Colder Nights

I can always feel when the race season is coming to an end, the days become shorter and nights a lot colder, the long-hard training sessions are over and the taper for IMC is well underway. Well this year I don't have to taper because I'm not doing IMC but I can definitely 'feel' what it's like as the race approaches. I've had some great training swim-rides-runs with a lot of the athletes in town and I'm really going to miss the suffering we've shared together, somehow it makes you feel a lot closer. Sound strange? It is, unless you've done Ironman and you know what it feels like to cross that line. There are a few moments in your life where you will truly be put to the test and Ironman is one of those.

You spend months or in some cases years preparing for one day and sometimes it goes well and sometimes it doesn't, what matters more is how you battle those inner voices that tell you to stop. Ironman is a great proxy for life, do you keep battling when things get rough, or do you stop. I'm not saying that you should keep trying to finish when a reasonable athlete would stop amid some long term health consequences. But everyone from pro to last age grouper will go through some tough times, the key is (just like in life) to just keep going. Good luck to all those doing IMC this year, this is the first year since 2004 I won't be doing an Ironman at the end of August but I'll be with you in spirit cheering you on to that blue carpet where you will definitely understand.

Back In the Water

I admit, it's always been a struggle for me to get in the pool, that isn't a secret but when I do swim consistently I absolutely love the feeling. Swimming is an incredible way to feel weightless and free to fly through the water. However it's much nicer when you've been swimming for a while and your muscles have adapted to the training stress. I've been trying to get back that feeling and I know it's going to take some time but I am enjoying swimming again. After an open water fiasico when I went to Musearu Lake with Robert and couldn't even hold on to his feet I decided I needed to concentrate more on my swimming. I know Robert is preparing for IMC but he hasn't been swimming that much more that I have and there was no reason we shouldn't have been swimming at least the same pace. I was in the pool three times the following week and I've been trying to get in as much as possible this week. It seems like three times a week is a lot for me, mainly because the running and biking don't leave me with enough energy to swim more. I know I could scale back on the other two and for the most part I have but swimming is such an effort some days; 1. you can only go to the pool at desiginated lane swim times, 2. it takes a while to get to and from the pool, and 3. sometimes finding lane space is next to impossible if you don't go at 'off-peak' times.

I left for Whitecourt yesterday and they have such a beautiful facility that I really look forward to swimming when I'm here. The new Allan and Jean Miller Centre is fantastic and going during lane swim times always means you will have a lane all to yourself. Yesterday I was done work a little early so I headed to the pool and spent an hour working on technique and some speed work. I was surprised how slow I am but I know it'll just take a couple of weeks of dedicated time in the water to come right back. I finished with some 200's unable to hit the 3:00 mark I was aiming for but I was close, some 100's not quite hitting the 1:30 mark, and some 50's where I was able to at least maintain 45sec for four of them. I'm really looking forward to racing again in Peace River, it's just a little sprint but the distances are correct and I'm hoping to have a sub-hr race. The plan is to try to be under 12mins swimming, under 30mins biking, and under 18mins running, doable but very, very tough. I've never done this race and I'm not sure how difficult it will be but it will be a nice tune-up before the final tri of the year, and a race I would like to perform very well at, Banff.

Death Race Weekend

What an incredible event! Last weekend was Amber's "big goal" for the year and she participated in one of the hardest events I've ever heard of- The Canadian Death Race. It's a 125km ultra marathon over 3 major mountain passes, 17000' of climbing and 17000' of descending= a lot of pounding on the legs. I was a little flabbergasted when Amber told me she was going to sign up for this race solo, I did my best to try and convince her to do it as a team with me but to no avail, she was determined to get through it on her own.

Amber and I have some great friends in our lives and we were very fortunate that Jason and Dionne lent us their RV for the long weekend, it was a tremendous help at all the stages. We drove down to Grande Cache on Friday and got all the preliminary work done and hung out for the pre-race meeting and dinner. There was a great energy in the air, all the athletes were ready to go and just wanted to get the race started. Unfortunately we picked a bad spot to park the first night and the "Death Fest" organizers thought it would be a great idea to have a rock concert the night before a 24hr event! Amber and I both could not sleep and the music was just getting louder and louder. Finally at 11:20 I decided to drive us across town and park on some side street which was a major relief, although we could still hear the concert at least the speakers were not rocking and echoing through the RV.

The start was a lot of fun, there was a lot of nervous energy and racers getting ready for one of the most difficult experiences of their lives. Amber handled it all really well and I was quite surprised to see she wasn't as jittery as she normally is before a major event, although a last minute pole issue almost had her in a panic. The race started off through town and it gave all the spectators a chance to see everyone determine their order in the pack. I was a little surprised Amber started at the back and was comfortable there but she obviously knew what she was doing, she had a race plan and was not going to deviate from it.


The first leg is a 19km run through some fairly hilly terrain, I did part of this leg with Amber the first time we went out to Grande Cache and I was surprised how tough it was. I was absolutely exhausted after 3hrs on the first 10kms and back but I have since been told this leg is nothing compared to the rest. It was definitely going to be the fastest and easiest leg of the day and there were a ton of runners that blazed through it (mainly teams). It made it difficult to find Amber in transition but we did end up hooking up and she was a little behind her race goal time of 2hrs and ended up finishing the first leg in 2:14. No problem but no time to hang around and chit chat, I filled up her camel back gave her a little more food and she was off on the second leg.


The second leg of the race is an absolutely brutal 27km double mountain climb that will absolutely kill your race and end your day if you are not smart. A lot of athletes try and run this part of the course and end up pulling out after leg 3. Only the top 2-3% of ultra marathoners are capable of running this leg and still finish the race so unless you have a goal time of under 15hrs it's probably wise to hike the uphills and take it easy on the downhills. It's actually the downhill pounding that will turn your legs to jello at the end of this stage. Amber was doing great, she was moving with purpose and not dilly dallying like a lot of other racers out there. I was told that a lot of people were having a picnic at the top of Grande mountain, she was having none of that, this is a race people! The end of the second leg was back in town and I was able to park fairly close to the transition so when she arrived she was able to change clothes, shoes, eat a little something and fill up her camel back again. At this stage she had already drank about 4 litres of water but she had been racing for 7 & 1/2 hrs and she finished the second leg in 5:15 feeling fairly fresh and looking a lot better than most people. 46kms done and she had only completed 2 legs of the 5 but I was confident that if she could get through this leg and not feel completely destroyed then she was going to make it.


Leg 3 is another 19kms of rolling terrain but looking at the profile there is still quite a lot of climbing and descending. Amber said this leg is easy but after 46kms of racing and another 79 to go, nothing is 'easy.' She was on the outside of her predicted times but the goal of the day was to get to the finish not set any speed records and she was being very smart by expending her energy slowly. I was waiting at the end of leg 3 for quite some time and I was starting to worry that she was getting very close to the cut off time, if you are not finished leg 3 by 7:00pm then your day is done. She arrived at 6:30 and she said that she was still running and there were a lot of people behind her that were not going to make the cutoff. She was right, 85 people either dropped out on leg 4 or didn't make the 7:00 cutoff for the end of leg 3.

Leg 4 is an absolute monster! 38kms and 7000' of climbing and descending. We drove out to Grande Cache one weekend and did this leg of the race together and I couldn't believe how this climb just never seemed to end, I was absolutely spent at the end and I didn't complete 65kms before that. The heat of the day was really starting to affect a lot of racers and you could see so many of them with stomach issues, or cramping, or some sort of dehydration problem. This is where a lot of the soloists started to drop out, it's really heartbreaking to get this far in the race and have to drop out, but it's what makes this race so incredibly hard only 1 out of every 3 soloists actually get to the end. At the end of leg 3 Amber did another clothes change, shoe change and I told her that after she goes over the top she is going to be in the dark so be prepared for bad footing and cold temperatures. She was ready.

The wait for her at the stage 5 start seemed like an eternity, I couldn't sleep because I just kept thinking that she is still out there running and I'm in a comfortable RV laying down. I did everything I could to try and keep busy but my mind just kept wondering to where she was and how she was doing. I waited in the cold and dark for quite a while trying to spot her as the racers came through the night with their head lamps guiding them through the 4 feet in front of them. She predicted that she could finish Hamel (leg 4) somewhere between 5:45 and 6hrs, she came through at 7:05, 2:30am and looking absolutely exhausted. Her feet were blistered, legs were so sore, she was dehydrated, calorie depleted and so incredibly tired. Fortunately she didn't have any major physiological issues, her knee and hip that always bothered her in training were holding up just fine. I popped the blisters on her two pinkie toes and did my best to bandage them but she was screaming in pain and wanted this race to be over. I gave her a little soup broth, she wasn't in the mood to eat anything, and encouraged her to get back out there. She didn't have any intention of stopping but after putting on her third pair of shoes for the day I was a bit concerned that she couldn't continue because every step hurt after popping those blisters. To my surprise she sucked it up and started out on the last leg.


Leg 5 is probably the toughest leg of the day, not because the 23kms is the hardest but because after racing 102kms you still have to face some major climbing and descending and you're running through the dead of night. Amber said her toes started to go a little numb after a short while running and the pain from her blisters started to subside. However in the dark she kept stubbing her toes on the rocks and that sent a shock wave of pain right through her body. At the start of leg 5 she had been racing for 17hrs and 36mins and I couldn't believe she was still conscious. I was ready to call it a day long ago but she just kept chugging along like a little bulldozer that was outlasting everyone else out there.

I went to the finish to wait for her and I didn't sleep a wink, I just couldn't imagine that she was still out there running and I was trying to sleep. Maybe if she was an ultra marathon veteran it would be a little different but this was her first race over 50kms. I waited and waited in the cold and finally at 6:30am I could see her running up the street towards the finish, yes she was still running and looking great. I was so happy to see her and felt incredibly proud that she didn't give up on herself out there, 22:05.09. What a day, over 22hrs of racing and she had just become one of the 148 solo finishers out of the 418 that started and she did it on her first attempt. Great job babe!!!

It's Time for a Break

Yes it was finally time to take a week off work and relax. This year Amber and I decided to spend a week in Penticton given that we weren't able to ride in the Tour BC due to scheduling issues (Bon Jovi- which Amber said was totally worth it).We love Penticton and spending a week out there in the beautiful weather relaxing on the beach and riding our bikes was a perfect way to enjoy our holiday. I left for Jasper on Thursday night with Harley and we waited for Amber to meet us the following day. It was nice to have the morning in Jasper and Harley and I went for a great 80 minute trail run up to Pyramid Lake and back. If you've never done that trail I would highly recommend it, one of my favorite runs that overlooks the town.
Amber arrived at noon and we started the long journey down to the mecca. Other than a little air conditioning issue with Amber's vehicle the drive was perfect, gorgeous scenery and warm weather... finally. We spent the next day picking up our race packets, walking Harley, laying on the beach and riding the bike course. We were both racing the Peach Classic, I was doing the Olympic and Amber the Sprint. It was a great race although I wished I had done less training during the week leading up to the event and I really wished I had swam more. It was a struggle to get through the 1500m swim but and I didn't post any blazing fast times out there but it was a lot of fun to not have one person pass me on the bike or run. I ended up finishing a very ordinary 20th but I was shocked to hear that it was good enough for 2nd in my age group, cool.

The rest of the week we spent a lot of time on our bikes riding, 80kms Monday, 165kms Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday off and 90kms Friday. It was great to do the IMC course and we saw a lot of other athletes out there, if I'm not doing Ironman this year it was such a great feeling to fly down to Osoyoos, struggle up Richter and over the rollers, feel a little better on the way to Karameos, hurt up Yellow Lake and coast back into town. I will miss doing the race but I had my run up Lakeshore Drive during the Peach Classic and it didn't take 10hrs to get there. It was a great opportunity to spend some time with Amber she has been so busy lately that it's been tough for us to connect but I really felt relaxed and happy all week to have her and Harley there. We capped off the week with a hilarous float down the canal with Harley and I in the same boat and Amber in a floaty tied to us. It was hilarous because Harley wouldn't sit still for long and we spent half the time trying to calm him down. Back home now and although we always feel an incredible affinity with Penticton, GP is home and we are both happy to be here.

The Year of the Domestique

Back in the 1911 Tour de France there was a classic battle between two great French riders, Maurice Brocco and Henri Desgrange. That year the tour was a monster, 5,344kms with one stage (12) being 470kms and taking over 18hrs to complete. By the time Brocco reached that stage he had already lost significant time and he knew he would not contend for the podium so he decided to offer help to a Luxembourgian rider Francois Faber, who was also facing the possibility of elimination for missing the time limit. Allegedly, the two riders agreed on an "arrangement," and Brocco paced Faber to the finish line and the stage victory. Desgrange was absolutely furious at Brocco and was quoted in the the French paper, L'Auto "He is unworthy. He is no more than a domestique." That led to the concept of a rider sacrificing their personal ambitions of victory for someone else to be thought of as a "domestique." From an insult in 1911 to a noble title today, this is my year to become the domistique (servant) for others.

The people close to me know that I've been struggling all year with some sort of cold, flu or virus and it's been happening far too often and for far too long. Most people know how to read the subtle signals their body is giving them to back off or scale back on the intensity. Well my body has been screaming at me for 6 months now to stop racing so much. I finally get it and I'm going to listen. I was in Jasper last week and I should have been incredibly excited to go out for a ride in the mountains but I was just tired and weak and I couldn't manage to go more than 5kms. I took it easy for the next couple days but when I got back home and I was suffering again from a terrible stomach flu that had me throwing up all Canada Day I finally decided enough was enough. This was probably the 6th time I've been sick since January, time to re-evaluate my plans for the year.

Amber has been doing some research in Adrenal fatigue and I think that is probably the best explanation to what has been happening. It comes from years of pushing your body very, very hard with little to no rest that your body eventually just starts to shut down and does not allow you to push yourself like it used to. I admit I am not very good at allowing myself to take some down time and just rest but it's finding that new level within myself that keeps driving me to push harder and harder. However now I realize that my body is not a machine that continually improves year after year and eventually I need to plan years off or my body will do it for me. So I've scaled back my race plans for the year, I'm no longer doing anything over an Olympic distance this year. It was a very tough decision to make but I've realized that it's far more noble to become a "domestique" this year for other local athletes. So I'm going to do what I can to help Amber reach her goals for the year (whatever they may be) and be there for Robert, Dennis, and anyone else who needs a training partner to do a long swim-ride-or run with. I have to admit I will really miss the excitement and energy of Ironman week and the day itself but I'm going to do what I can to help others be successful and come back stronger and more focused next year.

Know When to Say When

I always feel really excited this time of year, the beautiful days seem to last forever and all the potential rides and runs make me want to burst out of my office and get outside as soon as possible. The same thing can be said when I make my race schedule in the winter, the thought of racing keeps me training hard all winter long and when spring and summer roll around, I want to race as much as possible. However, I'm starting to learn that my body is not as excited about my racing as my mind is. The thought of racing and pushing myself hard is addictive when I started to do really well in competition. I'm no elite racer but I seem to do alright in my age group and the feeling of doing well keeps me working hard for the next race.

The past couple years my body has decided that racing and training hard day after day is not sustainable so I've been very prone to sickness. It's frustrating when you feel like you are doing everything possible to be the picture of health by fueling right, training hard, avoiding indulgences and you are more sick, than a lot of other people who do none of the above. It seemed to start before Great White North last year, I'm not sure if it's an age thing or just the fact that I'm training harder in the spring/summer but I seem to get these nasty flu's right around this time of year. I got another one last weekend and I missed one of the nicest training weekends of the year sitting on the couch, that was frustrating. Amber was away training for the Death Race and I was flat on my back, doing nothing... Time to be smarter.

I started to feel a little better last week and got into training easy but nothing hard or fast. I talked to Amber about the upcoming race this weekend (the 20th) and she said I should definitely pull the plug. I think she was anticipating an argument from me because she knows how much I love competing and having a race in GP is rare so she immediately listed off 4 or 5 reasons why I shouldn't do it. I just said, okay. I could see the look on her face was of disbelief so she continued to tell me reasons why I shouldn't do it and I just replied, "okay if you think it's a bad idea, I'm not doing it." I finally get the message, my body is telling me to be a little more selective when it comes to racing, no more races every two weeks throughout the summer.

I did volunteer at the kid's tri on Saturday and the adult tri on Sunday and had a blast, it's very interesting to be on the other side of the race. You know exactly what the athletes are thinking and feeling and you want to try to make things better for them but you know they are all going through their own personal turmoil and there is not much you can do or say. I had an opportunity to greet all of them at the finish and collect their timing chips and everyone was so happy at the end, it was an awesome reminder why I love this sport. It doesn't matter if someone finished in an hour or two and a half hours, everyone was happy do make it to the end. A big thanks to Lorna and Robert for bringing back this race and taking on the challenge of organizing everything, it sometimes feels like there is not a lot of reward in being a race director but all of the triathletes in GP really appreciate everything they've done.

Success for Ernie's Speed Revolution at the Hinton Tri

Sunday was the day I finally felt like the race season has started. It's always a little nerve wracking at the beginning of every year to actually find out if you are faster or slower, the clock is unforgiving. I was fairly confident going to the Hinton Olympic tri with the new wheels but I haven't been doing as much running and swimming so I was hoping to do well with the training I have been able to fit in. Saturday in Jasper was packed with activity, it was Amber's Banff-Jasper relay and she did an awesome job on the toughest leg; N9 straight uphill for 9kms and then another 6kms fairly flat. I ran the first 6kms with Harley and we both had to stop a couple of times to catch our breath, it was very, very tough. She finished strong and I was amazed at how well she's bounced back from being very sick.

I left Jasper at 6am Sunday and couldn't eat or drink anything, I usually don't get nervous for races but it's different when people 'expect' you to win, anything can happen during a race. I arrived with plenty of time to set up and prepare, I chatted with a bunch of GP triathletes I couldn't believe how may of us were there, it was great. We talked strategy and racing and what to expect for the day most of us were relaxed and just excited to start. We cheered on the first two heats and got ready for our start at about 9:40. I started the swim fairly fast but I wanted to make sure I was doing everything I could to have a great swim time. I have been doing swim TT's with Robert and Dennis for the last few weeks and I've been swimming better and better so I was confident I could get out of the water under 24 minutes. Unfortunately I didn't get the benefit of the draft and I really started to die after a 1000m. The last 500m were really hard, I was giving it everything I had and I know I was barely moving. I still managed to come out of the water in 24:12 so I was pleased to have a similar swim time as the last couple years with less training.

The transition went fairly smooth other than not being able to get my shirt on, if you've tried to get a tight bike jersey on over a wet body you know what I'm talking about. I hammered the bike as hard as I could and I was so happy that I was able to hold off the two biking phenoms, Robert and Dennis. Truth be told we are all so close in terms of biking ability that on any given day any one of us could beat the others. Still I had my best bike time on that course, 1:03.35 and took two minutes off my time from two years ago.

That set me up for a PR but as I got off the bike my legs felt like cement blocks. I tried to move as fast as possible but my quads were absolutely spent. Not good went you reach the 2km mark because there is a mile of straight uphill from there, ouch. I did what I could to get up the hill and by the time I hit the trails I was feeling a little better. There is a 5km trail section on this course and it's absolutely beautiful, rolling dirt and gravel trails through the forest and you almost forget you are in a race. Until the turn around when I saw Robert just before the 6km mark, then I took my head out of the clouds and ran as hard as I could to the finish. I saw Amber at the top of the hill on a mountain bike and she followed me down to the finish cheering me on, that was nice.
I finished the race with a new PR; 2:05.29 and myself, Robert and Dennis took 1st, 2nd, and 3rd. Great way to start the triathlon season and I'm stoked to get to Great White North with some good training behind me. I'll need to spend a lot of time in all areas but training with the Ernie's Speed Revolution team is really helping, not to mention it keeps you working on those days you just feel like slacking off. I'm sure Robert, Dennis and I will be doing some epic rides, I can't wait this year is going to be very memorable.