We took a short 3-day family vacation to Montreal - a lovely city if you ever get a chance to visit, very tourist-friendly, lots to see and do and the street life is second to none in North America.
Not being able to afford 3 days off, I decided to get in some workouts.
Running
Montreal is a great town for running, if you like hills. Our hotel was in the shadow of Mont Royal, so naturally I ran it!
Gear required: shorts, shirt, socks, shoes
Being from Alberta originally, I can't call this a mountain with a straight face... it's a really big hill, though, with some seriously long slopes. My run was about 12k, in the light rain, and it was just an awesome way to see and experience Montreal. (Except for the stray dogs hanging out with the half dozen sleeping homeless guys... fortunately the one that gave a short chase didn't catch me, and the others looked too lazy to join in!)
Swimming
Our hotel had a very decent pool, long enough to do laps in. It was probably around 20 yards, which normally I'd consider short but by hotel standards is extraordinary.
Gear required: swim suit, goggles
I tried to get in an evening swim, but there were too many kids... they don't really respect the concept of swimming back and forth. Scheduled a wake-up call for 6:30am the next morning and went back - only 3 people there, all adults, all doing laps, so it was fantastic.
Cycling
I didn't bother - short vacation, and too much equipment to lug around. But seeing all the cyclists going up Mont Royal made me very jealous - what awesome training that would have been!
Other Places to Work Out in Montreal...
The Ile Notre-Dame is an island in the middle of the Saint Lawrence that used to host the Canadian Grand Prix Formula One race. The race is gone, but the track remains and is still used for a NASCAR race (blech!). When that's not happening, you can bike on it. Someday I'd like to do this! It's flat and curvy, and the park is beautiful.
And to recover...
After my morning run, we went to a great breakfast place, Eggspectations. It sounds cheesy, but they have some interesting twists on breakfast that hit the spot. And we found a great Italian place on Crecent street called Enzo's, it was very authentic, nice wine... mmm... seafood linguine!
Thursday, July 2, 2009
Saturday, June 27, 2009
Preview: Peterborough Half Iron Swim/Bike
Swim: 2000m
Bike: 90k
Run: None!
I want the opportunity to race, and especially get my confidence back on the bike after my trouble at the Muskoka Tri.
But I don't want to have to recover from an entire half Iron distance race, especially the beating my legs would take over the marathon distance. That could impact my training for weeks after.
Solution: Swim/Bike
This option is nice for people like myself who need long race experience but can't afford the recovery time. Ironman Canada is less than two months away. A long swim and 90k bike will hit the spot!
I don't know a lot about this race yet, other than it can be very hot and sunny, but seeing as I'm not doing the run that doesn't concern me all that much.
Goals
Bike: 90k
Run: None!
I want the opportunity to race, and especially get my confidence back on the bike after my trouble at the Muskoka Tri.
But I don't want to have to recover from an entire half Iron distance race, especially the beating my legs would take over the marathon distance. That could impact my training for weeks after.
Solution: Swim/Bike
This option is nice for people like myself who need long race experience but can't afford the recovery time. Ironman Canada is less than two months away. A long swim and 90k bike will hit the spot!
I don't know a lot about this race yet, other than it can be very hot and sunny, but seeing as I'm not doing the run that doesn't concern me all that much.
Goals
- Comfortable swim, hoping to get closer to the 45-50 minute range for the 2000m, which is where my pool pace suggests I should be
- Strong on the bike, leave nothing out there. I would like to see 30km/h but I honestly don't know enough about the course to know if this is reasonable
Sunday, June 14, 2009
Race Report: Muskoka Triathlon (Long Course)
I was overdue for a disaster race, and today was it.
2000m, 55k bike, 15k run. I had this as a “B” race, I didn't taper for it but was still hoping to do well. My goal was really to learn and hopefully gain some confidence for Ironman.
I learned, but not the easy way!
The Preparation
We were warned by organizers that the water for the swim was so cold they were considering shortening it. I didn't think the temperatures they were talking about were too bad (60F) but figured I'd double up the swim cap just to be safe.
Other than that, I didn't deviate much from my usual CHECKLIST.
On the way to set up my transition area, I accidentally got my wetsuit bag caught in the spokes of my bike... while I was riding it. This was a stupid thing to do, I almost wiped out. The brakes started rubbing the rim, I straightened them, tested it, seemed OK... more on this later.
Set up transition and walked over to the swim start. Struggled my way into my wetsuit and was ready to rock! The water wasn't really that cold, and it was very calm, so I was cautiously optimistic that this would go well.
The Swim
If you mapped my swim it would look like one of those Jeffy cartoons from Family Circus... I was all over the place. I started back on the outside knowing I was one of the weaker swimmers. But where I really got confused was when we went from the lake to the river.
I thought you had to keep the buoys to one side or the other, and out in the lake it was buoys to the left. But the river was very not straigh so that no longer made sense... and the people were all over the place. I assume they took the straightest shortest route... I sure didn't! Not sure what my final distance was but it was well north of 2000m.
My swim time was horrendous – way off my pool pace - but it felt pretty OK. I was comfortable at least, not panicky, and got through it. I think the extra distance was a factor, but I was expecting to be in the bottom 10-15% and I'm quite firmly in the bottom!
Swim time: 56:45 (2:51/100m) 645/672
The Bike
The course was beautiful, the hills were fine, it was an excellent bike course.
But this is where things got weird.
Cycling is my strength. And at the start of the bike, despite feeling pretty bagged from the swim, I was picking people off and moving well.
But at some point it changed. I was getting picked off. I was struggling for pace, I was sluggish getting up hills, I just couldn't figure it out. Something in the back of my mind told me to stop and check my front brake from earlier, but stupidly I ignored myself. I figured I was just tired from the swim, or that the hills were worse than they looked...
It wasn't until after the race that I figured it out. I went to roll my bike out of transition and the front wheel wasn't moving.
I have no idea what my bike pace could have been. All I know is I finished the bike feeling dogged with an average speed that wasn't up to snuff. How I finished ahead of 222 people is beyond me!
Bike time: 1:56:34 (28.3km/h) 450/672
The Run
The run course wasn't as scenic as the bike, but I love the finish line. I can't wait to cross it next year after a successful race!
After my struggles on the bike, I had nothing left for the run. Of course I didn't realize I had a problem with the bike, so I let it really mess with my head... I just had no gas, and started to wonder how on earth I would do Ironman if I couldn't even get through this shorter race without suffering!
I drank as much Gatorade as my stomach would allow at the aid stations and took my walk breaks. I abandoned my goal pace before I hit the 2k marker. And by the end I didn't even do my finishing kick, I just trotted across the line and finished in disgust.
Run time: 1:30:34 (6:03/km) 531/672
Overall time: 4:30:18 50/54 in Men30-34 and 550/672 overall.
Post-mortem
What can I say... disaster start to finish.
I should have been more diligent in understanding how the swim course worked. If I had taken the shortest path through the river section I'd have done much better. Even so, my pace isn't up to snuff, I need to do more work in open water to catch up to my pool pace.
The bike – not sure what to say about it, I thought I'd checked my equipment and it was working, but when I squeezed my brakes it must have started rubbing again. When things aren't going well, sometimes it's better to stop and figure it out rather than push through it assuming it's in the legs I guess. I don't know, just unfortunate.
I really want to do this race again next year, it was an amazing venue and very well organized.
Oh well, on to the next one!
Sunday, June 7, 2009
Ride Report: Ride for Heart
This morning my 5-year-old daughter and I took part in the Ride for Heart.
It takes place annually in Toronto as a fundraiser for the Heart & Stroke Foundation. Two major highways are closed to traffic and 13,000 cyclists take over, winding through downtown Toronto then up the Don Valley. Very neat event. I've been riding it ever since I moved here in 1998, I think I've only missed one in 10 years.
Last year, I rode with my older daughter, so this time it was her younger sister's turn. Armed with the trail-behind bike, we pounded out a fast 25k with a brief stop for bananas and Sharkies at the half-way point! Gotta teach them endurance nutrition early! :)
The rain held off and we had a great day. She loved seeing the CN tower and Rogers Center from the top of the Gardiner, and really loved the cheering crowd at the finish line! And daddy got in a pretty decent workout, I pushed as hard as I would on a 1 hour training ride. The extra weight of the hybrid and the trailer with the 5 year old was good power mileage! And I don't care who you are - picking off dudes on Cervelos when you're pulling a kid behind you is good for the ego (even if they are probably doing the longer distance!).
I hope my daughter picks up a love of cycling, but even if she doesn't at least I'm giving her every opportunity to see what it's about.
It takes place annually in Toronto as a fundraiser for the Heart & Stroke Foundation. Two major highways are closed to traffic and 13,000 cyclists take over, winding through downtown Toronto then up the Don Valley. Very neat event. I've been riding it ever since I moved here in 1998, I think I've only missed one in 10 years.
Last year, I rode with my older daughter, so this time it was her younger sister's turn. Armed with the trail-behind bike, we pounded out a fast 25k with a brief stop for bananas and Sharkies at the half-way point! Gotta teach them endurance nutrition early! :)
The rain held off and we had a great day. She loved seeing the CN tower and Rogers Center from the top of the Gardiner, and really loved the cheering crowd at the finish line! And daddy got in a pretty decent workout, I pushed as hard as I would on a 1 hour training ride. The extra weight of the hybrid and the trailer with the 5 year old was good power mileage! And I don't care who you are - picking off dudes on Cervelos when you're pulling a kid behind you is good for the ego (even if they are probably doing the longer distance!).
I hope my daughter picks up a love of cycling, but even if she doesn't at least I'm giving her every opportunity to see what it's about.
Saturday, June 6, 2009
Preview: Muskoka Triathlon (Long Course)
Next weekend I'll be doing the Muskoka Triathlon (Long Course)
2000m swim
55k bike
15k run
Swimming
This race has more emphasis on the swim than most triathlons, usually a bike and run that long would be matched with a shorter swim.
As preparation, I went out with the local triathlon club for an open-water swim in Lake Simcoe. It was a short swim, water was a bit cold and very choppy. I'm hoping the conditions are better next Sunday, as it was very hard to get into a rhythm when every second breath gets a mouthful of cold water!
Goal: sub-50:00 swim, save enough energy for the bike
Biking
55k isn't a challenging distance so it's all about speed. I managed a 30km/h average today over 50k with a medium-hard effort over fairly hilly terrain and strong wind. I know this course is quite hilly, so I'm expecting a lot of tough climbs and recoveries.
Goal: get close to 30km/h, save something (what?) for the run
Running
If there's one thing I've learned from previous tris is this:
Running after swimming and biking is hard.
15K on its own would be a nice run, 15k after you've pushed even a little for 2+ hours before it is going to be tough. My overall time for this tri will be around what it took me to run my full marathon, so I'm going to start around that pace (~5:40/km) on the run and see how it goes. If I find I have more energy I'll pick it up.
The Fuel
A gel before the swim, and then Gatorade and gels to the end. I'll target 300kcal/hour on the bike, that's worked for me well in training. And I'll play it by ear on the run, probably all Gatorade by that point.
The Goal
Realistically I see myself in the 4h-4h15 range. That puts me pretty far back in last year's times, but this race draws a lot of great triathletes (it's an Ironman qualifier!)
Swim: 45-50 mins (based on pool pace - wetsuit helps, open water hinders, so who knows)
Bike: 1h50-2h00 (@30km/h or slightly less)
Run: 1h20-1h30 (@5:30/km or so)
Add in transitions and I'm guessing a 4h11 finish. That's more of a guess than a goal, all I really want to get out of this race is experience.
2000m swim
55k bike
15k run
Swimming
This race has more emphasis on the swim than most triathlons, usually a bike and run that long would be matched with a shorter swim.
As preparation, I went out with the local triathlon club for an open-water swim in Lake Simcoe. It was a short swim, water was a bit cold and very choppy. I'm hoping the conditions are better next Sunday, as it was very hard to get into a rhythm when every second breath gets a mouthful of cold water!
Goal: sub-50:00 swim, save enough energy for the bike
Biking
55k isn't a challenging distance so it's all about speed. I managed a 30km/h average today over 50k with a medium-hard effort over fairly hilly terrain and strong wind. I know this course is quite hilly, so I'm expecting a lot of tough climbs and recoveries.
Goal: get close to 30km/h, save something (what?) for the run
Running
If there's one thing I've learned from previous tris is this:
Running after swimming and biking is hard.
15K on its own would be a nice run, 15k after you've pushed even a little for 2+ hours before it is going to be tough. My overall time for this tri will be around what it took me to run my full marathon, so I'm going to start around that pace (~5:40/km) on the run and see how it goes. If I find I have more energy I'll pick it up.
The Fuel
A gel before the swim, and then Gatorade and gels to the end. I'll target 300kcal/hour on the bike, that's worked for me well in training. And I'll play it by ear on the run, probably all Gatorade by that point.
The Goal
Realistically I see myself in the 4h-4h15 range. That puts me pretty far back in last year's times, but this race draws a lot of great triathletes (it's an Ironman qualifier!)
Swim: 45-50 mins (based on pool pace - wetsuit helps, open water hinders, so who knows)
Bike: 1h50-2h00 (@30km/h or slightly less)
Run: 1h20-1h30 (@5:30/km or so)
Add in transitions and I'm guessing a 4h11 finish. That's more of a guess than a goal, all I really want to get out of this race is experience.
Sunday, May 31, 2009
Race (that wasn't) Report: Zoot Open Water Swim (4K)
It sounded like a good idea... an early season 4K swim in open water to simulate the 3.8K at Ironman.
Didn't quite turn out that way.
The Preparation
I got there quite early and it was clear it was going to be a chilly day. Around +8C, not exactly beach weather.
It took a while for me to psyche myself up to get going... it just felt so cold, the water looked cold, and the wind was making the lake choppy. As a guy who has swam in open water a grand total of 3 times, this was a bit intimidating.
Pulled on the new wetsuit - fit snug but that's what they're all about. Joined my fellow swimmers in the water and did a bit of warming up (cooling off?). Mostly I wanted to get comfortable with exhaling in the cold water, I'd had problems with that before.
The Start
We all lined up to get going, when it was clear the buoys were not staying put... they sent a boat out to go fix the furthest buoy, but to no avail. Race director announced we'll only use 3 instead of 4, 750m loops instead of 1000m (probably not all that accurate!). So right there my Ironman swim simulation was gone...
Go!
I started out and it all started coming back. With the headwind (and head waves) it was hard to feel the nice gliding sensation from the pool. I let the wetsuit do its job holding me up and concentrated on reaching out and breathing, it took some getting used to but I began to get my mojo. The bilateral breathing was not going to work, as the waves kept filling my mouth with water to one side, so I stuck to breathing one side, worked OK.
The water was shallow - too shallow, my hands kept hitting the bottom. That was annoying.
I went around the far buoy which was now clearly drifting as well... as was the 3rd buoy... I headed back to shore to finish my first lap, following the crowd which was now just doing an out-and-back.
As I headed out on my second lap, I noticed swimmers already coming the other way... my first thought was "wow they're fast" but then I realized the far buoy was completely gone. The race director guy was with them, instructing everyone to turn back and "he'd explain".
Long story short: conditions were too bad to safely race.
Frankly, I think this wasn't really accurate, it was shallow water and the waves were annoying but hardly dangerous. It was really just that the buoys wouldn't stay put, properly anchoring them would have let us race. But at this point I guess it was too late to fix, so they had to cancel it.
Most of us then went out on a practice swim loop, might as well once you're out there and in the water! This was helpful for me, as I need all the open water swim experience I can get.
Came back to shore, got my refund, and went home a little grumpy that I hadn't been able to get in my Ironman test swim distance. But I learned a few more things about open-water swimming so I have a few take-aways for what to work on.
Didn't quite turn out that way.
The Preparation
I got there quite early and it was clear it was going to be a chilly day. Around +8C, not exactly beach weather.
It took a while for me to psyche myself up to get going... it just felt so cold, the water looked cold, and the wind was making the lake choppy. As a guy who has swam in open water a grand total of 3 times, this was a bit intimidating.
Pulled on the new wetsuit - fit snug but that's what they're all about. Joined my fellow swimmers in the water and did a bit of warming up (cooling off?). Mostly I wanted to get comfortable with exhaling in the cold water, I'd had problems with that before.
The Start
We all lined up to get going, when it was clear the buoys were not staying put... they sent a boat out to go fix the furthest buoy, but to no avail. Race director announced we'll only use 3 instead of 4, 750m loops instead of 1000m (probably not all that accurate!). So right there my Ironman swim simulation was gone...
Go!
I started out and it all started coming back. With the headwind (and head waves) it was hard to feel the nice gliding sensation from the pool. I let the wetsuit do its job holding me up and concentrated on reaching out and breathing, it took some getting used to but I began to get my mojo. The bilateral breathing was not going to work, as the waves kept filling my mouth with water to one side, so I stuck to breathing one side, worked OK.
The water was shallow - too shallow, my hands kept hitting the bottom. That was annoying.
I went around the far buoy which was now clearly drifting as well... as was the 3rd buoy... I headed back to shore to finish my first lap, following the crowd which was now just doing an out-and-back.
As I headed out on my second lap, I noticed swimmers already coming the other way... my first thought was "wow they're fast" but then I realized the far buoy was completely gone. The race director guy was with them, instructing everyone to turn back and "he'd explain".
Long story short: conditions were too bad to safely race.
Frankly, I think this wasn't really accurate, it was shallow water and the waves were annoying but hardly dangerous. It was really just that the buoys wouldn't stay put, properly anchoring them would have let us race. But at this point I guess it was too late to fix, so they had to cancel it.
Most of us then went out on a practice swim loop, might as well once you're out there and in the water! This was helpful for me, as I need all the open water swim experience I can get.
Came back to shore, got my refund, and went home a little grumpy that I hadn't been able to get in my Ironman test swim distance. But I learned a few more things about open-water swimming so I have a few take-aways for what to work on.
- Need to practice breathing to one side only - I only ever breathe bilateral, which may not be possible
- More open-water swim experience is a must - I want to figure out how to feel the glide I get in the pool when I'm in open water
- Need to do longer stints without stopping in the pool - I felt the need to pause more often than I'd like
Monday, May 25, 2009
Century Riding
Century Ride = biking 100 miles (160k)
My biking has felt really good this year so far, so I've been pushing the mileage a bit sooner than I planned. Last week I did 100k without any trouble, so this week I decided it would be a good chance to do 160k (100 miles).
Calories out
For my weight (north of 180lbs) and speed, I've calculated that I burn over 4000 calories over 100 miles. It's a staggering number, considering my normal daily intake goal is around 2500-3000.
Calories in
There is no way you can offset 4000 calories during the ride, it's just not possible, which means you will be relying on glycogen stores and fat stores to make up the balance.
Glycogen stores can hold almost 2000 calories of energy (more if you are well trained). To top them off:
Friday I went for an evening 15k run, immediately after had chocolate milk and a bunch of carb-heavy snacks.
Saturday I made sure I ate about 65% carbs (estimate only!) and snacked a lot on low-fat high-carb snacks.
Sunday I had a bowl of cereal and hit the road at 7:00am...
On the bike I consumed:
My biking has felt really good this year so far, so I've been pushing the mileage a bit sooner than I planned. Last week I did 100k without any trouble, so this week I decided it would be a good chance to do 160k (100 miles).
Calories out
For my weight (north of 180lbs) and speed, I've calculated that I burn over 4000 calories over 100 miles. It's a staggering number, considering my normal daily intake goal is around 2500-3000.
Calories in
There is no way you can offset 4000 calories during the ride, it's just not possible, which means you will be relying on glycogen stores and fat stores to make up the balance.
Glycogen stores can hold almost 2000 calories of energy (more if you are well trained). To top them off:
- Fuel up well the day(s) before with good carbs
- Eat a nice breakfast
During the ride, you want to consume carbs so you aren't depleting the glycogen stores, as when you run out of glycogen you bonk and are done. And I mean done, no energy, smack the wall, done.
- Consume as many calories on the bike as you can handle, a typical person can digest 250-300 calories per hour of carbs
Friday I went for an evening 15k run, immediately after had chocolate milk and a bunch of carb-heavy snacks.
Saturday I made sure I ate about 65% carbs (estimate only!) and snacked a lot on low-fat high-carb snacks.
Sunday I had a bowl of cereal and hit the road at 7:00am...
On the bike I consumed:
- 6 bottles of Gatorade (780 Calories)
- 3 shots of energy gel (360 Calories)
- 4 medium sized boiled potatoes (600 Calories) (skin removed after boiling!)
- 1 package of Cliff Shot Blocks (200 Calories)
Total: almost 2000 calories, just over 300 calories per hour.
I'm really happy with how that all worked for me, I didn't have any stomach issues at all and felt I had energy for the entire ride. There was obviously some moments of fatigue - it's a long time to spend on a bike - but no bonk or crash.
Electrolytes
The other half of the battle is electrolytes - mostly potassium and salt. This is especially important when it is hot out.
Gatorade has some, but for long efforts on really hot days it won't get the job done. eLoad has more salt and potassium.
But neither can compete with real food - especially bananas and potatoes. One banana has over 400mg of potassium, one medium potato has over 700mg of potassium. A generously salted potato wrapped in foil will cover you and then some. Boil it in the skins to keep the potassium in!
Happy riding.
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