After 12 years of making my annual trek to Lake Placid to do the Ironman, this past Sunday marked the last time I will do so as an athlete.

I will truly miss doing this race because of the great atmosphere, rock star treatment, and the slick race organization, but I surely will not miss the punishment that the hilly course dishes out. At least I went out on a positive note though and had my most enjoyable experience at Lake Placid. Maybe taking time to soak up the atmosphere, the scenery, and to just simply enjoy being out there is the way to go. Having celebrated my 41st birthday 2 days before the race, and with just a one week taper, I got my PB for the course and new Ironman marathon PB. Who says you can’t teach an old dog new tricks?

Check out the race report below for more details. Warning – it is long.

Happy training and catch you again next week.

Roger

Sunday July 25, 2009: Ironman Triathlon – Run 3.8 km, Bike 180 Km, Run 42.2 Km

Evening/Night Before Meal:

Mel’s Diner (4 pm) – 12 deep-fried mild wings with blue cheese, Angus burger with fries, and a Root beer float.

Subway Club Sub (9pm), washed down with a 5.5% wheat beverage.

Race Morning:

2 Bottles Boost (3:30am)

1 Bottle of Boost (5 am), 1 can of Starbucks Double shot coffee, sipping on water right until swim start.

Swim – 1:22:04

One word to describe this segment – Horrible! This was way slower than I am capable but with over 2600 people in the water I kept zigzagging to get around the slower swimmers (and this is coming from a non-swimmer) so I was way off swimming a more direct. I got punched a few times, I dished out a few too (unintentional of course). I have gotten beaten up worse in the past so no big deal. Oh yeah, and my right shoulder popped out during the second lap (too many years of competitive tennis). Thank goodness for the full-sleeved wetsuit which helped pull it together to keep it functional. I am finally getting back some mobility today.

T1 – 10:47

Spent way too much time in what I call the time pit (the zipper on my cycling shirt got stuck) .T1 and T2 at Lake Placid is like that, once you enter the tent you can lose a whole lot of time. Lots of free time to pick up here so get in and out quickly if every second matters to you. I wanted to be comfortable for the ride so I didn’t rush.

Bike – 6:46:47 (avg. HR 146, avg. watts 153, avg. cadence 86, 3602 calories burned)

This was my first bike ride on LP where my back didn’t hurt at all. The rain and wind made going down the Keene downhill a whole lot more interesting but nothing dangerous in itself. It was more the other timid athletes heading down at the same time. It seemed that everyone was on the brakes to be safe.

My goal was to keep the heart rate at an aerobic 150 bmp the whole way. The only time it spiked was upon return into town and that was more due to the excitement of the crowd cheering rather than an increased effort. I did slack off a bit and let it drop in the 130s for a little while but quickly realized and got back up to 150. I also dropped it into the 140s whenever I took on food in order to help with digestion.

Not a sparkling bike ride but very manageable, steady and within my aerobic capabilities. The key to riding well here (so that you can run afterwards) is to minimize the losses from lap 1 to lap 2 (I kept it within a 5-6 min. loss per quarterly measuring segment 30, 56, 86, and 112 miles), and to not go out too hard on lap 1. Because whatever you do during the first lap or even the second, will come back to haunt you later on the run. Once you get into double-digit losses it usually makes for a difficult day on the run. I made sure to get in my nutrition (2065 calories on my personalized Infinit formula washed down with 10 L of water), whenever I felt good or bored, I ate/drank.

T2 – 8:19

Did a complete gear change. I like feeling fresh and clean heading out on the marathon. When I look back I could have trimmed more time here and T1 for a better overall time – because lets face it 19 minutes of transition time is quite ridiculous. But I really was only focused on putting together a decent run, and not going sub-13.

Run – 4:28:11 (average HR 152, 2854 calories burned)

Again, kept it totally in the 150-155 range. I didn’t not consider pace at all. Too many times in the past I went out trying to run a time that seemed achievable in theory, but was beyond realistic capabilities. I did just swim and bike for over 8 hours before starting this run so I took a smart approach of running a sensible aerobic pace (recall my Acura 10 Miler race where I ran easy and aerobic the whole way). What seems like an easy pace as a stand alone run, suddenly becomes challenging late into the Ironman run, and this is where many crumble – I’ve done this plenty of times and didn’t want to go out like that for my last time racing in LP.

I did start to feel the legs at around 29 km but kept working the heart rate and getting in hydration and calories via ice, cola, water, sips of Power Perform, and 2-3 Powergels. I usually swig back some chicken broth too but didn’t feel like it. I got some extra sodium in with my back up salt tablets. The only time my heart rate spiked into the 160’s was on those climbs into town. I am glad to say I ran all those hills including the big one by the ski jumps (I usually wuss out since there are no crowds out there – not this time). Once I made the turnaround by the lake, I ran hard right to the line and savored the last time I would enter the Olympic Oval as an Ironman athlete. It was a great 12 years but now I get to enjoy it as a spectator, reporter and coach. What the heck are we going to do now Angus?

By the way, I tried used the SLS3 padded run socks for the run and they worked beautifully. Comfy and no blisters. Also, major thanks to Mizuno Canada for providing me with new pair of Nirvana 6’s for the race. I obviously loved them. A review is forthcoming.

Finish Time – 12:56:08 *best time at IMLP, and best IM marathon time.

Thank you’s and kudos: (I truly apologize if I missed anyone below)

1. LW and All the Family – Thanks for all the tremendous support. This whole ridiculous hobby cannot be done with you all. The picture of my 6-month nephew sticking his tongue out at me was awesome.

2. The Kim’s – I will miss our annual trek and being roommates at IMLP. Once the baby arrives we must seek out a new destination. Maybe something less punishing? Hangin’ was the best part of doing the race. And the all U can eat sushi celebration of course. Congrats on another finish and maybe consider training one day.

3. Miscellaneous Pals – You know who you are and I don’t want to out you. But your pre-race emails helped establish mantras in my head, which helped push me through the run and keep focus. It made me laugh too. Great to have that support even from afar. I will out two people though – thanks for the Facebook shout out John Salt, and way to tough out another finish Johnny P.

4. Markham Tri Crew – congrats on finishing your races, thanks for all allowing me to tag along for those long bike rides, and for following along race day. And for those who made the trip, thanks for volunteering and cheering your butts off.

5. Markham Masters Swim Crew – CA, KG, KT, MC – you guys rocked! You guys provided a huge lift at the start of the ride, when I finished the first loop of the ride, and to my surprise you were all there to greet me at the end of the bike. I felt I was back home in Markham. How cool was that? I’ll never forget it and it provided quite a boost of energy. I hope to return the favour next year when you all race and I get to watch.

6. Team Running Free – This was by far the great contingent of Team members I’ve seen participating and cheering at a race. The comradery was tremendous; this is what this team is all about. Congrats to Derek on an excellent Ironman debut, Syd and Ryan for plugging through to finish (thanks for the encouragement even when you guys were going through your rough patch), Rick Choy (I am looking for you to smash IMCAN brother), and couple of other TRF athletes who I never met before but we cheered each other on nonetheless, and thanks to Anthony, Esther, Greg, Scott, and Greg for cheering at various areas of the course. It really does help. Sorry if I missed anyone.

7. Jody Miller – You made me feel like I had my own personal race announcer out there. Thanks for a great boost of energy at just the right times on the run course.

8. Adam Johnston and Nigel Gray – While some coaches out on the course only cheer and encourage their own athletes, you two cheer everyone. Really cool, and more coaches need to follow your example. Thanks for the encouragement.

9. The ART Crew – Thanks for all the race week treatment. Especially, the DC from Hamilton that adjusted my foot (the one I rolled at Binbrook in June) and clicked everything back into place. I felt zero pain on race day, and none afterwards. You are a miracle worker.

10. Last but not least thanks to Ian at IMFIT.ca. We’ve worked together for over 4 years now and if you need a proper bike fit, to get reliable fitness testing, or to improve your cycling or overall fitness, Ian is the man!

I’ve already treated myself to a KFC treat, and other stuff I shouldn’t eat or drink. Now it’s time to ramp it up for the Iron 226 in Ottawa. All indicators look good but it is Ironman and you never know. Just a few more weeks of hard work to do.

If you made it this far, thanks for reading.

After logging 25 hours of training the week before, I got the chance to close off a 20-hour training week with this past weekend’s Gravenhurst International and Sprint Duathlons. Used as a final tune-up for my upcoming race at Ironman Lake Placid, things went well on both days and my old bag on bones seems ready for a decent race. But it is Ironman racing and anything can happen. Whatever transpires, I am truly just happy to be out there with the ability to give it a go, to celebrate a pottery anniversary, and 41 years of existence – all in one week!

Congratulations to all who raced in Gravenhurst, and good luck to all heading to Lake Placid for what will be one of the greatest single day race experiences you will ever encounter.

Safe and Happy training

Roger

Here is my race report from this past weekend.

Gravenhurst International Duathlon – Run 10 km, Bike 40 Km, Run 5 Km

Saturday July 17, 2010.

29th overall in 2:30:46. 4th M 40-44

1st run – 52:26 / 5:15/km pace

This was simply an Ironman simulation run – or shall I say my hopeful Ironman run pace. I just kept my goal aerobic heart rate aerobic and enjoyed the hills. It was a provincial championship race and even if I ran hard anyway I wasn’t going to come close to some of these speedsters. I completed the run under no duress but was eagerly awaiting the bike to let loose. It was already very hot and humid at 9 am, and I felt sorry for those doing the Olympic Triathlon who were going to have to run their 10 km in the heat of the day later.

T1: 1:28 seconds.

Bike – 1:09:10 / 34.7 km/hr (9th best)

My body recovers quickly from a hard bike ride so this was my time to start having fun. I gave up a ton of time on the run, so this was the time to let it rip and catch as many people as possible. Despite being delayed behind 4 separate vehicles on the course, I had a nice ride, averaging 214 watts. I caught and passed a buddy of mine – Laurent Saugrin late into the ride but I was hoping to do it earlier since I needed more time to stay ahead of him for the final fun.

T2: 1:06 seconds.

2nd run – 26:39 / 5:20/km pace

Once again, I just ran at another hopeful Ironman run pace. There was no need to run hard and create unnecessary muscle soreness. I saw Laurent just before he hit the 2.5 km turnaround and kidded him on why he was taking so long to pass me. A few minutes later he did, and with 1 km to go I coasted to the finish comfortably. For a moment I was tempted to chase after Laurent because this was likely the last time we will get to race each other for a while because he is moving to the USA. But brains ruled over bravado and it will give me an excuse to travel to face Laurent again. Adieu, mon ami et bonne chance!

Gravenhurst Sprint Duathlon – Run 5 km, Bike 20 Km, Run 2.5 Km

8th overall in 1:14:41. 2nd M 40-44

1st run – 25:14 / 5:03/km pace

Thanks to taking it easy on the run the day yesterday, I felt fairly fresh with just a tiny bit of soreness and fatigue to start the run today. I allowed myself to run just a little bit faster today since the total run distance was only 7.5 km.

T1: 56 seconds. Second fastest.

Bike – 35:57 / 33.4 km/hr (5th best)

I felt great and with a shorter first run I was able to move from 19th spot to 8th overall. I averaged just one more watt of power than yesterday.

T2: 41 seconds. The fastest of the day – I like free speed.

2nd run – 11:56 / 4:47/km pace

I knew I was in a good position so with only 2.5 km left, I ran harder than the first run so see if I could catch anyone. At the turnaround it was clear I was not going to pass anyone (unless the course was 5 km longer) and that no one was going to pass me so I maintained a steady tempo right to the finish. At the finish I hung out at the water coolers and rehydrated with 5-6 cups of water and Infinit.

Tip to newbies: Don’t go out too hard on the first run. You still have 2 more events to go. I’ve seen too many first run heroes. It is far better to finish strong for Mike Cheliak’s finish line photo.

There was so much going on last week that I can’t pinpoint what I wanted to write about. So here’s quick mishmash of topics and thoughts.

25.5 hrs

I can’t believe I did it but I cranked out 25.5 hrs of training last week. This is the most I’ve ever done in one week and it was highlighted by a 191 km ride on Saturday. I was tempted to make it an even 200 km but I was out on the roads long enough. I’ll likely add another 19-20 hrs this week and do a 1-week taper for Ironman Lake Placid. Yes, typically I would taper 2 weeks but this is not an ‘A’ race, just another long but catered training day with lots of people cheering. The goal is for all of this to pay off at the Iron 226 in Ottawa two months from now.

10 Miler

I ran the Acura 10 Miler yesterday and it was a ton of fun. The Canada Running Series puts on great races and I definitely want to do this one again – but maybe a little faster. Check out my race report here: www.teamrunningfree.com/blog/2010/07/12/10-miles-of-fun/

World Cup

It’s finally over, and thankfully, no more annoying vuvuzelas.

Lance

After his rough day yesterday, I think his Ironman training is about to get started. His chance of winning the Tour might be over, but he will help Levi and be a good teammate. I’ll still be watching. And if you are one of those complaining about no nighttime OLN coverage, make sure you send your written complaints to OLN so they can fix this for next year. You can email them here: info@oln.ca or write them the traditional way at: 545 Lakeshore blvd. W, Toronto ON., M5V 1A3

Ryder

And how about Canada’s own Ryder Hesjedal. The Victoria native is having an outstanding Tour de France. You can send him your words of support here: http://ryderhesjedal.ca/contact/go-ryder

Bosh, Lebron and Wade

I love basketball and the Raptors but this is simply a story about 3 young millionaires getting together to try and win a championship. It sucks for Cleveland and Toronto (Bosh wasn’t coming back anyway) but they followed the rules and took less money to play together. Can they be blamed for that? I am not so sure. Can we dispute Lebron’s greatness in the future because he won his championships with a mini dream team? Maybe? But the goal of every player is to win the championship and that is what these 3 are trying to do. The regular season might be a bore when Miami rolls into town but the playoffs should be great.

Catch you again next week, or at Gravenhurst this weekend.

Roger

Yesterday afternoon/night I rode for 99 minutes, and then ran barefoot for 44 minutes. I assure you this was not a planned workout.

So why run in barefoot? My fourth flat tire of the season resulted in me having to pull the plug on my planned 3 hr ride because the replacement tube would not accept any air. So I called my personal rescue service – my wife, took off my cycling shoes and started running south in my bare feet with bike in tow. Thankfully, 44 minutes later, my saviour arrived and I loaded up the car and headed for home. Running with bare feet felt ok but I really did not want to go too much further.

The surprising thing about this experience was the fact that no one stopped to ask if I was ok or needed help. They had no clue I had called for help (by the way my cell phone battery died seconds after making the call). Am I that scary? How can a guy running bare feet down the street with his bike in one hand, with only farms in the area, and sundown arriving within 30 minutes, be totally fine? Do people hate cyclists that much? Where is the humanity? I hope our country hasn’t sunk down to this level. Heck, we just celebrated Canada Day!

So the next time you see a cyclist at the side of the road, don’t assume they are fine. At least slow down and ask if they need help, use of a phone, whatever. It only takes a few seconds. I know I will.

And to KC, have a quick and complete recovery; I want to race you when you get better.

Happy training all and may you not have any flats.

Roger

Roger’s World – Monday June 27, 2010.

But if you try sometimes you might find you get what you need.

After thinking about my race experience yesterday, wondering what went wrong, this Rolling Stones song suddenly entered my head. At that moment, I realized that I should not dwell on what went wrong but to find the good, learn from the bad and make myself better for the next time.

Before I get on with describing my race, I want to give full credit to MultiSport Canada and the volunteers at Welland for putting on a truly outstanding event. They set the stage perfectly for all the athletes; it was just up to us to perform. Some of us did, some of us struggled. I fell into the latter category.

Welland Half Iron Triathlon – Swim 2 km, Bike 90 Km, Run 21.1 Km

Sunday June 27, 2010.

2 km Swim – 38:31 (1:56/100m pace)

I really enjoyed this swim. The water is fairly clear, clean (I took in a few gulps with no problems yet), and current free. There was a bit of contact at the start but things soon opened up nicely. I was looking for some faster feet to follow but no one was consistently faster than me so I basically swam on my own for the majority of the way. Due to my bum shoulder, I just swam steady, concentrated on my form and came out of the water having achieved my goal of swimming sub 40 minutes.

T1: 3:22 + 1:24. The first time is the run from the water to the bikes – as soon as I got out of the water I went to the grassy area and took off my wetsuit right way then ran to the T1 area. The second time is the time spent in transition beside my bike getting ready for the ride.

90 km Bike – 2:52:00 / 31.4 km/hr – officially (2:39:05 actual saddle and pedaling time)

This is where the “fun” began. I was looking forward to having a kick butt ride and setting the tone for the rest of the day. However, within a few minutes, I had a flat rear tire. I was starting to think that maybe I am cursed when it comes to half ironman events; the last time I did one I had 3 flats. So I pulled over to the side of the road, already dripping in sweat, and began changing my tire – thanks to everyone who offered me help or inquired if I was ok.

12 minutes and 55 seconds later – it didn’t seem that long and I am really not that lame at changing a tire but after my experience at Bracebridge I wanted to inspect every millimeter of my tire to ensure that it was cut free and that replacing the tube wouldn’t be a useless exercise.

Back on the road, I behaved myself, kept my effort aerobic (my goal Ironman pace) and slowly started making my way through the field. I decided not to hammer the bike because I was already feeling the heat and knew that the run was going to be tough, and would only be tougher if I came off the bike with tired legs. I knew that my goal finish time (5:20) was long gone but set a new goal of running solid off the bike to finish in the 5:30’s.

Due to the heat, I drank 3.5 bottles of Infinit fluid during the ride, but my body did not process it all. I felt full, but still want to drink tons. Maybe a few too much calories in too little a time – I did amp up my Infinit formula a bit from 290 calories to 350 per bottle to further perfect my Ironman intake.

T2: 2:50. Took time to dry off, and change into fresh socks and a running singlet.

21.1 km Run – 2:17:06 (6:30/km pace)

This is where the race unraveled for me. Despite the 13 minutes lost, I still had the chance to finish in the 5:30 range; all I had to do was run a 2 hr half marathon. Easier said than done.

I started well, clicking off the km’s at a comfortable pace that would have me finish the half marathon in 1:50 range. Then the heat hit me like a ton of bricks just after the 8 km mark. My heart rate spiked into the 170’s and my “speed” sure did not correlate with that kind of effort. At each aid station all I wanted to do was drink a ton of ice water, although a nice cold beer would have hit the spot a whole lot better. No more calories for me though, since my body wanted no part of it. I was just a matter of survival at that point. I just wanted to get to the line in whatever way possible, and the big bubbling blister in my right baby toe didn’t help my mood either. And while I thought I might hobble in with a 2:30 half marathon, I resolved with myself to just walk the aid stations and do some resemblance of running in between them.

Finish time – 5:55:12

Well below what I wanted to complete the race in but I was glad to finish. That is always the number one goal. The Headsweats finisher hat that I got at the end was a nice surprise. I sure appreciated that a whole lot more than a medal I’d put in a box somewhere.

I got home to discover I’d lost over 5 lbs. And this after eating and drinking a bunch after the race. This morning I still weigh the same. I just couldn’t replenish what my body had lost. Oh, well, there is always another race.

Lessons learned/remembered:

1. Speed up my flat repair times.

2. Reduce my calorie intake during the bike.

3. Make a determined effort to either shed a few pounds (makes racing in the heat so much easier) or just maintain the status quo keep enjoying life and frosted beverages.

4. My bike training has paid off, but I need to get in some quality run training and consistent run performances.

5. Get in some training in the heat of the day. Not too much because it can really zap you for your other workouts.

6. Do some flexibility work to loosen up my hips (especially my left side). I had some ART today and my left side is totally messed up.

7. Sometimes your body simply cannot deal with the conditions of the day.

8. Nigel Gray is a top-notch guy. OK, I already knew this but now everybody else does too. Read this article to find out why: http://triathlonmagazine.ca/2010/06/sections/news/inaugural-welland-half-iron-triathlon

9. John Salt and the MultiSport Canada crew rule. Jody Miller is also one heck of a race announcer and more importantly a very cool lady – best of luck in your upcoming race.

10. The volunteers at Welland are awesome. Thanks for all your help yesterday.

Up next is ….REST! Then back to training with a few long workouts planned later this week. Hope to see you at the Gravenhurst Race weekend.

Congrats to all who finished yesterday, you all know how tough a day it was. If not, then you didn’t go hard enough

Happy training.

Roger

Quite frankly, I am dead tired after this past week of training. I definitely wasn’t breaking any speed records but the volume was up there – for me anyway. I did over 18 hours of training (it would have been 20 plus but I skipped out on 2 swim workouts), but it was that 6 hour bike ride and 3 hour run that really did the trick – no, not back to back. I did do a 30 minute run after the 6 hour ride and that surprisingly felt good.

So why mention my training this week? Do I need excuses for the upcoming Welland Half Iron Triathlon? No! Nothing can excuse my regular snail’s pace. Rather, as I was slogging through my workout wanting to quit the whole time, I thought “man do I have an appreciation to all those fast or dedicated athletes that do this day in day out to be to best in their age group or to simply attain the goal of finishing what they started.” These are the kind of workouts that make you tougher, and show what you are made of. So for all of you that train hard and never give up – you are an inspiration even if you might not know it at the time while you are out there doing your own thing. I certainly hope to be tougher because of it. I am definitely sorer.

Getting back to the Welland Half Iron Triathlon, which will go this upcoming Sunday. I am excited and the atmosphere should be great (isn’t it always at the MultiSport Canada Triathlon Series?), and there should be some fast racing with the likes of Nigel Gray, Wolfgang Guembel, and Richard Pady being there to rip through the flat course. If you don’t want to race long, Saturday is the day for you with the sprint triathlon (cool time trail format), duathlon and GT12.9. Registration is still available http://www.msctriathlon.com/ms/events/showEvent.cfm?showEventID=89

Hope to see you during the weekend, and please say hello when you come flying by me on the run.

Happy training

Roger

After last weekend’s races and it’s resulting effect on my left soleus, the plan for the Binbrook Duathlon race was simple; run easy (keep the pace no faster than 5:00/km—running faster seems to generate mysterious injuries – I’ll save those efforts for ‘A’ races) and bike hard.

This race also marked for the first time in three years that I did not do both the Duathlon and the GT 12.9 race right after. I remember the pain of that 2nd race and I certainly did not miss it.

Binbrook Duathlon – Run 4.5km, Bike 28 Km, Run 4.6 Km

Sunday June 13, 2010.

14th overall in 1:36:22. 4th M 40-44

1st run – 23:41

I love this run course because of the mixed terrain, but the rain made things a soggy mess. As I stated in the preamble, I just wanted to run easy. So I ran steady and enjoyed the course, puddles and all. I realized that there were a ton of fast runners; I would have my work cut out to catch them on the bike.

T1: 46 seconds. The fastest of the race – I will gladly take free speed.

Bike – 48:11 / 33.6 km/hr (6th best)

Having had an easier run, I hopped on the bike ready to give it my all. And despite a few moments of slacking, I simply hammered it out and tried to pass everyone in front of me, because I had no intention of running hard for the final 4.5 km. I was very happy with my bike ride. Just one fast triathlete (David Bedrosian) passed me. I averaged 215 watts – for this relatively flat course. Note: that the course was actually 28 km (not 27 as the results say) so everyone’s average speed is faster.

T2: 33 seconds. The fastest once again. It also means I get to run slower.

2nd run – 23:14

Again, I just set out to run steady and not destroy myself – I can’t afford to be super sore or injured since I’ve got many long workouts scheduled in the upcoming week. I fully expected to be passed by a bunch of people. All felt great until 1.5 km to go. I completely rolled my right ankle and heard a snap – I think it was from the gravel though; even the guy behind me heard it and was concerned. Aside from the initial trauma and immediate slowing of my pace, all felt good. There was no pain, so I soon got back up to the pace I had before and kept plugging away. Carlos Batista (a regular face in this series and a great guy) pulled up alongside and we had a nice chat for the final 1km. He joked about battling it out in a sprint finish but I said no thanks. And while I think I might have scared Carlos into thinking I might sprint by him, I had no intention (he is not in my age group) and just crossed the line comfortably, one second behind him.

After the race, I did a 45-minute cooldown run, and the ankle felt fine. However, as I write this (the day after the race), my right ankle is swollen and is in pain, and so is my right soleus. My left side is totally fine. This stuff never ends, I love getting older.

MultiSport Canada put on another great race in spite of the challenging conditions, and the Race to Conquer Cancer bike route making its way through the bike course. Kent “swim cap” Parkinson did another excellent job as race announcer.

Up next is the Welland Half Iron. That will be an awesome weekend of racing. The course is flat and fast. Plus, I love running along the canal, it is a beautiful trail system. If you haven’t signed up yet, consider racing the shorter races on Saturday or the longer stuff on Sunday. I’ve got a heavy training week ahead – ankle permitting. I’ll talk about that next week.

Happy training.

Roger

I had a most enjoyable weekend of racing at Woodstock – heck, isn’t any weekend of racing enjoyable – and it turns out that the number 7 was mine for the weekend, as I placed 7th overall in both races that I did.

It was a new venue for the MultiSport Canada Series, and I can safely say that they have a winner. It is sure to become one of their most popular events in the future. The setting is great. The run course is fun with varied terrain, the bike course provides an honest test (thanks to the ever present winds), and the water is clean and weed free (I got this info from other racers). There is plenty of parking close to transition, and there is a water play area for the kids – or yourself if you feel inclined to cool off after the race.

Since my main focus is a few Ironman events, and a 50 km run I have later this year, I use these shorter races as a way of doing speedwork (something I rarely do on the run since it really chews me up and it basically means a guaranteed injury), gauging how certain elements of my training is going, and simply because I love racing.

So the plan for the two races was to run aerobically, bike hard to catch and pass as much people as I could, and use whatever lead I had to stay away from the faster runners. I really did not want to push hard on that final run at all.

Saturday June 6, 2009: Sprint Duathlon – Run 3 km, Bike 18 Km, Run 3 Km

7th overall in 1:04:52. 2nd in the men 40-44 category.

1st run – 12:50

Bike – 37:07 (4th best)

2nd run – 13:36

I prepare all of my stuff diligently the night before a race, but with it being my first race this season, at the race site I realized that I somehow forgot my race belt. Luckily, I had 2 spare shoelaces in my bag, grabbed one, looped it into the race number, tied it around my torso (surprised it fit) and presto, instant race belt. Worked like a charm.

Overall, I was very happy with this race. I ran faster than I expected without working too hard, and I had a good bike despite a heavy bike training week (very windy today), making up a lot of ground – too bad a needed a longer bike ride to create a bigger lead heading into the final run. For the most part, the 3 guys that passed me on the run, I would not be able to stay away from anyway. But at the turnaround I noticed some dudes fairly close so I ran harder for the last 1.5 km and made sure to secure my 7th place position, and second among men 40-44 – the winner of the race (Harold Walker) was first in my category.

Sunday June 7, 2009: Lakeside Duathlon – Run 8 km, Bike 32 Km, Run 4 Km

7th overall in 2:03:49. 4th in men 40-44.

1st run – 40:19

Bike – 1:01:36 (4th best)

2nd run – 20:52

Due to an unannounced 401 shutdown, and subsequent ridiculous detour, I was delayed in getting to the race site. One can say I had a race prior to my race. With less than 10 minutes to work with, I parked (miraculous found a spot a few feet from the site), made a washroom visit, registered, got my equipment ready, dressed, racked my bike in transition, got my chip, and got to the race start in time for the start.

I did not accomplish anything special in this race. I simply ran the first 8km relatively (although it didn’t feel that way) easy to warm-up, attempt to catch people on the bike – which was so windy I thought I was going to get blown off my bike a few times, and basically run the last 4 km faster than I did during the first run. All accomplished. I possibly could have moved up a few spots if my legs did not feel like blocks of cement for the first 20 minutes of the bike – I was looking for go sub 1 hr, or by running harder but destroying my body this early in the season is not an option.

I strongly recommend this race. I really enjoyed the run course, especially the crushed limestone path and brief boarded section. And I thoroughly appreciated the asphalt section over the dam – the only time I think I ran at any resemblance of speed. In itself, the bike course is not tough; it just has some small rollers. However, what makes this course tough is the wind, and the openness of the course will mean that it will always be an element to affect your speed.

Plus, the organization by MSC was excellent as always, I appreciated Infinit being on the course, there was lots of retailer support, and I loved the treats (coffee, fruit, yogurt & berries) provided by the local McDonalds – very cool. Of course, you should already realize that Mike Cheliak has taken a ton of cool photos (thanks to the addition of Bob Hatcher), you are bound to find more than a few that you‘ll love.

Up next for me is the Binbrook Duathlon. Just one race for me (I will still race consecutive days though), I’ve decided to put a halt to slipping in a GT 12.9 race right after doing one already. I will do a run cooldown instead. But another racer is considering taking my place; I won’t expose him totally here but I’ll just say – Good luck Rob! I will be cheering for you and feeling your pain.

Congratulations to all of you first timers. I hope you found a new addiction.

The MultiSport Canada Triathlon Series season gets rolling this coming weekend in Woodstock I can’t wait for Saturday to get here. There are still spots available so you too can register to join in all of the fun. The swim is weed free, the bike is fast, and so is the run. http://www.msctriathlon.com/ms/events/showEvent.cfm?showEventID=97

What a wicked weekend of weather we just had eh? Hopefully more of the same next weekend but maybe just a bit cooler. I headed out for a 2.5 hr run yesterday morning at 8am and I was still roasted. I lost 3 lbs – and that weight is after drinking 4-5 litres of fluid before, during, and after the run. I was zonked.

The day before I cranked out a 4.5 bike ride, and followed that up with a treat of 6 pieces of KFC. Yes, I am a model of excellent nutrition. Hey, we all have our vices. However, I can provide you with nutritional insight other than fried chicken. In the most recent edition of Triathlon Magazine Canada, I had the opportunity to test a wide variety of products (Yes, I ate and drank everything I wrote about, I am still burning off those calories). Check out the review here – http://triathlonmagazine.ca/2010/05/sections/gear/nutrition-gear/nutrition-supplements-foods-and-drinks-for-training-recovery-and-racing.

See you this weekend in Woodstock or catch you here next week.

Safe and happy training.

Roger

Are you lost?

I don’t know about you but I was one of those people that stayed with the show Lost for all 6 of their seasons. After many seasons of frustration, the series ended yesterday and I was still somewhat dumbfounded. Say what you will about that final 2.5 hr episode, the one thing it did was that it made you think……yet again.

Now I’m wondering if I would have preferred a nice clear cut ending with everything explained perfectly – of course some will say that it was – but probably not. It just would not have fit with the spirit of the series. I’ll suppose I’ll just have to get the Lost DVD’s when they come out and watch it all over again to see what I’ve missed. Or if you have your own theories to offer up, please feel free to drop me an email or post a reply here. And to you Lost fans, I hope you watched the special with Jimmy Kimmel it was brilliant.

A series finale that will surely have a tight ending without any need for interpretation will be tonight’s 24. The Jack Bauer ride comes to its conclusion and my Monday nights will never be the same. Well, I guess I still have Chuck, How I Met Your Mother, 2.5 Men, Rules of Engagement and Big Bang Theory.

Well, back to more TV watching, more season finales to watch this week.

There’s just 12 days until the MSC Series opener at Woodstock.

Catch you again next week.

Roger