Well friends, it has been announced! Just recieved the email this morning and I have been selected to be apart of the 2012/2013 Polar Ambassador Program! I am really excited for this opportunity to be a part of such a great team of people and am looking forward to wearing the Polar logo with a great amount of pride!
Cant wait to see everyone out on course!
T
A testament to the stresses of ITU Draft Legal racing.
Well folks, this past weekend was a fantastic one here in the Nations Capital. Was able to get out for a run later on Saturday afternoon after work to work on my form and strength for the upcoming Ottawa Marathon in 2 weeks. Although it was a great cool afternoon/evening for running, I think I may have not prepared enough for the run. I mean I did stretch and hydrate before the run, but the body just still felt too stiff. Legs felt like I was forcing them to manage a half decent stride. As the run progressed, the legs loosened up a bit and the run felt a little better, but they were still in the dog house when I finished. 13km in 55 minutes at a 4:12/km pace. Slow, but the run was good. I’m hoping that come race weekend I can run a 4:30 pace consistently and run a negative split on the second half! That would be really awesome for my first Marathon. Ottawa isn’t a very hilly city either, the course to me seems relatively flat with minor minor inclines or bumps shall we say over the course. It is shaping up to be a good weekend and I hope that it is nice and cool in the morning to have a race of a lifetime!
Sunday I tried to go for a morning run before work at 11am, NOPE!, that wasn’t going to happen. Legs were not recovered from the evening previous, so I turned around and went to work. Soon after some folks from work asked why I was there, Turns out, I WASN’T ON THE SCHEDULE! Perfect! 28C and sun outside, obviously I’m going for a bike ride. Went out in the southern ends of Ottawa and toured around the flat roads and practiced my aero and spinning for a couple hours. It was a fantastic afternoon for it! By the way, did I mention that I roasted my back! Tan lines are in full effect now!
Countdown till first triathlon: 6 days! Ottawa Early Bird at Carleton University. 13 days until the Ottawa Marathon (Ottawa Race Weekend), nervous but incredibly excited for both! Let’s go!
T
Great ride today for the CHEO Ride For Kids today in Ottawa. Was onsite with the Tommy & Lefebvre crew and techs helping with minor technical repairs and making sure peoples bikes were in working and riding order. Soon after we headed out for a 75km ride along the parkways in Ottawa and it was a beautiful day for it! Myself, Emily Flynn, Joe Barnes and Scott Kane put the hurt on each other, good day for the Tommy pain train!
Money was raised and fun was had! Cant wait for next year!
T
Alright so the month of May is the kick off to the start of the season for me! First triathlon in Ottawa and my first ever marathon will be run this month as well! The Early Bird Triathlon is being put on by Somersault Events at Carleton University on May 19th, so if you are in the area and want to come and see a fantastic race come on by to the school to check it out! The next weekend after that is the Ottawa Marathon on May 27th. 42km around the City of Ottawa and Gatineau. Looking forward to putting the running shoes through a good amount of hurt. I have mapped out a goal time for the marathon of 3:05. If I can manage to pull of a marathon just under that I will be laughing, but right now I plan on running around a 3 hour 5 minute marathon and run around a 4:20 to 4:30min/km pace. Looking forward to the next few weeks of training and racing and will update you guys about the results and stories from each race! Hopefully some pictures will be attached as well!
Till next time…
T
So I have been debating the thought of getting a CycleOps PowerTap for the last little while. Is it worth the money and will I be able to see a difference out of training with power vs not training with it? I am not sure I fully understand power and wattage, but a part of me understands a little amount. I mean it is nice to see the power you are pushing out at certain cadences when climbing and riding, so if you are able to squeeze more power out with a more efficient cadence I guess you will be able to visually see this.
Basically what I am asking all of you is, is it worth it to train with Power and Wattage, or do I hold off?
If anyone has an answer please feel free to answer! It would be a great help, seriously!
GO!
(Source: whatsyourbucketlist, via longtermdreams)
So lately the training has been off the hook. Gatineau Park has been treating me really well! Tom MacDonald from the store, and Pat Pelda (Toms friend and a great training partner) have been hammering me right into the ground on the bike. Tons of hill sets, getting the power and speed up on the flats, overall, they have helped me ten fold in the past few weeks and building the strength that I need for the bike!
Running has been awesome lately as well. I have been slamming out some awesome endurance runs just shy of 30kms and the legs are feeling incredible for the upcoming Ottawa Marathon on May 27th. In other words, I can not wait!!!
Swimming is pretty well the same, techniques has improved a lot, drills in the pool have built the strength I need in the water and my body rotation has increased the efficiency as well!
On to the fun news! Competed in my first road race on Sunday the 22nd! Unreal experience this was! Got to get out on the course with the new team this year, Tommy & Lefebvre Cycling. Kit is awesome and I rocked that kit with some serious pride! 75km race for the S3 category. Averaged 40km/h and finished the race in 1 hour 52 minutes. I was pretty excited at the beginning of the race. Was a little playful at the front of the Peloton and saw myself doing a good percentage of work early in the head winds on the back side of the course. After a few laps of doing some work I decided to hold back and suck some wind and save it for the end. Lots of close calls during the race, wheel taps and some scary moments in the Peloton with riders dodging in and out. During the middle of the race I helped bridge a gap from a break away that occurred earlier in the race. Nearing the end of the race with 2 laps left, the pace picked up, breaks were trying to form, but we all kept our composure and held it for the last lap. I was coming into the last couple corners of the race, group on my right and I go to peel up the left side with a couple other riders on my side, full gear and drops set. Tried to take the inside on the second last corner, got it, got it, then I was forced to the outside by some other racers. I thought to myself, I can recover from this, dont worry Taylor. Got boxed in the next inside line and had to tap the breaks. Got the momentum back after getting over the last pop of a climb and got into full out barbarian sprint mode, rider comes up on my right side bumps me, and sends me into a speed swivel (not fun in the moment, crashing is pretty much imminent). Bar got locked on my arm, I shook him free and continued on. Think I may have lost a couple spots in the accident, lunged for the line and was overall very impressed with the result. 11th of 29 finishers, couldnt be happier with the result. Tons of fun! Be prepared to see me at another Ontario Cup Road Race.
Up next on the schedule is the first triathlon of the season in Ottawa. The Early Bird Triathlon at Carleton University. Can find details at http://somersault.ca/eventearlybird.htm . The next weekend after that, Ottawa Race Weekend! May is looking fun!
I’ll leave you with a few pics of the weekends events of myself and Emily Flynn (Tommy & Lefebvre Teammate)!
T
Hey there! I apologize for the extreme lack of posting here! I have a ton to update you on in the coming days, no, lets make that hours! Be prepared for a huge post!
T
Follow me, Taylor Pieprzak, through the good times and the bad of Triathlon racing. Will I qualify for an ITU World Championship!? Or even Ironman Kona!? Who knows, but here is where you will find my journey through the Triathlon world from Amateur to (hopefully) Pro, with training logs and race reports, and in return, hope to inspire YOU to become a Triathlete!
Supporters: Tommy & Lefebvre Ottawa, Specailized, Smith Optics, Polar Electro Canada, Team Running Free - Barrie, Barrie Baydogs Triathlon Team
Cheers :)
