Bowden Burns off Christmas Calories

Bowden is at it again.
She ate a lot during the holidays and is now back working out.
This is her road set up.
Her tri set up will follow soon.

Merry Christmas & Goodbye to the Godfather of Soul

I loved this dude's music.
Got on the net this Christmas morning to find out that he has died. I can tell you how many times I've chanted the "Get up, get on up...." everytime I do a tough long steady climb.
He will be missed and remembered (each year when I race a Lake Placid).
When you pass by a guy singing this at IMLP just remember to say hello.

Have a Great Christmas and reserve a moment for the Godfather of Soul. ============================================================================ Brown's agent Frank Copsidas said the singer was hospitalized with severe pneumonia on Sunday, and died around 1:45 a.m. ET on Monday, reports the Associated Press.

Copsidas said longtime friend Charles Bobbit was by Brown's side when he died at Emory Crawford Long Hospital in Atlanta, Ga. James Joseph Brown, Jr. is widely considered one of the most seminal, influential figures in 20th century music.

He had a raspy, gospel-style voiced that, combined with a horn-section that punctuated his funky, frenetic rhythms, evolved into a distinct, revolutionary style of music.

He recorded more than 50 albums and had well over 100 songs that hit the charts, including "I Got You (I Feel Good)," "(Get Up I Feel Like Being a) Sex Machine" and "Out of Sight." His classic "Say It Out Loud -- I'm Black and I'm Proud" became a landmark statement of racial pride when it came out in 1968.

"I clearly remember we were calling ourselves coloured, and after the song, we were calling ourselves black," Brown told the Associated Press in an interview in 2003. "The song showed even people to that day that lyrics and music and a song can change society."

Brown was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1986 and won a Grammy lifetime achievement award in 1992. Not only was he a prolific singer and songwriter, he was also a record producer, businessman and bandleader who is credited with influencing a new generation of African American music that reaches all the way to rap and hip-hop today. "

James presented obviously the best grooves," rapper Chuck D of Public Enemy once told The Associated Press. "To this day, there has been no one near as funky. No one's coming even close."

Brown also left his mark on numerous other musical genres, including rock, jazz, reggae, disco, dance and electronic music. And the pompadoured, flamboyant Brown also influenced many artists with his dancing. His often copied, never quite equalled, rapid-fire footwork inspired such artists as Michael Jackson, Prince and Mick Jagger.

Brown rose to success despite being born in abject poverty in Barnwell, South Carolina, in 1933. He was abandoned as a four-year-old to the care of relatives and friends and grew up on the streets of Augusta, Ga., in an "ill-repute area," as he once called it. "I wanted to be somebody," Brown told AP.

He shot to stardom after Cincinnati's King Records signed his group, the Gospel Starlighters, to a record deal in 1956 and four months later their hit "Please, Please, Please" was in the R&B top ten.

But later on in his career, Brown ran into troubles with the law. He was arrested several times in the 1980s and 1990s and was charged with drug and weapons possession. His wife, Adrienne Brown, died in 1996 in Los Angeles at age 47 after she took the drug PCP and several prescription drugs while suffering from a bad heart.

More recently, Brown married his fourth wife, Tomi Raye Hynie, who one of his backup singers. The couple had a son, James Jr.

With files from The Associated Press

I Elfed Myself

Hey everyone,

Check this out, I just elfed myself.
Turn up your volume a bit and enjoy.

http://www.elfyourself.com/?userid=6ea7c9bcec85fdb8b264f9aG06121520

What a cool IMHAWAII broadcast on NBC last week eh!
They surely know how to get those tears flowing.

Enjoy your Christmas shopping.
Hoss

In Case You Missed It

Here are a few scans of a few recent articles.
Don't forget, Ironman Hawaii on NBC tomorrow at 4pm.







From the Markham Economist & Sun

Litespeed Saber, The King & The Big Broadcast

Check out this video of the best Tri Bike out there.
It is a sweet ride and I can't wait for the race season to begin.

Go to the "Cool Stuff" Section on the right side of the screen and click on the Litespeed Saber or you can Copy and Paste the following in a new window and prepare to drool:

mms://84.233.150.200/url1/cycling/374/Litespeed_Saber_256.wmv


By the way, Joanne King (former ITU superstar) made her return to racing last weekend at Ironman Australia. However, she dropped out of the race during the run. Hopefully she bounces back and does another one. I'd love to see what she can do in Ironman racing if she stays healthy.

Don't forget that BIG BROADCAST this Saturday at 4 pm on NBC. That's right, the always awesome Ironman Hawaii broadcast is 3 days away. It should be on time since there is no live sporting event (NASCAR) just before it. Enjoy. I know I will be glued to my TV screen.

Later
Hoss

What it Takes, Reid, CW-X, and the Music Industry

Basketball season is over (congratulations to the girls for making it to the YRAA Semi-finals—they improved so much since September) and it finally looks like I can actually get back to some training. So far this week I’ve got 6 hours under my belt. Of course as soon as things start going well I wake up this morning with a stiff neck. It’s still there tonight and I’m going to try and knock off a bike ride right after posting this. I can’t screw up what could be a good start to winter training.

What it Takes
I saw this film last week and it is outstanding. It is a must see for all fans of Multisport. There is lots of great insight into the lives of Peter Reid, Lori Bowden, Heather Fuhr, and Luke Bell. I have written a review for the next issue of Triathlon Magazine Canada so you can check out more details there. To order your own copy visit http://www.witmovie.com/ you will not be disappointed.




Peter Reid
Speaking of Peter Reid, a few months ago after Ironman Canada, I mentioned that I thought he would be an excellent coach - “Just listening to him give his tips makes me believe that he would be an incredible coach. We will see if that is where his future lies.” Well Peter has now officially entered the coaching arena. He is taking applications right now and I can only imagine how much it will cost. It may be well worth it though. Check out the details here http://www.peterreid.com/coaching.htm

CW-X
Thanks to the folks at Running Free, I have been given the opportunity to test out the CW-X Insulator Expert Tights. Other than making me feel a bit like Spiderman, they perform quite differently than any other tights out there. The funky Conditioning Web patterns not only look unique but they perform the function of holding/supporting the muscles and ligaments together to stabilize areas such as the knee joint. Particularly useful to me is the extra support I get in the hamstrings and regions behind the knee (I snapped my hammy playing football just before my first Ironman in 1999 --- it still clicks today when I straighten it). Due to the web patterns, running in the tights actually feels assisted because you definitely feel the extra support, especially at the knee joint. The Auto Sensor material in the Insulator version of the tights does a great job in maintaining warmth and dryness. I have not felt the need to double layer. I like the science and philosophy behind this product and I will now check out some of CW-X’s tops and shorts. I only hope that they are coming out with a bike short. Check out their cool stiff at http://cw-x.com/ss/introduction



Music
This is not really sports related but since we all likely listen to music while we are training I think it is appropriate. After watching the American Music Awards a few nights ago I must say that today’s music industry absolutely putrid! I can’t believe the crud they are trying to pass off as music. Case in point, the Pussycat Dolls. I didn’t know lap-dancing skills qualified you to be singers. I did enjoy the performances of Beyonce and Nelly Furtado though. They actually have talent, can sing, and they look classy and beautiful. However, for some real music with some thoughtful lyrics, there are 2 excellent CDs out there right now. Tom Cochrane – No Stranger, and The Tragically Hip – World Container.



That’s enough from me. Enjoy your early winter training.

Hoss

PS: Happy Birthday Doreen! By the way you are not the "DL". I know this because I see the real "DL" every morning.

Raid the Hammer

This past weekend a few friends (Marie & Angus) and I took part in the Raid the Hammer 25 km Running Adventure Race. Yup, I'm still kinda sore from the whole thing. We had a ton of fun doing it, but we just have to learn how to navigate. Thanks go out to Running Free who awarded our rookie team with the entry to the race.

Below is the race report from the big event.

Race Report
By Roger Hospedales, Team Running Free

Race: Raid the Hammer

Date: Sunday November 12, 2006.

Location: Highland High School, Hamilton, Ontario

Description: 25 km Adventure Run

Sport: Adventure Trail Run

Website: www.dontgetlost.ca

At the 2006 edition of the Raid the Hammer race our team may have done some raiding, but the course surely hammered us in return. Despite that beating, our team had a wonderful experience.

You know it is not a good sign of things to come when you get lost on the way the to an adventure race, but that is how our day started (mapquest sent me in the opposite direction). Our Running Free Team consisted of Angus Kim, Marie McGrath, and myself. Considering that we all had very limited navigation skills, we did fairly well finding all of the early checkpoints fairly easily. On the physical challenge side of things, you will get your fill on this course. The terrain is varied, and there is nothing but climbing, climbing, and more climbing.

We managed to make the first cut-off time of 1 pm, but due to some navigation misadventures, we missed the second cut-off time of 3 pm by just 10 minutes. To be quite honest, we were just about done at that point and welcomed the fact that we were forced to take the short cut back to the finish. Upon finishing the race, we (and all of the teams) picked up some swag (portable chair, carabiner key chain with compass and light) and went indoors to get warm and enjoy some pop and hot pizza. This post-race meal gave us the opportunity to reminisce about the previous hours of “fun”. It was also a nice time to chat with a lot of the other teams we saw out on the course.

With more race experience and maybe a taking a course in navigation we could have done much better on the results side of things but it would not have had much of an impact on changing our overall enjoyment. We did a total of 7 hours of racing, a combination of running, climbing, bushwhacking, mud trekking and walking. While we were hurting near the end of the race, it did not feel like 7 hours had gone by. We enjoyed each other’s company and met a lot of cool people along the way.

I can easily recommend this race to anyone. You can get by without any navigation experience (as our team proved), but if you wish to finish high on the final results it definitely helps to know how to navigate. This event truly is a very challenging, fun and satisfying way to spend a day with a few buddies, no matter what time it takes you to complete it. This was one of the most demanding races I’ve ever experienced and with some improved navigation skills, along with my team mates Marie and Angus (won’t do it without you guys), I look forward to tackling this event again next year.

HSBC Awards Day, Brunch, Lance, Dean & Argos!!!

On Saturday, Multisport Canada held their annual awards day at Endurosport. I was fortunate to pick up a nice award picture and plaque courtesy of Multisport Canada and Mike Cheliak. It was nice to see some familiar faces once again before the long wait until the start of the race season in 2007. To bad I won nothing in the season ending draw (but I won a Tri All 3 Bike Box last year so I can't complain).

John Salt and Jason Vurma outlined their plans for next year and I can't wait. The Welland race is coming back but to a new location, Bala Falls and the Toronto Island Tri/Du have been added. Lots of other cool plans in store too. These guys run the best race series out there and it is only getting better. I'd like to thank them for running such top notch races because I don't what I'd be doing with my weekends. In fact, I'm going through major withdrawal right now. Check them out at www.multisportcanada.com

I spent most of the time getting the "Rookie" set up with all of her necessary equipment that she will need to compete in Ironman Canada next year. The "Rookie" is a friend of mine that I've known for about 15 years now. She has never done a triathlon before but I somehow conned her into doing Ironman Canada. Yup, she is probably crazier than I am.

Sunday, had a massive brunch at the Hilton Suites hotel with "Goose". Lobster, crab, prime rib, you name it. 4 jammed packed plates later....and I'm stuffed. Oh yeah, toss in dessert too.

And what a great day for sports. My beloved Argos beat Winnipeg to advance to the Eastern Final vs Montreal. Lance Armstrong completed the New York Marathon in 2:59:35, and Dean Karnazes finished his 50th Marathon today in 3:00:36. But here is the kicker, he did 50 marathons in 50 days, and in 50 different states. Now that is nuts. So running 3 hrs in that last one is absolutely incredible.

Maybe one day, hmmm...........

Later
Hoss

Oh yes, congratulations to Scott Curry and Jodi Miller who competed at Ironman Florida yesterday. Scott finished 5th overall (8:45), and Jodi (HSBS Tri Series Announcer) finished the race in 12:45. Great work and enjoy your recovery with some nice pig out sessions.

Film Review: Wired to Win

If you didn't already know, there is an IMAX Film currently showing around the world called Wired to Win. In Ontario, you can see it at the Ontario Science Centre (be warned that parking costs $8 there).

What did I think of it?

I was really looking forward to it (since I love watching cycling) and it was quite good but not great. I'd rate it a solid 7 and possibly an 8 out of 10.

This film would have been tons better with more IMAX footage. I did not time it but I could have sworn that 30% of it or more was not even IMAX stuff and just OLN/TV footage, along with animation.

That first shot of the Tour de France with the camera coming over the mountains and hovering over the riders was breathtaking. All of the cycling footage was awesome to see, I just feel it needed tons more of it.

It was like the producers felt they needed to justify the science end of the film and constantly keep showing the animation to explain fairly basic stuff. The only thing I have left to say is make a Wired to Win 2 and give us more cycling footage because that was the highlight of the film.

It is worth seeing, but cycling junkies should be forewarned that their thirst for wicked IMAX cycling footage may not be quenched fully after watching this film.

Enjoy.

RH

A War of Words - Macca strikes back huge!

After winning Ironman Hawaii, good ole Normann Stadler could not leave well enough alone and accused Chris McCormack of drafting. Of course, with Macca being the straight shooter that he is, he went right up to Stadler at the awards banquet and confronted him about his comments. The last few days of verbal warfare have been quite interesting. The 2007 race season will surely be one to watch now. Especially next year's Kona.

Check out some of what Macca had to say at these sites. I've tried posting it here but it does not seem to be working. Enjoy.
RH

http://chrismccormack.com/news/newsDetail.aspx?id=164

http://triathletemag.com/Page755.aspx

My Multisport Canada Award

Courtesy of Mike Cheliak (the best photographer in the business) here is my HSBC Duathlon Series Award. 1st Place among Men 35-39.

I'll actually get my hands on it at the Series Awards & Customer Appreciation Day on November 4th at Enduro Sport.

Hoss

Michellie & Normann Win

Me with the now 2006 Ironman World Champion

Instead of doing work and packing for my move, I pretty much did nothing but watch Ironman Hawaii coverage on ironman.com all day. They did a wicked job. Although I would have preferred to see Heather Fuhr racing, she added to the quality of the coverage.

Some of my picks came through huge. Thanks and congrats Michellie. Maybe she will go for the double and try to take home the 70.3 World Championships too? That would be sweet and definitely possible. Too bad Macca ran out of real estate but running a 2:46 is absolutely insane. Like I said, he needed to go bigger on the bike. We just might see him too at the 70.3 World Championships in a few weeks.

Great to see Desiree Ficker finish 2nd. She is a genuinely nice person who obviously put in some hard work to make such a great improvement. A definite future threat. Also incredible to see Lisa Bentley plow her way through to a 3rd place finish. And of course I must mention that the legendary Karen Smyers at the age of 45, finished 12th with a time of 9:39. On a sad note it was too bad that Dick and Rick Hoyt didn't make the swim cut-off. This was supposed to be their last trip to Kona. They will hopefully be back to end on a better note.

Here are the final results (Top 10).

Men's
1. Normann Stadler 8:11:56
2. Chris McCormack 8:13:07
3. Faris Al-Sultan 8:19:04
4. Rutger Beke 8:21:04
5. Eneko Llanos 8:22:28
6. Marino Vanhoenacker 8:24:17
7. Luke Bell 8:24:26
8. Cameron Brown 8:25:22
9. Chris Lieto 8:27:37
10. Patrick Vernay 8:28:13

Women's
1. Michellie Jones 9:18:31
2. Desiree Ficker 9:24:02
3. Lisa Bentley 9:25:18
4. Gina Kehr 9:27:24
5. Katherine Allen 9:30:22
6. Kate Major 9:31:53
7. Joanna Lawn 9:32:48
8. Belinda Granger 9:35:48
9. Melissa Ashton 9:38:22
10. Natascha Badmann 9:38:52

The big Ironman broadcast is set to air on NBC on December 9, from 4-6pm. Can't wait.

Later
Hoss

Toronto Marathon, Kona Is Tomorrow

Last weekend L & I volunteered at the Running Free Aid station at the Toronto Marathon.
Quite a chilly morning but we had a ton of fun out there.

Nick Capra of Running Free provided the quality tunes on the guitar (despite his hands being frozen). Of note was his "We ran out of #$@ cups song". Yes, we ran out of cups just when a huge group of 1/2 marathoners came through. Luckily for the marathoners we managed to get more cups just in time for when they came through. Thanks go out the cops, and the race marshals on their bikes for grabbing these.

I was great to see Nicole Stevenson come flying by with a big smile on her face. It looked way to easy for her. She ended up winning the women's marathon, and actually negative splitted by a few seconds.

It was great to see a lot of familiar faces out there. One fast dude I know (Jason) just failed to qualify for Boston. He came by the aid station and was walking with a limp. But at least he toughed it out to the finish. And get this, he still managed a time of 3:30. Crazy! I wish I could struggle like that. That only goes to show how fast he is. There will be better days dude. You will get to Boston. I am sure of it.

A sly person I know (family in fact), did this race under the radar. We did not see him go by (likely during our cup situation) but I saw him in the results. Way to go Saul. Sub 2 hrs is a great job. You are so lucky we did not see you go by or else you would have received a Gatorade shower for sure.

Right now I am so excited and can't wait for Ironman Hawaii to get going. Despite the earthquake, all systems are a go and the race will go on as scheduled. Just another 14-15 hours to go. Go Michellie and Macca!

Back again soon with the post Kona report.
Hoss

Check out some pics from the Running Fee Aid Station below:

Who is going to win Ironman Hawaii Next Weekend?

One more week until the biggest race in multisport, Ironman Hawaii.
But who is going to win?

Yes, you can play it safe on the women's side and go with the always dangerous Natasha Badmann. But I am hoping that Michellie Jones has learned from last year's 2nd place performance and is ready to lay a serious beating on the rest of the field.

So here is what she will do. Michellie will stay near the front on the swim, totally put the hammer down on the bike and come out with a monstrous double digit lead heading out of T2. She will then run sub 3:15 to prove to herself and everyone else she can run in Kona. Winning time will be 9:17 or sub 9:09 if it is not windy. After meeting and chatting with Michellie at Ironman Arizona this year, I am even more of a fan of hers. For someone of her stature in the sport, she is down to earth and really cool. So maybe this pick is a bit more from the heart. Go get 'em Michellie.

Here are my picks for top 5 Women:
1. Michellie Jones
2. Natasha Badmann
3. Kate Major
4. Lisa Bentley
5. Joanna Lawn
Sleeper Pick: Lori Bowden

Now for the men. As far as I am concerned it is a free for all. But my pick is Macca (Chris McCormack). I just want him to tear up the course and run in the 2:40's again. I love watching him race and if he pushes that bike a bit more and runs like he can, then the victory will easily be his. If he lets guys like Stadler and Al-Sultan go then he wont make that time up. If he doesn't sit back too much on the bike his finish time should be 8:25 or 8:12 if the traditional strong winds are not present on the Queen K.

Here are my picks for Top 5 Men:
1. Chris McCormack
2. Cameron Brown
3. Normann Stadler
4. Faris Al-Sultan
5. Cam Widoff
Sleeper Pick: Michael Lovato

That's it, now we just have to wait for the race next week on Saturday October 21, 2006.

Enjoy the wait, happy training (I've done a total of 2 hours of training this week so I gotta get back on the wagon soon), back again soon.

Hoss

HSBC Duathlon Series Champion 2006

For the second year in a row, I am the HSBC Duathlon Series Champion for the 35-59 age group. I gotta toot my own horn here because who knows how long this bit of success will last.

It is also good to see my other race buddies winning their age category as well. Angus Kim (Clydesdales under 40), Kelly Anthony (Clydesdales over 40), Rico Medeiros (30-34), Gord "Uber biker" Avann (45-49), and the eternally young at heart Jimmie Georgas (80+).

Check out all the results and final standings at:
http://www.multisportcanada.com/ms/events/results/2006/2006_overall_results_combined.cfm

Multisport Canada has posted their tentative schedule for 2007 and there are some cool changes in store.

Til next time
Hoss

Migranes, Migranes, Migranes

Yup! I'm still getting these suckers huge. About 3 a week now.
I haven't got headaches since grade school so I don't know what's up.

After a nice day of riding and running Sunday, I went to the movies to see J2 (juvenile but hilarious) and my worst migrane attack came near the end of the film. If you can imagine someone drilling or hammering something into the left side of your skull to the point of puking, then you have good sense of my pain. I came home and was off to bed from 6pm til this morning.

Went to the doc today to get some high powered medication (it seems to work) and spent the rest of the day sleeping. With such a beautiful day outside (sunny and 19 degrees) I sure wish I felt differently.

By the way, my new addition, affectionately known as "Sabertooth" feels awesome. It is wickedly good looking, fast, smooth, comfy, and climbs like no other bike I'd ridden before. Those FSA Compact Cranks sure improve my spinning and climbing ability. Real pictures to follow but this will have to do for now.


The Litespeed Factory Team race uniform arrived last week too. It looks sweet and I will get pictures of that soon too. Just too busy right now with work. Keep an eye out for a little something in the upcoming Transitions Magazine, and the Christmas Toys piece in Triathlon Magazine Canada. Lots of cool stuff but that new Polar RS 800 is real impressive.

Till next time
RH

CFB Borden Duathlon - The end of the season

Race: CFB Borden Duathlon

Date: Saturday September 16, 2006.

Location: Alliston, Ontario

Description: 4 km Run, 25 km Bike, 4 km Run

Website: www.multisportcanada.com

Due to the busy and painful race weekend last week, I taught a spin class on Monday and then went into hibernation for the rest of the week.

The drive up to Base Borden was made much more interesting by the fact that the OPP closed down the exit to Hwy 89 (car chase ended there with tons of cop cars). So quick thinking made me take a long way into the Base. Got there with 10 minutes to go until race start (but they knew about the exit being shut down so the race was delayed).

The plan for the day, as always, was to have fun. Since the bike course was flat I did want to hammer it but once again I would be restricted by the fact that I did not have aerobars. As it turned out, the highlights of the day was that I ran the first km in 3:50, averaged 34.9 km/hr on the bike, and continually negative split the final 4 km run.

It was a fairly large field, and lots of fast athletes too. I gunned the first few kms and held on for dear life, running the first 4 km in 16:41. I flew through T1 in 31 seconds and headed off on the bike.

There was lots of congestion out there on the bike course (expected on a course like this). Drafting was definitely an issue and I am glad officials were out there to nab people. I kept trying to shake the cyclists around me but as soon as I passed them they would pass me a few seconds later. It was pretty much a paceline of about 6-8 cyclists. At least we were at a legal distance behind each other and it served to keep us all motivated and pushing forward. I did manage to shake a few cyclists on the few hills late in the course. I completed the 25 km bike in 43:02 (avg hr: 176). T2 took a quick 27 seconds and I was off.



The final run was not entirely fun. I was feeling the effects of last weekend for sure. I ran the first km in 5:20. Yuck! At that point I made set a goal of negative splitting each km from then onwards, completing the run in less than 20 minutes. With each kilometre I was going faster, and I completed the final 4 km in 18:59 (avg hr: 178). Final race time was 1:19:39 (avg hr: 177, 1731 calories burned).



Upon completing the race I chatted with Mike Cheliak (Multisport Series official photographer and all round good guy), and Jodi (race announcer) gave me my picture award from Cobourg, which I totally forgot about. A little while later I started getting a major headache. It felt like my head was going to explode. This was the second time this has happened this week (I have not had a headache since grade school so I don’t know what is going on). I drank a bit and got some food in hopes of making things better but no luck. I cheered and jeered Kent Parkinson, and played with Nigel (my friend’s cute little boy) but the pain kept getting worse.

I stayed for the awards but lay down under the e-load tent. I did finally win a draw prize this year (a box of Hammergels) but I was feeling like total crap. As soon as I went over to collect my prize I felt like throwing up so I told my buddy Angus that I was out of there and headed to the car to lie down. I had intended to volunteer for the Kids of Steel races so I thought if I lay down for a few hours I might feel better. After napping for 2 hours I got up and the headache was still there. I walked around for a bit, cheered the kids in the first race but the nausea returned. I headed back to the car, pressed my thumb into my temple and a finger into my left eye and drove home. I just hope that this is not something serious and just a temporary thing (but 2x in 3 days???). I feel so bad that I was not able to stay, but puking on the kids while volunteering was not a good idea. Hopefully, Mike Cheliak’s kids will race again next year and I will have the opportunity to volunteer and return the favour for all the great volunteering that they do at almost all of the Multisport Canada races.

Since this was the last Duathlon race of the season, I must thank John Salt and the rest of the Multisport Canada race crew for another kick butt season. It is hard to believe that the races could get better but they do. The picture awards by Mike Cheliak are really cool too and I’m glad to have won a few this season. Their plans for next year make me wish it were the spring of the 2007 already. To my extended (Multisport) family, have a great off season, train hard (but not hard enough to lay a beating on me), and stay safe. See you all in 2007 and likely before that at the Multisport Canada Awards day in October.

Wasaga Beach Weekend

Before making my way to the race site, I stopped in Barrie to grab a Timmies X-Large double double. Upon getting out of the car in Wasaga I soon realized that it was going to be a chilly and windy day of racing. The water had lots of waves and the swim would eventually be cancelled for the triathletes.

Chatted with a ton of people, along with Running Free’s own John Yip who had never done a duathlon before and the 10/40/5 format of the International Duathlon is not one that you want to use to kick off your duathlon experience with. But John is a good runner so I told him it would be a breeze for him.

Since I was coming back on Sunday to race in the Half Marathon, my plan was to race aerobically and not annihilate myself by red-lining. Placing was not that important (no one can catch me in the Series standings anymore) but if a podium spot were available late in the race I would go for it.

The first 10 km felt fairly easy. My perceived effort ranged from 6-7 out of 10, but my heart rate was saying otherwise. I saw my buddy Angus a few minutes behind and continued the trash talking we started at IMLP. I also saw John Yip flying and yelled at him to come a catch me (the cancelled triathlon racers started later than us regular duathletes – otherwise John would have be well ahead). I completed the first run in 45:48, with an average heart rate of 175 bpm. This was one of my best ever 10 km run splits and I wasn’t giving it all I had. What are they putting in that Tim Horton’s coffee?

The transition to the bike consisted of a long run in the sand and then a long run out to the road on the bike. I was using the Pyro Platforms so running out to the road with my bike in my running shoes was much quicker than everyone else doing it with cycling shoes. T1 took me 2:16.

The 40 km Bike ride went fairly well considering that I had no aerobars. The Wasaga course is flat but very windy, so if there is a bike course that aerodynamics is paramount, this is the one. With my new Litespeed Siena, my style of handlebars do not allow for aerobars so I had to do without. I pushed along at a pretty good clip and tried to stay as low a possible. Somehow I was passing a lot of dudes all decked out with aerobars, race wheels, and aero helmets. This provided some extra encouragement and motivation because I knew some of these guys were pretty good cyclists. I managed to complete the bike leg in a time of 1:16:13, and an average heart rate of 171 bpm. I had not ridden a bike since Ironman Canada so I was pleased with my performance. T2 was an exact reverse of T1 and I did it in the exact same time of 2:16.

The final 5 km run was all about saving my legs for tomorrow. I saw no one in may age group that was catchable so I just kept it steady until the end. The final run split was 24:21 with an overall finish time of 2:30:51. I burned off 3106 calories and had an overall average heart rate of 173 bpm. This was about 8 minutes faster than what I did last year. I had to attend a wedding later that afternoon so I gathered up my stuff and got out of there. My legs were already starting to feel a bit stiff and sore so tomorrow could be a rough day.


I woke up on Sunday morning and my legs were pretty sore. Walking down the stairs was not too much fun. What was I thinking in signing up for a Half Marathon a day after a tough race like an International Distance Duathlon? But I decided that pain and soreness was not going to be a deterrent on this day. I weighed myself to see what kind of eating and drinking damage that I done to myself the night before. I tipped that scales at 175. I had gained 5 lbs. Nice! I’m sore, tired, it’s 6 am, and I’m carrying an extra 5 lbs. Surely these were signs of a banner performance.

Got to Wasaga (had a large Tim’s double double on the way—can’t mess with yesterday’s success) waddled over to register, then went back to my car for final preparations. It was near perfect weather conditions for running. It was bright and sunny, around 12-16 degrees, but just a touch too windy.

With the way I was feeling before the race started, I just wanted to complete the race and if I was lucky I would do it in 2 hours. I was going to stay aerobic and totally obey my heart rate monitor today. The race started with a very quick pace. Everyone just took off. I knew I was hurting but not that badly. I resisted the urge to go with everyone and just kept my heart rate in the low 150’s. After 5 kilometres my legs felt surprisingly good. I knew they were sore but it did not seem to affect my gait or effort. My pace was in the 5:15 range so I changed my just try to finish game plan. I decided to hold that pace for 10 km, take in fuel in between 10 km and 11 km, and then attempt to negative split the first 10 km time split.

I completed the first 10 km in 52:47 (avg. hr: 153) and started ingesting a gel bit by bit during the next kilometre. Once I hit the 11 km marker I pushed the pace a bit. I started reeling in a lot of people from this point, and things were made easier with Eon D’Ornellas driving along the course pumping the tunes and cheering us on. He kept tempting me with some cold beer but I passed on it. Now if it were 30 degrees it would be been a different story.

The run back into town is mainly downhill so this helped my plan of picking up the pace. With 3 km to go I let it all go and pushed to the line. I managed to negative split the final 10 km (48:28) and finished with a final time of 1:46:56 (avg. hr: 160 bpm, 1884 calories burned). I was thrilled. Semi shocked actually. In May I did the Mississauga Half Marathon in 1:47 and pushed harder during that race. Plus I was well rested for that one, unlike today. This gives me confidence to know that I can pull off a nice run on fatigued legs (perfect for the Ironman run).

Multisport Canada and the Town of Wasaga plan on making this Half Marathon a yearly event. It is a race worth doing, especially if you want to go fast. It is well organized, each kilometre is marked, lots of aid stations with great volunteers and the post race pizza was a nice treat. I would love to do it again but racing these 2 tough events on back-to-back days may not happen next year. But then again, never say never.

As I post this I can confirm that my legs are toast (shoulders too). I have applied a series of ointments and iced them down. Work tomorrow should be interesting since my classes are on the 2nd and 3rd floors. Can you say elevator?

Steve Irwin, Rest Week, Back to School & Wasaga Weekend

First of all, my condolences go out to the family of the "Crocodile Hunter", Steve Irwin. By now we all know how it happened and it is a sad story. I enjoyed watching his show and imitating his accent. He will be missed by all his fans.

For the full week (August 28-September 3) after Ironman Canada, I did absolutely no exercise whatsoever. I was tempted to run a few times but held myself back.

I did kick off my re-introduction into "exercise" with a round of golf on Monday at Wooden Sticks. I played crap (still under 100), but it was nice to treat my father in law and I at least got my money's worth with the buffet breakfast and lunch afterwards. When I got home my guilt got the best of me and I went out for a 23 minute run. The first 10-15 minutes felt horrible but I started to come around after 20 minutes and wanted to keep going. No need to go gangbusters on the first run after IMCAN so I shut it down.

Tuesday - Back to school (Work). The first day back is always hectic and exciting (great to meet the new crop of kids to see what is in store for the rest of the semester). It looks like I have a nice group of kids, but it is only the first day. Dropped by D'Ornellas to pick up Siena. Had nice chat with Eon and headed for home. On the way I saw KFC and I could not resist. It was Toony Tuesday after all. I paid the extra dollar and got a 3 piece with fries. It tasted great. But I knew the after affects would be coming.

Got home and felt absolutely knocked out. What a tiring day. I eventually got inspired to go for a run. I never run with my dogs but for some reason I took Nubie (my oldest Boston terrier) out with me. I'm glad I did. She actually paced me to go a lot faster than I would have. We did 15 minutes together (I think I will regularly utilize her as my warm up partner), and I went back home to get Bowden (my other Boston). Bobo is a lot heavier and not a huge fan of running. She did an admirable job but my paced slowed substantially with her. It felt great running with them and I know they love being outside so it was a big win for everyone. Nubie and Bobo helped me do a 27 minute run. The KFC I had earlier that afternoon did not re-surface at all. I was very surprised. Maybe I have to stop in again next week? I can't believe I am still just under 170 lbs.


Speedy Nubie (named after the Queen of Kona - Paula Newby-Fraser)


Bowden (aka Bobo) - Yes, she is named after Lori Bowden

Wednesday - Caved and stopped by the Golden Arches this morning and had 2 Sausage and Egg McMuffins. When I got home after work I was zonked once again. Non stop action packed day. The first week back is always like this and settles somewhat. I did manage to do a 40 minute run (avg hr 145) and covered 7 km. No doggies this time. I weighed 167 lbs after the run.

Thursday - Had 2 BLT Bagels at the Golden Arches. This time one for breakfast and one for lunch. After work I did a 15 minute bike ride on Siena, immediately followed by a brisk 16 minute run.

This is what is on tap for this weekend:

Saturday - Wasaga Beach International Duathlon (10 km run, 40 km Bike, 5 km Run)
Sunday - Wasaga Beach 1/2 Marathon

Should be an interesting weekend.
Wish me luck

Hoss

More IMCAN Race Pictures

More race pictures.


Cool bike! Fully decked out race wheels too.


Some of the Expo (Infinit & Powercranks)


Beautiful Wine Country (Naramata Bench)


Sumac Winery (After my pig out session)


Me, The Legend, Goose & J.P.