Your Next Race Contributing Writer!

Wooo! I now get to tell more people about my crazy multisport lifestyle! I'll try to post here the stuff I post there. Without further ado...


Life Skills Development

It’s been pouring rain in Vancouver for a good week now nonstop…not a bad time to start a new job!

I have been studying the ins and outs of training now for about 3 years, since I got into the sport. I think a large part of my success so far (how fast I’ve gotten good and how I’ve remained pretty much injury free) has been because I’ve been able to read all of the information out there and really filter out all of the good stuff.

What the good stuff is telling me is that real Ironman training begins 20 weeks out from race day. I’ve seen a couple of people extolling the virtues of this, one of them being Mark Allen, so I’m pretty sure it’s good advice.

20 weeks out from Ironman Canada this year is the week beginning April 8th, so that is the day that my real work begins.

Anyway, I figured that now would be a good time to get into a new job since hours at my current job are going to be cut pretty heavily come May. What this means is that right now training has pretty much come to a halt. I’m training at one job during the day and working another at night. I’ve got about 20 minutes to myself during the day, 19 of which is spent preparing and eating food (never gonna give that up!).

So, until April 2nd, there will be very little running, riding, or swimming of any sort. It really hurts since I love doing those things so much. I’m coming off a month of highs, placing 2nd in my AG at the UBC Duathlon on March 12th, then coming in a respectable 49th out of 500 people at a St. Patrick’s Day 5k, so the fear of losing some of that gained fitness is making me a little nervous.

That said, I’ve taken more time off before and not felt bad coming back, and the mental time off is something I’m going to miss once heavy training begins, so I’m sure it’s all for the best.

Oh, and having a job to pay for this ridiculously expensive sport is probably a good idea too.

Training Hiatus

Looks like training is on the back burner for the next week or two while I get my work life sorted out. Just started a second job today at HSBC that I need to do training for over the next two weeks before my other job. This means free time has officially fallen to 0.

I'm not sure I'll work every day of the week, but I'll be lucky to get in 3 or 4 workouts I think.

Oh well, the real thing starts April 8th, so hopefully I'm still good to go by then.

It's funny how this situation is putting my life into perspective. I'm realizing just how important Triathlon is in my life, pretty much overriding all other things. I'm willing to quit all work that gets in the way of my goal.

Last week I placed 2nd in my AG and 20th overall at the UBC Du. This weekend I finished 49th overall in a 5k out of about 490 people, running it in 19:50 (a new record, by a few seconds). My potential is definitely there, and all I want to do is explore it.

How to do that and maintain a standard of living suitable to both myself and my girlfriend is the big question, but I think I can figure something out.

Best Day Ever?

Possibly.

First, the race: pretty damn good. It was raining HARD all day, and was quite windy, so not the best conditions for a fast race. I did the first run in 20:00 flat which is definitely one of my best times. I was even "trying" (read: not really) to keep a little in reserve, but that didn't go so well. Between the speed I was going and race nerves, my HR went as high as 191 in that first 20 minutes; pretty fecking high, considering my theoretical max is 194.

The bike was more like a canoe trip down some crazy rapids, but I made good time. The wind was against us moving downhill and at our backs coming back up which made for a nice balance. I kept thinking that superior aerodynamics would win the day here so I tucked in and rode hard. I don't think I passed anyone in my heat, but I absolutely blew past several other competitors like they were standing still. That's a nice feeling

(Funny moment of the day: me on my 2006 Dual passing a guy on a Cervelo One, then another guy right in front of him on a 2005 Dual. Somewhere, a cash register in Cervelo's head office is going "Ka-Ching!")

I went into the 2nd run feeling pretty good. Had one small calf cramp tweak, but that was it. I did have a problem feeling like I was giving it my all cardiolarly (new word), but not moving very fast, but my 2nd run split was 21:30 or so, so I definitely was moving pretty good.

This run was the first time in this sport where I went truly competitive against another individual. A man running behind me had passed me on the first run, so I knew he was a little faster than me. I dug deep trying to stay ahead of him, knowing that any slowdown would cost me a position.

I beat him by 20 seconds. Pretty f-ing cool!

So, the results: Race time about 1:24, 20th overall, 2nd in my AG. I GET A MEDAL FOR THAT SHIT!! WOOOOOOOOO!

I've decided I don't want to have to scroll down after a race to see my name, so I'm just going to finish all races on the first page of the results. I think it's better this way.


Today I fired off two emails, one to the ITU and one to the WTC asking about jobs. Both responded. The WTC forwarded my email to NA Sports, so I hope something good happens there. The ITU linked me to some volunteer work for the Vancouver World Cup happening in July, something I had totally forgotten about.

In any case, I'm stoked. I'm hoping to get a ton of experience from the ITU people (and maybe a job!) and see where my future goes from there. Racing or planning, it sure is looking bright right now.

Race Day Tomorrow

Well, in a standard case of goal-inflation, I've gone from want to simply have fun in this duathlon tomorrow to wanting to win it. Why do I do it? I have no idea. Maybe I have this misguided belief that the field won't be as competitive at UBC (probably a big lie) and I have a good chance of placing in, say, the top 10. If I hit the top 10 on this race I would probable die happy. Then I would die for real as I probably would have pushed myself way past my limits physically.

I'm going to try incorporating some mental games into this race. I want people to fear me right from the start. I want them to know in their minds, even before the race begins, that they can't beat me.

Yes, dance puppets.... DANCE!!

Sick again

I think I've been sick during the week before almost every single race I've ever done. It's really quite fun (NOT).

I went for a hard speed session on the bike last Friday, when flurries were coming down and the temperature was just around freezing. The last time I got sick this was pretty much the same condition, so I guess I should have known what to expect.

Snow = going to get sick

I could feel it coming on by Saturday night, but I think it's just about broken now on Wednesday night, like I expected. Just a general feeling of discomfort and the sniffles. Nothing too bad thankfully.

Race day is fast approaching. A couple more quick workouts and then it's off to victory!

I hope.

Goin' fast...

Three months of long, slow endurance training can wear one down over time as it's quite monotonous. This week, however, is speed week, and comes with it's own set of problems, namely the urge to puke after a hard interval.

On Monday I ran hard, 3x8 minutes as hard as I could sustain. This meant a heartrate hovering in the high 170s, a place I haven't been since I can't remember when. I was pretty sure I was going to fall over after each interval.

It took my legs three days to recover to the point where I didn't feel pain when I walked, pain like when I used to lift heavy weights in the gym. I forgot that the simple act of running could do this to my body.

Today was my bike speed session, 3x8 again. I'd spent the last few days tinkering with my new Dual, getting the aerobar angles right, dropping the cockpit down an inch and adjusting the seat. The result is a bike that feels fast, and more importantly, comfortable. Awkward on the handlebars, being at a 78 degree angle (compared to my road bike), but natural in the aerobars, where it counts.

I did one hard interval and was ready to puke after. My legs were burning, my lungs were burning (it was starting to snow, so it was cold) and I thought my calf was going to cramp. The second interval was more up hill, and I couldn't seem to get the same power output (HR) as the first interval. By the end of the third I was ready to call it a day.

The shitty thing about biking hard is that you cover a lot of ground and it's hard not to run out of room on a stretch. Finding room meant 20 minutes of riding, which meant 20 minutes of riding back home.

Suffice it to say, I was pooped.

Race day is just over a week away now. I'm going to try cutting all caffeine intake next week and do this race au naturel. I can't wait!