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

The Resurrection: What happened in Quebec

Although sponsors are everything, you can’t really swim, bike or run fast at a race if you can’t get there and that’s exactly why I want to start off by thanking my teammate, Oliver Blecher and his mother Louise for driving me to Quebec from Hamilton.

I’ve had a lot of ups and downs the past 11 months, which caused me to miss many training and racing opportunities. After dislocating my shoulder in January, my coach Barrie Shepley and I decided to start my season yesterday, on July 12^th, instead of racing earlier on when I would have been unprepared to race.

I ended off my last blog post with the Caledon Kid’s of Steel update. Since then I have been training very hard. Up until the past few weeks I had still been experiencing some shoulder discomfort in the pool. My swim coach at McMaster, Andrew Cole, and I came up with a plan to only swim 3000m (vs. 5000 up to 6000 per practice normally) per practice for a few weeks.  Two weeks before this race I was finally able to do all of our practices in the pool, and starting to feel good in the open water.

In the past month I also raced a 5km race on the track at the McMaster Track. I ran a 30 second PB, with a time of 16:06.76 and was very pleased with this result. That same night Oliver Blecher moved into my house and we started training [beating the crap out of each other] leading into the race in Quebec. 

I want to thank Caledon Hills Cycling for setting me up on one of their Cervelo S5’s, because my new frame still hadn’t arrived a week out from the race.

The race in Quebec was a lot of fun. I haven’t seen a lot of the guys I was racing since Canada Games and it was great to catch up with them! The swim was a non-wetsuit swim, so unfortunately I didn’t get to wear my Nineteen Wetsuit! I really was unsure of where my fitness was relative to the rest of the country in the water, but fortunately I came out in lead pack, and I really can’t ask for anything more! With a fast T1, I hopped onto my Cervelo bike and rode fast for the first few kilometers. Then the pace slowed to a “pedestrian” pace. I always seem to spend too much time at the front so I decided to pull through but spend some time drafting this race. It ended up working out well because it allowed me to get a little bit of a jump into transition with another guy. I had another fast transition; putting on my Saucony A5’s and ran out of transition up the grueling hill.  I really didn’t feel as good as I was expecting on the run, but I think it was just the lack of racing this year. Putting the three together, I ended up with 11^th place in the nation today. I’m very pleased with the result and cannot wait for Magog to come!!

 
Just before I finish, I want to congratulate my two teammates, Oliver Blecher and Kirsten Vargara for finishing 5th and 2nd respectively. 

Thanks to Radical Edge, Caledon Hills Cycling, Nineteen Wetsuits, Aberdeen Subaru, Triathlon New Brunswick, Human Performance Centre and the C3 High Performance team for supporting me throughout the season and today!!