Just Keep Running

The past few months have been pretty uneventful for me but I wanted to update everyone about the training I've been doing and the racing I have planned this season. It has been a really productive off season when it comes to working on my running. I've always considered running to by my weakest of the three and I've been putting a lot of emphasis on my running. Instead of giving exact figures, I'll update you in comparison to other years.

So far in 2017 I am halfway to my TOTAL milage in 2014. In the off season (since Sept. 1st) I've run more than I did in TOTAL in 2014. In 2017, I'm already on track to run 150-200% of my total mileage in 2016.

It hasn't just been about the mileage. I've been really making sure I'm training smart this year and not running everything on trails and pavement. I've been spending a lot of time doing laps at a local soccer field and even driving to dirt roads to do my tempo runs so that I stay injury free. It's a bit more work time-wise but well worth it! The weather has been so nice lately that I've been able to get 1-2 quality workouts in per week throughout the whole winter. This hasn't happened in Ontario for me and it NEVER happened when I was living in NB.

I've been seeing some pretty big gains, and in the past 7 days (Thursday to Thursday) I've run the highest mileage week I've ever ran and I'm feeling great! I'm seeing progress in my tempos and I've been feeling very efficient. I want to point out that I'm not neglecting the other two sports, I'm just doing everything I can to see some progress this year in my running.

I plan on starting off my season in Richmond, Virginia again in May at the ITU Sprint CAMTRI American Cup. Then I'll have a little break to really get some training in once school is done to race our National Championships in Ottawa again this year. The format is going to be very interesting and something I've never done. It will be a heats and finals event with a super sprint race for the heats and a finals event as a sprint distance race on the following day. I'm both nervous and excited to try this new format! After that I'll head down to Des Moines again for the ITU CAMTRI American Cup this time for an Olympic distance race. It will be a hot and hard race, and I'm looking forward to it!

This is my concrete list of races that I will be doing. I'm definitely going to try and get into more races and look at racing a fall race but I can't guarantee what/where that will be. I will also be racing the Ontario Draft Legal Series again and maybe another few 5/10k road races to test the fitness.

In 2017, I started training with the Fighting Koala's under Mat Reid. It has been a lot of fun and I'm really looking forward to working with the team for this year and in the future!

I know that a lot of people back home have been wondering what my racing and training have been looking like. I apologize for being off grid for such a long time. I've always found that the better training has been going, the less I tend to be on social media and blogging. So if you see me off social media again for a little while, it probably means I've been training really well!

Thanks to Aberdeen Subaru, Human Performance Centre, Triathlon New Brunswick and Radical Edge for their continued support. I really couldn't be racing at this level anymore without your support!

Pursu it Campaign

First of all I want to say thank you to everyone that has supported my campaign so far. I put a lot of work into it and so did most of the people surrounding me. The video was done faster than I could've asked for by my roommate and friend Maddy McMillan, and I cannot thank her enough. Holly McKay did my amazing logo to represent my New Brunswick roots. Christian Gallant took the amazing picture displayed on the pursu.it home page. A lot went into this campaign and so far I'm very pleased with what I've received.

It is great to know that New Brunswick is supporting me as much as they as. Everyone back home has supported me with notes and has been cheering for my whole career but now they are giving me money to support my dream. This is absolutely amazing for my finances but the comments are also making my training days better. It's been very motivating knowing I have so many people behind me during this campaign. Every donation is taking me one step closer to my dream.

Another offer that has developed during my campaign is one from Energy Lab Wheels. They have offered to give $250 directly to me and my campaign for EVERY single wheel set sold throughout the next 29 days. They are an amazing Canadian company that sponsors national team athletes like Andrew Yorke and the Forbes twins who went 1 and 2 at under 23 nationals. 
http://energy-lab-sports.mybigcommerce.com/sport-development-fund/

If you're wondering WHY? Why should I support this kid? Well I can't convince you all but take ten minutes to watch this video. I'm not raising funds because I want to profit by any means. All of this money will be going towards my racing and training. I will not get to the Olympics without funding because you WILL NOT get carded in Canada until you are at the very top. That means until I get there my travel expenses, coaching fees, training camps and gear are coming out of my pocket. I get support from the province and from Triathlon New Brunswick but my budget is $20000 PER YEAR. It is going to take a lot of work and dedication, which I am willing and able to do; but I hope that money is not going to become the limiting factor in me ultimately getting to the top. 
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3Tf654IJ0H4 

Thanks again to everyone that has helped and make sure to check out the campaign in the link below (and don't forget to check out the givebacks section, there's something in it for you too):
https://www.pursu.it/pursuit/campaign/147 

Thanks to Human Performance Centre, The Radical Edge, Nineteen Wetsuits, C3, Aberdeen Subaru, Triathlon New Brunswick and all of the people that have been supporting me as I pursue my dreams. The campaign still has 29 days so make sure to check it out!

The Offseason and my first 10k

It's been a little while since I last updated my blog but here's what I've been up to since I got back to Hamilton.

I took a big break this year after the tri season. It was my longest season yet so I needed a mental and physical reboot before I could get back to training. I got back into things relatively easily but I've been doing a lot of fun training and not necessarily much quality.

I thought it would be super fun to try and run a 10k without the swim and the bike before. I've never actually done a flat out 10k. I really didn't know what to expect except that I knew it was going to hurt, a lot. Going into the race I wasn't very rested but I had been feeling very strong, not necessarily fast but strong.

I was very fortunate to have my roommate Andrew racing because I knew he'd be up the road and someone to chase after. I also had my friend Bryan racing, and my girlfriend Christina there to support me. Having a big support crew like that mad pre race jitters slightly better than normal.

My warmup felt good and I really felt like a very fast time was possible. There was no wind and I was feeling great! As soon as the gun went I was rolling, and I felt that way for the first 6-7k. With three kilometres to go I was feeling tired and the pain was setting in but I just kept pushing. I found out that 10ks were tough even without the swim and the bike.

I ended up running 33:37 for second place with my roommate Andrew just breaking 33. It was a really great day for both of us and I am so happy Christina was there to see it happen. It's really nice to have the same support system here as I do in New Brunswick.

Here's a video of me going accross the line!

Also here's a picture that I just found from the race. Feels great knowing I actually looked like a runner out there!

Thanks to Human Performance Centre, The Radical Edge Nineteen Wetsuits (I still appreciate the support even when there is no swim), C3, Aberdeen Subaru, Triathlon New Brunswick and all of the people that have been supporting me as I pursue my dreams. Stay on high alert, because I have a big announcement that I'll be making in the next couple of weeks!

Fun at Home

I flew home three weeks ago to Saint John, New Brunswick because I haven't been home since Christmas and wanted to reconnect with friends and family. It was a really fun trip but I was always busy working on securing sponsorship for 2016 and visiting everyone. I also had the pleasure of getting my wisdom teeth out! Luckily I also planned on taking most of the three weeks completely off of training after my longest season I've ever had (March 17th-August 1st!).

It was really enjoyed sleeping in and not having to think about training 24/7. But as a triathlete you can only get so far away from the sport. I really appreciate the support from back home in New Brunswick so I held a swim clinic to share some skills and drills that I thought could benefit the local triathlon community. It was a blast and I think I accomplished my ultimate goal of getting everyone to learn something new! After the hour and a half of fun in the water we went up to Seely Street B&B for a potluck breakfast and for me to share my experiences on the road the past couple of years! Thanks again to Helena and Garth Millar for letting me use their house for the event and for Fundy Extreme for helping me organize it. I hope to do another clinic next time I'm home because the feedback was great!

Here is a picture from the clinic that Christian Gallant took:

The next day I went to the Sea Dog's Open water swim to see if everyone was able to apply what I taught them the day before! It was a great event put on by Daryl Steeves, and I really enjoyed helping out a little bit by counting the swimmers as they went into the water!

I also helped out at my mother's Kid's of Steel triathlon the following weekend. It was a lot of fun and riding as I led every age group's bike ride to make sure they were safe. It was pretty inspiring to see so many young kids out there doing the sport I love! It was also great to see my mom taking the time out of her Ironman training to give back to the sport!

Photo Credit: Holly McKay

As I had mentioned at the start of this blog I was working on sponsorship opportunities for 2016. Radical Edge really stepped it up for 2016 and they will be helping me with any sort of gear or components I need for 2016. It was also confirmed that Aberdeen Subaru will once again be supporting me and making a big difference in getting to races in 2016. I had a lot of other meetings and nothing else is confirmed but I think I should be getting support from a few other local companies. Thanks to everyone for helping me out and I can't wait to make you guys proud in 2016!

Yesterday I helped out at a new triathlon format similar to the relays at Canada Summer Games and at the Commonwealth Games was once again held at Rockwood Park. It was a lot of fun and I think everyone had fun. I got a chance to catch up with a few people that I haven't seen in a few years and I wish them all the best for the rest of the season!

It was great being home and getting excited to start training again. I really needed the time off but now I'm more motivated than ever to get back to it! Thanks again to my sponsors for this first season as an elite: Nineteen wetsuits, Aberdeen Subaru, Radical Edge, Human Performance Centre and C3!

SEASON RECAP

My 2015 season came to a close on August 1^st in Ottawa. Earlier in the year I sat down with Barrie and we decided that I would end my season in early August to prevent the normal drop in my swimming performance. This is because senior nationals for swimming are around this time. Andrew Cole (the McMaster swim coach we work with) is done his season and his athletes need some down time come August. I have nothing against him stopping now; it just makes sense for me to stop too if I no longer have the swim team to swim with!

As you all know, Magog went very well for me. Recovering from an Olympic distance race is a lot tougher than a sprint though. I knew this going into Ottawa, but given what had happened in Magog the previous year, I thought I should finish off my season at Ontario Draft Legal provincials. It’s low key and a lot of fun.

Race morning was very rushed, we had a 6:45am race start. This is almost 3 hours earlier than most of my race starts this year! I planned for it but it means your warm up and morning routine has to be altered. We didn’t get a great warm up in but I knew that bridging up on the bike was quite possible with this smaller field.

The swim was an in water start, which I like because of the lack of running into the water! I was off to a slow start right away but I wasn’t very concerned. I just held myself together and swam well. I came out of the water a little back from the leaders but I grabbed my bike with the confidence I needed to hammer. Very quickly, I bridged up with Pat Smith, and the two Forbes. Once we caught up the pace was pretty relaxed with only a few attacks that I had to cover. When I came into T2 I went to the wrong shoes. Taylor and I have the same racing flats and in the adrenaline of racing I ran to his shoes instead of mine. I had to re-rack my bike once I realized and this caused my to become a bit flustered. I threw my helmet and sunglasses (or so I thought) into the bin and tried to make up the time I lost. I ended up feeling it on the running, my legs just weren’t there but I pushed through only to realize that I had a penalty (for the sunglasses not being in my bin). It ended up costing me a placing but I finished 8^th in a very competitive field so I’m very happy with that! Thanks to Patrick Smith and his mom for helping me out and giving me a place to stay in Ottawa!

I’m actually on the plane right now as I write this. I’ve been racing since March and I really look forward to putting my feet up and chilling with my friends back home. I really miss New Brunswick and I cannot wait to reboot and get ready for some hard training in September! Thanks to everyone for your constant support. I really couldn’t be racing at this level without Triathlon New Brunswick, C3, Nineteen wetsuits, Human Performance Centre and Aberdeen Subaru!

MAGOG CAMTRI RECAP

Everything has been going well since Belle River. I recovered very quickly from the sprint distance race and went straight into a good block of training before the Magog CAMTRI Triathlon.

My swimming was only feeling okay for the past few weeks but my riding was feeling the best it ever has and my run has been coming along nicely. Andrew Beardsall and I traveled to Magog with his parents on Wednesday to keep the traveling as smooth as possible. I started feeling amazing in the water once we got to Magog. One of the best prep sets in the pool I ever have done was on the Thursday leading into the race! My biking was also feeling really good; I even managed to crack my highest wattage ever while pre-riding the bike course. I even had one of my best tempos running on the Tuesday leading into the race.

Race morning was very relaxed for me. I felt more prepared than I ever have going into a race. I really nailed the taper for the first time in a while. It was a really good confidence booster and made the nerves almost none existent the morning of the race. I got up super early as I always do so that I could be alert and ready to race. My warmup went really well, and I actually had enough time to get a solid swim warmup in which is always a huge bonus.

PHOTO CREDITS: Maddy McMillan 

The swim was okay for me. I had a pretty bad start, and I really don’t think I could have come out of the water where I did if the race had been another sprint. I didn’t make up much time until the last quarter of the swim.

PHOTO CREDITS: Maddy McMillan 

As I came out of the water I could see that I was right with the leaders. I sprinted through transition, put my helmet on and got ready to hammer the bike. Fortunately I was in lead pack before I knew it! It was a pretty relaxed bike once our pack was established. I spent a lot of time up front because of last year’s fall on the same course but I’m very pleased with how my legs felt going into T2 even after working so much on the bike!

PHOTO CREDITS: Maddy McMillan 

My T2 was really the only bad part of my race. I ended up going down the wrong row and then my bike fell over, not once but twice. Knowing it wasn’t going to stand up no matter what I did, I decided to leave it hoping that the officials saw the effort I put in. I didn’t end up getting a penalty so I’m happy I decided that after a second try it was no longer worth it. Because I lost so much time going into transition I hammered out onto the run course. I had to calm myself down and settle into a good pace hoping that some of the people in front would come back to me. I tried to hold my form together and hung tough for a 21^st finish in a very competitive field in only my second Olympic Distance race! I can’t confirm this but I believe I was 13^th overall in the Elite Men’s Nationals with this result and 10^th in the under 23 nationals.

PHOTO CREDITS: Maddy McMillan 

I’m very happy with this result and I really look forward to racing even more Olympic Distance races. This weekend I’ll be racing the Ontario Draft Legal Provincials as a New Brunswicker. It should be another good race and I really look forward to it.

Thanks to Andrew Beardsall and his parents for their hospitality and for putting up with me all week. I’d also like to thank my parents for coming out to watch me race for the first time in 2 years! Racing at this level would not be possible without their support and the support of Nineteen Wetsuits, Triathlon New Brunswick, Human Performance Centre, C3 and Aberdeen Subaru.

Belle River Recap

It's definitely been a few weeks since my last blog post, however my training has been going a lot better than my blogging! Since Dallas I have been mostly chipping away at the running side of things. On June 21st I went down to Toronto for the first of three draft legal races in Ontario. They started a new series in 2015 that gives athletes such as myself two more draft races we can do on top of the provincials. Kudos to Triathlon Ontario for starting up this great series!

Toronto's recap will be brief, just like my race was! (you'll get the joke in a second). I had an okay swim in Toronto but that made me miss lead pack. I found it very hard to get back into a good rhythm in the water after Dallas and was just started to feel good again leading into the race. After an okay swim I had an amazing T1 and felt great as soon as I got on the bike. I was a bit too far behind lead pack to chase them down but also a bit ahead of the people I came out of the water with. I decided to 'wait up' for the guys and we formed a pack of 4. After 5k into the race I could see the leaders so I attacked pretty hard, it was successful at first but my legs just couldn't handle closing the gap. I then thought we might be able to catch up to the leaders if I waited for the pack of three to come back. Almost immediately after they caught me I ended up in a pot hole after a pull which caused me to puncture. With no wheel stop and carbon clinchers I was forced to stop. It was unfortunate but I'm glad it happen in this race rather than the bigger ITU races I was in earlier on this season.

After Toronto, slightly frustrated, I got right back into training. Luckily the week after Toronto I had one of my favourite training partners come to visit, my dad. I hadn't seen him since Christmas so it was very exciting to get out for a few rides and to watch him rip up the track over at the university. The day he flew out I went down to London to race a 5000 on the track. I was feeling really good leading into the race and knew I had a PB in me. I ended up kicking for home like a sprinter to a 16:01.56 which was 5 seconds faster than I have ever run. I was very happy but knew there was not a lot of time to celebrate because week three of racing was coming right around the corner!

I felt pretty sore post 5000 because of the spikes. I still hit the run workouts I was planning on that week but I was still a lot sorer than I would have liked. Belle river is close to 3 hours away from Hamilton so David Hopton, a fellow C3 member and friend, decided to drive down the day before. After Lionel Sanders asked around to see if there was a place to stay Andrew Vendrasco and his girlfriend let us stay at their house. I would like to thank them again for that because they made our lives so much easier!! Initially Dave and I thought we were starting at 8:00am which made us get to the race site a bit early because we soon found out that our race start was actually 9:30. This turned out to be a blessing in disguise. It allowed me to get a very solid run warmup in and left me enough time to warmup the way I like to in the water.

The swim was an in water start which I really liked, and no wetsuit which is also very nice. I had an okay start but it took me a little while to get going in the water. We did a 180 degree turn and headed back towards the start. At that point I was feeling pretty good and started going very hard to catch up to the leaders. I believe I came out of the water in 4th just 10 seconds down of Alex Hinton. I knew I was in a good spot and controlled myself as I went through transition.

The bike was pretty uneventful and I tried not to pull like a crazy 16 year old (like I used to pull). It was flat and fast; and as soon as I hopped off the bike I knew I had a fast run in me. Alex lead out of transition and I was in second. Soon after Jackson Laundry and Jacob Jamnicky went by me. I kept it cool but still ran really hard. I ended up catching up to Jacob a little before halfway and stayed in third for the rest of the race.

Here are a couple of pictures from the race this weekend:

Thanks to Nineteen wetsuits, Triathlon New Brunswick, C3, Human Performance Centre and Aberdeen Subaru for the support!