Haven't posted in awhile, but boy, has a lot happened! Okay, since my last post I:
finished physio, feeling completely healthy, and a new appreciation for my body. I learned the importance of a proper warm up, and that it means nothing if the 1st km is your fastest, it only matters if the last km is your fastest.
began a proper marathon build. Rather than just randomly running a long distance; I now follow the 10% rule. Since it's currently tri season, it's difficult to get a long run in, but on off weeks, you can find me running along Veteran's Dr., and Hwy 27. I've built to a comfortable 18km, with the goal of Hamilton's Road2Hope being my first marathon.
I realized (although I already knew) that pool time does not equal open water time. In the pool I average 1:50, but unfortunately my two races have averaged 2:20.
I have only biked a total of 9 times. Weird because I love the idea of riding, I love my bike, and I love the bike leg in a race, but I can't get out and ride by myself. I need the motivation of others/adrenaline to pass people and show my superiority in the saddle (I know that sounds extremely vain, but I do fancy myself to be a fast cyclist, although realizing I can work harder when I continue to finish 2nd/3rd at the club Time Trials.
I am now a fast runner. I averaged 4:22 at the Muskoka sprint, and the last 2 weeks I have ran at a <4:20 pace at speed work. Hopefully soon I'll be sub 4:00.
My body feels great. The general fatigue from training and pushing myself, but other than that, there is nothing lingering, and nothing to write home about. My season of speed has been great thus far. I did the Guelph Lakes 1 Sprint and finished 8th in my Age Group, which was great because it was the best finish I had had at a Subaru tri, and then followed that up with a 4th Age Group finish at the Muskoka Sprint. I will try to provide more in depth analysis with my blog posts in the future, but all in all, it's been a great start to the season, and it's only going to get better!
my new favorite mantra: "I don't want easy, I just want possible"
Thursday, July 7, 2011
Monday, March 28, 2011
Around The Bay 2011
As some of you may or may not know, I have been suffering from an Achilles injury the last month-ish. Really, it all started in my right leg last June when Plantar Fasciitis set in, then during Muskoka 70.3 when my achilles and knee began to hurt on the bike course, and 2 weeks after that, my piriformis tightened up while running Scotiabank Waterfront Half. The pain never went away despite the rest, and now I'm in physio 2 - 3 times a week wondering about my season.
Anyways, this past weekend was Around the Bay. I wanted to do this race for the sense of accomplishment. It is counter-productive for my speed goals, but it's an historic race that a lot of Baydogs have raved about. Plus, they have really nice shirts! I was very skeptical, almost fearful, of what would happen to my achilles. I started out with a 10:1 strategy. I have found that this strategy works best for me, especially with the half marathons. Where it foils me is when I look at my pace average right after a walk, so I run too fast to improve the average. Again, I tend to think counter-productively even in races.
All the hype/talk of me running this race on no training, a bum achilles, people questioning my sanity for running this race injured, and my own worries about what would happen if my achilles did "pop", lead me to have some not so pleasant thoughts. I was grumpy, snappy, scared in the days leading up. I couldn't help but wonder 'should I do this?'. I assured myself that if I was ever in doubt of my physical well-being while running the race I would just stop and walk. But, my competitive side questioned, is that really racing?
I went into this race with the mind set that this would be the longest distance I have ever ran, and that no matter what, it will be an accomplishment. I assured myself that I would be okay, and that no matter what happens, I will have fun. I started off with a light warm up trot where my achilles immediately started hurting. Not exactly the thing you want to feel before you've even started. This had me worried, but I just shrugged it off and decided to drop back in the corral. The gun went, and 4 minutes later I crossed the timing mat. As I started to run, the achilles loosened up and the pain went away. I felt great as I was able to stretch my legs out and run at a good pace. One problem: racer Matt had taken over my psyche pushing Cautionary Matt to the back burner. This would prove troublesome for me physically during the more demanding section of the race.
I was moving along quite well, little to no pain in any of my trouble areas, sticking to my 10:1 strategy, and watching the seconds tick off my pace avg and imagining how awesome it would be to obliterate my time goal by NOT training and suffering an injury! I was on top of the world! I would run behind people to get paced/block the wind, seamlessly move through packs, I felt fantastic! Little did I know that all this would add up to pay a price later on, as my legs were slowly deteriorating.
A little thing starts to happen to your mind while you're feeling good in a race. You start to imagine the ending, without visualizing the process. You dream of crossing that finish line with your low personal best flashing in bright lights above you, smile beaming, friends clapping and patting you on the back. The reality is, that if you can't visualize the process, all those images can vanish, and leave you feeling defeated. Sure people will congratulate you, but you yourself may feel as though you let yourself down.
As the race progressed, I began to think that I was going too fast, and that I needed to start pacing myself so that I could finish strong. Unfortunately I was too busy Garmin watching to realize how the pain had started up again in my achilles, a new pain was starting in the ball of my foot, and my knee cap was tender. I periodically took longer walking breaks, which meant that my joints were tightening up, and restarting became more difficult.
The mind does funny things in the middle of a race when fatigue and pain sets in. It is at this point that I feel the mental training and drawing upon past experiences really helps. I re-evaluated my goals for the day: finish, get my medal, and set a time to obliterate next year. I knew that I would be slow, so I couldn't let myself be disappointed with the drop in pace.
I walked up the first hill, and decided that I would make it my goal to run up all the hills...even if it meant an extended walk at the top. The pain in my right leg made it impossible to push off on climbs, so I literally limped up the hills with a fast cadence, using my left leg to push off as strong as I could (that would prove to be ill-advised as today my left leg is hurting more than usual!). My physiotherapist told me about this one big hill: "you'll go down a hill, turn a corner, cross a bridge, and then climb a very big hill". Well, I went down a hill, THOUGHT I crossed a bridge (I saw guard rails), and climbed what "felt" like a big hill. It wasn't until I was hobbling down a steep decent that I realized I was entering a valley. I looked across and sure enough, there was the hill my physio was talking about.
Sometimes, it is the goals within a race that make that day successful. By setting myself the little goal of climbing the hills, I felt I was able to be successful. Hills have always been my achilles (no pun intended), so as I began the ascent in my hobbled state, I was determined to not allow myself to walk. The pain wasn't worsening, but it wasn't getting any better, and I knew when I got to the top it would be a flat finish, and I can walk flat.
I slowly limped my way up the hill, and was pleased to see the last turn of the race. Home free! By this point though, the pain had become quite unbearable when I ran. The fatigue, lack of training, pre-existing injuries, and never before done distances had taken their toll. It was at this point that I decided that my race wasn't going to be defined by my time. It would be defined by my will to finish. I walked a lot those last few kilometres. I was still Garmin watching, wondering what time I could get if I could start running and hold even a 7:00 pace...I could easily finish below my goal of 3:00. The thing is, running really slow is more painful than walking fast, and the pain was too muc to bear. I decided walking was in my best interest. I felt good and strong mentally and did not feel tired except for my legs.
It's tough when you've always felt like an underdog and want to do the best at everything you do as a big "FU" to the people that teased you when you were younger or picked you last when playing sports at recess. I fought my way through a lot of the pain those last few hundred meters, and as I could see the final turn into Copps Coliseum I started running, knowing that the finish was near. I painfully descended the ramp into the arena, and ran down the lane to the finish line. The finish felt great as I stepped on the timing mat, turned off my garmin, and stared at the time - 3:00:55. At the time, it was bittersweet. Yes I had finished Around The Bay, the longest run I had ever done, and I did beat my time by 5 seconds. But I felt as though I gave up those last 8KM, and as a competitor, that's tough to get over.
As I've moved on and reflected on my race over the last 24 hours, talking to friends on facebook, or friends at school that are runners or will be running their first marathons this spring, I'm beginning to think more positively about my race. I am proud of my finish, proud of the heart and guts that I put into my race, proud that I was able to mentally keep myself in check, but most of all, I am proud that I finished. And that, is a victory all in itself.
The one lasting impression that I have with this race, and my whole racing experience as a whole, is that it's a sense of accomplishment. It's great to be competitive inside your little bubble of competitive people, but it's amazing how people that are not in that bubble are so in awe of your personal accomplishments. And THAT'S what I need to focus on in these types of races where I'm going for firsts and not worrying about times. The fact that so many people are afraid to do what I did, and that's what makes me a champion...not what some timing chip say.
Anyways, this past weekend was Around the Bay. I wanted to do this race for the sense of accomplishment. It is counter-productive for my speed goals, but it's an historic race that a lot of Baydogs have raved about. Plus, they have really nice shirts! I was very skeptical, almost fearful, of what would happen to my achilles. I started out with a 10:1 strategy. I have found that this strategy works best for me, especially with the half marathons. Where it foils me is when I look at my pace average right after a walk, so I run too fast to improve the average. Again, I tend to think counter-productively even in races.
All the hype/talk of me running this race on no training, a bum achilles, people questioning my sanity for running this race injured, and my own worries about what would happen if my achilles did "pop", lead me to have some not so pleasant thoughts. I was grumpy, snappy, scared in the days leading up. I couldn't help but wonder 'should I do this?'. I assured myself that if I was ever in doubt of my physical well-being while running the race I would just stop and walk. But, my competitive side questioned, is that really racing?
I went into this race with the mind set that this would be the longest distance I have ever ran, and that no matter what, it will be an accomplishment. I assured myself that I would be okay, and that no matter what happens, I will have fun. I started off with a light warm up trot where my achilles immediately started hurting. Not exactly the thing you want to feel before you've even started. This had me worried, but I just shrugged it off and decided to drop back in the corral. The gun went, and 4 minutes later I crossed the timing mat. As I started to run, the achilles loosened up and the pain went away. I felt great as I was able to stretch my legs out and run at a good pace. One problem: racer Matt had taken over my psyche pushing Cautionary Matt to the back burner. This would prove troublesome for me physically during the more demanding section of the race.
I was moving along quite well, little to no pain in any of my trouble areas, sticking to my 10:1 strategy, and watching the seconds tick off my pace avg and imagining how awesome it would be to obliterate my time goal by NOT training and suffering an injury! I was on top of the world! I would run behind people to get paced/block the wind, seamlessly move through packs, I felt fantastic! Little did I know that all this would add up to pay a price later on, as my legs were slowly deteriorating.
A little thing starts to happen to your mind while you're feeling good in a race. You start to imagine the ending, without visualizing the process. You dream of crossing that finish line with your low personal best flashing in bright lights above you, smile beaming, friends clapping and patting you on the back. The reality is, that if you can't visualize the process, all those images can vanish, and leave you feeling defeated. Sure people will congratulate you, but you yourself may feel as though you let yourself down.
As the race progressed, I began to think that I was going too fast, and that I needed to start pacing myself so that I could finish strong. Unfortunately I was too busy Garmin watching to realize how the pain had started up again in my achilles, a new pain was starting in the ball of my foot, and my knee cap was tender. I periodically took longer walking breaks, which meant that my joints were tightening up, and restarting became more difficult.
The mind does funny things in the middle of a race when fatigue and pain sets in. It is at this point that I feel the mental training and drawing upon past experiences really helps. I re-evaluated my goals for the day: finish, get my medal, and set a time to obliterate next year. I knew that I would be slow, so I couldn't let myself be disappointed with the drop in pace.
I walked up the first hill, and decided that I would make it my goal to run up all the hills...even if it meant an extended walk at the top. The pain in my right leg made it impossible to push off on climbs, so I literally limped up the hills with a fast cadence, using my left leg to push off as strong as I could (that would prove to be ill-advised as today my left leg is hurting more than usual!). My physiotherapist told me about this one big hill: "you'll go down a hill, turn a corner, cross a bridge, and then climb a very big hill". Well, I went down a hill, THOUGHT I crossed a bridge (I saw guard rails), and climbed what "felt" like a big hill. It wasn't until I was hobbling down a steep decent that I realized I was entering a valley. I looked across and sure enough, there was the hill my physio was talking about.
Sometimes, it is the goals within a race that make that day successful. By setting myself the little goal of climbing the hills, I felt I was able to be successful. Hills have always been my achilles (no pun intended), so as I began the ascent in my hobbled state, I was determined to not allow myself to walk. The pain wasn't worsening, but it wasn't getting any better, and I knew when I got to the top it would be a flat finish, and I can walk flat.
I slowly limped my way up the hill, and was pleased to see the last turn of the race. Home free! By this point though, the pain had become quite unbearable when I ran. The fatigue, lack of training, pre-existing injuries, and never before done distances had taken their toll. It was at this point that I decided that my race wasn't going to be defined by my time. It would be defined by my will to finish. I walked a lot those last few kilometres. I was still Garmin watching, wondering what time I could get if I could start running and hold even a 7:00 pace...I could easily finish below my goal of 3:00. The thing is, running really slow is more painful than walking fast, and the pain was too muc to bear. I decided walking was in my best interest. I felt good and strong mentally and did not feel tired except for my legs.
It's tough when you've always felt like an underdog and want to do the best at everything you do as a big "FU" to the people that teased you when you were younger or picked you last when playing sports at recess. I fought my way through a lot of the pain those last few hundred meters, and as I could see the final turn into Copps Coliseum I started running, knowing that the finish was near. I painfully descended the ramp into the arena, and ran down the lane to the finish line. The finish felt great as I stepped on the timing mat, turned off my garmin, and stared at the time - 3:00:55. At the time, it was bittersweet. Yes I had finished Around The Bay, the longest run I had ever done, and I did beat my time by 5 seconds. But I felt as though I gave up those last 8KM, and as a competitor, that's tough to get over.
As I've moved on and reflected on my race over the last 24 hours, talking to friends on facebook, or friends at school that are runners or will be running their first marathons this spring, I'm beginning to think more positively about my race. I am proud of my finish, proud of the heart and guts that I put into my race, proud that I was able to mentally keep myself in check, but most of all, I am proud that I finished. And that, is a victory all in itself.
The one lasting impression that I have with this race, and my whole racing experience as a whole, is that it's a sense of accomplishment. It's great to be competitive inside your little bubble of competitive people, but it's amazing how people that are not in that bubble are so in awe of your personal accomplishments. And THAT'S what I need to focus on in these types of races where I'm going for firsts and not worrying about times. The fact that so many people are afraid to do what I did, and that's what makes me a champion...not what some timing chip say.
Thursday, March 3, 2011
Injuries, Off-Seasons, and Seasonal Goals
Soooooo, it's been a while since I posted something on here. Last time I was all about the goals that I had set out for myself. The training had been going well. I had been doing about 2 or 3 bricks a week, not pushing my run as fast as I want it to be in the season, but building a base so that when I get outside I can put the hammer down. Then, I remembered that I had that pesky 'Around the Bay' race coming up so I spontaneously ran 20km at a ridiculously slow 6:00 pace with breaks to get me ready. Then, I did the speed work 2 days after. Then, I felt a great deal of pain in my achilles. I have been dealing with a lot of pain in my right leg for almost a year. A lot of my runs have had to be offset by a day of rest (I've never been able to run 2 days in a row without issues). A lot of thoughts went through my head regarding this pain. Tear, partial tear, on the verge of tearing, is my season in jeopardy, wtf is happening, etc. When you get a pain in a region that is notorious for serious/long term pain, it effs with your mind. And that's what happened.
I started physio this week, and it's been great. My physio is an athlete like myself. She's trying to qualify for Boston and wants to do a half ironman this year. I like having people help me that know what I'm dealing with. That's what I like about my chiropractor. She was highly ranked in the Women's Hockey Program (she was a linemate of Cassie Campbell) and knows what it takes to be an athlete at a high level. Now I have a physio who is helping me get healthy and achieve my goals. Moving into the future, I think I'm going to need a team of people like this that are going to help me be the athlete that I want to be.
All that being said, once I get over this little hiccup of the injury, I should be back on track. I'm looking forward to my season. It's all about the speed, but I may end up doing Muskoka 70.3 again because this could be the last year it is run. it's the weekend of Wasaga, meaning I would miss out on an opportunity to podium (a lot of that opportunity was due to the race being run at the same time as Muskoka), but it would be worth it because Tanya would be running it with me, and it would be her first 70.3. Anyways, the training has been going well, despite the current pain/discomfort. My swim pace has increased to under 2:00. My run pace is in the mid 4:30s and should be around 4:20 in the warm weather, and my cycling on the spinner is 3km/h faster than it was last year. The schedule is still the same. I may add the Guelph Lakes I sprint or try-a-tri because it is the club championships and I want to help the Baydogs finish first (I'll probably do the sprint because last year I had a shitty bike and an even worse run...so I want to kick it's ass this year). Hopefully the weather prognosticators are wrong and we don't have 3 more months of cold weather. Last year was soooo nice being able to swim in the lake on Victoria Day weekend!
Anyways, that's it for now. Happy training, and see you in transition!
I started physio this week, and it's been great. My physio is an athlete like myself. She's trying to qualify for Boston and wants to do a half ironman this year. I like having people help me that know what I'm dealing with. That's what I like about my chiropractor. She was highly ranked in the Women's Hockey Program (she was a linemate of Cassie Campbell) and knows what it takes to be an athlete at a high level. Now I have a physio who is helping me get healthy and achieve my goals. Moving into the future, I think I'm going to need a team of people like this that are going to help me be the athlete that I want to be.
All that being said, once I get over this little hiccup of the injury, I should be back on track. I'm looking forward to my season. It's all about the speed, but I may end up doing Muskoka 70.3 again because this could be the last year it is run. it's the weekend of Wasaga, meaning I would miss out on an opportunity to podium (a lot of that opportunity was due to the race being run at the same time as Muskoka), but it would be worth it because Tanya would be running it with me, and it would be her first 70.3. Anyways, the training has been going well, despite the current pain/discomfort. My swim pace has increased to under 2:00. My run pace is in the mid 4:30s and should be around 4:20 in the warm weather, and my cycling on the spinner is 3km/h faster than it was last year. The schedule is still the same. I may add the Guelph Lakes I sprint or try-a-tri because it is the club championships and I want to help the Baydogs finish first (I'll probably do the sprint because last year I had a shitty bike and an even worse run...so I want to kick it's ass this year). Hopefully the weather prognosticators are wrong and we don't have 3 more months of cold weather. Last year was soooo nice being able to swim in the lake on Victoria Day weekend!
Anyways, that's it for now. Happy training, and see you in transition!
Sunday, January 2, 2011
2011 Goals
So as stated in my last post, I'm going to begin my training this week for what should be an eventful season. A lot of the things I have read say don't make the podium a goal because you don't know who else is going to be racing that day...that your goals should be oriented towards your own personal experiences in the race, and for the most part my goals are just like that, with the exception of Wasaga. I REALLY want to podium at Wasaga.
I'm 'starting' the season at the end of March when I run the "Around the Bay" 30KM road race in Hamilton. I'm not heading out to 'race' this race, but just have fun and see what kind of time I can get over 30km so that I have a goal in mind when I do my first marathon
The 6 sprints that I'm planning to do and their coinciding goals are as follows:
June 25 - Muskoka Sprint/go sub 1:15 for the course: this was my first ever sprint triathlon in 2009. It was fun and a great achievement, but I want to improve my finishing time of 1:35:20. Because I'm only focussing on sprints this off-season, and I will be going into my 3rd racing season, I'm hoping to be faster in all 3 disciplines at this race by over 20:00.
July 10 - Huronia Sprint/go sub 35:00 on the bike and sub 22:00 on the run: this was my second ever sprint in 2009. My swim improved immensely, but it wasn't until I got into the TT groove that I really felt strong on the bike. Plus, I hadn't started Kevin's speed work at that point. My 2009 bike was 43:16 and run was 24:36, so improvements can be made, especially on the bike.
July 24 - Bala Falls/go sub 35:00 on the run: I had a horrible run when I first did this race in 2009. I ran a 5:35 split, and even though it was my first season racing and I didn't know what to expect from the course, and despite how incredibly hilly it was, I still felt that I could have done better. I plan on implementing hills into my training so that I can be faster at races like Bala Falls.
Aug 7 - Barrie Sprint/go 30:00 on the bike & sub 20:00: The morning of, I didn't really want to do this race in 2010. Yet again it was raining and cold. I didn't have any adrenaline whatsoever until the run when I felt like I wanted to race. I had my best ever run (4:14 split), but my TT times suggest I should have been A LOT faster on the bike (34:42) despite all the hairpins. I think I can go sub 2o:00 on the run, and be close to 30:00 on the bike. Maybe not both, but one or the other.
Aug 21 - Orillia Sprint/go sub 1:45:00 for the course: last year I improved 6 minutes from my 2009 time, and although I was close to breaking the 1:50 mark (1:50:51), I knew I'd have to have a perfect day to break 1:50. With a focus on speed this year, and (hopefully) dry conditions, I can go sub 1:45.
Sept 10 - Wasaga Sprint/finish top 3 in my age group: They say you shouldn't make this a goal because you don't know who will be registered, but in 2009 (1:20:53) when I ran the course for the first time, I was 2:00 out of 3rd with getting blocked on the bike course, a poor run, and forgetting where my rack was in transition after the bike. In 2010 I didn't run Wasaga because I was doing Muskoka 70.3 (same weekend as Wasaga, which also makes me think I can place due to potential dilution of talent), but my 2009 time had me on the podium in 3rd place by 1 second. In 2011, I expect to be faster on the bike (sub 33:00) and faster on the run (sub 22:00). This 5 minute improvement would have put me in 1st place in 2009 & 2010, therefore it is not farfetched to set a podium placement as my goal. Wasaga is fairly flat, so an increase in time by 5 minutes can be achieved.
You may have noticed that I didn't include any swimming goals for these races. I do not have any time goals for my swims, but my goal for the whole season is to be more aggressive in the water. You don't podium by walking in after the horn and letting everyone go ahead. I'll never forget the Orillia swim start when talking to Lloyd Smith until the starter said 10sec, and he went into a zone then sprinted into the water on the horn. So my goal for the swim is to be a lot more aggressive for the first 50 - 100m, and then swim at a comfortable pace, while finishing the last 50-100m strong. This will help me with my overall swim, but I don't know what sort of times to expect due to fatigue, and the fact that being more aggressive myself means being with more aggressive people and problems could arise.
So there it is, in "writing". They say nothing can be erased from the internet, so once I hit post, I'm held to this! Hopefully I can achieve most of these goals. I don't think they are too farfetched based on the times I was putting together near the end of this year in the 2 sprints I did, the strength I've shown in TTs which is no longer a flat course (although the head wind was killer on Golf Course Road), and the effort I plan to put in with Kevin's speed work (I will be attending a couple in January and then again near the end of February because of ski coaching obligations). I'm keeping it simple this year race wise and training wise because in 2012 I want to do Ironman Lake Placid, so because of the time commitment that will be, I want to enjoy 2011 while still achieving these accomplishments.
2011 preparation
I've slowly been working on a training plan for the 2011 season. I've had my racing schedule set for a couple of months now, but I'm just starting to put pen-to-paper to figure out how I'm going to get that done. I've been doing little to no triathlon training for the last 5 weeks. I've been doing some Hatha yoga and strength training in the gym, but that has been for my general well-being instead of trying to improve triathlon performance. The reason for the break was because I never really took a break from the 2010 season. I took 2 weeks off, but I was still so stoked to continue training that I never did let my body rest. It wasn't until I started doing some running workouts sprinting up hill (hills are not my friends, which is why Bala Falls and Gravenhurst have been 2 of my worst races from a running standpoint) to improve my achilles heel, which is what ended up hurting my achilles heel (oh the ironing is delicious!). The pain in my heel crept up to my knee, which crept up to my piriformis. All these pains started during Muskoka 70.3, but weren't really felt until the Scotiabank 1/2 marathon, and I never really tried to heal them. Now, the achilles feels good, the piriformis feels good, but the knee still gives me problems. The sidewalks do not get cleared very well by my house, so each step has been perilous, and the muscles in my already weakened leg have paid the price for daily walks with Kermit.
So, that lead me to taking the last 5 weeks off from any swimming, biking, running. I must say, I rather enjoy this whole not training thing. Especially during the holidays. It serves to gain some much needed weight, gives the body a rest to see family and friends, but also provides the urgency and salivation to get out there and train. I've never followed a plan before, I've just sort of swam when I felt like swimming, biked when I felt like biking (except for the Tuesday Time Trials and spring time Saturday long rides), and running when I felt like running (except for the casual club run, and when I get the guts to take part in Kevin's speed workout). Tanya bought "the Triathlete's Training Bible" last summer (which I usurped), and I've been perusing their 'how to plan' chapter to get ideas on how to create a workout plan that I can follow without over burdening myself. I do not like to follow schedules like this. I am not a long term thinker when I'm doing things by myself because I will easily quit. The good thing about this plan is that I'm going to be creating it on a week-by-week basis. I don't know what life is going to have in store for me in April on Tuesday night at 7:15, so how can I plan a workout for that time slot? I'm going to map out my training phases, figure out an hourly schedule that will push me, but also leave me with time to have a life. That can only be done if I plan each week as the weeks go by. That's how I've always done it anyways, except in my head. Putting it on paper won't mean anything because if no one sees it and can hold me accountable, then it's easy to quit. That's why I'm going to be updating this blog on my workouts, and tweeting when/what I'll be training so that I feel a sense of responsibility. Even if no one reads it, it's still out there.
Thursday, October 21, 2010
MUSKOKA 70.3...THE RACE!
This was the first time that I didn't get to say bye to Tanya right at the race start. Had to do the tearful goodbye early, and it was hard because normally Tanya waits until I'm out of sight to start crying, but she started early which made me emotional as well. I guess that was when it hit me that I would be doing this great race. Anyways, I was off to the water to start the most important race of my life (to date...many many more to come in this life!)
I must have over hydrated because I was sipping water and immediately peeing. I must have peed 5 times at the swim start alone (sorry Marcus...but I was peeing while talking to you on the beach and in the water!). The horn went off, I wished my friend Marcus Methot good luck, and dove in. I need to learn to seed myself better in the swims, because I kept hitting groups in front of me, and they were very difficult to get around. It was not until the first turn that I got rid of the people blocking me. For some reason, people go slow at the turning buoys. Don't know why, just turn and go. Simple. I was tight to the buoy, and after the turn starting sighting to the next turn, and found myself way to the inside. It scared me because no one was around me. But it helped because I had clean water to swim in. No one to draft off of, but clean water with no blocking. After the next turn, it was the same thing. No one around me. I was swimming the tightest/most direct line, and I've never understood why swimmers go so far around. I made the last turn and saw the finish area. I tried to speed up my pace, but it didn't pay off. This always happens in the last 500m of a long swim. I finished around 41 min, which was okay, but I wanted 39. I blame improper seeding and the people in my way at the start.
I had a decent transition. I didn't have the stripper take my wetsuit off so that I can stay warmer. That saved me time as I ran up the hill to my bike. The bike was okay. I knew the course, and knew that pacing would be key. I laughed at the people that treated the opening to the bike course as though it were a Sprint Distance, as I knew I would see them crushed in about 25KM (I did!!). It was raining, so the bike course, especially the descents, was nerve racking because a crash could happen at any second. There were tonnes of flats and crashes, but luckily I escaped all that. The over-hydration wreaked havoc again. I had to pee so bad along 117. I tried many times to pee while cycling, but had to be out of the saddle and not peddling for the bladder to ease up a little. All that did was make it harder to get back in the saddle and continue pedalling. At one point I just pulled over and peed in a ditch. It felt so good, but all the people that I had worked so hard to pass caught up to me. I figure I had lost about 2 minutes in total (stopping, asking if I could pee without penalty, pee, and restart). I felt comfortable with my hydration, picking up a water in the bottle exchange, so I didn't pick up a second bottle. It was cold out, so the heat wasn't sucking out the hydration I had stored. I had 2 bottles plus the aerobottle on my bike, so I was okay. Until I lost my insulated Camelbak on South Portage Road. Now I was left with a bottle of water (no electrolytes left) for the most technical part of the bike ride. I made it, and having ridden the course twice really helped because I knew the power that was necessary to make it up the hills with some left in the tank. I made it off the bike about 3:04, my best time on that course (but I wanted to do sub 3:00...stupid bladder!) Transition was slow as I struggled getting my socks on, and did not pre-tie my shoelaces (rookie mistake). Plus, I had to hit the port-a-pottie AGAIN. Lastly, I hurt my knee and achilles during the last 30KM of the bike course (the hardest part of the 94KM course btw).
My plan to 'survive' the run was to start at 6:00 pace, and increase by :05 increments every 6KM. That didn't happen. I just sort of stuck at 5:40, and whenever I wanted to walk, I just slowed down my pace with the mantra "6:00 is better than 12:00 (my walking pace)". I had planned to walk every 6KM, which was good because it gave me the opportunity to fix shoelaces, take in gels and pepsi, and settle my heart rate. This was by far the most technical 21.1KM I had ever ran, so that made me very nervous in terms of pacing. I was so afraid of hitting the runner's wall and crashing, thus not letting me achieve my goals. After about 15KM though, I looked at my Garmin, did the quick math, and realized that I was well ahead of my fastest goal time of 5:55. I got to that point where I think 'how much faster can I go?!'. I thought maybe I could get to the 5:40s, but thankfully my body settled my brain that if I push to reach 5:40s, I won't reach 5:55. I was very calm during the run, almost too calm. I could have easily pushed it harder and faster, but not knowing what to expect on the run, I was happy that I left some in the tank. Set the bar low, so that you can crush it next time! When I reached the top of the last hill approaching Deerhurst, and heard/saw the crowd around the corner, I started getting emotional. It might sound cute/sweet, but it really sucked because I couldn't breathe properly! I still had about 1KM left, and I couldn't breathe because I was tearing up! Luckily I snapped out of it because there were people on the road and I don't cry in front of people! I entered the parking lot, and as I ran up the finishing chute, I saw Baydog supporters and Tanya all cheering for me. Tanya was actually jumping up and down like crazy, and it was cute so I went over and gave her a big kiss which freaked her out because I do not like P.D.A.! I ran across the line in 5:51...4 minutes faster than the fastest time I had hoped to achieve if everything went perfect, broke the ribbon, and got my medal. I was now (half of) an Ironman!
Thank you to everyone, from the Baydogs for being a great organization and even better friends, and most importantly, my girlfriend Tanya for being the most important person in my life, the inspiration for why I train, and being so understandable when I would ditch her to train! Love you honey!
I must have over hydrated because I was sipping water and immediately peeing. I must have peed 5 times at the swim start alone (sorry Marcus...but I was peeing while talking to you on the beach and in the water!). The horn went off, I wished my friend Marcus Methot good luck, and dove in. I need to learn to seed myself better in the swims, because I kept hitting groups in front of me, and they were very difficult to get around. It was not until the first turn that I got rid of the people blocking me. For some reason, people go slow at the turning buoys. Don't know why, just turn and go. Simple. I was tight to the buoy, and after the turn starting sighting to the next turn, and found myself way to the inside. It scared me because no one was around me. But it helped because I had clean water to swim in. No one to draft off of, but clean water with no blocking. After the next turn, it was the same thing. No one around me. I was swimming the tightest/most direct line, and I've never understood why swimmers go so far around. I made the last turn and saw the finish area. I tried to speed up my pace, but it didn't pay off. This always happens in the last 500m of a long swim. I finished around 41 min, which was okay, but I wanted 39. I blame improper seeding and the people in my way at the start.
I had a decent transition. I didn't have the stripper take my wetsuit off so that I can stay warmer. That saved me time as I ran up the hill to my bike. The bike was okay. I knew the course, and knew that pacing would be key. I laughed at the people that treated the opening to the bike course as though it were a Sprint Distance, as I knew I would see them crushed in about 25KM (I did!!). It was raining, so the bike course, especially the descents, was nerve racking because a crash could happen at any second. There were tonnes of flats and crashes, but luckily I escaped all that. The over-hydration wreaked havoc again. I had to pee so bad along 117. I tried many times to pee while cycling, but had to be out of the saddle and not peddling for the bladder to ease up a little. All that did was make it harder to get back in the saddle and continue pedalling. At one point I just pulled over and peed in a ditch. It felt so good, but all the people that I had worked so hard to pass caught up to me. I figure I had lost about 2 minutes in total (stopping, asking if I could pee without penalty, pee, and restart). I felt comfortable with my hydration, picking up a water in the bottle exchange, so I didn't pick up a second bottle. It was cold out, so the heat wasn't sucking out the hydration I had stored. I had 2 bottles plus the aerobottle on my bike, so I was okay. Until I lost my insulated Camelbak on South Portage Road. Now I was left with a bottle of water (no electrolytes left) for the most technical part of the bike ride. I made it, and having ridden the course twice really helped because I knew the power that was necessary to make it up the hills with some left in the tank. I made it off the bike about 3:04, my best time on that course (but I wanted to do sub 3:00...stupid bladder!) Transition was slow as I struggled getting my socks on, and did not pre-tie my shoelaces (rookie mistake). Plus, I had to hit the port-a-pottie AGAIN. Lastly, I hurt my knee and achilles during the last 30KM of the bike course (the hardest part of the 94KM course btw).
My plan to 'survive' the run was to start at 6:00 pace, and increase by :05 increments every 6KM. That didn't happen. I just sort of stuck at 5:40, and whenever I wanted to walk, I just slowed down my pace with the mantra "6:00 is better than 12:00 (my walking pace)". I had planned to walk every 6KM, which was good because it gave me the opportunity to fix shoelaces, take in gels and pepsi, and settle my heart rate. This was by far the most technical 21.1KM I had ever ran, so that made me very nervous in terms of pacing. I was so afraid of hitting the runner's wall and crashing, thus not letting me achieve my goals. After about 15KM though, I looked at my Garmin, did the quick math, and realized that I was well ahead of my fastest goal time of 5:55. I got to that point where I think 'how much faster can I go?!'. I thought maybe I could get to the 5:40s, but thankfully my body settled my brain that if I push to reach 5:40s, I won't reach 5:55. I was very calm during the run, almost too calm. I could have easily pushed it harder and faster, but not knowing what to expect on the run, I was happy that I left some in the tank. Set the bar low, so that you can crush it next time! When I reached the top of the last hill approaching Deerhurst, and heard/saw the crowd around the corner, I started getting emotional. It might sound cute/sweet, but it really sucked because I couldn't breathe properly! I still had about 1KM left, and I couldn't breathe because I was tearing up! Luckily I snapped out of it because there were people on the road and I don't cry in front of people! I entered the parking lot, and as I ran up the finishing chute, I saw Baydog supporters and Tanya all cheering for me. Tanya was actually jumping up and down like crazy, and it was cute so I went over and gave her a big kiss which freaked her out because I do not like P.D.A.! I ran across the line in 5:51...4 minutes faster than the fastest time I had hoped to achieve if everything went perfect, broke the ribbon, and got my medal. I was now (half of) an Ironman!
Thank you to everyone, from the Baydogs for being a great organization and even better friends, and most importantly, my girlfriend Tanya for being the most important person in my life, the inspiration for why I train, and being so understandable when I would ditch her to train! Love you honey!
MUSKOKA 70.3 PRE-RACE
Sorry it's taken so long to write my race report for Muskoka 70.3 and this seasons' races in general. I'd like to say that I was busy training, but really, I was just lazy. It was a long season with 10 races, and the first time that I did off-season training by incorporating long runs on the weekends, and a lot of swimming exercises (not just trying to build endurance) in the pool. Add some Spinervals to the mix, and I was doing a lot more than I had ever done leading into the season, and then during the season. But, it all converged on one very cold Sunday at the beginning of September at Deerhurst Lodge, Huntsville.
The course is beautiful. Tough, but beautiful. I had gone up to the resort twice during the summer to bike the course, and had done a couple of long swims so that felt good, and I knew that if I just set a casual run pace, that would go fine as well. The Tuesday before the race I rode my Opus for a casual TT, but hurt/injured my achilles in the process. It was not severe enough to deter me from racing, but something that lingered in my mind (and came back on the bike course). Being my first Ironman brand experience, I was very nervous about what to expect in and around the lodge. Add regular Friday night traffic/construction, I was a ball of nerves on the ride up. I knew I wouldn't be settled until I was in my room at Deerhurst at the end of the night. Surprisingly, it wasn't the race that had me nervous...just everything else around the race! But Tanya and I got there okay, I got registered, had my meal, and settled in for the night. Both Tanya and I hardly slept that night, and as what was supposed to be a beautiful resort, we were not that impressed.
We woke up early Saturday morning, and walked around the resort getting a feel for transition, swim entrace/exit, and had a large breakfast. I racked my bike as soon as transition opened because I am very particular about where my bike goes. I prefer my bike at the end of the rack for that extra space during transition and easy spotting when coming out of the water. I got that out of the way, went for a warm up swim, into Huntsville for a bowl of soup and a beer (Guinness), and finished the day off at Kelsey's for dinner with good friends and fellow competitors Lloyd Smith and Kirsten Lowery. Now, it was off to bed for a 'good' night's sleep before the race. As I closed my eyes, I envisioned the entire race from the horn to the medal. Not a stroke, pedal, or step was missed. I knew this course, and I felt very confident that I would achieve the goals that I had set for myself.
Race morning, I was up at 3...but so was Tanya again, so I didn't worry about being too quiet. Funny enough, I was super excited to race. I was dancing around the room, singing to my ipod, and generally pumped to race. No nerves, just sheer excitement. Tanya was baffled, but I just felt great about the race. Going over the race in my head really helped. Knowing every corner, bump, hill on the bike, and the contours of the run make me comfortable. Essentially, I was ready. I put on my comp. tights to loosen up the muscles, had a bunch of coffee and a couple of bagels, and headed to transition to meet friends and get ready to rock!
The course is beautiful. Tough, but beautiful. I had gone up to the resort twice during the summer to bike the course, and had done a couple of long swims so that felt good, and I knew that if I just set a casual run pace, that would go fine as well. The Tuesday before the race I rode my Opus for a casual TT, but hurt/injured my achilles in the process. It was not severe enough to deter me from racing, but something that lingered in my mind (and came back on the bike course). Being my first Ironman brand experience, I was very nervous about what to expect in and around the lodge. Add regular Friday night traffic/construction, I was a ball of nerves on the ride up. I knew I wouldn't be settled until I was in my room at Deerhurst at the end of the night. Surprisingly, it wasn't the race that had me nervous...just everything else around the race! But Tanya and I got there okay, I got registered, had my meal, and settled in for the night. Both Tanya and I hardly slept that night, and as what was supposed to be a beautiful resort, we were not that impressed.
We woke up early Saturday morning, and walked around the resort getting a feel for transition, swim entrace/exit, and had a large breakfast. I racked my bike as soon as transition opened because I am very particular about where my bike goes. I prefer my bike at the end of the rack for that extra space during transition and easy spotting when coming out of the water. I got that out of the way, went for a warm up swim, into Huntsville for a bowl of soup and a beer (Guinness), and finished the day off at Kelsey's for dinner with good friends and fellow competitors Lloyd Smith and Kirsten Lowery. Now, it was off to bed for a 'good' night's sleep before the race. As I closed my eyes, I envisioned the entire race from the horn to the medal. Not a stroke, pedal, or step was missed. I knew this course, and I felt very confident that I would achieve the goals that I had set for myself.
Race morning, I was up at 3...but so was Tanya again, so I didn't worry about being too quiet. Funny enough, I was super excited to race. I was dancing around the room, singing to my ipod, and generally pumped to race. No nerves, just sheer excitement. Tanya was baffled, but I just felt great about the race. Going over the race in my head really helped. Knowing every corner, bump, hill on the bike, and the contours of the run make me comfortable. Essentially, I was ready. I put on my comp. tights to loosen up the muscles, had a bunch of coffee and a couple of bagels, and headed to transition to meet friends and get ready to rock!
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