Everything I Had

Well I gave it everything I had on the day, the only real issue I had was dealing with the heat on the run. I knew what to expect so I shouldn't be surprised but it's next to impossible to train in Canada for a hot and humid race and not fall apart on the run, for me at least. The race itself was fantastic, there were too many turns on the swim which was terrible when I started running into the other swim waves in front but for the most part it was really exciting and amazing to be in an Ironman atmosphere in mid-April. I'd prepared really well, getting in quite a bit of training leading up to it but still suffering from a calf injury and not running a lot leading up to this one. I still managed to get in 5- 90km rides and 5- 21km runs and a ton of other shorter stuff. I felt good about my swimming and riding it was just going to be tough to run like I'm used to without a proper run build.

The swim was pretty rough, the course is shaped like an M so there were 6- 90' turns and the smashing and thrashing was terrible. I was right in the middle swim wave so there was no where to go but forward, it wasn't a wetsuit swim so I was okay with a 32:22. The ride was amazing, I drove the course the day before and was a little worried with all the turns but being at sea level really helped and I felt like I was flying! I was pleasantly surprised with a 2:21.15 time and thought I would be closer to 2:30 based on my training but the turns didn't slow me down too much and it broke up the monotony of the course. So I was starting the run in under 3hrs which was my goal and I still felt fairly fresh, I took in lots of calories on the bike and didn't push too hard. I had to deal with the stabbing in my quads for the first couple miles but I managed to run it out. My issue on the run was I just couldn't get my temperature down no matter what I tried, I was dumping ice, water, ice, water and I just couldn't hold a steady pace. I'd run for about 500m then have to walk a couple steps and start running again, it was very frustrating but I knew if I didn't walk for too long I could still pull out a decent race. It was 3- 7k loops with 3 big climbs each loop so there was 9 really hard points on the course and by the final loop I was really struggling. I did a lot of hill climbing in training but nothing in 28'C weather. I still managed to shuffle to a 1:38.32 half marathon but I know I'm capable of at least a 1:24 in a half IM so I'll be working for that for Calgary 70.3.


Darin Hunter

Overall Rank: 34

Div Rank: 4

Gender Rank: 34General Info

BIB 1159

Division 40-44

Age 42

State AB

Country CAN

Profession ---

Points 3315

Race Summary

Swim 00:32:22

Bike 02:21:15

Run 01:38:32

Overall 04:36:29



SWIM DETAILS
Division Rank: 13



Split Name Distance Split Time Race Time Pace Division Rank Gender Rank Overall Rank

Total 1.2 mi 00:32:22 00:32:22 01:40/100m 13 85 96



BIKE DETAILS
Division Rank: 6



Split Name Distance Split Time Race Time Pace Division Rank Gender Rank Overall Rank

Total 56 mi 02:21:15 02:56:05 23.79 mph 6 36 36



RUN DETAILS
Division Rank: 4



Split Name Distance Split Time Race Time Pace Division Rank Gender Rank Overall Rank

Total 13.1 mi 01:38:32 04:36:29 07:31/mi 4 34 34



Transition Details



T1: Swim-to-bike 00:02:28

T2: Bike-to-run 00:01:52

3 Final Weeks

The Coach

It's hard to believe that winter has seem to have come and gone, I remember thinking about this race in October and feeling like I had all the time in the world to get ready for a 1/2 Ironman. Add in a high maintenance 2 year old, a job move, a house move, an injury and time seems to have flown past. Amber says I've been training really well and I'll be as ready as I can be for an early season 1/2, it's hard to go into it knowing that I'm not in my 'peak form' but I have to admit that what I think is 'peak form' probably only exists in my memory. No longer can I run out my door and bang off 4:00min/kms for 21kms and feel good afterwards, now I'm struggling to get to 4:00min/kms and not feel like I'm in a full on sprint. At least it seems like the calf is under control, I've had to adjust the number of times I run a week but at least I can run. I did a 1:30 21.1k yesterday and didn't feel too bad, I'm hoping with the warmer weather and less layers I'll be able to run faster.

I've done 4- 21km runs and a bunch of shorter stuff and 4- 90km bikes with a lot of other rides so I'm hoping I have the fitness, the trouble is always going to be the heat. I guess I've done what I can do, layering up with no fan, but it is extremely hard to simulate that hot sun burning you into a shriveled mess during that 1/2 marathon. This race reminds me a lot of training for Puerto Rico back in 2011, very early season training all inside but the difference there was Amber and I were doing the training together and didn't have a toddler to take care of, major, major difference... Regardless of the result I'm going to treat it as a fun holiday with my family and just be grateful I can do this sport and remain healthy and fit. I haven't been to Florida since I was 17 and I remember it being so beautiful and temperate, so nice to just walk around in shorts and a t-shirt all the time. I'll have the first couple days thinking about the race but then I just want to spend a week and enjoy the holiday.

March 7th and riding outside, nice!

7 Weeks and Counting

Amber and I out for a chilly Feb Mountain Bike

It's been quite the transition from GP to Calgary, things at work are a little slower than I usually prefer but I know it always takes time to develop the business so I'm practicing patience. The move to Calgary was definitely a good one for my family, we all love being closer to grandparents, especially Ryder and my folks love having him close. Training for a 1/2 Ironman in the early spring has always been a challenge but with a 2 year old it's even more challenging then you would imagine. I can't complain Ryder is 10 times easier then he was last year and Amber has had time to go to yoga 3-4 times a week which is fantastic but he is a very high energy kid and I'm glad I'm only doing 1/2 IMs this year because trying to train for an IM seems impossible given the energy requirements of IM training.

 I'm starting to get the areobic engine going again, I was training consistently in December and January and it's starting to pay off. An hour ride in December was absolute hell but now I seem to comfortably bang out a 2:30 ride on the Computrainer and run for 20mins with no problems. It's helped that the therapy on my calf is working and I'm not in absolutle pain after every ride or run. It's been a very long healing process but I'm now starting to feel like I'm going to be injury free before the race, if you ever start to feel pain in your foot don't assume it's plantar facititis and have it taken care of.

First 13.1M in 2015 and it wasn't easy

I completed a 21.1k run yesterday and although I'm a bit sore the injury is okay and I feel like I can train properly and will be ready for April 12th. The next 6-7 weeks are going to be key to being ready for IM Florida 70.3 and I'm really excited to do this race, the training reminds me of Puerto Rico; in the basement with no fan and 6-7 bottles of Gu/Water, and 3 different sets of bike gear but I have a good plan in place and I'll be as ready as I can be for a spring race. I know I won't be 100% in shape and my Calgary 70.3 and Challenge 1/2 will probably be a lot faster but I'm just excited to be doing a 1/2 distance again and I really enjoy the training. There is one thing about endurance racing that makes you feel more in shape than ever before and I'm happy to be back at it. My body responds differently then it did in my 30s but even with more needed recovery time I feel like I'm going to have a good race.

Bike Binge

It's normally pretty tough for me to get on my bike with the little man around but I managed to get in some pretty good rides over the holidays. Although I only had time to ride twice this week I managed 7 rides in 14 days in Calgary, not too bad considering it was the holidays and I'd normally just be drinking coffee and laying around. It's easier when you aren't running at all, my foot is still an issue and now I'm starting to worry about Florida. I really need to start getting in some long runs soon and I can barely get in 30mins without pain. I've never had Plantar Fasciitis and I hope I never do again but it really sucks. It's over 3 months and I've done everything I can think of, I just have to be patient. I'll get back I know it's just going to take some time.

Swimming has been going okay, I'm not fast but I feel good in the pool and the bike is about the same. The speed will come later just need to keep working on that base, did a 2hr 30min ride with some guys today and it amazed me how quickly the time went by, I didn't think I could ride that long but it wasn't a problem.

Dreaming of Summer

I know it's probably not healthy to be thinking about summer vacation plans at the beginning of December but I need some sort of 'event' or goal to be excited about. We are right in the middle of packing and making the move to Calgary and it's a lot of work so I'm thinking about all the things to look forward to in 2015 with the family. The highlight of our summer is definitely going to be our 'Tour BC' type bike trip through SE B.C. and SW Alberta, 7 days of camping and riding with the family in an RV doing some excellent training and having fun with Amber and Ryder. I have a lot of great 1/2s planned in 2015 too so getting back into swim-bike-run shape is going to be a challenge but one I look forward too. The only thing that was missing in our lives in GP was having family close by to watch Ryder for a while. It's very hard for a couple like us who need time to ourselves to just decompress from the day with training to always have at least one of us taking care of Ryder at all times. I think with my parents nearby it's going to make things a lot easier, Amber could take an hour or two during the day to train and I could take some time after work and we'd still all have time together as a family.

Tentative schedule for me next year is; Florida 70.3 (registered), Calgary 1/2 marathon, Chinook 1/2 IM (possibly), Calgary 70.3 (registered), Challenge 1/2 (registered)

The Mental Race

All of us who have raced for a number of years know the importance of preparing for a race mentally as well as physically. The physical preparation for a race seems rather easy and straight forward but what does it mean to prepare mentally? Being prepped for a race mentally means not letting all of the issues in life that are designed to throw you off your perfect race from derailing your plan on the day you need to be ready. Most of the excuses I hear from athletes are completely preventable, even some of those that athletes feel are out of their control. Of course when we have a bad race we look for reasons why, I ate something bad the night before... Why? You should know exactly what type of foods are going to cause you issues and stick with the ones that won't, controllable. I got a flat on the course... This happens to everyone and although it's unfortunate you should know exactly the perfect tire pressure for you and your bike that will let you go fast while being able to handle a rough course. There is never going to be a course that doesn't have some debris and your bike should be able to go over most of it, flats of course happen and you should be able to change it quickly and efficiently so as not to ruin your race. I couldn't get in the amount of training required to race to my potential. Ok why? Did you choose a race that didn't take into account your work, family, life outside of racing? You are in control of when and how often you race and you should be the one to critically evaluate what races are going to be your "A races" and what if any are going to be your "B or C races."

Things always happen in life and in racing and we have to be honest with ourselves as to what our expectations are. When I flatted in Prince George this year and I knew I couldn't continue because of a shredded tire, sure I was disappointed at the time but I after thinking about it for a few minutes I realized that racing is a privilage and getting a flat in one race is not the end of the world. Most people would love to live the life of adventure that training and racing brings me and I need to be happy that I am 1. physically able to do what I do and 2. have the mental discipline to continue to keep myself fit and fast at my age.

Mentally preparing for your season is as important as physically preparing and I think too many athletes focus on the physical and just think the mental part of it will take care of itself on race day. Visualizing your perfect race, going through your race plan before, dealing with issues as they come up quickly and efficently as well as keeping your cool are all things that are going to help you have a great race and a great season. Most of the excuses we come up with boil down to things that we can control and for those that we can't we should have a plan in place so that we know how we are going to deal with them when they happen.

Loving the Off-Season

Ryder enjoying our time at the Fairmont Palliser in Calgary

It's been a nice couple of months I've been running when I want to run, swimming occassionally and haven't been biking at all. I don't feel stressed about not training and I know I needed a break, even though I didn't do a lot of racing last year the racing I did was very intense and it took some time to recover. I've been able to spend more time with family and my back injury is finally starting to feel a bit better. I went out for a little trail run this week and all of the sudden my foot starts hurting, nice thing about this time of year though is I'm not stressing about getting it fixed and I'll just rest it and it will heal itself.

Ryder's been lots of fun but quite a challenge, he's in this 20 month sleep regression and has kept his parents up a lot recently. I'm looking forward to a time when he'll sleep in his own bed but I don't see that happening anytime soon. For now I'm going to take another week off, wait for the time change and hopefully that will help me get out of bed earlier so I can finally get to the pool on time. I've been sleeping in every morning because of a crappy night's sleep.