Not only get off it, get off it carefully

This just in: Ben Stiller steals Lance Armstrong’s bike!

You need to watch this.

dear promises of global warming. i hate you.

You know that feeling when you get in your car after it’s been sitting in the sun for a couple hours? And there’s that extreme heat that makes everyone scream for rolled down windows. And if you breathe that hot air in, it almost hurts.

Yeah, I crave that heat.

Here’s the deal. I teach backyard swimming lessons. 6 or 7 hours/day. It pays rediculously well, but it’s SO cold. Like the last fews days it has been overcast, windy, with no sun. And, perhaps because we’re in a recession, folks would rather spend their money on my instructional abilities than they would on heating their pools. That means there is no sun, a cold wind, and most pools hoover around 75degrees. I’m not even kidding.

Go ahead, try standing in that kind of water for 7hours, with no sun, and very little movement (teaching 7-year-olds doesn’t demand I move all that much), and tell me you don’t want to punch those global warming idiots in the face. 

Training, however, is sweetness! Today’s swim was 9X300 best average on 4:30 (painful, but Tom/Dorelle kick up a badass draft). Bike at night was 90minutes with 2X20threshold (I haven’t felt that good in forever), into a 6k progression run. I did the bike/run solo because of my teaching schedule and I was SO pumped with how it went.  Great day. Really, really great day. Oh man, just so loving this sport right now.

It’s all coming up Milhouse.  (except the lack of sun, of course)

del monte: 1 sharratt: 1. rubber match next year

Well, Sharratt got even today.

Today was the Peterborough Sprint. It went as well I was hoping. I ended up 2nd overall (the dude listed in second was steered off course on the run, making his run split too fast).  What is significant about this race is that the last time Dave and I went head-to-head was the only time in history that I beat him (note: he didn’t wear a wetsuit and didn’t ride a TT bike). Since then (2004), however, he has crushed me at pretty much everything (especially Guitar Hero). So today was his chance to even the Peterborough score. And he did it.  1:1. See you in 2010.

I felt great throughout the race, particularly on the bike, which I was really excited about. I know I was almost 4minutes slower that my 2004 self but a/ the 2004 run course was much faster; b/ there may (or may not) have been a tiny bit of drafting on the 2004 bike; and c/ if you take 3 years off, it takes a few to come back. So I’m trying…

Overall, it was an excellent weekend. I certainly do love our wonderful sport.  And, of course, thanks to my best and more beautiful cheerleader!

dear rain clouds: you suck

Not that you didn’t notice, but it’s been cold and rainy the last 4 days. It’s not that I don’t like rain (e.g. it makes the pain in the run workouts quite a bit less), but when you are teachiing backyard swimming lessons 6 hours a day, it just gets really, really cold. Looks like tomorrow will be nicer.

Training is rolling. Just loving being with the PTC crew. Lots of good energy to work off of.  I’m actually surprising myself with the workouts I’ve managed to do. Some great swims, actually generating a little bit of power on the bike, and a couple good run sessions. Last night we did an 8k progression run (speeding up every 2k) and I was just about at 10k race pace for the last couple k. We’ve decided to race this weekend because I’m dying for some competition.  It’s the Peterborough Sprint (a course that I don’t love), but it’ll be excellent to race on somewhat tired legs and see what happens.

Ps. Not sure if I can root for Lance when the tour starts, but this commercial makes it awfully difficult not to.

worth a post

I’m back in Guelph for the  next 4 or 5 weeks.

a. I won’t see Amy until the weekend which is sucky mcsuckster. Thank goodness for skype.
b. I did almost 6 hours of exercise  yesterday (running km repeats + 3hr bike + 3k swim)
c. I’ll get to train with a lot of all stars the next few weeks
d. If it’s not SUPER hot out, I’ll be angry while teaching swimming lessons all day long.
e. Tomorrow morning’s swim won’t require me to ask senior citizens to reassess what “fast” lane means. Instead, I’ll be the one trying to stay out of the way!

Tomorrow looks like a fun day of training/teaching swimming. Looking forward to it.

ps. I stole this video from Mike Hay. It’s from out k repeats on Saturday. I’m the guy who is always tucked away at the back of the pack, avoiding the wind.

one hole, two flats

I’ve been riding a little more these days. In fact, we’re going car less in the fall so I’ll be riding to school every day (about 12k each way). In an effort to prepare for that (and because it’s so nice out), I’ve been experimenting with the fastest route.

And I think I finally found the fastest way home. South on Royal York. East on Queensway. Cut through High Park. Quick jaunt on Bloor. East on Dupont to our place. I’ve got it down to 29minutes. Boom. Piece of cake.

The thing about Toronto riding is that it sucks. That’s right. You have to watch out for:

a. Taxi drivers. Don’t get me started…
b. People opening their car doors when you’re coming by
c. Bus drivers who attempt some pretty heroic maneuvering
d. Other cyclists who don’t like to get passed
e. Pot holes

And I’m not talking about little bumps in the concrete. I’m talking about gigantic craters that can swallow you, your bike, and the five cars closest to you without so much as a burp.  Case in point: yesterday I hit one of these holes and blew BOTH my tires. Both. And I’m not kidding when I use the term “blew.” Because they BLEW. Like bombs.  Of course I was carrying a spare, but I sure wasn’t carrying two. So I got a nice, long walk to the subway.

Training goes well. I ran 7.2k of volume yesterday at what I think is 5k race pace (16:20ish), and today’s swim had 2k of work at under 1:20/100. Like that Loaring? Feel the heat Lokody? See you boys on Monday.

Roll on!

soul food for father’s day

Yesterday at church the Pastor showed this video. It’s the story of Derek Redmond, “almost” gold medalist at the 1992 Olympics. Watch it, and let it get inside you.

The Pastor, by the way, was my Dad and, without question, he would have certainly come for me. 

Happy Father’s Day!

Dear 6X400 on 5:30. Take that.

Last year around this time I swam a set of 6X400 on 5:30 and didn’t make the pace times.  Today, I crushed it. I love payback.

I know it’s only Friday but this week has been my best one for training so far this spring. Couple great swims and bikes, and my best run interval session yet (3k, 2k, 1k at 5k goal pace). Last week was a recovery week (despite the race), and I’m amazed what a little rest can do for me.

Tonight is a long run/easy bike, tomorrow is a recovery swim/run, and Sunday is a long bike. Oh, and tomorrow night my mad crazy dance moves will be lighting it up at a wedding in Guelph.  Sounds like an excellent weekend to me!

Best of luck to all the racing in Montreal this weekend. Go team go!

“doesn’t that bike MAKE you fast?”

I would like to dispell a myth that exists in the triathlon world. The myth goes as follows: buy an expensive bike and you’ll be really fast.

I’m here to tell you that that’s not true. Not even a little.

Muskoka Sprint was this weekend. I went into it knowing I’d only been training aboout 10hours/week (about 60% of what I was doing last year), but I figured my new toy would carry a bit of the load. Turns out, if you haven’t put in time on the bike, the bike won’t shave your time for you.  All things considered, the race was decent. I ended up 6th overall, with a “blah” kind of day. It’s wasn’t super painful; I just couldn’t go any faster. I’m coming to the realization (as I knew was likely, but I was hoping to get lucky) that this is going to be a season of “getting it back.” With all the life changes that have been going on, I’m okay with that. Plus, Guelph Lake II (my “peak” race) is still 10weeks from now. A lot can happen in 10weeks.

Sweet ride, eh? Anyone got some race wheels they’ll sell me?

The bigger news is that Amy completed her first triathlon this weekend! She was a real champ, swimming open water for only the second time, and getting caught in a big downpour on the run. She loved the race, getting a race t-shirt, and getting to tell people her husband had one of those fancy race suits. You can see her in action below. See that dude behind her. Late 50s, and a bit on the heavy side? My wife crushed him.

Overall, it was an excellent weekend. Andrew raced as well, so the 4 of us enjoyed some time together. From the sounds of things, Janelle might have caught the triathlon bug as well. I love this sport!

Game on

First race is tomorrow.

I have no expectations, and no idea what to expect. I suppose I could make a number of excuses about this or that, but that would fill my head with all the crap that doesn’t need to be there.

Instead, I’ll rely on genetics.

I’m related to the good looking fella at the front. Game on.