Blogger seems to have changed my format on my blog and I have had issues trying to get my side banners (friend lists) back up and functional.
Sorry...I will try to work some magic as I miss having update links to other blogs for easy reading.
July 25, 2012
July 16, 2012
Fighting through the bumps and bruises...
As we all know too well, life does not always stick to the script so sometimes you must improvise.
After a little recovery from the half iron distance duathlon in Welland, I started to get back on track after the Canada Day long weekend. With my sights set on racing The OCA Road Race Championships (July 15) and Triathlon Ontario Duathlon Championships (July 28) I knew I was in the right zone for the performances I expected.
On Tuesday, July 3rd I received a call from a buddy to fill the net for his summer league team and decided to strap on the pads for the first time in a few months. I thought it would be a harmless night on the ice and was just looking forward to catching up with some hockey friends I had not seen in some time. Unfortunately, late in the game I took a puck to an unprotected section under the arm that smoked my rib cage. I have had shots hit all over the place in the past so just took a few deep breaths and carried on for the final few minutes of the game. After the game, things didn't seem to bad so I just assumed it was a bruise and nothing would come of it.
The next day I did my usual training and things were not too bad, just a touch sore so I still thought it was a simple bruise. No worries.
On Thursday, I started the day out with an easy 50 minute run and was not feeling much discomfort at all so things felt good. After work, a group of co-workers set off down town (Toronto) to participate in the YMCA Relay for Strong Kids. It was a 2 or 4 person relay event held on the Honda Indy race track (2.9k) where each runner was responsible for a loop (or two loops for the 2 Person Teams) on the race track so I was going to use this as a speed workout and see how the legs were coming back from the Welland race.
Prior to my lap on the track, I put in a very good warm up and got ready for a speedy round on a very warm evening. When I got my turn, I hammered it out of the gate and kept the pedal down right through the timing mat. I was hoping to break 10minutes for the circuit and was even more please to see I had hit 9:04 for 2.8k (lost 100 metres in the hand off zone). This was easily my best pace for this distance so things were looking great for my upcoming duathlon.
That was until I tried to get out of bed the next morning and felt the pain in my right side ribs. I could not twist or stretch at all and was in a world of pain. Not good. So it turns out to be a minor crack on the rib which is now affecting my run training as it feels like someone is punching my side with every stride. Thankfully, I can still ride the bike, unless I try to real crank it up a hill.
As I monitored the situation last week I decided it would not be a smart idea to race OCA's ( Richard mentioned there was a steep climb so the competition would drop me in a heart beat) so I did not register for that race which was not too devastating. With Duathlon Champs coming up in a few weeks, I will have to make a call by July 18th. To miss Cobourg would really hurt as this was to be my "A" race of the summer and I was down to my lowest weight in years and feeling great for that duathlon distance.
The good news was that I felt strong enough to ride the Horseshoe Centurion with a bunch of the Falcons. While reading a few of their emails last week I could see some of them were interested in hitting the course at a solid pace so I figured I would be able to help pace their efforts. When we arrived north of Barrie for the event, I could see Laura G was really excited to test out her cycling power against the best women in the field. She is a very strong rider but mentioned she has never really raced on a road bike so I figured she would be leading the Falcon charge and hoped I could help out with my experiences.
Even though we arrived in good time to the race, the usual cycling die hards were super eager to get on the roads so the starting corrals filled up quick. This was something that we could not control too much so we pushed out and took it easy up the neutral section. We ended up getting through a lot of the crowd but there were still plenty of riders ahead of us by the time the race started. As soon as we hit the timing mats it was game on and I started to set a solid pace for Laura to copy.
Over the course of the scenic and hilly course we played leap frog with several tiny packs making up even more ground on the folks that must have been spit off the lead peloton. It felt great to have the pulling power to grab on group and then jump up the road to the next and I definitely received an amazing bike workout during the ride.
By the time we reached the finish, we had gathered a nice sized group of our own and posted a very respectable pace for the terrain. I am sure we could have finished up ahead of our overall placing if we had set out with some faster groups but I believe it was a great learning experience and it has lit a fire in a potential cycling star.
As it is with long events such as this, you miss out on the others not immediately around you. Fortunately, we had time to catch up with everyone after the ride and get all the great stories of successful Falcon glory. Congrats to everyone that completed the Centurion Ontario - Horseshoe 100k!
After a little recovery from the half iron distance duathlon in Welland, I started to get back on track after the Canada Day long weekend. With my sights set on racing The OCA Road Race Championships (July 15) and Triathlon Ontario Duathlon Championships (July 28) I knew I was in the right zone for the performances I expected.
On Tuesday, July 3rd I received a call from a buddy to fill the net for his summer league team and decided to strap on the pads for the first time in a few months. I thought it would be a harmless night on the ice and was just looking forward to catching up with some hockey friends I had not seen in some time. Unfortunately, late in the game I took a puck to an unprotected section under the arm that smoked my rib cage. I have had shots hit all over the place in the past so just took a few deep breaths and carried on for the final few minutes of the game. After the game, things didn't seem to bad so I just assumed it was a bruise and nothing would come of it.
The next day I did my usual training and things were not too bad, just a touch sore so I still thought it was a simple bruise. No worries.
On Thursday, I started the day out with an easy 50 minute run and was not feeling much discomfort at all so things felt good. After work, a group of co-workers set off down town (Toronto) to participate in the YMCA Relay for Strong Kids. It was a 2 or 4 person relay event held on the Honda Indy race track (2.9k) where each runner was responsible for a loop (or two loops for the 2 Person Teams) on the race track so I was going to use this as a speed workout and see how the legs were coming back from the Welland race.
Prior to my lap on the track, I put in a very good warm up and got ready for a speedy round on a very warm evening. When I got my turn, I hammered it out of the gate and kept the pedal down right through the timing mat. I was hoping to break 10minutes for the circuit and was even more please to see I had hit 9:04 for 2.8k (lost 100 metres in the hand off zone). This was easily my best pace for this distance so things were looking great for my upcoming duathlon.
That was until I tried to get out of bed the next morning and felt the pain in my right side ribs. I could not twist or stretch at all and was in a world of pain. Not good. So it turns out to be a minor crack on the rib which is now affecting my run training as it feels like someone is punching my side with every stride. Thankfully, I can still ride the bike, unless I try to real crank it up a hill.
As I monitored the situation last week I decided it would not be a smart idea to race OCA's ( Richard mentioned there was a steep climb so the competition would drop me in a heart beat) so I did not register for that race which was not too devastating. With Duathlon Champs coming up in a few weeks, I will have to make a call by July 18th. To miss Cobourg would really hurt as this was to be my "A" race of the summer and I was down to my lowest weight in years and feeling great for that duathlon distance.
The good news was that I felt strong enough to ride the Horseshoe Centurion with a bunch of the Falcons. While reading a few of their emails last week I could see some of them were interested in hitting the course at a solid pace so I figured I would be able to help pace their efforts. When we arrived north of Barrie for the event, I could see Laura G was really excited to test out her cycling power against the best women in the field. She is a very strong rider but mentioned she has never really raced on a road bike so I figured she would be leading the Falcon charge and hoped I could help out with my experiences.
Even though we arrived in good time to the race, the usual cycling die hards were super eager to get on the roads so the starting corrals filled up quick. This was something that we could not control too much so we pushed out and took it easy up the neutral section. We ended up getting through a lot of the crowd but there were still plenty of riders ahead of us by the time the race started. As soon as we hit the timing mats it was game on and I started to set a solid pace for Laura to copy.
Over the course of the scenic and hilly course we played leap frog with several tiny packs making up even more ground on the folks that must have been spit off the lead peloton. It felt great to have the pulling power to grab on group and then jump up the road to the next and I definitely received an amazing bike workout during the ride.
By the time we reached the finish, we had gathered a nice sized group of our own and posted a very respectable pace for the terrain. I am sure we could have finished up ahead of our overall placing if we had set out with some faster groups but I believe it was a great learning experience and it has lit a fire in a potential cycling star.
As it is with long events such as this, you miss out on the others not immediately around you. Fortunately, we had time to catch up with everyone after the ride and get all the great stories of successful Falcon glory. Congrats to everyone that completed the Centurion Ontario - Horseshoe 100k!
June 26, 2012
Welland Half Iron Du - Race Report
This one is a little bitter sweet. It is always nice to win but when you don't reach your expectations it takes away from the celebration. This is even more exaggerated when the racers beside you (the triathletes) are sailing past with ease on the same course.
Leading up to this race, I was not sure if I was prepared for the Half Iron distance so I had originally planned to do the Saturday Sprint Du for a quicker result on the flats of Welland. But, between my desire to complete the entire course (DNF in the triathlon a few years ago) and Tyler's words of encouragement, I decided last week that I would give it a shot.
I then did some research to see who else would be hitting the Half Iron duathlon and found out one of this season's most consistent racers, Florian Ong, would be in the field. I knew he had been both running and cycling speed so I was curious to see how I matched up at this point in the year.
Race morning was calm and uneventful so I was ready to race when they summoned us to the start line. As usual, the field was not very big for the Half Iron Du so we had a lot of room to move out there. On the horn I bolted out with David Cook and we set the pace early as we crossed over the first patrolled crossing on the river front pathway. I felt at ease with the pace and continued to keep it level as I pulled away from Mr. Cook. The drop in weight and taper made the 3:30 pace feel very controlled as I followed the lead bike.
I held my form right up to the turn around and noticed I had a decent gap opening as I turned back towards transition. It appeared most of the competition was saving up for later in the race so I just went into cruise mode and smoothly followed the bike back along the asphalt trail to the arena. As I approached the crowds cheering on the swimmers, I could see I would hit the bike even earlier than the elite triathletes. Wow, this doesn't happen for us duathletes very often.
With a few hundred metres to the timing mat, I let off the gas even more and sailed through the opening 5k in 18:00 on the dot. I then got to my bike and slipped on my cycling shoes ( I decided to bring my cycling shoes instead of tri shoes as they are a lot better quality and should have added a little power) and made my way out to greet the police motorcycle for my escort out of town. I figured this would not last long with Nigel Gray and Len Gushe chasing out of the water so I just enjoyed the attention while it lasted.
During the first quarter of the ride things felt pretty easy hovering around 39km/h so I just tried to keep the pace around this mark and let the strong cyclist from the triathlon chase me down. I was actually surprised to stay out in the lead for so long as I ended up going 44k with the escort before Nigel finally took over the honours from me. Unfortunately, that was not the only thing that was going away as my hips and legs were feeling a sluggish. I was not sure if the wind was a touch stronger than it felt or what the issue was? I had stuck to my nutritional plan and was much more attentive to my intake than any training rides over the last few months.
After a few zig zags on the west side of the course we finally got to the short out and back section. As I made the turn around the pylon I could see Len was next in line to make a move with a couple smaller groups not too far behind him full off the top riders (Rhys Spencer, Jim Sunners, Jakub Macel, etc.). With the way I was feeling I was just hoping the chase groups did not include any duathletes so I checked out all them as I past by and did not see any red bib colours.
I was now back out on North Shore Road with just under 35k left in the ride and Mr. Gushe made his move as we climbed the only upslope visible on the course. As he went by I was surprised that I was not falling back too fast on the incline but my decision to rest on the downhill on the other side is when things started to stretch out and I was alone again but assumed the chasers would be on me very soon. At this point I was very uncomfortable in the saddle and having a hard time holding my average pace near 39km/h even with the slight tail wind on the way home.
After a few easy corners I was back on Feeder Road but things were not well. My gluts felt absolutely dead and I was not able to fire up the legs. I tried standing up, stretching, different positions but nothing seemed to be working and I was losing a lot of time. I was so frustrated and hoping the next set of riders would pass to motivate me but I was the only person around for as far as I could see. I continued to spin and stretch for 10 to 15 minutes thinking the race was over for me when I finally got a little action back out of the gluts and my legs started to push again. It was not pretty but I was moving along in the low 37's and counting down the kilometres to transition.
Finally, I made the last few turns to the dismount line just as Jakub hit the line with me. As I got off my ride I could tell the run was going to be a challenge. I had nothing in the back of my legs so I took my time in the zone to see if I could recover with some liquids and cool water on the body. During this rest break Jim and Rhys exited the zone so I decided it was now or never.
I got a shuffle going out of the arena parking lot and followed Rhys down to the path for a short 200 metres out and back before heading east to the main portion of the run. Just after getting around the turn marker, I slowly made my way past Rhys and started to think things may improve as I now set my sights in Mr. Sunners and Mr. Macel only 50 or so metres ahead. This chase continued for the next few kilometres as we navigated a few town side streets before rejoining the waterfront path system.
Nearing the 4km marker I could see Jim was getting his legs and Jakub appeared to be holding his side. I was thinking this would be a great time to bridge up to Jim and move past Jakub. I was not sure what our pace was at this time (as my stupid Garmin 405 froze due to sweat on the ride) but I knew I was not on my expected pace so running with a top 3 triathlete had to be an improvement.
With a little push I closed the gap on Jakub but Jim was still pulling away. It was on this surge that I started to cramp like I have never felt in a long time. I had to slow up to relief the pain and hope the next aid station could offer the right fluids to calm things down. Unfortunately, the water, Heed and Coke was not working so I had to start to worry about who was chasing me now. When I got out to the far end of the path for the first loop I watched the line of runners coming back. I finally found Florian who appeared to have a decent run going but he was a little more than eight minutes back. I was hurting a lot but didn't want to throw in the towel as the race leader.
On the course I had great encouragement from people like Richard Pady (on his bike cheering on his team), K Jacobson and her man Tanker (amazing volunteers at an aid station), as well as many friends racing along side. I knew they would understand if I called it quits (due to my cramping condition) but thankfully my legs would not let my brain take over and they kept moving, sometimes at a walk, towards the finish line.
For the last half of the run I just kept counting down the kilometres mixing in some average running with some walking just hoping it would be enough to hold off Mr. Ong in second place. Finally, I wrapped up the second loop of the Merritt Island section and headed back into town with only a couple km left. During this stretch I had a few more triathletes (Derek Virgo, Matt Barefoot, B Habermehl) pass me which definitely showed my lack of long course endurance.
So as I approached the finish line, even though I knew I was going to take the duathlon win, I did not show very much excitement as I fell very short of my pre-race expectations. Sure I can take a great training day out of the experience but, if you know me well, you know I expect a lot out of my race performances.
Congrats to all the amazing athletes who competed this weekend all over. Also, thanks to John Salt and his awesome Recharge with Milk MSC crew and volunteers for putting on an incredible race weekend!
Having a few days to let this race sink in, as well as speaking with a few people, it is clear that I need to narrow my focus on one sport. I am too critical of my results to compete all over the sports map as it just leads to unsatisfied feelings when I reflect on my performances.
This being said, I will try to keep to my schedule for the rest of this season (it is too late now to expect much of a change) and sit down with Coach Tyler to tackle 2013 at full force. The long term goals I set out when I started this journey in 2006 are fast approaching so if I really want to hit them I have to either get serious soon or just relax and abondon those lofty target?
Thanks for reading and supporting!
Larry
PS - I know some out there may question, "where is the fun?". I still love to get out and socialize on a group run or ride as much as the next person so it is not all work and no joy ;)
Leading up to this race, I was not sure if I was prepared for the Half Iron distance so I had originally planned to do the Saturday Sprint Du for a quicker result on the flats of Welland. But, between my desire to complete the entire course (DNF in the triathlon a few years ago) and Tyler's words of encouragement, I decided last week that I would give it a shot.
I then did some research to see who else would be hitting the Half Iron duathlon and found out one of this season's most consistent racers, Florian Ong, would be in the field. I knew he had been both running and cycling speed so I was curious to see how I matched up at this point in the year.
Race morning was calm and uneventful so I was ready to race when they summoned us to the start line. As usual, the field was not very big for the Half Iron Du so we had a lot of room to move out there. On the horn I bolted out with David Cook and we set the pace early as we crossed over the first patrolled crossing on the river front pathway. I felt at ease with the pace and continued to keep it level as I pulled away from Mr. Cook. The drop in weight and taper made the 3:30 pace feel very controlled as I followed the lead bike.
I held my form right up to the turn around and noticed I had a decent gap opening as I turned back towards transition. It appeared most of the competition was saving up for later in the race so I just went into cruise mode and smoothly followed the bike back along the asphalt trail to the arena. As I approached the crowds cheering on the swimmers, I could see I would hit the bike even earlier than the elite triathletes. Wow, this doesn't happen for us duathletes very often.
With a few hundred metres to the timing mat, I let off the gas even more and sailed through the opening 5k in 18:00 on the dot. I then got to my bike and slipped on my cycling shoes ( I decided to bring my cycling shoes instead of tri shoes as they are a lot better quality and should have added a little power) and made my way out to greet the police motorcycle for my escort out of town. I figured this would not last long with Nigel Gray and Len Gushe chasing out of the water so I just enjoyed the attention while it lasted.
During the first quarter of the ride things felt pretty easy hovering around 39km/h so I just tried to keep the pace around this mark and let the strong cyclist from the triathlon chase me down. I was actually surprised to stay out in the lead for so long as I ended up going 44k with the escort before Nigel finally took over the honours from me. Unfortunately, that was not the only thing that was going away as my hips and legs were feeling a sluggish. I was not sure if the wind was a touch stronger than it felt or what the issue was? I had stuck to my nutritional plan and was much more attentive to my intake than any training rides over the last few months.
After a few zig zags on the west side of the course we finally got to the short out and back section. As I made the turn around the pylon I could see Len was next in line to make a move with a couple smaller groups not too far behind him full off the top riders (Rhys Spencer, Jim Sunners, Jakub Macel, etc.). With the way I was feeling I was just hoping the chase groups did not include any duathletes so I checked out all them as I past by and did not see any red bib colours.
I was now back out on North Shore Road with just under 35k left in the ride and Mr. Gushe made his move as we climbed the only upslope visible on the course. As he went by I was surprised that I was not falling back too fast on the incline but my decision to rest on the downhill on the other side is when things started to stretch out and I was alone again but assumed the chasers would be on me very soon. At this point I was very uncomfortable in the saddle and having a hard time holding my average pace near 39km/h even with the slight tail wind on the way home.
After a few easy corners I was back on Feeder Road but things were not well. My gluts felt absolutely dead and I was not able to fire up the legs. I tried standing up, stretching, different positions but nothing seemed to be working and I was losing a lot of time. I was so frustrated and hoping the next set of riders would pass to motivate me but I was the only person around for as far as I could see. I continued to spin and stretch for 10 to 15 minutes thinking the race was over for me when I finally got a little action back out of the gluts and my legs started to push again. It was not pretty but I was moving along in the low 37's and counting down the kilometres to transition.
Finally, I made the last few turns to the dismount line just as Jakub hit the line with me. As I got off my ride I could tell the run was going to be a challenge. I had nothing in the back of my legs so I took my time in the zone to see if I could recover with some liquids and cool water on the body. During this rest break Jim and Rhys exited the zone so I decided it was now or never.
I got a shuffle going out of the arena parking lot and followed Rhys down to the path for a short 200 metres out and back before heading east to the main portion of the run. Just after getting around the turn marker, I slowly made my way past Rhys and started to think things may improve as I now set my sights in Mr. Sunners and Mr. Macel only 50 or so metres ahead. This chase continued for the next few kilometres as we navigated a few town side streets before rejoining the waterfront path system.
Nearing the 4km marker I could see Jim was getting his legs and Jakub appeared to be holding his side. I was thinking this would be a great time to bridge up to Jim and move past Jakub. I was not sure what our pace was at this time (as my stupid Garmin 405 froze due to sweat on the ride) but I knew I was not on my expected pace so running with a top 3 triathlete had to be an improvement.
With a little push I closed the gap on Jakub but Jim was still pulling away. It was on this surge that I started to cramp like I have never felt in a long time. I had to slow up to relief the pain and hope the next aid station could offer the right fluids to calm things down. Unfortunately, the water, Heed and Coke was not working so I had to start to worry about who was chasing me now. When I got out to the far end of the path for the first loop I watched the line of runners coming back. I finally found Florian who appeared to have a decent run going but he was a little more than eight minutes back. I was hurting a lot but didn't want to throw in the towel as the race leader.
On the course I had great encouragement from people like Richard Pady (on his bike cheering on his team), K Jacobson and her man Tanker (amazing volunteers at an aid station), as well as many friends racing along side. I knew they would understand if I called it quits (due to my cramping condition) but thankfully my legs would not let my brain take over and they kept moving, sometimes at a walk, towards the finish line.
For the last half of the run I just kept counting down the kilometres mixing in some average running with some walking just hoping it would be enough to hold off Mr. Ong in second place. Finally, I wrapped up the second loop of the Merritt Island section and headed back into town with only a couple km left. During this stretch I had a few more triathletes (Derek Virgo, Matt Barefoot, B Habermehl) pass me which definitely showed my lack of long course endurance.
So as I approached the finish line, even though I knew I was going to take the duathlon win, I did not show very much excitement as I fell very short of my pre-race expectations. Sure I can take a great training day out of the experience but, if you know me well, you know I expect a lot out of my race performances.
Congrats to all the amazing athletes who competed this weekend all over. Also, thanks to John Salt and his awesome Recharge with Milk MSC crew and volunteers for putting on an incredible race weekend!
Having a few days to let this race sink in, as well as speaking with a few people, it is clear that I need to narrow my focus on one sport. I am too critical of my results to compete all over the sports map as it just leads to unsatisfied feelings when I reflect on my performances.
This being said, I will try to keep to my schedule for the rest of this season (it is too late now to expect much of a change) and sit down with Coach Tyler to tackle 2013 at full force. The long term goals I set out when I started this journey in 2006 are fast approaching so if I really want to hit them I have to either get serious soon or just relax and abondon those lofty target?
Thanks for reading and supporting!
Larry
PS - I know some out there may question, "where is the fun?". I still love to get out and socialize on a group run or ride as much as the next person so it is not all work and no joy ;)
June 18, 2012
Am I Ready?
After a brief conversation with Tyler, I talked myself into the Half Iron Distance this Sunday in Welland. I have not been running quite those distances but my bike training is in line for a 90k race. Thankfully, the first run is only 5k this year so not as crazy as the 12k they had last year (I think that is what I saw in the results.) but still much more than the 2k I am used to from Peterborough.
Unfortunately, the duathlon at this distance does not usually pull too many athletes out but I hope some of the top guys show up as it will be nice to have a push out there. I say that now but come the mid-way point of the race I am sure I will be wishing it was just an easy training pace. HA HA
Hope to see a good group of duathletes in Welland this Sunday!
Unfortunately, the duathlon at this distance does not usually pull too many athletes out but I hope some of the top guys show up as it will be nice to have a push out there. I say that now but come the mid-way point of the race I am sure I will be wishing it was just an easy training pace. HA HA
Hope to see a good group of duathletes in Welland this Sunday!
June 13, 2012
Midweek Crit - 6/12/12
This was my first opportunity since obtaining an OCA license to get out for the famous Midweek Crit series and it was everything I had been promised. As expected, the first race was very large with many riders looking to put in a solid training effort after a short one day rest from the weekend's events.
With registration running long, our race was a touch late starting out so they announced that it would be shorter this week with around 30 minutes of riding and then 10 laps of jockeying for final position.
Well, their was nothing tame about the first 30 minutes as a few guys decided to take it out quick in the second lap and then I got a little boost of energy and hammered a few laps. With the strong winds out of the north bashing us on the tougher (not too tough but relative to the downhill on the other side of the short 1k loop) portion of the oval course, I knew I would be playing with fire trying to maintain my pace so I dropped back into the pack and chilled for a second.
My timing was very poor as the pace picked up again and for a large number of laps and I slowly dropped back deeper and deeper into the massive peloton. Eventually, I settled down and caught my breath and started to look for Richard, Kane, Jon and Kohei to see where they were situated. They all appeared to be playing it smart, hanging just off the front so I tried to get back up in the middle of the action with them.
After a few more laps of edging up through the crowd, I was surprised to hear we only had 9 more laps. Once again, the pace picked up and I moved even closer to the front to see what was going to unfold. By the time we received the 8 lap sign, I had joined the pointy end of the group (with one guy in a break only a few seconds ahead). As we hit the back side of the track, I pushed past Kohei to allow him some rest and then decided to keep on the pace to catch the break, thinking he may work with me to get away.
When I caught him on the up slope, he didn't seem too interested in holding that speed any longer so I just moved past him and kept my head down. My effort was pretty solid but it wasn't long before I had the entire peloton following my lead. Oh well, I tried.
I figured I was already in TT mode so why not just go with it, burn out some other legs and hope one of my buddies could take the win. I am no where near a sprinter so I knew if it came down to a sprint, I would be dusted so I might as well have some fun with this.
I continued to pull the group along as I counted down the laps. 6, 5, 4 and then 3 before the others finally had enough of me leading the race. I was just starting the small climb up to the start/finish line (with the lap 2 sign in the RD hands) when the masses made their move and swallowed me up, literally pushing me back through the pack.
My legs were blasted by now so I was not sure if I should try a quick recovery or just fade out of the race. I caught on to the end of the large lead group and tried to rest one lap. I could see things were starting to get exciting up front but knew I would not have the power to enjoy a top ten but wanted to make a final charge. On my second last climb up the hill, I got a little closer to the front and put in a decent effort over the last portion but was in no shape to contend with those guys on this night. I happily hung on with a middle of the lead pack finish and found out the rest of the boys had solid results so my efforts were not a lost cause.
This weekly race is definitely something I will re-visit. It was a little confusing trying to figure out who was still in contention as you are able to rest and rejoin the race if you fall off the back but the problem I saw was guys I noticed resting for a few laps (and then jumping back in) were back in the mix for the sprint at the end. The rule clearly states that you should not re-join that close to the front but I think several riders are just not concerned with rules. Add this to the ongoing 'yellow line" violations during weekend races, and you can see there is a major issue with the integrity within participants of the sport.
With registration running long, our race was a touch late starting out so they announced that it would be shorter this week with around 30 minutes of riding and then 10 laps of jockeying for final position.
Well, their was nothing tame about the first 30 minutes as a few guys decided to take it out quick in the second lap and then I got a little boost of energy and hammered a few laps. With the strong winds out of the north bashing us on the tougher (not too tough but relative to the downhill on the other side of the short 1k loop) portion of the oval course, I knew I would be playing with fire trying to maintain my pace so I dropped back into the pack and chilled for a second.
My timing was very poor as the pace picked up again and for a large number of laps and I slowly dropped back deeper and deeper into the massive peloton. Eventually, I settled down and caught my breath and started to look for Richard, Kane, Jon and Kohei to see where they were situated. They all appeared to be playing it smart, hanging just off the front so I tried to get back up in the middle of the action with them.
After a few more laps of edging up through the crowd, I was surprised to hear we only had 9 more laps. Once again, the pace picked up and I moved even closer to the front to see what was going to unfold. By the time we received the 8 lap sign, I had joined the pointy end of the group (with one guy in a break only a few seconds ahead). As we hit the back side of the track, I pushed past Kohei to allow him some rest and then decided to keep on the pace to catch the break, thinking he may work with me to get away.
When I caught him on the up slope, he didn't seem too interested in holding that speed any longer so I just moved past him and kept my head down. My effort was pretty solid but it wasn't long before I had the entire peloton following my lead. Oh well, I tried.
I figured I was already in TT mode so why not just go with it, burn out some other legs and hope one of my buddies could take the win. I am no where near a sprinter so I knew if it came down to a sprint, I would be dusted so I might as well have some fun with this.
I continued to pull the group along as I counted down the laps. 6, 5, 4 and then 3 before the others finally had enough of me leading the race. I was just starting the small climb up to the start/finish line (with the lap 2 sign in the RD hands) when the masses made their move and swallowed me up, literally pushing me back through the pack.
My legs were blasted by now so I was not sure if I should try a quick recovery or just fade out of the race. I caught on to the end of the large lead group and tried to rest one lap. I could see things were starting to get exciting up front but knew I would not have the power to enjoy a top ten but wanted to make a final charge. On my second last climb up the hill, I got a little closer to the front and put in a decent effort over the last portion but was in no shape to contend with those guys on this night. I happily hung on with a middle of the lead pack finish and found out the rest of the boys had solid results so my efforts were not a lost cause.
This weekly race is definitely something I will re-visit. It was a little confusing trying to figure out who was still in contention as you are able to rest and rejoin the race if you fall off the back but the problem I saw was guys I noticed resting for a few laps (and then jumping back in) were back in the mix for the sprint at the end. The rule clearly states that you should not re-join that close to the front but I think several riders are just not concerned with rules. Add this to the ongoing 'yellow line" violations during weekend races, and you can see there is a major issue with the integrity within participants of the sport.
May 28, 2012
Woodstock Super Sprint Duathlon - Race Report
I have been itching to get a duathlon under my belt this season and luckily this past Saturday worked out. The Recharge with Milk series had their Woodstock weekend with the shorter events on Saturday and sprint distance races on Sunday.
I have not worked many bricks into my training to date but have been working hard on both my running and cycling, individually. My competitive side was telling me it was time to combine the two elements to see how they meshed together so I got looking around for a race.
After checking out the schedule at home, work and training I decided the Saturday race would work best, although, I maybe should have re-evaluated that closer to the weekend...
Friday ended up being a lot more crazy than expected so I really was not as well prepared come Saturday morning as I would have liked to be. This would be an issue (bike) later on in the race but everything seemed in fine working order as I quickly tossed the gear into the truck before making the trip west along the 401.
Leaving the house later than desired, I started getting second thoughts of racing as I was not exactly sure how long it would take to drive to the race site. In my opinion, if you cannot be there at least thirty minutes before one of these meets, the rush becomes a huge distraction with registration, set up and warm up. I was not feeling good about my chances, to be honest, but I decided to roll along and try anyway.
Thankfully, the drive went much smoother than I could have wished for and I arrived at the park with almost forty-five minutes to spare. After a quick tour through registration, I pumped some air in the tires of my Argon TT bike and crossed my fingers that it was ready to race. I have not been on this bike since the Niagara Sprint Duathlon last August so it has just been sitting around collecting dust.
I then did a quick visualization of the transition zone and then went up to the start area for a warm up. I ran into a few friends up there (Patrick B, Tommy F, Roger H) so did some catching up and then got into game mode as John Salt went through some last minute instructions.
The duathlon was a super sprint distance of 3k/20k/3k so I knew some of the other folks would be hammering it out on the course. I put down a serious track effort on Thursday night and some silly cycling on Friday. I was not sure how this would come back to haunt me but just wanted to stay up with the front runners, empty the tank and let the chips fall where they may.
Off the horn, I bolted out of the gate up a short, grassy slope as we only had about 50 metres to get up to the first turn. It was a tight one with some wooden traffic barriers planted in the ground so I wanted to be clear of the group before hitting this sharp left and did so with a quick sprint from the start line. I then leveled out at close to 3:30/km pace as I pushed along the loose gravel park road with a few chasers on my heels.
After a kilometre, I reached the bridge across the dam where I could really start feeling the pressure from behind. Kent Keeler, of Team Running Free, was right behind me and seemed a lot more fresh than I was feeling already. With Kent applying the hammer, I kept up the pace and we reached the turn around together. I thought for sure he was going to pass during the spin around the marker but he stayed patient and hung in behind me as we returned over the bridge.
We ran this way the entire distance back to transition. Every time I felt a little surge on my shoulder, I picked up the pace until we reached the timing mats side by side in just under 3:30 pace. This was exactly where I wanted to be but I was hoping to feel more energized in doing so. Oh well, time to see how the bike was rolling...
As we both reached our bikes, I made a smooth switch out of my runners, buckled my helmet and grabbed my ride. I noticed my competition was still in his shoes as I pushed my bike up the long path to the mount line. It was not the most pretty mount (my cycling shoes flipped when I tried to hop on the bike) but I got sorted out and started the slow, twisting climb out of the park.
Most of the first four km were gradually sloping away from the park so the pace was not quite where I wanted it. I was making my way through the triathletes already on the course but was feeling the effects of a hard run effort battling to stay at the front of the duathlon. My bike issue also came to light as I tried to power up just outside the park gates. I am not sure how it moved during the off-season but my seat was now dramatically angled down and I was sliding off with every stroke. Damn!
To make things worse, the heat and humidity were pulling alot of sweat from my body so my hands and forearms were slipping off the bars and I could not hold my butt on the seat. This created a lot of lost power and exhausted a lot of energy as I kept trying to get my rear on the seat and hold a position to create a decent effort. Thankfully, it was only 20k so I did my best and fed off the fact I was still making my way towards the front of the triathlon race.
At the turn around, I could finally spot out Kent mixed in with the swim/bike/runners and he was not too far behind. I put in a solid surge up the slope and then made some strong gains with the tail wind across the top of the "U" shaped course. By the time I started heading back to park, my legs started to feel more like their old self and the last five kilometres seemed to fly.
Everything was starting to come back together and my average pace was much more respectable heading into the park entrance. This 500 metres section was designated a "No Pass" zone due to the downslope and twists that would make it a little dangerous. Unfortunately, I got stuck behind a very cautious rider who was really taking it easy. I lost a large chunk of time (1 full km/h on my bike computer) following him to the dismount line. I tried to politely urge him along but he was not looking very confident with this section. We have all been there so I took it all in stride and just waited for my chance to dismount and fly through transition.
Posting another solid transition split was key to pumping up my confidence for the final 3k run. I eased through the first hundred metres on the grass and then picked out some triathletes ahead to use as targets. I knew they were up near the head of that race and would be hitting decent splits so that helped.
Out on the same course as our first run made it very easy to zone out and worry only about finishing strong. As I passed across the bridge and then hit the turn around I could finally see Kent about 150 metres back just coming off the dam. I told him that he was doing great and knew I could not relax or he would be able to cover that gap.
I kept up the pace and ended up with a strong finish on the mix of gravel and grass to post a win in my first duathlon of the season. Overall, I felt pretty good with the result but have lots of work to do to get to my 2012 goals.
After the race, I was able to do some more catching up with former duathlete, Tommy F ( http://www.ignition-fitness.com/ ), Cam B ( @BigRaceWheels ), Roger H ( @hosspro ), Patrick B, Chris C ( @cdcanning ) and some new competitors like Kent K ( @runbikeraceblog ).
Thanks to John Salt ( @MultiSportCan ) and his crew for the great race and to Steve Fleck ( @stevefleck) for the amazing mic work during the event!
I have not worked many bricks into my training to date but have been working hard on both my running and cycling, individually. My competitive side was telling me it was time to combine the two elements to see how they meshed together so I got looking around for a race.
After checking out the schedule at home, work and training I decided the Saturday race would work best, although, I maybe should have re-evaluated that closer to the weekend...
Friday ended up being a lot more crazy than expected so I really was not as well prepared come Saturday morning as I would have liked to be. This would be an issue (bike) later on in the race but everything seemed in fine working order as I quickly tossed the gear into the truck before making the trip west along the 401.
Leaving the house later than desired, I started getting second thoughts of racing as I was not exactly sure how long it would take to drive to the race site. In my opinion, if you cannot be there at least thirty minutes before one of these meets, the rush becomes a huge distraction with registration, set up and warm up. I was not feeling good about my chances, to be honest, but I decided to roll along and try anyway.
Thankfully, the drive went much smoother than I could have wished for and I arrived at the park with almost forty-five minutes to spare. After a quick tour through registration, I pumped some air in the tires of my Argon TT bike and crossed my fingers that it was ready to race. I have not been on this bike since the Niagara Sprint Duathlon last August so it has just been sitting around collecting dust.
I then did a quick visualization of the transition zone and then went up to the start area for a warm up. I ran into a few friends up there (Patrick B, Tommy F, Roger H) so did some catching up and then got into game mode as John Salt went through some last minute instructions.
The duathlon was a super sprint distance of 3k/20k/3k so I knew some of the other folks would be hammering it out on the course. I put down a serious track effort on Thursday night and some silly cycling on Friday. I was not sure how this would come back to haunt me but just wanted to stay up with the front runners, empty the tank and let the chips fall where they may.
Off the horn, I bolted out of the gate up a short, grassy slope as we only had about 50 metres to get up to the first turn. It was a tight one with some wooden traffic barriers planted in the ground so I wanted to be clear of the group before hitting this sharp left and did so with a quick sprint from the start line. I then leveled out at close to 3:30/km pace as I pushed along the loose gravel park road with a few chasers on my heels.
After a kilometre, I reached the bridge across the dam where I could really start feeling the pressure from behind. Kent Keeler, of Team Running Free, was right behind me and seemed a lot more fresh than I was feeling already. With Kent applying the hammer, I kept up the pace and we reached the turn around together. I thought for sure he was going to pass during the spin around the marker but he stayed patient and hung in behind me as we returned over the bridge.
We ran this way the entire distance back to transition. Every time I felt a little surge on my shoulder, I picked up the pace until we reached the timing mats side by side in just under 3:30 pace. This was exactly where I wanted to be but I was hoping to feel more energized in doing so. Oh well, time to see how the bike was rolling...
As we both reached our bikes, I made a smooth switch out of my runners, buckled my helmet and grabbed my ride. I noticed my competition was still in his shoes as I pushed my bike up the long path to the mount line. It was not the most pretty mount (my cycling shoes flipped when I tried to hop on the bike) but I got sorted out and started the slow, twisting climb out of the park.
Most of the first four km were gradually sloping away from the park so the pace was not quite where I wanted it. I was making my way through the triathletes already on the course but was feeling the effects of a hard run effort battling to stay at the front of the duathlon. My bike issue also came to light as I tried to power up just outside the park gates. I am not sure how it moved during the off-season but my seat was now dramatically angled down and I was sliding off with every stroke. Damn!
To make things worse, the heat and humidity were pulling alot of sweat from my body so my hands and forearms were slipping off the bars and I could not hold my butt on the seat. This created a lot of lost power and exhausted a lot of energy as I kept trying to get my rear on the seat and hold a position to create a decent effort. Thankfully, it was only 20k so I did my best and fed off the fact I was still making my way towards the front of the triathlon race.
At the turn around, I could finally spot out Kent mixed in with the swim/bike/runners and he was not too far behind. I put in a solid surge up the slope and then made some strong gains with the tail wind across the top of the "U" shaped course. By the time I started heading back to park, my legs started to feel more like their old self and the last five kilometres seemed to fly.
Everything was starting to come back together and my average pace was much more respectable heading into the park entrance. This 500 metres section was designated a "No Pass" zone due to the downslope and twists that would make it a little dangerous. Unfortunately, I got stuck behind a very cautious rider who was really taking it easy. I lost a large chunk of time (1 full km/h on my bike computer) following him to the dismount line. I tried to politely urge him along but he was not looking very confident with this section. We have all been there so I took it all in stride and just waited for my chance to dismount and fly through transition.
Posting another solid transition split was key to pumping up my confidence for the final 3k run. I eased through the first hundred metres on the grass and then picked out some triathletes ahead to use as targets. I knew they were up near the head of that race and would be hitting decent splits so that helped.
Out on the same course as our first run made it very easy to zone out and worry only about finishing strong. As I passed across the bridge and then hit the turn around I could finally see Kent about 150 metres back just coming off the dam. I told him that he was doing great and knew I could not relax or he would be able to cover that gap.
I kept up the pace and ended up with a strong finish on the mix of gravel and grass to post a win in my first duathlon of the season. Overall, I felt pretty good with the result but have lots of work to do to get to my 2012 goals.
After the race, I was able to do some more catching up with former duathlete, Tommy F ( http://www.ignition-fitness.com/ ), Cam B ( @BigRaceWheels ), Roger H ( @hosspro ), Patrick B, Chris C ( @cdcanning ) and some new competitors like Kent K ( @runbikeraceblog ).
Thanks to John Salt ( @MultiSportCan ) and his crew for the great race and to Steve Fleck ( @stevefleck) for the amazing mic work during the event!
May 16, 2012
Sporting Life 10k - Race Report
A few months back, a bunch of the Falcons decided we should get a group together to battle it out on the streets of Toronto. Our current president, Colin C, recommended we enter the Sporting Life 10k and within a few days we had several members signed up and ready to chase down some PB's on this super fast course. As usual, some side banter was included in the following days so I knew I had some serious training to do in order to back up my prediction...
As it turned out, many folks could not make it out on race day but a small group of us met early in Brampton to start our journey into the heart of the big city. Peter M kindly offered to chauffeur Colin C, Laura G and myself to the start line as he was still feeling the effects of his solid 3:05 marathon the week before.
We arrived downtown in very good time so I was able to quickly pass through registration to pick up my bib/chip before settling beside the end rails of the long barrier set up to corral all 22,000 expected runners. It was a cool, damp morning so I was not in too much of a rush to gear down to my race clothes.
Eventually, time drew closer to our start so I finally stripped down to my shorts and FMCT tri top and headed over to bag check to drop off my warmer clothing. As I approached the trucks that were hired to carry the bags down to the finish line, I started to see how incredibly long the line of people was stretching. It had to have been 400 to 600 metres long and moving extra slow. I looked at my watch and knew I would be risking a good warm up if I waited in this que. As I was about to head back to see Peter (to place my bag in his van), a man yelled over a loud speaker that a line was starting over on the other side of the road as well. I walked over and saw this was starting to get out of control so as I passed the back of the truck, I tossed my bag to one of the volunteers piling the cargo. Seemed easy enough so I am not sure why the lines were moving so slow.
Getting that out of the way, I jogged down to the start corral for my estimated finish time and started my warm up. Along the way I bumped into Dan H from our club and chatted as I stretched before continuing up to the front of the huge crowd. As I looked around, I was surprised to see very few familiar faces. I was hoping to see a few usual suspects that I could pace with but the only two people I knew were wild cards on this day. John H. mentioned that he was having a hip procedure in a few days so he was going to ease through the run and Evan Mc. mentioned that he had not trained as frequently as desired so he was not sure where he would finish up.
Oh well, with this many people there was bound to be a big group around me for the run, right?
Amazingly, I was in the second row of people by the time the horn sounded so just a couple shuffle steps to get going and then I found a bunch of open room on the left side of Yonge Street. A number of young lads flew out of the gate while I patiently locked into a good, downhill pace that I knew I needed to maintain to create a buffer for the lower flats.
After approximately 500m, the youngsters started to fade and a shockingly small crowd remained just a few metres up ahead of me and a few other people. At this point, a few quick looking guys jogged up beside us. I looked over to see their effortless stride only to notice they both were carrying their backpacks?
They must have sat in the bag check lines when the gun went off and decided to run with their gear. As we passed a police officer guarding a side street, they stopped and tried to unload their stuff with this officer. He would not touch the bags so they picked them up and headed over to a cyclist riding beside our little group. Thankfully, the cyclist found it in his heart to grab the bags and, hopefully, take them down to the finish line. Those guys blasted down the road and got back up with the leaders from that point...
Shortly after this took place we encounter our first, small incline along the route. This was not a difficult uphill in any way but it seemed to break apart out little group and I was no running solo with a tiny pack still ahead with a 50m gap on me. With a slight headwind coming up from the lake I knew I wanted to get in with those 4 or 5 guys but wasn't sure if I could bridge the gap without over cooking my legs too early in the run?
Looking down at my pace, I opted to hang tight and see how things around my played out. Having run this race a few times in my early running days, I knew most of the landmarks and crossing streets and what to look ahead to in order to distract my mind from the burn in the legs. As things leveled out down near Bloor Street, I could see I was going to have to keep pushing in order to break 17:00 for the opening 5k. As I reached the marker I looked down at my Garmin to see I had finally broke that barrier (i know it is downhill...) with less than 10 seconds to spare. This was exciting but the reality was I know needed to run a sub 18:00 second 5k to close out my goal.
Shortly before the Dundas crossing, I had a runner puffing down my neck. As I looked over I could see it was Hugo R, a Saucony runner that I had run against in the 2011 Hamilton Half, and he was moving. I thought I might be able to jump on his heels and get my up the road but he saw my attempt and zig zagged to shake me off. I did not try very hard to hitch on due to his speed so I let him carry on up the road and he came in 21 seconds ahead of me.
By the time the short lived chase was completed, I noticed the small group ahead was starting to string out. Jeff F of Team Running Free was the next runner up the road but still just a little too far to move on. I kept counting down the kilometres to the finish not really worried about placing but just hoping to keep my legs turning over quick enough to avoid any high splits.
When I finally arrived at our first turn, onto Richmond Street, I made the corner with another competitor nipping on my feet. He was a younger runner with a Waterloo jersey (Jordan F) so I wasn't sure what he would have in the tank but I locked in behind him as he pulled up closer to Jeff. By the time we rounded the smooth corner south on Peter Street, Jordan had opened up a gap but dropped me beside Jeff so I ran beside my old Running Free mate along this short stretch and over to Front Street.
On Front Street, I felt a surge of relief and the two of us reeled in Jordan and also another Waterloo racer Darryl B just before another left turn on Bathurst. We only had a short bridge run on Bathurts over the train tracks and then a quick right to our finish sprint on Fort York Blvd. Making the turn, my legs were dead tired but everyone seemed to want to push for position. For some reason, the challenge was too much to resist so I used this spark to make sure I finished up in style as I did not want to leave any seconds on the course.
Our sprint started a little early so it was a long, top speed effort at this stage of 10k. Darryl ended up with the sprint bragging rights with me a second behind and Jordan and Jeff right behind me.
During this final push to the line, I was trying to find the display of the race time (was moving too quick to look at my watch without risking a massive roll over) but the first digital clock I saw made no sense (I think it was counting down the time from the first runner crossing the line...). Finally, just before I hit the timing mat, I noticed the second clock had 34:34 so I had just accomplished what I had set out to achieve and broken 35:00 on Yonge Street.
As it turns out, the chip time was 34:36 (my garmin was 34:34 and 10.04k) and I ended up in 16th place overall of the 17,551 finishers (21,724 entrants, 4,000 people did not start or finish????).
Congrats to all the finishers and PB'ers! I missed so many of you at the park after the run due to the enormous crowds.
Below is a chart that shows my Needed Splits (based on the elevation chart) to get to 35:00 and the Garmin Splits from my watch. Actuals do not add up as the course was 40m long as per Garmin so that took a few seconds to run (within the error range so course may have been perfect and watch off).
As it turned out, many folks could not make it out on race day but a small group of us met early in Brampton to start our journey into the heart of the big city. Peter M kindly offered to chauffeur Colin C, Laura G and myself to the start line as he was still feeling the effects of his solid 3:05 marathon the week before.
We arrived downtown in very good time so I was able to quickly pass through registration to pick up my bib/chip before settling beside the end rails of the long barrier set up to corral all 22,000 expected runners. It was a cool, damp morning so I was not in too much of a rush to gear down to my race clothes.
Eventually, time drew closer to our start so I finally stripped down to my shorts and FMCT tri top and headed over to bag check to drop off my warmer clothing. As I approached the trucks that were hired to carry the bags down to the finish line, I started to see how incredibly long the line of people was stretching. It had to have been 400 to 600 metres long and moving extra slow. I looked at my watch and knew I would be risking a good warm up if I waited in this que. As I was about to head back to see Peter (to place my bag in his van), a man yelled over a loud speaker that a line was starting over on the other side of the road as well. I walked over and saw this was starting to get out of control so as I passed the back of the truck, I tossed my bag to one of the volunteers piling the cargo. Seemed easy enough so I am not sure why the lines were moving so slow.
Getting that out of the way, I jogged down to the start corral for my estimated finish time and started my warm up. Along the way I bumped into Dan H from our club and chatted as I stretched before continuing up to the front of the huge crowd. As I looked around, I was surprised to see very few familiar faces. I was hoping to see a few usual suspects that I could pace with but the only two people I knew were wild cards on this day. John H. mentioned that he was having a hip procedure in a few days so he was going to ease through the run and Evan Mc. mentioned that he had not trained as frequently as desired so he was not sure where he would finish up.
Oh well, with this many people there was bound to be a big group around me for the run, right?
Amazingly, I was in the second row of people by the time the horn sounded so just a couple shuffle steps to get going and then I found a bunch of open room on the left side of Yonge Street. A number of young lads flew out of the gate while I patiently locked into a good, downhill pace that I knew I needed to maintain to create a buffer for the lower flats.
After approximately 500m, the youngsters started to fade and a shockingly small crowd remained just a few metres up ahead of me and a few other people. At this point, a few quick looking guys jogged up beside us. I looked over to see their effortless stride only to notice they both were carrying their backpacks?
They must have sat in the bag check lines when the gun went off and decided to run with their gear. As we passed a police officer guarding a side street, they stopped and tried to unload their stuff with this officer. He would not touch the bags so they picked them up and headed over to a cyclist riding beside our little group. Thankfully, the cyclist found it in his heart to grab the bags and, hopefully, take them down to the finish line. Those guys blasted down the road and got back up with the leaders from that point...
Shortly after this took place we encounter our first, small incline along the route. This was not a difficult uphill in any way but it seemed to break apart out little group and I was no running solo with a tiny pack still ahead with a 50m gap on me. With a slight headwind coming up from the lake I knew I wanted to get in with those 4 or 5 guys but wasn't sure if I could bridge the gap without over cooking my legs too early in the run?
Looking down at my pace, I opted to hang tight and see how things around my played out. Having run this race a few times in my early running days, I knew most of the landmarks and crossing streets and what to look ahead to in order to distract my mind from the burn in the legs. As things leveled out down near Bloor Street, I could see I was going to have to keep pushing in order to break 17:00 for the opening 5k. As I reached the marker I looked down at my Garmin to see I had finally broke that barrier (i know it is downhill...) with less than 10 seconds to spare. This was exciting but the reality was I know needed to run a sub 18:00 second 5k to close out my goal.
Shortly before the Dundas crossing, I had a runner puffing down my neck. As I looked over I could see it was Hugo R, a Saucony runner that I had run against in the 2011 Hamilton Half, and he was moving. I thought I might be able to jump on his heels and get my up the road but he saw my attempt and zig zagged to shake me off. I did not try very hard to hitch on due to his speed so I let him carry on up the road and he came in 21 seconds ahead of me.
By the time the short lived chase was completed, I noticed the small group ahead was starting to string out. Jeff F of Team Running Free was the next runner up the road but still just a little too far to move on. I kept counting down the kilometres to the finish not really worried about placing but just hoping to keep my legs turning over quick enough to avoid any high splits.
When I finally arrived at our first turn, onto Richmond Street, I made the corner with another competitor nipping on my feet. He was a younger runner with a Waterloo jersey (Jordan F) so I wasn't sure what he would have in the tank but I locked in behind him as he pulled up closer to Jeff. By the time we rounded the smooth corner south on Peter Street, Jordan had opened up a gap but dropped me beside Jeff so I ran beside my old Running Free mate along this short stretch and over to Front Street.
On Front Street, I felt a surge of relief and the two of us reeled in Jordan and also another Waterloo racer Darryl B just before another left turn on Bathurst. We only had a short bridge run on Bathurts over the train tracks and then a quick right to our finish sprint on Fort York Blvd. Making the turn, my legs were dead tired but everyone seemed to want to push for position. For some reason, the challenge was too much to resist so I used this spark to make sure I finished up in style as I did not want to leave any seconds on the course.
Our sprint started a little early so it was a long, top speed effort at this stage of 10k. Darryl ended up with the sprint bragging rights with me a second behind and Jordan and Jeff right behind me.
During this final push to the line, I was trying to find the display of the race time (was moving too quick to look at my watch without risking a massive roll over) but the first digital clock I saw made no sense (I think it was counting down the time from the first runner crossing the line...). Finally, just before I hit the timing mat, I noticed the second clock had 34:34 so I had just accomplished what I had set out to achieve and broken 35:00 on Yonge Street.
As it turns out, the chip time was 34:36 (my garmin was 34:34 and 10.04k) and I ended up in 16th place overall of the 17,551 finishers (21,724 entrants, 4,000 people did not start or finish????).
Congrats to all the finishers and PB'ers! I missed so many of you at the park after the run due to the enormous crowds.
Below is a chart that shows my Needed Splits (based on the elevation chart) to get to 35:00 and the Garmin Splits from my watch. Actuals do not add up as the course was 40m long as per Garmin so that took a few seconds to run (within the error range so course may have been perfect and watch off).
May 7, 2012
Canadian Duathlon Championships - First since 2008!
2012 Canadian Duathlon Championships / Championnat Canadien de Duathlon
The Toronto Triathlon Festival is excited to announce that our race weekend will include the 2012 Canadian Duathlon Championships.
We are proud to provide a compelling platform to play host to the first such Duathlon National Championship since 2009 (LB Note - i think they have this wrong as there was no National Champ in 2009!).
Athletes will have the opportunity to experience a truly urban race course in Canada’s largest city. Duathletes will contest a unique bike leg, cutting straight through the heart of Toronto’s core, on its downtown highways. The race format will be Run (10 km), Bike (40 km), Run (5 km).
We are excited to offer 10 qualifying spots per age group for the 2013 World Duathlon Championships in Segovia, Spain, next September (exact date TBA).
Qualification for the 2013 World Duathlon Championships is for the Canadian Age Group Team only – if you wish to qualify for a different federation (e.g. Germany, Great Britain, etc.) please visit the website of the specific national triathlon federation in question.
If you wish to obtain a spot on Triathlon Canada’s Age Group Duathlon World Championship Team, you are required to be a member of your local provincial triathlon federation. For a list of provincial triathlon federations, please click here - http://triathloncanada.com/ .
For more information on Triathlon Canada’s Age Group Duathlon World Championship Team, please contact Joyce Chiang at agegroupteams@triathloncanada.com .
Note: The minimum age for the Duathlon is 18.
The Toronto Triathlon Festival is excited to announce that our race weekend will include the 2012 Canadian Duathlon Championships.
We are proud to provide a compelling platform to play host to the first such Duathlon National Championship since 2009 (LB Note - i think they have this wrong as there was no National Champ in 2009!).
Athletes will have the opportunity to experience a truly urban race course in Canada’s largest city. Duathletes will contest a unique bike leg, cutting straight through the heart of Toronto’s core, on its downtown highways. The race format will be Run (10 km), Bike (40 km), Run (5 km).
We are excited to offer 10 qualifying spots per age group for the 2013 World Duathlon Championships in Segovia, Spain, next September (exact date TBA).
Qualification for the 2013 World Duathlon Championships is for the Canadian Age Group Team only – if you wish to qualify for a different federation (e.g. Germany, Great Britain, etc.) please visit the website of the specific national triathlon federation in question.
If you wish to obtain a spot on Triathlon Canada’s Age Group Duathlon World Championship Team, you are required to be a member of your local provincial triathlon federation. For a list of provincial triathlon federations, please click here - http://triathloncanada.com/ .
For more information on Triathlon Canada’s Age Group Duathlon World Championship Team, please contact Joyce Chiang at agegroupteams@triathloncanada.com .
Note: The minimum age for the Duathlon is 18.
May 1, 2012
Tour of Bronte - Race Report
The Tour of Bronte was advertised as tough race on a mix of asphalt and gravel surfaces. Being relatively new to the bike racing community, I was a little nervous about this event as my bike handling skills are not quite as strong as many of the seasoned riders. On my road bike, I try to avoid rough road surfaces like this at all cost so I was going into the race with very little experience riding this type of circuit.
As Richard and I rode along the Bronte Park entrance roads, to get to the registration area, the “Beginner” race was sent off past us moving in the other direction. By the time we got around to the shed to pick up our numbers, the racers had made their way around to our location and were sliding around a hairy turn. From here, we could see firsthand how tricky the gravel cornering was. What had I signed myself up for?
Eventually, it was our turn to roll out and, as usual, I came to the line later than I should have and was stuck near the back of the pack. On a course like this, with an increased risk of riders going down, I needed to be up closer to avoid any breaks caused by an accident.
As the lead vehicle led us along the smoother, asphalt portion of the course, I slowly made my way to the middle part of the group. I could now see the front runners and the volunteer signaling our first right hand turn. This one was a little tight but was still on a hard top surface so we had enough grip to power up out of the turn only to have to brake just a few seconds up this path.
Into the next turn I could see a bunch of rear wheels sliding as many of the riders tested out their bike handling on the loose gravel. I took an inside line here and noticed a vehicle wheel rut on this line that seemed to hold my bike on course. Right after this turn was another sharp right turn that proved even tougher. I was stuck on the inside so had to slow down considerably to negotiate the tree growing beside the pathway. I could not afford to get brave here as I would have wiped out a good chunk of the peloton if I was not able to hold my line.
Getting through this turn standing up was a big confidence booster going forward. The boys picked up the pace right out of this corner but everyone appeared to get on the train and follow the group along the twisting gravel road through the park. There were a few other areas of caution during the rest of the 8km loop but the initial nerves settled and I just started to worry more about getting further up the field to avoid being left behind.
After the first lap most of the group was still sitting together so there were about forty-five (of fifty-one) riders sharing tight quarters moving through the winding park roads. For a few of the opening laps I was stuck near the back end of the peloton but I could see Richard and Phill working up near the front and wanted to get up to help them out. I waited for the group to get through the loose corner near the registration shed before making a move up the right side on a flat, straight section. When I finally got up near the pointy end of the pack I saw a few guys jump off the front. I had just put out an effort to move up to this point so I figured I would sit back and wait for more to bridge.
My slight resting hesitation would be a bit of a mistake. Just as I was catching my breath two more riders broke, including Phill. I just caught him out of the corner of my eye and instinctively powered up. Thankfully, Richard was right beside me and noticed that my weak effort to catch Phill’s wheel would have pulled a train across to ruin Phill’s break. I quickly backed off and gave Richard thanks for calling me off. We then worked the front of the group with another rider (who must have had a teammate in the break) to slow the chase down.
After a minute or so I heard rumblings in the pack that we had a member in the break so they decided to jump around us and pick up the chase. By this time the foursome had opened a good gap so the hunt was on. Richard and I held strong in the group for a number of the next laps as nobody really got organized enough to make a dent in the break consisting of Gaelan Merritt (Waterloo CC), Derek Snider (Indy), Phill and one other rider.
During those laps we were around twenty five riders deep with only one rider going down in the toughest corner. That wipe out happened to the left of my line so I was able to avoid the distraction and power up before getting dropped. It wasn’t too long after this that we started to lap some riders so it became tough to know if the break was still together or broken. When we finally got around to the asphalt section I could see the leaders coming back up the other side of the road but noticed it was down to two guys (Gaelan and Derek) and Phill was not there?
About a minute later I saw Phill sitting up saving some gas. I was not sure what had happened at this point but was hoping he would have the energy to jump back on with us. Thankfully, he had saved up enough to join our group of around twenty guys/girl. Having three guys in the chase gave us a nice edge so it was time to start moving.
After making the U-Turn (near the start/finish line) on lap 7 (of 8), Richard and I got out on the tip of the group. I pulled through but misunderstood Richard’s command as I started to hammer. I thought he was coming as well but he was trying to block. When I noticed a gap I pulled up to let him catch my wheel. Rookie mistake!
The peloton was now strung out heading into the three quick hitting turns. As I got through the corners, I powered up again to see what the group was interested in doing. Unfortunately, not much as they just sat on my wheel for a few hundred metres. Starting a solo break this far from the finish would have been a lost cause (I think) so I decided to save the legs for the last lap and just hang out on the front to cover any other breaks.
As we rounded the “registration” corner on this lap I could see Richard getting up beside me with a smaller group starting to form. I was hoping this would start an echelon and reduce the size of the peloton. Just as I was about to jump in I felt a loss of power in my rear tire. Things suddenly got a little wobbly and I looked down to see the tire had flatted.
Damn, there were only 1.5 laps to go and I was starting to feel very solid in my legs. I yelled out my flat so the group knew I was pulling out and slowly made it over to the side of the path. I was a little disappointed at first but then realized it was out of my control, especially, on a circuit like this.
I walked my bike back to the team’s tent and got into spectator mode to watch Richard and Phill work their magic. As they passed our vantage point, with about 4k left in the race, you could see Gaelan and Derek were not going to be caught but the Kurzawinski Coach/PBNJ.CA boys were looking very good in the chase.
After they made their last pass, we headed over to the finish line on the other side of the parking lot. Gaelan brought it home just fourteen seconds ahead of Derek and then the pack came down the stretch around three minutes behind the leaders.
On the final sprint, I could see Richard up front, battling it out for a podium. They came right down to the wire but he just missed out by a wheel, settling with an impressive fourth place overall. Phill also came in with the pack finishing seventeenth overall. He had fought hard all day (including a crash in corner three before re-joining the peloton) and backed off the sprint when he knew he could get open for safe finish.
Other Notable Finishes (folks I know)…
Open Race
8th – Bruce Bird (Wheels of Bloor/Graywood Development)
9th – Stan Blazek (KURZAWINSKI COACH/ PBNJ.CA)
Mech- Adam Fitzsimmons (NINE2FIVEPRO.COM CYCLING TEAM)
As Richard and I rode along the Bronte Park entrance roads, to get to the registration area, the “Beginner” race was sent off past us moving in the other direction. By the time we got around to the shed to pick up our numbers, the racers had made their way around to our location and were sliding around a hairy turn. From here, we could see firsthand how tricky the gravel cornering was. What had I signed myself up for?
Eventually, it was our turn to roll out and, as usual, I came to the line later than I should have and was stuck near the back of the pack. On a course like this, with an increased risk of riders going down, I needed to be up closer to avoid any breaks caused by an accident.
As the lead vehicle led us along the smoother, asphalt portion of the course, I slowly made my way to the middle part of the group. I could now see the front runners and the volunteer signaling our first right hand turn. This one was a little tight but was still on a hard top surface so we had enough grip to power up out of the turn only to have to brake just a few seconds up this path.
Into the next turn I could see a bunch of rear wheels sliding as many of the riders tested out their bike handling on the loose gravel. I took an inside line here and noticed a vehicle wheel rut on this line that seemed to hold my bike on course. Right after this turn was another sharp right turn that proved even tougher. I was stuck on the inside so had to slow down considerably to negotiate the tree growing beside the pathway. I could not afford to get brave here as I would have wiped out a good chunk of the peloton if I was not able to hold my line.
Getting through this turn standing up was a big confidence booster going forward. The boys picked up the pace right out of this corner but everyone appeared to get on the train and follow the group along the twisting gravel road through the park. There were a few other areas of caution during the rest of the 8km loop but the initial nerves settled and I just started to worry more about getting further up the field to avoid being left behind.
After the first lap most of the group was still sitting together so there were about forty-five (of fifty-one) riders sharing tight quarters moving through the winding park roads. For a few of the opening laps I was stuck near the back end of the peloton but I could see Richard and Phill working up near the front and wanted to get up to help them out. I waited for the group to get through the loose corner near the registration shed before making a move up the right side on a flat, straight section. When I finally got up near the pointy end of the pack I saw a few guys jump off the front. I had just put out an effort to move up to this point so I figured I would sit back and wait for more to bridge.
My slight resting hesitation would be a bit of a mistake. Just as I was catching my breath two more riders broke, including Phill. I just caught him out of the corner of my eye and instinctively powered up. Thankfully, Richard was right beside me and noticed that my weak effort to catch Phill’s wheel would have pulled a train across to ruin Phill’s break. I quickly backed off and gave Richard thanks for calling me off. We then worked the front of the group with another rider (who must have had a teammate in the break) to slow the chase down.
After a minute or so I heard rumblings in the pack that we had a member in the break so they decided to jump around us and pick up the chase. By this time the foursome had opened a good gap so the hunt was on. Richard and I held strong in the group for a number of the next laps as nobody really got organized enough to make a dent in the break consisting of Gaelan Merritt (Waterloo CC), Derek Snider (Indy), Phill and one other rider.
During those laps we were around twenty five riders deep with only one rider going down in the toughest corner. That wipe out happened to the left of my line so I was able to avoid the distraction and power up before getting dropped. It wasn’t too long after this that we started to lap some riders so it became tough to know if the break was still together or broken. When we finally got around to the asphalt section I could see the leaders coming back up the other side of the road but noticed it was down to two guys (Gaelan and Derek) and Phill was not there?
About a minute later I saw Phill sitting up saving some gas. I was not sure what had happened at this point but was hoping he would have the energy to jump back on with us. Thankfully, he had saved up enough to join our group of around twenty guys/girl. Having three guys in the chase gave us a nice edge so it was time to start moving.
After making the U-Turn (near the start/finish line) on lap 7 (of 8), Richard and I got out on the tip of the group. I pulled through but misunderstood Richard’s command as I started to hammer. I thought he was coming as well but he was trying to block. When I noticed a gap I pulled up to let him catch my wheel. Rookie mistake!
The peloton was now strung out heading into the three quick hitting turns. As I got through the corners, I powered up again to see what the group was interested in doing. Unfortunately, not much as they just sat on my wheel for a few hundred metres. Starting a solo break this far from the finish would have been a lost cause (I think) so I decided to save the legs for the last lap and just hang out on the front to cover any other breaks.
As we rounded the “registration” corner on this lap I could see Richard getting up beside me with a smaller group starting to form. I was hoping this would start an echelon and reduce the size of the peloton. Just as I was about to jump in I felt a loss of power in my rear tire. Things suddenly got a little wobbly and I looked down to see the tire had flatted.
Damn, there were only 1.5 laps to go and I was starting to feel very solid in my legs. I yelled out my flat so the group knew I was pulling out and slowly made it over to the side of the path. I was a little disappointed at first but then realized it was out of my control, especially, on a circuit like this.
I walked my bike back to the team’s tent and got into spectator mode to watch Richard and Phill work their magic. As they passed our vantage point, with about 4k left in the race, you could see Gaelan and Derek were not going to be caught but the Kurzawinski Coach/PBNJ.CA boys were looking very good in the chase.
After they made their last pass, we headed over to the finish line on the other side of the parking lot. Gaelan brought it home just fourteen seconds ahead of Derek and then the pack came down the stretch around three minutes behind the leaders.
On the final sprint, I could see Richard up front, battling it out for a podium. They came right down to the wire but he just missed out by a wheel, settling with an impressive fourth place overall. Phill also came in with the pack finishing seventeenth overall. He had fought hard all day (including a crash in corner three before re-joining the peloton) and backed off the sprint when he knew he could get open for safe finish.
Other Notable Finishes (folks I know)…
Open Race
8th – Bruce Bird (Wheels of Bloor/Graywood Development)
9th – Stan Blazek (KURZAWINSKI COACH/ PBNJ.CA)
Mech- Adam Fitzsimmons (NINE2FIVEPRO.COM CYCLING TEAM)
April 16, 2012
Spring into Motion 5k - Race Report
The 9th Annual Spring into Motion 5k was hosted by Brad Mailloux and the Feet in Motion Staff at the Gellert Community Centre (Georgetown, ON). The race heads out from the walking paths of the Community Centre and then follows a stretch of the bike path along Eighth Line before snaking through the local subdivision and bringing the runners back to the Gellert Centre.
A full day of rest could not revive my body from the damage of a Friday night out with the guys. It had been a long time since we all got together and I must have thought I could still carry on like my youthful days. Bad mistake.
Not being able to fuel or hydrate for much of Saturday did not give me a lot of confidence as I went through my warm up on Sunday morning but I figured I would give it a whirl and see what I could make out of the situation. I tried to talk myself into going after my goal of sub-17 minutes and knew a few racers were going to be out ahead pacing that effort. Tim Shannon (multiple defending champ) and Sean Bowen (McMaster track athlete) were in attendance so the pace would be brisk for sure.
At the starting line, the light rain didn’t seem to be much of a factor due to the warmer air we were greeted with on this spring morning. Learning from last year, I got right on the line as the lead out to the bike path is a little tight with a lot of young, spirited athletes hammering out of the gate.
As the horn sounded, I moved onto Tim’s heels and just let him work around the teen runners setting the early pace. After about five hundred metres, the speeds dropped and the more experienced athletes seemed to filter out of the crowd to establish the lead pack. There were three runners just a few metres ahead of me following the lead bike up the slight hill making up the first kilometre. At the 1k marker, I was through in 3:18 but was already feeling drained. My legs felt fine but my stomach just felt empty.
When we made the next right turn, I was slipping back from Tim and Sean and following third place by close to 20 metres. We were now moving gently down slope so I was hoping I could maintain the time cushion set in the first kilometre and then work through the final three km’s to get to my goal. Unfortunately, my system was not cooperating and I slowly started to fade back from the youngster as we reached the second kilometre sign.
With survival mode in full order, I ignored my watch and just tried to make back time on the runner ahead of me. Tim and Sean were way up the road and on pace for a blistering time so I knew I had to toughen up if I wanted a piece of the podium. During this middle portion of the race, we zigged zagged through the surrounding neighbourhood where we seemed to be shelter from much of the wind by the taller homes of the community. Even with this relief, I could not get up enough speed to cut the gap and my target slowly drifted away.
Finally, the chase seemed fruitless as he made his turn off the streets and onto the park pathways for our final five hundred metres. When I made my turn, I could see Sean had a slight lead over Tim as they raced down the finishing chute for an incredible 16:07 and 16:13 dual, respectively.
With the finishing line in sight, I tried to muster some last minute speed but even that request was declined and I turned the last corner to watch third hit the line in 17:02. Thankfully, I finally reached that line in 17:40 and fourth place overall (a full 15 seconds off last year’s time).
The disappointing part was that this year’s weather conditions were much easier for running and Tim took 19 seconds off his time from 2011 so I should have had a better result. Oh well, have to look forward and be ready for Sporting Life 10k on May 13th.
A big thank you to Brad and his Feet in Motion crew for another great race. They always make the event worth putting on the calendar with their charity donations, volunteers, prizing and solid, local competitors.
A full day of rest could not revive my body from the damage of a Friday night out with the guys. It had been a long time since we all got together and I must have thought I could still carry on like my youthful days. Bad mistake.
Not being able to fuel or hydrate for much of Saturday did not give me a lot of confidence as I went through my warm up on Sunday morning but I figured I would give it a whirl and see what I could make out of the situation. I tried to talk myself into going after my goal of sub-17 minutes and knew a few racers were going to be out ahead pacing that effort. Tim Shannon (multiple defending champ) and Sean Bowen (McMaster track athlete) were in attendance so the pace would be brisk for sure.
At the starting line, the light rain didn’t seem to be much of a factor due to the warmer air we were greeted with on this spring morning. Learning from last year, I got right on the line as the lead out to the bike path is a little tight with a lot of young, spirited athletes hammering out of the gate.
As the horn sounded, I moved onto Tim’s heels and just let him work around the teen runners setting the early pace. After about five hundred metres, the speeds dropped and the more experienced athletes seemed to filter out of the crowd to establish the lead pack. There were three runners just a few metres ahead of me following the lead bike up the slight hill making up the first kilometre. At the 1k marker, I was through in 3:18 but was already feeling drained. My legs felt fine but my stomach just felt empty.
When we made the next right turn, I was slipping back from Tim and Sean and following third place by close to 20 metres. We were now moving gently down slope so I was hoping I could maintain the time cushion set in the first kilometre and then work through the final three km’s to get to my goal. Unfortunately, my system was not cooperating and I slowly started to fade back from the youngster as we reached the second kilometre sign.
With survival mode in full order, I ignored my watch and just tried to make back time on the runner ahead of me. Tim and Sean were way up the road and on pace for a blistering time so I knew I had to toughen up if I wanted a piece of the podium. During this middle portion of the race, we zigged zagged through the surrounding neighbourhood where we seemed to be shelter from much of the wind by the taller homes of the community. Even with this relief, I could not get up enough speed to cut the gap and my target slowly drifted away.
Finally, the chase seemed fruitless as he made his turn off the streets and onto the park pathways for our final five hundred metres. When I made my turn, I could see Sean had a slight lead over Tim as they raced down the finishing chute for an incredible 16:07 and 16:13 dual, respectively.
With the finishing line in sight, I tried to muster some last minute speed but even that request was declined and I turned the last corner to watch third hit the line in 17:02. Thankfully, I finally reached that line in 17:40 and fourth place overall (a full 15 seconds off last year’s time).
The disappointing part was that this year’s weather conditions were much easier for running and Tim took 19 seconds off his time from 2011 so I should have had a better result. Oh well, have to look forward and be ready for Sporting Life 10k on May 13th.
A big thank you to Brad and his Feet in Motion crew for another great race. They always make the event worth putting on the calendar with their charity donations, volunteers, prizing and solid, local competitors.
April 11, 2012
Good Friday Cycling Race - M3 Race Report
Surprisingly, I had very few nerves going into the first race of the season. As long as the bike was working well, I knew I had put in the work to stay close to my teammates so we could stick with the majority of the riders in the M3 field.
After my warm up, I did get to the start line behind most of the others in my category so this created a little worry but Coach Kris from our team, http://www.kurzawinskicoach.com/ , gave me a game plan to work my way up the pack to align with Richard and Phill. I really wanted to be up much closer to them on the start but the Commissionaires were being very strict with us staying on the right half of the road and forcing all late riders to the back of the pack. Oh well...
So the race starts and several guys go zooming up the other side of the road for the next few kilometres trying to get away from the back. I didn't want to risk a DQ so I "patiently" picked away at the right side. Once out of the tree lined section of the course, we were getting hit with a minor side wind that many were trying to avoid so the right side eventually started to open up, although I was wasting more energy than most of the other riders, I still felt that I was well below my usual race effort so continued up the side of the pack.
By the time we made our first right turn I had moved up into the top fifteen and could see Richard and Phill lurking up near the front. We were now into a head wind and the pace dramatically slowed as nobody wanted to lead out the group. This short stretch leading to a steep, twisting hill tested our braking abilities again so I just stayed put and waited for our first climb.
I dropped down to my small ring up front and spun up the hill with no worries. I was making good time up the hill and was actually getting caught in some of the guys starting to stall, which caused some drama but I strugged it off and crested the hill for my decent. During the decent, I passed a good number of athletes and made it up to see Richard and Phill both in around the top five.
Deciding I could give them a lead out for a while, I settled in behind the lead rider and made the next two climbs on his rear before making a little move as we headed down the hill after turning onto Safari Road. I was hoping Richard and Phill would pick this up and give me a signal to hammer but I think too many others were too close at this point to really make a major move this early in the race. I just kept pulling and monitoring my effort to make I was not burning too much too soon.
As we made the next right onto Brock Road, the huge peloton remained right on my tail. We had a tailwind along this fairly flat part so the speeds started to pick up and everyone held tight until we made our last turn of lap 1 back to the start/finish line.
At this point a few guys decided to pick up the pace and seemed to want to sprint for the line. Not sure what they were thinking but we all jumped on and nothing was established as we started lap 2. Not too much further up the road, my momentum had taken me back up to the front with WOB rider, Stanislaw Bielak. Kris told me to stay with him as much as possible as he had won the past few Good Friday races in this category. I was hoping he was ready to roll but he was not too interested in pulling so I basically had to roll to a stop before he would pull through.
Eventually, a few other riders grew tired of the slow pace and took the lead as we corned onto Westover Road. This was the head wind portion so their efforts were pretty much smashed by the breeze that was showing signs of waking up. I was starting to think this was going to take a sprint to win the race, which is not in my favour, so I was starting to plot a strategy to take off, hopefully with my teammates in tow.
I figured I would wait until we got through the three hills and then pick it up on the flats to see what would happen. With this plan set, I just tried to remain calm on the climbs to reserve my energy for the upcoming effort. Unfortunately, as we were descending on the Safari Road hill, our race was neutralized by an official to let the S4 group pass us. The pace car destroyed any chance I had as the group became like a can of sardines waiting for the race to start again.
Once the S4 group had passed, and gapped us, we were set free but it was chaos for the rest of the race as we had too many people trying to share a lane of this country road. Many were getting edgy and making their move on the other side of the yellow but I did not want to risk this. Especially, after watching one dude almost eat the front grill of a car coming up the other side of the road. Scary...
So the rest of the last lap was just a bunch of grapes floating along the course. I could see Richard and Phill just a couple bikes ahead of me but I was stuck dead centre with nowhere to go. By the time the group started to move along Brock Road for the last few kilometres, things were really getting pushy as I could see a lot of jockeying for position in the couple rows a head. This is when things got really crazy, just to the right of my bike, I saw one guy go down and the rider beside me could not avoid the mess. I was just hoping my teammates were OK but I could only see Phill still riding. I had a bad feeling Richard was a part of the carnage and started to get very cautious.
Around the last corner, to the sprint finish, all I could think was just get me to the line with the rubber side down. Thankfully, this short section opened up to the full road and the group spread out with most grabbing wheels on the right hand side. I saw an opening on the left and hammered down that side of the road passing a few people from the massive peloton. I ended up with the same time as the leader but back in 22nd place. Phill had a nice sprint just a few wheels back of the leaders and ended up in 9th place overall. Jon Westwood had a solid debut in the S4 category getting his feet wet in the sport with a 32nd place showing. Nicely done guys!
Thankfully, Richard ended up being cleared by the medical staff and is back at it already. It was a nasty tumble he took and can be read about on his blog http://richard-westwood.blogspot.com/
From the results page there were 52 riders that finished in the main group and 97 athletes that started the race in M3.
Also, it was good to see a bunch of tri and du folks out on the course. I know the roadies don't like to share their sport very much but we put in some good results. Congrats to Alex Auld, David Moore, Ryan Power, Derek Snider, Evert Lamb, Kevin Tearle, etc. ( I am sure there are more but too many names to sort through...)
After my warm up, I did get to the start line behind most of the others in my category so this created a little worry but Coach Kris from our team, http://www.kurzawinskicoach.com/ , gave me a game plan to work my way up the pack to align with Richard and Phill. I really wanted to be up much closer to them on the start but the Commissionaires were being very strict with us staying on the right half of the road and forcing all late riders to the back of the pack. Oh well...
So the race starts and several guys go zooming up the other side of the road for the next few kilometres trying to get away from the back. I didn't want to risk a DQ so I "patiently" picked away at the right side. Once out of the tree lined section of the course, we were getting hit with a minor side wind that many were trying to avoid so the right side eventually started to open up, although I was wasting more energy than most of the other riders, I still felt that I was well below my usual race effort so continued up the side of the pack.
By the time we made our first right turn I had moved up into the top fifteen and could see Richard and Phill lurking up near the front. We were now into a head wind and the pace dramatically slowed as nobody wanted to lead out the group. This short stretch leading to a steep, twisting hill tested our braking abilities again so I just stayed put and waited for our first climb.
I dropped down to my small ring up front and spun up the hill with no worries. I was making good time up the hill and was actually getting caught in some of the guys starting to stall, which caused some drama but I strugged it off and crested the hill for my decent. During the decent, I passed a good number of athletes and made it up to see Richard and Phill both in around the top five.
Deciding I could give them a lead out for a while, I settled in behind the lead rider and made the next two climbs on his rear before making a little move as we headed down the hill after turning onto Safari Road. I was hoping Richard and Phill would pick this up and give me a signal to hammer but I think too many others were too close at this point to really make a major move this early in the race. I just kept pulling and monitoring my effort to make I was not burning too much too soon.
As we made the next right onto Brock Road, the huge peloton remained right on my tail. We had a tailwind along this fairly flat part so the speeds started to pick up and everyone held tight until we made our last turn of lap 1 back to the start/finish line.
Eventually, a few other riders grew tired of the slow pace and took the lead as we corned onto Westover Road. This was the head wind portion so their efforts were pretty much smashed by the breeze that was showing signs of waking up. I was starting to think this was going to take a sprint to win the race, which is not in my favour, so I was starting to plot a strategy to take off, hopefully with my teammates in tow.
I figured I would wait until we got through the three hills and then pick it up on the flats to see what would happen. With this plan set, I just tried to remain calm on the climbs to reserve my energy for the upcoming effort. Unfortunately, as we were descending on the Safari Road hill, our race was neutralized by an official to let the S4 group pass us. The pace car destroyed any chance I had as the group became like a can of sardines waiting for the race to start again.
Once the S4 group had passed, and gapped us, we were set free but it was chaos for the rest of the race as we had too many people trying to share a lane of this country road. Many were getting edgy and making their move on the other side of the yellow but I did not want to risk this. Especially, after watching one dude almost eat the front grill of a car coming up the other side of the road. Scary...
So the rest of the last lap was just a bunch of grapes floating along the course. I could see Richard and Phill just a couple bikes ahead of me but I was stuck dead centre with nowhere to go. By the time the group started to move along Brock Road for the last few kilometres, things were really getting pushy as I could see a lot of jockeying for position in the couple rows a head. This is when things got really crazy, just to the right of my bike, I saw one guy go down and the rider beside me could not avoid the mess. I was just hoping my teammates were OK but I could only see Phill still riding. I had a bad feeling Richard was a part of the carnage and started to get very cautious.
Around the last corner, to the sprint finish, all I could think was just get me to the line with the rubber side down. Thankfully, this short section opened up to the full road and the group spread out with most grabbing wheels on the right hand side. I saw an opening on the left and hammered down that side of the road passing a few people from the massive peloton. I ended up with the same time as the leader but back in 22nd place. Phill had a nice sprint just a few wheels back of the leaders and ended up in 9th place overall. Jon Westwood had a solid debut in the S4 category getting his feet wet in the sport with a 32nd place showing. Nicely done guys!
Thankfully, Richard ended up being cleared by the medical staff and is back at it already. It was a nasty tumble he took and can be read about on his blog http://richard-westwood.blogspot.com/
From the results page there were 52 riders that finished in the main group and 97 athletes that started the race in M3.
Also, it was good to see a bunch of tri and du folks out on the course. I know the roadies don't like to share their sport very much but we put in some good results. Congrats to Alex Auld, David Moore, Ryan Power, Derek Snider, Evert Lamb, Kevin Tearle, etc. ( I am sure there are more but too many names to sort through...)
April 5, 2012
Local Races to add to your calendars...
Run4Hope - organized by the FMCT Falcons
There are both 5k and 10k options for this event on Sunday, April 29th in Brampton.
This is the 8th Annual Run4Hope Road Race. Fletcher’s Meadows Cross Trainers have been organizing this important community race since 2005. It has grown from a race with less than 100 participants in 2005 to over 450 in 2011.
With the support of the City of Brampton and our title sponsors, we encourage local residents to come out for fitness and at the same time help sponsor the Sky's the Limit charity.
Please visit the site below to learn more and to register...
Spring into Motion 5km Road Race and 1km Kids Fun Run - organized by Feet in Motion
The 9th Annual Spring into Motion road race will take place Sunday, April 15th at the Gellert Community centre on 8th Line, Georgetown.
Pre- registered racers can pick up race kit the morning of, beginning at 7:30am
Race day registration begins at 7:30am.
Race day entree fees are $30 for the 5km Road Race and $15 for the 1km Kids fun Run. Remember all proceeds go to Canadian Tire Jumpstart.
Kids 1km Fun Run begins at 8:45 and the route stays on the Gellert paved paths. Kids get a bib number, finishing medal and……….ice cream compliments of Get the Scoop!
The adult 5Km road run begins at 9:00 sharp.
Race will go on rain or shine…..(wish for shine!)
Contact Feet In Motion for further details. Or register online at http://onlineregistrations.ca/
http://feetinmotion.ca/
April 3, 2012
It's been a long time coming...
Well, it is the lead up week to my first race of the season and I am not sure what to expect. This is often the case for my cycling events as I am still learning the ropes and very green behind the ears with these strategic races.
There are a number of factors out there that would suggest it is going to be a tough day. I have kept a strong run schedule of late as I am registered for Sporting Life 10k on May 13th. I have not been out with the group as much as I would have liked due to work and family commitments. There are a lot of strong riders in M3 at Good Friday that technically should be in M2 or M1 but do not have the points to move up.
I could name off many more reasons but I am not going to look for any excuses come race day. I am going to use my ability to hurt to keep up with my teammates and hope to give them a spark when the call comes for a break or a bridge. The sprint will then be in their hands as long as we work well together to set up a favourable finish. We have two solid M3 racers in our club (Phill and Richard) that will have a great opportunity to accumulate some points this weekend so I hope Dave, myself and the rest of the crew can lend a hand to get them to the line in a podium position.
Wish me luck!
Larry
There are a number of factors out there that would suggest it is going to be a tough day. I have kept a strong run schedule of late as I am registered for Sporting Life 10k on May 13th. I have not been out with the group as much as I would have liked due to work and family commitments. There are a lot of strong riders in M3 at Good Friday that technically should be in M2 or M1 but do not have the points to move up.
I could name off many more reasons but I am not going to look for any excuses come race day. I am going to use my ability to hurt to keep up with my teammates and hope to give them a spark when the call comes for a break or a bridge. The sprint will then be in their hands as long as we work well together to set up a favourable finish. We have two solid M3 racers in our club (Phill and Richard) that will have a great opportunity to accumulate some points this weekend so I hope Dave, myself and the rest of the crew can lend a hand to get them to the line in a podium position.
Wish me luck!
Larry
March 23, 2012
Checking in...
Hey folks! Hope everyone is loving the amazing weather we have been so lucky to enjoy for the past few weeks? I know I have!
The bike has seen the asphalt quite a bit already this "spring" and the beautiful weather has motivated me to get off the treadmill for a lot of my speed work. Although, I am not exactly ready for the dizziness of the track just yet, I have found some great, flat stretches of trail to mark out my distances so I can zone out and just concentrate on form and turnover. Results have been promising but I feel I still have a lot of work to do, especially, with the last few reps where my pace has been tailing off.
As I have registered for the Sporting Life 10k, I have been very focused on getting ready to push my time as low as possible. I know it is a downhill run but I do have a few previous experiences with the course so I have to crush those times to show that my running is improving. Other than that run, I hope to jump into a 5k or two before the SL10k. The FMCT Falcon's "Run 4 Hope" ( http://run4hope.com/ ) in Brampton is one option with Brad's Feet in Motion "Spring into Motion" ( http://feetinmotion.ca/blog.html/?page_id=26 ) in Georgetown as another possibility.
On the cycling side, I have had the opportunity to ride along side some new teammates already this year. Richard & Jon Westwood and I have teamed up with some really great guys on http://www.kurzawinskicoach.com/ . Richard and I will be starting off in M3 with a number of other strong riders in hopes of earning enough points to move up the ranks. Although, I cannot make it out to all of their training sessions, I have jumped in and proved that I could ride with my category. When the hockey season wraps up, I will have some more spare time to ride with the boys.
The chance to ride with many top riders from the area can only make me stronger on the bike so I can't wait to join more of their daily sessions. Our first test will be in a few weeks as the OCup season gets underway in Flamborough at the Good Friday Road Race on April 6th. I raced this event back a few years ago so at least I know much of the course. This time, I will have much more confidence and a team to work with so it will be a whole new ball game. I just hope we can get up near the front of the pack before anything silly happens, as it always seems to have a fair number of crashes.
Beyond attending many of the OCup Road Races, I have not put much else in stone to date. I will jump into a bunch of du's along the way and try to stay up with the fast guys that seem to be getting quicker every season. I am just lucky most of them are in different Age Groups so I can take some pride in AG podiums! HA HA
As a parting note, keep an eye out for my next product review. I have been testing the Compex Mi-Sport muscle stimulator device for the past month. This has been a very cool experience and I would love to pass along some of my thoughts regarding the amazing product!
www.compex.info
Talk soon!
Larry
The bike has seen the asphalt quite a bit already this "spring" and the beautiful weather has motivated me to get off the treadmill for a lot of my speed work. Although, I am not exactly ready for the dizziness of the track just yet, I have found some great, flat stretches of trail to mark out my distances so I can zone out and just concentrate on form and turnover. Results have been promising but I feel I still have a lot of work to do, especially, with the last few reps where my pace has been tailing off.
As I have registered for the Sporting Life 10k, I have been very focused on getting ready to push my time as low as possible. I know it is a downhill run but I do have a few previous experiences with the course so I have to crush those times to show that my running is improving. Other than that run, I hope to jump into a 5k or two before the SL10k. The FMCT Falcon's "Run 4 Hope" ( http://run4hope.com/ ) in Brampton is one option with Brad's Feet in Motion "Spring into Motion" ( http://feetinmotion.ca/blog.html/?page_id=26 ) in Georgetown as another possibility.
On the cycling side, I have had the opportunity to ride along side some new teammates already this year. Richard & Jon Westwood and I have teamed up with some really great guys on http://www.kurzawinskicoach.com/ . Richard and I will be starting off in M3 with a number of other strong riders in hopes of earning enough points to move up the ranks. Although, I cannot make it out to all of their training sessions, I have jumped in and proved that I could ride with my category. When the hockey season wraps up, I will have some more spare time to ride with the boys.
The chance to ride with many top riders from the area can only make me stronger on the bike so I can't wait to join more of their daily sessions. Our first test will be in a few weeks as the OCup season gets underway in Flamborough at the Good Friday Road Race on April 6th. I raced this event back a few years ago so at least I know much of the course. This time, I will have much more confidence and a team to work with so it will be a whole new ball game. I just hope we can get up near the front of the pack before anything silly happens, as it always seems to have a fair number of crashes.
Beyond attending many of the OCup Road Races, I have not put much else in stone to date. I will jump into a bunch of du's along the way and try to stay up with the fast guys that seem to be getting quicker every season. I am just lucky most of them are in different Age Groups so I can take some pride in AG podiums! HA HA
As a parting note, keep an eye out for my next product review. I have been testing the Compex Mi-Sport muscle stimulator device for the past month. This has been a very cool experience and I would love to pass along some of my thoughts regarding the amazing product!
www.compex.info
Talk soon!
Larry
March 5, 2012
Product Review - CEP Compression Running Socks
CEP Compression Running Socks
Running and cycling are my passion. They are my stress busters and keep me energized to lead an active and healthy lifestyle. As the years tick by, these recreational outlets become a little tougher on the body and recovery does not come as easy as it did in my youthful days.
Over the past year, I have been a lot more intrigued by merchandise offered to improve this recovery and reduce fatigue during all my hours of training. In experimenting with a number of these items, I have found personal benefit during many of the tests and have grown fond of several products, specifically compression gear.
Through these trials (mostly compression tights and shorts so far) I have been able to increase my training load on the run and on the bike and increase my intensity during speed sessions. Lacking a scientific background, I cannot guarantee that all the positive results are technical in nature but my training and race performances during this period would suggest something in the gear is working.
At the start of 2012, I decided to participate in the annual FMCT 100 Run Challenge. As the days passed, and the miles accumulated, my legs finally started to wear and show signs of overuse. With the success of the compression usage on my upper legs, I figured it was time to try out some better technology below the knee.
For the first test in my new CEP Running Compression Socks, I headed to the gym for a date with the treadmill. I was prepared to write a review for this product so I took extra time to examine the gear before slapping on the runners.
I have the Black version (the white shows the padding much better)
For more information, please visit CEP Compression Canada!
http://cepcompression.ca/
Starting from the tip of the foot, I noticed the toe box was seamless and smooth but still supported to avoid early wear. Moving through the rest of the foot, I could see CEP had taken care to protect the usual breakdown areas with a little more material in these parts to reduce blistering and irritation. Although, there is extra padding in these sections, it does not create a lumpy feel on the foot so comfort is not compromised.
Getting my foot settled into the form fitting sock, I could tell I was going to love the way they would feel in my shoes. As I progress through the sport of running, I get more and more picky about the feel of my gear and footwear. I have tested several types of socks and have come to realize my feet enjoy a thinner sock that allows for greater feel inside of the sneaker.
Rolling the sock up past my calf, I could see the material was creating a lightweight layer of protection over my skin. Unlike a few other suffocating competitors I have tried, the CEP technology promoted a cooling sensation across the skin during the run. It was great to know I was not going to overheat in my lower extremities during this session, even in a warm gym.
As I put the compression socks through the grinds of my workout, they held their form perfectly without any restriction in my natural range of motion. The reduction in vibration through my shin and calf areas kept my lower legs energized during the entire long run, which was exactly what I required.
With all the additional running I was tackling of late, I was starting to develop mild pain in my mid tibialis anterior (muscle along the shin bone). The snug fitting CEP Compression helped to eliminate this feeling during the run so I was definitely impressed!
After sending the CEP’s through the wash cycle it was time to test the recovery function of the garment. Luckily, they disguised perfectly as a black dress sock so I was able to wear them to work after a crazy speed workout a few days later.
Once again, the thin material kept temperatures under control even beneath my slacks. The ideal tension was still holding form after the first wash and kept my muscles stable while on my feet during the course of the day. While wearing the CEP Compression Sock I felt a significant reduction in irritation around my shin so I kept them on for a recovery run that night and breezed through the workout feeling super strong.
Now my only issue was not having a few more sets for total coverage of the week. A few days later, the slight pain in my left shin returned and I started to worry that it was a stress fracture so I took a few days off while I was on a business trip. Before the end of the trip I hit the hotel gym for a test run (with the CEP’s) and everything felt great. Unfortunately, I couldn’t wash them after the workout and the slight nagging pain came back again as I sat in meetings.
A couple days after returning home, I finally had a chance to see my Physiotherapist. Thankfully, she diagnosed it as a minor sprain (from running so much in January) and she immediately started to work out the problem. With her treatment, and the CEP Compression Running Socks, I am back running pain free again. Needless to say, I had to grab another pair to keep a consistent rotation in my sports sock lineup.
In my opinion, CEP has made a superior quality Compression sock that I will continue to purchase over cheaper, less effective competition. Quality may come at a bit of a premium in this category but the results are well worth the extra spend.
CEP Compression is very confident in their product and offers a 6 Month Guarantee and Money Back Guarantee. If you have any reservations about trying their premium compression gear, test them out and you will not be disappointed.
For more information, please visit CEP Compression Canada!
http://cepcompression.ca/
February 28, 2012
Let the fun begin...
After a few weeks of mild depression, as I worried about a possible long term injury, I am happy to say I am back in action. When I arrived back from Vegas I made an appointment to see my Physio as soon as I could and thank goodness her diagnosis was on the positive side. My fear was that I had a stress fracture in my shin but she checked things out and determined that it was just muscle strain along that region. I took a few more days off after the initial treatment and went back for a second round less than a week later. Now I am back in business as the pain has disappeared and I can run confident that I will not be adding to a small fracture in my lower leg.
Obviously, after sitting on the sidelines for a few weeks, I had to slowly ramp back up to the speeds and distances that I was hitting before I shut things down. Today is actually my first speed session coming off the injured reserve so I am excited to see if I can build it up or if I will be winded earlier than my January tests? I was entering February in great shape thanks to a much better diet but I have fallen off the sugar wagon since the stress levels increased. Thankfully, I have not gained much in weight but I do notice a little more chub around the belly than I was sporting three weeks ago.
It is tough to eliminate all the bad foods, as I am sure everyone can attest. Problem with me is that I don't just snack, I devour mass quantities of all items that get in my way. I am also a terrible impulse purchaser and will grab garbage foods as I walk to the counter to pay for the products I really need. Damn you smart marketing people!
Hopefully, the outdoor long rides will start up soon so I can burn off a few more calories! I did get out for a 90 minute cruise on Sunday to commute to work. It was a lot more enjoyable than sitting on the trainer so I will cross my fingers for the bigger, weekend sessions to commence in the coming weeks. My attention span on the trainer is 45 to 60 minutes so getting the endurance sets done are way too painful indoors. Hats off to all those 2 and 3 hour stationary cycling folks I read about!
Anyway, just wanted to drop a quick update before my blog got too stale.
Talk soon,
Larry
Obviously, after sitting on the sidelines for a few weeks, I had to slowly ramp back up to the speeds and distances that I was hitting before I shut things down. Today is actually my first speed session coming off the injured reserve so I am excited to see if I can build it up or if I will be winded earlier than my January tests? I was entering February in great shape thanks to a much better diet but I have fallen off the sugar wagon since the stress levels increased. Thankfully, I have not gained much in weight but I do notice a little more chub around the belly than I was sporting three weeks ago.
It is tough to eliminate all the bad foods, as I am sure everyone can attest. Problem with me is that I don't just snack, I devour mass quantities of all items that get in my way. I am also a terrible impulse purchaser and will grab garbage foods as I walk to the counter to pay for the products I really need. Damn you smart marketing people!
Hopefully, the outdoor long rides will start up soon so I can burn off a few more calories! I did get out for a 90 minute cruise on Sunday to commute to work. It was a lot more enjoyable than sitting on the trainer so I will cross my fingers for the bigger, weekend sessions to commence in the coming weeks. My attention span on the trainer is 45 to 60 minutes so getting the endurance sets done are way too painful indoors. Hats off to all those 2 and 3 hour stationary cycling folks I read about!
Anyway, just wanted to drop a quick update before my blog got too stale.
Talk soon,
Larry
February 16, 2012
Here I am...
I know, I have been a little quiet for the past few weeks due to work and family stuff so here's a quick update.
Last week, I was in Las Vegas for a work related trip so I was kept pretty busy and away from my computer. It was not a great week as my training suffered and I fell back into some bad habits with poor eating and very little rest (tried to sleep but too many things bouncing around my head). Let's just say, I am not a big fan of the Vegas experience. Thankfully, I stuck to my plan of not gambling so I did not walk away from there minus any funds that I hope to put towards my running and cycling this season. That would have been a huge bummer.
Before I left for Vegas, I had a very amazing January of training. Specifically in my running where I put in some big weeks with a lot of solid speed work. I kept to my diet during the month and, by the end of the period, was feeling light and quick. I was getting super excited about month two of the new year but in the past week I think the volume may have caught up with me. As a precaution, I reduced my running last week in case it was a stress fracture in my shin.
The problem was not bothering me during the runs but I felt a little pain while sitting around during the meetings. It didn't help that I took a slap shot off that area in my last game between the pipes in hockey days before leaving for Sin City. I did run a few times on the treadmill at the hotel but decided to get a few professional opinions before making a possible fracture worse and having to take more time off to heal. After a visit with my physio today, it appears to be just a common strain that just needs some extra stretching and care. That was nice news for the day. I will stay with Tyler's cycling week plans to keep the impact off the area for a few more days and then ease back into the run. Hopefully, I will pick up where I left off and continue to get ready for the Sporting Life 10k.
Another thing affecting my training these days is the health of the people around me at home. Nothing major but everyone has been down with the flu for the past three weeks so it has been tough to leave the house without feeling guilty. Thankfully, I have the trainer set up in the basement this year so I can spend some time on it after everyone is sleeping. Although, on a few occasions I have been interrupted to help out after someone has had a coughing fit or needed to cool a fever. Fun times!
Anyway, just a quick note. I have my first 2012 Product Review almost completed so please keep an eye open for my report on CEP Compression Running Socks! So very amazing results from this product. Wish I had more of them for Vegas so I could recover during all the meetings!
Last week, I was in Las Vegas for a work related trip so I was kept pretty busy and away from my computer. It was not a great week as my training suffered and I fell back into some bad habits with poor eating and very little rest (tried to sleep but too many things bouncing around my head). Let's just say, I am not a big fan of the Vegas experience. Thankfully, I stuck to my plan of not gambling so I did not walk away from there minus any funds that I hope to put towards my running and cycling this season. That would have been a huge bummer.
Before I left for Vegas, I had a very amazing January of training. Specifically in my running where I put in some big weeks with a lot of solid speed work. I kept to my diet during the month and, by the end of the period, was feeling light and quick. I was getting super excited about month two of the new year but in the past week I think the volume may have caught up with me. As a precaution, I reduced my running last week in case it was a stress fracture in my shin.
The problem was not bothering me during the runs but I felt a little pain while sitting around during the meetings. It didn't help that I took a slap shot off that area in my last game between the pipes in hockey days before leaving for Sin City. I did run a few times on the treadmill at the hotel but decided to get a few professional opinions before making a possible fracture worse and having to take more time off to heal. After a visit with my physio today, it appears to be just a common strain that just needs some extra stretching and care. That was nice news for the day. I will stay with Tyler's cycling week plans to keep the impact off the area for a few more days and then ease back into the run. Hopefully, I will pick up where I left off and continue to get ready for the Sporting Life 10k.
Another thing affecting my training these days is the health of the people around me at home. Nothing major but everyone has been down with the flu for the past three weeks so it has been tough to leave the house without feeling guilty. Thankfully, I have the trainer set up in the basement this year so I can spend some time on it after everyone is sleeping. Although, on a few occasions I have been interrupted to help out after someone has had a coughing fit or needed to cool a fever. Fun times!
Anyway, just a quick note. I have my first 2012 Product Review almost completed so please keep an eye open for my report on CEP Compression Running Socks! So very amazing results from this product. Wish I had more of them for Vegas so I could recover during all the meetings!
January 27, 2012
Age Grouper Spotlight - Sean Delanghe
The 2011 Milton Duathlon was my first du in a little more than a calendar year. I spent most of 2010 racing triathlon but did not enjoy the swim training very much so I decided to go back to my comfort zone, run/bike/run.
As it turns out, one gentleman in this race would leave a lasting impression on me as he glided past me with about 500 metres left to the finish. I knew he was a strong runner, from the open 2k run, but I hoped I had put enough of a gap between us on the bike to avoid being caught on the final leg of the race. I guessed wrong. He put out an amazing effort, on a tough course, and fought very hard for that win.
Thankfully, I had a chance to chat with the victor after the race where I discovered he wasn't so new to the sport after all. We then connected over the internet through the summer and got out for a great training ride in his old stomping grounds, Collingwood. His cycling skills were impressive in the hills and he went on to a fantastic Centurion Canada race a few weeks after our scouting mission.
Dr. Sean Delanghe recently graduated from the Canadian Memorial Chiropractic College in Toronto and has now set up shop in the Waterloo area. Make sure you look him up if you are in need of some attention ( http://drseandelanghe.blogspot.com/p/contact.html ) .
Q1. How long have you been competing in duathlon/triathlon?
- I started with some Kids of Steel events when I was really young, along with some local, smaller scale races. However, I jumped into my first “adult” multisport race in 1999 when I was 13, the Collingwood Duathlon. The course was ridiculous, taking us up Grey Road 19 (7-8 km of climbing, which felt like a lot when I was 13), but I had so much fun.
Q2. Do you train as much as you would like or are there outside factors that limit your training?
- Work (and previously school) definitely limits the amount of time I train. However, I almost think this is a good thing. I get excited about getting out for a run or a ride, and I dream about this stuff throughout the busy day. Sure, I would be able to fit in more if I was less busy but I don’t think I would have nearly as much fun with it. Right now, training and racing is my release and I am more than happy to keep it that way.
Q3. How do you find training now that you are out in the workforce?
- I’m finding it easier than when I was in school, surprisingly. When I was in chiropractic school, my schedule was so inconsistent that I just had to squeeze in workouts whenever I “felt like it”. And then, during exams, it was almost impossible to put in any worthwhile work. While I am probably working more total hours now, the consistency is amazing. For instance, I know for a fact that I can do intervals with a group I lead every Monday night, whereas I did not have that luxury while in school. I just find it much easier to rely on scheduled training rather than will power on any given day.
Q4. If you had a full day to train (with fresh legs), which workout would you pick to make the most of this time?
- If I had a full day, I would without a doubt add more endurance work (especially long rides). Being able to sleep in, have a good breakfast and then get on the bike for 4+ hours without having to worry about other responsibilities would be amazing. Having the time to eat and rest properly after the workout (and potentially throw in another ride) would be a great day.
Q5. Do you see yourself entering triathlon in the future or will you be sticking with duathlon for the next few years?
- I think for now I will be sticking with duathlon. I love training for biking and running, so duathlon was a natural progression of my love of both of these sports. I did pursue swimming for a few months one off season, but realized that I just was not having fun with it. I do have a decent swimming background so never say never (that’s for all the Justin Bieber fans out there hah!), but for now I’ll stick with duathlons and road races.
Q6. What is your most memorable sporting moment?
- I would have to go back to that first duathlon in Collingwood (1999). I was 13 years old and I remember being really intimidated by everybody around me. Even when I signed up, we had to argue with the people doing registration because they said I should be racing the Kids of Steel event, not the adult event. Everybody had their tri suits and easy laces, and seemingly nice bikes with areo bars. I was wearing old mountain bike clothes, had two pairs of running shoes (one for the first run, one for the second), and my dad’s old road bike. At that point my goal was to just finish the race. The distance was 4km-30km-4km and I remember finishing the first 4km in first place. I couldn’t believe what was going on because I was so used to being beat by other runners at my track club. I ended up being passed on the bike, but held on for 2nd place overall. It is a great memory, and one of the major reasons why I still race today!
Q7. How important is technology in your training?
- Up until Christmas this year, I never used any technology beyond a stopwatch. I just went based on effort - make it hurt during intervals, make it kind of hurt on tempo days, and keep it smooth-ish on endurance days. However, this year I received a Garmin 310 as a gift. I am just learning how to use it now, so things may change.
Q8. Which athlete inspires you to be the best you can be?
- The athletes that really inspire me include my parents and a group of my parent’s friends. They are all busy professionals, yet they have still found the time to stay not only fit, but competitive in endurance sports throughout their entire lives. For instance, two of these individuals were 1st and 2nd, respectively, in the 65-69 age group in the Collingwood Centurion last September. These people have shown me (from a young age) that it is possible to have a happy and successful family, social and professional life, while still pursuing sport at a high level.
Q9. What are your main goals for 2012?
- My main goal is to be faster than last year. I wouldn’t mind diving into a 34:something 10km, or breaking the 39km/h barrier during the bike leg of a duathlon.
Q10. Do you have any sponsors that you would like to mention?
- I’d like to thank Compressport Canada for helping me out with some gear. Squire John’s (a ski and bike shop near Collingwood) for helping me out with a bike this year. Maikawa Financial for helping me out with some gear. Also, I have to thank my #1 all time sponsors: Mom and Dad!
Dr. Delange is also blogging and has started a very imforative site for us athletes!
http://drseandelanghe.blogspot.com/
As it turns out, one gentleman in this race would leave a lasting impression on me as he glided past me with about 500 metres left to the finish. I knew he was a strong runner, from the open 2k run, but I hoped I had put enough of a gap between us on the bike to avoid being caught on the final leg of the race. I guessed wrong. He put out an amazing effort, on a tough course, and fought very hard for that win.
Thankfully, I had a chance to chat with the victor after the race where I discovered he wasn't so new to the sport after all. We then connected over the internet through the summer and got out for a great training ride in his old stomping grounds, Collingwood. His cycling skills were impressive in the hills and he went on to a fantastic Centurion Canada race a few weeks after our scouting mission.
Dr. Sean Delanghe recently graduated from the Canadian Memorial Chiropractic College in Toronto and has now set up shop in the Waterloo area. Make sure you look him up if you are in need of some attention ( http://drseandelanghe.blogspot.com/p/contact.html ) .
10 Questions with Sean Delanghe
- I started with some Kids of Steel events when I was really young, along with some local, smaller scale races. However, I jumped into my first “adult” multisport race in 1999 when I was 13, the Collingwood Duathlon. The course was ridiculous, taking us up Grey Road 19 (7-8 km of climbing, which felt like a lot when I was 13), but I had so much fun.
Q2. Do you train as much as you would like or are there outside factors that limit your training?
- Work (and previously school) definitely limits the amount of time I train. However, I almost think this is a good thing. I get excited about getting out for a run or a ride, and I dream about this stuff throughout the busy day. Sure, I would be able to fit in more if I was less busy but I don’t think I would have nearly as much fun with it. Right now, training and racing is my release and I am more than happy to keep it that way.
Q3. How do you find training now that you are out in the workforce?
- I’m finding it easier than when I was in school, surprisingly. When I was in chiropractic school, my schedule was so inconsistent that I just had to squeeze in workouts whenever I “felt like it”. And then, during exams, it was almost impossible to put in any worthwhile work. While I am probably working more total hours now, the consistency is amazing. For instance, I know for a fact that I can do intervals with a group I lead every Monday night, whereas I did not have that luxury while in school. I just find it much easier to rely on scheduled training rather than will power on any given day.
Q4. If you had a full day to train (with fresh legs), which workout would you pick to make the most of this time?
- If I had a full day, I would without a doubt add more endurance work (especially long rides). Being able to sleep in, have a good breakfast and then get on the bike for 4+ hours without having to worry about other responsibilities would be amazing. Having the time to eat and rest properly after the workout (and potentially throw in another ride) would be a great day.
- I think for now I will be sticking with duathlon. I love training for biking and running, so duathlon was a natural progression of my love of both of these sports. I did pursue swimming for a few months one off season, but realized that I just was not having fun with it. I do have a decent swimming background so never say never (that’s for all the Justin Bieber fans out there hah!), but for now I’ll stick with duathlons and road races.
Q6. What is your most memorable sporting moment?
- I would have to go back to that first duathlon in Collingwood (1999). I was 13 years old and I remember being really intimidated by everybody around me. Even when I signed up, we had to argue with the people doing registration because they said I should be racing the Kids of Steel event, not the adult event. Everybody had their tri suits and easy laces, and seemingly nice bikes with areo bars. I was wearing old mountain bike clothes, had two pairs of running shoes (one for the first run, one for the second), and my dad’s old road bike. At that point my goal was to just finish the race. The distance was 4km-30km-4km and I remember finishing the first 4km in first place. I couldn’t believe what was going on because I was so used to being beat by other runners at my track club. I ended up being passed on the bike, but held on for 2nd place overall. It is a great memory, and one of the major reasons why I still race today!
Q7. How important is technology in your training?
- Up until Christmas this year, I never used any technology beyond a stopwatch. I just went based on effort - make it hurt during intervals, make it kind of hurt on tempo days, and keep it smooth-ish on endurance days. However, this year I received a Garmin 310 as a gift. I am just learning how to use it now, so things may change.
Q8. Which athlete inspires you to be the best you can be?
- The athletes that really inspire me include my parents and a group of my parent’s friends. They are all busy professionals, yet they have still found the time to stay not only fit, but competitive in endurance sports throughout their entire lives. For instance, two of these individuals were 1st and 2nd, respectively, in the 65-69 age group in the Collingwood Centurion last September. These people have shown me (from a young age) that it is possible to have a happy and successful family, social and professional life, while still pursuing sport at a high level.
- My main goal is to be faster than last year. I wouldn’t mind diving into a 34:something 10km, or breaking the 39km/h barrier during the bike leg of a duathlon.
Q10. Do you have any sponsors that you would like to mention?
- I’d like to thank Compressport Canada for helping me out with some gear. Squire John’s (a ski and bike shop near Collingwood) for helping me out with a bike this year. Maikawa Financial for helping me out with some gear. Also, I have to thank my #1 all time sponsors: Mom and Dad!
Dr. Delange is also blogging and has started a very imforative site for us athletes!
http://drseandelanghe.blogspot.com/
January 26, 2012
This stuff is crazy...
So I was shopping at Best Buy over the holidays and as I was waiting for a sales person to help me, I found myself glued to a promo video playing on one of the televisions.
It was a cycling video but it was beyond extreme and I could not stop watching. I could not believe the single track spine riding these guys were pulling off at incredible speeds.
There is no way in hell I could ever muster up the courage to tackle this type of route but man is it ever cool to watch. They did not show any crashes but now that I have watched more of these on youtube I have seen what happens when you go off course. Early retirement...
Also, I am going to be adding a Product Review section to my site in between Age Group Spotlights. I really appreciate the help of @kevinjagger from CEP Canada as I ramp up to start this new blog series. Stay tuned...
It was a cycling video but it was beyond extreme and I could not stop watching. I could not believe the single track spine riding these guys were pulling off at incredible speeds.
There is no way in hell I could ever muster up the courage to tackle this type of route but man is it ever cool to watch. They did not show any crashes but now that I have watched more of these on youtube I have seen what happens when you go off course. Early retirement...
Also, I am going to be adding a Product Review section to my site in between Age Group Spotlights. I really appreciate the help of @kevinjagger from CEP Canada as I ramp up to start this new blog series. Stay tuned...
January 17, 2012
Age Grouper Spotlight - Kane Picken
My first impression of Kane was from an early 2010 FMCT club TT. I was studying the results from one of the races I missed and noticed a new name up near the top. As the name did not ring a bell, I checked a few of the local results sites to learn more about this new Falcon but I could not dig up anything on my computer.
A few weeks later, after another club time trial, we got to chat a little and introduce ourselves. From the accent, I knew he was from another hotbed of triathlon a tiny distance to the south, Australia. Growing up down under, Kano had built quite the resume in the sport but had just taken some time off as he moved to Canada. He and his fiancee (now wife) were just getting settled in the area and he was feeling the itch to compete once again.
After using the 2010 season to get back into form, Kano had planned out an amazing calendar of races for 2011. He had a few of the favourite local races mixed in with some famous selections south of the border. I knew from a few of our training sessions that he was in great shape as he ramped up for Ironman Louisville so I was very surprised to hear about his illness that sidelined him just a few months before the big race. Unfortunately, a string of set backs followed so he had to pass up many of the events he had worked so hard to prepare for, ultimately tossing the 2011 triathlon season away.
Thankfully, this tough Aussie is feeling healthy again and is ready to take aim on a promising 2012!
Q1. How did you get started in the sport of triathlon?
- In my late twenties, I was at a difficult point in my life. I needed to make some changes. I had always been active but had found myself sliding quickly out of control. So, I decided it was time to get happy and healthy. A short run to the end of our road kicked it off. Originally, it was to get fit for the up coming rugby season but, when I stumbled across an adventure race in Men’s Health, my focus changed direction. My dad bought a mountain bike for me he had seen for sale and away I went. The adventure race was a three-man team so my uncle, dad and I entered and had an absolute blast! A couple of weeks later I raced my first triathlon 300m/10k/2.5k and I’ve been hooked ever since.
Q2. How tough was it to sit out most of 2011 due to health issues?
- Some years are forgettable, 2011 is going to be one of them. It was extremely tough. For all of us time is precious, especially, when you spend all your spare time training for triathlons. I’m sure many can relate to me when I say I had minute-by-minute of everyday planned out. Ironman Louisville was my main target for the year and I was ready to go big. I was the fittest I had ever been and determined to reach my goals. Being hospitalized and diagnosed with Ulcerative Colitis certainly brought the wheels to a screeching halt. I think the news that racing Louisville was now out of the question was harder to take than the diagnoses. Being 2 months out from the race, I felt I still had time. Once I had recovered, I began training again in hope there was still a chance. However, after my second hospital visit, and a mere 6 hours from death due to organ failure, I realized it was time to let it go. I still traveled to Louisville to be a part of the action. I was surprised by the visit of my mum and one of my sisters. What I learnt from all this was it's time to listen to my body. Rest when you’re tired; take two days off if that’s what you need, be smart.
Q3. What are your long term goals in the sport?
- My long term goals in the sport of triathlon are to make multiple visits to Hawaii for the World Championships. I want to win my age group at a domestic Ironman event. Also, I would like to take a trip to Las Vegas for the 70.3 World Championships. I would like to continue to love the sport and enjoy doing it for the right reasons. Lastly, I hope to inspire more friends to get involved so they can reap the benefits of leading a healthy lifestyle.
Q4. How do you motivate yourself to push through all the long training hours?
- I’m motivated by the fact that I like to work hard and I like to see results (I’m not happy with my results). I’m motivated by my long-term goals. I’m motivated because I’m not the best so there is always room for improvement. Training for triathlons, and competing in them, is rewarding and a positive way to live life.
Q5. What piece of gear would you love to purchase if you had an unlimited budget?
- Electronic shifters
Q6. What is your favourite training session?
- It’s a toss up between a long ocean swim with mates or a long brick session. I love the ocean swims as there is no black line, the water is clear and beautiful, it’s peaceful and I like nothing more than swimming in salt water. Long brick sessions are tough and rewarding. Spending 6hrs of your Saturday or Sunday out on the road and trails isn’t everyone’s cup of tea, but for me, it builds real character and confidence.
Q7. Do you have any sponsors you would like to mention or thank?
- Clif Bar has given me great support and I’m happy to refer anyone to try their products. They have a huge selection for every kind of workout or recovery and the best thing is they taste great. Steve Keating, owner of Du, tri and Run in Streetsville, has given me amazing support. I’m very thankful for his generousity. For any of your triathlon needs in the Mississauga area, be sure to visit Steve. Maverick Hair Studio for men. It’s the place to go for stylish haircuts to keep you looking fast. Lastly, if you’re in the Erin area, “The Shed” has great coffee and super friendly staff to boot.
Q8. What do you find different between Australian and Canadian triathlon at the local level?
- Truthfully, there is not a huge amount of difference. Taking nothing away from the competition here, which has plenty of great athletes, I find the competition goes a lot deeper in each age group back home. Some races cracking the top 20 can be hard. Canada lacks in the number of Pros racing at each event. However, I like what Multisport Canada is doing this year with the Elite Age Group division and some prize money to go with it. Other than that, both countries have great race options, friendly competition and are well organized.
Q9. Who is the one triathlete you would love to spend a training week with?
- I can’t go past Craig Alexander. He is a humble, hardworking champion who always puts his family first.
Q10. What is the best piece of training advice you have received and from whom?
- Something that I live and die by now, especially after last year’s issues, is it's better to do too little rather than too much. Over training will only lead to injury. This was advice given to me by my Uncle, a multiple Hawaiian Ironman finisher.
Make sure you follow Kane on his blog @ http://kanepicken.blogspot.com/ !
A few weeks later, after another club time trial, we got to chat a little and introduce ourselves. From the accent, I knew he was from another hotbed of triathlon a tiny distance to the south, Australia. Growing up down under, Kano had built quite the resume in the sport but had just taken some time off as he moved to Canada. He and his fiancee (now wife) were just getting settled in the area and he was feeling the itch to compete once again.
After using the 2010 season to get back into form, Kano had planned out an amazing calendar of races for 2011. He had a few of the favourite local races mixed in with some famous selections south of the border. I knew from a few of our training sessions that he was in great shape as he ramped up for Ironman Louisville so I was very surprised to hear about his illness that sidelined him just a few months before the big race. Unfortunately, a string of set backs followed so he had to pass up many of the events he had worked so hard to prepare for, ultimately tossing the 2011 triathlon season away.
Thankfully, this tough Aussie is feeling healthy again and is ready to take aim on a promising 2012!
10 Questions with Kane Picken
Q1. How did you get started in the sport of triathlon?
- In my late twenties, I was at a difficult point in my life. I needed to make some changes. I had always been active but had found myself sliding quickly out of control. So, I decided it was time to get happy and healthy. A short run to the end of our road kicked it off. Originally, it was to get fit for the up coming rugby season but, when I stumbled across an adventure race in Men’s Health, my focus changed direction. My dad bought a mountain bike for me he had seen for sale and away I went. The adventure race was a three-man team so my uncle, dad and I entered and had an absolute blast! A couple of weeks later I raced my first triathlon 300m/10k/2.5k and I’ve been hooked ever since.
Q2. How tough was it to sit out most of 2011 due to health issues?
- Some years are forgettable, 2011 is going to be one of them. It was extremely tough. For all of us time is precious, especially, when you spend all your spare time training for triathlons. I’m sure many can relate to me when I say I had minute-by-minute of everyday planned out. Ironman Louisville was my main target for the year and I was ready to go big. I was the fittest I had ever been and determined to reach my goals. Being hospitalized and diagnosed with Ulcerative Colitis certainly brought the wheels to a screeching halt. I think the news that racing Louisville was now out of the question was harder to take than the diagnoses. Being 2 months out from the race, I felt I still had time. Once I had recovered, I began training again in hope there was still a chance. However, after my second hospital visit, and a mere 6 hours from death due to organ failure, I realized it was time to let it go. I still traveled to Louisville to be a part of the action. I was surprised by the visit of my mum and one of my sisters. What I learnt from all this was it's time to listen to my body. Rest when you’re tired; take two days off if that’s what you need, be smart.
Q3. What are your long term goals in the sport?
- My long term goals in the sport of triathlon are to make multiple visits to Hawaii for the World Championships. I want to win my age group at a domestic Ironman event. Also, I would like to take a trip to Las Vegas for the 70.3 World Championships. I would like to continue to love the sport and enjoy doing it for the right reasons. Lastly, I hope to inspire more friends to get involved so they can reap the benefits of leading a healthy lifestyle.
Q4. How do you motivate yourself to push through all the long training hours?
- I’m motivated by the fact that I like to work hard and I like to see results (I’m not happy with my results). I’m motivated by my long-term goals. I’m motivated because I’m not the best so there is always room for improvement. Training for triathlons, and competing in them, is rewarding and a positive way to live life.
Q5. What piece of gear would you love to purchase if you had an unlimited budget?
- Electronic shifters
Q6. What is your favourite training session?
- It’s a toss up between a long ocean swim with mates or a long brick session. I love the ocean swims as there is no black line, the water is clear and beautiful, it’s peaceful and I like nothing more than swimming in salt water. Long brick sessions are tough and rewarding. Spending 6hrs of your Saturday or Sunday out on the road and trails isn’t everyone’s cup of tea, but for me, it builds real character and confidence.
Q7. Do you have any sponsors you would like to mention or thank?
- Clif Bar has given me great support and I’m happy to refer anyone to try their products. They have a huge selection for every kind of workout or recovery and the best thing is they taste great. Steve Keating, owner of Du, tri and Run in Streetsville, has given me amazing support. I’m very thankful for his generousity. For any of your triathlon needs in the Mississauga area, be sure to visit Steve. Maverick Hair Studio for men. It’s the place to go for stylish haircuts to keep you looking fast. Lastly, if you’re in the Erin area, “The Shed” has great coffee and super friendly staff to boot.
Q8. What do you find different between Australian and Canadian triathlon at the local level?
- Truthfully, there is not a huge amount of difference. Taking nothing away from the competition here, which has plenty of great athletes, I find the competition goes a lot deeper in each age group back home. Some races cracking the top 20 can be hard. Canada lacks in the number of Pros racing at each event. However, I like what Multisport Canada is doing this year with the Elite Age Group division and some prize money to go with it. Other than that, both countries have great race options, friendly competition and are well organized.
Q9. Who is the one triathlete you would love to spend a training week with?
- I can’t go past Craig Alexander. He is a humble, hardworking champion who always puts his family first.
Q10. What is the best piece of training advice you have received and from whom?
- Something that I live and die by now, especially after last year’s issues, is it's better to do too little rather than too much. Over training will only lead to injury. This was advice given to me by my Uncle, a multiple Hawaiian Ironman finisher.
Make sure you follow Kane on his blog @ http://kanepicken.blogspot.com/ !
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