Thanks giving weekend!

Looks like awesome weather for a ride this weekend ! Get those warm riding cloths out for a late season ride ! 

Not Perfect

I have tried to write this blog tonight but have erased and deleted it time and time again, my posts have been few and far between, partly because I've wanted to get as far away from triathlon for a while because of the time commitment I'm about to undertake "Ironman" soon it's time to get into shape for the new year when things get serious ! 

I have lots to say about a few things but refuse to talk about them right now because it's not time! But soon enough !

I found a garmin watch in the gym the other day and turned it into the desk, I really hope it found its way to the right owner! Just remember ! Karma is a bitch it will come back and haunt you some day when you least expect ! 

Hope you have a great week ! Train hard stay happy and stay safe 

Things change

Some times I feel like the world is getting crazy ! The amount of people out there that haven't got a care in the world except themselves is amazing. I try to really go out of my way everyday to make someone have a better day, if everyone just would do that a couple times in a day it would sure help !

Try that tomorrow. You might like it !

Dont stop

Have a quick read

Just an interesting clip from an article I was reading !

7. Positive Mental Attitude

If you want to be an effective triathlete, you must have the right attitude. Say to yourself, "I will nail this workout," rather than, "I want to nail this workout." Believing that a positive mental attitude is critical to his success, Kemper seeks outside help to work on this habit.

"I meet regularly with a sport psychologist at the Olympic Training Center, and we work a lot on positive self-talk. It's easy for negative thoughts to come into your head when things aren't going according to plan during a race. It's important for me to notice those thoughts and immediately refocus my thinking on the process," he says.

Part of having a positive mental attitude is being able to move past bad workouts or races. "If you have a positive attitude, you'll get a lot more out of your workouts," says Lieto. "You have to believe you can do it."

So if you want to be an effective triathlete, or if you just want to place in your age group at your next triathlon, integrate these habits into your lifestyle. Remember that good habits are like bad habits—once you form them, they are hard to break. And if you treat the whole process as a formula that includes the above components, you will find success in the sport.

And so it begins

IMMT 140.6 training has begun ! I'm not pounding any large miles or swimming song huge swims I'm just preparing. Eating healthy, cutting a few calories hitting the gym ! I have really let myself down this summer by not focusing hard on training, the only good that could come of this is I might be rested up enough to get on better shape for the heavy volume to come in a few months!

That's my goal now, to build base fitness and drop some lbs enough to turn it up when the time is right!

I've had a great couple first days of eliminating crap from my diet, it's like a purge that lasts for about 2 weeks then all cravings are gone and it will be time to ramp things up!

It's hard to believe I was able to complete  the 70.3 ironman at the weight I was and not have a stroke ! But it's done and a valuable lesson learned!

Time to focus and move forward !

Rest week

So my rest week begins, I'm going to have a small swim tomorrow morning, (I hope) and maybe a short walk tomorrow but nothing serious. I'm hoping for a short bike on Thursday with another swim then a walk Friday followed by a bit of a bike Saturday maybe 20 km, real early though so I can have a full day with Erin for our anniversary!

Sunday it's back to planning for the week to come will be a difficult one ! This is where it all begins, the start of IMMT training, and no I'm not doing any long rides or huge distance on the run I'm slowly going to build an ironman machine, one that's going to take me to the finish line in style! 

Ill add a couple Muskoka race day pictures to show the pain in my face lol 

Muskoka 70.3 IRONMAN 2013

Well the day after shows its ugly head and I can recap the race, only this time I didn't have any excuses, or reasons to have a sub performance day other than lack of training which resulted in the fattest triathlete at the race. 

Ya I know don't be so hard on yourself, but mark my word you will not recognize 2014 Ironman Mont-Tremblant triathlete because he will be 50 lbs lighter, that's the only thing standing in my way of getting faster is the weight. I'm totally capable of pounding up those large grinders in Muskoka so dropping a pile of weight will make a huge difference.

I have a super amazing team also right down the line to the Durham Region Triathlon club, they come out and support and cheer you on, they are an amazing group of people!

Time now to take a full 2 weeks of serious training, I'm thinking light cardio with stretching after with some swimming and start back into weight training, them the beginning of October ease back into triathlon!

Have a great day !

70.3 Ironman Muskoka in the bag

I don't have a lot of time because I'm not sure if I'm going to barf or fall asleep, in either order so I will leave the race story for tomorrow !

Here we go again

2013 Muskoka 70.3 

Wish me luck ! I'd love to get a finishers jacket ! There is only one extra large here, I hope it's still there tomorrow if I finish!

Mont-Tremblant

355 days

The final push

Still trying to wrap my head around what is defiantly going to be my biggest challenge of my life, Ironman Mont-Tremblant  ! Recently I went to the beautiful province of Quebec and volunteered with my wife and my friend Liz, my wife in support of me and my friend Liz to sign up, we were also there to cheer on mark who was on his first Ironman journey. Our friend Sheila was also there as another key support for mark, it's always good to have support !

The experience was life altering for me just to watch the people's faces change through the race, I still haven't put my finger on it yet but eventually I will be able to explain it. There is so much more that goes on in a race that you can't really see or even really understand, like a grown man that is crying and barfing wondering why he can't keep going! He said to me, "I've trained so hard to get here and my legs won't move and I feel sick" I called over the medic right away to access him and she wasn't really concerned but she kept a watchful eye over him as he cooled off and took in some food, I think he stopped right on time as he was about to go down. He came back to life enough he could cary a sentence like normal and asked me what he should do? So I so I said to him "do you want to be a Ironman ?" He said "yes" so I told him to get up and finish the dam race! I turned back to hand out water for a few minutes and looked back and he was gone! I didn't get his bib number and will never know if he finished, I saw him when I was in line for sign up for the race the next day and he didn't have his finisher shirt on and I didn't want to ask him about it so I left it at that !

I had some other friends in that race also, Deanna put on quite a clinic, as I thought she would as she is very strong, very proud of all of them who raced that day ! 

Just getting to the start line of this event is an amazing thing ! Even those who didn't make the finish line I have the biggest respect for being there and putting in the training time, they are all ironman in my eyes.  

When I started writing this blog I didn't tell anyone that I knew about it, then it got out one day and a few people started to read it, as my time each day is limited it is sometimes difficult to get it in but a friend of mine told me and i will keep it up this time, she said "don't miss a day! even if its only one word" and since she is a major contributor to my triathlon life I will honour that until this journey is over. There is many people writing blogs out there, lots with the same content the same  as mine. This one started off as a training journal and now is progressing into a life story for me that should be getting interesting over the next year !

I have the Muskoka 70.3 race coming up in two weeks, this is going to be just a fun race for me ! Just to take the edge of of what will be an intense winter off season training session although I'd like to finish under 8 hours and will do my best I'm just going out for the finish and to have fun ! I put way to much pressure on myself with goal times and dramatic time reductions, this race I'm going into it maybe a little under trained due to a couple injuries I had over the summer but its just about fun and enjoying the festivities, because that's mainly what it is, a couple thousand people getting together to celebrate their fitness it's an awesome event.

I have a couple monsters chasing me still, one who is hot on my heals and has been for a long time (the fat monster) and one who I have been away from for a long time (alcohol). Over  the last two years I've been on a drug called methotrexate, under no circumstances could I drink and when I received clearance to get off the drug due to its ability to make me sick for two to three days a week  that stupid alcohol monster made an appearance just one more hurdle I need to overcome now on my road to ironman !

So my main goals, training plan,  meal plan and life plan will be laid out for the next year !

I'm making a yearly plan (which is already under a year) a monthly plan, weekly plan and a daily plan all of which will be coordinated with my team captain (my wife Erin) who is also ironman training and she doesn't even know it ! Just getting me there to the start line for her will be a challenge!  

We have quite a few members in our club that are going to take a stab at 2014 ironman which I'm happy to see because at least ill have some training partners to hang out with, it would be a long season all alone !! Thanks DRTC you make all the difference in the world !

My goal phrase for this season !

"It's time to build a machine"

Completion date August 17 2014!

Stay tuned !!!!!

365 days away

And so it starts ! After a long couple years of talking about it finally it will soon be on the race books ! Along with a tune up race of the 70.3 in June !

It is going to be quite a ride, but once again team Drinkle is going to be on the hot plate to get this high maintenance triathlete to the finish,

Erin, Liz  and I have a long day ahead of us starting at 5 am to get close enough to get a parking spot to enjoy the festivities !!

Looking forward to see the pros roll through the aid stations tomorrow morn, this will be a first watching a triathlon !

Can't wait great day ahead 

Here we go

So I'm at the 2013 Ironman Mt Tremblant volunteering for the full Ironman race, so far I'm speechless on what I'm witnessing here so far! From what I can explain its like a "jack in the box" we are just winding up the little handle on the side and the little man is about to spring out ! I've seen many faces so far from the experienced veterans to the first timers, you can just see it in their faces. The energy is awesome, the venue is awesome the people are awesome this is an amazing experience !

We are staying off site in the old village which presents a few obstacles but manageable, the accommodations are great and clean, very impressed !

Today's plan is to go ride the bike route and run a few km after to get ready for Muskoka in 3 weekends, can't wait it's gonna be fun.

Monday morning I sign up for the 2014 full ironman, well at least that's the plan anyway as long as the bike course doesn't scare me off !  

Monday ride home from work

Not to bad for a Monday night! Had a fun ride home from work, not an overly taxing ride because its all down hill, average speed of almost 30 km per hour says it all!

I really wanted to say that today was the most stress free ride I've had in a while, just for the fact that I didn't almost get run over a couple hundred times. The general motoring public was ok!

I was on some pretty heavily travelled roads but that doesn't bother me, se people really don't like it but that's still ok too. I really take my section of road and have a very strong attitude about my section of road, and when riding with confidence I think helps the drivers of the cars feel confident also. If a driver sees a nervous rider looking around and wobbling around they to get nervous which creates two nervous people and a all around bad situation !

So just remember to ride positive ad safe and aware of all the surrounding situations that can cause harm!

Bit of good news

My infected to is feeling much better, still has some pain but is feeling much better.

Defiantly need a plan for this coming month, it's gonna be a tough one, every weekend from now till the 3rd week of September is booked.

Going to take a few more days of running off to give this pesky toe some time to heal. The problem with an auto-immune disease is it leaves your immune system at risk of attack when a virus or infection sets in, I was quick enough with this one to get into the docs for antibiotics.

Lucky

My toe feels better I'm sure it was due to my quick response with the antibiotics, last night I soaked it late and was able to drain the infection out, it's not red anymore and I can almost walk on it.

Thinking of only elliptical now until Muskoka but not sure yet, I have to cover the shop at work next week so I have to be early at work so no early gym sessions.

Hoping to be able to ride on Saturday, I won't be going long but anything will be good. We have the annual guys weekend coming up next weekend so I want to be off the antibiotics by then so I can have a cold one lol !

Have a good day 

Another speed bump

I have an infection in my big toe, not sure what its from but it sure hurts real bad, went to the doctors last night and he put me on antibiotics right away.

Hoping it works because Muskoka is 6 weeks away.

Granfondo Ottawa done

So my first cycling event is finished and let me tell you, if this is any indication of how an event of this style is put together I won't be doing one anytime soon.

I'm trying to keep the negative stuff out of my life but road cycling is dangerous if not done Properly.That's where triathlons are much safer on the cycling part of the event, there is no chance of wrong turns or getting lost, there is first aid on the triathlons with radio communications, the intersections have police at them closing them off, this race had very few of anything. This weekend at the granfondo Ottawa it was chaos, I didn't see any officials starting the race no announcer starting or giving any direction, people were just aimlessly doing this event in any fashion they pleased, at one point I was with about 30 riders on the side of a busy road trying to figure out where to go!

And road cyclists trying to draft with no training in drafting have no business being that close to others, our team of triathletes did some drafting but we ride together every weekend and know how each other rides, we tried to stay away from people, the groups who were riding properly were good to ride with but still very dangerous when someone new just pops into their group.

We saw one good crash on the side of the road that was a direct result of bad road riding ! To many people going to fast to close together! I'm very surprised no one got killed with the total disregard for road safety. Now we were instructed to follow the rules of the road on the riders memos and through emails and on Facebook but no formal speech was given with course rules.

One of my friends was in a group of riders when they were stopped and warned by police about the cyclists and their dangerous riding tactics which make it difficult for the rest of the cycling world to ride safely and without harassment.

The post race meal was terrible they had sausages that were cold and dried out with no condiments, with cold pasta that would make my Italian friends cringe, I'm glad the hotel was cheap but the Brook street hotel was very nice !

Our friend that put this whole weekend together did a great job at planning it out which is what made it a huge success for our group! It was magnificently organized, with a group of that size the weekend just skipped along perfect ! My family had one of our greatest vacations so far ! Thanks Fran!!!!

The ride itself was spectacular being able to experience such beautiful country side like the Ottawa valley was great ! My time was 27.9 average my fastest time ever on a long ride !

We received nice bike jerseys from this ride but the rest of the swag wasn't to good, there was also a problem with something to do with the timed sections of the race, they didn't have them due to debris on the road but I find that hard to believe I think something else went wrong and they blamed it on the weather.

All and all a sub par event due to the lack of organization from the race director, but a great weekend had buy team drinkle thanks to our teams organizer and her amazing planning skills !

Great weekend

Granfondo done now to set the sights on Muskoka 70.3, with the season half over its a little sad that another one has come and gone bit another is rolling along faster than you think !

Had a really fast ride yesterday also ! Amazing at almost 28 km average on a 100 km ride I changed up my eating a bit and drank a lot more so we will see if it worked !

Today's Granfondo Ride

This is the morning of the Granfondo ride, although its not a race I plan on an exciting experience. I call it a ride because the large storms we had yesterday they can't guarantee clean roads for the race portion of the timed sections, now unless you sweep you could never guarantee that but I guess that's a valid concern! 

So far it's a fantastic weekend with friends and family, more to follow !

Granfondo Ottawa

So we are loading up team Drinkle for yet another crazy adventure !

100km (training ride) granfondo Ottawa, with a bunch of triathlete friends!

Should be a fun weekend!

Little things learned

Everyday I learn new things about triathlon, things that are so simple you would think it should be just common knowledge. Finding Nemo is a kids movie that I was fortunate enough to have watched hundreds of times because my kids loved it, Dorie was a little blue fish and she said when she gets upset she says "just keep swimming, just keep swimming, just keep swimming, swimming swimming swimming that's what we do we swim swim" 

So what I'm trying to say is just keep moving, one of my veteran triathlon friend is a very smart athlete, when she is on her bike she just keeps peddling not hard  but not slow either and she blows my doors off ! That's my new plan ! Just keep moving !  

Good training today

This weeks goal is hydrate ! I've had a small cramp in my right leg on and off for a week now hoping it goes away, I'm going to hammer the water this week to get ready for the granfondo Saturday In Ottawa.

Today's training went good, I was back to normal from Saturdays catastrophic event ! I decided today to go back the same route that took me out Saturday and killed it ! The enniskillen hill had nothing on me today!

Tomorrows goal "hydrate" and dismiss negative people ! 

Simple plan

This was a dramatic weekend, non stop, hard work and disappointment. Friday was a standard Friday filled to the brim with fun filled work day, yes fun lol I don't know how else to explain it !!!

Friday evening I had thoughts of my atv trip with my life long buds from when we were kids (it's hard to keep people in your life for twenty five years ! I went to the local atv store and got the parts to get my bike ready for the trip to pine falls near Sudbury in two weeks, a well needed break from the real world !

Saturday was the disappointment, my 100 km ride turned ugly mostly was hitting the wall and not enough sleep, I think the problem is my 100 km rides have been so easy and regular that I took the distance for granted, something I shouldn't do. After 60 I was toast and the friends that were riding with me were kind enough to nurse me back but ill tell you it was sure ugly.

That wasn't the way I wanted my last training ride before the granfondo this coming weekend but ill get passed it! This will be a totally different experience riding with a pack of roadies who love to draft and us triathletes that are programmed not to draft it should be interesting.

At least the family will have a nice weekend away at a nice hotel with a pool to sit around and soak in, a well deserved break for them also. 

A little under 8 weeks for Muskoka to roll around time to turn up the heat on the triathlon training, it's been almost a month after Syracuse so better start to hammer triathlon training! I've decided that I will lay off the running after Muskoka until my ankle recovers so its in good shape for ironman training next season.

Hotel is booked for next summers ironman distance race now it's time to put the plan together.

One more week

My mini training vacation ends next week when we finish the granfondo Ottawa

It's only a quick 100 km but should be fun, more of a holiday.

Lounging and having a couple cold ones is what it's going be about !

New triathletes

I just love to see new triathletes training and learning, they have big goals and dreams you can see it in their eyes. Tonight I was coaching in the kayak and when I say coaching (with my limited experience) I think I did ok, there was two brand new athletes, one who I have been coaching since she started in may and the other one who just started last week.

Both are eager to train and I think one is more hard-core than the other but both will succeed. I've helped both along the way and in turn they help me ! They don't quite know it but they are helping by giving me the chance to coach them.

I have a good idea on how to plan a season, I have limited knowledge in swimming but enough to help a new triathlete, and running I know the basics but I'm not good at running. I hope these new athletes stick with triathlon, it would be a great accomplishment for them and myself !!!

Why be negative

Dealing with the pressure and everyday problems can pile up on a person, dealing with negative people day in and day out is hard to take but I've been working on my skills of not letting negative energy in my life !

I think it also helps me on my long training days, it's like a mosquito flying around your head just before he bites you, just use your positive thoughts and don't let negativity in. 

When I was in Syracuse the bad feelings were close by, I wanted to give up but I had enough strength to fight them off and push forward, I owe a huge thanks to my Durham Region Triathlon Club friends for their support !

Grit I think is the word my friend Susan uses, that little bit of push you need to rise above your pain and fears, keep it close to you and use it often it will come in handy when you need it most!

This is one of my Syracuse pictures when I was near ready to through in the towel, those white things in my hand are sponges trying to keep my temperature down!

Plans

That's one thing I love about triathlon is planning ! Almost everything is planned a year in advance, with the club we have some great ideas planned for next year that's going to blow the socks off our already impressed members !

The mighty DRTC ship is sailing full speed ahead ! 

Commitment

Doing the training is just a small piece of this puzzle, mental toughness and nutrition can put an end to your day and it has to be practiced each training session I still need more work in this section but its coming nicley!

132.8 km ride this weekend !!!!

Very happy with the outcome 

132 km

What a great day with my longest bike ride yet ! 132 km, a big thanks to my friends who pulled me along ! 

What do I do when I can't sleep ?

I sit up and get wound up by reading ironman stories and finding quotes I memorize when times get tough, maybe that's how I made it through Syracuse 70.3 ironman.

Every day that goes past I realize there is going to be way more to this than training, the mental toughness seems to be large for this, I will bring it when it's time ! 

In the words of the great Muhammad Ali: "Success is not achieved by winning all the time. Real success comes when we rise after we fall. Some mountains are higher than others. Some roads steeper than the next. There are hardships and setbacks but you cannot let them stop you. Even on the steepest road you must not turn back".

Ironman dreams

Closer and closer it gets the more excited its getting more than a year away and I'm already excited! I know the real work won't start till the new year but in my world it started 2 years ago when I decided to get into triathlon.

My goal has always been the ironman but like was suggested to me when I started it should be a gradual start into the world of long distance triathlon. I have a couple of good friends that always keep tabs on me, encouraging me to pace and take it easy, always encouraging me along the way and I have to thank them so much for all their knowledge that I'm bringing to my ironman goal !

They always say pace, train consistent, fuel your body properly and have fun ! Also there is no way I could do this without the DRTC and all its great people that I've learned from.

I spent some time today planning things out and it's shaping up to be an awesome next year ! 

Hang on tight it's about to get fun  

Still resting

I think this is my last rest day, my body is coming back to normal again and wanting to train! I can always tell when I start to get jealous that others are training while I'm not.

I have my 4th infusion of remicade tomorrow in the afternoon and I'm hoping to get some planning done, at least one days worth anyway. I still haven't decided if I'm going to train tomorrow quite yet but I do have to clean my bike and put my new rear tire on after I had it trued up on Tuesday.

I will likely just sleep tomorrow evening to get through the remicade feeling then get up early Friday and start my day, Saturday will be a 1500 m swim and a 120 km bike ride out to port hope.

Time to get back on track! 

Lesson learned

So after my disappointing finish time in Syracuse a lot of things have crossed my mind, should I not register for mont Tremblant ? That's my first question and I've come up with an answer !! Yes I still want to sign up, although I know I'm too fat right now with the right planning I will get on top of this.

Had a talk with Erin and she is on board with my goals (was never a doubt) I know I couldn't finish without her ! My kids are already triathlon veterans, they are only young and know what it takes to complete long distance triathlons, plus they like the trips. That is my main step in completing my first triathlon. 

The training I already know will be hard but I do have the guts to complete it, as for work I can't really say how it will effect me but it shouldn't be too negative,

So bottom line what did I learn from Syracuse ? I learned how to bring myself back from a miserable race in a terrible state and cross the line! I was near ready to tap out, ready to through in the towel but I marched on though the hard times and finished the race. 

That's what I need to take into the ironman !

Happy Canada day

Drtc at Whitby waterfront 

Long bike today

So back in the grove again, lucky I don't have to swim due to coaching, I'm not a huge fan of going in the water so early in the morning. It's just a huge shock to the system jumping in that water no matter how warm it is.

This will be my first session coaching for swim and I've never been much for talking in front of people but it gets easier every time. It will be a simple coaching session for me ill just let the people doing their mileage go and stay with the newbies and watch what they are doing and offer some suggestions! 

After that its onto the long bike for the week then the run. I don't really want to run but I'd like to keep 10 km in my pocket then go up to 14 next month and hold there then keep that till 3 weeks before Muskoka 70.3 and grab 16 km then 18 km three weeks out from the race then of course 10 km the Sunday before. That will keep my run together.

Rest is over

Time to slowly get back into things this summer is going to fly, so much to do so little time. Gran fondo which is more of a training race Is just 3 weeks away, I haven't figured that one out yet because it doesn't have the same feeling as a triathlon ! I can ride 100 km in my sleep at a leisurely pace and without a swim or a bike first it will be even easier.

I really need to nail Muskoka this time around and I believe I can because its what I ride every weekend around here, I'm thinking I'm going to change my cassette on the back for that race, it really like to climb better. The whole race even though its more climbing I think the up and down momentum will be better, plus if things go right ill be 10 lbs down!

Time will tell ! 

Rest week!

Post Syracuse

Moving forward ! Recovery week then right back at it to the gran fondo in Ottawa, this is more of a fun ride !!! 100 km with no swim before or a run after !

This will have to be planned out a little different, because I won't have the same nutritional needs considering its over after 100 ! I'm not going to crush it or take it easy I think I'm going to just enjoy the weekend !

Moving into August we are going to volunteer at ironman mont Tremblant and sign up for the full next year I'm sure I will be able to take it on I just need to loose some serious lbs! I know I've been blogging about the same old thing for so long but it's been a struggle to say the least ! This will be my final battle for weight loss if it doesn't happen with this last push I'm meant to be fat forever !

That's enough belly aching I just done have the time to complain about my lack of willpower and the almighty junk food!

I just simply know to complete an ironman I need to be lighter ! Bottom line!

I will finish my summer off with Muskoka 70.3 ironman vacation which I will try for my personal best half ironman time, km not going to blow my head off but will give it a good shot ! 

Still a mess

So I snuck in a 20 km recovery ride today gonna try a Swim tomorrow and see how it goes, still sore but getting better !

Real tired long day with abbeys grad !

My beautiful little abbey doodle!

 

What a mental battle !

So the day after ! To start off my time was not what I wanted! BUT I was lucky to finish, this (for me) was the most difficult bike course (or ride) I have ever been on! With only around 1700 ft of climbing I thought it would be a breeze !

Nope it rather do muskoka twice !

Don't get me wrong I know its an ironman and its meant to be difficult but this one was near the top of the list! 

To start the swim was good, this is a very well organized race, there was a lot of weed but not really bad weeds, I did get attacked by something though lol it hit my hand but there was no swimmers around to hit me so I'm assuming it was a fish.

I finished my swim in the allotted time I gave myself, especially with my sore shoulder. Transition was a good jog from the water which was hard with no shoes on but I managed to run the whole way.

Transition was fairly uneventful due to the fact I have practiced it over and over then out on what was a difficult ride. 

Under advise from some people (one who had read my blog and messaged me) thanks for the advise! I did go out easy and patient, but weighing 270 and not having the right gears on my bike the first 23 km's killed me ! By the time I recovered it was to late to make up I was a goner. I also had a muscle spasm in my back that wouldn't go away pretty well for the complete bike!

T2 was normal but it had gotten hot by that time and when I sprayed my sunscreen on my neck I felt a bad sting and I knew I had a bad burn, out I went for my run. My wife told me after when she saw the look on my face she knew this was gonna be ugly. 

Out on the run I went and wouldn't you know it my stupid left foot was hurting, after all the rest and the way it was feeling I knew if I had a crappy bike I could still save it on the run, once I knew I was beat on the bike I went into recovery mode to rest for the run. To late the sun had taken it the life out of my sails, I ran out of transition (because you have too) and reached the road and that was it walking time.

I saw lots of my friends on the run route but I wasn't very talkative, I was close to going down from the heat and knowing this was right around the corner I was working frantically to regain composure!

My body profile is much different than mostly everyone on the course, moving 278 around is very hard and hard for people to understand also! 

I was drinking and drinking, stuffing ice in my hat and on the verge of barfing and loosing all I had tried to put in, I can't remember who I said it to but I think it was Susan, I said "I don't think I'm gonna make it" I'm not sure what s he said back but it must have been enough to push forward because I kept going, drinking and icing over and over and then started to run between road cones.

I looked to the east and noticed large clouds rolling in and was thankful I might get a rain shower from the ironman gods which would cool me down enough to try to get back in the game, but it was the opposite !! Mother Nature started a huge lightning storm which prompted the race officials to stop the race.

I was on my second out and back when lots of people were turning around saying they cancelled the race but there was no way I was going back ! I was the last one out on the course, one of the ironman workers said "hey you can't go any further" I said " I didn't come all this way to quit" now I know some will say I put my own safety at risk by staying out on the course but you know what? People do much dumber things to put themselves and others at risk other than running in a thunder storm, smoking, drinking and driving, heavy drinking, drugs I could go on for ever! So my decision to carry on with my goal is minor.

The ironman worker said to me "so your not turning around" I said "nope" although I really wanted to quit s s this would have gave me the chance to quit and I could have blamed it on the storm! I kept going because I knew my family came to watch me finish and thats what I did !

Now beside my name I have a DNF which I'm quite pissed off about because I did finish and finished strong ! I actually caught up and passed some people ! My Final finish time was 8:08:11 ....1:49 faster than muskoka ! 

 

Today's goal

Finish

IHOP

Time for my pre race meal !

Everything I can get my hands on at the international house of pancakes!

Then off to Walmart to get team Drinkles picnic lunch for race day then over to the ironman village for bike check in and athletes village !

Syracuse ironman 70.3

So team Drinkle is all settled in Syracuse, race kit is picked up, had a great meal at Tullys restaurant! Huge portions for little money, great food great service !

The town of Syracuse is not as bad s s I expected from some negative comments I read online, quite impressed with the cleanliness of the city and the large number of law enforcement running around keeping things safe !

So far the race site and organization has been a positive experience, the race shirt I received was kind of plain but it fits me unlike the muskoka one from last year. I drove the bike course and it s going to hurt, the first 23 km is up hill !!!! The run looked ok I prefer running up hills either way it s always the same speed !

I was lucky enough to get an awesome race top ! The only 2xl shirt on the rack ! Very pleased so far !

 

Support

Having a great crew really helps, although the athlete is the one out there on race day there was a lot more people involved in race day prep than you think. Family members play a huge part in some people's race, helping with meals, dealing with grumpy tired triathletes, putting there own goals and dreams aside while the triathlete goes after theirs, many things the family does to get their athlete through the good and the bad and trust me it goes up and down like a bouncing ball!

Some people have a coach or a group of coaches that help plan their goals for them, and help them through hard times, give them that little push they need.

A triathletes friends need to be understanding also because triathlon training for long distance races takes you away from some friends, most of the time it's just due to the fact there is not enough time in the day to spread out to fit in all activities or you can't stay up because your tired or you have to get up at 430 am for a date with your running shoes.  

Some people belong to a club (like myself) the Durham region triathlon club) its a huge part of some people's team there is no shortage of motivation in our group, from rookie to seasoned veteran they have it all ! The Rookies share their excitement of the sport and believe it or not the rookies offer something to the veterans, they offer that spark! Rookies have that little spark in their eyes you can see burning away, they don't quite see it yet themselves or understand what they are feeling yet but they know something's up. 

That is my most favourite thing I witness In our club is the rookies spark when they listen to a veteran talking of a hard fought battle on race day or an epic training ride or when they go out for a 40 km race and a group of veterans are going out for a quick 120 km then maybe attending a wedding after ( I used to fall asleep after anything over 100 km) that's what I call the rookie spark!

So many things that help an athlete cross that line I could go on for hours !

 

Durham region triathlon club

Our team is ready to take on Syracuse 70.3 can't wait just 5 short days away !

Really looking forward to getting out there s s tearing it up !

Two more training days and we are ready to roll! Had my last bike ride today had another solid 29 km per hour average looking good!

Terrible sleep

We have a huge storm roll through at around 11 pm last night and woke me up, it had a tornado warning in it so of course I got up to check the kids because on the radar it looked bad and the weather warning looked bad also! Luckily it went just south west of us but we did get some large hail!

I was wide awake after that and tossed and turned until about 2 now I'm tired today, it s going to be a long one! I have a real problem getting back asleep once my brain is plugged back into the busy life I have so that makes it hard to sleep, I had a few good sleeps last week so I might not be to bad. 

This was going to be the start of my holidays but something came up at work that I have to go in today, bummer but work is important to me I can't just walk away, I've never been like that.

One week today it will be over

Well at least one event ! Still on the fence about my times, I like to improve on my last time and I know I'm not a pro (far from it) I'm not a fast age grouper but I am competitive ! So yes I want to kill this race, but there is way more than just racing and I can't control some things !

The weather I can't control, other racers, ect many things, also the ironman GODS might not be shining on you, various things can keep your dream from coming true ! PLAN your day well in advance, what you will wear, what you will eat when you will get up, plan it all !

Your race should be set up and practiced long before race day, just before I race I have a Gatorade pre-event drink then as soon as I'm in transition after the swim I have a gel and get out on the bike, then I have my main course meal, Cliff bars !!

I take 2 cliff bars and cut them in 16 pieces and eat them every 5 km set by my garmin. I have 4 bottles on my bike three with Gatorade and one I mix HEED in with it and the forth has just water. I usually eat a gel every half hour to 45 minutes on the bike depending how I feel with a couple packs of shot blocks for emergency. 

I have practiced this over and over until its like clock-work and I'm comfortable it should work. I don't have the exact calculation of calories but I will share it later its very well planned out.

My swim will be what ever it will be just a difference of a couple minutes because I just cruse and keep calm, my bike will be controlled for the first 25 km then that s when I'm turning the jets on!! People like to save everything for the run but mine never changes I'm hoping for a 7:20 pace but ill be happy with 8:00, even if I rested for a week I still couldn't run any faster so I might as well blow the bike up.

My run is not really a run, it's more like jog but I keep moving forward the best I can, do to my size it's difficult task! My planned time in is 7:12:00 ish but I'd sure like to roll in before 7:10 to beat last years half ironman by an hour.