Thank You Duathlon – it is now time to move on…

2009 has been a huge step forward for me athletically. I coached a marathon running class, competed in two cycling road races, became a member of the Fletcher’s Meadow Cross Trainers, been victorious on the duathlon circuit and currently lead my AG on the Subaru Du Series.

A lot of the goals I worked on over the past few seasons have been finally achieved but one will take a little more time and effort before it can be stroked off the list, becoming an Ironman (and in a competitive fashion!). Yes, triathlon appears to be my future in multisport, after three great years in the duathlon world, so I must now add swimming to the training mix.

During the past few years, I have put in a lot of kilometres to learn how to cycle (before the fall of 2006 I did not even own a road bike and had no previous cycling experience), continued to push down my running times and worked hard to bring respectability to my transition splits. This has taken a great deal of hard work, an unconventional training schedule and a lot of understanding from my wife and very young family.

As I progressed in the sport, I realized just how much effort it takes to being a top player in this game, even on our local scene. I have been very fortunate to meet many athletes who do this for a living and I have seen the amount of time they dedicate to get to the next level. It often knocks me back down to reality and makes me wish I had been directed to the sport when I was younger and also makes me wonder, “what if”. What if I had stayed active through my twenties? So many “wasted” years!

I have always maintained that I will not allow the sport to become bigger than family so I must stay realistic in what I can achieve with the time I can set aside for training. That being said, winning races may not be in my triathlon future (too many amazing pros in the Subaru Triathlon fields) but I am going to set some pretty high standards for next season, eventually leading to that Ironman race when I feel the time is right.

So now that I have made up my mind and “technically” committed (opened my big mouth and told everyone my plans) to learn to swim, it is now time to get organized and set up a calendar so that I reach my next set of goals. I will not totally leave duathlon behind but a majority of my races next year will have an element of water before jumping on the bike.

Thinking about the path I have followed to get to this point, I was reminded of some of the defining moments of my short multisport life. There have been some results and performances that I am truly proud of but I always try to put the lifestyle change ahead of the pb’s or accolades. I really do not know where I would be without this positive influence in my life but I am sure the destructive road I was traveling would not have had the same impact on my family life that this healthy living does!

Here are a few of my duathlon highlights -
2006
-Sept. 2, 2006 – Guelph Lakes 2 Sprint Du – first ever multisport race, purchased my first road bike the week of the race. 32nd of 130 Athletes. I was hooked!

2007
-Met my coach Syd Trefiak in the spring as I prepared for my first “full” season on the Subaru Series.
-Raced in 8 Duathlons (6 Subaru, 1 HSBC, 1 Trysport), finishing 9th in 30-34 AG for yearly title.
-June 3, 2007 – Milton Sprint Du – first race on a Tri-bike (Cannondale Slice Aero) and averaged 36.5 km/h, finished 6th of 159 Duathletes, my first Top 10
-June 17, 2007 – Binbrook Sprint Du – first time I led the field on the run to the bikes, chasers quickly caught me on the ride but still finished 4th of 66 for first Top 5.
-Sept. 15, 2007 – Can. Du Championships in Parry Sound – last minute decision to test my skills and ended up 23rd overall, 6th in my AG behind some very talented athletes from all over Canada.

2008
-Competed in 11 multisport races (9 Subaru, 2 HSBC), finishing 2nd in 30-34 AG Standings.
-June 1, 2008 – Milton Sprint Du – finished 3rd of 142 duathletes for my first Top 3 result.
-June 15, 2008 – Muskoka Long Course Du – first time leading a Subaru Du onto the bikes with a 3k run averaging 3:39/km. Ended up 3rd overall of 66 competitors.
-June 22, 2008 – Guelph Lakes Olympic Du – had best splits for both runs of the race and ended up with my first 2nd place overall finish out of 70 racers.
-June 29, 2008 – Welland Sprint Triathlon – completed my first ever triathlon and finished 15th overall of 190 triathletes, 1st in my AG. Used the breast stroke to get around the 750m swim.
-July 6, 2008 – Peterborough ½ IM Du – finished first Half IM distance race and was 3rd overall of 60 athletes. 90k bike split was 36.9km/h which was much higher than my initial goal time for the bike.
-Aug. 23, 2008 – Ontario Du Championships – had knee injury but raced anyway, 6th fastest bike time, finishing 8th overall of 92 racers, 2nd in AG for Provincial Championship.

2009 (so far…)
-Attended 6 duathlons (5 Subaru, 1 HSBC), currently 1st in 35-39 AG Standings
-Three Duathlon Wins (Muskoka, Guelph Lakes 1, Niagara) in the year.
-May 18, 2009 – Victoria’s Sprint Du – had a very strong showing in a race with many of the triathletes and pros (even after a 2 minute “drafting” penalty), first podium in a race of this class (417 athletes), 2nd of 41 in 35-39 AG.
-June 14, 2009 - Muskoka Long Course Du – first time having the fastest bike split in a race, first ever multisport victory, 1st overall of 59 duathletes.
-June 21, 2009 – Guelph Lakes 1 Olympic Du – best bike slit in the race with 37.4km/h average, second win of the year, 1st overall of 68 athletes.
-July 18, 2008 – Ontario Du Championships – had 4th fastest bike splits at 37.6 km/h in strong field, finished 6th overall, 2nd in AG for Provincial Championship, fastest Olympic distance time of career.
-Aug. 9, 2009 – Niagara Sprint Du – third win of the year, 1st of 136 duathletes.

Motivational Photo - May 2005 (pushing 220lbs and never wanting to return!)

FMCT Hilly TT (8km)

I don't usually post the results of our club's weekly TT but, in the past, I have mentioned the great benefit I have received from being able to participate. This is my rookie year with Fletchers Meadow Cross Trainers so my first season of organized time trials as part of my training schedule. With these amazing sessions, my bike splits have been very strong this season and continue to be up in the top percentage of athletes at most Subaru races.

On Sunday, FMCT's held their annual "Hilly TT" as part of the TT race schedule. It is an extra time trial thrown in to test our speed up a pretty tough 8km climb on Mississauga Road, just north of Terra Cotta. After driving up the course and biking back down to the send off line, I could tell the first 2km were going to be the most severe and I knew I had to get spinning right out of the gate to pick up some speed. After that, the course gradually inclines but you can pick up the pace during some of the flatter sections in between the steps.

Thirteen club members hit the starting line on a near perfect summer morning to challenge their legs against the escarpement. Many of the TT regulars were out for this extra ride, many of us coming off solid rides the previous day so the pain was going to be felt early in the ride.

For this TT, we were sent off in 30 second intervals and I was positioned to leave second last, right in front of Rob (our top TT cyclist) so I knew the pressure would be on me to hold him off sooner than our usual Monday night TT. As my countdown hit zero, I quickly clipped in and fired out of the gate. I was feeling much stronger than expected right away and had to grab some tougher gears in the big ring as the excitment got my legs charged up.

Rapidly, I made my way up the hill. I knew I was rolling well and could see the gap closing on Brian and Peter, who were both sent off before me. Just after the reaching the summit of the main 2km climb, I hammered the gears down again and got up to cruising speed. Peter was having issues trying to get back up to the big ring so I flew past him. He was actually sent out 1 minute (2 people) before me so I could see the effects of the mechanical problem he was having.

My legs continued to get stronger as the ride moved along the course and I had picked up some crazy momentum that I was not expecting that I used to make the next climbs seem a lot easier than anticipated. Looking down at my average speed I could tell I was zipping along very quickly as I had seen some previous results from the past few years. This motivated me even more and I was picking my way through a large portion of my fellow Falcons. I didn't want to show off but when I train it is usually my brain thinking about a time not trying to show up the other athletes.

At around the 6k mark I could tell the adrenaline was starting to fade and I couldn't wait to hit the finish line. Thankfully, the short distance to the end of the ride was only a few minutes away, at this rate of speed, so I put my head down and cranked on the pedals trying to get there in the shortest time possible.

This effort resulted in a very fast time as I was able to take first place in the Hilly TT, hitting the line in a new course record. This was a thrill for me as the quality of cycling in our club is very high. It is another indication that my training efforts are working and positive re-enforcement that I can raise the bar even more in the future.


I would also like to mention that during the TT, our group also made our way past several other riders who were not from our club but out to enjoy the great terrain the area offers. Among them were fellow multisport bloggers Tyler Lord and Jen Coombs. After our group hit the finish line we traveled another kilometre down to the tiny village of Belfoutain, to a coffee shop very popolar with cyclists and motocyclist looking for a pitstop during their rides. Tyler, Jen and a friend were out for a very long ride (by my standards) and had taken the opportunity to fuel up at the coffee house. As all the cyclists mingled and relaxed outside, soaking up the beautiful morning, I had a great chance to talk to the two pro athletes and grab some very helpful tips from Tyler to help with my running. I really appreciate the friendly attitude of these two top triathletes and thank them for being so down to earth and supportive!


A PHOTO OF LAURA (FEMALE WINNER) AND I WITH OUR MEDALS

Here are the results -

Mississauga Road
TIMERS-Nathalie B & Terry

DIST-8km
TEMP-24C SUNNY
WIND- SW 7km

NAME -- SPEED -- POSN
Laura -- 28.8 -- 1
Val -- 24.8 -- 2

Larry -- 32.3 -- 1
Brian -- 30.1 -- 2
Rob -- 29.5 -- 3
Colin -- 28.1 - 4
Peter H -- 26.7 -- 5
Jim -- 26.4 -- 6
Nick -- 26.1 -- 7
Dave -- 26 -- 8
Bill -- 25.5 -- 9
Peter V -- 22.1 -- 10
Jeff -- DNF(Flat) -- 11

Another Drive By

Friday, August 14th proved to be a day full of bad encounters. Thankfully, no injuries to report but one of these days I probably will not be so lucky.

As usual, I left the office for my lunch time workout. Being a Friday in the summer, it is supposed to be a half day but I had been busy at work so I decided to stay a little longer but extend my lunch. I am sure I deserved the extra time so I could enjoy a longer ride.

Having this planned out in advance, I brought my road bike to work instead of the cyclo-cross and remembered to bring all the gear needed for flats, hydration, emergencies, etc.

My route for the 50 to 60 km ride would take me along Britannia Road to Milton. Up Bell School Line hill and down 14th Line (under control!!). I then would head south on Tremaine to get back to Britannia, for the return ride to work.

Everything was going very well. The hill was as challenging as ever (especially with the heat) and I safely made it down the other side without incident. Even with the brakes on most of the decent, I still hit 70km/h after negotiating the bends. The cycling was smooth and I felt strong in my legs so i was really enjoying my lunch time cruise.

After stopping for the lights at Trafalgar, I continued on my way across a rougher section of Britannia. Here, you can not get to close to the edge with a roadie so I tried to stick as close to the white line as possible for a smoother ride. Luckily, I was alert during this portion of the trip as some ignorant driver decided to pull out and pass a dump truck just as I was cycling past in the opposite direction. I saw both vehicles coming my way and the metallic minivan was not too worried about me, that is for sure. I crunched up my shoulders to make me as small as possible and started to curse at the van as it flew by my left side. I held on for all I was worth because of the vacuum they created and fortunately pulled through without a scratch, although I was in a very animated state.

My next encounter was that day was on my late night run. After putting the kids to bed and then pulling up some soggy carpet in the basement, I needed a little stress buster. As late as 11:45pm may seem, I am very use to the night training so I headed out for an easy 15k run. I was clocking along in good fashion, very close to my ideal steady state. I would have been right on pace but I had a few red lights to obey.

As I neared the 7k marker, where the road tightens up, several cars were coming towards me so I got right to the edge and kept my eye closely on them. Training so often at this time of the night, I am aware that the younger yahoos have a tendency to swerve, trying to push me off the road. Well, this time it was something kind of new as the last car zoomed past.

It was fairly dark in the area so I could not see inside the car and the next thing I knew was I had been hit with something just off centre of my lower abdomen. Of course, my first reaction was to start swearing at the car and trying to get some info. It was far too dark and they were going too fast so I could not tell what make or model the vehicle was.

After giving up on this, I looked down to my mid-section to see the damage. No blood, no ripes, no mess. Thank goodness! I then checked out the ground and saw the weapon of choice of many local punks, an egg. It was broken now but did not leave anything on my shirt. Just a mini scare from a couple of idiot teens that I wish I could have reported.

I always worry about this when I run at night. I usually run on the edge of the road as the sidewalk adds several elements that make running less fun. Because of my proximaty to the road, I often fear an empty beer bottle will come out of the passenger window in my direction. Once, while cycling home at night in Etobicoke, I had a full carton of eggs tossed into my gut as I made a turn. Scared the crap out of me but the eggs did not break on that instance either.

I guess I can count my lucky stars that things were not more serious but it reminds me that I need to be a lot more careful and proactive. You just never know what may happen while training but if you stay out of the danger spots to begin with, your chaces of these encounters will be fewer in numbers. It looks like it is time for my to re-evaluate my routes to keep things safer.

Take care,
Larry

The End of the Multisport Season is Approaching (in Ontario)

Time has blown by and we Subaru Series racers only have two more events left on the schedule. A few other competitions are out there after the finale at Guelph Lakes on September 5th, but they are usually out of the way in terms of location for me.

Thankfully, I have used this interweb thing to connect to others in the community and they have tossed out some great ideas to stay active and motivated right up to the snow flies, and beyond. Here are a few things we can do to pass the long 8 or 9 months between Subaru Triathlon/Duathlon races.

1. Learn to swim!!!!!
2. Run a few X-Country races in the fall and early winter.
3. Cycle in some Cyclo-Cross events in the fall.
4. Travel somewhere warm to race in a destination triathlon.
5. Go on a cycling tour for a week or two.
6. Teach a running class at a local running store.
7. Gear up for a late fall marathon/prepare for Boston.
8. Train to build a better base for next season.
9. Take on a part time job to offset your athletic spending.
10. Learn to SWIM!!!

What do you plan on doing during your break from multisport in Ontario?

Niagara (Grimsby) Sprint Du - Race Report

The 2009 Niagara Duathlon was not on my schedule heading into this weekend but I was itching to race a short distance event since we have been racing many international and long distances for the past few months. I was able to trade in a few tasks around the house for an extra racing pass and just hoped the weather would hold up so we could go fast.

As morning rolled in the skies looked a little dark but, thankfully, we were treated to a dry, warm day before the violent storms of the evening screamed through the area. The air may have been a little humid but not much of a factor with all the water stations out on the course. After losing my aero bottle straw in Gravenhurst, I knew I would have to go without water on the bike so I prepared ahead of time and did not let it become a distraction.

The start of the race was much different than the past few years at this location. They increased our first run to 2.5k from 2k with a loop in the wooded trail, which turned out to be damp and muddy. As we had a rather large field (136 athletes) for a duathlon, I jumped out quick to get away from the crowd. Another runner made his way even quicker than I to the front and was looking very speedy. This duathlete was wearing basketball shorts so I assumed his cycling may be a little slower than mine. With this in mind, I let him go as he created a pretty large gap between us.

As we made our way through the loop in the forest, I started to close the distance without picking up my pace. I continued to stay with my game plan and pushed through the mud eventually making a small climb out of the bush and back to the sidewalk for our final kilometre to the bikes. I was still in second place but well within reach of our leader. As we made our way back into the park I was only five seconds behind him and knew my transition would get me out to the bike line in the lead.

As predicted, I had a super quick T1 and was rapidly on my way towards the Niagara Escarpment and our climb up “The Beast” of a hill. As I arrived at the foot of the hill, I slipped down to the small ring to allow me to spin up and save my legs for the rest of the ride. In the past, I have grinded my way up these types of climbs and been super tired by the summit. My ascent seemed efficient and I passed a great deal of the triathletes out on the course before me. As I reach the top my legs were still fresh so I started to hammer it out along the flats up top.

I was now making my way through a lot of the other tri racers feeling very good about my cycling speed. I kept up the pace and didn’t see anyone from the duathlon until close to a minute after the halfway turn. I knew some of the others would become motivated once they saw me so I pushed harder until I returned to the hill for the downhill test. Since this was the first time I was to experience this (in 2007 I flatted out of the race after the climb and in 2008 the hill was not used due to rain) so I did not want to get too aggressive with a lead. I made my way down the hill in a controlled fashion and knew I had very little riding left remaining so was starting to feel confident about my current position.

It was at this point that my race went a little off track, literally. As I approached one of the intersections at the bottom of the hill, a police officer standing in the middle of the road waved to my right. I did not sense anything behind me so I thought he was directing me to turn right. I made the turn but did not recognize this section of the course and did not see any other riders or signs. I started to panic a little and looked back at the intersection looking to see what the police officer was now doing but he was focused on the cars stopped around him. I then saw another cyclist go straight past him and circled around to get back to the race.

Once back to the action, one of the other competitors, that I had passed on the top of the hill, asked me what happened. I told him what had just happened as we rode side by side so he encouraged me to put down the hammer. He seemed willing to give me the spot in great sportsmanship. It was a very nice gesture but I told him I was in the duathlon so he didn’t need to slow his progress as we were in different events.

I promptly got back up to my cruising pace and returned back to the bike zone without further incident. Upon reaching the racks I could see I was still in first place and pretty certain my run would be good enough to hold off anyone today. Shortly out of transition, we had a downward slope to the next side street which helped get my turnover up to the rate I wanted. I was gradually making my way through even more triathletes and felt like I was running one of my finer final legs this season. I didn’t want to look at my watch to see the actual pace and was only focused on finishing strong.

Soon after the turn on this run I could see second place close to 400 metres back. The course took us back through along the side streets for a short distance before a little detour through a lake view park along crushed gravel paths. This was followed by another connection along the side streets before we were directed back into the wooded trails for the 6th kilometre. During this section I didn’t want to wipe out or make any mistakes so I cautiously made my way around the mix of mud, wooden bridges and wood chip paths, giving some time back to my chasers. Emerging from the woods I only had one kilometre left but was not about to let up. I had a goal in mind (based on last year’s time) but did not hit that due to the trails as they were not included in last year’s version.

My time may have been a little short of last year for the final run but it was enough to deliver my third win of the season. With only a few days of preparation, I went in with smaller expectations than the past few events but walked away happy about all three stages of my duathlon. My bike time was second in the duathlon and would have been fast enough for fifth in the triathlon. If you take away my little adventure at the bottom of the hill, I probably would have had the best split in the duathlon and been very close to the top three in the tri. These are the kinds of results that motivate my training efforts and give me hope that I will be able to compete in the triathlons (in my age group) next year, if I work hard on swimming during the off season.

Niagara (Grimsby) Sprint Du

Tomorrow morning is the third last duathlon on the Subaru series. I did not plan to race this but my ever growing supportive wife has given me a pass to race. Even though the weather is currently not too promising, I cannot resist.

I admit, I usually go into races a little more prepared and watch my diet a bit more than these last two weeks so I hope the extra pound or two do not mentally trick me into a sub par performance. This race usually is fast and brings out some decent talent. I am not aiming for the win but would like to hit the top three overall and need a solid run to achieve this.

I have been working a lot on my speed of late, especially the 10k distance, so I hope I can use these tough workouts to blast through the last 7k run in a pb for this course. Last year, I had David Moore right beside me the entire race (our bike split was actually identical after a super close first 2k run) so we hit the 7k run neck and neck. I managed a little better on the run thanks to the pressure he appplied and beat him be a very narrow 10 seconds. I hope, if some one is close in the front or back of me, that I can dig deep like last year. I haven't felt that fluid final run since our opening race and I know it is more mental toughness than talent.

Here is hoping for clear weather! By the looks of it right now (midnight), I would bet the hill will be eliminated again this year due to safety of the downhill portion. That makes for a very speedy and flat 25k sprint cycle.

See you all there!
Larry

Where did all the cyclists go?

I have recently competed in my second cycling road race. As with the first race (Good Friday Road Race in the spring of 2009), I was overwhelmed by the incredible, non-professional talent that showed up to the event but was puzzled by the lack of average to beginner riders?

I guess, coming from the world of triathlon and duathlon, I am use to seeing many athletes in all shapes, sizes, sexes and abilities. In my two adventures in strictly cycling events, I noticed a lack of hobbyists, first timers and a major shortage of women racers. I am not sure why these people do not come out for these races because I am positive that there are plenty of these cyclists in the region from my experiences in club and everyday riding.

What is it about the Ontario Cycling Association races that draw the top riders, usually associated with a competitive team, but not the “weekend warriors”? These participants make up a great deal of the fields in the running and triathlon contests that I frequent and they are the driving force allowing these competitions to strive, giving many of us older athletes a reason to stay active and healthy.

Is the lack of these racers a concern to the governing body in our Province? Will it affect the growth of the sport in the future? Are there plans to increase the numbers of participants at the races approved by the OCA? Are there other races out there that I have not seen that attract the regular cyclist, like myself?

If anyone has some thoughts on this topic it would be very interesting to hear your opinion!

Thank you,
Larry Bradley

le Tour de Terra Cotta - race report

To say cycling events are a different type of racing than triathlon or duathlon is a major understatement. This past weekend I joined several members of our Falcons’ club in le Tour de Terra Cotta. We had a great representation of our club in the two distances (27km and 108km) and among the incredible volunteers.

I decided to race the 108km category to test my mid-season fitness although it was a much larger distance than I am used to. I generally do not get over 60km in training due to time constraints so I knew this was going to push my limits. At the start of the race my fellow Falcons (Brian Hastings, Richard Westwood, Colin Moore and Chad Hunt) politely joined the back of the field as many of us have very little experience in these sorts of races and did not want to get run over by the pros.

As the crowd of riders set off, I remained calm thinking the first lap would be pretty tame and I would be in OK shape to hold at least mid pack. This was my big mistake for the day. As we climbed the hill on Heritage Road, the front of the huge pack started their separation attack. Brian and Richard responded well but I stuck thinking the riders around me would eventually string together with the whole line of cyclists. My lack of aggression for that split second was enough to cost me a lot of positions in the race. As I saw the huge number of riders break off the people around me I realized I was getting dropped already so I broke around the slower riders trying to close on the masses. As I hit the corner at Old School Road, the field ahead was drafting together and gradually getting farther away as I fought the killer wind alone.

I was in shock as to how quickly this had happened but remained focused and reminded myself that this was a long race and I would get back eventually. I looked back to see if I was still working alone as I arrived at Winston Churchill and saw a group of several riders, including Colin, catching up so I waited hoping we could work as a team to catch the groups ahead that included Brian and Richard. It took us awhile to get organized but we were soon in formation but still losing ground.

At the next visit to the hill, Colin pulled over half way up the climb as he thought he had a flat. This was tough as he was riding well and someone I was looking forward to working with to make our way back into the race. As I reached the summit, I quickly accelerated through the group and tried to work by myself to reach the larger group a few hundred metres ahead of me. I put my head down and was rolling well but it is so hard to close that big of a gap when they are working efficiently together. I ended up pulling one guy along during this break and he got out in front as we hit the big wind on Old School to give me a break.

For the next few kilometres we worked well and started to pass some other riders falling off the pace. Those that could join did and our numbers grew to five or so riders. As more and more cyclists dropped back from the groups ahead of us we started to feel better about our chances. I was so motivated to catch the rest of my team that I made sure we kept the pace up but this seemed to reduce our numbers.

With the course only 9km in distance we travelled the same roads so many times that I lost track of some of the details. In around the 4th lap I caught up to another rider in a smaller group in front of me and we seemed to click pretty well with our pace. It took a few laps of us working together before I realized it was Hans Porten. He was using the race as a training ride but I am sure his competitive fire got the best of him after a few laps and he seemed just as inspired to reach the larger groups in the distance as I was.

During the next several laps we stuck together and had a very respectable pace going. We were making some progress picking off one or two riders but the bigger groups just never came into view again. On the 7th or 8th lap we had the leaders zoom past us on the back stretch so we ended up losing a lap. The peloton then swallowed us up (they were running 40 seconds back of the lead 5 riders) as we made our descend into Terra Cotta on the downhill portion of the course on Winston Churchill. Those two groups were the only ones to pass us during the race so I am not sure where the next group was on the course (and the stats were not posted at the time of this report) so I am not sure if we managed to get closer to Brian and Richard but they must have been flying out there as I never spotted them once.

On our final lap (lap 11 for us), I unintentionally lost Hans just after our last climb on Heritage Hill. I had kept my pace consistent for the entire race which was a very nice feeling and ended up completing the final lap solo at 35km/h. I actually picked up a few more spots in the final 9km but due to the size of the peloton (there had to been 50 to 60 riders, or so it appeared as they swooped by us), I was quite a ways back in the overall race.

These races are very humbling to many of us multisport athletes. We seem to have very solid bike splits in our races but the true cyclists really teach us a thing or two about the sport when we race with them. This was my second cycling road race and I was hoping to place better. Thinking back on the race I am actually very happy with my effort and my work with the other riders, such as Hans. In my first experience, I ended up limping to the line in a much shorter race because I tried to work solo all of the race and burned out quickly. I definitely walked away from this race with a positive experience and very happy Mark (great race by the way!) talked me into signing up. It was a pleasure to mingle after the event with Colin, Hans and Chad as we caught our wind. To Ian, on the organizing side of the table, and all the Falcons that raced, volunteered and cheered during the course of the event, awesome job!

Tour de Terra Cotta

Tomorrow is going to be a big day for this sprint distance athlete. 108km of cycling on the 9km loop course in Terra Cotta. A group of us from the FMCT club will try to have some fun keeping up with the cycling regulars. It should be a neat experience to work as a unit instead of flying solo as per the du and tri efforts we are used to. I checked out some of the registrants and recognize some familiar names. It will be nice to hook up with some former du'ers (John Stewart and Zack Steinman) to see how things are going.

I knew I was racing this a few weeks ago so ramped up the rides a little but have kept to the running program. It is very important that I keep getting quicker on the run so I did not want to just focus on the bike for this race as I still have a few duathlons left this season and then hope to run a few races later to see how I have progressed over the past year.

Well, best go and get some rest for tomorrow. I have yet to ride over 70km this year in any given day so I may end up with some very heavy legs half way through this one. I hope my team is ready to pull!!! HAHA

Best of luck on your weekends!
Larry

Competing for Team Canada (duathlon) – Is it worth it?

In writing this little piece, I hope to get some opinions from other out there to help make a decision. I will include a little background first and then add some of my questions.

I started competing regularly in duathlons in 2007 after a few years of running. Before that, I was an overweight, beer drinking, hockey goalie that couldn’t finish 1 kilometre of consecutive running. I actually started running in 2005, at the age of 31, to get back into shape after more than a decade of beer league sports. In the fall of 2006, I bought a cheap road bike and completed two duathlons near the end of the season. I didn’t do that well but I was hooked.

The challenge of improving and finishing in a respectable fashion pushed me to train all winter and spring to see what a full year in the sport would bring. My progress was pretty quick for an older athlete and my love affair with the sport continued to grow. As I looked for more information about duathlon and triathlon, I read about the Canadian Duathlon Championships taking place in Parry Sound, not too far from Toronto. I noticed the championship was open to all athletes, and offered qualifying spots to the Worlds for the following year, I decided to take a run at it and see just how much work I needed to put in to match up with the best in the country.

At that point, Triathlon Canada was offering 8 spots per 5 year increments so this seemed thrilling and something I would have to race well to achieve. I was doing much better at the start of 2007 than my initial 2 races in 2006 but I realized I would have to increase my training if I wanted an opportunity to represent my country so early in this sport. By the time the event rolled around they had placed all the World Duathlon qualifying spots on the line in this race, therefore, 12 people from each age group could go to Italy in 2008. With only 13 duathletes in our age group, it took the suspense out of the race for me and left a bit of a sour taste in my mouth. I decided to travel up to the race anyway and ended up having my best performance up to that point, finishing 23rd overall. This was good enough for 6th in my age group, easily grabbing a spot for Italy. Reading about those extra spots a few days before the race, and the expense it would cause (my wife and I had just started our family and saving for a house); I had already decided that I would pass up my spot, as did many others I spoke to at the event.

In 2008, the World Duathlon qualifying spots were once again reserved for those racing at the Canadian Championships. The national event was held in Montreal and the spots would give you access to the Concord, North Carolina race in 2009. I continued to grow as a duathlete and was having a solid sophomore season on the Subaru Series leading up to the Canadians. With both venues (Montreal and North Carolina) relatively close to home, I was saving my pennies and confident that I could secure a spot to wear the Canadian uniform. That was until a knee injury flared up weeks before my trip to Montreal and I ended up having to skip this race to make sure I did not damage the area any further. When this happened I was more bummed to miss the chance to race against the guys from outside the Subaru Series and not too concerned about a slot for the worlds. I had seen how the spots were left up for grabs after the 2007 race and figured they would not fill up.

Now in 2009, I am still improving and have been in touch with Triathlon Canada after reading their posting a few months back regarding the open spots for North Carolina. I have been on the fence about applying for a spot for a number of reasons. I wanted to make sure I was physically going to hold up to another year in the sport. I took on a lighter race schedule and spread the training into two parts per day which seems to be working. Also, I wanted to make sure I could compete at a decent level if I was to make the trip. I think I would do OK and finish top 20 in my age group so I am happy with my racing.

Here is my dilemma. In the sport of duathlon, where almost anyone that shows up for the qualifying event can make the national team, is it really that much of an honour? Also, is the price associated with being on the team really worth it? So far I have seen a $300 Team Canada Membership fee, $150 late application fee (for not qualifying and for not signing up within a week after the qualifying event), $200 USD event entry fee, a few hundred dollars for a Team Canada uniform, and hotel, food and travel costs.

I am very proud of my achievements and love the sport of duathlon. I would also love to be able to wear a Team Canada uniform against the best in the world and show it off at future multisport events. That being said, I have a battle inside my head trying to justify the costs associated with being on this team. I realize multisport does not have the funding to assist us too much but you would think some of these costs could be eliminated or reduced to make the experience more feasible.

Let me know your thoughts? The good and the bad, I can take it!

Thank you,
Larry Bradley

More soggy training...but that is OK!

I think everyone has felt the effects of our horrible summer weather of late. It may be unpredictable and wet for the most part, but training must continue, especially with the foods I have been eating after the Provincials. I think a lot of stress and pressure had built up and now the release is in the form of a sweet tooth.

This past weekend was very bad in particular so I had to spend some extra time on the bike and in the runners to burn off all the junk. With a few weeks between duathlons I have a little time to get back into form. Funny thing is that I have actaully dropped a few pounds??

On Saturday I headed out for a 2 hour ride. I knew I was in for some stormy weather so I took my slower cross bike with some tread. Great call as I was slipping making my way up the hills in Milton even with those tires. I really pounded the pedals on this ride and felt great about the ride, as soaked as I was when I returned home. At night, it kept on raining so I just kept things indoors and worked the core and upper body for an hour.

Sunday was starting out slow in the city so we packed up the kids and headed to the country to visit the inlaws. The weather was much of the same, although the lightning was a little closer. I headed out for a mid after noon run. It took about 5k to get moving due to a few extra slices of pizza at lunch but eventually I got up to pace and had a great 20k run on the super hilly back roads. With all the rain the gravel roads were very spongy and made some of the run feel like quick sand. Not going to complain as it was a perfect strength run. We stuck around for supper as well so by the time we arrived back in Mississauga, it was close to bed time for the kids. As free time became available, I didn't really feel like taking the bike out in the wet again (too much work cleaning up afterward) so I put in another core workout.

Tonight is TT night with FMCT and the forecast is looking good which is nice as I do not like to roll out the tri bike in the rain too often. Was going to run at lunch but may need to save them for the TT. My times have been going in the wrong direction as the summer wears on so I would like to break that trend tonight. Under 17 minutes (12k) would be very nice.

Pics from Gravenhurst-







Happy training!
larry

Ontario Duathlon Championships - Race Report

This past weekend I participated in my third provincial duathlon championship. The 2009 edition took place on July 18th in the very scenic Gravenhurst, Ontario. For the second year in a row the HSBC Triathlon Series picked up the event and threw another challenging course at us duathletes. The international distance consisted of a 10k run over rolling, twisting roads just outside the town’s limits. Next was a 40k bike ride to the other end of town that included many turns and smaller than expected hill action. The final 5k run covered half of the original run we travelled to start the race which was mainly up one steady climb, down the other side to a flat stretch where we turned back to climb and then race down to the finishing section.

Being the Ontario championship, a very respectable field assembled for the race and marked the first time since Victoria’s that many of the top duathletes would be in the same race. This was expected so I knew I would have to really be on to be able to keep up with the elites and top age groupers.

Out of the gate Kevin Smith took the lead on the 10k portion of the race. Kevin has represented Canada as a pro for several years and is a very solid runner. Most of the other duathletes recognize this and we all let him go as trying to stay on his heels would surely lead to a blow up early in the event. I settled into a very nice pace and let a few others surge past as I knew would they had to offer and did not want to get off my game plan. During this feeling out part of the run I was kept company from another blogger who shares my passion for the sport, Tommy Ferris. We have been following each other’s progress this year and match up pretty close when you look at our stats.

We hung together for a large majority of the opening stage as we cruised along the cottage road trying to stay in reach of the leaders making sure to save something for the rest of the duathlon. Shortly after the turn, halfway through the run, we heard the footsteps of Bruce Bird as he found his stride. I figured he would not want to be too far off the chasers in order to make his move on the bike where is dominates. Bruce used the downhill grade of the last half and made it back to transition in 5th overall, 20 seconds ahead of me. Tommy put in a little surge as well to get to his bike 5 seconds before me, although I used a quicker transition to even our time as we mounted our bikes out on the main road.

Once on our bikes, I could feel the run had tired my legs and Tommy quickly put some distance in between us as we negotiated some of the turns through the town streets. We eventually made our way out to a branch of the route that was almost too weather beaten to ride. I had to take my chances and stay close. This aggressive riding cost me my straw and splash guard from my Gatorade bottle and would make my decision to use this aero bottle a bad one.

I usually have a bottle under my seat in a cage but wanted to see if the other setup would grab a faster time. Without the straw I had nothing to drink from and had to rely on gels for the rest of the 40k on the bike. Oh well, others have gone without so I would not let it mess me up now.

For the next few kilometers, Tommy and I fought back and forth for what was now 4th spot as we had made our way past a couple of the faster runners. The only people ahead of us now were Bruce Bird (elite), Kevin Smith (elite) and David Frake (my age group). These guys are all great duathletes and would be very tough to catch. If I wanted any chance of being in the top 5 of the age groupers I would have to lay some tracks down now to make sure I was not caught by too many of the runners once we finished the ride.

Thinking the second half of the ride was going to be a lot harder (as per the announcer before the race telling us to save some energy for the climb into town); I started to turn on the jets a little more. I had soon put a small amount of space on Mr. Ferris and was hoping to get rolling even more. To my surprise another Duathlete made a move past the two of us (the HSBC series has a different colour of numbers bibs for the tri’s and du’s, which is awesome!) and at this point I could only read “David” from his name below his number.

He had made very good time to get past us but once he got a little bit in front of me I started to work even harder. I stayed pretty close to him for much of the ride back but lost him on a set of rollers about 10k from the end of the bike ride. I actually ended up going through the intersection at one point not knowing if we had to turn or not. It was not very well marked and I had to stop dead to look down the road to see which way the other athletes had gone. Thankfully, I picked the right way. Daniel Cain was not as fortunate and ended up putting on an extra 5k to his race (something I found out after the race when talking to him to see how his day went).

To be honest, I don’t think this cost me anything in the end, maybe 5 to 10 seconds. Once I was back on track, I headed for the last turn around on the course where I could see that I was too far back but either was Tommy. I might have had only a minute on him at this point so I could not let up as we made our way through the multiple turns marking the path back to transition.

After a very smooth dismount, I got the bike onto the rack and slipped on my shoes and had to grab a quick swig of Gatorade from the bottle I kept beside my shoes. At this point I heard the announcer remark that David Field had just left ahead of me. This was the athlete that had past me on the bike and I now knew exactly who he was. I have never been this close to him in a race so I assumed catching him was a long shot.

Actually knowing this may have been a bad thing. Mentally, I conceived that spot because of his name. If I didn’t know the name I “may” have dug deeper as I am usually more confident in my final run. It is hard to tell for sure as I seemed to be struggling anyway. I think my choice of training this season was the major factor. I told Syd at the start of the year that I would be focusing on sprints and kept the workouts a little shorter. I did add a second workout to most days so I train hard but I think, for this distance and above, I need to put in longer sessions to keep the edge over a two hour period. This is my mistake and I cannot regret my decision to place my family time ahead of my training time. I have many years left of racing and as the kids get older, I am sure I will have plenty of time to improve.
Anyway, back to the race. I continued to follow David Field along the run course by about 200 metres or so. When we hit the turn I then saw Tommy moving very smoothly up the other side. Yikes, he was cooking. I tried to find a way to move faster but I just didn’t have the legs. I made my way back up the hill and started to descend back towards the staging area. This downhill was helping to get me there but I was not alone and my lead was shrinking. The last 500 metres of the run was flat but forced us to turn down a side street and then through some gravel trails into the back of the park to the finish line. As I went to turn on the side street, with Tommy about 5 metres behind me, the police officer did not stop the car coming through and I had to break stride to avoid the front of the car. Tommy also had to make the wide turn as we made our way through the confused traffic not knowing how to handle all the runners on the road.

It was along this last portion of asphalt that Tommy motored past me. He looked way to fresh to catch and my legs were absolutely finished. I wanted to hold that spot so badly but his heart was so much larger than mine on this day. I hoped to keep him closer to make it a sprint at the end but he opened up too much of a gap in mere seconds. I finally saw the finishing corral and the clock was only at 2:02 and change. My previous best at this distance was still in reach. Even that could not motivate a final sprint across the grassy mounds.

The good notes, I finished 6th overall at the provincial championships, 2 spots better than last year. It was good enough for 4th place among Age Group Duathletes and 2nd in my age group. My time of 2:03:27 is 29 seconds better than my previous best for the international distance (posted at Guelph Lakes 1 a month ago). The opening 10k was on a challenging course that I was just hoping to break 40 minutes on (after my survey of the terrain the night before) and I ran 37:31. My bike time was also respectable and the 4th best in the race behind Bruce, David Frake and David Field.

On the down side, my final run was way off and hard to explain. Most of the 5k times were bad so breaking 20 minutes was tough for most but I still expect it any time I suit up. I obviously don’t like to give up spots in a race but I have to tip my cap to Tommy for putting in a fantastic final run. He really deserved it and I know, from his blog, that he has worked very hard to make huge improvements over the last year. I also had some doubts during a few parts of the race and my mental game was a little weaker than usual.

In the end, I had a very good race and am very proud of the path I have taken to reach this level. There are a lot of positives to take from this experience and still much room to improve. I have yet to beat any of the guys that finished ahead of me but have reduced some of the gaps between us. The race was great but the highlight of the event was getting to know more of the people that love this sport. It is refreshing to finally get to know the other racers and find out they all seem to share the passion.

A special thank you must go out to Mark Botelho who allowed me to proudly race in the FMCT Falcons colours. I hope they got some great photos of me racing in it as I was very happy to represent our club for the first time in a race. Richard Westwood also offered up his jersey so he should get a round of applause as well!

Taper Material - More reasons why I Du!

MY FAMILY!

As an Age Group athlete that would like to be the best I can be, I have to stay away from many influences and products that lead to trouble. For example (for almost all the guys I talk to), no drinking, no smoking and no consumption of mass amounts of junk food. Although, you may not realize the impact it has on others, just watch your kids and some of the things they pick up from what they see. I am certain my habits will create a much healthier childhood than it would if I did not correct my lifestyle. Thank you multisports!


My kids as scene stealers as my wife takes position shots for me...

FMCT TT (Mid Season Race)

In my first year with FMCT I have been very active in their Monday night TT's. It is a great, very tough 12k workout. We all have someone that is pushing us hard and the fear of being caught from behind and the desire to catch the person ahead really gets the heart pumping. I have been lucky enough to put up some solid times (for my ability) but the regular training outside of TT has been slowing my times down since the start of the season. Need some fresh legs if I want to hold off Coach Rob. Damn is he a machine even with our weekly, windy conditions. Great racing all you Falcons!!!

Count Down Is On

Well here it is, Monday of the big race. I think I have put in some really honest work getting ready for this event. Obviously, you can only expect to improve by so much for each test but I am certain the extra training will pay off.

The run portion is my main focus leading up to a possible trip to the worlds in Septemeber and all indications are that I am making progress. With the hills we will encounter, I have to remember not to get too discouraged looking down at the watch. The pace will be slower than I would expect for the distances but everyone has to compete over the same terrain. Not being able to pace by watch, I am going to have to pick some athletes I know and pace with them. Some of the elites, if they show up, will be too quick and I must stay out of that mix or I will burn out (similar to the 2007 Nationals when we blistered through the first 5k of 10k run before I realized the pace was too quick).

I have some big goals for myself for overall position (minus the elites) but I will keep that a secret for now. Now it is time for two more solid work outs (TT tonight with FMCT and track session tomorrow) and then shut it down for a few days to rest up.

Wish me luck!
Larry

My Pic with Lisa!

Just was flipping through my digitals and found this again from 2008. Another great Canadian ambassador to the sport! A few weeks ago in Guelph she was just out riding and walking around the course cheering us all on, smiling the whole time. Simply awesome for us recreational athletes to have a legend clapping us on...

We are only a part of something much bigger...

Actually, I was going to get a little deeper but decided this is not the forum and maybe some things should remain inside. I had some good material from my run last night and still wanted to post some quick hits that I thought about while running freely last night as my mind wandered...

1. Don't take your life for granted and work hard for the things you really want.

2. There is something inside us that is more powerful than anyone can imagine. We have gifts of strength, spirit and mind that we can sometimes tap into to perform remarkable acts. The trick is to dig deep enough inside to find them.

3. You can overcome any obstacle if you really want to. Many of us just don't want to.

4. Something else has to be out there. Look up at the sky at night and find it. It may not be want you think it is.

5. It is amazing how many times your instincts are correct.

6. Don't always block out the things that annoy you. Pay attention to all the details and you will be a lot wiser in the end.

7. Are some people unlucky or have they just been picked to conquer bigger challenges.

8. Resources come in all sorts and sizes and need to be properly developed to be correctly utilized in the future.

9. Is where you go after where you want to go or where you deserve to go?

10. If you want to learn more always ask Why...

11. IS there a wrong answer to the question "Who am I?"?


This list may be just a bunch of ramblings to most but it is nice to open your mind occassionally.

One Big Reason I Love the Multisport Community - Sportsmanship

Over the weekend, I witnessed some incredible acts of sportsmanship and I was ready to write a little posting about those moments. I then became a little busy at work so I had to put it off for a couple of days but when I saw Mat Reid's posting on the Trisport Canada website I was inspired to stay up a little later tonight to put it down on paper. Here are just a few sites I took in over the past few days that makes our sports (tri and du), and the athletes, so amazing.

One of the most memorable moments was when I saw my coach guiding his visually impaired athlete through the finishing chute. They posted a great time and it was awesome to see them work as a team to finish a very tough event. Well done Syd and Ryan!

In another display, I noticed a triathlete closing in on the finish line but as he was turning his number around for the announcer (to call out his name) the number fell off. The athlete right behind him could have easily ran past and climbed up one spot but stopped and waited for the man to pick up his number and finish in front of the thoughful gentleman.

On several occassions, families would join in the final run with mom or dad as they finished this long distance race. Sometimes this leads to a little traffic in the finish area but you can tell how special it is so I say let it continue. In one particualr instance, though, the father picked up his little infant and politely stood to the side as five or six other runners passed him. He was being extra thoughtful not to be a distraction to the others and waited for a gap to carry his little one across the line.

Mat Reid, although I do not personally know Mat I know of Mat, was running much farther back in the field than I expected. I asked one of my friends if he knew what had happened and he told me he saw him out on the bike course with a flat. I guess this happened a few times to Mat on the ride (i believe 3 flats) which would have driven anyone of us of our bikes but Mat continued and finished his race. A couple days later, I see a posting on the Subaru Tri site asking anyone if they had helped Mat along the way to please contact him as he was greatful for the parts to make a finish possible. Here we have several great examples of sportsmanship. Not only for Mat wanting to thank strangers for their assistance but also to those who took their minds off their own race to help a fellow competitor.

During the course of the day, I also witnesses many instances where athletes would stop along the run course to high five, hug, kiss or even chat to their friends and fans. The appreciation these racers showed for their supporters is beyind words and reminds us that this is just a hobby for the majority of us and we should be thankful that we have the physical ability to complete such a tough endurance event.

In a blog I read after the race, posted by Tommy Ferris, he spoke about his race and the DQ of David Frake. Mr. Frake had finished second with Tommy in second but David, for some unknown reason, was DQ'd to move Tommy into second. Apparently, the duathletes started their race at a time that put them in the mess of the slower triathletes and Tommy thinks maybe David was forced to cross the centre line to keep his racing (this is often an issue that duathletes are presented as they are often an after thought to an event) momentum. Ferris stated that this DQ would be unfortunate as David Frake was having a very quick race and Tommy's respect for David was evident as Tommy still considered his compeititor as the second place finisher.

Lastly, not only are we racers but most of us are great fans on the course and after our race. How many times did I hear other athletes encouraging others on as they crossed paths. Countless. Many racers finished their event and hung around to cheer on their friends and co-triathletes as they completed their race.

I hope these examples of sportsmanship continue with the next generation of athletes as it is these acts of fair play that makes our sport so great.

Weekend Wrap

Instead of racing this weekend I decided it would be better to train and spend time with the family. After watching the Peterborough 1/2IM, and the pain involved, I am pretty sure I made the right choice.

We drove up to the Kawartha's on Saturday, with a visit to the Zoo for the kids (and myself-the big kid) along the way, and then settled nicely into a hotel within walking distance of the race site. What a lucky find to have a room left that close to the park. The bonus was that they had a pool that kept us busy for the night. Once the family went to bed it was time for a nice long, tempo run along restaurant row in Peterborough. The run felt so good that I kept on going into the dark country side over to Hwy7. Not too many cars on this road so I was able to run the shoulder of the road and keep a quick pace.

On Sunday, the family got fueled up at the hotel breakfast and then packed the car to head over to the park. When we arrived the Sprint leaders were just going through so we watch a bunch of the mid pack runners make their way around the 5k course. I met up with Andrew (FMCT member) and, as we stood and chatted, the pace car came back with the 1/2IM riders in tow. I did not recognize the leader (he was in the relay) but Bruce was second into transition and leading the triathlon. Tyler Lord was right on his tail followed closely by a bunch of other solid triathletes that would be tough to hold back on the run. Unfortunately, Bruce was not able to keep the lead as Bruno Lafontaine ended up hittign the tape first but I was really impressed with Mr. Bird's 6th place finish in his first year of swimming.

I saw a lot of friedns and fellow competitors on the course and many of them had great days. Big congrats goes out to Syd for guiding Ryan to a very impressive finish in their first race together. It is always so cool to see someone overcome the obstacles in their life and achieve their goals. Tom and Kevin each took a ton of time off their results from 2008. Paul B. won the AquaBike race with some very quick splits! Mark Keating hit top 10 in the 1/2IM Duathlon. Patrick B. had a very solid race and ended up 16th overall. Peter H (another FMCT member) had the whole family out cheering on his great result! Laura and Natalie (FMCT'ers) were both 3rd in the AG in the AquaBike!

On the sprint du side I saw that most of the du'ers decided to keep it short with defending champion, Jason Lacombe, slightly winning over David Frake (who eventually DQ'd) and Tommy Ferris. This, on paper, looked like a very close race and puts the heat on me to have a huge day in Gravenhurst. I saw Tommy standing at the awards but it was so load (and my daughter was excited about going to the playground) that I would not have been able to talk so I will introduce mtself at our next race. Great racing Tommy!

As usual, I could chat all day about multisport but should end this post to get back to work. Just thought I would send out some very deserving congrats to all that raced on the weekend! It was tough to be there on the sidelines but I had a lot of fun following the races and cheering you all on! Plus I got in some swimming lessons so the wheels are in motion for tri's next year...

Peterborough Race Weekend

Although, I will not be participating this year, I am working with my family to see if we can make a trip down to cheer on some friends. I actually just read that this is a World Qualifyer for the Long Course Duathlon. Once again, a little disappointed in the amount of advance warning we get from Triathlon Canada as that may have changed my schedule if I knew this earlier. I know this was not on their calendar for very long as I have been checking it very regularly. Oh well, saves me some money...


My coach, Syd Trefiak, will be guiding a visually impaired triathlete so I would like to go lend my support to their great athletic accomplishment in the 1/2 IM distance. Also, Tom and Kevin (training pals of mine) will likely be down as they make this race one of their must do family weekends. I am also sure to bump into some fellow Du'ers as they complete the sprints or 1/2 IM distance themselves. I know Mark Keating will be in the starting line up. Bruce Bird is rumoured to be in the long course triathlon field so it will be interesting to watch his amazing talents out on the course.

I have been ramping up for Gravenhurst so things have been all about hills and speed work. Hope to hit the track today for a nice 5 x 2k session so we will see how that goes. I hope the legs and lungs are up for the challenge.

Good luck to everyone in Peterborough! I will give all you a nice cheer as you pass by on the runs!