Back At It

I feel like every post begins with me saying I am going to try to blog more often, but I am a busy guy so blogging sometimes falls on the back burner.


Since my last update not much has changed. Still training away and putting in hours at MultiSport Zone so I can pay for all my racing and equipment. Training has been going really well with one minor hiccup last week when my ankle/Achilles flared up after running on some gravel roads. Luckily Jenn Entwistle fixed me up and gave me the go ahead to race this past weekend at MultiSport Canada Huronia Olympic distance triathlon.


With nasty weather rolling in overnight we were in for an interesting race. Luckily I arrived early on Friday and was able to drive the course. I knew there would be some slick corners, and I would have to be a bit cautious. 


With fear of thunderstorms rolling in the swim was shortened to two loops and when this was done the course went from 1500m to about 1400m. I wanted a proper 1500m so I made sure to swim all over the place. Really I just could not sight to save my life which is weird because usually I am pretty decent at swimming straight. I came out in 19:51 which is the slowest pace I have swam this year. However, I did not know the course was short until after so when I heard 19:50 I was like damn I am flying lets get rolling on the bike.


Coach Cliff wanted some power data from this race so he lent me his powertap disc with the instructions of staying around 220w. Racing with power is so much easier than RPE especially on a hilly course like this one. I was a bit below the goal of 220w as my average was 210w with a normalized power of 215w for a time of 1:05:23 for 40.6k. The first 5k of the course were pretty much uphill and struggled to get into a rhythm here. After that though I managed to lock in and push away. Managed to stay upright through the slick corners even though my rear wheel did start to slide out on one corner. Unfortunately not everyone was so lucky and there was quite a bit of road rash and stories after the race.


Coming into the run I was in a similar position being down approximately 3 minutes on the leaders. I did not panic just made sure to get out at a strong pace. I thought the run was tougher than the bike with some short steep rollers where you would go down, cross a slick wooden bridge, and then back up. If you have ever run a course like this you know how hard it can be to get in a rhythm and unlike the bike there is no power meter for running. At about 3k I passed fellow MultiSport Zone athlete Derek Quick, and he told me the others were just up the road. This was one of the more competitive run fields I have seen at an Ontario race with 8 of the top 10 running under 40 minutes. Unfortunately my 34:38 was only good enough to lose a sprint finish for 2nd.


Next up is my first ITU Continental Cup in Magog, Quebec in a week and a half. I am looking forward to racing some of the best young triathletes in Canada as this is the Canadian U23 National Championships.


I am off to the track to crush some intervals. I am going to try and post a couple more updates before Magog.

Victoria's Du and Woodstock Race Reports

I thought I would give you guys a little update on where I am in life. Since the last time I posted I have been super busy training, racing, and working in the shop. My training schedule has been all over the place this month with the only group swim being 8:45pm-9:45pm and trying to fit in other workouts as well. A good example is Tuesdays where I work from 10am-6pm, hit the track from 6:30 to about 8 and then quickly grab some food and get to the pool for 8:45. I have an awesome group to work with though, and if they are doing it with me I can't complain to much. As for races I have done 2 since I last updated,  Victoria's Duathlon and  MultiSport Canada Recharge With Milk Woodstock Triathlon.

I will start with Victoria's Du. Duathlons hurt, the end!

Now Woodstock. This was my 3rd time doing this race, and I like to use it as a guide to check early season fitness after Knoxville. Each year I have moved up the finishing order and was hoping to be atop the podium this year. I knew it was a possibility to win the race, but you never know who is going to show up at local races and I recognized a couple names on the start list. For a condensed race report: I managed to get the w in a time of 1:24:11, almost 6 minutes faster than last year. For the long version continue reading.

The swim - 750m 10:49 6th overall (about a minute faster than last year)

After feeling like crap in most of my swim workouts leading up to the race I wasn't sure how this was going to go, but I was feeling good during the warm up. I was as cool as a cucumber and was not nervous at all. The gun went off, and I managed to get on some fast feet. At one point I went to breathe and noticed I was actually ahead of Angela. I lost the feet of the group I was with at the first buoy and swam solo during the back stretch. Going around the second buoy someone started tickling my toes so I eased off, let him pass, and got on his feet. Turned out the guy tickling my toes was Mark Linseman, a strong Ontrario triathlete. We swam together the rest of the way home.

The bike - 30k 47:09 5th overall (almost 4 minutes faster than last year)

After putting the hammer down in transition and making up some time on the people ahead of me we were off on the bike. Mark took off fast and I couldn't hold on. I was feeling 1000x better than at Victoria's du, and it was showing in my numbers. I wasn't sure if Mark was a fast runner because at the time I had no clue who he was (I know peoples names from studying results but not faces) so I tried to keep him in site as long as possible. At the turn around I estimated he has about a minute on me. After the turn around I was passed by two more guys and lost site of Mark. I was getting a bit nervous at this point that I was not going to be able to close the gap on the run.

The run - 7.5k 25:02 1st overall (almost a minute faster than last year)

I was confident that my run would be faster than last years after having some good workouts with the TPT/MultiSport Zone crew and seeing some positive test results on Wednesday, but I was not sure if I was going to be able to close a gap that had grown to about 1:45. Woodstock is a tough course to run people down because it is not an out and back and when you are in the trails it is hard to see the people ahead. I came out of transition hard knowing I had to run fast and made my way into second by the 1km mark and could see first at the other side of the dam. The next 5k was the most painful 5k of my life and numerous I wanted to slow down, but I was not going to be second in another race. At around 3k I caught another glimpse of the lead and the gap had come down quite a bit. This was a great boost, that helped push through those mental lapses. At around 6k I finally caught him and moved to the lead. I wasn't sure if he had been saving it up for the final kick so I eased off a bit so I could recover a bit before a final move. The road kicks up just before the damn, and I knew this was where I was going to make my move. With a little surge a gap had opened, and now I was running scared for the finish hoping my legs didn't blow up. Coming into the final stretch I gave a quick glance behind me and the realization of finally winning a race set in. It was awesome to come down the home stretch with my family and grandparents there watching.

Thanks to everyone who came out to cheer me on. Thanks to Cliff for getting me ready. MultiSport Zone, Franklin Terrazzo, and Terrazzo and Marble Supply Companies for all their support, without them I would not be able to train and race as much as I do with such incredible gear. Congrats to everyone else that raced this weekend, the MultiSport Zone had some awesome results with Derek Quick winning the sprint Saturday, Angela winning the women's race on Sunday, and so many other overall podiums and age group podiums that I can't even list them all.

Next up will be some down time to refocus on training and get some mileage in. The swim and bike volumes are going to go back up as I still need to see some improvements there. I am still deciding if I want to attempt some draft legal races this summer or stick to the non-draft. Only time will tell. 

Rev3 Knoxville - Race Report

Rev3 Knoxville was almost a week ago now, and I figured it was time to give my thoughts on the race. The race was extremely well run by the Rev3 crew, and even with a few hiccups everything was amazing. The city of Knoxville is an amazing city with an amazing bike course, a nice run, and well a river.

I traveled down to Knoxville on Thursday to allow my legs to recover from the 9 hour drive and give myself plenty of time to relax. Friday I biked the course to see if anything had changed and was confident I would have a good bike come Sunday. Saturday went for a little run and swim but was not feeling as good as Friday. I figured it was better to be tired the day before the race then the day of the race so I just shook it off and moved on. Saturday afternoon was the first big hit of nerves. I was sitting in the Pro tent for out meeting and when I looked around and saw all the talent there I was like HOLY F@*! I have to race these guys.

Race Day!!
Woke up nice and early Sunday, and I was feeling ready to go. Arrived at transition around 5:20; I like being early to races as it settles my nerves. Once I start warming up I forget about everything else and get into my zone.

The Swim.
This was the next and last time the nerves would kick. Sitting on the start line I look to my left and right. I tell myself I belong here, and if I get dropped on the swim I will catch some guys later. Sure enough I was only in the pack for about 50m. Josh estimated they went through the first 200m in about 2:10!!!!!. I still managed to swim 4 minutes faster than last year and was close enough I actually passed 2 guys in transition.

The Bike.
The Knoxville bike course is amazing. There is not really a flat spot on the course, but not to hilly, with some awesome descents. I was able to keep another guy in site until the final climb, and once again caught him in transition again.

The Run.
This is where I was really hoping to make my move. Even though I was injured a bit during the winter I had some excellent workouts leading up and ran a 25s pb in the 5k in one of my tune up races. Knoxville has a tough run course as it is slightly down hill on the way out and then up hill on the way back with a net elevation gain. I came out of transition with one other guy, who I raced last year here, with a couple guys slightly ahead. About 100m into the run my calves started to tighten up, but with a couple guys up the road I tried to push through. We caught our first guy about a kilometer in as he started to walk and was hunched over as we passed. Did I mention it was in the mid 80s and super humid? The heat definitely took some victims on this day. I know I could feel it as I have maybe only trained in warmish conditions a handful of times. About 2k in I caught Josh. He was having a rough day but watch out for him in his upcoming 70.3s. From then on the run was pretty boring. My calves were in balls and I wanted to walk so bad.

In the end this was a big eye opener for me, and it is time to get back to training so next time I will be more competitive. I did manage to finish about 4:30 faster than I did last year so I am moving in the right direction. Next up is the Woodstock Triathlon.

I have to thank all my sponsors, MultiSport-Zone, Franklin Terrazzo, Terrazzo Marble Supply, and coaches, Cliff from Transition Point Training and Ken Fitzpatrick of the London Silver Dolphins.

Summer Time

Exams are finally done. . . and I am already bored. This next week is 100% focus on Rev3 Knoxville. I am feeling ready to race, and with only a couple more workouts to fine tune some things not much is going to change. I am hitting the road Thursday morning and will be arriving in Knoxville Thursday evening. This will give me lots of time to settle in. Friday I am going to be riding the course in the morning, and then picking up my packet. This should allow Saturday to be as relaxing and unstressful as possible with a little swim run in the morning arnd the pro meeting in the afternoon.

It is only fitting that Knoxville be my pro debut as this is really where the story started. Knoxville is the city where I first fell in love with running when I joined the Knoxville Track Club. It wasn't  my first tri, but it was the first tri when I really had this whole turning pro idea in my head. Lots of good memories have been made in the Knoxville area, and I hope to add another one to that list this weekend.

Photo shoot and stuff

So as everyone who follows my blog knows Rev3 Knoxville is approaching very fast. I am starting to shit my pants. It is very hard to focus on exams when all I think about is going out to hit the next workout. The last week in the pool felt terrible, but now that the posse, Chris and Angela, is back from Easter break I seem to be hitting the stroke again (and doing everything I can to hang-on). Training hours got cut back slightly as we are being cautious with my IT Band so I feel like a giant ball of energy just waiting to crush every workout. I guess you could say training is going very well, and I am significantly faster than last year, but I am still nervous I am going to embarrass myself against the big boys.

On a positive note Rev3 has been amazing. I suggest to all triathlete to look into attending one of their races because they are absolutely wonderful, and elites you they make you a poster for your transition spot. Because you need to look fast to be fast, and my cousin Brandon Vandecaveye is such an awesome photographer we set up a sweet little photo shoot. Here are a couple of the pictures he took.

To check out more of Brandon's awesome work here is a link to his blog: http://brandondavidphotography.ca/

The Good, The Bad, and The Ugly

The last 2 weeks I raced three races and experienced everything I could from the good, the bad, and the ugly. Last weekend I raced at the Ontario masters swimming championships and Queen's spring fling. This weekend was the McFarland Rollens Downtown 5k.

The Good

The good included the 2 pbs. I set a 10s pb (5:05) in the 400m free and a 25s pb (16:01) in the 5k. The 5k was from this time last year on the same course so it is awesome to see such improvements, especially after taking 3 weeks off for my it band. This time last year I swam 5:35 for the 400 free so to be about 25s faster in both events is awesome. I have to thank Cliff (http://www.transitionpointtraining.com/) and Ken Fitzpatrick for all their help.

The Bad

In the bad category I would have to place my DNF at the Queen's Spring Fling. I thought I could get away with wearing just the trisuit (which is awesome) and arm warmers, but I froze. After about 3k on the bike I started to loose feeling in my fingers and by the time I was on the home stretch I couldn't shift or brake without pain. I made it to t2, but it took me probably 4 minutes to try and get my running shoes on. After about 400m my body was shutting down and there was no way for me to finish. Luckily my parents were there and quickly got me in the car with blankets to warm me up, half an hour later I stopped shivering. 

The Ugly

This is the heading that most of the racing fits into. I will start with Masters. In the 100m free I missed the wall completely on my flip turn. Thankfully there are no walls in triathlon. I am not even going to describe the 100IM and 100 back, but picture me doing either of those events and you know why it is here. Spring fling wasn't to ugly just cold, I did however swim an extra 50m so we can put my lack of counting skill in the ugly column. The ugly at the downtown 5k was that my shoe came undone 1500m into the race.

So many mistakes in these two weekends I feel like there is nothing left to go wrong in Knoxville. I hope everyone has had some excellent results in the unofficial kickoff of the racing season. Hope to see you guys at some races, don't be shy. 

That Time of Year

It is that time of year where triathletes tend to not update their blogs as much as the final training blocks before the season are being completed. I thought I would give everyone a little update on where I am currently at.

Swimming is going great. For me swimming is just a matter of putting the time and staying consistent. I was thinking about it the other day, and I have not missed a single masters practice since September or October. Only a couple of other swims have been missed, but those have been due to unforeseen circumstances such as pool closures. A lot of people ask me how I improved from averaging over 2:00min/100m and barely making it 500m to where I am now. The answer is this consistency. I am swimming Masters Provincials in Etobicoke next weekend and looking for some pbs.

Cycling is also going great right now, unfortunately my power tap is not working so I am not sure how great. To help with this I just got a new bike thanks to MultiSport-Zone and Cervelo. This year for draft legal races I am going to be riding an S5 team with Ultegra DI2. So far I absolutely love the bike and have nothing bad to say about it. My P2 hates it though as she has been neglected and just sits in my living room.

Running, I am on the mend. I had to take a couple weeks off due to IT band issues. Thanks to Jenn Entwistle at Reactive Physiotherapy in London I am back to steady state runs. Next week we hope to add in some intensity since in addition to Masters Provincials I will also be racing Queen's Spring Fling in Kingston.

I am getting super excited for Knoxville, and I feel I am ready to give it a go with the big boys.

Peace