Spring Is Here!

This winter was not fun to say the least - it was one of the colder ones we've had. Because of this and having done one 70.3 and two Ironmans last year (last one in mid November), I took an extended break from training to allow some much needed recovery. Allowing myself to become a little deconditioned was good for me to prevent burnout and allow my body to rest. After a couple of months I started to get into a regular routine around mid January. Now that spring is here I'm looking forward to getting outside. Pictured above is one of the new additions to the stable. I want to incorporate some mountain biking to mix things up and bring some fun.

 I have made some decent gains from Zwift this winter. I did an outdoor 72km ride outside and I was surprised how good I felt. I will continue to use it once a week even during the summer. I look harmless don't I?!!

We've enjoyed some family activities as well. One of our favourites is Logan's special needs soccer. We've been doing this now for several years and we have so much fun.

Here's the other addition to the stable! Sara's new Cervelo P3. She was due for a new ride and this bike is awesome. This past weekend was its maiden voyage and Sara reports that it handles like a dream. Oh and the colour is awesome too according to her!

This August I will be back in Mont Tremblant for my 13th Ironman. Ironically, it will be 30 years almost to the day since my first Ironman in 1989 at Ironman Canada. I was 23 then and had no idea what I was getting myself into. I had been doing triathlons since 1984. I'm writing this from Windsor at the moment which was the site of my first race - an Olympic distance race.

I remember doing a half ironman (they went called 70.3 back then) the weekend before the Ironman in Orillia. There was no internet, coaching and there was a quarterly magazine - not much guidance available to recommend not doing a long race one week out. I was okay in Penticton til about the 16k point in the marathon and I did a lot of walking and shuffling from there. Nevertheless it was a life changing event and I still remember details like it was yesterday. 

Here's to creating more in Mont Tremblant - Cheers!

Ironman Cozumel #12

 

Ironman Cozumel, my second Ironman in 2018, was a pivotal one. It was my 12th Ironman which satisfies the major criteria for the Ironman Legacy Program and the path to participation to the World Championships in Kona. We arrived 8 days pre race to acclimatize and enjoy Cozumel. The race was the reason for the trip down but we also planned on having a vacation as well.

Sara was enjoying herself of course and liked that I was behaving myself because I could do Happy Hour runs for her and my daughter Emily.

All racked and ready to go. The race is unique in that there are 2 transitions. The swim is a point to point along the coast in the tropical waters - so clear and beautiful. The bike is 2.75 laps around the island and ends downtown then finally 3 out n back laps for the run through the town with all the nightlife.

Swim went really well. Although it was choppy I ended up with a PB of 1:07:30. It was odd because the buoys were not numbered and it was difficult to know where I was in the swim. I was pleased with the result.

Onto the bike I felt great. I thought the ride would have drafting but I was pleasantly surprised to see virtually no drafting whatsoever. The ride had pretty strong headwinds on the back side of the island but it was only for about 18k but 3 times. I was going along nicely til 60k when I flatted. I unfortunately had the wrong CO2 for the wheel size and had to wait for support to properly change it. Once I had a pump in hand it was all good but I lost 25 minutes and all momentum.

It took me about 30 minutes to get back into a rhythm but the rest of the ride was just hot and windy.

More heat on the run! I didn't feel great on the run. The accumulation of fatigue from Ironman Mont Tremblant and the 34C heat caught up with me. I developed a blister that impacted my run but I ran as best as I could. Sara enjoyed her margaritas road side while cheering though!

Finally number 12 is official in a time of 12:51. My 2018 season ended with one 70.3 and two Ironmans. My Ironman All World ranking for my 50-54 age group ended up with a 11th place ranking in Canada and ranked 381 in the world. 

Now on to Hawaii....

Cheers!