Ironman #23 at Mont-Tremblant

The bike and racked and ready for race day


Short Version:
A foot injury put a halt to the amount of training I would have love to have dedicated to accomplishing a quality finish time, so this race was just a matter going easy and getting in a solid training day for my retirement Ironman to come in a few months from now at the Ironman World Championship. With the hopes my foot will be somewhat better then. I had an enjoyable day and it indicated to me that this Ironman journey does need to come to an end soon.

Longer version:
SWIM - 1:32:27
Yes, certainly not quick. But I'll take it. I did not swim all year until my race at the Welland Half Swim/Bike, and my 50 minute swim there let me know very quick that I needed to get into the water for some kind of training. My shoulders are not getting better with age, so as in previous years, swim training was all about shoulder management. In July, I got into the pool for some 2x per week sessions, and as I was doing swim/bike races, I saw some improvement and knew I could easily be in the low 1:30's and if the shoulders felt good and I put forth a bit of effort, into the 1:20's.

The swim this year at Tremblant was the roughest one I've been a part of in all my 3 times there, and made even more fun by the fog during the first half. It was impossible to see from one buoy to the next. Regardless, I swam with a feeling of calm and enjoyment, knowing that this would be my last Ironman swim in a wetsuit, and second last one ever.

Exiting the swim in my Running Free Run top (its a long run to T1)
T1 - 14:14
One look at this time and you'll know I was not in a rush. I took my time getting from the water to the change tent (barefoot running is a killer on my injured foot but I was fully styling with my Team Running Free top), then I decided to hit the porta-potty before heading out for the bike.

BIKE - 6:20:15
The QR Illicito did its part today for sure. I rode easy and still finished the first 90km of the bike in sub 3 hrs (approximately 2:57) with an average power of 147w - I am fairly certain that the low reading is due to my continuing Garmin Vector calibration issues. I particularly loved the "tough" back section of the course, and while the heat was starting to hit it's peak (30+ degrees) I felt good (probably due to the light effort).

I toyed with the idea of pushing the pace a bit to come in under 6 hrs but a stop at special needs, and two pee stops curtailed those thoughts. The first pee stop indicated that I better get in some more fluids in the system. I rode the back section strongly again, and finished the bike in 6:20:15 - however, I actually thought I rode it in 6:09, but forgot my bike computer had the automatic stop engaged so I did not factor in those two pee breaks. No big deal, no records were going to be set today anyway.

T2 - 13:26
More casual changing here. My foot was not in a happy place getting off the bike so I was stalling a bit. I made sure to check that my timing chip was around my ankle this year and off I went.  Just before exiting, a volunteer offered to rub me down with sunscreen and I obliged. A perfect application to the head too. Awesome!

RUN - 5:21:53
Nothing too mind blowing here. This was all all about foot maintenance. This meant that I planned regular intervals of walk breaks to make sure I could get through the entire run, and not just run til my foot blew up. There were various combinations of 2 and 1's, working right up to 20 and 1's. I just went with how the foot felt. The 24 and 35 km mark were particularly painful, but a bit of extended walking did the trick. I had a really good spell at the far turnaround and making my way back to the finish and just went with it and enjoyed the feeling. Plus, I was inspired by the fact that an athlete that I coached and was doing her first Ironman, looked to be running strong every time I saw her. You Rocked It out there Andrea! I was satisfied with the 5:21 given the fact that I couldn't do any runs longer than 90 minutes.

TOTAL: 13:42:15
Crossed the finish line, got my finisher medal, hat and t-shirt, and continued on to get some Sleeman beer and poutine - one of the many perks of this incredible race at Mont-Tremblant. This is arguably one of the top three places in the World to do an Ironman. You will not regret racing here if you haven’t done so already. After my post-race food and drink reward, I continued on to get a massage.

With my daughter passed out after a long day, I gathered all my gear bags, got my bike, did quick change and walked my stuff over to the handy Cabriolet gondola, and rode it up the mountain to my hotel at the top of the gondola.

After unpacking my gear, showering and changing. I found out that Andrea finished and shot over a quick text or email (don’t remember 100%) to congratulate her on such a strong Ironman debut. We did a lot of long rides together so it was great to see how her hard work paid off first hand - Are you ready for another Andrea? :)  I headed back out to catch my old Ironman partners (John and Angus) finish their day. I was concerned for my pal Angus, but he knows how to get himself across the finish line and did so with 20 minutes to spare. It was great to have them and their families here for the last Ironman the three of us will ever do together again. We’ve raced at least 10 of these Ironman races together and it was a great way to end it off with our kids racing and playing together.

My last two Duathlons of 2015

Belwood 2015 - Saturday July 11, 2015

The stats:
5 km Run - 25:57

30 km Bike - 52:10 (34.51km/h - 6th best bike)

5 km Run - 25:29 (negative split)

Total time - 1:45:46.1
16th overall, 4th among M45-49

The Story:
My foot was not in a happy place but with IMMT only 5 weeks away, I had to get in some running (which I had stopped after Woodstock) to let my foot heal. I wore a pair of Hoka's which allowed me to get as much cushion and reduce impact as much as possible. started

I ran easy and finished the run in 26th, I rode well last year (50:36) - finishing 6th overall. In my injured state, I was not expecting the same this year but wanted to use the race to get a good sense of where I was at. I had a solid ride to move myself into 12th, and even though the foot felt slightly better it was still painful but I managed to negative split the run (I love the run course at Belwood) but still got passed by 4 people to finish 16th - I really wasn't going to smash myself to finish a few spots higher and have to put my foot in a worse place.

Once again I had Garmin Vector pedal issues, so no power stats on the bike. Grrrr.



Gravenhurst Sprint Duathlon - Sunday July 18, 2015

The stats:

5 km Run - 26:23

20 km Bike - 32:58 (second fastest bike 36.4km/h)

Heading out for the chase.

Back from a successful ride.

2.5 km Run - 12:25

Total time - 1:13:54.7

10th overall, 2nd M45-49

The Story:
Finally a good race. IMMT was now 4 weeks away, but still not running, so this was my chance to unleash the run legs a bit. By the 1 km mark of the run, my right foot was done. I strongly considered ending the day right there and walking back. But I knew I was biking strong so I wanted to try out the new bike course. So continued plugging away and finished the run in 27th spot. Now it was time to do some passing.

The new course (due to construction on the old course) along Hwy 169 suited me perfectly. Steady grades and nice amounts of flats.

I whipped through the course with the second best bike split, averaging 36.4 km/hr). This allowed me to move into 9th. On the run, I checked out guys who might be my age who would be chasing me down and moderated my effort to the finish line. I could have claimed 9th but a woman ahead of me took a wrong turn heading into the park and went off-course. I shouted out and waited for her to get back and cruised into the finish (even though she sprinted to the line thinking I'd try to take her on.....no thanks).

I got 10th overall, and 2nd in my age group. Yeah! Finally, a podium finish for 2015. It was also my final Duathlon of 2015.

Sunday Fun and Updates to come

I've got some race updates to get up soon. Raced yesterday at Belwood and had another great day on the bike. My right foot issues have reappeared from 2 years ago so just cruising on the run. This should make for some interesting races for the rest of this year :) Until then, enjoy this:

Classic Tour De France prank (every cyclist's dream)

Posted by Bike Mag on Friday, July 3, 2015

Rose City Half Tri Relay 2015

For the past few years, I've used the Welland/Rose City Half Swim/Bike as my regular get ready for Ironman stop on the race calendar. I prefer to save my run suffering and digging deep for Ironman racing, and with my foot injury, that's even more the case. This time though, I recruited a pal (Hong) to do the run for me, and with the added challenge to give him a lead for him to try and stay away from another friend of ours, Sue.

Morning prep with my relay partner Hong.

2km Swim:

It was my first "real" swim since Ironman Mont-Tremblant (August of last year). And I say real swim, because I managed to slip in the water for 800m of swimming the week before at Woodstock. But my shoulders were on fire after 5 minutes.

The actual swim did not feel so bad. The shoulders felt tight, especially my left side, but I could sense that I was in the water way too long. Turns out I was, I came out in 50:59. Holy slowness! I can no longer get away with not swimming all year and showing up at an Ironman race and swimming in the 1:20's any more.

T1:
I took of my wetsuit just a few feet out of the water, where my relay partner Hong was. He was there with our buddy Wil and we joked of how horrible my swim time was and how I had some work to do to catch our pal Sue.

90km Bike:
With hardly any bikes left in transition (relays were in the last wave along with athletes 50+), I hopped on my QR Illicito and headed on my way. Knowing that I'd be doing a lot of passing out there.

I tried out the new Profile Design FC35 that I got from Running Free. I liked it except for the storage compartment for gels. I got to the mount line and one of my Clif Shot gels popped out. I put it back in but just a few feet down the road it popped out again, and soon after my second gel did too.

I managed to crank out a 2:29:29 (36.12 km/hr) bike split. I was certainly happy with that since I was not in any kind of bike shape due to being sick for the past few weeks and I still had a sore throat, and I was coughing and congested on race day.

Accelerating off the saddle after making a left turn and the final 25 km stretch back to Welland.
I was hoping to provide some power data, but this was my first race with the Garmin Vector pedals and it was clear that the calibration was off. I was pushing hard and my avg wattage was 160w. I knew from my heart rate and by the time and distance I was covering that it was not accurate so I simply hammered and tried reaching each km marker as fast as I could. The Illicito worked it's magic today as I was only a few minutes off last year's time, and I was in much better bike shape last year.

I was so stiff getting off the bike, and thank goodness I did not have to run afterwards. I am not sure that would have been possible unless I lay down for 10-15 minutes. Luckily, I didn't have to, my partner Hong took over the reins.

21.1 km Run:
Hong unfortunately got the bad weather, the rain started coming down a few minutes after he left and the rest of the day featured a constant downpour. Hong finished the run in 1:54:17

Our total time was 5:22:57. Placing us 6th overall so no podium thanks to my turtle-like swim.

With the messy weather, we went indoors to the arena, waited for Sue. She crushed her race in 5:06:49. She was the 8th fastest woman, and claimed second in her age group. Awesome! She has put in a tremendous amount of work and it is paying off.

Season opener at Woodstock

With my right foot acting up with sharp pains with every step, at stellar open to the 2015 season was not about to happen. If I had no race to do and had to do an training run, I'd would have selected to rest, recover, and take an off day. But of course, I headed down to Woodstock to race.

The Stats from my Garmin except for the total time (since race stats were missing all splits):

5km - 24:38 --- 168 bpm avg

- Considered pulling the plug at 1km. Every step elicited a sharp pain on the side of my right foot. But I kept at it and found a way to modify my stride to minimize the pain. 

T1 - 1:17

- Long run from the bike rack to the dismount line at Woodstock.

20 km Bike - 36:21, 169 avg hr, 194w avg, 210w NP

- Despite my 18 minute warm up, I did not feel right on the bike. The wind seem to come from every direction. This was my first ride on the Qr Illicito since August of last year and it took until the 7 km for my body to feel ready but once I got there, I ended with a decent ride. Not what I am capable of though.

T2 - 54:09

2.5 km run -12:10, 172 avg hr

- Less pain in the foot this time, but I wanted to get it over with asap so ran hard to close out the day.

Starting the final run

Total time: 1:05:05 - last year I did it in 1:16:07.

The highlight of the day: Darren Cooney just keeps getting faster. 9th last year and this year 3rd.

Oh yeah, a few hours after the race, I got into the lake for my first swim of the year. The first 10 minutes felt horrible. I thought my shoulders were going to fall out. But all felt better on the way back to the start. Thanks to the Cass family for swimming with me.

RIP Jimmie Georgas

I knew someday I'd have to write about this great man, but there is no way to really prepare for it.

Jimmie was a true legend in every way. As an athlete, and a top notch guy. I've got too many stories and that wouldn't scratch the surface of what Jimmie was all about or all the things he'd experienced.

Near the end of his racing career, I got to know Jimmie quite well. The last time I saw Jimmie, he invited me to his place for the weekend so we could hang out and so I could sleep over and have a quick and convenient drive over to Wasaga Beach to race. Unfortunately, my plans changed and I never raced and nor did he. Jimmie raced his last duathlon in 2008.

How crazy is it that I was cleaning up my home office last week and came across a letter and some pictures that Jimmie sent me via good old fashioned mail, and now this week I find out that Jimmie passed away on Monday.

I hope to write something more about Jimmie soon.

If you knew Jimmie and would like to leave a note of condolence, visit Jimmie's Book of Memories page.

Spring check in 2015

For all those who are still regularly checking in, thanks for doing so.

As I've said before in previous posts, I'll try to regularly blog but all the "extra" time I used to have to produce blogs, now go towards other things like dedicating time more time on the home front, helping my athletes at Ignition Fitness, and of course trying to fit in my own training, amongst a host of other things.

Here are a few things floating around in my mind that I wanted to make note of:

1. Ignition Fitness. We have an exciting year ahead and we have a great group of athletes at a variety of levels. My particular group is kicking tail already and we've still got most of the year to go. If you are interested in training for the Barrelman, we have an affordable program.

2. I am honoured to be back with Team Running Free for my ninth year. Running Free is the place to stock up on your shoes and gear. Owned and staffed by top drawer people too.

3. The Garmin 920xt is a near perfect device..........when it's working properly. I was all set to write a glowing review then after a month, the automatic wifi uploads stopped working (a huge reason why I got it), and with no wifi, you can't update the device. There is no apparent fix. There are a few solutions posted online --- it is a common problem, but none have worked for me. When things take a turn for the better, I'll write something. Aside from that issue though, it has a ton of features I love. Another big one of those is being able to use it every day as a watch and daily activity tracker (steps, sleep). You'd want to spend extra to get the HR monitor strap option. The strap allows you to run indoors without the use of a footpod, it track ground contact, etc. All the features are here.

Thanks to the demand of this new device, you can pick up the 910xt for cheap (as low as $150). Pick up one of those if you can get your hands on one. I had zero issues with that device. I just could not wear it as an everyday watch.

4. Octane Zero Runner. I used it exclusively during the winter and it saved me a ton of impact. It took almost one week to transition to running outside again to get used to all the impact/shock once again. But I noticed immediately that my flexibility improved. My run stride was complete (heels coming up and not just Ironman shuffling around), and my hamstring strength improved. I can definitely conclude that you can't 100% replace real running with the Zero Runner, but you can effectively mix it in with real running to help with recovery, and to get in some extra run movements without all the impact. With it being a new machine, there are a few growing pains. I had to replace the display on the console, there is a noise issue with the dampers (major moveable part of the machine). A full review to come. For now, a fellow Running Free teammate and very fast dude, Mike Bosch provides this demo.



5. Pacing - I just paced the Yonge St 10km and had a lot of fun. The Canada Running Series always puts on top notch events and this was no different. You should not hesitate to do any one of their events. Next up for pacing is the Goodlife Half Marathon.

6. Racing - I'll be very active with MultiSport Canada and Ironman. See you at the races.

7. Twitter. I am a lot more active on Twitter these days. It's a lot quicker and easier for me to share thoughts on there. Check out the banner on the right and follow.

That's all for now. I hope to check in again soon.

RIP Nubie!

I did a little tribute to my dog Bobo so it would not be right if I didn't do the same to my original triathlete named doggie Nubie (named after Paula Newby-Fraser). Both are legends in my mind. I knew this dog was special when at 3 months old we house trained her in less than one week. She was supremely intelligent and we will miss her.

Farewell Our Sweet Nubie

We lost a special friend today 

the kind you can't replace, 

and looking at her empty bed 

we still can see her face. 

We see the endless energy 

the sparkling puppy eyes, 

not the tired, fragile friend 

we had to bid goodbye.

We know she's in a special place 

our Lord has for such friends, 

where meadows, fields & flowers 

help make them strong and whole again.

We remember how she'd run to us

to greet us or play her favorite game, 

and how her ears would perk right up 

when she heard us call her name.

But as those precious years went by 

and we both aged and grew, 

we’d find her often slowing down 

but-we had still so much to do.

We’ve noticed in the recent times 

Her ears were not as sharp

There was a touch more white than black fur 

The years have shown their mark.

She started sleeping on the floor more and more

was this her special clue? 

Because she felt the end was near, 

we only wish we knew.

Our Nubie was a special loving dog 

we know she gave her best, 

but as we looked deep into her eyes 

we knew it was time, for her to rest.

It will truly be a struggle 

we don't know how we'll face each day, 

we have to let her go--we know 

but in our hearts she'll always stay.

This special place our Lord has made 

Health and strength, wait for her there, 

so with our very special friend 

we are sending all our prayers.

We know she's watching over us 

She'll be with us when we cry. 

So with a few more rubs on her beloved head, 

we whispered to our Nubie – “we love you and goodbye."

* Adapted from Christina Tronnes' - Special Friend

Ready for a Ninth Year on Team Running Free

I am thrilled to be back with Team Running Free for a ninth year.

This is the only place to shop for any gear you'll need for running/triathlon, etc. And owned, operated and staffed by top notch people.

When you shop at Running Free, save yourself a few dollars and use code 11296.

Happy 2015!

For those of you still checking in and following this blog.....thanks for your patience and for still checking in.

Since starting this blog during the summer of 2006, a lot has changed. I took a cursory look at some of those early posts and some other ones over those 8+ years and it was great to look back at my thoughts over the years and how technology has affected equipment and the role of social media. And its' quite interesting how the racing scene has changed too. It is amazing how many races don't exist anymore yet many are being added today.

2015 will be a big and exciting season for me. I've got another great group of athletes I will be working with at Ignition Fitness (a big reason why blog posts are not as regular as they used to be), I'll be racing frequently (as usual with MSC), and I am hoping to finally get an opportunity to drink Kona coffee at the place it is grown, and maybe even slip in some famous triathlon while I am there.

That's it for now.
Have a great 2015!

Getting Started?

Whether you are just getting started in the sport of triathlon or duathlon, or you've been at it a few years, I strongly urge you to get in a healthy dose of REAL Aerobic Training.

How do you accomplish that?

Make use of the Maffetone's Method and stick with it, results won't come quickly but it will come.

Here are some links to investigate for yourself:

http://philmaffetone.com/180-formula

http://www.philmaffetone.com/alleninterview

http://www.ignition-fitness.com/about/articles/speed-up-by-slowing-down/

http://www.enduranceplanet.com/mark-allen-and-dr-phil-maffetone-their-first-ever-dual-interview-on-the-grips-legendary-ironman-success-using-maf-method-the-current-state-of-triathlon-racing-coaching-modern-athletes/

http://www.joefrielsblog.com/2010/04/mark-allens-training.html

Merry Christmas and All the Best to you in 2015.

Dunk of the Year!

Dunk of the Year & Quote of the Year (Google it) by James Johnson.

What's your Big League?

No particular reason, just one of the greatest songs ever written by Tom Cochrane, and 100% Canadian.

Whatever your "Big League" is, stick to your dreams and go after it.

As we say at Running Free - "Believe It, Achieve It!"

2014 Race Reports Posted on Team Running Free

I had a great bounceback season this year. The foot is still far from 100%, but I managed to find a way to maximize my capabilities.

The race reports are located at Team Running Free.

The season opener at Woodstock

Du-ing the Du at Binbrook

No running for me at Rose City

Hoss Five Pack Audio Report

Ironman #22 at Mont-Tremblant

Closing out the season at Toronto Island & Lakeside

Thanks go out to Igntion Fitness, Running Free, Quintana Roo, Honeymaxx, and Clif Bar.

Updates to come soon

First of all, for anyone actually dropping in from time to time to follow me on this page, I must apologize for the lack of posts/updates.

Second, thanks for continuing to check.

Anyway, I've been busy racing and coaching with Ignition Fitness so time for making blog posts is at a premium. My thoughts on using that valuable time are similar to this. So when I do check in, I'll likely be brief and to the point.

Lots of great successes with the athletes I've worked with this year and arguably one of my best seasons ever in my own racing.

More details to come.

Til next time.

The Miracle

I just felt inspired to post this great song from a classic band should never be forgotten.

No running for me at Rose City

A total of 40 competitors took part in the Welland Half Swim/Bike on June 15th, and as always is the case with this race, a few Elites and top age groupers show up to get in a good hard workout without beating themselves up with a run – mostly done as a final tune-up for another upcoming race.

Even though my main race is a few months away, I was in the boat too. I logged a fairly heavy run week so I didn’t need to do another 21.1 km. Plus, skipping on that run means I can get right back into training the following week.

Last year I swam a pathetic 50 minutes thanks to zero swim training. I’ve been swimming somewhat regularly during the winter and getting back to my old abilities. However, a pool shutdown due to yearly maintenance and some other things in life have messed with my regular routine since May and I hadn’t swam in three weeks. So a big reason to do this race was to get in an open water swim and see where I was at and how bad I could get after missing three weeks of swimming.

2 km Swim – 43:55 – 2:12/100 m — Worst swimmer in the Welland Canal

I got in the water 5 minutes before the race start and got in a few strokes to warm up. The new wetsuit I was wearing felt more buoyant and flexible in the arms so I had good thoughts of pulling off a good swim……that didn’t happen.

My stroke felt all over the place, and I kept drifting left. Then after about 15 minutes, my left side started getting numb and my left deltoid started to get achy. My navigation issues continued for most of the race, and I tried ramping up the effort during the final stretch because I wanted out of that water. Officially I was out un 43:55. I was not happy with that given what I’ve been doing in training (40 minutes should have been my max swim time), but it also showed me that I need to keep the swimming going if I want to swim to my potential.

Once out, I ran to my Crocs that I set aside so I didn’t have to run in barefeet for that long run to T1. I also took of my wetsuit by seconds after and then ran to T1.

T1 – 1:22 (includes the long run up from the water)

With the wetsuit already off and my Ignition Fitness Tri top and Running Free Bike Shorts on, I quickly put on my socks, helmet, grabbed my arm warmers and ran out with my bike quickly to make up for that horrible swim.

90 km Bike – 2:27:07 – 36.7 km/hr — 5th best bike

I spent the first few minutes getting my feet in the shoes, and mainly in getting my armwarmers on the go. Once I got going I started reeling people in and was not passed by anyone all day – thanks again cruddy swim time.

The first 30 km went ok. For whatever reason I did not feel like riding my bike. My legs felt tired and achy. However, thanks to some tailwind I was able to cover 30 km in just over 48 minutes. That provided some motivation that I needed at that moment. I did the math in my head and realized I had a shot at riding sub 2:30. I really wasn’t riding close to my abilities so surely I could ensure 60 km of harder riding?

I still did not pump out my goal wattages (the changing winds had a lot to do with that), so I ditched looking and riding to wattage and simply just rode hard and tried to pass as many people as possible.

I battled a stiff wind in the final 15 km and but having that carrot of sub 2:30 helped a ton, I let it all go for that stretch. During that time, I almost rear ended a car after a vehicle decided to go a few feet and then suddenly stop after a policeman had waved him through. Why he stopped, I’ll never know, but I am glad the policeman yelled at him to keep coming through. I had my hand on my brakes anyway since I sensed something weird was going to happen, but I was protecting myself from a possible left turn into me.

I got into T2 and crossed the timing mat to end my race.

* I was running low on Honeymaxx so I only had 240 calories split into two bottles. I consumed both of those, plus a bottle of water on course from an aid station, and grabbed a Hammer Gel at the final aid station for the last push home. That extra bit of sugar was a nice little treat.

Some Bike stats:

Time: 2:26:58 / Avg Speed: 36.4 km/h / Avg HR: 159 bpm / Avg Power: 193 W / Max Avg Power (20 min): 203 W

Normalized Power (NP): 195 W

Last year

Time: 2:33:53 / Avg Speed: 35.1 km/hr / Avg HR: 156 bpm / Max HR: 171 bpm / Avg Power: 189 W / Max Avg Power (20 min): 212 W

Normalized Power (NP): 192 W

Total Time – 3:15:31 — 9th overall, 3rd among men 40+

I was fairly happy with my bike ride, knowing that I have it in me to go faster. But the swim definitely bothered me. The good thing is that it will encourage me to not neglect my swimming for the rest of the season. Congrats to fellow Ignition Fitness teammate Shawn Marshall who edged me out by 16 seconds, and to all the Ignition and Team Running Free athletes that competed on the weekend. Once again the MultiSport Canada crew pulled off anther outstanding race.

Equipment: QR Illicito (it felt speedy today), Shimano TR60 shoes (my first ride in them and they felt great), Ignition Fitness Tri top, and Running Free – Bike Shorts, Arm warmers, and Calf sleeves.

Nutrition: Pre-race: 1 bottle of Boost+ in the morning, plus some black coffee on the drive to the race. During the race: Honeymaxx in my Profile Aero HC System. Both available at Running Free. Make sure to use the code 11296 if you are shopping there. It will save you a few dollars.

Post-race: 500mL of Chocolate Milk courtesy of the Recharge With Milk Recovery Zone, and 2 slices of Pizza.

* Thanks to MultiSport Canada and MySportsShooter for all the images – all free this year when you race in the series.

Binbrook Duathlon 2014

The race for me can be summed up as: two solid slightly faster than my goal IM pace runs and a good bike ride.

As with all these races I do this year, I will be going into them with heavy ironman training. I will treat these shorter events as bonus speed work. So some days will go great and some no so much. Race day performance all depends on how the legs will respond to all that training stress built up during the week.

I did some intense run intervals the day before and the week was laden with a lot of big wattage rides. So the legs had some sting in them to begin with but sometimes the legs are fine with this, sometimes not.

First run - 5km (25:37 - 5:08/km officially) -- my Garmin measured 5.24km - 4:53/km pace.
I could feel that my legs were not there today, so during the first run I went into cruise mode and tried not to fall too far behind the leaders (figuring I'd make up time during the bike). At Woodstock all felt easy for the given effort, today I was fighting it a bit. Still, to challenge myself, I made an on the fly goal to maintain a pace just under 5:00/km pace. I did so according to the Garmin. The run at Binbrook is a combo of trail/grass (approximately 1.1 km to start, then out to the road, and 1.1+km back to T1 or the finish line.

T1 - 50 sec

30 km Bike - 49:57 (36 km/hr, 221w avg)
The bike started well. I was maintaining 240w for the first 10 minutes but the effort got disrupted when a pickup truck made a left turn onto the course just in front of me. I was trapped behind the truck for a few minutes and I must give the driver credit because they tried to get out of the way as soon as they could without compromising our safety. Still, it took a while for him to get a clear and down the road. I got back on my way and kept making ground and through the field. As I got to the pointy end of the race. I was finding less riders to pass. The fatigue from the week started taking its toll and pain began to infiltrate my legs. The avg. wattage dropped slowly but I did my best to prevent the decrease as much as I could. I got behind a two cars during the last stretch on the way back into the park that delayed me some 20-30 seconds but I still ended up having the 4th best ride.

T2 - 46 seconds

The final 5 km run (26:32 - 5:19/km) officially. The Garmin measured 5.29km  - 5:01/km pace
The final run went great. The legs felt tired after the ride but they bounced by quickly for the run. I was hoping to catch some folks during the ride but with it being that flat and fast, it is tough to make up huge ground unless I push that first run more. I was running well but I was too far behind to catch those on front (not worth the effort and residual recovery to try and run 4:00 and change to do it), and no one behind was going to catch me so I just cruised in for a solid finish. Added note: I was a hot one out there and I could feel my right hamstring wanting to cramp during that final km.

Total time: 1:43:39 - 12th overall, 5th M40-49

Nutrition:
Pre-race: 1/2 of a Boost+ in the morning, plus some black coffee on the drive to the race.
During the race: Honeymaxx in my Profile Aero HC System. Both available at Running Free. Make sure to use the code 11296 if you are shopping there. It will save you a few dollars.
Post-race: 500mL of Chocolate Milk courtesy of the Recharge With Milk Recovery Zone. No white milk this week

And because I was missing out on a long ride today with my Markham Tri Crew and I had a busy day tomorrow, as soon as I got home after the race and clocked a 1 hr 45 minute ride. That was mentally tough. I actually took in a few doses of plain honey during the ride to get me through since it was a long day and I finished the ride at 7pm. This Ironman racing thing is such a pain :)

The best part of the day for me was witnessing Ignition Fitness athlete Darren Cooney throw down a wicked performance on a day he wasn't even 100%. Darren continues to rise up the ranks and finished third overall. Congrats buddy! This is only the beginning.

All the best in all your racing and training.
RH

Honeymaxx - I use it, I love it, more to come

With my change in diet - essentially eating less carbs and more protein and fat, reducing sugars, and getting rid of processed foods, I was on the hunt for a sports drink that was natural, provided a slow energy burn (no crazy insulin spikes), and did not come with an outrageous cost. I found one, Honeymaxx.

This is great stuff and I will talk about this more soon. Stay tuned.

But they have a promo right now to score one of their cool bike bottles. Big bonus to all my Canadian readers, this great company is Canadian! So no worrying about crazy international shipping costs or possible customs charges.

The season opener at Woodstock

Woodstock Race Report - Sunday May 25, 2014

I was excited to get the season started especially after such a brutal winter we experienced the past few months. It turned out to be a beautiful opening day (the best we’ve had in Ontario thus far) to the MultiSport Canada Triathlon/Duathlon Series, and I was looking forward to putting my fitness to the test and seeing my “Summer Family” again.

Pre-race: After some chatting with a bunch of folks, I got set up in transition, and got in my pre-race ride warmup. All felt great and the equipment was working well, at least for those 20 minutes - more on that later. The problem with doing a ride warmup is on occasion, late comers see a gap in the bike racks and assume there’s a nice spot waiting for them, despite the fact that I clearly laid out my stuff to indicate that someone was there already. That did not matter, someone jammed their stuff right in there and now there was no more room for me. Instead of making issue out of it, I saw an extra rack that was practically empty and set up there. I keep thinking about making a sign that says “This spot is taken. I am out doing a warmup ride.” to hang up on the rack while I am gone. It may be time to put that in action. So for those of you reading this, when you get to a race and are looking for a spot in transition, be mindful and look for clues that someone might be in a spot already (run and swim gear laid out but no bike stuff) or just ask any athletes set up in that area.

Gear:

Ignition Fitness team kit, Running Free visor, arm warmers, and jacket.

QR Illicito, LG Aero helmet, K-Swiss Blade running shoes.

First run (5 km) - 24:56 (5:00/km)

This run was actually 36 seconds than what was officially stated. Why? I was out doing run warmup and PRP (pre-race pee) and the race started without me. The published start was 9am, but obviously there was a morning change and the start was 8:55am. Anyway, I was making my way back to the start and heard “30 seconds”, I knew what that meant and ran full on to the start and while the race was going one way, I was going in the other. The race photos show this along with John Salt and some of spectators having fun with me. I believe John said, “He just wants to give everyone a head start.” I replied, “At least now I fully know where I started and can make my way through.”

I ran a bit faster than I wanted during the first kilometre to make up that gap, then settled into a comfy pace. The plan was to keep it in that 5:00/km range - which is like speed work for me since my current training is all geared towards Ironman and I am rarely running anywhere near that. But all felt great and the pace felt comfortable and not overreaching so I went with it and given my late start, I was running just under 5:00/km pace. I gladly accepted that and it gave me a good indication that my Ironman run training is coming along nicely. Another indication that you don’t have to run fast or do a bunch of speedwork to go fast.

T1 - 1:01

Nothing spectacular here. It is a long run up the grass to the mount line and that is where most of my time was accumulated. I definitely could have trimmed a few more seconds off.

Bike (20 km) - 37:17 (32.2 km/hr)

I climbed strong out of the park and as soon as I made the right turn and got off my seat to crank up the pace I heard some weird noises and felt some wobbling from my wheels. My immediate thoughts were it must be a brake rub, flat or even worse a busted wheel. I got off the bike, check and discovered that the tire was going flat. However, for some reason it was still holding some air in there (probably 60 psi at that point) so I made the decision to keep riding until I felt the rim. I was extra careful with each corner (the noises and wobble that came when the brake was applied reminded me to do that), and just keep on going. I was definitely fighting the extra resistance from the wheel but keep on plugging away. By the time I hit the 10 km turnaround, I thought I’d have to pack it it because the noise and wobble was at an all-time high. I checked the tire and it was still holding some air so again I set off to continue riding until I felt the rim. I made it back to the park, was extra careful on the downhill, and headed to T2. For those that care, avg power was 211w, and NP 224w - below what I expected due to obvious reasons.

T2 - 0:54

Did a quick change and was out of there.

Second run (2.5 km) - 12:01 (4:49/km)

I love the second runs in duathlon (most of the time ;), I felt super strong today and just went with it. I did not want to go too crazy and have unnecessary extra soreness to affect my training the following week but I wanted to stay away from some faster runners coming from behind. I ran strong and surprised myself with the pace I was able to maintain.

Total time - 1:16:07 - 25th overall out of 106, 7th out of 17 in 40-49 age group

Nutrition intake:

Pre-race: Boost in the morning, plus a giant coffee on the drive to the race.

During the race: Honeymaxx in my Profile Aero HC System. Both available at Running Free. Make sure to use the code 11296 if you are shopping there. It will save you a few dollars.

Post-race: 500mL of 2% White Milk courtesy of the Recharge With Milk Recovery Zone.

Final thoughts:

A decent start to the year. Looking forward to showing what I can do on the bike at the next race.

Kudos to my fellow Ignition Fitness athletes on their podium placings - especially Darren (you are knocking off PB's left and right, awesome!). And of course my fellow Team Running Free members on their races. Catch you at the next one.