Edm Triathlon Festival (ITU) - Oly Race Report

So I am not exactly sure why I signed up to race an Olympic distance triathlon. After all, I’d be the first person to admit that short course is not my strength.  It probably had more to do with curiosity and an opportunity to gauge my fitness, but mostly just a great calibre race near home and the opportunity to catch up with friends.

Saturday was quite uneventful. I was up early in the morning to put in a final brick (bike/run) and then drove three hours to Edm. I spent a couple hours helping Cam at Element and then headed over to Hawrelak Park for package pick-up, bike drop off, lunch, and of course the athlete mtg. Right away you could tell this would not be an ordinary “local” race. The organizing committee had clearly put a lot of work in and Hawrelak Park looked like a real race venue. I spent the remainder of the afternoon at Element with Cam, probably more getting in the way than actually helping out.

I then headed to Ian and Joanne’s in St Albert where we would be spending the night. Claudia and the kids arrived shortly after I did. They had stayed in Cold Lake for the day as Ruthie had a friend’s B-Day Party to attend. We had the privilege of meeting Greg Rouault (the winner of the Elite Men’s World Cup Race the following day) as he was billeted at Ian and Joanne’s.  He was happy to answer my billion questions (ranging from current trg regime, life as a Pro, training camps, race schedule, etc) and even discussed his race strategy for the next day.  I distinctly remember him saying something along the lines that he just needed to come out with the main swim pack, hang with the main bike pack, and he’d have a good chance of winning (after all his strength is running). And of course as my luck would have it, EP (we nicknamed our youngest – “Eye Poker” after she put me out of commission for a week earlier this year as a result of scratching my cornea) struck again. My eye was sore for the rest of the evening.

James opening his B-Day presents race morning...and in the background the speedy Greg Roualt

The following morning I awoke and contemplated not racing. My eye was sore and a little uncomfortable, but seeing as my vision seemed fine I figured I’d race. We arrived at the race venue shortly after eight which gave me just over an hour to get transition sorted out. And well my hour was a bit hectic. My disc didn’t want to cooperate and I ended up having to get help from the techs from United Cycle. Then my power meter didn’t want to wake up and when it did the calibration number was out to lunch. Oh well, time to get out of transition and just race. Hung out with friends for about 30 minutes prior to our start and then we were marshalled down to the swim start.

Ruthie and James helping me put on my Nineteen Rogue

Swim

I was happy to line-up on the swim behind Lisa Ulrich and beside James Dean. I knew I wouldn’t be catching either of their drafts. Start was very clean and it didn’t take long for the swimmers to spread out. The course was two 750m loops in Hawrelak Pond. The water was dirty but not worse than I had seen earlier this year in The Woodlands. I was happy to catch a draft for the last half of the last loop and was even happier to see 22:50 on my watch as I exited the water. I was expecting to swim slightly faster than 25:00 or 1:40/100m so that was a good bit faster (I actually think the swim was about 100m short) or perhaps the drafting helped.

Heading to transition after the swim

Bike

Out of the swim and into the long run (ok so maybe only 200m) into transition to get my helmet, shoes and bike. And of course right away my power meter didn’t want to work. I tried to repair it as I biked but it didn’t work. I knew from the times last year that I should be able to bike about 15-16minutes per lap so figured I would just forget the PM and focus on my perceived effort for my pacing. I was through the first lap in about 15:30 and I felt like I was moving through the field well. I pushed my effort a little on the second lap and then held that effort for the remaining two laps. I didn’t see James Dean on the bike, but did see Lisa Ulrich (she would go on to win the W30-34 - fast as always!) just before the Groat Road climb on lap 3. Matt Dean - M25-29 (James Dean’s youngest brother) passed me on my last lap and he was the only one to do so. My bike split was 1:01:17…just about right. A sub 1:00 would have been nice but I was happy with the result and ready to rock the run. I was a bit concerned with a 4 loop bike course as I thought it would be quite congested but it was honestly pretty good. Lap 4 was definitely the most congested but there was still lots of room to pass.

Heading out for another lap on my Argon 18 E-118

Run

The run is 4 loops of an out and back course of ~2.5kms. I once again knew I should be running about a 35-36min 10km and well I’m pretty good at pacing the run without my 910xt. I was happy to be putting on my fluorescent yellow Brooks Pure Drifts in transition and finally doing the portion of the race that I love best…the run. I glanced at my watch a few times throughout the run and was generally holding a 3:30-3:35/km pace. I wasn’t too concerned about my pace just trying to go as hard as I could muster for 10kms. On the last lap just past the turn-around I finally caught Stephen Schreiber who is probably one of the best triathletes in Edm. At that point I figured I was near the front and pushed as hard as I could for the last kilometer and change. I was happy to be finished and definitely spent.  I was happy with my run at 35:55 but pretty confident I should be able to go a tad faster. As the results weren’t posted at the race venue, it took me almost two hours before I finally found out that I was first in the M30-34 in a time of 2:03:40. I actually had to call my mom and get her to check the online results. The run course was a little congested but the 4 loops make it very family friendly.

Running...mentally engaged

I was very happy to be first in the M30-34 and I guess that means I’m the provincial AG Olympic Champion! Ok, but honestly there are definitely a few guys in the M30-34 division in Alberta that could beat me…Stephen Hastings name comes to mind.

Stephen Schreiber (2nd M30-34) and myself on the Podium

Despite having a great race, the highlight of the day was getting to hang out with my family, catching up with friends and watching Greg win the Elite race. The race unfolded almost exactly as he had explained it to me the previous night. He came out of the water near the front of the main pack (he said the swim was his weakness…I wish I could swim like that), stayed near the middle to back of the main pack on the bike (ie. he conserved his energy), and then unleashed a race best run of 14:53 to give him about a 50m lead at the finish. Truly awesome to watch! If you are in Edm next year you owe it to yourself to come and watch the Elites race…it’s just incredible.

Greg with the fist pump as he runs up the finishing shoot!!!

A huge thanks to Ian & Joanne for once again opening their home to us. We love you guys and are so privileged to have you as friends.

Chinook Half-Ironman Distance – Calgary, AB

So I had originally put the Chinook Half-Ironman distance on my race calendar as it has been the Alberta Long Course Provincial Championships for the last few years. Given that the race sells out early I had registered early and then when the Alberta Triathlon Association released their official Championship Race Schedule I learned that Great White North(GWN) would serve as the Provincial Championships. (Note to self…harass the ATA to release the Championship schedule earlier. Releasing the schedule in the new year is not cool especially when Chinook and GWN both generally sell out quickly and in the fall). Seeing as I was registered anyways I figured I would race, but treat it more like a hard training session.

We travelled down to Calgary on Friday and paid a visit to Element in Edmonton to pick-up a few items.  We attended the athlete dinner on Friday night and I was sadly disappointed. I had heard great things about the race and figured it would be of the calibre of GWN, I was mistaken. The dinner was average at best and the athlete briefing was useless.  I really appreciated the effort put forward by the Race Director and his staff (it was evident that they really cared about this race, but this was a foretelling of the race as a whole.) To attend an athlete briefing where the RD rambles off some useless information in a haphazard manner and cannot adequately explain the course because he failed to ensure the projector and computer were working in advance is clearly not kosher.

I woke up Saturday morning just before 0500hrs and made a quick trip to McDonalds for an Egg McMuffin and a coffee. I topped off my breakfast with a banana and then grabbed my gear and walked to transition for just before 0700hrs. We stayed at the Wingate by Wyndham in Midnapore which is literally a 5-10min walk from the race start and finish - that was pretty awesome. I setup my bike and gear, got my body marked and then got set for the race.  Claudia and the kids showed up just before the race start, which was awesome.

Swim

Ok, seeing being in Alberta in June you expect the water to be cold and it didn’t disappoint. Not sure of the actual water temperature but after a quick warm-up the water felt fine. I actually think Midnapore Lake was warmer than Ghost Lake at the end of July. (Ghost Lake is the Lake that is used for Calgary 70.3) Seeing as it was a pretty small field ~150 athletes, the swim start was very calm. By the time we hit the first buoy ~350m out the field had already spread out and I was swimming on my own. Probably not ideal to be swimming the course alone, but hey it allowed me to just focus on a long stroke with a powerful pull.  I finished the first lap rounded the buoy and headed back into the water for the second 1km lap. Just like the first, the second lap was uneventful and I didn’t pass a single person nor was I passed. I exited the water and was happy to see 33:0X on my watch. This was the first time I had swam faster than 1:40/100m in a triathlon.

Heading back into the water for the second loop.

Coming out of the water on the second loop.

Removing my Nineteen Rogue

Bike

Through transition, where I put on Compressport Bike Socks, Specialized S-works Road Shoes, and my Louis Garneau Vorttice Helmet, I grabbed my trusty Argon 18 E-118 Stealth Steed and headed out on the bike. I had just started to find my groove on Highway 22X as I crossed an intersection patrolled by two police officers. The officer on my side of the road motioned that it was safe and blocked the road, however the officer on the opposing side of the road didn’t realize I was coming and let an extra couple cars through. Thankfully I was paying attention and barely avoided getting T-boned. I shook off the incident and pressed on. At around 44kms into the bike I saw the lead male, Grant Burwash (a Cdn Pro who resides in Calgary) coming back the other way. I figured I was about 10-15minutes down to him and then made sure I counted the athletes coming back. I realized I was in 5^th at the turn-around with Kyle Marcotte (another Cdn Pro who resides in Calgary) in fourth probably only 4-5 minutes up the road from me. I didn’t recognize either of the guys in 2^nd and 3^rd. 

On the way back into town the Olympic distance athletes merged onto Highway 22X with us. It was a disaster. I was passing people continuously for the last 20kms and it was clear this was the mid to back of the Olympic athletes pack. Instead of riding to the right of the road, they were staying to the left. I think I called, “to your left” almost continuously that last 20kms. This was a big safety hazard in my opinion -you had athletes cycling at 40+km/hr riding up from behind on athletes doing 20-25km/hr and attempting to pass on a very narrow shoulder.  When you are closing the distance that quickly even yelling "on your left" doesn’t really help much. The remainder of the bike was uneventful with the exception of getting cut-off by an SUV as I crossed Macleod Trail…thankfully my hands just happened to be on my brakes at that instant. I was happy to be off the bike at ~2:34 and I considered that not too bad for 96km and ~860m of elevation gain. The bike was probably only slightly easier than St George.

Run

Through transition, where I slipped on my Brooks Pure Connects (with Xentex laces compliments of Jonathan Kisiloski - I have to say I am now a Xentex fan), applied sunscreen and hit up the blue rocket. And then it was onto the run course, my favourite part of the race. I was aiming for 1:20 so about a 3:48/km pace. I started out a little faster for the first couple kilometers and then started to settle into my pace. At the first out and back I saw the 2^nd place athlete, Simon Schaerz, and 3^rd place athlete Jason Kincaid, and then a little later on the out and back Kyle. I rounded the out and back turn and quickly reeled in Kyle. Kyle told me that 3^rd place was about 4:30 ahead. I knew 2^nd place wasn’t much further because I had seen them both. I was pretty confident I had fourth in the books and thought I had a chance at reeling in 3^rd and perhaps 2^nd place. I finished the first loop and saw 40:13 on my watch and knew if I could hold my pace I’d be close to my goal. The kilometers clicked off quickly and thankfully the run course was well marked. I finally caught Jason at about 17kms and just hoped that he didn’t try and stay with me. I started the out and back and about 100m from the turn-around I saw Simon coming back the other way. I don’t think he knew I was coming. He started really picking up his pace. I had him down to about 100m at the start of the big hill and with about 2kms to go. He managed to open the gap a little on the hill and then I quickly started to close the gap down. As much as I tried he seemed to have more left and at the finish our delta was 9s. I was content with a 1:21 for the half-mary but the 1:20 and second place would have been nice. 

Heading out on my first loop. (#350 is doing the Olympic)

And for the awards, well I know I got 3^rd Overall and 1^st in the M30-39 Age group, but I have no clue what the awards are or how many dollars I get - I don't really care, it's really just a nice bonus that'll hopefully cover the race entry fee and maybe a couple extra dollars. (The total prize purse is $5600) We were told to stick around for the awards at 1300hrs which we did. Then at 1330hrs the awards started. They did most of the Olympic division awards and then stopped. When we inquired when the Half awards would be, they said later and after everyone was finished the race. They also said that they would find a way to get the awards to us if we didn’t stay. I went back later in the afternoon and helped tear down most of the finish/transition area and there was still one person out on the course and no awards. So I guess I’ll wait for a couple days and see if I get an e-mail from the RD. Least to say I was not impressed.  

Oh yah! It was a great training day and I got to meet Kyle Marcotte – a classy guy.

Post Race Picture with Kyle Marcotte

So will I be back to tackle the Chinook again...we'll see.

Road Trip 2013 in the Books!

So the 2013 Road Trip is now complete with 11,800 km of driving in the books (that 11,800 does not include driving around the cities we visited). 

The route travelled during the 2013 Road Trip...all 11,800 km of it.

The Road Trip was a very enjoyable experience with all the goals being obtained. I do not often share my goals for the season, but I thought I would make an exception. It occurred to me on the return drive from Ottawa that all my goals for the 2013 season have been accomplished. I guess it is time to set some new goals for the remainder of the season. I like to define my goals using the SMART Acronym (Specific, Measureable, Achievable, Realistic, and Timebound). So what were the goals?

1.  Go 9:15 at Ironman Texas – I went 9:09…check.

2.  Half-Marathon PB at CF Nationals – I went 1:13:42…check.

3.  Qualify for Ironman World Championships (@ IM Tx) and Ironman 70.3 World Championships(@ IM 70.3 St George)…check and check.  (This is not an ideal goal as you do not control who shows up to race)

As much as I like to race, by far the most enjoyable or memorable part of the trip was spending time with the family, meeting new friends, and of course touching base with old friends. I am not sure how she did it, but my wife managed to keep the kids entertained the whole time…that is pretty impressive in my books. The highlight of the trip was punching my ticket to Kona.

A rest stop to stretch the legs and enjoy a picnic.

Coming soon…the stable is now back full and my E-118 has a sister thanks to Argon 18 and Element. I will post and provide details of my new Argon 18 Gallium Pro in a few days.

Speechless! Canadian Forces(CF) Running Championships (Ottawa Race Weekend)

Sometimes you just don’t know what to expect. And sometimes when there is no pressure to perform, that is when you truly excel. And this proved to be one of those weekends and races. Seeing as I had just done Ironman Texas last weekend, I wasn’t quite sure what to expect running a Half-Marathon eight days later. I wouldn’t normally attempt such a feat but seeing as I had won the CF ½ Marathon title last year I felt somewhat obliged to make an attempt. An added benefit is that most of my family lives in Ottawa so it would also provide us with an opportunity to spend time with the greater family.

We arrived in Ottawa early on Tuesday evening. The kids were of course super excited to see their grandparents, though I’m sure some of their excitement was freedom from the van. The week in Ottawa was uneventful with the exception of realizing on Thursday that my right hamstring did not want to cooperate. I went for a light 35min run in the morning and my right hamstring was extremely tight. I managed to get a massage that afternoon at Renaissance which seemed to help loosen the hamstring up a good bit. For the remainder of the week I kept nursing the hamstring with a combination of heat and self massage. 

I attended the Canadian Forces mandatory briefing Friday afternoon and then went with my fellow CF members to our Pasta Dinner. It’s always great going to the CF Championships as you get to reconnect with friends throughout the country. It was also great seeing the horde from Cold Lake (hopefully we represented 4 Wg well.) I also picked up my race package and my Ottawa Race Weekend Tech Shirt.

Saturday morning I did my final run, a light 30minutes with a few accels to test the hamstring and make sure the legs were firing. Hamstring was tighter than I would have liked but the accels felt good. I went down to the race expo with my wife, Claudia, so she could pick-up her race kit. I was pretty happy that she was racing. She says she hates running, so I had signed her up earlier in the year (this would be her second 1/2 Marathon – the last one was in 2010.) I spent the rest of the morning hanging out with the folks at the Compressport Booth at the Expo. Compressport has been a fantastic supporter and so I figured the least I could do was give a little back. I was so very thankful to be able to hang out with Jonathan, help sell some merchandise, and learn a little more about new items coming from Compressport.

The Race

Sunday morning I woke up at 0500hrs and had my standard race breakfast of a cup of coffee (Starbucks), a blueberry bagel with Jam and two eggs over easy. Seeing as I was still the only one up, I elected to take a 30minute nap. We headed down to the race start at 0730hrs and were parked and at the start by 0800hrs. I warmed up for about 15minutes, had a few sips of water, and then took a Gu Gel (Java). My hamstring was ok during the warm-up, but I felt a slight pop with the final accel. I contemplated pulling the pin on the race, but I felt like I had to run. I figured I’d go out hard and see what the hamstring would do. 

And we are off!

I lined up in the first coral right at the front and to the left. When the horn sounded I was off like a flash. I figured I would go out hard for the first kilometer and then see if a pack would form. Three runners were ahead of me and I was pretty confident that two of the runners were clearly going out too hard with the lead runner being in a class of his own. I settled into a pace which I knew was slightly faster than I wanted to run, but figured this was the best way to run as I anticipated that deep fatigue from last weekend would come into play later in the race. My right hamstring was starting to tighten up through 5kms and I was getting a little worried. I was thankful to be wearing Compressport Quad Sleeves as I felt the compression they provided was assisting the hamstring. I went back and forth a couple times battling for third and then finally began to open up a lead as we turned onto Carling Ave. 

I continued to push and quickly began to realize that this race was going to be a mental battle;  either I let my legs rule and slow down or I block the screaming from my legs and mentally focus on the task at hand. As we turned onto Wellington, Jonathan Gendron (another CF Runner and one with a faster qualifying time finally caught me). We ran for about a kilometer together and then I told Jonathan to go get the next guy. Jonathan put a little surge in and quickly bridged the 100-200m. I turned into Tunney’s pasture and saw 34:28 as I crossed the 10km check-point…a whole 1:30 faster than last year. I quickly realized that running a 1:15:00 was possible. I put a Gu Roctane Gel downrange at the Tunney’s pasture aid station and then set about passing the runner now in 3^rd position.  It was just shortly thereafter as we climbed the small hill on the Parkway that I opened up and created a gap. Jonathan was still only 200m ahead and I continued to pace off him. 

As we crossed over into Gatineau I knew I just needed to keep pushing. My legs were tired and the fatigue was really starting to settle in. I reminded myself that this was a mental battle, pace off Jonathan, forget the legs, and remember you don’t know who is behind you. It was a blessing having Jonathan just up the road as I knew he was running strong and I just needed to stay on his pace. I tried to push a little harder and my right hamstring reminded me it was not happy. So I maintained the pace and pushed through to the finish. No finishing kick today! I was stoked to see 1:13:42 as I crossed the finish line sporting my flashy Orange Brooks Pure Connects. Wow! I was going to be happy running the same time as last year (1:16:22) and would have been content running a 1:20 a week after Ironman. 

Pushing through the last 100m.

A new PB 1:13:42 was just icing on the cake. I finished 3^rd overall and 2^nd in the Canadian Forces Championships. It was once again an honour to race in the CF Singlet and represent the Forces. Words can not accurately convey the honour it is to receive the support of the crowds in Ottawa simply because you wear the CF Singlet.

A big Congratulations to Jonathan Gendron for winning the CF Half Marathon and pacing me through the second half of the race. 

And of course having my wife racing as well was all the more special. She did great running a 2:05! 

Claudia & I prerace!

Heading to Kona Again! Ironman Texas Race Report!!!

The best part about Ironman racing is nothing ever goes perfectly. As Big Sexy (Chris MacDonald) said at the Ironman Welcome Dinner,  “Ironman is all about who handles the adversity the best.” Essentially no Ironman race ever goes exactly as planned. The other part about racing that I like is no matter how out of it you may think you are, if you regroup you can often come back.

Race Morning.

Up at 0400hrs for a light breakfast: a couple over easy eggs, a bagel with jam, and a cup of coffee. We headed to the Woodlands at 0500 arriving shortly after 0520. Transition didn’t go as planned. When I checked my bike my rear tire was flat. I think the heat had over inflated my tire forcing the tire off the rim and over-expanding the tube. Seeing as I normally only fill my Hed C2 rims to 90psi, I don’t see how they can really expand that much to ove- inflate but I guess that’s a lesson learned. I quickly ran back to the car and changed the tube (thankfully my tool kit and pump were in the car).

Swim

The start was chaotic. The only saving grace was that it was a non-wetsuit swim so anyone not racing for Kona slots or AG awards could race in a wetsuit but the wetsuit wave started ten minutes later. I think that reduced the chaos at least a little. I lined up just to the left of the right start buoy as it had the straightest line down the buoys. When the gun went off all hell broke loose. I don’t think I’ve been in a worse start. There were punches, kicks and pulls for the first couple hundred meters and then things slowly spread out. I think part of the issue was the poor visibility; you couldn’t see you own hand let alone the person beside you or in front of you. The best part…not even 500m into the swim, I passed some guys doing backstroke…seriously, if you are going to do backstroke then perhaps you should start at the back. Other than the punches and kicks, the swim was uneventful. I was happy to see 1:08 on my watch as I exited the swim, a PR of almost 8 minutes (and without a wetsuit ).

IM Texas Swim - about 200-300m after the start.

 

Bike

Transition was uneventful and then it was onto the bike. I felt very strong as I jumped onto the bike and I knew I was going to try and push the bike a little. I was aiming for 230W and if I felt good after 90km I was going to push it a little more. After about an hour or so on the bike, my right quad started to tighten up a little so I back off the pace slightly and went by feel. Shortly thereafter my race took a turn when I heard the dreaded hiss. At first I thought it was the guy in front of me who I was in the process of passing, but quickly realized it was my rear wheel. I thought to myself - seriously now. I jumped off the bike, yanked off the disc and quickly changed out the tire. I thought, ok a little adversity is ok. Back on the bike with having lost only about 5 minutes. As the bike went on, I knew there was no way I was going to be able to hold 230W. My power was dropping and I was quickly starting to overheat despite my best attempt at dousing myself with cold water at each aid station. Nutrition seemed to work well, but the last hour on the bike was a bit depressing as my power continued to drop and I fought to keep my quad from seizing up. I was happy to finish the bike and see 6:11 on the clock as I entered transition – mentally calculated that I must have just biked a 4:50 (actual was 4:48) (The clock was set to the Pros start which was 10 minutes earlier than us). Despite my struggles in the second half of the bike course, I had managed to hold my position, and bike a 4:48 (including the pit stop to change my flat) on 207 W (average power including zeros) / 211 W NP.

Just passing aid station #10. (The person in front is Jennie Hansen -FPro)

Run

Through transition, where I had one of the volunteers douse me with water, apply sunscreen, and then proceeded to the first aid station to get ice. I was a wreck coming off the bike. I knew I was close to heat exhaustion and felt awful and to top it off I couldn’t get my Garmin 910xt to display my pace. So I decided to forget the watch and focus on trying to get myself cooled off as I worked my way through the first lap. So at each aid station I stopped and refilled my suit with ice and doused myself with water. I felt pretty good through the first two loops. The last half of the last lap was mentally taxing. I wanted to walk, but I had no clue of my position in the race so out of fear of potentially losing a shot at Kona I pushed to the best of my ability. I was stoked when I came up the finishing shoot and saw 9:19 on the clock. Sweet a new PR at the Ironman distance 9:09. Despite a 3:04 on the run, I still managed to have the fastest run split in the age group and one of the fastest amateur runs. 

Heading up the finisher's shoot, but taking time to high five the kids!

2^nd in the M30-34, 4^th Amateur, and 17^th Overall.  Kona here we come!