MSC Welland Long Course

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

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

Calm before the storm

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

MSC Woodstock: Mission Accomplished

Race season is finally here!

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Round 2: P2A 70k

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Powerline brings out the most determined of faces

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

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

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

Spring Tune-Ups

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

stolen from Instagram...that's not me

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

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

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

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

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

(photo apparently taken in far warmer weather)

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

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

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