Race Report: Ironman 70.3 Calgary

About 1.5 years ago, on Feb 23, 2015, I woke up after having knee surgery. For whatever reason, when I woke I cried, violently, and even started screaming. The doctors had a hard time controlling me. I still am not sure why I cried so hard...but I think that it was all the pent up tears that I had held back during the struggles of the year before: being injured and not knowing what the injury was, being frustrated, watching girls I had beat win Ironmans and qualify for Kona, feeling lost and out of control. I tend to hold everything inside until I burst. So, perhaps it was the effect of the anaesthetics that made me lose all inhibition and react the way I did. Unfortunately, the struggle was far from over on that day. My prognosis was grim. The surgeon said that if I was lucky, I might be able to run again, but never over 10km.

People have asked me if I'm happy with my performance in Calgary. I will be honest, at first I was disappointed. The Miranda from 2013 would have run faster, placed better, been a podium contender. But then I think back to that day of my surgery, when I never thought I would compete in triathlon again, and I think, "yes, I am so HAPPY!" To be able to finish a half-ironman was a dream on Feb 23rd. And I came 10th and clocked a 4:35 for a competitive 70.3, with a top 5 swim performance, a bike performance comparable to pre-surgery and a run that I did with a strained peroneal muscle! So, I am really freakin' happy :)

Unfortunately, the after effects of this race have left me with a lot of aches and pains! Apparently 31 year olds don't recover as quick as 27 year olds :) I'm currently dealing with a peroneal strain, medial knee pain on my left and a possible strain in my right lateral quad and hamstring! Not sure where the season will go for here, but I will take it one race at a time!

Next up (hopefully): Bracebridge Olympic Triathlon!

Normally, I leave my thank-yous until the end of my post, but the following deserve a HUGE thank you early on in my report:

- One Capital and One Sports: One Capital Management has included me on their team of elite age group triathletes and supported me so much in the past few years. I've been able to train in California in the past and I got to visit and compete in beautiful Calgary for the first time.
- Bobby Libin: Thanks for opening your home to us and being such an amazing host and keeping the house supplied with lots of carb and good food pre-race.
- My parents for their continued love and support throughout this crazy adventure of mine. They travelled all the way to Calgary to be with me on my race, and that's just a small example of what they do for me every day.
- My health care team of David Lamy (RMT), Bill Wells (Chiro) and Michael Hong (Acupuncture). I wouldn't have been able to race this one without you.
- Adam, my coach and partner, for being designated sherpa and driving everyone everywhere this past weekend.
- All my readers for their support and for following me in my triathlon endeavours
- MultiSport Canada for getting me race ready for this event!
- Fellow athletes at the race and training partners, especially those at WattsUp!
- My other coaches: Kim and Nigel from NRG
- My sponsors: High Rock Capital Management, WattsUp Cycling, MultiSport Canada, The Urban Athlete, Fitt1st Bike Fitting

1. Pictures:

Pre-race truck shot. Yup, I drove that!

Team One Capital! Don, Larry (2nd AG), Troy (1st AG), Me, Alex (4th AG)

Getting set up!

Swim: The swim started out well, I positioned myself by Cait Snow, because I recalled we had swum together in past races. I lost her near the start as I battled to stay with the lead pack of 3 girls. I ended up getting stuck behind a couple of slower girls. Once I got through them I made a surge and tried to catch the lead swimmers, but I was working too hard and not gaining on the group. So, I slowed my pace a bit and turned my focus internally. I didn't feel great, despite a good warm-up my arms felt heavy, but I was doing the best I could. Once I reached the far buoy I made a turn around it and the sun blinded me. I have mirrored goggles, but even that didn't help. I ended up swimming right into a dock! Luckily the other girls weren't far behind so I hopped on their feet as they correctly navigated the course. I have yet to execute a swim this year where I stayed on course! Nonetheless, I exited the water tied with about 3 girls for 5th position and ready for the bike! (Photo credit: Harry Radford)

The bike: The course in Calgary was beautiful! Of course, my slow transition had me on the bike in 9th (I must work on transitions!). I worked hard the first 45km of the bike, which was a net uphill and into the wind. During the first half of the ride, I was passed by one girl and passed two. The last 45km of the bike was a net downhill with a tailwind, I got passed by another girl. I came off the bike still in 9th position.(Photo credit: FinisherPix)

The Run: best way to describe the run was "survival mode." I knew I didn't have enough volume of training in me to put together a strong performance here, so I just focused on finishing and being happy that I was running!(Photo credit: Harry Radford)

My biggest fans at the finish line!(Photo credit: Harry Radford)

3. Interview with another participant: TROY

Q. Name (first name only is fine), Age (or age group):

A. Troy out of San Diego. 55-59 AG

Q. One word to describe yourself?

A. After asking several people, the best word to describe my self is "Determined", it was a toss up with "obsessed" and " Plain Crazy" coming in Third.

Q. How long have you been doing triathlons?

A. 20 years this month

Q. What was one highlight of today's event?

A. going out of T2 and the announcer saying I was down by one minute on the leader in my AG. I thought I was 4th or 5th with a bad swim, but glad to hear I made it up on the bike. I caught first place guy (Miles out of Calgary) at 17k, and went by as he was walking aid station, at 19K I heard footsteps and pushed harder thinking he was about to pass. My left hammy was going into a cramp and did not know if I could hold on for 2K. He stayed right behind my until the last K when I started up the slight hill and ran like I was on fire to win by 16 secs. I collapse at the finished and went immediately into cramps. I was taking to Med since I could not walk and my competitor, Miles came over and stayed with me which showed great sportsmanship. We will see each other again in the 70.3 World Championship 2017

Q. What did you eat for breakfast?

A. I always have my Bagel with Nutella, 2 Ensure drinks with Beta Aline, and a salt pill mixed in. Us old folks don't eat much.

Q. What is the funniest thing that has ever happened to you in a triathlon?

It’s not why you may think. On the morning of IM AZ race with little time to go until the start I realized I forgot my salt in my car so I needed to run about a mile back to get it. By the time I got back the pro's were just talking off so I hurried to fill my dry clothes bag, put my wetsuit half way on and started to run towards the truck to drop off my bag when mother nature routed me to the nearest porta potty. I set my after race bag next to me while I did my business. When I stood up the bag fell over and my cap and goggles dropped into the forbidden hole. YES!! I was HORRIFIED to say the least!! I looked down and stared at my bright green cap on top and quickly retrieved it throwing it out the door with no sight on my googles. At that time I heard Mike Reilly announce 6 minutes to race start. It was still dark out and even darker in the potty. Basically I could not see anything. So for 2 seconds I started thinking of options and came up with only one that made sense. I went for it.....I plunged my arm down the hole and started fishing. They always tell you to expect the unexpected in Ironman, but this was ridiculous. I finally found the goggles in the bottom right corner where I quickly grabbed them, grabbed my bag (with the other hand) and open the door with about 50 athletes waiting to use the potty. You should have seen the look on their faces when they saw me opening the door standing there with one blue arm all the way up to my shoulder. I quickly ran to drop my bag off when a volunteer said they would take it to the truck. I immediately used water bottles lying around the ground to clean myself and the goggles off the best I could while running to the water’s edge. I made the front line within 30 seconds to the start!!! All I could think of was some disease I would have in my eyes by the time I started the run, Haaaa! Note to self: Never take your race bag into the potty!! Woohoooo!!!

Q. What is one of your top achievements, either in triathlon or in the rest of life?

Have been fortunate to have several achievements in life including bat boy for the LA Dodgers, my Pro card in Supercross, Free ride Pitching for San Jose State Spartans Baseball, but the biggest achievement was getting to the start of Kona 2013. In Feb of 2013 my father received news he had stage 4 lung cancer. I was getting ready to do Los Cobo Ironman in March. We were sitting together on a Sunday and he mentioned how proud he was with me throughout my athletic career, but would really like to see me race in the World Championship before time was up for him. I told him I will try my best to qualify to get him and Mom over to Kona Well I Finished 4th in Cabo with only 2 spots given so I signed up for Kentucky to see if I can still qualify for 2013 race. I had to take Dad in for a check up on a Sunday which was weird, and we were sitting in the waiting room on April 14th 2013 and I get a text, "Man, couldn't happen to a nicer guy" Huh? From a good friend Ron Anderson, I asked him if he was drinking or what? He text "congrats, in getting chosen in the legacy program of going to Kona".....WTF???? I forgot I signed up for the legacy program several months before so this came out of no where.. Well needless to say I am looking at my dad with his oxygen mask on, in a wheel chair, thinking, boy old man do I have some news for you.... and tears started to roll. I am going to Kona... for HIM!!!! That night I took out the family to dinner and wrapped up the email I received inviting me to Kona and gave it to the old man. He just said, I knew you would make it there with a tear in his eye and yelled, right on!....Woohooo!! Months went by and in Sept dad started going down quickly, He no longer could make the flight to Hawaii, but sent me off telling me he will be tracking me all day. Nothing can stop me from starting Kona, Not the double hernia I managed to sustain 9 days from the start, nor the Bee sting I received 4 days from the start while on a training ride. My face was swollen for 30 hrs with 103 body temp. Race day morning I felt tired and lethargic but nothing was stopping me to get that medal around dads neck..... The race started and by the time we were heading back on the bike I felt 100% Even the duct tape around my hernia wasn't hurting...Ha!! I finished in 11:20 and as soon as I crossed the line, My daughter handed me the cell with dad on the other line, we cried together that both of our dreams were achieved together. When I got home I placed the IRONMAN Medal around his neck and it was the last picture we have together. Dad died one month later.... So Kona 2013 was my biggest achievement and always will be. Woohooooo!!!!!

Q. When is your next event? Q. When is your next event?

A. Next Race is IM CDA followed by Kona followed by IRONMAN Cabo Oct. 30th to see if I can get a spot for 2017 Kona

4. TrainingPeaks/Quantitative Race information for those interested

WARMUP: 550m swim warmup with 3x40 strokes fast, then 3x20 strokes fast

SWIM: 1871m, 26:35 (~1:25/100m),

BIKE: Speed - 36.6kph, NP - 175W (3.25W/kg, 85% of FTP)**forgot to calibrate power meter, so this may not be accurate**, Avg HR - 160bpm, Avg Cadence - 85rpm

RUN: 21.1km, 1:39:10 (4:41/km), Avg HR - 174bpm, Elevation gain ??

Lastly, I'm going to close this blog with the lyrics from "Try Everything" by Shakira:

I messed up tonight | I lost another fight | I still mess up but I'll just start again | I keep falling down | I keep on hitting the ground | I always get up now to see what's next | Birds don't just fly | They fall down and get up | Nobody learns without getting it wrong

I won’t give up, no I won’t give in | Till I reach the end | And then I’ll start again | Though I’m on the lead | I wanna try everything | I wanna try even though I could fail | I won’t give up, no I won’t give in | Till I reach the end | And then I’ll start again | No I won't leave | I wanna try everything | I wanna try even though I could fail

Look how far you've come | You filled your heart with love | Baby you've done enough that cut your breath | Don't beat yourself up | Don't need to run so fast | Sometimes we come last but we did our best

I'll keep on making those new mistakes | I'll keep on making them every day | Those new mistakes

(Source: http://www.directlyrics.com/shakira-try-everything-lyrics.html)

Here we go!

My first half ironman in about 2 years is just 10 days away! So, I thought it a good idea to post a little update...

I'm not the same pro triathlete as I was 3 years ago when I was at my peak fitness. Since 2013, I have been battling injuries, recovering from surgery, going back to school full time, working more, struggling through the stress of significant life changes and trying to be the best stepmum I can be. This is markedly different from being the (mostly) care free triathlete I was. Back then I got to head south in the winters to train and my biggest worry was how to best recover for the next training session or whether my Garmin was working :) As a result, I know my fitness is not as good as it was - but I think it's still good enough to compete at the Pro level. I get to put that to the test on July 24th in Calgary and I'm looking forward to it!

So - what has my training been like in 2016? Well, I've been lucky enough to get some local races in! I placed second female in both Multisport Woodstock Sprint and Multisport Welland Long Course. We are so incredibly lucky to have the Multisport Canada series in Ontario. They put on the best organized races and ensure that everyone, from the beginner to the elite athlete has a great day. Since Welland, I stepped it up to 20 hours of training/week. Whether that was a good idea remains to be seen. It's always tough to find a balance between overdoing it and under doing it.

My swimming endurance has definitely improved (I'm swimming 5-6 days per week instead of 2-3). I get in 1 OWS with NRG on Wednesdays where I try to stay on the feet of speedy Brandon and Nigel. In the pool, I was even able to do 10x100@1:25 pace time again!

My cycling seems to have gone up a notch based on my last training session, where I held a NP of 183W over 55km (within a 105km ride) on the hottest day of the year - and split a PB for 40K of 1:03! This has largely been due to consistency. I built a strong base with regular training over the winter at WattsUp, without overdoing it. All the short, high intensity work on the trainer helped to develop my top end power. Now that school and exams are over (3 weeks ago), I have been able to get in some longer outdoor rides and develop better endurance. I'm hopeful this will allow me to put together a pretty strong 90k in Calgary!

My running, however, has taken a small step back. I have had some lower leg issues recently, possibly stemming from a stuck talus and fibula, that then caused all my lower leg muscles to tighten up. As a result, my running hasn't been very consistent. I did run a 4:20/km for 15km in a descending run on Monday - but have paid for it! I've been unable to run since. So let's hope all is well for Calgary.

So that's where life is at! Thank you for following along.

Race Report: Welland Long Course

What a day in Welland! I had forgotten how hard long course racing is, how important nutrition is and how much more time there is for things to actually go wrong. Nonetheless, I am very happy with my performance in Welland. It's been a long road back from injury and it feels like I'm inching closer and closer to my goals.

1. Pictures:

Pre-Race:

Love my chocolate milk! 17g of protein per serving

Soaking up the pre-race feeling of excitement and uncertainty

Pre-race focus

Swim: Had a great swim for about 1400m, I was in a pack with Nigel and another swimmer. Once Mat Reid passed us from the wave that started 1min behind, Nigel was able to hang on to his feet, but I didn't have the endurance to hang on. I was dropped and swam the last 700m solo. Currently, I swim 2-3km, 3x per week. This will start to increase now that school is done.

Bike: I was hoping to hold around 190-200W, as I had held 186W for 1hr40min in training. However, the heat was definitely a factor today, so I chose to ride more by feel. I ended up averaging 183W (186W normalized), which I am happy about. My best for 90km is 186W (192W NP), so I have some work to do, but I'm getting there! I also got stopped by a train in the last 1.5km, and my Garmin says I lost about 2min off my time - SportsStats has said they would make the adjustment for me.

Run: Wow! This was hot. I knew that I would have to be extra focused on this run. I stayed cool with sponges, water on my head, ice down my top...everything to stay cool. I definitely got a boost at every aid station and would slowly fade until the next one. I made up about 3 minutes to Angela on the run, but it wasn't quite enough. Still good for 2nd!

Finally, the finish!

Top 5 Overall Men and Women

Top 3 Overall Pros

2. Highlights:

- The first 1300 to 1500m of the swim! (See learning points).
- All the people on the course cheering my name! The NRG guys I've been training with were super supportive, as well as some of the athletes I knew from WattsUp, and the volunteers! Every time I heard my name I got a little boost of energy.
- The venue and course itself. What a beautiful place to host a race. Accessible, clean, showers on site, swim and run were spectator friendly and the bike course was on relatively smooth roads with little traffic...this makes me VERY excited for Barrelman and Welland is definitely a race I would like to repeat.
Learning points:
- I need to take in more nutrition. 320 calories on the bike and 150 calories on the run was too little for the 1700 calories I burned during those to segments of the race. I thought I would be able to tolerate more on the run, and I was wrong. So...during Calgary 70.3 I am going to aim for 650 to 750 on the bike (eLoad and JUJUBES!) so I can afford to consume a bit less on the run.
- I need to swim more than 3km in a workout. I was in a draft pack of about 4 guys. Unfortunately, my lack of swim fitness showed when I was dropped in the last 500 to 700m of the race. So, I likely need one longer swim of 4-5km once per week, with a 2km race pace set on another day.

3. Interview with another participant: MURRAY

Murray won his age group at Welland!

Q. Name, Age, One word to describe yourself?
A. Murray Cass. Age 61 (although my triathlon age is 62 apparently). I think the word would be stubborn. I'm sure my "friends" would choose a less printable word.

Q. How long have you been doing triathlons?
A. My first triathlon was in 2006. I did a kayak/bike/run because I could barely swim. Triathlon was my wife's idea. I had no interest. Triathlon seemed like a dumb thing to do. I just did as I was told.

Q. What was one highlight of today's event?
A. Well it was my first age group win. That was big, but more importantly I executed my race plan really well - a rarity for me. I am still a weak swimmer so I just tried to get through the swim. My cycling these days has not been up to par for some unknown reason. I actually have been training. So my plan was to just have a decent bike to set up a solid run. The forecast was for a hot day so I figured being small I would have an edge on the bigger guys in my age group. I left T2 about 10 minutes down and ended up winning by over 6 minutes. You might think that in the M60-64 age group competition would be easy. In triathlon competition is never easy.

Q. What did you eat for breakfast?
A. McDonald's hotcakes, hash browns and tea. I also had a bowl of fruit. My preference would have been bacon, eggs and toast, something I've been training with lately but it's hard to eat when you're not at home.

Q. What is the funniest thing that has ever happened to you in a triathlon?
A. It must have been last year when I crossed the finish line at Ironman Copenhagen. Michelle Vesterby the top female shook my hand and asked whether I was ok. I thought i was fine so I casually said "yup." A couple seconds later I threw up. Just missed her.

Q. What did you think about on the bike today?
A. Great question. I was focusing over and over again and how bloody lucky I am to be able to compete in such a fun event. I've had a rough year with friends' and relatives' illnesses and I am just incredibly grateful for being able to swim, bike and run. All my complaints are so trivial.

Q. What is one thing you are proud of about yourself, either in triathlon or in the rest of life?
A. I do not have an athletic background. To me athletes are those other guys, the guys who lapped me - with a smile - on the track in gym class many years ago. I feel uncomfortable when anyone calls me an athlete. So I am quite proud that I can actually participate in triathlon. Having gotten through three brain tumour surgeries between 1982 and 2002 and being seriously injured while cycling when hit from behind by a drunk driver doing 100 km/hour back in 1976 makes it even more special. I consider myself extremely fortunate. A nice thing about triathlon is that, although the details of my history are unique, the theme is fairly common: people, often overcoming adversity, to extend themselves and accomplish what they never thought was possible. That makes for an interesting group.

Q. What/when is your next event?
A. I am registered to do Ironman Maastricht in the Netherlands. It's in five weeks so this was my last prep event.

Q. What do you like best about the MultiSport Canada race series?
A. The races are very well organized. John Salt is responsive and cares about the participants. (See. I can't use the word athletes.) Personally I like being greeted by John at the finish line. The new Welland Rose City course is one of the best I've raced on. Again, my wife's idea.

4. Course Information

5. TrainingPeaks/Quantitative Race information for those interested

WARMUP: 10 minute bike, practicing getting my feet in and out of shoes while they were in the pedals, 550m swim warmup with 3x40 strokes fast

SWIM: 2093m, 28:51 (~1:23/100m), ~ 39 strokes/min

BIKE: Speed - 36.8kph, NP - 186W (3.4W/kg, 90% of FTP), Avg Power - 183W, Avg HR - 167bpm *including stop*, Avg Cadence - 85rpm

RUN: 15km, 1:08:27 (4:34/km), Avg HR - 172bpm, Elevation gain 192m

Thank-you:

- My parents for their love and support throughout this crazy adventure of mine. Papa has always encouraged me to make a career about what I am most passionate about. That happens to be triathlon, and I couldn't do what I do without my parents.
- All my readers for their support and for following me in my triathlon endeavours
- MultiSport Canada and all the volunteers
- Fellow athletes at the race and training partners, especially those at WattsUp!
- My coaches: Adam and Kim and Nigel from NRG
- My sponsors: High Rock Capital Management, WattsUp Cycling, MultiSport Canada, The Urban Athlete, Fitt1st Bike Fitting


Next up: Ironman Calgary 70.3!

Welland Interview: Murray Cass

In advance of my Welland Race Report, I wanted to post my athlete interview.

Featured participant: MURRAY

Murray won his age group at Welland!

Q. Name, Age, One word to describe yourself?
A. Murray Cass. Age 61 (although my triathlon age is 62 apparently). I think the word would be stubborn. I'm sure my "friends" would choose a less printable word.

Q. How long have you been doing triathlons?
A. My first triathlon was in 2006. I did a kayak/bike/run because I could barely swim. Triathlon was my wife's idea. I had no interest. Triathlon seemed like a dumb thing to do. I just did as I was told.

Q. What was one highlight of today's event?
A. Well it was my first age group win. That was big, but more importantly I executed my race plan really well - a rarity for me. I am still a weak swimmer so I just tried to get through the swim. My cycling these days has not been up to par for some unknown reason. I actually have been training. So my plan was to just have a decent bike to set up a solid run. The forecast was for a hot day so I figured being small I would have an edge on the bigger guys in my age group. I left T2 about 10 minutes down and ended up winning by over 6 minutes. You might think that in the M60-64 age group competition would be easy. In triathlon competition is never easy.

Q. What did you eat for breakfast?
A. McDonald's hotcakes, hash browns and tea. I also had a bowl of fruit. My preference would have been bacon, eggs and toast, something I've been training with lately but it's hard to eat when you're not at home.

Q. What is the funniest thing that has ever happened to you in a triathlon?
A. It must have been last year when I crossed the finish line at Ironman Copenhagen. Michelle Vesterby the top female shook my hand and asked whether I was ok. I thought i was fine so I casually said "yup." A couple seconds later I threw up. Just missed her.

Q. What did you think about on the bike today?
A. Great question. I was focusing over and over again and how bloody lucky I am to be able to compete in such a fun event. I've had a rough year with friends' and relatives' illnesses and I am just incredibly grateful for being able to swim, bike and run. All my complaints are so trivial.

Q. What is one thing you are proud of about yourself, either in triathlon or in the rest of life?
A. I do not have an athletic background. To me athletes are those other guys, the guys who lapped me - with a smile - on the track in gym class many years ago. I feel uncomfortable when anyone calls me an athlete. So I am quite proud that I can actually participate in triathlon. Having gotten through three brain tumour surgeries between 1982 and 2002 and being seriously injured while cycling when hit from behind by a drunk driver doing 100 km/hour back in 1976 makes it even more special. I consider myself extremely fortunate. A nice thing about triathlon is that, although the details of my history are unique, the theme is fairly common: people, often overcoming adversity, to extend themselves and accomplish what they never thought was possible. That makes for an interesting group.

Q. What/when is your next event?
A. I am registered to do Ironman Maastricht in the Netherlands. It's in five weeks so this was my last prep event.

Q. What do you like best about the MultiSport Canada race series?
A. The races are very well organized. John Salt is responsive and cares about the participants. (See. I can't use the word athletes.) Personally I like being greeted by John at the finish line. The new Welland Rose City course is one of the best I've raced on. Again, my wife's idea.

Race Report: Woodstock Sprint Triathlon

I decided to begin my 2016 triathlon season at the MultiSport Canada Sprint race in Woodstock! And it was such a great day - the rain stayed away and the sun was as bright as ever, highlighting the energy of this awesome event. For my race reports this year I will be changing it up a bit. It will be broken up into 5 sections:

1. Pictures
2. My top 3 to 5 highlights of the day (and learning points if there were any!)
3. Interview with another participant (I will be finding one other participant to feature in my blog for each event I am part of)
4. Course map with all relevant information for interested participants
5. TrainingPeaks/Quantitative Race information for those interested
(& Other notes, thank-you)
Look for this format after all my races, and if you would like to be my featured participant, find me on race day!!!

----WOODSTOCK RACE REPORT----

1. Pictures:

Ready to go! Woodstock was only 1hr15min drive from home

Getting set-up - I was a bit of a scatterbrain before my first race of the year!

Team HighRock Capital!
(Sara is a mum, teacher, she goes to school part-time and still finds to train - even at 4:45am sometimes)

Big hugs!

More big hugs!

Bike warmup

Contemplating the swim strategy.
(How can I be less than 1 minute down from speedy Angela Quick?)

I had a good swim, I stayed right with fellow Pros, Lionel and Mikael - I was consistent and strong. This felt great!

I didn't feel too great on the bike. The past two weeks I have quadrupled my bike volume and thrown in a few time trials, so this was quite expected. I think I should have pushed myself a little bit harder - but I tend to talk myself out of going hard on the bike sometimes, which is something I'll need to work on.

I could definitely feel that it was the first race of the season when I started the run - the fitness wasn't there yet! But I rallied and gave a good strong effort.

Lots of athletes out on the run - we help keep each other motivated.

Ahh, post race relief! Sprints can be harder than Ironman!

Ya, chocolate milk at the finish line! Good protein, fluid to re-hydrate and very yummy!

2. Highlights:

- Running my way to just 18s behind the leader, after being down 90s after the bike
- Seeing my sister, Sara, finish 3rd in her age group and run her fastest pace ever! (We've worked so so hard on getting her run faster than and it's nice to see her hard work paying off)

Awesome work, Sara!

- Getting to swim and stand on the podium with Lionel Sanders - I don't really get star-struck, but I find it amazing how determined and disciplined he is

A bit star struck standing beside Lionel

Learning points:
- Practice transitions in training! I lost 30-50s because I couldn't get my wetsuit off, had difficulties with my helmet and couldn't get my foot in my shoe at the start of the bike. That time cost me a win.
- Don't let negative thoughts in when you race. If you start to think negatively at all, stop those thoughts and think positively.

3. Interview with another participant:

Q. Name (first name only is fine), Age (or age group), One word to describe yourself?
A. Heather Crisp - I'm 62. I'd describe myself as "enthusiastic".

Q. How long have you been doing triathlons?
A. 12 years

Q. What was one highlight of today's event?
A. It sounds silly, but I had the fastest bib pickup ever. Thank you Multisport Canada!

Q. What did you eat for breakfast?
Two huge mugs of coffee and a hot cross bun with peanut butter and apricot jam.

Q. What is the funniest thing that has ever happened to you in a triathlon?
A. I was congratulating myself on a fast T1 and wheeling my bike to the mount line when a woman beside me said "I'd have trouble riding 40k in a wetsuit". Geeze!

Q. What did you think about on the bike today?
A. I went sideways at one point - it was challenging to keep upright.

Q. What is one of your top achievements, either in triathlon or in the rest of life?
A. In my first race, I won my age group and Lisa Bentley gave me my medal. That was special.

Q. When is your next event?
A. Welland long course on June 26th. It's my first race longer than Olympic distance and I'm excited about that.

4. Course Information

5. TrainingPeaks/Quantitative Race information for those interested

WARMUP: 12km bike on the course, with 6x10s HARD, the rest was easy, 2km run with some strides, 650m swim warmup with 3x40 strokes fast

SWIM: 836m, 10:32:47 (1:20/100m), ~ 38 strokes/min

BIKE: *forgot to hit lap, so this data is for the last 7km of the bike* Speed - 36kph, NP - 193W (3.6W/kg, 94% of FTP), Avg Power - 178W, Avg HR - 176bpm, Avg Cadence - 90rpm (yes, I think I was tired!)

RUN: 5km, 20:09 (4:01/km), Avg HR - 182bpm, Elevation gain 53m

Thank-you:

- All my readers for their support and for following me in my triathlon endeavours
- MultiSport Canada and all the volunteers
- Fellow athletes at the race and training partners, especially those at WattsUp!
- My coaches: Adam and Kim (and Nigel for letting my tag along on his Wednesday rides the past 2 weeks)
- My sponsors: High Rock Capital Management, WattsUp Cycling, MultiSport Canada, The Urban Athlete, Fitt1st Bike Fitting


Next up: Welland Long Course on June 26th! Join me - let's get the number of female participants at these races near to the males!

Event Recap: Spin the Lakes

I decided to kick-off my 2016 season with a Spin the Lakes 96K - the same course as the Muskoka Ironman 70.3 with an additional two kms. This was the first time I had actually participated in a bike only event and I had a ton of fun. Since this is my first event, I decided I would launch the new format of my race reports!

1. My top 3 to 5 highlights of the day
2. Interview with another participant (I will be finding one other participant to feature in my blog for each event I am part of)
3. Course map with all relevant information for interested participants
4. Elevation profile and quantitative information for those interested
5. Other notes, thank-you and such

Look for this format after all my races, and if you would like to be my featured participant, find me on race day!!!

----SPIN THE LAKES RACE REPORT----

1. My Highlights:
- Riding in a group environment with other cyclists AND triathletes together (the environment was right for both!)
- For the Muskoka 70.3 section: hitting a NP of 3.25W/kg and a time of 2:52 on a super hot & humid day (higher power/faster time than in Muskoka 70.3 2012)
- Getting to stay at Chez Lamy with Lois, Linda, Gary, Phaedra, Adam, David L and David B!

2. Interview with another participant:

Q. Name, Age, One word to describe yourself?
A. Linda - age - 53 - one word ... oh my there are so many BUT I guess the word that seems to best describe me both professionally and personally would be DISCIPLINED

Q. How long have you been doing triathlons?
A. I did my first Sprint in 2009 joining some of the ladies in my neighbor HOWEVER it was 2013 the year I turned 50 that I decided to do something that would totally push me outside of my comfort zone - completing the Muskoka Ironman 70.3

Q. What was one highlight of today's event?
A. The Muskoka course has always been a scary one for me - it's a beast. BUT on Saturday I rode consistent and confident - that was the highlight.

Q. What did you eat for breakfast?
A. Protein shake and a bowl of cereal

Q. What is the funniest thing that has ever happened to you in a triathlon?
A. Confidence is not something that I have a great deal of when it comes to sports. At the Muskoka 70.3 I was TOTALLY intimidated by the tri bikes, race wheels, slick helmets and full body tri suits - to the point that I did not even want to start the event (no joke - I was ready to bail before even starting I was so nervous). BUT I started, did the swim and got on my bike (one of the very few bikes left in transition). On the bike course when I turned onto North Portage and started to climb one of the very steep hills - I looked to my left and saw a guy riding a very expensive tri bike, wearing a race helmet, walking up the hill ... I checked his calve and noticed he was 34 years old - suddenly I heard Celine Dion (who I am not really a fan of) singing - " I am alive" - god knows where Celine came from BUT let me say it made me laugh and certainly gave me the confidence to go on and finish that event with a big smile on my face.

Q. What is one of your top achievements, either in triathlon or in the rest of life?
A. Two really cool kids!

Q. When is your next event?
A. Mont-Tremblant 70.3 June 26 (GULP)

3. Course Map/Elevation

4. Quantitative Information & Race Day Notes

Distance: 96km
Time: 2:58:52
Speed: 32.3kph
Elevation Gain: 807m
Average power: 156W - including 0s
NP: 176W (3.25W/kg) - including 0s
VI: 1.13
Heart Rate: 159bpm
Cadence: 76rpm
Nutrition on race day: 3-4L of fluid, 90g eLoad Berry flavour, 3 Zone Caps, 2 jujubes each 15km => ~ 1 to 1.3L/hour, 200 calories/hour (~4g/kg)
Notes: Power dropped off from 180W to 176W NP after the turn onto Brunel Rd. Probably lost a bit of motivation and, having not done many rides longer than 2 hours, fatigue likely set in.

5. Thank-you:

- All my readers for their support and for following me in my triathlon endeavours
- The volunteers and race organizers
- Adam, for writing all those workouts that made me super strong inside to prep me for my longest ride of the year so far
- My sponsors: High Rock Capital Management, WattsUp Cycling, MultiSport Canada, The Urban Athlete, Fitt1st Bike Fitting


Next up: Woodstock Sprint on June 11th!

Milk for Recovery!

It's a typical Wednesday morning, I've just done a hard workout (the first race of the MSC series is just a few weeks away!). I know I don't have much time to help get the kids ready for school, shower, get myself ready to get to work/school and get in some healthy food. I know that for a workout longer than an hour it is important to follow it with a snack within 30 minutes and a big meal within 2-4 hours. This will maximize my body's ability to recover and get stronger from a workout.

When you train hard, you break down muscle and you actually get weaker. However, that training is a stimulus to rebuild yourself stronger than before. You can only do that if you have the right building blocks: carbs, protein, vitamins, water, etc. But there's rarely the time to make a big meal post-workout sometimes. But how long does it take to drink a nice tall cold glass of MILK? Likely, less than one minute! And within that tasty drink are a ton of nutrients that can help you recover from a workout. Let's have a look at the nutrition label for 250 mL (1 cup) of chocolate milk:

As you can see it has:
1) Protein - This breaks down into amino acids, the building blocks of muscle.
2) Carbohydrates - This breaks down into sugar, which the body uses to build muscle and to make glycogen, the fuel for subsequent workouts.
3) Fats - Fats are actually stored in muscle to fuel you for longer rides. The more fat you can store in muscle the better for endurance. Fats have many other important functions in your body.
4) Vitamins - Vitamin D and Calcium are essential for bone health. And the other vitamins are important for the biochemical reactions in your body - like building muscle!

In addition to this, it tastes good and is so refreshing! So, for a super quick nutrient boost post-workout, MILK is my choice!!!

(Miranda Tomenson, MSc. is a profession triathlete, triathlon coach at WattsUp Cycling and has a degree in biochemistry and physiology.)