2014 in Photos

Sometimes pictures are worth more than words. Sometimes they're just easier because I can steal them from the internet rather than come up with something to write. So here's my 2014 season in photos...for those who like to skip to the last page to find out the ending.

I always like to wrap up the year with a picture post, and even though I have a couple running events coming up this fall, here's what the bulk of my 2014 season looked like!

Florida Camp - tri season just isn't nearly as awesome without a trip to Florida in March. We had an awesome group this year, and Amanda and I have already booked our flights for 2015!

After Florida I had a couple tune-up runs before starting tri season. First I took the win at the Run for Retina 10k, then three weeks out from Rev3 Knoxville I did the Forest City Half Marathon. Coach James said no faster than 4:00 k's for a good 70.3 simulation, so I walk-jogged the last 800m to hit 1:24:03 (one second faster would round down to 3:59 on Sportstats!)

Rev3 Knoxville Half was my first tri of the year. I had no idea what to expect coming off a challenging off-season, but it may have been my best race of the year with a big run PB of 1:28 on a tough course.

 My first Ontario race was MSC Welland. My goal was to destroy myself on the bike and I succeeded with a new bike split PB (44:16 for 30k) and finished 3rd overall.

The weekend after Welland was Guelph Lake Olympic. Hard training and racing caught up to me and I had some comically bad cramping, but I managed to ride well and finished respectably.

 Valens Tri was an interesting day - I had another strong ride then had stomach issues on the run. Luckily I padded my lead on the bike enough to hold on for my first win in 2 years. I was disappointed at first but I'll take a win however I can with the studs racing in Ontario these days. It didn't make for my best finishing tape pic...

I decided to jump into Olympic-distance Provincials in the middle of my biggest training block of the year, and unfortunately I was stuck in tempo mode all day. But it was a good tune-up for 70.3 Worlds.

 Finally the race that my whole season was based around. I had a lot of fun at 70.3 Worlds Champs with my best swim-bike of the year. Not my best run on a crazy hard course, but it was an amazing experience and will only make me stronger for the next one.

After a few weeks off the tri bike I entered my first mountain bike race. I surprised myself with how much my technical skills have improved in the last year on the trails and 42k of suffering was good for 3rd overall. Then I spent significantly more time cleaning my bike than I spent riding.

Despite things not always going to plan I finished the year with one pool swim PB, multiple average speed and power PBs on the bike (20k TT, 30k bike split, 90k bike split), knocked about 5 minutes off my 70.3 run time, and had five top-5's and two race wins. And I still have some running left to do. I'm going into the off-season with a much better mindset than last year and I'm looking forward to putting in the time and effort over the winter.

Next year is going to be a big one with most of my races already in place. I'll be starting off with Around the Bay 30k, an event that I've wanted to do since Amanda was in Hamilton doing her Masters. Then I'll likely head back to Rev3 Knoxville before some local racing and my first goal race at Ironman 70.3 Muncie. Then the rest of the summer will be dedicated to training time as I prepare for Ironman Louisville in October. I've had the idea of doing an Ironman in my head for a long time now, and next year seems to make sense. I'm incredibly motivated to be on this journey already and I know that this time next year I will be a completely different athlete than I am now. Hopefully I'll find some time to write some updates along the way!

Ironman 70.3 World Champs

My journey to 70.3 Worlds all started in June of 2013, the last time I was in Mont Tremblant. It had just been announced that 2014 World Champs would be held in Tremblant and up until that point I hadn't considered trying to qualify for World Champs...I was still a baby with 70.3 races.

The transition to long course racing for me has been a challenging but extremely rewarding task - coming from a background of elite short course racing I brought valuable and somewhat unique experience to it, but learning how to properly prepare and execute a 70.3 is a completely different story, especially with my previous racing lending towards racing hard at the front from the gun.

That's why I love long course though - the journey from setting the training program to waking up on race morning, then trying to execute and get the most out of that training (avoiding limiters such as poor nutrition or pacing...or FLAT TIRES!) gives me new perspective and makes me a better athlete every time I go through it.

After finishing Mont Tremblant 70.3 last year I had two big take-aways from the race - its an incredible venue and extremely well-run event, and if it wasn't for my mechanical I likely would have finished either first or second in my age group, at one of the most competitive races I had done to that point.

So Coach James and I decided to try to get one of the earliest qualifying spots for 2014 Worlds, at Muskoka last year...you can read that race report here. Fast forward to last week, and the day had come at last. I was back in Tremblant, and the awesome venue was just as I remembered it.

I won't bore anyone with the details of race week. Suffice to say I mostly spent the 3 days leading up to the race standing in various line-ups. The event was top notch, but my cumulative time standing in line was far greater that my race time. Anyway, onto the race report.

(obligatory pre-race photo)

My M25-29 wave was at 8:40, so there was plenty of time to lounge around and try to cram as much food in as possible. The pro start was marked with fireworks and a fighter jet fly-over...that was pretty f***ing cool. Then just 40 more minutes and it was my turn.

 

(You'll just have to trust me that I'm in there somewhere)

My swim has been a bit of a challenge for me this year. The combination of tweaking my swim stroke, swimming a bit less than in previous years, and occasionally lacking some consistency when it came to hard solo swims, has made it an up-and-down year with my swim. My only goal was to swim comfortably, and hopefully hit a similar time to my splits in Tremblant and Muskoka last year.

The swim was a little crowded but I managed to stay out of too much fighting. With it being World Champs and competition being much higher than a typical 70.3 it didn't spread out too much, but for the most part I had clean-ish water and was able to focus on a smooth stroke and keeping the effort in check. When I got to the swim finish I was happy (and relieved) to see 29:14...I think my official split was 29:19.

 T1 was interesting with it being set up like a full Ironman, with wetsuit strippers, transition bags and change tents. It was all new to me but I managed to get through the organized chaos pretty well and felt good getting on the bike.

I didn't have any specific goals on the bike...somewhere between 2:20-2:30 seemed pretty good. Last year my split was 2:34, but with my mechanical (got a rear wheel replacement and lost my power meter) my actual moving time was closer to 2:25...which was way harder than I should have ridden and I paid for it. My biggest goal was to stay clean despite the (literally) thousands of people drafting in huge packs, and hopefully have a little boost in overall power from Knoxville.

(loving the Rudy Project lid)

We had a bit of a headwind going out to the first turnaround at 33k and my power was a bit above my target, and average speed only in the 36's. But coming back from there I felt great, I just wanted to get through 30-70k as fast as possible knowing that the hardest section was still to come. Nutrition was good, pacing was good, and I was comfortable in aero throughout.

From 70-80k is the toughest part of the course, but having raced it last year and ridden it earlier in the week I knew what to expect. I kept my power in check on the tough climbs and rode well all the way through 90k...it was definitely my best executed 70.3 bike to date.

Coming off the bike I wasn't concerned with my position, knowing that it was a huge and competitive race, and refusing to join a draft pack certainly lost me many positions. I wasn't there to cheat, I was there to race. And I was executing a great CLEAN race.

My biggest goal for this race, as it has been almost all season, was the run. Up to this race, every 70.3 I have done I've knocked a couple minutes off each consecutive run, and on progressively harder courses (Welland, Tremblant, Muskoka, Knoxville, 70.3 WC). This one was no exception, as the run course was changed from the standard 70.3 and had over 300m of climbing, including twice up the 24% grade through the pedestrian village. Many 70.3 BIKE courses don't have that much climbing. But my run training had been going extremely well leading up to the race and I was confident that I was in 1:25 shape on any course...likely 1:20 on a flat course.

Through T2 with the funny transitions - actually it was great to have a bike catcher and only have to worry about grabbing my bag and getting my shoes on - and off I went at 3:45/km pace. That didn't last long.

Right away I didn't have the same speed in my legs that I did earlier in the year at Rev3 Knoxville where I ran 1:28 on no slouch of a course. I made it through the first few k's at roughly 4:05-4:10/km, which I still would have been really happy with on that course. Whether it was all physical or in some part mental (not feeling 100% on a beast of a course) my pace was dropping at 5k and I was feeling like I would expect to feel at 18k. I kept it together enough to tell myself to just relax on the first lap, and hopefully my legs would come around on lap 2. My first lap split was exactly 45:00...not where I wanted it to be, but it at least gave me a chance to still break 1:30.

 (end of lap 1 up through the village...suffering already)

Knowing what to expect going back out for lap 2 played in my head, and by 12k I was in damage control. I was still running, and did not allow myself to walk a single step...it was just really slow. A few times I started to feel a little better and picked up my feet, only to still see 4:40s on my Garmin, but at that point I didn't care about my time. I just wanted to get the damn thing done.

I ended up with a 1:34 and change run split. Far off my original goal for this race. But more than any other race I've done, I have a ton to take away from this one. It was an amazing experience to be at Worlds, and I definitely took a few risks with my pacing, rather than hold back as long as possible to get to the finish line in one piece. Not every run can be a PB, especially when I'm learning to ride harder as well. So I'm confident that the next one WILL be a faster run, off a faster swim and bike. I seriously can't wait to tackle a pancake flat course like Welland again and see what kind of time I can hit.

I had hoped to continue my tri season from here, and especially after not fully realizing my run fitness I'm motivated to break 1:25. But I've got some BIG goals next season, with a lot to take away from this year...so for now its time to relax a bit, hit a few local running and cycling races, and potentially have a go at a fall half-marathon.

Thanks for following along and reading...its been a fun season!

Do You Even Triathalon Bro?

My next race after the Subaru Valens Tri was supposed to be the K-Town Long Course Tri...likely my favourite race in Ontario for the uniquely awesome and challenging distance, and as I discovered last year the timing of it works really well to prep for a late season 70.3. Unfortunately after Valens I managed to catch the summer cold from hell...I wasn't deathly ill but just wouldn't go away and it forced me to take close to 10 days off training. Along with that I was struggling with some shoulder issues in the water and needed to get a handle on it before the 2k K-Town swim that can be really rough. So Coach James and I decided that it would be best to pass on Kingston and race Age Group Provincials the following weekend in Bracebridge.

Luckily the way it worked out I managed to get a bit of a mid-season break and a mental recharge along with starting to get my feel back in the water. I got some really good workouts in leading into Bracebridge including the longest brick of my life and some really strong runs. Its crunch time in my prep for 70.3 Worlds so the plan with Bracebridge was to get a solid Olympic distance race in my legs in the middle of a hard training block. And while I didn't exactly get the result I would have wanted, I accomplished that goal.

Last time I did Bracebridge I was a late entry and started in about 300th place in the TT format which made for a challenging race with most of my competitors finishing half an hour ahead of me, but at least I knew what to expect this time. I started in 37th this time so I figured if I had a solid performance the only athletes that would be ahead of me by the end would be the elite guys, of which there was a solid contingent.

My main goal for the swim was to get through it with a controlled effort and without having any shoulder issues. I was pretty disappointed when I saw my time after the race but given that I had missed some time in the water and a few weeks ago I couldn't swim 400m continuous without pain, I'm at least happy that I got through it without any pain...and it looks like all the swim times were on the slow side so I'm confident that its a step in the right direction.

The rest of my race is best described this way (don't click if you don't like cuss words)



Within the first 10 meters on the bike my bottle of sport drink launched from my BTA cage, and even if I had planned on stopping, it had broken anyway. Luckily I had packed 2 gels but only half a bottle of water as my main source of nutrition/fluid in an Olympic distance race is sport drink. I embraced the new challenge and got on with the task. My plan was to build the effort but when I hit the first short and steep climb 5k in I immediately knew it was going to be a tough ride. My legs were empty from a hard week of training. I tried to find a rhythm and bring up my power through to 20k but by that point I knew that I had to adjust my expectations and focus on climbing efficiently, descending well and staying aero as much as possible. I ended up riding at my goal 70.3 wattage but there was some comfort in knowing that at that power output I'd be on pace for around a 2:25 bike time in Tremblant on a similar course.

At least my Rudy Project Wing57 kept me looking fast

More than anything else for this race I wanted to put down a strong run. My Olympic distance run PB has held for 4 years despite getting extremely close in my last two Oly-distance races. And based on my recent run workouts I was pretty confident I could run 36-mid off the bike. But when my first km split was 20 seconds behind that pace I had a pretty good idea that it wasn't going to happen. I managed to bring my pace down over the next 3-4k but by the time I hit the turnaround I had nothing left. I was running at my half-iron pace and it felt like the last 5k of a half. At that point I knew that I just had to get the damn thing done regardless of the result...I was flat from a hard training block but it was a great prep for Tremblant, even if I had intended to finish 10 minutes faster.

So that's the way she goes. I had a bit of an existential crisis after checking out my splits, but it will be an important piece of the puzzle leading into my big race of the year. All my signs in training are pointing to me hitting my goals in Tremblant and I can't wait to get there.

Valens Triathlon

This past weekend I took part in one of the new races in Ontario this year, Valens in the Subaru Series. My goal this season is to get to the start line of 70.3 Worlds fit and healthy (ie. not burned out) in September, and knowing my tendency to load up the first part of my season I've had to make an effort to be patient with my race schedule and not overextend myself...or my wallet, before the important events.

Since banking a solid half in Knoxville and a couple good races in June, July is kind of a transition period before the higher priority races with K-Town Long Course and Worlds coming up. Valens worked perfectly in my schedule as a short low-key event and about a 20 minute drive from Amanda's place in Guelph. I was also excited to check out the new event with what looked like a fun run course.

Despite spending a lot of time in Guelph and riding in the area, I had no idea that Valens Conservation Area existed until I saw the new race on the Subaru calendar. But it was a great venue for a laid back local race. After a quick warmup and surprise visit from Coach James and a couple LPCers we were off, and Amanda followed a couple waves later in the swim-bike.

After the cramping issues I had in Guelph Lake I decided to take a conservative approach to the swim and tried to stay smooth and relaxed rather than flailing through the 750m as I often do. Its hard to tell how the swim actually went with all of the swim times being quite slow but I kept my effort in check and was out of the water in 3rd or 4th with one athlete about 15 seconds ahead and another who swam very well about a minute up on me.

When I got on my bike and could see the flashing lights of the lead vehicle through the rain in the distance I knew it was just a matter of time before I'd get up there. But my run was a bit of a question mark heading into this one since I badly bruised my foot during a brick workout after Guelph Lake and hadn't really put in a decent run since. So I wanted to take the lead on the bike early and bank as much time as possible in case I wasn't running quite to my capabilities. I also had a bit of extra confidence in my aerodynamics thanks to my brand new Rudy Project Wing57 helmet, which was super comfortable on a windy and humid day.

After about 8k of heading into a strong headwind I passed the second place athlete as he was overtaking the leader, then I had a long section of tailwind to put my head down and try to get away. I haven't been in the lead of a race since 2012 before I had the setback of missing most of the season with a concussion...man it felt nice to be chasing the lead vehicle again :) My power wasn't great but my Garmin had my average speed at 39.2km/h for the 25.5k which I was pretty happy with given the conditions and the tricky exit/entrance into the park which I DID NOT want to champ just because I was in the lead.

The pre-race email for this event mentioned that the majority of the run course was on trails, and if it was raining they would likely get very muddy. So I took my lesson from Xterra Milton last year where I made the mistake of wearing racing flats on a greasy trail run, and brought my Salomon trail racers this time which turned out to be the perfect choice for the terrain and conditions.

I ran well through the first 2k and loved the trails, but after that I started to get some bad stomach cramps...my first thought was "sh*t not now", and then the more productive thought came, "try to relax and belly breath." My stomach was off the night before but I chalked it up to pre-race jitters and didn't think about it again until then.

Unfortunately it only got worse for the next couple minutes until at just before 3k I was doubled over throwing up. I was about to start feeling sorry for myself thinking how embarrassing it would be that the leader of the race might drop out. But lucky for me Coach James was running the opposite way down part of the run course at that exact time and said "you're in the lead, have no choice but to suck it up!"

There was only one turnaround where I got a chance to see that I still had a comfortable lead, and based on the pace that the second and third place athletes were running I just had to keep running to keep the lead. So the rest of my run was at "puke threshold" which was slower than my half ironman pace, but luckily enough to take the win.

I had mixed feelings as I crossed the finish line at what Amanda described as a lazy jogging pace. First off I was thrilled just to be finished because it was a very uncomfortable run. I was also really happy to finally get another race win after 2 seasons with a lot of podiums behind some strong pro's. Then I was disappointed that I couldn't enjoy the run course because I LOVE trail runs, and I could have run 3 minutes faster on another day. I also felt like it took away from the result that I had a disaster run but still won the race.

But ultimately I got what I needed out of the race, my swim was more controlled and I'm slowly putting the pieces together to swim well in September, another good bike split which has consistently been my strength this year, and I sucked up a mentally challenging run. If I wasn't leading the race I more than likely would have dropped out, and I adjusted my effort and expectations to meet the realities of the day. And I only had that cushion on the run because I had the fastest bike split by over a minute, and I've worked hard on the bike this year. So maybe it wasn't my best performance ever, but I've had to wait a long time for this one! Its exactly what I needed as I switch back to gearing up for longer distances again...a little extra confidence and fitness after consistently solid efforts in the first half of the season.

I was just as happy for Amanda who has faced a lot of challenges this year, but took the win in the swim-bike and threw down the fastest bike split of any female on the day. She's worked extremely hard despite things not going her way this year and I can't wait to see her put it all together with the effort she's been putting in.