The adventures of a marathon/triathlon athlete who is not built like a marathon/triathlon athlete. I may not be as fast and good looking as other runners, but I still finish. Like a bulldozer in an F1 race.
Well now that I've finally caught up on my 2021 race reports, 2022 is started out strong with more races!
On Saturday, March 5th I took part in the UBC Duathlon. In years past, I've done the sprint and Olympic triathlon distance of this race. But as stated in my race report from 2 year ago, I got a little aggravated with the swim. In 2021, I was signed up to the duathlon to take out the frustration and focus on my running. But the race was cancelled in 2021 so here we are now!
I arrived extra early to get a good spot. I was the first duathlete there and had my pick of transition spots. I setup in the first spot closest what I thought was the bike and run in/out.
It was very strange prepping transition. I kept feeling like I was missing something. Usually, you would setup your bike and run gear, but I was wearing my run gear already. My space looked so empty.
As I continued to setup, I hit my first snag of the day. My aero bottle began to leak. I had to quickly drink everything that was in it, or risk having it leak all over my front tire, front brake, and my cycling gear. Luckily, I had spare bottle I could throw in the bottle cage. This was not ideal, but it's what had to be done.
The cold morning air was getting to me and I ventured to the pool to watch the first wave starts for the triathlon. I meet up with Coach Oscar and Coach Stewart and watched with them.
Soon it was time to get ready for my race. After a last minute check of my transition area, I got my timing chip, and did a little warm up.
There was short race briefing, then we walked up the hill for the start.
Run #1
My wave started and everyone took off like a shot. The waves behind me quickly passed me and I was running nice and easy in last place. As the run went on, I started to pick out racers I thought I could catch later. I felt bad making a judgment call about who would blow up or bonk, but it helped motivate me.
I kept to a good moderate pace and kept with a 5 minute run followed by a 1 minute walk for the whole 5k.
The first run went by very quick. As I came into transition, I saw Jen and Thomas cheering me on.
The Bike
When I arrived at transition, my bike was the only one left in the duathlon area. This did not worry me. I know I am a strong biker, especially on this course.
I started the bike nice and easy to let my legs adjust. The start of the bike was an uphill and I did not want to gas out too early. I took some nutrition and hydrated before taking the right hand turn down the big hill on 16th.
The course is on a very popular cycling route and I train on it regularly. I knew exactly how to attack it. The way out is all downhill and can be used to make up time since the way back is all false flats (and the hill at 16th).
I was soon back at the turn around and ready to start lap 2. But I made a mistake and went into the finish lane by accident. I had to stop, back up, and get in the correct lane before taking off again.
On lap 2 I was able to pick up speed while keeping my effort under control. I saw a few teammates out on the course starting their 4 laps for the Olympic distance triathlon.
And as predicted, I passed a few duathletes on my way back to T2.
I got off my bike at the mount line and took a step as my bike cleats slip across the pavement. I decided to stop and take off my shoes rather than risk an injury so close to finishing.
T2 was a lightly longer transition as I took my time gearing up for the final run.
Run #2
I made my way out of transition with a bit of a foot cramp. I stopped and tried to work it out before heading back up the slight hill to start my final run.
Jen and Thomas were there and they both cheered me on. Thomas let out a huge laugh when he saw me and that pushed me to work harder.
At this point, I knew I only had 5k left to go. I pushed the pace and passed a few more athletes in my race. I feel bad in admitting that everyone I passed was someone I picked out in my mind at the start of the race.
At this point, the pain in my feet was becoming worse and worse, but I knew I was close to the end. I kept pushing and soon I was coming down the hill to the finish.
I crossed the line and immediately took off my shoes. I could barely walk my arches hurt so much.
All in all a great way to start off the 2022 race season. I know what to work on now. I need to slowly build my bike legs back up. I need to find a way to get my arm warmers to not slip so much on the aero bar pads. I also need to figure out an easier way to get my gels during the bike.
I have already fixed my leaky aero bottle since this race and have fixed the problem with my feet. Turns out the new shoes I was wearing do not fit my style of running. I have since changed back to my old style of shoe and my running has been coming along.
Great start to the 2022 season and a good way to pin down what adjustments I need to make.
It's been a while since I've competed in a swim meet, so when the opportunity came, I was sure to put my name down. So on October 16th, I signed up for the North Shore Masters Sprint Meet.
Each participant could choose 3 individual events to compete in as well as a few team relays. I opted for the 50m Freestyle, 100m Freestyle, and the 200m Freestyle.
After a meeting with other swimmers from the Coast Swim Team (under Coach Stewart), I was put on 2 relays; The 200m Freestyle and the 200m Team Medley (swimming backstroke).
We had an amazing turn out from our team and quickly claimed our spot on in the stands. The master list of heat starts was passed around frequently due to the high turn around between heats. The longest heats were 200m so time between heats was sparse.
200 Meter Individual Freestyle
Soon it as time for my first event, the 200m Individual Freestyle. As we lined up at the blocks I cheered for my teammates who were in the heat before me.
The officials noticed that everyone from Coast wore the same kit and were impressed with our numbers, not just in total, but also by how many of us there were in each heat/event.
I opted for an 'in water start' and was sure to get the specifics from the officials on how to proceed. I have never practiced starting off the blocks and did not want to add anything new to throw me off.
The start was sounded and we were off. I could see the advantage of started off the blocks in my periphery but knew I was a fast swimmer and could catch them.
I found a good rhythm and stuck with it, slowly building speed as I went.
150 meters in I could feel my heartrate start to climb. I switched to a 2-beat kick for the last 50 meters to keep my speed up but my heartrate down.
I finished 3rd or 4th in my heat. After a round of fist bumps from my teammates, I waited in the water for the rest of my heat to finish, then climbed out.
One event done, time to stay warm and cheer on my teammates before my next event.
My official time was 3:25.79. This is possibly my personal best for a 200m swim AND it was enough to win my first place in my age group. I have never won my age group in anything before (and I don't dare look up how many were in my age group).
100 Meter Individual Freestyle
Next up was the 100 meter freestyle. Once again I opted for an in water start. I put in a great effort and felt I could turn on the gas more knowing I only had 100 metes to swim.
My heartrate went up after the first 50, but I knew I could push through!
I caught a glimpse at the other lanes when breathing and thought to myself, "Am I winning this heat?"
I waited for another breath to confirm, "I am winning this heat!"
This pushed me even harder and as I plowed into the wall for my finish I could just see the next swimmer touch after me.
I felt fantastic, but did not want to show it. I did not want to boast or make others who worked just as hard or harder feel bad. I gave the second place heat finisher a thumbs up.
I gave the swimmers to my right and left fist mumps, then we all climbed out of the pool.
I was still riding the high of winning my heat, but again did not want to show it. The walk back to the stands went behind a water slide. Once concealed from view by the water slide, I beat my chest 3 times with my right arm. Them emerged to the cheering of my team.
My official time was 1:31.41. Only about 4 seconds off my personal best for a 100m swim. But it was enough to win my second place in my age group (once again I don't dare look up how many were in my age group).
4 x 50 Meter Freestyle Relay
For the 200m relay, I was the third swimmer in our group and the only one opting (once again) for an in water start. I had worked out the transition with the second position swimmer so there would be no confusion (and more importantly no collisions).
I pushed off the wall as soon as I saw our second's hands touch. I pushed hard on this. My breathing rate was half of what I usually do and my kick rate was double. Despite the hard effort, I did manage to keep my form and technique. I did not want that to suffer.
Not mush to say about a 50m sprint. Our team finished with a total time of 2:22.93 and my personal 50m time was 42.30. This gave us third place in our relay division.
50 Meter Individual Freestyle
Not much to say on the penultimate event. I did however step outside my comfort zone and decided to start of the blocks this time! I made sure my goggles were on super tight. There was a little jostle as I entered the water, but they stayed on!
I did this 50 meters pretty much the same as the 50 meters in the relay, but the start of the blocks got me an extra few seconds.
My official time was 0:40.00 and it was enough to win my third place in my age group (once again I don't dare look up how many were in my age group).
4 × 50m Team Medley (Mixed)
Next was the event I was looking forward to, the 4 × 50m Team Medley. I was assigned the backstroke and had spent an hour in the pool the night before practicing all the things I needed to practice to not get disqualified.
Backstroke in an in water start regardless so nothing new here. Plus I had practiced my starts and turns the night before.
I got a good push off the wall and felt very stable for the first 25 meters. I had counted how many strokes it was from the flags to the wall in my training session the night before, so there was little danger of running into the wall.
I was at the flags much sooner than I thought, I counted my strokes and executed the turn. I did get some water up my nose but knew I had to push through. Next time I may wear a nose plug.
I made it top the wall and saw the next teammate leap over me into the pool.
Our team finished with a total time of 3:20.18 and my personal 50m backstroke time was 01:04.13. This gave us third place in our relay division.
I enjoyed swimming a new stroke in competition and may start to venture out of my freestyle comfort zone on the next meet.
You can read the Coast Swim Team's official blog entry of this event here.
The end of 2021 has become a whirlwind of racing and life in general. That being said, these next few race reports may be lacking the level of detail you have come to expect from me.
I got up super early to make the drive to North Vancouver. After finding parking and grabbing all my gear, I made my way to transition.
I picked a spot near what looked like bike in/out. After carefully setting up my transition area, I took a walk around the pool building to try and scope out what transition would be like.
I found the finish line around the back and then found the route from the pool to transition. It was on a trail up a hill. As soon as my mind thought, "That will kill our feet!" I saw volunteers laying a carpet down the hill. Whew!
After a last minute trip to the washroom, all the athletes waited in the parking lot for their starts to be called. There was some confusion as the race announcer was just saying "Ok, if you are in the fast group, head inside!" Well, what was the fast group? What are the times? Everyone in the parking lot looked to have the same questions. I walked up to the race announcer and asked if he could call out times too. After that, the call outs went smoother.
I decided to seed myself in the front of the 10:00-10:30 minute group. The swim was only 444 meters (weird pool size I know). My group was called, and we headed inside. We took off our warm layer of clothes, put it in our drop off bag, and lined up. We all self-seeded based on our times.
They let us out of our holding area 8 at a time. We went back outside and in through another door right into the pool area. We lined up against a wall and waited for out start.
The Swim
After dropping our masks into the trash, we would wait for the official, drop in, and go.
The official warned me that the water was shallow. I dropped in not realizing it was only 2 feet deep. This threw me off and I did not get a good push off the wall.
Another wrench in the works was that the shallow side was the same side where you swam under the ropes to enter the next lane. Usually (like at UBC) I would push off the wall and go under the ropes on the push off. But the water was so shallow, I could never get the timing right.
As I continued on the swim, I ended up passing several people. I was careful to only pass at the wall, or if no one was coming the other way. I even had to dodge head on collisions from a few swimmers going the wrong way.
I should have have seeded myself in the wave ahead of me. And based on the number of people I was passing, some of them should have seeded differently too. But this is how it goes with a pool swim. I did my best not to get frustrated and just kept swimming.
At the last length, I was going to pass the swimmer in front of me but then changed my mind. The effort put forth in a surge for the last 30 meters would not be worth it. I knew I'd have to truck up a hill in the October cold once out of the pool. So I just drafted until the end of the swim.
I climbed up the steps and made my way out of the pool area and outside. It was cold. I went up the hill, found my bike and took my time drying off.
I had packed a pair of thermal leggings and a thermal long-sleeved, but opted for just arm warmers instead. The main reason being I just didn't want to deal with putting all that on. And if I got hot, they are not easily removed.
I took my time getting ready for the bike and it was soon time to go.
The Bike
The start of the bike was a gradual uphill to the main road. The bike was feeling sluggish and I could not tell if it was me, the hill, or a flat tire. I jumped off the bike and checked. Nope, tire was good, let's get it!
After a right turn onto the main road I enjoyed a slight downhill. This was short lived however as a climb started soon after. I could see by my power numbers that I was pushing too hard, too soon. I reigned it in and continued on.
The first lap of the 4 lap course was all about easing in and reconnaissance. During the second lap I continued to take it easy on the climbs, but laid the power down on the descents. Lap 3 and 4 got even faster respectively. I spent more and more time on the aero bars as the race went on.
Soon, I was turning left to head back to transition and start the run.
The Run
The run started out on a nice trail through a wooded area. I was able to hold an ok pace until the trail started going uphill toward the road. I walked up the hill, but started to run again once I hit the road.
I ran on the main road (the same as the bike) for a bit until the course took me into a local neighborhood. Then it was back on the main road for an out-and-back.
I was running up and down the same hills I had previously cycled on and did my best to hold pace going up. By the end, I was walking up the hills and running down them.
When I reached the top of the last hill, I upped my pace, knowing that I was almost done.
I ran past transition and back into to wooded area at the start of the run. I picked up even more speed now as I could hear the sounds of the finish line. Maybe a little too much speed as I tripped and almost bailed on a tree root. Luckily I was able to steady myself and continue on to the finish.
This was yet another race I normally do not get to do because of work. Yet another reason I am glad I switched companies. For the amount of training I was able (or not able) to do, I feel good about my performance and hope do this again in the future.
Once again I was fortunate enough to take part in a local race. This time it was the Vanier Park Cyclocross race. I was signed up to do this race in 2019 as my introduction to the sport, but the race was cancelled, making Aldergrove my intro to CX.
Jen, Thomas, and I arrived early so I could register and do a warm up lap of the course.
The course was very technical from a riding perspective. There were only 2 points where I needed to jump off the bike. The rest of the course was lots of twists, turns, and rollers. The course was also surprisingly wide. I felt that even if I was going to be lapped, I would have plenty of room and not need to slow down.
I finished my warm up lap in about 15 minutes. So I set my race goal at 2 laps, since this was a 30 minute race. I thought about going back onto the course to practice a few of the more technical spots, but I had done well on my practice lap and did not want to over think anything.
Then it was time to start. I lined up in the back knowing I would end up there anyhow. The start was an uphill so I made sure to be in the proper gear. Then start horn went off and the pack took off.
I was soon passed by a few people but felt I was moving at a good speed. At one point I had to stop due to a wipe out in front of me on the slippery pine needles.
After that it was just the simple task of navigating the twists, turns, and rollers. A few of the rider who passed me were now beginning to fade and I was able to catch up fairly quickly.
I made my way to the first section that required me to jump off the bike. At this section, riders went down a hill, made a 180 degree turn and then went back up the hill. However, on the uphill, there were 2 barriers. So at the bottom, you needed to jump off the bike while making the turn after coming down the hill. I had practiced this on the warm up lap and felt pretty confident. This was the section I did not want to over think.
I executed it perfectly (perfectly enough for me anyway) and ran up the hill over the barriers. I could see and hear Jen and Thomas cheering. At the top of the hill, I jumped back on my bike and rode on, focusing on getting my heart rate back down.
I navigated the twisty course and was soon at what was called The Belgian Steps. This was the second section that required a dismount. I jumped off the bike, ran up the steps, and jumped back on just before a downhill. I quickly clipped back in before using the downhill speed to aid in the following uphill.
I made a right and turn and bombed down the hill that I knew marked the end of the lap. As I flew past timing tent, I saw the number 3 displayed. I took this to mean we were doing 3 laps. Awesome. That is one lap more than my race goal.
Lap 2 was more of the same. I was now for familiar/comfortable with the course and could speed things up. I was even able to pass a few more people.
Lap 3, I was feeling really good. I was taking the turns much faster, I was pushing up the hills, and taking more advantage of the downhills.
I came down the last downhill expecting my race to be over when I realized I had one more lap. I had the read the sign wrong. 3 was not the total number of laps. 3 was the remaining laps, meaning 4 in total. I was not mentally prepared for 4 laps, but I took it as a challenge.
I pushed hard on the 4th lap, knowing it was for sure my last. I was passed by a few of the race leaders. They passed and offered up encouragement as they went by. It makes me love this sport even more when the first place rider can lap someone in the back, but take time to cheer them on.
Soon I was at the last downhill before the end. I threw my bike into gear and sprinted down that hill. I crossed the line with a big sigh of relief.
This course is my second favorite course when it come to CX. I had a ton of fun. My goal was 2 laps and I managed 4. I was able to turn my brain off and just ride. I set some new heart rate records but never felt as though it got too high.
4 laps in 37 minures 54 seconds and I didn't finish last!
Cross is back and I am looking forward to more racing!
First off let me give you a quick update. In my last entry, I talked about Ironman Washington 70.3 in September. This did not happen. Land border restrictions would not allow us to cross the border to Seattle and I have deferred this race to 2022.
Ironman Arizona (the full) was still going ahead in November, but we decided as a family that we were not comfortable travelling just yet. So once again my 5 year dream of a full Ironman has been pushed again to 2022.
I have also started coaching indoor swimming with Coach Stewart and will be starting to take more of a lead coaching role in the open water courses come the summer.
My new job has been going very well. They are very much what was promised. Great projects, challenging work, but much less overtime. My work life balance has been great and my mental health has improved.
I have also decided to not continue with my YouTube channel. Life has gotten very busy with a full time job, training, coaching, and family. I had a vision for what I wanted my channel to be and to accomplish that I would need to pour too much time and resources into it, time and resources that need to be directed elsewhere. There is too much going on in life right now and something needed to put aside to ensure I got the downtime I need. Unfortunately, it has to be the YouTube channel. This blog and my Instagram will now serve as the main source of race reports and training information.
So here we are! Back to racing!
Now that you are all caught up, here is my race report for the 2021 Vancouver Triathlon.
As stated before, I am continuing to help coach open water classes with Coach Stewart and we were excited to learn that Coach Stewart/Swim Smart would be an official sponsor for this race.
With the race being on Monday, we ran a swim clinic on Saturday and Sunday mornings. Coach Stewart worked with the more advanced in each group, while Coach Oscar and myself lead the beginner groups.
After the Sunday clinic, Stewart, Oscar, and I setup our tent for bike drop off. We had the perfect spot right next registration. We had a good time talking with the athletes, current and (hopefully) new clients.
I dropped by bike in transition, very close to bike out, and went home to prep the rest of my gear.
The next morning I got up super early. Coach Stewart was kind enough to give me a ride so Jen could have the car to bring Thomas to the race.
My swim start wave was the second to last to go, so I spent some time in the Coach Stewart tent answering any questions from the athletes.
Just before the first start wave, I setup my transition area. Turns out I had picked a spot near some friends. We were all excited to be racing and grateful for the opportunity.
After spending some more time at the coach's tent, I went to watch the first wave start. It was there that I ran into my coach, Coach Powell. We had not seen each other in person for a very long time and we chatted about the race. He asked how I was feeling about Arizona. I told him the same thing I said in the introduction above. It was a super tough decision to make, but in the end, it was the right one. And I look forward to focusing (more) on the next year.
It was getting close to my time to start, so I went in the water for a warm up swim. The water was cold. But I knew from the swim clinics we ran that it would warm up as we got moving.
After a quick warm up I made my way back on shore. I needed to get some water in/on my goggles to keep them from fogging up so I walked up the waters edge past all the other athletes in my wave. As I walked past, I let them know I was not jockeying for position.
But as soon as I splashed my goggles in the water and turned to return to the back of the pack, the horn blew. I stood still and let the pack run by me. It had been a long time since I had raced and I did not want to swim with the pack. I waited a few seconds then started my race.
The Swim
I noticed from watching the earlier starts that the current was pushing everyone to the right. So as I made my way from shore to the first turn buoy, I made sure to aim more to the left when sighting.
The turn buoy was yellow, as was my wave wave start swim cap color was yellow. This made it challenging to sight the buoy directly. Luckily a tanker was anchored in the perfect position for me to sight off of.
I had to stop a few times because my goggles were leaking. It was an overcast day, so I was swimming with my clear lensed pair, a pair I don't normally use. I figured if I had to stop every so often to fix my goggles, that would be ok. There was nothing I could do about it now.
I took the first section nice and easy. I had plenty of room to get into a rhythm all the way up until the first turn buoy. Then things got crowded.
I swam out past the first turn buoy to fix my goggles. I took them off and gave the rims a good squeeze. Well that did the trick! No more leaking goggles for the rest of the swim.
The next section to turn 2 was fast. We were swimming with the current. The current was pulling us to the left a bit, so I compensated.
After the second turn buoy, it was a straight shot to shore for an Australian Exit and then lap 2.
This section took forever as we were swimming against the outgoing tide. I stayed calm and just kept with my stroke count.
I swam past the yellow buoy and swam as far up to shore as I could (swimming past those who had stood up too early).
When I got onto shore and went around the land buoy, I was surprised how many fit looking swimmers ran past me. Then I realized it was my line. Many times in swimming it is not the fastest swimmer, but the person who swims the least distance. If the current pulls you 100 meters off course, that is 100 extra meters you have to swim.
I entered the water on lap 2 feeling great that my sighting skills had not let me down. I did knock my foot on some rocks and found out after the race that I did indeed cut my foot.
As soon as the water was deep enough to swim in, I started lap 2.
I made it to the first turn buoy just as the next start wave caught up with us. Needless to say, this made the turn even more crowded than the first lap.
The course remained crowded for the rest of lap 2. I stayed calm and continued have good lines.
I swam onto shore as far as I could and popped up to finish the swim. I walked up the incline off the beach and made my way to transition.
The same swimmers who passed me during the Australian Exit between laps ran past me again. It gave me a good feeling that swim was consistent between laps.
I took my time in transition. I knew this was a not a race with pressure. I got ready for the bike and was off.
As I exited the transition area and made my way to the mount line, I saw Jen and Thomas walking down the road in the distance. They saw me and cheered.
The Bike
I started the bike leg nice and easy. My goal was to keep my power under 200 watts for the whole bike section. I know I am capable of more, especially over 40k, but I wanted to save some energy for whatever I could muster on the run.
The bike course was one I was very familiar with. At least until the city decided they wanted to put up concrete barricades all along the road. I get it. They wanted to make the park safer for bikers, but they way they did it just seems unnecessary. Either way, I could not change it, so I went with it.
I kept with my strategy and was soon at the hill. I took the hill very easy. It was the only spot I did not keep my power under 200. But again, it's a hill I've done hundreds of times.
The downhill was separated into 2 lanes. Usually the lanes are open and I would stay to the left until I got to the sharp turn at the bottom. Then I would swing across to the right lane as I hit the apex of the turn. But now there was no room to do that. I decided to stay in the right hand lane, to allow those with better descending skills the room they needed.
At the bottom of the hill there are some fun twisties, but once again the barriers made them too narrow and crowded to fully enjoy.
As I swung around for lap 2, I could see and hear Thomas and Jen cheering.
Lap 2, 3, and 4 were pretty much the same as lap 1, but a bit less crowded. There was lots of encouragement both to and from other riders, especially on the hill.
I finished the bike feeling good. As I entered transition, I saw Jen and Thomas. I stopped for a bit to wave at Thomas.
I entered T2 nice and slow, not looking forward to the run. My run had not had as much training lately and was no where near what it once was. I had fully accepted that this race may be Swim, Bike, Walk.
The Run
I got out on the 4 lap run course and started walking. I definitely did not want to start off to fast. Once I got a bit further down, I started to run a bit. I would continue this run for a bit, walk for a bit, for pretty much the whole run.
At the end of each lap there was a hill. I walked this hill each time. And each time, Jen and Thomas were there waiting for me. It was so nice to have them out on the course. Every time Thomas would see me, he would scream and clap.
As I approached my final laps, I began seeing more of the same runners. We would encourage each other and ask "Which lap?"
I was so relieved when someone asked and I got to respond, "Last one!"
Soon I was up the hill. Then running down the hill. I could seen Jen and Thomas just to the right of the finish chute. I stopped, grabbed Thomas, and we both ran across the finish line.
While this in no way reflects what I am capable of in this type of race, I am not upset. I know I can do better and I know what to work on. This was the first race after 2 years. 2 year that include an ongoing pandemic and our first child. I was just happy to be in a race environment.
Swim: 00:37:37
T1: 00:05:33
Bike: 01:35:04
T2: 00:03:48
Run: 01:35:04
Total: 03:49:09
I am not sure if I would do this race again. I felt the bike course was a bit too crowded. While the race organizers limited the number of athletes this year (due to the pandemic), the narrowing of the roadways in the park still made for a congested course. I can only imagine what it would be like with a full field.
If I did do this race again, I would do their version of a Super Sprint and just go all out to see what I was capable of.
Thanks for taking the time to read this race report. As mentioned in the introduction, this blog combined with my Instagram will now be my main platform for race reports and training updates.
I know it's been a while, but as I am sure you are all aware, there has not been any racing over the past year. The last official race was back in March of 2020. Since then, I have been busy with work and fatherhood.
My 2020 race schedule got pushed to 2021 and most of those races were cancelled this year as well. So 'virtual' racing is the way to go this year (at least for now).
Over the past fall and winter I was able to get my training back up. I rode mainly indoors on zwift or outdoors on my gravel bike. I purchased a treadmill last summer which got its fair share of use over the winter months. And the local pool allowed for 75 minute reserved swim spots. The gym was hit or miss based on what Covid restrictions were in place at the time. So I was able to keep some semblance of my normal training schedule.
The goal is still Ironman Arizona in November. I am currently doing 2 swims (open water), 2 runs (one shorter and one longer), 2 bikes (one shorter one longer), and 1 strength workout in a week.
I would normally get 2 gym sessions in a week, but I recently changed jobs. I switched to a company that is known for working very little overtime. This helps me be around my family more, have more time to train, and helps with my mental well-being. That and the gym sign up schedule no longer lines up with my work and/or training schedule.
I am once again coaching open water swimming with Coach Stewart this year but have opted to not give private lessons to ensure some free time at home.
With the vaccine roll outs here, things are slowly starting to return to somewhat normal. I should be able to get a second gym workout each week and take part in more group rides.
Racing is seeing a return as well. I am still signed up for Ironman Washington 70.3 at the end of September and Ironman Arizona at the end of November. International travel restrictions are being eased for Canadians who have had both doses of a vaccine. My wife and I should be receiving our second dose within the next month. Locally, the Vancouver Triathlon at the beginning of September is going ahead with limited numbers. This will be an exciting time to race in an actual race environment rather than virtually.
Speaking of virtual racing, I did do 2 virtual races this year. An Olympic distance triathlon in April and a half iron distance last weekend (June 27th) . These were to replace 2 races I had been signed up for that had been cancelled.
The Olympic distance went pretty well. Myself and Coach Stewart booked time at local pool for the 1500m swim. While my wife waited in the parking lot with our bikes, we did our swim. I finally achieved my goal of a sub 30 minute 1500m swim. Granted it was in a 25m pool, but I am still going to count it.
After the swim, Stewart and I changed and headed out on the bike (after a lengthy flat tire change in the parking lot). I had mapped out a bike route that was roughly 40k. It was part of the Richmond River Road Loop most cyclists from this area know.
I was still on the fence about if I would race this or just treat it as a training ride with a friend. I don't think I ever actually made up my mind because I seemed to do a bit of both. At some points in the ride, we'd be riding along comfortably and chatting. But on other sections I hammered it. As you will see later, this was not a great idea.
The bike route ended at my house, where we put the bikes in the shed and transitioned for the run. Once out on the run I realized the constant surging on the bike had drained me of energy. The 10k run turned into a 10k walk.
Along with the mistake on the bike, there were a few other factors that plated into my bonking on the run.
First: The only pool time we could get for that day was in the afternoon. Most races start first thing when you are fresh.
Second: At that point in my training, I had not done any brick sessions. Nor had any of training sessions been over 3 hours. My body was good until after 3 hours.
Third: I had not planned my hydration/nutrition as I would have in an actual race.
I took all I learned from this and have since implemented it into my training.
Swim--00:29:22
T1 -----00:35:01
Bike ---01:26:18
T2------00:08:05
Run ----01:53:19
Total ---04:32:04
The second virtual race was an Ironman 70.3 distance race organized by my coach, Coach Powell. There were about 10-15 of us all doing different events ranging from Olympic distance, to duathlon, to half iron distance, to aqua bike.
I was all set to race the half Iron distance, but that weekend was the hottest on record. And I am not talking hottest on record for June. Or hottest on record for Vancouver. Or the hottest on record for British Columbia. It was the hottest on record EVER in all of Canada.
My mindset was, if I had signed up a race and it was that weekend, I'd still race it. So I will plan accordingly. I had plenty of hydration/nutrition on my bike. I had my race belt/bottle for the run. And the run course when by 2 water fountains and 2 outdoor beach showers on each lap (a total of 8 water fountains and 8 showers). I could refill my run bottle and run under the cold showers to cool off. That, and the end of every lap went by transition, where I had a cooler full of ice ready to be stuffed down my shirt.
While setting up transition, I was feeling really good about the day.
After setting up, I made my way to the water. A few bald eagles flew overhead and I knew it would be a good day. I am not superstitious about alot of things, but I always take an eagle, a hawk, an owl, etc. sighting as good luck.
The water was like glass, perfect for sighting. I got in and did a short practice swim. Then at 6:30am, I was off.
The swim was going to be about 4 laps clockwise around 3 buoys and included the swim out to buoy 1 and back from buoy 3. During Lap 1, I just eased into a good rhythm and let me body warm up. I took note of the current and made sighting adjustments. From buoy 1 to buoy 2, sighting to the right and aiming just between 2 tankers in the distance, got you straight to buoy 2 with the current. From 2 to 3, sighting to the right and aiming for the end of the pier got you right to number 2. From 2 to 3, it was pretty much a straight shot.
Lap 2 and 3 got a bit more crowded as those doing the Olympic distance started their swim. I was able to do a bit of drafting, but soon found that those I was drafting were not accounting for the current. So I kept my line. This ended up being a game of leap frog. I would have a straighter line and swim slower, while others swam faster but did an arc. We always met at the buoy.
Once at buoy 3 on lap 4, I looked at my watch. It said 1800 something meters, so I headed to shore. Once out of the water, I checked my watch. 2015m in 40 minutes. I was pleased with this. My best 1900m swim in a race is close to 37 minutes. Subtract the extra 215 meters I swam today and it gets me close to 38 for pacing.
I started the long trek to where we had transition. I did not run, but I didn't walk either. It was more of a brisk walk/jog. I was feeling good.
After a speedy but deliberate transition, I started out on the bike.
The bike was once again 4 laps. It went from transition along the water, up Spanish Banks hill, around UBC to the turn around on Marine Drive at Kullahun, back the way we came, an out-and-back on Chancellor, back down Spanish Banks hill, to the turn around at the first parking lot at the bottom. Then we got to do it all again 3 more times.
This is an area I train in alot, so I knew the roads pretty well. I knew where the downhills were and the false flats. I knew where to gain to speed and where to pull back.
That being said, I probably went out to hard on lap 1. I missed the 2 turn arounds and added some distance onto a few laps, but that would end up working in my favor later.
On lap 2, I tried to reign it in a bit. My goal was to keep my cadence around 70-75rpm while keeping my power under 200 watts. On the hills I would aim for 60rpm and under 230 watts. I also began to see more and more teammates out doing their respective races.
On lap 3, the wind started to pick up. This route is notorious for having a headwind on the false flat sections. Lap 1 and 2 were wind free, but lap 3 and 4 were not.
By lap 4, I was feeling the heat. I had followed my hydration plan perfectly but found myself out of water about halfway through my final lap (more on this later). I was beginning to fade. I ended up skipping the last out-and-back on Chancellor, but since I added some distance on the wrong turn arounds on lap 1 and 2, this still got me close to 90k.
I biked back to transition, unsure if I would continue.
Jen and Thomas were waiting for me at transition to cheer me on. Jen could see I was wiped. I grabbed some water, sat in the shade and debated if I would continue. By now, we were in full midday heat on the hottest day in history of Canada.
I decided not to continue.
I could have gone out and tried one lap to see how I felt, but I was not sure what would be gained by it. Running in that heat could only end badly. Sure I would have probably been fine, but how would I have felt later that day? Or later in the week? The risk was not worth it. So my half Iron became an Aqua Bike.
Swim--00:40:45
T1 -----00:11:31
Bike ---03:25:13
Run ----DNF
Total ---04:27:03
So aside from the record setting heat, here are a few things that factored into my decision to cut my race short.
First, lack of aid stations. I was carrying 3 hours of hydration/electrolytes on the bike, but usually during a race, I would grab more water. I would usually drink about half the bottle and spray myself with the other half to keep cool. Aid stations would have also provided extra hydration and support on the run. While there would have been ample opportunity on the run to grab extra hydration and cool off with water, there was non on the bike.
Second, mental image. This may seem like a trivial thing, but I feel the more I explain, the more it might make sense to you. I do still struggle with body image issues and am very aware of how I look (or least how I think I look) when bulldozing through a half Ironman, especially in heat. That being said, in my mind, there is a huge difference between being at a race and having the spectators know exactly what you are going through. It's a race. They expect to see people suffer. It's a part of the sport. But just random people out on a Sunday afternoon, they have no idea that I have already swam 2k and biked 90k and that I'm trying to finish a 21k run. In my mind, they just see a fat guy struggling to run in the heat. While I know that should not bother me, being physically tired has a huge impact on you mentally. I could not deal with the physical strain of the distance and the heat in that compromised mental state. It would have dragged me down mentally and killed my morale.
Overall, given the day I am very pleased with my swim and bike time. I am also happy with my decision to cut the race short. All afternoon I was completely exhausted. I could not image how I would feel if I did the whole thing. There have been and still will be plenty more half Ironman races. I know what to work on and where to go from here.
Thank you for taking the time to read my update and pseudo race reports. I have just over 2 months of training for my next Olympic Triathlon and about 3 before my next half Ironman. I will take what I have learned, adapt, and crush my upcoming races. And if factors outside my control pop up again, I'll deal with them on the day.
Don't forget to check out my YouTube channel in the 'Links' section to right of this entry.
Back in December my wife surprised me with the news that we were expecting. We had been trying since August, to the news should not have been a surprise. But you never know how you will react to such monumental news.
A little over 3 months later, the pandemic hit. My work, knowing that Jen was pregnant, gave me a work from home setup weeks before the work from home order went wide.
Due to the pandemic, we were forced to do the gender reveal virtually.
Fast forward to August.
From Dad's Perspective
All races for the year had either been cancelled or postponed. Nonetheless, I was continuing to train. Jen and I had decided that starting August 10th (2 weeks before the due date) that I would always have me phone on me. For running, biking, and lifting this was no problem. For swimming, I planned on having my phone (volume to 11) in my swimbuddy which I tow behind me for visibility and safety. My phone also links to my watch so I can see when someone is calling.
That night, Monday, August 10th, I went to swim in English Bay. I was running late so I decided to park in the pay lot closest to the beach. With my phone (volume to 11) in my swimbuddy, I swam out to meet the rest of my training group.
At the start of my third and final lap, I heard a beeping. I stopped and realized it was my phone. I looked at my watch "Incoming call. . . Jen"
I immediately started swimming to the beach. My coach, on his kayak, saw me and knew exactly what was happening. The entire time I was swimming to shore I kept thinking, "She forgot that we are in our 2 week protocol. She is calling to ask me to pick up dinner or something from the store."
I got to shore and 2 of teammates were there. Anne asked me if I was ending my swim early. I began to rummage through my bag and said, "We will see in a minute." They immediately knew what was happening.
I looked at my phone and saw 1 voicemail and 3 missed calls. I knew this was it.
I called Jen. She picked up,
"Hi Honey, so I'm at home making that desert I wanted to try and my water broke."
"OK I am on my way home. Have you had any contractions?"
"Not yet."
"Ok then don't we need to go to the hospital?"
"I don't remember. You come home and I'll call and find out."
I sprinted to the car. Thank goodness I parked close. Brushed the sand off my feet and took off. I called my sister and then my dad. I then called Jen back. She told me to come home and we would go to the hospital together.
When I got home, Jen's Step-Mom was here. I took a shower, loaded the hospital bags in the car, and we were off. We made the comment, "Let's hope he holds out so he can be born on our Anniversary."
We called ahead to let them know we were on our way.
We got to the hospital and made our way to the Birth Center. After several questions and a stress test, the Doctor on call from our OB office arrived.
She told us that we were going to be sent home and call if there is any pain or cramping. She asked what our birth plan was. We told her that other than Jen wanting an epidural, our birth plan was whatever we need to do for healthy/safe baby and mom. The doctor was happy to hear how laid back and open we were about our plan.
We were given some information and sent home.
Once home, Jen got ready for bed and I grabbed some food. About an hour later, Jen started complaining of small cramps. I called the Birth Center and they said cramping was fine and to wait until there are contractions that are closer together and longer.
Around midnight, Jen started to get contractions. I sat next to her bed and held her hand while I timed the contractions. I had a relaxing music playlist running to help as well.
I was waiting for the 4-1-1 we had learned about in our baby prep class. Contractions 4 minutes apart, lasing 1 minute long, consistently for 1 hour. Jen's contractions were never more than 40 seconds and ranged between 1 minute and 5 minutes between them.
Around 1:30am Jen had a particularly painful contraction. She looked at me and said, "That one was bad. I want to go to the hospital." So I grabbed her a change of clothes and started to get ready to go.
I made her stop at the top of our stairs and wait until after a contraction to come down. We did the same when we got to the car.
I tried to call the hospital 3 times to let them know we were coming, but the operator never picked up.
I parked in the emergency parking lot, helped Jen out of the car, then started grabbing the overnight bags. I looked up and realized Jen was already walking through the doors of the hospital.
We got in and there was no one there to check us in. Jen tried to go through the doors, but we needed someone to buzz us in. Finally a nurse came out to yell at a couple in the waiting room for talking too loud. I pointed at Jen and she instantly opened the door for us.
We made our way to the Birth Center and were put into a room. A nurse came and started asking questions about what happened. She asked me about contractions. I told her there were not consistent or long, but that Jen had wanted to come in once they began to be painful.
She examined Jen and when she stood, she held her fist in the air. It was covered in blood all the way to her wrist. "You are 9 centimeters. Let's get you prepped for delivery."
Jen looked at me then started hitting me. "WE MISSED THE EPIDURAL! YOU HAD ONE JOB! I'M SO MAD AT YOU RIGHT NOW!!"
I had no idea what to say. I just kept repeating "I'm sorry." It went too fast and the contractions had no consistency. And I kept thinking back to the baby prep class and the stories of couples being sent home because they came to the hospital too early.
The nurse put Jen in a wheelchair, I grabbed our stuff, and we made our way to Delivery Room 11. Room 11, August 11, our 2 year wedding anniversary. Too perfect. I put our stuff in the corner and I stood there to keep out of the way.
The room was a flurry of activity as 2 more nurses and a pediatrician entered the room. They informed us that the pediatrician was there because the baby's heart rate was a bit higher than they'd like.
The nurses asked me to get Jen some water. I remember thinking I should hurry so I didn't miss it. But then realized the nurses would not do that to me.
When I came back, it was time for Jen to start pushing. I held her hand and did my best to support her. I gave her water and wiped her face after every push.
After each push I would tell Jen that she was close, but she did not believe me. Jen remembers hearing a nurse say it would be another 45 minutes to an hour. I never heard them say this. I could read the eyes and the body language of the nurses and could tell we were in fact very close.
After each push Jen would exclaim "I can't!" Followed by the chorus of nurses lead by me answering, "Yes you can! You are doing great!"
The nurses gave Jen the laughing gas, but Jen stopped using it. She said it did not help.
After one particularly painful push, Jen asked, "Why!? Why do people do this!? Why do people have kids?!?"
I responded, "You'll know in about 5 minutes."
After a few more pushes, the nurses told Jen that she pushed better when her head was up with her chin in her chest. So the next push, I put my hand behind her neck to help her. One of the nurses walked up to Jen and said, "You are doing so well. Every time you push, we can see hair."
Jen looked at me and sobbed, "He has hair!!!"
The most difficult aspect of the birth was looking down and seeing the person I loved the most in so much pain. I just wanted to help, but I knew there was nothing I could do. After a while, that feeling of helplessness was replaced with absolute awe and pride. I always knew my wife was strong, but seeing this, it was clear just how strong she really is. I am now afraid of her.
The doctor came in, took one look at Jen, and said, "Oh! We are having a baby!!"
After a few more pushes Jen asked, "How much longer?!"
The doctor looked up and said, "Give me some really good pushes and we can have this baby in the next 3 minutes."
Jen looked at me and with one glance I told her 'You got this' and she told me 'I got this.'
The doctor gave Jen some freezing injections to help with the tear that was starting.
She began to push harder and harder. At one point, I peaked and saw the top of baby's head. I looked at Jen and said, "I see the head Jen. Once more big push and we have a baby."
She gave one more big push and then. . .
There was a baby.
A switch went off in Jen and absolute pain turned to absolute joy. The nurses placed the baby on Jen's chest. All we could do was stare at him. He was perfect.
The doctor and nurses continued to tend to Jen and sew up the small tear. Jen asked if the stitches would hurt. I thought to myself, "After that, will anything hurt you!?"
After a while, the pediatrician took him, just to check him. After a quick check and a weigh in, I got to hold him.
I took off my shirt to give him some skin-to-skin time. That is when it hit me. The moment he was in my arms. I was a dad.
He started to cry, so I stood up and walked him around the room. He calmed down immediately. I looked down at him and he opened his right eye to give daddy a little peak.
He was perfect.
From Mom's Perspective
My water randomly broke at 7:00pm on Monday, August 10th, while I was making a new dessert I found on Pinterest (s’more bars! I have yet to try them as I left it in the fridge). Anyways, Joe was just finishing his weekly training swim at Jericho Beach in Vancouver. He was in the water when I called but had his phone in a bag that dragged behind him just in case I called (which means baby is coming). So I called him 3 times and there was no answer. So I left a message.
Then I call Michele and she comes over to help me relax. Thank goodness they are a two minute drive away! I took a bath to calm myself and then Joe called me saying he saw that I called from an alert on his watch and that he was on his way home. I just relaxed with Michele until Joe came home. I wasn’t having any contractions so knew we had a lot of time before anything big happened but one thing I knew for sure was that my water broke.
Once Joe made it home, we headed to the hospital to get checked out. They checked me over and confirmed that my water broke but sent us home because I wasn’t having any contractions.
At 10:30ish, I start to get little cramps here and there but nothing crazy, just thought it had to do with my water continuing to break. I had to pee every five minutes and kept dripping every time I got up to move. I decided to lay in bed and get some rest.
I didn’t rest. Just before 12am (happy anniversary, Joe), I started getting contractions. I was laying in my bed and was super comfortable while Joe timed them and held my hand through each one. They hurt so much but Joe said they weren’t close enough together for me to go in (thinking of the 4-1-1 protocol). The 4-1-1 protocol is when you have contractions 4 minutes apart, for a full minute, for an hour. Apparently, that is when you should head to the hospital.
Anyways, at 1:30ish, I had a reallllllly bad contraction and told Joe that we needed to go to the hospital because something wasn’t right. I had a gut feeling that the pain I was feeling was more than just early labour. So before we left, I went pee and there was blood. So I was happy we were heading to the hospital since we were told to go if there was blood. I wasn’t sure if I was over reacting about the pain of my contractions because I’ve never experienced labour. How was I to know?
It was hard to get in the car because my contractions were full on. But we made it to the hospital and went up to the Birth Center. They examined me and I was thinking I would be like 2-3cm dilated and the OB on call said “umm wow. You are 9cm dilated”. At 10cm, you begin to push! Good thing I trusted my gut to head to the hospital!
I looked at Joe and started to hit him because I knew I couldn’t get the epidural which we planned. I was sooooo mad at him because he was the one counting the contractions..! HE should have known!!!! That being said, after reflecting on this, my contractions were kinda sporadic so blaming him was mean at the time. I did apologize after I realized we can’t go back in time, and told him I loved him and there’s nothing we can do now about it. Just have to keep moving forward. He felt so bad but there was nothing we could change or do. I was going to have the baby without any meds. All natural.
We went to the delivery room and I felt the need to push so bad! I started pushing I think around 2:20am. Oh. My. God. It hurt. It hurt, it hurt, it hurt!!!!!!! But they could see the head after like my first push but I just couldn’t push through the pain. It was too much to handle. I knew that baby would be here if I persevered through the pain but once you get to that pain, it’s so hard to push through.
Joe looked to see how I was progressing and his eyes widened. “Jen, I see his hair, you are so close. He’ll be here if you push through the pain”. The nurses were telling me the same thing for the last few pushes but as soon as Joe said it to me and had such certainty in his eyes, I believed him.
And so, I pushed through the ring of fire, was told his head was out and to keep going. All I needed to do was push more to get his shoulders out, so I did. It was such a relief when I felt him exiting my body. The pain instantly disappeared, like the flick of a switch. He was here!
I was in labour for just under three hours which I’m told is not common. I’m so incredibly lucky to have such a fast birthing experience and to have us both healthy at the end of it. This is an experience I will never forget.
That being said though, if we decide to have another baby, we will definitely go to the hospital earlier than needed and refuse to leave to make sure I get that epidural..!
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