Great White North

I don’t know that there is any science behind time speeding up as you get older, but when I turned 35 this year time started flying by like Cancellara in a time trial . So when my iPhone told me that yes indeed, Great White North race weekend had arrived, I started to think about all the extra training I should have done but just never seemed to get around to. However that’s a futile exercise, so I started to pack instead.

On Saturday Dezz and I headed out to Stony Plain for registration pickup and bike drop-off. With my 3 week old SpeedMatrix bike fit and a freshly lubed chain, Dezz dropped me off about 2 km from the lake so I could ride along and make sure shifting was smooth. Hot, sunny days and fresh asphalt go together about as well as me and the Calgary Stampede. After 5 sticky minutes, Dezz decided that scraping the tar off my tires with a stick was akin to scraping tar off a tire with a feather duster. Plan B – put brand new tires on the bike. Fortunately Rick and I both had one spare each.

Race morning was a beautiful sunny day in St. Albert. By the time we drove 20 minutes west, however, the rain had started. I set my gear up for a quick transition, slipped (struggled?) into my wetsuit and headed down to the beach for the race start. I wished good luck to a few friends about to become first time half iron(wo)men and embarked on my murky swim. I grabbed some feet for virtually the whole first lap and was happy with my time. But at the start of the second lap I followed a group of 5 or 6 way off course and had to fight my way back across to the first buoy. After that I felt my technique was decent but at the same time felt like I was swimming in an endless pool against the current. I ended up with a 3 minute positive split on my second lap for a 45 minute swim. The swim was chaos - kicked in the face, kicked in the stomach, goggles pulled off. YetI still remained relaxed most of the swim. So at least there’s that.

A decent transition and  I was out on the rainy bike. After a gradual climb to the highway, the course has a slight downhill giving me an opportunity to spin my legs out and get my head into the bike. It was a wet windy ride and I was disappointed by the lack of marshalls out on the course penalizing those multiple cyclists that were intentionally drafting. As I passed a group of 5 guys in a nice little pace line, 2 guys jumped onto my wheel. I immediately dropped the hammer and left them eating the spray from my newly installed back tire.  2h36 later, I was slipping from my cycling shoes to my running shoes.

Onto the run I took about 1km to get into my stride and then settled in for the next 13km. The course is flat and has a few out and backs, providing a lot of opportunity to high-five friends and teammates along the way. About the 14km mark, my legs started feeling it. I managed to keep form for the next few kilometres, but didn’t have the knee drive I needed to maintain my pace. And by km 18, all I was concerned about was keeping Faizel and JR off my heels while minimizing the amount of time Alan beat me by. Whatever gets you to the finish line!

 5h08. 2 minutes faster than my goal. New PB. Next year...sub 5h.

The Double

First off...spoiler alert. If you've been living in the suburbs of La Crete with no electricity over the last 5 days and have no idea that Ryder Hesjedal won the Maglia Rosa on Sunday, stop reading now. Oh wait, uh, stop reading about 2 sentences ago.

Life the last 3 weeks has consisted of work, tri club, long rides, Giro d'Italia, Tour of California, and NBA playoffs - and not necessarily in that order. (I just found out the NHL finals start this week). So suffice it to say I have been on Ryder's jock since his 17th place finish in the ITT on May 5. But more on that in a minute.

I'll miss Footstock Duathlon and the timing of Sylvan's BBF duathlon was right, so I'd found my annual duathlon (I'll trade you 2 runs for a swim any day)! Waking up at 6am overlooking a sparkling Sylvan Lake on Sunday, I rode my bike around the corner to transition, got set up with a prime spot in about 2 minutes, and headed back for some breakfast and the start of the Giro TT. At 8:15, Dezz and I dragged ourselves away from the TV and headed back for the athletes meeting.

15 minutes after the sprint tri swim started, the first 5km run of the duathlon was underway. On Thursday night's tri club run, Jon had anyone racing on the weekend doing a modified set of 3 minutes at race pace, 2 minutes recovery (x3). Paying attention to form (especially when I passed Jon as he yelled at me to relax my shoulders and drive my knee forward) I was easily running sub-4s. So once the pseudo gun went off (some dude yelling "Go!") my goal was to get out in front and focus on running my race without outside influence. That worked great for the first 2km and then a gradual 1km climb threw off my pace. Never having led a race in my life, it was a unique experience for me. I think I may have forgotten I was actually racing if not for the aid station at the 3km mark. I was disappointed with my first run time, but I did stay relaxed and let the run come to me. Baby steps.

I reached T1 not having any idea how far ahead I was, but my goal on the bike was not to get passed (including by triathlon competitors who were also on the road by this point). Tucked into aero for 90% of the ride and maintaining high cadence on the uphills, I checked another goal off.

Hitting the second run of a duathlon is always a unique experience, but Wednesday night bricks with Grant and Ed have gotten me used to those run-bike-run transitions.  So although a bit fatigued after riding into a stiff head wind for 12km, the legs were turning over pretty well and I again fell into my zone. Then came that silly hill again to zap my pace.  Hitting the 4km mark still in first (I couldn't differentiate duathletes from triathletes on the course, but I hadn't been passed by anyone to this point) I started to really push for the finish line feeling like I may have left a lil' something out on the course.

Yes it was a very small field, but it did feel good crossing the line in first place for the first (and probably only) time in my multisport life. Maybe these new TCTC jerseys have some magic. I enjoyed the experience while eating ice cream with wifey, before starting to analyze where I lost time and how to get faster next time. Dezz is a patient woman. Overall I finished in 21:43-0:59-44:30-0:35-23:02 for a 1:30:51 finishing time. The journey continues.

Oh and about that Hesjedal fellow. As soon as we got home the PVR came on and we gathered around the tv to watch the first Canadian ever win a grand tour. Now that, was a good day. And to top it all off, many of my friends and TCTC team mates ran their way to PBs during the Scotiabank marathon/half-marathon/10km. Awesome job.

Don't Call it a Comeback

It's been a minute since I've shared my thoughts here (lucky you).  But with the return of nice weather, outdoor training, and the Giro d'Italia comes the return of my mind-numbing ramblings.

Over the winter I was content to maintain fitness with a couple nights of tri club, basketball, weekend runs, the odd spin session on the trainer, hot yoga, and Mr. Ndugga kicking my butt for an hour each week. Shy of a few short trips (well ok, a month in South America may not be "short" to some people), I  was staying active 5 or 6 nights a week.

At some point in recent weeks, I started to get more race focused. Well at least I think I did...I'll have to ask my coaches.  I won't bore you with details of my treadmill workouts or how I lost a minute on my latest swim TT; let's just jump ahead to this weekend.

On Saturday, the sun was shining and it was the final weekend of the year to ride Little Elbow before the road opens to cars. So I tuned up the Flying Scotsman and took him out for the first ride of the season. It was great to get back out with my old riding partners Ricky, Carol and Erin. And perhaps even better to hit the road with some new riding partners...guy Shannon and girl Shannon (no relation). We did a total of about 67km at a moderate pace. The legs took a while to loosen up, but once they did they felt good on the climbs. Steep uphills at a high cadence, attack the summit, and build speed on the downhill hitting 83km/h. Yep, felt good to be back in aero position.

After hill repeats with coach Jon on Thursday night and the ride on Saturday, I did wonder how the legs would respond at Sunday morning's Mother's Day 10km race. Building into the race (and slaloming 8 year olds) for the first kilometre, I hit my stride and was averaging 3:55/km until the 6km mark and feeling good. And then I hit the biggest climb. Not particularly steep, but long enough to zap some energy. From that point, it became a mental game to maintain my pace. Due to the heat, I grabbed some water from the aid station for the second time during the race (a rarity for me) and pushed myself downhill to Macleod Trail and the 8km mark. That's when the wheels fell off. My gut felt heavy (it was a small sip of water, I promise), and my legs were ready to stop running and start resting. Unfortunately, they were putting in a good argument with my brain. Normally with 2km to go I start to kick it up a notch. But for whatever reason, today was the exact opposite, with the Garmin Training Centre telling me that my slowest pace was between 8 and 9.5km. Crossing the line in 41:41, I was very disappointed in myself. Not necessarily from the physical perspective, but definitely from the mental side.  But like always, I immediately looked for the silver lining. I found 2.  #1 A comparison of my race log from the St. Paddy's 10km shows my endurance has improved since March. #2 I know what I have to do before my next race.

Following a baptism, a great lunch with family, and a power nap, I headed to Talisman for a swim with girl Shannon. Shannon is training for Ironman with Kevin Masters out of Edmonton. Kevin is a great coach, but unfortunately Shannon works in Northern Alberta which means the majority of her workouts are done solo. So this was an opportunity for me to watch Shannon's swim and pass along a few tips. Fortunately there are a lot of things wrong with my swim which my coaches have graciously pointed out. So although I may not be very good at putting all those changes into practice at the same time, I do have an idea what I'm looking for in other people's stroke (arms crossing over, fingers open in the water, etc). I was happy to be able to help Shannon out and she reports that she already felt more efficient in the water. The best part was, by reviewing some of these items with her it was an opportunity to reflect on my own technique. My swim felt really good tonight. I don't know if its ever happened before that in a single day my run didn't feel great but the swim felt solid.

 I've now started paying more attention to the Giro and less attention to what the heck I'm telling you. I hope that last paragraph makes sense. I'll finish off my drivel with the assurance that I am now excited to immerse myself in triathlon again. No, it's not going to take over my life the way it did for Ironman Canada last year because, after all, I think (hope) my wife wants to spend a little more time with me this summer. But I'm excited to have that excitement back. It's going to be a good season. And I look forward to sharing it with you.

My favourite bike ride and other short stories

I started this blog as a means of sharing my Ironman training and maybe impart some advice and lessons learned. It then morphed into an opportunity to share my race reports...because there's nothing more important in your life than how fast I didn't go. As I type these things out, it usually causes me to reflect a lot more on where I'm at and what it all means to me.
But let's start with those race reports.

Jim Horner CX: I was up in Edmonton for Thanksgiving and staying 3 minutes from Millcreek Ravine, I couldn't skip the chance of doing the Jim Horner cyclocross last Saturday. I did a short warm up and lined up for the start. Three quarters of a lap later (about 7 minutes or so) I was walking over to the commissaire pushing my bike with one hand and holding my broken chain in the other.

Red Cross CX: Fortunately Red Bike put on a race at the same spot on Sunday. So after a quick repair at Hard Core bikes I was ready to go. I started at the back of the pack. A big group moved off the front quickly and it was only about half a lap before the group as strung out. It wasn't as technical as my previous venture at COP, but the course was still a tricky one ducking in and out of the ravine. I maybe didn't look as good as I felt when I yelled to my dad "you should try this". He just laughed. My goal was to not get lapped too early in the race (I know, pretty lofty expectations). Being used to tucking into aero position for kilometre after kilometre of straight roads, started a bit tentative on the technical turns. But as the laps ticked by, I started to find my rhythm and attacked the hills and corners. I made halfway through my final lap holding on before reality set in and the top two riders lapped my. But I'll count that as a successful day.

Blow Street CX: There was a race out in Blakiston Park (NW Calgary) yesterday. I was on the fence about signing up since I was doing the Gorilla run today. But I enjoy cyclocross too much to pass up the opportunity. It was a big field on a fairly flat, leaf-covered course. Again I started near the back but was moving up quite well. But on my second lap my new chain link came loose and that was the end of my day. Half of my cyclocross races have now ended with a broken chain! Oh well, just saved my legs for a strong race at today's 14km Gorilla Run.(slow start through the zoo, very fast last 2km).

My cycling has seen big improvements over the last year. To the point where my bike may be close to challenging the run if my run wasn't also improving. So I was stoked for our time trial at tri club this week. My 3 minute TT felt good. And then my 20 minute TT fell apart. With numbers only slightly higher than those of a year ago I spent the night questioning why. Am I finally burning out after IMC and a busy racing year?  Maybe that month in South America is just what the body needs to recover and refocus. Maybe Dezz and I will hire a couple of hybrids and take a leisurely bike ride, but that will probably be the extent of it.

Speaking of cycling abroad, Bicycling Magazine is celebrating their 50th year with an article on most memorable rides. Which got me thinking about mine. In 2008 Dezz and I did a short cycling tour in Crete, Greece. On day two we cycled about 5km. Our ride traversed some quiet, winding roads with a few uphills and what seemed like more downhills. We took a leisurely pace as you do when seeing a new country. After a long flowing decent we rounded a corner and came upon a small natural spring. We stopped for a photo opp and to take in the atmosphere. We felt like we could have been riding through the rainforest with the overhanging trees, and sound of water flowing, and not a single car passing us in our 15 minute pit stop. And then the rain started. We had a final climb into Argiroupolis up a steep, slick hill. Dezz literally was riding day 2 on clipless pedals (yep, we just bought her road shoes 3 days before we departed) and at the steepest pitch her bike just stopped. It was one of those slow motion falls we've all experienced first hand. But she jumped back on and pedaled to the top of the hill where we were greeted by a waiting Mercedes Benz.  This was the owners of our paradise for the night waiting to lead us up to his guest house. We walked our bikes the last few steps down the cobbled steps, stripped out of our wet clothes and into some dry gear, made a pot of tea and feasted on the fresh farm produce and bread they provided us. Had it not been for the potential adventures that awaited us the next day on our bicycles, we would still be in Argiroupolis. She's never come out and said it, but I have a sneaking suspicion this is the day my wife fell in love with cycling.

Losing my Cyclocross Virginity

Following IMC 2009 I decided to try cyclocross. This, of course, meant I NEEDED a new bike.  After a few a few visits to Bow Cycle, I decided my third bike in 3 years should maybe be secondhand. Two days before leaving for Spain I found a great deal...in Kelowna. I contacted the seller (a mechanic in a Kelowna bike shop) and said if the bike was still available when I returned, I'd really consider it. A week later, I was assembling my newest family member. 

Jump ahead 21 months and I was finally signed up for my first cyclocross race. On Saturday night I raced the newbie category at the Dark Knight Cyclocross out at Canada Olympic Park. I spent a whole 2 days training my mounts and dismounts and riding over some bumpy grass in Inglewood prior to the race. I was ready!  Cyclocross has a reputation of just being a really fun time, even among the more elite riders. So I wasn't too nervous. Until I saw the course!  I quickly realized the hundreds of kilometres I rode along straight roads in aero position wouldn't be of much assistance here. I signed my waiver, pinned my race number onto my jersey, pulled up my leg warmers, and headed out for a practice lap. I spent the last week watching cyclocross videos on YouTube...either everything looks easier on video or this is the hardest course in the entire universe. I'll settle for something in the middle.

My race started at 6pm so at least we'd be racing in daylight. In cyclocross, you don't do a set number of laps. Rather, it is a timed race and the number of laps is based on the pace of the first place rider after his/her first 2 laps. Seeding ourselves was fairly easy...there were only 8 noobs signed up. We started off on a gradual asphalt uphill. Two guys pulled away right off the front. A girl and I were next. And then everyone else dropped off the back early on.  The course consisted of grass, sand traps, a downhill dirt trail, tight corners, off-camber sections, and obstacles. I raced in my small chain ring and by the third lap I was hypoxic. It was a totally different type of fitness than I'm used to. But the adrenaline kept me going strong (well, maybe strong is too, um, strong a word). I was a bit tentative on the first couple of laps, but started to really go for it on the 3rd and 4th laps. By the 5th, I was spent and made a few tactical errors. But asides from 2 close calls, I survived the race without hitting the ground. I was in 3rd place for the first 3 1/2 laps, but the girl kept on my wheel most of the time ("come on Ally, you got him. Hey buddy, don't get chicked!") and after a short downhill, tight corner, and sharp uphill in the wrong gear, she finally made the jump. I stuck on her wheel for a bit but her road racing skills were obviously more suited to the technical course. Yup, I got chicked. But I was happy with my 4th place finish and not getting lapped. And Bow Cycle donated swag for the top 5 in each category.

The cyclocross vibe is totally different than triathlon. It's a real party vibe. They had a DJ spinning throughout the races (the elite dudes went at 9pm) and the post-race (or pre-race, or spectator) food consisted of pumpkin pie, whipped cream, chocolate, nibs, coffee and hot chocolate. Nice. Racers even wore costumes. I was amazed at how fast the elite guys were, but it was good to see that sometimes they slipped or wiped out too. I can't wait to do the next one.

Dark Knight video: