I wish that would have said "Race Won," but there's still time.
Good race on Sunday. Up early (5am), out of the house by 6:20, at the race by 8am with an hour to spare. I've been to a few of these races put on by John Salt and they're well run, simple affairs. Get bib number, get bib, get bag, poop, wetsuit on, start race. Nice and simple.
The more of these I do, the calmer I am before the start. I was more nervous the night before, wondering how things would go, than I was 5 minutes before the start, warming up in the water. Calm like still water.
The swim was respectable. I've been in the water more this year so far than all of last year combined, and it showed. Only a 2:00/100m pace, but better than the 2:40 I did at the first race last year. Went by pretty fast too which was nice.
Came out strong, put on shirt, and off I went. Wind at the back for the first bit and the last bit, and a headwind the rest of the time. Still passed many who came out of the water before me. Finally started getting passed by the 40+ guys who started later near the end of the bike. That was ok though; some of them were pretty ripped. Did the ride in about 53 mins, average speed around 32kph. Not too shabby.
Run started rough, but a quick water and stop at the first aid station before 1km and I was good to go. Running legs came out of nowhere and I was off. Good, smooth run on nice soft dirt. Finished really hard and felt awesome crossing the line. Nice to be back Johnny!
Lakeside was a great venue. The lake rocked (aka didn't taste like Cryptosporidium) and the roads were quiet. I'll come back for sure.
Binbrook next weekend. Get to see if I improve over last year...
Tuesday, June 9, 2009
Monday, May 25, 2009
Putting down the hammer
It's been maybe two weeks since the last update. I was met with frustration when an old forgotten injury made itself known again; a sharp pain in my right buttocks. It almost feels bone related sometimes, but I'm pretty sure it's some type of wired muscle cramp. In any case, the last time it happened it was fixed by using my arch supports which I had until then been neglecting.
It worked this time as well. I wish I didn't have to use them only because they make my shoes heavy and I feel like the alter my foot stroke. However, being able to run without excruciating pain is more important so the supports are back to stay.
Otherwise things are hard. Hammered on the bike for two days last weekend, maybe for an hour at a time. Did a good run or two as well. This weekend I rode across town to Lesley St laying down the hammer the entire way. It was very good. I did a brick run shortly after arriving home that felt good until, two minutes from home, both of my quads cramped simultaneously. I hobbled home a destroyed old man.
Remember: drink Gatorade on the bike. It will save you.
Swimming tonight and hopefully a couple of short hard runs and rides throughout the week. First race is less than two weeks out now so things are coming to a head. I feel pretty good overall though so hoefully I will surprise myself on the 7th.
Plans are being pushed to get back to Vancouver in the next two months. That would cut short my triathlon season here, but I would possibly be able to do the Vancouver triathlon and possibly the new half iron too!
I look forward to running the seawall again.
It worked this time as well. I wish I didn't have to use them only because they make my shoes heavy and I feel like the alter my foot stroke. However, being able to run without excruciating pain is more important so the supports are back to stay.
Otherwise things are hard. Hammered on the bike for two days last weekend, maybe for an hour at a time. Did a good run or two as well. This weekend I rode across town to Lesley St laying down the hammer the entire way. It was very good. I did a brick run shortly after arriving home that felt good until, two minutes from home, both of my quads cramped simultaneously. I hobbled home a destroyed old man.
Remember: drink Gatorade on the bike. It will save you.
Swimming tonight and hopefully a couple of short hard runs and rides throughout the week. First race is less than two weeks out now so things are coming to a head. I feel pretty good overall though so hoefully I will surprise myself on the 7th.
Plans are being pushed to get back to Vancouver in the next two months. That would cut short my triathlon season here, but I would possibly be able to do the Vancouver triathlon and possibly the new half iron too!
I look forward to running the seawall again.
Monday, May 11, 2009
Windows of Opportunity
Sometimes you can't plan for everything.
Triathlon is a hard sport to train for because you're often stuck to schedules. If it's not the pool swim times then it's fitting a 4 hour ride into an already full day, or planning a long run, but only if it's not 4 degrees and raining.
Sometimes though, you find yourself with 30 minutes and no immediate responsibilities. You could sit at the computer or tv, snacking on rich foods and zapping your mind.
Or you could put on some shoes and run for a bit. Maybe it will hurt, maybe not. You'll definitely get stronger and faster though.
TV and computers can't do that for you...not yet anyway.
Triathlon is a hard sport to train for because you're often stuck to schedules. If it's not the pool swim times then it's fitting a 4 hour ride into an already full day, or planning a long run, but only if it's not 4 degrees and raining.
Sometimes though, you find yourself with 30 minutes and no immediate responsibilities. You could sit at the computer or tv, snacking on rich foods and zapping your mind.
Or you could put on some shoes and run for a bit. Maybe it will hurt, maybe not. You'll definitely get stronger and faster though.
TV and computers can't do that for you...not yet anyway.
Short times, long goals
It seems hard to fit in the time required to make this goal possible. I was only able to swim for 20 minutes today before it was time to leave for the train. That and 3 people showed up to crowd the fast lane and I didn't feel like punching them in the face repeatedly as we passed one another.
Didn't really do anything last week. Swam monday, ran Friday. That was it. I told myself it was a rest week before the really hard stuff started. Today was supposed to be the hard stuff, but it was meh. Might run when I get home, but I still need to get the gf a birthday card. And puppy probably needs to poop. And i'll be hungry.
So many things to do, so little time.
Monday, May 4, 2009
Finding my inner Nemo
Another monday another swim. Wanted to avoid it a bit but I know I'm all but fucked if I don't get more swimming in before the race season starts. Besides, if I'm going to treat my job with blah, I had better treat my sports with some drive and determination.
I have decided that even though I may only get 20 or 25 minutes of swimming in on a given day, its better than nothing. Most of my race swims will only be that long anyway so good focused effort on these swims should provide sexy race day results.
Today's swim felt particularly good. The first few laps we're just phenomenal and I was shocked by how fast the bottom of the pool flew by. I tired fairly fast, but that initial burst made me hopeful that my old form was coming back. I felt pretty fluid through the rest of the swim and ended on a high note which always rocks.
Will try really hard to live up to my personal promises and get in the water again on Wednesday, to try once more to find (and keep) that elusive Nemo.
I have decided that even though I may only get 20 or 25 minutes of swimming in on a given day, its better than nothing. Most of my race swims will only be that long anyway so good focused effort on these swims should provide sexy race day results.
Today's swim felt particularly good. The first few laps we're just phenomenal and I was shocked by how fast the bottom of the pool flew by. I tired fairly fast, but that initial burst made me hopeful that my old form was coming back. I felt pretty fluid through the rest of the swim and ended on a high note which always rocks.
Will try really hard to live up to my personal promises and get in the water again on Wednesday, to try once more to find (and keep) that elusive Nemo.
Saturday, May 2, 2009
Head down, grit teeth, plod on
One of those days.
I suppose drinking 4 pints of beer the night before a long ride is not generally considered a good idea, but I went ahead and did it anyway. It was our friend Kris' birthday and I really needed to unwind after a pretty stressful week of work (tax season at the private bank...yay).
When I awoke this morning, I had the usual shitty symptoms; dry everything, hangover smell, the works. My legs also ached for some reason. It's not like I did any running yesterday, but they didn't seem to care. Just standing still had the same feeling as being 80km into a ride, that growing, dull pain that shrinks your world to just your body and your bike, and the painful relationship they share.
Rain was in the forecast for the afternoon, but I figured I'd get home before it hit. As I sit here now, 10 minutes after arriving, it appears I was right. Thunder booming outside never sounded so sweet, to know that I'm not stuck out in the open with it.
The wind was coming out of the southwest again. Great. Another 50km of pushing against God's maniacal breath. Unfortunately, unlike last week's bright spirits and willingness to tackle the unknown, this week I was just a miserable wreck. Again, the beer probably didn't help, nor did the sore legs. I was never tempted to give up, but I was a bit of an emotional basketcase, wanting to break into tears whenever the wind kicked up, or simply because the sound of it constantly filling my ears was driving me mad.
This time I made it to the south side of Lake Ontario. That felt good. I didn't make it as far as I wanted (was going to do two loops of the Hamilton Beach Trail) but it was longer that last week which was very rewarding.
While riding, I had expected the rain to come from the southwest, where the wind was coming from. By the time I hit the turnaround in Hamilton though, I saw that the storm had flanked me and was now darkening the skies all across the north side of the lake, my route home.
I'm not sure if the speed I was going could be considered "booking it," but I put the hammer down for most of the ride home.
It hurt.
A lot.
By the time I hit Port Credit, I was done. Legs throbbing, wind blowing against me again (first from the east, then the west...wtf?). I almost cried when I was nailed by a steady breeze turning north on Southdown road. What did I do to deserve this?
In the end I made it home, a victory I guess. Small occasional drops of rain made themselves felt on my bare arms, but I managed to beat the storm home.
I think I'm going to pass out for a while. I hope the dog doesn't shit herself.
I suppose drinking 4 pints of beer the night before a long ride is not generally considered a good idea, but I went ahead and did it anyway. It was our friend Kris' birthday and I really needed to unwind after a pretty stressful week of work (tax season at the private bank...yay).
When I awoke this morning, I had the usual shitty symptoms; dry everything, hangover smell, the works. My legs also ached for some reason. It's not like I did any running yesterday, but they didn't seem to care. Just standing still had the same feeling as being 80km into a ride, that growing, dull pain that shrinks your world to just your body and your bike, and the painful relationship they share.
Rain was in the forecast for the afternoon, but I figured I'd get home before it hit. As I sit here now, 10 minutes after arriving, it appears I was right. Thunder booming outside never sounded so sweet, to know that I'm not stuck out in the open with it.
The wind was coming out of the southwest again. Great. Another 50km of pushing against God's maniacal breath. Unfortunately, unlike last week's bright spirits and willingness to tackle the unknown, this week I was just a miserable wreck. Again, the beer probably didn't help, nor did the sore legs. I was never tempted to give up, but I was a bit of an emotional basketcase, wanting to break into tears whenever the wind kicked up, or simply because the sound of it constantly filling my ears was driving me mad.
This time I made it to the south side of Lake Ontario. That felt good. I didn't make it as far as I wanted (was going to do two loops of the Hamilton Beach Trail) but it was longer that last week which was very rewarding.
While riding, I had expected the rain to come from the southwest, where the wind was coming from. By the time I hit the turnaround in Hamilton though, I saw that the storm had flanked me and was now darkening the skies all across the north side of the lake, my route home.
I'm not sure if the speed I was going could be considered "booking it," but I put the hammer down for most of the ride home.
It hurt.
A lot.
By the time I hit Port Credit, I was done. Legs throbbing, wind blowing against me again (first from the east, then the west...wtf?). I almost cried when I was nailed by a steady breeze turning north on Southdown road. What did I do to deserve this?
In the end I made it home, a victory I guess. Small occasional drops of rain made themselves felt on my bare arms, but I managed to beat the storm home.
I think I'm going to pass out for a while. I hope the dog doesn't shit herself.
Thursday, April 30, 2009
Why?
Consciousness. What is it? The feeling of knowing. Knowing what I am, who I am. Full control over the decisions I make. Why I do what I do. What inspires me to take those first steps? Would a horse run for 14 hours just to prove a point? Would it know what it was doing, or remember why it had started that morning by the end of the run that evening?
I stood on the sidewalk today, motionless as the rain fell around me, tapping the new leafs of small trees in front of me. My dog was sniffing in the dirt, then she was pruning the bushes, eating still-attached branches and probably tasting sap. As I watched her I wondered if she knew what she was doing? Was she doing it for a purpose or simply because some unknown force pushed her to start eating bitter branches off tiny trees.
While she did that I looked down at my one free hand (the other was holding the leash). I opened and closed my hand a few times, thinking all the while that I had full control over this process, that I could start and stop at any time, and that more importantly I was the one who initiated the movement. Would a dog stretch out it's left paw and marvel at the movement, ponder the significance of evolution all the while? Why do I have paws, and what creatures came before me that made these paws a necessary evolutionary step in the world.
Humans are considered to be one of the great endurance-based creatures on Earth, one of the few that can run almost endlessly. Some think it is this that has allowed us to thrive on this planet, that we were simply able to outlast our prey in the great game of cat and mouse. Eventually our foes would tire, and we would still be there, pursuing.
Many thoughts have gone through my head since I began the great journey of running and cycling and swimming that now so consumes my life. One primary idea has been the one that says all humans are endurance animals and that a return to that form of lifestyle is deep seeded within us, harkening back to our early days when all we did was hunt and run.
I still wonder if dogs have sentience, the ability to know and understand what they are doing? What I know for sure is that I do, and I choose the life I lead, to punish my body, and praise my body, and keep it nourished, so I can run for 14 hours just to prove a point.
I stood on the sidewalk today, motionless as the rain fell around me, tapping the new leafs of small trees in front of me. My dog was sniffing in the dirt, then she was pruning the bushes, eating still-attached branches and probably tasting sap. As I watched her I wondered if she knew what she was doing? Was she doing it for a purpose or simply because some unknown force pushed her to start eating bitter branches off tiny trees.
While she did that I looked down at my one free hand (the other was holding the leash). I opened and closed my hand a few times, thinking all the while that I had full control over this process, that I could start and stop at any time, and that more importantly I was the one who initiated the movement. Would a dog stretch out it's left paw and marvel at the movement, ponder the significance of evolution all the while? Why do I have paws, and what creatures came before me that made these paws a necessary evolutionary step in the world.
Humans are considered to be one of the great endurance-based creatures on Earth, one of the few that can run almost endlessly. Some think it is this that has allowed us to thrive on this planet, that we were simply able to outlast our prey in the great game of cat and mouse. Eventually our foes would tire, and we would still be there, pursuing.
Many thoughts have gone through my head since I began the great journey of running and cycling and swimming that now so consumes my life. One primary idea has been the one that says all humans are endurance animals and that a return to that form of lifestyle is deep seeded within us, harkening back to our early days when all we did was hunt and run.
I still wonder if dogs have sentience, the ability to know and understand what they are doing? What I know for sure is that I do, and I choose the life I lead, to punish my body, and praise my body, and keep it nourished, so I can run for 14 hours just to prove a point.
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