Congratulations to the following athletes who competed this past weekend:
Rosemarie Gerspacher - finished 18th female at Chicago Marathon in a time of 2:47:25. Top Canadian female!
Jane McCurdy - finished Chicago Marathon in 3:35:01. Jane broke some bones in her hand two weeks ago, and we were not sure if she would even be able to run. Not the time she is capable of running but still solid. Watch for Jane in her next attempt as she will run around the 3 hour mark.
Ashley Turgeon - finished Chicago Marathon in a wicked time of 3:37:39. This is post Ironman Canada. We thought 3:40 to 3:45. She certainly smashed that!
Michael Parker - ran 3:05 at St George Marathon. Another PB by 8 minutes!
Laura Brescia - ran a 5 min PB at Victoria Marathon in a time of 3:39.
Goeff Hopfner - was second at the Granville Island Turkey Trot in Vancouver. He ran 33:50 for 10km, 8 seconds off of first.
Rhonda Jewett - was second female and third overall at Ambulance Chasers 5k. She ran 19:39.
It was a proud coaching weekend for me!
Showing posts with label Athlete Results. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Athlete Results. Show all posts
Tuesday, October 09, 2012
Tuesday, September 04, 2012
Ryan Murrary's 2012 Ironman Canada Race Report
Prep:
-
Weight workouts were key this
year. I now love dead lifts and squats. I don’t know how this relationship came
to be, but I love them.
-
Carbo-loading works (Thanks
Jeremy), but expect to get uber high strung and cranky during the carb-fasting
phase. There seemed to be an extreme increase of stupid people in my life
during those three days.
-
Find a “happy place” and
trigger words to get you there (Thanks Karen) and use it during the race. Mine
was Kyla when she gave birth to Ewan in our bedroom last year.
-
Accept there is no happy place during
the carb-fasting phase.
Swim:
-
Don’t forget to apply sun block
to the piece of skin on your back between the shorts and the top. I suspect my
“tan” will still be there a year from now.
-
Wetsuits tear. If they tear in
the sleeve close enough to the cuff, you can roll them up and cover the hole.
This worked, but led to significant swelling in the forearm that felt like I
tore a ligament and freaked me out a lot during the bike.
-
Did you know, the size of swim
goggles gets smaller and smaller the closer you get to the front row?
-
Swimming is boring enough, let
alone when the only thing to stare at is into the abyss.
-
Holding the interval time per
100m (or faster) you want to hit during the race, during every swim workout, worked
for me. I was able to turn off my brain and let the fitness and technique take
over. Nailed it.
T1:
-
Just let the wetsuit strippers
do it. It’s easier that way.
-
This time, I carried my bike
shoes with me while running in my socks to my bike. Do this always.
Bike:
-
Remember to adjust your speed
magnet prior to the race start. I had to stop on Main St. and adjust the
computer so it registered km/hr.
-
Check to see if the water
bottle is still in the backseat water bottle holder. Mine fell out and I’m not
sure when.
-
Use the tail wind to Osoyoos. I
did, which gave me a good km/hr cushion leading into Richter’s Pass, the
rollers, out-and-back and the climb up past Yellow Lake.
-
Don’t draft. It’s stupid. It’s really
bad when you see three-four guys sitting up and coasting behind one guy. It was
nice to see the Marshals were taking action.
-
Richter’s never knew what hit
him.
-
Huge mental boost when I
realized there was a tolerable head wind (if at all) on the rollers and
out-and-back.
-
Got excited from back-boarding
my water bottle into the water bottle drop box on the out-and-back. That was
huge and one of the highlights of my race.
-
My average speed came down
significantly after all the climbing. In addition to the head wind leading back
into Penticton, I accepted the best I was going to average was 35km/hr (I was
shooting for 36km/hr).
-
This exercise in acceptance got
me excited about the run. I was pumped to see how running circles around
Prince’s island Park all year was going to translate into the marathon. Off the
bike, I was well within the bike time range Sandra and I figured out.
Run:
-
Training like a runner to run a
marathon was a great approach to this race. I came off the bike in 30-something
position and flicked the switch to “you are now running a marathon, nothing
else matters”.
-
Cadence, hips, arm position,
foot strike.
-
I feel if there was a
competition for aid station execution in terms of efficiency, most food and
drink consumed, amount not spilled and speed, I would do REALLY well. Those aid
stations were definitely my TV moments. I’m pretty sure I broke world records
that day.
-
Chafe ALERT: Never, ever, ever
(no matter how good it feels- and it feels SOOOOO good) pour ice down your
running tights. EVER.
-
Cadence, hips, arm position,
foot strike.
-
It was important for me to keep
happy and have a positive mental approach through this race. I have never
high-fived so many people during a race. It was awesome.
-
It must become law that every
running race includes belly dancers ON THE RACE COURSE.
-
My half marathon time was solid
with no feelings of letting up. I was also in the second age-group position and
still catching some male pros.
-
Cadence, hips, arm position,
foot strike.
-
Seeing Sandra coming back into
town was awesome. I can’t say enough about her approach to coaching and
training athletes. It works.
-
Hardest part of the run: the
hill from Skaha Park to Main Street.
Finish and post race:
-
Coming into the last two miles
was amazing. I’ve never felt so good during a race.
-
Ten months of focus and support
from Kyla for what I was doing became overwhelming when I crossed the finish
line. I’ve never been emotional during races and always thought it was a bit
odd, but this one got to me. I get it now. It’s not about the race. It’s about
the process and effort to get there.
-
Worst, most painful hot shower
ever (see above point about pouring ice in shorts).
Ashley Turgeon's 2012 Ironman Canada Race Report
In general,
a good gauge of your fitness is the degree of awkwardness of your tan
lines. I had some pretty weird tan lines going into Ironman Canada 2012.
I had a
really great sleep the night before the race and woke up at 4am race morning
ready to go. I had breakfast and relaxed and drank coffee and headed down to
the site around 5:30. I bid farewell to my friends before body marking so I
could focus on my own preparations. Despite having an hour and a half to
get ready I still seemed to be rushing to get my wetsuit on but I made it into
the water with a few minutes to spare. As I am not the strongest swimmer, I
seeded myself a few back on the far right side of the beach. Annnd we are off….
I was
swimming really relaxed and staying in the draft for the first few hundred
meters. Eventually everyone spread out a bit more and I was swimming on my own.
I felt the chop in the water pick up a bit and my goggles were starting to fog
so I was having a hard time swimming straight and starting to get annoyed. I
was probably also being a bit lazy with sighting. The first turn was relatively
smooth for me and I zigged and zagged along to the second turn buoy. I decided
to rinse out my foggy goggles. This helped me sight a lot better.
The water
was pretty fast on the way back thanks to the current. My arms felt fine but my
swim cap was starting to give me a headache and I was feeling a bit nauseous so
I was anxious to get out of the water. Finally I was at shore – I came out of
the water in 1:33:19. This was a few minutes slower than expected but it is
still an ironman swim PB for me. I was slow and relaxed through T1 to let my
stomach settle.
I was
really excited once I got onto the bike and my power was a bit high as I rode
through town. I tried to relax and ride easy after I saw my parents on Skaha
Lake. I was passing lots of people even at a really relaxed wattage – that is
the beauty of being a slow swimmer. Before I knew it I was at turnoff to
climb McLean Creek. I held my wattage steady going up the hill - lots of people
blew past me but I stayed controlled through this section. I felt really
strong riding from OK Falls to Oliver and Osoyoos. I focused on getting in as
many calories as I could. I was looking forward to the mini bottle of Red Bull
that I was going to have at the base of Richters!
I rode
steady up Richters and enjoyed the crowd support at each of the three plateaus
and before I knew it was time to descend! I made it through the rollers and
then it was time for my least favorite part of the course – the out and
back. As I was coming up to this section I was trying to psych myself up
and I gave myself permission to get out of aero as much as I wanted and I tried
to focus on how awesome it was going to be to drink the red bull in my special
needs bag.
When I
finished the “back” part of the out and back I started to focus on looking
forward to the crowds at Yellow Lake. The crowd support up Yellow Lake is
amazing – it is hard not to feel like a rock star! It was so motivating to have
friends (and strangers) cheering for me. At the top I was amazed by how fresh I
felt and was glad to know basically all the hard work is done on the bike. I
descended into town and tried to keep my cadence up and my power low to get my
running legs ready. I looked down at my bike computer and saw my bike split was
6:29. I was extremely happy with this. I ran straight to my T2 bag, grabbed a
volunteer I knew to spray me down with sunblock and got my shoes on.
I charged
off on the run. I have never felt that fresh running off the bike…let alone
after having as strong of a ride as I just had. I saw lots of friends
cheering as I ran through town and this motivated me a lot more. The pro and
top age group men were coming up for their finish as I was heading out. As I was
nearing Skaha Lake I saw the second place age group male…..and then I realized
it was Ryan Murray!! I was extremely excited for him to be having such a solid
race! Minutes later I saw Sandra and Kristie on their bikes and this just added
to my excitement. I told them how strong I was feeling and how happy I was with
my bike. The miles were flying by heading to OK Falls – the out and back nature
of the run course is great because you see friends ahead of you heading back to
town.
When I hit
the hills around Skaha Bluffs my pace dropped from 9-9:30 miles to about
11:30-12 miles - the hills are challenging and my toes were starting to
blister…and I was starting to get tired. I ran down the final hill into OK
Falls really strong - I was motivated by the can of Rockstar and candy in my
special needs bag. I clocked 2:09 for my half marathon split. The miles
weren’t flying by quite as fast on the way back but I was still running
continuously. I was really struggling when I was running up the false flat
between end of Skaha Lake and the Cherry Lane mall.
At mile marker 25 I saw Sandra and Kristie - I handed off my visor to Sandra so it didn’t ruin my finisher picture. She told me to run the last 1.2 miles hard and she would see me at the finish. I alternated between focusing on running strong and concentrating on my good finish photo. The crowd support along Lakeshore drive brought me in for a 4:32 marathon. I crossed the line (smiling for my finish picture) in 12:42:39 – roughly 65 minutes faster than my time in 2011.
I am so
happy with the day I had at Ironman Canada. It was a completely amazing
experience. I would like to extend a HUGE thank you to Sandra for keeping me
motivated through a summer of hard work, for knowing when to push me and when
to let me ease off and for generally putting me on a path to success! In the
last few months I have become a little fitter, a little stronger and LOT
mentally tougher.
In the
weeks leading up to IMC I said it was going to be my last ironman ever….but by
10pm on Sunday night I revised that statement to be my last ironman for a few
years. I had such a wonderful day and it really reminded me what I love about
the sport.
Sunday, October 09, 2011
Great results for my athletes this weekend!
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!
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!
Thursday, June 24, 2010
Geoff Hopfner takes first at Robert Hamilton
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."
Monday, September 07, 2009
Kronos Triathlon Club – a year in review
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!
Wednesday, June 17, 2009
Race Reports from Heather and Martin
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.
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.
Monday, June 15, 2009
WASA Triathlon / Footstock Duathlon
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.
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.
Monday, May 25, 2009
Results Results from Athletes
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.
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.
Sunday, March 15, 2009
St. Pat's 10 km / 5 km
Today was the St. Pat's 10km and 5km race. Well actually the distances were 10.1 km and 5.4 km. I do not understand why they made us run down an icy hill and around a corner within the first 200 meters. Could they not have just moved the start line??? Regardless, it was Calgary's first race of the season and the first race in the Alberta Timex Series. The race attracted more elite runners than in the past in both distances. Also, it was spring break so some great runners going to school in the US were home.
First, I must brag about the Kronos Triathlon Club, in which I am one of the coaches and the Athlete Development Director for, and how much improvement the athletes have made since October from the Time Trial they did. Every single person improved their 5km performance from October by anywhere from 10 seconds to 2.5 minutes. Awesome! I am so proud of our athletes. April takes a huge swing for the athletes as they now really begin to focus more on their individual distances: Olympic, Half and Ironman distances.
I too raced and was happy with my performance. This is really the first race I have run pain free in two years. Each week my training has progressed and I feel stronger, faster and fitter. My goal is to run the Vancouver Sun Run in 5 weeks from today. This was my stepping stone and I am happy to say that I felt great. My start was too slow and likely cost me about 5 positions and 40 seconds. But I ran solid. I ran most of the race with another master athlete and we really pushed each other. We pushed the last 4 km and made ground on almost catching 5 runners just ahead of us. I am happy to say that this was a confidence booster. Now once I do another 10km in couple of weeks, taper, throw on racing flats and get a more aggressive start, I should be able to shave a minute off. That means once I hit the Sun Run which is at sea level, I should be at least 2 to 3 minutes faster than what I was today. BTW, I ran just under 42 minutes for 10.1 km so likely 41:20 for 10 km.
First, I must brag about the Kronos Triathlon Club, in which I am one of the coaches and the Athlete Development Director for, and how much improvement the athletes have made since October from the Time Trial they did. Every single person improved their 5km performance from October by anywhere from 10 seconds to 2.5 minutes. Awesome! I am so proud of our athletes. April takes a huge swing for the athletes as they now really begin to focus more on their individual distances: Olympic, Half and Ironman distances.
I too raced and was happy with my performance. This is really the first race I have run pain free in two years. Each week my training has progressed and I feel stronger, faster and fitter. My goal is to run the Vancouver Sun Run in 5 weeks from today. This was my stepping stone and I am happy to say that I felt great. My start was too slow and likely cost me about 5 positions and 40 seconds. But I ran solid. I ran most of the race with another master athlete and we really pushed each other. We pushed the last 4 km and made ground on almost catching 5 runners just ahead of us. I am happy to say that this was a confidence booster. Now once I do another 10km in couple of weeks, taper, throw on racing flats and get a more aggressive start, I should be able to shave a minute off. That means once I hit the Sun Run which is at sea level, I should be at least 2 to 3 minutes faster than what I was today. BTW, I ran just under 42 minutes for 10.1 km so likely 41:20 for 10 km.
Tuesday, December 30, 2008
Great Start to Base Training!
The Holiday Bowl Parade and 5km race took place in San Diego on Monday. A few things our friends to the South do well include: parades, football, and 5km races. This is one of the coolest races I have ever run. It starts right before the parade and travels down the parade route. The streets are lined with people and there is definitely no shortage of fast runners. The course was actually 3 miles and not 5km, so about 160 meters short of 5km.
Both Shari Boyle and I took in the race. Shari ran an awesome race posting 16:53 for 3 miles. I have only had Shari doing base mileage with a bit of tempo. So it is great to see her strength improving along the way. She is running better than she ever has and it looks like the last year of training is really beginning to pay off. The top six women were:
CHRISTY BECKMAN 16:20
BRIDIE MCCAREY 16:30
SHARI BOYLE 16:53
KYLIE EDWARDS 17:20
ABIGAIL STILES 17:25
MICHELLIE JONES 17:27
I ran 20:16. Happy but know I had a faster time in me. Getting lost on my bike the day before, two flats, and a couple of miles walking barefoot to get home made for tired legs. However, I am very optimistic about my body continuing to get stronger as my osteitis pubis, knee and hip issues from being hit by the car continues to mend. Each week I feel my strength coming back and almost look and feel like a runner again.
It was a pleasure working with Shari over the last 18 months, however, she decided to move to Oklamhoma and pursue a personal/coaching relationship with Andrea Ratkovic, former pro cyclist. Keep pace with Shari by checking her out at her myspace page at http://www.myspace.com/shariakaspeedyredbull.
Monday, October 13, 2008
Weekend Racing results by Athletes
Okanagan International Half Marathon: Heather Johnson ran a 1:28:48 placing 2nd in age category 30-39 and fourth overall. This pretty much matches her time from last year. Good job Heather!
Chicago Marathon: Angus Cowan ran 3:05:55. We were hoping for a sub- 3 hour marathon but I know the conditions may have been challenging. Regardless, great result for Angus.
In other news- my nephew Blair Yaworski signed an AHL contract with the Columbus Blue Jackets farm team Syracuse Crunch. Nice work Blair. Blair has worked really hard for this and has been playing awesome. He is living his dream! Is that not what we all should be doing?
Chicago Marathon: Angus Cowan ran 3:05:55. We were hoping for a sub- 3 hour marathon but I know the conditions may have been challenging. Regardless, great result for Angus.
In other news- my nephew Blair Yaworski signed an AHL contract with the Columbus Blue Jackets farm team Syracuse Crunch. Nice work Blair. Blair has worked really hard for this and has been playing awesome. He is living his dream! Is that not what we all should be doing?
Thursday, August 28, 2008
Ryan Murrary's Ironman Canada Race Report
Prologue
It’s 6 a.m. and the morning after the race. I can’t sleep anymore because the pain in my hips wakes me up when I roll over in bed. The crazy dreams I’m having makes me restless as well, which doesn’t do well for my hips. I figure this would be as good time as any to write my race report. My calves and quads feel like they were used as a punching bag, which leaves me to mostly shuffle myself around the house. Ironman Canada seems like a long time ago and almost like it never happened- except when I move my hips. Have I mentioned how bad my hips hurt?
August 24, 2008
Morning of…
Wake up is at 4 a.m. race day. The breakfast menu calls for six microwaved pancakes, a water bottle of Carbo Load and one banana.
Dad and I drive from the house to the Transition area at 5 a.m. It’s dark with a tiny bit of dark blue peaking up over the East Mountains of the Okanogan Valley. We get into Penticton and Dad drops me off about three blocks from Transition. There are hundreds of people funneling from the side streets to Main Street where we enter the “point of no return” – where athletes leave their loved ones, past the gates and security into the great unknown of Ironman. I show my athlete bracelet and take the plunge. On my way in I drop my bike special needs bag off (I get to pick it up at the 120km mark of the bike course) and then go to get my numbers marked on my body.
Then it’s off to finish setting up my bike. I run into my buddy Kyle Marcotte who is setting up in the pro area- he’s got a chance to challenge for the top spot today- and say hi and wish him luck. I’m happy with where my bike is located. It will be easy to find from the swim with minimal distance from my rack to the bike exit. Transition is still relatively calm so I drop my gear off at my bike and head to the toilet. My piece of advice to anyone who does an Ironman is get there at 5 a.m. just so you miss the line-ups. Once it got closer to 6-6:30, the line up to the bathroom exponentially lengthened and winded all through the transition area. I don’t know how some people got to use the washroom before the race began.
My bike is now set up with two Cliff bars split into eight pieces and duct taped to my bike. Also duct taped to my bike are five gels and a Juicy Fruit gum canister filled with Electrolyte tablets. I managed to find spots for my food that did not interfere with my knees or hands while cycling so it’s all good. I’ve also got three water bottles, each with a mix of Carbo Load and Ultima. We’re good to go. At this point I’m relaxed, excited, not nervous and ready to get the swim underway. I find all triathlon distances long so I’m always just anxious to start swimming and get it started
The day before, I dropped off my bike and run bags in the Transition area so everything is set and in place. I’m off to the beach to don the wet suit and wait patiently for the cannon to go off.
The Ironman start was one of my favourite experiences of the day. It was a huge production. I got in the water up to my waist and made sure I was up against the start rope. As swimming is the most natural of the three disciplines for me, I like to get to the front and hammer it out for the first 2-300m into open water. While I’m waiting for the start, I look around and see thousands of spectators lining the beach behind the fence on Lake Shore Drive. It’s cool to see these people anticipating Ironman Canada, not to mention the 2400-plus athletes getting into the water to the start line.
There are two small planes buzzing the beach and a helicopter flying over head with a TV crew filming the event. There is some great music blaring across the beach. It’s hard not to think you’re part of something really big.
Canada Ironman athlete extraordinaire and three time World Champion, Peter Reid, sets off the start cannon and the journey begins.
Swim
The swim was uneventful with it feeling like all my other swims, just longer. My pace was the same as the rest of my Half Ironman races and it was easy to keep for the full 3.8 kms. The buoys were all lined up and visible with two house boats at the far end of the course, and we were never swimming into the sun. Land finally came and I felt relaxed and ready for the bike. My Dad and sister, Catherine-Anne took my friend Trev William’s advice and waded into the water right beside the swim exit chute to watch us come out of the water. It was great to see them up close when I touched bottom.
Swim Time – 55mins 17secs
One of the coolest things about Ironman Canada is the transition set-up. As soon as I got out of the water and approached the rows of bags the volunteers began yelling my number out. My bike bag, which contained my helmet, shoes, socks and sunglasses, was given to me before I had a chance to look for it. It was seamless. I heard this loud, yelling, “go Ryan, go Ryan!!!”- It was my friend Jennifer Walker who was volunteering and helping with the bags. It was a nice surprise to see a familiar face so early in the race. With a smooth transition, I was feeling relaxed and ready for the bike.
Swim to Bike Transition Time – 2mins 11secs
Bike
The bike, as with the run, was a mental and emotional rollercoaster. I headed south out of town feeling really good and my legs were ready for the ride. MacLean Creek hill was smooth and felt good. A bunch of cyclists caught up to me, and we played cat and mouse for the next 20 kms. I was trying hard not to draft as we were pretty close and tried to stay outside the line of bikes. The race official was watching us closely at this point. I could see the official shaking her finger at a couple of the cyclists but no busts.
The ride grew harder as the head wind picked up heading to Osoyoos. My legs hadn’t cycled at this effort in a couple of weeks so my hamstrings were tight and burning. I was looking forward to Richter’s Pass just so I could re-adjust my seating and get out of my aero bars. As I was cycling, I heard this cow bell clanging coming up from behind me. It was my cheering squad heading out to their first spectator post on Richter’s Pass. At this point, I was holding between 36-40km/hr from Penticton to Osoyoos. Once on Richter’s Pass I felt much better. I do well with hills and can hold a good, consistent cadence. It didn’t take long to get to the top.
I approached the top of the Pass I saw my family and friends. My parents flew out from Nova Scotia, my sister came, my wife Kyla and her parents came out and our friends Mark, Michelle and Rob joined us too. Mom pulled a Tour de France move and started running beside me while I was riding up past them. Local triathlon announcer legend, Steven King, was there at the top of Richter’s to greet me with news I was within the top ten age groupers so I was feeling good about myself at that point. Which leads me to say, it was the last time I felt good until the bottom of the Yellow Lake climb, 60kms later.
However, as I was descending The Pass it was great to hear that cow bell coming up behind me again as my family and friends headed back to Penticton. You can never have too much cow bell.
The back rollers on Highway 3 were relentless and I lost a lot of speed. I was passed by a handful of cyclists during this section and then even more cyclists during the 20km Out and Back section around Keromeos. I was also having trouble digesting my food and had a lot of indigestion so it was hard to eat and drink regularly. At the special needs bag pick up I just grabbed the water bottle with the energy drink in it and left behind the tire tube, second water bottle and beef jerky. Beaver Buzz never tasted so good and it was still a bit slushy.
Continuing on, the steady false flat from Keromeos felt relentless and more people passed me. It was disheartening and frustrating. I thought there was no way I was going to get my 5hr20min bike split. My legs were killing me. My sciatic nerve was burning and hadn’t settled down during the entire bike leg.
The Yellow Lake climb finally came and there was my crew waiting for me. I was surprised because I thought my family and friends jetted straight back to Penticton to watch me come in off the bike. So they were there with the cow bell, cheering and hanging out with everyone else at Yellow Lake. It was a super cool scene with people dressed up in costumes, DJ’s playing tunes and rows of people lining up both sides of the bike lane. I remember seeing a guy in a superman suit holding a sign saying “Superman Salutes You.”
I’m now at the top of Yellow Lake, my legs feel refreshed and I’m thinking I’ve got 30mins to make up 20-25kms. I’m also thinking, not a chance. With the help of a tail wind and a descent pretty much right to transition I made it. As I cycled into town and Transition at the end of Main Street I heard that cow bell again. My crew made it back to Penticton, via Green Mountain Road, quick enough to set up on Main Street near the Starbucks and watch me come in off the bike.
Bike Time – 5 hrs 17mins
The bike-to-run transition was again flawless and the volunteers were fantastic. It was a great set-up.
Bike-to-Run Transition Time – 2mins 35secs
Run
I was surprised I didn’t have to run 3 kms before I got my running legs like in my other triathlons. As soon as I got off my bike, I could run and it felt great. I got to see my family and friends a couple more times before I made my way down Main Street (which required a pee break at the porta pottie- the one and only time I had to go during the race if anyone is wondering). I ran the first 5km in 22mins and the first 10kms was just under 45mins. And then at 15kms the effort I put into the bike caught up to me and my legs started to lose it. I was getting light headed and not feeling so hot.
My coach Sandra and training partner Shari met me on the run on their bikes to cheer me on. It was exactly what I needed. After a while I figured out what I needed at each aid station, which was everything. But it was the cola, watermelon and ice cold sponges that saved me each time. They gave me just enough energy to make it to the next aid station for another helping of aid station buffet.
On the way out on the run there was a vicious head wind. And the hills going into and out of Okanogan Falls did not help either. On the way back I had the tail wind, but by that time I was just focusing on my cadence and moving forward. It was hurting pretty bad. With 10kms to go I tried to pick it up and maintain a higher cadence. Running down Main Street back to Lake Shore Drive, my hips felt busted up and I was fighting my hamstrings and calves from cramping up.
Rounding the corner at Starbucks was awesome as the spectators got thicker and then I saw my support crew spread out on Lake Shore drive cheering me on. By that time I was feeling no pain and let the adrenaline carry me to the finish line.
Run Time: 3hrs 31mins
I ran across the finish line in 9hours 48mins. I was exhausted. I didn’t achieve my goal time of 9hrs and 40mins and I’m not even a little disappointed. There was no way I was finishing that race faster than what I put in. I left everything on the course and I was completely satisfied.
After
There were no tears, no overwhelming wave of emotion or crawling on the pavement to cross the finish line. I finished and I hurt. The first thought to myself as I stood there was, “Huh. So this is what it feels like to do an Ironman. I certainly don’t feel like the people look like on the video clips and TV shows when they show them finishing. I don’t feel enlightened, joyful, or overwhelmed with uncontrollable emotion.” Was I under whelmed? Maybe. Did Ironman live up to its hype? Kind of. Maybe I didn’t know what to expect or maybe I bought into NBC’s dramatic, over-the-top Hawaii Ironman production they show on TV too much.
All I know is, I couldn’t walk right. My hips felt smashed and I just wanted something to eat. I got my finisher goodie bag, my race splits and B-lined it to the pizza and massage tent. I didn’t even care to grab the digital photo they took of me crossing the finish line. The pizza was bad, the massage was worse and I was freezing. I was in the car with my parents heading back to our place with my gear and within an hour of me crossing the finish line.
I currently have no desire to do another Ironman…or triathlon for that matter. I barely want to run another 10km. Maybe I’ll take a chapter out of my friend Carson’s book and compete in sport for fun and not to achieve personal goals, etc… Maybe I should pick a past time that I’m horrible at and just love participating in it..
After, after…
Now that I’ve settled down and had time to reflect, I do want to do another Ironman. Going to the banquet the next evening and seeing all my friends who competed with me was great and put it back into perspective why I enjoy doing this kind of thing. This next year looks to be a maintenance year with our little Murray coming pretty quick. I’ll keep tabs on things and see if Ironman 2010 looks as attractive a year from now before my family and I make the commitment.
It’s 6 a.m. and the morning after the race. I can’t sleep anymore because the pain in my hips wakes me up when I roll over in bed. The crazy dreams I’m having makes me restless as well, which doesn’t do well for my hips. I figure this would be as good time as any to write my race report. My calves and quads feel like they were used as a punching bag, which leaves me to mostly shuffle myself around the house. Ironman Canada seems like a long time ago and almost like it never happened- except when I move my hips. Have I mentioned how bad my hips hurt?
August 24, 2008
Morning of…
Wake up is at 4 a.m. race day. The breakfast menu calls for six microwaved pancakes, a water bottle of Carbo Load and one banana.
Dad and I drive from the house to the Transition area at 5 a.m. It’s dark with a tiny bit of dark blue peaking up over the East Mountains of the Okanogan Valley. We get into Penticton and Dad drops me off about three blocks from Transition. There are hundreds of people funneling from the side streets to Main Street where we enter the “point of no return” – where athletes leave their loved ones, past the gates and security into the great unknown of Ironman. I show my athlete bracelet and take the plunge. On my way in I drop my bike special needs bag off (I get to pick it up at the 120km mark of the bike course) and then go to get my numbers marked on my body.
Then it’s off to finish setting up my bike. I run into my buddy Kyle Marcotte who is setting up in the pro area- he’s got a chance to challenge for the top spot today- and say hi and wish him luck. I’m happy with where my bike is located. It will be easy to find from the swim with minimal distance from my rack to the bike exit. Transition is still relatively calm so I drop my gear off at my bike and head to the toilet. My piece of advice to anyone who does an Ironman is get there at 5 a.m. just so you miss the line-ups. Once it got closer to 6-6:30, the line up to the bathroom exponentially lengthened and winded all through the transition area. I don’t know how some people got to use the washroom before the race began.
My bike is now set up with two Cliff bars split into eight pieces and duct taped to my bike. Also duct taped to my bike are five gels and a Juicy Fruit gum canister filled with Electrolyte tablets. I managed to find spots for my food that did not interfere with my knees or hands while cycling so it’s all good. I’ve also got three water bottles, each with a mix of Carbo Load and Ultima. We’re good to go. At this point I’m relaxed, excited, not nervous and ready to get the swim underway. I find all triathlon distances long so I’m always just anxious to start swimming and get it started
The day before, I dropped off my bike and run bags in the Transition area so everything is set and in place. I’m off to the beach to don the wet suit and wait patiently for the cannon to go off.
The Ironman start was one of my favourite experiences of the day. It was a huge production. I got in the water up to my waist and made sure I was up against the start rope. As swimming is the most natural of the three disciplines for me, I like to get to the front and hammer it out for the first 2-300m into open water. While I’m waiting for the start, I look around and see thousands of spectators lining the beach behind the fence on Lake Shore Drive. It’s cool to see these people anticipating Ironman Canada, not to mention the 2400-plus athletes getting into the water to the start line.
There are two small planes buzzing the beach and a helicopter flying over head with a TV crew filming the event. There is some great music blaring across the beach. It’s hard not to think you’re part of something really big.
Canada Ironman athlete extraordinaire and three time World Champion, Peter Reid, sets off the start cannon and the journey begins.
Swim
The swim was uneventful with it feeling like all my other swims, just longer. My pace was the same as the rest of my Half Ironman races and it was easy to keep for the full 3.8 kms. The buoys were all lined up and visible with two house boats at the far end of the course, and we were never swimming into the sun. Land finally came and I felt relaxed and ready for the bike. My Dad and sister, Catherine-Anne took my friend Trev William’s advice and waded into the water right beside the swim exit chute to watch us come out of the water. It was great to see them up close when I touched bottom.
Swim Time – 55mins 17secs
One of the coolest things about Ironman Canada is the transition set-up. As soon as I got out of the water and approached the rows of bags the volunteers began yelling my number out. My bike bag, which contained my helmet, shoes, socks and sunglasses, was given to me before I had a chance to look for it. It was seamless. I heard this loud, yelling, “go Ryan, go Ryan!!!”- It was my friend Jennifer Walker who was volunteering and helping with the bags. It was a nice surprise to see a familiar face so early in the race. With a smooth transition, I was feeling relaxed and ready for the bike.
Swim to Bike Transition Time – 2mins 11secs
Bike
The bike, as with the run, was a mental and emotional rollercoaster. I headed south out of town feeling really good and my legs were ready for the ride. MacLean Creek hill was smooth and felt good. A bunch of cyclists caught up to me, and we played cat and mouse for the next 20 kms. I was trying hard not to draft as we were pretty close and tried to stay outside the line of bikes. The race official was watching us closely at this point. I could see the official shaking her finger at a couple of the cyclists but no busts.
The ride grew harder as the head wind picked up heading to Osoyoos. My legs hadn’t cycled at this effort in a couple of weeks so my hamstrings were tight and burning. I was looking forward to Richter’s Pass just so I could re-adjust my seating and get out of my aero bars. As I was cycling, I heard this cow bell clanging coming up from behind me. It was my cheering squad heading out to their first spectator post on Richter’s Pass. At this point, I was holding between 36-40km/hr from Penticton to Osoyoos. Once on Richter’s Pass I felt much better. I do well with hills and can hold a good, consistent cadence. It didn’t take long to get to the top.
I approached the top of the Pass I saw my family and friends. My parents flew out from Nova Scotia, my sister came, my wife Kyla and her parents came out and our friends Mark, Michelle and Rob joined us too. Mom pulled a Tour de France move and started running beside me while I was riding up past them. Local triathlon announcer legend, Steven King, was there at the top of Richter’s to greet me with news I was within the top ten age groupers so I was feeling good about myself at that point. Which leads me to say, it was the last time I felt good until the bottom of the Yellow Lake climb, 60kms later.
However, as I was descending The Pass it was great to hear that cow bell coming up behind me again as my family and friends headed back to Penticton. You can never have too much cow bell.
The back rollers on Highway 3 were relentless and I lost a lot of speed. I was passed by a handful of cyclists during this section and then even more cyclists during the 20km Out and Back section around Keromeos. I was also having trouble digesting my food and had a lot of indigestion so it was hard to eat and drink regularly. At the special needs bag pick up I just grabbed the water bottle with the energy drink in it and left behind the tire tube, second water bottle and beef jerky. Beaver Buzz never tasted so good and it was still a bit slushy.
Continuing on, the steady false flat from Keromeos felt relentless and more people passed me. It was disheartening and frustrating. I thought there was no way I was going to get my 5hr20min bike split. My legs were killing me. My sciatic nerve was burning and hadn’t settled down during the entire bike leg.
The Yellow Lake climb finally came and there was my crew waiting for me. I was surprised because I thought my family and friends jetted straight back to Penticton to watch me come in off the bike. So they were there with the cow bell, cheering and hanging out with everyone else at Yellow Lake. It was a super cool scene with people dressed up in costumes, DJ’s playing tunes and rows of people lining up both sides of the bike lane. I remember seeing a guy in a superman suit holding a sign saying “Superman Salutes You.”
I’m now at the top of Yellow Lake, my legs feel refreshed and I’m thinking I’ve got 30mins to make up 20-25kms. I’m also thinking, not a chance. With the help of a tail wind and a descent pretty much right to transition I made it. As I cycled into town and Transition at the end of Main Street I heard that cow bell again. My crew made it back to Penticton, via Green Mountain Road, quick enough to set up on Main Street near the Starbucks and watch me come in off the bike.
Bike Time – 5 hrs 17mins
The bike-to-run transition was again flawless and the volunteers were fantastic. It was a great set-up.
Bike-to-Run Transition Time – 2mins 35secs
Run
I was surprised I didn’t have to run 3 kms before I got my running legs like in my other triathlons. As soon as I got off my bike, I could run and it felt great. I got to see my family and friends a couple more times before I made my way down Main Street (which required a pee break at the porta pottie- the one and only time I had to go during the race if anyone is wondering). I ran the first 5km in 22mins and the first 10kms was just under 45mins. And then at 15kms the effort I put into the bike caught up to me and my legs started to lose it. I was getting light headed and not feeling so hot.
My coach Sandra and training partner Shari met me on the run on their bikes to cheer me on. It was exactly what I needed. After a while I figured out what I needed at each aid station, which was everything. But it was the cola, watermelon and ice cold sponges that saved me each time. They gave me just enough energy to make it to the next aid station for another helping of aid station buffet.
On the way out on the run there was a vicious head wind. And the hills going into and out of Okanogan Falls did not help either. On the way back I had the tail wind, but by that time I was just focusing on my cadence and moving forward. It was hurting pretty bad. With 10kms to go I tried to pick it up and maintain a higher cadence. Running down Main Street back to Lake Shore Drive, my hips felt busted up and I was fighting my hamstrings and calves from cramping up.
Rounding the corner at Starbucks was awesome as the spectators got thicker and then I saw my support crew spread out on Lake Shore drive cheering me on. By that time I was feeling no pain and let the adrenaline carry me to the finish line.
Run Time: 3hrs 31mins
I ran across the finish line in 9hours 48mins. I was exhausted. I didn’t achieve my goal time of 9hrs and 40mins and I’m not even a little disappointed. There was no way I was finishing that race faster than what I put in. I left everything on the course and I was completely satisfied.
After
There were no tears, no overwhelming wave of emotion or crawling on the pavement to cross the finish line. I finished and I hurt. The first thought to myself as I stood there was, “Huh. So this is what it feels like to do an Ironman. I certainly don’t feel like the people look like on the video clips and TV shows when they show them finishing. I don’t feel enlightened, joyful, or overwhelmed with uncontrollable emotion.” Was I under whelmed? Maybe. Did Ironman live up to its hype? Kind of. Maybe I didn’t know what to expect or maybe I bought into NBC’s dramatic, over-the-top Hawaii Ironman production they show on TV too much.
All I know is, I couldn’t walk right. My hips felt smashed and I just wanted something to eat. I got my finisher goodie bag, my race splits and B-lined it to the pizza and massage tent. I didn’t even care to grab the digital photo they took of me crossing the finish line. The pizza was bad, the massage was worse and I was freezing. I was in the car with my parents heading back to our place with my gear and within an hour of me crossing the finish line.
I currently have no desire to do another Ironman…or triathlon for that matter. I barely want to run another 10km. Maybe I’ll take a chapter out of my friend Carson’s book and compete in sport for fun and not to achieve personal goals, etc… Maybe I should pick a past time that I’m horrible at and just love participating in it..
After, after…
Now that I’ve settled down and had time to reflect, I do want to do another Ironman. Going to the banquet the next evening and seeing all my friends who competed with me was great and put it back into perspective why I enjoy doing this kind of thing. This next year looks to be a maintenance year with our little Murray coming pretty quick. I’ll keep tabs on things and see if Ironman 2010 looks as attractive a year from now before my family and I make the commitment.
Tuesday, August 26, 2008
Some results from athletes
Well, it has been a busy August. I have been busy bike racing and having a blast while I attempt to continue my rehabilitation toward running. So sorry I have not kept everyone abreast about some great performance by some of my athletes. So here we go:
Angus Cowan continues his build-up toward Chicago Marathon. He raced the Around the Lake half marathon and posted a great time of 1:23:43 on a hilly course on a hot day. He ended up 3rd overall and 1st in his age category of 40-49. Angus also just ran the Robert Hamilton 10 miler in 1:00:57. He placed 8th overall and 1st in his age category. I am certain he is now the owner of at least one new pair of shoes (hint).
Bart Ujack completed in the Kelowna Apple Triathlon and finished 5th in his age category in a time of 2:11:26.
Ryan Murray did his first Ironman in Penticton and had an awesome race. He was 4th in his age category and 53rd overall. Splits were: Swim 55:17; Bike 5:17:18; and Run 3:31:09 for a total time of 9:48:30.
Angus Cowan continues his build-up toward Chicago Marathon. He raced the Around the Lake half marathon and posted a great time of 1:23:43 on a hilly course on a hot day. He ended up 3rd overall and 1st in his age category of 40-49. Angus also just ran the Robert Hamilton 10 miler in 1:00:57. He placed 8th overall and 1st in his age category. I am certain he is now the owner of at least one new pair of shoes (hint).
Bart Ujack completed in the Kelowna Apple Triathlon and finished 5th in his age category in a time of 2:11:26.
Ryan Murray did his first Ironman in Penticton and had an awesome race. He was 4th in his age category and 53rd overall. Splits were: Swim 55:17; Bike 5:17:18; and Run 3:31:09 for a total time of 9:48:30.
Sunday, July 27, 2008
Results from Junior National and Sylvan HIM
Ryan Murray captured third spot at Sylvan Lake.
My niece Faye ran a PB at Junior Nationals and finished up 6th. The up and coming runners of the future continue to impress with really fast times. Road and Track in Canada over the next ten years is going to be awesome.
Valley Royals Track & Field Club
Canadian Junior Track & Field Championships - 7/25/2008 to 7/27/2008
Abbotsford
Event 17 Women 3000 Meter Run
=======================================================================
Cdn Jr Champ: @ 9:26.12 1989 Lisa Harvey, Saskatoon
World Jr: ! 8:36.45 6/6/1993 Ningning Ma, China
BC Jr Open: ^ 9:12.39 8/16/1985 Brenda Shackleton, Canada
Cdn Jr Outdo: * 9:12.39 8/16/1985 Brenda Shackleton, Saint John Nb
Name Year Team Finals Points
=======================================================================
Finals
1 Jewett, Tamara UTTC,ON, ON 9:19.96
2 Carson, Lindsay Tri City Tra,ON, ON 9:25.96
3 Schaaf, Kendra Queen City S,SK, SK 9:29.46
4 Findlay, Paula Edmonton Thu,AB, AB 9:37.86
5 Furlan, Jessica Excel Athlet,SK, SK 9:44.19
6 Stenning, Faye U OF C Athle,AB, AB 9:47.97
7 Macpherson, Sarah Fast Tracks,NB, NB 10:06.20
8 Brasz, Deanna Niagara Olym,ON, ON 10:07.03
9 Fratczak, Victoria Unattached-A,NS, NS 10:10.44
10 Hanna, Victoria Toronto Olym,ON, ON 10:16.25
11 Kujawa, Kate Excel Athlet,SK, SK 10:18.57
12 Hoy, Karoline Lakehead Ath,ON, ON 10:20.03
13 Pieterson, Rebecca St. Thomas L,ON, ON 10:25.74
14 Mcivor, Laura F. Unattached-B,BC, BC 10:27.35
15 Tatlow, Nadia Caltaf Athle,AB, AB 10:29.06
16 Walkow, Samantha Ocean Athlet,BC, BC 10:34.97
17 Bélanger, Valérie Saguenay Lac,Fqa, Q 10:46.77
18 Mooradian, Laura Niagara Olym,ON, ON 10:48.23
19 Gendron, Caroline Gatineau,Fqa, QC 11:05.38
My niece Faye ran a PB at Junior Nationals and finished up 6th. The up and coming runners of the future continue to impress with really fast times. Road and Track in Canada over the next ten years is going to be awesome.
Valley Royals Track & Field Club
Canadian Junior Track & Field Championships - 7/25/2008 to 7/27/2008
Abbotsford
Event 17 Women 3000 Meter Run
=======================================================================
Cdn Jr Champ: @ 9:26.12 1989 Lisa Harvey, Saskatoon
World Jr: ! 8:36.45 6/6/1993 Ningning Ma, China
BC Jr Open: ^ 9:12.39 8/16/1985 Brenda Shackleton, Canada
Cdn Jr Outdo: * 9:12.39 8/16/1985 Brenda Shackleton, Saint John Nb
Name Year Team Finals Points
=======================================================================
Finals
1 Jewett, Tamara UTTC,ON, ON 9:19.96
2 Carson, Lindsay Tri City Tra,ON, ON 9:25.96
3 Schaaf, Kendra Queen City S,SK, SK 9:29.46
4 Findlay, Paula Edmonton Thu,AB, AB 9:37.86
5 Furlan, Jessica Excel Athlet,SK, SK 9:44.19
6 Stenning, Faye U OF C Athle,AB, AB 9:47.97
7 Macpherson, Sarah Fast Tracks,NB, NB 10:06.20
8 Brasz, Deanna Niagara Olym,ON, ON 10:07.03
9 Fratczak, Victoria Unattached-A,NS, NS 10:10.44
10 Hanna, Victoria Toronto Olym,ON, ON 10:16.25
11 Kujawa, Kate Excel Athlet,SK, SK 10:18.57
12 Hoy, Karoline Lakehead Ath,ON, ON 10:20.03
13 Pieterson, Rebecca St. Thomas L,ON, ON 10:25.74
14 Mcivor, Laura F. Unattached-B,BC, BC 10:27.35
15 Tatlow, Nadia Caltaf Athle,AB, AB 10:29.06
16 Walkow, Samantha Ocean Athlet,BC, BC 10:34.97
17 Bélanger, Valérie Saguenay Lac,Fqa, Q 10:46.77
18 Mooradian, Laura Niagara Olym,ON, ON 10:48.23
19 Gendron, Caroline Gatineau,Fqa, QC 11:05.38
Tuesday, July 08, 2008
Race Results on the Weekend
I am a little behind in some updates on athletes but here it goes:
Angus Cowan ran the half marathon in part of his preparation toward Chicago Marathon. He posted a time of 1:27:27 and placed second in his age category 40-44.
Mike Chui ran a personal best in 41:22 which is close to a 2 minute PB. Mike said he was tired after. I know he has more in him.
I ran the 10k at well. Posting a time of 43:08. This was a test race for me and I am happy to say that I ran with the least amount of pain I have had. So I think I am mending well. However, I did think I was a lot fitter. My training has been going well for the last four weeks with my interval times slowly coming down. Hopefully, the clock will begin to show faster times. I definitely feel I have a sub-40 in me and know that I still have a fast 10km in me. I just need to have some consistent training in me.
Bart Ujack who has been training with Critical Speed did the Great White North Half Ironman and posted a time of 4:30:39. Bart was fourth overall in his age group. I am happy to have Bart returning to be coached by me and also helping him with the Kronos club. It will be an exciting next couple of years.
Also, nice racing by Speed Theory teammates Kyle Marcotte and Trevor Williams at Great White North as they were one, two with amazingly fast times.
Angus Cowan ran the half marathon in part of his preparation toward Chicago Marathon. He posted a time of 1:27:27 and placed second in his age category 40-44.
Mike Chui ran a personal best in 41:22 which is close to a 2 minute PB. Mike said he was tired after. I know he has more in him.
I ran the 10k at well. Posting a time of 43:08. This was a test race for me and I am happy to say that I ran with the least amount of pain I have had. So I think I am mending well. However, I did think I was a lot fitter. My training has been going well for the last four weeks with my interval times slowly coming down. Hopefully, the clock will begin to show faster times. I definitely feel I have a sub-40 in me and know that I still have a fast 10km in me. I just need to have some consistent training in me.
Bart Ujack who has been training with Critical Speed did the Great White North Half Ironman and posted a time of 4:30:39. Bart was fourth overall in his age group. I am happy to have Bart returning to be coached by me and also helping him with the Kronos club. It will be an exciting next couple of years.
Also, nice racing by Speed Theory teammates Kyle Marcotte and Trevor Williams at Great White North as they were one, two with amazingly fast times.
Monday, June 16, 2008
Results from the weekend
Duathlon Provincials were held on Sunday and I took a break from studying for my CMA exam to take part. I was okay with my race as I was far from being focused, and my injury is still causing me problems. However, the injury is coming along and I am able to get some good workouts in. My strength is not at a comfort level that I would like as I am experiencing inflammation in the last few kilometers of 10 kms of running. I also managed to only get on my Time Trial bike for the first time in a year on Thursday. Not exactly the way I like to be prepared. I was just uncomfortable on my bike and was struggling with the gearing compared to my R3. Oh well. In the end I can only say that I was happy to be out there and on top of it the sun was shinning. Tuesday is exam day and after that I expect to be having an awesome summer of running and riding my bikes! Oh and drinking wine and some beers too.
Mike Chui did his first duathlon as well. I think he did well. I told him to kick my butt and he did. So nice work.
WASA Triathlon- well what a gathering of the big boys with 14 guys going under two hours! Ryan Murray continues to impress and was the last guy to break 2 hours. This is the third year I have coached and worked with Ryan. At the end of last year he began to break through on both the run and bike. He continues to make improvements. Ryan has never broken 2 hours in the Triathlon and this was over a 3 minute personal best. Ryan commented that the conditions were perfect and he is continuing to surprise himself. Ryan has learned that part of being of great athlete is enjoying the process of training; that racing is the gift at the end; and that the measure is not the clock but what you feel at the end of the race.
Kyle Marcotte was third at WASA - now how the heck does an Ironman guy go so fast, particularly one who has trouble finding the pool! Frank, you need to get a swim coach. Your swimming is as good a mine! Grant and Bart nice work. Grant I know you trainied through this as your focus is in two weeks. Trevor- well you always do well.
Hats off to my niece, Faye Stenning who ran 9:55 3km this weekend. In May, at the Oregan Twilight, Faye ran 17:28 for 5km. She continues to get back her strength since her injury. She runs the Victoria Track Classic 5000m on Thursday and is fit to run high 16 to low 17.
All the Alberta gals did well!
2008 Kajaks International Track Classic - Results
Event 13 Women 3000 Metre
=======================================================================
Name Year Team Finals Points
=======================================================================
1 919 Metivier Baillie, Flagstaff, AZ 9:17.30
2 888 Jewett, Tamara Toronto, ON 9:23.45
3 927 O'Connell, Jessica Calgary, AB 9:25.92
4 865 Findlay, Paula Edmonton, AB 9:41.12
5 908 MacGregor, Meredit Surrey, BC 9:46.71
6 953 Stenning, Faye Calgary, AB 9:55.25
7 938 Reeve, Sabrina Langley, BC 10:04.87
8 950 Skinner, Shauna Victoria, BC 10:11.76
9 947 Schoch, Teegan Kelowna, BC 10:16.65
10 917 McIvor, Laura Burnaby, BC 10:20.72
11 946 Sask, Erin Calgary, AB 10:25.76
Mike Chui did his first duathlon as well. I think he did well. I told him to kick my butt and he did. So nice work.
WASA Triathlon- well what a gathering of the big boys with 14 guys going under two hours! Ryan Murray continues to impress and was the last guy to break 2 hours. This is the third year I have coached and worked with Ryan. At the end of last year he began to break through on both the run and bike. He continues to make improvements. Ryan has never broken 2 hours in the Triathlon and this was over a 3 minute personal best. Ryan commented that the conditions were perfect and he is continuing to surprise himself. Ryan has learned that part of being of great athlete is enjoying the process of training; that racing is the gift at the end; and that the measure is not the clock but what you feel at the end of the race.
Kyle Marcotte was third at WASA - now how the heck does an Ironman guy go so fast, particularly one who has trouble finding the pool! Frank, you need to get a swim coach. Your swimming is as good a mine! Grant and Bart nice work. Grant I know you trainied through this as your focus is in two weeks. Trevor- well you always do well.
Hats off to my niece, Faye Stenning who ran 9:55 3km this weekend. In May, at the Oregan Twilight, Faye ran 17:28 for 5km. She continues to get back her strength since her injury. She runs the Victoria Track Classic 5000m on Thursday and is fit to run high 16 to low 17.
All the Alberta gals did well!
2008 Kajaks International Track Classic - Results
Event 13 Women 3000 Metre
=======================================================================
Name Year Team Finals Points
=======================================================================
1 919 Metivier Baillie, Flagstaff, AZ 9:17.30
2 888 Jewett, Tamara Toronto, ON 9:23.45
3 927 O'Connell, Jessica Calgary, AB 9:25.92
4 865 Findlay, Paula Edmonton, AB 9:41.12
5 908 MacGregor, Meredit Surrey, BC 9:46.71
6 953 Stenning, Faye Calgary, AB 9:55.25
7 938 Reeve, Sabrina Langley, BC 10:04.87
8 950 Skinner, Shauna Victoria, BC 10:11.76
9 947 Schoch, Teegan Kelowna, BC 10:16.65
10 917 McIvor, Laura Burnaby, BC 10:20.72
11 946 Sask, Erin Calgary, AB 10:25.76
Sunday, June 01, 2008
Ryan Murray Captures his Ironman Canada Spot
A big congratulations to Ryan Murray who delivered and grabbed his Ironman Canada spot. Ryan has been training hard and over the last 2 weeks was fighting some knee issues which hampered his biking and running. However, he hung in there and got what he went to Oliver to get.
Nice work by Kyle Marcotte who ended up 3rd pro. By the look of the time and splits, Kyle had an awesome race.
Nice work by Kyle Marcotte who ended up 3rd pro. By the look of the time and splits, Kyle had an awesome race.
Thursday, May 15, 2008
Bare Bones Duathlon
It was a very windy and cool day as Ryan Murray, on his road bike without aerobars, faced off against a field of racers sported out in their time trial bikes to place third in his first crack at a duathlon.
1 1/15 M3539 70 Scott Tremblay | Kaleden | 4 17:10 3:26 | | 4 50:46 37.8 | | 1 17:39 3:32 | | 1:25:35 |
2 2/15 M3539 75 Andriy Yastrebov(DQ)| Penticton | 5 17:14 3:27 | | 7 51:43 37.1 | | 2 17:41 3:33 | | 1:26:38 |
3 1/12 M3034 59 Dallas Cain | Rossland | 12 18:19 3:40 | | 3 49:59 38.4 | | 6 18:39 3:44 | | 1:26:57 |
4 2/12 M3034 61 Ryan Murray | Calgary | 6 17:15 3:27 | | 9 52:01 36.9 | | 7 18:49 3:46 | | 1:28:05 |5 1/4 M2529 57 Nathan Champness | Vernon | 7 17:23 3:29 | | 10 52:09 36.8 | | 9 18:52 3:47 | | 1:28:24 |
1 1/15 M3539 70 Scott Tremblay | Kaleden | 4 17:10 3:26 | | 4 50:46 37.8 | | 1 17:39 3:32 | | 1:25:35 |
2 2/15 M3539 75 Andriy Yastrebov(DQ)| Penticton | 5 17:14 3:27 | | 7 51:43 37.1 | | 2 17:41 3:33 | | 1:26:38 |
3 1/12 M3034 59 Dallas Cain | Rossland | 12 18:19 3:40 | | 3 49:59 38.4 | | 6 18:39 3:44 | | 1:26:57 |
4 2/12 M3034 61 Ryan Murray | Calgary | 6 17:15 3:27 | | 9 52:01 36.9 | | 7 18:49 3:46 | | 1:28:05 |5 1/4 M2529 57 Nathan Champness | Vernon | 7 17:23 3:29 | | 10 52:09 36.8 | | 9 18:52 3:47 | | 1:28:24 |
Sunday, April 27, 2008
Police Half Marathon
Shari Boyle catches her breath after her first place finish for the women in the half marathon. She finished in a time of 1 hour, 22 minutes and 11 seconds.
Ted Rhodes, Calgary Herald
Hard work pays off for Ryan Murray, Shari Boyle and Mike Chui. Ryan ran 1:18:02 compared to the 1:20:13 he ran last year. Shari won the female division in 1:22:07 which is a new course record. Mike Chui ran 1:39:29 which is a huge improvement over his 1:41:49 last year. Looks like Mike's big mileage over the winter months rewarded him well!
All are kicking off the season with a bang! Nice work guys and let's continue to move forward.
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