Haines City, Florida

Lets just start by saying that winter in Canada (especially this winter) is not conducive to training motivation. It has been consistently -20 degrees since January and won't give up. When I woke up on the 8th of April it was snowing. Thank god I get to go to Florida to get in some warm weather training and a 70.3 Ironman race to top it all off.

FUUUUUUUUUUUU

My trip starts on Tuesday April 8th and I get to stay in sunny, hot, wonderful, relaxing Florida until the 15th. The best house-mate ever dropped me off at the Hamilton International Airport. I didn't need to be 2 hours early I realized once I arrived. The check-in was 5 minutes and you could throw a rock to the terminal gate. I literally sat at the gate for 1 hour 55 minutes, and then the plane was delayed an extra 20. No matter, my bike only cost me $21.00 to get on the plane, significantly better than Southwest was 3 weeks earlier at $75 US. I have a new found love and that is Westjet. The flight was great, I slept most of the way and we landed without a problem. The usual customs and bag claim was slow but no issues there either.

Rental cars...I don't know what to say. Sometimes you just have to say "fuck-it" and suck it up. I have never rented before and assumed that I had already paid for the rental car when I had purchased the rental agreement before I left Canada. no, no, no, no. This simply covers the cost of literally "renting" the car only. It doesn't include insurance (which is insane) and taxes (equally insane). On top of the $175 I had already paid, to get the car I had to pay another $333 US to the least enthusiastic spanish-speaking man I have ever met. On top of this he asked if I would like to upgrade to a convertible. I literally laughed at him, probably not necessary but I thought that was kind of ridiculous considering my reaction to these new costs. Anyway, I got my Ford Focus, shoved my bike and hockey bag in the back and set the proverbial sail for Haines City. Just blare some music and everything will be OK.

We just need the deed to your house and your kidneys and you can be on your way.

So...I arrive at my homestay just outside of Haines City in the small community of Cypress Wood. My hosts are two of the most kind people I've ever met, and their home is incredible. I'm staying in the guest house across the courtyard from the main house. They welcomed me with wine and snacks and we stayed up chatting about everything and anything. Excellent people.

My first day was kind of an adventure. After breakfast - which was eggs, greek yogurt, granola bark, and a double espresso - I drove to the race venue in Haines City to scope out the area. There was also a community pool at the race site where I planned to do my swim for the day. Of course, there's a detour and the only road I know is closed. So I drive for 10 minutes through rows and rows of orange trees until I get to somewhere in Haines. I knew I had to go west so I just took a left, then a right, then another left and bang - race site. I walked around to see the tents being set-up then walked into the community center. The pool apparently wasn't open yet and wasn't going to be open until Saturday. Not exactly something I wanted to wait for. They suggested I go to the Winter Haven pool instead, so I did. Another 30 minutes of driving and I was in Winter Haven.

I never really feel that lost, even though I have no maps or GPS, because if I ever can't find my way I just keep driving until I find a McDonald's. There's always a McDonald's. And they all have free-WiFi. Sure enough, after enough driving where I felt I might be getting lost, I pulled into a McDicks. This was no ordinary McDicks. First thing I notice is the clear-top Yamaha grand piano sitting in the lobby, just waiting to be played. I walk passed resisting the urge to play something and order a small coffee while I connect to the WiFi. When I went to pay, the woman working told me it was free. She handed me my coffee and I walked to the bench. If anyone saw me, it would have been obvious I was trying to figure out if I was dreaming. What McDonald's has a grand piano just sitting in it. Turns out, the pool I was looking for was one block further so I headed over and parked.

Roudy Pool in Winter Haven. If this is winter, sign me up.

Last time I went to swim, it was $15 per swim or $55 for the week at the National Training Center in Clermont. This was different. Long Course pool with 10 lanes, open swim from 11am to 5pm...$2. Jackpot. The only catch was the lack of lane ropes, i.e. there were none. But that didn't matter, I was the only one in the pool, and there aren't any lane ropes in a triathlon anyway. I finished my swim in the sun (outdoor swimming is just the best thing ever), grabbed some groceries, and went back "home".

Next was a quick 1-hour run to loosen up the legs and then the rest of the day off. I look forward to dinner tonight, which is going to be fresh grouper. First day all went according to plan, lets hope the rest of the week can stay the same.

Brain Training

I'm not one to believe that there is a single key to success or special recipe for peak performance, but I've always believed that what goes on inside your head is the most important part of your game. Everything you do, swimming, biking, running, breathing, emotion, attitude, stress, etc. is controlled by your brain. Therefore to train your brain is to train everything. Throughout my university athletics career I have been very interested in sport psychology, specifically motivation. I am fascinated by the best. What makes them click, why are they consistently better than the rest, how do I get to their level? From book to book and interview to interview, the story seemed to be the same - hard work wins in the end. But if all of these professional athletes are working the same, wanting to win the same, and are physiologically the same, why isn't everyone winning equally?

I wasn't until I read a book called "Iron War" by Matt Fitzgerald that I started to see an answer that I accepted. The book is about the legendary 1989 Ironman World Championship race between Dave Scott and Mark Allen. I had heard a lot about this race and watched NBC's broadcast of the event, but I never realized what was actually happening on that day as explained by Fitzgerald. The chapter that stuck with me is called Iron Will, and I have read it many times over. In this chapter, a new brain centered model for performance is introduced to explain why these two athletes were so dominant over the rest, and why this race in particular is so significant in the history of endurance sport.

The theory has always been that an athlete's performance will decrease with fatigue due to the consumption of muscle glycogen and build-up of lactic acid. Physiologically, the muscle runs out of energy to burn so it can no longer perform the desired task, whether that be swimming, biking, or running. This theory, however has a few flaws. One study had cyclists perform an endurance test where they were asked to pedal at a threshold power for as long as they could. The cyclists were able to maintain this for an average of 12 minutes before they failed to hold their threshold power and claimed to be completely unable to pedal that hard anymore. Immediately after they failed, they were asked to pedal as hard as they could for 5 seconds. EVERY cyclist was able to output 2-3 times their threshold power for that 5 seconds, even though they had just made the claim that they couldn't possibly pedal at threshold any longer. The study explains this as involuntary quitting, not due to low muscle glycogen (their muscles still had plenty), but because their brains simply told them to stop.

This completely changed how I thought about racing and training. The theory is that when the body is under physical exertion, the body does things such as produce lactate, produce more CO2 and so on. Your brain "reads" your blood chemistry to understand what is happening in the body, and it is very good at trying to prevent you from hurting yourself through overexertion. What the brain does is give you sensations of pain to try to convince you to quit or give up or slow down. The theory behind brain training is understanding this and learning to push your pain tolerance limits. The physiological side is important too, however. The more fit your body becomes, the less pain you perceive for the same amount of exertion.

Learning to train both systems and understanding how to manage the sensations during racing and training has opened new doors in my athletic performance. In the last season I dropped 3 minutes in my 10K run off the bike and dropped an additional 2 minutes in my 1500m swim. I highly recommend giving this book a read if you want to improve your training, and want to read a great story.

Dave Scott and Mark Allen in the 1989 Iron War, Ironman World Championship - Hawaii

Winter Training

Winter training has to be one of the best times to improve on a weakness. Firstly, there are few distractions from races so you can really focus on one or two aspects of your training and let the others slack without any severe consequences. Secondly, technique drills and speed work can be a huge focus without having to worry about getting in huge miles. Lastly, this is a great time to nurse any injuries and build a good base / increase flexibility to prevent any injuries in the upcoming spring.

My focus over the winter was to improve on my running and swimming. Many athletes will go on and on about the "best" way to get faster, and 10 simple steps to a best 10K or whatever. The first step is to just do it. Make a schedule of when you are going to train, and follow it. It's very easy in the winter to let cold weather or other distractions keep you from training, but in my opinion 50% of training is just showing up.

The the varsity swim program at UW took care of my swimming for the winter. Running was a little more difficult as I didn't have a coach to give me daily workouts. I started where anyone would start, by just doing what I know has worked in the past and repeating old workouts. From September to January, I ran 4-5 times per week which included 2 quality speed runs, one or two easy long runs, and one longer tempo run. The length of each session was usually dictated by how I felt and how cold it was. Luckily I was able to run my quality sessions at an indoor track.

In January I was introduced to Sean Delanghe's Health & Performance running group. Running alone for the last few months made me forget how beneficial it is having someone to run with. My fall training had been a great start, but it wasn't until I joined H&P that I started to really see measurable improvements. I still wasn't getting in the long 1-2 hour runs, but my short distance speed got faster and faster.

March is always a good time to measure your winter training improvements. I've raced the Chilli Half Marathon in Burlington 3 years in a row now and I find it a perfect venue for an early spring fitness test. I knew I had a lot of speed in my legs, but the distance was something that I hadn't been putting in. My longest run at this point had been 12K. I opened with a 38:50 10K (second best time ever) and felt really good for the first hour. By 16K I really felt myself tiring and by 20K it was all I had left in me to keep running. I improved on my 1/2 marathon best by 6 minutes posting a 1:21 and finishing 3rd in my age group.

I knew my training was working, and I knew I could go faster, but I hadn't yet completed what I believe to be the most beneficial training I have ever done.

Post Ironman

It takes a few days for the hype and excitement of Ironman to wear off. The pain in your legs reminding you of your accomplishment may last even longer...but it's sooo worth it!

I have to say my favourite part (no matter how tired I felt) was going back to the finish line for that last few hours of finishers. If you ever have this opportunity, don't miss it. The energy of the crowd, the look of relief and sometimes disbelief in the finishers faces, and the collective chant "YOU ARE AN IRONMAN!" is something I'll never forget. You really have to be there to fully appreciate it.

I won't go into the race too much, that is something you have to learn about on your own. In the end I finished 5th in my age-group and 88th overall in a time of 10h:04m:27s. At the finish line, there was classic Smoke's poutine and locally brewed beer that wasted no time enjoying.

After a few weeks off with minimal training, the body finds itself forgetful of the pain it had endured. I'm sure if you could remember the sensations vividly, no one would race more than once. Once registration opened for 2013, I found myself signing up again for the full Ironman and the 70.3. I knew I could improve and what a better way than to practice on the same course. The weakest part of my race is definitely the run. I'm going to have to put a lot of work into my technique and efficiency if I'm going to have any chance at qualifying for Hawaii next October.

Look to my next post to get a summary of my winter training and progress.

Ironman Village

So if you've never been to an Ironman event before...it's nothing like any other triathlon. Everyone here is jacked and has smooth legs, everyone has a sweet bike, and everyone looks like they could kick your ass on the course. At least this is the first impression I got on Thursday when I arrived here. 

Now that I've had more time to watch other athletes, they don't seem that frightening. Looks can be deceiving - I've realized this when competing in smaller triathlons and super fit looking people finish waaaay behind me. So a small hint to everyone out there; don't worry about anyone else because you look just as fast and awesome as everyone else.

If looks are deceiving, this guy should win!

The routine we've been following since we've been here has been: swim at 9:00, ride and or run at 10:00, finish exercising by 11:00 am to have the rest of the day to relax and buy stuff. It's been freezing at night so it will definitely be a wetsuit swim. The weather is still calling for sunny and 21 degrees during the day so the bike and run should be glorious! I'm so excited for the race to start.

The Athlete dinner last night was pretty good and it was really cool to be in a giant tent filled with 2,586 crazy people (you have to be a little crazy to do this). Mike Riley will be here to announce those 4 words I look forward to hearing tomorrow and David Orlowski, who finished 3rd in the very first Ironman in 1978, talked about his first race and how much the sport has evolved. He had to carry money in his pockets so he could stop at grocery stores and McDonald's as nutrition during the bike - epic!

This is David racing in his new cut-off jeans.

Today is a fine tuning day. We found out that the mass-start swim will be a beach start, so we will practice beach starts this morning followed by a short ride and short run. Our bikes and transition bags have to be checked in by 4:00pm so we have to make sure we have everything ready today. I bought hotdogs for my special needs bag in-case I get a little hungry on the course (they have been life-savers on some of my long rides). 

I feel ready, as should everyone here. I have so much confidence from my team and I can't wait to see them all on race course. 

This is where the magic happens.

Game Face

5 Days to Go...

This is a game face!

I hear a lot about people getting more and more nervous as the race start nears. If you said you didn't feel nervous you would be lying. How do you deal with it...every time I think about race day I want to bite off my whole finger.

First you need to realize what you are actually nervous about. Are you nervous about finishing, beating a personal best time, getting a flat tire, the swim, stomach issues...the list can literally go on and on. Once you have written down everything that makes you nervous, separate the factors you can control from the ones you can't control.

You'll probably notice that most of the things that make you nervous are out of your control. You can't stop a flat tire from happening, you can't make the waves smaller, you can't change the weather, you can't decide that your stomach will handle everything you put in it. What you CAN do is practice fixing a flat, start the swim at the edge of the pack, put clothes in your special needs bag, practice eating what you will eat on the race course... Don't stress about things that you CAN'T control.

Instead of getting nervous, I've found myself getting excited. This is, after all, for fun and we shouldn't forget that. I know I've trained enough like everyone else who will show up on the start line. I know I will finish and I know I will have a good race. I've planned my bike set-up, practiced fixing flat tires, swam in huge waves, eaten all sorts of foods while training and in all kinds of weather. I know what to do and what not to do to get me through the race. 

The hardest part is believing all of this. This is when we need to put on our game faces. Tell yourself out-loud that you are ready, that you are fit, and that you are one tough MO!#3RF&@$er. If you say it enough, you will believe it.

When you're getting stressed and nervous, repeat that to yourself and think about putting on your game face. Nothing but you can stop you.

This will be you.

House Keeping

Training for Ironman has given me a new appreciation for the Taper. Finally I have time and workouts are easy and confidence building, or at least they should be.

A lot of athletes find it difficult to taper because they fear losing fitness, or they want to cram in a last few hard workouts. In the last weeks leading up to the race, you won't lose your fitness or strength, but you could start moving backwards if you don't approach the taper properly. I like to call this part of my training "housekeeping".

We need more Lemon Pledge.

The main housekeeping goals of my two weeks leading up to Ironman are as follows:

1. Staying Injury Free
It's too close to race day to recover properly from an injury so the most important thing for me is to make sure I don't get injured. This means I'm not trying any new workouts. Warm-ups and cool-downs are very important, and I stay clear of activities that can cause injury.

2. Staying Healthy
When workouts decrease, diet and hydration become more important. I can't eat greasy food and pop and just go for a long ride to work it off anymore. Eating is now a big part of my training. Everything I consume is for nutrition to help me on race day. It's also important to not let my immune system weaken. Now is a time when many athletes get sick so it is important to wash your hands often and get lots of fluids, vitamins, and rest.

3. Equipment Check-up
Now is the perfect time to get your gear fixed or cleaned or whatever you need to do. New chain, new tires, new shoes, new clothes...there's two weeks to make sure everything is going to go smoothly on race day. I recently changed my chain and brakes on my bike and I will make sure my shoes and wetsuit, etc. are all in good condition before it's too late to change. Don't worry if you are trying new equipment because you still have two weeks to break it in. 

4. Race Day Nutrition
Start thinking about your race day plan...and practice it! I plan on eating 2 gels, oatmeal with milk, toast with peanut butter, coffee and maybe a yogurt before leaving to T1. Then sipping on perform from breakfast to swim start and having another gel or two within 15 minutes of the start. For the next two weeks, I'm going to practice this breakfast first thing in the morning so that I am confident it will agree with me race morning.

5. Confidence
If nothing else, these last two weeks should be when you build confidence in your training. The work has been done and now you can sit back and appreciate your efforts over the previous months. Workouts should be smooth and pace-work be disciplined. Go over mental processes during these last training sessions and practice transitions, eating, and drinking during your workouts.

6. Have a race week plan
The stress of travelling, training, registering, eating, sleeping, and preparing during race week is insane. Have a plan starting with the travel. I get extremely stressed before races when I don't have a schedule so I will make sure to plan out meals, training, registration, and rest ahead of time. This doesn't have to be concrete, but it will save a lot of stress later when you have a schedule to follow.

I will spend the next two weeks perfecting these things so that come race day, I can do all of the little things easily and smoothly. Should anything go wrong, I feel prepared enough that I can deal with solving these problems quickly on the course. If everything goes as planned, I can put all of my energy and focus into racing. 

Everything I do is to hear those 4 words