Some Thoughts on 2016

If I had to summarize my 2016 season with one word...

I guess I mean that more in the literal sense of the word than how Bubbles would use it.

After Louisville last year it was hard for me to think about anything but another Ironman. Partly to get the monkey off my back with the disappointing result, partly because I loved the training so much. But it's also a crazy commitment of time and money, and it meant missing out on fast racing at my favourite local events.

I decided that this year would be a year of going back to short course racing - I know I have not come close to my potential in shorter distances but historically I've struggled to stay healthy and consistent with higher intensity training. So 2016 was all about doing everything I could to stay healthy and knock down some PBs. Fortunately for us Ontario athletes we have the opportunity to race against many top young elite athletes for some prize money in the Multisport Canada series. My big goal for 2016 was to race hard all year and finish in the top 3 of the series.

Despite that goal, to be honest there were times that I caught myself thinking of this season as a means to an end - ie. get a little bit faster then go race another Ironman. Sure, I was having fun racing local and going after some new fitness benchmarks. But when a knee injury ended my racing season before it even really began, it seemed like my body was just trying to further solidify that thought.

But that mindset would sell short the work I put into training in the past 12 months, and some really fun and strong racing. Despite the shortened race season I accomplished nearly all of my goals I set out at the beginning of the year. The most important of which was learning to enjoy the process of banking the hard yards in short course training again. From the New Year's Day double swim at the end of a 35k swim week to the Tuesday night BPT track sessions, I managed to get myself into some pretty good form...for an old and slow Tri Dad (according to my Hurdle Project bros).

With the help of LPC coaches Mark and Alex I overhauled my swim stroke over the winter and significantly improved my open water efficiency. I reached a new level of cycling fitness with speed and power personal bests in TT's and CP tests. And I managed to knock off about 2.5 minutes from my previous 10k PB along with a new 5k best time as well. I wish I was able to translate that fitness into some big tri results, but I was forced to deal with some strength issues that were a long time coming.

So before looking ahead to some big plans in 2017, here's a quick recap of what I did accomplish in a short 2016 season.

Clermont Draft-Legal Challenge:

 Always a fun way to kick off camp LPC in sunny Florida. I couldn't quite bridge to the lead pack as I did last year, but a strong run in a stronger field that last year kept me in the top-10 overall.

Komoka Optimist Easter Dash 5k:

Support your local races! And run PB's while you're at it! 16:35 was a great benchmark to start the local season.

Steaming Nostril 70k:

This was supposed to be a low key tune-up for Paris to Ancaster, and it ended up being one of the most epic events I've ever done. -15 degrees, fresh snow and 30+km winds ensured some character building regardless of the result, and I finished over 15 minutes off the front of my wave.

Paris to Ancaster 70k:

Maybe my best executed cycling race ever, I managed my efforts and finished nearly 30 minutes faster than last year, comfortably qualifying for next year's elite wave.

Mississauga 10k:

This was actually a race that kept me motivated to nail my track sessions all winter. I really wanted to get under 35:00, but after P2A I was wondering what the hell I was thinking planning these races back to back. Fortunately I recovered well and ran 34:18, which got me super motivated to get in the 33's next time!

MSC Woodstock:

The annual Ontario rust buster. My legs decided to stay in bed that morning but I was still able to share the overall podium with some rock stars.

 MSC Welland Long Course:

Welland Long Course was an awesome new course at one of my favourite venues. Decent swim, good bike and damage control run meant I accomplished my goal for the day of top-5 overall.

For about a month after Welland I did my best to try to hold some fitness together despite being unable to run more than 15 minutes pain-free. But after about six weeks of minimal training in the heart of tri season, I decided that I needed to change my goal to just getting healthy. Well, that and being the best damn fur dad a fur child cold ever ask for.



Even though my racing season ended after Welland I still had fun volunteering at MSC races throughout the season. Like I said, support your local races!

The knee pain I was experiencing was a result of numerous minor issues I had been putting off dealing with for far too long. And as I've peeled back the layers of strength imbalances, weird tightness issues and hip joints that don't like to move, I'm also seeing the opportunity of becoming more efficient and durable than ever before. I'm optimistic that I'll be back to running normally soon but I'm in no rush. The number one priority is to get to the root cause of it all and get healthy.

And it's a good time to do that, since I'm doing this next summer :)

The best-laid plans...

Well I was going to write another summer update and talk about getting the most out of your training through things like nutrition, bike fit etc. But sometimes plans have to change!

It's been a month since MSC Welland but it seems like I've let the whole summer go by before toeing another start line. The week after Welland I was a little low on energy and motivation, so I took the opportunity to have a bit of an unscheduled mid-season break. The plan was to race Belwood the following week and start the second half of the season fresh and hungry for series points.

Unfortunately on the weekend between the two races I developed some mysterious knee pain during a long-ish Kingston simulation workout. I was optimistic that it was just a small niggle that would work itself out, but to be safe I decided to skip Belwood and volunteer instead. Side note - I think every triathlete should volunteer or work race crew once in a while. Not only are you doing your part to help out but it's a great way to remind yourself that racing is FUN!!

Anyway, two week after Belwood I still hadn't run 30 minutes pain free and accepted that I should get an assessment...actually I was kicking myself for being naive and not going two weeks sooner. I just kept thinking, "well I'm doing my core and rolling, how could I get injured?" After a thorough assessment my strength and stability is in fact pretty good, but a few minor points of tightness and inflammation were adding up to the discomfort I was feeling.

So unfortunately for the first time in about six years I've caught the injury bug and I'll be missing out on some of my goal races. I was very disappointed to accept that I won't be racing K-Town this weekend which carries bonus series points and is also one of my favourite races in Ontario. And with other life/work commitments I may not be able to fit in my four MSC races to stay in the running for series points.

That was a tough thing to accept given that it was my main goal for the season. The biggest challenge in chasing points is staying healthy and consistent the entire season, which historically I have struggled with when focusing on short course, and obviously I still have lots to learn. And of course it's been frustrating at times when recovery is far from a linear path. But like I said...triathlon is still supposed to be fun! So rather than throw a pity party I'm staying positive and learning as much as I can about my weaknesses and how to prevent these issues in the future.

In all honesty there have been a few things that have been years in the making, and up until now I've managed to do just enough prehab to keep them from putting me out. I'm actually happy that I'm addressing some deeply rooted strength and range of motion concerns that over the last two years I had basically accepted as something I'd have to live with as an athlete. I will also take it as a good lesson that I am being forced to address these things now, in a year that doesn't have an Ironman or World Champs looming.

I've managed to stay pretty consistent with my swim and bike training over the last four weeks and I know that once I'm healthy my run fitness is good. I've been avoiding "testing" my running and have focused only on what I know I can do pain-free, but I can tell that things are slowly progressing. So I am setting some new goals for the rest of the season focusing on shorter distances and I'm looking forward to seeing what I can do.

Depending on how the next 10 days go I am tentatively planning on racing Orillia in the Subaru series - an event that I haven't done before and have always wanted to check out. But I've changed my focus from targeting a late season 70.3 and my new goal race will be back in Welland for some fast and furious racing at the new Age Group Draft Legal Championships.

Thanks for the read and I'll do my best to keep things updated throughout the rest of the season. Happy training!

Dialing In: Race Nutrition

Is it seriously July already?? For a while there it seemed like summer would never arrive, now we're already deep into race season and I'm wondering where May and June went!

For athletes who traveled south to start the season they may be taking a mid-season break before a big push for a late season goal race. For those who stay a little closer to home the MultiSport Canada schedule is just kicking into full gear with many of my favourite events just around the corner.

And for me, the week after the Welland Long Course race was a bit of an unplanned mid-season reset. Work was busy and that only added to some pretty significant physical and mental fatigue after the race. At first I couldn't really understand why considering I only had two tri's under my belt for the year - not including Clermont Draft-Legal which felt more like part of training camp than anything else.

I did however put a lot of energy into my pre-season cycling and running races. I knew I had been training well but I surprised myself with the new PB's I was hitting in all three sports. It got me even more motivated for the tri season as I wanted to see how I'd stack up against the big boys after a few years of going "old and slow" :)

I certainly didn't have bad races in Woodstock or Welland - I was very happy to get a top-5 in both events which currently puts me in second place in the series points. But I also didn't truly race to my potential in either event. To be completely honest, I had a bit of a pity party for a couple days after digging into my data for both events and comparing it to my early season benchmarks. Based on how well I was rolling in the spring I'd classify both results as pretty average.

Fortunately it didn't take long for me to have a more positive and productive outlook on things. I decided to make the best of a week of lower motivation and energy levels and take the opportunity to assess some of the finer details of my training and racing. Overall it's already been an amazing season and if it ended tomorrow I'd be happy with what I've accomplished. But with the bulk of my racing still left it was a good time to take stock of how things have gone so far and what I can improve upon.

First up was my race nutrition...

This is getting ridiculous. #exercise #picnic #carbs

A photo posted by Ryan Power (@ryan.power.5) on Aug 21, 2015 at 7:21pm PDT

We have an amazing resource in teamLPC with Coach Mark Linseman and his expertise in race day nutrition. I seriously wonder sometimes how anyone gets through long course racing without the knowledge and experience that Mark can provide our team. It's not like nutrition is something I've neglected...I've always been extremely detailed with my race day nutrition plan. But over the past year it seems that it's becoming more than just a fluke once-in-a-while thing to have stomach issues on the run.

In fact the last long course run that I'd say I actually felt good in was Rev3 Knoxville over two years ago. Last year at Muncie 70.3 I managed to run decently well but had absorption issues after 7-8k of the run. And in Louisville last year it ended my race after running/walking 30k through severe cramping and vomiting. Then last week in Welland I was motivated to throw down a big run in the oppressive heat, only to get stomach cramping 4k in and be reduced to my goal Ironman pace for the remaining 11k.

The only reason I hadn't looked at my nutrition strategy earlier was because it seemed to be working so well for my long workouts. Last year for my Ironman training I had my carbohydate, fat, protein, mL of fluid and mg of caffeine literally dialled in to the minute for an entire 10 hour race. I tried dozens of combinations of gels, chews, bars, waffles, "real" food and various sport drinks and ultimately I ended up with this (run data above, bike in grey below):

With the help of Coaches Mark and James' expertise, two things jumped out to me when I took a fresh look at my long course nutrition plan.

1. CHO Intake: I'm basically right at the maximum of human ability to absorb carbohydrate. This was by design as I knew that anything less than 80g CHO per hour for a 4+ hour ride left me depleted starting the run. What we deduced from Louisville was that one (or more) outside variables - a larger than usual pre-race breakfast, adrenaline from the race, and possibly poor water quality that irritated my stomach - may have put me from "on the edge" of maximum absorption rate, to over the edge causing a backup. Most of those variables are virtually impossible to experience in training unless I'm purposely trying to sabotage a workout. So it would make sense that the only times I've experienced issues were in a 70.3 in crazy heat off a PB bike split, and during my first Ironman.

2. Sodium: I'm certainly not an expert on the role electrolytes and electrolyte replacement play in exercise. I can tell you that it would be naive to assume that specific muscular cramping is directly related to sodium levels. However, in my case when I really dug into the exact nutrition products that I had been using - even including the fact that I ordered Gatorade Endurance from the US so I could train with it last year - my sodium intake was only 300-450mg per hour which was far too low. In the near future I'll be doing a "sweat test" with Coach Mark to determine my exact sweat rate and sodium concentration, but for now I am experimenting a bit to find what works for me.

Now sodium is a trickier one to dial in than you might think. I've based my overall nutrition plan around CHO intake and up until now the sodium content has been a consequence of the products I'm using. Only certain products have high sodium content, and with that I have to be careful that I'm not affecting CHO, protein/fat or caffeine levels at the same time. Trying to adjust based on what's on course at any given race is a whole new ballgame.

I don't necessarily feel that a custom solution would work for me either. I'm by no means discrediting those products, in fact I've used some extensively and wouldn't hesitate to recommend it. I'm looking at it more from the practical side of Ironman racing. I don't want to have to carry 2-4L of custom blend on my bike, then somehow find room for water as well. And what happens if I drop a bottle? It might work out just fine for pro athletes who can grab their special needs bag on the fly, but as an age grouper I could easily waste 2-5 minutes waiting in line for my bag at special needs. I need a nutrition plan that is logistically feasable, repeatable AND adaptable.

For now this is what I've come up with, and so far very early indications look good. I almost couldn't believe how much better I felt after some long rides this past weekend, like my body was actually using the fuel that I was consuming for the first time ever. I'm sure it will continue to be tweaked but for comparison's sake this is my new nutrition schedule on the bike:

I'm still fairly happy with my run nutrition strategy, with the addition of adding 150-300mg of sodium per hour to the current plan. I prefer chews on the run over gels, but the only weakness of my strategy was that virtually all of my sodium intake before was contingent upon getting sport drink from aid stations. If my stomach stopped agreeing with me, I was basically stuck with chews and maybe some coke if I was lucky. So that will still be a bit of a work in progress, but at least I'll be minimizing the chance of getting off the bike with my stomach already shutting off.

For now this new strategy has got me excited and motivated to race long course again rather than dread how I might feel on the run course. I'm looking forward to applying it to the remainder of my season with K-Town and hopefully a Half Iron on the horizon.

I was going to write about another topic entirely that I've been working on throughout the season but this is already getting way too long! Stay tuned for Part 2 of a more "tech" themed post, everyone's favourite subject...bike fits!

MSC Welland Long Course

Round two of the MultiSport Canada Series went down this weekend in Welland. Welland has been a mainstay on my race schedule for the past five seasons as the wicked fast course offers a great benchmark for early season fitness.

This year brought some exciting new changes with the new distance - now the same as my long-time favourite K-Town's 2k swim, 56k bike, 15k run - as well as the new venue at the Welland International Flatwater Centre (the same swim/T1 venue as Barrelman). I've always loved the Welland event, but I was blown away with the sheer awesomeness of the WIFC when I checked it out on Saturday night:

Calm before the storm

This race was one of my higher priority events for the season since it carried the highest series points of any event, and I felt that the distance would suit me well. I'm focusing on mostly shorter distances races this year but my strength definitely lies in long course, so this one was a great target for me. My goal was to use my long course experience to my advantage against some of the young dudes with higher top end speed and hope to outlast them. Turned out it took all of my strength and experience just to finish the damn thing, but I'll get to that later!

Swim:
My goal for the swim was pretty simple, and perhaps a bit counter-intuitive. But I wanted to finish the swim feeling really good. I've come to realize that most of my best triathlon swims have come when I was relaxed, focused on form and trying to stay as efficient as possible in the water. The flip side of that is virtually every time I try to hammer out a new swim split PB, I inevitably go anaerobic in the first 200m and feel terrible not only for the rest of the swim, but usually most of the bike too. Knowing that I can swim xx:xx time in the pool is meaningless if I can't get on my bike feeling good afterwards. So after feeling pretty brutal for my entire race in Woodstock, my goal in Welland was to stay more in control of my effort, focus on my internal pacing throughout the race, and build within each segment as well as the overall race itself.

The swim course was one of my all time favourites I've ever done in the calm and clean water of the rowing basin which made for an amazing start to the day. There was only a handful of athletes in the elite wave which made for a pleasantly uneventful swim start. After a few fast strokes I settled right into a comfortable and efficient rhythm and gradually built my effort throughout. I was basically in no man's land for most of the swim with 4-5 athletes well ahead and the rest somewhere behind.

When I hit the far end of the swim course I brought my effort up another notch, and the very slight chop coming back helped me keep a good turnover. With about 500 meters to go my LPC teammate Adam Doxtator who swam with me in Woodstock came past, so I jumped on his feet and got towed along back into shore. I knew that I must have had a decent swim to get out with him and more importantly I felt great getting out of the water.

Bike:
Once we were on land the conditions were going to play a big role for the rest of the day with strong winds and nearly 40 degree humidity. After a quick T1 that included getting my sleeved suit over my shoulders and zipped up, I was on the bike just ahead of Adam. My goal was once again to build my effort throughout the bike, knowing from past experience with the old half distance that the last 15k of perfectly flat and straight road can feel like forever if you're overcooked or uncomfortable in the aerobars. I also didn't want to go too much above my goal 70.3 wattage knowing that the run was going to be a sauna.

Adam passed me around 5k and I knew from Woodstock that he is a strong rider but an equally fast runner. I didn't want to "legally" sit on his wheel with TriOn's tiny 5 meter draft zone, so I focused on my own effort and as I got into a good rhythm I kept him well within sight for the first 30k. It was starting to get pretty lonely out there with nobody else close to me until I passed Angela Quick around 45k who was crushing it out there! But I managed to stay focused and felt good throughout until I backed off slightly in the last 5k in anticipation of the run.

I didn't look at my power numbers during the ride, electing to focus purely on perceived effort. But I finished the ride right on my goal of a strong 70.3 power output at 255W with nearly perfect even pacing (1.01 VI, 258 NP [3.6W/Kg] for the data junkies). I was happy to stay a little on the conservative side with a tough run ahead, but that was still more power than I pushed over 20k in Woodstock two weeks ago!

Run:
After a slightly longer than usual T2 to get socks, visor, Garmin and a handheld water bottle on, my legs were good at the start of the run but it was HOT.

I was pretty confident in my run fitness going into this one and more than anything else I really wanted to throw down a big run at this race. Not only have I had some breakthrough standalone run times this season, but just a week before the race I ran 5x2k tempo off the bike in similar heat faster than my current Olympic-distance run PB. I knew I had to respect the conditions but I was excited to see what I could do after a well executed swim and bike.

I settled into a comfortable 3:58 pace to the turnaround of the AWESOME 3-lap run course and got my first check on who was around me. I was in 4th with Adam about two minutes up the road, and about 3-4 minutes ahead of another LPC teammate Billy Bostad who has nearly identical run times to me. I was feeling pretty good and had my "hot weather menu" down for each aid station - ice down the suit, sponge on the neck, and coke/water as needed along with the gatorade I had in my bottle.

Just before the end of the first 5k I started getting a bad cramp in my chest and my first thought was "not this again..." I slowed slightly but it only got worse. I certainly didn't expect to be in the hurt box so early, but it was also early enough that things could turn around if I managed it well and didn't let it dictate my race. I walked about 100m as I tried to stretch it out and breath deeply, then slowly got back into an easy run. When I finished the first lap I was feeling a lot worse for the wear than I would have expected but my average pace hadn't dropped as much as I thought. I saw Alex Vanderlinden at 5k who told me I was looking good...I figured he was just being super nice but was face-palming behind my back, but later he said everyone appeared to be suffering equally.

I told myself to settle into whatever pace I could manage for lap 2, then empty the tank on the final lap. It felt a little too much like the back half of a 70.3 for my liking, but my long course experience paid off as I focused on my cooling strategies, getting whatever fluids in that my stomach agreed with, and not letting the conditions or how I felt affect my mindset. I was passed at some point by someone who was running very well, and at the final turnaround I knew that I'd have to keep it together to stay ahead of Billy for a top-5. Fortunately I think everyone was hurting just as badly and I managed to hold onto 5th and maintained what I would consider a respectable 70.3 run pace.

At first I was disappointed in my run, not only because it was well below what I felt I'm capable of, but because that was my biggest goal for the race. I certainly have some homework to do in terms of sorting out these stomach issues that are becoming more than just a fluke in my longer distance races. But it was a big mental victory for me to get through that run after being reduced to walking with a LONG way still to go. It would have been very easy to give up on all of my performance and placing goals and just get to the finish line. And the swim and bike felt infinitely better that in Woodstock two weeks ago, so I'm confident that I'm putting the pieces together with the bulk of the season still left.

I have to say another congrats to all of the teamLPC members who dominated the podium again including Jack Laundry who destroyed his first go at long course. And congrats to everyone who battled out a very tough day. Another top-5 for me at this race means that I've started the season with some good points in the bank for the series, and I'm looking forward to chasing some more throughout the season. And now that I've got a good swim and bike under my belt I am extremely motivated to run well at my next crack at this distance in Kingston! Thanks again for the read!

MSC Woodstock: Mission Accomplished

Race season is finally here!

It was a "get the job done" kind of day at Multisport Canada's season opener in Woodstock this past weekend. Nothing out of this world, in fact I know I have a lot more in me. But I got exactly what I needed out of this race and it was an all-around awesome day.

This year is a pretty substantial departure from my racing plans over the past several seasons. After Louisville last year I decided to spend a year staying a little closer to home and getting back to my roots racing the Multisport Canada series. So that meant not only a very different approach in training with a lot more hard yards and a lot less long training days, but it also presented a very different yet exciting challenge for the season. I'm chasing points in the MSC Elite series, which means putting together at least four solid results throughout the season to be in the running for the prize purse at the end of the year. Quite honestly I've always admired the journeyman career of the "average" ITU or WTC pro travelling and chasing points for a living, so this year is my very small and humble taste of a similar goal.

That being said, I've planned my season around some key races that feature higher points and courses that suit my strengths to challenge for a top-5 in the overall series. And first up was the season opener in Woodstock. I was actually a bit wary of choosing Woodstock as one of my races; it typically brings out a number of strong athletes kicking off their year and I wasn't sure how I'd fare against some seriously speedy dudes. But as the season opener it also carries some bonus points so my goal was simply a top-5 overall placing to ensure that I started the year off with a decent number of points banked. And after some surprising early season fitness tests that included a big 10k PB of 34:18, a best-ever time trial at LPC TT#1 and a couple solid CX results, I was cautiously optimistic about how I'd stack up in Woodstock.

I could sum up my race simply by saying that after the first ten seconds, it was an hour of my body doing this:

Despite lining up with a solid elite field I decided to take the swim out a little more relaxed that usual. Those who are long-time readers of this (you ROCK) know that I often struggle to translate my pool fitness to the open water early in the season. This year I've tried to be really diligent with finding my balance and rhythm in my wetsuit, which has been an ongoing and frustrating struggle for me over the years. So at the gun I decided to let the fishies swim away while I focused on trying to stay efficient and not burn myself out too early. It's hard to tell exactly how the swim went as all of our times are on the slow side, but it looks like I was about a minute off the main pack of pro's. Not great, but not bad. A better start to my open water season than the past couple years.

After a good T1 I could just barely see the guys up the road who would eventually make up the top-3. I thought I had a shot at getting up there and I'm confident in where my bike fitness is at right now, but unfortunately my legs had other plans. I couldn't find a rhythm and struggled to push my usual 70.3 wattage, but rather than mope about my power output or dwell on how I felt I knew I had to stay focused with plenty of strong guys not too far behind. The wind was keeping things pretty interesting too! I got off the bike in 7th, a little further back than I had hoped but I still had a good shot at getting my top-5.

Out onto the run it was a similar story, I wasn't feeling all that great and had to fight a lot of negative thoughts. Fortunately it was only 5k so it still went by pretty fast! I managed to reel in one athlete about 2k in, and I knew that if I just held it together I could still move up into 5th. When the top-3 went by coming the other way I was encouraged that they were at least in the same zip code...based on how I felt I thought I'd be going backwards all day but I must have been moving a little better than I thought I was. With about 800m to go I caught 5th and just managed to hang on through the finish.

At the end of the day it wasn't a standout performance but I'm still really happy with the result. I managed to stay focused on a day that I wasn't firing on all cylinders and still picked up 5th in what will likely be one of the most competitive races in Ontario this year outside Nationals. I know my fitness is good, probably the best it's ever been in June, and I think this race will really help kick things into gear for the rest of the season.

In good company with this group, who not only triathlon better than me but are also better at knowing what to do with their hands for the podium shot

The race was made even better by seeing lots of familiar faces and teammates coming out of hibernation to kick off another season. Team LPC brought out a strong contingent of athletes who all threw down big efforts. It was also fun to hang out with a number of my fellow Recharge with Milk Ambassadors, most of whom are long time friends in the sport but there are also some newer faces to the series. As I've said since the first Multisport Canada race I entered in 2007, no other race series has such a strong community feel and sense of camaraderie after the event.

And of course it was an honour to toe the line with a strong field of homegrown pro's who always inspire me to keep pushing myself harder. The legendary Lionel Sanders took the win, and what was even more impressive than his race was the number of pictures he took with people after the race. Having known him and raced him since he got into the sport it's pretty amazing to see how many people he has inspired, and we truly couldn't ask for a better ambassador for our sport.

Next up for me is the new Long Course distance in Welland in a couple weeks. This is a big one in terms of series points and the distance suits me well so its one of my higher priority races this season. I can't wait to check out the new course and race venue at one of my favourite stops on the series schedule. Thanks for following along and stay tuned for the next one!

Round 2: P2A 70k

Last year this race kicked my ass. You can check out my report here, but I can summarize the painful details by saying that it was one of the worst race experiences I've ever had. The event itself is extremely well organized and it's an epic course but I was mad at myself for pacing so poorly and not respecting the demands of the race.

I'm not quite sure why I was so motivated to give it another crack this year. Maybe I'm a glutton for punishment...maybe I just wanted a chance to have a more positive experience this time. So with a new cross bike, some fast wheels and tires, and the valuable experience I gained last year I was looking forward to improving on my execution and result this time around.

Last year I finished in 2:40 and roughly 320th place which was barely good enough to allow me to start from Wave 1 this year, just behind the Elite/VIP wave. I thought cracking 2:30 would be a good (however arbitrary) goal this time. But I also had it in the back of my mind that if you finish in the top-100 you can enter the elite wave the following year.

Now 100th place doesn't seem like something I would normally strive for. But with a couple thousand riders and a large elite field of domestic pros, national champions, World Cup CX racers and even some pro tour riders, finishing in the top 100 is the "holy grail" as Coach Chris told me during last week's Tuesday night interval ride. He estimated that if conditions were fast I would need to go around 2:13-2:15 to achieve that. I decided that would be a great long term goal after a few more years of cross experience, so my main goal this time was just to have fun and feel like I gave it my best effort.

Similar to last year, despite another late spring the course was in excellent shape. Apparently too excellent, as I heard that they actually dumped a ton of water on a couple of the mud chutes to make things more interesting?! I lined up about 20 minutes early in Wave 1 and was already near the back of the corral. It didn't bother me too much though as it would lend to my strategy of starting a little more conservatively this time and leapfrogging the groups as I gradually increased my effort throughout the race. I managed to find Balance Point athlete Craig Linton to talk strategy just before the gun sounded.

The start was still a bit sketchy with Wave 1 being a little more aggressive than Wave 2 last year, but I managed to avoid the craziness and let a lot of athletes blow by as I settled into a good pace on the opening 10k of fast rail trail. As we started ticking off the miles I slowly worked my way forward through the long string of athletes and I got myself to the front of the main bunch just before the first off-road sector without expending too much energy. I learned from my mistakes last year and kept my effort in check on the first big climb. There were still a few good sized groups up ahead, but there was a LONG way to go to catch them :)

Just before the first road section I saw fellow triathlete Scott Dickie come up beside me. I know he's a very strong rider and he was clearly committed to a big effort to get to the front of the race so it was all aboard the pain train while he started riding through some small groups ahead. I was still trying to be careful not to blow myself up too early so I put in a bit of work but also took advantage of some small energy savings like sliding to the back of our small group on the climbs and making it up on the downhills and corners.

I was already putting in a bigger effort than I had wanted to in the first 20k but I didn't want to lose our small pack that was moving up through the field. From ~12-25k the course is mainly gravel roads with farm laneway sectors every couple k's, which is where I went way too hard last year trying to stick with cross packs. But we were rolling along well and I couldn't believe how quickly the miles were going by and how much more comfortable I was compared to last year on my rigid mountain bike. Scott was pulling much of the road sections and I would take the lead on the dirt and was able to make big gains on groups ahead through the technical stuff.

Around 25k we hit one of the more challenging farm lane sections and Scott misjudged a corner and ended up in the grass. I knew it would be a big hit to our firepower but there was a group of 10-12 guys less than 30 seconds ahead. I wanted to wait for him but I had to commit to catching the group as soon as possible before the next long road section. I managed to bridge up and got things organized to keep rolling through the field. I had the feeling we were getting towards the front of our wave so my strategy was to keep a few strong riders at the front of the group working together on the roads, then get to the front before the trail sections and hit them HARD to see who I was with on the other side.

I was starting to put in some much bigger and longer pulls to keep the pace rich but I still couldn't believe how much better I felt than last year and how quickly I was getting through the course. At the half way point I did some rough math and even knowing the second half is harder I was on pace for a huge improvement from last year's time. When we got to one of the final farm sectors at 45-50k (ie. the point where I completely died last year) there were 3 or 4 of us who were putting in a lot of work, and about 10-15 guys sandbagging along for the ride behind us. Then this thought popped into my head from my race report last year:

"At 50k there was a short trail then a long 10+k flat section of rail trail. In hindsight, this would be the spot to really put the hammer down and set up for a great race."

I decided there weren't going to be any more free rides, and after riding well through the trail I was at the front of the group and put in a surge at the start of the rail trail. We still had 20k to go but it was time to commit to a big effort. When I looked back there were still a few hanging onto the back and one young guy who was able to pull through and help, so we shared the work load up to the left turn at 60k.

From there all that's left is a couple steep gravel climbs, two mud chutes and the crazy climb to the finish. There was no more working together...it was max effort to the finish line. It was also the only part of the course that I was a little nervous about the capabilities of my cross bike vs. the lighter gearing and stronger braking of my mountain bike last year. I thought my hands were going to give out on me going down Powerline Mud Slide from braking so hard down the 500m insanely steep and slick mud, but I cleared it and only had a couple Wave 1 riders left ahead of me.

Powerline brings out the most determined of faces

After barely surviving the final climb last year with 30x36 mountain bike gearing I wasn't sure if I was going to make it up on my cross bike with my 36x28. But once the climb started I was worried that if I unclipped I wouldn't even be able to walk up the hill to the finish. I put the bit between my teeth and told myself that every rider I could see ahead was 101st place and I HAD to pass them for top 100!! I almost couldn't believe my Garmin when I hit the finish line in 2:13. I was smashed and I felt that I had executed a good race, but I didn't expect it to be that fast.

I managed to finish in 71st place overall and 8th out of 400+ in Wave 1, almost 30 minutes faster than last year. Similar to Steaming Nostril it's hard to compare my time to the winners (about 9-10 minutes faster) who of course had the advantage - and challenge - of an elite peloton to race with. But I guess I'll find out next year when I line up with the big boys! I was thrilled to achieve my big goal for this race and had WAY more fun than last year...and I guess it gives me motivation to have some solid early season form next year too!

But for now it's time to switch gears and refocus with my final spring race this weekend at the Mississauga 10k where I have another big goal of trying to break 35 minutes. I wasn't sure how things were going to go this spring switching back to short course training but I've already exceeded all my expectations and I can't wait for tri season!

Spring Tune-Ups

After waking up my legs in Florida with the Draft Legal Challenge, I got my local racing season rolling over the past couple weeks with some fun community races. Unlike last year when I focused my whole season around a few big events, this year is all about getting back to basics and smashing myself at the local favourites.

After spending most of last year focusing on volume I was really looking forward to getting back to some fast and hard racing this year. Partly because I'm not yet ready to dedicate myself completely to long course, but also because I've been keen to see if/how a new level of strength, durability and mental toughness can translate into speed.

Historically I've struggled to stay consistent in short course high intensity training and tend to get injured and/or burned out. Give me all the 30k tempo runs and six hour bricks in the world, but 4x2k hard used to nearly kill me. But I've put in some decent early-season hard yards on the treadmill and indoor track so I was cautiously optimistic about my spring fitness.

First up was testing my run speed at a local 5k put on in part by my parents!..the Komoka-Kilworth Easter Dash. Sure, I could have chosen a certified drag race of a course with a massive field, but the food and prizes wouldn't be nearly as awesome! After all my goal was simply to push myself as hard as I could to the line. I figured I'd just take things out at "faster than PB" pace and see what happens!

For maybe the first time ever in a 5k, after taking it out hard and already feeling it at the 2.5k turn I had the fitness and focus to maintain my pace. I certainly benefited from my new perspective on distance and pain and with 1k to go I knew I had a new PB locked down and it was time to see how low I could get it. I hit 5k on my Garmin in 16:35, however with the course slightly long (out of necessity for logistics) my official time was 17:01 for ~5.18k. It was a super fun event run entirely by volunteers, and proceeds go towards building a trail in my hometown community, so what more could I have asked for? 

I felt GREAT about that new PB, until all my Hurdle Project teammates crushed Around the Bay 5k this past weekend :) In all seriousness, it was an excellent early season bench mark and now I'm excited to see how much more time I can knock off on the next one.

The following weekend it was time to test my cycling legs and new cyclocross setup in preparation for Paris to Ancaster. Not that P2A is a priority race, but after nearly getting off my bike and crying in the fetal position half way through last year, I vowed to at least be prepared this time around. So I jumped in the smaller and slightly lower key "Steaming Nostril" 70k in Waterloo.

The big story for this race was going to be the conditions. If a 70k gravel race in early April wasn't crazy enough, the morning brought -15 windchill and more snow than we had at Christmas. So I mentally prepared myself for the battle ahead, and my wardrobe looked something like this: 

Race 3 of the season tomorrow and first bike race of the year. Forecast is -15 windchill and 10-15cm of snow. If I become one with the Canadian tundra let it be known that I shall donate my bike parts to the #hurdleproject #steamingnostril

A photo posted by Ryan Power (@ryan.power.5) on Apr 2, 2016 at 4:44pm PDT

I started in Wave 2 as the first wave was reserved for riders with a UCI race license (which unfortunately is absurdly expensive), so my only goal for the race was to dial in my equipment, tire pressure and pacing for P2A...in other words, to inflict as much self-induced pain as possible and still get over the finish line. The insane conditions just made all that a little more fun!

After a pretty relaxed roll-out with a neutral start I wanted to stay at the front but be careful not to go bananas from the gun like I did in P2A last year and completely blow up. It was clear right away that very few riders in Wave 2 were committed to a big effort, but I wasn't going to get caught up in any tactics...my only reason for doing this race was to destroy myself.

They gave Wave 2 our own lead vehicle which was amazing! It helped feel like I was in my own race, and kept me motivated to push the pace all day. I found a couple allies who were willing to work with me early on. We got organized and put our heads down for the first 20k which was almost entirely into the 30+km/h headwind. After 20k it was down to two of us while we started rolling through bigger groups of Wave 1 riders. I made an effort to bring up the pace when passing groups, no free rides today!

stolen from Instagram...that's not me

The course to that point was relatively tame, mostly well-packed gravel roads with some pavement. The conditions were pretty brutal though and despite being well-prepared clothing wise my bottles were frozen and my shoes had a layer of solid ice on them. I put my gatorade bottle inside my jersey to make sure I had enough carbs along with a gel every 30 minutes.

At 30k we had made it through most of the headwinds and I was starting to think about whether I wanted to attack and go solo vs. see how long we could work together. But after a long pull I looked back and the decision was made for me...I was on my own. I set my sights on the lead vehicle and went into solo TT mode. It didn't matter to me that this was Wave 2 of a spring gravel race, to me there is no greater feeling in racing than getting off the front and chasing those flashing lights. I've enjoyed that feeling a few times in tri's, but ripping on my cross bike down gravel roads in the mud and snow just made it even more memorable.

I knew my chances of putting time into a peloton of legit Cat 1 riders in Wave 1 were pretty slim, but why not try!? I was inspired by Lionel Sanders' words "There are no limits!" and was chewing stem for the next 30k. When I got to 60k I was seriously in the hurt box and was telling myself "only 15 minutes left". Little did I know the race organizers had a little surprise in store, the kilometre from hell!

We turned off the gravel road onto a farm laneway, and first up was a mud chute that put Powerline Mudslide to shame. I tried to clear it but had to take a less than ideal line around some wave 1 guys walking down the middle...I got about 80% down, hit a massive rut and went ass over tea kettle. I got back up quickly but lost my bottle (it was frozen solid anyway) and my bars were pretty crooked. But there was no time to fix it yet, there were a few streams to run through first! This was the only time of the race I really wished I was in Wave 1 before the course was completely destroyed and full of cyclists who don't know how to run :)

But we weren't done yet! We had to scale about 200m of straight uphill through the trees. It's hard to put into words how steep and muddy it was...I managed to shoulder my bike and pull myself up by hanging onto trees. Others had to throw their bike ahead of them, crawl up a few feet and repeat. It was absolutely ridiculous, but hilarious at the same time. I managed to survive, quickly knock my bars relatively straight and get back on the roads. After one more awesomely fun laneway section I was just about smashed, but the end was near. A couple k's on soft rail trail, a short jaunt through downtown St. Jacobs, then up the famous "Stairway to Heaven" to the finish.

(photo apparently taken in far warmer weather)

I was completely destroyed but I told my legs it was just a brick interval and I survived running up the stairs to finish strong. I ended up finishing nearly 15 minutes ahead of the next person in Wave 2, but was about 10 minutes behind the winners in Wave 1. I was a bit disappointed that I couldn't get closer, but they had a pretty solid field of Cat 1 pro's and surely weren't slowed down as much in the kilometre from hell.

Poor drivetrain...actually it performed remarkably well given the conditions

It was without question the most challenging conditions I've ever ridden or raced in and will give me a mental edge for the rest of the year. It might also take me the rest of the year to clean my bike, clothes and car. I couldn't have been happier with my effort, I was well prepared for the conditions, nailed my tire pressure and tread choice...and overall feel infinitely more prepared for Paris to Ancaster this year. I can't wait to bring that experience to P2A, and if its above -10 that's just a bonus!

MSC & Me: A Brief History

It's hard to believe that 2016 will be my tenth year in the fun and crazy world of triathlon. I'm still learning things every day...about myself, the sport, the gear, and ultimately how to get a little bit faster every season!

I came into the sport when I was training with the Western track & field team in 2006. I was so hopelessly injured that I bought a bike so I could at least maintain some form of activity while my multiple stress fractures were healing. I should note that I wasn't some prodigy runner who had scholarships lined up. I had some decent 300 and 400 times but I made teams because I was the hardest worker at practice.

When I started cycling I immediately fell in love with it and I still remember thinking to myself, "I can't be doing this right, there's no way training for something can be this FUN!" I quit track a week before varsity training camp and committed to a new journey, one that I was incredibly passionate about...mostly because it scared the crap out of me!

There was only one problem. I couldn't swim. I don't mean it like most competitive triathletes mean it, as in they wish they were faster. I mean I was literally so bad at swimming that even my parents would make fun of how bad I was at swimming lessons. My mom made me tread water in our backyard pool for 30 minutes before signing up for my first race, just to make sure I wouldn't die.

I joined the UWO triathlon club in the fall of 2006 and immediately found an amazing sense of community. I was the guy wearing board shorts in the slow lane trying not to drown, but there was something very welcoming about everyone facing their own personal challenges; in track all that mattered was whether or not you had made the time standards.

I also met a man in the club by the name of John Salt. First I only knew him by reputation of his torturous 6am spin classes and the crazy fast swimmer in lane 1. Then he told us some of his Ironman war stories and it was the coolest and most badass thing I had ever heard in my life. Finally I found out that he was the owner of the "HSBC Triathlon Series" and he had some pretty cool events. So in 2007 I signed up for a few of his races to really see what triathlon was all about.

Fast forward ten years and I've raced dozens of MultiSport events, volunteered at a bunch more and even worked on the race crew for a couple seasons. That's why I'm thrilled to partner with MultiSport Canada this year as part of the Recharge with Milk Ambassador Pro Squad. Over the last ten years John, Jason and the crew have watched me grow up as an athlete and a person.

In that time the MSC brand has also grown from the small events with a great community-feel to the biggest series in Canada, and John still shakes everyone's hand at every finish line. It's been a lot of fun to be a part of all that and I couldn't be happier to formally represent the Recharge with Milk Triathlon Series this season and help get the word out about their amazing events.

I thought I'd have a little fun and dig a few items out of the archives for a brief synopsis of how I - along with MSC - have grown over the years!

Binbrook 2007 - my second ever tri...I was such a noob!

I finished my first tri season in Wasaga Beach where I qualified for AG Worlds in Vancouver the following year!

This shot is just too old-school not to post - Cobourg 2008

Back when Lakeside was in June, and it was about 6 degrees in 2009! I didn't race locally too much that season - I was racing AG Nationals in Kelowna then Worlds in Australia, so I decided to start training a little smarter. I moved to Guelph to train with what was then called the Provincial Training Centre under Coach Craig Taylor. It was a summer of getting my ass kicked multiple times a day, but it was the most valuable experience I've ever had in my tri career.

Cobourg 2010. I spent most of that season working on the race crew to help fund my flight to Elite Nationals. I gained some serious respect for the MSC crew who often put in 40+ hours of work over a single weekend to make these events happen. Everyone should do it at least once!

2011 was marked by winning my FIRST MSC race at Bala Falls. The Recharge with Milk finish line interviews were a fun bonus!

2012 was highlighted by the Welland Half Iron, hands-down the hardest thing I had ever done. It was also the first season that offered series prize money so my year was all about chasing points. Unfortunately I crashed badly in my next race and John told me he wouldn't let me race again until I had been cleared of concussion symptoms. I had to sit out the rest of the season but was very grateful for his words of wisdom.

 Fast forward to 2015 back in Welland. My aero game has improved slightly since my road bike clip-ons :)

After a few years of focusing my season around big destination/championship races, I'm really excited to get back to my roots in 2016 and chase some points on the Recharge with Milk series. They truly are top-notch events and with the talent coming out of Ontario these days it has to be one of the most competitive domestic series out there. I'm still putting the final touches on my race calendar but I can't wait to throw down on the MSC circuit again this year. See you on the start line!

Season Opener & campLPC

It seems like just yesterday that I was wrapping up my 2015 season and hunkering down for winter training! And it certainly doesn't feel like a full year has passed and another LPC Florida Camp is in the books. But I took my time getting back into structured training after Louisville and after a couple months of solid training I was looking forward to heading back down south.

I was really excited to once again kick off my racing season with the Draft Legal Challenge in Clermont. Last year I jumped at the rare opportunity to do an Age-Group draft legal race, and despite feeling completely unprepared I finished 5th. I was hoping to better that this year after a recently renewed focus on short-course racing, but with AG Worlds going draft-legal this year it brought a much bigger, deeper and more diverse field...including many other LPCers!

(all photos courtesy of Ken Milner & BPT)

On Saturday a huge group of campers headed to Lake Louisa to catch the ITU race which included my Hurdle Project teammates Jack, Garrick and David and many RTC Guelph friends. Then first up Sunday was Amanda's first draft-legal experience in the Elite Development Race. She's gearing up for sprint-distance Nationals and Worlds, and what better way to get some experience in the unique race format!

I have to give Amanda big props for jumping in the EDR. They combined the EDR and AG races but gave the age groupers a 10-minute head start to help them from getting lapped out. But Amanda lined up with the big girls. She had a solid swim but in the strong field of junior-elites and some U23s she just missed the big chase pack out of the water. Then despite only being on her new road bike a handful of times, she lit up the bike course and was carving the technical sections! Unfortunately she was in a position I'm far too familiar with...she was picking up stragglers who couldn't even hold her wheel, let alone pull through. So she toughed out the ride mostly solo but was in no danger of getting lapped out, and finished strong in her first draft-legal race!

Then it was the boys' turn in a sold out field of all ages and abilities. I saw a few familiar faces from last year including another huge contingent of Canadian Forces guys, a solid group of LPCers and Amanda's dad! It was really cool to have such a range of athletes starting together and there were only a handful of sketchy moments with the race organizers being lenient on the lap-out rule to keep things inclusive.

I was really looking forward to seeing what I could do in the swim knowing that I'm swimming well for this time of year...and with a funky new wetsuit (thanks Santa)! But between the challenging conditions and lacking a bit of race-specific fitness I had a bit of a disappointing swim. I lost my stroke a bit and struggled to find a rhythm after taking it out hard. It's hard to compare times with the swim being quite rough...I can't say it felt great but I'm confident I'll be swimming better than ever in the open water this year!

I got to work on the bike chasing down the lead pack, which I successfully managed to do last year. On the first lap of four I started working with a pair of strong guys and started bringing back time. But just before coming through transition for the first time one guy flatted, and the other couldn't hold my wheel through the tricky transition area. I knew that was going to be a big setback in trying to bridge up and settled into my own rhythm for most of lap 2.

Determined face, determined face

Just before the end of lap 2 I was joined by a two strong riders and we started rolling well. I wasn't feeling super strong on the bike and nearly got dropped at one point, but I made up for my lack of fitness with technical skill, and brought back a 5 second gap through transition :) On the last lap the three of us got swallowed up by a large pack lead by LPCer Lee Rantala. I covered some weak attacks and mostly recovered for the last 3k and came in near the front of the group.

I was still feeling the early-March lack of fitness on the run, but managed to find a bit of a rhythm and ran better than last year. Despite the faster run I only managed 10th in a deeper field this time around. But I got exactly what I wanted out of the race, a good cobweb scraper and a fun start to camp!

I could - and probably should - do a separate post dedicated to camp, but that seems like way too much work! So here's a quick recap on a big week in the sunshine:

My new cross bike was a great road steed!

Monday:
Monday is always one of my favourite days of the camp, as we head to the NTC for a big day of training. First up was a workout on the track, somewhere I've become intimately familiar with since coming to Clermont for track camp many years ago. Since I raced on Sunday I had a shortened set of 9x400 on 2:00 dec 1-3 (79, 75, 73). Then it was up to the pool for a solid swim in the fast lane with some drills from Coach Gabbi and Coach Alex, and a set of fast 50s.

After a big morning we were treated to seminars with Coach Mark and a great Q&A with Lionel. It was great to have him back at camp...I still vividly remember the crazy guy in 2011 who pedaled his bike so hard that every bearing and bolt was creaking underneath him. I remember telling James "this dude is going to be the best long course athlete in the world some day." I'm still in awe of what he's accomplished since then, and he's still just as crazy. But he's one of the nicest and most genuine people in the sport, and it was an honour to share some training with him throughout the week.

Tuesday:
We changed things up a bit this year and the highlight of Tuesday was the world-renowned Allen's Challenge. The "miracle mile" sub-four minute barrier was demolished with Johnny Pulford clocking a 3:16 for 11 scoops of ice cream and 5 toppings.

The 84k ride and run off the bike used to feel like a long day for me, but after going through Ironman training it felt more like a nice warmup! Unfortunately I was a little under the weather and shortened my run off the bike. I thought back to last year when I ran 16k on the hottest day of camp and part of me wished 2016 was another Ironman year...

Wednesday:
We were back to Lake Louisa for brick intervals. This is typically the workout that the young-ins beat up on ol' RyGuy. But I was still feeling sick and drained so I cut my workout short and missed out on some hard yards with the boys. I'm not sure if I wasn't quite recovered from the race and then went too hard on Monday, or if I was fighting some sickness. But I decided to shut it down in hopes of feeling better later in the week

Thursday:
I was really motivated to have a great day of training on the longest day of camp after the last two days not going to plan. It started off with a ~4500m lazy river swim. I committed to staying with the ITU guys and Lionel for a s**tload of open water simulations. I remembered how I lost my feel for the water and a bit of focus during my race, and did my best to swim HARD and hold good form. I ended up having one of the best (and hardest) swims of my life staying within touch of the fast guys the whole time.

Thursday afternoon is the long ride out to Clermont and Sugarloaf hill. Last year I completed my first century on that ride and was a huge step in my IM training. This year I just had 90k on tap, but before we even got to Sugarloaf I somehow managed to break the lower jockey wheel and crack the cage on my rear derailleur...which mechanically speaking, means you're f**ked.

I sat on the side of the road for about 40 minutes trying over and over to shorten my chain to ride single-speed and find a gear that wouldn't skip too much or lock up. Eventually I limped up Sugarloaf where our sag wagon Ken (Gabbi's husband, also photog genius and beer connoisseur) picked me up.

I was pretty bummed that my perennial favourite ride was cut short, but was satisfied in my mechanical skills to at least get to the pick-up point (and thankful for being prepared and carrying a multi-tool with a chain breaker). Case in point for those cyclists who aren't mechanically inclined...learn how to do basic repairs on the road so you don't get stranded in scary Trump-voter areas!

Friday:
The last day of camp is always my favourite...Orange Grove 10 miler! Last year I did two laps plus some bonus for a 35k run that was one of the most memorable runs of my life. This year was a little bitter sweet as I fell in love with the long miles last year. But the workout this time around was easy warm-up for the first half, tempo coming back. I told myself that if I was only doing one lap I was gonna make it count! I averaged 3:36/km for the hilly 8k coming back, which I was really happy with and gives me confidence that my long-time goal of a sub-35 10k might be getting closer.

We finished off camp with a short-ish 55k ride for which I was fortunate enough to borrow LPC pal Kyle's sweet Speed Concept! I've always wanted to try one out and it sure was fast! But my P3 isn't going anywhere anytime soon :)

We're now back in Canada but race season is coming up quickly! I already have some spring races planned including some fun on my cross bike, then a couple running races before tri season really starts. I'm looking forward to staying a little closer to home this year and focusing on the MultiSport Canada points series and TriOn long course series. It's going to be a fun year getting back to basics racing local and racing hard!

Winter Update

My last posts wrapped up a long and busy race season, and even though it's the middle of winter I think it's time for another update!

Just before the end of the year work brought me back to Louisville for a couple days. I had mixed emotions being back in the place that I had dedicated my whole year to swimming, biking and running around. But I managed to squeeze in a few workouts on the IM course while I was there and I left with some closure on an amazing year.

Ironman Louisville finish line

So what's new in 2016 so far?

For the most part I've just been keeping my head down and working away in the pool, on the trainer and through the trails. By the end of my Ironman training I was really looking forward to paying off credit card debt focusing on short-course training and hitting some of my favourite local races again. 

At first it was a bit of a struggle to get rolling again because I found a new passion for the big miles and the huge challenge of Ironman. I wasn't sure if I was going to enjoy the process as much with higher intensity workouts and lower overall volume. But I've slowly been changing gears back to short course and so far this year I've benefited from a higher level of focus, efficiency and mental strength than ever before. It's nice to get some speed back!

I'm very happy to once again be a part of teamLPC's Hurdle Project squad. It's a particularly awesome and talented group of young athletes (I seem to have taken the role of Dad in the group), and I'm looking forward to teaching them a thing or two in bike skillz and old man strength. Check out my profile here: http://www.loaringpersonalcoaching.com/ryan-power.html

After a couple years of long course training I've enjoyed putting a bit more emphasis back on my swimming. I haven't been doing any superstar mileage besides a solid 36k week for "BPT swim camp" with Amanda, but I've consistently put the time in and I'm seeing the benefits of working so hard on my efficiency over the past 12 months.

Working that EVF

I've rocked out HARD while my teammates are setting ridiculous FTP numbers (and I'm also testing higher than ever in Jan/Feb)

5.05w/k avg over 20min aero for @JackLaundry93 in the #paincave #teamLPC #HurdleProject #computrainer

A video posted by teamLPC (@loaringpersonalcoaching) on Jan 9, 2016 at 1:36pm PST

I've also been fortunate enough to include regular track workouts in my training for the first time in a few years. I have a love/hate relationship with the indoor track given my track background...I love the hard yards but I definitely had my fair share of injuries in my track days. Fortunately I've managed to be extra diligent with my prehab and recovery, and Track Tuesday is often the highlight of my week

I can't believe this tweet didn't get more action. Come on, that's gold!

And of course it wouldn't be winter in Canada without some long runs in crappy weather. It can be a tough time of year to stay motivated (and warm) but we've been pretty lucky this year with the weather for the most part. And no matter how cold it is, there are few things better than a long winter trail run in fresh snow.

When rain turns to freezing rain, then snow..all in one workout

I was also lucky enough to head out west into the sunshine for a few days! Running in LA presents it's challenges in terms of finding a good route and not getting stabbed, but the challenge always seemed to be worth it...

Now I'm back in the cold but it's almost time to hit the road again, this time to LPC Florida Camp! I'm once again looking forward to kicking off my race season while I'm down south with the Clermont Draft Legal Challenge. It's a pretty meaningless race in terms of the result but it will be a good indication of how things are progressing so far. And then of course plenty of fun in the sun with an amazing group of people. After that I'm looking forward to some local cross races and a bit of running before tri season.

My next update will probably come after camp!