2025 UBC Duathlon (and other updates)

Before getting into the race report, a quick update on other "smaller" events that have happened between last fall and now.

On October 26, 2024 I ran the Great Trek 10k. This was originally planned to be my last half marathon of the year, but the bike crash in April derailed this one as well. But I had a decent run in 1:26.18

On November 2nd, 2024 I swam in the Winskill Otters' Ottermania Master Swim Meet. I had not competed in a meet for a few years and wanted to get back into it. However, this was probably not the best meet to get back with as it was a long course meet (50 meter pool). I arrived early to help count laps for a fellow swimmer doing the 1500m event.

I competed in the:

100m Free with a time of 1:41.86, coming in 4th in my age group and 7th in my heat.

100m Breast with a time of 2:11.27, 2nd in my age group and 4th in my heat

50m Back with a time of 1:05.81, 3rd in my age group, and 7th in my heat. 
50m Free with a time of 40:.72, 8th in my age group, 4th in my heat

I did the 100 meter Breast in our 400m Mixed Medley relay with a time of 2:10.47 and 100m Free in our Men's 400 Free Relay in 1:42.88.

The Men's 400 relay was the last event of the day and all 4 of us were exhausted. The good news was that we were the only team in our category. So as long we did not get disqualified, we would come in first and get maximum points.

Then on February 8th, 2025 I swam in the EBSC's Love to Swim Masters Swim Meet. This was a short course meet and I had actually been training for it. 

I competed in the:
100m Free in 1:32.61, took 6th in my age group, and won my heat!
50m Freein 38:50, 9th in my age group and won my heat! 
100m Breast in 1:54.35, 5th in my age group, 2nd in my heat.
200m Free in 3:24.72, 2nd in my age group and 2nd in my heat.

I did the 50m back in our relay in a time of 1:02.27 and the 50m free in another relay in a time of around 40 seconds. There was an issue with the official results 

I was feeling really good that day and set several personal bests. I paced the longer events better than I ever have before. 

On January 12th, 2025 Thomas, Henry, and I ran the IceBreaker kids 1k. And Jen rain the 8k. 

Now onto the main event. 

I arrived at UBC earlier than I needed to be there. I wanted to get setup and watch some of the swim. I have stated in the past why I no longer do the triathlon at this event.

I took time to walk transition as I always do before a race, and even went back and moved my bike to save me those precious millisecond. All sarcasm there. But I did move my bike. 

I went inside and watched some of the swim until it was time to get ready. I walked to my car, geared up and met at the designated spot.

After a bit of stretching, it was time to line up according to run pace. I turned around and walked directly to the back. I met a fellow runner name Miriam. We chatted for a bit and decided to run together. 

As we made our way out to the start, I saw my family and got a quick picture. 

We walked to the start line and waited for our makeshift waves to start. This year we started at the bottom of the hill.

Run 1

I started the run off nice and easy and chatted with my pace buddy, Miriam. We chatted away about our motivations and goals. At one point we were asked if we were a Mother-Son team. We said no, just new found friends with the same run pace.

Once we got to the Rose Garden my ankle was acting up, so Miriam went on ahead. The course was 2 laps with several out-and-backs, so there was was plenty of encouragement given and received. 

At the end of lap one, my oldest informed me that he had some cookies. I joked and asked him if he saved me any. I looked and saw my youngest fast asleep in the stroller,  After a high-five from my oldest, I was off onto lap 2.

I picked up the pace on the second lap, but still kept it in control. I knew that even though the distances were relatively short, the mental game would be a tough one. 

Bike

I found my bike and took my time gearing up. I had placed my bike shoes in a plastic bag to keep them dry and placed my running shoes in the bag. They were already soaked but I did not want them waterlogged.

I had put a swim cap on the seat to keep it dry (again, it made no difference) so I ripped it off and made my way to the mount line.

When I got to the mount line, I saw the swim cap on my pedal. I reached down, grabbed it, and stuck in my leg pocket. I am not sure what the penalty was for littering on course, but I was not about to find out.  

The bike was an absolute SLOG. 

It was cold. It was pouring. It was windy.

At first I tried to avoid puddles to keep my feet as dry as I could. But I soon learned it was pointless and just rode. 

Even though it was cold, I forced myself to drink. It is much easier to remember to drink on hot days. During cold races, I find it harder to keep on top of it.

I kept a good pace on the way out knowing the way back was a long false flat with a hill. I had no power meter on this bike as I opted to ride my gravel bike (with road tires).

I climbed the hill at 16th and mad my way onto the second lap.

Now I was COLD.

I began to have thoughts of not doing the last run and dropping out. I told myself to at least start the run. I had good experience with the whole "Just start and see how you feel" thing a few years ago.

I saw several other athletes from our Train Smart and Swim Smart groups as the Standard Distance race was now under way.

Soon the second lap was done and I was racking my bike. But not before throwing away the swim cap in my pocket.

I took my time in transition due to the fact that I could not feel my feet. 

Run 2

The second run was tough. I was feeling good physically, but mentally I was beat. 

Luckily, this was remedied by the fact that even more Standard Distance Athletes and now Sprint Distance athletes were out on the run course. The encouragement received and encouragement given  bolstered my mood. 

Once again, I saw my family at the end of each lap. My kids were always excited to see me.

When I once again reached the Rose Garden, I pushed a little harder. My watch alerted me it was time for a walk break, but I wanted to be done.

I turned left down the hill and left to the finish.

After the finish I knew I was going to get cold, so I immediately went back to the car and got into some dry clothes. I then met up with my family, had a coffee and a cookie, and played with my kids a bit. 

Not a bad race considering I am just getting back into the swing if things.

Since I started writing this entry I bought a new (used) road bike so I don't have to race on my heavy gravel bike with no power meter.

I've also been riding my TT bike more and getting the hang of that style of riding again.

 
Thanks for taking the time to read this entry.


Coming up I have the Northshore Sprint Triathlon and Ironman 70.3 Washington.

2024 Vancouver Sprint Triathlon

2024 Updates

In my last entry, I spoke about how 2024 was going to be a rebuilding year with a run focus. 

The year started off on track with the Steveston Icebreaker 8k on January 14th. Thomas did the kids run before my race. The problem is, he ran the full thing and he did it at a pace much faster than mine. So I was already winded by the time I lined up for my race. 

I had a good race regardless. We all now my love of out-and-back courses. On the way out I cheered on those (much) faster than me and on the way back I cheered on those behind me. All in all a great race with a finish time of 1:10.31.  

Training continued to go well into the spring. It was then that we welcomed our newest addition, Henry Joseph Hayden, to the family. As I am writing this he has just turned 6 months old. Where does the time go?

Training was a bit sporadic for a few months but started to gain more traction as the summer months rolled in.

But then in April, I had a pretty big bike crash. There was alot of concern that I had broken my collarbone, but luckily the x-rays showed nothing broken. Needless to say, this put a halt to any training. And yes, the bike was ok.

After several weeks of physio, I was able to start running again, but had to miss the BMO Half Marathon I signed up for. I still went and cheered on all the runners on the day.

As I healed, I was able to slowly start cycling and lifting again. 

On June 14th, Thomas did his third race, the UBC Longest Day Kids Mile. I ran this with him since I was not running. But Jen did the 5k and crushed it. 

Later in June I was scheduled to run the Vancouver Half Marathon, but dropped to the 5k distance. This race went very well and it was a huge boost in confidence after a year full of training obstacles. Time 43:32.

Having missed out on the 2 races I was hoping to work toward, I wanted to try and get something else on the schedule. Since I am still coaching with Swim Smart, since Swim Smart is a sponsor for the Vancouver Triathlon, and since I was going to be there anyway for the free clinics we put on for the race, I decided to sign up for the Sprint distance for the 2024 Vancouver Triathlon. 

It wasn't until July that my shoulder allowed me to swim in any capacity so the Sprint distance seemed the best choice. Never mind the fact that all other distanced were sold out when I decided to sign up. 

2024 Vancouver Sprint Triathlon

Sunday morning I helped run the aforementioned swim clinics. I was one of the coaches assigned to help people with nerves/confidents. We ran 2 clinics and had a great group of swimmers.

Afterwards, we set up the Swim Smart tent and chatted with athletes as they came and dropped off their bikes. 

I was sure to get in line early. Unlike other races, transition spots here was first-come-first-serve. Although this year they did have designated spots based on distance. They may have had this in years past, I just don't remember. 

I picked the very first spot out of the swim exit. This meant I would have to run the full length of transition for the bike out and in. But it also meant I could find my spot quicker, could go all along the outside away from others, and be closer to the run out. There were no perfect spots, but this was close. 

 

I was the first bike in Row H closest to the Swim Exit

The next day was race day. Coach Stewart gave me a ride in so Jen and the boys could have the car to come watch later. My wave did not start until 8:45 so I had almost 3 hours to get my setup done. I was done in 15 minutes.

Afterwards, I helped a few of our Swim Smart athletes with any questions. Most were doing their first race. 

I went down the beach to watch the other distances start, cheer, and scope out what the water current was doing. 

After watching more of the races ahead of me, it was soon time for me to start gearing up. I put on my wetsuit and made my way to the beach. I did a short warm up swim before heading back up the beach for one last good luck from my family.

The Swim

It had been almost 2 years since I've done a triathlon of any distance so I went into this race to just enjoy a good day. I had not intended to race it or push in any way. 

It was an in water start (about knee deep) so I stayed on the shore. One of the lifeguards (who I know from coaching) asked me if I was going for a running start. I said that I like swimming in clean water and did not need the extra anxiety of dealing with the washing machine. 

He agreed and said, "Well knowing you, you'll catch up with the pack in no time."

The start sounded, the race was on, and the water erupted. I just stood there waiting for the chaos to pass, then I started my swim.

                                ^ Me

This race is notorious for low tides and sharp rock, but today the tide was higher than years past and it made for a great start.

I started off nice and easy, remembering what the current was doing from watching the races before me. I angled myself a bit to the right to compensate for the current. The water was flat enough I could actually sight the buoy itself. 

After a short while, I had indeed caught up with the pack. I swam past several swimmers who went out too hard and were now paying the price. 

Once I was in the middle of the pack I noticed something odd. When I would sight the buoy, there was no one between it and me. Everyone within sight was about 25 meters to my left.  

Before I knew it (and with the help of an outgoing tide) I was at the first turn. I took the turn, got jostled a bit at the pinch points, and was able to sight the next buoy right away. 

Once clear of the crowded turn, I eased back in. And once again, when I sighted there was no one between myself and the buoy. The outgoing tide was pulling everyone away to my left again. 

I know I pride myself in being able to pick excellent sight lines, but today I was on point.

I took the second turn and was on my way back to shore. I knew from the day before that the sun would in the perfect spot to use as a sight line. Again, having watched the previous races, I knew everyone would be pulled left towards Second beach Pool.

Photo courtesy of Coach Oscar

And once again, I had clean water in front of me. I few other swimmers followed me and I had a little company, but pretty smooth sailing otherwise. 

As I approached shore, I swam in as far as I could. I will admit, I cold have swam up further, but I knew where the big rocks were and did not want to cut up my hands. I stood up and made my way up the beach to prepare for the bike. 

The Bike

My bike was super easy to find. It was the first bike you see out of the swim exit. Even though it had been some time, I somehow still managed to remember how to do a deliberate but speedy transition. I scarfed down a gel and started making my way to the bike exit. 

As I was going through the bike exit, I was passed by many athletes sprinting by me. I joking said to the spectators, "I'm not sure why they're in a hurry. We are all going to the same place." That drew some laughs and cheers.

As I was about to leave for the mount line, I hear my son yelling, "Run Daddy Run!"

"That comes later buddy"    

As I approached the mount line, I heard (then saw) a group of friends. My Buddy Stuart was there heckling me. I guess he thought this was a cyclocross race. I just looked at him and said that I had a better swim than his swim in Penticton. Stu had just done Ironman Canada.... Where the swim was cancelled.      

I took the first part of the bike easy to get into the groove. I hydrated and found a good steady gear. 

I opted to ride my road bike (which is now my gravel bike with road tires). I chose this bike for 2 main reasons. First, its the bike I've been riding all summer and secondly it had better gearing and handling for a course with one big hill in the middle (that I had to do twice). 

As I played leap frog with a few other athletes, I noticed the course seemed a bit less crowded than the last time I raced. I found out later that the race organizer spaced the start times out more after lots of feedback about the crowded bike leg. 

I saw so many Swim Smart athletes and clients. Cheering them on was good motivation and distraction for me. Especially when it came time to climb the hill. 

I took the hill nice and easy. There was no sense hammering up when I knew I'd have to do it again AND run 5k after. 

I got to the top, navigated a few rollers, then started my descent. Now I used to be very good at descending, but I had a close call at a training camp years ago and I've never mentally recovered. Plus some of my devil-may-care attitude left once I became a dad. Nonetheless, I still made up some time on the downhill. 

I made my way back down to Second Beach, whipped around the turn, and started my second lap. 

The second lap went pretty much the same as the first. But since it was less crowded now, I could pick up some speed on the downhills. Although a less crowded field meant no distraction on the uphill.

I made my way to the dismount line, dismounted, then made my way to transition, but not before getting a  cheer from my family. 

I made my way to my spot (again, easy to find) and started prepping for my run. 

I did something different this race. I put all my run gear (sans shoes) into a large freezer bag. This way, I could toss on my shoes and gear up on the go. I was a bit worried an official may stop me, but technically this is allowed. 

I exited transition and an official asked me where my bib was. I did make sure my bib was clearly and fully visible in the freezer bag, so I just held it up and kept running. 

The Run

There was in aid station right outside transition, I grabbed some water and threw away the freezer bag.  

I started and eased into a good pace. It was a fast pace, but I was feeling good and knew it was only 5k. After a great swim and good bike, I was eager to see what I could do. 

I've frequently shared my love of out-and-back courses and that combined with a race where I knew so many people made for a great first half of the run. 

I passed the Inuksuk thinking the run was a 2 lap course. When it kept going I felt sense of relief. Only one out and back. Mentally I was prepped for 2, so this was great. 

I made it to the turn around under the Burrard Bridge and started making my way back. There were less people I knew on the course now, so I started calling out anyone I saw based on their bib numbers.

"Great work 854!"

"Looking good 267!"

My pace was still faster than my usual half marathon or 70.3 pace, but I was feeling good and only had 2k to go. 

The course went right and up a small hill. Then it was tree cover and a long downhill to the finish. 

As turned right to enter the finish chute, a group of friends were there cheering LOUDLY.  It was a good feeling. 

I could see the finish line and then my family. I saw Thomas there with his arms out, so I picked him p and ran across the finish line with him, recreating the finish from 2021.

When I set him down, he was very upset that I got him wet, but when he saw the volunteer put the medal on me he said, "You did that? Good job Daddy!" And gave me a thumbs up.

I found the rest of my family and regrouped. I chatted with all the athletes I knew who were still around and gave my race recap to my coaches. 

All in all an amazing day. The weather was perfect. The water was perfect. I executed a great swim. I handle myself on a bike course more technical than I am used to. And I had a great run. 

Looking back I was only 13 minutes over my personal best in a sprint distance. 

It's great to be back into racing again. This year has been a good reminder that life happens and you adapt. I am glad I took the time to rehab and heal my injuries properly. Better to lose out on most of this summer than to never heal and give up all future racing.  

Thanks for taking the time to read this entry. Fingers crossed there will be more realgar additions here. 

Up Next: Great Trek Half Marathon

What's Next?

Here we are one year later. 

As stated in my race report, I took this year off from racing to make up for lost time with my family. And it has turned out to be an interesting year. 

I have kept up with my coaching with Swim Smart both in the pool and in the open water. And I've even received several bookings for private lessons. 

I did several rides with Steveston Velo including riding up Mt. Baker.

But what was supposed to be a chill summer was soon usurped by some exciting and some not so exciting news. 

First off, the exciting news: Our family is going to be growing. We are excitingly awaiting our second child in March of 2024. However, we found out in June that we would have to leave the house we were renting by September 1st.

I will spare you all the stressful details, but the broad stroked of it are: We found a place, but it is much smaller (and more expensive). It has been a big adjustment moving from a 3 bedroom house to a 2 bedroom apartment (and paying more in rent), but we have made it work and can call it home. 

Needless to say with the move and new addition coming, finances are a bit tighter than usual. This will come into play later in the post. 

So here we are, nearing the end of my one year sabbatical from racing and although I am extremely proud of my accomplishments, I feel the goal has still not been met. 

Now what?

Well, if you know me (and by now I am sure you do), you know I think these things out and I have a plan. 

So here we go!

I've given a great deal of thought to what will help me better achieve my goal next time around. 

First (and already implemented) I have switched gyms. I am grateful to Alex and everyone at West Coast Strength & Movement. When I lived and worked closer to downtown, it was the perfect gym. Once I moved further out, it made no sense for me to drive 40 minutes to and from the gym. Thanks to my wife, I found a small local gym and a new trainer, Tara. 

In addition to new trainer and new gym, I have also changed how I strength train. We have shifted away from the high weight at low reps for a more endurance style training. I do 2 sessions a week, one with my trainer and one on my own. One session is a strength based session aimed to keep my strength up, but with less heavy weights and medium reps. The next session is my endurance session (something I feel was missing before). This consists of lighter weights but many, MANY more reps. The goal is to keep my strength but train my muscles to be able to withstand prolonged workloads. 

Next, I plan on working on my run game. This is where I feel my Ironman fell apart. I will spending all of 2024 focusing on on my running and I hope to carry that forward into the next phase of my plan. I am currently signed up for an 8k in January, a half marathon in May, a half marathon in June, and another half marathon in November.  

For swimming, I just need to get back into the pool. My new place has a 25m pool in it (albeit without lanes), so I have no excuses. I may also start swimming back with Swim Smart in the Masters group as well as participate in some swim meets. 

For the bike I just need to get back in the saddle again. Unfortunately I had to sell my road bike due to lack of storage space. But with some help from a friend at Village Bikes, I have converted my gravel bike into a road bike. And I bought an extra set of wheels second hand to easily convert it back to a gravel bike when I want to do some trail riding. 

As far as my TT bike, I hemmed and hawed about if I wanted a new one. But with finances tight, that is no longer an option. Plus the more I thought about it, the more I realized there is absolutely nothing wrong with my bike. And getting a new bike would no be the end all to me getting faster.

 However, there are a few thing I do want to adjust. I am going to change to the front derailleur to a new model. This will allow me to run wider tires for better rolling resistance and comfort. I also want to change the cassette to something that will allow me to climb easier. While the Ironman I did (and the one I will do ... oooo foreshadowing) are flat, the 70.3s and training routes leading up to it will not be.  And there may be a few, small, cosmetic things I'd like to do as well. 

So, I have laid out where I was, where I am, and what I need to work on, what about the long term goal: (Officially) Completing an Ironman?

After a long conversation with my wife, we have decided that 2026 will be the year. So based on that I have devised a 3 year plan. 

As already stated, 2024 will be a run focus. 2025 will be an early standard distance triathlon leading to a 70.3 in the fall. 2026 will be full Ironman focus with a 70.3 at the halfway point and the Ironman in the late fall. 

With money tight and my family growing (see told you it would come back), the vast majority of my races will be local. I also plan on racing less. In the past I feel I suffered a bit of FOMO and raced distances that were less conducive to my training. Moving forward I plan on focusing more on training for the main races for the year and avoiding race distances that do not fit well into my training progression.  

By now you are screaming at the screen, "Just tell us which Ironman you picked!" 

Ironman California. 

Why this race? For several reasons.

First off, its in November, so I can take full advantage of the summer training months. Secondly, we can drive there. There will be 4 of us by then and flights are getting expensive. Thirdly, it's a river swim.

I will be completely honest and admit I used to think a river swim was cheating. But my wife made an interesting point. She asked me why I picked Arizona. My answer was because it was the course that best set me up for success. And I realized that picking a course with a river swim was no different than picking race with a flat bike course or cooler weather.

So Ironman California 2026 is the goal. There. It's in writing. Time to get off my ass and (re)start this journey. 

I also have a list of things I want to work on and change for the Ironman race itself, but those will not be a factor until later in 2025.

It will be a real challenge moving forward as my life and my family grow, but I have an amazing wife and lots of support from family, friends, and teammates. 

Thank you for taking the time to read my update. I hope you share in my excitement as I undertake this lofty goal (again). I look forward to sharing my progress over the next 3 years. 

One day....(Officially)....