Today's lunch-time swim was the greatest ever. I didn't break any records, I didn't even try. Today's swim reminded me why I go swimming at lunch in the first place. It was a back-to-basics reality check. I started swimming at lunch long before even contemplating triathlons - I started swimming to

• break up the work day
• clear my head
• enjoy the leisurely stroll through the market and
• get some exercise.

Today's workout- 400 yds of easy-to-medium warm up, 3 x 100 IM (Butterfly, back, breast, free), 3 x 150 front crawl (emphasis on long-strokes). That came up to 1000yds, so I just tacked on 2 laps of breast stroke to cool down and put me up to 1000 meters. My lane was empty, so it was just me - how great is that.

The 3x100 IM - I hate butterfly, but what a feeling when you finally get to the wall! ...and an IM is a great set, the final lap of front-crawl, you feel so strong and powerful. I took them at 1:45 pace, with 15 seconds rest in between.

I even treated myself to a new lock for my locker and I renewed my pool-pass.

With my triathlon season more-or-less finished, and only 6 seconds to shave off on my 5K PB and literally only one second to shave off on my Thursday night duathlon, I can now afford some time, to enjoy exercising.

Here's my Official Olympic Distance Triathlon List

• Towel 1, Towel 2 (I don't actually towel off, I use one to lay everything out on, and have the second 20"x30" for wiping my feet if need be)
• Goggles x 2 (just in case)
• Swim cap
• Tri-shorts (usually on when I go down)
• Race Belt + Number
• Body Glide
• Wetsuit
• Bike/Run Shirt
• Face cloth
• Bike (duh)
• On Bike = Pump, extra tube, repair kit (hopefully, I will never need this)
• Allen Keys (usually for last minute brake adjustments)
• Helmet
• Sunglasses
• Bike Shoes
• Socks for running (my preference - I go barefoot on the bike)
• Running Shoes
• Bottle - Gatorade (on bike)
• Bottle - Water (on bike)
• Bottle - Water (loose for Transition if need-be)
• Watch (usually on when I go down)
• Pump (big one, keep in car)
• Money (about $20-30 just in case)
• 2 Plastic Bags (in case its raining, to keep shoes dry in Transition)
• Fuel - for me, it's my Jam Sandwiches, pre-portioned in little baggies.
• After Race outfit - shirt & shorts & walking shoes (all usually on when I go down)
• Clean underwear for afterwards!

What's in your bag of goodies???

Exiting the Swim, heading into T1, reaching back to pull down the zipper on the wetsuit. Alternate Title: A zone-5 heart rate can make you look ugly.


Heading out on the bike, someone in Hot Pursuit.


Coming back from the bike.


Leaving T2 - the famous Jam Sandwich dangling from my mouth.


Approaching the finsih line...


Ahh!

Posted Distances: 1500m Swim, 41.2km Bike, 10km Run.

I couldn’t sleep, I just heard about the Lance Armstrong EPO allegations, so I had to check them out online – while I’m here, may as well type up my report before I forget! BTW – I still believe in Lance.

Background

This race was going to be a homecoming for me. I grew up in Brockville. On top of this, the race was held on my mom’s birthday. Add to that my sister and brother-in-law were both down. Top it all off with my grandmother, more or less, is settled back at home, after major surgery and several weeks of hospitalization.

Pre Race

Arrived in Brockville on Saturday, and went down with the whole family to Blockhouse Island to pick up the race-kit. My dad, almost convinced me that he had signed up for the duathlon – he hadn’t … but I can tell he’s thinking about it… Anyhow, not much in the freebie department other than a toothbrush (! ? !), and a nicely re-designed T-Shirt. I would be racer number 12. Guylaine and I drove the bike course with the van, and I started to get a bit nervous. I knew the bike was open to traffic, but the course seemed much more hillier than I had expected, and frankly, there didn’t seem like much space at the side of the road – what was there, looked littered with gravel. “Oh well”, I thought, “They’ve managed in the past”.

In the evening we played in the pool with the kids. Afterwards, I wanted to get a few laps in (I hadn’t swam in over a week). I did 10 laps, and got out. I wasn’t happy. I was breathing heavily, and I felt tired. I got back in, and did another 10 laps – “Slow, Easy, Long, Glide” I told myself. They felt much, much better, and I was much more confident after the second set.

Before bed, I back-calculated my wake up time: Start at 8:30, Be on site at 7:30, Leave the house at 7:15, 30 minutes to obsess about bike and T-bag, 20 minutes to shower etc., 10 minutes to eat. Somehow I arrived at 6:10 wake up time.

Side note: Shower??? I’ve got this weird obsession of wanting to be clean before I start the day – any day – especially a race day. Even when I was getting up for a 6AM swim at Meech, I’d still shower, shave and gel my hair… maybe I’m nuts.

Morning Of

I didn’t sleep well the night before. That’s normal. I wasn’t nervous - not like the night before my very first race – I think it’s just a combination of anxiety and excitement. I woke up at 6:15. Ate a bowl of Fruit Loops, a banana and forced some “fruit snacks”. I checked out the bike, pumped up to 110 PSI, checked out front derailleur shifting – everything good – made sure I was in the small chain ring for the steep trip up Ford Street.

Set Up
I arrived in transition as planned around 7:30, again surprised at how many other people were already there. I recognized a few other people from the local tri-scene, and ran into a guy I know from the pool – he was attempting the Olympic distance for the first time – he told me to wait for him at the finish line, I laughed, and told him only if he waited for me after the swim.

I found a decent spot close to the bike-out end where the bar was high enough that I could slip my bike in and out without having to tilt it too much. It turned out to be close to Jim and Pierre – 2 guys from my duathlon group who were also doing the Olympic event. I would run into Jim Borrens, Will Thompson and Dave Backman later on.

I still remember my first Triathlon, knowing absolutely no-one, and feeling a bit out of place while setting up. It’s nice to have met some nice people in the mean time, and to have some familiar folk to chat with and cut the pre-race jitters.

I digress… I set everything up perfectly. I was happy. I went to get my timing chip and get body-marked. I had been planning on writing some inspirational messages on my arm for the race (something I had read about, at the Steelhead Triathlon) – Sure it’s cheesy, but I thought I had nothing to lose. I wrote PITQLF and YCRF on the inside of my left arm. Pain is Temporary, Quitting Lasts Forever…. and You Can Run Faster.

I went to scope out the Swim-In area. I rehearsed the swim-to-bike transition run, only to find out that I had set up in a spot that didn’t allow for a direct run from the swim – so I found a spot on the other side of the rack – and set up again - perfect. (This flip-flop is almost part of my pre-race routine now.) A quick visit to the port-a-potty (not too stinky thankfully), and I was ready.

Between 20 and 15 minutes to the start, I lubed up my wrists, ankles and neck with Body Glide, slipped on the rubber up to my waist, and headed down to the Swim Start. I had 2 sets of goggles with me, clear and tinted – it was slightly overcast – but I opted for the tinted, only because it wasn’t too dark out, and the anti-fog still worked well on them. No one had ventured into the water yet, so I worked the rest of my suit on, it felt really good around the shoulders.

People were getting into the water, so I did too – which was a small adventure in it’s own right – the in/out is a concrete boat-launch ramp, that is covered in sea-weed. I had to crab-walk in. Someone told me not to worry about getting out, as they have people set up to pull you out.

5 Minutes Everyone!

I set up about half way between the start buoy and the shore, pretty much on the virtual start line. The keen/fast swimmers were set up right beside the buoy. I figured I was set up appropriately, the people behind me were well spaced out, as if to concede the first 10 meters without a fight.

The Swim, 1500 meters

10 Seconds…. 5 Seconds (I started my watch), 4, 3, 2, 1 … again, I can’t remember if there was a horn or a gun, but we were off. Nice and easy I told myself. 1-2-3, 1-2-3, 1-2-3. Immediately, I was happy, there were people all around me, but nicely spaced, no fists or feet. I swam a straight line to the first turn, and took it tightly without incident. The course was set up as 2 loops of a 750m triangle, delimited with 4 buoys – 100m (turn 1), 300m (midway along the hypotenuse), 500m (turn 2), 750m (back at the start – turn 3).

Along the way to the 300m point, I noticed that I was breathing every 4 strokes, I tried to force myself back to every 3. I would go back and forth between 3 and 4 strokes – but I felt good. Another thing I noticed, was that I didn’t notice my wetsuit at all. I couldn’t feel it pulling anywhere. At the second turn, the field had thinned out, and I noticed I was in a line of about 2 or 3 others. Ok, let’s hook on for the ride.

Drafting on the bike is not allowed. Drafting on the swim is allowed. Everything I had read about it, suggests that you hang back and off to the side. Don’t get too close so as to annoy or provoke. It was working well. Thankfully, the line was swimming straight. There was a guy a bit to the right and behind me, who appeared quite agitated. Whenever I turned my head to breath that way, he seemed to always be looking up and around – the first few times, I thought he was just sighting – but it started to bug me after a while. I tried to let it not bother me.

One of my objectives for this race, was to not cruise through the swim, and put a bit more effort into the second loop. I did just this. And, as I rounded the final buoy for the shore (a 250m gap), I really picked it up – and passed a lot of people. I got to the shore, and sure enough, there was a human chain pulling people out of the water. I set my feet down, and reached out – someone grabbed me, but I slipped down. Another heave, and I was out.

T1

I had really pushed it for the last 250meters, in retrospect, maybe not a wise thing to have done, because my chest was heaving when I got to my setup. It didn’t stop me from efficiently shedding my wetsuit, but I fumbled a bit with my jersey, number and helmet. Around this time, I thought to look at my watch – It read 23 minutes and change. “What the” – holy fast I thought, then almost immediately, I panicked – I must have cut a buoy I thought – I hadn’t (In fact, I had reached out and punched the last one, as I had done at Mooney’s Bay). It must have been the draft… maybe the wetsuit. I ran out to the bike mount line – I could see Andrew, my sister and my dad cheering me on out of the side of my eye – I tried to wave or smile, but I was feeling border-line nauseous. I got on the bike and headed out towards the steep climb up Ford Street.

Swim + T1 Time: 24:12 (1:37/100m)

Looking back at the results, the swim course must have been set up too short. The top 10 times are all at a sub-1:20 pace, which is possible, but not likely. I don’t think I could repeat that time in a pool - even with a wetsuit.

The Bike, 41.2km

The 150meter climb up Ford Street went something like this – Click, clack (chain slipping a bit) “Come on Baby, you can do it” (me coaxing the bike) – Click, Clack, “Almost there, don’t fail me now”. Tick-tick-tick … “Phew! We made it.” I got down King Street another 300 meters or so and switched into the big chain ring, glad that that was out of the way.

The bike course is 2 loops of a 20K out-and-back, along the scenic Highway 2 beside the St. Lawrence River. The turn around point is about 1km outside of Maitland.

The ride was actually quite pleasant. There was more than enough room. It wasn’t congested at all. Traffic was little-to-light. The wind was at our backs for the first half of the out-and-back. This added to the “gentle-rolling-hills”, made for some good speed in the 40’s. I was feeling great- although I seemed to be getting passed quite often – of course I’d glance down. OT on the left calf, age on the right. Crap! 31… Crap! 33… “Race your race” I told myself – meaning, don’t burn out trying to catch these guys – there’s plenty of road ahead – at least you beat these guys in the water.

At about 9K, Dad, Joanne and Andrew passed me in the car. They were screaming, Andrew had his head poking out the window. A big smile on his face. I hope I never forget that mental picture.

First turn-around. My plan was to eat half a jam sandwich. This is my fuel of choice seeing as I just can’t get used to Gels. I pass by the gang, they had pulled into a side road, and were set up waving me by. Andrew later told me he thought it was funny to see me with my sandwich dangling out of my mouth.

The rest of the ride back into town was tough – the wind turned out to be very strong, and where I was doing 40+ on the way out, I was struggling to keep mid 20’s on the way in. Finally, I got to the next turnaround, and the wind was at my back again. I told myself to take as much advantage of the wind and hills as possible. Time spent in the high 40’s would even out the inevitable 20’s on the way back.

The last leg of the ride was tough. “You can go faster” I screamed at myself, and I picked up the cadence. Big Jim Penman caught me at about 35K “How do you like this headwind?”…. “I Love it” was my reply.

The last turn back down Ford Street finally appeared. T2 was approaching. Both brakes on for the descent. Spin my legs for the last 200meters. Click, click (unclip). Bike dismount. “Keep your helmet strapped up until you rack your bike”.

Final Bike Time + T2 : 1:16:16. 32.4km/hr (based on 41.2K, I actually clocked 40.5K)

T2

I found my spot easily enough. Racked. Bike shoes off, socks on (feet very wet), shoes on (no problem, thanks to Yankz), load-up my jersey with my quarter-sandwiches. Fumble with Lap button on watch. Look for my little green cloth – “Ahh where is it?” “Forget about it” “No” “Phew, here it is”. Helmet off – Let’s go…. Allez, allez, allez. We’re running.

On the way out of T2, I ran past my Dad, Joanne and Andrew. Chris, my mom, Guylaine and Laura had joined them – Go Phil! Go! (Go Daddy Go!, Go Papa!). My dad yelled out something like “There are only 6 ahead of you”. I was a bit befuddled, it took me about 2k until I realized he probably meant in my age group.

The Run, 10K

By this time, the sun had appeared, and it was getting hot out. The first water station seemed very close to the Run Out – I passed through it, fumbled again with my watch – realized, that I wasn’t going to get a real split for the first kilometer, but got over it.

I didn’t feel like I was running particularly fast, but I seemed to be passing a lot of people. Looking back, most of them, would have been the slower people in the Sprint or Try-A-Tri event. I think I got a bit caught up in the slower pace, and didn’t go as fast as I should have for the first part of the race. Nonetheless, I did catch up and pass Big Jim (As I had done at Mooney’s Bay … I assumed, he’d pass me again close to the finish). It wasn’t until 2K that I got my first real split .. It was 5:26. I was struck with a pang of “What the ???” Get Moving I told myself.

The run, is mostly flat, along residential streets (Water to Jessie to Hartley … the 1K marker was right outside my old buddy, Roger O’Connor’s house), shortly after Hartley street ends, it takes a funny turn up towards King street and curves into St. Lawrence Park, where it goes along a bike path that is a bit of a nightmare, a gradual climb followed by a sharp plummet, followed by another gradual climb to the 2.5K turn around.

On the return, when I was at the foot of the “plummet”, I recognized local Triathlon legend, Devashish Paul at the top, coming down. The sun must have been making me loopy, because I thought for a nano-second I was ahead of him, but then quickly realized, I was at 2.7K, he was at 7.3K. He blew by me on Hartley Street like I was standing still.

The 5K turnaround finally appeared, and I was already struggling. I put on a brave face for my family who were cheering like mad, and headed out for the last 5K. PITQLF… PITQLF… It helped a little bit. I slugged on. Between 6 and 7K I recorded a 6:26 split. YCRF, YCRF “You Can Run Faster” I chanted in my head. At the foot of the “plummet” (7.7K), I allowed myself to walk up, but then I told myself, “Let’s go Boy, Bring this baby home”

Reading what I just typed makes me cringe, but this is really how I talk to myself in my head. I had burned out on my previous triathlon at the 8K mark. I had promised myself to go hard for the last 2 K of this race. 8K to 9K was 5:02. Much better, even on a fast training run, I’m dipping into the 5:20 range by now.

At 9K, a super fit young lady with thick yellow hair in a tight braid blew by me. “Go For It! Nice strong finish!” I yelled out. I drew a little inspiration and picked it up. Down the home stretch, I could see the Finish banner. I could also see a woman running a little slower than me in front. My quick mental differential calculus told me, we’d arrive at the finish line together. Not wanting to crowd her Finish photo, I backed off, to let her go ahead ... but then (as courteous as that sounded), I realized, she was actually 5 minutes ahead of me (the women’s wave started at 8:35), so I put on the super-sonic jets and sprinted by so that I could get the best time I could for myself. About 20 feet from the line, I could hear over the speakers, “Coming in, number 12, Phil Barnes from Ottawa!” On my right, I could pick out Laura cheering like mad. Directly ahead, Joanne and Guylaine were lined up for finish line photos. “Beeeeeeep” (over the timing mat).

I was handed a cup of Gatorade, and a cup of water. The chip-man, stripped my chip. I kept walking…. I had seriously over-heated, and my “anti-puke” instincts told me to keep walking. “Phil!, Phil, we’re here!” Guylaine was chasing me. “I’m sorry – not feeling good – I’m fine – just need a minute..” “Oh, Ok, we’ll be by the finish”. I was fine after a few minutes, and joined the whole gang: Mom, Dad, Chris, Joanne, Guylaine, Andrew and Laura. They were all smiling and happy.

"...this is great", I thought.

Run Time: 52:49 (5:17/km)
Final Stat Line:

74/172 2:33:16 BARNES , Phil Bib#12 Ottawa, ON 59/123 Men, 13/22 Men 30-34, 61/172 Swim - 24:12 1:37/100m 81/172 Bike - 1:16:16 32.4km/hr 80/172 Run - 52:49 5:17/km

My sister served as my official press-photographer - here's the race, as she saw it.


Andrew waits for me outside of T1 ... what the heck is taking Daddy so Long??


I emerge from T1 ... dead tired.


The bike course wasn't closed to traffic ... not as bad as I thought it might be. (I didn't know they were following me, until they had passed, and Andrew yelled out at me from the window!)


Back from the bike and into T2.


Half way through the run. Yes, I'm smiling .. but only on the outside.


The end of a tough run ... 2:33:16 Final Time.

Yes, I went into work once - yes, I answered some "mission-critical" calls, yes, I checked (and acted) on email. But, I did manage to keep away from Blogging for the whole week. I've got one more week to go, but I had to break the silence.

I had my second Olympic Distance Triathlon today. Short version: Great Race. Super Fast Swim (1500m - 24:12), Windy Bike (41.2k - 1:16:16), Slow Run (10k - 52:49). Total Time: 2:33:16.

Long version when I return in a week.

It was a heck of a way to end a topsy-turvy week. A fantastic duathlon last night. Personal Best time by a minute. Gotta love-it when the humidity breaks and the wind doesn't blow.

I crossed the finish, hit split on my watch, looked down and yelled out in glee.

Only one minute shy of my goal for the year. I can shave 15 seconds of the first run, 10 seconds off T1 (slow last night because I was helping someone with their bike), 30 seconds off the Bike, 10 seconds off Run 2 - and I'll be there!

Last day at work today for 2 weeks! Long overdue holidays. Nothing too big planned - a couple of days in Montreal, a couple of days camping, a couple of days with family and friends. I'll have my race in Brockville next Sunday, and after that we'll probably get some good long rides done in Gatineau Park.

I'm going to take a vacation from the blog too - so, in true Tri-Blogging style, here are some gratuitous, cute kid photos...


Laura's favourite birthday present.


The Trail-a-Bike


Beach Bums - cooperation caught on film!


Fear nothing!


Getting ready for Canada Day fireworks


Andrew, Guylaine, Me, My lil Sis Jo and Laura


Good night everybody, see you in 2 weeks.

GMap Pedometer: http://tinyurl.com/7cu3u

Fuelled with a massive portion of Chicken and Ribs and carbed up with 2 beers, I set out for a run after putting the kids down. This was the first real run in a while, and I hadn't really planned it - but yesterday, I had a good bike ride, I had a great swim, so why not go for the Trifecta. I left the house at 8:30PM and realized summer is ending soon, as it was already very dark out.

I set out nice and easy.

1K - 5:15... 2K - 5:05... Somewhere between 2 and 2.5 I got the notion that I was going to conquer Blair Road hill. No... Yes... No... Yes... C'Mon!... Are You Nuts?... OK, if I hit 2.5K sub 2:30, I'll do it.

2:29

Ok, I guess we're doing it.

...and I did do it... and it wasn't nearly as bad as I thought... and it felt great.

The Blair Road Hill is 1.7 KM long, I don't know the elevation profile, but it's the biggest hill this side of the Gatineau Hills that I know of. Descending on a bike starts of as fun, then thrilling, then terrifying.

I took splits along the way, but somehow erased them. My final time for 8.1K was 43:09.

I'm still without a training plan - so it's going to be status quo for a while. That means, swimming at lunch. Monday's swim triggered a bout of depression, today was much better.

To start things off, I treated myself to a new pair of goggles. Parmel PM-100A Black, with tinted Silver lenses. (http://www.parmel.ca -- let's just say, I'm glad I didn't judge the goggles by their website). I apparently got a good deal as well, they're listed at $27 on the website, I think the pool was only asking $15 for them.

My current goggles are Speedo Vanquisher - and I do like them. But the anti-fog is not working so good. Good enough for the pool, but not for outdoors. Why tinted lenses? I've always used clear lenses - they suit me best in the pool - but lately during open water swims I have been frustrated by the glare from the Sun. I'm hoping these will help with that. I'll keep this new pair for open-water and racing with.

They worked well in the pool - a bit odd, as everything looked dark. Which led to a minor fear about tinted goggles and open-water: I've heard that on dark days, in dark water, with dark goggles - the only thing you can see is the reflection of your own eyeballs staring back at you.

Anyhow, the workout went well. I did 500m easy, 500 medium, and by then the pool was clearing out. There was only me and another guy in my lane. Actually he was very slow, but it worked out well because I managed to get some drills in (too difficult normally at lunch time). I did 4 x 25-50-25 drills - my favourites - 25 easy, 50 medium followed by 25 all-out.

I timed it just right, I set off as the other guy was approaching me at the wall, by the last lap, it worked out so that he was about 1/3 down the lane, so I could stay on my half of the lane, beat him to the wall, have 15 seconds to rest and set off again. I averaged about 1:30 per set, so that was encouraging.

I can't say enough about these drills, they really get me psyched. The flip turn into the last lap gets me so charged up. It made me realize how much I missed the Masters sessions I was going to over the winter/spring. I think I'll start that up again in the Fall.

12 days until Thousand Islands Olympic Distance Triathlon

The goal: Do as well as I can. Have fun.

Measurable Objectives: None -I have realized that a lack of a solid training plan combined with inexperience on this particular course prevents me from setting an objective objective. ...and I'm ok with that.

Tactics: Swim a bit faster on the second loop, keep running until the finish line.

Yesterday, I wrote that I was in a slump - I vented and I whined - really, I wasn't looking for support or help - I just wanted to write down my thoughts at that time. Help may have come via an anonymous comment.

Anonymous touched on 2 main themes
1) It is arrogant for me to think that 50% is not good enough.
2) I don't know how to train properly.

Here's the reality check - for 2 years now, I've been obsessed with addicted to triathlon. I wake up thinking about it, at work I think about it, I go to bed thinking about it. Swim, Bike, Run, Rinse, Repeat. I set some goals, but I didn't have a plan. I burned out. I got depressed.

The question I didn't ask myself back then - the question, that I am finally asking myself now is:
Do I want to
a) be more than a top 50% (local) triathlete
b) be a husband and father, have a personal life, do well at work, keep fit and enjoy participating in triathlons as a hobby.

For some people those two options are not mutually exclusive. For me, I think they are. It's one or the other - and obviously I'm going to choose b.

What I need to do now:
a) Put together a plan. Put an end to the smash-and-grab training approach. Find a plan that I can work into my lifestyle.
b) Move on.

Alternate Title: No pep in my step
Alternate Title: Blah

Preface: When I started blogging, it was just for me. A personal diary of my training, workout details, ramblings, and aspirations. After getting over the astonishment of realizing other people were reading - I promised myself to write happy (filtered) thoughts. The entry I write now, is for me to reflect on later. It is not likely to be coherent or make sense to other readers. I'm not trying to be a whiner.

I think I've hit a slump. I'm tired - not sure if it's considered exhaustion, but I'm tired. I'm mentally keen, but physically not into it. Maybe it's a new syndrome, "Post Race depression". Likely, it's just burn-out.

Today's pool workout was wanker. I started in the fast lane - couldn't keep up and demoted myself to the medium-fast lane. I had intended to do a fast 1500. I did 500 fast-ish, then 500 of off-the-cuff-nothing-spectacular, and called it quits with 1000.

Today's commute was wanker. I got passed and dropped by Mary Poppins.

Guylaine and I had a long 68K bike ride on Sunday. It was the longest ride I'd done. I wasn't tired. But it was slow - I didn't push - I was dragging behind the whole time. We averaged 24km/hr. 30 is my mental acceptable low-average.

Last Saturday's race was a great experience. I enjoyed myself. I pretty much met my expectations as far as finishing time - but the results sheet shows me as middle: 31/62 men, 5/10 in my age group. Sure that's better than 50% of the field, but somehow, I feel let down that all the training I've done is only good enough for average. Perhaps, that distance isn't right for me. Perhaps I want too much too soon. Perhaps I am just average - Perhaps I should accept that.

I went into this season - only my second season of training - with a good attitude, and some goals. I've met almost all of the goals, but still something's lacking. To that end, I've logged 120,000 meters of swimming, 3400 KM of biking and 515 KM of running. Great - I'm truly proud of myself, but somehow, I'm in a slump.

I think it's because I didn't take a breather from last year - and went straight into this year all gang-busters with no plans. No tactics. Just an all-out smash-and-grab training approach.

Next year will be different - I will seek out a coach, and put together a plan.

My next race is in 2 weeks. Olympic distance Triathlon. I think I'm going to call it quits on the triathlon season after that. I'll resume boxing for a couple of months, and start up again with Swimming in March. I love triathlon, that I know. The break will be for the better.

Exiting the swim heading towards T1, wetsuit half-off.


Three shots of "on-the-bike" - I'm fairly happy with the Aero look (front view of it).


Leaving T2 - I like that 'run out' pic - I've just finished stuffing my face with a jam sandwich!



If you look carefully at the running pictures, you'll see I'm holding a little green cloth. I grabbed it on the way out in the morning, just so I would have something to wipe my forehead with. It is actually one of the cloths we used to bathe the kids with when they were babies. While I was running, I would squeeze it, and reflect on how many bums were cleaned with it, how many nose bleeds, it was kind of nice to have it with me. I'm going to use it for all my races from now on.

I have a love-hate relationship with transitions. I love the excitement and the energy of going from Swim to Bike, but I always get anxious at the Bike to Run transition. Fumbling with my laces, obsessing about whether to double-knot or not.... why does it take so much time to get these darn shoes tied up.

I've always known about Yankz, Speedlaces and the like, and I finally picked up a pair of Yankz on Saturday.

I participate in a weekly Duathlon training series (3K Run, 15K Bike, 3K Run). We get on average about 15-20 people out, it's a great event and great practice. Last night was going to be the test for my new Yankz.

All I can say is: Holy Cow, these things are well worth it. I was able to slip in and out of each shoe with little effort. I'm glad I got them.

And by the way, here were the splits: (keep in mind it was HOT, HAZY, HUMID and WINDY - several people didn't start the second run).

Run 1 (3K) - 12:35, T1 - 00:32, Bike (15 K) - 29:42, T2 - 00:21, Run 2 (3K) - 14:18, Total - 57:30

These were by far my fastest transitions. Slow time overall due to the weather, but I'm confident I can beat my sub 53:00 goal now in part because of improved transitions.

Friday Morning Swim

Again, this morning, I got up at the crack of dawn to head down to Meech Lake for the Friday morning swim. I was ready to do three loops of the island (approx 700m per loop, 2100 m total distance). I started my first loop with a vengance - but had to stop twice to fix my goggles - 12:10, my second loop I took it easy - but was feeling very fatigued towards the end - 14:20. I decided to call it a day at that. I've been a bit heavy in the training lately, and am looking forward to some downtime over the weekend.

Puzzling side-note:
When I first tried a wetsuit (Rubber Rules, June 03), I had timed myself in a Hwy Nineteen Pipeline wetsuit at 11:26 for a loop of the island - this is my fastest time. I wonder if I've made the right decision with the Orca Speedsuit.

Labels: Du

I suppose July's log is less of a training log and more of an Exercise log.

July highlights include resumption of Swimming, including the addition of open water swimming on Mondays and Fridays... and a 17K PB in running early in the month... and an Olympic distance triathlon at the end of the month.

National Capital Triathlon - July 30, 2005.
Terry Fox Stadium at Mooney's Bay, Ottawa, Ontario, Canada.

Woke up at 5:00, watched the clock for an hour and fifteen minutes, got out of bed trying not to wake everyone else up. I couldn’t eat too much for breakfast, I only managed one bowl of cereal, and forced myself to eat a banana on the way out of the door.

I arrived in transition zone about 15 minutes ahead of schedule, surprised to see that there was so much activity already. The first 2 people I saw were Brad and Danielle from the Thursday night duathlon group. They were setting up close to the Swim-in/Run-out spot. There were still lots of free spaces around there, so I set up camp there too.

During setup, there was an announcement about the long swim-to-bike transition, and that it would be a good idea for everyone to familiarize themselves with the route. I’m glad I did. It was a looong 250 meters or so, over a field, through a fence, over another field: Walking, running or carrying your bike.

20 minutes before the start, after convincing myself that my transition area was set up appropriately, I decided to pull my wetsuit on up to my waist and head down to the beach. The first transition was sure going to be long, in addition to the long distance to the bike start, there was also a good 150 – 200 meters from the beach to the t-zone.

I got down to the beach, reviewed the swim route with an official – pulled up the rest of my suit, and got into the water. It was fairly warm, I was a little worried that I might be too hot during the swim, but I tried not to let that bother me.

The Swim (1500 meters)

“Five minutes to start – everyone out of the water please!” It was going to be a beach start. Oh boy, something new. I positioned myself at the front, and then had a change of heart, and moved back towards the middle. 5-4-3-2-1. I can’t remember if there was a horn, or a gun, but we all started running towards the water. What a mess. There were bodies upon bodies. I seemed to be doing the right thing – dolphin diving while I could still touch the bottom – however, with every lunge forward, I’d just land on someone. I tried to not let it bother me, and I convinced myself things would settle down eventually.

For a while, I was still caught up in everyone else’s feet. I’d hang back a bit, fearing I may get kicked. Eventually, at the first turn, things had settled down. I was swimming smooth and unhurried. Although, I noticed I was breathing every 2 strokes, instead of every 3. I tried to change to bilateral breathing, but somehow felt more comfortable breathing every four strokes, with what felt like a modified Total-Immersion freestyle technique. I was happy with that, as I was making good forward progression, and seemed to be swimming in a straight line.

When I got the halfway point, I was so close to the buoy that I actually reached out punched it as I passed by. “You don’t own me!”

I had a hard time sighting the buoys because of the sun, and the fact that my goggles had fogged up pretty bad. Instead, I just sighted off the splashes ahead of me, and the swimmers that were around me. I never managed to get a good draft of anyone though.

Eventually, I arrived at the swim exit and ran out of the water. I hit the lap button on my watch: 29:50. Woah, slow I thought. Not to worry, unlike my races last year, where I pushed too hard on the swim, I felt relaxed throughout, and not too tired on the way out.

Transition 1

When I got out of the water, I saw Ilona, from the Duathlon group cheering. “Good swim Phil” she called out. It made me smile, and gave me a little extra boost to get up the hill. As I ran, I fumbled a bit with collar but managed to get the top half of wetsuit off with little trouble. I held on to the arms of it while I ran the rest of the distance.

I got to the bike, finished peeling off the suit, put on my shirt, helmet, cycling shoes, un-racked, grabbed my T1 jam sandwich, took a swig of water and ran out to the bike-mount line.

The Bike (36 KM)

I got on the bike, hit the lap button on my watch, and started to go, realizing (again) that I forgot to reset my computer. I messed with it and reset it – and off I went.

The bike consists of 3 loops of Colonel By Drive, from Hog’s Back Road to Pretoria Bridge. My strategy was to take it easy for the first part of loop 1, go hard for the rest of loop 1, loop 2 and the first half of loop 3 and then easy for the final leg. I would drink Gatorade, at each turn near Pretoria Bridge, and water at Hog’s Back turns. I had two, quarter jam sandwiches in my pockets that I would try and eat at the half-way mark.

I pretty much kept to my game-plan, and averaged 34.3 km/hr for the first 2 loops. I hadn’t eaten my sandwiches though, and a third of the way on the final loop, my speed was dropping, and my thighs were cramping. I ate my sandwiches, chased them with some Gatorade, and things picked up. At the final turnaround, Greg Cosgrove, from my office was cheering me. I drew some motivation, and hammered it for the return of the 3rd leg. I got to the dismount line, and felt pretty good.

Transition 2

I was recharged, and energized. I passed people running into T2. I got to my spot, took off my shoes, put on my socks and running shoes, took off my helmet grabbed the remaining sandwiches I had, and headed out for the run with a sandwich hanging out of my mouth. At the “Run Out” an official was cheering people on – “Hurry, hurry, hurry!” She saw me, “Eat that sandwich, let’s go!” I smiled, and charged out onto the run.

The Run (10 KM)

The run is two 5 K out-and-backs through Vincent Massey Park. I had been dreading this part – this is what I would consider to be a hilly park, with one huge hill. Going down would be almost as hard as going up.

I am not a runner -- but, I was fully energized, and was totally psyched up at the thought of soon having an Olympic distance triathlon under my belt. The first aid station was about 200 meters out of the Transition area – “Gatorade!” yelled a little girl – she was about 8 or 9 with white, white hair. I slowed down and carefully plucked it from the palm of her hand. “You’re an angel” I said, “Thank you so much.” Which made both her and her dad smile proudly.

Off again. I got to the 1K marker, hit the split on my watch; 4:15. “Oh God!” I’m going way too fast. How can that be? I felt good, but not that good. I convinced myself, maybe they hadn’t put the marker in the right spot. The second kilometer, 4:34 – “Wow” I’m going strong – and I was.

I had caught up to Lindsay Murphy, and “Big Jim” Penman, from my duathlon group just before the first turn-around. I half wanted to run with them, but I didn’t want to slow down any. “It must be the new shoes, Jim yelled out.

At the turnaround, I was so pumped, I put my hand out and high-fived the race official.

At the 5 K turnaround, I was still feeling good, and around 5.5 K, Greg from my office, was cheering me on again, and gave me a high-five. Lindsay and Jim had caught up to me, and eventually, Jim had backed off but Lindsay was right in step behind me. His breathing was helping me keep going. We got to the 7.5 K turnaround together and he took the lead – “Let’s keep it up Phil, you’re pacing me.” I was starting to struggle. I hadn’t eaten on the run, I probably should have. Finally at about 8K I conceded. “I can’t keep it up, you go on.” He protested a little and tried to keep me going, but I sent him on his way. I was still feeling ok – I was running as fast as I could – which actually wasn’t very fast, but I knew I was going to finish, so that kept me going. Big Jim caught me too at the last kilometer, and passed on by.

The last 150 meters of the run, takes a turn into Terry Fox stadium, and the finish is a 100m sprint down the track. Heading up the hill to the stadium, I took a look behind me, and could see someone about 40 feet behind me. Shortly after entering the stadium, they blew by me. I grimaced, but pushed on. I could see the finish clock, It still said 2:30 and change. 10 feet from the line and I was energized again. I jumped up and slapped the Finish banner.

The Stats
My splits
Swim: 1500meters 29:50 (1:59 / 100m)
T1: 5:07
Bike (36K): 1:06:23 (32.5km/hr average)
T2: 1:02 (actually, this is half of T2, the bike time includes some of it too, I forgot to split)
1K: 4:15
2K: 4:34
3K: 4:20
4 & 5: 9:58 (forgot to split, walked through a water station)
6: 4:20
7: 4:43
8: 4:37 (Right about here, I should have eaten a sandwich)
9: 5:41
10: 6:10

Official Splits
Swim + ½ T1 = 31:17 (26 / 86 overall)
½ T1 + Bike + T2 = 1:10:49 (33 / 86 overall)
Run = 49:04 (38 / 86 overall)
Total Time = 2:31:09 (33/86 Overall, 31/62 Men, 5/10 Men 30-34)

Post Mortem

• I had a great time.
• I was thrilled to have finished my first Olympic distance triathlon.
• I had hoped for a 2:30:00 finish, but given the length of the transitions, I’m more than happy with my final time.
• My swim and bike were slower than expected, but my run was much faster.
• I raced MY race - on the bike, I didn't get too concerned when people passed me. When I passed, I didn't feel I had to hammer it to stay ahead of them - if they passed me back - so be it - I'm racing my race not theirs.

What to do next time

• Not be afraid of the swim start. Admit that I am a good swimmer, and can start at the start.
• Not cruise through the swim, put a bit more effort into it. Don’t be afraid of going too hard – those days are behind me – enjoy the swim, but put more effort into it.
• FUEL up on the run – I totally bonked at the last 2 km, I should have had a sandwich.
• Don’t give up - I’ll admit it. I gave up on the run. If I want to have a better time, I have to learn how to dig into the reserves, and push myself through the discomfort and run faster – I had resigned to just finishing, which at the time sounded good – but if I’d just pushed myself a little harder I could have broken 2:30.