Congrats Tyler on your Studio Opening!

This morning, I had the excellent opportunity to join my HiPerformance Spin Group at Coach Tyler's brand new studio in Oakville. It was very cool to see the fruits of all his hard work in his new home away from home.

He has just opened the HiPerformance Personal Training and Coaching Studio on Thomas Street (Thomas and Lakeshore) in the heart of the downtown and has done a fantastic job laying the machines out and making lounge room for pre and post workout rest. I am sure Tyler would be more than happy to have you drop in for a visit and to inquire about his services.

Here is the Conceptual Design of the Studio.

If you would like to learn some more check out the links below...

http://tylerlord.blogspot.com/

http://tylerlord.blogspot.com/2010/11/hipeformance-personal-training-and.html


Please join me in congratulating Tyler on his new business venture!

Write Off Week

Last week I was fortunate enough to travel to St John, USVI with work for our annual Americas Meeting. I cannot complain that I had this opportunity so I will not. I must say though, because of the food and activities to keep us busy, I did not get in my full training week so I was a little lazy to start today.

During the stay on the island I put in a very hot, tough run that basically scared me from future runs. Not only was the road (the only road around that part of the island) very twisty and hilly, it was also very narrow with no sidewalks or shoulders. The locals and taxis were motoring along this asphalt at crazy speeds and not willing to share with some silly tourist out for a run. When I reached the beach, to meet up with co-workers, it was like hitting the tape at the end of an ironman. I was thrilled to finish the 10k without stopping and headed straight to the beach to jump into the refreshing water.

Not wanting to push my luck with traffic, I stuck to swimming for the rest of my stay. I took on my fair share of salt water but actually enjoyed my time spent in the ocean, even with my slight phobia of sharks. The snorkeling was impressive with countless colourful reef fish. Our day spent sailing at sea was very fun with a few stops along the way for lunch and beach hopping.

Back at home on the weekend, I just felt so flat and tired so I really could not get into the spirit. I was more focused on spending time with family (as well as putting in my hockey duties) so I got caught up and set my sights on this week to get back into the mood.

At work today, I was still struggling to get up for a run but finally pulled myself out to the gym around 2pm. Thankfully, I ran into a fellow runner I have had the pleasure of chatting with a few time now and  we hit the mill together so the run I feared getting back to was much more enjoyable. I got through my 10k much easier than expected and hope this leads to a solid week to burn off the several pounds I found on the beach.

Bummer is that I had been so close to my target weight just before the trip, dropping a bunch of lbs from the holidays. Hopefully, they come of a little quicker this time and my speeds do not suffer too much.

As I was running, I could not carry my camera so here is a stock photo from one of the look outs along the road. Of course, they had to place the road up and down these huge hills and not just flat along the beaches. HAHA

Bike For Sale - 2008 Argon 18 Mercury TT

2008 Argon 18 Mercury TT bike, med. Full Dura Ace (7800), Pro missile bars.

Excellent condition, only been ridden a handful of times.

Raced once, IMLP 09. $2,300, obo.

Contact Jon at jpadams007@hotmail.com or (905)401-1635

Mention you saw it on Larry's blog. Wink, Wink! 

Getting it Done!

As with most multisport athletes, my January is busy getting back to hard work after a few months of lighter base building. Sure, we are still building on that base but, when you have spring goals in mind, coach makes sure the speed is coming back as well.

I love these speed sessions as they scare the pants off you before the workout but you feel such an amazing rush when you get through that last rep. I may not get as animated as Tiger (with the fist pump) but you will often see a mini-pump when I count down those final 5 seconds.

Today, I had the old 6 x 1k treat...and I made sure to make it count. With the cold, windy conditions, and frozen Garmin (yes, again!), I opted for the comforts of the gym and my friend Mr. Tready. I laid down 6 solid efforts at 3:29/km pace (3 x 1 degree and 3 x 0 degree slope), probably looking like a dofus running that speed but I was so focused it didn't matter one bit.

This workout came after two solid weeks of run build up where Ty has me hitting some great splits and I can tell this is going to be a great season if I can stay with the plan. Right now, I look forward to the pay off and the training is something I really enjoy so I hope I can keep positive and pull down my PB's as a result.

With the training hours getting longer, I have to resort back to night workouts to get everything in. Because, I need to stay alert for these sessions, I cannot drift off when the kids are winding down any longer so I have been doing even more Twitter and Facebook reading. My BB is hooked up to these and are quick hits while I watch to make sure the little ones settle down during their last cartoons. A few weeks ago, Steve Fleck put out the call for some questions and I threw one his way for his blog. He grabbed my question and has posted his answers at the link below.

http://stevefleck.blogspot.com/

Another call for questions I answered of late was from Canadian Cyclist, Christian Meier. I didn't expect to get a Twitter mention, especially, in VeloNation so that was pretty neat.

http://www.velonation.com/Blogs/Christian-Meier/ID/120/Fielding-questions-from-the-Twitterati.aspx

Have a great week!
larry

2011 Goals - Larry Bradley

I think everyone who knows me, knows that I am a huge dreamer when it comes to running, duathlon and cycling. I am very passionate about my hobbies and truly believe that I have a lot more room to improve, even at my advancing age.

I have only been running since mid-2005 and cycling since late-2006, therefore, I really haven't been at it for very long but I think my results show that I have come a long way from the overweight, inactive person I was before I got into this lifestyle.

All this being said, I aim big every year when I set up my goals. In 2010, I hit some targets but also missed many results I was hoping to achieve. Much of this can be linked back to the high swim standards I expected to reach. I did not get to that point and realized the lack of excitement and training opportunities for that sport were holding me back from doing what I really love -  running and cycling.

I came up with the following 5 goals that I want to work with Coach Tyler to achieve this season. Some are running specific and others are duathlon in nature.

1. Sub 1:20:00 Mississauga Half Marathon

2. Top 10 at Victoria's Duathlon

3. Sub 17:00 5k or sub 35:00 10k (depends on which distance fits into my schedule this year)

4. Sub 2:00:00 Olympic Duathlon

5. Top 3 Overall at Ontario Duathlon Championships / 1st AG

It would also be nice to match the number of wins I had in Duathlon in 2009 (before I entered the world of triathlon last season).

Some people do not like to share their goals, and I totally get where they are coming from, but I like to put it all out there. If I don't hit some of these in 2011, hopefully, somebody will point it out and I will work even harder to make it happen in the future.

Best wishes!
Larry

2010 Highlights

It is very close to the final day of 2010 so finding a topic for this week is easy, although, not very creative. I went through my entire year of postings and pulled out some pieces I am proud of. Of course, I did have some personal/family highlights along the way but I will keep it sports related for this blog.

2010 Highlights

1 - Timberman 70.3
I entered 2010 having completed two sprint triathlons in my multisport career. Both of them were done with the help of a very slow breast stroke so when I signed up for the Timberman 70.3, with a group of my FMCT Falcons, I was very worried about finishing 1.9k in the water. Also, with giving up so many duathlon opportunities for this race, I did not want to go to just finish but I really wanted to race this distance. Things did not look very good leading up to the event due to back issues and bike fit problems. It was to the point that I was very close to walking away from triathlon before that race. Thankfully, many friends helped me through the pre-race training and I joined my teammates on the starting line. My 4:36 finishing time was icing on the cake, especially, with a slow swim time. It was also great to have the opportunity to meet and share accomodations with Canadian Pro, Brent Poulsen.

2 - Run4Hope 5K
This is a great event that my tri club puts on in Brampton. It was my first race of the year so I was just hoping to gauge my training at the time, a little over a month out from Victoria's Duathlon. In the past, I had battled to break the 18 minute barrier for this distance, coming up seconds short on several attempts. Thankfully, I had everything line up properly on this day and I ran a great effort for a 17:18 clocking, good enough for second place overall. This was exactly the confidence booster I needed to start out the year.

3 - Tyler Lord
I was at a low spot after an early attempt at longer distance triathlon (Welland Half Iron) and ready to pack in the towel on Timberman. Following the race, I started talking to Tyler and he really changed my whole mind set. He worked with me to set up a plan of attack for my 70.3 race and restored my sagging confidence. He did such a great job that we will continue to work together in 2011 towards my many athletic goals.

4 - Road2Hope Half Marathon
It had been several years since my last Half Marathon (outside a tri or du) so I was curious to see how fast I could go in 2010. My previous best was 1:30 from Angus Glen back in 2006 so I knew I had improved but I really wanted to tackle a sub 1:20 result at this distance. Tyler and I got to work on this after the tri season wrapped up and set our sights on the Hamilton race in early November. I stuck to the game plan throughout the entire race and hit my marks all the way until the final part where race organizers added 400 to 500 metres to the distance (somehow). I ended up hitting the line in 1:21:10 but my 3:46 pace/km would have put me under my goal if the distance was correct. Overall, I finished in 12th spot and 1st in my Age Group. I had my Mom and Aunt watching so it was neat to do so well in front of them in a rather large event. Deep down, I know my pace was exactly where it should have been but I will hit the Mississauga Half to attempt to make sub 1:20:00 official on paper.

5 - Binbrook Sprint Triathlon
Due to weather, that I did not find enjoyable for racing, I ended up skipping the Milton Sprint Tri so Binbrook was my first official triathlon of 2010. I had raced two previous triathlons in my life but did not have the swim training to make it through the water without resorting to long breaks of breast stroke. Even though I was five and a half minutes (49th place) behind the leaders coming into T1, I was thrilled to actually swim the full 750m course and used that motivation to hammer the bike (top bike split) and put down a solid run (5th fastest). In the end, I finished 3rd overall and started to really get excited about the upcoming season.

Testing the waters in triathlon created a challenging season for me. As you can see above, not all was too bad so I can take several positives into 2011 as I work back into the Duathlon side of the sport. Tyler and I have already started to prepare for the upcoming year. It is not going to be easy to reach some of my goals but I think I will enjoy a lot more success during the next 12 months if I continue to train hard.

In my next posting, I will review my 2011 Goals.

Happy New Year!
Larry

Egg Nog Jog - The Analysis

As my Garmin decided to freeze before the race, I did not have the splits for this year on my watch but Robbie T displayed his on his race report ( http://runningmania.com/forum/viewtopic.php?f=5&t=40696 ). He was right behind me just before the hill and then I was able to add a few seconds to the gap up the hill and towards the end.

I took his splits and figured where I was running at the time and then compared to my splits from 2009. It is very evident that I blew up (in my quest for sub 40 min) on the hills and could never recover on the slushy, icy roads.

I was hoping to go out at a similar pace to last year and then conquer the hilly portion in better form this year due to my increased speed. I guess the 5 extra pounds I carried this year did not help, especially, on this course! I have been racing with this extra load ever since Lakeside in September and cannot seem to shake it.

Next year, I am going to beat the battle with the calorie monster and race at a lighter weight. I am leaving too many seconds out there when I carry extra pounds compared to my competitors.

Below is the breakdown of my two years at the Egg Nog Jog to highlight the poor performance over the hills (km 3 on the rollers and km's 6&7 on the big climb). Sure, the weather was not ideal but I still put in solid enough run training to get me where I wanted to be.

Egg Nog Jog 2010 - Race Report

Once again I walk away from a recent race not knowing exactly how to feel. I thought the effort was there but the result did not translate. It seemed that way for many, due to weather conditions, but a few made large moves forward over last year's time including second place finisher, Kyle Ferguson, who made a huge jump in position and time over his 2009 posting.

The cold, rainy weather was not what I hoped to see coming off such a beautiful, December Saturday. The wet morning had made for a sloppier course than last year as it was not as cold enough to keep the roads hard. In 2009, we had enough snow before this race to have a packed surface, which was ideal for my spikes. Today was one of those border line days as the asphalt areas were exposed and would have made a mess of my feet if I used a full shoes of spikes.

I ended up settling with three front spikes to save the balls of my feet and my baby toe from rubbing on the spikes when running on the harder areas. This made for decent traction on most of the course but I could have used a little more grip on the icy patches on the top end of the course. I don't think I gave up too much time due to shoe selection.

Onto the race, I had a good jump out of the gate to find lots of space around the first turn, just outside of the Terra Cotta Consevation Area drive way. Last year's winner, Darryl Bank, was also flying off the line and started to set a blistering pace heading down the 1500 metre drop zone. I knew that was beyond my talents so I just tried to hover around my previous year pace. I was hoping to have my Garmin to be able to measure this but for some reason it froze and was stuck on the time I pulled it off the charger. Damn technology!

A little further down the hill, a group of three more runners made their way passed me. In that group was Tim Shannon (a solid 32 minute 10k runner from Georgetown) so I figured they would burn me out so I settled in behind them. I tried to get my stride together by the time we made the bottom of the hill but felt that I was being short and choppy. When we reached the rollers I was not feeling to confident about my speed and knew there were a number of others right on my tail. I could hear their footsteps and hear their breathing.

Coming off the 1.5k of rolling, slushy road, I somehow managed to hold mt spot in the race as my uphill surges were just enough to offset their downhill gains. Our next road was the gravel side road that led to the lung busting hill just after the half way marker. This section was very slow due to the loose footing of mush we had to deal with. I was trying to extend my stride and push my pace higher leading up to the hill and felt things were starting to pay off but once again, I had a strong runner (Kyle Aiken) pass me at the very bottom of the hill and slowly edge away as we trudged up the steep and twisting slope.

I now felt like I was falling back pretty bad, almost going too slow up the hill in an effort to save energy for the home stretch. Shockingly, nobody else pulled past me by the time I reached the summit so I used the short downhill that followed to get back up to speed, hoping to chase down Kyle and maybe one or two others that apeared to be coming back to me. I started to close the gap during the next few kilometres on top of the hill and thought I could kick it down a notch and make even more gains. This was looking good until we got back to the ashpalt roads where the group got moving quickly. I am not sure what my pace was along the final few kilometres but I know I was pushing hard so they must have been busting along at incredible speeds.

My final two km's were very strong and I assumed I was pretty close to my time from last year and moving faster through this section. As I hit the 10k marker, I got a great cheer from the Falcons watching from the side of the road and fed off their energy to plunge down the last winding decline a few hundred metres from the finish line. When I reached the driveway in pretty close to sprint speed I hoped to see a 3X:XX number on the time clock but instead found a 41:XX to my disappointment. I kept the hammer down and finished in 6th spot overall and 41:35 (58 seconds slower than 2009). I missed my goal time by over a minute and a half but don't think I could have run to that time under these conditions.

As I congratulated other runners in the finish area, I tried to figure out where I had given up the most time compared to last year but just cannot come up with an answer.

The great thing about this "home" race is all the familiar faces I bumped into during the course of the event. There were so many FMCT Falcons and Running Maniacs out for the Egg Nog Jog and it was great to hear their stories over some post race snacks. Great Work Folks!

Lastly, the Georgetown Runners put on a great show under tough conditions. The work of their members and volunteers made the day much more enjoyable. Also, I would like to remind everyone to thank Brad Mailloux and his staff at Feet in Motion for their very generous prizes. Please support Georgetown's local running shop and visit  http://www.feetinmotion.ca/ for more info!

Brad (Feet in Motion) presenting my AG Award in 2009

Happy 100th Birthday Grandma!

This event is bigger than any of my races or training sessions so I had to share. I am very proud of my Grandma as she has lived an honest, hard working life. She has always believed in me no matter who I was at the time as she knew things would turn out for the best.

On Sunday, December 12th, 2010 she will turn 100 years old and still remembers much more about her youth than I am able to recall about mine. Sharp as a knife that lady!

Happy Birthday Grandma!

Egg Nog Jog 2010 - Preview

So we are expecting a huge dump of snow this Sunday, just in time for the Egg Nog Jog 10.8k race in Terra Cotta. This race is tough enough as it is without Mother Nature hitting us hard. I know it will be cold and I am ready for that but if it is taking place during a blizzard, there is no hope to break the 40 minute barrier on this course. Check out the approximate elevation (in Metres) for this run. It is not a mountain run by any means but the lack of flats has your legs screaming for mercy. If you don't believe me, sign up for 2011 and I will see you there! 2010 has already sold all 600 spots so there will not be any race day registrations.

Might be another day to put on the spikes!

 Egg Nog Jog 10.8k - Elevation Chart

 2009 Egg Nog Jog - on the Icy Roads (needed spikes)

2009 Egg Nog Jog - Chasing Greg up the big hill (good luck catching that power house!)

Here comes one of those busy weeks!

It's not so bad but lots of regular and hockey work this week so I have to manage time wisely to get in all my workouts. Being back to a run/bike focus has really cleared up a lot of things and I am making the most of my training these days. I am really trying my hardest to push down run times and, from the results in training, I believe the progress is coming along very well.

On the bike, the Thursday morning spin classes are kicking my butt and that is they way I like it. Coach is going to make us all tough as nails with the routines we hammer through at the gym so I am not complaining one bit. The good thing about hitting the sheets early these days (thanks to zero diet cola in the system) is that this very early class is not as tough to make as I thought it may be. It actually works out very well as I have time to throw down 1:30 on the bike, clean up, drive home and still be back before the rest of the house is up. I get my workout in and still help get the kids ready for their day. It's win, win!

As the training has ramped up I do have one area that I have fallen way behind, updating my training log. I get an email out to Tyler but get too lazy to jump online to fill out my daily report on http://www.itsmyrun.com/ . This organizational tool would save me so much time if I kept it as current as I used to, especially, when I look for previous bests.

This came to light last week when I did some quick (for me) 800s and was wondering what I had put down the last few times at this distance. I am pretty sure I bested my old training splits but without the online report to fall back on, it will take me some researching to know for sure. Thankfully, all my emails sent to Tyler have been saved so I should make a point of transferring the data into my training log soon.

This past weekend I followed the XC Nationals from my phone and computer. I had planned to run in the 5k race but had to work and it would have been tough to get downtown without rushing things so I decided to save my energy for the Egg Nog Jog.

I noticed a lot of great performances in some tough racing conditions. Check out the photo below from the event.



 
Fellow Duathlete, Kevin Smith, battled hard in the Senior Men's category against some very impressive 10k runners. Even in these wintery conditions, Cameron Levins was able to go under 30 minutes for the National Title. Amazing!
 
In the Master's 8k, Rob Tolman, went out and had a great race against a lot of the top 30 year old + racers from across Canada. We get to run together and test ourselves on the roads of Terra Cotta in a few weekends and he looks to be in solid form!
 
I noticed some other names in the 8k and the 5k that I have raced against of late so it makes me feel good to think I am coming along in the running game. That being said, I know that I still have lots of room to improve if I can work on my form, hammer the training and drop a few pounds.
 
Time to run!

Du the Du

I gave it a whirl but it just wasn't what I was hoping for. I knew the swim portion of the triathlon was going to be very tough for me for a number of reasons but I battled through it for one full year to see if I could learn to love it and join the great athletes in the next step of the multisport world.

When this journey started back in 2006, I was just getting into the running game. I was looking for a fall challenge to keep me motivated so that I would not stray back to  my chicken wings and beer lifestyle. I had completed a marathon the previous year so I really did not want to run another one so quickly and these were the majority of the running races I noticed in the autumn months. As I flipped through the websites, I came across a Triathlon Series page and started to read the options for the races remaining on their schedule.

As I became more interested, I selected the duathlon. This was not because I was certain I could learn to  cycle but because I was sure I did not enjoy the water enough to learn to swim for a triathlon. I had not even been on a road bike in my life but could imagine myself enjoying that freedom and speed out on the bike. The funny thing is that I decided to race my first multisport event two months before the actual date and I did not even have a bike of any kind. I had better access to a pool during the lead up to Guelph Lakes 2 so you would think the triathlon option would have been easier. Something deep inside just would not budge on my swimming stance and duathlon won over the triathlon.

On the other side, I was so certain that I would enjoy the cycling that I shopped around for almost the full two months to make sure I had the fastest option for the money I had available at the time. I finally bought my first road bike on the Wednesday of the week of GL2. I rode it twice before the race and was only disappointed in one thing. Why had I not tried this sport earlier in my life!

Come race day, I had such an eye opening experience seeing all the fancy bikes and great athletes. I had a solid first run and then hopped on my entry level road bike with the strap style shoe holders on the pedals. I gave it my all on that 20k bike course (doubling any of the two training rides I had attempted). By the second run I was wiped but the other athletes were amazing, offering me encouragement along the route when I was forced to walk due to cramps. That picked up my spirits and I fought to finish that last 5k run.

If I remember correctly, I had only a few running races under my belt at this point (2 x 5k races and 1 x marathon) but still thought I could run a 20:00 5k coming off the bike for some reason. Man was I surprised how hard it was to run after putting so much effort in biking. It ended up being one of those, "I am going to teach you legs to run fast of the bike!" lessons that I have never perfected but has kept me coming back for more and more.

Two races (Niagara on the Lake Du as well) in 2006 led to three full seasons of duathlon. I was very passionate about the sport and just could not believe how few people were competing compared to the triathlon. It seemed like all the people I was meeting in the early years would move along to the tri or cycling so during the 2009 season, I decided that it may be best if I moved along as well.

I started to slowly introduce the swim into the routine but those days never seemed to be as enjoyable as my running or cycling days. Even during the first bunch of classes in my instructed lessons, I got nauseous and dizzy, having to leave a few of them mid-class to avoid being sick in the pool. Eventually, things started to improve to a certain point but to get to the level I wanted to be at, I just could not fit the local pool schedules into my work and family plans.

If I really wanted to get better I would have needed to join a masters class or have some one-on-one instruction a few times a week. Unfortunately, many of these in the Meadowvale area could not fit into my training hours and would have cost me additional money that is most likely better used for other aspects of my life.

The usual struggle to get my proper swim workout created several issues but I tried to keep a positive spin on things as the 2010 season approached. After a few real triathlons, I started to question my choice to jump into this side of the sport and was pretty frustrated due to the swim. I had one big event in August that I was already registered for so I tried to plug away. Thankfully, after the Welland Half Iron race, I got talking with Tyler Lord and he got my pumped up about the Timberman 70.3 race with a focus on the bike and the run. I ended up having the race of my life (to date!) but the reality of the day also set in seeing how amazing the talent is out there in triathlon. Without enjoying the water and being driven to swim as much as they do, I stand little chance to get to their level (70.3 Worlds or Kona). It would also require me to pass along some family duties to be in the pool during open hours and that would not be fair just for a hobby or recreational sport.

So in 2011, I will return to the duathlon world and really try to hammer down some of my past times. I didn't want to post this without running it past Tyler first so I am happy that he is staying on to help me get faster in the Run/Bike/Run. Hopefully, some of the strong duathletes of the past few years stick around so we can battle it out and have the same fun we used.

So now that I have had time to revamp my schedule, here are a few races I will be aiming for in 2011.


-Run 4 Hope 10k (FMCT organized event)

-Mississauga Half Marathon (go after sub 1:20 again!)

-Victoria's Du (a big race for du'ers as we get to race some great triathlete for the only time of the season)

-Ontario Du Championships (not sure of the location, yet)



I have picked a lot of other races but I should wait to see if I will be back with a particular sponsor next year before posting.

I am once again super excited about 2011 and just happy to be able to focus on my two favourite sports.

Quick Update

Let's see... Legs are starting to feel a lot better after the downhill beating they took in Hamilton on the 7th of November. I had an easy day on Monday before hitting the track on Tuesday for a barn burner. The workout was hard but I was able to pull off a good effort even in the cool, windy conditions on a gravel track. It is the closest one to work so I did not have too many options for a lunch time workout.

On Wednesday, I just stuck to the easy run that was prescribed and had to miss the swim due to a meeting during that swim opening. At this point of the season, I just don't have the motivation to seek alternative places to get that swim in so I have just done what I can during the time available. Thankfully, my faithful running and cycling can be done when ever I am ready to roll.

Thursday brought a very early call to get down to the gym for a spin class with a group of the Hi-Performance athletes lead by Coach Tyler. Coach put us through a very solid routine that had me sucking for air and sweating up a storm. Without the pop in my life, I am sleeping a lot more these days (huge caffeine reduction) so the early class did not go as bad as I expected. I have not been a morning person for several years (since my road construction days) so I am just getting back to the habit of early to bed, early to rise.

Today, I have off so I am taking advantage of the rest and letting things heal up. I will have a brick tomorrow and long run on Sunday to round out a recovery week. I am sure the big running weeks are coming again as I gear up for the Egg Nog Jog on December 12th in Terra Cotta.

Hope all the folks in Arizona have a great race (Glenn, Brian, Jennifer) this weekend. I will be rooting for ya from the computer!

Have a great weekend folks!
Larry

Road 2 Hope Half Marathon Race Report

,I knew it was going to be a chilly start to the day so I had a bunch of clothing options packed for the 2010 Road 2 Hope Half Marathon in Hamilton. With the extra hour of sleep it was easy to get out of bed in time to make the early drive to Confederation Park to grab my race kit and jump on the shuttle bus that would drive us to the start line up the "mountain" in Steel Town.

Since I arrived at the park over two hours before race time, I had very few people to worry about in the pick-up lines and breezed through this task and was back to the car debating as to what I would wear. I finally decided to go with long sleeves and my Falcons tri top as it seemed a touch too cold to go with only a tri top with arm warmers. With that job checked off, it was time for a bus ride to the start line.

Once at the school (where we could stay warm in the gym) I ran into a bunch of familiar faces so I spent most of my pre-race staying relaxed chatting with many of the folks I have met over the last few years through running or triathlon. Some of them (Stuart, John, Shanta, Rick and Hans, etc.) were tackling the full marathon while others (Ang, Dan, Jo-Jo, Brent, Gavin, Richard, Dave, Kevin, etc. and I) elected to test ourselves against the shorter half marathon.

As the time ran down I made sure to talk a little strategy with Jo-Jo as he was chasing the same sub 1:20 goal that I was. He has a lot more experience at this distance than I do and I knew he would be right there in the end so I made sure that our plans were set before hitting the roads. Once we got things organized, I headed out for a warm up and ran into Glenn (fellow Hi-Performance athlete getting ready for IMAZ) who was acting as support for his wife on this day.

Next it was go time so I made my way up to the front of the starting line and waited for the final few minutes. I looked around but could not find Jo-Jo so I wondered where he had settled in among the crowd. The clock was ticking down and I had to focus and pick my line out of the gate to make sure I got clear of the rest of the field. As they sent us off, I darted ahead with two other athletes to reach the first corner out of the school parking lot clear of the masses. We quickly hit the first road and started to settle in a line on the yellow road divider.

For the first five kilometres I sat in a small group of runners, including elite triathlete Sean Bechtel, trying to hide from the slight wind behind a Longboat member. We were clipping along pretty well as we made our way towards the expressway. My plan (set up by Coach Tyler) was to get to the 10k marker in 36 minutes so I knew I was on track when I hit 5k in 8:15 with a major downhill portion for the next 6 or 7 kilometres.

When we reached the on ramp for the Red Hill Valley Parkway a few runners started their accelerations so I knew it was time to go or be left behind. I stayed with the main group as we let Sean and another younger fellow travel ahead. It was at this point that Jo-Jo moved up with the group in a solid show of form. We were running around 5 or 6 strong and quietly working together as we snaked down the highway trying to pick the best line.

The splits were very quick during the decent and I ended up hitting the 10k marker in 35:35 (my fastest 10k ever) and in very good shape with only 11k to go. Making a slight climb off the parkway, I found myself leading the pack down Barton Street where we hit a stronger head wind than expected. The others were suddenly several metres back so I didn't know if I should wait or if they were fading? I decided to hold my pace and I hit the next stretch (Woodward Ave.) still feeling strong.

A few hundred metres down Woodward, the group had worked together to pull up and two runners jumped in front of me. I looked at our pace on my Garmin and we were still below race pace so I tucked in behind them knowing the QEW overpass was just a few km up the road and I wanted to save some energy for that. The three of us continued along and held a solid effort over the bridge just seconds ahead of the others chasing us down. We had hit the 15k marking in 54 minutes so I was really happy with the race plan and was sure that I would reach my goal if I could get to the 16k marker and throw down an average 5k.

Our next stretch of road was along Beach Blvd and we were again heading into the wind. It was not super strong but the pace was slower, up in the 3:55 range. One of the volunteers announced us as positions 7, 8 (me), 9 so I was also getting thoughts of top ten in my head at this point. This was short lived as the top lady, Nicole Stevenson, soon sailed past us followed by another two athletes with amazing form.

I stayed put as we rounded the top end of the loop and then started our home journey on the lake front running path. We only had 4 km to go so I just wanted to keep the pace below 4:00/km. The gentleman that was running behind me finally made his move and the two I was working with started to add a little distance between me. I had no answer but was just happy to be running sub 4 splits.

I was now just counting down the final markers and trying to visualize the finish as my legs were mush. Thankfully, my Mom and Aunt were on the course to cheer me on so I got a good little boost from them and knew I would make it to the finish.

At the 20k marker (which was right on the button with my Garmin), I was in good shape to break 1:20 and could not wait to celebrate at the finish line. Only one problem, the final 1.1km was taking much longer than usual to reach? What was going on? I soon watched as 1:20 passed and I was still not at the line. I was destroyed and had another athlete pass me so I was now unlucky 13.

I commented to the guy as he passed, "this is running long?". He agreed and was upset as well.

We finally hit the last hundred metres so I turned on as much gas a possible but could only manage to grab one spot back and ended my day at 1:21:10 in 12th spot.

After the race Jo-Jo, myself and several others commented on how the final 1.1km of the course was easily 1.5km or more. All our Garmins were bang on with all the signs heading up to the 20k marker and we were all on pace for our goal.

It was a little disappointing that it will not get recorded properly but I have a bunch of positives out of the race. 1st in my Age Group, 3:46 Race Pace of 21.5k, 35:35 at the 10k, 54 at the 15k, etc.

I also got to see a bunch of BQ's (Stuart, John, etc.) and PB's!

The Disappointment is Obvious

Road 2 Hope - Hamilton Half Marathon (photos)

Here are a few from my Mom's camera near the finish of the race.

Road2Hope (Hamilton) Half Marathon Week

I made it through the Halloween holiday without incident and stuck to my plan of zero treat intake for the past few weeks. It feels very good to watch the pounds fall off as I get closer to my usual race weight.

I am now only a few pounds away and know I will get to my happy spot before Sunday. Anything above that weight and I start to let it play on my confidence during the drive to the race. Bad habit but I know I don't need to be carrying any extra poundage down the 21.1k course.

With my registration officially submitted, I am now very excited to make the trip over to Hamilton this weekend and hope to reach my lofty goal of a sub 1:20 half marathon. I will easily break my PB in this race as I have not competed at this distance outside a tri or duathlon in several years.

At last year's marathon (my header photo comes from the 2009 Road2Hope), on the same course, my 21.1k split for the 42.2 distance was well below my last official half mary time so I cannot see how I can mess up the PB effort. The goal time is another question but I trust that my training and experience will get me in good position to take a run at it. I also found out that a good friend, Jo-Jo, will be chasing a similar goal so we should be able to work together to keep a consistent pace and for moral support. There are also a bunch of Falcons (Ang and Richard for sure!!) heading down the QEW so that makes it even more fun to race with some of the FMCT crew.

This is my first running race since the 5k in the spring (I think...wow, it's been a while) so I look forward to getting out on the open road and not worrying if I will make it through a swim or running into mechanicals on the bike. It is always nice to pack light for a race! HAHA

The marathon I ran here last year was a very good race and was a solidly organized event. I was debating as to which Half Marathon I wanted to run a month ago so I am glad my coach talked me into this race. It is close to home, well run, good roads, fun atmosphere and competitive at my level (so I have others to push me). Now if the weather works in our favour, the day should be very enjoyable once I get a few kilometres under my belt to burn off the pre-race nerves.

Before I hit the post button, I want to send my best wishes out to a bunch of friends hitting the Ironman Course in Florida this weekend. Coach Tyler, Bill V, Terri R and Nathalie B are all prepared and going to have a great race this weekend. Go Falcons and Coach!

Coming Soon - 2010 Egg Nog Jog!

Triathlon America - for some reason this has hit a cord!

Welcome to Triathlon America


"Our mission is to leverage the knowledge, talent, and resources of industry leaders in triathlon to the benefit of the sport. The mission will be achieved by increasing and retaining advocates of triathlon and by fostering a positive image of the sport.


Triathlon America has been founded by a coalition of industry leaders who saw the need for the triathlon business community to come together in an organization dedicated to promoting the sport and the business of triathlon."

(the above is the Mission Statement taken from the Triathlon America website)

So I read the self promoting article by Dan Empfield on Slowtwitch yesterday and I am left with a very bitter taste in my mouth. I have nothing against a group of industry leaders trying to work off each other to improve their businesses. That happens all the time.

My issue steams from the fact that their Mission Statement claims they will improve the sport and create a better image for triathlon. The problem with this statement is that you cannot improve the sport or grow the sport or improve the image of the sport without including the thousands and thousands of age group athletes.

We are the wheels that carry this sport. We buy most the products associated with triathlon and pay for most of race fees and membership dues (to governing bodies).  To improve the the pockets of a few players in the industry does not improve the sport or excite more people to get invlolved in triathlon.

If you want to improve and grow the sport you will need to take a look at what keeps many people away from the sport, cost. To train and race effectively and safely you need to pay out a lot of money for equipment, race fees, nutritional supplies, etc. Even for someone that elects to race close to home (to avoid travel costs), and races only a couple times a year, the price tag will be above the amount most lower and middle income earners are willing to part with for recreation.

Unfortunately, this is where the majority of the population finds themselves in today's economy. Disposable income for recreation is tough to come by for a vast number of the world so triathlon is usually off the option list when they decide they want to try a new pastime.

In my opinion, this new organization is nothing more than a few big names in the sport trying to make an even bigger name for themselves with a hidden agenda to increase their bottom lines. If this is the true goal than  they need to update the Mission Statement and ditch the "Super Hero" mentality that better business will improve our sport.

I hope that I am wrong and somehow they can improve the sport and draw more people into triathlon by cutting costs and fees. I cannot see this happening anytime soon so I will not hold my breath.

Your thoughts?
Larry

Focus, focus, focus!!!!

With so many things going on these days, I totally had a brain lapse and forgot to track my next race. What I mean is that I had not looked at the exact date of the race for a little while and was surprised to see Nov 7th as the race date. For some reason, I thought it was scheduled closer to the middle of the month.

To be honest, it should not make much of a difference as my coach has kept my workouts in line for the correct date (Thanks Tyler!) so it is more of a mental prep and diet note that I should have paid more attention to a week or so ago. I know I will be ready to attempt my first sub 1:20 Half Marathon in a few weeks but I just have to get in gear now.

On a more positive side, I have had been visiting the pool a lot more frequently in the past two weeks and things are starting to feel back to my form after a few months of relaxed swimming. I know my form is still much slower than everyone else but at least I can start working on it again from where I was around the time of Timberman 70.3 instead of where I was last spring. I was starting to worry that my laziness was going to put me miles behind in this element but my results from Friday and Monday have removed those fears and now I can look forward to improving, hopefully, catching up to the fish in my age group!

Another good note to pass along is that I have been able to knock a nasty diet cola habit for the past two weeks. I will not even mention the amount of cola I was putting back during a day but I have thankfully kicked it for now and have replaced it mainly with water (plus some juice and milk). I was hardly drinking any of these during the cola days so I hope the new addition to my diet helps out.

Although, they say diet cola contains additives that makes you crave carbs, and keeps you feeling hungry all the time, I have not had the benefit of a reduced appetite yet. I actually have craved a lot of sugar and carbs since I stopped drinking the stuff. This has added a few pounds during this period so I hope things straighten out shortly. Right now the cons (less energy due to lack of caffeine, less flavour in my drinks, more calories in my drinks (juice), bigger appetite, etc.) have out weighed the pros (less chemicals in system) of the drink change so I will need to see some more benefits soon to keep me from switching back to the diet cola. Common water, do your magic!

Well, time to hit the track for some 1k intervals. This could be tough!

 The good 'ole days of Duathlon!

Just wanted to pretty up the blog with a picture. I don't have anything recent so a classic will have to do.

Getting Back up from the Fall Blues

Here's a weekly update of what I have been doing to stay busy of late. Lots of family, work and hockey events these days so training has required some energy to get out and stay up with the program.

This week I finally peeled my butt out of my office chair to get back to the pool for the first good swim since Lakeside. After a few respectable lengths in my session, reality hit and the lap times got longer and longer. Time to focus again and try to make more gains in this area during this off season.

On the bike, I had a very solid weekend of riding which carried into this week for a few training rides and bricks. I feel like this part is still improving and I have a lot of confidence out on the road these days. Some great rides with the Falcons after the tri season wrapped really helped keep the form I had gained with Tyler's assistance this summer.

Running, although I feel a bit heavy these days, has been very good recently. We have been working on a few high mileage weeks to get the legs up and ready for the Half Marathon I plan to tackle next month. Also, the speed has been back close to where I would like it for 10k and longer races. For the shorter stuff, I will have to give up some treats that have been a very weak component of my training these days to drop a few extra pounds.

That being said, I decided that I was not really up for a 10k race tonight in Oakville. I think if it was on the road I would be more excited but on the trails in the dark is a recipte for disaster this close to a more important event. I can just see myself crashing hard on the trail and messing up my knees or feet so I will leave this one off the list for this year and just keep to my training routine for the weekend. To be honest, the weather these days has been so nice, it is almost more fun to just get the long stuff in to enjoy the great fall conditions we are having.

On a parting note, I would like to wish everyone doing the Good Life Marathon Races this weekend all the best!

Recovery Week

Since my last race (Lakeside Tri), I have had a couple of weeks of training with last week being a big mileage week building towards a fall half marathon. I think it may have been my biggest week ever for running so I was certainly feeling my legs suffering towards the weekend. Didn't help that I was also on a business trip in California. Long social events and traveling around the bay area didn't allow for as much sleep as usual but we had a good time, and the meals were very tasty and not on my dollar!

This week is much easier so I have a chance to catch up on some other aspects of life, such as sleep. I have been extra tired coming back from this trip and it has been very tough to get moving after we put the kids down for the night. I am starting to feel more energized today so I hope the weather improves so I can head outside and enjoy the nice, fall air.

As most of us tri/du athletes are aware, this weekend is KONA! It may not be the biggest event for all of us, depending on your race length preference, but it is one that I think we all enjoy checking out. In similar fashion to many other blogs, I will lay down my bet for the fun of it. You may laugh or comment on any of my picks!

Women -

1. Chrissie Wellington - easy choice for a 3 time defending Champ. Racing in Timberman with Chrissie in the field gave me a deeper appreciation for how great she is.

2. Mirinda Carfrae - second last year, may be closer to Chrissie this year but will start the run too far back coming off the bike to actually win the big one.

3. Rebekah Keat - She has been very solid this season and has raced well in Kona in the past. Has the 3rd fastest Ironman time in history among women.

4. Samantha McGlone - got to cheer for the Canadian and hope she has everything ready to show off similar form to 2007, before her injury woes.

5. Julie Dibens - has the swim and bike but needs to improve the run before being a podium threat. She would really have to push the pace early in the race and force the others to blow up to have any chance against Chrissie and Mirinda.


Men -

1. Craig Alexander - I cannot bet against my favourite Ironman athlete. He is too talented and determined to not keep his streak alive. Go Crowie!

2. Rasmus Henning - He will be very tough out there with his overall speed. If he puts together his best race he may upset the defending Champ and be the one to enjoy the Big Island glory.

3. Andy Potts - with another year under his belt at this distance, it is tough to ignore this proven triathlete. Super strong in the water and no slouch on the bike. If he puts in a solid time on the run, he may move up from 9th last year into a podium spot.

4. Chris Lieto - I am a big fan of Chris and hope he pulls of the win but I am not sure he is going to be able to be fast enough on foot to keep the others from taking away his lead coming off the bike. If anyone does dethrone Crowie, this is the man I would like to see on top of the results page.

5. Terenzo Bozzone - I would have Terenzo up higher if he did not race so much this year. I think it may catch up with him in Kona.

Let me know what you think!
So many others that could be on this list, especially in the stacked men's field, but I stopped with the top 5.

*Andreas Raelert
*Chris McCormack
*Marino Vanhoenacker
*Faris Al - Sultan
*Luke McKenzie
*Dirk Bockel
*Pete Jacobs
*Maik Twelseik
*Timo Bracht
*Mathias Hecht
*Eneko Llanos
*Luke Bell
*Cam Brown 
*Raynard Tissink
*Normann Stadler
*etc, etc., etc....

Have a great week!