Ryan Power

Day 1

2012-02-06T12:45:00.008-05:00

I've had this blog thing around for a while...and it all started when I undertook a new and exciting (and slightly nerve wracking) challenge of moving to Guelph to train full-time under the PTC training squad.

Now that I'm taking on a new and equally exciting (and possibly more daunting) challenge of my first build to my first international pro race, on my own training programming...I figure it's a good time to document my journey step by step once again through training and life. Lately I've gotten away from updates on my daily training in favour of (mostly) tastefully opinionated ranting, but for some odd reason I feel compelled to get back to my blogging roots for a while. One day at a time to St. Croix 2012!

So with today being day 1 of my first build cycle leading up to the race, I figured I would share with you the details of my journey so far...

...Ok. So Mondays are my off day, and yes I do in fact have a true off day. Nothing exciting yet...I slept in, ate a yummy lunch and had a lovely chat with Amanda. But DON'T YOU WORRY. This will be a fun and exciting journey.

St. Croix isn't even one of my priotity races for the season. I have some very loose goals for the race but the big thing is putting together a strong consistent early season training block and pushing my limits on race day. Really its just a fun event for some motivation through spring training and a great challenge for myself to overcome a beast of a race along side some of the top athletes in the world. And to see whether or not I have a clue what I'm doing with this training stuff.

For those who are interested I will keep this up to date through my build with my goings on in training and balancing workouts with work and life. Not to show you how epic my workouts are, how hard I'm working, throw out half-truth - or full on-BS - time trial results or any of that crap. If you're looking for that go somewhere else (I can point you in the right direction) because I train honest and smart. This is just to put my thoughts on paper...or at least electronically encoded via my keyboard...and stay accountable to my loyal readers :)

More Sponsor News!

2012-01-31T20:17:00.000-05:00

Probably time for another update...and now that race season is slowly creeping around the corner hopefully I can better at the whole updating thing again.

First off I need to make a big shout out to my newest 2012 sponsor, Oxford Dodge Chrysler Jeep in London. Elizabeth and the team there are giving me a ton of support for the upcoming season and I'm looking forward to racing hard and giving back with some wins :)

I'm also lucky enough to have received my new gear from Rudy Project for the season, including my new favourite piece of race gear...the Wingspan aero helmet. Super aero and light and vented enough even for St. Croix!

I also got a pair of the Genetyk Fluo glasses. Definitely the funkiest of all the Rudy shades I have and you probably won't miss them on race day.

As for training, well unfortunately I'm not heading to any warm weather training camps this year (I'm really going to miss the LPC Florida crew in March). But it hasn't stopped me from ticking away here in London. I'm on my first adaptation week of the year and it has been a strong mini block of training to start the year. I have been tweaking my weekly schedule for a couple months and I have finally found something that really works for me around work and life.

Lately it's been a bit of a swim focus and things are slowly but surely feeling a little more natural...all I can ask for in the pool! How much swimming? Well enough that I don't remember the last time my suit was dry. I could tell you about all my (occasionally ridiculous) workouts, weekly mileage, times etc. and try to show off how EPIC my training is (grrr)...but I prefer to be the only one knowing how hard I'm working. :)

My build for St. Croix starts next week and I'm looking forward to putting some serious hours on the Computrainer to get fit for an early start to the year. I'm also looking forward to feeling like a runner again after getting through the inevitably forced base/maintenance/strength "focus" of running in Canadian winter. Besides the odd swim TT and CP test on the bike all I really have to go by is a good feeling that I'm really happy with my fitness for this time of year and am training hard and SMART. With lots more to come.

Anyway, back to recovering for now. I promise I'll be more diligent with updates as training starts to pick up! Thanks for reading...

Happy New Year

2012-01-11T12:37:00.007-05:00

Greetings fellow triathlon gossip seekers,

Well it's a new year and we all know what that means...ridiculously crowded pools and no lockers to be found for the next two weeks. But don't worry, the resolution crowds will die off soon enough and it will be back to just us resilient triathletes!

I haven't been doing much updating lately, and it's a combination of trying to establish a new routine (having taken charge of my programming and race planning) and simply sticking to it day to day. It has never been part of my training philosophy to come up with arbitrary "epic" workouts or weekends then feel the need to tell everyone about it. So as boring as it may sound...it has been business as usual for me and I'm really happy with my CONSISTENT progress.

The longer I am in the sport and the more I try to show my face in the tri community rather than train in hiding all the time, the more distractions there are all around. People wanting to know what my weekly training is like, wanting to tell me that they're training more or harder. Personally I'm flattered when I hear that young athletes are comparing themselves to me in some way, and I'm always more than happy to help in any way I can...whether it be chatting with someone over facebook or leading by example at a workout. I have humble roots in the sport, having raced as an age grouper for three seasons before my hard work allowed me to gain elite status.

But there seems to be a growing trend of young athletes around me obsessed with the notion of "going pro". I'm all for people setting high goals and working hard to attain them, every day I feed off the doubters who tell me my goals in the sport and too lofty for someone so naturally untalented. But a lot of people tend to forget that it means NOTHING that Triathlon Ontario accepts your application to put "pro" on your calf at a race. You don't become a world champion overnight and you can't overlook the work it takes to get there: not for a single workout.

If someone were to ask me what it means to be a professional triathlete, I would tell them that my training is the antithesis of something boastful or glorious, rather it's dirty, painful and all-consuming. And for those rare instances that I get the chance to assert my fitness in a race, I will have spent 10 times longer driving to a venue every weekend of the summer than I actually spend racing it, for the slight chance to win enough prize money at one in ten races to cover my hotel or gas expenses. But I love it, the daily grind, the hard work that leads to improvement, and the rare but so-worth-it payoff. And I don't need my pro card to have that.

So all I ask of my compatriots is this. Focus on the training, the progression, and kicking your own ass in every workout and race. Forget the titles and the non-existent money, fame and glory. Just have fun, and quietly enjoy getting faster. And I will be more than happy to be beaten by a physically and mentally stronger athlete.

Now I'll compeltely change the subject because I'm too lazy to make two different posts. Well my build for my first event starts in about 4 weeks so until then I'm putting emphasis on efficiency in the water and strength on the bike and run. I'm learning to get comfortable swimming 20k/week...something that terrified me even a year ago. I'm also redefining my personal definition of "easy" and "hard" on my bike, as I do every off-season. 2-3 hour trainer rides aren't such a hardship anymore, and I have never been more excited to be fit for race season.

This past weekend I was lucky enough to join Coach James for one of his LPC Training Days in Windsor. They are always a great time and a solid training day with a fun group. I'm relieved that I'm still accepted as an honorary LPC'er even though I have taken "coaching" into my own hands. Here are a few pics from the day!

I have also enjoyed some fun training in Hamilton with Amanda, and have been getting a chance to be pushed in the swim and ride on the only good hills in Southern Ontario. It has been a great winter so far and I'm ready for spring racing already!

Happy Holidays!

2011-12-19T18:58:00.007-05:00

It's official. I have achieved my goal as a professional triathlete.

I have a coffee sponsor.

I'm really happy to announce my newest sponsor for the 2012 season, The Koffee House!

They are an independent local cafe (Wellington & Southdale, London) with by far the best coffee in town...all fair trade organic. Definitely the place to go for us snobby coffee drinker triathletes, and only the cleanest healthiest stuff. Big thanks to Alex (whose brother is local competitive athlete and my occasional training buddy Chris Pickering) for supporting the local athletic scene. Now stop drinking crappy Starbucks!

Beyond that. Well I'm still insanely busy with store opening at MEC London but at least I'm finally paying the training bills! I'm managing to squeeze in training and I'm putting a much bigger focus on winter training on the bike than in previous years. I've developed my strength on the bike by riding a few hours a week through the winter, so we'll see what happens when I more than double that.

Things are rolling along really well for mid-December and I'm looking forward to building on everything in the new year. I've made a ton of changes to my training, racing plans and my philosophy on it all over the last few months and I've never been more excited to start a race season. Just chipping away one day at a time.

And with it being the Holday Season, I figured I would leave you with some Chrismas ACMFRP!

Oopsies!

2011-11-25T22:24:00.004-05:00

I said I was going to try harder to update more frequently and I've decidedly failed at that so far.

So what's been going on with me...

The first thing I have to mention is my amazing new sponsor for next season. Jake Campbell of C&C Insurance is providing me with a ton of support for my 2012 travel plans and I can't thank him and C&C enough. I feel awful for not recognizing their support sooner, but I have been crazy busy! I also have to mention Jake just finished his first Ironman at IM Florida in 11:05!! It was amazing to see his dedication and improvements throughout the year.

Besides that news, I've officially given up on living the dream and I'm now working full time at the new Mountain Equipment Co-op coming to London. The hours have been crazy with store set-up, but it's a very cool place to work and my boss is talented local cyclist Marten Mann. It has been a huge challenge to fit training in around 50+ hour work weeks lately but it will all be worth it when the store opens up next week! I'm excited to be a part of such a forward thinking company, and show off "my" bike department :)

As for training, well nothing is particularly interesting this time of year. Back to the basics for a while before ramping training back up for the new year. The interesting part has been trying to fit in a modest 14-16 hours of training in with my busy work schedule. I guess it's a little taste of what most age group athletes deal with on a daily basis...it's not the first time I've been training while working full time, and some of those around me have basically said "welcome to the real world"...but it is the first time I've been working so much while trying to train at an elite level. It's really not easy, and the biggest part is trying not to get stressed out over how busy things are or wishing I had more time to train. All of my workouts are done at 6-7:30am, 7-10pm, or sacrificing my lunch break if I have 3 workouts in a day. It has forced me to really keep my recovery and nutrition and dedication in check. So not necessarily a bad thing.

Gabbi Whitlock and the Balance Point Training group have also been a big part of maintaining my consistency, and swimming with the group is already bringing me some great improvements in the water. It's a great group and Gabbi is a fantastic and underrated swim coach. It feels so good to get faster and more efficient in the pool...especially with a slightly lighter focus on my swim training with my racing plans next year.

My bike and run training is pretty low key right now, with it being November and given my work schedule. I wish I could say I was banking 5 rides a week right now but it's just not feasible or realistic this time of year if I want to stay consistent all winter. I'm looking forward to finding the time to fit more training in soon and I'm really motivated to get fit on the bike for the early season and keep building all the way through the summer. I'm really looking forward to giving long course racing a go next year and I know that my bike training will be key.

So that's all for now, hopefully soon I can talk more about training and less about how busy I am. But that's life!

Like a Kid's First Allowance

2011-10-31T21:08:00.004-04:00

This weekend I took part in one of the most fun events on the calendar...and it happens to be about a 3 minute drive from my house (and the same course that I did my first bike race on earlier this year, and my first ever run race in 2006).

On Sunday I joined in on the festivities with Balance Point Training for the Halloween Haunting 5k in London. It's a small event where the costumes are more important than your time...the way it should be. There were some pretty ridiculous costumes out there, mostly from the BPT crew. They are so much fun to train and race with!!

In an attempt to find something moderately humorous yet still capable of running in, I decided to be Dave Scott (its really a shame you can't see the surprisingly ok stache from this not-purchased photo). Unfortunately since runners and especially triathletes are pretty much geeks to begin with I more or less just fit in with the crowd. At least a couple triathletes there got what I was going for.

I'm proud to say that not only was I the fastest person who dressed up, but I picked up some prize money in the process! Not bad for a Sunday morning after being sick for three weeks. And believe it or not its the first time I've ever won prize money! But before even trying to calculate what percentage $50 is towards my flight to Rev3 Costa Rica, I put it straight in the piggy bank (ie. my Visa bill) and chalked it up as the first race I've officially covered all my expenses in :) Gotta start somewhere, right?

My girlfriend Amanda also won $50 as 2nd overall female (behind a very strong Speed River runner)!! And after the race BPT went out for an awesome year end/Amanda's home for the weekend/ excuse to eat glutinously - brunch. And its a good thing we did, because a few hours later we were all back for a swim TT. And just like the race in the morning, just about everyone but me posted a PB. But I'm happy with where I'm at for this time of year - not fast, not slow, but very hungry for more. This week is my last of kinda-offseason-ish training before getting right back at it, and with my plan for an early season race there's no time to waste!

I just want to take this opportunity to thank everyone again for all the support, encouragement and kind words while I take on this journey I call being a professional triathlete. I'm going to try to update this thing a little more often through my weekly training, I know there are some people actually look forward to my ramblings so the least I can do in return is show my appreciation!

Fall Training

2011-10-28T16:43:00.002-04:00

I haven't done any training updates in a while! And since I'm hanging out in my new triathlon brainstorming headquarters, and since I'm finally starting to get things rolling after fighting a cold off and on for the better part of a month it seems like a good time to update.

I must admit its a little daunting to have full responsibility of my training and programming. I love the freedom and sense of control, knowing that its up to me to reach my goals. But it can be a little disconcerting wondering if I'm doing things right or missing anything. The only security I have is knowing that there are no secrets to training, even at the highest level. Stay consistent, enjoy what you're doing and the rest takes care of itself.

It seems rare that I've had both those elemets coexist over the past couple seasons, but I'm finally starting to figure it out. Right now I'm in a run focus gearing up for a couple fun fall run races...nothing crazy but I'm running almost every day and I'm starting to feel fast. First up is the Halloween Haunting 5k in London this weekend...the first run race I ever did 5 years ago. Having been sick lately I have no idea what kind of 5k shape I'm in but I'm looking forward to finding out...and looking forward to the costume I've got planned.

After that I'll likely do the 10k at Hamilton Road2Hope and give the distance a real go for the first time in a long while. Then I'll finally start to get back into full tri training. Just like last fall my big focus in the pool is working on form and efficiency, and despite not being in the water much lately I'm swimming well. The bike is another story...I feel pretty pathetic on my P3 right now but with my planned training that will change quickly.

I've already put together my basic training program for next season and its got me really excited for racing already! So I've decided to go out on a limb and post my planned 2012 race schedule for those who care :)

Rev3 Costa Rica
Rev3 Knoxville
Binbrook Tri
Welland Half Iron
5150 Toronto (not yet confirmed)
Bracebridge Tri
Ironman 70.3 Steelhead
Wasaga Beach Tri

So some of this is still tentative (Toronto is still only a rumor at this point, but sounds really promising) but I'm looking forward to committing to my season much sooner and with more concrete goals than in previous years - one of my problems this past year, and the reason why I feel the need to post this.

All non-drafting, I really want to see what I can do when I focus on my strengths in training and racing. And Steelhead will be my big goal for the season. I love long course training and I really want to gain some experience to see where I can take it. I've always known in the back of my mind that long course would be my direction in triathlon, and next season will be my first big step in that direction.

But let's not get too far ahead of ourselves. Back to training!

Busy Days

2011-10-17T19:06:00.006-04:00

Well its still the off season but I've managed to keep myself pretty busy lately. The big one is the search for support and sponsors, and this is the time of year for most sponsors in triathlon. So far I've already been very lucky and have secured a key sponsor for my 2012 season.

I'm thrilled to announce that C&C Insurance will be supporting me next year. It seems to be a great fit as I ride by their office every morning on my bike! Jake from C&C is racing his first Ironman in a few weeks in Florida...all the best to him! I'm hoping to have a few more announcements in the coming weeks :)

I've also been kept pretty busy with work...I know what you're thinking - employment is against my principles. But running and napping rarely pay the bills. This past weekend I put some serious hours in at the Toronto Bike Show with MSZ, and as a bonus for my hard work they were generous enough to provide me with a bonus to upgrade the new TT rig!

I got some very nice comments on my pretty new toy in my last post, and since I've made it even faster looking I figured I'd tell you more about it...for all my techy friends. I take a lot of pride in the build and aesthetics of my bikes, and I'm very particular with the quality of everything, so I prefer to make the investment to build up my own bikes with my choice of components rather than ride a sponsored bike. So no shameless pitches here, I just feel like talking about my work!

2011 P3 Frameset - in my opinion this is the best no BS bike in the world. No built in water bottles, no useless hidden brake calipers. Its just an intelligently designed, extremely aero and very comfortable bike. My gimp back approves.

SRAM Force/Rival Components - After riding Shimano since my first road bike, I started riding SRAM last year on my road bike (Red) and I was instantly a convert. Super smooth shifting and a better feel than Shimano in my opinion. When its dialled in Red shifts faster than DI2, and my Force/Rival combo is lighter and much cheaper than Ultegra.

Wheels - I really like Mavic wheels for their durability and coolness factor. I ride Aksium training wheels along with a Powertap wheel, and for races I have Cosmic Carbone Pros (only produced for one year). Similar to a Zipp 404 but better hubs and a stronger rim. And as a recent addition I now have the option to roll a Zipp 900 disc, just for a little extra speed.

ISM Adamo Road saddle - I switched to the ISM earlier this year when I was searching for a seat option that would keep my bum and my back happy over 90k in the aerobars. It took me the better part of a month to get the seat and rail angles where I wanted, and I also pinched the nose pieces together with a zip tie to get the front end narrower. Its a very different feel but I find I can rotate my hips more with the ISM which saves my back a ton. I've also added an XLab cage mount to keep the frame clean. I've never been in a wind tunnel but common sense tells me its more aero.

3T custom front end - I'm really finicky with my aerobars. They have to fit to the millimeter and still look funky. So I've taken a 3T Aura Pro integrated bar and replaced the narrow unadjustable pads with Profile Design F-22 pads and J2 clips to get the reach and pad width I want. Really comfortable but coolness factor remains high. As you can see I've also ultilized the cheapest ($4 bottle cage, 100 for $1 zip ties from the dollar store) and most aerodynamic bottle setup you can get.

OK no more tech talk.

As for training, I'm in a bit of a run focus for another few weeks gearing up for a couple run races. Nothing crazy but I'm putting in some decent run weeks - up to about 100k - just for fun before getting serious about tri training again in November.

I'm looking forward to being in the pool 5-6 days a week between the UWO Tri Club and Balance Point Training to build on a big growing year in the water. I'm starting to get an idea of what swimming is supposed to feel like, and with the guidance of Coach Gabbi I'm really looking forward to seeing some progress through the winter.

But the bike is where I'll be putting a ton of focus on my training, likely riding 6-7 days a week. No more half ass draft legal bike workouts, I want to be strong on the bike next year for my non-drafting and long course races. I'll be doing some training and racing with the CoachChris.ca cycling team as part of their development racing team, and I'll be banking some epic rides with a good friend of mine and strong long course athlete Chris Pickering.

So far my little experiment of taking my programming into my own hands seems to be working out fairly well. I really like knowing I have complete control over what I'm doing and its keeping me very focused. No one's going to give me hell for half-assing a workout...its all on me. I already have my plan for next year's races, which will likely include two or three Rev3 events and 70.3 Muskoka. I know...WTC...grrrrrr. But the reality is its the closest high end race to me with the best chance of at least breaking even with my travel expenses. And in all honesty, I would consider it a huge success and an accomplishment as an elite triathlete next year if I managed to break even with my expenses between prize money and sponsor support - its not easy. Maybe then I can really call myself a professional athlete :)

I'm really very excited for racing next year.

My New Training Partner

2011-10-10T21:10:00.000-04:00

Alright its official. I have a problem.

I'm a tri geek.

If you're counting this is now 5 bikes in the past year, and 7 since I got into triathlon. 4 years ago.

After a lot (probably too much) of thought on where I want to focus my efforts in this sport I decided that trusty ol' Cervelo P1 aka Wildfire was just not going to cut it anymore. It was time for a serious non-drafting machine. So instead of pinching pennies (or my Visa card) and second guessing my decision, I just got the best/fastest/no BS bike out there.

Having worked at a bike shop for two years now I've become a bit of a perfectionist with bike performance and aethetics, and now I am with aerodynamics too. Along with a funky disc for flat and fast courses I'm now more confident and comfortable on my bike than ever before. I really can't wait to race on this thing.

And don't worry, good old P1 isn't going to go unused. Even though I retired it after just one year of racing, it is going to become my newest and by far coolest winter project yet. Stay tuned for more info!

In other news I've already had great response in my search for support and sponsors for next season. No details to be mentioned yet but I'm going to have some great support and will be racing with some cutting edge equipment next year.

Changing Seasons...

2011-10-04T20:03:00.001-04:00

...and pretty much everything else it seems.

Sorry I haven't updated this thing in a while. Despite having some down time in training I've managed to keep myself pretty busy these days between some final races, work, and gearing up for 2012 already!

This season has been a hard one to try to figure out. I had some not so proud moments, but there were a lot of big steps forward, both mentally and physically, and I finally started to compete to my potential and throw down some good races. I was really happy with how the tri season turned out, but after a lot of thought and finding some direction in my training and racing, I felt that something needed to change going into next year.

I've always liked coaching and putting together training programs, and having found my direction in the sport and starting to understand what it takes to reach my goals, I felt it was best to take my training and programming into my own hands and see where I can take things. It had nothing to do with my coach - James is a great coach and I've learned a ton from him and love the LPC group. But between having a better understanding of my own training, and my training opportunities here in London, I'm - mostly - confident in my decision. And credit to James for being so understanding of my sometimes crazy thoughts - I'm sure I will be calling on him for advice more than a few times.

So I'm once again a "free agent". It's a little daunting to put this responsibility on myself on top of my training and racing, but I have a great group of coaches and athletes around me and I'm looking forward to next year being my strongest by far. I'm currently in a run focus until the end of October before really getting tri training rolling for some early season races in 2012.

Besides all that...I'm in the process of seeking out new sponsors for next season and things are looking great already (still top secret!) This time last season I decided to focus on myself and my training rather than deal with the occasional stress and distractions of sponsors. But with a good season of racing under my belt and high goals for next year, the support will be necessary for me to get where I want to be. Hopefully I'll have more news on that soon.

Until then, back to training and I'll update some of my upcoming fall running when I decide that something is interesting enough to share! I'll leave you with some more ACMFRP.

Season in Photos

2011-09-07T19:43:00.009-04:00

I usually try to post a few pictures in each race report through the year to break up the monotony (even if it means occasionally using the print screen function rather than paying $40 for a picture of myself :) ). But I was admittedly a little lazy with it this year, so it seems like a fitting time to throw together a bit of a collage of the year! There might be a few I've previously posted but here's my complete season in photos. Enjoy!

I started off the year with my first ever road race. 2nd spot here, trying to instigate a breakaway in the Springbank O-Cup

Getting some experience putting my sign sprints to the test. Finished 4th, 2nd in main field sprint. At least I had the prettiest bike in the race!

First tri of the year was in beautiful Connecticut for Rev3 Quassy. PB swim of 22:04

Off for the hardest Olympic distance run ever!

Tri #2 - Leamington Tomatoman (AG Provincials). I made a tactical mistake lining up on the start line and was forced to fight the current and miss the leaders by the first turn.

Trying to muscle out a fast 5k in the middle of a big 70.3 training block. Good enough for 3rd behind two strong boys.

I'm using a non-descript photo so as not to embarrass her, but I have to mention my amazing girlfriend. In her first year of "serious" training she has won her age group in every race she's done, including Provincial Champ in both sprint and Olympic distances. Here she is having a stellar race in Welland, the day before my royal mental f**kup (ie. the Welland Half).

A month off to regroup before Bala Falls. Accomplishing a huge mental goal - first out of the water.

Up by 2+mins coming off the bike

As I came into T2 MSC's announcer told the crowd "now watch Ryan's transition and how incredibly fast he is in-and out". Pressure was on but I still pulled off my usual fastest T2 split :)

By far my best race of the year and maybe ever, and a huge mental victory.

And my support staff, who drank my 7up when I went to the podium

The only photo evidence from Ottawa Draft-Legal Provincials. Probably a good thing

Cobourg Sprint Tri - 56 degree water!

Feeling pretty flat on the day but I knew what needed to be done on the run. Took the lead at 2k for my 2nd win of the year

Final tri of the year - Chatham Bulldog. Only a few seconds back from some fast swimmers, getting closer!

To Coach James's astonishment, on race morning I pulled out my vintage 1999 Team Canada Worlds singlet (a hidden gem I found in some old stock uniforms at AG Worlds in 2008). Must have been good luck, I averaged 43.5km/h on the bike and ran a PB 5k. But only good enough for 3rd.

Lots of ups and downs, lots of fun, and plenty to learn from and build on for 2012.

Change in Plans

2011-09-05T20:35:00.002-04:00

Well, it's been an up and down season this year. And the biggest problem I've had is the number of changes I've made to "the plan". I don't know if anyone else out there has had a race season without an A-race or at least a significant goal, but let me tell you. It sucks.

In March I thought I had it all figured out...2 USAT 2012 events, 4 draft-legal races and a couple more non-drafting prize money races. Maybe I was reaching too far. But everything kind of went to s**t when the Miami Speed Tri was postponed and the race committee wouldn't even acknowledge my lost expenses after advertising my presence at the race (seriously, did they know I'm a poser anyway?). Then the Tobago Rainbow Tri cut their prize money in half two weeks before the race...luckily I noticed as I was about to book my flight there.

Things change, so what. Frustrating but nothing I can do about it. So I just put my head down and decided to essentially dedicate the year to "putting in the time." I know where I'm at in the sport; I've worked hard and earned some personal successes but I have big goals and the only way to reach them is to work my ass off for many more years.

The problem with that was I had very little motivation to actually race. I much prefered the idea of going out on my own to put in the time when no one was looking. I went through about ten iterations of a proposed race season, and by the time May came around I basically had no choice but to simply enter races as they came and what fit in my schedule.

Every race I actually competed in this year I was happy with my performance. The only "bad" tri's I had all year (ie. wasn't top 3) were Rev3 where I had a PB swim and one of the top run splits, and Draft-Legal Provincials where I bridged a 90 second gap to a pack, puked my guts out on the run and still finished. My real problem was the races I didn't actually do. I missed two based on how I felt that morning, and skipped another after missing a couple workouts the week prior and was concerned about my "lost" fitness.

Overall I feel I had a very successful season having figured out my mental demons, finally started to see the improvements I had been working at for so long, swim bike and run PB's in training and racing, and winning a couple along the way. I just struggled with motivation to race because I had nothing to work towards beside the essentially arbitrary goal of getting faster.

So with that in mind along with life getting in the way, I've decided to cut my tri season a little short and end things on a good note with Bulldog as my last of the year. I'm taking a couple weeks off structured training to regroup then start a bit of a run focus through the fall with the goal of learning how to run a 10k. After that it's right back to work for next season, which I have already set with a different focus from the last two seasons. But I'm keeping that top secret for now.

On that note, I'm undertaking another winter project to keep me busy and make sure I'll be fast next year! Details to come shortly...

I Hope You Like Race Reports

2011-08-22T21:03:00.002-04:00

So I know I said I was going to take a couple weeks off racing to get a solid block of training in before Montreal. Races were going well but I wanted to make sure I'm more fit than ever for the Esprit.

Well...half way through last week while everyone else was heading out to beautiful Kelowna for Nationals I got a little anxious and decided I wanted to jump in just one more race before Montreal. Four tri's in a month? Why not!

So after a pretty solid week of training with some strong swims I hit the road once again to the Chatham Bulldog Sprint Triathlon. It's a very grassroots independent race and my sole reason for racing again was to gain the confidence of a solid swim in a race, as my swimming has been a little inconsistent despite the general upward trend.

Turns out that a few fast guys decided to show up this year, and on a super flat fast course in cool conditions I can say with confidence that it was the best drag race the Bulldog has ever seen!

I decided in my swim warmup that my focus would be staying smooth and efficient since I tend to try and power through the first 200m then have trouble getting a smooth rhythm after. So after a quick start I found Josh Seifarth's feet at the back end of a small lead pack. I was swimming fast but comfortable through the first 500. Eventually Josh pulled away and I came out of the water 30-40 seconds down on a pack of three very strong swimmers.

The bike course was awesome with two flat loops through the provincial park on new pavement...definitely one of the fastest courses out there. I was 3rd onto the bike with no one around me after the first 2km. I had no idea how I was riding because rather than my powertap wheel I was rolling Zipp 1080s (thanks to MultiSport Zone), and my Garmin wasn't giving me accurate speeds through the tree cover. I had trouble finding a rhythm over the first lap and thought I was riding pretty poorly but I came through the first 10k under 15 minutes, and found my legs on the second lap was around 43km/h average over the second 10k. I told you it was fast!

I came off the bike in 27:40 (results had me at 29 low including transitions) and hit the run with 2nd and 3rd right with me and Josh about 40 seconds up the road. As I left T2 James told me to stay with Mike Murray to run down Josh. There was tons of support at the race with Coach James and some of his athletes, Gabbi Whitlock and most of her club, and even a surprise appearance from my sponsor Darryl from MSZ.

Turns out Mike was a little too quick for me and dropped me at about 1k (he went on to run 16:40). My legs were pretty trashed at 2k and I started coming up with the excuses...all the racing I've done lately...maybe it would be ok to slow down just a bit...no one's close enough to run me down. But I managed to shut the little voices out and test my run fitness. I felt good at the turnaround and really pushed myself to find the stride I'm capable of.

At about 15k into the bike I checked my watch and saw that it was going to be really close to try and break an hour for the first time. I started the run knowing that if I ran well I could do it. At 4k I was at 57:00 so it was going to be tough...but still possible. I kept focused and felt strong and went for it. I ended up stopping the clock at 1:00:07, just a few seconds off 2nd and less than a minute down from the winner, with a PB 17:31 5k. We managed to make it quite the race for top 3.

I was happy with my effort and took some big positives out of the race. Swam with a good front pack for most of the swim (and felt RELAXED), rode well despite some fatigue and PB'd the run. I'll take 3rd, knowing I'm going in the right direction and just a few seconds off some strong athletes.

So now I'm REALLY going to take a couple weeks off racing to focus on getting those 7 seconds back and gun for sub-2:00 in Montreal. Thanks to everyone who came out to support (especially my road trip buddy) and making another fun race in a great season!

Cobourg Sprint

2011-08-14T18:56:00.004-04:00

Another weekend, another race. It's almost as if this is my job or something!

I always do my best every year to fit Cobourg in my race schedule. It's not a big event but it's one of the first races I entered and I've been back almost every year since. It's my favourite race for the beautiful venue/town and great course, and the guys at Multisport Canada always do an outstanding job putting it on.

When I got to the race site there was quite a bit more confusion, stress and general panic than usual. The water had turned overnight and the temperature had dropped to 55.6 degrees (usually mid-70s at this race) and wetsuits were mandatory (for good reason). I didn't mind in the least...I like fun challenges. But there were more than a few people pissed off at the world that the water was so cold. I don't get people who get so wrapped up in things as trivial (and uncontrollable) as water temperature at a race. To me that's why triathlon is so cool - everything can go to sh*t - and I just embrace it.

So I decided it wasn't worth a "warm" up in the water and did some dynamic stretching on the beach. When the horn went off I began to understand (just a little) why so many people were freaking out. It was COLD. There's always an initial shock when you hit water like that, but after about 200m I started to get my breathing under control. But as my hands and feet started to go numb I was getting bad pains from the bone in my foot that I broke last year. They made it a two loop swim due to the conditions, and not only did I have no idea how I was swimming with numb hands in rough water, but I wasn't sure if I had reinjured my foot or it was just sensitive to the cold. I was rather perplexed!

Luckily I survived the first lap and my foot was fine running through the sand...although my goggles had completely fogged up with the change in temperature and I more or less did a trip/belly flop diving in for the second time. I was second out of the water with what seemed like a disappointing swim, but really I have no idea how to judge it with the swim split being so meaningless in the conditions.

I was 45 seconds down getting on the bike and figured I would put a couple minutes on everyone over the 20k. But my legs didn't really want to respond and I had trouble staying over 280W (my goal was >300W avg). I put time into everyone else but felt like I was getting nowhere on the guy up the road. So I just focused on riding the uphills strong and descending fast. I think I have a lot of trouble finding a rhythm over a 20k ride, I need something longer to get going.

I figured I hadn't put any time into the leader getting off the bike and thought that if I put 15 seconds into him in transition I could be patient on the run and steadily take off 10sec/km. I came off the bike 30 seconds down so I was confident with where I was, although I really didn't want the race to come down to the run because I had a few hard runs the week prior and my calves were still pretty shot and didn't know how well I could run off the bike. So I stayed patient and relaxed and by 2k (just about when it started to get HOT) I was already in the lead and just maintained a good but controlled effort for win #2 in 3 races. And some more fun with post-race interviews :)

Overall I have to admit I wasn't thrilled with any one aspect of the race. I wasn't fast and I didn't race half as well as I did in Bala a few weeks ago. But I can definitely build off getting it done in tough conditions and reacting to feeling pretty flat on the day. At this point I want to keep racing every weekend but I'm going to take a couple weeks off to get some good training in before the Esprit.

I regret not setting a more concrete race schedule this summer after hardly racing June-July and now wanting to hit every event I can. So next year I'll put a lot more effort into planning out my season, likely around a couple longer distance events. The more I race the more I feel that long course is going to be my strength.

Next Up

2011-08-10T14:55:00.002-04:00

Well I had been planning on heading down to Windsor for a shot at some prize money at the Tecumseh Triathlon last weekend. But my body and brain were ready for a break after two weekends of racing and a little over 20 hours in the car. It seems like I've been skipping out on a lot of races this year...but the truth is it's part of being an elite triathlete - knowing when NOT to race.

So I got back to business and have gotten two good weeks of training in, including some fun miles up in Muskoka once again as I helped out at Multisport Canada's Bracebridge event, and did my best as support crew for Amanda. She also learned a tough lesson that racing can give you a serious mental and physical ass kicking sometimes, but it's been inspiring to see such a positive attitude towards the sport throughout the season. But she will be embarrassed if I write any more about her so I'll get back to the point.

I've been thinking about my training this summer and I feel like I haven't been working nearly as hard as I'm used to, yet I'm much faster/stronger/more efficient in all sports. Sometimes I freak out that I haven't been doing enough, but I think I'm finally learning the definition of consistency...or at least applying it properly. I must be getting better and practicing what I preach because I can think of very few training sessions this year that felt "epic" or even out of the ordinary. I'll even get frustrated when I know I've gone too hard for a certain session.

I'm getting tired of being a training champion and I prefer to actually transfer my fitness to strong races. But every once in a while I'll get a reminder in my training that I'm headed in the right direction - like actually doing a full main set on 1:30 pace time, or average 42-45km/h for long intervals on the bike, or hold sub 3:10s for my favourite run workout (hilly 2k reps).

So up next is just a small event but my very favourite race in the world...MSC's Cobourg sprint tri. It's one of the prettiest race venues out there with a course that's tailored to my strengths...hard bike and fast run. I haven't raced as much as I would like by mid-August, but I've been injury free all summer, I've put together by far the strongest and most consistent year of training since I started the sport, and I'm very excited to see what I can put down in my final races of the year.

One final thing...it has been FAR too long since my last ACMFRP (awesome canadian music for recovery purposes) post!! So I'm leaving you with a beauty this time:

Provincials

2011-07-30T18:43:00.004-04:00

Quick recap for this one since there isn't much to discuss.

Ever since this event last year I had been looking forward to doing it again, another year stronger and especially after last week's little confidence boost in winning Bala. But there are so many variables in draft legal racing that I was just looking forward to mixing it up and putting in a solid effort.

After an absurdly long drive I got to the race site the day before to find that I wouldn't be able to get a pre-race swim in due to dangerously high levels of e.coli in the water. But it was made pretty clear at the pre-race briefing that we were swimming regardless of the risk. I don't mean to knock the race staff too much because they do work very hard to put this race on for developing/elite athletes. But it was a little disconcerting.

Race morning came around and everything felt pretty good in my warmup. I really wasn't nervous at all before the race, actually I was much more nervous last week for Bala. Everything felt routine and I was just ready to go.

Since I was one of only a few elite/U23's in comparison to the large number of juniors I had a good starting number and had a good position on the start line. But within literally the first second of the race I experienced the first of many times I got "Wiltshire'd".

As the gun went off the athlete behind me - rather than even attempting a swimming motion - grabbed my ankle with both hands and pulled me backwards. As I attempted to retake my position I was intentionally kicked by two more people. How do I know it was intentional? Well most swimmers don't kick with their heels in a normal swim stroke.

I did my best not to let it bother me and just tried to make up ground a little at a time, but I was absolutely disgusted by what went down in that swim. Many of the 40+ juniors were in their first draft-legal race. Maybe it was just some inexperienced/over-excited juniors, I call it blatant lack of respect and sportsmanship and it has no place in this sport, and I wish I had seen their names.

Anyway.

I'll admit that despite trying to shake all that off, I simply didn't have a good swim. Last year my swims were consistently bad. This year I'm just inconsistent...I guess I'll take it.

I was well back exiting the swim and made up 4 or 5 places on the 500m run up to T1. I was in no man's land getting on the bike with a few solo guys ahead of me, a line of stragglers behind me and a 5-6 man pack 1:10 up the road. I rode through another 3 or 4 guys by 2k in and realized that this far back in the race I wouldn't have anyone to work with on the bike. Chase 3 was barely in sight but it was either sit up and wait for a weak pack, or ride myself blind and see if I could put a minute into a 6-man group on my own.

At the first turnaround (5k) I knew at that effort (I averaged close to 45km/h to that point) I would either have to catch them soon or I would completely blow up less than 20 minutes into my race. The next 5k was just staying focused while I was riding at max effort until I finally bridged up on a small hill at 10k. We made a group of about 7 guys and for the last lap I just tried to recover enough to not be useless on my pulls, although the pace of the group was not very hot.

Lead the group into T2 and my legs actually felt pretty decent. But within 50m of the run I had to try to hold back throwing up. By 100m I had to completely stop and emptied my stomach on the side of the run course while my pack ran by. I had swallowed quite a bit of water (and ecoli) in the rough swim and with my effort on the bike my stomach gave in.

I couldn't move or breath for about 2 minutes while I was throwing up...and had to make the decision to either walk 100 meters back to transition and mope that my race at Provincials was done, or suffer through the run while everyone was passing me. Not much of a decision there.

Once I got rolling again I saw James who clearly was wondering why I was 2 minutes behind the group I lead into transition and I told him "I puked up all my breaky!". He told me just to focus on an even split and push through. A few hundred meters later I saw Craig Taylor who must have seen that I was suffering (or just felt bad that I was so far behind) and said "Be tough Ryan". Exactly what I needed to hear.

I was desperate to get some water in me after all that so I was just trying to survive to the aid station. And just my luck, no one could be bothered to set up the aid station for our race. Oh well, time to soldier on. I managed to get my legs moving a bit just before the turnaround, but about a minute later I had to pull over again and purged the rest of the ecoli I ingested earlier. Got going again, and started to find my legs through the cramps and heaving.

I finally crossed the finish line, 5+ minutes back of where I wanted to be, and managed to throw up one more time before finally finding some water. Turns out that - not counting the time that I spent on the side of the road puking - I ran about an 18:45 5k.

Old Ryan would be pretty pissed off about all that. But I'm actually ok with it. That was probably the toughest race I've endured...worst swim start I've ever been in, solo for most of the bike, sick on the run. But I sucked it up and did what had to be done. No excuses.

I vaguely recall mentioning that this was going to be brief. Sorry.

So with that little kick in the ass and a wake-up call that I'm still nowhere near where I need to be to find any success in draft-legal racing, I'm going to get reacquainted with my tri bike. Next up is the Tecumseh triathlon, then maybe a small tune-up in late August before the Esprit tri in Montreal. I'm hoping to find a good Olympic non-drafting race to finish off the year, but the verdict is still out on that.

If you're still reading I just want to share one more thing. My support crew from Bala!

Bala Falls

2011-07-25T11:40:00.004-04:00

Every time my training/racing/attitude needs a kick in the ass Muskoka seems to the the place to go for me. I've been lucky enough this summer to have beautiful accomodations in Bala Falls aka "The Cranberry Capital of Ontario" that gave me a mental recharge after Welland along with some great training in the lakes and hills. And last weekend I was up again for one of my favourite races.

Last year the Bala Falls Triathlon was the race that really got my season rolling after an inconsistent first half of summer. I had another slow start this year...I haven't had any bad races this year, I've just been inconsistent. Either I race well or I don't even make it to the start line. So I was looking forward to Bala to set my attitude straight in racing and shed my own expectations that have been killing my performances.

Anyway...this is a race report and not another self-reflective rant.

The recent heat wave in Ontario has had two consequences: 1. lots of complaining about the heat, and 2. water temperatures have warmed up enough that almost all races aren't wetsuit legal (a rare occurance in Canada). The water on race morning was measured at 28 degrees, so being one of the stronger swimmers in this race (it's still strange for me to think that) I was just fine with it being no wetsuits.

Race strategy was to hit the swim and bike very hard and just play the run by ear, holding back if I felt I was digging a hole for the upcoming week. Within the first 25 meters of the swim I found myself swimming very comfortably in the lead. Generally this doesn't happen to me. And secretly being first out of the water in a triathlon has been a huge mental goal for me ever since I started taking swimming seriously (2-3 years ago I was a 28-min 1500 swimmer). But I just stuck to my race plan of swimming hard, and to my astonishment I was still leading at the first turn. Hmmm, better go fast and stay ahead!

Bala isn't a crazy competitive race, but there are 500+ athletes from across Ontario so chances are a few of them are fast. When I made the turn back to shore it crossed my mind that I might actually be first out of the water. So I kept the pace high and was thrilled when I hit the beach to a great crowd, first out with 30 seconds back to the next swimmer. Triathlon goal #1 complete. Goals 2 (win a Multisport Canada race) and 3 (win a World Championship race) still pending.

I hit the bike hard and was confident I was riding well. I used a road bike for this race last year and really appreciated the difference a fast tri bike and aggressive position makes...and maybe some extra fitness too (apparently 4 minutes worth over last year's 30k time). I had no one around me but was motivated that I was putting time into the MSC bike course vehicle on all the downhills. By the turnaround I was about 2 minutes up on 2nd but I was still riding scared. At about 22k I got to see Amanda ride by as she cheered me on (she kicked ass in a relay with her pops).

I had a big smile on my face when I got back to transition, realizing what it feels like to forget expectations and race to my true level of fitness. There was a lot of crowd support and I can see why this race is a classic with such a community feel to it. The run is crazy hard with endless hills on typical Muskoka roads so I tried to keep the run at a tempo effort and only give a little dig if I felt I needed more time. Despite keeping my effort in check the hills toasted my legs and I felt like I had knives in my quads over the last mile. No one was in sight but I was still running scared and didn't relax until I got over the last hill with 400m left. I was happy to finally win a race in Ontario, especially at such a cool race in the Multisport Canada series (goal #2 complete). Someone told me that it might have been a course record despite the swim likely being about 100m long.

So next up is a bit of a recovery week before elite provincials. I'm feeling good with my fitness, and even though I'll get my ass kicked in the swim draft legal racing is a lot of fun and I'm looking forward to improving on last year's result. I'll try to find and post pictures soon.

CCC O-Cup + Looking Ahead

2011-07-14T08:53:00.004-04:00

Last weekend was my first race since Age Group provincials three weeks earlier...the Ciociaro Club O-Cup crit. I had been riding my TT bike exclusively for about two months prior to this race learning how to time trial so I wasn't sure how a crit was going to go. A lot of elite triathletes really struggle with draft legal racing because crit style racing is so different from time trialling - requiring a ton of high powered accellerations that can zap your legs pretty quickly. But with draft-legal provincials coming up in two weeks I needed a little tune-up race on the road bike.

I had to race in Cat4 again (ie. the lowest racing category) because I'm too cheap to pay the ridiculous $150 Ontario Cycling membership fee for one or two "workouts" a year. I would have thought that since I survived Springbank this one would be a walk in the park. But no one was willing to do any work and it made for a really sketchy race. The only time the pace picked up to anything respectable was when someone attacked. Besides that it was just an embarrassing display of handling skills and bickering in the group.

There were also a couple bad crashes, one of which I had to utilize all of my nijna training to avoid getting caught out when the two riders right in front of my went down and took out another 5-10 guys behind. Overall I really wasn't impressed with the experience, and afterwards I really appreciated the positive atmosphere around triathlon events. Anyway...I made my way up to the front for the last three laps, but everyone was so sketchy I was not prepared to risk a sprint finish in that pack with tri season being my priority. So I went for a hero move on the last lap and according to my powertap I averaged 655W over the final 1.3km. I was the only rider all day to make a gap on the group but with 200m left I saw the group coming back. I held them off until 100m to go when the sprinters were winding up and I sat up. I'm not fit enough yet to ride off the front of a large group at 50+km/h. But I'm getting close.

Looking forward, I will have taken over a month between triathlons, but the break has served well as a mental recharge and a solid block of training. Next up is Multisport Canada's Bala Falls Tri, one of my favourite events last year (which was also my first tri after a month's break last season). It's a beautiful venue and the course should suit me quite well given my training recently.

The weekend after Bala I'm back on the road to Ottawa for elite draft-legal provincials which also serves as a junior national series race...good news for me as I'll have more people to swim with! Depending on how that goes I will decide whether a late season ITU race is in the cards. If not I'll hit some competitive non-draft races - Windsor triathlon, Montreal Esprit, and possibly another crack at a half. I'm riding well so I might as well take advantage of that rather than force a ton of swim training and lose my advantage in a draft legal race.

I had the same feeling last year that the first half of my season seems like a wash with some mediocre results, some DNF's and all the big races still on the way. But I've been able to build on all my races so far and I'm ready to really hit the second half hard. Simply forgetting about the end results and focusing on pushing my limits is already starting to pay off.

Updates and some philosphical ramblings

2011-07-11T09:28:00.003-04:00

Alright so I've been avoiding this one for a while now. I've been struggling with what to say but I feel somewhat accountable to those who read this, as my friends and supporters.

Last time I updated I was tapering for the Welland half and was expecting things to go smoothly and get revenge on the distance after last year in STX. It didn't exactly go as planned. Time to think back two weeks and see if I can pull out any lessons from the race.

It was going to be a fun weekend in Welland with Amanda (aka Leamington road trip buddy) doing the Saturday tri and then me doing the half the next day. Amanda had another awesome race and I want to share her coach's race report (Gabbi Whitlock of Balance Point Training)...I spectated and cheered with her while her athletes were racing and I hope she doesn't mind me sharing her recap:

It was a fun Saturday morning for me as I coach. It was a real pleasure to watch these ladies burn up the course. Welland is a timetrial swim start therefore you never know what place you are in. I heard someone call it a "truth" race as you are truly racing against yourself and the clock. Athletes were lined up in order of their bib numbers. Bib numbers were assigned based on when you signed up. Both Amanda and Ileana signed later so they had numbers near the back of the back - 230 and 242. Athletes started 5 sec apart. It was a rectangular swim course in the canal. Many women were out of the water before Amanda and Ileana even started the race.

Both ladies had strong swims. I can tell when my athletes are swimming towards the finish as I can recognize your swimming strokes. With this swim, the swimmers swam with the buoys to their right. I saw Amanda come around the top corner and heading towards the swim finish. I was standing at the top of a short hill that the athletes ran up after getting out of the water. It was weird because there was a short spot where I lost the view just before they got out of the water. There was a a volunteer helping people out of the water and people lined up on the side of entry. Some how between seeing Amanda swimming towards the swim finish and her getting out of the water, I lost track of her. I was thinking she should be out any moment. At the same time I saw Karen from the YMCA swim and MSZ getting out of the water and started to cheer for her. Then I was like ..where did Amanda go? There was a 450m run from the water to transition area. Amanda, Ileana and I had discussed taking off their wetsuits near the canal as the water would be all out of the suit by the time she got to transition and it would be harder to get off and also it would be hot to run in a wetsuit for 450m. So when I was wondering why Amanda wasn't out of the water yet, I looked over and there she was in the midst of getting her wetsuit off. I cheered hoping she would here me as I felt horrible to have missed her. (It turns out she must have been very close to Karen hidden by her). I am trying at races to learn how to take race photos in action. I got a funny one of Amanda with her leg in the air yanking off her wetsuit (photos to be shown later as they are not on this computer). I learned from my lesson and kept my eye on Ileana and got to see her finish her swim.

I was not able to see the transitions since it was 450m away from water. But I hear both had great transitions. During the warmup, we practiced both mount and dismount on the race day marked spots. This was especially important as the space was quiet small and you had to run around a tight corner up a curb for the bike out and bike in. This is where I waited for them to come back from the bike. I was watching the numbers of the people coming back. I had pre calculated when I thought Amanda and Ileana would be back based on when they went out. There was a turn about 15m before the mount/dismount line so you couldn't see the riders coming until just before the finish. Watching the numbers I was not seeing people anywhere near 200s and all of a sudden about three minutes before I was expecting her, I see the pink Multisport Zone suit coming towards me. Remember that people went out based on their Bib # assignment. Amanda came in with people mostly under 120. This means throughout the swim and bike she passed about 100 people! When I saw her coming, my stomach started making these nervous/excited butterflies. I was really happy for her. She had a fast run transition and off to the run. I stayed in position by the mount dismount and very close behind Amanda came another pink multisport suit Ileana. Both ladies had kicked butt on the bike course. Ileana came in also about three minutes ahead of my bike prediction and passing a very high number of people. It was such a pleasure to see how strong they both are on the bike. The butterflies continued.

I headed over to the finish line. The butterflies in my stomach wouldn't go away. I was jumping around unable to sit still thinking about how the ladies were putting themselves into situations of pain and getting to know this special friend. Making friends with the pain during the run makes for a great race. I knew they would be hurting but I was wishing them strength to push past it. When I saw Amanda approaching the finish, she had a great look of working hard and really pushing it on her face. I looked at Ryan and said she is in pain but a good pain! Ileana also looked really strong coming into the finish. She always has these great photo finishes and smiles. The race day was over for Balance Point and I was very super excited for both Amanda and Ileana!

It was a great day overall as both ladies stuck to their race goals and had impressive races. The test against themselves was won!

If you're still reading I'll tell you about my experience now...and what I've been avoiding talking about. I got a couple good activation workouts in on the Saturday and felt really tuned in for my latest go at long course. But looking back I was not in the right head-space for the race. I'm usually not too nervous before big races...especially if I'm confident in my training. But I got a terrible sleep the night before thinking about the swim. I couldn't eat anything on race morning and was gagging trying to force down half a Clif Bar and some coffee. I wouldn't admit it at the time but I was a nervous wreck over one simple thing...the time beside my name at the end of the day.

For those who are not familiar with Welland it's an extremely fast course. Canal swim, flat bike, flat and shaded run. You are supposed to go fast on a course like that. I was ranked #2 in the pro race behind last year's race winner Wolfgang Guembel. And I had a coveted "Recharge with Milk" pro interview if there already wasn't enough hype. Despite all the confidence I had gained from a solid block of training the only thought going through my mind was "what if." What if I have a crappy swim, what if I cut my foot on the rocks at the swim exit, what if I didn't ride 2:20, what if I fall apart again at 10k into the run.

Just as I got to the race site, strolling in quietly so I wouldn't be seen, my one thought was immediately replaced by another..."I am so F***ING stupid." I left my wetsuit and my nutrition in the hotel. With all the equipment required to do a triathlon and all the stuff you have to remember for a pre-race routine, the only thing I've ever been dumb enough to forget before have been pins for my race belt.

I think at that point I just shut down mentally. It didn't cross my mind that I could race without them, or that I could just give it hell and see what happens despite the circumstances. I was too concerned what my swim split would be in the pro wave. I was so clouded by the thought of what other people would think of me that I sabotaged my own race.

So I feebly attempted to haul ass back to the hotel 25km away in Niagara Falls. I have to say Amanda was the best support crew I could ever have, but I was too stubborn to listen to her that everything would be ok. At the time I simply couldn't fathom getting a 4 hour race underway in the mindset I was in.

We got back to the race site 30mins before the start and I didn't want to get out of the car. I tried running a little and my brain told my body that I felt too sick and too sore to start. So I shamefully drove back to the hotel and went back to bed. My biggest fear in it all was telling James that I f*cked it up so bad. But he told me exactly what I needed to hear, and it's taken this long for it to sink in enough to explain all this.

I don't do triathlons to meet my or others' expectations, and I don't do them because I'm good at it. Triathlons are fun. You get to do three sports in a row...any one of which most "normal" people consider crazy. You get to push yourself to the limits of human will, but you also get to splash around in a lake and call it training. Having such a royal f*** up of a "race" has become a blessing in disguise because it has allowed me to get back to the basics: back to why I got into such a cool sport.

I've had more than a few people (well-respected coaches, high end athletes, sports physicians) tell me I should just be a roadie. "Your back can't handle triathlon training...you're a better cyclist than you are a triathlete...you have better power numbers than a Cat 1/2 sprinter...". Beyond the true sense of community and FUN at a triathlon event - especially compared to the bickering and frustration of cycling - I don't do anything because I'm good at it. I do triathlon because I want to push myself and I find enjoyment in self-improvement. So it's back to training and onto the next race. No more mind games.

I was going to do an update on goings-on lately with training, some low key races and my plans for the rest of the season, but I'm pretty confident no one is reading this far down the page. So I'll save that for another time...

Leamington

2011-06-20T09:39:00.004-04:00

So as I'm sure you're all aware of by now, about two months ago I had the bright idea to plan another half to get my season rolling. Preparation is just about done and the Welland Half is now 6 days away. Whatever happens in the race - because as I've learned, you never know what's gonna go down in long course - I'm really happy with how my training has gone in my prep for it.

Since I couldn't race last weekend I had to find one more tune up before the big one. So I headed down to the Leamington Triathlon with *cough* (pretty yoga buddy) and her coach for Age Group Sprint Provincials. Southwestern Ontario has a ton of small independent races that seem to have a cult-like following, and with it being a AG Worlds Qualifier it was going to attract some fast athletes.

So we crashed at LPC secondary headquarters just outside Windsor and had a short 30min commute to the race site the next morning. It's an interesting course with the swim in a marina with a surprising amount of chop and current and even more seaweed...then a flat but windy ride and a fun two lap 5k run course.

I tried starting on the outside since it was a slightly more direct line to the buoy...and found myself wondering why virtually nobody else was thinking the same way at a championship race. But the swim turned out to be surprisingly challenging with a lot more chop than this photo does justice, and I was fighting the current pushing me further to the outside.

I was in pretty bad position coming around the first turn and was forced to play catch up through the last 500m. I can really feel my increased swim fitness in open water and made up a lot of ground through the last 400 getting stronger as I went. Which made me even more frustrated with my tactical mistake that cost me missing the leaders' feet.

I got out of the water in a little chase pack (with the leader over a minute up on everyone) of some UWO tri club buddies. It made for a bit of chirping in T1. One guy in particular, Alex Vanderlinden has made some incredible strides this year and I've watched him quickly become one of the guys to beat in the local racing scene, and an incredibly fast runner.

So I got on the bike with Alex just ahead of me and some fast riders behind. I really focused on getting my heart rate in check and establishing a strong rhythm quickly, something I really struggled with in my last race and will be critical in my half this weekend. The wind was blowing on the way out and my newest toy (Garmin Edge 500) had my average speed at 34.0 at the turnaround. But the way back was fun with a good tailwind, and thanks to Multisport Zone I had the chance to roll Zipp 808/1080s which helped too :)

I got off the bike with my Rev3 buddy Thierry who is riding like a man possessed these days, with Alex (who was in 2nd place) about 5 seconds up on me out of T2 and the leader Josh Seifarth about 2 minutes up the road. I ended up with the 3rd best bike split behind Josh and Thierry and I headed out of T2 in 3rd. I knew it would be a monster task to make up any places with Josh well up the road and Alex in 16-mid 5k shape off the bike. But I was interested to see what my 5k speed is like with all my training geared towards a consistent half marathon pace.

The two lap run course was great. Lots of support from spectators and athletes, I got to see my position with 3 turn arounds, and I even got to cheer on my road trip pal as she was heading out on her first lap while I was suffering through the final mile.

I'm definitely lacking the sustained top-end speed I want for short course racing...I'd like to be 300-320W avg on the bike for such a short race and running 3:2x's on the run. But despite my completely different focus in training I felt fit and had a pretty consistent race (decent position out of the water, 3rd bike split, 2nd run split) for 3rd place behind Josh who was just too far in front, and Alex who had another monster race and top run time on a course that was 400m long.

There was a great LPC contingent at the race, and everyone raced well and fun times were had. My road trip pal had another awesome result for 3rd overall woman again, 1st in her AG and won a spot to Worlds. 3rd place buddies!

I felt like I should have gotten back on the bike for a few hours after such a short race, but as of my race finish I'm officially on my taper. Leamington was the perfect final tune up and gave me a bit more confidence in my fitness. I'm much better prepared for this half than my feeble attempt at STX last year and I'm looking forward to showing some mental toughness out there. After Welland I'm looking forward to getting fast again :)

More Training

2011-06-16T18:28:00.003-04:00

Greetings peeps.

I usually try to write something more substantial than just training updates but training has me brain dead of late...so that's all I got.

The big event on the horizon right now is the Welland Half Iron June 26. And once again I have to thank John from Multisport Canada for the big props in his June newsletter with Welland coming fast.

Training has been going really well for my latest attempt at long course racing. I've been as consistently strong over the past 6-8 weeks as I ever have been and my fear of the distance, fear of my results, fear of failure etc. is slowly being replaced by quiet confidence in my fitness and excitement to see how all my hard work translates on the road.

After my weekend in Connecticut for Rev3 (and 5 hours of training the next day) I put in another solid week before planning to hit my final tune-up race in Woodstock. Unfortunately I pushed my luck a bit in training and woke up on race morning on the verge of sickness. Rather than risk digging a hole two weeks out from a goal event I pulled the plug and spent the morning cheering on that pretty girl from yoga to a breakthrough result.

Another week of big miles is almost done including a 5 hour swim/bike/run simulation and the longest bike and run of my life, along with some dreaded 400 reps in the pool. I'm now in the perpetual zombie state that comes with 20 hour training weeks and burning more calories than I can possibly consume in a day. But just a few more days and I'll get some recovery before Welland.

This weekend I'm heading to Age Group sprint provincials for a short tune-up on a flat and fast course. It sounds like there will be some fast dudes, some friends trying to qualify for AG Worlds in Auckland next year, and plenty of fan support so it should be a fun weekend.

After Welland I'll have a mini break before getting re-acquainted with Black Beauty and gearing up for Elite Provincials, one of my favourite events from last year. Based on how the race goes I'll have a better idea of where I want to take the second half of my season - another half, an Olympic non-drafting event or possibly a Continental Cup. Or all of the above?

One last thought on Rev3...here is Thierry's far more in depth and thoughtful race report on his half. Great read, lots of photos and more than enough detail on our little adventure.

Rev3 Crazy

2011-06-06T18:27:00.008-04:00

After 268 days I finally have another triathlon race report! The last one was the Montreal Esprit...I had a breakthrough race at the Olympic distance with a sub-hour ride and 2:03 time. I decided to end last season with that - a little earlier than expected - because I knew that was my best race of the year and that's how I wanted to end the season.

I was looking forward to starting this season where I left off last year with a healthy winter of training, numerous PB's in the pool and CP tests on the bike, then a two week training camp with lots of quality miles. But then my first race (a USAT Elite series event) was postponed six weeks before the race date...and while the race staff were all too happy to promote the presence of a Canadian pro at the event, they conveniently ignored me when I explained the new race date wouldn't work for me and I was out a few hundred bucks in travel expenses.

Then I was going to head down to Trinidad&Tobago at the end of May for a small event with a ridiculous amount of prize money. But two weeks before the race they quietly announced that the prize purse had been cut to less than half of what it was. All of this left a pretty bitter taste in my mouth with the amount of work I had put in to get my season going, then have two of my key events for the year scratched at the last minute.

When the opportunity came up to head to Connecticut for Rev3 Quassy I jumped at the chance and finally committed to my first tri of the year...to the Olympic race, while the feature event with the half ironman the next day. So no prize money and not quite the stellar pro field of the half, but a very competitive race on a hard course, and a world class event (yes, Rev3 puts WTC to shame).

I hit the road with LPC teammate Thierry, a strong age group athlete racing the half the day after my race. I stole some of his photos (hope you don't mind!) to document our journey. This was my side of the hotel room...

I had no idea what to expect from this race. I knew the courses were extremely hilly, and while bike/run training has been going well I had been a little inconsistent in the pool and I really didn't want to start the season off with another disappointing swim split. But my race was overshadowed by the awesomeness of the professional transition with my own spot beside many of the biggest names in the sport.

There were only a few pros in the Olympic race but it was still pretty cool to get the special attention for a day. Unfortunately that also meant there was no pro wave, and unlike in my Multisport Canada races they didn't group the pros in the first wave. So I went off with my age group in the second wave. We went off 3 minutes behind the first age group wave, but as you can see some of us bridged the gap within 100m. Not to complain...I know fast age groupers have to deal with this at every race. I'm just commiserating that it's a pain in the ass to swim through hundreds of people doing whip kick and double-arm backstroke, or quite literally trying to grab on to a faster swimmer as they go by.

I was weaving through swimmers the entire 1500, trying to maintain something that resembled a swim stroke. But when I made the last turn I saw that there were only a few swimmers in my wave who were ahead of me (or at least a lot less than I'm used to), and even less of those who had started 3 minutes ahead, I had a feeling that I was going pretty well. When I hit the beach I was feeling more fresh than I ever have exiting a swim and posted an open water PB at 22:04.

And that's where the fast splits ended for me. I was ready to throw it down on the bike knowing I'm riding well right now. But it turned out to be one of those days where nothing was going to work. Prior to the race my Powertap computer crapped out on me, so Thierry being the engineer frantically got his Garmin 500 on my bike and had me ready to go. But despite our best efforts I couldn't get any power readings during the race...not a huge deal but I had been planning to stick to power targets on the crazy hilly course. Not to mention I dropped my chain twice.

I wasn't about to blame a bad ride on my equipment...my legs simply did not want to work, and that course kicked my ass. There were no flats on the course at all - you were either going 12km/h up a hill, or 70-80km/h down. No in between. My bike training has been focused on pure time trialling (for a flat 90k) and I really struggled to get into a rhythm on this course. I was glad to get off my bike after quite possibly the longest 41km I've ever done.

The first two miles of the run were entirely downhill, and while I passed everyone who had gone by me on the bike I knew the worst was yet to come.

Theirry got some awesome shots of me doing my best Paula Findlay "show no emotion while running" impression. And don't start criticizing this heel strike...I was running a downhill 5-min mile.

The first major climb back up was at 5k and was about a mile long between 5-10% grade. My 5k split was under 16 minutes but that meant nothing considering how much climbing I had back to the finish. After that climb I was still on 6 minute-mile pace which I felt was a decent goal for the first race of the year. After that there were a few downhills so steep that I had to slow down to almost a walk just so my legs wouldn't buckle. Then the final climb was another mile again up to about 10% grade and by there it was clear that running sub-40 on this course was a feat. Here's another awesome shot Thierry got of me where my stride were about a foot long trying to survive the last uphill...apparently he was yelling at me but I was pretty out of it at this point.

I stopped the clock with a ridiculous 2:19 time and 40 minute 10k. If someone had told me that I would start my 2011 season off with a 2:19 I probably would have retired. But I'll take that on this course. Having lost some time on the bike to the leaders I didn't place as well as I'm used to but I'm happy with my swim and run, and I'm confident I'll get the bike figured out for my next race.

The Olympic distance is finally starting to feel normal, and while I pushed it hard I still managed to feel pretty good throughout. I can tell my fitness is there and I'm happy to start my year off with one of my most consistent races.

The next day I was lucky enough to catch all the action of one of the most competitive long course fields you'll see this year. It would have been fun to be a part of such a big event but I'll take things one step at a time. This was by the best run event I've done and I'm looking forward to building the back half of my season around one of Rev3's feature events.

I'll try to post some photos from the pro race soon. But I also have to mention that Thierry had one of the best races of his life, with an awesome 4:44 on the crazy course and a top-10 in the super competitive 35-39 age group. Great racing all around, back to training.

Goings On

2011-05-30T15:23:00.004-04:00

I'm becoming a triathlete again this week. Road cycling is fun, and I'm oddly good at it despite being a triathlete. But the chances of crashing Black Beauty are far too great for my liking. Running isn't bad either...I seem to place well at races despite always running significantly faster in training than any time I've ever put down in a race. So I'll stick with triathlon.

I finally put down a week of training that I'm satisfied with and I'm starting to feel ready for the tri season. I'm kicking the year off this weekend at Rev3 Quassy (Connecticut). I'm racing the Olympic and although the "feature race" is the half the next day, I was pleasantly surprised to find my name and picture beside some real athletes on the pro start list. I'll take all the fame and glory I can get.

Speaking of which, I have to thank John at MultiSport Canada for the props in regards to the Welland Half in 4 weeks. Damn, it's only four weeks away. There's nothing like false confidence from others to motivate you to train harder! It seems to happen every year that I impulsively decide to race a long course event and I become obsessively motivated by it in every workout. Welland is my first goal race this year and I'm really happy with my progress in training towards it. I am much stronger than I was for my attempt at conquering St. Croix 70.3 last year, but I also know that something is not going to go as planned and being prepared for the inevitable is a critical part of long course training.

You may recall that last year I swore off half ironmans for the forseeable future. But it's what I'm drawn to in training and racing and I got tired of fighting it. It may be in part that I train alone so I'm drawn to the events that are a test of pure selfish will. But as I develop as an athlete it's becoming more and more apparent that I'm a bike/runner. And based on some of the times RTC athletes Ian and Zander are throwing down right now it's just as well that I'm figuring out now that I'm better suited to the races that you merely have to survive, as opposed to actually going fast.

A.C.M.F.R.P.

2011-05-19T12:46:00.002-04:00

It's sure been a while since I've posted everyone's second favourite segment here at RPHQ (behind Power Hour of course - stay tuned for more interviews soon). Either I haven't been training hard or excessive napping is just becoming an accepted part of everyday life for me.

But today I'd like all my fellow triathletes to focus on recovery...so here is some Awesome Canadian Music For Recovery Purposes:

You're welcome.

Busy Busy

2011-05-16T10:23:00.006-04:00

It seems that my updates as of late have mirrored my training. Most triathlete-bloggers stop writing when they're in a heavy training block. For me it's the opposite...writing (blogs, music, texting a pretty girl) is a mental break from the daily grind.

I'm still struggling a bit with consistency and motivation to get the season underway but I'm finally making progress. I've taken a step back in the pool again with my gimp back giving me grief. It happens, I have to deal with it, no sense in stressing or feeling guilty about missed workouts.

In the last few weeks I've gotten 3 early season races in with decent results, and some of my bread & butter "find the trail with the steepest hill and run up and down until I fall over" workouts. Training programs, to-the-second intervals, track workouts etc. are all pieces in the puzzle but I love the simplicity and "primal" nature of my trail runs. They bring me back to why I started triathlon...because they're really f***ing hard.

Anyway that's all the philosphical stuff I've got for tonight. I was re-introduced to the real world this past week with training taking a back seat to having a real job. I must admit...I don't like it. I've done my share of 50+ hour work weeks and fitting in training wherever possible, but I generally prefer napping to work.

So I was in St. John's NL for business pretending to be a big boy for a week but I stumbled upon one of the coolest and hardest runs of my life.

Signal Hill (with a million little red dots to show you the trail):
0-481 feet in less than 2km, 321 stairs, winds over 100km/h...and sheer drops down to the ocean. Made for some pretty interesting runs.

Next up...possibly a road race or another 5k this weekend before getting the tri season rolling. First tri will be Rev3 Quassy Olympic June 4th.

Springbank

2011-05-01T16:11:00.001-04:00

Finally, my first race report of the year! Not an important race but I feel like telling you about it. I'll post pictures later if I find any.

I was a little nervous about this one with it being my first road race and having no idea what to expect. I felt like I was doing my first tri again...wondering whether or not I was going to drown in opening 100 meters of the swim. Bike training has gone really well this year - good enough that all my roadie buddies are telling me to give up triathlon for road racing - but Springbank is known as a sketchy course with narrow roads, rough surfaces and tight corners...nothing like 18 laps in the rain for my first road race.

A little Muse on the big 4km commute and a good warmup and all was good. I'm in my element when I get on my bike, and did it ever feel great to start a ride with the "lead pack"...that doesn't happen to me in triathlon. But within 10 meters of the roll out someone bailed in front of me and I was forced to play catch up through the first 15k working my way through the pack.

On lap 9 (20k) Multisport Zone posted a prime so I decided to be a hero and try to make my entry fee back. I ended up 2nd in a good sprint but the increased pace split the group from 50+ down to 20 or so. I was in the hurt box trying to hop back on the train after the sprint and a failed "hey we made a gap, let's go" but managed to survive and chilled for a few more laps on the back of the lead group.

Things got pretty nervous in the last few laps but I was just staying out of the wind and not get caught at the back. On the last lap I made my way up to the front but two riders got away and the group didn't bother trying to chase at all. I still wanted the experience of getting a good sprint in so I tried to position myself well coming into the last 800m.

Unfortunately I picked the wrong wheel and found myself on the front with almost 300m left so I had to go. Note to self: 300m false flat/headwind solo sprint is not ideal. I got well off the front of the pack but two guys came by with 50m left. I managed to get one of them at the line and finished 4th.

I really wanted to win but I can't be too disappointed with top 5 in my first road race. I'm going to try to hit a few more this year and see if I can get the sprint right. If I get on a good wheel (or an actual lead out) I can outsprint anyone.

Switching Gears

2011-04-29T10:53:00.005-04:00

What happens when you're too lazy to train for three sports at the same time? Pick one!

I like bikes. They're shiny and funky and generally expensive-looking. And having been diligent with my bike training through the winter on the rollers and the Computrainers at Multisport Zone, my power numbers suggest that I'm moderately competent riding my shiny expensive bike.

So this weekend I'm entering my first road race to have some fun and get comfortable in the pack. I'm only racing in the S4/M3 division so there is little glory to be had, but on the notoriously sketchy 18-lap Springbank course things might get interesting. It will be a game-time decision as the whether I go for the hero move and ride off the front, or suck tire for 17.9 laps and unleash my sign sprint - which is no longer being measured by my Powertap, but rather the Richter Scale.

The following weekend I'm headed down to Windsor for a 60k team time trial put on by a local bike shop. I have no idea what to expect with that one, besides knowing I'm much better at road/crit riding than TT. But I need to get comfortable riding hard on my tri bike with a flat and fast half ironman coming up in 8 weeks.

After all that I'll start being a triathlete again, with my first real 5k at the Toronto Marathon weekend May 15th. I was running well a month ago but have put more energy into the bike lately...so we'll see where I'm at.

Where Were We

2011-04-24T18:36:00.000-04:00

That's an excellent question...and I hope I haven't alienated all my little RP followers having not updated this thing in a month. The truth is not a whole lot has been going on since getting back from my Florida camp. But while I'm sitting here listening to Radiohead, watching some dorkus ride in circles past my house on a shiny new tri bike without a helmet...I figure it's time for an update.

Speaking of Florida...

I miss the sun.

London Ontario had one of the worst winters in recorded history this year, and good ol' Canadian weather has followed that up with a particularly miserable spring. It's now late April and I've had my bike outdoors a total of three times so far this year. It's a good thing I decided against heading back to St. Croix 70.3 this year...my training would have been utterly useless.

On top of the crap weather and resulting lack of motivation to leave my warm bed, my gimp back has been acting up a bit again. There isn't much logic as to when it gets bad, but when it does I'm basically limited to sitting on my ass watching The Big Lebowski, and staring at the pretty girl at hot yoga as often as possible. Come to think of it...being injured ROCKS!

But the limited training has allowed me to put some serious thought into the upcoming season. My training has gone well this year but I find myself more motivated to head out in the rain to train alone than hit a start line...and I'm learning the hard way that it's not sustainable. I've had to miss a couple early season races and had one of my key events cancelled, so while most triathletes are in tri season already my "racing" thus far has been three tempo effort 5k's.

I recently realized something: I cannot swim. That's nothing new. However, I have discovered that I can ride a bike, and sometimes I can even run. That is, of course, when I'm not napping.

I'm always one to focus on my weaknesses first, but lately I've been wondering what the hell I'm doing with this draft legal stuff. It is a lot of fun but I don't enjoy the training, and all philosphical "just do your best...it's not about winning...it's about the process" crap aside, I'm never going to race well when I sh*tcan the swim, bust my ass on the bike riding solo, then run two minutes slower than I'm capable of if I was sitting in a pack on the bike.

Long workouts have always been my favourites - long runs, endurance bricks...workouts so long that you find yourself running in the rain 4 hours in, not knowing whether to laugh or cry. So it looks like rather than focusing on ITU this year I'm probably going to hit a couple halfs, some non-drafting Olympic events, and one or two draft-legal development races. I've been struggling to put together a race calendar I'm happy with, so all I can tell you is I'm gearing up for Multisport Canada's Welland Half Iron as my first big target for the season. Time to get comfy on the tri bike and learn how to time trial!

Questions Answered

2011-03-25T21:28:00.004-04:00

The feedback on Power Hour continues to be overwhelmingly positive and I may have to invite Char back on the program sometime soon. I think we've hit upon something that most of the triathlon community seems to lack - an ability to stop taking life so seriously and appreciate a self-deprecating sense of humour.

But apparently I've stirred up quite the controversy regarding some times I posted for a recent run workout in Florida.

The truth is, I did not go to a training camp last week...I went on vacation to Orlando and tapered for two weeks prior to running the Orange Grove,

We spent 10 days taking temperature, relative humidity and barometric pressure readings before choosing the day to run on,

I have not been swimming or biking through the winter, just banking 100 mile run weeks on the treadmill,

I wore track spikes and a Garmin for 1/4 mile splits,

James spent the whole night prior watering the sand and removing all pebbles larger than 1mm in diameter from the 10 mile course,

My workout stated "mostly moderate effort", but I was at threshold from mile 2 and ran myself blind,

Lionel's 54-mid clocking was motorpaced and he drafted off the space shuttle.

I hope that has cleared up who are the posers and who are the true champions of the universe :)

Power Hour Ep. 3

2011-03-23T13:48:00.000-04:00

I know all my dedicated readers have been waiting patiently for this. Well grab a seat and your favourite dark roast and get ready for this one.

I have been pleasantly surprised with the feedback I've recieved on "Power Hour: Love Talks with Ryan". Anyone can become a professional triathlete and talk about their training - as the least naturally adept athlete ever, I'm exhibit A - and it's always interesting to see what everyone is up to. But only here can you find the latest love and relationship gossip from some of Canada's top triathletes. I now have two goals in my triathlon career: make World Cup standards, and become the Perez Hilton of triathlon bloggers.

This week on Power Hour I have a very special guest who has agreed to share some of her valuable insight and experience for the benefit of my junior athlete readers (or anyone who is too much of a tri geek to have much dating experience). I present to you the lovely and inspiring Charlotte Loaring:

1. Charlotte - you are a renowned physiotherapist, successful business owner, philanthropist, athlete, and you have a nice bum...how many facebook creepers do you get on a daily basis?

Thank you Mr. Power. The gluteals are a very important muscle group. As for "Facebook Creepers"....while I haven’t cared in the slightest who has "viewed my profile page", I do seem to inexplicably attract random acts of what I like to refer to as "unique inappropriateness" from certain men. The latest (last week) was a message from a man who felt compelled to tell me " U R beautiful....". That was it – end of message. While I appreciate a confident and courageous soul, I’d like to point out that it really is unlikely that any sane woman would be swept off her feet by a random single comment from someone who can’t spell. To quote the very smart James Loaring...."Onwards and upwards we go.....!"

2. What are your thoughts on the golden rule of dating (half your age plus 7)?

Using my many years of dating wisdom, I’ve learned that "the golden rule" is generally a pile of BS. In my experience, there have been some older fellas.....and there have been some younger fellas.....and the chronological details beyond that statement will remain in my personal memoirs. I do feel that every guy or gal needs to figure out their own self-imposed boundaries (for example, what do YOU think makes you a PERVERT, and does this agree with the law?.....). We all know that each person brings their own set of interesting and unique variables to the table, so your goal is quite simple – sift through it all and decide whether or not a "wow factor" exists for you. Society preaches all sorts of things....."you shouldn’t do this"....."you shouldn’t do that".....blah blah blah. How about you just focus on finding your own happiness, and only let those "in" that contribute positively to the awesome life you’ve already created for yourself? Sounds great to me! Chances are, like-minded people, at like-minded stages in life, will find one another, but who knows in this big gamed called "LIFE", and why set rules on finding your soul-mate? Yes, I am a die-hard believer of true love, and nothing but.

3. Are there exceptions for writers of popular "athletes and their relationships" blogs?

Question number 4....

4. How important a factor is internal core stability in dating?

The core is the epicentre from which all body movements develop. Who would possibly prefer a sloppy core or pelvic region....for anything. Nuff said. Keep practicing.

5. Are all physiotherapists entertained by making me cry with an ITB massage or would you be more kind?

Yes, generally most physiotherapists secretly enjoy making young male athletes cry, but this is mainly because young male athletes seem to have the lowest clinically documented tolerance for pain in the universe....by far. Basically, we are doing our very best to toughen you up a bit so you can be better prepared for the real world and all the challenges it may bring you. "With all its sham, drudgery, and broken dreams, it is still a beautiful world." (Desiderata)

6. You have been a competitive swimmer since before I was born...at what age should dudes start and stop wearing speedos?

I have always been, and will always be, a complete lover of "the speedo". Yes, some men definitely sport it better than others, but I say...."wear it freely", just keep all the personal belongings covered. My favourite – the "relaxed speedo brief"....not too tight, not too loose.....JUST RIGHT. Original speedos are fine too, but I strongly prefer darker colours no matter who you are. Frankly, the body in motion is a beautiful thing. Why cover it? Evidence of that.....Leni Reifenstal’s 1936 Olympic Games film "Olympia" – check it out.

7. Do cyclist chicks judge a man on how pretty his bike is like non-athlete chicks judge a man by his shoes?

Personally, I am a cyclist chick who checks out both a man’s bike and his shoes. We’re called "Fru Fru Jocks". A pretty bike is definitely a big turn-on for any sporty fru-fru jock girl, and if a guy can also dress himself nicely, it shows his sophisticated and fashionable side. Major points.

8. I happen to know you're a Campy girl (a woman with style!)...would you ever date a Shimano guy? SRAM?

Yes, I am a Campy girl, and very happy with that decision. Having said that, I generally can respect the personal opinions and choices of others if they have a reasonable explanation or reason for their preference. While I might try to "sell" something I’m passionate about, I wouldn’t really give a rip if a guy had any gruppo he wanted, provided he could at least keep up to my wheel.

9. What's more of a turn-off for you: cycling caps, or "touristo"?

By "toursito" do you mean "riding with a helmet"? While the "cap look" is cute for après bici, I have no clue why any intelligent person wouldn’t want to protect their brains from becoming MUSH on concrete. Having been a "first-responder" to more than one very serious accident where a helmet SAVED A RIDERS LIFE, I have made the personal choice to never ride with another rider who doesn’t model safe riding – meaning, ALWAYS wearing a helmet. That goes for head-phones too. Who wouldn’t want to ride until age 90?

10. Anything else we should know about you? Shameless pitches are welcome.

How about we see how the votes come in for your ever popular "Power Hour". Perhaps there will be a Loaring Part Deux? Thank you for the opportunity Mr. Power. Always a pleasure...

Florida

2011-03-22T09:09:00.000-04:00

Greetings minions!

Clearly I didn't do so well with posting updates while I was in Florida...I was too busy living the dream. But I'm back to real life now and I can tell you all about it!

Coach James and I drove down a week prior to the LPC Florida camp to get some extended warm weather training in before all the campers arrived. I've been to Clermont for a track camp so I knew the running would be good but I was surprised with how great the riding was on my pretty new Cervelo R3.

I didn't even have a chance to stand over my 14lb superbike before packing it up (generally not advisable for a training camp or race), but it was instantly the best bike I've ever had BY FAR. I never want to ride anything else. More responsive, more power, no more back pain!

Ok back to the camp. I had a few days of easy training on my own and with James before my bike buddy Charlotte came down and we put in some great swims (10x200, 21x100, 400s...) and long rides in before all the campers arrived last Saturday.

The LPC camp officially started on Sunday with a couple easy workouts while everyone got a feel for things. My goal at the camp was to provide a positive example of how an elite athlete trains and recovers through a big week...it wasn't easy with everyone motivated to have an "epic" week of training. But it was a very positive group and they made it a lot of fun all week.

Wednesday was a big day with brick intervals and an open water swim at Lake Louisa State Park, the same venue as last week's ITU North American Sprint Champs. 3x 11k bike/1 mile run, on tired legs after Tuesday's 100k bike/10k run. Turned out I had a great sparring partner in Lionel Sanders who is a monster on the bike and an even better runner. Watch for his name in the 70.3 circuit in the near future. On the first rep we averaged just under 44km/h on the bike and ran a sub-5 minute mile. I got dropped pretty hard on the last two reps (I don't remember the last time anyone dropped me...many years ago) and only averaged 40 on the bike but I held 5:18 miles. Here's James attempting to conduct an LPC interview a few seconds after my last rep:

I pushed myself to the brink of death on Wednesday and I was pretty burned out the next day. It was a struggle to get through 3500m of active recovery in the pool so I had to take the afternoon off while everyone else had a long ride out to Sugarloaf. I was pretty disappointed but I was already ten days into a big two weeks of training so I wasn't entirely surprised. But Friday was the last official day of the camp with the Orange Grove 10 mile run so I wanted to finish off strong.

The RTC squad did the Grove run a couple times on their camp a couple weeks back so I knew that it takes a strong run to break an hour over the loose and rolling terrain. But my run wasn't supposed to be any faster than "tempo" so James told me I wasn't allowed to go under 1:10.

Well I started running and despite having nothing left in my legs I could tell I was running pretty well. So I got in my little zone and at the half way point I was at 30:50. The back half is usually known to be a little slower with more hills and heat but I decided I wanted to see how close I could get to an hour. I finally saw the finish through the fog and stopped my watch at 59:42. But before I had a chance to feel good about my time...Lionel came in with a 54:23. Over a minute faster than the best time posted by the RTC/NTC squad. We're pretty sure that's the fastest time a triathlete has ever posted.

We had a few more easy workouts before hitting the road Saturday afternoon for the long drive back to crappy weather and some more indoor riding. But it was a great camp and I put in over 50 hours of training over 12 days. A few big efforts and some confirmation that I'm much stronger now than I was in peak form last year. And it's only March.

Power Hour: Episode 2

2011-03-04T08:05:00.001-05:00

Ok let's get back to the good stuff.

The reviews are in and Love Talks with Ryan looks like it's going to become a regular feature here on RP World Headquarters. I figure since I can't swim fast enough to make a career out of triathlon I might as well work on my career as love & relationship counsellor and gossip spreader for all my fellow professional triathletes.

This time on Love Talks I chat with another of the lovely RTC Guelph girls, Angela Quick. She's one of the very best triathlon swimmers in Canada, and is a close second behind me for most awesome name to have on the bum of an ITU suit. And let me tell you, her love life is a bank vault. It took an embarrassing about of nagging to get this interview, but I knew all my readers would appreciate my hard work.

RP: Ok....facebook relationship status?
AQ: I don't post such a thing

RP: What's the worst pickup line you've ever heard?
AQ: "Your dad was the photography for my sister's wedding, do you know me?"

RP: Blonde or Brunette?
AQ: no preference
RP: ...ginger?
AQ: Still no preference

RP: If you were dating an athlete...shaved legs or hairy?
AQ: Umm...hairy, I guess? That's a tough call.

RP: How uncool is it to show up to a legit swim workout in a two piece?
AQ: for a guy or girl?
RP: Excellent answer
AQ: training bikinis are the coolest, as long as you're at an outdoor pool
RP: But that's so unfair to the boys

RP: What's more important in a man, swimmer arms or cyclist calves?
AQ: swimmer arms

RP: Are triathlon girls turned on by absurdly expensive bikes like normal girls are with fancy cars?
AQ: I cannot speak for all female triathletes, but I know nothing about bikes so not so much

RP: Have you ever been asked by a training partner, "does my ass look big in these bike shorts?"
AQ: ha no, not that I recall anyways

RP: Could you date a man who kicks faster than you?
AQ: yes, I could learn to deal with it

RP: Big spoon or little spoon
AQ: little

RP: Have you ever kicked a man in the junk?
AQ: Not in the past 14 years (and that was only to my brother)
RP: AWESOME
AQ: haha
RP: So when he was like 4?

As I'm sure you can tell, I'm quite the authority when it comes to dealing with love and athletics. I will continue to badger people for interviews, but feel free to send in your special requests for advice, topics of interest etc. and I'll start working on some features pieces.

Phase 1 Complete

2011-03-02T21:11:00.002-05:00

2 Swim PBs
4 Bike PBs
1 2nd best-ever run time

The first major block of training for 2011 is done this week, and you might say it's gone pretty well. No stupid injuries, no superstar workouts. Just consistent good work. Maybe it took a full year to really get rolling with the new coach and settling in to training on my own again, or maybe I'm finally starting to get a little maturity in my training and attitude. Either way phase 1 finishes off this week with a ton of time trials, CP tests and a couple 5k's, but this weekend I'm off to Florida for two weeks of much needed sun and outdoor riding. And I even get to bring a brand new bike :)

Unlike most elite athletes I had to spend the crappiest part of winter training by myself in the snow. Not exactly the most conducive environment for motivation but I've managed to put my head down and put in the best winter, and probably the best two months of training, that I've ever had. And it turns out running trails in two feet of snow gets you pretty damn fit.

I've seen more improvement in the water in the last three months than in the previous 18 months...maybe all that stroke work is paying off! And apparently my power numbers are very good for this time of year (and better than my coach expected from me) but I won't be satisfied until they are better than everyone else. I'm looking forward to getting into some road racing this year and I want to be riding as well as a professional cyclist (Tour de France is my backup career path).

One of my sponsors recently asked me what my goals were in racing this season. My response wasn't exactly what a sponsor wants to hear from their athlete but it's reflective of my attitude in training and going into the race season this year:

-I want to be fast
-But, what are your goals?
-To be faster
-Like, winning races? Making lead pack? Results?
-I don't care, I just want to have fun and go fast

So far it's working out pretty well.

Power Hour: Love Talks with Ryan

2011-02-27T16:14:00.002-05:00

I don't know about you but I'm tired of all these blogs always talking about triathlon. Sure I like triathlon blogs...they let me keep up with friends and training buddies, and make sure my power to weight is still better. But all this talk about training gets BORING....

How about something a little more scandalous...perhaps a glimpse into the personal lives of Canada's top professional triathletes? Sounds good to me! It's time I diversify and add a new section to my blog...Power Hour: Love Talks with Ryan.

I managed to catch up with a couple of the RTC Guelph girls while they were training hard down in Clermont Florida to talk love lives and triathlon...and how the two can in no way co-exist peacefully. Here's my exclusive interview with world class junior athlete and 2010 Junior National silver medallist Domi Jamnicky:

RP: Thanks for the chat, how are things?
DJ: Ha no. You are not posting this.

RP: Ok let's get right into the juicy stuff. What is your current facebook relationship status?
DJ: single and looking

RP: Have you ever dumped someone by changing your facebook status?
DJ:No, unfortunately not
RP: But wouldn't that be a great way to dump someone?!?
DJ: That is rather mean, besides who posts there relationship on FB anymore

RP: Would you ever date another triathlete?
DJ: yes but sometimes it may get into a sticky situation
..............(unless Body Glide was applied)

RP: Who are the sexiest...swimmers, bikers or runners
DJ: Swimmers because they don't have skinnier legs than I do and they actually have meat on them
RP: I'm calling shenanigans on that one, Angela Quick told me she has a secret crush on a swimmer. oops.

RP: What's your biggest turn off with dating a triathlete
DJ: comparing results

RP: How much of your training is motivated by trying to beat boys
DJ: 95%

RP: Who in the RTC has the best coordinating outfits in training
DJ: Ian Donald. Hands down

RP: Would you ever quit triathlon if you fell madly in love with someone who didn't like you running around in a bathing suit?
DJ: No b/c I love triathlon more. And I love running around in a bathing suit

RP: What's hotter, winning a race or looking amazing while losing
DJ: Winning a race
RP: Sucks to be me.

That's all today on Power Hour. Stay tuned for more interviews with pro triathletes, and feel free to send in your requests for topics or advice.

Second Christmas

2011-02-25T20:35:00.004-05:00

Ok I don't want anyone to get the wrong idea, my Tassimo coffee maker was the best Christmas present ever and brings me joy every morning (thanks mom). But this week has been pretty good too.

After a long day of training yesterday I was thrilled to see that my 2011 Rudy Project team kit had arrived! A couple weeks ago I resigned with them through the 2013 season and I can't wait for the warm weather to come so I can show off all my cool new stuff.

Their bike kit is super comfy and is great quality. I was also lucky enough to pick up their superlight Sterling helmet and a couple pairs of shades. I'm very impressed with the technical innovation in all their products. But that's not all!

I just finished building my Cervelo TT bike a couple weeks ago and the opportunity arose for me to get on board a Cervelo road bike as well. So today I got a new bike for the second time in as many weeks! I was happy with my Kuota road frame but I'm a perfectionist when it comes to the bike, so I wanted to know I was on the stiffest AND lightest frame in the world.

The R3 frame is 940g in a size 56 and when I finish my build with sram Red, Rotor 3D+ crankset and Mavic wheels it will be right around 14lbs. Big thanks to Brad from Cervelo for hooking me up, I'm sure I'll be pushing the limits of this thing in my draft legal triathlon and road racing this year.

I am a spoiled little brat.

Training Day: Take 2

2011-02-21T09:36:00.005-05:00

Stolen cars, foosball death matches, sketchy little hitch hikers...

Must be another LPC Training Day!

Fun Fact #1: Olympic Gold Medallist Tessa Virtue is a regular client at Loaring Physiotherapy. In her first interview after winning gold she thanked her physiotherapist Mary Brannigan at Loaring Physio for making it all possible.

Fun Fact#2: I have a huge crush on Tessa Virtue.

So on my second trip down to Windsor for an LPC Training Day I was secretly hoping Charlotte would set me up with Tessa. Unfortunately she's busy with World Championships or something, so that will have to wait until next time. I guess all there was left to do was have a fun day of training with the LPC squad.

First up was a short technical swim with a bit of open water simulation (if that's at all possible in a 25m four-lane pool). There are a lot of beginner triathletes in the group so the focus was on getting everyone comfortable with the inevitable chaos of open water swimming.

As an athlete-coach I felt it was my responsibility to make things as realistic as possible and create said chaos for those who needed a good race simulation. I wasn't the most popular guy there after throwing elbows and swimming over some people, but for beginner athletes it's an invaluable lesson. Either give an ass-whoopin' or you're gonna get one.

Next up was another couple laps on the Loaring Run Under the Sun (I really will tell you about it sometime) 5k course. First lap easy, second lap champion-of-the-universe pace. Or at least that's what I heard. In trainers on short warmup I ran one of my best 5k's ever. I think I'm pretty fit for February...I'm looking forward to the race season.

I must admit it's a little strange to have a room full of people 2-3 times my age looking to me for insight or as an example. Given my complete lack of maturity it can be a little intimidating when other athletes look to me or want to know how I'm "so fast" (flattering, but untrue). I don't have all the answers (or any of them for that matter), and my only strength in triathlon is my work ethic. All I can really do is show them how: I put in the work.

Training days are a very tough day for most of the athletes and they're capped off with a hard two hour trainer session. So I tried to set a good example and proceeded to murder myself for two hours on the bike. It was a lot of fun with great energy from everyone, and the whole group put in an awesome workout and a big day of training.

Next up is the LPC Florida Camp in a couple weeks and I can't wait to join the group again. It's always a lot of fun training with athletes of all backgrounds and abilities, who all bring a great attitude into training.

Oh, to clarify that first line. Well I stole James' car while he was paying for gas...he was not mad, just very disappointed. The foosball and hitch hiker stuff is better left in the past.

A Poignant Thought

2011-02-17T12:37:00.000-05:00

Oh mango kiwi smoothie rendered from Magic Bullet...

I may have a sad and pathetic life, but you make it worth living.

I'm on a recovery week, I got nothin' else.

I Hate Ironman

2011-02-10T12:05:00.003-05:00

That ladies and gentlemen, is called a hook.

More accurately, as a triathlete who intends to be in the sport for a long time, and hopes to make some sort of living doing what I love, WTC is the antithesis of everything a developing professional athlete strives for.

I posted my thoughts on some WTC rule/policy changes a few months back (here). There has been a marginal response by age group athletes to WTC's ever-strengthening choke hold on triathlon: a few of this year's North American events haven't reached their capacity of 3200 athletes yet (seriously, how f-ing ridiculous is it to have 3000 people in a triathlon). But for the most part people are content with the status quo of $600+ race fees, manditory 5-night stays at $300/night host hotels, pathetic prize money and dangerously crowded races - all to be able to say "I'm an official Ironman".

Well I'm glad some of our sport's most recognized athletes - without whom the sport could not survive - have the balls to say something. Chris McCormack in a recent interview in Slowtwitch:

Crowie in my opinion has been the best triathlete on the planet for the past five years. His consistency at the half and Ironman distances has been great. But Kona is one that matters the most and he has 2nd-1st-1st-4th finishes which are inarguably the best over this span of time. Had this points system been in place years ago I think he would have been broken. He never would have been able to survive to allow himself to reach his potential in endurance sport. Chasing those points will kill kids in their 20s. It will kill bodies before they reach their potential. I think if you are not close to getting points to qualify for Kona early in the year, you are gone. Do not worry about Kona. I say if you keep chasing it and end up doing too many Ironman races, you can’t bring it at Kona. Look at Pete Jacobs. He is planning on doing Challenge Cairns and Frankfurt this year. Last year he did four Ironman races before Ironman Hawaii. He had a great run, but he might have made the podium if he had come to the race fresh. I am telling you the truth. I made that mistake in 2009. I raced seven 70.3s. That is why I felt flat at Kona in 2009. Talking it over with my team of advisers, we decided I raced too much. I am not the 25-year-old Macca any more. This year I will do Alcatraz, South Beach, and one Ironman and I will be fresh as a daisy. Every week last year I got news that Crowie raced another half. He emptied that tank. You ain’t 25, mate. I’m convinced he raced too much. I know because I made same error in 2009 and I justified that conclusion this year. When I raced that much in 2009, it made me flat. I didn’t have the edge. And in 2010, that edge just wasn't there for Crowie. He was just a little bit off. There was not that punch.

Personally I think Macca is a bit of a dorkus but he has great perspective on training and athlete development, and he's absolutely right. WTC is more concerned with their bottom line in forcing their professional athletes to race more than even past champions are comfortable with, so they can then promote the entry of those athletes to make money off them, all at the expense of the athlete's health and long term development in the sport.

I firmly believe that WTC's sole legimitacy in the triathlon world is Kona. It's what the average person idenitifes as triathlon, it's one of the rare times triathlon is in mainstream media, and they own it. WTC might as well simplify their B.S. qualification rules for pros and say "Hey, here's Kona...you can come and race for the chance to get on TV, but only if you make us a bunch of money first."

Not to mention their aggressive expansion that's watering down pro fields, taking over some of the classic independent races in North America, and spreading prize money even thinner. Has anyone else noticed that in the last five years the Ironman circuit as almost doubled, the 70.3 series has added a further 40+ races to their calendar, race fees have gone up 50%...but prize money has gotten smaller? There are some very rich shareholders and CEOs bathing in money at the expense of professional athletes.

As I've said before, it is their right to expand and keep the status quo if there are no serious contenders to their authority in the triathlon world. And as long and people keep dropping a small fortune on their races and perpetuate their corporate takeover of the sport, nothing is going to change...not for the better at least.

It's good to see a few other series starting to step up (Challenge, Rev3, Tristar), but no one is close to rivalling Ironman just yet. And having lost the Hy-Vee Triathlon to WTC, ITU needs to get more aggressive in attracting top athletes (yup, they're more competitive than Ironman) to their races. There aren't many other sports in which Olympians are competing for a $1200 first place paycheque.

Age group athletes (I don't mean that as a specific demographic, simply that they constitute 95+% of any non-drafting triathlon) need to choose better, safer and more enjoyable races. Yes really, there are better events out there than Ironman. An exerpt from an Iron-distance race report from one of my good friends Chris Pickering:

When people heard I was doing another Ironman just 4 months after having completed IM Lake Placid, they started to ask me “when do I take a break and relax?” or “when do I take the time to enjoy life?”. My response was “I am taking a break and enjoying life. This is a non-sanctioned race”…. it does not belong to WTC (World Triathlon Corporation). That means less people, less chaos on the course, less stress, less overpriced hotels etc etc, the list goes on and on. For me, competing in Lake Placid with 3200 people on a course that is designed to handle 1500-1800 people really changed my perspective on what makes a race enjoyable.

So where is all this ranting going? I don't really know. It's a rant.

Oh, and stop entering Ironmans.

My Newest Toy

2011-02-08T15:34:00.005-05:00

My creation!

It's been a long time in the making but my winter project is finally complete. I haven't had a time trial bike in a few years now and even though my focus is on draft-legal, it's still nice to go fast in my other races. I had been contemplating getting a low end tri bike for a while but a bet with Coach James finally pushed me over the edge.

I've always wanted to build up a bike from scratch and with the help of Multisport Zone we made it happen. I don't need a high end bike for my non-drafting races (and my entire life savings is tied up in my road bike), so instead of dropping a ton of money on a secondary bike the focus was on making it look totally badass while spending as little as possible:

Cervelo P1 frameset
SRAM Force/Rival mix, SRAM 500 shifters/brake levers
Profile Design front end (custom modified) & saddle

I had a lot of fun building it all up and making EVERYTHING match - red levers and shifters, silver&red tape...even the cable stops are red :)

Huge thanks to Multisport Zone for making all this happen. Not only did they make it possible but they are also fitting me on it with FIST and Retul fit technology.

RP & RP

2011-02-05T12:10:00.004-05:00

We make a good team.

Unlike most professional triathletes I didn't spend my fall and winter trying to sell myself to potential sponsors for the upcoming season. With the pathetic prize money and funding available in our sport sponsors are critical in supporting every elite athlete, but I wanted to keep things simple this year and focus on my training more than trying to live up to expectations. But Rudy Project has been with me from the beginning and I swore by their products before first signing on with them a couple years ago. And I'm thrilled to renew my sponsorship through the 2013 season.

They support my philosophy that looking good is the number one predictor of success in triathlon, and if the sun ever shines again in Ontario you will see me rocking their sunglasses and helmets as I have for the past three seasons. There are some great deals on their online store (http://www.e-rudy.com/), or you can contact me for big discounts on any of their products. Having tried almost every major brand of cycling equipment they really do have the best fitting and best looking gear out there.

LPC Training Day

2011-02-01T22:08:00.004-05:00

Having trained with LPC for just over a year I still haven't met many of the inspiring athletes, so I took the rare opportunity to train with a group and had a change of scenery from boring old London.

It was a big training day for a lot of athletes and I helped out a little with a technical swim session before a run on the forthcoming Loaring Run Under the Sun course (more on that another time), some core stability with physio Charlotte Loaring and a solid two hour spin at Loaring Physio. Lots of fun, some valuable instruction and I'm looking forward to the next one! Some photos I stole from James:

The night before...supremely confident in my fitness

This is where dreams go to get rehab-ed (and Olympic gold medallists)

Lionel Sanders felt like going tempo, and ran a 15:52 5k

Hold the pee!

Either I'm getting a head start on heat prep, or I'm just too damn skinny to stay warm

Aww aren't they cute

Thanks LPC for a fun day! Can't wait for Florida

A Patient Sense of Urgency

2011-01-28T21:42:00.001-05:00

Training can be a serious pain in the ass sometimes. Not literally, unless of course you are effectively recruiting your glute med as most triathletes don't. I mean it more in a philosophical sense, both physically and mentally. Training hurts, it's cold - or hot - but never the perfect temperature, it's boring, lonely, it's early mornings, and most annoyingly, effective training is a balancing act of contradictions. Swim strong and stay relaxed, work your ass off and sleep 11 hours a day, train with a sense of urgency but be patient...these things take years.

That last one is what I find the hardest to reconcile. To be complacent in training is to give up your aspirations of getting faster or achieving your goals. But patience is one of the most critical traits of any successful athlete. Sure there are some people who simply have an astounding natural ability in our sport, but all champions share the same desire and commitment to patiently set about attaining their goals and work relentlessly to get there.

Patience for me is swimming 6 days a week, sucking it up when I have a crap time trial or when I'm not progressing as quickly as I'd like, because I want to be better no matter how long it takes. I've always been a decent runner having come from a run background, and I ride better every year because I push myself harder than everyone else. But swimming just doesn't come easily to me. I'm often told "that's crazy how much you swim" and "man you're lucky you can push that kind of wattage". My response is the same to both statements: it's because I'm willing to put in the work. Most people aren't, even the most obsessive type-A triathletes.

But being patient isn't enough, this sport is way too damn hard for it to be that straight forward. Training also has to come with a sense of urgency: the motivation to make every rep, every workout, every day count. You're wasting your time and effort if you don't train with that urgency. Coaches call it killer instinct, and will often tell you that an athlete either has it or they don't. All successful athletes have it. But maintaining the diverging training attitudes of patience and urgency can be very tiring, especially when things aren't going well. It's not easy to tell yourself that every rep counts when you haven't seen any improvement in a few weeks, or months.

I guess that's where a good coach becomes important. Whether it's having belief in the program or just having someone to bitch to when you're frustrated that you've had a slow week. But ultimately it's up to the athlete to find their own motivation or possess that desire to succeed no matter how long it takes and how much it hurts. And either you have it or you don't. When it comes to endurance sports I think having and learning to maintain the balance of patience and urgency is far more decisive in who succeeds or fails than any level of natural ability.

At least that's my opinion.

A New Look

2011-01-26T10:58:00.003-05:00

Well it seems that most athletes these days are off training somewhere far more exotic than winter-laden rural Ontario...so since I have nothing interesting to talk about at the moment I used my pre-ride procrastination time (otherwise known as morning) to make this thing look a little more professional.

I can't complain though, I'll have my share of sun and warm weather soon enough. I'll be in Florida for close to two weeks with the LPC March Training Camp. And I'm already organizing my early season travel to Miami and Trinidad&Tobago in May.

Other than catching a bit of a winter cold over the past week training continues to roll along. Nothing overly exciting, nothing out of the ordinary, nothing blog-worthy...just train/recover/repeat. As Coach CT would say, that's the best time.

Another Weekend at LPC HQ

2011-01-17T19:39:00.002-05:00

This may not be in my best interests if I keep motivating Coach James to get out the door to train before our Caribbean Showdown. For those who haven't heard yet, this is going to be the triathlon event of 2011. Coach vs. his prodigy athlete in beautiful Tobago, with delicate egos and a serious chunk of prize money at stake.

Anyway. Sunday morning was a small community 5k race that a few LPC teammates came out to and braved -21 windchill and 6 inches of fresh snow on the roads. My instructions were to keep it at a tempo effort and have some fun with my first event of 2011. So I had a fun tempo workout and won a pretty epic sprint finish for 4th place. Finished off the day with bike/swim/core.

Today I was lucky enough to hop in with the RTC for a great swim set that I actually managed to survive with the squad. Things must be improving! Then a short brick+core in the newly christened "LPC Labyrinth" and I'm pooped!

Things feel pretty good for it being mid-January. Not crazy fast, no epic workouts...just rolling along and building a solid base for the year. It's going to be a very busy spring and summer of racing and I can't wait.

Thanks again to all the LPCers who made the 5k a lot of fun, the Loaring household, Craig Taylor and the RTC girls who let me jump in their lane and were even kind enough to not make me look like an fool in the pool this morning. Back to work with the UWO tri club tomorrow.

Oh the '90s

2011-01-11T20:25:00.005-05:00

Sometimes I wish I was born 15 years earlier so I'd be in the 90's right now...

Fruit was still food, not absurdly expensive cell phones

You needed to look at a map to get to your destination

It was acceptable to cut your hair less than twice a year

You could fill a gas tank for $20

You could look like a scumbag for free, rather than paying for pants with holes in them

It wasn't yet cool to be uncool

There was no such thing as a Hipster

Justin Bieber had not yet tainted this Earth with his presence

I could get on a World Cup start list

I could ride a big fat yellow Softride bike and be the coolest guy in town

It wasn't $600 to sign up for an Ironman, and there weren't 3400 people on the course

John Stewart would still be funny,

And musicians didn't need software to hit their notes...

Another song from Neil Finn and Crowded House. The best singer/songwriter who North Americans have never heard of, and one of my favourites.

2011

2011-01-06T21:25:00.000-05:00

Race seasons are like vacations...planning them (without the slightest regard to the inevitable stress and loss of direction) is half the fun! It's always interesting looking over all the cool events around the world...wondering when I can escape the crappy Canadian weather, where I have a shot at picking up a big novelty check, etc. And setting my schedule is always the best motivation to get through winter training on my own.

I'm still working out all the details and waiting for confirmation on a couple events, but this is roughly what my year is going to look like.

March 8-20 - LPC Florida Training Camp :)
May 22 - Miami Speed Triathlon (USAT Elite Race Series)
May 28 - Rainbow Cup Trinidad&Tobago (aka the showdown)
June 12 - Multisport Canada Woodstock Triathlon
June 26 - ITU Pan Am Cup Coteau-du-Lac
July 31 - National Capital Triathlon (Elite Provincial Championships)
Aug 13 - Multisport Canada Cobourg Triathlon
Sept 10 - Esprit Triathlon Montreal
Sept 24 - ITU Pan Am Cup Buffalo (US Elite National Championships)

No long course BS, four draft-legal races. I will be adding a few 5k's and cycling events early in the season but those will be based on my training at the time. I also hope to add a couple more MSC races so I can claim glorious victory for the series. It will end up being a full schedule, but if I stay healthy it should be a much more competitive and enjoyable season than last year.

Time to get in shape!

Time to Work

2011-01-02T17:03:00.003-05:00

I thought about putting together a dorky and reflective rant on my 2010 year, but I decided it was sufficient to say it's time to get to work. Not work work of course, unemployment is one of my seven lifestyle principles. I mean training. As with most others, I've decided New Years is a pretty good (however arbitrary) point in time to refocus and get to work.

I've got approximately 900 workouts to do in 2011 and I'm done 5. I think that summarizes my attitude for the year. I'm not setting any New Year's resolution goals regarding results, performances, times or any of that crap. My goals are to stay injury free and be relentlessly consistent, every rep of every workout. If I can do that I will exceed any "material" goals I would set for myself.

I also have to beat Coach James in our Caribbean showdown in May.

Glad That's Over

2010-12-29T21:01:00.002-05:00

I hope Santa was good to everyone and I hope all of my competition ate just as many sugar cookies as I did over the holidays. Otherwise I'm pretty screwed. I love the holidays (mostly for the presents and sugar cookies) but I'm relieved to hear normal music again and have my training follow something that resembles a schedule again.

Speaking of music, I haven't posted any in a while! So here's one of my favourite artists covering a Smiths song that, dare I say, is better than the original (Johnny Marr on guitar):

As for training, after a disastrous fall I've put together a good month of work heading into the new year. I just got back from LPC world headquarters where I had 9 workouts in two days (if you count in Brownlee terms). Day 1: 4k swim, 2hr ride with CP5, run off the bike, core. Day 2: 60min base run, easy swim with Mr. Lockdown himself, 60min ride with some work at FTP, short run off the bike and core.

I'm happy with my progress in the pool lately having put some decent workouts in the books. Stroke is getting there, taking things one set at a time and maybe one day I won't lose my races in the swim. Done a few tests on the bike lately and I'm not where I want to be but apparently not too bad for this time of year. If I can't make a pack in the swim I damn well better be able to ride faster solo than a paceline, so that's the plan. And running has all been pretty unstructured given the four feet of snow in London, but things seem to be rolling along well.

Stay tuned for my tentative 2011 schedule. Til next time, counting every rep until I get faster.

Insider's Guide to the Tri-Geek

2010-12-16T08:41:00.005-05:00

Perhaps my last post requires some form of definition. So given the popularity of my exposé on the highly secretive (and true) lifestyle of the professional triathlete, here is an insider's guide...for the outsider's benefit.

The common tri-geek (citius fortius geekius) is a harmless and generally pleasant creature but highly complex in it's social and behavioural characteristics. Considered nocturnal for their ridiculously early AM workouts, the tri-geek is rarely seen by the public eye as they are also typically in bed by 7pm. However if one is spotted in it's natural environment they are unmistakable for their key characteristics:

Class 1 Tri-Geek: "Not yet a triathlete"
The fact that someone is merely entertaining the thought of doing something as ridiculous as a triathlon makes you a geek in some way. The class 1 geek will often spend hours on the internet searching though mountains of information to determine whether or not a triathlon is in fact a life or death activity.

Class 2 Tri-Geek: "What am I becoming?!"
Once past class 1, the tri-geek has participated in triathlons and purchased a few of the "essentials" such as a $7000 tri bike, one piece tri suit (similar in form to a standard unitard, but often flashier colours and over $200) and owns an increasingly ridiculous collection of pool toys. The tri-geek is becoming capable of self-awareness: "I think these carbon brake levers are going to make me faster."

Their entire lexicon and thought process are beginning to be consumed by training concepts and goal events, and math capabilities are reduced to counting down the days to NBC's Kona coverage. However the class 2 remains a fully functioning member of society and will still have a few social acquaintances who are not triathletes.

Class 3 Tri-Geek: "What the **** is wrong with you"
The class 3 tri-geek has given up on attempting to conceal their identity (either forced or they just want everyone to know). Easily identifiable through: compression socks and recovery sandals in public, eating organic granola cereal, extensive napping through the day, and owning any combination of:
1. Normatec MVP
2. aerodynamic water bottles
3. freestyle snorkel
4. Ironman credit card (I assume they have a $4 million limit if WTC makes them)

Perceived value of national currency becomes clouded as the class 3 will often own multiple 4-digit bikes and spend their disposable income on flights and race fees. The class 3 is generally considered a social outcast to all but their fellow tri-geeks. The only good news is, if they find someone willing to listen to their droning about triathlon, they are rather entertaining and interesting beings given their passion and drive to be awesome.

Pro Triathlete: "The closet tri-geek"
Professional triathletes often attempt to mask their identity as a full-blown class 3 tri-geek, but trust me, they're friggin' dorks. The simple fact that they consider triathlon a job provides all the evidence necessary. Social capabilities are entirely replaced by an obsession with training numbers (see bel0w).

The pro triathlete will attempt (unsuccessfully) to talk about things other than themselves, and will often attend post-race "social" gatherings...consisting entirely of other triathletes. While the pro tri-geek occasionally takes on a better-than-thou attitude for their exceptional fitness level, many remain humble and relatively pleasant in company (unless the perpetual scent of chlorine makes you nauseous).

Today in Training

2010-12-13T18:48:00.003-05:00

Being the tri-geek that I am, I always need my training "numbers". So here are today's tri-geek training numbers for all my tri-geek bretheren (and sisteren?) to mull over. Nothing crazy, just a fun mid-December day.

AM ~3k Swim:
Main set - 400 moderate, 300 PP steady, 200 tempo, 100 PP hard, 50 sprint
(I told you there would be a lot of numbers)
Down to 1:11 for the 100 PP and :33 for the 50 (I also told you I can't swim)

PM Brick @MultiSport Zone:
75 min Computrainer ride
Main set - 3x 8 minutes on, 2min easy Dec 1-3 from 230W to 290W
1. 236W (36.9km/h)
2. 254W (37.9km/h)
3. 309W (40.7km/h)

30min run off bike
Main set - 5x 2min hill @ 5% grade, 1min easy
10-11.5mph (3:42-3:14/km)

Oh and some core too :)

Fall Training

2010-12-09T15:57:00.005-05:00

I'm not sure why the media feels it necessary to draw comparisons between a snow storm in Canada and the end of the world, but thanks to "Snowmageddon" there is a crap load of snow in London ON. The entire city was shut down for a few days which disrupted my swim workouts this week but I've been getting some good work done on the rollers (has anyone else ever done 2x20 on rollers?) and although the four feet of snow has made 4 minute k's a bit ambitious runs are going well too.

There's no question it's been a pretty inconsistent fall for me. First I broke my foot which put running on hold for a few weeks, then it was a bad cold, then the world apparently ended via snowfall. The good news is I'm not going to be a Chrismas Champion (unless there is a category for most sugar cookies consumed per Kilogram of body weight), and my fitness is right about where it should be for this time of year.

Run training is pretty light right now, mostly base effort with the odd tready run off the bike at Multisport Zone's top notch training facilities, and some snowy/windy hill reps. Based on some 2k reps in the Guelph Arboretum a couple weeks ago my run fitness is just about where I left off in September.

I've always considered myself a runner but over the past year cycling has probably become my strongest discipline. It's a direct result of my training with the PTC (now RTC Guelph) when I simply decided I wanted to become stronger and thus completely redefined my effort level, dedication and pain tolerance on the bike. My passion for riding and messing with my bikes hasn't hurt either. My power to weight seems to be pretty good right now so hopefully after another winter on the rollers and Computrainer I'll be throwing down some strong rides next season.

Next spring I'm looking forward to an awesome new training and racing opportunity on the bike. Apparently all my sign sprinting paid off and I'll be joining the CoachChris.ca road cycling team here in London. Coach Chris has a very strong group and I look forward to benefiting from training with some real cyclists, as well as trying my hand at road racing. Depending on how cycling events match up with my tri schedule I hope to make the jump to Cat 1/2 road riding down the road.

But since I'm not the type of person to focus on my strengths, the majority of my effort in training through the fall has been in the pool. If I didn't already know I was a weak swimmer my sub-par swim splits all season reminded me I have a lot of work to do before getting serious about draft legal triathlon. With the help of some video analysis from Coach James I have completely revamped my swim stroke over the past month. I have to focus on it every stroke of every workout but I already feel more efficient in the water and I have a much better idea of what swimming should feel like. I will be hitting the pool very hard in the new year and I'm hoping for some significant improvement over this past season.

Other than all that...I'm close to hammering out a tentative training/racing schedule for next season. No distractions with long course events and a good number of draft legal races. And even more exciting, thanks to Multisport Zone I have a new toy for the winter and I've started building up a new ride for my non-drafting races next year! More info to come soon...

...Holidays

2010-12-02T14:23:00.002-05:00

While it seems that everywhere else in Canada has been under a blanket of snow for some time now, my 5am drive to swim practice today revealed that London is finally looking the part of holiday season in Canada. And here at Ryan Power world headquarters all holidays are celebrated in a non-denominational, non-discriminatory manner, devoid of anything meaningful or joyous (I don't want to exclude all the depressed and lonely folks over this holiday season).

So have...holidays. Just holidays. Brought to you by a band I usually don't like but they have a pretty cool ...holiday song. Complete with Bono looking like the Geddy Lee of Christmas Past.

Training updates, new toys and tentative 2011 race schedule all coming soon.

Guest Race Report

2010-11-24T14:31:00.002-05:00

Once in a while when a friend has a particularly inspiring performance I like to share their race report. Since my races are generally a matter of survival rather than of triumph, and my story of a professional triathlete pursuing his athletic dreams via unemployment and extensive videogaming in his parents' basement is rarely described as inspiring.

This time it's LPC teammate Thierry Guertin's race report from Ironman 70.3 World Championships. Thierry has lost 85lbs since joining LPC and has become an exeptionally strong long course athlete over the past year.

Just before leaving for Clearwater Thierry dropped me hard on a cold and windy 3.5hr ride...in my defense it was my first long ride after breaking my foot, nonetheless a major hit to my ego. But after seeing the bike split he posted in Clearwater I didn't feel nearly as bad. Enjoy:

http://www.tguertin.com/blog/2010/11/21/clearwater2

The Real Ryan Power

2010-11-20T20:17:00.003-05:00

It has recently come to my attention that I have an imposter, or perhaps I have uncovered the central character in a diabolical clone plot that threatens my very identity.

Lurking in the kid's 3-5 year old division, this "Ryan Power" completed his 15 yard swim/500m bike/100m run at the Milton KOS...significantly faster than I can swim 15 yards. I'm in danger of losing my title of "fastest guy in the world named Ryan Power" and all the fame and riches that come with it. And I bet he even writes more worthwhile blog posts than I do.

He's trying to take me down, but you must believe me. I am the real Ryan Power! If I ever meet this identity thief in competition, calling him Ry-guy should piss him off enough for me to defeat him.

Clearwater

2010-11-16T18:05:00.004-05:00

As mentioned previously, a lot of people are decidedly displeased with the WTC these days. Sure, you can express your displeasure by not signing up for an Ironman event next year (rest assured, someone else will take your spot). But how about Jodie Swallow showing up to Clearwater, wearing her ITU uniform, and sticking it to a stacked field of long course athletes on their turf?

Even leading out swim/bike superstar Julie Dibens by 90 seconds out of the water and holding her off on the bike - on her road bike with shorty aerobars, 38mm rims and a road helmet - on what should be a pure time trial course. How's that for showing the triathon world that WTC is NOT the be-all end-all in our sport?

Dear Triathlon,

2010-11-14T12:20:00.002-05:00

I think it's time we have the talk. I know the talk is an awkward crossroads in any relationship, and I know you're already all over my facebook profile, but I'm the type of person who needs definitions and labels so this is something that has to happen. Where are we headed together, and what are my goals with you?

I'm going to be brutally honest. Sometimes you really screw me around. I know you're just giving me tough love because you're trying to make me a stronger person, but you kind of piss me off sometimes. You really raise my blood pressure, albeit temporarily. Then you leave me alone in the cold rain, 60km from home with tired legs. All I want is some warm coffee (and a hug if that's not too much to ask), but all I can do is hold back the tears and take the lonely road home.

I'll admit, I'm not all that "experienced" when I strip down to a speedo and let my hips do the talking. But a little gratification once in a while would really boost my confidence...perhaps that elusive sub-20 1500m, or just once catching the back of the chase pack.

But we've also had some great times together. You take me on trips around the world and let me experience things - both outside and within myself - that without you I would have never known. And every time we're together I feel my heart beating out of my chest for you.

I've given it a lot of thought triathlon, and I've decided I want to commit myself to this. I'll stop distracting myself with useless stuff like girls, a social life, grad school, or getting a job. You have my unequivocal dedication for at least two more Olympic cycles...I really want to make those World Cup standards one day.

I'm going to live in my parents basement for the next 10 years, so when I'm not with you I'll either be sleeping or playing video games, no other distractions. I'll do that for you. After 2020 I'll reconsider and perhaps do something with my life. But until then let's give this a shot to work out.

Sincerely,
Ryan

WTC - Ryan's Thoughts

2010-11-04T11:35:00.009-04:00

The big news in the triathlon world - and proverbial post-workout locker room gossip - these days is the World Triathlon Corporation, otherwise known as the "Ironman" brand, and the parade of farces they have come up with as policies over the past year. Throughout the year WTC has continually pushed it's boundaries between customer satisfaction and lining their shareholder's pockets as heavily as possible.

First it was the Ironman Pro Card membership system. In principle I had no issues with the idea that professional athletes would become "members" of Ironman in an attempt to streamline prize money and drug testing. But the fault in the system came when athletes saw that out-of-competition testing simply was not happening. Chrissie Wellington, the face and essence of "iron-distance", publicly begged WTC to administer a drug test, yet no one from WTC showed up. Where were these Pro Card fees going if not to the promised drug testing?

Then there was that absurd 8% rule for the professional prize purse at Ironman events. By this rule a professional athlete would be denied his duly earned paycheque for a top finish at an Ironman event, if one of his colleagues had an exceptional result. In essence athletes were being penalized for other athletes' strong performances. And the reasoning behind this rule was nothing short of insulting: to weed out "tier-two" pro's from Ironman races. That is, developmental athletes who are all but entirely dependent on race winnings and high placings to satisfy their sponsors, would be deprived of their earnings and a chance to break through in the sport if Chrissie or Crowie happened to show up and win by ten minutes.

However this (admittedly unintentional) attempt to stifle the future competition in Ironman races did bring my favourite moment in triathlon this year: Julie Dibens waiting a few feet from the finish line of Ironman 70.3 Boulder to give five minutes of interviews to minimize her margin of victory, in an attempt to allow as many athletes as possible to receive their paycheque, and publicly humiliate WTC in demonstrating the ridiculous nature of the 8% rule.

There have also been the numerous fiascos of late - drastically reducing pro spots in Kona to give them to age groupers at a new Ironman event, the "60 days" rule for next year's Muncie 70.3 that has wiped out a local triathlon series, the recent Miami 70.3 that has been eloquently described as "the worst organized race ever" and forced Ironman to provide free entry to another event as compensation. And of course the now infamously trashed Ironman Access program in which people could pay $1000 for the right to quite literally "butt the line" for Ironman North America events...and get a handy dandy ID card along with it.

To some (myself included), the only legitimacy WTC continues to hold through this utter debauchery of a calendar year is the race course in Kailua-Kona and it's inherent right to be deemed a World Championship. But consider taking a different perspective on this.

In my opinion, the downward spiral of Ironman as a race as well as a brand has come in the past 10 years as "iron-distance" racing has become the cool thing to do, or perhaps the only aspect of the sport many age group triathletes care about. With major progress being made in sport science and thus coaching, as well as the technological advancements in the mechanical aspects of our sport, ultra-distance racing has become accessible to the masses. The days of doing triathlon or Ironman for the pursuit of a strictly personal goal of testing your human limits, or being some crazy guy (or girl) who did an 11 hour race, are over.

Ironman has become pop triathlon. How can a fringe or extreme sport have the term "pop" attached to any aspect of it? Ironman has become the race for the masses, for 2400 people on a "personal" journey to draft for 7 hours on the bike and walk a 6 hour marathon to have the privilege of saying "I am an Ironman". Pop triathlon is a middle-aged professional with a Cervelo P3 with four inches of headset spacers and Zipp 606 clinchers, compression socks, and a wetsuit that is three sizes too big. Pop triathlon is an age grouper who dismisses a professional athlete who can run a 29:30 10k off the bike because they aren't racing in Kona. It's someone who's sole reason for being in triathlon is to do a branded Ironman, because the better organized Challenge or Rev3 events, and the local events that exude a genuine desire for customer service yet are on par in terms of professionalism, somehow carry a diminished capacity for bragging rights in comparison.

In this context, you can hardly blame WTC for attempting to capitalize on a market that is clearly thriving, growing, and more than willing to drop their expendible income (or children's college fund) on flights, entry fees and quintuple-digit bikes to experience their personal journey to reach the depths of their mind and body. It's capitalism: if consumerism creates a market for a product or service, it's their right to provide it and make money on it. And as a corporation it is in their best interest, rather their obligation, to take measures to maximize profits to the extent that the market will allow.

WTC has brought such ridiculous policies and rule changes because no matter what they do, tens of thousands of people will pay $600 to enter a triathlon and flock to their events around the world. WTC is not the evil in the triathlon world, it is the people who blindly accept their legitimacy as the best or ultimate in triathlon, rather than considering competing over the same distance for 10-30 percent the cost in race series' that rival or better WTC's organization, professionalism and commitment to customer satisfaction.

Leading Life From The Hips

2010-10-31T19:29:00.004-04:00

A recent video analysis session with Coach James uncovered something interesting in my swim stroke: It sucks.

More specifically I'm still not engaging my core and leading through the hips. It was pretty evident through the video why I suffer from back problems in swimming and why a 4k workout is usually a near-death experience.

So it's one of those one step back-two steps forward times with my swim training. Short technical workouts, no watching the clock, and focusing solely on driving my stroke from the core rather than my typical forceful and horribly inefficient form.

Bike training is resuming...it seems I missed one of the best fall riding seasons since I started the sport and now I get to train in negative temperatures. At least until the snow flies and I dust off the rollers. I spent most of last week training in Guelph where we got a couple big rides in, and given that I hit a new sign sprint PB (clearly the strongest indicator of fitness) it seems I haven't lost much bike fitness through my month off.

Running is another story. Technically I'm not supposed to be running for another two weeks, but of course I've disregarded that little piece of advice from the well-meaning doctors. There are few things more frustrating than going from the best run shape of my life (I was well under 34 minutes for a cross 10k) to feeling like crap after a 20 minute run/walk. But I'll take fresh air over water running or the ellyptical and choose to disregard the pain.

Other than all that, I've started to put together next year's race schedule. I'm planning at least one winter training camp before once again starting my season in style with a May race in the Caribbean (sadly not St. Croix 70.3 this year). Then I plan to hit the Coteau du Lac Pan Am Cup followed by a new Pan Am race in July, before winding things down with my perennial favourites. Once again next year is all about training development. I don't expect any life-changing results but I look forward to another strong building year.

Pointless Thoughts

2010-10-23T21:44:00.006-04:00

While I'm sitting here bored out of my mind, still unable to run with my broken foot, I can't help but reflect on another season gone by. Not that I'm feeling particularly philosophical or anything...I just have nothing better to do.

The story of my season goes back to last year. My ultimate goal in triathlon for the past two years was to get my elite card and race with the big boys. That's where my aspirations in the sport ended. Unlike just about every other professional triathlete, I did not begin the sport in Kids of Steel racing and I never competed in the junior elite series. I was an ever injured, average-at-best club track runner before taking up triathlon at 18. I couldn't swim 50 meters and I thought the elite guys were superhuman.

I've always had trouble setting goals for myself since I began triathlon. Not because I have no aspirations for success, nor because I fail. My athletic improvement seems to come faster than the evolution of my definition of success in triathlon. When I started training specifically for triathlon I decided I wanted to show up all the "old guys" who told me long distance racing isn't for young athletes, so my third ever triathlon was a sub-5:30 half ironman. Then I decided I wanted to compete at Age Group World Championships. Within a month I had met that goal, qualifying for both distances (on the same weekend).

Fast forward to last year, when I set my sights on obtaining my elite card. I trained at the Provincial Triathlon Centre for 12 weeks, learned some hard lessons on effective training and recovery, won sprint nationals and got the results needed to turn pro. Cue the proverbial "uhh, now what" question, and that brings us to this year...

In my first year of elite racing I realized that if I want any success beyond the status quo, I need to accomplish one more simple yet easier-said-than-done goal: get way f***ing faster. I obsessed with that goal for the first half of the season and all that got me was a string of injuries, some mediocre results and a couple DNF's. After close to a month off through the middle of the season, I got healthy and did 5 races in under 8 weeks, including my first draft-legal race, my first ITU race, a breakthrough result at the Olympic distance, and a couple podium finishes in local races.

After discovering last year how cool it feels to win a race I was disappointed I missed out on that this year, with 4th, 3rd and 2nd place finishes at the races I felt I should be winning. But I accomplished two much more significant goals over the course of the year: gaining a ton of experience in getting my ass kicked by the big boys, and ending the season much fitter and stronger than when I started.

Most importantly in my development as an athlete has been my sign sprint improvements since getting my Powertap. Although breaking my foot prevented me from reaching my goal of 1500 Watts by the end of the year, I end the year with a respectable PB of 1373W (19.3 Watts/Kg). I plan to set my sights on 1800 next season, and if I hit that I will promptly quit triathlon and become a sprinter.

Ok fine, that wasn't quite the most important part of my season.

Looking forward to next year, my focus will once again be on draft-legal racing. I've had a number of people tell me not to bother with ITU until I get faster, but I much prefer to continue to fail in trying until my performances are "good enough" to be legitimately competitive. So next year my key events will be two or three Continental Cups, followed by elite provincials, and of course a few Multisport Canada events. I guess it's time to get back to work.

"Breaking" News

2010-10-12T19:52:00.002-04:00

Well, I was way off with my Kona predictions. But that's what makes triathlon such an exciting sport. Fitness can be trumped by innumerable external variables. And the race "on paper" never reflects what happens out there a few hours into a race.

Onto my breaking news...my plan to get some serious run mileage in my legs this fall had to be cut short. In my attempt to train for some cross country I got a little over-ambitious with my trail running and broke my foot in what was surely a very stupid and comical manner. My foot has been placed in a space boot until further notice. So no more running this month, and I'll find out tomorrow from the specialist when I can attempt to resume any form of training.

In the mean time I'm bored out of my mind and am considering my options for new athletics avenues. I've narrowed it down to lawn darts, shuffleboard, or downhill cheese racing.

Podium Picks

2010-10-05T10:46:00.002-04:00

For whatever my opinion is worth, here's my breakdown of Saturday's events.

Men
1. Craig Alexander*
2. Chris McCormack
3. Terenzo Bozzone

Look for this to be the marathon battle we have been waiting for the last two years between two of the best runners in the history of our sport. It's going to take a course record to win this year, and with the expected weather conditions my bet is Crowie will once and for all show Macca who's boss on the run, with Terenzo breaking through at the Ironman distance for a close 3rd. A lot of people are picking Rasmus Henning for the podium, but I think he's going to cramp on the run. Others like Lieto and Bockel will have strong performances, but won't match the run strength of these three.

Women
1. Chrissie Wellington*
2. Rebekah Keat
3. Tereza Macel

No one is going to be close to Chrissie once again this year. With no one in her zip code look for her to set sights on her own course record and demolish last year's 8:54. The other girls will be forced to go for it on the bike rather than let Chrissie slip away for the fourth straight year. Runners like Mirinda Carfrae and Rebekah Keat will push themselves beyond their comfort zone and lose their chances of making up time on the run. Keat will settle for second with a heroic effort. Tereza is one of the strongest women in the world on the bike and will be in touch with Chrissie to the run and hold on for third with one of the most consistent races of the day.

Kona Lowdown

2010-10-03T09:18:00.002-04:00

I have mixed feelings about race week getting underway in Kona this year. While I usually look forward to the live coverage and count the days to the TV special, as I become more involved in the triathlon world through coaching and working at a tri shop, I find the vast majority of triathletes (ie. age groupers) are irksomely naive to anything but Ironman racing.

How are you a pro triathlete if you don't do Ironman?
Isn't short course pretty much just a running race?
Isn't short course pretty much just a bike race?
You're allowed to draft?? That's so easy.
There's no way you can run that fast.

Just a sample of the daily comments I get from people who are either shocked to find that there is a world outside of Ironman, or are so caught up in mainstream or "pop" triathlon that they don't realize Olympic distance racing has more prize money, more international press coverage and stronger elite competition than long course.

While I could ramble about training volume, race tactics and overall talent of successful athletes at either discipline (maybe another time), I'll let the Iron-people have their week in bliss. And I still enjoy the lead up to Kona and will be glued to my computer screen for 8-10 hours next Saturday. So here's my take on the race this year:

Men

The obvious choice:
Craig Alexander - knows how to get it done on the Big Island, has never finished lower than second. He hasn't race much this year, but at a race in which he faced some of the biggest names in the sport (Rev3 Quassy) he ran down everyone to take the title. You can bet Kona has been the only thing on his mind all year. Plus I met him in St. Croix and I have a bit of a man crush.

The contenders:
Chris Lieto - second last year, has had strong 70.3 results this season. Continually proves that if you ride fast enough you don't have to worry about running.
Terenzo Bozzone - ripped up the 70.3 scene all year and second at Ironman NZ, look for him to have a big day at the Ironman distance.
Andy Potts - has found success at every distance, having won his first Ironman at Coeur d'Alene this year. Watch for him to lead out the swim and stay out front for a while.

The dark horse:
Chris McCormack - cocky as hell and almost as full of himself as Normann Stadler, when Macca decides to finish a race he's one of the most successful athletes in history. Won three years ago, DNF (mechanical) two years ago, last year blew up at 10 miles running like an idiot trying to stay in front of Crowie. If his ego doesn't get in the way, Macca could be back on the podium this year.

Women

The obvious choice:
Chrissie Wellington - she did 8:19 this year. Need I say more?

The contenders:
Mirinda Carfrae - based on her recent Slowtwitch swim challenge she can't swim to save her life...but that didn't stop her from breaking the run course record in Kona last year. She's more comfortable on the bike this year so look for her to be fighting for second place again.
Tereza Macel - She's won four Ironmans over the last two years, finished fourth in Kona last year, and she's cute as a button.

The dark horse:
Sam McGlone - I need another Canadian in here. Second place in her Kona debut, she did not race on the Big Island last year but managed a win and course record in Arizona the following month. Look for her to be back at it this year.

Stay tuned for my official podium picks coming later this week.

2010-09-28T10:44:00.003-04:00

Nothing new or worthy of mention on the training front, or life for that matter. But since I feel obligated to all of my approximately three dedicated readers, here is another picture of the week.

Tri season is done, ironically just as I'm starting to feel fit. But I plan to hit a couple road races through the fall, and maybe even try some cross, so a real update will come in the near future.

Recovery

2010-09-16T10:58:00.004-04:00

A lot of people don't take it seriously, even fewer take me seriously when I tell them I lead a mysterious double life of elite triathlete by day/elite napper the rest of the time. Terenzo knows how it is...

My hero.

Esprit Tri

2010-09-11T20:35:00.005-04:00

I started my race season on May 2nd, and it took to mid-September for me to perform to my potential and be completely satisfied with a race. I was happy with my race at provincials, considering I knew I would be relegated to the back of the race given my swim fitness. But Olympic distance is a whole other beast, and it seriously hurts.

I've had a string of bad luck with the Olympic distance over the last two seasons. I was sick for Worlds in Australia last year, and this year I had to pull out of Guelph Lake with injury, then was lapped out at Nationals. Prior to that, I had a good race at 2008 Worlds...but the swim was cancelled there. I have to go back to 2007, my first full season of racing, for my official Olympic distance PB - 2:28.

I finally managed to put together a good race over the distance today at the Montreal Esprit Triathlon festival. The race is unique in that there are five different races that go on the same course (even an ironman!), on the same day. I was a little worried about congestion and drafting, but I was very impressed by the organization and the one of a kind venue.

My race didn't get off to a good start...the pre-race instructions were all in French and there was no countdown. Just a bunch of instructions I couldn't understand, then a half-hearted horn went off a few minutes later. Needless to say I was caught off guard, and got my ass kicked in the swim start.

The swim course is only about 10 meters wide on an out and back course in the Olympic Rowing Basin, so after my late start and getting punched in the nose, kicked in the junk and full on horse-collared and pushed under, I was stuck behind a group for nearly 800 meters before finally finding my way through. I've been in 1000+ athlete mass starts, draft-legal and ITU races, and this was the roughest swim I've ever been in.

I managed to make up a bit of time in the last 700, came out of the water a bit slower that I had hoped but I was happy to be alive and getting on the bike. Now the fun begins. The Olympic course is 9 laps of the wicked fast Gille Villeneuve Formula 1 track. Everyone was keeping honest with drafting, and while I spent my entire ride weaving through long course guys, the multiple laps was a lot of fun and made the ride fly by.

I rode my Powertap so James and I figured if I was feeling good I could aim for 260-270W average. So I locked in at that effort keeping an eye on any wattage spikes and put my head down for 40km. I had by far my best ride of the year - and probably ever - averaged 270W and did 1:02 (edit: Powertap data had my split at 59:23)

The run course wasn't quite as interesting as the bike with two laps around the rowing basin. Which meant 2km of painfully flat and straight pavement, then back...twice. Pretty boring, and very easy to lose focus with my legs burning from a hard ride. I took it out with (what I considered conservative) 3:30 km's which I held up to about 6.5k where the wheels started falling off. At that point it became a matter of survival and a real gut check. I motivated myself by playing this riff in my head (4:33...seriously the coolest riff in the history of music):

The last mile was the longest one I've ever run, but I managed to hold on to a fairly respectable 37 low, and a total time of 2:04:15 for 9th overall at a very competitive race. So officially, a 24 minute PB :) Glad to finally get a decent time beside my name and get the monkey off my back. I will likely end my tri season on that note rather than race Lakeside next week, having finally satisfied the standards I set for myself in racing.

On the international front, some great racing today at ITU World Champs Grand Final, and tomorrow promises to be even more exciting with Paula Findlay gunning for the win and Alexander Hinton competing at his first World Championships in the junior men's race. Best of luck to all, and all age groupers racing in Budapest tomorrow!

Training With Power

2010-09-09T21:30:00.000-04:00

No, I haven't changed the title of my blog. Although that would be a rather witty choice of words...

I finally joined the 21st century this week and got a power meter on my bike. The benefits of power-based training and analyzing the quantitative data a power meter provides for an otherwise subjective activity are well documented and practiced throughout the sport...so I'll just tell you how funky it is :)

I decided to go for a Powertap hub laced into a Shimano training rim. I figured this would be the better setup for me, having a couple bikes I train on so I can just swap rear wheels. And also because unless you're nationally carded an SRM will cost you 5 grand.

The system itself is very clean and simple to use, everything is measured internally from the hub so there are no speed/cadence sensors or wires cluttering my pretty bike. The computer head isn't too complicated but displays everything you need on the fly. I had trained with power through the winter on a Computrainer so I already had a general idea of what I was doing on the bike, but within the first 10 minutes on the road I was a convert and found a power meter to be one of the best investments I've made in the sport.

...I wouldn't recommend a power meter to anyone else though, so I can train better and beat you.

Here's my power data from my ride a few days ago. 20min warmup, 5x 2mins hard/2mins easy, then 10mins steady at ~275 watts.

Averaged 349-387W for each 2min interval, then 283W for the tempo (exactly 4 W/kg) which worked out to 38.8km/h. Then I posted a new sign sprint PB in my cooldown: 1288W, 63.3km/h. Fun stuff!

In other news, I've managed to find the motivation for another week of training and I'm headed to the Montreal Esprit triathlon this weekend (I'll be rocking the Powertap to get some race data). I've had my eye on this race for a couple years now, the course held ITU World Champs in 1999 and is known as an exceptionally well run event. Depending on how the race goes and how I feel it will likely be my last tri of the year, but if I feel up to it I might hop in my hometown race at Lakeside the following week.

After that it'll be a bit of relaxation before starting a run focused training block and hit a few 10k's through the fall. I know I'm in the best running form of my life, having PB'd the run at provincials (with a time that included transition) so I'm looking forward to seeing what I can do in a fresh 10k.

Another week, another race

2010-08-30T16:07:00.011-04:00

It's a good thing employment is against my principles, otherwise I wouldn't have time for all this travel and racing. Now I just need to figure out a way to pay off this fancy new Powertap.

This weekend I was in Cobourg for my favourite race in Ontario. It's quite the ordeal driving through Toronto on a Friday night to get there, but it's a beautiful little town and the race course suits me perfectly: challenging bike, fast run...and an occasionally cancelled swim.

After a slow start to the season I've now had 4 events in just over a month, not to mention spending a bit of time in Guelph training with the RTC. So rather than another tedious race recap, here is my race in pictures (thanks to professional triathlete/photo journalist Angela Quick).

3rd out of the water

Having some trouble with the borrowed wetsuit

that's a pretty cool bike

I went by this guy like he was standing still at 15k and he came in transition with me...he may or may not have been sucking wheel....

Clearly I need to lose some weight if I want to be competitive

I'm glad there is no photo evidence of the later stages of the run where I was doing my best Michael Raelert impression of rolling up my top and pulling down my shorts. It really does make you run faster.

Second overall with a strong run. No complaints.

Kelowna ITU

2010-08-24T15:45:00.003-04:00

My homestay buddy Tom "Lockdown" Lokody has been waiting for this post for a while so here goes...

Someday this is going to be one of those inspirational "look how far he's come" stories. For now it's another hard lesson learned in a tough season of racing, and I'm left with a taste in my mouth as bitter as the crappy $3 coffee I had at the airport last night. So here's my most detailed race report of the season.

My training leading up to nationals was as good a training block as I have ever put together. I wasn't swimming as well as I had hoped to by this point of the season with my injury problems stemming from swim training, but overall I was happy with my fitness and was confident going into the race. That is, until I hit the deck hard on my last training ride before packing up my bike and getting on the plane. It was just one of those freak accidents that you can't do anything about (which I was well overdue for having never had a serious crash in training), and as per my luck it came three days before the biggest race of my life.

I managed to shred my jersey and shorts, not to mention my entire left side, and there's a chance I've fractured my scaphoid again. But I wasn't prepared to start making excuses so I packed up my bike (a little worse for wear) and showed up to the elite pre-race briefing covered in bandages. I got a few looks and some "I can't believe you are still racing" comments, but I was taking inspiration from a bumper sticker I saw at the Kelowna airport: "Are you gonna COWBOY UP, or just lie there and bleed?"

The weather in Kelowna was beautiful all weekend...that is until 2pm on Sunday when it began pouring, air temperature dropped to about 15 degrees, and very strong winds made the water reminiscent of Vancouver 2008. No worries, time to cowboy up! I warmed up in a wetsuit then immediately dried off and put on pants and a winter jacket while most athletes were shivering as we began lining up. When we were called to the start line I was more focused than I ever have been for a race. I hit the start hard, not letting anyone push me around and had relatively clean water for the opening 250m.

I settled into a decent rhythm around 400m and found some good feet to sit on. Prior to the race James and I had discussed race strategy, and we both noted that fellow Ontario athlete Jonathon McMillan would be a great guy to find in the swim, as we're similarly weak swimmers but very strong riders. As we came through the opening 750m I saw that it was McMillan who I was with: "Perfect, now stay the **** on his feet!"

After another rough and cold 750 (or more...many commented on the bouys moving, and the men's swim times were slower than the women's so something must have happened) we got out of the water - not last! - and I had to battle my hamstrings locking up from the cold swim as we ran into T1. I had a fast transition, relaxed while Jonathon bridged back up and we got to work. We were working well together, riding very hard and seemed to be gaining time on a few riders up the road. The atmosphere of an ITU event with a multiple lap bike was very cool and kept me motivated to keep the hammer down until we could find some more company.

On our third lap I was starting to get through the cramping and was ready to really start making up ground. I was happy to be executing my race strategy very well and was completely focused on our effort. About half way up our third time on Knox hill my focus was broken by a motorbike pulling us off the road, and about a minute later a monster lead group rolled by. Jonathon and I looked at each other wondering what the hell just happened. Despite our hard riding our race was over and we headed back to transition.

It turned out that our swim times were a full 5 minutes slower than what we did at this race last year (despite both being stronger swimmers now than a year ago), and a ton of guys were lapped out by the lead group of 10 or 12 world class athletes. I was disappointed that I couldn't show off my run form but I knew getting lapped out was a possibility and there was nothing I could have done differently. Even though our race ended abruptly I have to give a lot of credit to Jonny Mac on his work out there.

So I went to the med tent and got my various injuries bandaged again, got another "I can't believe you raced like that" comment and left with some valuable experience in the tough world of ITU racing. I really like the draft-legal side of triathlon, but there is absolutely no room for weakness.

I'm taking this week easy in training and unless I find out that I have a fracture in my wrist I'll race Cobourg on Sunday with something to prove on the run course. I'm looking at my options for one more big race this season, right now I'm leaning towards Ironman 70.3 Syracuse.

A few pics of my shortened race:

Race Week

2010-08-17T09:45:00.002-04:00

I'm in full taper mode now with my A-race just 5 days away in Kelowna. I've had this race marked since I won the age group sprint race last season and I'm looking forward to stepping up with the big boys. I've fought a bit of inconsistency this year with injuries and lack of training partners, but overall I'm happy with my fitness and confident in my preparation for Elite Nationals.

The start list looks exceptionally strong this year so I have no expectations in the results. This race is going to be about learning how to mix it up with some world class athletes and have some fun while gaining valuable experience in elite racing. It appears to be a relatively large field (~70 men) for ITU which can only help me since it increases the chances of finding company on the bike. I don't want to have to force things on the bike like I did at Provincials, I'd much rather ride within my comfort zone and put in a huge effort on the run.

When I get back I'll take a week to relax before heading to my favourite race in Ontario, Multisport Canada's Cobourg triathlon on the 28th. Since I had a slow start to the race season I'm looking to have some solid performances late in the year. I'm no longer going to PATCO with it now being a qualifying race so after Kelowna I'll decide what I want to focus on...possibly another Continental Cup, or maybe even another crack at a 70.3 (pending coach's approval!)

The 7 Disciplines of Elite Triathlon

2010-08-08T21:59:00.005-04:00

I know what you're thinking..."errr, triathlon is three sports." Well you're in for a lesson my friend, on the grueling and intricate lifestyle of an elite triathlete. While I'm generally an advocate for simplicity in training and racing, sometimes there is more than meets the eye when it comes to professional athletes. This is my exposé on the secrets of triathlon success.

Swim/bike/run are the easy parts, just get your butt out the door and train (discipline #1: training). Transitions can be thrown in with training; it seems obvious to me to practice them (it has been well documented that even when I have a crappy race I always have the fastest transition splits), but if you watched Vancouver Int'l or IM Hawaii on TV this weekend you'll have realized that pretty much everyone sucks at transitions, even some world class pros.

I also often preach the importance of nutrition and awesome Canadian music if one wants to succeed, so those are numbers 2 and 3.

But all those are the obvious ones, and anyone can figure that stuff out. It's the other four secret disciplines that must be mastered if one is to achieve greatness and/or world supremacy in the sport of triathlon:

4. Video Games:
Recovery is essential to consistency in training and in turn performance. A critical aspect of recovery is becoming a loser and shutting out all social activities, and the first step is playing video games. Get some tea and omega 3 cookies, put your legs up, and waste those Nazi zombies. If you're really good you can ice or use your foam roller while playing.

5. Unemployment:
Also related to recovery, having a job is a waste of time that could be better spent napping, or better yet playing video games. Above this, going to work is just a drag in general. To many the thought of quitting their job to train full time is a daunting and life-changing decision. But really it's quite simple: quit your job-->train and recover effectively-->win Hy-Vee.

6. Sleep:
9 hours per night, plus 60-90min napping throughout the day. No exceptions. Beauty rest is critical to looking awesome while training and racing, and studies have shown looking good is the most accurate determinent of winning a triathlon. If you've ever seen Magali Tisseyre race you know this to be true.

7. Hot Yoga:
You may scoff at this one, but this discipline is two-fold in it's benefits to the pro triathlete. Not only does stretching, core strength and muscle stability directly relate to health and performance while training, but hot yoga makes you feel like you've done a workout when really all you did was stand there and stare at girls. Speaking of which, an elite athlete's entire social life consists of saying hi to the hippie communist server at Starbucks who calls you "comrade", and going to hot yoga. So don't miss it.

Master the 7 disciplines of triathlon I will see you on the podium.

Big Week

2010-08-06T21:19:00.003-04:00

So after getting dusted at provincials - and enjoying every minute of it - I've got a fire lit under my bottom in training and I'm highly motivated and excited for my ITU debut at Elite Nationals in two weeks. I'll get dusted there too, but I'll give it hell. This is what my week in training looked like, my swim mileage is still low but I'm getting some good efforts in each workout:

Monday:
3k swim - main set 8x150 as 25 sprint/125 tempo on 2:30, alt. paddle pull/free
17k easy run
Core/prehab
Tuesday:
3+k swim - 10x50 on 45, main set 2x300 start speed/300 easy
2hr ride with 6x1min hard, then 5x1km hill climb in big chainring
20min brick with 5min tempo
Core/prehab
Wednesday:
Drill swim
Recovery ride
15k fartlek run
Core/prehab
Thursday:
3k swim - 200 band, main set 2x400, 2x300, 2x200, 2x100
2hr ride with RTC Guelph - hard paceline+crit work
Friday:
Open water swim w/ RTC
RTC track run w/ 12x400 dec 1-4 from 80 to 66-67
Core/prehab

Here's a cool GoPro video from our Thurs ride by Coach James who is leading the RTC this week

White shorts/white jersey: yours truly
Green jersey: Ang Quick (aka let out at provs)
Black/blue shorts: Ian Donald (holy crap this guy can run)
Black/grey shorts: Zander Hinton (booking his ticket to Budapest)
Black shorts/Milram jersey: Tyler Bredscheider (the guy who is going to lap me in the two-loop swim in Kelowna)
The rabbit: Tom Lokody ("I love triathlons, they make me happy")

Thanks for the training guys.

Wheels for Sale

2010-08-01T14:17:00.003-04:00

Fulcrum Racing 5 training/racing wheels:
-1750g
~500km on them, in perfect condition
-retail $600+$150 for Hutchinson Fusion 2 Triathlon tires, selling for $300

Mavic Cosmic Carbone Pro race wheels (I've removed the ugly yellow stickers, now just a pure black carbon weave):
-1500g, 52mm carbon tubulars with carbon/titanium hubs
-used for 10 races over 2 seasons, recently trued and new front tire
-retail for $3600, asking $1200 with Conti tubulars, wheel bags and all tools

Email me if you're interested, rpower4(at)uwo.ca

Provincials

2010-07-31T21:11:00.004-04:00

Photos courtesy of Craig Taylor, supporter and coach extraordinaire.

Over the past six days I've travelled 23 hours and raced twice, but I felt great for my race today. Draft-legal provincial championships was supposed to be an A-race for me this year, but given my injury troubles from late-June to mid-July it simply became a race to gain some valuable experience in a drafting format against some of the best young athletes in Canada.

My swim training has really been limited over the past six weeks so my plan for the race was to swim my own pace and get out of the water feeling good to throw it down on the bike in hopes of catching someone, then have a decent run. I did my best not to get annihilated through the first 300 meters but I got knocked around quite a bit until I found some friendly feet to sit on. I exited the water about two minutes down of the lead group...a little disappointing but I was feeling fresh and ready to hit the bike hard.

I buried myself through the first 3k on the bike and managed to catch a couple juniors. I immediately started my barking orders but we quickly dropped one rider and were stuck trying to chase with some limited firepower. I thought second chase pack was in our sights, but with the main packs working together with 5-10 strong guys we didn't have much of a chance to make up time. I went through a few more stragglers who couldn't hang on to do any work, and unfortunately my bike fitness is not quite where I want it and I couldn't put time into the larger groups up the road.

By 10k there were two main packs well up the road from us, so I focused on riding smart and holding back a bit for the run...a nice aspect of draft legal! I led our little group of three or four into T2 and dropped them through transition. I focused on running relaxed and staying light on my feet, and to my surprise my body agreed with me today. I made up a few more places through the run and ended up with a 17:46 5k. In a perfect world I would have liked to see a slightly faster run but it's my best so far this year so I can't complain with that in my first drafting race.

Overall I was happy with how things went today. My tactics were good (or as good as they can be when riding mainly solo) and I executed well given my fitness. Two solid efforts in two weeks after 3 months of frustration...I can't complain. Back to the grinding stone for a couple weeks to hammer out some speed in the water then off to nationals.

Bala Race Report

2010-07-26T06:53:00.003-04:00

My season finally got rolling again this weekend with the Bala Falls tri, or the start of a new season as I like to think of it. After six weeks of physio, rehab and a reset on my attitude I was genuinely excited to race for the first time this year.

So I had one last stop at physio on Friday to tape up my back and off I went to "The Cranberry Capital of Ontario" (I didn't see any cranberries) for one of the classic small-town races in the province. Just like St. Croix I was inundated with hospitality; I stayed in a cottage that was bigger than my house, was treated to some good food and wine, and I have decided that jet skiing is an integral part of my pre-race routine.

I drove the race course the night before to check things out and I figured it was going to suit me pretty well (I was wrong). I was going a little retro this time...no wetsuit, road bike setup...because this was simply a test and a tune up for draft-legal provincials next weekend.

On race morning the water temperature was measured at 75 degrees (cut-off for wetsuits is generally 78 for age-groupers, 76 for elites) but I decided I would go non-wetsuit since I've never done a race without one. There were a couple very strong swimmers at the race and I was in 4th position in a nice little pace line through 400m, until the guy just ahead of me decided that 400m was enough and completely stopped swimming. That type of thing may happen in the middle of the pack at these races...but I was a little surprised that someone in a paceline holding ~1:25's would do that. Unfortunately I couldn't bridge the gap after being forced to swim over the guy so I took the rest of the swim pretty easy and focused on feeling good coming out of the water.

I was 6th onto the bike and made up a couple places in the first 5k. As a prep for next weekend's sprint I went very hard from the start of the bike up to 20k, but I paid for that for the rest of the race. The course was constant long steady hills which I thought would be in my favour on a road bike, but they weren't steep enough or technical enough to really be better off than the guys on tri bikes. I could tell I wasn't as fit as I'd like to be, but I limited my losses and was off the bike 5th. I saw the leaders coming off the bike and I could see they were not runners so I was feeling good with my position.

By the first k I was in 3rd and I could see 1st and 2nd up the road. The leader off the bike was 4 minutes up when I started running and I made up 3 minutes through 3km, but 2nd place had come off the bike just ahead of me and we were running the exact same pace. Unfortunately I really started to feel my lack of race fitness around 5k with the very difficult run course. At every turn around I could see that I was putting time into the leader, and I could tell 2nd place was a strong runner but I had him locked in at about 100 meters up the road. My plan was to bridge up with about 1k to go and make a move on the last hill, but my lack of hard efforts in training lately showed on the uphills (there were about a million of them) as my legs were cramping whenever I tried to dig. I had to settle for 3rd about 20 seconds back of the leaders...but we all were beaten by Martin Rydlo in the second wave.

So 4th. Not bad all things considered, and I enjoyed racing for the first time this year. I haven't lost too much fitness over the last month, just felt a little rusty out there. Hopefully I can get some feel back in the water this week, and with a good effort on a very challenging course yesterday I should be ready to rock in Ottawa this weekend. I probably went too hard on the first half of the bike and run, but considering my race strategy for provincials is "race to the brink of death", that's probably not a bad thing.

I won't be where I had hoped in the swim but the plan is to annihilate myself on the bike until I bridge up to a group, then run a PB 5k off the bike. I can't wait!

Dear Triathlon Canada,

2010-07-23T10:32:00.003-04:00

There must be some sort of mistake. The start list for the Kelowna ITU Pan Am Cup (ie. Canadian Elite/U23 Nationals Champs) was released this morning (here), and in between such athletes as Brent McMahon, Kyle Jones and Simon Whitfield, there is some poser named Ryan Power.

What the F*** am I getting myself into?!? I still haven't learned how to swim!

...maybe I can apply for an exemption to wear paddles and fins, on the basis of inexorable suckyness.

Green Light

2010-07-18T14:00:00.005-04:00

Spondylolisthesis:
-anterior displacement of the vertebrae in relation to vertebral column, caused by stress injury or degeneration
-an awesome combination of a stress fracture and a slipped disc...I like to think of it as the Transformers of injuries
-the underlying cause of my reduced training and lack of racing over the past month, and what I'm referring to when I talk about my gimp back

So it's a funny sounding injury that I have, which unfortunately flares up from time to time when my training volume or intensity increases. It's something I've had to accept and deal with over the past two years, and will continue to do so if I want to keep racing.

Some minor muscle imbalances on the bike and poor swim form has caused it to flare up a couple times this year, but after a month of base training and no races I finally have the green light to hit the start line. Just in time for Elite/U23 Provincials and Kelowna ITU.

My patience has been tested the past few weeks but this week I finally got to test my legs instead...and it went well. Test #1 was an open water swim then brick into 2x20min intervals on the bike, and averaged 38.2 and 37.8 at tempo effort. Today was some brick intervals for test #2, and with a little help from motor pacing I did 2x 5k bike/1k run in 9:35 and 9:12. Fun stuff!

Unless something goes terribly wrong this week I'm going to race Multisport Canada's Bala Falls tri next weekend, and will enter my first elite race in Ottawa on the 31st. And despite the speed bumps lately things are still looking good for my A-races in Kelowna and Puerto Vallarta.

The Bright Side of Rehab

2010-07-10T20:39:00.005-04:00

Visit to my physio confirmed that things are progressing in terms of muscle imbalances. I still have a lot of work to do to get healthy in the pool, namely a ton of backstroke to become a more balanced, therefore fitter, swimmer. I'm realizing it's not as simple as just jumping into 20k swimming weeks in an attempt to race ITU...with absolutely no swim background. Feeling pretty good on the bike and I finally get to - gently - test things out on the run. I was getting desperate to run fast for the first time in a month and the legs felt good.

But for now the weekly training hours are pretty low. It's a good thing I have become an expert at the art of post-workout laziness...uhh I mean recovery (as outlined Pt 1 and 2). The best part about rehab is sitting my bottom in front of the TV for hours at a time. I get to watch Canadian Ryder Hesjedal work his way up to 3rd in the Tour, and I can spend my mornings with Canada's greatest TV personality, Jay Onrait:

Quote of the Month

2010-07-08T19:08:00.003-04:00

Ok this story is a little dorky for typical blogging material, but FF to 1:35 into the video for my favourite triathlon quote of the 2010 season.

In other news...there really is no news. I'm still stuck spending more time watching Le Tour while doing prehab than actually training (at least it's very cool to have a Canadian 4th on GC!). It's getting a little frustrating with some of my big races for the season on the horizon and being limited in training for three weeks now. I'm feeling strong on the bike again, runs are coming along but swims are still very inconsistent. Some days its just a no-go when I get in the water. Which is not a good thing when I'm trying to race ITU.

I have another visit to my physio tomorrow to get a better idea of how things are progressing, and hopefully figure out how to get back into training and racing. But when it comes down to it I am more concerned with getting healthy and getting back to feeling good - physically and mentally - in training. Even if it means having to take a few steps back and reconsidering my races this season.

Limiting Losses

2010-07-03T21:27:00.002-04:00

A theme I'm sharing with a few of the Tour favourites after today's prologue. It's the most wonderful time of the year!

I'm still in rehab mode and getting a little impatient given that it's the mid-season and I'm restricted to base mileage and haven't gotten the green light to race. But I'm making the best of my training and worrying about what I can control - not doing anything stupid and really put myself in a hole.

Today was my first little test of how things are feeling with the LPC Training Day. 4hour workout with a main set of 2x ~300m swim/11k bike/2.6k run on the Loaring Tri course, with my focus being to push the first ~2mins of each leg then shut things down. It felt great to run fast for the first time in a few weeks (maybe a little too fast), but overall I feel that I'm not yet ready to hit the start line despite getting very anxious to race again. Step one is getting the mileage back up in the pool.

My plan is still to race elite provincials on the 31st as one of my key events for the year, and I'm hoping to sneak in a small race before then. But for now I'm forcing myself to hold off for a little more rehab, and then get a few hard yard sessions in before racing again. I hold myself to very high standards in racing - not always a good thing - and I'm not satisfied with my fitness even if I was feeling 100%.

Seems like a bit of mid-season chaos, but I've had a good early season of training, and I'm taking all this as an opportunity address all my weaknesses. And I still have all my big races ahead of me.

A Reminder

2010-06-28T18:37:00.003-04:00

What this crazy sport is all about and why triathletes are so awesome.

From Triathlon Magazine Canada (full story) on Multisport Canada's Welland Half Ironman:

In the classy move of the day, Toronto's Nigel Gray sacrificed his race (was in the top 5 at the time) to assist Orangeville's Richard Pady who was taken down in a collision with a vehicle. Gray offered immediate attention and stayed with Pady until paramedics arrived. Pady had a brief stay in the hospital and was left with a broken arm, abrasions, a few stitches to his lip, and a possible injured knee.

Another highlight from the race...my good friend and training buddy Chris Pickering (who is coached by Rich Pady) had a great race for 10th overall and one of the top age groupers in a very competitive half-iron event. He's going for a Kona spot in Lake Placid in a few weeks, and he is going to be a force in long course racing.

Weekend

2010-06-27T21:53:00.002-04:00

It was a big weekend of racing in Ontario (and Quebec) and ironically I missed two events that I had planned on competing in. My focus the past week has been #1 get healthy, #2 get back to having fun in training and racing...in that order. It's going to be tough going back to base and technical training in the middle of the season with my A-races coming up. But it will force me to stay postitive.

I still managed to have a busy weekend despite not racing, training, or having a job. The ongoing issue/defect with the BB30 system on my Kuota has finally been resolved with new bearings and a little ingenuity (ie. loctite). The Kuota Kult is the best bike I've ever ridden in terms of ride quality and overall awesomeness, but to be quite honest BB30 is a little fussier than a standard BB. But Kuota were great to deal with and ensured my bike was up and running flawlessly again.

Saturday was MultiSport Zone's megaday at Pinery Provincial Park with an open water swim, transition practice and a short bike/run. I like to keep the mood light when I come to MSZ workouts (ok I'm a total goofball, but focus #2 was having fun!) but I was still able to provide some instruction and demonstration for open water and transitions. Because the truth is...I'm actually not fast at all, I just do the little things right.

Today I attended one of OAT's drafting clinics to allow me to race draft-legal later on this season (assuming I learn how to swim). Coach Chris Helwig - a well-known and respected name in cycling around here - was my evaluator, with part of my evaluation being a group ride with his squad. To my surprise I managed to hold my own with some real cyclists, and I will likely start doing some of my bike training with his group as well as the London Centennial Wheelers. Every July (coincidence?) I get the bright idea in the back of my mind that I should give up triathlon and just become a full-time roadie...I'm sure this isn't going to help.

Update

2010-06-25T10:52:00.003-04:00

We're almost half way through the season now, and having only finished one race so far things clearly haven't been going to plan. The good news is I'm on my way to getting back on track.

A visit to my physio Elizabeth Fox (who is likely the sole reason I'm still in triathlon) this week confirmed what I had presumed: a muscle imbalance between my glute med, hamstring and hip flexor that is both stemming from, and contributing to my lower back problems. Sounds scary, but it is very common with triathletes (Hunter Kemper and Kirsten Sweetland to name a couple) and just means I have to be extremely diligent with prehab, internal core strength and stretching...for the rest of my career in the sport.

So I have to take a step back before moving forward again by scaling back the intensity of training for a week or two and skipping a couple upcoming races. But I'm not disappointed since my core/prehab routine will not only keep my gimp back healthier, but will make me a stronger and more efficient athlete. And with the World Cup on for the next two weeks and Le Tour starting next weekend...I wouldn't mind being "injured" for a while!

In the mean time I'm getting back to just enjoying training and competition, something I've been lacking lately. My real season still doesn't start until elite/U23 provincials and elite nationals so I still have plenty of time to get healthy and fit. I'll still get my ass kicked but I'll do it with a smile on my face.

I'll also use my spare time to try to make this blog slightly more interesting. It has become decidedly mundane since discovering that my sarcastic sense of humor is not always well received. So I'll work on walking the line of making this thing worthy of reading, and not offending anyone.

Learning the hard way

2010-06-20T17:15:00.004-04:00

Seems to be the theme of my racing so far this season. The only difference with the Guelph Lake today was the weather was beautiful...I guess I jynxed it with my last race report.

I had felt off all week leading up to the race. I had been fighting some nagging tightness all week, and I really was not in the mindset to race this weekend. I was seriously considering skipping the race and just putting a good weekend of training in, but by Friday I was feeling good enough that I decided I would give it a shot even if I wasn't feeling 100%.

I was still a bit sore this morning and was cramping a bit in my warmup, but with some encouragement from the Multisport Zone crew I decided I would stay positive today no matter what. The Guelph Lake swim is never all that conducive to fast swim times with a 75m beach run between laps, 200m run up to transition and the potential for strong currents. I went through the first 750m at 10:57...pretty good for me, only 10secs of my race PB. The second lap I lost my way a bit, something I've struggled with a lot this year for some reason.

I was a little over 4 minutes back of the real swimmers like Bechtel, Yorke and Dave Sharratt...as much as that sucks it was about what I expected. I'm working extremely hard in the pool but I'm not yet translating that into strong swims in races. I'll keep working hard, and with some better navigating and drafting I'll be faster.

I didn't get a bike split but I know it was nothing worthy of mention. I felt like I was going ok and pushed hard, but Coach James and I deduced post-race that I've got some muscle imbalance and my glutes aren't firing as they should. Thus my power suffers on the bike. Something I need to get checked out at physio this week, and also need to tweak my TT position. As the ride went on I could feel that my hamstrings and hip flexors that had been bugging me all week, were getting tight and pulling on my lower back. My back problems really started to flare up as the ride went on, and by 30k I had basically decided that the day would become a swim/bike workout and I wouldn't aggrivate things by struggling through the run. But that's when things got interesting.

When I got off my bike I lost one of my bike shoes and only realized about 50 meters later. After a bit of profanity I dropped my bike to run back and get it (to avoid DQ) and in the process managed to cut my foot open on my spokes. At this point I was frustrated enough that I started my run, not realizing that my foot was bleeding through my shoe.

I was planning to stop at any moment as I immediately felt my back cramping. Unfortunately James was strategically placed to motivate me to run a little more. At the first hill I really started to feel it, and just as I had decided I would pack it in for the day...who is there cheering me but the legendary Lisa Bentley. "Ok well I can't stop beside Lisa Bentley, she's only about ten thousand times tougher than I am."

I called it a day at 2k, deciding that I wouldn't sacrifice a week or more of training. I've realized that the issue with my vertebrae will force me to accept the odd DNF when things are acting up, and I'll take that over risking long-term injury. The walk of shame back to medical wasn't pleasant but I know I made the right call today.

So this week will be spent with some physio, a bit of rest and a lot of training. I'm still hoping to race Welland next weekend with the sole intention of having fun and enjoying the race, rather than worrying myself with how the race might go, how fast I should be going, or putting too much pressure on myself to succeed. It will be my last race before a bit of a mid-season break from competition to focus on a hard month of training leading up to my draft-legal stuff. So it's a good time to get back to basics and just enjoy the sport again, for the first time in a while.

Gotta love the World Cup

2010-06-17T08:48:00.000-04:00

"Waterloo suspends football"

2010-06-15T09:12:00.002-04:00

WATERLOO, Ont. - It started with a property crime investigation. Along the way, police say they found a cache of several thousand pills, vials and capsules

Story here.

Big news for varsity sports and anti-doping initiatives in Canada. Even if CIS football isn't as big as its American counterpart, and even if University of Waterloo is a silver medal for those rejected from UWO.

Personally I applaud UW in taking what some are calling a drastic step to demonstrate the consequences of cheating. This is a clear example of why drug testing should not be limited to the upper echelon of any sport, but for all athletes at any level.

I chose not to pursue American track&field programs because there is doping at the college level - more than anyone wants to admit. I have heard personal examples of coaches forcing their athletes to dope or have their scholarship terminated. So I'm glad to hear Canadian schools are a little more proactive.

Music!

2010-06-14T23:23:00.005-04:00

Haven't had any awesome music on here for a while. So I think it's time for a double shot from one of Canada's best song writers. Not my choice to get fired up for a race (much better used for recovery purposes) but two of the most beautiful songs you'll ever hear. I've been meaning to post this one for a while...

Off Blue Rodeo's latest album, "The Things We Left Behind". And one of Jim Cuddy's solo works:

Of all the reasons Simon Whitfield is my athletic hero, number one is he gets to hang out with Jim Cuddy. It's quite possible that I'm more jealous of that than his gold and silver medals.

Ok maybe not.

Training Update

2010-06-10T15:40:00.004-04:00

Hitting the first hill in the Woodstock tri.

Big thanks again to Multisport Canada for a great new venue. John Salt and MSC are supporting me in races throughout the season, and I really can't say enough good things about them. They have the most beautiful race venues in Ontario with the perfect combination of a small-town race feel, and real professionalism. And they're giving back to the athletes at every opportunity.

I'm right back into some good training with a busy schedule coming up. I'm working race crew at MSC's Binbrook race this weekend, then racing Guelph Lake and Welland the following weeks. I've had to postpone my draft-legal racing debut but still looking forward to some hard racing this month.

I've really gone back to basics with swim training this week. Whatever I've been doing the past month hasn't been working, so I've focused on good form above all else this week and I'm starting to see some decent times for the first time in a while. I've always been a terrible swimmer, so the fact that I'm seeing improvements and am getting close to being able to race ITU is beyond anything I ever expected of myself as a triathlete.

The past few days of training have looked something like this:

Tuesday
3500m swim with 6x (2x100 hard, 100 easy)
60min recovery run

Wed
3k ez swim
3hr base ride...which became "I'll ride 100k under 3hrs" (2:42)

Thurs
4k swim w/ 12x50 activation, and main set adapted from RTC Guelph-

(2x100, 4x150, 2x100, 3x200, 2x100, 2x300, 2x100)
Track workout tonight with mile reps

3.5k open water swim tomorrow and hard ride in the afternoon. Just putting in the hours, and looking forward to getting faster.

Woodstock Tri

2010-06-06T17:23:00.003-04:00

I have to admit it's slightly frustrating that the norm for my Ontario races is rain, strong winds and well below seasonal temperatures. In my past three seasons of racing I have not seen the sun for any race I have done in Ontario. Woodstock today was no exception, with a race start temperature of 14 degrees, rain and 30+km/h winds. A little different from St. Croix where it was 38 plus humidity...

Despite the weather I was very excited to get my season underway and make my elite racing debut. I had no goals for the race other than to put in a good effort and shake the cobwebs (and not embarrass myself having "pro" written on my calf). To be honest though, the race ended up being pretty uneventful. That's by no means a reflection of Multisport Canada's awesome new venue; it was a beautiful course and very well run as always. But things spread out very quickly so I did the entire race alone and my position didn't change after 20k into the bike.

I've been working my ass off in the pool for the last six months, and unfortunately I wasn't able to express my hard work today in the swim. I had a controlled start and hung with the leaders for the opening 400m until I got a good kick in the face that knocked one side of my goggles off. I didn't let it bother me, but after losing touch with the leaders I simply did not swim well. I wasn't feeling good and I couldn't get out of the water fast enough. I exited in 6th-ish, far from what I expect of myself.

I started slow on the bike but I could see a small group of the leaders up the road so I got to work making up the time I lost in the water. It was a very windy ride with cross- and headwinds all the way up to the turnaround. I stayed relaxed until we made the turn, then buried myself all the way back to get in a decent position going onto the run. I came off the bike 3rd with one of the faster rides on a very slow day.

The run was also a struggle, I was running ok but just felt rusty. Such is to be expected for my first hard effort of the year. I had no clue how to pace myself for an 8k off the bike, but a challenging run course and pushing the pace on the bike dictated things for me. I've been running very well off the bike in training but I couldn't find my stride today. I think that will come as I get further into my season.

Nothing really changed on the run, I finished 3rd overall and although I know I can be much faster I'll take that at this point in the season. I put in a good effort despite feeling like I was having a bad race, and I didn't completely embarrass myself in my first race in the elite division having only been beaten by a couple very strong athletes.

So at least I know I'm going in the right direction. Back to work.

From Electronic Shifting to Electric Power

2010-06-05T09:42:00.009-04:00

Well I'm far from breaking the news on this one, but it's all the talk in the cycling world and I thought I'd put in my two cents.

For those who haven't heard, Italian media broke news last week with an alleged pro cyclist's bike that housed an electric motor system that drives the crank spindle from inside the seat tube, controlled by a hidden button on a Dura-Ace shifter. Here's the video:

Fabian Cancellara is the accused rider in these allegations, and the fact that such an accomplished and highly respected rider is at the center of the rumours is raising eyebrows. Cancellara's response was merely that the accusations are "stupid", however his team Saxo Bank provided a more in-depth reaction (found here).

So I'll hop on the bandwagon of speculation and offer my thoughts. I'm not at all surprised that a system like this exists, in fact I'm surprised it has taken this long for something like this to come along and "shock" the cycling world. And as unfortunate and disgraceful as it is, given what so many pro cyclists are willing to put in (or take out of) their body for the chance at a tainted victory, I also wouldn't be surprised if the system has been used in a pro tour race. Pro cycling is simply in no position to dismiss the accusations as "stupid" given the recent history of the sport.

For Cancellara specifically I'm not so sure though. Watching that video, some of the accelerations seem very unnatural. Particularly on the final climb in the Tour of Flanders. But on the flip side, if there is one rider in the pro peloton who can make 1200W look effortless, its Cancellara.

He is also using a SRAM Red drivetrain as opposed to Shimano on the bike in the video. Not that the system couldn't be adapted to Sram, but his "suspicious" hand motions are really just the downshifting mechanism on a Red shifter. I have those on my bike too...so don't go accusing me of cheating when I shift!

The bottom line is UCI needs to take this as seriously as any doping scandal. Clearly the sport has come to an age where the bikes need to be tested as rigorously as the riders to rid the peloton of cheaters. But in Fabian's case specifically, I haven't heard anyone ask for this simple solution to clear (or incarcerate) his name:

For those who are trying to discern the grainy video for evidence, it's pretty clear he has an SRM power unit on his bike. Just get his power numbers from the team. Look at the data from the suspicious points of Paris-Roubaix and Tour of Flanders and compare the numbers (watts/kg) to, let's say Stage 3 of the 2007 Tour de France, where he had a very similar acceleration on a bike that wouldn't have housed such a motor in the seat tube (Cervelo SLC-SL).

An analysis of the power numbers SHOULD show a discrepancy if a motor was providing 50-100W extra. So let's see the numbers, and hopefully see UCI take this very seriously. Everything else aside...the complete lack of morality and respect for fellow athletes by anyone who would even think of using a system like this is absolutely disgraceful.

Madrid ITU

2010-06-02T12:32:00.002-04:00

Miguel Indurain turns to triathlon in Madrid

“Triathlon is a formidable and spectacular sport and I am delighted to be one of the guests at the Casa de Campo in Madrid for this impressive day of world championship action”

Full story from ITU here. Very cool, and good to hear that roadies are starting to respect us triathletes!

This weekend also marks the start of Ontario's triathlon season with Multisport Canada's newest triathlon venue in Woodstock. Word on the street is it will be a fast and scenic course, and I'm looking forward to my first race as an elite triathlete. Training has been heavy but I'm surviving and getting stronger.

John Salt and the MSC crew always put on fantastic races and Woodstock will be no exception. Check out MultiSport Zone's tent at the race site, and come see me at the finish line and on the podium. Say hi, ask questions, and check out all my cool new toys from Kuota, K-Swiss and Rudy Project.

Happy Birthday!

2010-05-27T12:43:00.003-04:00

That's right, my blog turns one today! And what a year it has been as I've shared my experiences of training and learning the ropes of elite-level triathlon.

We've shared the good times...

and the tough times...

And even times when my sarcastic sense of humour and arsehole opinions have (unintentionally) spurred public outrage and mass rioting. But through it all we've persevered and this blog has encapsulated my growth as an athlete and person. From no name age-grouper, to no name professional triathlete.

My goals last year were to win age group nationals and obtain my elite card (done and done), and this year's goals are even simpler: to make my ITU debut, and to come out alive.

It's been a fun year and this season promises to be even better than last. And I'll try not to break both my wrists (in two seperate bike crashes) this year. Thanks for reading, I'll work on coming up with happier and more worthwhile posts in the near future.

A Poignant Reminder

2010-05-26T13:49:00.004-04:00

60min recovery spin today, just out trying to find some half decent climbs around London. 5 minutes from home I was intentionally run off the road by an 18 wheeler, who promptly skidded his trailer through the gravel...just in case I was still upright.

Any cyclist in Ontario knows this is just part of the routine on training rides, and between reading the news and considering my own experience it seems to be getting worse. But this time it especially bugged me; not just because no less that five cyclists have been victims of vehicular homicide in the past two weeks in Canada.

Three years ago to the day I was having dinner with one of my best friends, who upon arriving home found that his mother had been struck and killed by a motorist on her bicycle. His tragedy was a shock to everyone, but especially hit home for me as I'm on my bike 12 hours a week, just trying to do something productive with my life, and have experienced countless examples of people who would rather risk murdering someone than add an extra six feet to their driving distance.

There is one single reason why cyclists are killed on the road. Drivers who are so stupid that their ignorance ends another person's life. Actually there is another reason: the provincial government is too busy with the largest tax increase in the history of Canada (despite being elected on the platform of no tax increases) to hear a bill that proposes a measly three-foot berth given to cyclists on the road.

It is probably those same unfathomably ignorant idiots who voted Liberal in the first place.

So today's angry ranting message is two-fold:
1. Dear drivers everywhere: contrary to popular belief, you do not own the road. Your ignorance kills, and by all accounts your idiocy is on the rise.
2. EVERYONE start giving a s**t about politics

Switching Gears

2010-05-21T14:59:00.002-04:00

So I had my fun pretending to be a long course athlete for the past 4 months and traveling to an unforgettable race, now it's time to get serious. The last two weeks have been spent transitioning from base/strength training to prepping for the equally insane world of short course and my debut in elite racing.

As with most high-intensity training blocks, I felt superhuman for the first 10 days...until the residual fatigue sets in and all confidence is shattered. But after a few days of heavy legs and sluggish training I'm moving along well again. I was lucky enough to get a few workouts in with RTC Guelph (new name, same great squad) before they flew off to Ixtapa Mexico for Junior Patco/Cont. Cup. Good luck to everyone racing tomorrow!

In preparation for draft-legal racing I had a 400m swim time trial this week and learned two things: #1 I am getting faster, #2 I still suck. But I'm riding well and running is getting there too. Today's training was 2hr ride with 15k hard, then straight into 3km at 10k goal run pace, 10k easy. I negative split each km for a pretty effortless 9:48 3k...faster than my 10k pace but I'll take it!

Training alone for draft-legal racing can be quite tedious, but has forced me to develop a higher level of focus and accountability. And every new training block I start with Coach James forces me to rethink my idea of smart training and proper recovery. If triathlon incorporated recovery into competition I would be nationally carded. I've got my routine down to a science, it looks something like this:

1. Don't have a job
2. After every PM workout - stretch+core stability, ice bath, compression socks + Crocs recovery sandals, roll out the calves (some people spend money on TriggerPoint, "The Stick" and the like, I'm sure they work but due to step #1 I have no money, thus use a Nalgene bottle)
3. Eat a crapload of yummy food

There you have it, my recovery secrets. And so far its working well. Tomorrow is a well deserved day off after a solid week and my next race is Woodstock in two weeks.

The Organic Money Grab

2010-05-18T09:50:00.006-04:00

Going "green" seems to be the cool thing to do these days, regardless of the fact that the largest populations in the world have absolutely no practical legislative control on environmental issues, humans continue to contribute exponentially to Earth's natural carbon cycle, and no matter what your happy thoughts on the afterlife are the Sun is going to engulf our planet and wipe away any trace of us in about 1.5 billion years anyway.

So what's the moral of the story? Don't buy organic. It's been all the rage, particularly among the health-conscious population - including high performance athletes - for the past decade and created a market worth over $50 billion based on the promotion of a healthier and more natural product(1).

Scouring the plethora of information on diet and healthy eating available online from professional and high-performance athletes, including some of the most recognizable names in our sport, the trend towards buying strictly organic produce appears to be on the rise. While no one will directly attribute eating organic to better performance, the idea is that the "cleaner, healthier" option contributes to overall health, thus beginning the process of "healthy-->consistency-->performance."(2)

Nutritionists will often convince athletes that organic is the better choice for an elite-level competitor, despite the fact that organic foods are up to 40% more expensive than conventional produce, and many elite triathletes live on extremely tight budgets (3). The argument goes that "diet is no place to skimp."

The fact is organic produce has absolutely no health benefits in comparison to conventional food. The conclusive 2008 study by the London School of Hygeine found no quantitative benefit in spending more money for allegedly cleaner food, through a review of over 160 scientific papers on the matter (4). There has been no scientific study to conclusively demonstrate that organic produce has beneficial effects on the consumer's health.

That is not to say there is no benefit whatsoever to choosing organic produce. Stanford University found in 2006 that organic farms produce less waste and greenhouse emissions in comparison to conventional "factory farm" operations (5). Others will argue on a subjective basis that organic food tastes better. Unfortunately these marginal arguments are outweighed by the fact that organic produce yeilds approximately 20% less food per acre than traditional farming, and in a world that is quickly moving towards population crisis and climate change threatens the future of agriculture in lower latitudes...that's not a good thing.

In conclusion, my message to fellow triathletes: Leave organic to the hippies and those food connoisseurs who are wealthy enough afford organic and will gain a false sense of saving the Earth by doing so. No matter what you do, 99.1% of the Canadian food market (6) will continue to use "harmful" pesticides and destroy the environment to allow you to eat your 6000 calories per day without going bankrupt.

My advice? Certainly be conscious of what you eat, but don't waste your time and money on organic because popular opinion tells you it's the healthy choice. Choose wholesome (ie. whole grain) foods in their natural state (as opposed to processed) when possible, and tailor your caloric needs to your daily workout and recovery needs. Every athlete's dietary needs are different, but no one needs to waste their money on organic produce.

And if you want to feel good about yourself, buy locally from the guy in a straw hat on the highway. Chances are it will be cheaper and "cleaner" than the supermarket, and you can do your part to support the local economy.

Sources:

1. Daly, Jessica. Study: Organic food not more nutritional. http://www.cnn.com/2008/TECH/science/08/19/organic.cooking.pv/index.html Aug 21, 2008.
2. stolen from the decidedly expert coaching philosophy of Craig Taylor
3. Winter, CK and SF Davis, Organic Foods, Journal of Food Science 71(9) pp117–124. 2006.
4. Hirschler, Ben. Organic food is no healthier, study finds. http://www.reuters.com/article/idUSTRE56S3ZJ20090729 July 29, 2009
5. Fletcher, Anthony. Study supports benefits of organic food. http://www.foodnavigator.com/Science-Nutrition/Study-supports-benefits-of-organic-food Mar 6, 2007
6. Macey, Anne. "Retail Sales of Certified Organic Food Products in Canada in 2006". Organic Agriculture Center of Canada. 2007

"I had a job before this..."

2010-05-10T15:10:00.002-04:00

Compression socks, ice packs, nap time, smoothies...what's missing? Awesome Canadian music for recovery purposes of course! Without a doubt the most awesome music I've posted.

Back to Work

2010-05-08T18:56:00.005-04:00

Between tapering for St. Croix and a few easy days this week I haven't done any heavy training in almost two weeks now. Next week is the start of my training block leading up to my first ITU race at Coteau-du-Lac. I've been anxious to get started with it since about 5 minutes after my last 4-hour brick prior to St. Croix.

I had been hesitant to race Coteau given that its fairly early in the season and I'm unsure if my fitness will be where I want it for my ITU debut. But I've adopted the attitude that the race will be a trial by fire in preparation for national and continental championships later in the year. I have no expectations besides getting on the start line and giving it hell for two hours.

Despite not getting the result I was hoping for in my first attempt at a 70.3, the training leading up to the race went very well and I feel that I have a solid base to build on for the rest of the season. I signed up for it not because I wanted to do well, but because I knew it would be the hardest race I've ever done. I'm going into the next phase of training mentally stronger, more motivated, and with a need to redeem myself by training harder than ever.

Training alone has its drawbacks, but it has also given me focus and a more positive attitude on "the process". The pace clock at the UWO pool has become my best friend, and I'm relying on feedback from random drivers pulling up beside me during my hard intervals to yell "Dude you're doin' 49!!". But I'm far from the ideal training environment here, and I hope to move to Guelph full time this fall in hopes of having a better chance at realizing my potential in the sport.

Unfortunately I'm stuck in the unenviable position in the sport where I'm not yet at the level to attain funding, but the need for part-time work is cutting into my opportunity to train and recover to my fullest potential. The biggest lesson I've learned from St. Croix is a level of perspective and patience I lacked previously (frustrating more than one coach along the way). Success in this sport doesn't just happen, and if I want to make a living as a professional triathlete (thus achieving my life goal of never having a real job) its going to take years of consistent day-to-day hard work before I see a paycheque. But I'm not in this because its easy.

You Can't See It...

2010-05-04T15:00:00.003-04:00

but that's me behind Tim O'Donnell, lying on a stretcher with an ice towel on my face. My legacy from St. Croix! As seen on T-Racer's blog. Man those guys are tough, I have so much respect for them and everyone else who finished the race in those conditions.

Tough Day at the Office

2010-05-02T15:43:00.012-04:00

Well I guess there's a first for everything. St. Croix 70.3 didn't go as planned.

Race week on the island is unbelievable, and it makes the event something special. The race is a huge event on an otherwise very relaxed island, and having 500+ international athletes in town is a great excuse to party. I managed to relax and stay out of the sun for the most part, but I had time to have dinner with Crowie, Terenzo, and Tyler Butterfield, and met a few other world class pros around town throughout the week.

According to both athletes and those living on the island, this past week has been the hottest it has ever been here. Believe it or not St. Croix occasionally gets trade winds from the Sahara desert, and I've been lucky enough to experience them all week. Humidity has gone over 110 (close to 50 celsius) every day I've been here, and the only reprieve is brutally strong winds.

Race morning went according to plan, up at 4am and over to transition to set up. Felt great in my warmup and I was ready for a big day. I ended up swimming alone for the entire 2k, and despite feeling strong I had a pretty embarrassing swim time. Maybe because it was my first ocean swim and got thrown around a bit...maybe because I don't know how to swim. Who knows?

I hopped on my bike and tried to put the swim out of my head, while also trying to get the salt out of my mouth (mints taped to the top tube = awesome idea) and the blood back into my legs. I wasn't feeling great but got into a decent rhythm through the first 20k, then got to the rollercoaster section. Leading up to "The Beast" there is about 10km of overall down grade along the coast with some amazing, beautiful, and very technical descents along with a few quick uphills. The Beast is definitely a tough climb and its where the heat first hits you, but I survived...at about 9km/h.

The descent from the beast is a fun one too, until you hit the insane headwinds that you have to deal with for the next 40km. I rode well up to 70k where there is a series of tough climbs to the finish, and that's where things get serious (including a 2k climb @ 10% at km 86). I backed off a little over the last 20k and came into transition with a 2:41 bike split feeling reasonably fresh.

I felt decent going onto the run, trying to block out how stupidly hot it is. The run course is very hilly and happens to be almost completely out of the wind, so you get the full brunt of the heat on the black tar road. I backed off my goal pace, thinking that if I felt ok later I would push the second lap. But the wonderful thing of long course racing...you're always dealt the unexpected.

At 5k I started throwing up everything I tried to drink. I tried to push through it but I couldn't keep anything down and by 8k I knew I was getting in trouble if I couldn't get any liquid in me. I'm sure it looked interesting as my back cramped up every time I bent over to throw up. My run became "get to aid station, grab ice and water, drink, throw up, get to next aid station." By the end of the first lap I had enough of it and called it a day for my first DNF ever!

I decided that it wasn't worth reaggrivating my back problems or getting into some serious dehydration trouble just to finish another 10k of hobbling along at 5min k's holding my back every time I threw up. I'll leave it up to debate whether I went too hard early, if I wasn't prepared for such a tough race, or if it was as simple as my body not agreeing with me today. Whatever it was, I wasn't about to sacrifice any training with a big season of racing ahead.

I headed straight for medical, where I refused to take an IV (needles are the enemy) and saw that Crowie had dropped out too...which made me feel a little better. Over half the pro women's field dropped out as well and it was unanimous that this was the hardest year in recent memory, on the hardest 70.3 course in the world. To put things in perspective, the fastest run time today was 1:20, Terenzo was nearly 20 minutes slower here than last week in Texas, and Tyler Butterfield ran a minute per mile slower than last week.

Some final thoughts:
I finally realized that at my age, long course racing is really quite stupid. I signed up for this race for some fun motivation to get through base training alone in London, and my training and tough experience here has definitely made me stronger. But I need many more years of fitness before making another worthwhile attempt at being competitive in a 70.3. I guess I learned the hard way that short course is my focus for a long time to come. I've got my first ITU race in 7 weeks, its time to get down to business and get fast.

Despite the forgettable result, I want to thank everyone who supported me leading up to this race. And in particular a big thanks to my homestays Bill and Mal, who made it an awesome week in paradise, even though things didn't go to plan today. Back home tomorrow and back to training later this week.

A Small Race Week Distraction

2010-04-27T11:02:00.004-04:00

Uhh...don't think I should be on that list. I don't have my Ironman pro card and I registered for this race as an age grouper. Although I am flattered.

I'll have to see what's going on when I get to registration in a couple days but I'm down with lining up beside the big boys! Either way it doesn't affect my race plan of merely surviving.

A SPECIAL NEWS BULLETIN

2010-04-23T16:44:00.002-04:00

Direct from my gracious homestays in St. Croix:

Hi Ryan......

We are getting close and look forward to your arrival.........

Very Hot and humid here now....Hope it cools off for the big event...

Warmest Regards.

Gee, I sure hope all this early-April-in-Canada weather has prepared me for racing in the tropics next weekend. Actually we have been lucky enough to get a couple hot days this month, and training has gone very well lately. In general I like racing in the heat and handle it pretty well, but I may regret those words next week.

Last big brick workout was today (100k ride/10k run), feeling pretty good! Now its on to my favourite part of training (and the real reason I'm in triathlon)...taper, carb loading, and traveling :)

My sexy Italian race bike...weighed down with 4.5 pounds of water/eload and plenty of yummy snacks for a 3 hour race simulation ride.

And my newest creation specifically for St. Croix (invention credit to Jonnyo and Rappstar). I wanted to come up a cooler way to bring a 3rd bottle than stuffing it in my jersey. After 100k I must say I'm a huge fan...after fixing the rattling. Very handy having a bottle there, not nearly as ugly or potentially dangerous as an Aerodrink, and apparently it does help overall aerodynamics of the bike.