Changes

The aftermath of hurricane Sandy left a path of destruction!
Like the east coast of America my triathlon life has some wreckage ! I'm tired frustrated and sore and I don't know why !
On a positive note I was awarded the most improved triathlete award from my triathlon club at the awards banquet last week ! An award I'm very honored to receive !!! I could never have done it without the support of my family and friends to push me through!
Now my second half ironman is ready to show it's ugly face and I need to be ready to take it on and better my last seasons Time!
I just got of a strained muscle in my back and now my tendinitis is flaring up but once it's calmed down its time to start training !
Special thanks to all my Drtc friends who voted me most improved triathlete !

Life is an ironman

As each day passes I begin to realize why many people choose not to exercise!
They just don't have time ! A busy job busy life, kids and training don't seem to fit in !
I don't think I have had a spare minute in over two months ! Things just keep adding up!
As for my training things are coming together nicely and regaining my fitness that slipped away a little bit !
It's nice to know it stays around after I put so much into it !!! Lately I have been trying to watch what I eat and when it was planned out it was great but the busier I get the harder it is ! I will try hard to plan this weekend better !

Floating in space

So my extended break has been nice but it's sure time to get back in the swing of things ! I'm well on track to weight loss finishing the first week of calorie cutting and planning with a successful loss of 2 lbs !! Not at all what I figured would happen but happy none the less !
This is my busy time of year getting the winter snow camps set up and ready to rock with plenty of new changes it should prove to be interesting.
Change for some is very hard to accept and doesn't really go good for for many people ! I don't like change very much but totally understand that it's needed, if you look at the world as a big picture it's constantly changing and wouldn't survive if it didn't but along that road of change your bound to hit a pothole or two so keep your belt on this ride may get a little bumpy!
Lots of things happening in my world so much I could write a book but the coolest thing that happened is my two day triathlon coaching clinic !
It was an awesome weekend with a very experience person in the world of triathlon !
I learned a great deal and can't wait to put my newly found knowledge to work!

Ironman Canada not in Huntsville

In a way I'm happy that there is no chance I will have to sign up for a ironman race this year now that it's in Whistler BC but sad on the other hand that in 2014 I will have to fly to BC ! It's so costly to go there !
But any way on with plan A Syracuse 70.3 then Muskoka 70.3 in September plus maybe a short one between !
Had a great workout at legends tonight but still a little high on the calories with the lack of time this week !

Back in the saddle

So my first serious day back and things went good ! I said no to a box of doughnuts and an extra coffee so a win in my books ! I didn't stray off of any on my plans today so I will put my calories in as 2500 calories for the day!
I also logged a 40 minute trainer ride with a 5 km run/walk !! It was painful but even though it was a routine brick for me it still was the first one back so mentally it was a biggie !
If I didn't finish that one it could have been detrimental to this part of my training !
I think I will scale it back a couple of km and build it from there !

This is defiantly my hardest part of training

Great weekend

So thanks giving is over and I got to see all my family at moms ! It was real nice to have everyone together !
Lots of good food and laughs !!!
So the time has come to start thinking triathlon again, I worked hard this weekend getting my schedules made up and the meal plans done and I just have to do the work now ! Lol that sure sounds familiar ! When I lined up for my 70.3 in September I remember saying to myself on the start line (with a lump in my throat) I've done all the work now it's race time ! I still get shivers down my spine when I say that to myself !
Now is the hard part, staring down the barrel of a long winter of pool swimming and trainer riding !! the most difficult part of triathlon for me !
I'm going to weigh every Monday morning and I'm hoping for a two pound a week drop for the next 30 weeks, but judging from last years failed attempt of weight loss we will see how that goes!
Weight loss is a must for me this winter !

NCCP triathlon coach

I'm registered to take my coaches course next weekend !! I can't wait it's gonna be awesome !

Crazy world

I think that the world is getting crazier every day ! Some of the random things people come up with some times just blows my mind ! The greed and disrespect some people show is out of this world !
I'm trying to brush things off and keep the stress to a minimum but it's hard some days !
I'm still struggling trying to get back on the workout wagon but I'm really glad I've spent the last month reacquainting myself with my life ! I have 37 weeks left before my first half ironman of 2013 so at 2 lbs a week which is totally possible I will be a trim race weight !

Almost time

Well it's almost time to get going ! Things have been pretty slow on the workout front ! Lol
Plans are starting to cook up and I've been in this crazy sport long enough now I should be able to gather up the old mustard an get going ! My weight is up a little but still stable !
My first weight workout is this week and I think I will change things up a little !!
I had my schedule made up for the month of October but I think I will change it around ! I'm anxious to get my training under way but also have to be mentally ready for this !
My first race is in Syracuse NY on June 23 so things need to start happening soon!

Changes

Never hurt anyone !
Embrace it!!!

Almost ready !

So I think it's near time !
I'm going to get things under way starting this weekend I probably won't have my meal plan ready but I'm going with no junk 1 coffee and fruits veggies and meat ! It will be a difficult time the first couple weeks but after the initial blast of healthy food it will work itself out!
I'm also excited to get to the gym and do my weights !! Core core core is my focus !

Have a great day

First workout

Last night I did a 20 km bike !
Man have I put on a couple lbs ! Tomorrow it's a run or any kind of run/walk combo ! I have found over the last two weeks how important a break is !!! I've been able to almost live like a normal human, or as close to that as I possibly can !
Thanks for bearing through this awful extended break with me ! Im going to get things going soon in the weight room and work on my run !

One good thing

After completing my half ironman I have learned that if you put the effort in you can accomplish anything so when the going gets tough you just work harder !
Over the summer things made sense to me training hard for my event gave me the fire to keep going ! Today not so much just having trouble getting into it! I'm sure it will come I just need to light the fire again !
I will keep it going focus and keep a forward motion that's how I raced and how I will get through this plateau !

New season

Thinking ahead to next season, the first race on June 23 2013 in Syracuse New York! It's about 5 hours away and not nearly as hilly as muskoka 70.3 which I have another date with next year also!
I decided to think like my friend Liz who just attacked the race with the sole intention of a healthy happy finish which both of us had ! Other than the 2 weeks of down time I had I was feeling not to bad !
But right now I'm starting to miss the training and the feeling I get when I'm training!!!!
Monday I'm starting with a nice leisurely 20 km ride then a easy 6 km run on Tuesday !

Have a great week !

Time to change

It's been a fun month ! That theory of "eat what ever I want" or better yet "eat what ever I can" has taken its last weekend !
Jumped on the scales this morning and I don't even want to tell what it was !
I almost freaked ! But I sure needed the vacation from training, but I could have kept eating right !!!!
The eating part derailed long before the race ended, I blame that on lack of planning, with the increase of training I had no time to meal plan and that's not going to happen again. I have 38 weeks till Syracuse 70.3 so I better get my ass in gear ! I'm going to start right from the start as if I'm a big super fatty again.
I lost sight of my goal of fitness and weight loss and I'm not going to loose sight again !
Being addicted to food is like a drug ! Only it's legal and it's all around me ! You can't stop eating, but there has to be a way, two whole summers of training and thing still are un changed i figured id be 220 by now !
I know there will be some discomfort involved with the transition to eating clean again but it needs to be done, about two weeks and the withdrawal symptoms should be disappeared they are strong symptoms and you have to be tough to beat them !!!
I hope triathlon has made me s little stronger to beat it this time !

Off season fun

I love to eat!
Little Caesars pizza !

Still off

Still haven't laced a shoe, turned a wheel, lifted a weight or swam a stroke. I feel like I'm getting fatter and fatter by the minute, this weekend will be the start of my winter off-season training I have a big season coming up next year and I want to make sure it's a successful one just like this year. The Syracuse 70.3 will be a fun race with plenty of my triathlon buddies joining, I'm hoping my brother-in-law will join me on the 70.3 next summer !!! I'm going to attempt to Muskoka one as well as Syracuse 70.3 Id like to teach the Muskoka course a lesson and trying get my 45 minutes back I lost on my run.
Some times it's good to change things up a little and I defiantly need to change something since my weight loss was non existent this summer. !
The long road continues !! From fat to thin my road to ironman !

Big plans under way

The wheels are in motion ! Looks like Syracuse 70.3 in June then muskoka 70.3 in September unless the muskoka course gets the ironman Canada next year like they are planning !

Still thinking about my race

The last couple weeks has been a blur, for most the start of their weeks are Monday ! Well mine are Wednesday!!!!
That is the furthest day away from Tuesday my methotrexate day, although I feel like crap on the Wednesday I know it only gets better from here !
This week is exceptionally difficult due to a full week of health and safety training, it's like watching a pot boil and as about as exciting as the dentist, the teacher is pretty good he ads as much excitement as possible but I think he even knows it sucks!
I spent some time today thinking about my race and the finish time of 8:10 which is good I guess for me the heaviest triathlete there ! I really figured 7:41 and I know exactly where I messed up ! I really wanted to run faster but I didn't and now it's starting to bug me !
I don't think I pushed hard enough, my one mistake was setting my watch for the 8:44 I knew I could walk it in and that's what I did near the end ! I even stopped to read a plaque on the way lol I think I may have said that already but it is what it is!
Weight loss is my primary goal again this off season but it will happen this time !!!

Safety training

For one week ! Omg this is going to be wild !
Still trying to decide what to do for the off season. !
Maybe one more week off then back at it !
Need to start thinking about next season, from the looks o things its going to be Syracuse 70.3 and muskoka 70.3 !! But why the same race you say? Well I really want to have a bit of a word with the run section of this course ! I don't think that I gave it the punch I needed to!
I kept watching my watch and I had plenty of time to finish so I coasted!
I even stopped once to read a plaque on a tree lol !
So next year I'm gonna give it hell!

Think about the future !

I guess it's time to think about my future !
At what point do I need to take a break and concentrate on what I need to do !
I have no interest on getting on the bike, doing any kind of run or going near a pool to do anything other than float around !
I totally agree my body needs to rest but wow when does the excitement come back ?
I need to focus on weight loss and cardio that's my first plan and what I need to do !
I can't do another season fat !
So the battle begins again ! :)

Week off

Also I decided to take a week off triathlon !
Yay free time today !

The run !

I was very happy with my run ! The only part I'm not to pleased with was when I got tired I walked ! That was the point that I should have kept going !
My feet were fine I was just tired !
But yes I did finish and was able to finish strong !!!
I ran faster than I ever thought I could at the end of the race !
I was fortunate they had lots of food and fluids out on the run portion of the course !

The second part of my race

THE BIKE

So on my bike I get ! Ready to go feeling good and everyone is passing me but I had a plan and I stuck with it ! Just like my training !!!! I was going to ride exactly like I trained ! Slow and steady up to the 45 km marker then I'd pick it up !
So I passed the 45 km marker and proceeded to turn on the engines but the only people I passed were the people that some of the weaker people that didn't have the strength to push hard on the flattest part of the course!
I witnessed a couple crashes one was serious for the rider the other was serious for the bike, other than that it was the only crashes I had seen !
I was feeling real good at the 60 km mark but was trying to decide if I had enough liquids to make the rest of the bike !
I arrived at the aid 2nd aid station after only taking food at the first one and sticking it in my bike for emergency I decided to take on some water and more food.
I still had 24 km left to ride and half marathon to complete !
I was just about to just into the hardest part of the course and the athlete in front of me lost their water as I passed I noticed it was their only bottle and I quickly thought, do I have enough? So I offered up the water bottle and they took it, why did I put my race in jeopardy ?
I don't think I did because I had lots of water !
After thinking about it I could have been disqualified for helping another athlete !
So I finished the hardest part of the course and rolled into transition !

Here is a pic of me drinking on the bike

Very long week !

So the end of the week approaches and still very tired ! I have not trained at all this week due to my body still being angry at me ! My week long holiday leading into my 70.3 ironman was one of the best times i have ever had! I was able to spend the week with my family and topped it off with my race!
Now about my race ! My race morning started early !!! About 400 am because of the excitement of race day !
One mistake I made was the amount of walking and lack of sleep the two days before ! Our condo was about 2.5 km from the main building and transition so the day before with athletes meetings and taking my bike to transition along with mindless wandering due to nerves was about a 12 to 14 km walking day in the poring rain and cold temps!
The night before the race I was so tired I slept pretty good but not long enough and awoke race day feeling not bad !
Race morning I was almost the first to transition and stayed there most of the morning fiddling with my stuff ! My coach came by to check on me and talked to me calming me down greatly it actually felt like just a training day with him close by ! I absolutely knew I could do the distance in the allotted time I just had to do the work !
I finished setting up my transition and after the 100 th time checking it over I felt it was time to go to the swim start !
I put an old pair of shoes at the swim exit due to the long walk/run up the hill to transition ! Then we proceeded over to the swim start ! The mood of the athletes was nervousness for most and I heard lots of talk of first time for lots of folks but me I wasn't nervous at all ! I had biked it twice and had no trouble running it from my success over the last few weeks of long runs!
I put my wetsuit on and got in line with my wave of 40 to 44 year old green caps !
Down into the lake we went and filtered into the water ! The bottom of the lake was terrible squishy with tons of weeds so I went deeper and just floated waiting for the horn !
When the horn blew I waited for a second for the guys to get going and started to swim ! I was looking for a pair of feet to draft but couldn't find any that we're going strait most were swimming more sideways than strait so I kept looking, we rounded the first floaty and started swimming across the lake and still I hadn't found anyone to draft yet ! As I rounded the next floaty heading down the lake I noticed most of the athletes were making a wide sweep ! I thought I was in the wrong spot because I was the only one bit I kept going
It was a good thing I did because they all went way out of their way !
I felt someone on my toes so I just kept my pace up then about half way down the lake I turned it up a little and brought my heart rate up to 165 then backed out of it a little when I was in the home stretch ! As I climbed up the steps I was very mixed up and kind of standing there for a second and I herd Erin's voice yelling go go go then I went over to the peelers to get my wetsuit off I got up and was looking for my shoes still very confused I then herd erin yell again your shoes are over here so I slipped them on to run up and I could hear my moms voice saying are you ok ? But I couldn't seem to speak !
Up the long hill to transition I ran !


This is a long story so I will brake it up in parts !

More tomorrow !

Finish picture

One more recovery day

I'm very sore still and very tired !
I'm giving my body and my Mind a break !

Down day

Still just completely worn out after my race !
I'll have a full recap and pictures hopefully tomorrow !
Today it's hard to walk ! Every step is killing me !
But it's all worth it !

Finished !

Race day

Ironman Muskoka 70.3 is finally here !!!! I'd like to thank everyone who got me here !!! I know it's been difficult at times !! :)

You have all held up your end of the bargain and worked very hard to get me here now it's my job to finish this off!

Thanks to my family, friends, and everyone who played a part in this special day !!!

I guess it's time to go racing !!!!!!

Ready to race

So this is it ! Set my alarm for 445 am eat breakfast by 515 am 3 waffles 1 coffee and about 10 macaroons !
I know I know chocolate for breakfast !
But try to keep 270 lbs going hard for 7 hours and 41 minutes !
I will try to put up to the minute posts tomorrow if my daughter can figure this out !
Anyways here we go my next step to ironman !

Day before race day

So it's 345 am and I can't sleep ! GREAT:(
I'm not going to worry about it because I can still nap today and hope to get a good sleep the tonight before the big day !
So 24 hours from now I'll be standing at the start line ready to put all this training to use !
After all the hours I put in its finally time ! The way I see it unfolding is like this "IT'S NOT GOING TO BE PRETY " the swim will go as normal!! The only problem I have is the large number of others in the water at the same time but after the first 400 m of thrashing around it should have worked itself out to be a normal lake swim for myself.
Then I am totally expecting to see some of the wave ahead of me on the swim before I get out ! But you never know with this sport !
I'm not sure yet if I'm going to use the wetsuit strippers or not !! With the cold temps it might be better to run up warm and dry off instead of running up cold this all will be a game day decision.
The run up the hill to transition is a difficult one !!! I'm going to leave a pair of shoes on the green to run up the hill in to save my delicate feet !!! I'm not sure how much they are going to like me tomorrow so I better be nice to them.
I'm going to start the bike with all my gear on, I'm just trying to decide what I will wear for a top because want to run in my DRTC tri suit so I will for sure have it on under anything I ride in !
I'm not expecting any trouble on the bike at all, maybe just some minor fatigue !
Then my nemesis !!!! The run !!!!!!
I'm expecting a good run, but slow nothing fancy I'm just going to get out there and run !
I'm expecting 3 hours and 15 minutes but you never know my run keeps getting faster over the last few weeks !
At the end of the race I'm going to have some chips and dip along with a cold Budweiser tall can !

So I better try to sleep again !! If not I'll be back !

Ironman 70.3

Here we go ! Arrived at the race al registered for Sunday !

My last workout before my big race

Yeaaaaaaaa!
Last workout before my Muskoka 70.3 Ironman!
Remarkably I made it through my swim in the pool with ease! I expected some pain In my shoulders because without my wetsuit on I'm that much deeper in the water !
My first few laps were bad I thought for sure I was in trouble but as my workout progressed it started to get much better!
Today is packing day! Check and clean my bike get all my gear out and check it over, clean and pack the truck then rest
The big day is near

It's all over but the crying

All I have left is a 1500 m swim tomorrow then that's it ! Two days of rest then it's on !
A full year of training for 7 hours and 41 minutes of excitement ! At least that's my plan
I hope it goes well ! Coach Paul told me to just let it come out ! and that's what I'm going to do ! I'm still going with my original plan of pace pace pace then let the horses out at the end of the run.
The amount of support that's going to be there is going to be incredible many many people will be on site to watch this amazing day unfold!
Tomorrow will be packing and checking things over then out the door early Friday morning to head to Deerhurst resort !
I'm a little sad my wife didn't get get dream vacation this year because she's been so busy keeping me in check for this race ! Her and my kids have had a hell of a job !
But it's soon going to be over !
I hope to have race day posts available on my blog site if my daughter can figure this out for me !


Have a great night

Hmm

So this morning while surfing the web i came across a tri forum and this was one of the posts from a topic " why are so many triathletes fat"

I'd love to meet this person who posted this !


Re: Why are so many triathletes fat?

[omoore61] [In reply to] Quote | Reply
I think calling a lot of people that i see training or racing "triATHLETES" is pretty generous, i usually refer to them as people who do triathlons.

Meeting coach

Have a meeting with coach Paul today I have a couple race questions and a couple next season questions then a little bit of running around to do for the week.
I have a 20 km ride to do today sometime then I'm going to stretch really good and rest! Oh and hydrate also !
I have a bit of a head cold that I hope doesn't get any bigger ! I sat in the hot tub at pine vista and that's my big mistake ! I think hot tubs are full peoples germs !!! But anyway I hope it's a short one !
The kids first day of school !! Good luck kids!

6 more days

So here I am sitting on the shores of Stoney lake thinking about my 70.3 ironman and how to go about it! All my planning, advice from friends, and training should have me ready ! I need to trust that it's done it's part and now I have to do mine!
Everyone that's had their hand in my 70.3 race has completed their end of the bargain except me! I need to race !
I can see in my wife's and family's eyes that they are at the end of their triathlon training and I think they're glad because getting an athlete to the finish line is a team event but it's just the athlete that has to race!
My wife Erin is an complete solid rock for me and keeps me going even though she is completely worn out I know that without her this wouldn't be possible ! For dealing with my worn out moods to preparing training meals to driving me here and there also doing everything around the house !
My oldest daughter Jenna is a splitting image of her mother always putting me and my triathlon ahead of everything else and doing everything needed for me to complete my goal!
My second oldest daughter Abbey really came to bat over the last couple months and I'm so very proud of her for watching her brother and taking care of things on the nights Erin and I were completely exhausted ! It's nice to know that you have back up in your corner!
My youngest Jeff JR is the one I feel sorry for and doesn't really understand what I'm doing, I think he just thinks I have no time for him and I see it in his eyes!
I have a huge pile of "make up" after this is over ! But I'm so thankful to have a solid team like "TEAM DRINKLE" behind me!
I was sitting here on the shores of Stoney lake this morning thinking of all the people responsible to get me here and the list is lengthy !
My coach Paul Johnson of "Team Iron Motivation and all the experienced athletes on the team have done a huge amount in getting me here !
My friends played a huge role also putting up with my triathlon filled brain they must be real sick of hearing about it, it's also hard for them to comprehend the whole idea ! It's tough for anyone that doesn't do this sport !
I have another group of friends that have alot to do with my success ! My tri buddies who answer many questions and always have great things to say to help me along this incredible path! I thank all of them !

This week is an important week of rest and hydration for me !
Have a great day !

Sunday morning 10 km taper

So today I had the most amazing run 10 km in 1 hr and 15 minutes I kept the same pace up for the whole thing with no walking!
So here is my run race plan!

I want to have my second half of my half marathon at a faster pace than my first half ! The same as my bike but I know that will happen because of my 45 km rule ! (after 45 or so km my body just lights on fire) so the bike part is taken care of !
Then onto the run ! I just have to not get caught up in the race excitement and just run my own race !
So I'm adjusting my times to suit my current pace !
46 minutes for the swim
3:45 minutes bike
2:55 minutes run
5:00 minutes T1
5:00 minutes T2

5 minutes run up to T1


That equals 7hrs and 41minutes!

That is my goal !
Any faster and I will be happy
And as long as I just finish if things go extremely bad I will be happy!

I am right on track to having a successful ironman 70.3!

My regrets? Yes I have some !
This is my second season and I have stayed at the same weight as i was at the beginning of the season !

My next years goal ! 220 lbs! Or a lower body fat %

Pine vista resort

Taper =

Trouble sleeping

I'm not sure if it's the upcoming race or the medication or just life itself but lately I've been having trouble sleeping!
I'm tired lying here typing away but can't seem to fall asleep !
I will give it one more try then I'm getting up and starting my day !

Busy night

Off to pine vista tomorrow
Of course I'm biking up '

My last brick of the season

I'm happy I finished off my training on a good note !
I decided to try out my compression socks tonight and what a world of difference on my foot pain!
It was history !!! So I researched peroneal tendonitis on the Internet (lol) and what does it say ?
Compression socks !! So I have 2 more runs before ironman I will give it a try then decide of its going to be used in the race ! Also after consulting with coach Paul on the whole thing !
So my day off tomorrow then a 66 km ride Saturday 10 km Sunday off Monday and then a couple short ones after that !
Have a great night

The day is near

I don't know if it's excitement or nervousness but it's something !
I will be glad to see it over though !
Lots of hours training, thinking and planning and it all comes down to one day !
That's quite a risk !! I don't want to get sick or hurt I'm walking around on egg shells plus with the drugs I'm on i can pick up a virus just like that so I'm extra careful. No touching people washing my hands, eating at home ! Every precaution must be taken ! I will go over my bike with a fine tooth comb next week while I'm off to make sure it's ready !
Rest rest rest
Have a great night !

Almost time !

I'm wondering if I will be able to keep my pace low and not get caught up in the race !!
I have put lots of time into going slow but it's mostly due to my fatigue ! How will I react with a fully rested tapered body ? I can't wait to give it a try ! My bike/run today was ok, the bike was a bit tough but the run was good ! My pace is getting faster and faster and running is getting fun !
I excited about my up coming September training plan and I can't wait to see what my taper week will include !


Have a great night !

The day after ironman Canada

So I have had a day to try to imagine what my two friends are going threw!
In my eyes they are amazing athletes to even attempt such a task ! The years and months of training they have done is an iron task itself !
The race I think is the reward for all the hard work and there is so many different factors at hand when it happens !
Hydration, nutrition, sleep, temperature, what mood your in, injuries, state of mind, wind, mechanicals, rain, the day before, the week before, many many things all depend on the stars to line up!
I've been asked if I'm ready and I and I say yes I'm ready but will I do everything right? That is yet to be decided ! The only time I can guarantee I'll cross the finish line is the second I'm close enough to see it and even then it will be not certain until I cross !
So I'm going to try to have a solid game plan for hydration, nutrition, rest, sleep, and mechanical and just go out and do the work !
Everyone else will have completed their end of the bargain !
My coach did his part by getting me ready my family took the brunt of the grumpy tired triathlete and pushed and pulled and ignored all my funny crappy moods ! My friends always gave a listening ear when I talked endlessly about my sport !
My triathlete friends kept me on course and offered advice and encouragement when times got tough!
I have a few friends I trained with regularly that were a big part in gettin me where I am today !
So today coach paul told me in an email it's getting close to race day and I have to be careful and keep myself in a bubble so that's my goal this week and next !
Safe easy training no injuries do my taper and rip the race course up in two weeks !!!
Have a great night!

The Ironman gods are hard to get along with sometimes

My two friends in the ironman Canada race today unfortunately were unable to finish :( both these amazing athletes are very dear to my heart ! John who is a seasoned veteran always shares his vast knowledge of how a big man has to behave to be a triathlete although it took me a while to understand along with Susan they persisted on telling me to slow down and pace myself and this last month I have done that and found a really nice groove !
But unfortunately John was unable to finish :( the only thing I know about right now is that he is in the med tent susan is keeping me posted!
The other amazing athlete is Karen last year I trained alot with Karen and got to know her very well and was always there to answer all my newbie questions !
Unfortunately she was unable to make the bike cut off :( she missed it by 4.5 seconds :(
From reading my coaches blog she is physically fine but very disappointed !
I'm very upset also knowing the time and effort these amazing athletes put into their training !
So all my big training is done I finished my big ride of 110 km this weekend and my longest run was last weekend of 24 km but u had an 18 km run this weekend I just flew through and I'm very happy about that !
So begins my taper I don't know what to expect I've been in high gear doing big mileage and lots of training hours and I know I have lots to do around the house but I need to rest, I start holidays on Friday so that means I'll be home all day for the week leading up to my big day! I will probably go stir crazy lol !
Another issue I'm having is what I'm going to do once I go back to civilian life with my next years races unsure and a goal so far away I think I will emotionally be disturbed with the lack of drive ! I hope it doesn't get the best of me !
I'm also a little nervous about hitting the pool again I've always had troubles in the pool with my form it really aggravates my shoulders so I will really have to look at my form a little more this winter !
I'm trying very hard to stay awake to hear from Susan on johns condition but my busy weekend is getting the best of me !
I will set my alarm to check for a message from Susan

So far sunny

The race day is finally on the 14 day forecast ! I guess I can officially start freeking out now !
Had a nice ride yesterday but a frustrating one ! Very hot and just couldn't get going but I made it ! The last long ride of the year !

Last long bike of the year. !

Livestrong !

Very emotional day

So today I had my fastest 10 km EVER I ran 10 km in 1 hour 10 minutes and felt great ! I have noticed my peroneal tendon in my left foot is pulling a little bit but no pain as of yet!
I had such a good run I just can't believe it I had my hands up in the air the whole way down my street cheering myself into the driveway !! I'm sure my neighbors thought I was nuts lol
The bad news Is that this year is going to be the last ironman Canada race which is very upsetting to me !
I wanted this to be my first ironman race but it will never be!! This race is very important to the people in my club and I would have loved to follow in their footsteps and made that my ironman but it will have to be another one!

Lots of tired triathletes

Tonight's swim brought tired athletes to the shores of lake simcoe for the final Wednesday night swim ! Some athletes have recently finished their A race some are completing it this weekend and some in two weeks but you can bet that most will be done in three weeks !
For some there will be rest ! Which I'm going to take for the month of September and for others unstructured training I think I will ease back into it in the month of october maybe 5 days a week till December then go to six I don't want to end up resenting this sport by not having a life for the full year !
I'm still going to hold tough on the no hockey idea because it's a huge chance to get Hurt ! Something I don't really need !
Next years races are starting to get planned ! So it's shaping up to be a fun next season !

Hard to complete

Tonight's training was difficult ! Intact I wasn't able to complete it !
I did my 30 km bike and I was 4 km into my 6 km run and had to through in the towel !
I bought a new pair of shoes yesterday but it wasn't from them I think it was from the lack of sleep last night ! But none the less I didn't finish which probably means nothing, it was only two km but the mental part that I wasn't even able to walk it out will be a difficult one to handle !
I have one more brick this week and two next week then taper starts ! Thank god !
I'm starting to get a little nervous about the race now !!! I'm not really sure what I'm nervous about but I'm just nervous!
My pre race plan so far is as follows !
Subject to change of course after I talk with my coach !
I will swim the swim in my cruse mod which means I will find a pair of feet of equal or just a little faster then myself and will put it in cruse control oh ya I forgot for breakfast on race day it's waffles coffee and maybe a bacon sandwich ! Followed just before the swim by Gatorade pre game shot !
As soon as I exit the water I will hit a gel ! I'm not sure if I will carry it in my wetsuit or hit it first thing at my bike I will ask coach !
Once on the bike for the first 25 or so km I will ride at about 60% then after i hit between the 35 and 45 km I will shift it into high Gear eating a gel evey 20 minutes and drinking my Gatorade with heed in it every 10 minutes At about the 30 km mark I will eat my first quarter of my peanut butter sandwich then a quarter every 30 km after that leaving me with one quarter to eat after the first 45 minutes on my run, I will continue eating gels every 20 to 30 minutes as the Gatorade will be mostly gone because in only bringing one in my hop pouch on the run and the water will come from the aid station !
My run will consist of running for the first km then as I move threw the km I will decide If a run walk will be needed! I'd like to run the whole thing in under 3 hours with the bike at 3.5 and the swim at 45 so 10 mins for transition that makes 740 plus 5 mins for the run up so say 7:45 I will be happy within!
Have a great night !

IMMT

We have some new ironman finishers in this world!! Congrats to my friends who finished Ironman Mont Tremblant!
Great job everyone !

24 km on the books

Well I did it with some bad foot pain and and a shoe change half way !
That was a tough run ! I remember in the winter when I thought the training was going to be turned up a notch and it wasn't and I was a little disappointed well I wish I was at that point right now! I'm just so exhausted its hard to even think !
This was my last long run today next weeks long run has been cut back to 18 km which will be a walk in the park!
Next week will be my longest bike of 110 km but I can handle that!
Have a great night

Longest run of the season

24 km today !
Mentally not ready physically tired !
But I'm gonna go grind it out !
The only reason I'll stop is if I'm hurting bad ! I don't want to pull anything this close !

Muskoka training today

Had a great training ride with my friends today !
Tired .

Bad day

Today was one of those bad days ! I made my whole bike but it was slow and I managed to get through 8.5 km of my 10 km run still on course to finish my run section of my 70.3 ironman in 3 hours !
I think I'm just exhausted ! But I was having a little foot pain that's also why I called it early ! No need to tear anything so close to race day !

Have a great day !

Here is a pic of my new rims !

At the hospital

I arrived early to the women's college hospital in Toronto for my appointment because you never know how long it will take to find parking or to get to the hospital so I have always arrived early so I wasnt ever late!
I'm hoping to get taken off of the methotrexate today but I'm wondering if that will cause a problem so close to race day?
I will check with the doctor and see what he says!
I've spent the last few days wondering what it will be like in a position were I have no race planned ! I'm wondering how long it will take me to whined down from this crazy ride I've been on!
I've 90% decided that an ironman next year might be still out of reach but not out of the question !
My other option will be two half ironman and one long bike ride like the grand fondo
That will still be a busy summer but not as emotionally exhausting as an ironman !
I'm thinking of the New Hampshire 70.3 ironman then the muskoka 70.3 ironman again ! I'd like to do it with my brother-in-law I think he would do amazing at it!


Have a great day !

A post from a friend!

Long after the t-shirt has faded,
Long after the medals are put away,
Long after the resuls are forgotten,
The memories will last forever of knowing what you have achieved.
Good Luck to all the athletes from Durham Region racing this weekend at Ironman Mt Tremblant.

Some people don't understand

I think over the last couple weeks things are starting to come together ! My body is feeling good my brain is feeling good my life is good,
There was a person I was talking to the other day that always knows someone that does triathlon ! Someone faster, better and in awesome shape and they said to me " I think you train to much ! You are taking it to the extreme "
I didn't say anything just nodded and smiled ! I didn't feel like arguing !
Triathlon is an amazing sport but if you don't show it respect and do your work it will take you down!
I hear things like " oh I can do the bike and the swim but the run I think I would have trouble with "!!!! Most people don't get that you swim 2 km and bike 94 then do a half marathon for a cool down !
I wish it was easier for the people to understand !!! But they don't !!!


Tomorrow I find out if I can get off methotrexate !!! Yayyyy
Have a good night !!

22 km yesterday

What a great milestone in my training ! 22 km worth of running and I lived to tell about it !
I even cut the grass after and tried to fix an electrical problem in my house!
I was in a tiny amount of pain today but nothing like usual ! Just like a gentle type pain that felt like I ran 22 km !
Next Sunday is 24 km then it's all down hill from there! Taper taper taper! Then race day !
I'm having a little problem now with wondering how I'll fit back into mainstream again after the Race is over !
How will I adapt to life in the off season ? I won't know that question I guess till it happens !
I am a little worried though !

Have a great night!

4 weeks to ironman 70.3

Getting excited
Yesterday was a crazy day ! We woke up early to go swim and got almost up to the lake and it was too dangerous to swim so coach called it which is always the safest thing to do ! Then I went back home to get my bike out or my 100 km ride and away I went! I was going to hit the enniskillen hill then take on the hills of mosport, but at the 16 th km I broke a spoke !!!!!
So I called Erin to come and get me then we went on our way to D'ornellas to get the repair done!
The bike mechanic advised me the wheel would be Ok to train on but he wouldn't race on it !
On the way home I messaged my frien to see how her ride was and they were pinned down in a small town about a half hour north in the cold and rain so I shot up to get them!!! They both have big races coming up and there was no sense for sickness or injury plus it extremely dangerous to ride in that type o weather!
When I got home I jumped back on my bike to finish my 100 km but the weather was still dicy, I completed 56 km of my ride and called it myself due to weather !
Home for pizza!!!!!

Now I'm off for a swim to Cobourg with John followed by a 22 km run walk which I'm going to run smart this time !

Have a great day !

Day off

:)

One of my favorites

"Triathlon - It's not about finding your limits. It's about finding out what lies just beyond them."

Training totals

23 km swimming in the lake 591 km on the bike 90 km of running this month !
I would say thats a large amount of training !
I'm not sure what taper week will be like but I hope it's restful ! I took the whole week off work to rest and taper properly ! I'm going to get up early that week and train and just go back to bed and stay off my feet as much as possible ! Oh and eat ! And hydrate ! I want my race to be as perfect as I can the only thing i need to prepare is the unexpected ! So I will try to prepare for everything !

Another hard one

Tonight's training was brutal ! 22 km on the bike in the pouring rain then a 10 km run threw downtown Oshawa nasty !!!!

Still fatigued

So today is Wednesday my dreaded methotrexate day, but it was better than most!
I'm hoping next Wednesday at my appointment with the doctor he will take me off it! It's almost to much !
So today I'm swimming along waiting for my energy to kick in and I just couldn't get going ! It felt like I had rocks tied to my feet and my arms wouldn't work! I swam over to coach Paul and he asked me what was wrong? I said I don't feel good !!! He said "what do you mean"?
Well I feel really fatigued, like I have two cement blocks tied to my legs he reassured me that that was normal after a big race and said just wait till you finish muskoka !
Oh great I said in my mind lol

I need extra time !

Just need a little extra time thats all !

Here is a couple Kingston pictures

The life IRONMAN

Since I haven't yet done an ironman I can only assume what it's like! But after my last race of a long course I know why only a select few attempt an ironman! And the reason I say attempt is even the people in my eyes who do the training they have already proved to me they are ironman quality !
The average pro that does no more than train every day and has no job or at least a minimal job I must admit is impressive but let me tell you an age grouper that works 50 to 60 hours a week and has a family and kids and other obligations is the true ironman !
Your friends and family all hear that you are training for an ironman but they don't really get it! They can't understand why you get up at 4 am they don't know why you train late into the evening they just don't understand!
180 km on a bike ? People just don't get it ! So you have to be patient with people until they get it!
I consider these races still not my a race !
My A race is going to be ironman Canada so all these races up to it will be training races !
I'm going to start my training journal tomorrow and never miss a day and will include my daily post with it to help me along the way !
Ironman is no joke and needs to be taken seriously or the ironman gods will eat you up!
I have a few friends who have completed ironman races and let me tell you they are awesome individuals in my eyes!

Kingston continued

I didn't think that my body would ever hurt so much I couldn't walk! But I can't even get up to make a coffee !
My day started yesterday very early about 430 am I woke up from a sub par sleep! And prepared my nutrition and filled up my water bottles, packed my bags and went outside to see a terrible wind storm with 3 to 4 foot swells on the lake and white caps, I knew the swim would be canceled but was still optimistic !
After waiting with coach Paul, Christine and our amazing team supporters coach Paul decided to tell us we better get our swim gear on just in case, we put our gear on and walked down to the swim start, with 5 minutes to start they called the swim !!!!
That gave us one hour to prepare for a duathlon, something I have never done before but spoke with coach Paul and he said I could do what ever race I felt comfortable with doing!
So being the bull headed man that I am I decided to do the long which was my longest run yet ! My reasoning was I would be able to feel what the muskoka 70.3 would feel like !
The first run I did was ok and comfortable, just like I've been training then off onto the most difficult bike I have ever done ! Wind, rain, heat, everything you can imagine but I finished it ! One thing that did go threw my mind was calling it a day after the bike ! I was wet, tired and uncomfortable, Susan and John also my coaches and family were there and I didn't want to let them down so I pressed on ! I was able to run up to the 9 th km then switched to a walk because this wasn't my a race I decided there was no sense in killing myself and getting injured in a training race !
I walked to the last km then ran it in down the shoot !
The race had some great volunteers but the directional signage wasn't the best !
Today is rest and stretch but I'm I'm huge pain!


Thx to all my supporters without you I wouldn't be able to pull it off !

Kingston triathlon

I'm still in bed and my legs are to sore to get up the triathlon was changed to a du, and I will say one thing !!! It was hard to run before a bike !
I'm going back to sleep lol

Kingston long course ! Race smart not hard

All set for my longest race yet ! A little tired but I'll be ok !
I've raced and trained tired all summer!
I also have real nasty blisters on my lips from a bad sunburn I don't think will effect me but we will see! It won't make me quit but it will make me uncomfortable!
Lots of my tri buddies will be here racing today including some that are not racing and that means alot to me also I heard rumors that coach Paul and coach Christine were coming so I better be on my game!
Race smart not hard!

Just about ready to go!

Looks like bad weather do Kingston tomorrow !
I will try to have race day updates and photos with my daughter holding my phone !
Check it out tomorrow for current race photos and comments !

Packing for Kingston

So the rest day went ok still a little busy but must get to sleep soon this is a key night for me ! If I get a good sleep in my own bed it won't be as bad tomorrow night in a strange bed !
The forecast has risk of thunder storms for the entire day I hope they don't cancel it ! At least we will have a duathlon if the water is to bad which will be even harder for me since my run sucks ! But I will give it my best !
I have my bike all cleaned up and ready to go !
I will be watching the weather closely also watching my right ankle it's starting to hurt a little !

Rest and relax

This is a new attempt before a race for me !
Im going to wash my bike, pack gear and some snacks just rest and relax!
Have a great day!

Sub par training week

This week has been a difficult one ! Sunday's long run kicked the crap out of me and I paid for it all week !
So far I haven't ran since Sunday but I'm ok with that lol
I have tomorrow off work to prepare for the Kingston race so inn going to make sure that I drink water all day rest and eat !

Wow

I don't know how I will ever train for a full ironman, this half is killing me ! Wednesday is always hard due to the methotrexate but today was one of the better Wednesdays.
I had a good swim with my tri buddies at Jackson's point, I don't really like swimming there because of the weeds but I will deal with them because I might have to swim in the weeds in a race ! So it's best to be prepared for everything.
Being prepared for Sunday is going to be interesting ! The race is the Kingston long course !!! 2 km swim 56 km bike and a 15 km run ! Long enough to get my blood flowing !
I have been thinking over the last couple weeks how I should approach this race and I haven't come up with a firm answer yet but I'm leaning on the slowing down side of this one and racing in my heart rate zone I'm used to! I'm hoping to get a couple good night sleep over the next few days to maybe help my body on race day !
I'm going to swim at a steady pace, not one that I'm dead when I come out of the water but just a nice steady pace then once I get on the bike I'll just take it easy and cruise for the first 20 minutes or so, I'm hoping my body doesn't take long to switch over but you never know ! Then after it switches over I might light the fire for a little bit but try to conserve some for the run I know I'll finish there is no question but weather it's pretty or not that has yet to be seen !
I have many friends at this race ! Lots of Drtc buddies as well as my brother-in-law Garth !! The man that's responsible for getting me into this sport !
I'm very excited to race with him ! It's nice to have something in common with a family member! I was able to race with my sister-in-law Karen at the start of the season so this year has been a treat!
But I should get to bed and rest for this weekends race !!!!
Have a great night

Rest

Tonight I decided to rest very tired !

Triathlon is a mental sport

I think I found that out yesterday during the longest run I've ever done and paying for it today !

Live large !

5 weeks 6 days

Ironman muskoka 70.3 is coming closer, just finished my first 20 km last night and just have some weird pain in my foot I've never felt before I will monitor it and decided about track night today !
Helping out this weekend at the Cobourg races really showed me the work I've put into this season and I'm really proud of myself!
The people racing at cobourg this weekend were amazing this was one of my favorite triathlon experiences so far was helping people keep going ! I would get in the middle of the road and cheer them on and you could see that little something inside them light up and away they would go !
All those athletes this weekend were amazing ! And then to have the Drtc at the entrance to the shoot gave me shivers down my back !
Great job Drtc I'm proud to be a member of such an amazing club !

Triathlons make you tired

I don't know how much more of this I can take !
Seriously it's ok lol I love this but it is hard getting up at this hour ! My poor kids are going to be sooooo tired they will be glad to see race season come to an end!
Next weekend is the Kingston long race but we are staying in Kingston so we can sleep in a bit and I'm taking the friday off also so I can rest ! But no running around that day ! Just clean my bike pack my stuff and rest !
Time to get team Drinkle up to volunteer again and watch my sister-in-law race her second race !
Have a great day!

Busy weekend continued

So the long day has come to an end olympic distance triathlon was a blast, it's nice to give back to triathlon with a weekend of volunteering. Team Drinkle was in full gear today and I'm very proud of them !
Giving out water at an aid station is very important and I'm glad that my kids were able to see some race faces!
Now they have a better idea when they see someone running a race and what's going threw their mind ! Some people are focused some are real friendly and some are intense but all were polite !
Right after the race we loaded up and went off to celebrate my friends birthday which brought another set of life's challenges, drinking !!! All my best friends having cold beers and partying something I loved to do !!!!! I'm also missing my annual guys weekend because of the kingston race next weekend something they don't really understand, and that's hard for me to get over but I didn't think I could go away on the trip and not drink ! I know they understand but it's still hard to put into perspective how important triathlon is to me!!!

Now off to sleep to prepare for tomorrows busy day! Volunteer then a picnic then erin is dropping me off in newcastle so I can run my 20 km back to Oshawa!


Have a great night !