I got registered this weekend. That’s right, registered.

It’s this wonderful process that basically lets you go shop for anything you want (er…anything you need), all to be picked up at a later date. Here’s the catch, though: you don’t pay for anything. Quite literally, they give you a joystick type thing and you point-and-click at anything in the store. It all goes into this fancy-smancy database and then your friends (and all your loving aunts and grandmas) go there later on and buy the stuff for you. Seriously, man, if you haven’t done it, I highly recommend it.

So yeah, I have settled in my new apartment in Toronto (Yonge and St. Clair…come visit!). I start teaching on Tuesday and I’m really quite excited. I’m planning on coaching cross country and swim team, as well as doing a kick-ass job in the classroom. Once we get married, I get a roomie.

Training wise, I have done very little this week. In fact, the only progress I made was backwards. I’ve eaten two big macs, a mamoth plate of nachos, two sausage McMuffins, a lot of Little Ceaser’s pizza, and the all microwave popcorn that the store would sell us. Oh, and I’ve been binging on Diet Coke like no one’s business. It all tasted delicious going down, but I felt like crap now. I need to get back to training.

My goal is run a sub 34-minute 10k before 2009. I’ll accomplish that, although I’m open to suggestions, by running 5times/week and swimming 3 times/week. I figure 12-15 weeks should be enough time

Abrupt ending now.

Couple pictures from the weekend.

Craig is escorting me to the start line because I was in the warm-up area a little late.

Going up the big hill.

Running. I wore Sharratt’s jersey again. Maybe, someday, if I’m lucky, I’ll have a sponsor of my own.

Day after celebration…riding a Sea doo with big brother, Vince. I was either really terrified or just wanted my personal space.

Well, well. The 2008 triathlon season has come to a close, and what an exciting finish it was.

Let’s start with Mr. Whitfield. I think Borat would say something like “Wow Wow We Wah” to describe THAT. I mean, either Whitfield is the most masterful tactician of all time (i.e. did he let those guys break away 3 times?), or he’s got the biggest balls of any triathlete I’ve ever seen. I’m going with option 2. Kids, take note: THAT is a lesson in courage, holding it together, and doing everything you can to finish what you set out to do. Well done Simon. I haven’t screamed at the TV that much since Donovan and the boys ripped it up 12 years ago.

Now, the really important stuff: my race in Kelowna. What can I say? It was a brilliant day for me, Amy, my family, and everyone else who has sacrificed something in the past 10 months to make this possible.

The race went almost like a dream. To start, I had my best swim of the year. My favourite part was getting to run out of the water at the half-way part. I had been gapped a little by the two guys ahead of me so I sprinted like a maniac and dove back in on their feet. I came out of the water leading my age-group (although we didn’t realize this at the time), and stayed there the whole ride (which, coincidentally, was also my best ride of the year). The run stung a little more. We weren’t sure what place I was in because mine was the last wave to start and the course was packed with people.

Craig and my family made sure I didn’t slow down, though, by yelling really helpful things like “You might be in first, but run like you’re not” (thanks, Craig), “VAI Adriano, VAI” (thanks Mom and Dad), and of course, “now is not the time to pussy out” (thanks, Vince). No one passed me, and I ended up with the title of Canadian 25-29 Age-Group Champion. I was also 7th of all the athletes that competed that day.

This race was especially significant for a couple reasons. First, it was the culmination of a very specific goal I had set for myself: to win my age group at Nationals. But more interestingly, the last time I went to Kelowna to achieve the same result, fate spread her ugly hand and sent lightning and flash floods to prevent me from racing. It’s ironic, then, that exactly 4 years later (to the day) I returned and took care of my unfinished business.

As this is my last 2008 triathlon related post, I want to thank everyone who made it possible (Perhaps I’m being a bit dramatic in all of this, but it’s my blog and sometimes you just gots to do what you just gots to do).

-Mom and Dad, for all the loans and always understanding
-My brothers, for all the “man up”s and “don’t pussy out”s
-My PTC training mates, for always keep it honest
-My coach, for not letting me kill myself too soon
-My friends, who believed I could achieve a goal and never stopped cheering
-All of the people who read my blog, for giving me motivation to find the funnies and the metaphors amidst all the training
-And of course to Amy, for putting up with all the miles. At last, we can stay up later than 10pm!

Thanks for reading. I’ll keep writing, of course, but with a slightly less triathlon focused tone for a while (it’s the off season, anyways). Not sure what I want to do athletically for the next little while, but a fast 10k or 1/2 marathon is something I’ve never got my hands on. I’m also entering the world of high school coaching so that’s going to be exciting too.

Word to your mother.

(race photos coming shortly)

With 2 days to go before National Championships, I figured a boring old training update wouldn’t be any fun. In fact, if I did that, all I’d tell you about our last hard day on Sunday, flying to Kelowna, wearing fancy compression socks, watching Phelps dominate, and waiting.

Isofacto (this might be my last ‘isofacto’ of the summer), I’ve decided to take this opportunity to offer some clarification about one of the most over-used, but perhaps least understood words in triathlon jargon: the taper. I figured since I’m in the middle of one, and I use the term with an awful lot of regularity, it might be good to get some clarification about what it is. Warning: this post is filled with triathlon-type metaphors that very few people understand. Let’s get started.

Although this goes against all of my academic training, I’ve started with Mr. Wik. I. Pedia. My Pedia says that “tapering refers to the practice of reducing, or tapering off, exercise in the days just before an important competition.” Essentially, when a person tapers, the person is resting in preparation for one, massive burst of athleticism. But that’s somewhat simplistic. What, then, is a taper like?

A taper is certainly not like burning matches. Pretend you only had 16 matches in your pack. And you kept burning them just because you could. By the time you really needed to start a fire, you’d have nothing to get the engine going. A taper, then, is like storing up matches for the precise moment you need to start a massively large inferno.

A taper is also like feeding a baby (props to Tom for this one). If you want a baby to grow big and strong, you can’t feed it steak and potatoes too soon. Instead, you feed it a little at a time. As the baby realizes how much it likes that food, it craves bigger and bigger servings. If the baby can resist the urge to raid the cookie jar all the time, that one big robbery will be all the more sweet.

But perhaps the best explanation of the taper is to compare it to preparing for a buffet. Scientists (just trust me on this) have determined that strategic attempts at starvation before gorging one’s self at a buffet actually shrinks the size of one’s stomach, thus inhibiting the gluttonous intake of everything. Rather, to be a buffet champ, you must eat small servings in the time period leading up to the buffet so you remain somewhat hungry for a long period of time. A taper, therefore, is like that. You don’t stop exercising completely or the systems shut down altogether. We just do a little less than normal so that we stay hungry, ready for the big showdown.

So that’s it. The taper is on. I’m storing matches and getting ready for the buffet for the next 40 hours. Then I’ll burn everything I’ve got and see how big of a fire I can start.

Let’s hope it’s not a smoke show.

We’re 8 days out of the Big Show.

My fitness is very good, but more importantly, I’m incredibly motivated right now. It’s going to be very exciting.

I’m leaving Guelph today to head up to a cottage with Amy and some friends for the next 4 days. It’s the perfect location to do my last hard bit of training, and then just relax until we fly out. I’m really looking forward to chilling, keeping the feet up, playing board games, and reading John Grisham.

After Kelowna, I’ll move to Toronto. Amy found us a place in an awesome location. It’s close to all the running trails, the cemetary (that sounds morbid, but that’s the best place to run in Toronto!), and it’s a short commute to my job. It’s going to be a super duper, super terrific, super exciting adventure.

Couple pictures for you.  Of course, Tom needs an honourabout mention for being robo-tri-man this week.  Although he sprained/broke his wrist at Owen Sound, that has not stopped him from training. Yesterday we did 3X(3X50 fast on :60 + 250race speed + 3minutes hard on bike) and Tom didn’t miss a lick.

I was swimming 32s for the 50s and holding 1:15s for the 100s, so that’s really exciting. I just need the fitness to transfer to the lake. Focus, focus, find a pair of feet, and hammer.

In the afternoon, I did a 60minute run as 20minutes as 4:10/k, 15minutes at 3:44/k, 10minutes at 3:27/k, and then 15minutes easy. I felt really good throughout the hard sections, like butter. I’m not sure what that means, but butter-melting-becomes smooth-running fast somehow all goes together.

That’s is for now. I’m chilling all day (little open water swim and some technical bike drills) and then tomorrow I ramp up for a hard brick one more time.

Speak to the hand.

You gots to be kidding me.

I was going to write a race report, but I have a story to tell you before I get to that.

This is a story about a boy and girl, and they were very much in love, so much so that they decided to get married. But because this is not quite the fairy tale of the Disney kind, they couldn’t live happily ever after until they got jobs, took care of debt, planned a big, italian wedding, and found a place to live. But they had really wonderful families–no wicked step mothers or scheming evil brothers to speak of–so most of that went off without a hitch. Everything just seemed to fall into place.

The only thing left to do was find an apartment. So they started searching online for places to live. And they found one, thanks to their friend Craig, who had a long list. The apartment was fully furnished, utilities included, and practically rent-free. The renter just wanted someone who wouldn’t drink, or smoke, or party too much, and take really good care of the place. They fit that description, so they decided to take it.

The only hitch was that the renter was a missionary in Africa. And missionaries are supposed to be the most trust worthy of us all. They even talked to him on the phone, twice (in AFRICA!). So they trusted him. Then the missionary said that he would send the keys to the apartment when the couple sent him first month’s rent through Western Union. But still they trusted, because they were so happy that everything was falling into place.

But then the girl said, “Wait…is this a scam?” and the boy felt like a real dumbass for not seeing it sooner. So he looked online and quickly realized it was a scam, and whoever was running this scam had done it before…always with the ruse that they were missionaries in Africa or India who just wanted someone to take care of their house, and who should send the money through Western Union.

Moral of the story: the boy and the girl are still looking for a place to live, but Toronto is big and it’ll turn out happily ever after. Also…we didn’t send any money.

In other news. I competed the Olympic distance triathlon in Owen Sound yesterday. The plan was to swim hard, and have a fast second 5k on the run. What happened was I couldn’t move my arms or legs on the swim on bike because of all the training we’ve been doing. James and I rode 95k on Saturday with 40k of tempo and I think that’s still in my legs. Anyways, I ran 36:30 for 10k on what seemed like a slow day so I’m happy about that.

Kelowna and scammers: be warned…I’m on to you!

Enjoy. Part 2 is coming soon.

Needless to say, it’s been a crazy month. Try getting engaged. It’s wonderful, and it’ll keep you busy. But then throw in this thing called “it’s time to get established for the rest of your life.” Oh, and have Coach CT hammering you like he’s serious. And if you take all that, mix it with trying to keep hanging out with friends, a couple high-adventure whitewater rafting trips down the Ottawa river, a 26th birthday, and signing up with a union, you’d have an idea of what I’ve been doing the last little while. Good thing for Amy. It would not be such an adventure if she weren’t along.

Let me break it down so you see how life is going. Before doing that, though, I should say this: LIFE IS GOOD. I’m like a sponge, and I’m just soaking it all up. Metaphorically speaking, of course. Although the way Coach has gone after us in the pool, you might think that’s literal. Anyways, you need updates.

One: I got a full-time job (for at least a year!). Hurray! It’s at one of the schools I did my practice teaching at last year, and it’s 18 short minutes from where Amy and I looking for apartments. What a huge, huge answer to prayer that one was.

Two: Vince, Mikey, Smith (my best man) and I went whitewater rafting last weekend. It was the ultimate male bonding weekend. More ‘that’s what she said jokes’ and grunts of machoism than you could ever imagine. Mikey is making a video, which is coming soon.

Three: Triathlon is game on. Wow. When I read on the PTC blog two weeks ago that we would be “making our final push to Kelowna” I got really pumped up.  This week has been full of highlights, evidence that all season I’ve just been a pawn being moved by a master so we strike when it’s time. The last week looks like this:

Friday. SWIM: 4X300 on 3:55 + 150 on 3:45. My 300s were all around 3:42s. Followed immediately by 60k on the bike with 2X(10min steady, 4easy, 6race pace, 4 easy, 4don’t let Tom or James pass me, 4 easy).

Saturday. 15k run with 20minutes of “steady” in the middle. I covered 5.3k and it felt smooth as can be.

Sunday. Get pounded by Ottawa river.

Monday. 4500m open water swim (7X350 one hard, one easy), 40k easy bike, and the big daddy 7X1k on 6:30. Those stung. All between 3:12-3:18 on a pretty slow loop. Last two were solo. Forever burned in my brain is the image of CT holding up the “peace” sign when I asked, after going balls-to-the-wall on number 5, how many were left. His response: “it’s amazing how far you can push you body when you don’t know what’s next.” Isofacto, I’m a pawn.

Tuesday. Swim was 6X(3X100 on 1:40, 2 hard, 1 easy). Felt like S$%t the first couple then it was like the swimming gods said, “hey, here’s a new body. Enjoy!” Last 6 were all sub 1:10s (I haven’t gone this fast all year). Then a 30minute run. Then I flatted on our ride after 20k and we couldn’t fix it. Tom tried valiantly, though. I also turned 26.

Wednesday. Easy 3k swim (although I made 8X100 on 1:40 with a stupid band on). I dislike the band. Night workout as 90k bike, right into a 60minute run. Last 5k was all around 4minutes/k and it felt solid.

Thursday. Do nothing, and feel good about it.

Friday. Main swim set was 3X1000 on 14minutes. I had my doubts about this one, but I swam 13:15, 13:14, and 13:18. That’s a lot of 1:19s in a row, with very little rest, and again leaves me thinking: Coach knows his shit.

That’s it. Although if you made it to here, you’re somebody’s hero.

Apartment hunting tomorrow!

Big weekend for me. big, biG, bIG, BIG! Here’s the lowdown from the showtown.

Amy arrived Friday night. We went out for dinner at Moxi’s with Pete and Cathy. Delicious. Saturday during the day was pretty chill. I had an easy run, some bike cleaning, some movie watching, and an easy swim to do to get ready for the race the next day. Amy and I had plans to see Batman at night but that didn’t go down…

Because I proposed! And she said yes. And we’re getting married in December! Yeah, yeah, yeah. If you’ve been to this place before, you know what it’s like. Words can’t do it justice.

That night I had arranged for Amy’s whole family (and mine as well) to be in Guelph for a big, Italian dinner. Big surprise for Amy and a massive carbo load for everyone else.

On Sunday morning we saddled up and headed for Niagara. Both families came out and supported me. I had my best race of year, too! I swam fairly well, getting on the feet of the guys I wanted to be close to. The bike was a bit of a mess as another draft pack formed. I was sure (really, this time I was) to keep my distance. But the bike course was so, so flat it was impossible for anyone to get too far ahead. I got onto the run in 8th place. I felt great on the run, though, maybe because I was wearing Sharratt’s fancy pants one piece race suit. Between 1-3k, I moved into 2nd place. I was feeling really good so I went “balls-to-the-wall” for 3k. At 5k I knew I wasn’t going to get caught so I eased off a bit so that I could rip at the finish a bit. Hey, I had a fiance and the in-laws to impress! As I finished, my brothers were yelling, “He got engaged last night!” The announcer then said, “Maybe that’s why he’s running so fast!” (I ended up running 3:24/k which is on pace for a 34min 10k).

Anyways, weekend went by in a kind of blissful state. It’s a little cheesy to tell your fiance how you feel about her for all www to see. So I won’t.

But she’s great!