I’ve mentioned before on the blog that I participate in a running group at work. Each season’s session ends in a race, meant to be the culmination of the now-complete training regime. I was looking forward to the race just as much as I always do, though I knew I’d missed more training runs than I would have liked.
The race was scheduled for Friday, December 7th, and on Thursday night I dreamt of running. I was going fast, and it felt good… effortless. Which is a great way to head into a race day, I have to tell you. I was still struggling with the right way to wear my Jaybird Freedoms, but I did get lucky, and though I was nearly late for the race start, I got them locked in, and was able to focus on running instead of fiddling with electronics.
We started the race, and I got off to a fast start. Maybe a little too fast, but it’s hard to beat yourself up (even after the fact) because I was having fun. Around the 1.8km mark (the course is approximately 2.5km out and back performed twice) this unfortunate scene was visible. Luckily, I had seen the crime scene tape on my commute in, Googled it, and warned everybody that it would be there so nobody would waste time rubbernecking.
Completing the first leg, I still felt good, though I realised my speed would need to be adjusted to keep from crashing. I also took off my hat and gloves and had a few sips of water from the cups provided (I was wearing a water belt, with an empty water bottle – OOOPS). Off I went on the second half; I soon realised it was only men who were braving the 10k – BOO! One of our faster runners Mr. N (who recommended me the Jaybird Freedoms) had been acting as a pace bunny for another runner, but apparently that was only for 5k, so he soon passed me; what are you going to do? The guy’s an Ironman! I had been chased by Mr. B for the entire race. Mr. B has been faster than me on just about every training run, but our speeds are comparable, and I like and admire the guy because he doesn’t seem like a ‘natural’ runner and has built up his speed through hard work… he’s gone from being a non-runner to 10k in a little over a year (I think). At any rate, I still wanted to beat him that day.
For me, being chased is better motivation than being the chaser, so I managed to keep a lead. Mr. B told me later that he felt like he was 100 yards behind me the entire time – from my perspective the lead varied more than that, still we were both happy to finish around 49 minutes… me just under that, him seconds over.
It was a great day to be outside running, a day when all the little elements you need for a good run (body, music, gear) came together, and the perfect springboard to launch into training for the Chilly Half-Marathon!
Race Recap: 5 Peaks Championship at Albion Hills – Strictly for the Hardcore!
Another 5 Peaks Trail Run in the bag! The final race of the season is also the Southern Ontario Championship for all those who acquired points in the series during the season, but it also has a nice ‘Everyone is a Champion’ open event. It took place at Albion Hills.
Due to the pre-Hurricane Sandy weather, I think the organizers cancelled a lot of the extras that made April’s Season Opener so attractive – there were no kids races, exhibitors, etc. (not that I blame them), but the main event was on like Voltron.
Racers all gathered under the only real shelter available – a roofed picnic area. I had expected rain, but the icy wind made the weather extra nasty – getting right into the thick of the crowd was the only option. I found I was dressed a little warmer than some – I saw plenty of shorts! Sign #1 that trail running is masochistic.
One of the race directors, Erin Sheard, announced the course would be 9km (it had been described as being 7-9km; that big a variability might seem intimidating, but since you don’t know exactly what you’re going to get in terms of terrain, it’s good to be trained for something beyond the maximum). I groaned inwardly, as I had been somewhat hopeful that I could just get the thing over with as soon as possible and get home, dry and warm. She went on to explain that some of the early feedback they had gotten showed that some people felt that Albion Hills would not be ‘technical enough’ terrain wise, so they had done their best to compensate i.e. through the length, and also, according to her, the weather. Sign #2 that trail running is masochistic.
They divided up the crowd into four waves: 1.) Competitive Men (i.e. shooting for a podium finish) 2.) Competive Women 3.) Age Group Competitors (looking for a top 3 in their age group) 4.) Average Joes/Everyone Else. Definitely Wave #4 for me… due to work schedule and injury I hadn’t been killing it in training, and I was not confident.
Waves 1 through 3 went off about 3-5 minutes apart, then it was our turn. Racers were asked to seed themselves according to their own estimation of their relative speed; always important, because so much of the course is too narrow for passing, and it should be kept to a minimum. Off we went!
I slid in some mud within the first 100m, so that was my warning. The wet terrain (not to mention fallen leaves and mud) made for slippery conditions, but not only did I not take any serious falls (only once – I had to put my hands down on the ground, but didn’t leave my feet), I didn’t see anyone else do so either. Obviously a course like this has a lot of ups and downs, but I was still surprised to notice that my lungs were burning early on. I checked my pace and it was slower than 7 min/km closer to 8 or even 9 for most of the time. I was already almost 3km in before I thought to check my heart rate instead of my pace – 90% maximum. Oops.
I still got the first 3km (i.e. the first third of the race) done without thinking I had been too aggressive, and I settled in for the middle third. I had opted for a baseball-style hat which I never wear because I think it makes me look like a dork, but it was a better choice than my winter hat I use for winter running: I was warm soon enough, and the baseball brim kept rain out of my eyes and face. In fact, I hardly felt wet at all, as long as I was running.
Somewhere near the 5km mark, I noticed I was doing more stepping on/over obstacles rather than leaping or bounding over them. There just wasn’t enough ‘spring in my step’ and though I was able to keep moving, it lost the dynamic appeal for me. I’d been doing more strength training lately, so it was a little unexpected, but maybe I didn’t have enough pre-race calories, or my cardio capacity should have been better.
The 5km area was just a crazy web criss-crossing the same ridge; in a road race, seeing other racers coming your way means a turnaround is near and you may be reaching a significant milestone (like the halfway or at least quarter-way point), but here, it just got confusing and disheartening: “I’m just going to keep seeing this same ridge again and again from slightly different angles!”. Still, the mountain bike trail based course offered a lot of fun, especially on downhills. I found myself banking into turns as if I was on a roller coaster!
I heard some complaints afterwards that the last aid station was not where it was supposed to be (it was supposed to be at 5km, it might have been closer to 3km). I was wearing my Salomon hydration pack, so I didn’t really notice.
Near the end of the middle third, I stopped to take off my hat for a bit. I noticed I was struggling more and more to keep a pace, and I realized I was overheating. Some cool raindrops on my scalp was enough for me to put the hat back on and pick up the pace. Obviously I was more tired than ever before, but after about the 7.5km mark, I realized the course was taking us back, and from the noise levels, I must be close to the finish. I started to pour it on, and had another racer within site and made it my mission to catch her. The last marshal said “Get in there!” or something like that, and it was good encouragement… I was getting really close, and it was going to be a tough call as to wheter I would catch her or not. Suddenly, we both cried out “WHOA!” because we both hit the same patch of slippery mud at the same time and did a little surfing. The last 10m of running switched to a kind of tentative ‘walk on eggshells’ stride and she finished the race just in front of me. We shared a low five and went to get our recovery food.
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| Another finisher crosses the line! |
I was smiling from the fun I’d just had and my smile would only widen as I helped myself to watermelon, bananas, cookies, bagels (with jam, cream cheese or Nutella available). The best thing I saw though… was JELLY BEANS!
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| They’re under the jube-jubes… you can’t trick me! |
Once the high (and warmth) of having finished the race was wearing off, I looked to figure out if the race kits/swag would be handed out. Some people asked and were told “soon”. I think they wanted everyone to finish, and hand out all the awards at the same time as the finisher packages. I’m sorry to say, I lost patience; I had dry clothes in the car, but not a rain jacket to stay that way should I decide to walk back to the race site. Once I found myself shivering, I headed back to the car, changed, then drove away. This is my only real criticism of the race, making it hard to get the swag, but I understand that they don’t exactly have a ton volunteers to handle this kind of thing.
I’ll happily do this series again next year!
Shark Boy – Duathlete, Scoundrel of Steel
Warning: This post contains extreme cuteness, and examples of strong paternal pride. Reader discretion is advised.
We found out about a ‘Kids of Steel’ Duathlon being run in the Beaches, and the allowed ages started at 3 (for a 3-5 age category). Though Shark Boy is a few weeks short of his third birthday, we knew he was fit enough and generally game for this sort of activity so we signed him up. Parents were allowed to accompany their kids on the race course (and in transition) so we figured it was safe and that we could make it work. My biggest worry was making sure he didn’t get overwhelmed by the crowd of other kids and parents, and making sure he followed the course; I knew he was good for the 50-60m run, 600m bike, and final 100m run in terms of distance, but doing it along a prescribed course (as opposed to whatever the heck direction he felt like going) might be another story.
Upon arriving at Ashbridges Bay, we were easily able to follow all the other racers and their families to the starting area. Transition was closing within 10 minutes, so Shark Boy and I found a spot for his bike; the racks were too big for toddler bikes and were dedicated to kids 8 and up, but there were some nice designated spots for nearby grass. Race start time was fast approaching, and I realised we had neither a chip nor a race bib – it turns out I had walked right by the race kit pickup in my excitement and had to run back to get it. We put on the race t-shirt (a little large, but it was a passable substitute for the rain wear we forgot to pack.
I had enough time before the start to show Shark Boy the sailboats he wanted to see (hopefully they’d be less of a distraction mid-race).
They counted down, blew a whistle and we were off! Shark Boy quickly decided he wanted to hold hands for safety and security – maybe the crowd threw him off, but it turned out to be a sensible way to avoid colliding with other kids or slipping in the grass.
We completed the loop at a good clip, and worked our way into transition. Shark Boy knew to let me do up his helmet strap before grabbing the bike, and he’d been practising walking/running with the bike on his own (!) anyway so he did a great job of exiting transition 1. He tried to mount a little early… did I mention this race was OAT (Ontario Association of Triathletes) sanctioned? Rules were enforced! The bike course had some small hills that challenged (i.e. slowed) the kids somewhat, but it was overall enjoyable. Even though he’s a bigger bike specialist than his old man, Shark Boy clearly subscribes a ‘stop-and-smell-the-roses’ approach to racing. My explanations as to why we had to go as fast as we could were not satisfactory, apparently. Still, while he did slow down to look at other kids, the water, a flock of Canada geese, he never stopped, and never complained (unless you count a teenager-worthy “I knooooow” and eye-roll in response to my cheers to go a little faster). We rounded the corner to head back to transition to the sounds of cheering, his mother of course being the loudest of all.
After getting his t-shirt stuck on the bike during a near flawless dismount, we ran the bike back into transition, in the exact same spot we originally had it, then took off on the final slog of the run portion – the fatigue setting in as I know all too well.
The race marshals and volunteers kept up the enthusiasm and cheering to keep us moving, and when the finish line was about 10m ahead I ran ahead to the finish line to get him to run into my arms for a big hug and toss like we did in practice. Spectators were kept away from the finish line so getting a picture was hard, but I assure you there was a big smile on his face. We collected granola bars, raisins and of course cookies as post-race snacks, but he was surprisingly uninterested in Gatorade or water. There was barely enough time to get congratulated by his mother and take another look at the sail boats before the rain really started up, and we hustled out of the park.
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| GAME FACE! Shark Boy shows his teeth! |
But not before a few victory poses. I’m very proud to have another endurance athlete in the family, and I really think he’s going to show an increasing knack for it the older he gets. Still, my favourite part of the day was at bedtime, when he asked me when he could do another ‘Traflon’… he asked so sweetly and innocently if there would be another chance tomorrow!
Our First Terry Fox Run
It’s weird that someone who
- has been as affected by cancer all too often.
- likes running
has never been part of a Terry Fox Run. Most years it seemed to creep up on me and be over before I could get my plans together. That’s what wives are good for – we were signed up a few days before and figured we could incorporate the kids like we did in the Levac Attack.
On Sunday, after taking Shark Boy to his first soccer program (no rest for the wicked!), we quickly stopped in at home to get changed and packed for the race. Making it to those commitments meant skipping the Mississauga Cycling Tour, but you can’t be everywhere at once.
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| Ready to Rock! |
When we arrived at West Deane Park, to be greeted by all kinds of interesting and family-friendly sites including a Remax hot-air balloon and a fire department bouncy castle. We weren’t sure what to expect, but once we got sorted out at the registration desk, we headed out to run. As we found out later, we ended up using the ‘South’ portion of the overall run. With Shark Boy on his bike (and maybe a little tired) we made slow progress which failed to put the Lightning Kid to sleep – the first little while was a bit of a struggle. We didn’t see any course markers at first, and the only thing that kept us thinking we might be on the right track is that we kept passing other participants wearing Terry Fox shirts and ribbons. Shark Boy took a little spill near the 2km point and opted to finish in the Chariot. From that point on our walk evolved into a run. We reached the turn-around point and got some nice cool water to refresh ourselves and have a nice chat with one of the volunteers. He explained the course a little so that I learned we could have done the ‘North’ part had we wanted to do 10km (after a near sleepless night, we did NOT).
Somewhere along the way back, I realized why we hadn’t spotted course markers – we were used to looking for temporary signs… this course is in the park permanently! There were people walking, running and even biking the course; lots of jogging strollers too.
The event ends at 1:00PM, so we just barely managed to finish the run, buy lunch from the BBQ, and give Shark Boy some time in the Bouncy Castle.
The Terry Fox Run is not only a great tribute to a great, heroic man, it is both a good cause and a nice way to be active for the whole family.
Race Report: Levac Attack!
The third annual Levac Attack is in the books! While we are still awaiting some final donations, it looks like this year’s total will be in the order of $30,000! But I don’t want to get ahead of myself. Let me tell you the whole story for the day of Saturday, August 25th, 2012.
We got up on time for once, and were able to get the Chariot packed in the car, along with Shark Boy’s glider bike and various and sundry baby items. The Lightning Kid was wearing a onesy from last year’s event, and I had my morning coffee in a mug that was my finisher’s “medal” for last year. We made our way to Brampton and parked at a high school a couple of blocks away. As we rounded the corner we could see a crowd with an electric energy, as everyone had been looking forward to this for some time. My mother-in-law greeted us, wearing this year’s t-shirt a bib, and raring to go. She was going to tackle the 5.6 ‘Diet Coke’ Event, though she was flirting with the idea of walking the 11.2 km (Coke Zero) instead – that kind of crazy can be found on both sides of our family, I’m afraid. She ended up taking care of Shark Boy mostly for the day. More on that later, but take note of how the different generations are all able to participate in this event; it’s pretty special.
The race had 59 Adult participants, 11 kids/babies, and 21 volunteers. Almost everyone changed into this year’s race t-shirt in a show of solidarity. Unfortunately, racing in black cotton on a hot summer day was a recipe for extra suffering, but at least we were all in it together!
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| Lorna is sporting the T-Shirt from the 1st Levac Attack |
As John and Lorna (race founders and directors) addressed the crowd pre-race, I started trying to get our final setup ready. The Lightning Kid was feeling tired and fussy since it was right around his usual morning nap time… and we had left the soother in the car. Nothing like a quick sprint prior to the race to get warmed up, right? I missed some of the giveaways/door prizes (including Toronto Raptors tickets, and mall gift cards), and the race had started without me as I neared the starting line, soother in hand. The good news is I think LK was asleep by the time the Chariot had completed one revolution of its wheels!
We soon caught up with Shark Boy and his Omi. Thanks to his stubborn independent streak, they’d end up short-cutting the first lap, and eating Timbits (doughnut holes to you non-Canadians) at the starting line (in fact: doughnuts are race director and Ironman John’s favourite mid-race fuel, so Shark Boy is in good company). I was annoyed at first, not because I expect a toddler to finish the race, but because I want him to understand that if you want to reap the rewards of any offered opportunity, you have to participate in all of it. I was pleased to find out they went out for a second lap after that, and we’re going to credit them 5km, OK?
The race course is a 2.8km ‘loop’ that does a lot of doubling back on itself to stay on the small residential streets so no-one has to close a major intersection. It might seem a little confusing, but every turn has a marker and we had volunteers biking and rollerblading the course. The great part is you end up running across (i.e. in the opposite direction of) other runners who are doing a greater/lesser distance, who are faster or slower the entirety of the race, giving everyone plenty of opportunity to cheer each other and share smiles, high-fives, whatever.
Taking water and walk breaks and keeping an eye out for Shark Boy every possible juncture did not make us the fastest racers (I think we might have been last to finish the 11.2 km course), but we finished with big smiles on our faces. The Lightning Kid woke up around the 8km mark, but did not make a peep of complaint the entire race. He’s got a promising future as an endurance athlete – part of the Iron Rogue Junior Brigade – The Scoundrels of Steel!
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| My wife referred to him as the youngest person with Down Syndrome to complete a 11km race. I know we can’ t prove that, but why not? |
There were a few participants who did the 22.4km (Coke Classic) event which is on the order of a half-marathon. Some of these were pretty special as they had competed at Iron Man Mont Tremblant only the week before!
Levac Attack prides itself on having the best possible post-race food. Your post-race drink, of course you could drink out of your finisher’s ‘medal’: this gorgeous glass stein.
Burgers (including veggie), chicken, hot dogs, salad, Kraft Dinner – a full on barbecue! And if you’re a sweet-tooth like me, the deserts are the main attraction.
And that includes Ironman cupcakes and cookies!
Other special things that bear mentioning is that we were paid a visit by Miss Teen Brampton, Katherine Kenny. Not only was she doing her duty to support community events and charity, but she benefited from Mount Sinai’s care when she was born pre-maturely. Way to give back!
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| N.B. She did not run in those heels. |
And our friends Paul and Leslie show up every year. Paul is an accomplished triathlete, but that’s not what we’re going to focus on. Let’s talk about Leslie, and I’ll borrow my wife’s words here to tell the story:
One of our star participants this year was Leslie Rogers!! Leslie walked 2.8 km for the first time since she suffered a massive stroke over 10 years ago. Here’s a video of her crossing the finish line! WAY TO GO LES!!!
That’s Paul’s voice you hear cheering on his wife, and generally being awesome.
If you haven’t picked up on it through reading the post, I am immensely proud to have been part of this event that not only helps a good cause, and helps families like the Levacs become what they are meant to be but includes young and old, people of diverse backgrounds and abilities. I know we’re going to do it even bigger and better next year, and I hope to meet a lot of new faces when that time comes!
The No Show
This past weekend was somewhat of a misadventure. On Sunday, I was supposed to do the Bracebridge Olympic Distance Triathlon; the Sprint Distance had been held the day before, and was (according to the reports I read) very challenging due to the rainy weather, but ultimately successful.
Keeping the kids happy at the race site for the duration of an Olympic is always challenging, so this time we made the safe bet of having my wife stay at the cottage with them while I went onto the race in Bracebridge. The plan was for her to have extra help with the kids in the form of their grandmother; but after grandmother #1 and #2 both cancelled. My wife resolved to muddle through a Sunday with the kids as best she could…trapped in the cottage due to the continuing rain and the fact that our only vehicle at the cottage would be with me.
We’d called on friends with nearby cottages who might lend a hand to no avail. On Saturday night, the Lightning Kid required three feedings; our best explanation at the time was that he was teething, I’m not so sure any more since he developed a bit of fever by Monday. Still when it was time for me to get up, my wife said she wanted to come along merely for the opportunity to have a nap in the car. It was still raining heavily, and showed no signs of stopping, and we tried to imagine how she could keep the kids happy in the rain. Even nearby Santa’s Village wouldn’t open till 10AM, and it’s outdoors too, so no reprieve from the rain. I didn’t want her to feel forced to come along, yet what kind of man would abandon his wife to fend for herself against a baby and a toddler within a non-baby-proofed environment sure to bring on cabin fever? I didn’t have much choice, and I believe I did what was right – I stayed with my family and no showed the race.
Of course, I was in a real funk the rest of the day. The kids did things to delight me, but the smiles didn’t last. With hours freed up, and the rain giving way to occasional bursts of clearer weather, I had opportunities to go shopping in Huntsville, maybe a swim or a run. I didn’t feel like doing anything; I honestly think I was mildly depressed. And ashamed of feeling that way to boot – Awww, so the triathlete didn’t get to run his little race, poor baby. That might seem to have been my problem on the surface, but I had enough time to think about why it really bothered me.
In this life, we are not rewarded for failure, in fact, it is often treated as unacceptable. A salesman can’t simply say: “The client didn’t want to buy” – they’re expected to close the sale through persuasion or whatever trick they can pull. It’s the same in almost any work or academic environment – you don’t just get to throw up your hands and say “oh well” when things don’t go your way; you’re expected to have contingency plans, work-arounds, etc.. And I’m one of the kinds of people that likes thinking things through and visualizing before hand so that I’ll have a solution to a problem that might come my way, yet I’m not really very organized at executing a plan. I should have been better prepared for inclement weather and had ways that the kids could be managed within the limited space of the cottage, and I should have sold my wife on those ideas, and I was going to beat myself up about those short-comings until I was too tired to do it any more. And I did feel strangely tired; probably the depression at work. I couldn’t believe I had planned on doing a tri that day; I felt too sluggish to go up and down stairs.
Though I love it up there, on that Sunday, I couldn’t wait to leave. By the time we had the car packed and ready, we had somehow managed to get in some of the worst cottage-country traffic that day had to offer. It was a long drive home, but luckily, the kids behaved very well, and being stuck in the car was enough to get me craving a little physical activity. I had promised my wife that she would not get short-changed on her opportunity to get in a training run. When we got back, I set up the Chariot and got Shark Boy onto his glider bike. We went out on a 4km run as a family in preparation for the Levac Attack, which we will also be doing as a family in the same way.
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| Shark Boy rode nearly 2.5 km on the way out |
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| … but opted for the luxurious route home. |
It was a lot of fun, and a good proof of concept for what we can do as a family. It made me feel better because my goal is not to race in a particular event, but to enjoy an active, multisport lifestyle that is compatible with my family. Failing at a particular task happens to us all, the act of picking oneself up again is what’s important and that can be to try the same thing again or to fight another battle in the war (pardon the mixed metaphors).
Have you ever no-showed a race? How did it make you feel?
Bracebridge Tri Preview
The (Recharge With Milk) MultiSport Canada Triathlon Series is hosting Sprint and Olympic Distance Duathlon and Triathlons this weekend. I’m signed up for the Olympic, as indicated in the good old Race Calendar. This series has been constantly evolving and improving, so it’s not just the promise of Chocolate Milk and Hero Burgers that entices me.
Bracebridge used to be the home of a half-Iron distance event, but it seems like that’s gone this year. Still the venue is in Muskoka and I’ve been interested in doing this one for years. I haven’t had enough time to really improve performance since Muskoka 5150, and I expect this to be challenging so I don’t have much in the way of expectation or strategy going into this one, I’m just there to enjoy myself. Let’s look at the different stages…
Swim
The Muskoka River being used for the swim course is going to guarantee some current to slow us down, but at least the course is simple. It’s a single loop which is always good, having different people either exiting or continuing on a swim course always creates chaos. What intrigues me most is the start; they’re going to release a swimmer every 5 seconds… can’t wait to see how that works out.
Bike
In sharp contrast to the swim, the bike course looks complicated. Just after 10km there’s a hairpin turn. Then after the 20km mark is a small loop for the first out and back segment. After that, you don’t take the same way home, because there’s a shortcut after 30km which takes you back to transition. This is still Muskoka, so hills are the rule, not the exception; anything around a 90 minute ride would be fine by me.
Run
The run course is a fairly simple out and back that follows the river. I hope that means it’s flat. My achilles tendons have been stiff in the mornings even though I’ve taken it easy this week. I will probably wear my Salomon trainers rather than the Zoot racing flats to give myself some more cushioning. That will cost me a little in transition and the heavier shoes may make me slower.
Other Considerations
It looks like the family won’t be joining me on the race which makes things lonely, but at least a little more straightforward in terms of getting to and from the race site. I’ll try to concentrate solely on getting the race done. The weather forecast does not look promising, and storm weather could cancel the swim, converting the event to a duathlon. I love the swim part, so this is not something I look forward to; the run has become something I do and let it all hang out because it represents the end. Having a run first where I have to carefully manage my pace for the subsequent bike and run (again), is the kiss of death to me. Still I know the countryside will be beautiful, and I have a great post-race experience to look forward to. Wish me luck!
The Week’s Great Links
Here’s a collection of triathlon related links I found this week, in case you didn’t see them when I tweeted them.
There are visually impaired triathletes who race with the help of a guide. Guiding another person through a three stage race is challenging, and to my knowledge these people get training with their partners on how to get it done. Chad Nikazy, while a competent triathlete, seems to have decided to become a guide for a paratriathlete pretty much up and out of the blue. Read his awesome story in two parts: Part 1 and Part 2.
Did you know the Olympics are on soon? Of course, the coverage is non-stop, and there’s a lot of focus on London, the city. I thought this was a cute travel article for triathletes – a way to see a bit of the city via a swim, bike, run: Explore London With Your Own DIY Triathlon
Canada’s Flag Bearer at London 2012 is Simon Whitfield. He’s getting a lot of attention, but I like the fact that only days before the games, he goes to the inaugural Toronto Triathlon Festival to promote the sport and even competes in the Sprint event. Here’s a little video of him talking about the sport – what a nice, down-to-earth guy.
@Triboomer lists some exotic triathlon from around the world here.
Don’t forget the Levac Attack! Spread the word, sign-up, or sponsor me!
Race Recap: Muskoka 5150
Sunday’s race renewed my faith in Muskoka as a region for triathlon, and re-invigorated my passion for the Olympic distance format. Getting up at 5AM to make it to the race site was no picnic, especially since the Lightning Kid woke up for a feeding at four, but my wife was enough of a trooper to accompany me to the race while the kids were under the care of their grandmother, aunt and uncle.
Huntsville’s Summit Centre has been the race site for most of the non-70.3 races that the Subaru series has run the past few years (I’ve been coming since 2007, with the exception of 2010), so it there was some deja-vu for me approaching transition. I got one of the last spots in my age group rack, far from the centre aisle that leads to the exit, but there was still space for me without having to cram and a lot of people were hanging their bikes up front first (by the brakes) which is how I like to do it too – it always makes things more harmonious when everybody (or most people) rack their bikes the same way. Race kit pickup went smoothly and efficiently and all the volunteers had big friendly smiles. I’ll talk about the swag at the end.
The Swim
The swim course was about the same as in previous years, just adjusted for length – start in Fairy Lake, head out for a couple of left-hand turns, and back up the river to the Summit Centre dock. I’m happy to have started on the right side and made a good diagonal toward the buoy for the left turn, I think I got by a few swimmers on the turn, without bludgeoning anyone.
The morning light was a bit dim for sighting, but it was still bright overall. Sometime on my way up the river, I noticed how sloppy my technique was, but the TYR Hurricane saved my butt. The river meanders a little bit, and it can mess with your mind to make you think you’re almost finished when you’re not, but by the time I exited the water, I saw 34 minutes on the clock (my Garmin 910XT – first time wearing a device in the water on a race!) and I was very happy. On review it does say that I swam 1800m rather than the 1500m I should have, but I don’t remember climbing up a dock the way Garmin says I must have…
Swim Stats – Official Time = 34:32; Pace/100m = 2:19; 21st out of 28 in my age group.
Transition 1
I probably waste time here because I always have a hard time putting on my heart-rate monitor and shirt; I can’t bring myself to put them on under the wetsuit. Still I hustled to my bike, and was more or less efficient otherwise.
Official Time = 2:53
Bike
Here’s where the deja-vu ended. This course was new and was the nicest ride I can remember having in a race – one of the nicest bike rides I can remember having. It was my favourite part of the race, and for someone who does the bike portion of triathlon as begrudgingly as I do, that’s saying a lot. The Muskoka region has always presented a challenge, since you’ll have nasty hills no matter which way you turn. Still this was the first time riding this countryside that I really got the feeling of ‘rolling hills’ – there were times I felt like I was flying. It also helped that there was plenty of new road work done recently to smooth things out. Plenty of climbs to gut out, but enough downhill pay-offs without sudden turns to make you lose momentum. The route took us South on Brunel road then West on Regional Road 10 to Port Sydney, which I found quite pretty, though I usually can’t spare much attention to that kind of thing while riding. There was a point where several riders ended up getting held up by car traffic before a climb, and though racers were unhappy, we have to be able to share the road harmoniously with local traffic, right? At any rate, with 2 gels in my system I ended up finishing nearly 8 minutes earlier than I thought I’d be able to, with my 3rd best bike time/speed ever (the other two occurring on the flat Wasaga course).
Bike Stats – Official Time = 1:22:49; Average Speed = 29km/h; 24th out of 28 in my age category.
Transition 2
Besides sitting down to switch shoes (it took a lot of energy to get back on my feet again), I don’t think I could have done this much better.
Official Time = 1:14
Run
This course mixed the old with the new – some familiar sights from previous years, including the peak of Brunel Road near Princess Street giving us a big climb toward the end of each 5k lap, and some great variety on the new stuff. There was a single loop of a track with rubberized ground like competitive runners (i.e. track and field types) use – my Achilles tendons appreciated this very much. There was a climb past the Waterloo Summit Centre for the Enviroment (I had no idea this existed, but cheers for my alma mater – go Warriors!) and a descent on a trail back to near the swim course which challenged the burgeoning trail runner in me. I was wearing my Zoots for this run, but that portion made me wonder if my Salomon’s might not have been more appropriate
I found my heart rate to be constantly bumping above my anaerobic threshold, in fact, it was hovering around 90% of max far too much, so I enforced walk breaks and I don’t regret it because I honestly believe it led to a faster overall pace and let me do some pain management. These heart-rate breaks are also my justification for taking a bathroom break near the track (port-a-john) on the first loop. On further review, it’s probably what let me really push it toward the end: new Max HR achieved!
I’d wanted a 55 minute time for the run, but in hindsight, I think my pacing estimate was too aggressive as it wasn’t based on a full 10k, never mind coming off the bike. Thanks to taking the right amount of gels, and good leg strength and fast turnover built through the structured nature of our running group’s program I finished the run with a time I’m happy with – my third best run in an Olympic distance event. Knowing I cracked the 3 hour mark overall, I crossed the finish line with a smile on my face.
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| Shark Boy, Me & the Lightning Kid |
Run Stats – Official Time = 57:41; Average Pace = 5:47; 21st out of 28 in my age category
OVERALL STATS – OFFICIAL TIME = 2:59:07; 24th out of 28 in my age category; 254 out of 366 participants.
Extras
Post race food included bananas and apples, Sun Chips and Subway sandwiches, which I preferred to the Lasagna served in previous years. It was easier to eat without a table, and more appropriate at 10AM.
Let’s get to the swag, shall we? Racers walked away with not one, not two but three bags of stuff. I appreciate the generosity, but unless you’re really into those cloth-type shopping bags, it seems like there could have been some sharing and more stuff could have been put into a single bag.
The Subaru bag had some of the usual things: deodorant, PowerBar, Race promo cards, Subaru print material, bread (?).
The Muskoka 5i50 bag had the race technical T-shirt. We also got a hat at the finish, which I’m wearing in the above picture.
TriMuskoka gave a transition mat which could come in handy for any triathlete/duathlete. My triathlon equipment bag has a built-in mat which I generally use, but I still think it’s a practical gift.
Overall a great event, and I’ll be on the lookout for any 5150 event I can drag myself and/or my family to in the future.
A Very Special Announcement: The Levac Attack
I wanted to take the opportunity to tell you about a special race that I’m doing this year and have done for the past 2 – as long as it’s been running. The Levac Attack was started as the way for some friends of mine to give back to the hospital that has helped them come back from tragedy. It’s not easy to write about, so I’m going to borrow the text of John and Lorna Levac’s story from the race’s fundraising web-page:
In January of 2010, we were so happy to learn that we were expecting our first baby! We had recently gotten married and wanted to start a family, so to find out we were pregnant was very exciting news for both of us. During the first trimester, Lorna found out she had developed a fibroid on her uterus, which is a benign (non-cancerous) tumour, about the size of a grapefruit. Her doctor monitored the fibroid, but was not concerned as it wasn’t affecting her pregnancy. This fibroid did cause other problems for Lorna. It put pressure on her right kidney, which then formed a very painful kidney stone. As a result, she had to be hospitalized for two weeks so that she could pass the stone. Her doctors kept monitoring the baby throughout this time and everything appeared to be okay.
At the end of the first trimester it was time for Lorna’s 20 week pregnancy ultrasound, to review all aspects of the baby’s anatomy. It was at this appointment that we were blindsided with a devastating report. Our doctor explained that the fetus had shown major developmental issues with the head and face and he wanted to refer us to Mount Sinai Hospital’s high risk pregnancy team. A few weeks later, we were scheduled for our first appointment at Mount Sinai, where it was conclusively explained to us that the fetus’ spine was not connected into the brain and it was only a matter of time until it would pass away. No one can even begin to imagine the grief and loss we felt when we received this sad news. A few days later at a follow-up appointment, the doctors told us that our baby’s heart had stopped beating and had passed away.
As we prepared for Lorna to deliver the fetus, her body was not reacting well to the hormonal changes and the fibroid was still very large, causing great concern as it impeded a safe natural delivery. The doctor and health-care team in the high risk pregnancy unit carefully monitored Lorna and even when it was deemed to be safe to deliver the fetus, her body went into shock and she was whisked away into Emergency and then recovered in the ICU. We each look back over the exceptional care that we received and will always be grateful to the staff at Mount Sinai Hospital.
Later on in 2011, Lorna’s fibroid was surgically removed at Mount Sinai and now in 2012 we are delighted to be pregnant! Once again, we are under the care of the doctors at Mount Sinai, but are considered a normal, routine pregnancy (but maybe with an extra thick file) and everything is fine both with Lorna and the baby. It has been important for us to give back to the Hospital, the staff and the future babies and mothers that need to be under the care of the high risk pregnancy program.
John is an avid marathoner, triathlete and Ironman, so creating his own race was a good fit when he wanted to fundraise. He and Lorna mapped out a short (2.8km), flat course of their quiet Brampton neighbourhood, and made several race lengths available: 5.6km, 11.2km and 22.4km (2, 4 and 8 laps of the course respectively). Endurance athletes like runners and triathletes have their own guilty pleasures/rewards so each year has taken on a theme based on these.
The first year was based on a Burger Chain, the second on a Coffee/Cafe you might have in your neighbourhood, and this year it’s a cola based theme – each race length has a different name.
As I’m on the planning committee for this year’s race, I’ve seen first-hand the level of passion the Levac’s have for making this event not only successful, but fun! Race t-shirts, finishers medals and post-race food is all part of the deal. It’s also impressive that they are able to cover race costs via corporate donations. Race participants are asked to raise/donate a minimum of $100, and every cent of that goes to Mount Sinai.
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| This photo was taken during the 2010 Levac Attack – a family affair! |
Besides being friends with the race founders/directors and this year being on the planning committee, the other reason this cause is special to me is that being a parent and having a family is the most important aspect of my life, but the sad reality is that getting to this point isn’t always as straightforward for all people as we’d like. Not all mothers and/or babies get started with all systems go, and it takes facilities, infrastructures and experts like these to make happy families possible.
The Levac Attack has its own web-site where you can find out more. I’ll finish off with a request that you (especially if you are a running enthusiast in the Greater Toronto Area) do one or more of the following:
- Sign-up for the race! We’d love to have you. Use it as a stepping stone or training session to your next big race.
- Donate! You could always sponsor your boy the Iron Rogue himself… click right here to get started.
- Spread the word to others local to the event. There’s the web-site, Facebook page, and Twitter is coming soon.