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!

Racing in Dallas: The time I became an Elite Duathlete

Here's my race recap for the Dallas CAMTRI Sprint Triathlon, that actually ended up being a duathlon. I knew I was going to be racing in Dallas ever since the schedule came out in January. With only a few North American races this year it was a given that I should be racing here in Dallas. Unfortunately when I flew in on Wednesday I found out right away that there had been some issues with the lake we were supposed to swim in. Texas had experienced some really bad flooding leading into the race, which caused some raw sewage to go into the lake. This made the race directors and ITU officials change our race to a 5km run, 20km bike and a 2.5km run. Although I was more than ready to race a triathlon, a duathlon seemed to be a new challenge leading into the race. I've never officially raced a duathlon (that being said I'm not sure I've raced an unofficial duathlon either), so I was pretty nervous going into the race.

The last few days leading into the race I was feeling very good about my swim, bike and run. I wasn't sure how a run, bike, run effort would play out but I was sure I was going to give it my best. I didn't really change much leading into the race and I still felt good when I toed the line. After a good, very hot warmup I felt ready to race as hard as I could.

As soon as the run started it felt like I could barely hang on to the whole field. The first mile was fast but everyone seemed to be together so I was trying to not let them pull away. This was really tough but I gave it what I had in my legs, which unfortunately wasn't enough to make lead pack, or even chase pack. It was hot and humid and with the excitement and dehydration, I think I threw my water bottle past the littering zone which ended up costing me 10 seconds after the bike.

When I got onto the bike I tried to work with the few athletes I was riding up to but eventually just rode away from them and solo'ed the majority of the bike. It was very difficult to push the power I can normally push when I get out of the water after that first run. Fortunately, it was pretty uneventful on my part, just a very hot ride. I used my power meter more than I ever have in a draft legal race but I was very thankful to be able to pace with it!

When I hopped off the bike I just tried to run within myself catching up to one or two people during the run. I didn't want to let the heat get to me but the penalty almost took a placing. That being said, I sprinted past them in the last 200m after the penalty box and my body locked up as soon as I crossed the line.

I'm not super pleased with the result but considering there was no swim and I had no one to work with on the bike I'm glad that I still ended up placing 24th. I know that I still have a lot of work to do on the run and this race definitely reaffirmed that. I'll be back in Hamilton on Monday night, and ready to get back to training hard.

Thank you to my homestay here in Texas! Morgan and Read Hoffman have been great to me while I've been in Texas. I've enjoyed my stay here and I hope to come to race in Dallas again. I also got introduced to Snow Cones which are the most amazing cold snack when you're dehydrated! I would also like to thank everyone at Playtri who organized the race. I know it must have been really hard to deal with the water problems and the race still exceeded my expectations!

Thanks to Nineteen Wetsuits, C3, Triathlon New Brunswick, Human Performance Centre, Aberdeen Subaru and everyone else that has supported me in 2015! I look forward to racing again soon and appreciate your support!

Monterrey CAMTRI Triathlon American Championships

Monterrey, Mexico was such a cool experience. I flew in last Wednesday so that nothing was rushed leading into the race. The hotels were pretty cheap so it was not a hard discussion to make. I stayed with one of my friends from Hamilton, Austen Forbes which helped make the cost even cheaper. 

Leading into the race I was feeling pretty good, but was trying to spend most of the day inside (I know I'm a great tourist) to keep out of the heat. There was a 50 meter pool not too far away from our hotel that we swam in Thursday. The other days we spent swimming in a tiny canal that was about four feet deep. The riding was pretty hectic because Austen and I decided it was a good idea to ride on the roads that were filled with cars! The running wasn't anything special but I wasn't planning on running a lot leading into the race, so it really didn't matter.

The race briefing was pretty funny; with a lot of things that were unclear leading into the race. Luckily one of the Canadian coaches got a ramp put in at the 180 degree turn, instead of a buoy which helped make the swim a little bit less violent. To quote one of the officials "the bike had a few dangerous spots," because of the multiple tight corners. The run however was pretty standard with 4 laps of 2.5k mostly on the road. 

This was my first Olympic distance race and I wasn't very nervous at all. I felt really prepared and ready to go which is always a great feeling. I started off the morning with a quick shower and some breakfast then Austen and I rode to the race site. There were a few delays in the morning but we were aware of them and adjusted our warmup accordingly. I did a typical warmup and felt ready to go. I made sure to keep warm, and keep my heart rate up like I did in Sarasota. 

The swim was very rough. I had the 63 starting spot and tried really hard to have a fast start. I ended up having a pretty good start but it was still a tough swim for the majority of the 1500m. I came out of the water clearly in the chase pack. I had a good T1 and starting riding hard right off the start.

My legs were not feeling very good during the ride but I really can't complain. It was a very tough course, and I probably should have been closer to the front so I wasn't burning my legs around the corner. With 8 laps I didn't catch the leaders, but we were only about a minute down going into the run. 

My T2 went well, nothing crazy fast but I didn't really lose time either. As soon as I got out of T2 I started running hard. I think there was a point where I forgot it wasn't a 5k because I was running so hard. The first 5k felt very hard, but comfortably painful. The next 2.5k still felt good, more painful but I didn't feel as though I was slowing down. A combination of the rough bike, and lack of experience played into the last 2.5k however I am more than pleased with a 38th place finish. I even ended up being the 4th Canadian, 14th under 23 athlete and the 3rd U-23 Canadian! 

This was my second Elite race and I have already learned a lot. I will definitely be making a few smarter decisions especially on the bike! Now it's time to get back to training, after a few days of more than needed rest! Thanks to Nineteen Wetsuits, C3 Canadian Cross Training Club, Human Performance Centre and Triathlon New Brunswick for the support!

The Hair and Beard Might Be Gone, But I'm Back!

The 2015 Sarasota CAMTRI Sprint Triathlon American Cup and Caribbean Championships went very well. With a training camp in Florida in January and another one in Arizona in February I felt confident and ready to race. After a serious haircut, and hours of shaving I felt ready to go. Here's my take on how everything went!

First off I felt really good tapering in Florida. My coaches worked very well at setting me up perfectly for my swim. You can never be sure when you try something different but our ideas seemed to really help me execute on the day. Another thing I did differently was trying to stay loose and keep my heart rate up after my swim warmup. I was jumping, swinging my arms like crazy and just trying to stay warm and ready to go. I wanted to use my bands but there wasn't really a place to do so, luckily I know bands are good but not necessary for a fast swim.

I felt really fast as soon as I dove off the pontoon. I didn't have a great starting spot (being ranked 42nd going into the race), but I tried to just ignore the fact that I didn't have a straight line to the first buoy. It was definitely a rough swim but I was pleased with how I handled it. I actually felt strong in the water for the first time as well which is a great confidence booster for races to come.

I come out of the water in the main pack (a breakaway of four or five guys was formed out of the water but most of the race contenders were in my pack). I had a great first transition and gunned the first 5 minutes as our pack seemed to form. I spent less time up front than normal, but put in a monster pull on the second lap to help us bridge up to the leaders. I still haven't decided if that was a bad idea or not but either way I'm happy I did that. It was another great confidence booster for this early season race.

I came off the bike towards the rear of the pack for my second transition, and that's basically where I stayed for the remainder of the race. I really didn't feel that great during the run but I think my run legs are there, I just have to find them again!

I'm not sure when my next race will be yet, however I do know that I learned a lot at this race. I finished the day in 19th and I was the 4th Canadian. I couldn't be happier considering it was my very first elite race.

Thanks to C3, Nineteen Wetsuits, Aberdeen Subaru, Human Performance Centre, Triathlon New Brunswick and all of my family and friends for their constant support!

I may look cranky, but I was very excited to be racing again!

Reid