MY RIDE

I am always most inspired to blog after long brick days.

Today was one of the final long triples of the ironman ramp up. and so, as i rode along, i thought about my ass and wondered if i had used enough vaseline before i left. i thought, also, about blog topics. and then it hit me (metaphorically i mean, thank my angels nothing really hit me)

this is my document, my journal, my memoir of my road to penticton. so i must post a pic of my steed, my ride, my wheels, my ten thousand dollars of happiness.

here IT is, ready for the last test race before ironman canada.

MY RIDE

yes, i am a titanium whore. the wheels and handlebars may melt but the frame will be one of the few things left if there is a nuclear holocaust. i will probably ride this frame until i die. it rocks. it eats vibration for breakfast. it make jokes out of potholes. my perineum loves this frame. baggage handlers can kiss my ass. they might break everything else, but they wont' bust my frame.

SPECS:
litespeed saber frame
reynolds carbon aero forks
cane creek headset
campagnolo record with cts crank
hed jet c2 90/60 wheels
look keo carbon pedals
continental triathlon tires
power tapp
profile design carbon cobra up front
xlab hydration in rear with King titanium bottle cages
arundel carbon bottle cages on frame
ism race saddle

ok, now i am an official triathlon blogger. i have posted bike porn.


just another brick in the yellow brick road...

swim 2.4 miles, bike 112, run 26.2 and brag for the rest of your life, or why i do this...

if anyone has followed this journey they will have seen the hero, the hypochondriac, the narcissist, the fund-raiser, the time strapped new father, the dreamer, the jaded-self loathing elitist seeking to be an ironman, the depressive self-doubter, head banger, cancer survivor and shameless self promoter.

yet today i realized, that none of these characteurs, nor even their sum total, comes close to describing the real why about this road to penticton.

it has been a while since i made a musical reference, this one pertains to the mood that struck today in the car on the the way home from an 8 hour workout. radio tarifa. an apocryphal band from spain who take their name from the southern-most town in spain, where the mediterannean and the atlantic meet. i was in tarifa. it is a magical, windy, moorish place.  i have loved radio tarifa. they are one of the most ecclectic and original bands on the planet, i forgot how much i liked them until i dipped into the cd case today and pulled this one out.

the link above is to a modern version of an ancient castillan song, and the song that inspired this week's blog.

so now, back to me.

it is amazing how empty your head gets when you ride for six hours in extreme heat. in the car however, in the loving arms of my a/c, with radio tarifa playing, a flood of emotion and imagery came on and i began to feel like i was experiencing an epiphany.

i saw images of people finishing at kona with the most amazing smiles on their faces. i saw also,  their looks of anguish and pain and the looks that said "i can't believe i just did that".  i remembered their stories and how i identifed with the fight i saw in them. i remembered how i told myself "i want to do that" i want to fight like that, i became so moved by the shear force of their will that i wanted to become like them. identification. deep rooted.

 i started to cry my head off in the car. i thought about my dead father for a moment. i cried from somewhere deep inside. it was a type of angry tears. i thought about how futile it is to say "look, i swam 2.4 miles, i biked 112 miles and i ran 26.2 miles" and the very thought of the beautiful and triumphant futility of it caught me up in waves of a type of ecstatic yet pointless protestation at the circumstances of existence. i cried more. then i realized that these were angry tears. i realized that ironman is a bucket for deep wells of rage within me, rage over things from the present, rage about things i can remember and things i can't, rage pasted together layer upon layer like a medieval palimpsest*, so glued together as to become indistinguishable, yet never expressed, bottled inside, released somehow through the pain of physical exertion. it took a while to ground myself. it took a while to return from this space of wonderful, sad, angry, triumphant tears.

and i said to myself...relax...you havne't done it yet. (it's just that it is getting so close i can taste it)

so is that the answer??? is anger the glue? is anger the culprit that wakes me at 5 am? is this all just an outlet for rage? you mean i could've just kept on kickboxing?

i dunno. maybe there was no epiphany. maybe i was just buzzing on endorphins. weird trip.

anyways, i will finish with a pic of tarifa. strange, beautiful, far away place, at the end of the once known world.

* ( a book where monks wrote one book over the other because they didn't have enough paper)

no time for shit

well, actually this morning time in the can is the only time i have to do a quick blog, just to keep my flow going (no pun intended). maybe the title of this blog should be "no time TO shit"...

but this is the time of the year when the shit hits the fan. and there really is no time for this proverbial substance right now,  be it in my life, my head, my diet, my sleep, my relationships. things are serious. the ironman ramp up is full on.

but, life being what it is, shit still happens.

as i go through all of this now, for myself, instead of reading about other people doing it, i feel profound admiration for anyone who  manages to work, stay married, know their children, and crosses the finish at an ironman. wow. we are pretty freakin amazing! much more impressive than the pros. we have no "training camps". we don't wake up alone in cool lonesome lofts to java and then go running in stellenbosch before our afternoon massage and bike session. we fit workouts in between trips to the park, the fountain, the grocery, nights on call, busy clinics and so on. we rock.

yet, there is little room for denial about what this is all about at this point in the year. this is all about me. fundraising is great, it is nice, it is smoke and mirrors. there is nothing self-less or even noble about this ironman endeavor. it is selfish and self focused to the max. my wife, my daughter, they would rather i was with them instead of  riding my frickin bike for 6 hours. who could pretend anything different??? and me doing this ironman won't change the world, it won't make people's lives better. i don't know if it will even change me . it won't solve anything. and it will strain my mind and body, as well as my family's patience. if my life was a garment the seams would be bursting.

ahh, but i do love it. i really do. i love training. i love driving home and cranking tunes after a 7 hour workout. i love swimming in the lake at 7 am.  there is something compelling about all of it, even though i simultaneously resent the price i pay...life is weird. we are all duplicitous and full of contradiction.  self-understanding does not always lead to change or action. i feel like lear, compelled to wonder through the storm because it is my fate. or else ulysses, always thinking about home but never quite there, always fighting some monster on the periphery of the known world but dreaming of home. (and i hope that i don't return home after loo long, like he did, and find a banquet going on in my absence...)

thus i no longer feel like my race in penticton will be a competition at all. i feel a sort of comraderie with all my fellow ironman weirdos who will toe the line with me. i feel like i understand what we all will have sacrificed to be there. don't get me wrong,  i don't want  really want to know them. i wouldn't say i even like them, or even the idea of them.  i just feel i am more like them than i am not. and i have never really felt more that way, about any group of people i don't want to belong to, in my whole life.

Welland Half Ironman Race Report

the welland canal

This past weekend was the 2nd annual Welland Half Ironman and I was there to suffer on a sunday morning with a few hundred other masochistic lunatics. not an A race for me, but a good chance to practice a few things and judge my fitness.

This race is the only "off label", non ironman brand half i have done, but i must say that in terms of organization and overall race experience, it really lacks nothing and even trumps the official ironman branded events which i have done. the whole thing was well organized, seamless, and about as pleasant as a 6 hour endurance event can be, from start to finish. They even had Steve Fleck there, from 19 Wetsuits, acting as announcer, and it was cool to hear your name as you struggle with your shoelaces in T2.

Part of the appeal is the size itself. 500 athletes makes for a much less congested and more pleasant experience on the race course than 2500. chocolate milk and hero burgers afterwards are a real bonus, which could only be topped by a beer tent and a live band. i guess i need to race more in germany... although i am not really sure how much fun it is to drink beer with a bunch of triathletes...they are mostly pretty boring. and come to think of it, i am not sure i would make the drive home with beer and burgers inside me post race, so let's just forget that. the only thing that is missing is all the m-dot gear at the expo, that is not really missing anything, except an opportunity to wait in line and spend more money.

so, come to think of it, a local race like this, done this well, aces a big, huge, ironman brand race any day. it is like like having coffee at the local shop, where the owner talks to you and the decor is unique and ambient, and things are more relaxed and personal,  as opposed to lining up at starbuck's and ordering coffee in some strange language we have all been forced to learn. (a good analogy except that sometimes at m-dot races you get coffee time coffee in a starbuck's cup, if you get my drift.)

enough rambling. race report.

welland is like a post card, except economically depressed.

 it kinda looks like how i imagine roth.

anyways, it is a simply beautiful setting to race in. country roads. a calm canal with parkland and condos all around. passing by a lake on the bike. a run along fitness trails that are beside water the whole time, with shade, trees, birds, and beautiful views every single step of the way. and lots of support from aid stations, which are well stalked and organized.
and a course that was made for PB's. fast and flat.
what more could you ask for? this race is destined to become a classic.


my race:

swim: my garmin strap broke just before i got in the water, so i had to stash it near a pilon on the ramp to transition. it was still there at the end of the swim, proving that the crowd was filled with good, honest people.  the water was quite warm. perhaps the course was a bit long this year as many many people had longer times than last year. but it was as pleasant as any mass start style swim can be. i had the usual boredom half way through. but overall, just a nice swim. the water was pretty warm, so making it wetsuit legal was a bit of a stretch in my opinion, but i didn't mind.

the run to transition is 1/2 k, over a large patch of rocky driveway just before you enter transition, so this was the worse part of the race really. it would be nice if they paved the whole thing. i ended up walking on stones, ouch, ooops, ouch.

bike: flat. a bit windy at points. passes a canal filled with water lillies. then turns into farmland. lollipops around and passes the shore of lake erie. quite a beautiful bike course. i was assessed a three minute penalty for i don't know what. kind've ironic given that i had to endure some jerk drafting me like crazy, then trying to pass me on the right, in between his spurts of sudden acceleration pauses to ride beside his girlfriend and chat, and then fall back and try to pass again. i am glad that he got left in my dust at the 65k point.  some people... and i get a penalty??? just another example that life really is not fair. i just didn't have magic legs on this day and i couldn't make the most of the ideal conditions, but i did manage a personal best, 2:36. good, i know  there is better in me, just not on that day.

run:somehow, i managed to make nutritional errors 101 on the bike so i ran into major stomach trauma from a glob of goo in my gut. this lasted for 10k of stitches, burps, vomit feelings and running at a walking pace. i seriously contemplated not finishing. but i just kept going, and drinking lots water to dilute the monster gel baby in my gut. i could not take in more fuel, my stomach would not handle it.

my stupid garmin strap broke so i ended up running holding it pocket watch style. no big deal.

at 10k things picked up and i actually started to run. another runner came up beside me and was going almost exactly the pace that i felt i could muster, so we ran together for 10k and picked people off, and had our own little mark allen/dave scott thing...funny, cause we did not say a word to each-other the whole time I ended salvaging a 1:41, which while not what i know i am capable of,  was nowhere near as bad as it could have been.

the run course is about as nice as can be. i am not a fan of loops, but that is all i could criticize. it was simply beautiful. 

finishing strong without my gel baby

in the end, i clocked a 5:05 (i am ignoring that erroneous penalty), a good time on a less than perfect day and a wake up call not to make stupid mistakes at ironman.

the welland half ironman race, is a small, beautiful and well run 1/2 ironman with a course that is set up for PB's. it is a race that anyone who lives close by should put on their calendars. it is also proof that the ironman label, is simply that, a trademark label and that their races have nothing up on local race organizers, who when they  know what they are doing, are offering a superior race experience.

Half Iron Dude, Full Iron Dad

granted, this is only my fourth year in the sport and i still have yet to race more than 20 races, including little local sprints...but the perfect day still eludes me.

sunday was the welland half ironman, full race report will follow. but yesterday was the toronto full irondad, and there is no question about which day i am more proud of!

first, i will consider that my post race recovery consisted of a chocolate milk, a hero burger and...drive 1/2 hour back to the hotel, shower, pack, load the car, rack the bike drive for 2 hours home, un-pack, un-rack, bathe the baby, go get food, eat food, sleep.

ok, now we are on monday...the toronto inner city full iron-dad day.

5:30 wake up, change baby, give bottle, play with baby
7:00 tag team with nanny, back to sleep for 45 m (o.k., i am not made of iron here!)
8:00 drive car to shop, drop car off
8:30 ride bike back home
09:00 do laundry, unpack suitcase, tidy up
10:30: rest hour, hang with family eat, watch True Blood season premiere on the PVR
11:30 ride bike back to car dealer, pick up car, drive home
1:00 shower, dress, walk to work
1:30-6:00 work...busy day...one crisis, 2 consults, 10 clients...
6:00 play with baby, bathe baby
6:30 return emtpy bottles, drug store, wine store, grocery shopping
8:00 eat
8:45-10:00 help my wife with some work related stuff ( with my remaining brain cell)

10:00 pm sleep.

all one day post race. wow. i am proud.

welland half iron race report to follow...

Burritos, Baby and Recovery

last week was a recovery week.

this week is pre-race (more on that later)

all of which means i have been a bit bored from a training standpoint.

how do i tie all this in to the words going through my head? baby...burritos...recovery...

 well...i have been thinking about the perfect recovery food. one that feeds your mind, soul and body.
for those of my readers who live in the toronto area, or who will visit, i need say no more than:

Chino Locos: http://chinolocos.com/


there is nothing more heavenly than a juicy, plump, fish burrito from chinos, stuffed with chow-mein noodles. ahhh. the perfect recovery meal. hold the sour cream and cheese if you are trying to get to kona. add a glass of mendoza malbec and you have the perfect last supper. forget the cigarette, just shoot me when i wash down the final bite with my malbec and send me straight to heaven.

ok, that is the burrito. the recovery. what about the baby?

my baby, stupid. my baby girl. we have been hanging out reading elmo, watching sesame street, changing poos, pointing at dogs and dancing every morning. she is my regular morning date. (and she has no idea how much tour de france she will be watching at 5am on the pvr in july, she will become a little french baby). she is just on my mind. plain and simple. and i want to document that because she is my morning angel on this road to .....penticton.

DeSoto T1 First Wave Review

ok, so i have had a brief moment of pseudo-philosophy last entry and so my heart wrenching self-disclosure about the woes of chemotherapy and radiation are temporarily out of my system.

so, back to basics, a gear review.

and i don't have to force this one, not at all. the T1 First Wave wetsuit is one of the most mind blowing and paradigm shifting pieces of equipment i have ever owned.

My T1 Out of the Box

i got mine in the mail two weeks ago, just in time for open water season here in ontario. i have since had test swims in lake wilcox (about 68 degrees) and lake ontario (high 50's). a couple choppy swims, and one of those swims that makes you think you are in that martial arts movie, crouching tiger hidden dragon, floating on a glass lake at dawn. the T1 was great in all situations. warm in the cold water. excellent flotation. but just like a dream to swim in.

this wetsuit has increased my enjoyment of open water swimming by 100%. and i have swam in several top brands, which are now hanging in my closet and will soon be up for sale on slowtwitch.  here is why:

-it is the easiest wetsuit that i have ever put on. i am not exhausted from fighting the the fricking zipper for 10 minutes and rolling rubber up my belly and down my arms for another five. i am not tired and sweating by the time i have it on. the top goes on so easily i could not almost believe it. the bib-john is just like putting on the bottom part of a traditional wetsuit, but a little easier, because there are no arms flailing around.  no more asking strange foreign people walking by the lake at dawn to do up my zipper. i will never need to be zipped again!

-it is equally easy to get off. the material really is very supple and flexible.  the top comes off like a dream. you flip it up like a sweater and the arms come off very very easy. the bottoms are easy because there is less to contend with. no arm fabric in your way. the rubber is very flexible. is just pops off around your feet the way you want it to. no more standing there like and asshole falling over trying to get my f'ing wetsuit legs off. this wetsuit will make my T-1's a bit faster, i have no doubt.

-it is as warm as any other wetsuit. there is no issue with water entry which is what i guess everyone is anxious about in moving to a two piece. but believe me, actually less water enters the suit. at least for me.

-the neck is lower, so i don't choke. i did chafe slightly first swim (over 3k). but you really don't feel as restricted by a high neckline in this suit. and there is no velcro to contend with, no zippers on your c-spine. it feels like you are wearing a nice, comfortable sweater. just really tight. like a miami clubbing sweater...but that is another story.

-my arms can do whatever they want, however fast they want. i can actually swim the way i do in the pool.  no shoulder fatigue. i am not fighting rubber with every stroke. i was able to finish my stroke completely. my elbows were free to go nice and high. my arms could stretch as far as i wanted. really, i mean imagine swimming in a wetsuit and feeling absolutely no restriction to your arms or shoulders and that is the feeling. it is awesome. my stroke rate was naturally increased as a result.

-it is more flexible around the torso, so i can roll better than with any other wetsuit.and, no, the top does not ride up. it stays just where it should. but it really does allows greater rotational motion than any other wetsuit. this makes sense. you are not fighting rubber, it is moving with you.

-i have bigger more muscular arms and shoulers than most triathletes. the T-1 allows you to mix different top sizes to bibjohns, so you can always have a perfect fit. you don't have to be built like michael raelert (and do you really want to be???)

-the bio-stroke mummy arm thing is no gimmick. my arms feel like they are in a perfect position for my catch and pull. this wetsuit has actually taught me to swim better in the pool!

--tom brady wears it to play football in the snow

ok, now that is cool.

and it tells you how flexible the arms and shoulders are. 

this wetsuit has me looking at people squeezing into their one peicers just wondering why or how i ever did that. i feel i have re-discovered the world of wetsuit swimming, as it should be. and freed myself from the land of neoprene bondage torture.

while i was picking sizes i had great service on the phone with steve at desoto. i mentioned the brand i was currently swimming in and he told me it would be like moving from a ford to a ferarri (i own a ford but i took no offense.) i thought, it is nice to have such brand enthusiasm, but this guy is over-stating things a bit. well....he wasn't. 

there really is no going back to a one piece when you have tried a desoto wetsuit. trust me. it is one of the best investments you will ever make in your triathlon career. and they have a 100% satisfaction guarantee, so just go for it. or don't. i don't care. i will feel superior and have a better swim experience. come to think of it. don't order one, not if you are racing in canada anyways...