25 Weeks Out and Its Game Time

We are now 25 weeks out from Nationals in Toronto, Ontario!  I am really excited to have nationals close to home this year, and with this race being my “A” race, I am looking forward to kicking some serious butt this year!  The past couple years have been out West and it makes it a little difficult to travel there when you have limited funds and racing experience.  This year I am making sure that the fitness is high, training is at a maximum and I am ready for the weekend.

Started my “Base I” program yesterday in the pool.  Its the one area of training that I really enjoy.  Its as if you don’t feel pain when cutting through the water, or maybe its just because I am not working as hard as I should be.  I guess time will tell.  Yesterdays swim session looked a little like this:

Warm-up:

300m Free, 100m Kick, 100m Free

Main Set:

10x50m on 45 seconds with 10 seconds recovery between each set

Cool down:

200m real easy with 100m hand paddle pulling at a steady pace

Total: 1300m

This is one of the harder workouts in the pool that I have done recently.  I noticed that on the first couple intervals I had gone out a little too hard pulling 35 second 50m sets, and I knew that I wouldn’t be able to hold that pace for 8 more.  So I tuned it down a little and I still managed to kick my own ass with a 45 second pull.  By the end of the workout my arms were fried!  I have never taken a cool down set that easy and slow in my life.  But the great thing was, it really helped, nice long slow strokes in the water really helped the back, shoulders, core and arms recover and relax after a killer workout.  

Well with yesterday in the books, today is going to be a killer one as well, with a recovery swim, run and a cycle, few hours today and it will be recorded in the books!

deuces…..

T

2013, and it started in the Hurt Locker!

Today was the start to a new year in triathlon training!  Pulled myself out of bed with the drive to hit the pool to start the workouts for the 2013 year.  Over the past few months I have been doing the odd workout here and there to keep the body guessing.  Few rides here, a run there, jump in the pool in between.  Although today was another story, this was the first structured swim workout in quite some time and the water had the best of me today.  This was a big start in the pool and it may have been a good idea to keep it simple rather than jump into an aerobic workout right off the hop.  But I like to beat myself up sometimes and my body feels better than the actual workout calendar.  In any case.  Body was okay during the workout, not the greatest but heres to tomorrows swim and hopefully I am feeling better than today.  I am going to blame the Holiday eating on this one.  Too much drag in the pool with the turkey, ham, and home cooked meals in my stomach.

Workout was as follows:

WU:

300-500 Free, 200-400 Kick, 200 Free

Main Set:

900m Steady pace swim w/ 2 min rest

600m Steady (3 x 100 closed fist / 100 Free) w/ 2 min rest

400m Pull (Paddles + buoy)

200m Pull (Buoy, no paddles)

6 x 50m Backstroke

CD:

200m Stroke of choice (Free)

t

nvrstoptriing:

Ever had a dream where you are racing for what seems like hours and then you wake up and feel tired as shit? Yeah, such has been my nights this week.

hahaha…. True story bro!  Amen!  If youre an endurance athlete this happens a lot 

2013 Goal…

Life goal for 2013…. Race a Full or a Half Ironman (Idealy a 140.6), Any thoughts on a fun first race!?

2012 Has Come and Gone….

I need a year in review post!  At some point there will be one by the end of the weekend! 

Stay fresh friends!

t

National Capital Triathlon

Hey Folks, another race post coming at you full speed.  Back in August I raced the National Capital Triathlon here in the nations Capital.  What a beautiful day it was too.  Nice and hot, sun shining, and blue sky for as far as the eye can see!  Was looking to be quite the nice day out on the race course today.  Everything was turning out great in the morning leading into race time.  Rode the bike as an easy spin warmup to the race with nothing but Skrillex blasting in my ears to get me amped and juiced for the start.  I kid you not, goosebumps all the way to the start.  I was rare and ready to go!  

Got to the site, and transition set up was going well.  Bike was racked, towel down, helmet open with running shoes beside the Specialized Tarmac.  It was looking like a million bucks.  I had my race kit on underneath so everything was ready to go, just had to put the wetsuit on overtop and wait for the start gun.  Slammed back a quick sandwich and some Hammer HEED drink and I walked down to meet everyone at the start.

Wetsuit is put on clean and without fail.  Race cap on, goggles on tight and I am ready to go.  Start gun goes off and we all race and charge into the waters of the Rideau Canal.  The start was rough, everyone is hustling for the best position possible to the first buoy.  Im getting kicked in the face and kicking others in the face.  But I stayed strong and muscled through the first 100m of hell to get in a comfortable position.  The brutal part was, I was starting to feel all used up from the battle at the start of the race.  Around the Half way point of the swim I couldn’t help but notice that I was beginning to feel laboured. Arms were getting tired, and breathing becoming tense.  I knew this wasn’t a good sign, I have felt this before and it is not fun in the middle of a race.  I started to take long, slow breathes, strokes extended to gain maximum length, while maintaining recovery.  A coupe times I popped the head up to have a few moments of recovery doing breaststroke (ya I know, I pulled the chute, always a bad move, dont do it!).  Soon after I pulled it together, got some water out of my goggles and headed back to the swim out from the turn around!

Out of the water and I get the wetsuit pulled off with minimal difficulty to my waist.  Running into T1 for about 300m and I get to my bike and tear the suit off and throw it into my transition bag.  Helmet and race belt on, Radars in my mouth, grab the bike and get out as fast as I can.  I see that I am in a solid position going out onto the bike looking to be in the top quarter of the field I race out of T1, hop on the bike and hear the elastics snap off my shoes clean and without tangle.  

Few pedal strokes in and I get settled in my Specialized S-Works shoes, dial them in and it was game on.  I am a natural cyclist so this is my strong point.  It was tuck and go for 40km.  Gained some time on competitors and gained on a couple others.  Although, I could feel the heat of the day coming on quick.  I was getting a little worried.  I normally perform well in the intense heat, but this day felt a little different.  I eased on the pedals a little bit to allow for some energy to be saved for the run.  Still maintained a solid time on the bike and was clean coming off the bike which felt great.  Running into T2 I was feeling a little weak.  Nothing a gel and some water couldnt fix though.

Bike is racked in T2 and helmet is thrown into the transition bag, Brooks T7’s on and it was 10km until the finish line.  Belt was turned around and away I went.  Yup, I knew it, the run was going to be hell.  I broke down and fell apart.  About 1km in I was already labouring and felt incredibly sore and physically and mentally exhausted.  This was bad news, the first water feed was non existent because the volunteers shit the bed and forgot to hand me a feed when I yelled for it.  Well I had to wait another 4 minutes for a feed, BEAUTY!  The half way point of lap 1 came and it was bad!  The body was not agreeing with me.  Throughout the run there were a few times where I had to take a break and walk for 30 seconds.  I HAVE NEVER FELT LIKE THIS BEFORE!  It was the Muskoka 5150 all over again!  WHY!?  It was embarrassing for myself!  I have never felt like this in a race ever!  I pulled it together and finished the race as strong as I could.  Crossed the line and this was a rough race!  Couldnt believe what had happened.  Sad news aside, I did end up finishing 2nd in my age group for Men 20-24, so I was pleased to see that at the end of a rough day!

All in all, the day was hot, the day was mentally and physically exhausting and I hope those were the only 2 races where I was going to fault in the year!

Until next time, I am racing the Canadian Iron (Olympic) Weekend in a few weeks and HOPEFULLY things are stronger!

swim.bike.run.live.

Muskoka 5150…. 3 Months After…

The biggest race of the summer and the post is coming now.  The morning was great, managed to get a healthy amount of sleep before the race and a solid breakfast the morning of.  Bedtime was mighty early the night before as the race started at 7am and I wanted to be on site at 6am.  Up by 4am?  Ya, thats exactly how it went down!  Packed the car, bike in the trunk, transition bag packed and lunch in the lunch box.

Dad pulled out of the driveway and we were on our way up to Huntsville for the start gun. We get there in one piece, my heart is pounding, eyes are racing, body getting anxious, need to get out of the car and start moving.  We pull up to the Convention Centre behind Huntsville SS and my parents know that once I get out of the car, its game on, they dont bother me, and I dont bother them.  I put the bike together, grab my transition bag and get everything I need to head over to the transition.  Bike is set up and everything is taped and properly placed in my section of T1/2.  

Swim

Race clothes are already on under my warm ups, wetsuit is in hand, swim cap and goggles are in hand and I am walking to the swim start.  Dad follows me down to help me get in the skin tight body suit.  I throw back a banana and some Powerade to hydrate and get my warm up in the water started.  Its an in water start like the previous years.  Head current going in towards the end of the swim along with 1500m of solid grinding.  Gun goes off, and all hell breaks loose!  Punching, kicking, everything you can imagine a fight to be, but in the water.  I always start heavy and try to maintain a solid pace.  This race was different, the swim was okay, not great, but okay.  Had to take a couple breathers in the water and catch my breathe due to the fact that I was getting tired and using a little too much energy.  Conservation, at this point, was key.  I still had a 40km bike and a 10km to do. Coming into the last 500m, the legs were cramping, starting to feel fatigued.  I took deep breathes to ensure that oxygen enriched blood was reaching my legs to pull the lactic acid away from the muscles.  I hit the steps out of the water, start to pull of the wetsuit and get er down to my waist.  

T1

Wetsuit came off a little difficult than normal, once it was pulled off grabbed my helmet and the bike and got out of there as fast as I could.  Counted the bikes that had left transition and I was not in the most ideal position.  

Bike

I knew that the course was hilly, but I also knew that I am a strong cyclist.  Turns out that day, the hills had the best of me.  I hammered the first few hills trying to ensure ground was made on my competitors and get the ground back that I had lost in the swim.  A couple folks had caught me, I was discouraged.  I tried to stick with them, it just wasnt my day on the bike.  It was starting to get mighty hot out and I knew that with the condition I was in, the run was going to be a mission.

T2

Bike racked and the running shoes went on mighty fast.  Right leg cramped up and I immediately slammed a gel to get the BCAAs in the body and regenerate the fuel supply.  2 laps of 5 km.  This was going to be hard.

Run

From the get go, the run started on bad note.  I could tell that my pace was going to be weak and laboured.  This run was hilly and hot.  I actually had to stop a couple times and walk a hill because I just was out of gas and hitting a wall I have never experienced before.  Competitors were gaining ground on me, I was the last of the elite racers in the Men 20-24 category to finally come in.  I cant even describe the run because it was just painful for me, slow, laboured, hot and hard.  I either didnt fuel the body properly before the race, or went too hard in the swim to keep up to the strong swimmers in the southern Ontario region.  Either way, it was bad!  crossed the finish line in 8th and I was not happy with the end result.  I still managed to qualify for the 5150 World championships in Des Moines Iowa, but that race wasnt in the cards this year due to financials.  2013 ITU Worlds was the ultimate goal, but there were too many strong guys to compete with.  

In any case, It was the worst race of the season and I knew that coming back to Ottawa, it was redemption time and I had some ground and time to make up.  

National Capital Triathlon….  lets go!

And Canada’s Flag Bearer Is……

SIMON WHITFIELD!!!  Unreal Canadian athlete.  Such a great ambassador for the sport of Triathlon!  Canada couldn’t have picked a stronger athlete to represent us on the march into London!

My Perfect Day in Training….

Would love to have a day off and head over to Britannia Beach or even Meech Lake in Gatineau Park to hammer out a solid day of triathlon training. Start with nice wake up call at 7am with open water swim endurance training in the morning, few hours on the bike in Gatineau Park in the afternoon hammering out hill intervals, sprints on the flats, and overall intensity training on the bike to pick up the avg speed, only to finishing the day off with a nice long tempo run around a 3:50/4:00 per km pace to keep the speed work high off the bike to round out a perfect day of training here in Ottawa.  If only I got paid to do what I love, things would be much more fun and easier!