Sandra Yaworski - Endurance Coach and Athlete

Running does involve skill development

2011-12-11T13:57:00.004-07:00

Regardless of the level of runner learning proper running mechanics is important. Learning proper mechanics will improve your performance and help you avoid injuries.

Everyone’s form looks a bit different. Some individuals run low to the ground with little knee lift while others run powerfully, with high knee lift and a strong kick. Even within my own group I have athletes that run with a slight forward lean and others that run very upright. However, there are a number of elements that are common to almost all successful running styles. Good running form is a learned skill. As an athlete progresses to more advanced levels of running, the more important running form becomes.

Proper form involves having the chest out just a few inches with the shoulders back, letting the body fall forward, with the center of gravity being over the feet, and the arms at a right angle.

Foot Plant

For distance runners, the most efficient foot plant is one in which the foot lands directly under the hips or your center of gravity. The ideal landing position is slightly toward the outside edge of your foot, just behind your little toe. Your foot would then naturally roll slightly inward while pushing off over your big toe. The slight inward roll of your foot is called pronation and provides some cushioning during the running stride. A small amount of pronation is normal and desirable, but excessive pronation can also be the cause of injury and stride inefficiencies. Excessive pronation can be caused by weak muscles in your lower leg or stride inefficiencies.

The most common problem I see in foot strike is landing on the heel. When you land on your heel, the leg is straight and extends in front of the body. This combination transfers a lot of impact up though to the knee and hip. Shin splints (pain of the front of your lower legs) is the common running injury that can be caused by heel striking.

A heel first foot plant also means you are over striding. You are reaching out in front of your body with each step you take. When you reach out in front of your body, you will land heel first and essentially be putting on the brakes with each step. You are wasting energy and making your training run harder than it should be.

Toe first landing is more appropriate for sprinters and not distance runners. Toe first landing places too much stress on the calf muscles.

Posture

Some time ago on my blog I wrote about my early days of running, and how I spent a year only working on form. This was important to become more efficient and eventually faster. A straight and erect back with a slight lean is what one needs to strive for. The very slight forward lean provides for a completely balanced posture. Balance is the key word. You should always feel as if your upper body is in balance above your hips.

Try this:

Stand. Lean your body forward and backward. Notice how your position changes your balance. Only when you are standing with a straight upper body do you feel in balance. Now start to walk forward. When you are beginning to move shift your upper body very slightly forward. You are leaning into your movement. In a way when you walk you are actually falling forward and catching yourself with your legs. Running is the same. When you run you need to lean forward to keep your body balanced over your hips.

If you kept your body straight your balance would be shifted to the rear of your body. You would not be able to continue the action of falling forward. You would have to reach out in front of your body and pull your legs back to create forward motion. A backward lean will cause you to over stride and land heavily on your heel, which will also stress your knees, hips and back.

If you lean too far forward you will begin a stumbling, high impact stride. You will also put excessive stress on your knees and back.

Another common form error is sitting too much. This causes your feet to be in front of your body with a very weak push off behind your body. Essentially, you are creating additional contact time with the ground which can lead to Achilles problems.

Running with your hips forward will help your knee lift higher, with less effort.

Stride Length

Over striding is a very common problem I see when someone is trying to get faster. Forcing a long stride length will not improve speed or running efficiency. Over striding results in reaching out in front of the body with the foot and landing heavily on the heel, and causing a braking action. Remember your foot should land directly under your body with every step.

It is still important to still find your maximum stride length but without over striding. The key is not to reach out with your forward foot. Allow the forward momentum of your body to catch up with your forward foot so that no braking action is initiated. Think increasing your stride length by opening up your stride or making bigger circles with your feet and legs.

Stride Mechanics

Your stride should be quick and light and all your effort should be forward. It is important to minimize any up and down motion which leads to wasting energy. In addition, listen to your steps. Your steps should be light and quiet. A noisy step means you are running with too much up and down motion, or are leaning forward too much.

Knee lift is less important in distance running compared to sprinting. A high knee lift requires the use of too much energy to maintain for a long period of time. A proper knee lift should feel like you are driving your knee forward, not up. A forward knee drive will result in a low to the ground and efficient forward running motion.

To initiate your foot plant, slightly pull your lead foot back gently so that it will match the speed of the ground moving under your body. That way you will avoid any braking action and will run very smoothly and efficiently. Immediately after your foot plant concentrate on quickly picking your foot up to continue the cycling motion.

Arms

Keep your arm swing compact and your elbows at about a 90 degree angle. The arms should hang loose and relaxed, close to the body. Avoid any tenseness in the shoulders and the wrists should be loose and floppy. Do not clench your fists. Drive your arms backward. Driving your elbows back when you run will help you run with a quick, light and efficient stride. This is important as a forward arm drive will encourage over striding.

The arm swing provides balance and coordination with the legs. As such, do not drive your arms above your chest or behind the midline of the body. Do not cross your hand in front of your body.

To practice arm drive use a light set of weights and mimic the running motion. Arms drive your stride!

Summary

Essentially, when one become more efficient as a runner, the outcome is three things:

1. Stride length becomes longer

2. Contact time with the ground is reduced

3. Cadence is quicker

By working on form, the above will be the natural outcome.

Remember all those who have given their lives for our freedom!

2011-11-11T08:48:00.001-07:00

Great results for my athletes this weekend!

2011-10-09T18:45:00.001-06:00

Brad Jacobs ran Victoria Marathon in a personal best time of 3:17:26.

Heather Wiebe (over 40 years of age) ran fantastically at Portland right on pace for 3:15:14

Heather Johnson took the win in Kelowna Marathon in a time of 3:10:20

Now I do not coach my niece, Faye Stenning, but she ran her first half marathon in Victoria in a time of 1:21:46!!! Wicked!

Selling Zipp 404 wheelset - 650 c

2011-09-16T19:22:00.002-06:00

Zipp 404 650c Tubulars. Bought in 2007. Make me an offer!!!! These are in "like new" condition. They have been used under 10 times and in triathlon and time trials only!

Group Interval sessions, Thursday Nights with Coach Sandra

2011-09-04T17:24:00.001-06:00

Group Interval Sessions will run Thursday nights. I am going with a slightly different format than previously.

I will now be offering a drop-in session. There is NO cost. Yes, that is right NO cost. No program though. Please note that 90% of the athletes who train with me are coached individually by me, so the workouts are geared toward them. However, there is always a workout geared toward 5km/10km runners, and those training for a half/full marathon.

Join us:
Now to November 1 - 6 pm at Prince's Island Park.
After November 1 to mid-March - At the Oval at 7 pm. Entry to facility is your cost.

The TransRockies Run Experience

2011-09-02T14:12:00.009-06:00

At some point late last year a few people were talking about this event called the TransRockies Run. They described it as a trail run done with a partner. They indicated that they were going to do it. I got curious and looked it up. Upon cruising the website for a mere couple of minutes, I found myself entering. No thought process, no idea of what it entailed, and no partner in mind. After all I used to be a world class runner so how hard could this possible be! At the time, I was not even able to run. Really had not been running for 18 months, and the likelihood of running was not even in sight. What was I thinking! Read on as you will soon realize my awakening. By the way, none of those individuals who originally talked about doing the event entered the race.

My first priority was determining how the heck I was going to heal a torn calf and a chronic gluteus medius problem. My second priority was finding a partner. The two kinda solved at the same time. I needed to see my friend Dr. Sharisse Kyle for my calf. The visit resulted in me blurting out that I was going to do the TransRockies Run. My next sentence was something about needing a partner, and asking her if she would be my partner. Now Sharisse is no stranger to adventure. She has done some crazy things. She basically said she would give it some thought. Within 24 hours an email arrived from Sharisse indicating she would do it!

In February, I was able to start running. Had a minor set back for about two weeks in March. The endurance factor did not seem like a problem as I seemed to be able to build up quickly. However, the speed factor was completely gone. I sucked. My interval times were the slowest I have ever seen. That was discouraging. I kept reminding myself that I was older now but I still had this nagging presence in the back of my head that said I could make a comeback of sorts. Delusional Sandra!

From the period of March through July, I attempted to balance my commitment to my road cycling team and my need to put in kilometers of trail running in the mountains. By July, I came to the realization that I did not have the capacity from a time and capability front to do both. Every time I bike raced, I realized how trashed my legs were from running. I just could not push on the bike. I was already facing the fact that my power level on the bike was going down due to age. Just this added to the equation.

My training through the summer months was pretty simple. I did one session of hills and intervals each week. My weekends consisted of alternating three consecutive long runs with a tempo run and long run. Weekend one would be Friday 25 km on mountain trail, Saturday 30 km on mountain trail, Sunday 32 to 35 km on the road. Weekend two consisted of Friday 25 km mountain trail or road, Saturday a trail race or tempo run, and Sunday 32 to 35 km on the road. Every weekend, I found myself tired but getting stronger. I knew I was cramming things in, but it was what I had to work with.

June 28 bad news comes...I am volunteering at a bike race and get an email confirming that my partner for the race is injured. I panic a bit, but get it together and formulate a plan. I firmly know that I want to do this race and nothing is going to stop me. I determine that I can always do the 3 day race instead of the 6 day journey. By the way, doing the 6 day race as an individual is not an option. After a few days, I decide that I should see if I can find another partner. I send an email to Heather Johnson asking if she would be interested. She spends a few days thinking it over, and decides that she will join me. I am totally excited and relieved.

The day approaches for the departure to Colorado. I meet Heather at the Denver Airport. This is also where we meet our transportation to the start of the race. Amongst the crowd is fellow Calgarian, Rosemarie Gerspacher. Rosemarie appears calm as usual. Heather and I appear as rookies, nervous as heck!

The event is extremely well organized by GORE-TEX. I considered this is an experience of a lifetime. The race traverse trails from Buena Vista to Beaver Creek. The course is a mix of single track, double track, water, and forest road, and has over 20,000 feet of climbing over six days. The race is safe. The camps each night are clean, and the food is awesome. The volunteers and medical staff are incredible. There is nothing negative to say about this event!!

The mileage of 120 miles over 6 days is not too much to handle if you have a high-mileage background. However, like a bike stage race, you have to get up and race every day. This is hard, and is compounded by the fact that you sleep in a tent every night. Not exactly getting the best sleep both from a surface perspective, and the fact that there are another 399 tents present. Imagine, the zipping and unzipping of tents when the need of each person to go to the bathroom is different. Further, the snoring sounds traverse through the camp louder in the wilderness than in a house! There are also the heated discussions of some teams; mostly married couples who thought this would be a grand honeymoon?! By day 3, I got used to things. I even got used to Heather accidentally kicking me in the head in the middle of the night!

You would think that racing by 8 am in the morning and finishing daily by noon to 2 pm daily, that you would have lots of time to just "be". However this is not the case. There are things to tend to before the 5 pm dinner bell rings. It goes something like this. Finish. Snack on some food. Head to some cold river/lake and ice the legs. Head to back to the location of that night's tent village. Stretch, roll, get a massage, shower, and tend to blisters. At 5 pm, it is meal time. This is followed by stage awards and a preview of the next day. I was in bed by 8:30 pm pretty much every night. Wake -up was at 5:30 am. Breakfast at 6 am. Race start was 8 or 8:30 am daily. Repeat.

The race starts in Buena Vista. As this is the first night, we are able to stay in a hotel room. Our hotel was the Mountain View. Sounds nice, doesn't it. We should have been concerned by the look of it from the outside. I remember making the comment that it is only one night, and maybe it is nice inside. The truth came clear by the sign at check-in that said "No refunds after 10 minutes of checking in"! Oh boy! Heather and I sceptically go to our room. We open the door, and both of us blurt out saying "f#$k" at the same time. I immediately check for bed bugs. The bathroom was a disaster with a rotting and mould infested ceiling. This is our home for the night. There is no alternative as everything is booked with the race and the Pro Bike Tour. A tent would have been a better alternative!!

Day 1: Buena Vista to Railroad Bridge Campground. This leg was just under 20 miles. It is the easiest leg from a terrain and climbing perspective. We climb only 2500 feet. However, the last 5 miles is on a gravel road which is fully exposed. It is like a death march for this last 5 miles. It was very hot! What was difficult about this stage was the sand. Yes sand. It was like running on a soft sandy beech but only up a mountain. My hips were very sore at the end of this stage.

Elevation start 7945 ft. Elevation end 8261 ft.

Day 2: The Hope Pass day. This is so steep and rugged that llamas carried water up the mountains for us. The stage was straight up and straight down. 13.4 miles with 3200 feet of climbing. The pool in Leadville was a welcomed site. A shower at the pool; how nice is that! By the way, Leadville is a pretty cool town. This is also where I met Alistair and Kim. Two really cool people from Toronto. They quickly became a part of my daily routine at the camps each day.

Elevation start 9662 ft. Elevation end 9488 ft.

Day 3: Leadville to Nova Camp Hale. This leg was 24 miles with 2700 feet of climbing. Heather and I thought this was the leg that would be well suited to us. More of a rolling terrain leg. However, this leg was very rooty and rocky. Very technical I thought. This is also the leg where I took a crash just after checkpoint 2. I tripped and flew down and hit the ground hard on the descend. I screamed in pain as all of my body weight was on my baby finger and the finger next to it which was situated under my waistline on the fall. I got up looking at my hand and my baby finger was sideways. I grabbed the finger and popped it back into place. Instinct. Runners behind us stopped to try to help. My palm was cut and blood was gushing out like a volcano erupting. A runner from another team gave me her bandetta to wrap around the wound. Within minutes it was soaking with blood. A group of mountain bikers also tried to assist. I was determined that it was minor but my hand began to really throb and the swelling set in. I sent all those that tried to help on their way. Heather and I continued. to make our way down. Within a couple of miles we finished the descend; the final 4 miles were on a gravel road. I started to get chills and started to feel dizzy. I looked at Heather and said, "We have to try and run hard". She did not ask any questions but responded. We ran for about 3 of those 4 miles. The last 800 meters was pretty much a blur. We crossed the finishing line of the stage, and I went straight to the medical tent. I was quickly driven to Leadville for medical treatment. I had to get stitches in my palm which by the time they finished had been bleeding for eight hours. In addition, a partial cast for my two broken fingers was required. A splint was considered but would offer no protection for the remainder of the race. They had to take an x-ray to convince me that my fingers were broken. I did not even want stitches but was convinced otherwise once they applied the freezing to my palm and began cleaning the wound. The cut was deep and I refrained from watching after they moved huge chunks of skin to the side to reach in to grab particles of grit. I was lucky not to have any tendon damage. By the way, my finger fractures are referred to as a boxer fractures. It is the same fracture boxers get in fighting.

I was given antibiotics and painkillers. The morning of stage 5 would be the last time I would take the painkillers as they caused me huge problems.

Elevation start 10040 ft. Elevation end 9226 ft.

Day 4: Camp Hale to Red Cliff covers 14 miles and has 2800 feet of climbing. Even though I thought this stage was a lot of fun, I was pretty much a nervous wreck. I was in a lot of pain and my hand was very swollen. Like stage 3 it goes pretty much straight up and straight down. This is a fun stage as there are a few miles of running in the water. With the heat, this is so refreshing. I think this stage was a favourite amongst all racers. In addition, we finished in Red Cliff, and it was fish tacos at the local restaurant before heading to camp. Heather and I had considered this a recovery stage.

Elevation start 9226 ft. Elevation end 8657.

Day 5: Red Cliff to Vail covers 23 miles and has 4100 feet of climbing. Heather and I were determined to make these last two legs the legs that we would try to move from 5th in our category of Women's 80+ to 3rd. In the end, we did not get there but that likely was due to what transpired on this leg as a result of my crash on leg 3. I had a bad reaction to the medication. My heart rate was uncontrollable. I could barely walk briskly without it shooting through the roof. This resulted in us having to walk 13 miles of this leg. It was hard for both of us. Heather was at a loss of what to do, and I felt horrible for not being able to control what was happening to me. We were silent for most of this journey. It took 13 miles for the medication to work its way out of my system. Finally, we were able to run the last 10 miles. We were able to move along well at this point. Upon crossing the finish line, both Heather and I needed time to deal with our own feelings. We went in separate directions for a couple of hours. I went in to Vail and watched part of the Pro Bike Time Trail, and Heather found space elsewhere. A few hours passed, and we met at our tent. We hugged and knew that everything was okay. It was just a hard day.

Elevation start 8657 feet. Elevation end 8162 ft.

Day 6: The last stage covers just under 24 miles and climbs 5000 feet. It goes from Vail to Beaver Creek. It finished about 150 meters from our hotel we booked. I was determined to redeem myself and make this stage a great stage. I could not live with myself if I put Heather through what I did on stage 5. Stage 5 was a long day! Stage 6 did turn out to be a great stage. However, it had so much climbing. Heather was the hero. Every steep uphill, Heather pushed me up. It was a saving grace. It allowed us to keep momentum. We never spoke about it. She just did it and I accepted. It was a silent gesture. A true gesture of teamship. I swallowed my pride and accepted knowing that this is what had to be done. We raced this stage extremely well. Even though we never moved out of 5th spot for the entire race, we finished knowing this was the best we could do. We finished knowing that the last day is the way we would have liked to have raced throughout.

Our hotel was amazing. The half hour shower, soft bed with fluffy pillows made me quickly forget about the tent.

Elevation start 8162 ft. Elevation end 8100 ft.

The event was a truly unique, and amazing. It is something I will not do again but I am certainly happy I did do it. I met some great people, and got to know others much better than before. Most importantly, I was humbled. I gained a deal of respect for ultra runners that I did no possess before.

Thank you TransRockies Run. Thanks to Heather for teaming up with me.

Finish was 5th in the 80+ Women. I am proud of that!

No words are strong enough to describe the stupidity of this!!!

2011-08-16T19:34:00.001-06:00

This was on CBC News today.

Posted: Aug 16, 2011 8:48 AM MT

Police are looking for the person who tossed lit fireworks from a vehicle at three cyclists, causing one to fall from his bike and go into a ditch.
The injured cyclist fractured his arm and needed stitches on his arms and legs.

RCMP officers, who didn't release a description of the vehicle, are looking for witness to the incident.

The cyclists were biking eastbound near Cochrane on Highway 1A, about three kilometers east of Grande Valley Road.

Cochrane RCMP ask anyone with information regarding to contact them at 403-851-8000 or Crime Stoppers at 1-800-222-8477.

WHAT COULD POSSIBLY GO THROUGH SOMEONE'S HEAD TO WANT TO INTENTIONALLY CAUSE HARM BY DOING THIS! I HOPE YOU ARE CAUGHT, CHARGED, AND YOUR NAME IS POSTED ABSOLUTELY EVERYWHERE!

TJ- my loyal companion of 16 years- RIP

2011-08-08T13:29:00.000-06:00

A blog update and a preview of Trans Rockies Run August 21 to 26

2011-08-03T11:25:00.005-06:00

.

I have not written in some time so I thought I best get on it. I have had a very busy summer being away every weekend in the mountains running as I prepare for the Trans Rockies Run. As well, my day time life as a Project Manager has been busy with a tough project with high visibility. Those that know me realize that I only take on complex and challenging gigs. My last two projects have been super rewarding, and are well known in the marketplace.

I am happy to be running consistently, and gaining strength that has not been around for the last two years do to injuries and the inability to run. Bike racing has been the focus over the last two years as such. However, since Banff Bike Fest I have been on the bike very little as running has been occupying all my time; trail running has a way of making the legs very sore! I do miss the bike, and I am very excited about cyclo cross starting upon my return from the Trans Rockies Run. I really was sad when I tore two tendons in my calf half way through cylco cross season last year. I will also be competing in cross country running in the fall as Nationals are in Vancouver this year. I would love to be able to obtain a top 10 finish in the Masters (over 35 years of age).

The Trans Rockies run begins on August 21. I began my three week taper toward the race this past Monday. On Sunday, I will do a 20km trail race in Canmore as part of my preparation and taper. I am very excited, nervous, and frankly scared of doing the Trans Rockies Run. I love cross country running, but trail running has been an awakening. It is tough, and draining. The downhills have been hard on the legs, but I feel my quads and toes have adjusted to the impact and jarring. The scenery and beauty of my own back yard of Kananaskis and the Rockies has been very rewarding in my journey. I am very excited to see beauty of Colorado through running from Buena Vista to Beaver Creek.

What is the race all about? The elevation is all above 7,000 feet. A total of 62% of the race is between 7,000 and 10,000 feet and the remaining 38% is between 10,000 and 13,000 feet. In terms of surface, 88% is on trail and 12% on paved roads and pathways. The breakdown of stages are as follows:

Stage 1: Buena Vista to Railroad Bridge - 20.9 miles, 2,550 feet elevation gain
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TuQrK9VuVPc
Stage 2: Vicksburg to Twin Lakes - 13.3 miles, 3,250 feet elevation gain
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ITGAWJZTgho
Stage 3: Leadville to Nova Guides at Camp Hale - 24.2 miles, 2,800 feet elevation gain
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ivISxZqr4wg
Stage 4: Nova Guides at Camp Hale to Red Cliff - 14.1 miles, 2,900 feet elevation gain
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lV5QGa7fUtM
Stage 5: Red Cliff to Vail - 23.6 miles, 4,200 feet elevation gain
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r58VJOiOuI0
Stage 6: Vail to Beaver Creek - 23.4 miles, 5,100 feet elevation gain
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QMYKLMZLil4

In summary, we will cover 119.5 miles, 20,800 feet elevation gain.

The Trans Rockies Run is done with a partner. The rules are pretty simple: you have to do the run starting and finishing together. At all control points, and at the finish of each stage, the team must be within the allowable time limit of two minutes of each other. A penalty of 60 minutes is assessed otherwise.

My teammate for the event was Dr. Sharisse Kyle, but she tore her meniscus. As such, I had to find a new partner. I am happy to say that Heather Johnson will be joining me. Heather is a strong runner, and I am happy that she agreed to participate with me. Heather is getting married on August 6, and it looks like this will be her honeymoon!
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Remembering Jay

2011-07-18T16:31:00.000-06:00

Jason Claude Lapierre

Jason Claude Lapierre of Calgary passed away tragically on Wednesday, July 19, 2006 at the age of 34 years.

The Jason Jason Lapierre Memorial Stage Race will be held August 6 and 7. Check out the Alberta Bicycle Association for more information. This event is put on by Speed Theory Cycling Team.

bike lanes- re-post from Carson's site

2011-06-14T20:59:00.001-06:00

CBTL Women’s Program

2011-06-08T06:57:00.002-06:00

CBTL Women’s Program

Would you like to improve your cycling in a safe, fun, friendly, social and supportive environment? The velodrome is a terrific place to learn skills, develop technique and speed in a closed, controlled environment away from the dangers of potholes, traffic and other hazards. In addition to all the fitness benefits gained, track cycling will directly improve bike handling, pedal action, sprinting and road racing skills.

The track is a great place to train for other cycling disciplines and cross-train for many other sports.

The Program: 8 week, coached program focused on introducing women to the sport of track cycling. The first two sessions will include an introduction to the track (same as our Learn to Ride the Track Clinic), and structured training for the remaining six weeks. There will also be a fun Saturday race just for this program (date TBD). The program includes the use of the CBTL’s rental track bikes.

Starting Date: - Monday, June 13, 2011 at 6:00 PM

Times: - Mondays, 6:00 until 8:00 PM

Last Session: - Monday, August 8, 2011 at 6:00 PM (there will be no session on the August 1 long weekend).

Other Times: - Once participants are comfortable on the track, they are welcome to come out during regularly scheduled open track time on their own, or even join the regular CBTL Thursday night race league.

Cost: - $100.00 Please note that the CBTL is heavily subsidizing the program and we hope you can take advantage of the resources we have available.

Registration for this and other programs are on Karelo. Please note: this program has is limit of 20 athletes.

Please email us at coaching@cbtl.ca with any more questions you may have and we will try to address them.

Thank you for your interest in track cycling and the Calgary Bicycle Track League. We look forward to seeing you at the track this season.

Website: www.cbtl.ca

Penticton Cycling Camp 2011- Days 5 to 7

2011-06-02T20:18:00.005-06:00

Day 5 in Penticton was a long day. 7 hours in the saddle and 170 km. We headed rode out to Oliver, made our way to Black Sage Road, and to Osoyoos. We then climbed up Anarchist. We took the exact route back. Our original plan was to return via Seacrest and area 51 to the wall. However, the wind picked up, and the legs were simply too tired.

As we made it back into Penticton, Peter spotted a baby duck on the side of the road. Peter, being the super hero he is, picked up the duck, and took it to the pond. Duck saved.

Day 6 in Penticton was another long day. Dave is doing Ironman so we did the Ironman loop. Another 6 hours in the saddle.

Day 7, our last day. Our original plan was to head to the USA, and do my favorite ride. However, we opted not to do a big ride (i.e. 240 km) but instead climb Apex and call it a week. Perfect day to do Apex. For the first time I did not freeze my fingers and toes on the descend. Still lots of snow at the top of Apex!

Statistics for the 6 days of biking:

740 km of riding
32 hrs 48 min in the saddle
Total amount of climbing 10,100 m or 38,181 ft
Total amount of descending 10,049 m or 37,985 ft

Food consumed- a lot
Beer consumed- 12 bottles
Wine consumed- 1 bottle
Chamois cream- 1 tube
Number of near bonks- 1

We all survived and sugar lows resulted in no snapping at each other. Now that is a first!

Penticton Cycling Camp 2011- Days 1 to 4

2011-05-30T20:48:00.003-06:00

Having a blast cycling in Penticton. Focus this year is on major climbing.

Sunday consisted of two rides. Ride one went from Penticton out to Summerland and up to Camp Boyle. Upon desending from Camp Boyle we headed up Giant's Head. We returned back to Penticton and had lunch at the house we rented. We rode 80 km with two major climbs.

Upon descending Camp Boyle, we came across this sign:

Red Neck Yacht Club

Our afternoon ride headed out to Chute Lake. Great ride with a major climb. Our ride was 50 km. The afternoon ride was followed up by a 20 min run.

Monday we rode out to Green Mountain Road doing the 20km gradual climb to Apex, and then climbed up Yellow Lake to Twin Lakes. We then descended into Oliver. Our intent was to climb Baldy but it started to thunder so we rode back into Penticton. Our distance was 117 km. On route toward Yellow Lake we had to wait 20 min for construction so we sat around and enjoyed the sun.

Sandra, Dave, and Peter

Tuesday we rode out to OK Falls, up the wall. We then proceeded to climb up to Twin Lakes, and descend into Penticton. Since there is construction by Yellow Lake our descend was vehicle free. It was a blast. We entered Penticton, and made our way over to Carmi. We climbed up Carmi and also to Lost Moose. What an amazing climb. Double summit equals 13 km of climbing. Distance today was 103 km.

Distance over 3 days - 347 km.

Wednesday was a rest day from cycling. I ventured out and did an 80 minute run. Felt good to run, and stretch out the legs.

The rest of the week will consist of big days. Stay tuned.

Calgary Marathon Race Weekend

2011-05-25T13:43:00.003-06:00

This weekend a group of my athletes take over the streets of Calgary to take in the Calgary Marathon and Half Marathon.

Geoff Hopfner will be tackling the marathon and is looking for a podium finish. His training has been going really well, and he is determined to under 2:35. Be sure to get out there to cheer him on. Geoff is the local favourite.

Kathryn Waslen will be running the half marathon and is also looking for a podium finish, Her running has steadily improved since last season. Kathryn aims to crack the 1:24 mark. Like Geoff, Kathryn is a local favourite.

Bradley Jacobs will be looking to run under 3:15 for the marathon. Since beginning with the group this year, Brad has improved massively. Balancing his job as a neurosurgeon has been challenging for Brad, but he is determined to put things on the line come Sunday.

Rhonda Jewett recently joined our ranks, and will be lining up for the 10km. Rhonda's goal this season is to break the 40 min mark. If her 5km time trials and interval seasons are an indicator, she will easily accomplish that.

Michael Chui will be using the half marathon as preparation toward his Ironman training.

Good luck guys. Make us proud!

The list of elites can be found here:

Calgary Race Weekend Elite line-up

The Thinking is Done and the Plan has arrived!

2011-05-04T15:59:00.009-06:00

After about a month of really thinking what it is I wanted to do with biking and running this year, I have come to some conclusions. Every year for the last several, I try something new. Well this year is no exception.

In the fall I bought a mountain bike which I have yet to ride. The first order of business for me is to learn to ride it. Last week I had made the decision to only mountain bike race but as of Sunday I decided to stick with a couple of road races, and a couple of mountain bike races. Am I scared about the mountain bike? Yeah! This is new item one.

Item number two is not totally new as it has the word run in it. However, I have been a road, track and cross country runner, but never a trail runner. I will be running the Trans Rockies 6 day trail race in late August. The race is 120 miles long, goes from Buena Vista to Beaver Creek, through the heart of the White River and San Isable National Forests. My partner in this run is Dr. Sharisse Kyle. I figured it was best to partner up with a Sport Medicine Doctor who can fix me along the way! Seriously though, Sharisse is an amazing athlete. She is very easy going which is opposite to me so we should have a great time. By the way, I just really want to finish. I believe my calf which I tore in September has finally healed completely, and I have managed to run consistently for 5 weeks now!! Sunday was the first time I ran and completely forgot that I had an injured calf.

Item number three is track cycling. I am planning on learning to ride on the track and will throw some of my training on to track. I am really not sure why I did not do this two or three years ago. As in running, training and racing on the track improves top end efforts required in racing. This is an experiment for me to see if, at my age, I can gain more top end speed and power. I do know that as a high performance distance runner, returning to the track and doing track races, resulted in marked improvements in my 5km / 10km times on the road after retiring from the marathon distance.

Three new items for the year! That is a lot but I am out there for fun now, and pretty much do whatever these days!

Here is my race plans for the season:

June 16- 18 - Banff Bike Fest Stage Race
June 25/26 - Mtn Bike / Trail Race - ?
July 9 - Sinister 7 Trail Race
July 30 - Aug 1 - Niklas Bow Cycle bike races
Aug 21-26 - Trans Rockies Trail Race

It is a big season, managing three very different things- mountain bike, road bike, and trail running- but life is about exploring and learning. I put my time in as an elite athlete and now it is about doing different things.

Christina Perri - Jar of Hearts Official Video

2011-04-25T15:24:00.004-06:00

Compassion is not religious business, it is human business, it is not luxury, it is essential for our own peace and mental stability, it is essential for human survival.

This is my simple religion. There is no need for temples; no need for complicated philosophy. Our own brain, our own heart is our temple; the philosophy is kindness.

I believe all suffering is caused by ignorance. People inflict pain on others in the selfish pursuit of their happiness or satisfaction. Yet true happiness comes from a sense of peace and contentment, which in turn must be achieved through the cultivation of altruism, of love and compassion, and elimination of ignorance, selfishness, and greed.

I am open to the guidance of synchronicity, and do not let expectations hinder my path.

Dali Lama

Results from Thursday Night Split the Pot 5km Race Series

2011-04-23T08:09:00.001-06:00

Results from April 21:

Geoff 17:45

Simon 18:38

Bryce 18:48

Ryan 19:14

Brad 20:20

Rhonda 20:23

Jason 21:41

Shelley 22:19

Mike 23:47

Kathryn DNF

Next Race May 19.

Calgary Bicycle Track League - Female and Youth Programs

2011-04-20T07:09:00.001-06:00

2011 Youth Development and Women's Programs

CBTL Women's Program will run Monday Nights

CBTL Youth Development Program will run Tuesday Nights

The Power of Words

2011-04-18T07:05:00.002-06:00

The words, the tone, and the way we say things can make all the difference in the world. We can never go back but we can always go forward. Words are powerful! Let's be gentle to ourselves and each other.

Vancouver Sun Run

2011-04-17T16:47:00.002-06:00

Some great running today in Vancouver for the Sun Run. Eric Gillis of Guelph and Lucy Njeri, a Kenyan now based in Toronto, were the male and female winner. A Canadian male has not won the Sun Run since 1997. Paula Findlay, Canada's top Olympic Distance Triathlete, was second in a fast time of 33:47 min.

Master Athletes, Lucy Smith and Lisa Harvey finished 9th and 10th, clocking times of 35:25 min and 35:31 min respectively. Nice!

Two of my athletes had great races. Geoff Hopfner ran 34:03 min after wrestling with food poisoning the day before. He struggled through stomach issues in the second half of the race.

Kathryn Waslen continues to improve and ran another personal best time of 38:31 min.
Thirteen women ran under 36 min. Damn good for Canadian soil.

Just in from Michael Parker- grest Salt Lake City Marathon result

2011-04-16T15:28:00.002-06:00

I am so excited!

I finished in 3:19:05.

I felt great. I kept the 4:40 pace almost the entire race. At mile 25, there was a 1 mile hill that was brutal, but I was determined to beat 3:20.

I started to get leg cramps at km 39 (on the hill), but i was determined to not get them.

I powered through right to the finish.

My time qualifies me for Boston! I may not get in with the new registration procedures, but at least I qualified.

Will send you my split times tomorrow.

I left it all on the course, I had nothing left to give.

Mike

Mike ran a 3:45 marathon in September. So absolutely great performance at Salt Lake City. When we spoke about what I felt he could run, I said I thought he was capable of running 3:15. Proud of you Mike! Way to lay it all down!

New Run Sessions Begin April 28 and July 14

2011-04-12T20:49:00.002-06:00

Need someone to train with?

Looking to get faster?

Looking to improve your form?

Then join up with my group for some training on Thursday nights.

This is for runners who strive to run faster, more efficiently, and injury-free. Focus will be proper mechanics - posture, mid foot striking, cadence, and lean.

We meet Thursday nights at 6 pm for interval and form work in Prince's Island Park by the outdoor band shell.

Next session begins April 28 and wraps up on July 7. This is an 11 week program, and will be geared toward preparing you to run the Stampede 10 km or 21 km race on July 10. This session will include 5km Time Trials on May 19 and June 23 to test your progress and perfect your racing strategy.

Another session will follow, and it will be geared toward preparing you for the Melissa's 10 km and 22 km on September 24. This is an 11 week program as well, and runs July 14 to September 22. This session will include 5 km Time Trials on July 21, August 11, and September 15.

Cost is $150 per session.

Please note that the 5km Time Trials are part of the Split the Pot 5km Time Trial Series and these races are $5, and start at 6:45 pm.

If you are looking for an individualized program, I can help with that as well. The cost for an individual run program is $75 per month with the cost of the Thursday session being waved for commitments of 3 months paid in advance.

Contact me at yaworski@telusplanet.net to register now.

This is not a learn to run program and individuals must be able to run 45 minutes comfortably. The sessions will involve tempo, interval and speed work. A strong emphasis will be on proper running mechanics.

Great Video - shows some things my group does in run workouts

2011-04-02T11:37:00.002-06:00

Watch more video of Track and Field Strength Workouts on flotrack.org

Classic St. Patrick's Day Road Race

2011-03-13T12:09:00.001-06:00

Yesterday was the first running road race of the season and a chance for a few of my athletes to get their tune-up race in for key events in April and May. It was a chance to flush the cobwebs out.

Geoff Hophner ran a great race and finished up second in a time of 35:22.40. Frank (fast legs) Woolstencroft ran a super race and took the win in 34:18:00. Frank took charge of the race and surprised his competitors by throwing down some surges early in the race. Good strategy on his part as everyone else decided not to respond, feeling it was too early in the race.

Geoff is preparing for the Calgary Marathon. He will be running the Vancouver Sun Run and Bloomsday prior to that.

Kathryn Waslen, coming off of being sick all week, ended up in third spot. It was a battle between second and third spot with only 6 seconds separation in the finishing time. Kathryn ended up running 40:39.45 which is a great start to the season for her. Kathyrn broke 40 min for the first time in the fall of last year; crushed the barrier by running 39 min.

Kathryn is preparing for the Vancouver Sun Run and Calgary Half Marathon.

Michael Parker continues to improve as he prepares for the Salt Lake City Marathon. Michael ran 43:33.80 min which is about what I expected him to run.

Shelley Bender who comes out and trains with my group on Thursday nights posted a great 5km time for her. She continues to mark improvements in her running. She finished up third in a time of 21:36.05 min. Shelley finished behind long-time competitors of mine, and now awesome master runners, Ronda Clarke and Heather Price. Rhonda somewhere in her 40s run 19;52.65 and Heather somewhere in her 50s ran 21:21.50.

Love that spring is here and that the racing has begun!

National Cycling Centre Calgary Penticton Training Camp 2011

2011-02-27T12:13:00.006-07:00

Athletes, Cycling Clubs and Provincial Cycling Associations

National Cycling Centre-Canadian Sport Centre Calgary Spring Training Camp Details:
Where: Penticton
When: March 25 to April 2
Transportation: 47 Passenger Bus
Accommodation: Sandman Inn and Suites
Meals: breakfast and dinner provided for each day in Penticton. Please note that all lunches, meals while driving out and back as well as 1 Dinner off site will be the participants responsibility

Support vehicles and NCCP Certified Cycling Coaches with a guest coach from the ABA attending for portion of the camp.

Focus:

With the Western Canada Games this August in Kamloops the focus will be on athletes currently in the selection pool (U20 Female, Junior Male) however we will be accepting applications from cyclists as young as 12 years of age for the camp as well as Senior and Master Level athletes who are interested.

Riders will be divided into groups of 8-12 riders based on cycling experience, current fitness and training readiness. Each group will be accompanied by a support vehicle (some days 1 vehicle may cover 2 groups) for the duration of the ride, a Parent Volunteer and Coach.

Group Division:

3 groups (A-B-C).
The novice riders comprise the C group and they generally ride 40-80 K/Day with 1 ride of 100-120K. This group is focused on group riding skills, long slow distance work and developing the Aerobic Engine. It is common for younger less experienced riders to spend some time in the van each day with the goal at the end of the week to complete the ride without support from the Van. This group will ride around 500K over the week of training.
The intermediate or Group B does longer more intense rides than C but some riders may float between these two groups. Rides are 50-120K Long with 1 day’s ride 160K with the total for the week exceeding 600K. This group will do more challenging training with more advanced skills and tactics and a lot more hills than the C Group.
The A group is mostly experienced road racers with goals of participating on the Provincial Team (or Junior National Team) program this season. This group will ride around 100-180K/Day for the week and will ride around 900K over the duration of the camp. This is a challenging group that will set the bar for the camp with long rides, lots of climbing & fast time trialing (Solo and Team).

National Cycling Centre 2011 Penticton Training Camp Fees:

U23 and Para Cycle Athletes- $1050

Includes Ground Transportation to and from Penticton from Calgary, Breakfast and Dinner Daily while in Penticton, Hotel Accommodation 2/room

U23 and Para Cycle Athletes ½ Camp- $550

Includes 1 way Ground Transportation to or from Calgary, Breakfast and Dinner, Hotel Accommodation 2/room

Participant is responsible for getting there or home on their own. We can pick up or drop off athletes at the Kelona Airport or local bus terminal.

Adult Camp options:

$750 No Meal Plan, Drive to Penticton on your own or with another camp participant

$950 With Meal Plan and you Drive to Penticton on your own or with another participant

$1100 With Meal Plan and Ground Transportation to and from Penticton

Please note that this Option is Limited to the Capacity of the bus; U23 & Para athletes, Staff and Volunteers have Priority seating.

Camp Volunteer Options:

Ground Transportation to and from Penticton Provided

$650 Parent Volunteer without the Meal Plan

$840 Parent Volunteer with Meal Plan

Other options are available if you have local accommodation or would like to stay off site on your own.

For more information contact:

Stephen Burke ChPC-BKin-NCCP III
Head Coach National Cycling Centre Calgary

403-220-8008

sgburke@ucalgary.ca

Training versus Straining - Preventing Running Injuries

2011-02-10T14:48:00.009-07:00

Time after time I hear coaches describing a problem they see in an athlete’s biomechanics with no knowledge of being able to correct it because of a lack of knowledge of running mechanics. As such, they simply tell the athlete to focus or prescribe exercises or drills that only accentuate the problem

To minimize the risk of injury and setbacks in running, it is important to work on your running technique. The things that I stress with my athletes are to avoid the following:

Overstriding. Trying to make a stride too long puts the muscles in an inefficient lengthened position, causing the foot to land in front of the knee and creating a braking effect. Overstriding is caused by trying to run too hard.

Bobbing. Runners waste energy having too much up-and-down movement; the focus should be on forward motion. When an athlete is bobbing it is likely from lifting the knees too high up in front and pushing off the toes, or too short of a stride.

Sitting on the toilet. Also referred to as sitting on the hips, happens when the pelvis tilts forward and the hips push back. This posture reduces the power of the hip extensors, stresses the lower back, and shortens your stride. This is the largest reason for a lot of runners' back and hip problems.

Quad running. Relying too much on the quads and hip flexors rather than using the hamstrings and gluteals to extend the hips reduces the power and length of the stride. Strengthening glutes and hamstrings can improve running technique.

Hip drop (Trendelenburg gait). A Trendelenburg gait occurs when the pelvis shifts too far from side to side. This is a result of weak adductors and abductors. What happens is the hip of the swing leg drops and the hip of the stance leg pops out to the side because the muscles aren't able to hold the pelvis level.

Overpronation. Overpronation results from pushing off on a foot with a collapsed arch. This foot position puts extra stress on the muscles supporting the arch, which in turn pull on their attachments to the inside of the shin bone.

Excessive supination. Oversupination occurs when the foot doesn't roll in enough and remains on the outside edge. This action reduces the foot's ability to absorb the shock of impact and increases the risk of stress fractures, especially along the outside edge of the foot and shin.

Here is a great video that talks about core strength training and why it is so important. Core strength training can help improve running form.

http://www.completespeedtraining.com/video/cst_intro_3.html

SELLING: Cervelo P2C 650 and Zip 404 650 wheels

2011-02-07T10:03:00.003-07:00

Price reduced on both bike and race wheels:

650 Cervelo P2C - bought in 2006 for Ironman. Rode this bike for two years to train for Ironman and race Penticton Ironman 2006. Since 2006, the bike has been used in 2 time trials a year, 5 duathlons, and 3 Half Ironmans. This is a steal at $1800. It has Shimano Durace components.
650 Zipp 404 race wheel set - bought these in 2006 and have only been used in racing. Yours for $1100.

650 Cervelo P2C with Durace

650 Zipp 404 Wheelset

Thursday Night 5km Split the Pot Race Series

2011-02-06T18:12:00.004-07:00

April 21

May 19

June 23

July 21

August 11

September 15

Start time: 6:45 pm

Registration: 6:00 to 6:30 pm

Cost: $5

Location: Prince’s Island Park at the band shell

Rules:
1. Categories are Open Male, Open Female, Master (40 yrs +) Men, Master (40 yrs+) Women.
2. Winner in each category splits the total amount of money collected from the entry fees. If you are a Master and you win your category plus the Open category, you get both pots. You deserve it!
3. This series is a casual race series, is not sanctioned, is for fun, and there are no frills. Just show up and strut your stuff to test your fitness level.

Need more information: yaworski@telusplanet.net

If you are a retail shop and want to donate some prizes for grabs, I will be happy to give you recognition.

Hugh Turner, father of Janice McCaffrey still missing

2011-02-02T11:08:00.000-07:00

Remembering the Tradegy... and Scott Broshko

2011-02-01T13:47:00.001-07:00

The Scott Broshko Scholarship

Scott’s attitude was the epitome of what life is all about. He was an unbelievable young man who lived by the motto, “Be Your Best.”

Scott treated his family and friends with kindness and generosity of spirit lived his life with great love and compassion and always maintained the highest standard of honesty and integrity. His Christian values and ideals were transparent in his daily life.

Scott worked diligently and was committed to being the best that he could be. He was an academic, an athlete, and a musician. He made others feel good about themselves, was accepting and non judgmental. His team spirit and enthusiasm for life was contagious.

This scholarship will be awarded in honor of Scott Broshko to a capable male or female student entering grade 10 at Strathcona -Tweedsmuir School who best exemplifies Scotts many wonderful characteristics and lives by the motto “be your best”.

http://archives.cbc.ca/environment/natural_disasters/clips/9936/

2010-12-23T10:34:00.000-07:00

Merry Christmas!

New Run Session begins January 6. Register now!

2010-12-02T11:08:00.005-07:00

Need someone to train with?
Looking to get faster?
Looking to improve your form?

This is for runners who strive to run faster, more efficiently, and injury-free. Focus will be proper mechanics - posture, midfoot striking, cadence, and lean.

Then join up with my group for some training on Thursday nights.

We meet Thursday nights for interval and form work at the Oval and outside.
Cost is $150 per session. Next session begins January 6 and wraps up on April 21. Note- you must pay for your own entry into the Oval which is $6.
If you are looking for an individualized program, I can help with that as well. The cost for an individual run program is $75 per month with the cost of the Thursday session being waved for commitments of 3 months paid in advance.

Contact me at yaworski@telusplanet.net to register now.

This is not a learn to run program and individuals must be able to run 45 minutes comfortably. The sessions will involve tempo, interval and speed work. A strong emphasis will be on proper running mechanics.

Janelle Morrison (Calgary Triathlete) Seriously Injured in Car Accident

2010-11-23T10:16:00.012-07:00

"Every memorable act in the history of the world is a triumph of enthusiasm. Nothing great was ever achieved without it because it gives any challenge or any occupation, no matter how frightening or difficult, a new meaning. Without enthusiasm you are doomed to a life of mediocrity but with it you can accomplish miracles."~Og Mandino
1923-1996, Author of A Better Way To Live

"Our greatest glory is not in never falling but in rising every time we fall" Confucious.

Update as of November 25:

From Jordan Bryden:

Janelle Has had both her ankle and her elbow/ arm repaired in her latest surgery. This is the last surgery that she will have to undergo. RIght now the focus is on getting her rested so that (hopefully) tomorrow they can extubate her so she can start breathing on her own. Janelles mom told me that she asked J to try to move her right ...leg today, and she was able to wiggle her toes. I think this is a promising step forward.

All the donations that have been collected online will be sent to Joy Morrison so that Janelle has access to that money when it is needed. All you notes (that have been sent to tricommitment@gmail.com have been saved and will be given to J as soon as she is well enough to read again.

Thank you so much for your support!

How to donate:

http://web.me.com/jordanbryden/tricommitment/Spin_a_thon.html

Update November 24:

http://triathlon.competitor.com/2010/11/news/canadian-professional-triathlete-in-a-coma-after-car-accident_17098

Donations can be made directly to help support Janelle's recovery. Information is located here:

http://web.me.com/jordanbryden/tricommitment/Spin_a_thon.html

Outpour of Support for Calgary Triathlete Injured in Car Accident CALGARY, Alberta (November 23, 2010)-

Former Calgary schoolteacher turned professional Ironman triathlete, Janelle Morrison, was involved in a serious head on collision west of Revelstoke, B.C. on November 21. Janelle is currently listed in stable condition however has suffered extensive injuries.

Due to the serious nature of her injuries Janelle had to be airlifted hospital in Kamloops, BC where she is currently in the Intensive Care Unit. Doctors state that had it not been for her exceptional physical condition, she may not have survived her injuries.

At the time of the accident Janelle was en route to Calgary to attend a Spin-a-Thon fundraiser for her and TriCommitment teammate Jordan Bryden, on Saturday, November 27. In spirit of Janelle, an athlete that never shies from adversity, TriCommitment will proceed with the Spin-a-Thon fundraiser in her honor as planned.

“Janelle is an incredible athlete and a great friend,” said Rose Serpico, co-owner of Calgary retailer Tri-It Multisport. "She is a fighter who knows how to push through adversity."

In 2008, Janelle Morrison left her full-time job as an elementary school teacher to pursue her Ironman dream in Penticton, BC. In her professional debut at Ironman Canada in 2009, Janelle raced to an overall 3rd place finish.

“Janelle and I face the same challenges of balancing training against earning a living as other professional athletes. We use fun events like this Spin-a-Thon as a way to give something back to the people who are kind enough to donate to us as emerging athletes”, said Bryden who is a London 2012 Summer Olympic hopeful. “With Janelle’s accident, we will be raising money not just so that her and I can compete, but just so that she can race again.”

TriCommitment, a unique innovative triathlon team comprised of Morrison and Bryden, aspires to share the sport of triathlon with others while raising money for emerging Canadian triathletes.

This Saturday TriCommitment will hold the Spin-a-Thon Fundraiser from 9:00am to 2:00pm in Eau Claire Market. The event has already garnered the support of star Canadian triathlete champions Simon Whitfield and Samantha McGlone who both donated signed championship race suits to the event’s evening auction.

Approximately 100-150 athletes and friends are expected to attend the indoor ride to support the athletes, supported by local coaches and fitness companies. Auction items will be on hand will include a jersey and signed hat from Lance Armstrong, and donations from many Calgary retailers.

The Spin-a-Thon will be followed in the evening by an after party and auction at 6:30pm at Spur Gastropub.

Donations will be accepted at both events for Janelle and a fund will also be set up in Janelle’s name to provide her with financial assistance during her recovery.

Participation in the fundraiser Spin-a-Thon and/or Party is open to the public, and registration is still open at www.tricommitment.com.

Take a moment to remember!

2010-11-10T18:03:00.005-07:00

November 11 - a time to remember those that gave their lives!

My father and two of his brothers fought in World War II. My Grandfather fought in World War I. I cannot imagine the feelings my grandparents had as they watched THREE of their sons leave for war; never knowing if they would return! Two returned but the one did not. My uncle, who I never met, has been a memory of mine through pictures and stories. Adolf Edward Yaworski was an Air Force pilot and was killed in the line of duty.

http://www.wwii.ca/memorial/world-war-ii/147624/warrant-officer-class-i-adolf-edward-yaworski/

My dad spoke very little about the war, and most of the things I know about my dad and his war experiences are stories my mom tells me. My dad was an engineer, and his job in the War was to build bridges and diffuse land mines. I cannot imagine that! We talk about stress in our lives but this thought of my dad having to diffuse a land mine quickly provides a reality check. My father passed away in 1999.

I grew up in a town in Saskatchewan called Rama. This is where my dad and uncles are remembered for their war efforts. In Northern Saskatchewan, there is an Island that carries our family name. It is to honour my dad and my two uncles. It is located here:

http://atlas.nrcan.gc.ca/site/english/maps/topo/map?mapsize=428%20380&lat=56.0000802009&long=-103.683743602&mapxy=-528665.461691+806054.018526&scale=5000000&feature_na=Yaworski+Island&location1=47&unique_key=0c2f4090849c20c3b16ea5700825ed79&searchstring=Yaworski%20Island&entity=ISL&layers=fapfeature+fapfeature%20north_arrow%20other_features%20million_grid%20t50k_grid%20grid_50k_3%20roads%20hydrography%20boundary%20builtup%20vegetation%20populated_places%20railway%20power_network%20manmade_features%20designated_areas%20water_features%20water_saturated_soils%20relief%20contours%20toponymy%20contour%20nodata_ntdb_50k&urlappend=%26unique_key%3D0c2f4090849c20c3b16ea5700825ed79%26map.layer%5Btextzoom03%5D%3DFEATURE+POINTS+-528648.987716+806048.049178+END+TEXT+%22Yaworski%2BIsland%22+END%26map.layer%5Btextzoom46%5D%3DFEATURE+POINTS+-528648.987716+806048.049178+END+TEXT+%22Yaworski%2BIsland%22+END%26map.layer%5Barrowzoom03%5D%3DFEATURE+POINTS+-528648.987716+806048.049178+END+END

On November 11, take that moment of silence and remember! We should NEVER forget!

Stewart Cup- Provincial Cross Country Championships hit Canmore Park on October 30

2010-10-27T10:15:00.003-06:00

This Saturday is shaping up to be the most competitive Cross Country field for women that I have ever seen in Alberta! This will be a more competitive field than Nationals in my opinion. The Men's field is pretty strong as well.

In the men's field it will be interesting to see how the legend Jeremy Deere (numerous Canadian CX team member) and the youngsters like Kelly Wiebe (Regina Cougars), Ian Fyfe (Regina Cougars), Scot Nicol (Calgary Dinos) will battle. For good measure I entered an athlete who will attempt to upset the mix; Berhan Hussein (Ethiopia) will be negotiating his first competitive race here.

In the women's field, the most awesome runners are competing. In the past, it has always been the men that people came to watch, but if you want to see racing then get yourself to see this race! The field includes:

Lisa Harvey (list of credentials too long to list but has been a Canadian CX team member several times), Shari Boyle (5th at Nationals in Steeple and former member of Canadian CX team), Jenn and Jodi Souter, Lisa Mensink (Olympian- Triathlon), Paula Findlay (Canada's top Triathlete and winner of best runner award at Triathlon World Cup), Grace and Ciara Kary, FAYE STENNING (my niece!!!), Caitlin Warkentin (Huskies), Karisa LePage (Cougars)... and there are more but watch out for these to battle it out for the positioning within the top ten.

Women's race is at Noon - both Junior and Senior race together - 5000 meters
Men's race is at 1 pm - both Junior and Senior race together - Junior 8000 meters and Senior 10000 meters.

By the way, it will be my birthday so be sure to remind me when you see me!

How does one become confident and what is confidence?

2010-10-13T11:26:00.005-06:00

I am certain we would all agree that confidence motivates performance. How does one gain confidence, and how does a leader or coach help others gain confidence? I find the question very interesting, and a discussion I had with a friend a few nights ago has me thinking about what confidence really is.

Confidence needs to based on reasonable expectations; over-confidence is not. Discipline has a lot to do with confidence, and I believe an individual who is disciplined in their pursuits will have confidence. Overcoming obstacles and barriers, and recovering from set-backs are characteristics of an individual who possesses discipline. Such an individual does not panic under pressure; they are grounded and know what they are capable of doing. Confidence is not about just putting your best foot forward, it comes from having a solid foundation to stand on. If one lets discipline go then that is when confidence crumbles.

As a coach and leader one of the things that I try to do with people is to create accountability. It is absolutely important in the path toward instilling confidence. However, accountability means that people have to be responsible. People need to embrace responsibility for their own performances, and be committed to taking it to the highest levels. People who embrace being responsible and accountable are optimists; optimists do not ignore or deny things they need to work on. Optimists look for information so that they can get to work and improve on the things they need to. This is why confidence is rooted in reality.

Great athletes are optimistic. This means they are constantly searching for how to improve, which in turn requires assuming responsibility and taking accountability. This requires a tremendous amount of discipline. The end result though is confidence. The job of a coach or leader is simple then; it is just creating the understanding of what needs to be worked on. The rest is up to the athlete.

Continuous effort - not strength or intelligence - is the key to unlocking our potential. - Winston Churchill

Breakfast With Bob: Catriona Morrison

2010-10-08T09:39:00.005-06:00

My good friend, Cat Morrison competes in the World Ironman Championships this weekend in Kona. Cat is the most humble and determined athlete I know. Her desire to be the best is inspiring! Have a look at the latest interview with Cat.

Breakfast With Bob: Catriona Morrison

Wish I was there- thought I would find a cheap last minute flight all week! Wishful thinking I guess!

I came across this video, I think it speaks for itself. It is a lesson on never giving up and believing in our abilities.

"You have to expect things of yourself before you can do them. You are never a loser until you stop trying." author unknown

Great Swimming Article by Kevin McKenna- Development Specialist at USA Triathlon Swim

2010-09-29T09:13:00.005-06:00

Over the last year I have been doing lots of reading about swimming technique, and the various drills to improve technique. Swimming is not my strength discipline as a coach or an athlete. However, my desire to improve my ability to coach multi-sport athletes, has me diving into reading as much as I can about swimming. As I coach endurance athletes, I have focused my reading specifically on improving swimming technique. The knowledge I have from the other disciplines is otherwise transferable to swimming.

I found this article quite good so I thought I would share it.

FEEL FOR THE WATER

By Kevin McKenna, USA Triathlon Swim Development specialist

While observing Ian Thorpe during his 3 week training camp in Colorado Springs in July my reaction was to conclude that Ian has an excellent FEEL FOR THE WATER. This is usually what I notice when observing many of the great freestyle specialists. Feel for the water has been labeled a gift (genetics). Many average freestyle athletes have a poor feel for the water and did not receive the gift. Can a better feel for the water be learned? It has been my experience that sculling drills and the general knowledge that feel for the water can be more important to an athletes success than achieving some grand volume in their daily or weekly training regime.

Sculling drills have been around for decades. The drills are numerous, elaborate and can be down right confusing. My athletes find that 2 to 3 drills are enough to accomplish the task of gaining a feel for the water. The hard part is to get the athletes and coaches to understand the importance of these drills. Sculling drills take twice the amount of time to accomplish as many swimming drills and almost 3 times that of swimming laps. The net result is a lower training volume, and during our era of get the “work done fast” this can be like pulling teeth.

Sculling drills should be a part of a weekly microcycle plan. Sculling sets should be consistent during the week and continue through the entire training Macrocycle (or season). I have found that on Monday, Wednesday, and Friday I can include sculling drills into warm-up, main drill sets, and at times main quality sets. For most athletes this is enough exposure to sculling. You may want to add more sculling days per week depending on the caliber of athlete you are working with.

In the beginning sculling drills should be completed at an easy to moderate intensity. As the athlete becomes more proficient in sculling technique you can design sets that allow the athlete to get more aggressive with the intensity of the drills. This will not only help the athlete to obtain a feel for the water but also strengthen the muscles of the back, forearm, hands and fingers. Distances of 50 meters seem to be the maximum length before having to rest or switch the sculling style. Sets can be short as 200 meters and as long as 800 meters. As previously mentioned, it is a great idea to mix sculling into other drill sets or even main sets.

Sculling can be done many ways: with or without a flotation device, vertical or horizontal in the water, head up or head down, and fast or slow. To make it simple my athletes do a front, mid, and rear scull in the horizontal position with or without a buoy between their legs. When sculling the athletes need to concentrate on some of these items:

LEARNING, PRACTICING, AND PERFECTING SCULLING TECHNIQUES
(October-December 1998 issue of Swimming Technique, pg.27, author Ron Johnson)
1. Concentrate on feeling the water on both the inward and outward sweep.
2. Elbows may be straight or, to add more power, bent on the inward sweep.
3. The angle of the palm is changed quickly at the end of each inward and outward movement so that you feel constant pressure of the palms of the hands.
4. There is more propulsive or lifting power if the hands are fairly close to the surface in the hip area.
5. In vertical sculling, the further the hands get above waist level, the less power they have for raising and supporting the body.
6. Put your priority on smoothness and control rather than speed or height, then gradually add power and learn what changes propel you best.
7. Practice with a pull buoy to isolate the legs. Full attention should be given to arm sweeps and feel.
8. Practice all sculling techniques with a paddle designed to let you feel the water. (e.g. Tyr catalyst paddle).
9. Practice single or double-handed vortices (as described in Troy Dalbey’s article in the August issue of Swimming World).

Many elite freestyle swimmers continue to utilize sculling as an intricate part of their Macro/season to Micro/weekly cycles of training. Gaining a better feel for the water can be accomplished with any caliber of athlete. The athlete might swim mega-volume and not improve on time or technique. With sculling drills added to an athletes training program the net results can become positive results!

~end of article~

THE BIGGEST WEEKEND IN ALBERTA CYCLOCROSS is here this weekend!!!

2010-09-27T11:55:00.007-06:00

The biggest weekend in Alberta Cyclocross will return for it's third great year this October 2nd and 3rd. The Dark Knight and The Oval 'Cross are back. Rumour has it that it is ... bigger, better, and well ... new.

The courses move to C.O.P. I am sure the atmosphere and lunacy will be the same as in the past. If you have not experienced watching cyclo cross ... well this is the weekend to get on that. I have raced both the Dark Knight and the Oval Cross since they have begun. The Dark Knight is fun, crazy and blasting with music to make you want to shake your bootie whilst on a bike.

There is going to be a downhill pump track (frankly I do not know what that is) but it sounds fun as it promises air!

Pepper Harlton

Katy Curtis

Catch the action at C.O.P. Here are the details:

Saturday: (mixed racing)
6 pm is when it all happens for novice riders
7 pm is when the non-elites rip it up (people like me)
8 pm the more experienced riders go off (including the top females)
9 pm darn they are good riders smash up the course

Sunday:
10:00am Sport Men, U15 Boys and Girls
(start in 2 min intervals, race for 40min)
11:00am Open Women (race for 40min)
12:15pm Expert Men (50 min)
1:30pm Elite Men (race for 1 hour)

GET THOSE COW BELLS OUT!!! And bring your loudest voice!

My Philosophy around Coaching

2010-09-21T12:28:00.003-06:00

I have been asked this question often and have attempted to answer it but do not think I have really really answered it. Here is my attempt to describe what I believe is my philosophy of coaching. I am going to use examples specific to distance running, however, these examples can be extended to any endurance sport. Currently, as a coach, I am working on my Competition Development level for both Athletics and Cycling. I have been coaching for 16 years and have been an athlete since I started to walk. I am true student of learning and experimenting new approaches and fundamentals. I have 20 years of journals of detailing my own training and the training of the athletes that I have coached. In these journals are a wealth of information on various training regimes and approaches to training. My philosophy is one that I believe is evolving and will continue to evolve over the next 20 years. That is what I believe makes a great coach!

"A great coach is an artist. You have to be creative, and you have to capture enough kids to create your artwork."
Pat Tyson

Firstly, let me talk about goals. There are process goals and outcome goals. Often I hear other coaches talk about process goals to their athletes but usually they end up saying something that is really an outcome goal. Outcome goals are obtaining a specific time or placing. Process goals are defining what the next logical step is. Examples include the process of simply getting better, being consistent, obtaining higher volumes, or increasing the percentage of volume that is hard training. I try as best as I can to ensure that athletes understand and approach athletics with process goals and not outcome goals. This is so important, regardless of the level or age of the athlete.

I think that over the years I have tried to become more of a right brain thinker when it comes to coaching endurance athletes. What do I mean by this? I try to look at things more from a psychological side. Athletes are all different in that some like lots of volume, and some like to train hard with very little volume. What I like as an athlete and how I coach are not the same. As an athlete I love to train hard and I love volume. This is likely why I loved to run distance on the track and loved to train and compete in the marathon distance. Very few athletes like both volume and lots of hard training.

Side bar. There are going to be a number of athletes and coaches out there that are going to read that last sentence and say how can there be both. Well hang on and I will get to that.

As athletes and coaches we get too structured in our thinking and believing that endurance sport goes something like this: Once you start to get older and begin to lose speed than it is time to move up in distance. For example, 10,000 meter specialist moving up to the marathon. But what if the athlete who runs 10,000 meters does not like running volume? My view is simply that they should not be told to move up to the marathon. Does that mean their pursuit is over? Absolutely not! This is where I truly have become more of a right brain thinker. There are many great athletes who have stepped down in distance and have produced outcomes far greater than when they competed at that distance when they were younger. I have coached some of these athletes and the reason for this is simply that they do not enjoy doing the volume necessary for longer distances but are fuelled by really hard training.

Now let’s go back to the side bar. The thing that I have learned most about endurance training is simply that the more you do hard, the more you can do easy. What does this mean? First let me define “hard”. Hard is threshold or faster. If you are someone who can run 135 km per week and most of it is hard, and you are going to increase volume to 200 km per week than the next 65 km had better be easy. Theory would tell us that the amount of different types of hard training is “x” percentage of total volume. This is where extensive coaching experience comes into play. This is not a valid statement. If you continue to increase volume and the amount of associated “hard” training, what happens is that the body will simply begin to break down. For example, let’s say that when running 135 km per week that 30 percent was hard training. Increasing the volume to 200 km per week and having 30 percent as hard training will result in potential overtraining and injury. It is better to do more of the 135 km hard than to increase volume. There are many ways to do this. What I like to do is to incorporate harder training in the long run. Examples of how I would do this is to break a long run of 34 km into something like 14 km easy/ 6 km transitioning to a harder pace/ 6 km at threshold/ 8 km easy. I could also include some fartlek running into the long run such as 1200 meters at half marathon pace followed by 800 meters easy performed five times through. This same approach can be applied to cycling or swimming.

The last thing that I will talk about is functional training or what everyone today coins as “core” work. Functional training is everyday type movements and movements that mimic our sport. This type of work is absolutely fundamental to support increases in volume and the amount of hard training. I incorporate into “hard” session’s exercises that are simple but are far from being easy. These exercises when incorporated into hard sessions soon tell an athlete just how weak their core really is. These exercises which are so simple suddenly become hard but they are essential to building a solid core that enable more volume and hard training. I include exercises that move the core in all directions so forwards, sideways and backwards. Examples are body weight lunges forward, forward with a twist, sideways, backwards and to the side, and backwards. Also, exercises like spiderman and mountain climber. There are many ways to incorporate these into “hard” training and what I like is that they work and that people love them. My sessions are often referred to as boot camps but they are not. They are what high performance athletes have done all along and what is happening these days is that these exercises are becoming mainstream.

"Training is principally an act of faith. The athlete must believe in its efficacy; he must believe that through training he will become fitter and stronger; that by constant repetition of the same movements he will become more skillfull and his muscles more relaxed...He must be a fanatic for hard work and enthusiastic enough to enjoy it."
Franz Stampfl from On Running, 1955

Hopefully, you have more insight into my coaching philosophy and what I think makes a great coach!

Are you picking up what I am laying down!

Effective Coaching Styles

2010-09-14T13:38:00.002-06:00

This past weekend I was on some coaching courses related to my Competition Development Level (which is the same as the old NCCP Level 3) and was inspired to do some research. Well I came across a model that was created by Blanchard & Hersey on Situational Leadership. Anyone who has taken Leadership courses for their work has likely been exposed to this model. The Model was developed as a way of helping business leaders get the most out of those they managed. The basis of the model is to utilize specific leadership strategies based on situational variables. Brian Grasso, founder of the International Youth Conditioning Association which is the premier international authority with respect to athletic development and youth participant-based conditioning, has tailored this model specific to sports performance coaching. Here has how Grasso has modified this model to fit coaching of athletes:

Low Motivation Low Skill: Use a Direct coaching style; avoid singling this athlete out by “directing” coaching points to them in a subtle and personal manner.

Low Motivation High Skill: Use an Inspire coaching style; spend most of your energy motivating and challenging this athlete. They have natural ability already, but need someone to captivate their interest and inspire effort.

High Motivation Low Skill: Use a Guide coaching style; this athlete has the inherent desire to improve, match their eagerness with coaching that is focused on teaching them the technical aspects of athletic movement.

High Motivation High Skill: Use a Delegate coaching style; make sure these athletes understand the goals and structure of training then include them in the training process, gather their feedback on programming, put them in situations where they can teach other athletes. As a coach, your goal should be to develop all athletes to this category.

Check out this video and you will soon see the parallels of this model with sports performance coaching.

A great coach is one that can effortlessly adapt their coaching style to best match the athlete they are working with, even in team settings.

Run Sessions Coached by Sandra Yaworski Start Thursday, September 9

2010-09-08T08:29:00.003-06:00

About my Run Group

Need someone to train with?
Looking to get faster?
Looking to improve your form?
This is for runners who strive to run faster, more efficiently, and injury-free. Focus will be proper mechanics - posture, midfoot striking, cadence, and lean.

Then join up with my group for some training on Thursday nights.

• We meet Thursday nights for interval and form work

• Cost is $150 per session (16-week sessions): Sept. to Dec.; Jan – April, May – Aug. for the once a week coached session (no program included)

• Come November we move indoors to the Oval and you need to pay your own entrance fee

• If you are looking for an individualized program, I can help with that as well. For those signing up for the Thursday intervals, the cost for an individual run program is $50 per month. Programs for Triathlon are also available and if you join my run group, the cost is $100 per month for an individualized triathlon program.

Contact me at yaworski@telusplanet.net to register now.

This is not a learn to run program and individuals must be able to run 45 minutes comfortably. The sessions will involve tempo, interval and speed work. A strong emphasis will be on proper running mechanics.

Youth Cycling and Running Registration Information

2010-09-06T19:00:00.004-06:00

Cycling

Cycling Development Program
The Oval Cycling Development Program is open to kids (ages 11-16) of all abilities who share an interest in learning and developing cycling and athletic skills. Through this program we explore the fundamentals of sport, placing emphasize on continued fun, knowledge, fitness, and technique. The program works towards facilitating athletic growth and development in all cycling disciplines, including road, mountain bike, track, and cyclo cross. The program will also develop the athlete through cross training in other sports such as cross country skiing, speed skating, hiking, and other indoor and outdoor team activities (i.e., soccer, floor hockey, volleyball, etc.) During the summer, the program shifts towards providing experience in local racing of all the disciplines. The Oval Cycling Development Program is a direct link to Oval Cycling Performance Program.

Athletes take part in coached sessions and are required to have their own bike (MTB and/or road). The Olympic Oval National Cycling Centre will provide rollers for use during indoor training sessions. Athletes are also required to bring athletic shoes and clothing for strength and agility practices.

Training schedule

■Tuesday: Guided Coaching Sessions at the Oval from 5 to 7 p.m.
■Thursday: Guided Coaching Sessions at the Oval from 5 to 7 p.m.
■Saturday or Sunday: Guided Coaching Sessions at the Oval from 10am to ~2pm

Example:

Tuesday: bicycle skill development - outdoor rides in the fall and indoor bike skills in the winter (on rollers or trainer)

Thursday: aerobic development on bike as well as various outdoor and indoor cross training activities. This could include soccer, basketball, volleyball, ultimate Frisbee, floor hockey, speed skating and xc-skiing.

Saturday: outdoor aerobic activity such as hiking, cycling, xc-skiing...

Cost

46 week program: October 19, 2010 to September 17, 2011 - $1,580 (two equal payments of $790 due November 1, 2010 and April 1, 2011)

Please Note Extra fees will be required for travel to competitions, velodrome bookings, group outings and cross training activities

Information Session - Tuesday, October 12, 2010 at 6:00-7:00pm in Olympic Oval Lounge

Cycling Performance Program
The Oval Cycling Performance Program is open to junior (16+) and older athletes who have experience in bike racing or other competitive athletic experience. Athletes of this program have mastered the fundamentals of cycling, and are beginning to specialize in specific cycling disciplines (road, track, mountain bike, cyclo-cross). The program works towards facilitating athletic growth and development in specific cycling disciplines, preparing athletes for competition in Alberta races.

Athletes take part in coached sessions and are required to have their own road bike, rollers (and/or trainer), and heart rate monitors. Athletes are also required to bring athletic shoes and clothing for strength and agility practices.

Training schedule

Example: Winter Program

■Monday: Weights and agility training 5 to 7 p.m.
■Tuesday: indoor riding sessions at the Oval from 5 to 7 p.m.
■Wednesday: Weights or cross training at the Olympic Oval from 5 to 7 p.m.
■Thursday: indoor riding sessions at the Oval from 5 to 7 p.m.
■Saturday: Weights and group ride
■Sunday: Non-bike aerobic activity

Cost

46 week program: October 1, 2010 to September 1, 2011 - $2,000 for the season (first payment of $1000 due November 1, 2010 and remainder due April 1, 2011)

Please Note Extra fees will be required for travel to competitions, velodrome bookings, group outings and cross training activities

Information Session - Wednesday, September 29, 2010 at 5pm for athletes and 7pm for parents in Olympic Oval Lounge

Dinos Track and Field-Youth Programs 2010-11

ELEMENTARY INTRO TO TRACK AND FIELD - Ages 7-11 years
With the emphasis being on fun and fundamentals, this Track and Field Program introduces basic athletic skills of running, jumping and throwing. Participants will be exposed to a variety of experiences that will enhance their athleticism and provide a solid basic development for future specialization. Programs are specifically developed around elementary-school-aged children. There will be some competition opportunities offered as part of the program.

FALL Sep 18–Nov 27
WINTER Jan 15 -Mar 26
SPRING Apr 16 -Jun 25
Sat 11:00am-12:00pm
Cost: $125 per Fall/Winter/Spring Session

JUNIOR HIGH INTRO TO TRACK AND FIELD - Ages 11-14 yrs
With the emphasis being on fun and fundamentals, this Track and Field Program introduces basic athletic skills of running, jumping and throwing. Participants will be exposed to a variety of experiences that will enhance their athleticism and provide a solid basic development for future specialization in any sport. Programs are specifically developed around junior-high-aged children, with a hope for continued participation in the sport of Track and Field. There will be some competition opportunities offered as part of the program.

FALL Sep 18–Nov 27
WINTER Jan 15 -Mar 26
SPRING Apr 16 -Jun 25
Sat 9:15am–10:45am
Cost: $175 per Fall/Winter/Spring Session

INTERMEDIATE TRACK AND FIELD - Ages 12-15 years
This program is organized as an extension of the Junior High Introduction to Track and Field Program and competition opportunities will be encouraged. The emphasis will continue to be on fun and fundamentals. The Track and Field Program will reinforce basic athletic skills of running, jumping and throwing. Basic technical models will be refined to enhance success in track and field competition. Programs are specifically developed around junior-high-aged children, with a hope for continued participation in the sport of Track and Field.

FALL Sep 21–Dec 2
WINTER Jan 15 -Mar 26
SPRING Apr 19 -Jun 23
Tue & Thu 6:30pm-8:00pm
Cost: $225 per Fall/Winter/Spring Session

Registration: Campus Recreation, University of Calgary
Registration: 220-7749

Cat Morrison wins Duathlon Worlds :)

2010-09-05T08:25:00.005-06:00

Women's Top Ten

1. Catriona Morrison GBR 2:02:48
2. Sandra Levenez FRA 2:03:05
3. Felicity Sheedy-ryan AUS 2:06:14
4. Jenny Schulz GER 2:06:20
5. Ana Burgos ESP 2:06:43
6. Katie Ingram GBR 2:07:10
7. Andrea Steyn RSA 2:07:58
8. Ruth Van der meijden NED 2:08:37
9. Stefanie Bouma NED 2:10:53
10. Inmaculada ESP 2:10:59

Kronos Triathlon and a new chapter...

2010-09-03T19:10:00.009-06:00

After five years of coaching, two years of mentoring the coaching staff, two years of developing all the athlete periodization including designing and implementing individual race distance discipline programs and individual yearly training plans (run, bike, swim and strength), three years of clinics/camps, two years of progressively implementing youth programs, and two years of aggressively promoting, I have parted ways with the Kronos Triathlon Club. I am moving on to continue to develop my own coaching practise. Over the last two years my own coaching practise has suffered as I have been juggling my duties for Kronos Triathlon Club and my career as a Program / Project Manager doing large scale ERP implementations.

A week ago, I made a decision that I wanted to be closer to the athletes I coached. I have missed working one on one with athletes. I have missed the connection that develops when working closely with developing athletes, athletes who simply just aspire to be better, and the teens who are the future of sport. My arrangement with the Kronos Triathlon Club was no longer serving my own goals and aspirations. Simply being the "back office" brain while someone else delivered my work was no longer an arrangement I wanted to continue and felt it was bordering on being ethically wrong. I made a proposal to the club to take over as full-time coach / administrator of the club. It was rejected with the message given to me that I did not align with the future goals and long term strategy of the club. Obviously, the Board has no idea how I contributed. I feel cheated as I have been the person who has been looking forward and has put in place programs to attract both youth and adults to the club. I have been the person who has been looking forward and not in the moment. Anyone who knows me clearly recognizes that I am an implementer; my ideas have already gone through my internal filtering system. As such, I walked away from the club as the message given to me was far from the truth and hurt me immensely.

I am excited about building my coaching practise from the ground up again. I have spent the last couple of weeks building some exciting potential partnerships and am looking forward to the next two years as this all transpires.

In the meantime if you are wanting to join a run group..... read below.

If you are looking for more go to my other blog at:

http://www.coachingtheyaworskiway.blogspot.com/

Stay tuned for a new website which combines my personal blog with my coaching blog. Some exciting features will include newsletter subscriptions that will provide you with training tips and tools, courses being offered and information on training venues and packages both locally and in Belgium, Canada and United States. Over the years, as an high performance athlete and coach, I have worked with some of the best coaches. I will now be leveraging these connections to create some exciting stuff.

About my Run Group

Need someone to train with?
Looking to get faster?
Looking to improve your form?

Then join up with my group for some training on Thursday nights.

• We meet Thursday nights for interval and form work

• Cost is $150 per session (16-week sessions): Sept. to Dec.; Jan – April, May – Aug. for the once a week coached session

• Come November we move indoors to the Oval and you need to pay your own entrance fee

• If you are looking for an individualized program, I can help with that as well. For those signing up for the Thursday intervals, the cost for an individual run program is $50 per month. Programs for Triathlon are also available and if you join my run group, the cost is $100 per month for an individualized triathlon program.

Contact me at yaworski@telusplanet.net to register now.

This is not a learn to run program and individuals must be able to run 45 minutes comfortably. The sessions will involve tempo, interval and speed work. A strong emphasis will be on proper running mechanics.

Go Cat Morrison Go! Rock it at Duathlon World Championships

2010-09-03T08:38:00.005-06:00

By Steve Wilson
Published: 12:22PM BST 02 Sep 2010
Telegraph.co.uk

Steve's Twitter

For Cat Morrison, the week before a major race is usually one of upheaval, sorting travel arrangements, acclimatising to new surroundings and killing time in foreign hotel rooms.

Ahead of this weekend’s ITU World Duathlon Championships, however, the former European champion and world silver medallist in the run-bike-run event, feels very much at home.

She even has time to relax feeding her chickens, even if she is resisting the temptation to count them as a stellar field of athletes descend on Holyrood Park, Edinburgh, a Sunday jogger’s distance from her house in Broxburn.

The opportunity to add the duathlon world title to triathlon victories in this year’s St Croix 70.3 and, memorably, the Lanzarote Ironman – when a broken bike chain saw her lose 40 minutes to the field but miraculously find the will and the energy to resume the lead just 2.5km from the tape – in front of friends and family is one the Scot is relishing.

And in a season of unbroken success, it is one she looks well placed to take.

“I remember winning the Europeans in Edinburgh and it was really special,” she says of her 2007 victory.

“You know the audience and you know everyone is wanting you to do well, and you want to do well for them, it’s like a reciprocal relationship.

“If it comes together it would almost be like a way of saying thank you to the people who’ve been looking out for me.

“There is a bit more pressure but that’s all part and parcel of the game, you’ve got to stand up, you should be able to perform under any circumstances so it’s a good test.”

For someone who holds the record for the fastest ever Ironman debut when she began tackling triathlon’s most punishing of sub-disciplines back in July last year at Challenge Roth, the more manageable 10km run, 38km bike and 5km run, even if it does make ample and unforgiving use of Holyrood’s undulating hills, may seem at first glance like a walk (and bike) in the park.

However, with reigning European Champion Ruth Van der Meijden from Holland and fellow Briton Katie Ingram, who came second at the Europeans in Nice in May, to contend with, as well as 2009 world silver medallist Sandra Levenez from France, she will have to employ all of her legendary power and race smarts to give the partisan home crowd the result they want.

The longer-form triathlons, and a second crack at the world championships in Kona in October – after she was struck down by a virus ahead of her debut in Hawaii last year when “some nasty person ‘shared’ something horrible with me on the plane and I spent seven days in a little apartment just being downright miserable” – is what the season is building towards for the ebullient and instantly likeable 33-year-old.

Unlike some of her peers, however, she does not view one individual race as the definitive ‘holy grail’ of her chosen sport.

And that goes some way towards explaining her eagerness to flit between triathlon and duathlon, ever since she discovered that skipping the swim leg from time to time was no impediment to her season’s training schedule.

“We don’t have an all year round summer in this country and a duathlon is something that you can do whatever the weather,” she says, “rather than just the two month window where you can go and throw yourself in an icy cold lake.

“There is a bit more involved in the tactics in duathlon because it is a drafting race.

"If you are in the pack after a swim on a drafting triathlon and you are at the front you will still be worried about those at the back catching you because they might be weaker swimmers but strong runners.

“I’ve been in leading packs on the bike in a duathlon and seen triathletes panicking that the second group are catching you. When that happens I’m just thinking ‘if the second pack were good runners they’d be in the first pack on the bike so I’m not so worried about them on the second run at all.’”

Were Morrison not to find herself in such a leading position again on Sunday it would come as no surprise, such is her form going in to the race.

Edinburgh’s success in gaining hosting rights for the event will shine a rare spotlight in this country on a sport that is often cast in triathlon’s shadow.

Morrison maintaining her current winning streak would only make it shine brighter still.

Alpes Open Tour 2010

2010-08-23T11:56:00.067-06:00

Upon leaving Germany on Thursday morning, I headed off to Geneva for two days. My ride to the start of the race would pick me up on Saturday afternoon to transfer me to the start location of the Tour.

Geneva is an interesting place. In my opinion, really not a desirable place to visit. It is more restaurants and cafes than any place I have ever been to. The variety of food is amazing as every culture imaginable lives in Geneva. I was very disappointed with the restoration activities of Geneva. However, in my head I am comparing it to Vienna which is absolutely an amazing city. During my ventures around Geneva I did find a couple of very nice areas. One behind the train station and another in the massive park on Lake Geneva. These two locations offer a break from the masses of people on the streets. One afternoon I enjoyed sitting at a cafe reading and talking to some people in a small cafe behind the train station. It was very nice and was in the older area of Geneva.

Interesting that Geneva is considered a very conservative city. I tried to buy a bottle of wine after 9 pm one night and was told that one can not buy alcohol from a retailer after 9 pm in Geneva. You could only do this under the table or go to a bar or restaurant and order it. A local told me where I could buy wine after 9 pm under the table for a few extra bucks. I promptly went to a store and obtained my wine. What is interesting about this is that the streets of Geneva for about a 3 to 5 block radius are lined with prostitutes 24/7. So you can get a hooker any time of day but not alcohol.

I did not take many pictures in Geneva as there really was not much to take a picture of. I thought this building was cool though.

All the major cities in Switzerland have some landmark, and in Geneva it is the water jet. Silly really!

I took this picture in a department store for my friend Shari. She collects pigs and I could not resist taking it.

Alpes Open Tour - August 15 to 20, 2010

I have never cycled in the Alpes so stumbling upon this event was immediate curiosity for me followed by the desire to commit to going. I have many friends who go to France every summer to cycle but I have never even been to France before. I have watched the Tour de France on TV for about 10 years now. I got into watching it upon buying a Lemond bike and later reading about a guy named Lance Armstrong. Now it is no secret that I am a huge Lance fan and even own one of two yellow jerseys of Lance's which reside in Canada. Going to the Alpes to cycle was something I have wanted to do for several years. Finally, it was going to be a reality. For me, this will be the beginning of a yearly trek. I will likely spend two to three weeks every year cycling in France/Spain/Italy from this point forward. It is absolutely incredible cycling and scenery!

Day 1- Thonon-les-Bains to Chatel

Our first day was very wet and cold. We cycled around 90km. It rained very hard for the first part of this ride and luckily for us this stage was relatively flat compared to what we would tackle on the remaining days. Thonon-les Bains is at 540m and we started with a climb to Col du Cou which is at 1115m. After we would descend down to 800m and climb back up to Chatel which is at 1180m. The descends were very cold because of the cool weather and rain. Here are some pictures of the start of the event.

There were less 10 ten women doing this tour amongst the 80 or so riders. I was very surprised by this. So when I say I was the first woman on this stage, it is not all that amazing. Each day I would place within the top 25% of the entire field though which ended up being a goal of mine.

The field included nine professional riders. Teams Sky, Bbox and Cofidis were represented. Amongst the riders were three riders which I will point out as I spoke with them often. These guys are very nice and it was totally cool being able to ride in the same event as them.

Syvian Calzati, Team Sky

David Moncoutie, Team Cofidis

Davide Vigano, Team Sky-- pictured here with his partner. Yes there is a story to come about Davide and his partner!

Here is me at the finish in Chatel.

Day 2 - Chatel to Beaufort

Day two was a brutal day. It rained so hard that most people's computers stopped working. My computer failed and would only have cadence for the remainder of the trip. I think this was a good thing as I do not think I want to know how fast I descended some climbs. Basically, you could see nothing on this day. In total there were three climbs in this stage of 145 km. They included: Col du Corbier 1235m, Col des Gets 1170m, Col des Saisies 1660m. Sadly, this would be the stage, in which on one of the descends, a huge crash would occur right before me. I almost went down! It was on a hairpin descend and to avoid the crash I went into oncoming traffic and narrowly missed hitting a car head-on and skidded my body alongside the mountain on the wrong side of the road. My heart rate soared and at 100km of this ride I called it a day. After standing in the rain for about 10 minutes while everything got all sorted out, I was shaking uncontrollably and had a major descend yet to conquer. So off I went into one of the the support vehicles.

In the support vehicle were two people, one of the organizers and Team Sky rider Davide Vigano. Davide took very good care of me. He opted not to start this stage due to the cold and rain. He immediately put his arm around me to warm me up and started to ensure I consumed sugars to get warm. He took my wet socks and shoes off and gave me his dry socks and shoes and he stripped my jacket, jersey, arms warmers and leg warmers off of me. He gave me his jackets to keep warm. He was absolutely great. Davide then gifted me everything he covered me with to keep warm except for his shoes. At one of the feed stations he even fetched me coffee and more food. I have met many professional and elite athletes in my time and I always admire those that stay humble. Vigano and the two other professionals I have mentioned are very much great ambassadors to their sport.

At the feed station I switched vehicles in order to get to my hotel more quickly. In the vehicle I would end up in I met Vigano's partner and the start and finish line announcer. It was cool being in the vehicle with them. They were very kind and throughout the trip I would get to know them better along with some of the organizers.

Here is a picture of Davide and I.

Here is a picture of a jacket I got from Davide as well. I will wear it with great pride.

Here are some pictures of the places we stayed during the first two days.

Day 3 - Beaufort to Courchevel
Day three was absolutely beautiful. The sun was out and our ride of 120km would be the hardest day we would encounter. We began with a climb of 25km with grades averaging 8.5% to an altitude of 1970m starting from 750m. We would then descend to 820m to only climb again to 1300m over 12km and then descend again to 600m to again climb to 1200m over 30km. The last climb would continue from 1200m up to 1850m over 10km. The grades at points were 9.5% to 10%. Courchevel is absolutely beautiful. The little towns we cycled through were very quaint. This is a great area in terms of accessibility to great climbs and an area I definitely would return to in the future.

On both days three and four, 4 female professional riders would join us. As well, two female riders who were partners of Cofidis riders would split the stage. I am happy to say I placed second to the female riders who split the stage. Now granted all the professional riders, both male and female, did not ride hard. But it is cool to be finishing with or ahead of them.

Day 4 - Couchevel to La Toussuire

Day four would start with a descend from Courchevel to 433m over 30km. We would climb from here to 2000m on the famous Col de Madeleine. Our climb would be 28km long. The Col de Madeleine is not a hard climb but it is a long climb. Grades averaged around 7.5%. It was easy to maintain a good solid cadence going up and was an enjoyable climb on a beautiful sunny day. Our climb would lead us to a descend of 30 km down to 525m. This would be followed by a very hard climb up La Toussuire to 1700m over 20km. We would ride about 110km on this day. The legs were very tired and I wondered how day 5 would pan out with three big climbs. Somehow, however, the body seems to recover and cope. Mine did just that. Day four was one of my favourite rides. The scenery was amazing. Both the climbing and descending were wicked.

Here are some pictures of day 4.

Day 5 - La Toussuire to L'Alpe D'Huez

Day five was an epic day and included the time trial up the famous Alpe d'Huez. So what makes Alpe d'Huez so famous? It's one of oldest ski resorts in France, but it's probably more famous now as a finishing climb in mountain stages during 23 of the last 31 Tour de France events. The road up to Alpe d'Huez makes a great climbing stadium because it's wide and has the infrastructure at the base and top to handle over a million people as it did during the 2004 time trial. Many great climbs in France are too narrow and remote for Tour consideration. There are many beautiful, quiet roads in France with views as impressive as those found along Alpe d'Huez.

Alpe d'Huez has been a stage finish almost every year since 1976, although absent from the route in both 2009 and 2010, the first time since then that it has missed two consecutive years.

Before starting the time trial up Alpe d'Huez we would descend down La Toussuire to 1150m over 22km. We would then climb up Col du Mollard at 1631m and continue up to 2067m and the famed Col de la Croix de Fer. This is a very hard climb consisting of very steep grades over 27km. However, we a rewarded with one of the most beautiful descends of the tour. Our descend would take us down to 715m and the starting point of the time trial up Alpe d'Huez. We rode 90km before starting the time trial!

The climb up Alpe d'Huez is 13.8km with an average gradient of 8.1% (1130 m) with 21switchbacks marked with signs honoring each of the Tour de France/Alpe d'Huez stage winners. Since the Tour has now used Alpe d'Huez more than 21 times, the lower signs have been doubled up. The first bend has a double panel honoring both Fausto Coppi and Lance Armstrong; Fausto was the first Tour winner of Alpe d'Huez in 1952 and Lance was the 22nd winner in the year 2001. Totally cool!

Check out this video of Lance's greatest victories:

With the exception of several scenic switchbacks on the climb, the scenery around Alpe d'Huez is best viewed while descending rather than looking over your shoulder. In fact, the scenery, the width and condition of the road make it one of the better descents you'll ever come across. There are so many recreational cyclists climbing Alpe d'Huez each summer that commercial photographers make a business sitting on little canvas stools clicking away all day long. On the day we climbed two photographers snapped pictures and kindly ran behind to shove their cards in your jersey pocket.

Here is a picture I grabbed off the internet highlighting the 21 mythical corners.

Here is a picture of one of the signs you see on the corners.

Here are pictures of the hairpin corners and a view looking down.

And lastly, here is a picture of me on Alpe d'Huez.

Day 6 - Alpe d'Huez to Val Cenis

Day six greeted us with heavy rain. People were very tired and less than eager to experience what we had experienced on day 2. The organizers had already told us the previous night that the descend down the other side of Alpe d'Huez before the climb up Col du Galibier would be very technical, dangerous and have poor visibility. Our group of 9 riders voted not to proceed to do this stage. The fog and rain was considered too much of a risk. The pros rode for 14km and called it a day. They were not willing to take unnecessary risks. I have mixed feelings about the decision. I would have opted to start later in the day but one of our riders had a flight that night so timing was an issue. If I did not have a group to go along with, I would have started the ride later when things cleared up. I really wanted to climb Col du Galibier. As well, my friend Rob had told me that I should climb Col du Galibier from both sides as it is one of the most amazing rides. I guess next time!

Hope you enjoyed my stories! Thanks for reading! Here are more pictures of the Pros:

Pros and ex-pros participate in the Alpes Open Tour (among others, Sylvain Calzatti; Davide Vigano, David Moncoutie, Nicolas Portal, Frederic Turpin, Bernard Thevenet, Thierry Hupond, etc...)

Pros and Females at the Awards:

Pre Alps Tour - time in Germany and Luxembourg

2010-08-23T09:33:00.045-06:00

Landed back in town very late Saturday night after a great experience of cycling through the French Alps. It was great to cycle the same roads as the Tour de France riders have traversed over the years. The scenery, roads, and climbs were amazing. I was happy to have set my bike up with a compact crank and a 11/28 as it was perfect. Before heading to the Tour de Alps 6 day stage race, I cycled with Steve and Jason in Germany and Luxembourg. The area of Germany, near Trier, is very scenic. Here is a picture of Jason and Steve at dinner in a small restaurant near where we were staying.

Steve's brother lives on a hill, so before every ride start we would descend down and after every ride we would climb up to the house. On one of the days we stopped at a book store that a German man operated out of an old bunker. His English was very good and he told us stories about how Hilter's troops occupied these same bunkers, during the time when he was trying to conquer Luxembourg. There is only a river that separates the Germany and Luxembourg border.

Luxembourg is amazing. If you ever get a chance to cycle in Luxembourg, go for it. It is a clean and wealthy country, and of course is the home of Andy Schleck.

One of our rides was to the Vianden Castle which was an absolutely beautiful ride. This 145 km ride was amazing and included lots of climbs and rolling terrain. We had great weather and very little traffic to contend with. In the picture above is the town that we had lunch in. I love the bakeries and cafes in Germany and Luxembourg. This is typical road signage of directions to various towns.

Here are some pictures of the Vianden Castle. It is a really big climb to the castle. You can also cycle a further 5km up which I did because I lost sight of where Jason and Steve had gone. The extra climb allowed me to snap these pictures.

One of the coolest things in Germany is how you indicate the time of when you will be returning once you have parked your vehicle. I thought this was totally cool.

We were driving back from Trier one day and took an alternate road. It was crazy. Here is a picture of how narrow the road was - it is for traffice going both directions!

On one of the days we cycled into France to see another castle. It was a shorter ride as we were really bagged from the previous day of cycling. I am certain the keg of beer we drank while sitting outside on the deck of Steve's brothers place did not help our hydration and re=fueling efforts! However, we did have a good time!

Here is a picture of Jason on a tandem bike we saw perched on a fence.

Here are some pictures of the castle in France.

Stay tuned for pictures and write-up on the Tour de Alps 6 day stage race.

Alpes Open Tour August 15 to 20

2010-08-03T08:58:00.011-06:00

I am heading to Europe this Saturday for a big adventure. From August 8 to 14, I will be in Germany with Stephen and Jason and we will be cycling around Germany, Luxembourg and Belgium. Our base will be Trier near the Luxembourg border. I am excited as Steve is German/Canadian, very familiar with the area, and speaks German (luckily for Jason and I).

On August 14, Jason and I leave Germany and head to Geneva to begin the Alpes Open Tour which goes from August 15 to 20. Stephen will be remaining in Germany where he will do an Olympic distance triathlon and hang out with his brother.

The Alpes Tour is a 6-stage event which which takes us through several mountain passes. Among the list of destinations are Chatel, Beaufort, Courchevel, La Toussuire, Alpe d’Huez and Val Cenis.

Stage 1- 80.8 km:

This stage includes several climbs, particularly the Col du Grand Taillet with some important grades.

Stage 2- 136.2 km:

This second day will be the longest stage of the Alpes Open Tour with more than 136 kilometers and several passes to be crossed to join the Savoie. The Col du Corbier will lead us to the Vallée d'Aulps in order to reach Morzine and then Les Gets. Then, we will take the Vallée de l'Arve from Taninges to Megève. After a quick passage through the Gorges de l'Arly, we will tackle the last part of the stage and more particularly the Col des Saisies. The start and arrival will be downhill as we will stop in Beaufort (which is situated in the valley), well-known for the cheese of the same name.

Stage 3- 106.5 km:

This stage involves successive climbs and downhills. From the start, we will have to tackle the Col du Pré from Arêches; but this effort will be rewarded by the outstanding view of the Barrage de Roselend (Dam of Roselend) and then the Cormet de Roselend (which is the name of the pass). We ride through Bourg-Saint-Maurice and head through Mâcot-la-Plagne and Notre-Dame du Pré. After Brides-les-Bains, the road becomes much more steep for about 20 kilometers up to Courchevel, in the 3 vallées resort.

Stage 4- 105.4 km:

The Col de la Madeleine, a stage in the 2010 Tour de France. The 9th stage of the Tour de France started from Morzine to Saint-Jean-de-Maurienneand and also tackled the Col des Saisies (that we will take on the third stage) as well as the Col de la Madeleine. We then pass through Saint-Jean-de-Maurienne in order to start the climb up to the resort of La Toussuire, situated in the "massif des Sybelles". La Toussuire has several times hosted stages of the Tour de France or Dauphine Libere.

Stage 5- 101.5 km:

"Alpe d'Huez" 21 bends of the mythical climb up to Alpe d'Huez, the "Ile au soleil" (Isle of Sun). This stage is earned as several passes will have to be crossed on this 5th stage of the Alpes Open Tour in order to reach the Isère. The col du Mollard, first, and the couple Croix de Fer / Glandon that will lead down the vallée de l'Oisans after passing near the barrage de Grandmaison (Dam of Grandmaison).

Stage 6- 129.4 km:

The stage of Galibier, at 2635m altitude, the Galibier will be the summit of this Alpes Open Tour 2010. The sequence Lautaret, Galibier and Télégraphe have been the roads of the most famous performances of the great climbers of the Tour de France.

A few kilometers after the beginning of the stage, we take the Col de Sarenne which is an alternate route to get down the Alpe d'Huez that we climbed. After the Col du Galibier, we will be back to the Vallée de la Maurienne and ride up to Lanslebourg (Val Cenis resort) through Modane. Val Cenis hosted the "Grande Odyssée Savoie-Mont-Blanc" this winter.

I am sure that the six days that I have left in Europe after the completion of the tour, may not include cycling. But really who knows, I have a crazy side! I hear that the Cycling in Switzerland is awesome but so is hiking. And then, of course, there is shopping. I like shopping!

I will be posting pictures and stories as I go along, so keep checking back.

Paula Findlay wins in London!!!!

2010-07-24T14:47:00.005-06:00

Twenty-one-year-old Canadian Paula Findlay takes the women’s field at the Dextro Energy Triathlon ITU World Championship London, running away with the win in a time of 1:51:48.

Amazing splits:

Swim 00:19:43 T1 00:00:32 Bike 00:57:17 T2 00:00:27 Run 00:33:51

What about cycling and Tour de l'Abitibi.... check it out as Craig Logan is in second after 5 of 6 stages and Alberta's own Kris Dahl is in 13th. Sweet!

1 115 AUS19920102 MORTON, Lachlan Team Holowesko Partners 08:48:47
2 24 CAN19920219 LOGAN, Craig Canada 08:49:26 +0:00:39
3 182 USA19921015 FRANCK, Eamon Team Specialized Racing Juniors 08:49:30 +0:00:43
4 196 USA19921107 NOONAN, Zack Young Medalists/Team Dual Tem 08:49:44 +0:00:57
5 44 NZL19930617 J ORAM, James Nouvelle-Zélande 08:49:46 +0:00:59
6 63 USA19920723 JONDALL, Thomas USA National Team 08:49:55 +0:01:08
7 193 USA19920620 CARPENTER, Robin Young Medalists/Team Dual Tem 08:50:00 +0:01:13
8 172 USA19930902 J LIPSCOMB, Mathew South Eastern Regional 08:50:07 +0:01:20
9 94 USA19920214 TURNER, Edison DIY Music 08:50:10 +0:01:23
10 41 NZL19930522 J CREIGHTON, Scott Nouvelle-Zélande 08:50:13 +0:01:26
11 183 USA19930701 J LABERGE, James Team Specialized Racing Juniors 08:50:13 +0:01:26
12 46 NZL19921212 WRIGHT, Louis Nouvelle-Zélande 08:50:15 +0:01:28
13 22 CAN19920707 DAHL, Kris Canada 08:50:19 +0:01:32
14 185 USA19930126 J PHILIPP, Torey Team Specialized Racing Juniors 08:50:20 +0:01:33
15 23 CAN19920325 DESHAIES, Jean-Samuel Canada 08:50:20 +0:01:33
16 21 CAN19930901 J CATAFORD, Alex Canada 08:50:25 +0:01:38

World Junior Track and Field Championships in Moncton

Men's 5000m Final
Ross Proudfoot, 14th, 15:03.13
"The field is deep, those guys are in a whole other league. I see where this type of competition stands, which will prepare me for future competitions."

Women's 3000m Steeplechase Final
Geneviève Lalonde, 6th, 9:57.74 New pending Canadian Junior Record & New Americas Junior Record
"It’s really cool - a totally amazing feeling after this race. I didn’t know if this was going to happen at the first of the year but to finally bring it all together in my hometown at the end of the year, it’s a great feeling. I was a little worried about trying to keep up with them, but I thought I would try something new and it worked out very well for me. It was a wave of noise every time I came by the crowd and it’s what you need when you are trying to run a race like this."

Women's 5000m Final
Victoria Hanna, 14th in 17:28.99
"Love the home crowd, I started strong but as you could see I struggled at the end."

Women's 800m
Carly Paracholski, 5th in semi final #1, 2:05.99 PB - Pending Canadian Youth Record - does not advance to final
Annie LeBlanc, 4th in semi final #3, 2:05.17 PB - does not advance to final

World Junior Athletics Opening Highlights and Tour de l’Abitibi Junior Cycling Competition Stage 1

2010-07-21T08:23:00.006-06:00

World Junior Athletics

Women's 3000m

Kenya's Mercy Cherono defended her 3000 metres title by winning in a World leading time for the year of 8:55.07. She was followed by blistering finishes from Emebet Anteneh who clocked a personal best 8:55.24 and Layes Abdullayeva who set a Azerbaijan record of 8:55.33.

Men's 10000m

Dennis Masai became the seventh Kenyan winner of the IAAF World Junior Championships 10,000 metres. Masai's won in a teime of 27:53.88, a World leading mark for the year and a personal best by over 32 seconds. He was chased down by in a highly competitive race as he defeated Gebretsadik Abraha of Ethiopia and Lonyangata who also recorded lifetime fastest marks of 28:03.45 and 28:14.55.

By the way, Masai is the younger brother of Linet, the 10,000m World champion from Berlin.

Someone asked me what the entry standards are for World Juniors, here is an example of how tough they are:

Women's 3000m - 9:35:00
Women's 5000m - 16:30:00
Women's 3000m Steeplechase - 11:00:00

Men's 5000 Metres - 14:15.00 or 8:15.00 (3000 Metres)
Men's 10,000 Metres - 31:00.00

Tour de l’Abitibi Stage 1

The first stage of this traditional junior cycling competition has been completed. The first stage was a 94.6km route from Preissac to Val-d’Or.

Jean-Samuel Deshaies, a member of the Canadian National Team, was second and Philippe Nadon from the Québec team was third.

The 17-year-old Laberge claimed the brown, orange and blue jerseys. The second stage of the Coupe des Nations will take place on Wednesday afternoon with a 106.7km race beginning in Amos, the native town of seven of the riders taking part in the competition, and will finish in Val-d’Or.

Up until a month ago I did not know anything about Le Tour de l'Abitibi. However, after having the opportunity to be on the coaching staff for Junior Nationals, I learned what an amazing event and opportunity this event is for the junior male riders. Maybe one day it will include females!

Le Tour de l'Abitibi first took place in 1969. Throughout the years, the Tour has earned a solid reputation for the excellence of the organisation, as well as the festivities surrounding the event.

The Tour is the only North American stage of the International Cycling Union Junior World Cup. 6th of 12 stages, the Tour de l'Abitibi is the most important, longest and most popular stage. For cyclists, the Tour is a preparing event for the World Championship, scheduled at the end of September. The success of the Tour gives it its world-wide notoriety and each edition brings the best junior riders in the world.

" A Tour de France for juniors" is what the cyclists and team technical directors compare the Tour de l'Abitibi to each year.

More than 30 countries have participated so far and many contacts have been made to attract more. Many international teams compete every year along with other clubs from the United-States and Canada, making it a peloton composed of approximately 25 teams.

This international presence ensures an important media coverage for the Tour de l'Abitibi.

Three champions of the Tour de l'Abitibi, who have moved on to become world-class senior cyclists, Michaël Zanoli (Holland), Laurent Jalabert (France) and Alex Steïda (Canada), declared one day that Tour de l'Abitibi was " the biggest win of their career ".

Stage 1 Results

1. James Laberge (USA) Team Specialized Racing Juniors 2:12:54
2. Jean-Samuel Deshaies (Can) Team Canada
3. Philippe Nadon (Can) Team Québec
4. Robin Carpenter (USA) Young Medalists/Team Dual Temp
5. Louis Wright (Nzl) New Zealand National Team
6. Juan Carmona (USA) Young Medalists/Team Dual Temp
7. Chandler Knop (USA) Team Holowesko Partners
8. Mathew Lipscomb (USA) South Eastern Regional
9. Wataru Mutsumine (Jpn) Japanese National Team
10. Craig Logan (Can) Team Canada
11. Dion Smith (Nzl) New Zealand National Team
12. Wesley Kline (USA) Young Medalists/Team Dual Temp
13. Raphaël Massé-Viau (Can) Team Québec
14. Benjamin Swedberg (USA) USA National Team
15. Paul Lynch (USA) USA National Team
16. Eamon Franck (USA) Team Specialized Racing Juniors
17. Graham Dewart (USA) Pro Chain Junior Cycling
18. James Oram (Nzl) New Zealand National Team
19. Jeffrey Perrin (USA) Mid Atlantic Regional
20. David Kessler (USA) Team Holowesko Partners
21. Brandon Feehery (USA) Borah Development
22. Peter Taylor (USA) Team Specialized Racing Juniors
23. Andrew Ramage (USA) Mid-South Regional
24. Edison Turner (USA) DIY Music
25. Félix Côté-Bouvette (Can) Team Québec
26. Nathaniel Beams (USA) Pro Chain Junior Cycling
27. Nate Geoffrion (USA) USA National Team
28. Jacob Arnold (USA) Team Holowesko Partners
29. Jean-Michel Naud (Can) Team Québec
30. Tanner Putt (USA) South Eastern Regional
31. Jordan Brochu (Can) Team Québec
32. Angelo Ramon (USA) South Eastern Regional
33. Benjamin Salibra (USA) Colavita Racing
34. Lachlan Morton (Aus) Team Holowesko Partners
35. Nick Sutton (Nzl) New Zealand National Team
36. Kris Dahl (Can) Team Canada
37. Andrew Hemesath (USA) Team Holowesko Partners
38. Alex Cataford (Can) Team Canada
39. James Bird (USA) ISCorp Cycling Team
40. Michael Dalterio (Can) Espoirs Saputo
41. Frédéric Poisson (Can) Team Canada
42. Koji Nagase (Jpn) Japanese National Team
43. Ryan MacDonald (Can) Team Canada
44. David Novak (USA) Mid Atlantic Regional
45. Philippe Vézina (Can) Équipe Atrium CC2-R
46. Scott Creighton (Nzl) New Zealand National Team
47. Simon-Pierre Maltais (Can) Nippour/ Devinci
48. Jason King (Can) Team Ontario
49. Daniel Farinha (USA) USA National Team
50. AJ Snovel (USA) Mid Atlantic Regional
51. Thomas Jondall (USA) USA National Team
52. Zack Noonan (USA) Young Medalists/Team Dual Temp
53. Colt Peterson (USA) USA National Team
54. Thomas Folly (Can) Nippour/ Devinci
55. Michael Dziedzic (USA) Mid-South Regional
56. Jacob Gorke (USA) Colavita Racing
57. Ben Barthel (USA) Mid-South Regional
58. Olivier Delaney (Can) Team Québec
59. Torey Philipp (USA) Team Specialized Racing Juniors
60. Gabriel Murray (USA) Mid-South Regional
61. John Tomlinson (USA) Borah Development
62. Neal Shepherd (USA) South Eastern Regional
63. Jonathan Merritt (USA) South Eastern Regional
64. Nicholas Hand (Nzl) New Zealand National Team
65. David Benkoski (USA) Team Specialized Racing Juniors
66. Booey Hottenstein (USA) Hotel San Jose
67. William Rader (USA) Hotel San Jose
68. Paul Kumm (USA) ISCorp Cycling Team
69. William Zellmer (USA) Mid Atlantic Regional 0:14
70. Sirironnachai Sarawut (Tha) Thailand National Team
71. Taylor Gaines (USA) Pro Chain Junior Cycling
72. Seehabuntong Poompat (Tha) Thailand National Team
73. Jess Neufeld (Can) Team Alberta 0:21
74. Sanikwathi Thanawut (Tha) Thailand National Team
75. Alexandre Tremblay (Can) Équipe Atrium CC2-R
76. Émile Jean (Can) Espoirs Saputo
77. Daniel Choto (Biz) Belize National Team
78. Wei Chen (USA) Colavita Racing
79. David Onsow (Can) Équipe régionale Abitibi
80. Evan Wynn (USA) DIY Music
81. Nicholas Roeder (USA) Mid Atlantic Regional
82. Shogo Ichimaru (Jpn) Japanese National Team 0:24
83. Masaru Nakazato (Jpn) Japanese National Team 0:31
84. Milo Del Bigio (USA) Team Alberta 0:52
85. Thomson Remo (USA) ISCorp Cycling Team 1:17
86. Ohko Shimizu (Jpn) Japanese National Team 1:20
87. Sianglam Satjakul (Tha) Thailand National Team 1:45
88. Michael Pincus (USA) Hotel San Jose 1:51
89. Jos Chalmers (USA) Florida Velo Junior Development 2:01
90. Julien Langlois (Can) Espoirs Saputo
91. David Goodman (USA) South Eastern Regional
92. Max Kaplan (USA) Colavita Racing
93. Scott Stern (USA) Équipe Atrium CC2-R
94. Noah MacCallum (Can) Team Ontario 2:04
95. Alexander Spook (USA) Florida Velo Junior Development 2:07
96. Samuel Geyer (USA) ISCorp Cycling Team
97. Benoît Lantagne (Can) Équipe régionale Abitibi
98. Christopher Bernard (Can) Espoirs Saputo
99. Jukrapech Wichana (Tha) Thailand National Team
100. Neal Forbes (USA) Pro Chain Junior Cycling
101. Jimmy Lapointe (Can) Équipe régionale Abitibi
102. Ryan Gadow (USA) Mid Atlantic Regional
103. Thomas Desjardins (Can) Équipe Atrium CC2-R 2:42
104. Kiernan Orange (Can) Espoirs Saputo
105. Jeffrey Alpert (USA) Young Medalists/Team Dual
106. Brian Trafford (Can) Team Ontario
107. Andrew Jr. Lanier (USA) Team Specialized Racing Juniors 3:07
108. Alexander Meyer (USA) Borah Development 3:11
109. Simon-Pierre Gauthier (Can) Espoirs Saputo 3:13
110. Blaise Limoges (Can) Équipe régionale Abitibi
111. Sean Lynch (USA) Colavita Racing
112. Alex Battles-Wood (USA) Hotel San Jose 3:14
113. Ian Mcgauvran (USA) Florida Velo Junior Development
114. Tony Wieczorek (USA) Borah Development 3:16
115. Ty Andrews (Can) Team Alberta 3:28
116. Darren Williams (Biz) Belize National Team
117. Christopher Bennette (USA) Florida Velo Junior Development 3:35
118. Ryan Burns (USA) Colavita Racing 4:22
119. Graham Courtney (Can) Team Alberta 4:28
120. Jacob Bouchard (Can) Nippour/ Devinci 4:48
121. Austin Armstrong (Biz) Belize National Team 5:14
122. Luke Lininger (USA) Borah Development 5:16
123. Cody Tapley (USA) Hotel San Jose 6:19
124. Ian Sullivan (USA) DIY Music 6:38
125. Greg Brown (USA) Borah Development
126. Marc-Antoine Labelle (Can) Équipe Atrium CC2-R 9:13
127. Brian Lark (USA) Pro Chain Junior Cycling
128. Jérémie Lavoie-Doyon (Can) Nippour/ Devinci 9:15
129. Kyle Gentle (Biz) Belize National Team 10:07
130. Rhys Rathbun (USA) Team Holowesko Partners
131. Melvin Tillett (Biz) Belize National Team 10:23
132. Charles Matte (Can) Nippour/ Devinci 14:37
133. Taylor Warren (USA) Florida Velo Junior Development 16:02
134. Charles Chazz Martin (USA) ISCorp Cycling Team 16:44
135. Robert Chorost (USA) Mid-South Regional 17:30
136. Bryce Mouneyres (Fra) Nippour/ Devinci
137. Johnathan Freter (USA) Pro Chain Junior Cycling
138. Naoto Yokoya (Jpn) Japanese National Team
139. Mackenzie Garvin (Can) Team Alberta
140. Chris Balestrini (Can) Team Ontario
141. Vance Fletcher (USA) ISCorp Cycling Team
142. Alex Parks (USA) Hotel San Jose
143. Francis Desbiens (Can) Équipe Atrium CC2-R
144. Maxwell Robb (USA) DIY Music 17:35
145. Mackensie Carson (Can) Team Alberta 17:38
146. Dominic Proulx-Fournier (Can) Équipe régionale Abitibi 17:39
147. Gabriel Charlton (Can) Team Ontario 20:34
148. Richard Vera (Biz) Belize National Team 21:38
OTL Patrick McGinley (Can) Young Medalists/Team 28:33
OTL Christopher Flanagan (USA) Mid-South Regional
OTL Michael Raynor (USA) DIY Music 30:47
DNF Bradley Gordon (USA) Florida Velo Junior Dev
DNF Connor Williams (USA) DIY Music
DNF Brandon Spencer (Can) Team Ontario

Helly Vissier gets inducted in Cdn Masters Hall of Fame

2010-07-20T17:04:00.003-06:00

Calgary Herald
Today is Tuesday July 20, 2010
Visser heads for the Hall
By Keith B. Fri, Jul 16 2010 Calgary Runner

If Helly Visser has proved one thing, it’s that it’s never too late to start running.

"I didn’t run until I was 50," says Visser, a 76-year-old retired kindergarten teacher.

"You have your family and your work. I was a mother, so you don’t have time — at least I didn’t think I could take time."

On Saturday, Visser will be one of 10 athletes inducted into the Canadian Masters Athletic Hall of Fame — the only one from Alberta.

She is being recognized for an outstanding career as a Masters runner, one that has brought her a total of 14 Canadian and world records and a trophy cabinet full of medals from eight world masters championships.

"I never thought I would be competitive but I was," says Visser. "You do something and you really try your best and that, I think, is what you get with running. There’s some measurement there. I started training, of course, and that’s how it all started."

Visser joined the Calgary Roadrunners in 1985 and nine years later she experienced her ‘Aha moment.’

"In 1994 I went to Las Vegas and did the half marathon and had the North American record for that," she says of her time of one hour, 36 minutes.

"That really encouraged me so I started to look at what people were doing in the world masters championships for athletics and I thought, ‘Oh, well, I can run there.'

"Buffalo in 1995 was my first worlds masters athletics championships. It was a big learning curve but it was very interesting. I had never run on the track and I had to learn an awful lot. I came away with a gold in the 1,500 metres and a silver in the 5,000. From then I have gone to all of them. it’s a wonderful way to travel and it’s so good to have a goal in mind."

Visser, a mother of three and grandmother of two, credits the Natural Posture Running technique she now teaches with not only sustaining her career, but helping her to run faster.

"You run better, you run more efficiently. It’s easier on your body," she says. "If you relax your body, it works the way it’s supposed to work. If you watch the Olympics and see the (athletes’) movements, it looks so (relaxed)."

Visser says the highlight of her running career came in the fall of 2008, when she was part of the four-woman team (alongside Diane Palmason, Louise Reed and Mary McCarron) that set a 4x400 metres world record in the 70 to 75 age category, with a time of 6:12:25.

"The championships were in Saskatoon but someone made a mistake and we were disqualified, so we organized for the relay to be in Calgary," she says. "It was a world record. That was the event that was really exciting."

The other athletes being inducted in Toronto this weekend are Sverre Hietanen, Lenore Marvin, Maurice Tarrant and Palmason, all of B.C., Judith Kazdan, Robert Moore and Art Obokata, of Ontario, Emil Muller of Quebec and Alex Oakley of Newfoundland.

Visser, who is part of the Hall’s selection committee (and admits to voting for herself), left for Toronto Friday to take part in the small ceremony, in which she will be presented with a photo and recognized on the CMAA Hall of Fame website (www.canadianmastersathletics.com).

"I don’t think I’ll ever be in another hall of fame," she says, laughing.

"I’m at a time in my life now, I’m 76, where I’m sure I will be active now for another 10, 15, 20 years. But still, you have to do the things that you want to do now."

Bike ride from Lake Louise to Jasper and back

2010-07-16T10:59:00.007-06:00

The Adventure- Riding my bike from Lake Louise to Jasper and back in two days. 233 km each way.

My partner for the ride- Jason Doornbos

What did we take- a small knapsack with clean clothes to be able to go out and eat in Jasper upon our arrival, and lots of food to eat during the journey.

Day 1, Wednesday, July 16, 2010
We left Calgary at 5 am and drove to our start location, Lake Louise. We were on our bikes pedaling at 8:15 am. It was a chilly morning which was likely a good thing as the climb out of Lake Louise to Bow Lake lasts 39 km. Our first 39 km was pretty quiet with very little traffic. The ride from Bow Lake to Saskatchewan River Crossing is 40 km but you get to descend from an elevation of 1869 meters to 1423 meters. Jason and I stopped at Saskatchewan River Crossing. Jason went into the store to grab 1.5 liter of water while I lined up to grab coffee. Cost of two bad cups of coffee was $6.80; cost of 1.5 liters of water $5.25. I guess that is the price of being in the middle of nowhere.

Jason proceeded to tell me his experience paying for the water. The young woman at the register suggested that Jason grow his curly hair out as she thinks that guys with long curly hair are sexy. I looked at Jason and started to laugh and suggested that maybe he could spend a couple of nights at Saskatchewan River Crossing possibly asking a premium price to satisfy the women folk in the area.

After warming up, eating and filling are bottles we proceeded to climb our way up to the Columbia Icefield. It is 50 km from Saskatchewan River Crossing to the Icefield. This is an elevation gain from 1423m to 2035m. We stopped in Columbia Icefield and grabbed some more water and fueled up. It took us about 5 hours to reach the Icefield from Lake Louise. Jason and I arrived along with the dozen or so tour buses mostly filled with Japanese tourists. As we prepared to depart for our trek to Jasper, we suddenly became the photo opportunity for all the Japanese tourists. I realized I was wearing my Speed Theory race team gear. Having lived in Asia, I know that they likely saw my logos on my gear and assumed that I was some professional cycler on a training ride. I wonder how many photos Jason and I are now in and what the discussion in Japan will be when the photos are shared with family and friends. Speed Theory has now gone global!

The ride from Columbia Icefield to Sunwapta is 48 km. Jasper is 56 km from Sunwapta. Although the elevation map shows a massive descend from Columbia Icefield to Jasper from 2035m to 723m, I would not say it is flat! About 13km from Jasper my bonking began. I so wanted the ride to be over and all I could think about is taking my knapsack off which was very light but not exactly feeling light after being on a bike for 9 hours.

Jason wanted to stay somewhere closer to the main hub of Jasper; however, I looked at the first motel on our entry into town and said I am not biking any further. I said we can walk the 1km into town but I am not riding. We proceeded to check into the hotel. All I can say is that we smelled really badly. We showered and grabbed a bite to eat. My appetite was big but my ability to digest the food was not so good. I ate about half my food and said to Jason that I needed to lie down right now. Jason kindly went to grocery store to grab food for our breakfast and journey back to Lake Louise the next day. I went back to the motel and did not wake again until the alarm went off at 6 am.

Day 1 journey took 9 hours and 6 min.

Day 2, Thursday, July 17, 2010
Our ride home began at 7:15 am. Neither Jason nor I were very perky. Even after lots of oatmeal, my hunger began within 30km of the ride. I glanced over to Jason and said “I am not a happy biker. I need a solid breakfast. We need to stop in Sunwapta." Upon arriving in Sunwapta after climbing for 56km, I ordered eggs and hash browns and consumed a bagel and a banana. I think they were the best darn eggs and hash browns in the world in that 2 minutes it took me to consume them!

Upon leaving Sunwapta, we knew that we would be climbing another 48km to Columbia Icefield.

Perspective- it took us 5 hours to cover the 129 km to Columbia Icefield from Lake Louise, and it took us 5 hours to climb the 104km from Jasper to Columbia Icefield. A head wind did not help to make the climb easier! We were happy to reach the Icefield. As we climbed the section of the road where the speed limit drops to 50km per hour and really no shoulder exists, I notice all these cars pulling over into a pull out. I look up at the ridge and there is a goat traversing the top as I am pedaling along. I look down at my odometer which says I am going 8km per hour. The darn goat was climbing faster than I! Finally, the big climb is over. Jason is ahead waiting for me. I pull over and we watch as the goat proceeds to walk across the road and jumps the barrier to walk down the massively steep cliff to the falls. As we are standing there cars are pulling over which was a common thing to see throughout the trip. One car would pull over and everyone would rush out of the car to take a picture of some animal and then many cars would pull over. This occasion was no different. However, this time some dude decides to cross over opposing traffic on a blind corner, slamming his brakes with his car facing the massive cliff to get an opportunity to see what everyone has spotted. He looks at Jason and I, while his wife is yelling from the car “what is it?”, I look at Jason and then the man and say “It was crazy. Some guy just came to the edge and jumped down into the waterfall.” The guy looks at me and says “really”. Jason responds and says “yeah really”! Off we went continuing to pedal our bikes.

When we reach the Columbia Icefield, I realize I have a flat. Karma kicking my butt for the comment made to the guy no doubt. I quietly remind myself to keep my sarcasm to myself as I do not want any bad luck. Karma was gently reminding me not to be an ass. After more photo opportunities for the Japanese tourists of me, the professional cyclist racer changing a flat, Jason and began to pedal again.

I think it became a reality to Jason and I that our ride back to Lake Louise from Jasper was going to take longer than the 9 hours it us from Lake Louise to Jasper. We still had the Bow Summit to climb. However, before that we had a couple of great descends from the Icefield to Saskatchewan River Crossing. I did not want the descending to end; as all I could think about was making up for the 8 to 14 km per hour climbs with the 65 km descends. We made a brief bathroom stop at Saskatchewan River Crossing and proceeded to climb. Some family asked me if I was following them. Apparently, they kept seeing us. No doubt they were taking in all the photo opportunities!

The climb up the Bow Summit seemed to last forever and the temperature was climbing as well. Every corner there seemed to be another stretch of road going up. About 2 km from the summit, I cracked. I had a solo cry for the last 2 km and almost got off my bike to call it a day. However, my inner voice said “get on with it” and the visual of a couple of cars pulling over only meant one thing – a bear. So up off my seat I got and proceeded to pedal faster to get through the area as quickly as possible. Finally, the top was reached. Jason was standing there and I told him that I had a meltdown. He proceeded to remind that we were almost done with only 39 km left and about half of it descending. As we fueled up, a car pulls over and sits there for awhile opposite us. Not sure what they are doing but glance around to ensure that no wild animal is near us. None spotted. Then the vehicle crosses over the road and the couple waves to us. Jason, not very chipper at this point, looks at me and says, “I am not waving back. I am not some zoo animal.” I laughed so hard! Onwards we went; roughing it through the bits of climbs left and treasuring the descending. We reached Lake Louise and were happy to see that my vehicle was waiting for us. We changed and grabbed some food from the grocery store. Yes chips, coke and more chips and a bit of fruit.

Day 2 journey took 10 hours and 28 min. That is 1 hour 22 minutes longer than the way out.

Jason asked me if I wondered had we done the return on fresh legs if our return time would be quicker. I said that I really did not care to know! Truly though- we had a great trip. It was tough at times but we had great weather and the scenery was amazing. I have run in what was the old Jasper to Banff relay many times and have run about half of the relay legs on this highway; however, I do not think I have really seen all great things I saw on this epic ride. By the way, leg 6 of the old relay went up to Columbia Icefield and I have run up this part of the road, and have concluded that running up it is far easier than biking up it.

Things we saw: 2 bears, a baby goat, a grown goat, deer, moose, and spectacular scenery.

Disappointing things to see: the demise of the Icefield. It makes me angry that busses cart people up so that they can walk on the icefield. I recall back in 2000, the last year of the full 24 hour relay, the icefield was substantially larger. It is small compared to 10 years ago. I was shocked to see how small it has become.

Selling my Time Trial bike and Zipp 404s

2010-07-12T19:12:00.000-06:00

Selling

Zipp 404 650c Tubulars. Bought in 2006. $1200 OBO

Cervelo P2C 48cm x 650c. Bought in 2006 and used mainly for racing. $2200 OBO.

The question

2010-07-06T16:07:00.003-06:00

Should I be pacing myself or going all out when I’m training?

The answer

Last winter, gold medalist Simon Whitfield led a squad of triathletes from the Canadian national team on a trip to Nike headquarters in Portland, Ore., for a 10-day training camp. Their goal: to elevate their running game by learning from the elite crew of distance runners and highly sought after coaches based there.

One of the key lessons they picked up was the importance of finding the right pace – that, at least in training, going faster isn’t always better. It may sound obvious, but sports psychologists believe that learning to monitor and adjust to feedback during training is a powerful tool for developing expertise – even in apparently simple activities such as running and biking.

The group Mr. Whitfield trained with in Portland included Simon Bairu of Regina, who earlier this month smashed the Canadian record for 10,000 metres by 13 seconds at a race in Palo Alto, Calif., running 27:23.63. Chris Solinsky, another member of the group, broke the U.S. record in the same race, and a third member of the Portland group also dipped below the old U.S. record.

“They’re so precise about their pacing,” Mr. Whitfield says. “We came home with the message that when a tempo run is supposed to be, let’s say, 3:05 [per kilometre] pace, then 3:03 pace is not a success. That’s a fail.”

Such precision may be daunting, but it’s a hallmark of “deliberate practice,” a concept advanced by Florida State University cognitive psychologist Anders Ericsson and popularized in recent books like Malcolm Gladwell’s Outliers: The Story of Success. The best way to master an activity is not simply to repeat it mindlessly over and over again, Dr. Ericsson argues, but to set specific goals and monitor how well you meet them.

The theory is most commonly applied to highly technical activities such as tennis or violin; for simpler activities such as running, “practice” usually involves simply heading out the door and doing it. But in a study of the training practices of elite runners by University of Ottawa researchers Bradley Young and John Salmela, what separated the highest-performing group from their less accomplished peers was how much they incorporated elements such as interval training, tempo runs and time trials, all of which require ongoing attention to pace and other feedback.

Once you become familiar with how different paces feel and how long you’re able to maintain them, knowing your speed can actually enhance performance, according to a study in a forthcoming issue of the British Journal of Sports Medicine. Researchers had cyclists perform a four-kilometre time trial around a track, with no intermediate pacing information provided. When they repeated the trial with pace feedback after each 250-metre lap, the times improved; when the riders were given deliberately incorrect pace feedback, the times got slower.

You don’t need to head to a track to implement these ideas. Many bike paths have kilometres marked, and you can use programs such as Google Earth to measure a route. Alternately, you can simply pick a few landmarks along your route without worrying about the precise distance, and monitor how your time between those landmarks varies from week to week.

The goal isn’t to get faster every time you run; it’s to develop an automatic feel for how fast you’re running, so that when you do check your watch, it just confirms what you already knew.

“I think that it is extremely important for an athlete to understand how they feel during exercise,” says University of Bedfordshire exercise physiologist Lex Mauger, the lead author of the cycling study. “Performance varies from day to day, so a particular pace that was appropriate one day may not be the next.”

After two Olympic medals, you might think Mr. Whitfield had pretty much figured out how to train. But it’s his attention to these details and his desire to keep learning that underlie his continued success – even though he confesses that incorporating the new lessons hasn’t been easy.

“Even our tempo run today turned into one of those where you’re slowly ramping up and up and up,” he laughs. “But in general we’re trying to be more precise about what pace we’re supposed to run.”

Alex Hutchinson blogs about research on exercise at sweatscience.com.

Semenya cleared by IAAF, could run in Moncton

2010-07-06T12:57:00.006-06:00

Caster Semenya was cleared to return to competitive athletics by the IAAF. This ends an 11-month layoff while she underwent gender verification tests after becoming the 800-meter world champion.

It is possible that she could return to competition at the world junior championships in Moncton, Canada, starting July 19.

This situation, in my opinion, was horrible for everyone. I cannot imagine what her family and her have gone through. Even for "the powers" this must have been a difficult time.

Hopefully, noone else ever has to go through this again!!!

Stampede time means mixing running and beer

2010-06-30T11:02:00.001-06:00

BC Woman Wins Legendary Western States 100 Miler

2010-06-29T17:49:00.002-06:00

For the first time ever a Canadian woman, specifically a woman from Vernon, British Columbia, has won the 100-mile Western States Endurance Run.

Tracy Garneau, who is 41 years of age won the event in 19 hours 1 minute and 55 seconds, beating out a very competitive women’s field.
Another BC runner, North Vancouver’s Gary Robbins, placed a very respectable 6th overall on the men’s side that saw Alaskan Geoff Roes win with a record-breaking time of 15 hours, 7 minutes and 4.5 seconds.

A big congratulations to these two runners as well as everyone else from north of the border who gutted it during the race.

New UCI rules for Cyclocross

2010-06-25T18:17:00.003-06:00

Following the recommendation of the Cyclo-cross Commission, the UCI Management Committee has approved modifications to its cyclo-cross rules which will take effect at the beginning of the 2010-2011 cyclo-cross season. A summary of the changes is as follows:

1) Disc brakes will now be allowed in cyclo-cross competition.
2) The legal tire width in competition has also been changed. Width shall not exceed 33 mm, whereas before the maximum width was 35 mm.
3) Continental Cyclocross Championships have been established.
4) The “6 obstacle limit” has been changed to a “6 man-made obstacle limit.”
5) The height of barriers is now a maximum of 40 cm instead of a defined height of 40 cm.
6) Man-made sand pits are now allowed and the dimensions for them have been established.
7) The distance between planks has been changed to a range of 4 to 6 meters between.
8) Commissaires may now authorize feeding if the temperature is above 20 degrees C. This feeding takes place in the pit lane, but not during the first two or the last two laps.
9) The commissaires may now invoke the “80% rule” and remove a rider who is behind the leader by 80% of the leader’s lap time. Thus, riders can be pulled before they are lapped.

While going through the UCI rule book ....

2010-06-25T17:46:00.002-06:00

I came across rules for artistic cycling and cylce ball. I got curious and of course started to read the rules. Cycle ball intrigued me....have a look at this video. I say skip indoor spin classes this year and let's get a gym and play this!

Geoff Hopfner takes first at Robert Hamilton

2010-06-24T13:03:00.003-06:00

Nice work Geoff....

The retro-themed Robert Hamilton Memorial Race served up a classic finish in the sunshine at Edworthy Park on Sunday. (And if you have ever met Geoff, you would understand that a retro-themed race suits him)

The 10-miler turned into a two-horse race between Geoff Hopfner and Marc Collie, who jostled for the lead right from the start.

"We were together the whole race," said Hopfner. "(Collie) was up for the first six miles. I led from six to eight and he led right up until nine and a half."

With the finish line in sight, both men stepped on the gas. In the final few yards (this is a retro race so we'll stay away from metric) the course took them off the pathway and onto the grass. Hopfner, his face a picture of concentration and effort, edged ahead and was first home. Hopfner and Collie's times, recorded the old-fashioned way, were an identical 53:31, drawing gasps of admiration from the 5-milers who were waiting in the finish area.

"I wasn't sure how it was going to figure out. I wanted to stay with him for as long as I could and hope for the best," said Hopfner, a 28-year-old accountant. "It felt pretty good."

Hopfner, who won Melissa's last year and is a familiar face in the local running scene, was third in the 2008 Robert Hamilton 10-miler with a time of 57:06.

"The distance is pretty good for me," said Hopfner, a former triathlete who decided to concentrate on running about five years ago. "53 minutes - that's a (personal) best for me."

BicycleDreamsTrailer

2010-06-18T16:39:00.001-06:00

LongTreks: Peru y Bolivia Trailer

2010-06-15T19:06:00.001-06:00

Malindi Elmore on Competition

2010-06-13T08:04:00.005-06:00

From the Edmonton Journal:

"I just see that sport has become really narrowly focused on podium performances and anything outside of top-three finishes are no longer being supported," she said.

"And sport is still a lot more than winning. It's about competing and doing your best and encouraging people to be active and healthy. I'm concerned that with such a narrow podium-finish focus in the elite sport funding scheme, we are losing focus of what it means to participate and be at championships and be an all-around good athlete."

In a sport like track and field, she said, where competition across the globe is fierce, support from the governing bodies shouldn't stop with a bronze medal.

"On the one hand, we do want to have a culture of excellence and we do want people to do their best," she said. "It is good to win and it is good for the country when we do have Vancouver results and our record gold medals.

"I think track and field, being a finalist in the Olympic Games is an extremely impressive thing, but from a sports funding or a national sport focus, that seems to not be good enough anymore. I think that sends a wrong message." ............

"It's finding that sweet spot of being excited but still being relaxed and not letting it overwhelm you."

Mohammed Ahmed Wisconsin 4th 10k in Canadian Junior Record 2010 NCAA Outdoor Champs

2010-06-11T08:04:00.006-06:00

Mohammed Ahmed Wisconsin 4th 10k in Canadian Junior Record 2010 NCAA Outdoor Champs | 2010 NCAA Outdoor Track and Field Championships on Flotrack

NCAA Division I 2010 Outdoor
Track & Field Championships
Eugene, Or - 6/9/2010 to 6/12/2010

Event 8 Men 10000 Meter Run
================================================================
Final only. Random draw. Double waterfall. 2/3 on main
American: A 26:59.60 5/1/2010 Chris Solinsky, Nike
College Best: C 27:08.49 5/1/2010 Sam Chelanga, Liberty
NCAA Meet: M 28:01.30 6/1/1979 Suleiman Nyambui, Texas-El Paso
Hayward: S 26:25.97 2008 Kenenisa Bekele, Ethiopia
Name Year School Finals
================================================================
Finals
1 Sam Chelanga JR Liberty 28:37.40
2 John Kosgei SR Oklahoma State 28:55.93
3 Jake Riley JR Stanford 28:57.41
4 Mohammed Ahmed FR Wisconsin 28:57.44
5 Kiel Uhl SR Iowa State 28:58.55
6 Joe Bosshard FR Colorado 28:59.87
7 Ben Cheruiyot SO Auburn 29:09.09
8 Alfred Kipchumba SO Portland 29:09.63
9 Matt Llano SR Richmond 29:10.27
10 John Beattie SR Tulsa 29:16.48

Morrison wins her first Ironman on the toughest course

2010-05-24T10:04:00.007-06:00

Catriona Morrison overturned one of the biggest deficits in triathlon history, staging what will rank among the most dramatic sporting recoveries ever as she won the Lanzarote Ironman on Saturday.

Scotland’s three-times world duathlon champion spent 45 minutes stranded, waiting for a mechanic, after her bike chain snapped. She had battled to establish a lead of more than eight minutes but was impotent at the roadside as it haemorrhaged away, reduced to a spectator’s role as five rivals rode past.

The three-discipline event is arguably the hardest in sport, and the Lanzarote Ironman rivals Hawaii as the toughest: a 2.4-mile open water swim in the Atlantic, 112-mile bike ride involving 8365 feet of climbing, and concluding with a marathon.

“I picked them off one by one and took the lead with around two kilometres to go,” said Morrison. She finished in 10hr 03min 53sec, winning by 88 seconds. Her marathon leg was 3hr 04 min 46sec, a time that would have placed her among the first 100 UK women in the London Marathon and eighth among Scots. The third man on the podium yesterday ran slower.

Louise Collins, a former GB rowing medallist, finished in 10:05.21, with German Nicole Woysch third (10:11.18), and Aberdeenshire’s defending champion, Bella Bayliss, fourth in 10:16:47.

They all gasped as my chain snapped. If it had happened out in the country I’d have been running around headless. Catriona Morrison

“Nothing remotely like this has happened to me before,” said Morrison, her back blistered in the 70-degree heat. On her only other Ironman, Hawaii last year, she made the fastest ever debut. But she has won two ITU long distance duathlon world titles and one over the short distance.

“I was lucky where the chain broke,” she said. “It was in the town of Teguise and people were cheering me as the first woman. They all gasped as my chain snapped. If it had happened out in the country I’d have been running around headless. But somebody phoned a mechanic, and I just got some water, some food, and tried to keep calm in the shade. But it was hard watching everyone go past.”

Her husband, Richard, confirmed yesterday that she had been at the roadside for 45 minutes. Otherwise she would have been comfortably inside the course record.

Back in the saddle, Morrison rode with controlled frenzy. “The race climbs a volcano to over 8000 feet. There are four long, brutal drags as you go up, but you must come down again, and these descents are scary. One guy crashed right in front of me. I was so frightened it made me shake.

“He took a corner too fast and went over the Armco crash barrier at the side of the road. I was so close that I was past him before I could do anything to help. There was an ambulance attending to another crash victim barely 100 metres further down the hill. I yelled at them to go back up.”

It turned out to be David Deak, a Canadian racing for the first time since donating a kidney to save his father’s life last summer. He broke a bone in his hand and sprained an ankle.

“By the time I got on the bike I was so far behind that I was going to abandon, but I started playing the numbers game,” added Morrison. “I thought that eight-minute plus lead before halfway on the ride might have meant I was pushing a wee bit too hard.”

Hillary Biscay of the US had been first out of the water in 52min 40sec, with Morrison 1:59 behind, just a second ahead of double defending champion Bayliss. The Aberdonian (formerly Comerford), who was 2008 World champion, was bidding for a third successive victory. She managed to claw her way into the lead when her compatriot was stalled, but after Morrison passed her in the final six miles, she faded to fourth.

England’s Louise Collins was second. “She is not even a professional triathlete,” said Morrison, “so she is ineligible for any prize money. It was a fantastic performance, and I really felt bad about catching her so close to the end. It was a real shame.”

Brought up in Scotstoun, and a Commonwealth Games triathlete in 2002, the 33-year-old Morrison collected €8500 for victory, second biggest win of her career.

This qualifies Morrison for this year’s world championship in Hawaii . She is determined to improve on 16th last year, when she had swine flu but refused to pull out. So she paid her $550 Hawaii entry fee in Lanzarote yesterday morning.

Unlike the marathon’s prima donnas (average: two races per year) Morrison will be back in action next weekend. “I’ve a sprint event in Spain,” said the iron woman, “then a half Ironman in the Basque country a fortnight later.

“After that I will be putting in some serious training for Hawaii and the World Duathlon Championships in Edinburgh in the autumn.”

I am so darn proud of you, Cat!!!!!

Calgary wins bid for 2011 & 2012 Canadian Track & Field Championships

2010-05-11T06:48:00.001-06:00

Events to serve as trials for 2011 World Championships and 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games

Athletics Canada announced today that Calgary has won the bid to host the Canadian Senior Track & Field Championships for both 2011 and 2012.

Both editions bring added excitement as the 2011 event will serve as the World Championship Selection Trials, and the 2012 event will serve as the Selection Trials for the Olympic and Paralympic Summer Games in London.

Calgary’s bid came out on top following a record-breaking number of bids to host the events.

"The response and enthusiasm in hosting Athletics Canada events has been one of, if not the largest in our history. Certainly the quality of bids has never been better," said Joanne Mortimore, Athletics Canada Chief Executive Officer. Mortimore added, "Athletics Canada is confident that the Calgary Track Council, Tourism Calgary, The City of Calgary and all other parties involved in putting the bid forward will now turn their attention on delivering a first class event for the athletes, for our members and for track and field fans across Canada."

Winning the bid for the Canadian Track & Field Championships is one more testament to Calgary’s reputation as a sport-friendly destination and a great host city.

The Calgary Track Council, the umbrella organization of all track clubs in Calgary served as the Bid Champion with support from Tourism Calgary, the Calgary Sport Tourism Authority (CSTA) and The City of Calgary. The Calgary Track Council will now take on the role of Host Organizing Committee.

“We aggressively pursued this opportunity, and the team put together an excellent bid package to secure the events. We are grateful to Athletics Canada for the opportunity,” said Doug Mitchell, Chairman of the Calgary Sport Tourism Authority (CSTA). “Sport is at the very heart and soul of who we are as a city. Not only do events like these provide benefits to our growing sport tourism industry, they provide community legacies along with branding and promotional opportunities that enhance Calgary’s position as the premier host of sport and culture events in Canada.”

“We are absolutely thrilled to be selected as the host city for the Canadian Track & Field Championships,” said Randy Williams, President & CEO of Tourism Calgary. “We look forward to working with Athletics Canada, Athletics Alberta, The City of Calgary, the Calgary Track Council, the Calgary Sport Council and the local community in the ongoing planning and delivery of exceptional events and an extraordinary Calgary experience.”

This is only the second time in Calgary’s history that the city has been selected to host an Athletics Canada championship. Calgary previously hosted the Canadian Junior Track & Field Championship in 2000.

The 2011 and 2012 Canadian Track & Field Championships will be held in June of each year at Foothills Athletic Park which will undergo a previously planned major upgrade prior to the 2011 event.

Upwards of 1000 athletes (able bodied and para athletes) are expected for each event, along with 300 coaches, 300 medical personnel, 100 officials, 100 volunteers, 60 media and 60 host broadcasters.

Eau de Hell Week- 2011 goal??

2010-04-22T10:32:00.002-06:00

Vancouver Island
Eau de Hell Week

What is it? Eau de Hell week is a full brevet series (200 - 300 - 400 - 600km) packed into seven days. There have been four, so far - April 2007, 2008, 2009 and 2010. The start/finish for all rides is in Chemainus, south of Nanaimo on Vancouver Island.

Here are the dates etc. for 2011:

April 9 (Sat) : 200 km "Tour of the Cowichan Valley"
April 10 (Sun) : 300 km "Alive are the Hills"
April 12 (Tues) : 400 km "Lost (but not Forgotten)"
April 14 (Thurs) : 600 km "Ride for Gold"

Looking for takers to partake this with me.....

Multisport Fieldhouse - Get Involved

2010-04-14T07:03:00.001-06:00

The City is hosting Open Houses April 20 and 21 (see details below) to introduce its conceptual master plans for both Foothills and Glenmore Athletic Parks.

Multisport Fieldhouse included in Recreation Department master plan

Calgary's long-needed multisport fieldhouse is one step closer. The City of Calgary Recreation Department has included such a facility – with a 400 meter indoor track -- in its master plan for Foothills Athletic Park.

In a press release, the Recreation Department explains that the plans include improvements and additions “to increase capacity and better accommodate the evolving needs of Calgary's athletic community.” Our growing population means increased demand that can't be met by aging facilities that are increasingly costly to operate.

In addition, the department points out, the master plans address the City's need for “primary priority facility types” such as gymnasiums, indoor track, indoor fields, indoor ice and aquatic facilities as well as multi-purpose space that were identified in the City's 10 Year Strategic Plan for Sport Facility Development and Enhancement.

The department proposes to phase in the improvements and additions over a number of years as funding becomes available.

Currently plans are underway to complete badly needed repairs and improvements to the Foothills outdoor track. An upgraded outdoor track will help meet the needs of the running community in the short term. The indoor track and multisport facilities in the fieldhouse willl serve the larger sports community for the long term. We should urge the City to construct a fieldhouse in the first phase of the master plan. Since Calgary doesn't have a fieldhouse facility at present this should be a high priority.

Open Houses

Tuesday, April 20, 2010

6-8 pm

at:

South Calgary Community Association – Main Hall

3130 - 16th St. S.W.
Calgary, AB T2T 4G7

Wednesday, April 21, 2010

6-8 pm

at:

University Elementary School

3035 Utah Drive N.W.
Calgary, AB T2N 3Z9

The Calgary Multisport Fieldhouse Society encourages you to attend to find out details, give input, and show your support for the creation of this world-class facility. A show of strong public support is required to emphasize the need for a fieldhouse in Calgary.

For more information on the Calgary Multisport Fieldhouse, visit the Society’s website at http://www.calgaryfieldhouse.ca

Eamonn Coghlan to Speak in Edmonton

2010-04-10T08:57:00.005-06:00

Dare to Dream…Focus to Win!

A Presentation by Eamonn Coghlan
May 1, 2010, 10:00am-12:30pm
Room E-120, Van Vliet Centre
University of Alberta

Sponsored by: The Canadian Athletics Coaching Centre and Athletic Alberta

Admission: to be determined.

Eamonn Coghlan is truly one of the world’s greatest middle distance runners. His many accomplishments on the track include:

· World Champion 5000 metres (Helsinki, 1983)

· Four-time Indoor Mile World Record Holder (1979-1998)

· The first person to run a sub 3:50 indoor mile (3:49.78, 1983)

· Four-time NCAA Champion mile/1500 metres for Villanova University

· European Champion 1500 metres indoors (1979)

· Seven-time winner of the Wanamaker Mile in Madison Square Garden

· Four-time Olympian for Ireland (4th in 1976 at 1500m and in 1980 at 5000m))

· The only Master’s athlete (40+ years old) to run a sub four-minute mile (3:58.15, 1994)---- My former coach John Bermingham was second at this race. There was a huge amount of money on the line for the individual who could break the 4 minute mile for a Master.

Away from the track Eamonn’s accomplishments are equally significant. He is on the Board of the Irish Sports Council, Chairman of the High Performance Committee, race director for the St Patrick’s Festival 5k in Dublin, motivational speaker and author. Where Eamonn’s passion off the track truly lies, however, is as a coach. Currently a Grade 3 National Coach in the Athletics’ Association Ireland, Eamonn is working with a number of Irish National Champion athletes with aspirations to compete in the Olympics in London 2012 and Rio 2016.

Thanks to the inspiration and instruction Eamonn received from his coaches, Gerry Farnan and Jumbo Elliott, he learned how to dream and how to focus and ultimately how to win. It was this philosophy that contributed to his success as an athlete. In this presentation, Eamonn discusses his rise from the streets of Dublin to the straightaways of glory around the world and how he uses his experiences as an athlete to inspire today’s runners and guide them physically and emotionally to achieve their goals.

This talk promises to be a fascinating insight into the mind of a world-class athlete and will be relevant for runners and coaches alike as well as fans of the sport.

Palm Springs week 2

2010-02-23T20:59:00.009-07:00

Well- after being bagged Sunday with my cold, was eager to get going on Monday. However, I managed to get in only a hard run. It was a cooler, windy day here as well. Obviously, warmer than Calgary; the wind was strong and in the desert strong winds are not a good thing. So I toured around and did another short hike which led me to an area I needed to bike. Thus, my ride on Tuesday was the Palms to Pine Highway. Unbelievable! I wish I had my camera but no I did not lug it with me. As such, I pulled these off the Internet to show what this road was like.

The road starts at 458-foot-high Palm Springs and reaches the summit of 10,804-foot San Jacinto Peak. I climbed to the Coachella Valley Vista Point. I would love to ride this entire highway. Next time I will have to start at what is called Sugarloaf Cafe which sits over 3,000 feet above sea level. You can ride from there and continue along Highway 74 through the spectacular Garner Valley. Then you can climb to the mountain village of Idyllwild. The route climbs to an altitude of over 6,000 feet in Pine Cove before descending towards Banning. That route is about 100km one way.

I stepped into El Paseo on my way back. What a cute little place this was. I liked it more than La Quinta. Great main street with more high end shops and restaurants.

I have two more days in this area before I head to Phoenix. I plan on riding Joshua Tree and Box Canyon. I let you know all about it.

Just back from my ride in Joshua Tree. What a beautiful place. I have been here before but in a different part. I did more climbing today and it was crazy windy!!

On my drive out I saw for the first time the thousands of windmills that are pasted on the landscape just before you enter Palm Springs. The last time I saw this many windmills was on the Austria-Hungary border. What a site. On my way back into Palm Springs from Joshua Tree I learned exactly why they are situated where they are. It was so windy I could barely keep my cheap rental on the highway!

Some pictures of Joshua Tree:

Palm Springs Vacation and Training getaway

2010-02-19T10:23:00.007-07:00

Well, I landed in Palm Springs on Monday. It has been great weather with the last 4 days in the high 80s. On Tuesday, I got myself settled and became familiar with the area. I went to the local running and biking store which happen to be in the same little strip mall in Palm Springs - how convenient is that! Got myself set with knowing where groups meet up.

The great thing about running in areas like Phoenix, San Diego and Palm Springs is that you have a mixture of great trails, paved and unpaved pathway, and an abundance of tracks. I give credit to the planners who ensure that when they put up a golf course they build walking/biking/running paths around the the massive green space and often link the many golf courses with this pathway system. On Wednesday, I ran an out and back for a total of 10 miles and ran through about 3 to 4 golf courses. It was awesome. Believe me there is no shortage of golf courses in these cities and Palm Springs area takes the cake for the most I have ever seen!

Thursday I did my first bigger bike ride. I rode 80km and it was a beautiful flat ride. The roads here are very nice to ride on, and of course, everything is well manicured with all the tourism of the area. Roads are named Bob Hope, Dinah Shore, Frank Sinatra, Gerald Ford ... I think you get the picture. The area is kind of cool as it is surrounded by little hills (sorry but I cannot call them mountains). I have driven through the area before when I trained in San Diego back in the late 90s but have I never really stayed here and explored.

Thursday night I went to the main street of Palm Springs, where all the expensive shopping is, as they have this street festival there every Thursday night. I was curious. Boy it was packed! I could not believe how many people from Canada are here. It was an interesting experience. If you are ever here, you need to check out this weekly festival. There certainly is not shortage of shops and restaurants on this strip.

Today I am heading out for a trail run and a hike. The area is great for hiking and I am eager to explore. I will let you know all about it.

Well, I did a great trail run on Friday and then headed for my hike after having a bite to eat. The hike was only around 90 minutes (a shorter than I thought) but it was a beautiful hike. The trail was South Lykken Trail and is considered a moderate hike. It would be a awesome trail to run on as it did not have many rocks on it at all.

Saturday I went on a 110 km bike ride. It was a beautiful bike ride south into La Quinta and around the Trilogy PGA. The area is stunning. La Quinta is surronded by the mountains and the roads are like glass with super big bike lanes! I think they are that way more for the golf carts but hey there were only cyclists using them. The lanes were wide enough for two cyclists to be beside each other without even touching.

Here are some picture of La Quinta:

Sunday I woke up with a bit of a cold. Went for an easy 80 minute run but was pretty much done after that. I hung out at the pool and slept. Hoping Monday will be a better day!

Cycling, testing, wattage and body weight

2010-02-11T10:40:00.005-07:00

A number of people have asked me a bunch of questions on approaches to training on the bike so I thought I best write. Spring is on its way so the first thing I suggest is to do the season's first on-road test and here is how:

The best way is to use a power meter and periodically perform tests at different distances. Watts let you objectively measure increases in power output regardless of the wind or road surface. However, many riders still don't have a power meter due to expense or complexity. This isn't a showstopper if you have a heart monitor or can borrow one. Using it, you can come pretty close to a power meter's objectivity.

The trick is getting enough data points during several months. March is a good time to start. Test your form coming out of winter, which will also give you a reference point for tests through the spring and summer.

Here's how:

---Set aside one day every 2 weeks for testing. Follow an identical protocol each time: a rest day before the test, same diet, same bike, same warm-up.

---Use the same 8 km stretch of road; either an out-and-back or a loop. Ideally, it'll be low-traffic, sheltered from the wind and without traffic control devices.

---On test day, warm up well. Then ride the course out-and-back like a time trial or go around a loop. The idea is to reduce the wind's effect by riding both into it and with it.

---Keep your heart rate just below your lactate threshold. This is the point where heavy breathing turns into panting. This isn't a flat-out time trial, but it's close.

---Record the elapsed time in your training diary, along with average heart rate and weather conditions that may have had an influence. Environmental factors will vary from one test to another, but they'll average out during several months.

Chart your times on graph paper or a spreadsheet. If your training is effective, you'll see a definite curve of progress (lower times). If not, you'll know that your program needs changes.

A common question people ask is about hill climbing and how to get better at it. As we know, climbing primarily depends on a rider's power-to-weight (PTW) ratio. If a friend puts out more watts per kilogram of body weight than you do, she'll climb steep hills faster even if you generate more power in an absolute sense.

Example: A 90-kg (198-lb.) rider who can produce 360 watts for 20 minutes has a PTW ratio of 4.0. A guy who's 70 kg (154 lbs.) and produces 300 watts for 20 minutes has a ratio of 4.3. He'll climb the steep stuff faster even though he's putting out fewer watts.

Conversely, a big, powerful rider will go faster on the flat where gravity isn't an issue. That's why the strongest time trialists typically are horses like Fabian Cancellara.

As the grade steepens, the advantage of pure power decreases and the advantage of a superior PTW ratio increases. So, if you're pretty big and typically ride strongly on the flats, this explains why climbs get harder for you as they get steeper.

If you struggle when you stand, that's often the case with larger riders, it's because when you get out of the saddle, you have to hold up your body weight as well as push the pedals. The more you weigh, the more of your available power goes to supporting your body.

How can you improve on steeper climbs?

---Lose weight if you carry extra body fat.

---Increase power with well-designed interval training.

---Be at the front of the group before hard climbs. You'll gradually slip back and may even lose contact, but big riders can descend faster and catch up.

---Steer clear of superlight equipment. Realize that for a big rider, a 1-kg reduction in bike weight represents 1% or less of total bike/body weight.

---Suffer! Climbing is hard work and you won't get better without pushing yourself.

Making an Impact

2010-02-05T10:01:00.003-07:00

I often get asked the question of why I push so hard in my individual life, being involved in organizations and coaching, and the answer is simply to make a positive impact and to share my knowledge. I get very excited when I see young kids and teens, women, and athletes in countries where sport is secondary, get involved in sport as a way to build confidence and make changes.

I was glued to the TV watching the Australian Open a few weeks ago as two Chinese women made it to the semi-finals. China's state-sponsored sports program used to keep Zheng Jie and Li Na from having much, if any, control over their careers. The players couldn't play many international tournaments and were assigned coaches, doctors, nutrionists and psychologists. What changed: post-Olympics reform gave these players more freedom and the results have been amazing. They have new coaches, schedules and training regimens And the biggest thing is that instead of giving over 60 percent of earnings to the Chinese government, the women now have to give just 12 percent.

My freind, Kyle just posted a video on a cyclist and it is another example of how sport influences and how people can make changes by dreaming the impossible.

Bahati: Out of Compton Television Trailer

With the Olympics only days away, I will be excited to watch and see how countries with fully developed sports and those with less or under developed sports inspire and make impacts to the youth and women of their countries, as well as to a developing sport in their own country.

Watch out for athletes such as Peruvian XC skier Roberto Carcelen and Kenyan XC skier Philip Boit, as they compete in a sport that does not exist in their own country. Now that is something!

Here is a comment from Jacques Rogge, the president of the International Olympic Committee; I think he sums it up very well:

"The quest for medals is not everything, but it is important. It is important for many countries because medals are what drive young kids to sport clubs. Medals create dreams, and without dreams you have no participation.

So, the champions create dreams, they are role models and their behaviour of course must match their position. Medals are the biggest incentives for governments to fund sports in their countries. You see an acceleration and multiplication effect whenever a country that has never won a medal before for the very first time wins a medal. It truly boosts everything.

We have other examples. We have the example of Australia. Australia had won zero medals in Montreal in 1976. And (then) they decided to create an exemplary sports system.

You have the example of Norway, and no one would believe it today, of winning no medals in the Calgary Games, and becoming a dominating force in winter sports because they decided to take things seriously.

So, I think medals are important, but they are not everything. They do not replace what I would call the educational aspect of sport, because sport is a great educational tool. Sport is a great social integrator, it is socializing young people, and it is based on values.

Of course medals do not always correspond with that, but we need them."

Speed Theory Women's Team Now Recruiting

2010-01-18T14:52:00.003-07:00

Speed Theory Women's Team is now recruiting! We are a grassroots team with plans for future growth. Our goal is to develop both our racing teams and training teams. We will be holding an open house on February 2 at 6 pm at the Speed Theory Store. Plan to stop by and meet other team members and ask questions. Find out why Speed Theory is the club for you! No experience racing? No problem, we will help you prepare and feel confident for your 1st race!

A few things we are lining up for the year include:

· Twice a week training sessions. One of these will be a skills session. We will cover basic skills such as drafting, pack riding, cornering, crit riding, etc. The second session will be a long easy ride where there will be a no drop rule. Riders will be divided into abilities to accommodate all types of riders. We will teach you what to eat and drink on long rides and provide great riding routes around Calgary and the mountains.

· A Race team for both A and B riders. We will be asking those that want to be part of a race team to choose 3 out of 5 races to attend. This will ensure that we have a good selection of women at each race. Our goal is simple- to create an atmosphere of Speed Theory riders who can work together at races.

· Our training sessions will be open to all club members whether you are part of the race team or a non-racing member. We want to ensure we are offering riders a forum to improve their skills and grow the sport of women in cycling.

· You will also be invited to attend the Speed Theory May riding camp in Penticton.

Join us on February 2 and learn more about Women’s cycling and the Speed Theory Team.

Kailee at kaileeboyle@gmail.com
Marcy at marcy.kimpton@gmail.com
Sandra at yaworski@telusplanet.net

Invictus - the movie

2010-01-01T18:56:00.002-07:00

I went to the movie "Invictus" the other day. What a great movie! I left the theatre and here I am two full days later still thinking about the movie. There are not too many movies that have touched me so emotionally. I was trully moved by this movie and the many things this movie made me reflect about.

I could not help but look up the poem "Invictus". Here it is. If you see the movie you will want to read this poem as well.

Out of the night that covers me,
Black as the pit from pole to pole,
I thank whatever gods may be
For my unconquerable soul.

In the fell clutch of circumstance
I have not winced nor cried aloud.
Under the bludgeonings of chance
My head is bloody, but unbowed.

Beyond this place of wrath and tears
Looms but the Horror of the shade,
And yet the menace of the years
Finds and shall find me unafraid.

It matters not how strait the gate,
How charged with punishments the scroll,
I am the master of my fate:
I am the captain of my soul.

The movie is taken from the book "Playing the Enemy". The story line is how president Nelson Mandela uses the strategy of a sporting event—the Sprinkboks rugby team in the 1995 World Cup—to mend South Africa.

The story is a very important one as we enter the Olympic year. For me the Olympics is not only about sport and culture but how sports has the power to change the world. Sport, in my opinion, is more powerful than government in breaking down racial barriers, and today, in getting the world to pay attention to the environment.

I am not going to give away the story line but imagine how a nation can be united through sport... through a simple game....how a nation can find forgiveness and be elevated beyond hate to healing and pride of their land as one.

Go see the movie.... and when you watch the Olympics in February in our own great Country of Canada.... be proud of our nation and our people and how we are truly a multicultural country.... know across the world as "friendly people"!

12 Days of Christmas

2009-12-29T09:20:00.003-07:00

Hope everyone had a great Christmas and enjoying the holiday season. I have had the pleasure of heading out to the mountains a few times to take in snowshoeing and classic cross country skiing. My hip flexors are mighty sore from the cross country skiing. Funny how something you have not done in a while hurts you after.

I have been enjoying training, spending time with friends and the great outdoors, eating and watching movies. My twelve days of Christmas training started on December 23. I have been getting in about 3 to 5 hours of training per day thus far. The next six days will be bigger days and I am looking forward to it.

It has been pretty quiet around my place as my family is Mexico, Arizona and BC. I have been hanging out at home watching movies and reading. I made myself a great Christmas dinner and watched movies on Christmas day. I have not been home at Christmas for a few years now. So I wanted to ensure that I did some winter stuff this year so the snowshoeing and skiing has been fun.

I always find that Christmas finds me reflecting on things and also really solidifies what is important to me. For me the New Year is a time when I begin to really implement changes that I want to make in my own person. I do not believe in New Year's resolutions but I do believe in committing to growth and change. This year my commitment is to take more care of myself and learn to say "no" to things that I should say "no" to. Nothing too serious here, just committing not to give in to people when it is not in my best interest. Business needs to be business and friendships need to reciprocal.

I will soon have a pretty good sketch of what I plan on doing for racing in 2010 as well. I have been putting the final touches on things. More on that later.

Back from work to life

2009-12-12T10:50:00.004-07:00

Well my writing has been rather non-existant. I have to say that my contract at WestJet has gotten the best of me. It has been work, work and stupid long commutes over the past several months. I really do not like when my job interferes with my life. It seems that my own fitness level has suffered. That is when I know it is time for a change. Well the good news is that I will be all done come January 30 with all the long hours. Then it will be a good solid vacation for a month.

I am so out of shape that I cannot believe that I was ever an athlete. Crazy. I feel fat! Hate when that happens. So I am trying to whip myself back into shape. I will be holding my own little training camp over the Christmas. As many people know, I like to do this "12 days of Christmas" thing. It will all begin on December 23 and end on Januray 3. Training will be 6 to 8 hour days as in the past. It has become a tradition with me and I love doing it. Hopefully, by the end I will be at some level of fitness I can be happy with.

I also need to re-enter society as I have not been able to spend much time with friends over the last several months. That sucks! I look forward to hooking up with my buddies and doing some training, eating and drinking some great wine!

I have been thinking about the New Year and what I will be focusing on. I have been putting together my key races and how my plan will come together. I will be focusing on running, cycling and duathlon in 2010. No triathlon for me. I suck at the swimming thing anyway and really would rather be on my bike than in the pool. I love cycling and I have some big rides I want to do. I have been inspired by Dallas and want to do two rides this year, both in a day. The first being the ride from Calgary to Longview through to Highwood Pass and Lougheed Park and to Highway 1 and back into Calgary. The second ride is from Lake Louise to Jasper and returning (thanks to Dallas). This will likely be a day each way. Right now I need to figure out when to do the rides but I am doing them this summer.

The main thing for me right now is to get my life back that has been consumed by work over the last year. I vowed after leaving my job at TELUS that I would never sacrifice my personal life for a job. Looks like I did but I also know it is coming to an end. Sooooo happy about that! I do not mind working hard and some long hours but working 10 to 12 hour days day after day is not for me. Life is too short and there are way to many things to enjoy. My health is important to me and when it starts to deteriorate- it is time to move on and make changes!

“This is your life and it’s ending one minute at a time” Fight Club

Beer Mile, October 24, 2009 Results

2009-10-17T10:02:00.006-06:00

It was a cool Saturday night with a bit of snow on the ground but clear footing on the track for the 33 individuals who took on the 2009 Beer Mile. The cast would include 16 first time beer milers with the eventual winner, Geoff "hoofing" Hopfner coming from this group. Defending champion, Luke Way came in second. The two were in separate heats and I wonder how it would have turned out had they been in the same heat.

The women saw a close battle between Cat Brown and Kelly O'Toole with O'Toole claiming the victory.

Bringing up the rear was Trev Williams. Give this guy credit as he comes out knowing that he drinks beer like he is sipping tea at a Tea Party. But he was not alone at the Tea Party as Joel "beer bottle soother" battled it out with Trev. It came down to the last 200 meters and Joel claimed victory over Trev. Hard to believe that these boys are Engineers!

This year a double was attempted and was succeeded. Rob Lukacs posted 8:15 amd 15:04, respectively for his beer miles. He was seen drinking before and after. Goosh!

In usual fashion many dressed up for the occasion.

Thanks to all who came out. See you in the spring for the next one.

Sex Time Name Age

M 6:47 Geoff "hoofing" Hopfner 28
M 7:04 Luke Way
M 7:52 John White 34
M 7:59 Kyle Marcotte 32
M 8:01 Raui
M 8:27 Johnny Hammill 27
M 8:28 Keith "I just turned 40" Bayly 40
M 8:28 Mike Young 32
M 8:15 Rob "beer star double" Lukacs 23
M 8:51 Carson Bannon 28
M 9:02 Greg "I am gonna win" Nicholson 35
M 9:21 Alan O 45
F 9:29 Kelly O'Toole 27
F 9:44 Cat Brown 29
F 10:47 Sandra "polishbaba" Yaworski 47
M 10:58 Mark Shand 31
F 11:01 Shari Boyle 36
M 11:03 Clarke Ellis 26
M 11:26 Lachlon Holmes 31
M 11:27 Jason Doornbos 26
M 12:02 Scott Curry 34
M 12:21 Evan Romanow 26
F 12:22 Tara Ross 29
M 13:07 Ryan Murray 32
F 13:08 Caroline Owens 28
F 13:17 Aoife Donnelly 27
M 14:27 Steve P 25
M 15:04 Rob "beer star double" Lukacs 23
M 15:10 Chris Campbell 32
F 16:20 Leslie Bannon 24
M 16:58 Frank "fast legs" Woolstencroft 31
M 22:47 Joel "beer bottle soother"
M 23:02 Trev "someone has to be last" Williams 34

What up?

2009-10-12T09:15:00.003-06:00

I have not written for awhile, yet I had so much that I could have written about. So I thought best to provide a few quick update on me and some of my athletes.

Here it goes:

- last part of summer was spent bike racing as training preparation for Duathlon Worlds.
- competed in Duathlon Worlds where I ended up 6th. I was bit disappointed but it was what the day gave me. Work has been sucking time out of training and most days I am exhausted. I get in training but it is not with the amount of freshness required nor at ideal times.
- cyclocross season is here and I love it. Greatest sport ever!!
- some commuter on his bike hit me head on while I was on my bike. I suffered a concussion, whiplash, and a very bruised up left arm. Surprised my forearm was not broken.
- above crash impacted my ability to compete at Cyclcocross nationals with any gusto. Disappointed but raring to go for the last half of the seaon here.

I had a group of athletes compete in Kelowna for the half and full marathon:
1:25:09 Heather Johnson - 3rd women - a new personal best time
1:46:53 Holly Clarke - 15th in age group 40-49 - A new personal best time
3:20:07 Neil Montgomery - 18th in age group 30-39 - an 18 minute improvement over Calgary Marathon and huge new personal best time

Nice work guys!

That is it for now!

Colleen De Reuck - never ceases to amaze me!

2009-09-07T17:26:00.004-06:00

Some of you youngsters may no even know this name, Colleen De Reuck, but she has been around for a long time and is one of the best distance runners of her time.

At age 45, De Reuck ran a world record time of 1:07:21 for the fastest-ever 20 kilometers by a woman over 45 by some seven minutes. She also won the USA 20-K title, beating Serena Burla --19 years her junior-- by 17 seconds.

Eleven years ago, Colleen De Reuck, at age 34 years(then a South African citizen) won her first New Haven Road Race 20-K, setting a world record time of 1:05:11.

Kronos Triathlon Club – a year in review

2009-09-07T11:22:00.003-06:00

The season has wrapped up for the Kronos and what a year it has been. We had the highest membership ever and mixture of athletes that really bonded. As Coach, Athlete Development Director, and mentor to Bart Ujack, I am very proud of our success as a club this year.

Every single one of our athletes improved this year, and many beyond their own expectations. I have coached athletes on an individual level for many years but this was the first time I had the responsibility for putting together a yearly plan for approximately 40 athletes. Our athletes were split up by distance of the events they were competing in: KOS, Junior (sprint distance), Olympic distance, Half Ironman distance and IM distance. That meant 5 different plans! The periodization plan, and the monthly plans that followed worked beautifully. Each month the confidence level of athletes improved, and Bart’s worries about how athletes would perform in events lessoned.

When an entire group improves, as the Kronos did, you know that you are doing something right as a coach. Regardless of whether the athlete came with years of experience or someone with little experience, the results of how they improved were the same. Everyone performed a personal best this year. It all started with a 5km run in March and ended with either the Half Ironman in Calgary, Kelowna Olympic Triathlon, Canada Summer Games, or Ironman Canada!

I had the pleasure of watching our athletes at Ironman Canada and the excitement of their finishes. It was an awesome experience! My biggest regret for the year is not hopping on a plane to watch Jeremy Roles and Taylor Lick compete at Canada Summer Games (darn me for not using my travel privileges with WestJet for this). It was an awesome experience working with these two young men this year and watching them grow and develop as athletes. Both improved massively this year but they worked hard and adapted very well to the plan I put together. It was disappointing not to be at the Games as their coach though. However, Bart was there as the Triathlon Alberta Manager. So they had great support from our club. I also had the pleasure of working with Taylor on his mental game during the weeks leading up to the Games. A few years back I worked with Grant Burwash on his mental preparation prior to his win at Canadian National Duathlon and relished the opportunity as I did with Taylor.

We have some great up and coming athletes in our club including Taylor and Jeremy as already mentioned, but also Tegan Owens, Jason Doornbos, Johnnie Hamil, and Charlie Caunt who will no doubt continue to move up the ranks in races. In the masters (over 40 year olds) guys like Craig Bean and Byron McLean surprised themselves as well as others in their age group. Our Kids of Steel program will continue to draw more entrants and the move of some up to the Junior ranks.

First time Ironman entrants and now FINISHERS included: Kristy Blanchette, Jen Walker, Emily Langevin, Debbie McLean, Bryon McLean, Mike Fitzpatrick, and Ann Formaz-Preston. Peter Gabris also competed as a veteran. All finished in times ranging from 10:40ish to just under 14 hours.

Our registration for the 2010 season has started and it looks like our club is going to be expanding. I am looking forward to the new season and some new faces to join our team!

Calgary cycling club raises money for U of C scholarship at the Jason Lapierre Memorial Cycling Weekend

2009-08-21T07:20:00.002-06:00

CALGARY - For young, aspiring athletes, every bit of cash helps them reach their goals. And for those receiving the Jason Lapierre Memorial Scholarship, the money carries an even deeper meaning.

On Aug. 22 and 23, a Memorial Cycling Weekend in Calgary has been dedicated to Lapierre with proceeds donated to the U of C fund. The two days of racing include a provincial 40-km time trial, a criterium, and a Tour de France-style 150 km road race.

This event follows another held on Aug. 2, the inaugural Viterra Ironman 70.3 Calgary, which hosted athletes from over 20 countries in our city. This sold-out triathlon made available charity entry spots with proceeds going to the Jason Lapierre Memorial Scholarship.

On July 19th, 2006, Jason Lapierre, 34, was killed just east of Cochrane, Alta., after being struck by a car while training on his bike. His friends started a memorial scholarship in his name, and each year an award of up to $1,000 will be given to an athlete who shares one of Lapierre’s many passions: triathlon, alpine ski racing, coaching or distance running.

“Jason Lapierre was a great athlete, coach and a friend to many. Jay’s legacy has made a lasting impression in Calgary’s sporting community through the annual U of C scholarship in Jay’s name, the Jay Cup ski race at Nakiska, the Viterra Ironman 70.3 Calgary and the Jason Lapierre Memorial Cycling weekend,” says Kyle Marcotte, a close friend of Lapierre and an Ironman triathlete who helped start up the scholarship fund at the U of C.

Race director Trevor Williams says he has tried to model this race after how he believed Lapierre would have done it.

“I have made the race open to anyone willing to try out a race for the first time without a race license – this is not a common thing in cycling – and, at the same time, keep the high level of competition,” says Williams who is a U of C post doctorate and research engineer as well as a competitive cyclist, triathlete and friend of Lapierre.

“Jay was always such a great ambassador for any sport he competed in and, like me, believed getting youngsters and fresh blood into the sport continuously was very important, all while he himself completed at a high level.”

Julie Rabnett received the award for 2008-2009. She knows Lapierre from her alpine ski racing days and spoke with him often about triathlons, a sport she was interested in getting involved in.

The 24-year-old graduated from Kinesiology last year and is now taking organic chemistry and plans to apply to medical school.

“Every bit counts when I’m going to school,” says Rabnett. “It also makes it much more real to have a face behind the award – in this case, someone I know.”

Triathlete and Kinesiology grad Grant Burwash was the first U of C student to receive the award two years ago. He had met Jason through triathlons. Burwash says the award was an honour to receive because the funding is coming from an athletic community he is actively involved in.

“It helped me free up some money to attend school so I would have extra cash to put toward racing in the summer,” says Burwash, 23, who has spent time racing in Europe, Turkey, Mexico as well as in Canada and the U.S.

As they did in June for the “Race the Ring 30-km Time Trial,” Stoney Trail Constructors has once again provided use of a freshly paved section of the unopened Northeast Stoney Trail. Project Manager and cycling enthusiast Lorie Holte says, “Stoney Trail Constructors is very proud of the Northeast Stoney Trail, and we are pleased to be able to make this road available to the Speed Theory Race Team and the Alberta Bicycle Association for the Jason Lapierre Memorial Cycling Weekend.”

Spectator and participant parking is available, and parking officials will be onsite to direct and assist arriving vehicles.

For more info, please visit www.speedtheoryteam.com or www.jasonlapierre.com

WHAT: Jason Lapierre Memorial Cycling Weekend

WHEN: Saturday Aug 22 and Sunday August 23 – Citizen and Provincial Time Trial on Saturday morning; Metis Trail Criterium on Saturday afternoon; Tour de France style road race on Sunday.

WHERE: Unique, Spectator-friendly Venue: newly paved highway located east of Deerfoot Trail NE on Stoney Trail NE, from Country Hills Boulevard NE to McKnight Trail NE. Spectator and participant parking is available, and parking officials will be onsite to direct and assist arriving vehicles.

Media inquiries may be directed to:
Trevor Williams
Race Director
Speed Theory Cycling
Cell: 403-831-8738
Email: willit@ucalgary.ca

Julie Rabnett
2008/09 Jason Lapierre Memorial Scholarship recipient
Cell: 403-462-5606

Grant Burwash
2007/08 Jason Lapierre Memorial Scholarship recipient
Cell: 403-999-7028

2009 Quelle Challenge Roth

2009-07-13T07:03:00.004-06:00

So my friend Cat Morrison did her first Ironman distance event and rocked.

2009 Quelle Challenge Roth
July 12, 2009, Roth, Germany
2.4-mile swim, 112-mile bike, 26.2-mile run

Men
1. Michael Gohner (GER) 7:55:53
2. Pete Jacobs (AUS) 8:02:01
3. Richard Ussher (NZL) 8:02:15
4. Normann Stadler (GER) 8:03:43
5. Patrick Vernay (NCL) 8:03:46
6. Olaf Sabatschus (GER) 8:06:01
7. Raynard Tissink (RSA) 8:07:18
8. Swen Sundberg (SWE) 8:07:50
9. Luke Dragstra (CAN) 8:13:51
10. Petr Vabrousek (CZE) 8:15:03

Women
1. Chrissie Wellington (GBR) 8:31:59
2. Rebekah Keat (AUS) 8:39:24
3. Catriona Morrison (SCO) 8:48:11
4. Erika Csomor (HUN) 8:59:42
5. Belinda Granger (AUS) 9:12:12
6. Jessica Jacobs (USA) 9:25:24
7. Katja Rabe (GER) 9:25:43
8. Nicole Best (GER) 9:31:02
9. Anja Ippach (GER) 9:37:08
10. Christine Waitz (GER) 9:42:21

I have to say that before Cat mentioned she was doing this race, I never heard of it. Shame Sandra!!! However, there may be others like me out there. Here is what makes this race special and fast!

Sighting-Free Swimming
Swimming in a canal without the need to sight to track your path helps. With the shoreline or midline course markers as a guide, there is minimal need to sight. 20,000 people come up along the canal creating a great festival atmosphere as the sun is rising.

A Straight Shot Bike
The two-loop bike course is mostly flat with several rolling sections and just a few short stabs including the Solarerberg, or Solar, Hill. Elevation goes no lower than 350 meters above sea level, and no higher than 550 meters above sea level.

Smooth Roadways
There’s nothing like the quiet buzz of wheels on fresh pavement, free of seam cracks, chip seal or potholes. It’s a racer’s dream.

An Easy-On-The-Legs Run
The run, with a far north and south turnaround, is mostly flat. Long stretches along the Donau Canal can be a blessing—or a boon.

I am convinced! I had not really planned on doing another IM event in this lifetime but this just sounds like something I must put on my list.

Anyone in for 2010?

The Tour has begun..................

2009-07-04T21:11:00.003-06:00

YES!!!!!!!!!!!

Race Reports from Heather and Martin

2009-06-17T19:29:00.003-06:00

From Martin on the Ottawa Marathon:

Ottawa is a great venue for a race, it is well organized with great volunteers. I am a bit disappointed that I came out too fast. My Garmin was not working (user error, imagine that) and I had to use my Timex and the course markers. I was focused on the kilometer times but not the cumulative time. I do not know why I was not cognizant of the cumulative times, I certainly know better. Other than that, how could I be disappointed. My half marathon pace was a P.B. I knocked off close to two minutes off of a full-marathon from my previous P.B., that was achieved in February (kudos to you). Most importantly I qualified for Boston (again, thanks to you). At the finish line I knew that I had pretty much given it my all. I was done, what better way to finish!

Is there room for improvement, definitely. All things considered, am I satisfied with my performance, without a doubt!

From Heather on WASA Triathlon:

Hmmm… Where to start??? Last year’s tri season was so emotional for me, it seems weird to be racing again, just because I love it, and to finally NOT feel the need to convince myself that I could get my strength and confidence back. Well, with the help of one pretty awesome coach, they are definitely back.

The days leading up to Wasa were tough. I wasn’t sleeping well all week and the allergy season seemed extra bad this year. So Saturday night was the same, poor, interrupted sleep, and a stuffy head, runny nose, and fits of sneezes. Gross!!

Once I got vertical again in the morning, washed my face and got some coffee, I started feeling better.

I got to transition nice and early, and got a sweet spot for my bike. Now I only had 2 ½ hours to wait for my race! I tried to relax, got in a bit of a run warm-up, continued pacing and sipping water, feeling a little flat, but optimistic.
I watched the sprint start and saw them coming out of their “750m” swim in 7:00 flat. Wow – Charlie’s new course is FAST. (and maybe a little short) hee hee.

Then it was time for the Men’s Oly start – yes, separately from the women – Nice. I watched them go, then headed into the water for my warm-up. The lake was beautiful – maybe a little too warm to go hard, but I wasn’t complaining. I felt good in the water. My stroke was smooth and strong, and I was in a good state of mind. Not as hyped-up as I usually am at the start line, but positive and happy to be there.

Then it was time go… I guess it must be something about Wasa Lake that makes people evil in the water, because that swim, even starting without the guys, was NASTY! Elbows were thrown, faces were kicked, heads were dunked, I even heard about some girl who nearly had her wetsuit ripped open. As usual, everyone calmed down after a couple hundred metres, and I got into a good rhythm with a small pack. We broke a few times, then reformed and finished up the swim, which I’m guessing was closer to 1350 or 1400m. I hit the beach in under 20min. I like this new course!!

T1 was tricky. My lovely new Sidi tri shoes are tight, so I had to wrestle with them a bit to get them on my wet feet. I’m glad I opted to not have them attached to my pedals, because there’s no way I would have got in while rolling. All the T1 practicing I had done was with socks on. Brutal. I swear… I’m turning into a dumb jock.

Anyway, shoe issues were dealt with, and I was out on the bike. The weather was immaculate. Wasa is notorious for wind, but there was nothing today, and my legs were ready to hammer. I started catching people right away. Some of them were the weaker men, who started their swim earlier, some were women, and some were really fit-looking women! That made me feel even better. Usually I’m the one getting passed on the bike. Less than 5km in, I fumbled and dropped my only bottle. Oops. I decided not to stop to pick it up. Those seconds are precious in short-course racing. I may have gone the other way had it been a ½ iron, but today there was no stopping. Nearing the turn-around, I started to see the lead women – a few that I was expecting, and a few that I didn’t recognize. I was determined to catch some more of them, so I kept hammering, and surprisingly, kept feeling really good. Around the 30km, my legs started to get tired. Had I pushed it too hard, too early? I tried to put it out of my mind. And I tried to use it to my advantage - It’s 40k TT. It’s supposed to hurt!

The woman who ended up 3rd passed me with about 5km to go on the bike. That sucked, but she had a great bike split, so props to her (Sheila from Calgary). I hope I made it a little bit tough to catch me!

T2 was interesting. The dismount line sneaked up on me a bit, and almost didn’t make it off the bike in time. It was definitely my fastest dismount ever.

Very important bit here: I got tangled up with another woman on the way out of T2. I think it was Kelly-Lynn from Edmonton. She apologized to me – very nice of her. I had my race-blinders on and just ran away. I tried to find her after the race to express my embarrassment for being such a bag, but I couldn’t find her. Kelly if you some somehow come across this, please accept my sincere apologies, and congratz on a great race.

And off on the run I went. The first kilometre was normal. I had a decent pace going on my jello-legs and I was happy to be into the 10k. As the bike-legs began to fade, my run was not coming around like it usually does. It just felt like something was missing. It was fairly hot, and the air was a bit stale, so I kept pushing. Maybe I was missing the sugar I normally take in on the bike. We rolled through pathways, some rough gravel and a bit of uneven pavement. This new route felt a bit tougher than last year. Around the 5k mark, the 4th and 3rd place women were in my sights. This gave me a bit of momentum. I moved into 4th before 6k and set my eyes on 3rd. But very quickly, things began to turn bad. I was hurting. Not just fatigue from racing, but sick and awful. I don’t know what was wrong. My mind wanted to go so hard and catch the next woman, but my legs were stiff and heavy. My head was aching, my stomach was cramping and knotted. All I could think about was finishing. At about 8km, we made a loop around transition. There were so many people cheering, and someone told me the gal ahead was less than 20 seconds up. None of this made me feel better. I ran around the sandbar (which I think Charlie added as a cruel joke) and headed towards the final 1.5km out & back. It seemed like an eternity. By this point I had given up on 3rd place. I had to use all my power just to keep running.

I thankfully crossed the line at 2:10:58. A PB for me, and good enough for $300.

I wish I could have felt better at the finish, to celebrate my race a bit more, but everything felt horrible.

Looking back, I couldn’t have asked for a better swim or bike. Transitions need a bit of practice – sans socks!! And the track at Haley Park will be my new best friend. Kelowna will be sub-40. Looking forward to a painful summer.

WASA Triathlon / Footstock Duathlon

2009-06-15T19:36:00.004-06:00

Some awesome racing happened this past weekend by some of my athletes. First up was WASA Triathlon:

Heather Johnston was 4th female in a time of 2:10:58.1. Her hard work on the bike this past winter really paid off. Good work Heather!

Michael Chui performed well with and finihed up in a time of 2:12:16.7.

Kronos brought the house down with 25 athletes taking in the show. And boy did they show. In the club challenge the Kronos placed as follows and were only out done by closely linked Speed Theory.

1. 10:32:50 SPEED THEORY (2:06:34)
================================
1 2:04:26 538 FRANK WOOLSTENCROFT
2 2:05:18 539 MIKE YOUNG
3 2:06:17 62 CATHERINE BROWN
4 2:07:05 435 TANYA SALOMON
5 2:09:44 533 JOHN WINTERDYK

2. 10:58:37 KRONOS 1 (2:11:44)
================================
1 2:05:34 33 CRAIG BEAN
2 2:08:43 123 JASON DOORNBOS
3 2:09:00 185 JOHNNY HAMMILL
4 2:13:46 378 TEGAN OWENS
5 2:21:34 42 JILLIAN BEVERIDGE

3. 11:11:12 KRONOS 2 (2:14:15)
================================
1 2:08:12 326 BYRON MCLEAN
2 2:12:17 85 MICHAEL CHUI
3 2:13:57 3 JENNIFER ALEXANDER
4 2:14:13 163 PETER GABRIS
5 2:22:33 77 CHARLIE CAUNT
6 (2:37:22) 325 DEBBIE MCLEAN

4. 11:37:27 CRITICAL A (2:19:30)
================================
1 2:08:58 235 JAMES KEEVEL
2 2:09:16 168 SHEILA GILLIS
3 2:18:09 425 DARREN ROBINSON
4 2:21:01 2 JASON AHLAN
5 2:40:03 161 KELLY FRANK

5. 11:39:50 TALISMAN (2:19:58)
================================
1 1:53:56 43 JON BIRD
2 2:14:39 506 JACK VANDYK
3 2:18:18 480 DAN STILLWELL
4 2:28:15 527 ELIZABETH WILLSON
5 2:44:42 55 JENNIFER BRANDON

6. 12:05:36 SYLVAN LAKE (2:25:08)
================================
1 2:09:24 318 SCOTT MCDERMOTT
2 2:13:35 83 JOHN CHRISTIE
3 2:31:52 316 CATHERINE MATSALLA
4 2:35:01 296 SHELLEY MACAULEY
5 2:35:44 193 BRYAN HICKEY
6 (2:42:51) 319 KARRI SWANSON

7. 12:18:20 COLUMBIA (2:27:40)
================================
1 2:14:28 443 SANFORD SCHMID
2 2:15:01 32 RYAN BAVIN
3 2:22:45 356 JEFF MURRAY
4 2:40:11 488 MICHELLE TAYLOR
5 2:45:55 505 LIZ VANDERKRUK

8. 12:18:40 KRONOS 3 (2:27:44)
================================
1 2:14:23 154 MICHAEL FITZPATRICK
2 2:15:27 57 MATTHEW BREAKEY
3 2:31:16 213 LAUREN HUTCHINGS
4 2:35:51 130 CHELSEY EBEL
5 2:41:43 71 MARIO CALATAYUD

9. 12:39:20 TRI LIFE (2:31:52)
================================
1 2:17:03 166 KELVIN GIECK
2 2:21:39 394 SARAH PEARCE-GIECK
3 2:30:03 497 TRACY MCQUILLIN
4 2:43:31 245 LEANA KETO
5 2:47:04 188 PAMELA HARLING
6 (3:03:05) 301 KATIE ANNE MACINNIS

10. 12:59:53 KRONOS 4 (2:35:59)
================================
1 2:32:46 63 AMANDA BRUNI
2 2:33:08 46 KRISTY BLANCHETTE
3 2:34:27 513 JENNIFER WALKER
4 2:34:46 272 EMILIE LANGEVIN
5 2:44:46 157 ANN FORMAZ-PRESTON

11. 14:25:30 LEAPING DOG (2:53:06)
================================
1 2:38:33 216 DEANNE JABS
2 2:47:04 110 DEB DEANE
3 2:48:37 227 ALLY JOHNSON
4 2:51:01 317 ERIN MCCONNELL
5 3:20:15 323 PAM MCKENZIE

I took in the Footstock Duathlon and ended up fifth. I pretty much gave away third spot due to my darn contact lenses flying out of my eyes twice. This happened once last year and three times so far this year. Time for perscription lenses.

Rookie, Ciara Kary rocked to a second place finish 1:45:15. This is Ciara's first year in multisport. Once she gets it all down, look out!

Karalee O'Brien was 7th in her age category of Female 30-39.

Results Results from Athletes

2009-05-25T07:16:00.003-06:00

This year has been a very busy year for me on the coaching front. Kronos Triathlon Club has grown greatly and we have athletes in our Kids of Steel Program and Junior Program, as well as, athletes doing the Olympic, Half and Ironman distances. Putting together all the plans has kept me really busy. Bart has done an excellent job in delivering the program and our athletes have all improved greatly. I am very proud of our success!!

As well, my individual athletes have had great success. Heather Johnston rocked in her first couple of multi sport events. At Bare Bones Duathlon she placed second overall and improved her performance by over 3 minutes. Every week Heather would comment on how hard the bike workouts were. Well they certainly did what they were intended to do!

Heather's second race was Oliver Olympic Triathlon where she placed fourth. This was another great performance where she went into the race not rested.

Martin Lautsch ran the Ottawa Marathon to a 3:19:13 performance. His goal was to qualify for Boston which he did. Earlier this year Martin ran 3:21:07 which was over 4 minutes faster than his previous personal best.

Nice work Martin and Heather.

A Memorial to a Life that should have been

2009-05-17T08:01:00.005-06:00

"It is not the mountain we conquer but ourselves" - Edmund Hillary

Sponsor me on the Ride to Conquer Cancer

Coffee / A Bike/ Hills / Beautiful Countryside/ Good Wine/ Good People ... need I say more!

2009-05-15T19:05:00.019-06:00

2009 Penticton
Wine
coffee

Giant's Head Climb

Things you find on Mountain tops

Ride up Anarchist

Bare Bones Duathlon

Vancouver Sun Run

2009-04-19T19:53:00.008-06:00

Once again, I made the trek to Vancouver to take in the Sun Run. This is my favourite race. I never ran this race until I was over 40. I would have loved to have known how fast I could have run this course in my prime years! However, as a master I have posted a 37:20 but that was in 2002 at the young age of 41. In 2006, at 45 years of age I ran 38:45. Today at age 47, I ran 39:56 min. I ended up 39th female, 6th Master Female (over 40), and 2nd in my age category. I am happy with the time. Would I have loved to have gone faster, absolutely. I felt great and ran what the day gave me. I was fresh and confident, and I enjoyed every minute of this race today. Not for one second did any negative thoughts enter my head. I wonder if that is because as I age my only measurement becomes the year I am in and not the expectations of a personal best?

The night before, I watched the movie "The Curious Case of Benjamin Button". An amazing movie. A movie that really makes you think about time, love, life and death. If you liked "Life as a House", you will like this movie. I also went out for my short distance pre-race meal and my favourite thing to eat, sushi. Before you know it, I racked up $30 in sushi off the floating boats of sushi.

Kronos athlete Bryce Greenwood ran the Sun Run as well and posted a personal best time of 34:29. Also, Triathlete Olympian and Speed Theory teammate, Lisa Mensink ran a personal best time in a smoking time of 34:43. She was 8th female. The women's field was very tight with only 41 seconds separating first and eighth place. Crazy!

After the race, I wondered around Robson St. Two new things caught my attention that I have not seen in Vancouver before (or anywhere else for that matter). The first thing was bacon ice cream. Yes, fried up bacon stirred in ice cream. Now I am not bacon fan but a dear friend of mine is; it made me think of her immediately.

The second thing was this Japadog stand which had a line up for at least a block. I was curious. So as I watched people order and read the menu, I became in interested. I ended up having a Turkey Terimayo. It is a dog smothered in Japanese mayo, nori, teriyaki sauce, fried onions and topped with seaweed. Now I am not a fan of dogs since having worked in a snack bar when I was in grade 9 and 10; the smell usually sends me running. However, this was interesting and after all I needed to endulge in something "not so good for me". BTW- the dog was darn tasty. An explosion of tastes in my mouth which reverted me back to a scene in the movie I watched where they were eating caviar and drinking vodka. The connection is that I have never tried that either but am curious now!

BTW, 55,858 people sign-up for the race and this was the 25th running of the race. Here is how the top guns played out:

Overall Winners Name City/Country Time Prize
Men
1. Willy Kimosop Kenya 29:04 $3,000
2. Dylan Wykes Kingston, ON 29:12 $1,000
3. Kiprotich Yegon Kenya 29:33 $500
Name City/Country Time Prize
Women
1. Abebu Gelan Ethiopia 34:04 $3,000
2. Chantell Widney Edmonton, AB 34:23 $1,000
3. Fiona Docherty Boulder, CO 34:25 $500
Top Canadians
Name City/Country Time Prize
Men
1. Dylan Wykes Kingston, ON 29:12 $2,000
2. Richard Mosley Coquitlam, BC 29:41 $1,000
3. Scott Simpson Victoria, BC 30:08 $750
4. Mark Bomba Coquitlam, BC 30:39 $500
5. Rejean Chiasson Ottawa, ON 30:41 $250
Name City/Country Time Prize
Women
1. Chantell Widney Edmonton, AB 34:23 $2,000
2. Kristina Rody Burnaby, BC 34:27 $1,000
3. Cheryl Murphy Victoria, BC 34:29 $750
4. Lucy Smith Sidney, BC 34:33 $500
5. Lisa Harvey Calgary, AB 34:36 $250
Masters (40+)
Name City/Country Time Prize
Men
1. Mark Bomba Coquitlam, BC 30:39 $750
2. Steve Boyd Kingston, ON 31:09 $500
3. Tony Young Redmond, WA 32:20 $250
Name City/Country Time Prize
Women
1. Lucy Smith Sidney, BC 34:33 $750
2. Joan McGrath New Westminster, BC 37:16 $500
3. Helen Ritchie Vancouver, BC 38:50 $250
Wheelchairs
Name City/Country Time
Men - Quad Division
1. James Hustvedt North Vancouver, BC 41:39
2. Robert Mabey Kelowna, BC 51:31
Women - Quad Division
1. Michelle Stilwell Nanoose Bay, BC 35:43
Men - Open Division
1. Kelly Smith Langley, BC 24:04
2. Paul Clark Kelowna, BC 32:54
3. Alvin Lee Vancouver, BC 51:44
Women - Open Division
1. Jessica Des Mazes Victoria, BC 39:56
2. Kiran Aujlay Delta, BC 51:26

Thank you to Colin Timberlake for his nice write up on his website. I have never met Colin but after he left a comment on my blog I looked him up. I am honoured to have inspired you! Check out his site and the write-up: http://www.colintimberlake.com/sandra-yaworski-sun-run-vancouvertraining-log-the-discipline-of-steel-day-28/

Sun plus bike equals riding

2009-04-11T11:41:00.007-06:00

I love the bike but my passion is running. Running has always been the thing I do to figure out how things work; it has always been my sanctuary. There have been times since 2002, where my ability to run and compete well have been impacted by different obstacles. However, the bike has made up for that. I am happy to have found the bike to compensate for the lack of miles that I can put on feet. I was a very talented runner and I had many good years of competing. I made the best of those years by taking time out of my career to compete and be the best that I could be. Those were great years!

I have always found that being a runner/cyclist has allowed me to find a way to connect the relationship between my emotional and athletic life. For me, focusing on being a great athlete has allowed me to explore and channel emotional conflicts. So now whether I am training on my bike or running, I love the freedom of being with my own thoughts.

What the years have shown me is that running clarifies the thinking process as well as purifies the body. I think best -- most broadly and most fully -- when I am running. - Amby Burfoot

Ochsner Ironman 70.3 New Orleans / California 70.3/ Glencoe Icebreaker 10 km

2009-04-05T12:55:00.006-06:00

My good friend Cat Morrison tore it up in New Orleans today finishing second in a blistering time! Looks like the trip from Scotland was well worth it! Prior to the race Cat was worried that her bike and run were not as strong as she would like. I guess she does not need to worry too much about that now!

Magali Tisseyre from Canada also had a great race.

Professional Women Top Ten

Natasha Badmann - 4:17:50 - Course Record
Catriona Morrison - 4:18:43
Joanna Zeiger - 4:22:25
Caitlin Snow - 4:22:51
Nina Kraft - 4:23:17
Magali Tisseyre - 4:24:40
Linsey Corbin - 4:26:28
Kate Major - 4:28:02
Lisa Bentley - 4:28:57
Jessica Myers -4:31:34

Yesterday at Ironman California, Speed Theory teammate and Olympian, Lisa Mensink of Calgary rocked to a 6th place finish. Lisa had an awesome run off the bike!

Top 10 Professional Women

1. Mirinda Carfrae 04:25:02
2. Sarah Groff 04:25:23
3. Leanda Cave 04:25:43
4. Erika Csomor 04:28:31
5. Tine Deckers 04:31:12
6. Lisa Mensink 04:32:17
7. Samantha Warriner 04:32:57
8. Dede Griesbauer 04:32:58
9. Mary Beth Ellis 04:33:53
10. Kim Loeffler 04:37:08

Locally, it was the Glencoe Icebreaker 10km. Fitting name given some of the ice on the roads and paths. It was a sunny day and slightly cool. But fun was had by all. Most of Kronos raced today. This was the first 10km for the club and everyone was excited by the easy week providing for fresh legs. Those fresh legs resulted in personal best times with some individuals running 2 to 3 minutes faster on this course over last year. It is great to see a program working and the confidence of the athletes increasing. Bart and I are very proud! I too raced to a 6th place finish (41:30 min). This was my tune-up race for the Vancouver Sun Run in two weeks. I am excited to race in two weeks at sea level and on a flat course! I am feeling strong and now just need to rest and do some sharpening work.

My niece, Faye (19 yrs old) ran as well. She has only ran one 10km previously; this one last year. She rocked to a third place finish running 38:56 and 25 seconds faster than last year. She dresses just like me for these cooler days.