Well this post is going to be really short and it's not super important. I just changed the name of my blog because I'm not sure the old name "tripainnb" was right. I named it that because I find triathlon's to be a painful sport but I'm not sure if people might have gotten the wrong impression. Now I am calling it Reid's path because Reid's journey was taken and because it is my journey to success. And as I've recently realized a very hard path or journey. I'm currently recuperating but will be back sooner than you think. Over and out.
Reid
Friday, 8 November 2013
Wednesday, 2 October 2013
Welcome to Hell.
Hi Guys!
This is going to be really short but I might as well get this done and out of the way well I can. I was finally okayed to get back to training on Monday. I was obviously excited but I didn't do any training other than physio on Monday.
Then I woke up yesterday with a sore throat. I had strep throat, or the doctor thought I did the first week of my shoulder injury because I wasn't sleeping. I thought the strep throat was back so I went to see a doctor and got in today. I found out that I most likely had a peritonsillar abscess (basically a swollen collection of pus beside my tonsil), so off to the ear nose and throat specialist I went.
When I finally got to see the specialist they did some analyzing and decided to drain the puss. Which is probably one of the most uncomfortable procedures I've ever undergone. I am now on antibiotics and tylenol three to hopefully help me get through this. So here I am with yet another thing going wrong. If you can take 30 seconds to tell me that your thinking of me then please do so because I'm about to go crazy and I'm really not in the right place.
Reid
This is going to be really short but I might as well get this done and out of the way well I can. I was finally okayed to get back to training on Monday. I was obviously excited but I didn't do any training other than physio on Monday.
Then I woke up yesterday with a sore throat. I had strep throat, or the doctor thought I did the first week of my shoulder injury because I wasn't sleeping. I thought the strep throat was back so I went to see a doctor and got in today. I found out that I most likely had a peritonsillar abscess (basically a swollen collection of pus beside my tonsil), so off to the ear nose and throat specialist I went.
When I finally got to see the specialist they did some analyzing and decided to drain the puss. Which is probably one of the most uncomfortable procedures I've ever undergone. I am now on antibiotics and tylenol three to hopefully help me get through this. So here I am with yet another thing going wrong. If you can take 30 seconds to tell me that your thinking of me then please do so because I'm about to go crazy and I'm really not in the right place.
Reid
Friday, 27 September 2013
Update
Hi everyone,
I haven't really updated anyone on how my life and training have been since my season finished. I took a little well needed break once the season ended to refocus and recover from a gruelling summer of racing. The break was exactly what I needed. Unfortunately once I started running again I fell off my bike while biking to a friend's house. I got some pretty nasty road rash on one side and I dislocated my shoulder on my left side. To tell you the truth I wasn't even sure that I had dislocated my shoulder. It was a subluxation, meaning it popped back in right away.
The crash happened on a Sunday night. My road rash hurt a lot on Sunday so I was mostly focused on caring for that and was unaware I had dislocated my shoulder. I woke up Monday morning and went for a run. My shoulder hurt a bit but I didn't think much of it, I thought I was just stiff from the crash. After my run I went to school and it wasn't until the end of the day, shoulder aching that I had realized I needed to get it checked out. I went to the pool to talk to Andrew, my new swim coach, and told him about the crash and how bad my shoulder was hurting. Finally with his suggestion I went to the doctor on Tuesday. They told me 6 weeks out of the water and 2 weeks at least in the sling/no running. I'm going onto week three on Sunday but trying to stay optimistic.
I'm doing everything I can to recover fast with a lot of physiotherapy and exercises. I'm still in the sling everyday now but I do have full range of motion again. I hope to be in the pool in another 3 or 4 weeks with a strong shoulder that won't pop out again. Thank you to the people that already know that have been keeping my mind in the right place and for talking me through my first major injury. I really appreciate all of the support I am getting from my family, friends, teammates, coaches, the physiotherapist and doctor at Mac.
Reid
I haven't really updated anyone on how my life and training have been since my season finished. I took a little well needed break once the season ended to refocus and recover from a gruelling summer of racing. The break was exactly what I needed. Unfortunately once I started running again I fell off my bike while biking to a friend's house. I got some pretty nasty road rash on one side and I dislocated my shoulder on my left side. To tell you the truth I wasn't even sure that I had dislocated my shoulder. It was a subluxation, meaning it popped back in right away.
The crash happened on a Sunday night. My road rash hurt a lot on Sunday so I was mostly focused on caring for that and was unaware I had dislocated my shoulder. I woke up Monday morning and went for a run. My shoulder hurt a bit but I didn't think much of it, I thought I was just stiff from the crash. After my run I went to school and it wasn't until the end of the day, shoulder aching that I had realized I needed to get it checked out. I went to the pool to talk to Andrew, my new swim coach, and told him about the crash and how bad my shoulder was hurting. Finally with his suggestion I went to the doctor on Tuesday. They told me 6 weeks out of the water and 2 weeks at least in the sling/no running. I'm going onto week three on Sunday but trying to stay optimistic.
I'm doing everything I can to recover fast with a lot of physiotherapy and exercises. I'm still in the sling everyday now but I do have full range of motion again. I hope to be in the pool in another 3 or 4 weeks with a strong shoulder that won't pop out again. Thank you to the people that already know that have been keeping my mind in the right place and for talking me through my first major injury. I really appreciate all of the support I am getting from my family, friends, teammates, coaches, the physiotherapist and doctor at Mac.
Reid
 |
| Here I am trying to be optimistic. |
Wednesday, 28 August 2013
Season Recap And Canada Games
First of all I want to thank everyone that has helped me in some way with words of encouragement when I was bummed after a bad race to constant support throughout the pursuit. I had a relatively mediocre season with more downs than ups. However I did learn a lot, more than I have learned in a lifetime.
Sherbrooke was a really cool experience. The set up is very similar to the Olympics with a high security athlete's village and the volunteers where amazing. In the individual race I had a bad start which lead to missing lead pack even after I swam as hard as I could. After a good T1 I rode as hard a I could to catch lead pack but it just wasn't enough. I ended up in a small chase pack, I tried to get us going with constant attacks but I just couldn't make up such a large gap alone or with a small pack. I ended up running ok but after pushing so hard on the bike it became difficult!
Later in the week we had a team event. This consisted of a 250m swim, 6.6km bike and a mile run and then tagging the next team member to go. Essentially it was a sprint done by three people. I went first and fortunately (or maybe not so much) all the other fastest guys on their teams went first. It meant the short swim was messy. It was compared to a boxing match by Tyler and everyone thought it was violent! But it was very fun. I actually had a good swim and just narrowly missed lead pack. I ending up riding away from Rob and Russell just because I knew they'd out run me by a lot! At the end of the team event I was in a lot of pain but I had more fun than I've ever had.
The mixed relay was similar in distance but with two guys and two girls. I went fourth. I swam hard and tried for the fastest bike split. I didn't quite get it but I rode my heart out, which is what I wanted to do. The run wasn't that fast but the price had to be payed for after that bike ride! And we ended up being the first atlantic province!
I took another look at my season goals the other day. I didn't reach any of the outcome goals that I wanted to but I did learn more this season about my body, racing and just how tough you really have to be to race at the level I'm racing at. I know that next year I can do a lot more to achieve my goals that I set for myself because I've been through a lot this year. This season is over. My rest is over. Now it's time to run, and to run fast. Here's to next year!
Sherbrooke was a really cool experience. The set up is very similar to the Olympics with a high security athlete's village and the volunteers where amazing. In the individual race I had a bad start which lead to missing lead pack even after I swam as hard as I could. After a good T1 I rode as hard a I could to catch lead pack but it just wasn't enough. I ended up in a small chase pack, I tried to get us going with constant attacks but I just couldn't make up such a large gap alone or with a small pack. I ended up running ok but after pushing so hard on the bike it became difficult!
Later in the week we had a team event. This consisted of a 250m swim, 6.6km bike and a mile run and then tagging the next team member to go. Essentially it was a sprint done by three people. I went first and fortunately (or maybe not so much) all the other fastest guys on their teams went first. It meant the short swim was messy. It was compared to a boxing match by Tyler and everyone thought it was violent! But it was very fun. I actually had a good swim and just narrowly missed lead pack. I ending up riding away from Rob and Russell just because I knew they'd out run me by a lot! At the end of the team event I was in a lot of pain but I had more fun than I've ever had.
The mixed relay was similar in distance but with two guys and two girls. I went fourth. I swam hard and tried for the fastest bike split. I didn't quite get it but I rode my heart out, which is what I wanted to do. The run wasn't that fast but the price had to be payed for after that bike ride! And we ended up being the first atlantic province!
I took another look at my season goals the other day. I didn't reach any of the outcome goals that I wanted to but I did learn more this season about my body, racing and just how tough you really have to be to race at the level I'm racing at. I know that next year I can do a lot more to achieve my goals that I set for myself because I've been through a lot this year. This season is over. My rest is over. Now it's time to run, and to run fast. Here's to next year!
 |
| Pushing big watts in the individual race |
Tuesday, 6 August 2013
Just a Kid With a Dream
One week from today I will be on the start line knowing that anything and everything is possible. I am extremely excited to be representing New Brunswick at the 2013 Canada Games in Sherbrooke, Quebec. I have been dreaming about going to Canada Games for such a long time. I feel as though I have done everything I could have done to prepare for this moment over the past few years of being solely dedicated to the sport of triathlon. I have been living the dream; meeting more people than I thought I could have met in a lifetime. The experiences I have already had and will continue to have because of the sport are endless. I am excited to proudly put on my New Brunswick uniform and put everything on the line. To dig deeper than I have ever dug before. I have had such an amazing experience traveling the continent (+ Brazil) to race and train. I will continue to make my dream a reality in every way I possibly can. This sport is my life, and I don't ever want to give it up. I cannot wait to represent my province, town and club at such a prestigious event. Good luck to everyone that has the unique opportunity to represent their province at the 2013 Canada Games.
Monday, 22 July 2013
Toronto: The Best Race Yet
I'm extremely bummed right now. I'm not going to hide it. Nothing went right for me yesterday. I had the shittiest race to date and I'm sure it's obvious just looking at the results. But here is what the results haven't told you:
The swim was shit. The first buoy was 50ish meters away from the start and with 57 guys that gets messy. Way too messy. But it wasn't the first buoy when my day started going wrong; it was about 500 meters in where my day went from an okay swim to a crappy race. I got kicked in the stomach. Imagine one of the strongest swimmers you know kicking you as hard as they can right in the stomach. I got the wind knocked out of me, my first thought was "Where the **** is the kayak?" But I kept going anyways, with the wind knocked out of me. I got out of the water trailing lead pack, which has happened in the past and I can normally make up those 10 seconds. After a good T1 I really thought I could turn my race around. But boy was I ever wrong.
The moment I mounted my bike I started throwing up from the forceful kick in my stomach. After throwing up for the first 30 seconds of the race, I lost a lot of energy and my goal went from a top 10 finish to finishing the race. Nothing was going my way but wait... it gets worse. I flatted about 15km into the bike. With only 5k to go and knowing that it was a slow leak I rode it out.
By the time the run came I just wanted to finish the race because I really didn't want a DNF beside my name. That's not me. I don't ever want to give up, and I still don't. So what I'm going to try and take away from this race is this: I had nothing going for me, everything that could go wrong went wrong but I still pushed through it and finished the race. In my opinion it was the best race I've ever done. It's going to take me a few days to realize it and it's going to be hard to recover from this race mentally but it's the only way I can leave this race behind. Onwards and upwards.
The swim was shit. The first buoy was 50ish meters away from the start and with 57 guys that gets messy. Way too messy. But it wasn't the first buoy when my day started going wrong; it was about 500 meters in where my day went from an okay swim to a crappy race. I got kicked in the stomach. Imagine one of the strongest swimmers you know kicking you as hard as they can right in the stomach. I got the wind knocked out of me, my first thought was "Where the **** is the kayak?" But I kept going anyways, with the wind knocked out of me. I got out of the water trailing lead pack, which has happened in the past and I can normally make up those 10 seconds. After a good T1 I really thought I could turn my race around. But boy was I ever wrong.
The moment I mounted my bike I started throwing up from the forceful kick in my stomach. After throwing up for the first 30 seconds of the race, I lost a lot of energy and my goal went from a top 10 finish to finishing the race. Nothing was going my way but wait... it gets worse. I flatted about 15km into the bike. With only 5k to go and knowing that it was a slow leak I rode it out.
By the time the run came I just wanted to finish the race because I really didn't want a DNF beside my name. That's not me. I don't ever want to give up, and I still don't. So what I'm going to try and take away from this race is this: I had nothing going for me, everything that could go wrong went wrong but I still pushed through it and finished the race. In my opinion it was the best race I've ever done. It's going to take me a few days to realize it and it's going to be hard to recover from this race mentally but it's the only way I can leave this race behind. Onwards and upwards.
Monday, 8 July 2013
St. Andrew's, NB Junior race
Imagine that. A national series race right here in NB. There wasn't a better place to host it. St. Andrew's is one of the most breathtaking towns in the Maritimes, but it's not exactly easy to be enjoying the view at 39km/h on a bike. I was so happy to be able to represent New Brunswick in New Brunswick for the first time at the National level. Although this is only my second season racing the National Junior Series, I still thoroughly enjoyed racing at home. I loved seeing everyone in their New Brunswick uniforms, representing our province proudly and I can't wait to wear my uniform at Canada Games. With three suits to wear, I wish I could represent C3, New Brunswick and Canada all at the same time!
I was obviously a little tired going into this race considering it was my third race in a row but I tried to let the home crowd fuel me; and that's exactly what it did. Thanks to all my family and friends that were out on the course cheering me on and getting me through the race!
My race prep went really well, I wouldn't say I was feeling fresh but I still went in feeling as good as you can feel after three weeks of racing and traveling! I did my typical race prep but I actually had time to do a long swim warmup this time!
I wasn't nearly as nervous as I thought I might have been considering I was racing at home wearing number 3. I've never worn such a high number, and I loved the feeling. I lined up right beside number 2: Robert Bigsby. I stayed with Robert in Brazil and he's a really cool guy and has been doing the sport a little longer than I have so I thought I'd have a clear path to the first buoy. With a long held start, and surprisingly no false starts I started swimming. I didn't feel nearly as good as I normally do which was a little disheartening but I kept racing hard and knew I could make my race come together. Myles crushed the swim and gapped the whole field.
Transition consisted of a 400m hill out of the water. I'm not going to lie. It sucked. It was painful and I know everyone hated it just as much as I did! But I ran up it, with a lot of guys that ended up in the chase pack and did a fast T1. Stuck chasing I rode hard. I had to ride extremely hard in Brazil because I was chasing so this was nothing new to me. I rode hard enough to catch the leaders 3/4 of the way into the first lap of four. I wasn't feeling the greatest but it's an hour race, you're not supposed to feel good. I rode hard the whole time, but once Myles was caught the pace slowed down. Maybe a little too much, but you can't control 20 guys so I just rode slow too. Coming into T2 I was towards the front.
T2 went really well. I came out in 5th which normally doesn't happen, but I just didn't have the run legs I needed to run with those guys. It's something I still have to figure out but I know I'll figure it out soon. Props to Myles and Robert for getting onto the podium after all of the traveling and racing! You guys are amazing! I can't wait to race nationals!
I was obviously a little tired going into this race considering it was my third race in a row but I tried to let the home crowd fuel me; and that's exactly what it did. Thanks to all my family and friends that were out on the course cheering me on and getting me through the race!
My race prep went really well, I wouldn't say I was feeling fresh but I still went in feeling as good as you can feel after three weeks of racing and traveling! I did my typical race prep but I actually had time to do a long swim warmup this time!
I wasn't nearly as nervous as I thought I might have been considering I was racing at home wearing number 3. I've never worn such a high number, and I loved the feeling. I lined up right beside number 2: Robert Bigsby. I stayed with Robert in Brazil and he's a really cool guy and has been doing the sport a little longer than I have so I thought I'd have a clear path to the first buoy. With a long held start, and surprisingly no false starts I started swimming. I didn't feel nearly as good as I normally do which was a little disheartening but I kept racing hard and knew I could make my race come together. Myles crushed the swim and gapped the whole field.
Transition consisted of a 400m hill out of the water. I'm not going to lie. It sucked. It was painful and I know everyone hated it just as much as I did! But I ran up it, with a lot of guys that ended up in the chase pack and did a fast T1. Stuck chasing I rode hard. I had to ride extremely hard in Brazil because I was chasing so this was nothing new to me. I rode hard enough to catch the leaders 3/4 of the way into the first lap of four. I wasn't feeling the greatest but it's an hour race, you're not supposed to feel good. I rode hard the whole time, but once Myles was caught the pace slowed down. Maybe a little too much, but you can't control 20 guys so I just rode slow too. Coming into T2 I was towards the front.
T2 went really well. I came out in 5th which normally doesn't happen, but I just didn't have the run legs I needed to run with those guys. It's something I still have to figure out but I know I'll figure it out soon. Props to Myles and Robert for getting onto the podium after all of the traveling and racing! You guys are amazing! I can't wait to race nationals!
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)