Clothing Choices/Review

This year was pretty complicated in terms of "what to wear when racing" compared to last year. Last year I wore completely different clothes for each section of the race, sharing the tri shorts between the swim and run but changing completely into new shirt, shorts, hat, etc for the run. I wondered if a good way to chop some of this time off from the transitions would be to find one outfit that could be worn all day. At the Calgary 70.3 I had only changed my shirt between bike and run and my T2 was way faster, hence, the plan this year was originally to wear the attached shown outfit underneath my wet suit, for the bike, and kept on for the run.

The outfit consisted of:

- Sugoi hat (run only)

- Oakley sunglasses

- Sugoi Piston shorts

- Sugoi tri top (Trident, I think?)

I bought the tri top from Sugoi online from their clearance section for a steal of a deal, however, there was one big problem, lack of pocket space (this jersey only had one pocket in the back, and smallish, compared to the usual 3). I had hoped to switch aero bottles to a Bontrager Aero Race Pack one that had extra storage space for food etc but alas they were sold out everywhere I looked (and still are, bizarrely, even though they still advertise them lots of places, bitter.) Thus it was that I was concerned about storage space but still planning to push ahead with my plan. Until...

Two days before the race in the afternoon a massive storm pushed in. It didn't last long but it went from warm to very cold in a hurry, with a massive wind and stormy rain. I realized that if I had been out on the course at that time, with the clothes I had packed, it could well have been the end of my day....

The only solution was to pack a jacket I thought. Which would fill the one pocket if it fit at all. At the last minute I switched to my DeSoto tri top that had 3 large pockets in the back and purchased a Sugoi Helium jacket from the Bike Barn. I was a little bitter about this choice, as buying at the last minute before IM meant absolutely full price, I think it was over $120 for a jacket that was basically a wind breaker, but it made me feel better, so...

During the race:

- I wasn't cold at all, I only wore the Helium for a short period of time, but I was glad I had it as if I hadn't I would have carried around my heavier Sugoi wind breaker around all day which would have been more intrusive

- ironically, in the future I would probably not use the Helium for most training because I would use the other Sugoi wind breaker, I am considering trying to put he Helium in my spare tire kit at the back of my bike for an emergency option if it ever rains when biking?

- faster people actually did run into some nasty rain and snow on the bike, it would have been quite helpful to have had the Helium if I was faster. As was, I wore mini mitts the whole day and they did the trick and I wasn't cold on the run at all. I talked to several people later on who had frozen during the bike and probably would have appreciated it?

Also, the Helium was so bright I didn't even have to carry reflective tape on the run, which was a bonus, I guess? I gave some other dude my reflective tape who was all worried about getting DQ'd. I doubt they have ever DQ'd someone for not having reflective tape but I guess it would pertinent/interesting to find out?

Ironman Canada Race Report

Ironman Canada was completed almost one month ago today, some highlights:

- 1853rd overall compared to 2277th last year
- swim 1:19:37 (PB) (last year = 1:33:54)
- T1 7:58 vs 8:01
- bike 7:06:46 vs 7:15:52
- T2 5:58 (PB) vs 11:03
- run 5:01:01 (PB) vs 7:04:55
- overall 13:41:18 (PB) vs 16:13:44

- swim was solid, I think I went a lot more straight this year than last year and I was pretty excited when I got out of the water
- bike was good, I mostly took it easy and had to get off the bike A LOT for bathroom breaks. Hills were extremely painful and it was fantastic seeing Lisa and Co after Yellow Lake.(http://connect.garmin.com/activity/46800062)
- run was good, I ran pretty fast when I was running but I ran into some nutrition troubles in the middle and walked/messed up for awhile. Really wanted 4:20, but I guess maybe just need to train harder next time? (http://connect.garmin.com/activity/46800041)

June Update

Last week I finally hit every workout, with the only slip ups being short swim and weight sessions. I think this is the first time I didn't completely miss any workouts, so hopefully that can continue?

Sat bike was pretty good (Calmar loop with Troy), did a long transition run after but transition runs have been hurting a lot more than early on, potentially some heat troubles?

Long bike: http://connect.garmin.com/activity/37472816
Long run: http://connect.garmin.com/activity/37584702
Troy's bike:

Week 3 - Done!!!

3 Weeks into the training. It has been good getting back in the groove. Finally paying attention to the HR zones and thinking that it will lead to a better race this year. The Multisports program seems solid. Runs are going pretty good. Bikes are good as we got a chance to get out on the road ... early spring in Western Canada has lead to this opportunity. One can only endure so many winter sessions in the basement watching countless flicks. It was a good change of pace with the only crappy thing being the Alberta wind. Forgot about that one but c'est la vie as there is a good chance that it will be windy in Penticton during the race.

Swim drills are taxing but as soon as I started hitting the freestyle lengths, it felt a lot smoother. So will not question the methods of madness and keep following the coach Roch and Huddle prescription. Enjoyed the recovery week and will update after AT testing this week.

Thanks for the training thus far friends and all.

One Week In

The official multisports training program has started, and so far it is pretty impressive, if far more of a workout than I am used to. I've only missed a couple of workouts so far and here is my early review:
- a lot of training in HR1, this is probably pretty good as I probably didn't train enough at easy paces before
- more weights than I am used to (eg none) but I think this will be a positive aspect as I think my core strength hurt me after the bike last year...
- A LOT of swimming yardage, I usually avoid swimming and just try to get 1 KM or so in if I'm training alone but I find following the drills they lay out makes it a lot more interesting, though it still takes forever to get the yardage in. The bike drills also make riding the spin bike interesting, normally I can only stand spin bikes in spin classes

In conclusion I'll end with a preview of a "future post" from September 2010:
> What an incredible journey it has been, who would have thought 4 months ago that I would be standing here now, having just knocked more than 7 hours off of my previous time and winning Ironman Canada. Overcoming the pros 15 minute head start was truly against all odds. Never missing another workout after that first week and a half may have been the key? The most exciting part was sprinting past Mike for the win in the finishers chute after he was distracted by a shiny penny. A classic Sprechering, if you will?

First Blog Entry from Mike

Have been busy working on building up the base. Famous words remembered "You are a product of your training". So goal this time will be more dilligent with the training sessions. Hopefully, I will not be complaining and making excuses. Ironman is expensive and with the time commit I should enjoy or what the heck am I doing signing up.

The running has been going ok. Have been running about 3-4 times a week. Ran a half-marathon last week and did not slip on the rutty, icy plains of Highlands Edmonton.
Weights are also going well. A buddy Rod and I are facinated with the leg press machine. So hopefully this will lead to stronger legs that will help on the hills of Richters and Yellow Lakes.
Cycling on the computrainer is ok with some cool hill simulations. Hopefully the legs will be ready once the snow is gone.
Swimming has been the slowest to come around, but the next couple of weeks will provide some more opportunities to do some laps.

Will provide more workout updates once we get the official program rolling in a couple of weeks.
To leave the post, I will try and look at a positive characterisic that my wife has and adopt it into my arsenal. This is the ability to be dedicated and not miss a workout. It is one thing to have intentions ... it is another to commit to them and get it done. So Mark and I will keep grinding it out.

2009 Recap/Race Reports Part 2 - Ironman Calgary 70.3

Ironman Calgary 70.3 - August 2nd 2009

Results
Swim: 46:25
Bike: 3:18:19
Run (Partial Walk): 2:47:18
Total: 7:03:55

Race Report

Pre-Race: The race was held between Ghost Lake (for the swim - half way between Canmore and Calgary) and Glenmore Park (for the run - in Calgary) so we stayed in Canmore, which was about 45 minutes from the start line. Diane and KK were here to race too, and Lisa, Mike and the kids were here to watch, so it was a crowded condo. The day before the race was pretty busy, as we wanted to get an idea of the race course and also go for a practice swim in Ghost Lake (and drop off our bikes). However, we weren't allowed to drop off our bikes until we had registered at the Expo, which was in downtown Calgary, which made for a confusing amount of driving. First stop was Ghost Lake, to drop off Diane's car, then we drove the bike route into Calgary. The course map/elevation profile shows a drop in elevation, but it sure felt like it was all up, up, up, we were all shocked at how hilly it was (Edmonton is alas, quite flat in comparison) and KK was very intimidated. (Money Quote: This is much hillier and harder than Ironman Canada). Once we got to Cowtown we bungled our way through the city to the Expo and registered/bought a bunch of cool stuff (I bought a t-shirt for Cameron, the others bought muchias muchias). Then it was back for a drive to Ghost Lake to finally drop off our bikes and go for the practice swim, the water was pretty nice, chilly at first but warmed up quickly once you got going. Then it was back to Canmore to meet up with Lisa and the kids and go for pre-race dinner, that was??? I forget, alas...



Race Morning

This was a bit of a weird race start, with staggered starts by age group over an hour and a half (7:00 AM to 8:30 AM). Unfortunately, KK was in one of the first waves, and I was in the very last, so I had to sit and watch most waves. This was kind of unfortunate, but kind of good as it was fun to see everyone else start and I got to walk around to higher ground and see exactly where the swim course went, etc. Also, if you pass someone when you are last, you know you are really passing them and they aren't just in later starting wave. Not that I passed anyone, or anything. It was pretty awesome to get to see the pros leave the water (sprinting out) and hop on their bikes (shoes in pedals).

Swim

Drank a gatorade and took a gel and then entered into the water near the last of our wave. Another guy really wanted to be the last one in so I went ahead of him but stuck near the back to avoid any thrashing. Swim was pretty fun, not too much contact (wave start thank you) and the water was quite pleasant once I was going. The only painful part came at the end when we turned back towards the beach (course was a big loop) and ran straight into some massive white caps. I definitely lost a couple of minutes at this stage but everyone was going slower so it wasn't a big deal. Tried to run out of the water, but as always, it was more of a dizzy stumble....

T1

Quick bathroom break and a quick change and I was out of there. I always take a fair amount of time in transition but this wasn't that bad.

Bike

Bike started off very well, there was a fierce wind at our backs and the highway was very smooth, the first 15 km or so flew by at 35 km/hr + with little effort. Then we turned north, the wind was no longer at our backs, maybe a little in our faces, the road was quite a bit poorer quality, and the hills started... I lost a fair bit of time here and Rippin' Richie rode by me and a bunch of other guys like we were standing still. I kept leap frogging one other fellow, every hill I would pass him on the uphill and on the down hill he would roar back past me. At 2 hours, I was pretty pumped as it looked like I would make 60 KM, an avg of 30 km/hr which was my goal, but alas, I got too excited about this and rode off the shoulder at the last possible minute, just missing my goal... By the end of the ride my back (kidney?) was hurting a touch but I was feeling alright, tried to pump up my speed as the odometer reach 90 KM, but unfortunately as 90 KM turned into 91, 92, 93, etc I realized the course had a little extra distance to it...

T2

Went pretty well, these 1/2 Iron transitions are pretty quick without having to put new shorts on etc. Just pulled off my bike jersey, tossed on my hat and headed out, though I remember sitting gasping for breath for awhile too, possibly?

Run

The run did not go great, I think I was pretty dehydrated, and just couldn't run at first. Seeing Lisa and the kids near the start was a huge motivational help! Walked for quite some time, and even running down hill didn't quite work as I got a huge cramp. Walked that out though and after some guy pointed at me and shouted "YOU! Aren't sweating, you are dehydrated, drink more!" I realized, hey maybe he is right? So I grabbed 2 gels and a whole bottle of gatorade from the next aide station and slowly walked, drank, and ate. This was pretty huge and helped me recover, I could finally run for short periods, though i was still choosing to walk a fair bit (almost at the half way point now). At the turn around period there was kind of a weird out and back triangle where there were aid stations clustered together, at each of them I grabbed a sponge and put it in my hat, squeezing completely over my head. After all this, I finally felt better and started running more. It was pretty barren on the course now, probably a side effect of the muchias walking early on and starting in the last wave. Unfortunately, as I ran I started getting massive cramps in my quads. I would run for a couple of minutes and then pull up with excruciating pain, then walk for a couple of minutes before repeating the process. Finally reached the end of the race and ran the last little bit, felt pretty good and was great with the family there. I was a little disappointed with my excessive walking, but felt pretty good about the race as I'd gained strength through out the half marathon and finished quite a bit stronger than I'd started. Also, lessons of hydration would prove very very useful for the IM Canada bike ride....

2009 Recap/Race Reports - Part 1 Van 1/2 Marathon

Here is a recap of 2009 races and results:

Vancouver 1/2 Marathon: 2:03:42

Early on I had had much more ambitious goals, but in the end some training short falls near the end meant I fell short but it was still a fun race. The weather was chilly in the morning, but fine by the end and running through Stanley Park is always nice.

Registered

Mike and I have officially signed up for IMC 2010. Both of us competed in IMC 2009 but we are looking to improve on our results in 2010. We are taking our training more seriously this year, and have signed up with a coaching package through Multisports. This blog will talk abour experiences and training on our journey to our 3rd IM completions.