Way to go dudes.

Til next time, thanks for reading.

RH

Paul Newman (January 26, 1925 – September 26, 2008)

I loved his salad dressings and movies but Paul Newman sadly passed away a few days ago due to cancer. There are lots of tributes everywhere on the web so check it out yourself if you want more information. If you haven't tried the Newman's Own product line give it a go. Not only does it taste great but all profits go to charity. RIP Mr. Newman.

Politics Schmolitics

Let me get political for a moment.

Yes, they have zero chance of winning but I like a lot of things the Green Party stands. Plus, the leader, Elizabeth May, is quite a cool lady.

Too bad the Liberals don't have such a leader (Dion is a nice guy but not a great leader that instills confidence in most Canadians) or else they would de-throne the Conservatives for sure.

Anyway, the Green Party is growing with popularity each day, and I'll be supporting them this next election. Here are few links to investigate if you feel so inclined.

http://www.greenparty.ca/

The Green Platform

That is as political as I am going to get here.
Til next time
RH

Lance is back

With all the rumours floating around the past few days, Lance Armstrong finally confirmed today that he is returning to professional cycling. I guess he will not be doing an Ironman for a while (despite what others have speculated).

Here is what he said:

"I am happy to announce that after talking with my children, my family and my closest friends, I have decided to return to professional cycling in order to raise awareness of the global cancer burden. This year alone, nearly eight million people will die of cancer worldwide. Millions more will suffer in isolation, victims not only of the disease but of social stigma. After the passage of Proposition 15 in Texas, a $3 billion investment in the fight against cancer which is helping to make this disease part of the national dialogue in America, it's now time to address cancer on a global level."

The article can be found here:
http://www.livestrong.com/article/12511-stub-article/

The video statement is here:
http://www.livestrong.com/lance2009/

This should be an interesting year of cycling for sure. Now why couldn't he have come back this past summer when I had all the time in the world to sit and watch all the coverage from the Tour de France?

Til next time
RH

I swam last night and I liked it

That Katy Perry song was in my head so why not alter it a bit and make it the title of this post.

After 12 years I made my return to the Markham Masters swim club.

This had nothing to do with the club because it remains great (probably better now) it is just that my goal back then was to get competent enough to swim in an Ironman.

I was able to do so and as many of you know, I only swam 2-3 times per year. Thursday and/or Friday before the race for 10-20 minutes, and then on race day. Extra swim practice did not make me much faster, plus my constantly dislocating right shoulder made a lot of swimming not possible. The amount of time I would need to put into swimming to improve just a few minutes would be better spent biking for running where I could chop some major time.

However, last night felt great and this fall/winter/spring might bring about some swim improvements that I might try to maintain for years to come. I am only swimming one night per week so I am not expecting miracles. I am actually thinking about boosting my membership to swim 3 times per week because it was so enjoyable (I never thought I'd be saying that). A lot of that has to do with me not being able to run until January (hopefully) so I had to find something else to do other than biking right now.

All you non-swimmers who want to get into triathlons need to join a Masters Swim Club in your area. It really is the only way to get your swimming up to par. Unless you have some serious dough to hire a private coach and find pool time.

Til next time.
Thanks for reading.
RH

Beijing Olympic Triathlon Results Booklet

Things are busy on the home front since I started back at work today.

All is well on the healing process. I'm riding my bike everyday, getting physio 3x a week, and getting stronger each day. Only my heel is taking a beating. Especially after being on my feet most of the day today.

If you want to see detailed splits from the Olympic Triathlon, click on the link and enjoy. If you didn't know already, these girls and guys are super fast.

http://www.triathlon.org/docs/official-results-book-Beijing2008.pdf

As usual, Simon has a wicked blog entry where he reflects on his journey over the past 4 years.

http://simonwhitfield.blogspot.com/2008/08/final-globe-blog.html

Til next time.
RH

Support our Canadian Athletes

Two more medals today and more to come tomorrow for sure.

If you don't know about this organization already, Canadian Athletes Now has provided much needed funding to many of our needy athletes. Check out the site and donate to the cause if you want to personally do something about the lack of adequate funding that the athletes receive.

http://www.canadianathletesnow.ca/home/

Til next time
RH

By the way, Simon Whitfield will be live and answering questions on Slowtwitch tonight at 8 pm ET.
http://forum.slowtwitch.com/gforum.cgi?post=1947056;sb=post_latest_reply;so=ASC;forum_view=forum_view_collapsed;;page=unread#unread

I'm Lovin' it

Like I said almost one week ago, the medals will come for Canada and they sure did. Lots of other great performances and close calls too. Unlike the first week, I haven't heard any Canadian athletes cry babying about lack of funding and making other excuses for their performances. Just HTFU and get the job done. These athletes are doing just that. Awesome job!

The perfect example of that was last night when Simon Whitfield clearly gave it all he had to valiantly claim a silver medal. It was truly incredible. All athletes should check out the final 5 minutes of this race to see what HTFU, giving 110%, and laying it all on the line is all about. He had nothing left by the end of the race and that is how it should be. Drain that tank and have no regrets. The bronze medal performance by Priscilla Lopes-Schliep was wicked too.

Here are the Canadian medals as of today:

Diving
Silver - Alexandre Despatie (3 M Springboard)

Equestrian Jumping
Silver - Team Canada (Mixed Team)

Trampoline
Silver - Jason Burnett (Men's Individual)
Silver - Karen Cockburn (Women's Individual)

Rowing
Gold - K. Light / B. Rutledge / A. Byrnes / J. Wetzel / M. Howard / D. Seiterle / A. Kreek / K. Hamilton / B. Price (Men's 8)
Silver - D. Calder / S. Frandsen (Men's Pair)
Bronze - I. Brambell / J. Beare / M. Lewis / L. Parsons (Men's Lightweight Skulls)
Bronze - M. Kok / T. Cameron (Women's Lightweight Double Skulls)

Swimming
Bronze - Ryan Cochrane (1500 m Free)

Track and Field
Bronze - Priscilla Lopes-Schliep (Women's 100m Hurdles)

Triathlon
Silver - Simon WHITFIELD

Wrestling Freestyle
Gold - Carol Huynh (48 kg)
Bronze - Tonya Verbeek (55 kg)

Canada's updates are available here:
http://stats.cbc.ca/olympics/medals.asp?country=CAN

We have more medals coming for sure so keep cheering and checking for updates.

The CBC Widget

Here is a real cool tool to get quick access to all the Olympic results and stories. I have the widget on the right hand side too.

Enjoy
RH

Nothing New...sort of

Like the title says, there is nothing new happening with me. But I have a lot to say.

I finished my online course, volunteered at a race this weekend (forgot about my condition and accidentally ran a few steps..oops), keep watching the Olympics to see Canada win its first medal (by the weekend for sure), and try to keep healing from my ATR.

I sorta hit the wall in the healing process over the past few days. Plenty of soreness and swelling. I had a bit of a slip a few days ago, heard a bit of a click but suddenly the heel pain went any and so did a lot of the tightness. Very eerie! I was just hoping I didn't re-rupture the darn thing. I poked around and the middle section felt softer as compared to the rest of the Achilles so maybe I tore away some scar tissue? So I've been taking it easy and today is tons better.

I had some physio today and he checked out the area and said all was OK. He also thinks I just jarred some scar tissue loose. At any rate we put off the start of my strengthening exercises for another day. This didn't prevent him from doing the super deep and painful massage of the tendon of course.

Since most of my time has been spent watching the Olympics, I wanted to spout out a few comments.


If you have been watching the CBC coverage over the past few days, you probably saw some interviews where a few Canadian athletes were complaining about the Canadian Government's funding. While the funding has improved over the last 1-2 years, it has been too little too late for these Olympics (and for many sports it is still too little).

I agree with the athletes 100%, but only if the Canadian public, media, and government is going to scoff, complain or be ashamed of the medal count at the end of the day. If they expect these athletes to compete at the same level as the rest of the world the need the same support. Canada must decide one way or the other. Either support our athletes properly and make the athletes accountable for their funding (no free handouts - they must meet performance standards, do public speaking, coaching, etc.) or let them go at it alone to find their own deals or fleeing to other countries if need be.

My only disagreement with the athletes comes in the fact that they decided to make athletics their "job" in a badly funded sport society so why am I (the Canadian taxpayer) being made to foot the bill. Does a person wanting to go to University or take a course to get a better job get free government money to do so? Simple answer. No. If I decide to give support athletes I'll donate to a specific sport organization or pay a membership fee in which much of that money goes to support up and coming athletes. I'm sure many potential world class athletes from Canada saw the sad funding situation and chose another path in life.

While I like watching the Olympics, is it that worth it for the government to spend millions of dollars to see Canadians bring home a zillion medals? I admit it would be nice but, no. I really just appreciate the spirit of the competition, seeing their efforts and achieving personal bests, and the many cool and inspiring stories of the athletes. I am proud of their efforts to even make it to the Olympics because it takes major skill, talent, determination, hard work and sacrifice.

This is why if any Canadian brings home a medal of any kind, I admire their efforts even more. I know that they have risen above extreme hurdles to beat the best in the world.

Let's go Canada! Medals will be coming your way soon. And if it doesn't, does it really matter?

If it does to you, then you better contact your local Member of Parliament and complain for Canada to change its system and give more money. Otherwise, don't slag the athletes, keep your mouth shut and enjoy their efforts. Remember, they haven't spent years of training to go to Beijing to be embarrassed. They all want to win and are trying to make Canada, their families and themselves proud.


I'll stop my rant on that note.

Don't forget the Women's Olympic Triathlon - Sunday August 17 @ 10 pm ET, and the Men's race on Monday August 18 @ 10 pm ET. No matter what happens it will be a wicked two days of racing. Go Team Canada!

Til next time.
RH

Beijing Olympics are underway

If I don't poste regularly it is due to the Olympics.
I will be watching every minute of the coverage on CBC, TSN, and NBC.
Despite what many ignorant fools in the mainstream media have to say, I'll watch the Olympics over baseball, etc., any day.

Here is the schedule of events:

http://results.beijing2008.cn/WRM/ENG/Schedule/index.shtml

The CBC generally covers the Olympics every day from 6pm-12am and 6am-12noon. With some added coverage and schedule tweaks in there (depends on the day). Check your own local listings.

Just look for the Women's Olympic Triathlon on Monday August 18 (10 pm Eastern) and the Men's Olympic Triathlon on Tuesday August 19 (10 pm Eastern).

Here is the excellent CBC site. All the events and times are on the right side and can be customized for your own time zone.

http://www.cbc.ca/olympics/

It is going to be a great next couple of weeks.
Enjoy

RH

McEnroe & Nadal Roadtrip

Enjoy two of the greatest tennis players of all time getting together for a road trip.



By the way here are my top 10 players of all time:

Men
1. John McEnroe
2. Roger Federer
3. Bjorn Borg
4. Rod Laver
5. Andre Agassi
6. Pete Sampras
7. Stefan Edberg
8. Ivan Lendl
9. Raphael Nadal - and rising qickly
10. Daniel Nestor - Canadian content & has career Golden Slam in doubles.

Women
1. Martina Navratilova
2. Steffi Graf
3. Serena Williams
4. Billie Jean King
5. Chris Evert
6. Martina Hingis
7. Monica Seles
8. Justine Henin
9. Ana Ivanovic
10. Anna Kournikova - If she is on court I'm there. It's "my" top 10 after all. Let me refresh your memory below.




Oh yeah, check this out too. Mac does Rafa.

I'm Walking, IMLP Pics & Roger's Cup

Hello again!

Still busy doing a lot of stuff like..................walking, woo hoo!!!

Once out of the cast, every day feels better and better and much progress is being made. While my walk does not look great (Achilles is still fairly tight but not like last week), there is less of a limp each day. I've been to physio (at Physiobility) 2 times this week and I am getting awesome treatment. I highly recommend them if you ever need treatment. Lots of hydrotherapy, ultrasound, massage, and laser.

I get to do all of the stretching and range of motion exercises on my own. I even got on the bike Wednesday (indoors) for 15 minutes. I was not riding all that fast or forcefully but I was pleased to be back riding. The Achilles was tight at the start but loosened up more at the end to decrease the pain. I wore bike shoes but did not clip into the pedals on the left side. Not enough strength or guts for that yet. I'll try riding again today.

I took a few pics of myself to see how much my left calf reduced, but as you can see I actually looks bigger. However, the reality is that the muscles are all mush. It it likely bigger due to swelling and the fact that my right leg was taking most of my weight as I took the picture. But the good news for me is that I did not sustain major shrinkage. I've seen lots of pictures with some major atrophy happening on the injured leg. Let the recovery continue.

After finally uploading these pics, I can finally congratulate a few buddies on their finishes at Ironman USA Lake Placid. Way to go Angus, Gord and Rick. That was the toughest day IMLP has ever seen and I sorta glad I missed it. I signed up for the 2009 race a few days ago so look out boys, I'm anxiously awaiting to make up for this year. Here are some pics from the soggy day.

Prior to the swim start - Just half of the athletes.

Showing some art skillz - making a sign for my buddy Angus


The wife's new shirt - that is me squeezing into a women's small. Do I need a manzier?

Angus heading out in the downpour

Rick

Gord

James Bonney (got hypothermia and dropped out--you'll get them next time)

Desiree Ficker (great athlete but the wet and cold shut her down too)

Men's Winner (Francisco Pontano)

Stephanie Dubois

Jelena Jankovic & Ana Ivanovic

On top of recovering, doing my exercises, writing articles, and finishing an online course, I've been watching the Roger's Cup from Montreal. There is lots of great coverage going on and my favourite Canadian female tennis player (Stephanie Dubois) is playing right now. When I started this post they were in a rain delay but play has resumed and she has just lost the first set to Jelena Jankovic 6-3. It will be tough for her to advance to the quarter finals but I'll keep pulling for her. Ana Ivanovic (if you have been following this site you know I've been touting her for many years) will be playing later and I will be watching that too. Gotta go and catch the rest of the match.

Til next time. Thanks for reading. RH

1 week delay / The cast is off

Sorry for the one week delay but lots of stuff going on this week.

Obviously, by now you know that Stadler did not race in LP and Bonney dropped out of the race due to mild hypothermia. I saw him head out on the run but he looked real cold and uncomfortable so I was not surprised that he pull out.

Race day at Ironman Lake Placid was horrible. Basically, it rained 14 hours out of the 17 hour race day. It started once the pros headed into transition (45 min into the race), stopped briefly from 3-4 pm, and poured again til 945 pm or so. A very tough day. It got very chilly out there.

My cast got soaked (I'm not allowed to get it wet) and there was not much I could do about it. A whole bunch of dead skin started oozing out from the bottom of my cast. Yummy! By the next day it seemed to dry but in reality it kick started some nasty stuff a few days later.

I got some nice pictures of the pros and a few friends. Hopefully some will be used by Triathlon Magazine Canada. Congrats to Rick, Gord (his first Ironman) and Angus! All of who completed the race and what was the wettest and toughest day at IMLP.

Once I got home, I showered but somehow my many protective bags slipped and more water slipped down into the cast. So now the cast was soaked once again. I don't think it fully dried out in the first place.

The next morning I was at a tennis conference and I suddenly smelled something rancid. I soon realized that it was coming from my cast. It was still wet and could only imagine what it looked like under there. I immediately called the hospital to get the cast removed. I was lucky enough to get an appointment and they cut it open. I cleared the room with the stench coming from my leg and there was tons of dead skin.

The cast technicians/nurses did not want to touch it. I just wanted to clean it off, peel off the dead skin and go on my way. They insisted that I better not since I might just pull off all the skin from my foot and have nothing underneath. They put on a new plaster splint on top and wrapped it. They told me to take a hair dryer and dry my leg off at home.

Once I got home I could not imagine leaving that wet stinky mess under wraps so I pulled the cast off. I peeled off all the dead skin and washed my foot. Aside from the severely wrinkly foot (like if you were in water for several hours) everything was normal and a lot less gross looking. I was glad I did this because I'm am sure it would have been worse a few days later when I saw the doctor.

On Thursday, I saw the surgeon and he examined my leg and proclaimed that I am no longer in a cast, I am on to full weight bearing and can start physio. Yahoo!!! I met with the physio minutes later and she gave me more details. I was very fortunate that she is a fellow Ironman athlete too (and a very fast one at that) so she knew my needs. I was given a bunch of exercises and told that I am cleared to ditch my crutches at any time, can start riding a bike (indoors), can swim but just refrain from pushing off with my left leg.

My Achilles is definitely tight and achy. But every day the range of motion gets better as I stretch it out. Still a long way to go but things are looking great. I am excited to start riding the bike again. It has been way too long. Plus those extra pounds have got to go.

By the way, don't forget to check out the huge Running Free sale going on right now. Lots of deals to be had. Feel free to use my discount code to save even more $$ -11296
Go in person or online at http://www.runningfree.com/

Til next time, thanks for reading.
RH

The cast it cut open.

Nasty leg revealed.

A closer look. Most dead skin is off. But still gross.

Cleaned off and one day later.

6 surgery incisions.

James Bonney & Stadler

For those of you still wondering if Normann Stadler will race in Lake Placid I have the up to date news................ There isn't any.

I've talked to some race officials and they (like all of us) have seen the information posted on his website and have sent the call out to him to find out what is going on. However, no one has returned their calls or emails. While it is quite possible he could still show up today to register, that is unlikey. Keep your fingers crossed though.

After picking up my race kit today (turned my chip in so no chance of racing--maybe), I had a chance meeting with James Bonney at the Expo. I was checking out his bike and we had a nice chat about a ton of stuff. Before my chat with him I thought that he had a great chance to win this race (especially after his IMAZ performance), and I sincerely hope that he does so. A very classy and down to earth guy! If he runs a sub-3 hour marathon (his goal for this race--he swims and bikes like a demon already) I think he will do it.

As usual, the town of LP is in full swing in preparation for Sunday. Lots of fit people riding and running around town. I'm jealous. I'm almost feeling my leg healing at the moment. Maybe I should rent a bike and do this darn race? There are so many fellow athletes and locals saying sorry to me and wishing me well. This makes things easier and why I love this sport and town so much. I'll be back next year for sure.

Til next time
RH

Camelback Sustainable Hydration Project

I came across this site a few minutes ago.
Excellent info about tap water vs bottled water, etc.

http://www.choosetoreuse.net/

I've always loved Camelback products and I would also suggest that you pick up some of their bottles that are BPA free.

Check out this great site to discover the dangers of those plastic bottles.

http://www.greenlivingonline.com/HealthNutrition/get-rid-of-plastic-water-bottles

Til next time
RH

Le tour still rules

Just when everything was going great, some dope decides to be stupid and gets busted for using EPO.

I don't know about you, but I was really starting to enjoy the wide open competition of this year's Tour de France and the lack of the daily reports of riders getting busted for testing positive for one drug or the other. While I not totally naive to believe that no one was going to test positive for drugs this year, I thought there was a great chance.

Since everyone is going to be tested a zillion times, who would be that stupid and disrespectful to the great sport of cycling to try and get away with taking performance enhancing drugs? Well it seems we had at least one taker for that title this year and he is Manuel Beltran. For a 37 year old guy whose best days were well behind him, and who had zero chance to win anything, what was the point? I guess maybe it was his only way to stay on the team and make a living. Sad really.

All the rest of the world (who don't follow cycling regularly) will take from the headlines is that the cyclists are still a bunch of druggies. Obviously not the case. If anything, the rest of the sporting world should take notice and follow the lead of cycling. They are catching the cheaters, unlike to others who are ignoring the issue or sweeping it under the rug.

I appreciate the efforts of the cycling establishment in getting rid of the dopers (I didn't like how Astana was left out of the Tour but that is another story), and I admire the immense talent, skill, and toughness of the cyclists. So I will always be watching my TV every July from day 1 right to the end when the race ends in Paris.

No only if OLN would show more cycling up here in Canada then things would be perfect.

Link to the #$%@*! getting busted yesterday.
http://canadianpress.google.com/article/ALeqM5i1yQ9pzKB7WfHIg02Ua83vcbmMkw

Til next time.
RH

Tour de France 2008

I know I've had a bunch of visitors to this site looking for Tour de France info. A lot from the US but I had OLN (Canadian) broadcast info so to help you out and to update and add other links here you go:

Canadian Broadcast Schedule on OLN
http://www.tsn.ca/oln/tour_de_france/feature.asp?fid=10749

Versus Broadcast Schedule
http://www.versus.com/tdf/article/view/758/?ss=tv&tf=body_tdf_schedule.tpl

Versus TDF Site
http://www.versus.com/tdf/

Worldcycling Site (Lots of videos, and blogs by Phil Liggett and Paul Sherwen)
http://www.worldcycling.tv/


Enjoy the tour. It's wide open and exciting this year.

Doc Stoddard, New Tat & Physio

I am extremely dubious about the pain I'm feeling in my right foot (bearing all of my weight for 5 weeks now, and the Achilles and top of foot hurt before the whole left Achilles rupture deal) so I decided to be proactive and get help before a repeat of the left side happens.



So yesterday, I paid a visit to Dr. Stoddard (sports medicine expert at Toronto SEMI, and the creator of eLoad). We have worked together in the past (Transitions Magazine) so it was nice to see him again an catch up on things, chat about sports nutrition, his new Fly product, etc. He confirmed that there was inflammation on that side, and set me up to see a podiatrist to discover why I'm getting all these problems in the first place. I've been avoiding these for about 10 years now and it looks like orthothics might be the remedy. I won't know anything until my cast comes off and they can check both feet out. I'll see a physio tomorrow.



Ever since the surgery, my appetite has dropped. I basically only eat once a day. Thank goodness for that otherwise I'd be over 200 lbs now for sure. I had not eaten since the afternoon before so I was a bit hungry after the appointment. Thanks to the Taco Bell commercials I hit a drive thru and got the 5 tacos and a drink deal. Man was it good..... and bad all at the same time.


After killing some time doing some writing, I headed off to get my latest tattoo at Way Cool Tattoos (thanks for Jen for a quick and easy experience). Things you do when you are bored eh? I cant post pics of the new addition since it is under bandages right now but I'll scan and post the artwork ASAP. I also updated the Ironman completion dates on my left arm. This will probably be my last tat for quite some time. No more space on my right side anyway, and I don't feel inspired or the need to add anything else. Although every time a family member (Mom) says they hate my tats, I want to get some more.




It looks like this except the mouth part.

Today, I had my first physio session at Toronto SEMI, and it was one of the most professional encounters I've had with a physio. All comments were documented on computer as I gave them. and a very thorough evaluation and testing protocol. I got some exercises to do and received treatment on my Achilles and top of foot (bottom end of my it band) and was off.


Got home, ate, and as I am writing this, I watching the wicked Individual Time Trial from today's Tour de France. I so want to get out there and blast away on my Saber.


Thanks for reading.


RH

Stadler to race at Lake Placid?

This was posted on the coverage from the European Ironman Championships (tomorrow in Germany). Once he found out that I am not racing it is only natural that he decide to come over and do Ironman Lake Placid. :)

Normann Stadler has to cancel IRONMAN Frankfurt because of illness

“I absolutely wanted to participate, but the doctors forbade it.”

Because of a compounded influenzal infection, Normann Stadler who won two times Ironman Hawaii, can not participate in the IRONMAN European Championship in Frankfurt.

The captain of the Dresdner Kleinwort Triathlon Team had to announce the staggering news this morning, after having won the International German Championships (middle distance) only four weeks ago.

“I wanted to start at any price, but my medicals clearly told me to risk my health by doing so,” disappointed Stadler stated. “If the doctors would not have strongly advised me not to race, I would have done the race with the last of my strength. I feel endlessly sorry for my fans and my sponsors. Now I am going to do everything I can to support my team colleagues Jan Raphael, Markus Fachbach und Maik Twelsiek in Frankfurt and I will show in Hawaii what I am able to.”

Stadler is going to compete on the next Ironman on the 20th of July in Lake Placid.

A new cast comes on. Nice eh!

Cast #2 is sawed off.


The first slice.


Fiberglass is off, sheath is now cut.


Leg comparison. Left is shrunk already.


Cast #3 is applied. 2nd layer of purple fiberglass.


The pink stripes are applied.


Heading home.


Pele chillin' on the new cast. I think she likes it!

OLN 2008 Tour de France Broadcast Schedule

The Tour de France is almost upon us. The OLN broadcast schedule is here:

http://www.tsn.ca/oln/tour_de_france/feature.asp?fid=10749

RIP George Carlin

The legendary comedian George Carlin (71) died yesterday in California due to heart failure.

Check out his stuff (I'm sure You tube has clips) you will not be disappointed.

Post ATR Surgery Pics

The first cast came off yesterday and I got to see the 6 incisions the surgeon made. Check out all the pics below along with my new red cast. Enjoy!

Simon says..

Here is a nice response from Simon Whitfield about the whole team selection ordeal. He is a great guy and not the villan that some might be making him out to be. Go get em' Simon, Paul and Colin!

http://www.theglobeandmail.com/blogs/WbBeijing

Groves, Tremblay & Murray

I had a psychic vision last night and it came through with the members of Canada's Olympic Women's Triathlon Team (to be officially announced tomorrow morning).

There are:
Lauren Groves


Kathy Tremblay


Carolyn Murray.


Kirsten Sweetland will be the alternate.


I'm sure if Kirsten didn't have a stress fracture in her foot (which she ran on during the World Championships last weekend) she would have been on that team and brought home a medal for Canada. She still has lots of years ahead of her though.

If this turns out to be true, then feel free to contact me to look into your future.

RH

Finally!!!!

Long overdue but finally the Canadian Government stepped up today. Now only if they would do something about our taxes and gas prices.


Canada apologizes
BRODIE FENLON
Globe and Mail Update and Canadian Press
June 11, 2008 at 4:33 PM EDT

Prime Minister Stephen Harper has made an historic apology on behalf of the Canadian government for native residential schools and its decades-long policy of forced assimilation.

“Today, we recognize that this policy of assimilation was wrong, has caused great harm, and has no place in our country,” Mr. Harper said.

“The government now recognizes that the consequences of the Indian residential schools policy were profoundly negative and that this policy has had a lasting and damaging impact on Aboriginal culture, heritage and language.”

The apology was quickly embraced by Phil Fontaine, chief of the Assembly of First Nations, who addressed MPs from the floor of the House of Commons, as dozens of residential school survivors watched on from the public gallery.

“This day testifies to nothing less than the achievement of the impossible," said Mr. Fontaine, who wore traditional headgear.

“Never again will this House consider us the Indian problem just for being who we are. We heard the government of Canada take full responsibility for this dreadful chapter in our shared history...

“What happened today signifies a new dawn in the relationship between us and the rest of Canada,” he said.

Mr. Harper began the ceremony by walking into the House of Commons with Mr. Fontaine and other aboriginal leaders, including Mary Simon, president of Inuit Tapiriit Kanatami, Mike Cachagee, president of the National Residential School Survivors' Society, Beverly Jacobs of the Native Women's Association of Canada, and Métis National Council President Clément Chartier.

They were accompanied by a small group of aged residential school survivors, including 104-year-old Marguerite Wabano, who attended a residential school run by Roman Catholic grey nuns in Fort Albany, Ont., for two years when she was seven and eight years old.

As the native leaders and survivors sat in a circle, Mr. Harper began the apology.

“On behalf of the government of Canada and all Canadians, I stand before you, in this chamber so vital, central to our life as a country, to apologize to aboriginal peoples for the role the government of Canada played in the Indian residential schools system.”

Mr. Harper continued: “To the approximately 80,000 living former students, and all family members and communities, the government of Canada now recognizes that it was wrong to forcibly remove children from their homes and we apologize for having done this.

“We now recognize that it was wrong to separate children from rich and vibrant cultures and traditions, that it created a void in many lives and communities, and we apologize from having done this."

“We now recognize that, in separating children from their families, we undermined the ability of many to adequately parent their own children and sowed the seeds for generations to follow, and we apologize for having done this," the Prime Minister said.

“We now recognize that, far too often, these institutions gave rise to abuse or neglect and were inadequately controlled, and we apologize for failing to protect you.

“Not only did you suffer these abuses as children, but as you became parents, you were powerless to protect your own children from suffering the same experience, and for this we are sorry.”

Liberal Leader Stéphane Dion also apologized on behalf of the Liberal Party, which he noted had governed the country for 70 years of the last century.

“For too long the Canadian government chose to ignore the consequences of this tragedy,” Mr. Dion said. “I am sorry Canada tried to erase your identity and culture.”

Bloc Québécois Leader Gilles Duceppe and NDP Leader Jack Layton added their voices to the apology, each demanding that the government restore the nation-to-nation relationship between Ottawa and First Nations, Métis and Inuit.

“This Parliament chose to treat First Nations, Métis and Inuit people as not equally human," Mr. Layton said. “It set out to ‘kill the Indian in the child.' That choice was wrong – horribly wrong.”

The Harper government indicated at the outset of the apology that it had changed its mind about allowing aboriginal leaders to respond to the apology from the House of Commons floor.

On Tuesday, Mr. Harper said he would not alter Parliamentary tradition and accused the opposition of detracting from the importance of the event by raising the issue during Question Period.

But Government House Leader Peter Van Loan asked opposition MPs for consent Wednesday to allow the leaders who accompanied Mr. Harper into the House to respond to the apology.

The historic day in Ottawa began with sunrise prayers on the island below Parliament Hill, where about 100 natives burned tobacco to honour the spirits of those who have died. There were similar gatherings across the country.

Dozens of people gathered at the site of a former residential school near the small Nova Scotia community of Shubenacadie, north of Halifax, for a “letting-go ceremony.”

In Saskatchewan, aboriginals gathered in Fort Qu'Appelle to support each other as they listened to Mr. Harper's apology.

Residential schools were mandatory for aboriginal children who were forced to learn English and adopt Christianity as part of government policy. About 150,000 students attended 130 church-run schools across Canada for much of the last century.

While many students say they received a good education, Ottawa acknowledged in 1998 that physical and sexual abuse was rampant.

The apology is part of a compensation and healing package expected to top $4-billion.

Daily parliamentary business has been called off for the apology, which will be followed by opposition response. The official apology inside the House of Commons will be followed outside the chamber with ceremonial signing, music and a chance for former students to be heard.

Controversy?: Canadian Men's Olympic Triathlon Team

Here is an interesting article about the recent Canadian Olympic Triathlon Team selections. There seems to be some infighting but hopefully everyone steps up and achieves the common goal of winning in Beijing.

I think that both Simon and Paul can bring home medals at Beijing. Paul should not take a back seat role. He can go for a top 3 and still "help out" Simon. In fact, they can help each other out since they both need to be in that front pack of the swim, bike, and then its every man for themselves come that final run.


Tichelaar not tickled by role
Edmonton athlete asked by Triathlon Canada to focus efforts on getting Simon Whitfield on podium in Beijing

Gary Kingston
Vancouver Sun; Canwest News Service
Tuesday, June 10, 2008

VANCOUVER - There were bound to be happy athletes and some unhappy ones when Triathlon Canada named its men's team for the Beijing Olympics.

Paul Tichelaar of Edmonton found himself in both camps.

The contentious selection process was left to a five-person high-performance committee late Sunday after neither Tichelaar, nor Kyle Jones of Oakville, Ont., were able to secure an automatic berth behind the already-qualified Simon Whitfield with a top-eight finish at the ITU world championship in Vancouver earlier in the day.

The fast-improving Tichelaar came closest with a stirring ninth-place finish. But his relief at being named to the squad was tempered with some bitterness when he was informed that both he and third member Colin Jenkins of Hamilton, Ont., would be expected to focus their efforts on helping Whitfield -- the 2000 Olympic champion -- make the medal podium.

Tichelaar's role wasn't articulated during a media conference call Monday morning with the athletes and Triathlon Canada executives. But Tichelaar confirmed in a later interview that the federation wants him to work on team tactics.

"What kind of reasonable decision is that?" said the blunt Tichelaar, who with three top-eights on the World Cup circuit this season and his strong effort Sunday could well be a medal contender himself.

"There was a little unbelief, well maybe not unbelief because I was kind of expecting something like this from this group of people," he added.

"It took the wind out of my sails. Here was something I should have been celebrating and I'm a little ambivalent now. I'm not sure how I feel about the whole situation," added Tichelaar, who said he wanted to take a couple of days to ponder his position "before I really open my mouth."
He certainly isn't shy about doing that. Last week, he directed pointed comments towards Triathlon Canada for the way the qualifying standard was toughened and at Whitfield for being a "big dog" who needs to "get his bone."

Whitfield said Tichelaar was being disrespectful and petty. On the conference call, they tried to make nice and Tichelaar said he believes they can "sort out" any disagreements. But he's clearly not fully onboard.

Many believe the qualifying standard was toughened to ensure team selection would be turned over to the high-performance committee and result in Jenkins, who was being openly campaigned for by Whitfield, being added at the expense of higher-ranked teammates Jones and Brent McMahon of Victoria.

National team head coach Joel Filliol, who was on the high-performance committee, said the standard represented what it would take to win an (Olympic medal) and Tichelaar didn't achieve that.
On the conference call, both Filliol and Whitfield reiterated that with team tactics coming more and more into play -- and national team funding based in part on winning medals -- it's essential to use a team concept in Beijing.

"I can't say enough about the tremendous effort Triathlon Canada put into this," said Whitfield. "It's cutting edge. I bumped into one of the Australian coaches (Monday morning) and he said 'you guys are smart' and nodded. It's a tribute to the fact we've thought this through.
"We're putting together a team that's about medal contention. The pressure's on me. We set this team up, now I have to go and perform."

The idea is that Tichelaar and, in particular, Jenkins -- who is an excellent swimmer and strong on the bike -- can help Whitfield if he comes out behind the lead pack in the swim. Or, they could cover breakaways by strong cyclists during the 40-kilometre bike leg.

McMahon, a 2004 Olympian who was 17th on Sunday, said he was the victim of politics and would have had to do something "miraculous" to change what he believed were the already made-up minds of the high-performance committee.

He also said he believes it would be better to have three athletes strong in all disciplines working together at Beijing, and he questioned whether Jenkins can do much to affect things.
"At the end of the day, Simon has to be ready to win on his own. If he's not in a position to win, it doesn't matter what Colin or Paul do."

Meanwhile, a decision on the selection of the women's team for Beijing has been delayed, likely to give the high-performance committee time to collect more information on the left heel injury suffered a week ago by Victoria teenager Kirsten Sweetland.

Vancouver's Lauren Groves has pre-qualified for Beijing. Those in the running for the final two spots are Sweetland, Edmonton's Carolyn Murray and Montreal's Kathy Tremblay.

Also this one:

Whitfield to get help in triathlon medal bid
JAMES CHRISTIE
From Tuesday's Globe and Mail

The pressure of winning a triathlon medal at the 2008 Beijing Summer Olympics sits on the shoulders of Simon Whitfield, and the gold medalist at the 2000 Games appreciates that's where it belongs after Triathlon Canada put a “helper” in the Olympic field to boost him toward the podium.

“This is about winning medals,” Whitfield said in a teleconference yesterday in which his ticket to Beijing was confirmed, along with those of Paul Tichelaar of Edmonton and Colin Jenkins of Hamilton.

Jenkins's specific role is not to compete for a medal for Canada, but to sacrifice himself as a domestique in a team-racing strategy, setting up Whitfield, 33, for a run at the medals.

The nomination of Jenkins for the team over Brent McMahon of Victoria – whose 17th place finish in the world championships got Canada's men a third spot in Beijing – has invited criticism.
However, McMahon said last night he will not appeal Triathlon Canada's picks.

“They've been pushing this way of racing for the past year and we knew going in you'd have to be in the top eight at the worlds to be automatically selected,” he said of Jenkins's selection. “I just hope Paul gets to run his own race, because he's shown he's a contender.”

Tichelaar had said last week that Triathlon Canada was plainly building around Whitfield's potential as “the big dog” in the pack. “And he's getting his bone.”

Yesterday, in the wake of a ninth-place finish at the worlds, Tichelaar said he was happy the selection ordeal was over and believed the three teammates would train together harmoniously. “We're balancing some of the top athletes in the sport with some fair-sized egos. We held it pretty much together.”

Whitfield said taking heat is an inevitable consequence of realism. With a level of confidence bordering on audacity, he reckoned he's Canada's main medal threat and is glad that Triathlon Canada gave one of the three spots to an athlete who accepts the role of setup man in the swimming and cycling portions of the triathlon.

“I can't say enough about the cutting edge Triathlon Canada is trying to put in,” Whitfield said. “I just passed one of the Australian coaches and he said he wished they were as smart as we are.
“At the end of the day, the pressure falls on my shoulders. … The Canadian sports system is funded based on winning medals, not on just participating. When Triathlon Canada tries to put together a team with that goal, we're bound to take a little criticism. But they're walking the walk after having talked the talk.”

Jenkins, who finished 55th in the world championships, is a strong swimmer and cyclist and knows his role is to put Whitfield in a position to challenge Spain's world champion, Javier Gomez, who has been on the podium the past 16 times he has raced.

“When the criteria came out, I talked to [Olympic coach] Joel Filliol, and we decided my best chance to make the team would be to show myself as a team racer, and over the last 12 months I've tried to perfect that role,” Jenkins said. “I have no pipe dream I would be on top of the podium in Beijing. It isn't about me. … I'm going to Beijing to try and help Simon win. That's my role and I've been fine with that for the past 12 to 18 months.”

Whitfield said he felt for McMahon, the Pan American Games silver medalist who had been his teammate in Athens. “He had an extraordinary [world championship] and he should be proud of that. … But with all respect, he had four chances to make the team and this was his fourth chance.”

Jenkins won the pot in a poker game he didn't relish. In order to be selected, he said, he knew he had to rely on McMahon securing Canada a third spot for Beijing.

“It's a hard position to be in,” he said. “I knew people's emotions would get high and some would be upset.”

He said he will work hard on swimming and biking at the expense of his running.

At the next World Cup, in Des Moines, Iowa, he and Whitfield will have one more chance to practise their teamwork, with Jenkins jockeying Whitfield to the front of the swim pack, then leading him in cycling so that he saves energy by drafting.

“The chances of winning change by small percentages,” Whitfield said. “We have to put every advantage forward we can.”

He said the French, Australians, Swiss and possibly the Russians will race using team strategies in Beijing as well.

Double Debut

Yesterday was a day of firsts for Hosspro Services.

1. A friend and client successfully finished her first Triathlon yesterday at the Lakeside Sprint Triathlon. Yaaahoooo! It was an extremely hot day 30+ degrees so it was a job well done. Way to go Alison.

500m Swim (13:31)
T1 (3:06)
18 km Bike (40:50)
4 km Run (26:51)
Total - 1:25:59

2. I made my race announcing debut at the same Lakeside race yesterday. I was a very long day (I did the adult and kids races) but a fun learning experience. Thanks to the "Golden girl" for her driving, fetching, and athlete spotting duties. Along with much thanks to John Salt of Multipsport Canada for letting me give it a try.

Added notes:
Since I could not physically race, it was great getting my race fix by being at the race yesterday by doing some announcing and hanging out with many faces I hand not seen since last season. I must admit it was a bit frustrating at times because I realized that had I not been injured, I had a good chance to win this race and it minimum a top 4 overall. Grrrrr.

Pics from the ITU World Championships in Vancouver

Thanks to Gord Avann (fellow racing buddy), he sent me these pics fresh from Vancouver. Enjoy.


Best of Luck to Gord, Karen Gamble, Peter Geering and the rest of Team Canada.


I'm really looking forward to seeing how Simon Whitfield, Paul Tichelaar, Kirsten Sweetland, Kathy Tremblay and Carolyn Murray do in the Elite races. There is some big time competition to make the Olympic Team.