Blog de Phil

3000 meters

2012-01-26T21:13:00.000-05:00

I had a nice swim tonight. I had the whole pool to myself. I do like Saturday morning with the Masters, but sometimes it is refreshing to just swim for fun.

500m for time (8:45... Pretty good for me)
100 easy
4 x (25 fly, 25 free, 25 back, 25 free, 25 breast, 25 free) - I like this set, time really flies.
3 x (100 kick, 100 pull) - kick is my Kryptonite. I didn't cheat, and finished each 100 on about 2:55 (!!)
100 easy
5 x 100 IM w/ 30 secs break (IMs are my fave)
100 easy
12 x 25 sprints on :30. I was only going to do 8x but I resisted the urge to wuss.
200 cool down
-------------------
3000 m total in about 75 mins.

Fun.

who'da thunk it

2011-12-05T08:24:00.001-05:00

DECEMBER 4th WEATHER!!!

Wow! Nice bike ride yesterday. Didn't even wear gloves. Gorgeous. No wind.

I was told there would be beer!

2011-10-31T19:38:00.000-04:00

Several years ago, on my multisport journey, I learned of the 'fringe' cycling sport of Cyclocross. A YouTube video search would be enough to scare off the timid. Joey's starcrossed wipe out would be enough to scare of the fence-sitters. On Sunday, "Cross" racing came to Cornwall.

If I wasn't going to compete, I was dam sure going to watch. And If I was going to watch, I was certain to regret not signing up.... so despite my apparent difficulty in deciphering the sign-up instructions, by midnight on Thursday, Andrew and I were signed up for Cyclocross Cornwall. (Andrew has been dying to do Cyclocross, for a few years now.)

But Phil... you don't have a cyclocross bike. Good point. Well, this is where I draw inspiration from first-time triathletes on mountain bikes... If they can do a triathlon an old 30 lb bike, I can certainly do a cyclocross race on Guylaine's old 30 lb hybrid -- semi-slick tires -- and running shoes.

Thursday night: Couldn't sleep a wink: "What the hell have I signed up for!?!?!"

Friday night: Couldn't sleep a wink: "What the hell have I signed up for!?!? And what have I signed pour Andrew up for??"

Saturday morning: Some of the guys from the Cornwall Cycling Club had organized a mini training session. We met at the race site, and ran through a good portion of the course. This really put my mind at ease: The bike would work and I could actually ride it on grass, and up hills - barriers weren't all that tricky; mount and dismounting was good. They also put Andrew at ease; knowing he didn't have to do all the same hills as the adults, and he could bail out after a few laps or so.

Saturday night: Actually slept a bit.

Sunday morning: Up early and signed in with 40 minutes to go before the start. Andrew and I warmed up on the course; it was a little different than the Saturday, but still manageable. 10 minutes before the start time; I was getting a bit nervous... I couldn't find the start line... so I asked the race organizers where it was. "Oh, we're not sure yet. We'll let you know."

Around 9:10, (10 minutes after the posted start time), we find out where the start is... so we high-tail it over there -- we're the first ones there. Apparently, 9am start time, is "approximate". We actually started at 9:25. The 10:45 race started at 11:20.

Eventually, we're off. My strategy: Start at the back. Take it easy for the first loop. Don't get lost. Don't wipe out. Finish the race... Mission accomplished.

It was pretty hard - you have to continuously stay 100% focused. My heart rate was maxed out immediately. My breathing was out of control most of the first 2 loops. My legs were dead for the last 2 loops. I was a little overdressed - the temperature was about 1 or 2 degrees, but the sun was out - I had a thin base layer, and cycling jacket; running tights with bike shorts over top - I think I could have gotten away with a regular jersey and arm-warmers.

The course was nice - the conditions were great - sort of anti-normal for cyclocross - very little mud; and the grass was pretty firm. The local fans were great - nice and vocal!

My favourite part of the race came at about the 49 minute mark, passing by the timing tent on the top of the hill, "This is your last lap". Maybe that was my second favourite part... the best being 15 minutes later when I actually finished the last lap!

Stats: Early race (9AM); 127 starters. I started about 120th (last adult, with about 7 kids behind me) - and finished 102nd (!!!) I actually passed a few people.

The splits: [How cyclocross works, is that they set up a course, 3 or 4 km in length, and you do continuous loops. After about 30 minutes, they estimate how many total loops the winner will do, and then when he (or her)'s on their last lap - that's called the bell lap, and everyone else finishes their race at the end of the lap they are on. So it could be a 20K race, or a 30K race... depending on how fast the winner is, and how difficult the course is. I have no idea how long the circuit was, and even while racing I had no idea how many loops I had done. I did get caught by the leaders on my 3rd lap. And so for that lap and my last lap, I was being picked up by the faster riders.

Lap 1: 25:06 (was actually more like 1.5 laps, we started half a lap from timing tent - also includes 5 minutes for delayed start - we started 5 mins after women)
Lap 2: 14:06
Lap 3: 14:34
Lap 4: 14:26
Total Time: 1:08:12 finished 1 lap behind the leaders.

Andrew did well too, finishing 3 laps for a total time of 47:45. "I am so doing this again next year!" were the exact words out of his mouth. Me.... ah what the heck. why not, It was a total blast.

Some pics (courtesy of Dan Filliol)


Andrew and I at the start. It looks like I'm praying, but I'm actually checking my watch.. it was 15 minutes past the designated start time. Andrew's a little worried...

Rob Lebvre and I... Smiling because I am completely unsuspecting of the hurt about to be put on my legs and lungs.

127 Racers, mass-start. I'm at the very back of the pack.

Sliding down a hill, on route to the stairs.

Somewhere on the course... a brief spot of pavement.

Cupajoe looking way more professional than me.

Cupajoe and Rob - going toe-to-toe

Finished!

The finish line. I was told there would be beer!! Andrew smiling in the background - he made it too.

Hamming it up for the Camera

2011-10-17T19:11:00.000-04:00


Pass #1 - Too fast for the camera

Pass #2 - Dave Zabriskie Style

Pass #3 - Mark Cavendish Style (1,345 Watts)

Old picture on the camera from the Summer, "Tour de Lac Simon"

2010 Cervélo R3 ... the Eagle has landed!

2011-10-11T12:51:00.000-04:00

2010 Cervélo R3 with SRAM Rival components and Fulcrum Racing 7 wheels

Last Friday may have been the (fourth) best day of my life... I picked up my new ride. I procured (in my opinion) the deal of the century with this baby. "New-old-stock" (2010) frame with brand new parts.

Sweet, sweet, sweet!

I've got a secret!

2011-10-04T00:50:00.002-04:00

Army Run 2011 - Race Report

2011-09-27T08:38:00.002-04:00

Personalized Bib and Dog-Tag Medal.

"It's make it or break it time," I said to Andrew as we crested Pretoria Bridge.

"Well, I'm not taking a break!" grunted my little buddy.

We surged and passed about 30 more people in the blink of an eye. We were starting to see more and more openings in the crowd. We were both in full-out bob-and-weave mode. As we hit the 3K marker, it was clear our mission to go Sub-27 was not going to work out today. Major Dad (me), had made the critical error of starting us way too far back in the crowd.

I honestly didn't think we would get as snarled up as we did. The Army Run, with 8000 5K participants, on a relatively narrow road, is not a race to PB in when you start in the middle! Oh well, we certainly had fun. Most of the time, it seemed we were on our own covert mission to seek an opening and run through it before the crowd collapsed in on it. We were getting progressively faster as we made our way through the crowd: 6:41, 6:00, 5:30, 5:15, 5:00.

Most of my runs look like the opposite of this - starting fast and ending slow! If this graphs trend continued, we'd have an excellent 10K time!

After slicing and dicing the stats, it appears we started in 3,945th position and Finished: 1,449th. We passed a total of 1,496 runners; and only got passed ourselves by 87. Our final time was 28:17, which turned out to be a PB after-all for Andrew.

The kids really like this run (I think the medals and T-shirts have a lot to do with that). And it is pretty neat to run with so many other people. We stayed and watched some of the half-marathon runners. The weather conditions seemed ideal, and many PBs were set by club members that day for that event.

Guylaine and Laura had a great run together too.

That was weird...

2011-09-09T12:49:00.000-04:00

Better call in Mulder and Scully

I work 100 meters away from the best running trails in Cornwall. I've been hitting the trails at lunch time for some good ol' dirty Cross-Country.

Something weird happened today. I was running my "outer loop". Lost in my thoughts. I glanced at my watch, and noticed the time. I thought, "that's weird, I should have hit the road by now". All of a sudden, the terrain looked different, and "POW!" I popped out where I began.

Somehow I had managed to turn myself 180 degrees without even knowing it. Very weird.

Unless...

Cry Baby

2011-08-26T08:31:00.001-04:00

Photo by Lise Irwin

Who says there's no crying in triathlon! (I'm pretty sure I wasn't actually crying, but I do remember hearing myself whimper a few times struggling on the bike trying, in vain, to catch Mario).

Cornwall Sprint Triathlon 2011.

Update:

at least I was smiling on the run

The Meltdown in Williamstown

2011-08-08T12:27:00.003-04:00

alternate title: The older I get, the faster I was
alternate title: Don't piss off Ed Whitlock

The History
Two years ago, at the Great Raisin River Foot Race, in Williamstown; I was about 100 meters from the finish of the 5K race, on track for a pretty good time. The PA announcer boomed, "Here he comes! Let's hear it for the fastest man in the World", and the crowd went crazy. I then realized that 78-year old Ed Whitlock was RIDING MY COAT TAILS to his own glorious 5K finish, and the silver-locked devil slingshotted off my draft and punked me at the finish line by half a second.

My elbow, followed closely by Silver-Locks, Ed Whitlock

That instantly became the "running" joke amongst friends and within the Cornwall Multisport Club.

Foiled! Phil Barnes loses it at the line to Ed Whitlock again! (courtesy my friends in the Cornwall Multisport Club)

The joke would manifest itself into the Greatest challenge ever laid down at the Williamstown Fair: The Takedown in Williamstown. A rematch to settle the score, once and for all.

I trained long and hard, and developed a sure-fire strategy to cement a victory. And true enough, last year, after many, many, many kilometers of training I was able to pull off a feat which many people thought was unachievable. I smoked 79-year old Ed Whitlock by over 4 seconds.

Surely, the score had been settled. A wrong had been righted. Alas, no... during the awards ceremony, a fury was building inside Ed Whitlock. A rage so unquenchable, he just blurted it out: "Next year we do the 11K". Oh crap, he may just as well have said, "I triple dog-dare you".

Whitlock: "Next year we make it a man's race!"

2011
August 7th couldn't come quick enough. All year, since the Takedown in Williamstown, I had been receiving regular updates on the "Great" Ed Whitlock. People would send me links to races he'd won, new records he'd set, clips to news articles lauding his achievements. Even non-runner friends were sending me news articles - "Hey.. have you heard about this 80 year old runner, Ed Whitlock? What an inspiration!" Yes, yes, yes, I know about this guy!!!!!

Race Day
The moment had finally arrived. The moment I had been dreading all year. The day I was about to eat humble pie. We found each other about half an hour before the start, and shared a few laughs. I asked how he was feeling, and got the worst possible answer: "Great". I asked him his strategy, he wouldn't tip his cards. A friend had pried it out of him earlier... straight 4:20s

...gulp... this was going to hurt.

The air-horn went off and we were running. My strategy was to stick to him like glue. Maybe I could get him to slow down to my pace, and then on the home stretch, I could turn on the jets. The race route was lined 3 deep for the first 200 meters. Everyone was cheering. "Go Phil!", "Go Ed!"; the crowd was into it. Soon we were on the main road, and I noticed the pace was pretty fast... maybe he's caught up in the excitement, surely he'll slow down...

We hit the first kilometer marker at 4:20 on the nose. I was breathing like a race horse. This guy is going to kill me! Toe-to-toe we continued, the 2 kilometer mark: 4:17. "Sacre-bleu!"

A water station in 50 meters, I pull over and grab a cup on the run... he just keeps going... ...and that would be the last I saw of him. He just kept it going, while I melted like Frosty the Snowman running across the Sahara.

Eventually, I made it to the finish line. Along the way, I hoped he had blown up in the torrid humidity; but it wasn't to be, the old guy had kept it going... consistently splitting 4:20 or less the whole way. I hobbled in 7 minutes after him.

Here we are at the finish, my Mom took the picture, I can't honestly remember why we're laughing.

* * *

Some other reflections on the race

The day was a real douzy. The temp was at least 30, and with the humidex, it was probably approaching 40. It seemed to take it's toll on most runners. I have never sweated so much in my life. A nice part about the day, was that my Mom and Dad had come up to run with us too.

My dad had a great 11K run, and my Mom ran with Laura. Andrew bested his time from last year, and Guylaine "PR'd" her 5K by over a minute.

Preparation...
In preparation for this race, I made all the classic mistakes: first and foremost, I didn't train properly (oops); I also made a critical mistake of not even warming up - Zero to 4:20 - a recipe for disaster. Ultimately, I was kidding myself -- I can pretty much fake my way to a "fast" 5K time.... but 4:20 for 11K would never ever be in the cards for me (my best 10K is 4:30 pace).

Old guys seriously had their way with me on Sunday. It seems that since getting dropped at the 2-and-a-half K point, there was a constant parade of old guys passing me. In total, eleven "geezers" (50+) would better me.

A little retribution...
With about 30 meters to go, a twelfth geezer, John Bakker, slingshotted off my draft on his way to the finish line. He even said, "na-na-na-na-bou-boo" on his way by. Well, that really pissed me off, and I mustered every ounce of self-dignity I had left, and sure enough, I nipped him just at line, I even had enough energy to give him a friendly punch in the shoulder as I passed him. The look on his face made the day!

The Meltdown, kilometer by kilometer...

1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	10	11	final
4:20	4:17	4:27	4:49	4:54	5:04	5:26	5:19	5:13	5:28	5:13	54:36

How to blow up - or - how *not* to pace the Williamstown 11K

So that's that! No more duels.... ....although I bet I could take him in a beer mile.

The Season, Part B: New Targets.

2011-07-04T16:28:00.001-04:00

My Father's day cache of premium euro-beers is down to 3. Time to get serious about swim-bike-run. New Targets!

Edit: Training starts tomorrow (bright and early).

Macca - Whitfield Smack Talk

2011-06-17T09:15:00.000-04:00

Now that there's funny. I don't care who you are.

Imagine if..

2011-06-14T12:59:00.001-04:00

I've been dogging it. Since the half-marathon at the end of April, I've had zero focus with respect to "training". Probably because, I haven't set a new goal ... but to be honest, I'm not too interested in going further or faster. It hurts too much and takes too much effort. I seem perfectly content living my life of gluttony, and then going for a 5K jog to burn off a couple hundred calories every now and again.

And - even worse - enough to make my 2005 self cringe - I haven't even tracked mileage or workouts since March. I have no idea how many miles I have on my current shoes. No idea how long my last bike ride was on Sunday - my bike computer doesn't even work! The Garmin Geek is officially dead. I'm turning into one of those guys who show up to races.... for FUN!

But... imagine if I did start training??? Last night - case in point, I didn't even really want to go to the duathlon. Yet, when I got there, just being there amped me up a bit, and I had a decent night. 54:38 - right on par with what I would normally be 2 or 3 years ago. The VD chase, was 21:30 (only 37 seconds shy of a PB). With the right program, and a good diet, I could smoke my 2005 self!

Quit drinking beer and start training??? Bahhh. The "beer mile" is coming up soon. Now there's a good excuse to continue working on my Molson Muscle.

Shut up Legs

2011-05-10T08:53:00.001-04:00

First du o' the year. Not bad considering only the 3rd time on the bike this year (first time on Lola).

I got talked into doing 2-15-4, set a base line for the year.

Les Splits:

[4:13, 4:04], 0:34, [28:49], 0:25, [4:07, 4:42, 4:28, 4:05] = 55:19

The running seemed pretty good. The biking was brutal. I had to channel my inner Jens.

Shut up Legs!

MS Run 2011 - Half Marathon - Race Report

2011-05-03T12:30:00.003-04:00

This was my "A" race for the year (get it done with early, before the summer get's too busy).

The Goal: 1:38 (which, to me technically means up to 1:38:59.9, despite having previously declared 1:38 flat).

The Plan:
1. Train Hard (Hal Higdon's Advanced Half-Marathon Plan)
2. Lose 10 pounds (through self-moderation).

Training Report Card: B+
I did most of the training runs, particularly the difficult Tuesday speed workouts. I wussed on some of the prescribed interim races: 5K, 10K and 15K and swam on Saturdays and helped with "Learn to Run", instead of the scheduled, "race-pace" runs; but overall I hit the Sunday long run targets, and controlled my speed. I intentionally missed runs if I felt even hints of overuse or strains.

Weight Loss Report Card: D
I took off only 2.3 pounds of the desired 10. And, honestly, that was probably more a fluke than anything else.

The Run Report Card: A-
To hit my goal, I would need to average 4:39 / km pace the whole way. The first K went by pretty good. I didn't feel too fast, in fact, I was somewhat worried I was too slow - but it was closer to 4:30 so that was good (in a way). Whenever, I'm too far under-budget on a race, I worry that I'm burning all my matches too soon, and whether or not that will come back to haunt me later. Kms 2 to 8 were all way under budget, so much so that I thought I might end up with a 10K PB (sub 45). I managed to slow myself down (well the rolling hills past the Power Dam did that for me). Things started to get a little tough around 10K and through the turnaround, I was losing momentum big time, and getting that "why the heck am I doing this" feeling.

Around 15K I was losing the mental battle - and started doing the math in my head --- "6K to go, if I drop to 5' pace, I'll still be sub 1:45 - that's respectable." And then I thought about those Tuesday speed workouts, and said, "I don't want all that crap to have been in vain". So I kept pushing. With about 4K to go, I got picked up by 2 people (the first time I had been passed since the start of the run). I hung on with them for about 500 meters, but then "checked out" mentally again.

I kind of lost track of the time, for the last 2K, and it was only as I approached the finish from 200 meters away, I could see the clock... my precious 1:38:xx time was an actual possibility. I pretty much sprinted as much as I could (probably looking like a bafoon as I passed some of the 38 minute 5K runners). Just as I hit the mat, I noticed the clock rolled over to 1:39:00.

Well, I was pretty happy. For silly reasons, I held on to the hope that maybe my chip registered at 1:38:59.9; but alas, the results have me at 1:39:00.4. For the record - I am very happy with that, and personally proud of the 3 minute PB I had (the weather conditions were very favourable this year too). ...but I just can't help wondering, "what-if".... What if I'd started 5 feet closer to the start line, what if I'd pushed a little harder around 15K, what if I'd held on to the 2 runners that passed me for a second longer... Oh! Running is Cruel to the Mind!

File this under "Do as I say, not as I do": the week prior to the run, I ordered a new pair of shoes online. They arrived Friday afternoon. My first run in them was the race. I don't recommend this. (But, in my defence, they were identical to the last 3 pairs of shoes I have used, so I was pretty sure they would be okay).

Les Splits:

After the half-marathon, that is it for speed.

2011-04-19T13:20:00.000-04:00

I vow, to never desire to beat another PR or go fast ever again.

Today's 6x800s @ 3:31 was accomplished (3:19, 3:23, 3:32, 3:20, 3:33, 3:24), but I now look and feel like death.

I am not meant to run any faster than 6:00 / km.

For fun last week, I timed myself full-out on the track for 400meters: 1:25. I was about ready to bust a lung. I remember in high-school, the storied 4x400m track teams were aiming for sub-fifty 400s ... woah.

Whaaaa

2011-04-13T13:19:00.001-04:00

500 meter TT in the pool today. 8:47. (1:45/100). Thought I would have been better. 13 seconds better than Jan 24 - at least I'm ~~getting faster~~ taking less time.

A Graph

2011-04-12T13:17:00.001-04:00

I'm sort of on track with the training plan. Today, was "speed" day again. 4x1600 at pace (4:38). I broke each 1600 down to 4x400s; and added 2 minute recovery after each 1600. I could hold the pace for the whole 1600m, but it seemed very fast. It seems far-fetched I can hold that pace for a whole 21.1 k. Argh. 18 days to go!

Defeat is not an option

2011-04-05T13:08:00.002-04:00

Defeat is not an option - cheezy as that line is, I was screaming it in my head on my last 800m "speed" interval today. Tuesday is speed day and 5x800 @ 3:31 was on the menu.

#1 @ 3:25, #2 @ 3:11, #3 @ 3:19, #4 @ 3:28, #5 @ 3:37 (ahh close enough - into the wind).

It's been a good rebound week. I missed a long run last Sunday, and completely blew off Monday and Tuesday's run because I was sick, but I rebounded nicely. Wednesday saw a good swim, and easy 5K; Thursday was a good Tempo; Saturday was 4K swim and a little speed after LTR and Sunday saw a good 22k run in two hours (thanks to the CMC ladies).

On the diet side of things... not so good. I haven't weighed myself in 2 weeks out of fear. Snacking is back up to all-time high levels. Emotions Catering has been busy making spring delicacies, and that means taste testing, hold backs, left-overs, and gallons of unused icing and fondant. Easter is going to be tough!

Emotions Catering makes delicious cakes in Cornwall

Scoreboard

2011-03-22T13:17:00.000-04:00

Just got back from "Tuesday Speed Workout". I wasn't looking forward to it. 4 x 800m @ 10K Pace (3:31). I Freaking did it: @3:18; 3:36; 3:32; 3:26. #Winning!

Sunday - was supposed to be 10K Race (aka 45:00). I set out to race by myself on my 10th Street race course (doing 2 5K loops). 1K : 4:26 @ 161bpm; 2K : 4:14 @ 164bpm; 3K : 4:24 @ 166bpm ... then I talked myself out of it, and packed it in, jogging the rest of the first 5K and calling it quits. #Losing!

But, it was nice to see about 8 members of the Cycling Club pass me by. #Winning! for them. Made me actually miss cycling.

The last K I jogged in @7:15, and I actually enjoyed it. The air was cool and crisp. The sun was out. I really enjoyed it. I sort of made a deal with myself to try and enjoy running instead of always trying to PB. ...after the Half, I promise to return to running, just for the fun of it. #Winning!

Saturday - Felt sucky in the pool. Deceivingly tough workout, with a bunch of 10x50 from dives. Banged the hell out of my shins getting out. Had to skip a bunch of sets cause I was whupped. #Losing!

LTR - Good day. Good presentation. Nice weather. Good run. #Winning!

Friday - Took the day off work. #Winning! Impromptu 10K @ jogging pace - kids accompanied me on their bikes. 59 minutes and 45 seconds of quality bonding, name-that-tune, Harry Pickle and other childish jibberish. #Winning!

Last Tuesday Speed Workout - skipped it. Due to possible over-use on Sunday. #Losing! (but #Winning for being responsible).

Last Sunday Long Run - Was supposed to be 1:45. Miscalculated route, and ran nearly 2 hours. Tackled a fun and hilly route up Tyotown Road and down Rae Road to Montreal Road. Felt great for the first 95%, then got fed up and walked a bit. #winning for the accomplishment, but #losing because I developed a nagging twinge under my left knee. (fortunately it has worked itself out by now #winning).

So that's the update on the scoreboard. I promise I won't do the #winning thing anymore.

Redemption?

2011-03-01T14:28:00.000-05:00

Tuesday Speed Day: redemption for Sunday? 8 x 400 meter repeats on 1:30 rest intervals. Average pace - 4:05. Might deserve a reward tonight.

Emard Bros Lumber 5K, Race Report

2011-02-28T08:41:00.000-05:00

I had been dreading this day on the training plan, since I first saw it: 5K Race. Weird to think that I'm training for a fast half-marathon, and I fear a little 5K. The reasons for being scared: 1) 5K is short enough that I can go 100% for most of it. 2) 100% for most of 5K is very uncomfortable 3) 5K at this point in the plan would be a good barometer of how things are coming together... I wasn't very optimistic.

The day arrived and low and behold, a cold morning with moderate wind, and on top of that, a couple centimeters of fresh snow to just to complicate things.

The race venue, was carefully selected a couple days ago. I'd drive to 10th street. Park at Emards, do about a 200m warm up, and then sprint out 2.5K turn-around, and then head back. It wasn't an organized race... just me, my Garmin, and my virtual training partner.

A hair under 21:00 is my PB for 5K. 21:30 is my "Ok, I did well time". 22:00 is my "I'm happy with that". 22:30 is - "Not bad, you probably went out too fast, or wussed out on the last 'k". 24:59 is my "Dude... you could have done way better."

Given the conditions, and my perceived fitness level, I set the Garmin Virtual training partner to 22:30. I was pretty sure I could handle that. But without the rush of a crowd, or people to hang on to, it was going to be tricky to hold a solid 4:30 pace.

I hit the startline running, and started the timer: Oomph... right into the wind.

1K - 4:44 - "uh oh, feel like crap, why am I doing this????"
2K - 5:04 - "Argh! This one's already in the shitter, I should just give up"
2.5K - turnaround - thank God! But, I'm 362 meters behind my virtual partner. Well, I'll keep going, the wind's at my back, this run is still serving a purpose.
3K - 5:04 - "Jeepers, oh well, wind's at my back, must have been a slow first 500"
4K - "Please be sub 5:00..." - 4:54 - "ok, let's keep it going...."
22:30 - Virtual Trainer starts beeping at me, letting me know I'm behind. "Thanks F--ker"
5K - 24:39 - last k @ 4:53. "Oh god, that hurt."

Okay, back in the car, let's go home, and promise to try and get faster. March 20 is the 10K race.

At least the consolation is that I got first place overall. (the virtual training partner doesn't qualify).

Week 3 of 12... getting better

2011-02-22T13:00:00.001-05:00

I finished week 2 with a good 90 minute, 15K run on Sunday. That would make up for Saturday night's trip to Trombinos. Monday's run was kind of forced... one of those stick to the plan and get it done runs. My mind wasn't in it, but they're in the program for a reason.

Today, was supposed to be hills, but I switched it up and did speed instead. (Hal says it's okay to do so). Speed workouts are not fun, but this one was not bad. I didn't mind it, because I actually felt faster than I have in a long time. I brought the Garmin out today, and set up 90 second repeats. I did 10.5 mins of easy warm up, and then did 6 repeats of 90 seconds fast (at 5K perceived pace) followed by 90 seconds recovery.

Set	Mode	Dist (m)	Pace (/km)
1	speed	355	4:13
1	recover	245	6:08
2	speed	341	4:24
2	recover	242	6:12
3	speed	400	3:45
3	recover	249	6:02
4	speed	384	3:54
4	recover	244	6:09
5	speed	369	4:04
5	recover	225	6:40
6	speed	363	4:08
6	recover	213	7:03

The speed portion equates to 2.2 km @ 4:04 /km pace (aka a 20:20 5K) I'll take it!

Gratuitous calculations made possible with numerous fun tri-tools and calculators found here, here and here.

Oh Sweet Amber

2011-02-17T17:54:00.000-05:00

I have some cans of Alexander Keith's Red Amber Ale, sitting in the fridge downstairs. That was all I could think of for kilometer 6. The discomfort of kms 4 and 5 @ 10K pace surely deserved that sweet reward.

A good 8K, 45 minute tempo run: @5:58, 5:55, 4:57, 4:40, 4:50, 5:34, 5:22, 5:45.

Be Awesome

2011-02-16T13:09:00.000-05:00

My "Wednesdays" are 5K + Strength. (I'm using swimming as strength.) Today, was one of those days - I really didn't want to go to the pool. BUT... I convinced myself, and I ended up having a pretty good swim. I got in a 500 meter ITT @ 8:49 which knocked 10 seconds off my previous attempt a couple of weeks ago. So that felt good. I also banged out 3 x 100 repeats at 1:30, 1:36, 1:42 which was a tad faster than the last time I did that.

The training for the half-marathon is going pretty good. My snacking and boozing are pretty much in check (I'm down a few pounds). I did miss a few key workouts last week: 5K on Wednesday (due to a knee "twinge" after an over zealous Tuesday night treadmill-hill-run sequence), 5K on Saturday (too knackered due to big ass swim in the morning) and 90 minute run on Sunday (due to family commitments). But, I'm not sweating it. I'm on track so far this week, which included a bad-ass interval session yesterday: 6x400 meters @ 5K pace. (Wouldn't have been so bad, but I hadn't run that quick in a long while.) I'll manage an easy 5K on the treadmill tonight, and we'll tackle the tail of the week by the horns. Hopefully in some above zero temperatures.

Peace out!

Week 1, Day 1

2011-02-07T12:50:00.001-05:00

The plan to cover 21.1km in 1 hour and 38 minutes.

Date	Workout	Note
Mon Feb 07 2011	5K	Easy
Tue Feb 08 2011	6xhill
Wed Feb 09 2011	5K	Easy
Thu Feb 10 2011	40 min	Tempo
Fri Feb 11 2011	Rest
Sat Feb 12 2011	5K
Sun Feb 13 2011	90 min(3:1)	3/4 @ '6:00, 1/4 @ 5:30
Mon Feb 14 2011	5K	Easy
Tue Feb 15 2011	7x400@5K	@ 1:41
Wed Feb 16 2011	5K	Easy
Thu Feb 17 2011	45 min	Tempo
Fri Feb 18 2011	Rest
Sat Feb 19 2011	5K @ Race Pace	@23:15
Sun Feb 20 2011	90 min Run	@6:00
Mon Feb 21 2011	5K	Easy
Tue Feb 22 2011	7xhill
Wed Feb 23 2011	5K	Easy
Thu Feb 24 2011	30 min	Tempo
Fri Feb 25 2011	Rest
Sat Feb 26 2011	Rest
Sun Feb 27 2011	5K Race
Mon Feb 28 2011	5K	Easy
Tue Mar 01 2011	8x400@5K	@ 1:41
Wed Mar 02 2011	5K	Easy
Thu Mar 03 2011	40 min	Tempo
Fri Mar 04 2011	Rest
Sat Mar 05 2011	5K
Sun Mar 06 2011	90 min (3:1)	3/4 @ '6:00, 1/4 @ 5:30
Mon Mar 07 2011	5K	Easy
Tue Mar 08 2011	8xhill
Wed Mar 09 2011	5K	Easy
Thu Mar 10 2011	45 min	Tempo
Fri Mar 11 2011	Rest
Sat Mar 12 2011	5K @ Race Pace	@23:15
Sun Mar 13 2011	90 min Run
Mon Mar 14 2011	5K	Easy
Tue Mar 15 2011	8x400@5K	@ 1:41
Wed Mar 16 2011	5K	Easy
Thu Mar 17 2011	30 min	Tempo
Fri Mar 18 2011	Rest
Sat Mar 19 2011	Rest
Sun Mar 20 2011	10K Race
Mon Mar 21 2011	5K	Easy
Tue Mar 22 2011	4x800@10K	@3:31
Wed Mar 23 2011	5K	Easy
Thu Mar 24 2011	45 min	Tempo
Fri Mar 25 2011	Rest
Sat Mar 26 2011	6.5K @ Race Pace	@30:13
Sun Mar 27 2011	1:45 (3:1)	3/4 @ '6:00, 1/4 @ 5:30
Mon Mar 28 2011	5K	Easy
Tue Mar 29 2011	3x1600@race	@7:26
Wed Mar 30 2011	5K	Easy
Thu Mar 31 2011	50 min	Tempo
Fri Apr 01 2011	Rest
Sat Apr 02 2011	8K @ Race Pace	@37:12
Sun Apr 03 2011	1:45 Run
Mon Apr 04 2011	5K	Easy
Tue Apr 05 2011	5x800@10K	@3:31
Wed Apr 06 2011	5K	Easy
Thu Apr 07 2011	30 min	Tempo
Fri Apr 08 2011	Rest
Sat Apr 09 2011	Rest
Sun Apr 10 2011	15K Race
Mon Apr 11 2011	5K	Easy
Tue Apr 12 2011	4x1600@race	@7:26
Wed Apr 13 2011	5K	Easy
Thu Apr 14 2011	55 min	Tempo
Fri Apr 15 2011	Rest
Sat Apr 16 2011	8K @ Race Pace	@37:12
Sun Apr 17 2011	2:00 (3:1)	3/4 @ '5:45, 1/4 @ 5:20
Mon Apr 18 2011	5K	Easy
Tue Apr 19 2011	6x800@10K	@3:31
Wed Apr 20 2011	5K	Easy
Thu Apr 21 2011	60 min	Tempo
Fri Apr 22 2011	Rest
Sat Apr 23 2011	5K @ Race Pace	@23:15
Sun Apr 24 2011	2:00 Run
Mon Apr 25 2011	5K	Easy
Tue Apr 26 2011	6x400@5K	@ 1:41
Wed Apr 27 2011	3K	Easy
Thu Apr 28 2011	30 min	Tempo
Fri Apr 29 2011	Rest
Sat Apr 30 2011	RACE!	@1:38:00

Saturday will also be a regular heavy swim 3000+ meters, Wednesday a light swim 1000 meters. LTR on Saturdays too. Will see if it works.

Almost Serious, Masters Swim Meet, Brockville

2011-01-31T08:40:00.006-05:00

Well, that was fun!

Event	Time	AG Place	Pace/100m
50 Meter Free	0:34.28	2nd	1:08
25 Meter Breast	0:20.39	1st	1:20
25 Meter Back	0:19.56	1st	1:19
100 Meter IM	1:37.16	2nd	1:37
25 Meter Free	0:15.14	1st	1:00
25 Meter Fly	0:18.69	2nd	1:15
800 Meter Free	15:02.60	5th	1:52

UPDATE!
Official Results are Up

Meet name: Almost Serious Meet 2011 (SCM)
Meet location: 345 Park St Brockvil
Meet date: 2011/01/30

Name

Age

Club

Event

Time

Place

Barnes, Phil

M35-39

CornwallSeaLions

Free*

15.14

Barnes, Phil

M35-39

CornwallSeaLions

Free

34.28

Barnes, Phil

M35-39

CornwallSeaLions

800

Free

15:02.60

50: 42.90 (42.90) , 100: 1:33.34 (50.44) , 150: 2:26.77 (53.43) , 200: 3:22.99 (56.22) , 250: 4:20.68 (57.69) , 300: 5:19.65 (58.97) , 350: 6:17.99 (58.34) , 400: 7:15.52 (57.53) , 450: 8:14.71 (59.19) , 500: 9:12.56 (57.85) , 550: 10:11.34 (58.78) , 600: 11:10.09 (58.75) , 650: 12:07.77 (57.68) , 700: 13:06.02 (58.25) , 750: 14:05.77 (59.75) , 800: 15:02.60 (56.83)

42.90

100

1:33.34

50.44

150

2:26.77

53.43

200

3:22.99

56.22

250

4:20.68

57.69

300

5:19.65

58.97

350

6:17.99

58.34

400

7:15.52

57.53

450

8:14.71

59.19

500

9:12.56

57.85

550

10:11.34

58.78

600

11:10.09

58.75

650

12:07.77

57.68

700

13:06.02

58.25

750

14:05.77

59.75

800

15:02.60

56.83

Barnes, Phil

M35-39

CornwallSeaLions

Back*

19.56

Barnes, Phil

M35-39

CornwallSeaLions

Breast*

20.39

Barnes, Phil

M35-39

CornwallSeaLions

Fly*

18.69

Barnes, Phil

M35-39

CornwallSeaLions

100

1:37.16

50: 45.80 (45.80) , 100: 1:37.16 (51.36)

45.80

100

1:37.16

51.36

RELAYS:

Team	Relay Event	Age	Time		Place
CSLM A	Mixed 200 Free Relay SCM	195	2:38.00		0
	Warner, John	63	53.83
	Belair, Christian	36	1:28.05	(34.22)
	Barnes, Phil	39	2:01.99	(33.94)
	Saaltink, Hendrick	57	2:38.00	(36.01)
CSLM A	Mixed 200 Medley Relay SCM	170	2:45.32		0
	Barnes, Phil	39
	McAllister, Sean	46
	St Marseille, John	49
	Belair, Christian	36

500 meters

2011-01-24T13:08:00.000-05:00

I've started swimming again. Before January, I hadn't (really) swum, since August. And even then, the summer had been just lack-lustre slack-off swimming in the river. Guylaine signed me up for the masters. 3 weeks in, and I am slowly finding my rhythm. Week 1 was a humbling eye-opener. Week 2 was almost getting there, but now by week 3, I've managed to get my stamina up to par.

I'm in a Swim Meet next weekend. In addition to a bunch of 25s and 100s, I'm also due to do an 800. Why the heck not. If nothing else, it will give me a baseline. But, what's my baseline, for the baseline? I decided to do the old 500meter TT today at the pool. By PB happened to have been set January of last year -> 08:23. That's pie-in-the sky, I really just wanted to be under 9 minutes.

The ~~NavCanada~~ Nav Centre gods shon on me today, with an (almost) empty pool. Flip turns on every lap, and I squeeked in with 08:59.98 (or 1:47/100m as per the world's greatest swim pace calculator).

2011 Officially Starts Today!

2011-01-17T16:38:00.000-05:00

Okay, enough gluttony. Let the new year OFFICIALLY begin.

Goal: Kick Ass MS Half-Marathon

Objective 1: Get down to (sub 160lbs)
Tactic 1-1: ~~Stop~~ reduce boozing, eating candy and snacking
Tactic 1-2: Regular workouts

Objective 2: Get fast (1:38 Finish Time)
Tactic 2-1: Stick to the program
Tactic 2-2: See Tactic 1-1
Tactic 2-3: See Tactic 1-2

Mad Trapper Snowshoe Race

2010-12-17T16:26:00.000-05:00

This race deserves a better race report than what I've got time to write up. Suffice to say, it kicked me in the butt... HARD.

Snowshoeing gets your heart rate up FAST. About 20 minutes into it I thought I was going to die. I did the 10K route (2 x 5K loops). This was the "Flatter" course (flatter, as in, not as hilly as the Rocky Mountains; only about 300m of vertical climbing per loop). With no mile markers, and no experience on this course, I had no idea where I was. The first loop (5K) took 44:50. I spontaneously started laughing uncontrollably and hysterically when I saw the finish line for the second time. After 1:33:03, I was ready to come in!

Would I do it again - my immediate reaction was "No F***g way". My legs were completely fried for 3 days afterwards. But, as is normally the case, 5 days later, I'm thinking... Can't wait for the Hilly course.

The Mad Trapper on Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=148949285144033&v=wall

Last Chance to buy this Image!

2010-12-01T15:15:00.000-05:00

I just received the "Last Chance to buy this image" (before it goes into the Disney Vault) email from the Ottawa Marathon. I won't be buying it. The irony is, I had complete intention of buying the image, hence my pose. It was a significant occasion in my multisport career- the first (and only) marathon completion. I'm about 5 feet from the finish line here. In my mind's eye, my form was spot on, and my arms were raised way above my head in victory.

Funny how 42.2 km of running alter's your mind's perception of things. When I first saw this photo, I thought they captured my arms on the way up... but alas, the video replay confirms, this was as high as they ever got. The other funny thing here, is that my shorts are hanging off my arse. They almost fell off when I got to the finish. That would have been a great photo.

Heather Saaltink Memorial Run chosen a finalist for $10,000 sports prize – Cornwall Ontario – October 12, 2010

2010-10-12T20:07:00.000-04:00

Heather Saaltink Memorial Run chosen a finalist for $10,000 sports prize – Cornwall Ontario – October 12, 2010

Vote today!

http://www.truesport.ca/giveback

Triathlon Calculator for iPhone

2010-10-01T09:16:00.000-04:00

2 years ago... I was going to create the killer iphone app, and make a billion dollars. I bought the book, downloaded the SDK, solicited ideas, made sketches, prototyped; but, then I got distracted and moved on.

As simple as it is, the "Triathlon Calculator", has turned out to be, quite popular. "When are you going to make it an iphone app?" is a common question. I always figured there was no need to -- if you're on an iPhone, chances are you're connected to the web, why would someone pay 99¢ for something they could already access.

But - when I tried to use it at the Grand Prix Montreal to figure out the Average Lap speed; it became very apparent, that the interface, while simple and obvious on a PC, was terrible when rendered on an iPhone. I was shocked to realize, that it was practically unusable.

So last week, in a caffeine induced session of insomnia, I thumbed out an HTML version of the Tri Calc, "optimized" for iPhone rendering. No, it's not an 'app', but hopefully, it's more useful for iPhone users.

Without further ado, the link to the mobile version of the Triathlon Calculators: iCalc. (I don't even own an iDevice, so I haven't even tested it. Any feedback would be appreciated - especially, if the up/down buttons even work! - and if it fits properly in the screen.

Montreal Grand Prix

2010-09-13T08:50:00.001-04:00

One word: AWESOME.

189K. 15 laps of a 12.6K route.

The Man! Jens. The last guy to the start line. He was so busy chatting up with the crowd. "Sorry guys, I kind of have to go now".

Ryder and the Garmin guys, chillin out before the race.

The peloton, at the base of the climb.

Holy Shite!

2010-08-30T10:12:00.000-04:00

Cervélo News - Team Garmin-Transitions and Cervélo team up for 2011

It's all about the photo

2010-08-23T12:27:00.004-04:00

It doesn't matter how fast, or how slow you are. It's all about how fast you look in the photo. Exhibit A: Me at the Cornwall Triathlon yesterday. Slowest bike split ever = best bike photo.

Photo Credit: Richard Pilon.

Les Splits

1500m Swim: 30:50 (2:03/100m); T1: 2:18; 40K Bike: 1:23:21 (28.8km/hr); T2: 0:30; 10K Run: 48:43 (4:52/km)

Final Time: 2:45:11, 43/75 Overall, 11/14 M30-39

Analysis

Swim felt good, surprised so slow, maybe a tad choppy
T1 - slow, missed my rack took too long catching my breath
Bike, couldn't get my mojo going; slick and wet
T2 - fast
Run - felt good, didn't give up, kept running, dug into the suitcase of courage (just a little)
Overall - As good as I could have done. Didn't give up. Lost a bit of focus in T1.

Caution: Full Frontal Nudity

2010-08-13T15:10:00.000-04:00

I can't believe it did it. For only the second time in my life, out of necessity... I ran (the return portion of my lunch time run) bare-chested. It was damn hot and muggy. My apologies to the traffic along MTL Road who had to endure the visual.

The Takedown in Williamstown

2010-08-08T16:36:00.004-04:00

I didn't sleep well at all the night before. Ed's trash talk tactics at the "Friendship Run" the night before worked. I was scared. He told me he was gunning for sub-21. The accelerations he put in on me in the friendship run were impressive. I finished the warm up in a zone-4 sweat. The race was going to be tougher than I thought.

I resigned myself to running the best 21 minute race I could. I mapped out my strategy: 4:20, 4:10, 4:08, 4:10, 4:12. Who was I kidding - no way could I stick to that plan.

Race day morning fell upon us, and we lined up. Ed with his target on his back, me with mine. He was ever so coy with his pre-race smack-talk, I couldn't figure him out. I tipped my cards and let him in on my strategy. "Oh well, we'll see" was his reply. A last hand shake and then we were off.

Right off the bat, I got boxed in, he was putting time into me. I was getting nervous. But then he psyched me out and slowed down. I didn't want to pass him, but I ended up ahead of him after only 500 meters. I had my pacing plan to stick to. I hit the first 'K at 4:28 way off my target. There was no way I could recoup that extra 8 seconds. If Ed was running sub-21, I was a gonner.

I picked it up, and started flying by the other runners. I breezed through the water station and clocked an aggressive 3:56 2nd 'K. "....oh crumb" I thought, "his mind games have worked... he's forced me into the red-zone way too soon".

I hit the turn-around of the out-and-back. My first chance to see where I stood. He was about 50 meters behind me. He waved his hand regally, and pulled off a huge smile. He was mocking me: he had barely broken a sweat.

The ride back - advantage me: "Come on Phil!" -- "Alright Phil" -- "Way to go Phil". The crowd was on my side. Everyone approaching was encouraging me. I split 3K at 4:28. "Oh sweet Jeesus". I can't keep this up. I was way over-extended. Initiate meltdown.....

The last 2K were a text-book image of exponential decay. I split 4K at 4:22. He was definitely going to pass me. Oh well, I thought, "at least I put up a good fight." I resigned myself that at least, I could say I held him off for 4K. The left-hand turn to the fair grounds approached. I was certain I could hear him hiding in my blind-spot. I didn't dare look back. The sight of the flowing silver locks and beaming smile would have crushed me, reducing me instantly to a death crawl.

The sweeping right hand turn to the finish stretch. 100 meters to go. Again, I thought... "oh well, at least I held him off to the finish stretch again..."

The crowd was going nuts. "Come on Phil, he's right on your heels!" yelled Adelle. I looked back, but I couldn't see him. I knew he was there though... And then, like Deja Vu all over again, the PA boomed, "Here comes Number 1, Ed Whitlock"....

Beeeeeep

I crossed the line in 21:36 (after a painfully agonizing 4:22 kilometer). And Ed... 4 seconds BEHIND me 21.41. Oh sweet Revenge!!!

The awards ceremony after the fact. Joe McNamara (center) presents 79 year old Ed Whitlock the bounty of Jam and Cheese for being second, and the Golden shoe, for first place goes to Phil Barnes!

(Truth be told, if the race had have been 50 feet longer, Ed would be holding the golden shoe).

Dear Ed.... Watch out!

2010-07-30T09:09:00.000-04:00

Great Raisin River Footrace - 2010, 5k/11k Family Run/Walk

Aug 8, 2010

Thank you for submitting your race registration through the Running Room Online Event Registration service. Details of your registration are listed below.

Payment has been received. You are now registered for this event.

Showing my Civil Disobedience

2010-07-13T15:17:00.001-04:00

I say Enough with Operation Repo and UFO Hunting garbage! OLN, however, has a different take...

Hello,

Thank you for taking the time to email with your comments surrounding OLN programming and Tour De France. Your comments are important to us and your feedback will be passed on to the programming department for review.

OLN is providing LIVE coverage of this year's TDF only. In previous years, OLN viewership patterns have shown that the live portion of the tour has received the strongest audiences.

Due to station programming requirements, we are unable to pre-empt regularly scheduled programming in order to provide repeat coverage of the daily tour stages in primetime.

For additional details about this year's TDF, videos, news and standings please visit, http://oln.ca/tourdefrance/

Best,

OLN

-----Original Message-----
From: Phil Barnes
Sent: Thursday, July 08, 2010 5:20 PM
To: info@oln.ca
Subject: **OLN Viewer Feedback**

Tour de France Prime Time Coverage!

Hello - just writing to BEG that you reconsider airing the Prime Time Tour de France Coverage. I'm not able to watch the live broadcast, and have for the last 5 or 6 years depended on the evening show.

Please bring it back! If not for this year, definitely next year.

Thanks,

Phil Barnes

Duathlon: Killed the wabbit. Enough said.

2010-07-12T20:54:00.001-04:00

You must embrace the pain, Son.

2010-07-05T23:40:00.002-04:00

On the weekend, Guylaine, Andrew and I had a chat about duathlons and "running-off-the-bike". It was really heart warming to hear Andrew describe how his legs feel "heavy" on the second run. It's tough to know your kids are suffering, but it's amazing to see them push through it. Perhaps more so, for me, because, as a kid, I just kind of floated through sport without putting too much effort into things - I don't ever really recall "redlining" or "digging deep". I was average, to below-average and I was fine with that; but Andrew, for some reason, has a hidden drive - I'd like to think he's trying not to impress us, but to do his best... for himself.

I said something like, "You must embrace the pain" ... "it let's you know you're alive" ... "imagine those less fortunate, who will never know the joy of finishing a race" ... "kids in wheel chairs would give anything to feel that heaviness in their legs" ... to which, he rebutted: "Oh yeah, it would be cool to be in a wheel chair, and never have to walk anywhere". (we try).

So all that to say, last night, at the du, I "embraced the pain". It was 40-ish with the humidex and the wind was unrelenting. The first run was a tad slower than normal, and the bike was starting to get tiring. I could see my "rabbit" up ahead 100 meters or so; I pushed hard - so hard, that I did something, I've only ever managed to do once before - I puked. Not a big gut-wrench, but enough to spray me in the face; just enough to let me know I wasn't just floating through it. At the overpass on the way back, I knew I had 4K to go... "Just 8 minutes more of the pain" ... at the split, 1K to go "Less than 2 minutes left".

The second run was a death march. It felt like I was running through molasses. I hit the first mark nearly a minute slower than normal; the second K more of the same; but my rabbit was walking now... I passed him, I could take him.

...Now - let's put all of this into context, the weekly du, is a low-key fun event. I'm usually only there to race against myself. And even though I was using a rabbit; I was still really only racing myself. PB was not in the cards whatsoever, I was "embracing the pain" for the sake of "feeling alive"...

So I pushed on, and my rabbit gave chase, but I pushed and "neg-splitted" the second run by over a minute. It was one of my slowest overall times, but I probably expended the most energy.

I'm sure, if I was more poetic; I'd be able to come up with this huge metaphor about life and perseverance, but I'm just a dude who's too wound up to sleep right now, so I'm writing up this wacky training report.

XTERRA Vortex 3 Sleeveless Wetsuit (preliminary review)

2010-06-29T12:58:00.007-04:00

The long awaited debut of my new wetsuit was last Friday.

Venue - 1000 meters worth of 61*F frigidness of the St. Lawrence River.

Initial assessment - fun.

The history - I bought this suit in December, during a sale event: $99. The price just couldn't be beat.

The Quality - Based on price alone, I expected the quality not to be on par with other suits - but I was very impressed. There's no noticeable lack of quality between this suit and my Orca, or even Guylaine's Nineteen brand. If I may go so far as to say, that quality wise, the liner, stitching and seams appear even a tad superior.

The sizing - Mail order suits are tough to nail for sizing. Despite a reputable return policy, I didn't want to be stuck with a suit that didn't fit. At 5'10" and 165, the sizing chart put me at the low end of medium. Deep down I knew I wasn't the same suit size as someone 180 lbs. On top of that, I was fine with a tighter fitting suit... the fit chart suggest sizing down for "race fit" and I took a chance on a "Small/Long". (for 5'10" 150lbs). Bingo! Perfect size. Snug but properly snug. (Perhaps a tad long -- which means extra time to put on to ensure all the rubber goes up my legs).

Sleeves vs Sleeveless - The great debate. For me, the price settled the debate. Owning both types of suits gives me the freedom to choose. But, even though the water was still pretty cold - I honestly didn't feel cold. The fit is snug and tight around the neck and arms, there was no leakage. I was pretty surprised. Yes, I felt better range of arm motion. And okay yes, I did feel somewhat less buoyant.

The bottom line - I don't know if I was faster or slower in this suit. But frankly, I'm at a point in my "career" where I couldn't care less. I like swimming, I like open water swimming; and this suit is fun to swim in. I can't put my finger on it, maybe it was the newness, but I do feel it was more fun than my full-sleeve suit.

Online ordering guilt - Ah, a good debate. I can rationalize it this way. No local stores carry $99 triathlon wetsuits. The next closest price point is $300 ish at a Triathlon store in Ottawa. The money I saved goes towards local race fees.

And you know what - The Wetsuit (after the bike) is the second most expensive piece of triathlon equipment. For the average swimmer, wearing a wetsuit is as good as upgrading a mountain bike to a road bike. Not using a wetsuit is a performance limiter (for sprints+). The fact that XTERRA is putting out suits that are affordable deserves some praise and thanks from the triathlon population. Maybe next they'll start working on the $499 triathlon bike.

Vortex 3 sleeveless - good enough for Teri Hatcher.

Too much to blog about

2010-06-22T09:08:00.003-04:00

1. HARDWARE - Agape 5K Cross-Country Run, 4th Overall; 3rd AG (Men 35+); 25:36.

2. SB @ 5K - 22:03 - CMC Poker/Prediction Run. Predicted time = 23:00 and that was pie-in-the-sky, so overall pretty pleased that after a month's worth of gluttony and neglected training , I can pull of a close to Whitlockian 5K times.

3. Whitlock.... Silverlocks Whitlock. Having a friend who's a graphic designer... priceless.

I guess, I gotta start training again!

4. Open water swimming has started. I do love the smell of neoprene... although by now my longsleeve suit is almost only 50% rubber and 50% rubber cement. It did hold though, and 60*F wasn't as nearly bad as it could have been. I'm toying with going sleeveless next week. My new XTERRA was longing to be tried out.

5. Duathlon last night. 2-15-4. Letting it "Rip". Pretty pleased with the time of 54:01.34; 3 minutes faster than last week. Almost a PR on the bike-split (benefited from a few favourable, still legal, sling-shots). Only a few seconds slower than last year's best.

6. Happy belated father's day to me!

Hold to Reset

2010-06-04T12:36:00.003-04:00

And two seconds later, the marathon was erased permanently from the memory of my Timex.

I've had to reset a few good memories over the years. Montreal 5K with Andrew... PBs at the weekly Du... Laps around the track with Laura... 500m TTs in the pool.

It seems an injustice to have replaced it with a seemingly worthless 2 and a half K run today at lunch. But alas, time marches on!

Ottawa Marathon Race Report 2010

2010-06-02T10:21:00.008-04:00

If I had to sum it up in one word, it would be, “Perfect”. The synchronicity of circumstances could not have been better orchestrated. My training, my clothing, my shoes, my hydration, my nutrition, my pacing, my sleep the night before, the trip up… everything… not to mention the weather! The weather was supposed to be the big story of the day, and I think it was but not for the original reasons. Instead of hot, hazy and humid, it was 16, overcast and breezy. It was certainly a message – and the message was: “Seize the day!”

I met Joe at his house early in the morning; we all bundled into his car and before we knew it we were pulling into Ottawa. A quick trip to “drop the kids off at the pool”, and then we were off to the Athlete’s Village. A little while later, we bumped into the Croneys, Jeff and Jacob. One final trip to a secret bathroom inside city hall and I was ready to go. With about 4 minutes to spare, I squeezed through the barriers into my allocated corral. I spotted the 3:45 bunny, and tried in vain to inch my way towards him. Not a problem, “I’ll keep him in sight.” Sooner rather than later, we were off and running.

My goal was 3:45, based on quasi-science from the McMillan calculator, with a heaping side-portion of pride. “Stick to the bunny” was the plan. The first kilometer, as is normal, was as chaotic as could be expected with 4000 people racing to get to the same place. I hit the split at 5:32. (22 seconds over budget). Not to worry, I knew we’d make it up.

The next 4-5 kilometers were quicker: in the 5:07 range. “We’re banking time,” said the bunny. It was going well. I could handle the pace; I was feeling strong and comfortable. Somewhere around 8km, we crossed the bridge back into Ontario. At this point, the pathway is only wide enough for 3-runners at a time, and somehow, I got ahead of the bunny. I slowed a bit hoping he’d reel me back in, but he must have slowed down over the bridge. “Screw it”, and I resumed at my own pace – I was feeling great – I was riding a huge wave of confidence. Each kilometer was flying by; clicking off in the low 5:teens.

Any chance I could get, I would ride inside another runner’s “energy bubble.” I didn’t chat at all, but I was aware of who the “energy” people were – the positive runners who would either ham it up with the crowd or chat out loud with the others. I stayed away from the wobblers, weezers and groaners. Around 25K, my buddy John was in the crowd, “Way to go Philly!” - a great boost.

33K - Cue: “Vincent Massey/Heron Road Mind Trick”. Sub Titled: “Where’s this ‘Wall’ I’ve heard about?”, a.k.a. “Slaying the demons of 2006”. This part of the route, thankfully has changed considerably from when I did the half-marathon in 2006. Suffice to say, within no time, I was up and over the bridge and rounding the corner on Prince of Wales drive. I noticed I was in fact slowing, (into the 5:40s), but I had so much time in the bank, I wasn’t the least bit worried. More importantly, I was mentally and physically still in it. In fact, truth be told, I was starting to feel a little sad that the journey would almost be over; had I lavished “in it” enough?

As we merged with the Half-Marathon route, at about 4K to go, I was starting to get tired. Caro, the 1:45 bunny caught up to me, it was nice to see a familiar face. A few minutes later I passed Sandra and Mimi cheering from the side of the road. I think this is where I hit the wall. My legs didn’t want to go anymore, but my mind persevered. I thought about meeting up with Guylaine and the kids and my parents afterwards. That kept me going.

The last 2K was murderous. I have never wanted anything to be over with so badly. Time was moving by slower than ever. “Don’t quit, don’t quit, don’t walk, keep running.” The 3:45 bunny whizzed by… (rats).

Done!

750meters… 500meters… 200meters… somewhere in there was Adelle. The finish line! I walked across arms raised. 3:47:12. HALLELUJAH!

My parents found me just shortly after the line, and I met up with Guylaine and the kids shortly after. I was very glad to see them all.

Post Script:

I am thrilled with my finish time. I am so happy with how everything went on the day. I know I ran as best as I could – I would not have done anything differently. I took my fuel belt and had 2 flasks of water. I sipped at them before I felt thirsty, and re-filled them along the way. I slowly took in (a total of 3) gels along the way before I needed them (thanks to Sandra for the tip). I dropped my shoulders and ran loosely whenever I thought to (thanks to Jen for the tip). I shortened my stride and quickened my cadence whenever I thought to (thanks to Rik for the tip). I sponged off and preemptively dumped water on me before I felt hot. I stayed in it mentally the entire way (thanks to 6 years of multisport experience). I was properly trained due to the 18 week Higdon plan. Perhaps most shocking, I didn’t stress about splits (thanks to deciding on not bringing my Garmin!).

This was my first and will be my last marathon. I could never top it. It was perfect.

Special thanks to Guylaine and the kids for accommodating me. xoxo

3:47:12, Amen!

2010-05-30T19:47:00.002-04:00

Where Am I??? Marathon Position Predictor

2010-05-25T16:26:00.003-04:00

If you can hold a steady pace, you can use this handy Excel tool to try and figure out where you will be, and at what time on your next run. I'm using it to help my fan-club (insert smiley) locate me on the Ottawa Marathon Course.

Download the Excel file here

Victoria Day Chase

2010-05-24T19:46:00.003-04:00

Despite, my buddy Hal Higdon's advice, I let it rip today. "Cross-train or rest, preferably the latter." was Hal's advice for today. Well, I let it rip .. at least for the first 300 meters and then I realised I was going to overheat. So I tried to keep it in check. It was tradition after-all: the Club's 2nd Annual Victoria Day Chase. Yet again, I channeled Phil "the Thrill" for a 5K jaunt in the park.

Final time 22:25 (13 seconds faster than last year!): 4:07, 4:24, 4:27, 4:50, 4:35.

Not bad considering... maybe after the marathon, I'll work to get 5K down under 21 again. (and put an end to all the smack-talk Whitlock's been spouting).

Itching to Go

2010-05-17T08:39:00.003-04:00

Week 16 of 18 is in the books. Saturday was a 6K "pace" run. I couldn't control myself, it was too difficult to stay on pace, I was 20 to 30 seconds /km too fast. I loved it. Sunday was supposed to be 19, I upped it to 20, on a challenging hill run up and down Tyotown Road. I felt awesome afterwards. Normally, I'd be cooked for the rest of the day, but I was just fine. Right now, I honestly feel as good as I'm ever going to get. I wish I could run the Marathon tomorrow. Week 17 and 18 are "taper" weeks. Long run is only 13 on Sunday.

And in other news...
Operation Prohibition has been downgraded to Operation Moderation. Who was I kidding?

Mark Wigmore... my new best friend

2010-05-13T11:42:00.001-04:00

Ottawa Pace Bunny Line-up.

Operation: Prohibition

2010-05-12T08:31:00.003-04:00

We're on the home stretch. 18 days to go. The run training has been pretty good. Time to get serious about cutting out the crap. 163.8 lbs this morning -- not bad considering I've been eating like a pig and drinking like a fish.

From this moment on: No more junk food, no more beer, no more wine, no coffee, no pop. If I can take it down to under 160, that's that much less chub I'll be dragging around the National Capital area for 42.2 km.

32 KM, in the Bank

2010-05-10T10:48:00.003-04:00

It was probably the single-most thoughtful Mother's Day present a husband could give a wife. 3 and a half hours of uninterrupted, quality time with her two beautiful children. ...well at least I tried to convince myself that while I was out running my LAST long run of the marathon training plan.

The plan called for 32, but I was planning on doing 36. Based on the 100 pieces of feedback, every experienced marathoner I knew had given me. Until, Saturday morning; when chatting with Cornwall's fastest Marathon Couple. "36!? Who told you that? I've never done more than 32 in training". Good enough for them... Good enough for me! And so 32 was the mark.

And just as well too. I ended up spraining a calf muscle at 16K. I hobbled most of the rest of the way home, wondering if I was doing irreparable damage. I mis-judged my loop, and I was "only" going to get 30K back to home. Do I cut my losses and call it a day at 30K, or do I stretch it to 32? Of course, I stretched it. This was supposed to be the Longest Run Ever. At one point, I was hurting so bad, that I was convinced the marathon wouldn't happen, so I pondered just adding another 10.2 to give me 42.2, just so I could be done with it.

I limped in at 3:17 with a tough 32K in the bank, and iced down the sprain.

A day later, I'm pretty much ok. Amazing what an Ice-pack and a hot shower will do. Only 19K next Sunday. I'll take it easy this week.

Footnote: Gu Chomps are much easier to eat at 6:00 pace vs 4:45. Gu Tri-Berry Gel: not bad.

Children's Treatment Centre 5K/10K Run

2010-05-08T15:38:00.003-04:00

This photo doesn't do justice to how terrible the weather really was

Cool, rainy and breezy? Nope: Cold, torrential downpour and gusting winds. Who on earth would want to run a race in conditions like that? To my surprise, 77 people turned up for my debut as a race director.

The race itself (over in minutes) was the culmination of months worth of preparation: meetings, emails, phone calls, budget deliberations, hard decisions, measuring, remeasuring, remeasuring, remeasuring and measuring yet again.

Despite a few game-day changes on account of the weather, it all seemed to pay off and the race continued without any visible hitches.

Visit the official Children's Treatment Centre Run website for details and results.

The thing that made me happiest, was that most people didn't seem to mind. Once they got over the fact that they were wet, most everyone told me the run was quite enjoyable. A lot of people managed to set PBs too. Go figure.

A Legend in my own Mind. Sea Lions Duathlon Race Report.

2010-05-03T09:51:00.000-04:00

Too chicken to dive off the platform

Last week I swam as much in 7 days, than I had in the previous three months. A measly 2000 meters. I was signed up for the Cornwall Sea Lions duathlon: 800 meters of swimming plus 8 K of running. Swimming had taken a back-burner to Marathon training. Despite poor performance in practice, I wasn't feeling too bad about the swim; this was supposed to be just a fun event.

We'd been at the swim meet all morning, watching Guylaine take 1st place in age-group for all her events (no one needs to know how many other W40-44 there were). Heats were rolling by fast and furious. Time to swim: Flashbacks to the last time I did this event, losing my goggles on the dive-in. I asked Liz the starter, "can I start in the water". "No Way- you gotta dive in". ~~ crap ~~

So I lined up with all the other swimmers - Whistle ... "Swimmers, take your mark" ... "BOOM"

It was a perfect dive. I didn't lose my goggles this time. BUT: they did fill 92% with water... oh, and I lost my bathing suit. Okay, it didn't actually come off, but somehow, I was able to reach back and hike-it back up my half-exposed butt, and tuck myself in without anyone else noticing.

And now, I'm swimming. And swimming pretty good. The first wall fast approaches, somehow, I've recovered from an almost ward-robe malfunction and made the firm decision, that I'm not going to stop and empty my goggles... *flip*. etc. etc. etc.

My first four laps were top-shelf. In my mind's eye, I was putting on a clinic. I could hear the voice-over track to the swimming 101 video I was making, "...and this folks is exactly how to swim... watch the perfect breathing pattern.... 1-2-3 breath... beautiful... and that folks, is a perfectly executed flip turn... this guy is on fire... "

But then, as it so often does, it fell to crap. After about lap 5, I was dead. "Geepers, why did I sign up for 800. 400 would have been so much better. Oh crap, not enough energy to flip. *weak touch-and-go* ... ok, I'll flip next turn... (next turn) *semi-pathetic flip where I only just manage to touch the wall, but get zero push-off effect* ... oh, god... how many laps have I done?? ...why is everyone staring at me and laughing..?"

And then, finally, I'm put out of my misery. I hear the bell - my last lap. I put on the jets.... 14:44 (whee! I had hoped to be sub-14:59).

Now for the easy part... a measly 8K run. This wasn't a triathlon-type transition race. There was a break between events. Time to catch my breath, dry off, change, and take a 20 minutes to chill. As we gathered outside, I noticed something for the first time this year: Heat and Humidity. This was going to be interesting.

The run was actually quite painful. The heat was not agreeing with me. Somehow, I was running a hair under 5 minute pace, and I was dying. The only thing keeping me alive was Rik. He basically pulled me through the whole course, and he wouldn't let me give up. What a nice guy.

Finally the last 50 meters, and Laura was there to meet me. She started running beside me. What a beautiful picture: father and daughter crossing the line together. Go ahead, I urged Rik, as Laura and I jogged in together...

... but then, with the finish line in sight, a most powerful and evil force over came me... with 10 feet to go, my mind and body were hijacked by the dark side of the force. I dropped the hammer... and I out sprinted the nicest guy in Cornwall... the guy who towed me around the entire run, thereby taking all the glory afforded to the 5th place overall finisher in the run.

I guess I still harbour some bitterness from my duel with Ed Whitlock. Take notice old men... Phil Barnes will hunt you down!

Final Time = 14:44 Swim + 39:41 Run = 54:25. Official results weren't posted, but I'm sure that's a top-10 finish.

Pineapple Roctane

2010-05-01T15:08:00.000-04:00

I'm starting to accept the fact that Goos and Gels are going to help me along the way in my Marathon. In 6 years of "multisporting", I've only ever consumed 6 and a half "gels" in total. 4 were bloody awful, 1 was so-so (Apple-Cinnamon Car Boom), but my sixth... actually, not bad at all: Gu Pineapple Roctane.

It was during a hilly 20K run on Saturday, that I "ripped-it" at the 10K mark. Sure enough, it tasted not too bad. I think I actually felt the benefits of it, as I was able to run a steady pace for the remainder of the run.

I've been on a big pineapple kick lately, my thirst for pineapple is somewhat insatiable. I bought 3 of these such Gu-s a few weeks ago. At the risk of never being able to stomach pineapple again, I think I'll bring the remaining 2 of them on the marathon with me.

2010 Run to End MS - Half Marathon Report

2010-04-24T17:00:00.004-04:00

Balls to the Wall was the plan. But I didn't really know what that meant. I was going to try and run fast... but just how fast was fast?

I was pre-occupied with pre-race chatter and had to make a sprint to the bathroom, only to arrive at the start line with about 30 seconds to spare. I nestled in the middle. Jen S was there - "What are you aiming for today?" - "Under 1:42" - That sounded perfect to me, and a plan was hatched: Stick to Jen like glue.

Queue the Rocky music, and boom, off we went. SWIFTLY. The Garmin chirped 4:34 at 1K. I was either going to shatter 1:42 or blow up at 5K. Kilometer 2 @ 4:32. Jeezus. Well, we've got time in the bank! We slowed to 4:45s and I held on for as long as I could.

Kilometer 13 was slightly downhill, but too fast for me to stick with Jen. I walked through the water station at this point, and dropped into a "jog". I tried to keep it under 5:00 pace. KM 20 was pretty tough, and I let up a little mentally, I could have "pushed" it a little more here, and gone sub 1:42. Oh well.

From about 50 feet away, I saw the finish line clock roll over 1:42, and I had a momentary depression. But that was extremely short lived, as what seemed like the entire LTR class cheered me in to the finish line.

It was a great day for racing. Really, I would have been happy with 1:45. Beating my previous best (by 20 seconds) was pretty sweet too. Although I "blew up", it was kind of a controlled "blow up", and it didn't bother me in the least.

Official Time: 1:42:11.7 (4:51 Pace); 20/54 Overall; 6/10 Men 30 - 39; 17/32 Men

The finish line is 100 meters away; I'm running my fastest here.

This was a good confidence booster for the marathon. Before this race, I was Definitely doubting my ability to hold 5:20 pace for 42K. Now, I'm pretty sure, I can hold it until I meet Mr. Wall.

Always willing to try something new on Race Day, I discovered that Gu Chomps are probably not great for running with. Little Zingy remnants were constantly tickling the back of my throat, but at least they tasted better than the 3 bugs that I (not intentionally) ate along the canal.

I -ACCEPT- the challenge.

2010-04-23T10:13:00.003-04:00

Tomorrow = Half Marathon.

Choice 1: (smart choice), run at anticipated marathon pace.
Choice 2: (conservative), run at comfortable pace.
Choice 3: (accepted), run at Balls to the Wall

If I blow up on the Marathon, at least maybe I'll have something to show for it with tomorrow's run.

Brooks Ghost 2.2

2010-04-21T08:36:00.002-04:00

Brooks Ghost2

I was starting to get a wee bit stressed about my shoes. They're a great fit, light weight, and I really like them; but, my first pair of Brooks Ghost shoes were obviously starting to wear down after 400km. My current pair (of Ghost2s) are at 300 and will certainly be close to 500k after the next couple of weeks of peak training. Forever on my quest for the "ultimate" pair of shoes, I truly thought I found it last year with Brooks - They were cheap ($99) and readily available (Sports Experts). Surely, I would be able to get them at any mall.

Nope. This year, the new version is $149 and NOT available anywhere locally. Crap.

I was in Ottawa yesterday a block and half from the running room. So - I grabbed a new pair. That should last me through the Marathon and the rest of the year.

Next year, the quest begins again.

The longest run keeps getting longer!

2010-04-19T09:49:00.005-04:00

Beer n Tacos: the reward (photo gratuitously lifted off Google Images)

It turned out to be the perfect morning for a run: cool, but not cold; slightly overcast, but not windy. Current and past members of the Joanne Crescent Runners joined a friendly South Stormont crew for an assault on Upper Canada Village. There were 9 or 10 of us in total, with 5 electing for the 30K+ route.

It was 31K and change when it was all said and done. All at a comfortable 6:00 ish average pace, which included a few water breaks, and one stop to water the flowers.
I was pretty pleased with myself. Every step I took after 27K broke my previous distance record.

Nutrition and hydration went well: 3 fuel belt bottles of fruit juice, 1 fuel belt bottle of water, 2 bags of Fruit Chews and 1 Lemon Sublime Gu (note to self, don't buy this one again!).

The best part -- no residual leg soreness on Monday!

Oh, my aching butt

2010-04-12T09:22:00.004-04:00

With the marathon training, I have consciously dropped cycling.

Until Sunday, I hadn't been on my bike since mid-January. That's nearly a four month drought. The longest drought in over 6 years. On Sunday, I mounted my bike, in the Fish Bowl atmosphere of the local mall, to help my buddy Dale, raise money and awareness for Cancer Research.

Dale is embarking on a 17-hour, 400 km trip across the Rocky Mountains in June. Dale was "spinning" for 4 hours. I signed up for 2 hours. Oh, my aching butt! 2 hours after not biking for 4 months is quite the sensation.

Local newspaper coverage.

Because of the spin, Sunday's 29K run didn't happen. I tripled up on Saturday, going 10K, 3K (with LTR group) and another 10K afterward for 23 total instead of 13. This week is a "step-back" week - I only have 21 on Sunday. I'm going to mess up next week's scheduled 32K by racing a half marathon instead. I have 32 on May 9; which I definitely don't want to miss. Maybe I'll even bump it up to 36 after many recommendations. We'll see.

Looking forward for the training to be finished!

Children's Treatment Center 5K/10K

2010-04-07T15:12:00.003-04:00

There's a new race in town:

The Children's Treatment Centre 5K and 10K runs have been re-energized this year, and feature SportStats electronic timing and accurate distance measurements. The best part: $20 entry fee, $40 for families and FREE with equivalent (or more) pledges. More information and registration: http://www.ctcrun.com.

This could very well be the best deal for running events in Eastern Ontario, Ottawa, Montreal and Northern New York.

27 K ... check

2010-04-05T20:36:00.003-04:00

Cumulative Pace Calculator

The longest run, keeps getting longer

It almost didn't happen. Saturday afternoon looked like Sunday morning, and most of Sunday afternoon would be nursing a hang-over; but I persevered, behaved a little on Saturday night, and went running Sunday morning anyways.

It was tough. I did a long straight run. I needed to get myself 13.5K away from home for sure, in order to make 27 for the day. Before turning around, I teased with going 15 - making it 30K for the day. But as the Garmin turned over 13.5, that thought quickly evaporated.

I walked more during this run, than I have before. Especially at 26K. I walked for a good minute. My lower legs had been feeling pretty heavy for a couple of kms. I was feeling pretty fed up. I'm starting to wonder if my shoes are good enough for marathon distance.

This was a bit of a character run: a) Longest distance b) Longest distance alone c) return trip into a fairly constant wind d) bright sun with the temperature hovering in the high-teens. 3:45 is almost certainly not in the cards anymore. 4 hours looks like a tough nut to crack. Especially given the fact that I have yet to experience "THE WALL".

After every long run, I definitely affirm that this will be the one and only marathon. Marathons would be whole lot easier if not for the damned training.

Old Stompin' Grounds

2010-03-31T08:32:00.002-04:00

Champage Fitness Centre : 25 Yards, 4 lanes. Boxing facilities upstairs around the cat-walk.

I caught a new post on TriRudy this morning about a new masters club at my old pool.
http://ottawacentremasters.blogspot.com/

It brought back many happy memories. Over 327,000 meters in that pool. That's where the whole triathlon idea was hatched... and the rest has been history.

Activate the Core

2010-03-30T09:13:00.005-04:00

Saturday's Learn to Run class featured a presentation from a "core-fitness" personal coach. I've always assumed "core" workouts would be beneficial to running. Deep down, I kind of thought I must have an ok core. Oh boy, Saturday was somewhat humbling. I was the guinea pig for the on-stage demonstration. Sunday and Monday were sore, sore days!

There's a growing movement about the Myth of Core Stability - probably propagated by lazy-arses like me who find core workouts too taxing. I'd much rather run for 2 hours than spend 10 minutes doing planks!

Le grand vingt-cinq

2010-03-23T09:28:00.003-04:00

The longest run ever, keeps getting longer. Sunday was 25. There was no backing out. Cupajoe was joining me. We had a nice little run around Cornwall. Thanks buddy.

The 'plan' must be working, because honestly six weeks ago, I would have thought no-way could I run 25 clicks. And yet, I seemed to manage ok. My legs were a little sore immediately afterwards but there were no lingering effects and I felt fine on Monday.

23K... check.

2010-03-16T09:32:00.005-04:00

Brooks Ghost2

The wind was howling, I heard the garbage cans rolling around outside. The rain ticked against the side of the house. I was certain it was falling as sleet. We had just "Sprung" forward, and although the clock clearly said 8 AM, my body surely still said 7. I got up still, knowing what lay ahead was to be a milestone in my running career. A new benchmark: 23 kilometers. Damn this marathon training plan.

I peeked through a crack in the blinds. "It's probably icy out there - if you want to go later I don't mind." -- the voice of an angel, Guylaine, my first reprieve of the day.

"You're probably right, well if you don't mind then..." and with that I hit the pillow again.

The clock said 9 AM. The kids, after a long day previously, were now up and jumping up and down on our bed. One small victory in the time-warp of Daylight savings: sixty extra minutes of peace and quiet from the energizer-bunny duo we so affectionately refer to as The Kids.

"Can we set up my fish tank now? Can we, can we, can we, please, please, please." Begged an anxious Andrew. Consumed with desire that only an eleven year old with a new fish-tank bought the day before can be consumed with first thing in the morning.

"Excellent," I thought to myself, at least another hour of procrastination.

Alas, for better of for worse, around 10:30, I was heading out for the run. I needed to pick a route that would take me 11 and half out, and thus 11 and a half back. There was no chance I was going to do two 10 k loops, for I knew I would want to pack it in after the first loop. In order to manage this distance, I needed to have to run half the distance out forcing me to run the same distance back home. The GPS unit in my head seemed to recall the Marleau > Tyotown > Rae Road > Montreal loop would be about the right distance. So off I went.

Did I mention the wind? It was without a doubt, the windiest day I have ever run in. Fortunately I was running directly into the wind on the way out. The merits of which I debated: was it really better to have the wind at your back on the way home at the expense of wasting extra energy at the start fighting the wind?

The first k, clicked off at 5:40. I was surprised with that. Must be the new shoes.

WHAT- are you telling me that you ran 23 K in a brand new pair of unbroken in shoes?

Yes. Brooks Ghost2. My last pair were Brooks Ghost. More or less the same shoe, I rationalized. I highly don't recommend this reasoning. But 2 days later and I'm still not feeling any ill-effects of my decision. I figured it was the lesser of 2 evils. 23K on new shoes or 23K on dead shoes with over 650K.

I digress.

Did I mention the hills? Again, for some reason, I figured that since I was going to go far, I may as well make it as challenging as possible, so I chose the hilliest route. Running uphill into the wind could only mean running downhill with the wind at my back on the way home. It more-or-less worked out ok.

Anyhoo, as I was on the home stretch, I realized I was going to be 5K short. I managed to talk myself out of bailing on the last 5K, and added an extra cross-town jaunt. 2 hours and 15 minutes later I was in front of my house. 22.75 km. Damn my need for precision: I ran up and down the street to top me up. 22.96. Shoot - I ran a 20meter circle a couple of times in front of my drive way. 23K. Finished.

As I was running, something really impressed me : 1 Marathon training is way harder than I expected. It's very difficult to "slip" in a 2-and-half hour run in the middle of regular family life. I was feeling particularly selfish for the last 60 minutes - and all I could think of was the looming 32K run.

Tackling Doubt

2010-03-09T13:13:00.007-05:00

I think I've been trying to sabotage my marathon.

At the least, I think I've been laying the foundation for my future excuses.

I can't seem to stop eating and drinking and snacking. Not because I'm hungry, but because I want to. I avoided the scale yesterday. I hit it today tipping in at 168. I'm not trying to impress anyone. But, that, is heavy for me and all the excess is comprised entirely of unhealthy stuff.

I ran 14K on Sunday. It was a bit of a grind. I averaged 6:27 kms. Jeepers, I thought. is that what I am.

Today, I turned a new page: only one bowl of Sugar Crisp (instead of three). I upped the pace on my lunch run, for no reason other than to prove to myself that I could. And I did. (5:12 for 6K)

So here we are at Week 7 of 18. 23K on Sunday. (that will be the longest run of my life to date). I'm taking today as a kind of new beginning - I've got a somewhat renewed enthusiasm. Planning to hit Montreal on the weekend ... new shoes are in the cards.

81 days to go...

Phew.

2010-03-02T14:13:00.001-05:00

5K run at lunch. No problems. Phew.

Long Run: Missed.

2010-03-01T14:12:00.003-05:00

19K was on the books for Sunday. I had to drop it because of a crippling pain in my left leg. Turns out it wasn't such a bad run to miss. I was hung over anyways, and I would have had to miss the first part of the hockey game.

My friend Hal Higdon provides this pearl: "Don't be afraid to modify workouts occasionally when it seems appropriate. The general pattern of the program--the steady buildup--is more important than what you do on any one day."

I went for a swim today, and I have no problems so far. 5K on the books for tomorrow, and this week is a "stepback" week anyways meaning a shorter run this Sunday.

Next Sunday: 23K (I've never run more than 22 before...)

Goal Time

2010-02-05T09:51:00.007-05:00

The other day, I was reading the Running Room magazine, and there was an article about setting S.M.A.R.T. goals. (Specific, Measurable, Attainable, Realistic, Timely) Strangely enough, that evening, Laura brought home a pamphlet from school about SMART goals too - the acronym works in English and French (Spécifique, mesurable, accessible, réaliste et bien défini dans le temps.) So that got me thinking: time to set a smart goal for the marathon.

I will complete this year's Ottawa marathon in a time of _________

Ah, there's the challenge, what is my goal time? I've never done a marathon, and have no clue what to expect for finish time. I have done well in 5K, 10K and half marathons before, so we'll play with numbers via McMillan.

Distance	Best Time	Projected Marathon
5K	0:20:53	3:23:35
10K	0:44:56	3:30:52
21.1K	1:42:51	3:36:55

Are you F-ing nuts? Call me defeatist, but I think we can all agree those times are "Whack".

Let's work backwards. If we are willing to lend some credence to the McMillan tool, let's plug in an arbitrary 3:45, and see what kind of effort that relates to in the 5, 10 and half...

Distance	Estimated Time	Based on Marathon
5K	0:23:05	3:45:00
10K	0:47:57	3:45:00
21.1K	1:46:41	3:45:00

Way more reasonable... I think. I could probably manage those times right now (save the half) on a good day, with proper conditions.

Let's expand the search to 4 hours...

Distance	Estimated Time	Based on Marathon
5K	0:24:37	4:00:00
10K	0:51:08	4:00:00
21.1K	1:53:48	4:00:00

Ahh, now that I could probably do.

Goal 1 - Make it through training!
Goal 2 - Finish
Goal 3 - 4:00
Goal 4 - 3:45

It's Official

2010-01-29T10:14:00.003-05:00

You have successfully registered for an event in the
Ottawa Race Weekend being held May 29 and 30, 2010.

Payment has been received/Confirmation d'inscription:
Phil Barnes is registered for
Ottawa Race Weekend Ottawa Marathon

Why am I doing this? I think I figured it out, while talking to another runner the other day.

I'm doing it, to "Get it out of the way". I honestly don't really like training SO much. I'm convinced that I never want to do another marathon. I know that it's going to hurt. I'm certain I am doing it, just to get it out of the way. Once I've done this, I can return to enjoying running as a hobby. Sure, I'll do races here and there, but until I satisfy myself that I've tried it and done it, I'll always be wondering, and it will always be clouding my mind.

Fortunately, I don't feel the same way about Ironman...

...yet.

Here we go!

2010-01-25T09:06:00.003-05:00

117 days 23 hours 59 minutes 00 seconds.

Day 1, week 1.

Learn to Run

2010-01-21T08:23:00.002-05:00

Learn to Run Clinic
Registration is now open for the Cornwall Multisport Club's Learn to Run clinic.
This is a great way to kick-start your fitness program in a safe, structured and fun environment.
10 weeks of group session training starts Saturday February 13th, 2010.
Get ready for your first 5K!
Price is only $50 and includes full membership to the Cornwall Multisport Club (join as a family and save even more).
Registration at www.CornwallMultisportClub.com

Lunchtime Snow Shoeing

2010-01-20T13:04:00.003-05:00

Breaking trail

L'arch

Les epinettes

I can see for miles and miles

Some dude that looks like me.

3000 meter swim workouts

2010-01-13T08:58:00.004-05:00

Well, it appears the secret to getting faster in the pool is to: 1) Only go once a week; 2) Make sure you pack on 10 pounds over Christmas (adds 10mm of neoprene like substance to your stomach); 3) Follow my custom 3000 meter swim plans.

I've been doing these swim workouts for the last couple of months, and oddly enough, I seem to be at my fastest ever on the swim. (set PB on 500m last night @ 8:23) The following workouts are cobbled together based on workouts and fragments of masters workouts I did a few years ago in Ottawa.

I offer them up to the world now, with the disclaimer that there is no real rhyme or reason to them, other than I find them fun and challenging. Print them out and put them in a zip-lock baggy to bring with you to the pool.

Happy Swimming.

Set 1 - the "You will sleep well tonight set"

400	400 Easy
500	100 Pull Buoy
600	100 Kick
700	100 Pull Buoy
800	100 Kick
900	100 Pull Buoy
1000	100 Easy
1100	4 x 25 on 00:30
1200	100 Easy
1400	4 x 50 on 01:00
1500	100 Easy
1800	4 x 75 on 01:30
1900	100 Easy
2300	4 x 100 on 02:00
2400	100 Easy
2800	4 x 100 IM on 02:15
3000	200 Cool Down

Set 2 - Practice your cool Front-to-Back and Back-to-Front flip turns

400	400 Warm Up
800	2 x (100 Pull, 100 Kick)
1000	200 Easy
1500	5 x 100 (25 Fr , 50 Br, 25 Fr - hard)
1600	100 Easy
2100	5 x 100 (25 Fr, 50 Back, 25 Fr - hard)
2200	100 Easy
2700	5 x 100 (25 Easy, 50 Med, 25 Hard)
3000	300 Cool Down

Set 3 - The Time Trial Series - Measure your performance improvements

500	500 TT
1100	3 x (100 Pull, 100 Kick)
1200	100 Easy
1700	500 TT
2300	3 x (100 Pull, 100 Kick)
2400	100 Easy
2800	4 x 100 (25 Easy, 50 Med, 25 Hard)
3000	200 Easy

Set 4 - You will love to hate the sprints at the end. Go all out

400	400 Warm up
500	100 Pull
600	100 Swim
750	150 (50 Fr, 50 Back, 50 Breast)
850	100 Kick
950	100 Pull
1050	100 Swim
1200	150 (50 Fr, 50 Back, 50 Breast)
1300	100 Kick
1350	50 Easy
1750	4 x 100 (50 Fr, 50 Back) on 02:15
2150	4 x 100 (50 Back, 50 Breast) on 02:15
2550	4 x 100 IM
2600	50 Easy
2800	8 x 25 Sprints on 0:30
3000	200 Cool Down

Set 5 - Le grand mélange - the ultimate tough guy workout

400	400 Warm up
850	3 x (100 Pull, 50 Kick)
1250	2 x 200 Free (Medium Pace
1550	3 x 100 IM
1650	100 Easy
2050	4 x 100 (Fr, Bk, Fr, Bk)
2100	50 Easy
2500	4 x 100 (25 Easy, 50 Med, 25 Hard)
2600	100 Easy
2800	8 x 25 sprints on 0:30
3000	200 Cool Down

So, Santa dropped off 4 pairs of snowshoes this year...

2010-01-07T14:55:00.003-05:00

We've been out a few times so far "trekking" the trails at Grey's Creek. Today, Guylaine met me at lunch for the real test: A RUN.

Running in snowshoes is different. Still fun (well hopefully it will be after a couple of tries). A couple things to note:

1) Make sure you have your foot pushed through the binding good enough, so that your toes are almost touching the webbing at the front - we both endured some wicked calf cramps, until we adjusted this - funny how only an inch of mal-adjustment can really affect you.

2) Don't do what I did - don't wear track pants: you should have slippery wind-pant type material for the snow not to stick to your entire back-length of pant.

I'll give it a go again tomorrow.

Cool looking product

2009-12-23T10:29:00.003-05:00

I lost count of my laps last night at the pool. No biggie right? Yes - it drives me nuts when that happens.

Oddly enough, as I was maneuvering the web last night, an ad popped up for this interesting gadget:

The Swimovate Pool-Mate Swimming Computer.

Genious

Using accelerometer technology, it features Lap counter, Time, Average Strokes per lap, Speed /100m, Distance, Calories, Set times, Pause function, Efficiency Index, Large Memory, Alarm and fully functioning stylish digital watch, Water Resistant to 50m.

Just turn it on and swim.

Is it too late to add this to my Christmas list?

Olympic Torch Relay visits Cornwall

2009-12-14T18:43:00.004-05:00

Torches await their bearers.

The flame cuts a path through the crowd.

The flame arrives on stage.

One last moment before the cauldron is lit.

PB >> 08:24.64

2009-12-11T12:58:00.005-05:00

500 meters @ 08:24.64 a cool 1:40/100 meters according to the Swim Pace Calculator.

Woot.

Cross Country Addict

2009-12-04T13:38:00.003-05:00

Or as the hip kids call it- trail running.

I honestly never thought I would like it as much as I am. Half of my last 30 runs have been cross-country on the trails at work. Given that it is December 4th today, and that there's still no snow, I snapped a few pics along the way.

One of several boardwalks along the way

The passage way

Mystery Road

The occasional outcrop

Snap, again.

2009-12-03T13:02:00.002-05:00

08:33 for 500m. I need to find 8 seconds somewhere.

Retweet

2009-12-03T08:41:00.005-05:00

My buddy, Mario, was selected to be one of the local torch bearers for the 2010 Olympic games. Here's some footage of him in training: http://olympictorchmario.blogspot.com/2009/12/my-olympic-torch-training.html

"We're trying to keep our heart rate in Zone 4 because of all the excitement that day".

Rats... and old lady soup.

2009-11-27T12:58:00.003-05:00

08:35 for 500 meters today in the pool. I couldn't remember what my SB or PB were, I thought I was close. Turns out, 10 seconds away still from the PB. Rats. But, if anything. I'm pretty consistent. I did stop to empty my goggles once, so maybe add a second for that... and I did skip a few flip turns out of courtesy to someone else getting in...

I haven't bitched about the pool in a while. And really, I shouldn't, because I did have half the lane to myself... but:

What is it with old ladies and their body spray!?!?!? The entire shallow end was just awful with a thin skim of old-lady scum.

Quoting the Health Protection and Promotion Act (RRO 1990, Regulation 565, Section 15)
http://www.e-laws.gov.on.ca/html/regs/english/elaws_regs_900565_e.htm#s15

"Every bather shall take a cleansing shower or bath using soap and warm water before entering the deck. "

I don't like swimming in old lady soup!

The Geek is Back

2009-11-20T13:11:00.004-05:00

Borrowing Guylaine's new toy (Forerunner 305 @ 1 reading every second) and using new software from SportTracks, here are the official RRCA X-Country routes at Gray's Creek!

Big Loop - Crack to Crack* (3.96km)

Small Loop - Crack to Crack (2.53 km)

* Where "Crack" is the crack in the road at the culvert crossing just near the turn-in to the parking lot.

SB in the Pool

2009-11-18T09:01:00.003-05:00

Last week, I was pretty sure I did my first 400m warm up in 6:40. That would have given me a pace of 1:40/100 meters. Not bad. Last night, I was determined to do a 500m time trial right off the bat to see where I was.

500m ... 08:33 (1:42/100). According to this Fabulous Online Swim Split Time Converter Calculator.

Pretty close to my PB (8:25 set May 10, 2005 during my over-training phase, in a 25 yard pool). And way faster than earlier in the year where I was hovering around 9 minutes.

Crap - I'm so close to the PB, I have no choice now, but to beat it.

Mystery Smell

2009-11-18T08:55:00.001-05:00

Mystery Solved... my trail running shoes are no longer welcome in the office. :-(

Random Rant: The Swimming Pool Chin Up

2009-11-04T11:46:00.003-05:00

...just wondering what goes through someone's mind, when they do chin-ups in the water using the backstroke handles on the diving block. Correct me if I'm wrong, but there's like no resistance.

Getting my aquatic mojo on

2009-10-28T09:11:00.003-04:00

Hammerhead Sharks ~ tres cool

Triathlon mojo has been fading big time for me for a while now. Until last week, I hadn't swum since closing the river in September. My last pool swim would have been in May. I've been having swim envy for a couple of weeks as Guylaine has joined the masters. Time for action.

Last Tuesday, I re-instated monster swim night. 3000 meters+. It was awesome. Strangely, I felt great. I followed it up again last night. Again... I felt great. Maybe I'll get back on my bike again soon?

The swims

Last Week:
400m warm up
3 x(100 Pull + 50 Kick)
2 x 200 @Med Pace
3 x 100 IM
50 Easy
4 x 100 (Fr-Bk-Fr-Bk)
50 Easy
4 x 100 (Ez-Md-Ez-Hd)
50 Eesy
6 x25 sprints on :30
350 Cool Down

Last Night:
400 W/U
100 Pull, 100 Kick, 100 Pull, 100 Kick, 100 Pull
100 Easy
4 x 25 on 0:30
100 Easy
4 x 50 on 1:00
100 Easy
4 x 75 on 1:30
200 Easy
4 x 100 on 2:00
200 Easy
2 x 100 IM
200 C/D

Too much to blog about...

2009-10-13T08:55:00.002-04:00

Held the Olympic torch. Baked some brownies. Did 'Hash House Harriers' Run. Watched Ironman Hawaii* with the Multisport club. Cheered local Ironman Dan Contant. Ended with some Turkey last night.

* I'm pretty sure, the main storyline for this year was Chrissie -- not just if she would win again, but by how big a margin, how much would she break the record by and how many pro-men would she 'chick'.

Giant Water Bug

2009-10-05T19:11:00.004-04:00

Our Giant Water Bug

Imagine my surprise on Sunday, when I was cleaning leaves out of the pool... and this one started to swim. It's a giant water bug, and it's a freaky SOB. A google image search will pull up some nasty pics of them. Here's a nice heart warming story about Sam and her pet Giant Water Bug -- our bug enjoyed a much less warm welcome to the family and was sent packing down the storm drain. Apparently they bite - and leave a nasty sting.

Race Report: Glengarry Cancer Run 10K

2009-10-03T18:40:00.004-04:00

Two years ago, I set a "pie-in-the-sky" goal of 45 minutes for a 10K. I never really trained for it, and I never really achieved it.

This year, I opened the "season" with back-to-back 10K Races. One, the MS Run, in lousy conditions and the next in Brockville, under better conditions. Truth is, I wasn't really "healed" from my bad foot, and wasn't anywhere in shape - although they were both pleasant experiences.

At the Cornwall Triathlon, I completely bonked on the last 5K of the 10K run, and since then, I had pretty much given up on training.

We had planned to do the Glengarry Run, if nothing else than to support a good local race, and a good cause. But it wasn't until this morning that I decided to go for the 10K. Partly out of some morbid curiosity to see how out-of-shape I really was after a good two months of personally stimulating the economies of the beer-producers of both North America and Europe.

I let it slip out in pre-race chatter that I'd like to go for 45 minutes. (What the heck was I thinking?) Deep down inside, I hoped for at least sub 50. We lined up and I seeded relatively far back; and then, we were off.

As usual, I took off with some kind of unreserved fury. I caught myself after 100 meters, and tried to "settle-in". The sub-40 guys were out far enough. I hit the 500 meter mark at 2:02 and I thought, "uh-oh". 1K was 4:06, and so I said to myself... "well, we've got a bit of time in the bank if we are going sub-45 today" (4:30 splits would give me the magical 45 minute time).

But then, things started to get hard. And I was breathing like a rabid dog. 2K came at 4:28. This was nuts, I couldn't keep that up. 2.5K and the turn around appeared for the '5': it was all I could do to not turn around and declare myself a 5K participant.

3K, 4K... things were on track. In fact, the race course was marked out in 500 meter increments, and every 500 meters was showing me that I was on target... and I still had some time in the bank. There was NO way I could keep this up though. I told myself to hold it until the turnaround; I'd toast myself for a fast 5K, and then jog it home. Somehow, my legs had another agenda...

6K and still on track. 6.5K and the wheels fell off! "Aha!" I knew it. "I'll just coast home from here". But darn it, if the heavy breathing of a fellow competitor behind me didn't keep me going. I was able to do something I'm never able to do - I found a small fibre of mental strength, and held on. 7K - Rik catches me. 7.5K and my splits are back on target. I was starting to get excited - 45 was a possibility.

9K at 40:23. I was dead tired, but still able to compute that a 5 minute last kilometer would give me 45:something. 9.5K and I was still on target for sub-45. I poured it on. I could see the clock. I was 20 meters away. 44:40 - no problem, I slowed down. I'll coast into the finish line with time to spare... but then somehow the seconds started going by FASTER than usual (so it seemed). At 7 meters to go, I had to sprint for it..... BEEP... I stopped my watch just shy of 45 minutes. Official gun time... 44:59.6.

Can I get a Hallelujah!

I even got a medal for 2nd in my age group.

Les Splits

All in all, a great day for the Barnes family. Andrew first boy in the 1K (5:05). Laura 3rd girl and 5th overall in the 1K (5:45). Guylaine a PB of 53:39 - for 2nd female overall - and a tough lesson on Chip time vs Gun Time. Lots of good times and medals for the CMC family too.

Is it still technically trail running if the trail is under 10 feet of water?

2009-10-02T11:04:00.009-04:00

Who's the Weenie with the Floaties

A.K.A. Race Report: Waterfront Festival Preview Run
It was a cold fall evening. The ambulances and paramedics were on high alert. 17 or so crazy mofos lined up for a preview run of the 2010 Waterfront Festival Cross Country Race. In my infinite wisdom, I misread the invitation - I honestly thought, we'd be running through the odd creek or puddle. And that there was one deep crossing of 2.5 feet.

There was in fact one crossing of 2.5 feet deep. Well, 3 feet more accurately. The rest were, MUCH deeper. I was in over my head... LITERALLY.

There was an "out" though. If you didn't want to do the water crossings, you could run around them. This option would keep you dry, but would add an extra 1.5K to your distance. The pre-race chatter went something like this... "I'm not doin it-- are you doin it?" ... "I'll do it if you do it." ... "You guys are nuts!" As a gag, I had shown up wearing fluorescent orange water-wings, "What the hell! I'll do it."

We were off.

The pace was slow and relaxed. The anticipation built. Finally, we were at the first crossing: Rik dove in without hesitation. Michelle paused and then poof she was in. I stood there 99% ready to run the extra distance - but then somehow, I mustered the courage and before I knew it, I was in the water.

OH MY GOD It was FREEZING. So cold, it took my breath away. After what seemed like an eternity, I was on the other side. Soaking and freezing. Well, let's keep running! My thighs burned with the coldness - but the whole time I couldn't stop smiling. We must have looked a real crazy bunch to the rest of the people bundled up in fall jackets walking through the park that night.

The finish line couldn't have come any sooner. A personal victory maybe... Speedster Liam (having taken the longer but dry route) was running the hill to the finish, maybe I could edge him out. A final sprint... But the kid got me in the end. Argh!

Definitely a crazy experience. But certainly an experience to remember!

The first crossing. 120 feet. Yellow = Short, but VERY cold and VERY wet. Red = Long, but DRY!

Number two. 80 feet.

Number three. A measly 14 feet.

And finally, 150 feet.

Final time: 28:16. 4th overall! (out of not very many).

x2

2009-09-28T12:41:00.002-04:00

I may be finding a new passion: Cross Country. The trails at work are getting soggy and muddy. I had my first wipe-out today (and sprained my finger!). I'm lovin' it. I've been hiding a heel/ankle injury/"strange sensation" for 6 weeks now, but it doesn't seem to bother me on the trails.

X-country

2009-09-16T12:34:00.005-04:00

I had a nice cross-country run today. About 5K on the trails around the office. What a rush. My calfs are complaining right now, but I think I am going to make this a regular routine.

It's been dry lately, so the trail was pretty firm. I'm actually kind of looking forward to some mud though. Road running is so 2008.

No. Not me.

Race Report: Montreal Oasis 5K

2009-09-15T18:44:00.003-04:00

CMC Labour Day chase was the dress rehearsal for Andrew. Montreal was the The Big Dance. 5K in the streets of Montreal, ending inside the Big-O. Over 13,000 competitors in races from 1K to Marathon. 1800 alone in the 5K.

We had gone up to Montreal the night before and stayed at France's parents' house. We were 4 families. 8 adults, 8 kids: all racing.

Pre-race, Andrew was cool as a cucumber. I was nervous. I had to pee. 1800 other people had too pee too (it seemed). We jumped form one porta-potty line to another. "5-4-3-2-1-Go!" - we were finally inside, when the race started. "Don't worry, we'll be fine". And we were. We emerged just on time to join the slow-moving-starting grid about a minute behind the start. We approached the timing mat. "Beep" and we were off.

The first kilometer is uphill (aparently), but it didn't seem to phase us. We did just fine, getting our groove on. Andrew was weaving and bobbing through the traffic. Anytime someone passed him, he'd surge and re-pass. I started telling him not to worry about it. It wasn't having any effect, so I figured I'd let him do his thing. "Don't worry about me" I said, "I'll always be behind you. You do what you want to do."

"Dad, there's so many people in front of us" he said. "Turn around and take a look" I replied. There were hundreds of people behind us. "You're way in front of all those people!". I think the magnitude of that really hit him. "Cool!"

Our goal for the race was to beat last week's time (of 29:19). I wasn't too sure if that was possible. But I tried to keep him on pace. It was obvious he was running on heart from about 3.8 k on. That's when he saw the 4K banner and thought it was the finish line. "1 more K to go" I said. His response was heart-breaking, but he soldiered on. "OK, I can do this" he said.

We hit the downward slope to the Big-O. "Run down it, don't worry, you won't fall!" He took off, we passed about 30 people on the finish stretch. And then finally our faces on the big screen. The finish line.

We did it! I stopped my watch and couldn't believe it -- 28:30! Andrew smoked his PB by 49 seconds.

I missed the 2K split - but we kept on pace - you can see where he put the jets on for the grand finale

From SportStats (Funny thing is that they didn't have a category for anything under 18.):

Place	Name	City	Bib	Gun	Chip	Pace	Category	Division	Gender
770	ANDREW BARNES	Cornwall	13726	29:31.4	28:29.2	5:55	M18-24	296/410	512/852
771	PHIL BARNES	Cornwall	13725	29:31.7	28:30.4	5:55	M35-39	43/79	513/852

Andrew thought it was pretty cool that he was on Youtube

All in all, it was a great race day for everyone. Lot's of PB's: Laura for the 1K (beating 695 boys and 707 other girls) and Guylaine in the 10K (top 16% in her category).

And of course, Cupajoe going way-sub 40 on 10K DESPITE having extra cake the night before.

Garmin Geek, Junior

2009-09-09T21:18:00.003-04:00

Andrew ran 5 laps at the school track with the Garmin today. Chip of the ol' block!

CMC Labour Day Chase - 5K - Race Report

2009-09-08T09:16:00.004-04:00

I have officially lost my mojo for the year. The last ounce oozed out of me on the finish line at the Cornwall Tri. Maybe I shouldn't have shaved my legs -- Samson's hair(?). It doesn't matter - the last few weeks have been some of the most pleasurable in my "racing career". Last Monday, I helped Andrew through the 1-10-2 club duathlon; and on Monday, we set a PB together. His first attempt at 5K. He finished! He shattered 30 minutes.

The Labour Day chase, was a follow-up to the Victoria Day Chase. That day, I channeled, Phil the Thrill, and ran a (good-for-the-start-of-season-considering-I-was-in-hospital-2-months-earlier) 22:38. Although, I let down a legion of fans (maybe that's stretching it), Phil the Thrill was left at home yesterday. My goal for this race was helping Andrew.

In reality, he didn't need help. He did it on his own. But, it was awesome to be with him along the way. We all lined up at 9:30, and I left him with the M14 and under corral. My start time was about 90 seconds after his. My plan was to catch him in the first K-or so, and then run the rest with him. In the pre-race chatter, I missed watching his start - the deal was that he was going to take it easy! But I'm sure he took off like a bat out of hell. Shortly after, my group started. In the distance, I could only just make out Andrew's shorts and shirt. He was way out there. I got the first kilometer marker at 4 minutes on the dot, Andrew was still way ahead. Finally, I reeled him in at about 1.5K, and slowed from 4 minute pace to 5:20-ish, "How ya doin?"

"Good" was the reply. He was doing great. We ran the rest of the race together. We walked a few times - but he was determined to not walk too much. After 4K, I noticed the time, and figured he had a good chance at going under 30 minutes.

"Dude" (Sometimes I call him that), "I know it's hard-- but if we pick it up a bit, and don't walk anymore, you can definitely go under 30 minutes"

"Really?" (I'm sure he had no idea what that really meant, but he probably inferred from my tone, that it was a good thing.)

We picked it up a bit. Coming along the back 300 meters, various finishers had walked back, and were cheering us on. Andrew was seriously getting his groove on. Guylaine met us at about 150 meters, she looked surprised that we had made it so quickly. And then, he spotted his target. A woman about 20 meters in front of him. The sole object between himself and the finish line. "Poof" he was off like a child possessed. I honestly couldn't keep up with him. She edged him at the line by a second. But whoa. What a race. 29:19 for the little guy.

Andrew surges for the finish line. Leaving me in his dust, and taking 5 seconds on me in the last 20 meters.

Dude, you just got "Whitlocked"

2009-08-26T13:22:00.003-04:00

78 Year old, Ed Whitlock out-sprints me again. Why do I get the feeling, I'm never going to live this down.

Cornwall Hospital Triathlon - 2009 Race Report

2009-08-24T11:57:00.004-04:00

Prologue
7 PM, Saturday evening. I sat on the edge of the bathtub, lathering up my legs. I've always had this curiosity about shaved legs but never had the nerve to try it. A couple days ago, I said, "what the heck", if I couldn't be fast on the course, at least I could look fast. I had picked up a 5-pack of twin-blade pink daisy razors earlier in the day. I was only planning on buying one, but a five-pack was the smallest they had. All lathered up, I carefully removed the plastic protective cover from the blade, admired the razor sharpness, shook my head in narcissistic shame, took a deep breath and made the first downward stroke through my 37-year old hair pants…. Nothing.

In my mind's eye, I had imagined the resulting fresh, clean, inch-and-a-half wide lovely strip of smooth baldness. But, that wasn't the case. The razor's head was clogged after a scant millimeter's travel down the leg. I was still optimistic, though, and washed it off, and continued with pass number two. Same deal. Pass three… not making too much progress. Passes four through twelve… hmmn, what's the trick here? By this time, I had only managed to clear a somewhat ragged patch about two inches long. This was going to take a while.

After pass twenty or so, I was getting so frustrated; I washed off all the lather, and took out my electric shaver. Hehehe, now we're making progress. I'll do a "Bulk" removal, and then come back with the razor to clean up! (Why hadn't I thought of this earlier).

7:20 PM, Saturday evening, I sat on the edge of the bathtub, with a pair of completely hacked up hair-pants. There was no turning back from here. I re-lathered and opened fresh blade #2. I was glad that I had gotten the 5-pack after all. My new plan was to use two blades per leg, and keep the last one for final grooming.

7:25 PM, it was going much better. I had set up some ground rules: 1. Always use a downward stroke, and 2. Not too hasty.

7:27 PM, I had wrapped up my right leg and was working on my left. I was a pro now, but it was getting to my head. I started shaving too quickly. And then, "ZING", that feeling you get when you cut yourself. I looked at the spot, and nothing, but then, slowly, the blood started oozing. And man, did IT sting!!! I persevered and pushed on.

7:32 PM, the moment I was dreading (so far, I had been doing this uninterrupted in secrecy), but then, the call from Guylaine from downstairs - "WHAT are you doing up there??? Are you coming down to help?" (with the dishes).

"UH, sure, I'll be right down". I figured I had between five and six minutes before she'd lose her patience and break up my extreme makeover. In a panic, I committed a cardinal sin, and started going against the grain - I was a desperate man.

7:38 PM, I unwrapped my silver bullet. Blade number 5: Final pass. I had done a good job budgeting the previous four blades.

7:40 PM, FINISHED! Oh, my god. The bathtub was a complete horror scene. I was thinking of taking a picture, but didn't want ever to be reminded again of the sight. There was enough "material" for me to open up my own Hair Club for Men franchise.

The final result - nice and smooth if I run my hands down, but not so much if I run my hands up, kind of like a 100-grit sandpaper. I could live with that. Smiling, I once again shook my head in shame. I was now ready for some serious competition!

Race
Swim - OK, although I felt slower than usual. T1 - enjoyed getting wetsuit stripped. Bike - Not bad, probably as fast as I could have gone. I did drop my bottle and stopped to get it. T2 - Felt good, lots of cheers. Run - OH NO - totally died. First 2K was 4:45 pace, but then the wheels fell off. I had that conversation with myself: "Come on man, don't give up! Let's go for it?" … "Ahhh…. Nah, next year."

Epilogue
The 2009 Cornwall Hospital Triathlon Weekend was absolutely fantastic. The Kids races on Saturday were an absolute blast , and the Sunday event was top-notch, definitely a best-of-class event.

Final Results
48/65 Overall, 18/20 M30-39 (ouch), final time 2:45:08. 1500m swim + T1 34:17 (2:18/100m); 40K Bike 1:16:31 (31.4 km/hr avg.); T2+10K run 54:21 (5:27 pace).

Official Results - Official Photos