Only 3 sleeps to go

Ready or not, here comes Muskoka - my first Half Ironman. Less than 72 hours from now I will be in the early stages of the most brutal bike course I've ever seen (it's actually also quite beautiful). Of course, my experience is quite limited and I haven't seen all that many tri courses, but still. As of right now, I've practiced pretty much everything that can be practiced. I even did a test inflation using a CO2 cartridge, which I had never done before. A local tri coach, we'll call him A Guy Who Knows Things, thinks I'm ready. Well, that makes one of us! I don't mind admitting that I am a little afraid of this bike course. I rode it once, in late June at a Lisa Bentley Subaru Success Camp, and it didn't go too well. One of the rather large hills near the end got the best of me. My chain actually came off, forcing me to stop... but at that moment there wasn't a whole lot of forward progress being made, and I likely would have been forced to walk anyway. I do have a couple of things going for me now that I didn't have then, I guess. I'm much more informed about nutrition... during that ill-fated ride, I think I consuned half a Powerbar and some Gatorade. Likely not enough for over 3 hours in the saddle. Also, at that time my longest ride ever had been about 2 hours, and my longest race had been a sprint (750m, 20k, 5k). In the 11 weeks or so since then I've done my first Olympic Tri, my first Century ride, and several more rides of 90-100k. I've also put in one hill session per week since that June weekend. My overall fitness level has improved as well... a 20k run on a Sunday doesn't wipe me out... even after a 100k ride the day before. So there have been improvements... but that bike segment still looms large in my head. Am I ready? I only have a few days left before I find out. As usual, time will tell.

A pair of reports

A little over a week ago I competed in the Guelph Lake 2 Triathlon. Not a bad day, overall. I was mainly using it as a final tune-up for this weekend's 70.3 -- but I still wanted to do well. With about half an hour to go before the start, they decided to delay it by 15 minutes, since half of the athletes hadn't even racked their bikes yet. Getting into the conservation area took a while... apparently everyone in Guelph and surrounding area was camping on Labour Day weekend. The swim (750m): After the Olympic 1500m, this should be a piece of cake... or so I was thinking. Well, I wouldn't call it a piece of cake, but it wasn't too bad. I still have trouble swimming in a straight line -- every time I sighted I had somehow managed to bend quite a bit to the right. This course only had left turns, so I actually swam more than 750m... just trying to get my money's worth. Out of the water in 15:40 and head for my bike. The bike (30k): This course starts inside the conservation area, meaning there are plenty of speed bumps to contend with at the start (and finish). Not a lot to report, other than at one point I almost coasted to a complete stop while I attempted to eat a gel, and at another point I was passed by a guy on a mountain bike who was practically riding on the gravel shoulder of the road. Needless to say, my confidence is not exactly soaring right now with respect to the bike. Bad times. I ended up with an average of 30.5km/h... same as the Owen Sound Olympic. A little disappointing, but I know I averaged below 30km/h for the first half, so I must have had a fast second half. The run (7k): I am very happy with my results here - I averaged 5:08/km, which is a PR for me in a triathlon. Lately my running has shown improvement, and my long runs have been feeling really good. Hopefully it carries into the 70.3. Overall, my swimming and running seem to be peaking at just the right time, while my biking seems to be having a bit of a suckingly bad time. I'm still miles ahead of last year, but still not really satisfied with recent results. The other race I was recently in was a local 5k this past Sunday. With only a week to go before Muskoka, I needed a short, intense workout, so I thought I'd join in this annual run. The day was rainy and cool, so no worries about overheating... time to just open up and give'r for a while, and see what happens. Well I'll tell you what happened... a new PR, that's what! It's a bit of a rolling course, and I tried to accelerate up the hills (which likely means I stayed the same pace) and do more than just coast down them. With less than one km to go, I was catching a long-haired dude who had the longest, loudest, stomping-est strides I'd ever seen (and heard). I couldn't figure out how he could keep up that kind of pace with that kind of form... I passed him and quickly forgot about him, but with about 100m to go I heard old Stompy coming up behind me for the re-pass. Not today! I surged to the finish and kept Sir Stomp-a-lot behind me. Throughout the race I kept my cadence at 90 as much as possible, and I felt strong for the full 5k, ending up with a time of 22:07, or about 4:25/km. My previous best was 24:18, which came at a 5k on Good Friday earlier this year. It rained the whole race, and I'm wondering if it helped or hurt my time. I think being such a short distance, the discomfort factor didn't really get a chance to come to light... but for a 10k or longer, I think it would have really started to suck. I also think that the rain kept me cooler than normal, so I didn't lose any horsepower because of heat buildup. Less than one week to go now - can't wait for Sunday.

A little better

Wednesday's and Thursday's workouts were a little better than Tuesday's bike-related suckfest. A good tempo run Wednesday and a nice, long swim last night got me feeling a bit better. It was a good way to build up to the race tomorrow morning. My goals for tomorrow: 750m swim - under 16 minutes, including the run to transition. 30k bike - faster than 56:15, or an average faster than 32km/h 7k run - under 36 minutes. If achieved, all three of these goals would be my fastest ever in a triathlon (I've run faster in road races, but not by a whole lot), so my sights might be set a little high. But, here's my logic: I'm 2 weeks out from my first 70.3, and if I'm going to test myself, it's got to be tomorrow. The plan is basically to go hard for the whole thing - no saving energy for later - until I either collapse or cross the finish line... one or the other. Can I pull it off? As usual, time will tell.

Well, that sucked.

I spent the afternoon yesterday being excited about how there is less than 3 weeks left until the 70.3. After work I remained quite pumped up, and so I went out for some hill repeats on the bike. The 94k course is quite hilly (which I guess makes it more of a 76.7, not a 70.3), and any hill related prep work I can do would be a help, or so I thought. My conclusion? I suck. Or I should probably say Suck, with a big old CAPITAL S. Granted, I had a hard swim workout yesterday morning, and it was a big distance weekend for me on both the bike and the run, with a 100km ride Saturday followed by a 20km run Sunday. Given that my longest race is an Olympic triathlon, that is pretty far. But despite taking Monday off, my legs were heavy and slow, like some sort of combination of cast iron and molasses. Bad times. I trudged through a few times up the hill and went home. It was indeed a brutal experience. Not the kind of confidence builder I'm looking for this close to my first half IM. At least I don't have to worry about being cocky or overconfident... so I've got that going for me.

Less than 3 weeks

In fewer than 19 days, the triathlon of my life will have started and ended... one way or another. Either by way of my own power or by that of a support vehicle, my first half ironman event, the Muskoka 70.3, will be over. I have another week or so of intense training followed by some tapering and resting, and then I will be at the starting line. I'm exicted/anxious/nervous right now... I have no idea how I will keep it in control on race day. One final tune-up race this Saturday, the Guelph Lake #2 sprint triathlon. Should be a walk in the park compared to some of the long rides and runs I've been doing the last few weeks. Well... walk in the park might not be the most accurate way to describe it. I'm just hoping to have a really good race-intensity workout (and maybe set a personal best or two along the way... are you listening, Bike?). As usual, time will tell.

Well you know his name is Simon

All I can say is, Wow. It's been a while since watching the end of any sporting event on TV made my pulse increase, but what a finish! When he tossed the hat and started to make the move with only a few hundred metres to go, I was off the couch cheering in the living room. Congratulations, Simon Whitfield, on your medal and awe-inspiring finish. You ROCK.

Race Report -- My First Olympic Distance

As the title will tell you, I recently completed my first Olympic-distance triathlon. It was the Owen Sound Triathlon weekend, organized and operated by Trisport Canada (my usual choice for triathlons!). Similar to Peterborough, this is a 3 to 3.5 hour drive, so that means a night in a hotel. I'm cool with that, as it allows me to get to the race nice and early without having to get up at some crazy time. I was very excited to give this race a try, with Muskoka 70.3 looming large on the not-too-distant horizon. I was also anxious to experiment with my nutrition, since race days are always different from training days. The Swim (1500m): I wasn't too worried about the length of the swim - I've done lots of 2000m(+) workouts in the pool... but there is always my one big concern of the Race Day Swim... getting kicked or elbowed in the face or some other injury susceptible area. It was to be an in-water start, and the lake (the Channel? the Sound?) is quite shallow walking out from shore. So we had to walk out maybe 75m to the start buoys. Wave #2, wearing the gray caps today, breaking my 2-race streak of being a White Cap. I don't know why I pay attention to these things. Wading around in my too-big-for-me wetsuit (purchased when I was 25 pounds heavier), I said hi to a couple of friends and head over to the left side of the start line... being a clockwise swim course, I figured this would allow me to get roughed up the least. The horn went and so did I... all the way to a massive personal best! I had been estimating at least 33 minutes, but came in with a time of 30:44, despite swimming wide the whole way around. I kept it wide on purpose, especially after the final turn. I figured it would allow the faster swimmers from the wave behind to hug the buoys and pass easily without being held up at all. Even in my slow swimming state, I catch the stragglers from the wave in front, and I know how frustrating it can be to get past them as they float and bob along. At 2:03/100m, I am getting closer to that ever-elusive 2min/100m mark. I don't know if I caught a serious draft, or what. I swam my fastest pace in my longest race... that would be a nice trend to keep up for the 70.3 in September. And while it's not going to put me in position for a podium finish or anything, it's still an improvement, and I'll take it. The Bike (40km): This course is 20k out & back consisting mostly of fast flats and a few rollers. It also has one GIANT hill on the way out. The hill is well over 1k long and has varying degrees of incline. At first my plan was to stick to water & gels - no Gatorade - and to drink every 15 minutes and "eat" every 30 minutes. But, based on my estimated speed for the first leg, I was likely to be somewhere in the middle of the big hill when the 15 minute mark passed. I decided to take on water at :10 and :20, eat at :30, and then move to the 15 minute interval plan. All the nutrition stuff is all new to me, and it's all in preparation for the 70.3 in a few weeks. Most people probably wouldn't worry too much about nutrition for an Olympic distance tri, but I was treating it more like a truncated 70.3... trying to get my body used to eating on the bike and running with a somewhat full stomach. I ended up coming back to transition in 1:18:44 - an average of 30.5km/h... not as fast as my 32km/h Peterborough, but this was twice as long and a little more challenging. My biking has finally started to show some improvement, and I'm happy with this result. The Run (10km): I had no idea going in what to expect here, never having to run this long after a bike segment. I gave a conservative estimate of 55 minutes, thinking maybe with 2 or 3k to go I could pick it up and finish well. I never did feel great at any time on the run - I had a gel with me I was thinking of taking, but my stomach felt as though it would revolt if I tried to stuff it in. For about the first 7k I was right on pace, and I was feeling as though I could have (and should have) pushed it more over that first little bit. But then I got way off schedule with my drinking by taking water and Gatorade earlier than I had planned (which was also every 15 minutes on the run), and more frequently than I ever had during training. Stupid! This gave me major gut-rot at about the 8k mark, and I had to walk the aid station there to try to settle things down. It never really did, so I continued on as best I could, my pace shot to pieces with less than 2k to go. I shuffled home in just under an hour, 59:35 - my worst showing on the run this year by far. Ironically, I felt very fresh when I crossed the line, prompting my future-wife to comment, "You hardly look tired. Are you sure you're pushing it enough out there?" Because she probably had a valid point, I resisted the urge to tell her to shut the F up (and because it wouldn't be very nice, and would make for a VERY long car ride home). For my first Olympic I had been hoping for an overall time of ~2:50, and ended up at 2:52:53... almost 3 minutes slower than planned. The race started on a high note with the swim, and ended on a lousy note with the run. I am now aware of what needs the most work. I never thought that my swim would ever be my fastest segment, relatively speaking. Not only am I a slow runner, my form is total crap. My lady took a few pics of me as I ran by her a few times (a 2-loop run course), and I look BRUTAL - all hunched over with a half-angry, half-agony expression on my face. No wonder people of all ages blaze by me like I'm standing still. I talked to a local tri coach, and he says to not just "work" on my form, but to really concentrate on it... he says times will eventually come down. Earlier in the year when I was running faster times, I was also doing cadence drills. I've stopped doing them... guess I should start again. Next race is my personal big kahuna... Muskoka 70.3... I'm hoping I can actually race it a little, and not just consider it an exercise in survival. Time will tell!