2008 Ironman Louisville Race Report

I woke up for a 4:00am breakfast consisting of 2 bagels, 2 bananas, 1 Clif Bar and a bottle of Gatorade, about 800 calories in total. All chased down of course with the first caffeinated I had in a couple of months. We had only a small, relatively useless 2 cup coffee maker in our room, so a couple of days before I had bought a real coffee maker from Walmart. I had brought some Tim Horton’s coffee with me, both with and without caffeine. Definitely the way to go, that coffee maker will be henceforth considered a required piece of equipment for all future Ironman trips!
I sat in the dark and quiet hotel room and tried not to make too much noise while I ate. We planned on leaving the hotel for the transition area at 5:00am so the girls could sleep a little longer.

As I ate, I reflected on my 45 weeks of training, the sacrifices that my family has made for me to do this and the value of their love, encouragement and support. I For me race day has become a day to celebrate the hard work, effort and sacrifice. I remind myself to enjoy the day and take the time to live in the moment and enjoy it.

I think of Barb and how much I wish she was here beside me enjoying this day as a competitor and how important that we do what we can to help find a cure for MS.

I think of Holmes and I remember what he told me last year a couple of days before the race.

Jake,

Best of luck to you man.
And don't forget the most important thing... have fun! If that is possible, doing what you do !!
Just tell yourself that Louisville has had an outbreak of the plague and you have to escape as fast as possible, on your bike.

Take care, Love to all, Holmes


Transition Area 5:00am
We left the hotel on schedule at 5:00am and started the walk to the transition area. It was still pitch black and as we walked we were joined by many others making the same walk. As we got closer to the transition area we could hear the music playing and the announcer welcoming everyone to the race. The transition area didn’t seem too crowded, only later would we realize it was because most people had already been there and left for the swim start. The transition area is set up on what is called the Great Lawn in Louisville. It’s a huge grass park and was well lit up by several towers of lights. Tim and I passed through the security gate to find and check our bikes. Thankfully all of our tires were still inflated. The last thing you want is to arrive first thing in the morning to find that you have a flat before the race has even started. I carry an extra tube, CO2 cartridge and a flash light just in case. If I do have a flat, I don’t want to have to open the spares package that is already on the bike and have to take anything out of there that may be needed later in the day.

We loaded up the bikes with the Gatorade, water and gel flasks that we didn’t want to leave our overnight. I decided to check the air pressure in the tires and pump them up to the proper 120psi pressure. Always a tricky procedure, you have to be careful not to damage the valve and not to over inflate them. Once that was done we were ready to make our way to the swim start.

Swim 4000m

The walk to the swim start takes about 20 minutes. We walk down to the Tumbleweed restaurant along the road that runs parallel to the river. It’s a quiet walk. Most people seem to be deep in thought or concentrating on their race. Once we arrived at the start, the first thing we saw was the body markers. There must have been at least 50 or more of them all holding their sharpies high in the air to signify that they were ready for an athlete. I always like to scope them out a bit and make sure I’m getting one that’s doing a good job. I chose a women, asked her name and thanked her for volunteering. I asked if she was warmed up, she laughed and said she would be sure to do a perfect job. She was very careful and made sure my numbers were perfect. It is all about how you look remember!

Ironman Louisville has a unique swim start. All other Ironman races are a mass swim start, with all 2000+ athletes starting at the same time. It can be messy and you can expect to get kicked and elbowed plenty until you are able to find some clear space to swim in. Because of the current last year, Louisville changed to a single file, time trial start, which means that everyone lines up single file and enters the water. As each athlete enters the water, their individual timing chip is activated and their clock starts. They maintained the same format for this year’s race.

I thought that we were going to be early enough to up close to the start of the line. Wrong! We couldn’t believe it, there were at least 1500 people already in the line. We were so far back that we couldn’t even hear the announcer, music or the starting gun. We were in line by 6:00am and there’s nothing left to do but make sure you have everything for the swim and sit down on the side walk to wait our turn to get in the water. Steph made the walk down with us and was able to take our pre-race clothes and shoes back with her to the transition area. If you didn’t have anyone with you, you were supplied with a green bad with your name and number on it. Volunteers were going up and down the line collecting bags from people. They would be transported to the finish line where you could pick them up later.

We eventually started to move, initially perhaps more from the family and friends moving out of the line than anything else and by 7:20am were moving right along. The closer we got to the start the faster the line moved until we were right there. The final stretch is along a dock right on the river, it was littered with water and Gatorade bottles and a volunteer was at the end of the dock re-applying people’s numbers as they had already begun to fade on some people because of the sweat and sunscreen. Tim and I shook hands and wished each other luck while we pulled on our swim caps and goggles. People were jumping into the water 2 or 3 at a time, as soon as the way was clear, off you go. We ran across the timing mat and jumped into the water.

We had gone to one of the practice swims on Friday morning so I knew the water was warm. They said it was 83 degrees and it felt a little cooler than it did last year. I wore a Zoot Speed Suit that I bought at the expo over my bike shorts. It is a neoprene/lycra suit that starts as a tank top and goes to just below the knees. It provides no buoyancy, but provides a very slippery surface for the water to travel over. I felt great swimming, it seemed almost effortless. Although we swim up the channel into the current between Towhead Island and the mainland and then beyond for about one third of the total 4000m distance, I really didn’t feel that I was swimming into a current.

With the staggered start, it was easy for everyone to stay clear of each other and swim their own pace. Eventually we made the turn down river and started the home stretch. I was trying to keep a little further out into the middle of the river. The current is stronger out there and I wanted to make the most of whatever was there. The swim went by quickly and before I knew it we were at the swim exit. They bolt a large set of metal stairs onto to the concrete river wall and volunteers stand, some right in the water, on the stairs to help pull the athletes up and onto the stairs. Once out of the water I jogged up the ramp, across the small bridge and down the other side into the transition area. I saw Lizzie and Alex at the fence waving to me, I tossed my swim cap to Lizzie on the way by and said hi.

I felt a little dizzy, it’s hard not to after anywhere from 3000 to 3500 freestyle swim strokes and you’re a bit water logged. As they see you coming into the transition area, volunteers are calling out your number ahead so that they have your swim to bike transition bag ready for you to grab as you run by them. I grabbed my bag and ran into the changing tent. It’s a large tent, would probably hold a 100 + people and it is lined with chairs and it was full of athletes and volunteers when I arrived. I got a chair, opened my bag and dumped everything out onto the grass in front of me.

As I started to get my Zoot Suit off and get all my cycling gear on a volunteer arrived immediately. “What can I do to help?” he asked as he started to gather up my goggles and swim suit to put back into the empty bag. He helped me pull my tri top down, not an easy task when you’re all wet and when I was ready to go he told me he’d make sure all my swim gear got back into the bag and would take the bag for me. He pointed me in the right direction, reminded me to stop at the sunscreen station and have a great race!

Outside the other end of the tent there were three people with a can of spray sunscreen in each hand spraying down the athletes as they ran out of the tent. Next step is to get your bike. I had memorized the row that mine was in and approximately how far down the line it was. I’ve actually seen people running all over the place looking for their bike. Their wife or friends on the other side of the fence yelling, ‘it’s over there”. Not a pretty site! I found my bike, squeezed the front and rear tires to make sure they were still inflated, grabbed my bike off the rack and stated running for the bike exit. Once past the safety line painted on the road, you can mount your bike and off you go.

Bike 180km

The first 12 miles of the bike course is flat as it runs along the Ohio River. It’s a chance to settle down after the swim, get dried off and ready for the rest of the day. My goal was to average 27.7 kph which would give me a bike time of XXXXX. I knew that because of the nature of then course, I probably wouldn’t hit that until the last 20 miles. Again it was easy to ride as the field was so spread out by the staggered start. The first hill comes at about the 12 mile mark and reminds everyone that it will be like this for the rest of the way.

I rode conservatively and kept my heart rate under 140 as much as I could. We hit the out and back section and I really enjoyed the almost 1 mile downhill part. Last year I saw an accident at the bottom of the hill and it was no different this year. There was an ambulance there and they were attending to a female athlete who had crashed close to the bottom of the hill. It was first of many ambulances we were to see that day! At the bottom of that hill we start a 1 mile climb to the turn around and then back down the hill again. Sure enough, another crash and another ambulance. This one looked like it involved 4 or 5 cyclists.

After completing the out and back we join the30 mile LeGrange loop, so named for the town of LeGrange it passes though. This loop is completed twice and contains most of the hills on the course. There are aid stations every 10 to 12 miles and I was determined not to stop this year as I had last year. I was drinking plenty of Gatorade and water. My strategy was to drink 2 bottles of Gatorade between each aid station, about half a bottle of water and one power bar each hour. I was taking one electrolyte capsule each hour and switched to gels and bananas for hours 3 to 6. I wanted to get the power bars in and digested while my digestive system was still functioning well. In addition I took 2 eight hour Tylenols and a caffeine pill at mile 60. The Bike was hot and windy and I had forgotten how hilly it was. Last year I rode with a 27 gear and decided this year to try it with a 25 gear as my biggest gear. It worked out well, I didn’t miss the 27 and was able to keep my heart rate in check with the 25. Essentially I was going faster with the same effort, a result of an additional year of training.

I was taking in a lot of fluid and started to feel the need to pee. Last year I stopped 4 times to use the facilities and this year I was determined to pee on the bike to save time. When I had to go, I checked behind me and made sure no one was close to me, and let it go. Most of it seemed to trail off behind me but each time some was travelling down my legs and ending up in my shoe. I was dumping at least one or two bottles of water over myself every 45 minutes or so, so it was all washed away, but some of that water was also making its way into my shoes.

I was really glad to finally get to the end of my second loop and be able to make the turn for home, instead of turning to start another loop. The wind was at our back for the final 20 miles and it is mostly downhill. I felt really strong and I was riding at 35kph plus on most of that stretch. I watched my average speed climb from the 27’s to 28 and finally to 28.5. At the 110 mile marker I checked my pace sheet and saw that I was 6 minutes ahead of where I planned to be at that time. We arrived back at the transition area and I handed my bike off to one of the bike catchers to put back into its spot. The bike performed flawlessly. I had been a little concerned about the rear derailleur and early on Saturday morning I had taken it to the bike technicians at Inside Out Sports for an adjustment. Best thing I could have done. I must have made thousands of gear changes on that course and everyone was perfect.

Run 26mi

I felt great and I ran down the hill toward the transition bags, again volunteers were calling out number and someone had my bag in hand as I ran by. Back into the tent I found a chair and dumped out my run gear in front of me. A volunteer was there instantly with a cup of water and a cup of Gatorade. “Hey Chris, how was your ride?” he asked. Good, good I said as I got my helmet and bike shoes off. I pulled on my running shoes, moved my race number to the front and ran off.
We ran across the bridge to Indiana before starting the out and back section of the run. For the first few miles I felt like I had a rock in my stomach. Too much undigested food and Gatorade I suspected, so I decide to take in only water for the first few miles. Gradually I started to feel better and was able to run in a reasonably good fashion.

At mile 6 I thought I felt a pebble in my shoe. By mile 8, it hurt and I had to stop and look. I pulled off my shoe and sock and couldn’t find anything. I put it all back on and starting running again. At mile 10 I couldn’t take it, so I stopped again and took them off and look. A volunteer came over to me, I think she saw that I was a bit unsteady on my feet and didn’t want to see me fall over. She asked me if she could help and I told her the problem. She grabbed my sock out of my hand, I told her ‘you don’t want to touch that!’. Oh don’t worry she said, I’m a nurse, believe me I’ve touched a lot worse things. She felt through my sock and couldn’t find anything. Again I put it all back on and started running again. The problem was because I was running in wet socks, I was developing a blister on the bottom of my foot. Over the course of the next 3 miles I started getting blisters in multiple places on both feet.

By mile 15 it hurt too much to run and I was walking. Over the next 11 miles the best I could do was a run/walk combination that included more walk than run each mile. Otherwise I felt great. I was so disappointed. Had I been able to maintain even a slow pace I could have beaten my last year’s time of 13:02. Eventually I made it back and to see the crowds and hear the noise at 4th Street was incredible. No matter what I was going to run down the final 100 meters and through the finish line. It truly has to be one of greatest finish lines in ironman racing. Once through the finish line a volunteer places the medal around your neck and asks a few simple questions to make sure you’re alright. They get you a bottle of Gatorade, a space blanket and a bag containing your finishers shirt and hat. Everyone met me at the exit and once the volunteer knows someone is there to take you, they release you.

Lesson learned, wet socks cause blisters. I knew that and should have been prepared for it. An oversight on my part, pure and simple. Afterwards I thought of several things I could have done had I realized what was going to happen. I could have gone with no socks for the run, I probably would have blistered , but not to the extent I did and probably could have run through the marathon. I could have asked in the T2 tent if anyone had an extra pair of socks they weren’t going to use. I’m sure they would have come flying through the air in my direction. I could have gone 50 meters to the Inside Out Sports booth and they would have given me a pair. I could have used body glide, blister pads, or even duct tape to keep the blisters from forming as fast as they did.

I ended up finishing at 13:15, :13 minutes behind last year. I have registered for next year and will be back to get that 12:30 finish I know I have in me. All in all we had a great time and it was a great experience.

To my beautiful girls, Steph, Katie and Lizzie, I can’t thank you enough for putting up with me, your love, support and encouragement fuel my endurance and I could never do this without you. To everyone that supported my MS fundraising, thank you so much. Each donation, no matter the amount, gave me a renewed sense of purpose and a well needed boost. In 2 years we’ve now raised close to $20,000. To my partner Tim, you rock dude, training with you and watching your progress was inspirational and you should be proud to have completed your first Ironman in such a great time.

Happy Birthday Holmes, We Love You

To My Brother by John Keats

Small, busy flames play through the fresh-laid coals,
And their faint cracklings o'er our silence creep
Like whispers of the household gods that keep
A gentle empire o'er fraternal souls.

And while for rhymes I search around the poles,
Your eyes are fixed, as in poetic sleep,
Upon the lore so voluble and deep,
That aye at fall of night our care condoles.

This is your birthday, Tim, and we rejoice
That thus it passes smoothly, quietly:
Many such eves of gently whispering noise
May we together pass, and calmly try
What are this world's true joys,—ere the great Voice
From its fair face shall bid our spirits fly.

Back Home!!

Hi Everyone,

We arrived back home last night at 10pm after leaving Louisville at 10am. Other than a 1 hour delay on 75, we had an easy trip home. Especially for me, since Steph was driving most of the way!

We had an awesome time in Louisville! The race went very well for both Tim and I. Tim finished his first Ironman in just over 14 hours, in tough conditions. Good job Buddy! It was a hot day, 93 degress and windy on the bike course. I got in at 13:15. I didn't beat my time from last year of 13:02, but more on that and the race and later.

Thanks to everyone who supported my MS fundraising efforts this year. Together we raised a total of $11,230. That's amazing. Our combined 2 year total is now just under $20,000.

This. Is. Ironman.

You start the day thinking it is your race. Your race, and yours alone.
Because this is Ironman.

You train alone, you race alone. There's really no team, largely no crew, often no partners, frequently no cheering section, definitely no groupies. There's just you a bicycle and running shoes facing the prospect of miles and miles and miles and miles and miles and miles, in all conditions and in all weather. Just you...all alone.

Because this is Ironman.

It is with this in the mind that you tell yourself that you must turn yourself within. To marshal your strength for the challenge you are about to face. To concentrate on your own energies. To focus.

So you exclude everyone and everything. In the morning, in the darkness, in the cold, you arise alone, you eat alone, you warmup alone. At the race start, in transition, you talk to no one, look at no one, pass by no one. It's not worth the effort, or the time, you tell yourself, not worth the expenditure of self to reach out to the others around you. Too many people, too many cultures, too many creeds, too many languages, too many competitors. It's not worth it. Not right here, not right now. It's your race, and yours alone.

Because this is Ironman.

But then the gun goes off, and the race begins, and then, with all the force and all the power and all the overwhelming of the senses that comes with the reality of the distance, the truth reveals itself, and makes itself known to you. As stark and simple and strong as is anything of significance.

Because this is Ironman.

The truth reveals itself, in the beginning, when the day is most uncertain, in the teeming mass of bodies in the water, collectively thrashing their way over and around and under and through each other in packs and lines and streams of motion weaving their way to the light of morning. There are no words spoken, nothing given, save for the sharing of this time.

The truth reveals itself, in the midst, when the day is at its thickest, as riders murmur greetings of communion, exchanging recognition of the long course that is their common road. It extends further, so far as athletes stopping to attend to fallen competitors, and providing the aid of sustenance or the act of treatment or the assistance of a spare tube or the accompaniment of nothing more than a few sympathetic words of encouragement to continue on. And even as words may be lost in language, there is still the understanding of meaning, the knowledge of intent, and the persistent sharing of this moment.

The truth reveals itself, at the end, when day is reaching its conclusion, with people stumbling, shuffling, limping in the last stretch to the finish. It arises, and is realized, in the reassuring pat on the back, a comforting grasp on the shoulder, and goes so far as to staying with someone as they struggle to walk or guiding them as they start to wander. And although words may fail, they are still raised by voices, across the divide of tongues, so as to become supreme songs of meaning, sung by all the souls sharing this experience.

Because this is Ironman.

And at the finish you finally see.

There are people everywhere. Everyone. Everything. All together. Talking, looking, and passing by and shaking hands and grasping arms and hugging close in laughter and in tears and in triumph and in joy, even though they've never seen or spoken or known each other before today, or can even understand a single word that that any one of them is uttering to one another.For them, it's worth the effort, the time, the expenditure, to reach out beyond themselves to others around them. To other people, other cultures, other creeds, other languages, other competitors. It's worth it.

Especially here, especially now.

In the way that only something earned with all the force and all the power and all the overwhelming of the senses that comes with the reality of the distance ever can be.In the way that only a truth as stark and as simple and as strong as is anything of supreme significance ever can be.

And you end the day knowing that it is not your race...certainly not yours alone. It never was.
It is everyone's race, and everyone's together. Because.

Because this is Ironman.

It’s all over…but the crying!!

Everything has been checked and double checked. The bike and transitions bags are checked into the transition area and will be well guarded over tonight. The last carbo meal has been eaten and our Gatorade levels have been checked and topped off. Now it’s off to bed, hopefully to get some sleep and not spend the night nervously tossing and turning!

We stopped by the finish line to have a look where we will be running down 4th Street Live. It is a really exciting finish line, thousand of people, the lights, the music and the final reward…to hear Mike Reilly say Chris MacMillan…you’re an Ironman! Pic’s are from the bike check in and finish line.

Friday!!!

We went for a practice swim this morning and I was pleasantly surprised. The water temperature is noticeable lower than last year. The water was 84 degrees last year and felt like a bathtub and at that temperature you risk over hearing before your day has even begun. Today they announced that it was 83 degrees, but it felt cooler to me. Also there was almost no current! Again, last year the current was so strong they had to change the swim configuration. All in all, it was a great swim, about 30 minutes and about 1 mile. They were lots of people there and Gatorade was giving away product and bottles, while they watched your gear. The weather is very warm and it is looking like race day will be sunny and 90!

This afternoon Tim and I went for a short 30 minute run and I took the bike in to a local shop for a quick rear derailleur adjustment. On this bike course the gear changes will number in the thousands and this is not the place to have anything but a perfectly functioning drive train. The local shop was great, did it while I watched and asked for only $5 for their time. I gave them a nice tip. I took the bike out for a half hour ride just to make sure everything was perfect, it was!

Tonite we attended the athlete’s briefing where the race director goes over the race course and rules in detail and answers all questions. It’s held in one of the Galt Hotel ball rooms and was one of four meeting held over Friday / Saturday. The Welcome Dinner was tonight and we had a great time. They introduced the oldest and youngest competitors (18 and 65) and asked for people that lost weight while training the Ironman to stand up. The MC went through them all until the last guy standing was a fellow that lost 160lbs. Amazing. They showed the Ford Ironman videos and got everyone pumped up.

Tomorrow is bike check in day and time to get serious about getting everything organized for Sunday morning. We are making sure to stay well hydrated and putting extra salt on anything we eat.

In Louisville

We arrived safe and sound on Wednesday afternoon, we made the trip in 12 hours and had no problems with floods, detours or traffic this year! We got settled in at the Hyatt and took a walk on 4th street to get a bit to eat. It’s still pretty quiet and you can tell that Ironman hasn’t hit town yet!

On Thursday morning there were athletes and bikes everywhere. We registered on Thursday morning and did a short ride on the out and back section of the bike course. The weather is hot and sunny, but not nearly as humid as it was last year.
Part of the registration process was a body analysis. My weight is 147lbs, body fat 5%, I am 61.2% water and I have 133 pounds of muscle. My visceral fat rating is 4, my bone mass is 7 and my metabolic age if 12. It will be interesting to compare these to next years stats.

Sue and Ted arrived on Thursday afternoon and we met them at a buffet restaurant in Indiana called the Golden Corral. Friday morning is the first practice swim, so we’ll be out in the river for the first swim we’ve had in a few days. Today is the day to get everything organized for the race, the transition bags, race gear, clothing etc etc etc!!! Tonight is the welcome dinner and tomorrow the bike check in. It’s getting closer!!

Race Numbers Are Up!!

My race number for Ironman Kentucky is 2053

Real time athlete tracking can be found at:
http://ironman.com/events/ironman/louisville/?show=tracker&rid=164&year=2008

Live video of the race can also be viewed at
http://ironman.com/coverage/?race=louisville&year=2008

If you have trouble with either link, just go to the Ironman Louisville home page and you will find links to both areas.

Thank You All...

I am absolutely overwhelmed by the generosity of the people that are supporting me in my MS fundraising. To all of you that have made a donation, on behalf of everyone affected by MS, I truly thank you for contributing to such a worthy cause.

We leave for Louisville tomorrow morning and we are aiming to get on the road by 5:30am. This should put us in Louisville sometime around 6pm. We’ll get checked in and settled in at the Hyatt and I’m sure we’ll be checking out the pool and fitness facilities in short order!

Wednesday Sue & Ted arrive and we’ll all get our bearings go for a drive around the bike course. Registration opens on Thursday and we’ll go to the practice swim. Time will go very quickly and before we know it, it will be Sunday morning and we’ll be off. The weather forecast for this week is mid 80’s and 90 and partly cloudy for race day. Perfect!

Formulating a Race Day Strategy

It's now only eleven days out from Ironman Louisville. At this time next week we will have arrived in Louisville and will be preparing for the race on the 31st. I not nervous, having completed it last year and I feel confident and excited. And after 46 weeks of continuous training, I feel ready. There's a certainty that comes with good training, and that is that race day surprises will be minimized! Training is a process by which as many questions as possible are answered before the race and as few as possible during the race.

Many say that successful Ironman competition is based not only on fitness, but almost as importantly on race day execution. The fittest and strongest athlete in the field can be reduced to rubble if they don’t execute a strategic and well planned race. Race expectations and an individual’s potential can only be realized by implementing a smart race strategy.

One of the greatest attributes of any successful Ironman athlete is patience. Whether you plan on finishing before sunset or not until midnight, it’s a long day. And it’s a heck of a lot longer if you don’t pace yourself properly. Patience and pacing are key to a successful race strategy.

It’s often said that the real Ironman doesn’t begin until the last 30 miles of the bike. Given that up until that point, even the top pros have already been racing for nearly 4 hours, that’s a long time to hold yourself back. Yet that is exactly what’s required to race as well as you are capable of. Often, this means that you’ll have to let people pass you during the first half of the bike, even though you know you’re just as good — if not better — of a cyclist. For the whole first loop, you should feel like you’re going too easy. You’re not really going easy, of course, but rather just staying well within your aerobic zone (a pace at which it should be easy for you to maintain a casual conversation).

Going slower than you think you’re capable of can be frustrating, especially since after our taper, you’ll have fresh, rested legs on race day. But by taking it easy during the first 80 miles of the bike, you’ll not only have saved your legs for the hills on the second loop, but you’ll be able to run a much faster marathon than if you had pushed too hard early on in the bike. Just as important, you’ll get a huge psychological boost from the fact that you’ll be passing a huge amount of people during the last 2 hours of the bike who went out much too hard and are paying the price just when you’re starting to feel your strongest.

How to Pronounce it!!

OK for everyone that's coming along here's some tips on the correct way to pronounce Louisville!

“Lou-IS-ville“: You are NOT from around here, nor have you ever visited. In fact, you probably don’t know anyone that has ever visited. Technically still correct, but it ain’t going to earn you extra helpings. . .(not that you’ll need them in these parts.

“Loo-ey-ville”: Nice try. Definitely better than the previous one, but you’re still not from around here. Could be from Canada, or something.

“Luh-a-vull”: Almost.

“Luh-vull”: Good chance you were born within 100 miles of here. Absolutely no more than 1 degree of separation between you and someone who drives a big truck with mud flaps and a gun rack.

See y’all in Kentucky!

MS Bike Tour to pass through Milton This Weekend

Cyclists of all ages and abilities will pedal for a cure in the RONA MS Bike Tour this weekend. They're set to pass through Milton Saturday on their way from the Brampton Fairgrounds to the University of Waterloo for an overnight stay.

Then it's back to Brampton the next day, for a total 190-km roundtrip. The MS Society anticipates that about 550 cyclists will take part, raising more than $45,000for multiple sclerosis. And, there's still time to register for the event. The idea is to raise pledges for the ride -- with cyclists eligible for a variety of prizes based on amount raised.

The proceeds will fund research into the cause and cure of multiple sclerosis, as well as provide services to people with MS, and their families. "People take part in the RONA MS Bike Tours for a variety of reasons," said Yves Savoie, president and chief executive of the MS Society of Canada, and president of the MS Society's Ontario division, in a press release. "It's a great way to get outside on your bike and take in some beautiful scenery while raising funds for a very important cause." For more information or to sign up, call 1-800-268-7582 or visit www.mssociety.ca.

I Know What Holmes Would Say....

He'd say something like this, "Jake don't you think you better get your sh#t together, your race thing's coming up, and how much did you pay for that bike again?"

It's true, life goes on. As hard as it may seem at times, it really does. And I know that the last thing Holmes would want is for any of us to be too sad for too long.

So time to soldier on and get my sh#t together for Louisville. It's what Holmes would have wanted.

Trying to Train...

I managed a short run yesterday of 4.5 miles, but my legs still feel tired from the weekend and I got back to the pool for a swim last night. Tim had done his final long ride of 180k earlier in the day so he wasn't coming to the pool and I was on my own. Swam 2500m and called it a day. As I look out my office window, it raining again, no surprise there. I'll try to get a treadmill run in today as I'll be busy over the next couple of days and have fallen off the schedule over the last 10 days. Hopefully the weather will improve and I can get out on the bike for some good miles on Fri/Sat/Sun.

Thinking of Holmes

I struggled through my last long ride on Saturday with thoughts and memories of Holmes constantly in my mind. It still seems unreal and I sometimes break out in tears just thinking about him. It is the first loss of this kind that we have suffered as a family and I’m sure it’s going to be a long time before we all get back to feeling normal again.

I needed to do a 180k ride, but with a lack of motivation combined with cool weather and having to ride in the rain for 2 hours did me in. I packed it in and headed for home after 140k. I didn’t do a brick run afterwards. Just wanted to lie on the couch and watch the Olympics with K&E. Last week I put on a new set of tires for the IM, Michelin Pro Race3’s, on Saturday I had 2 flats. I rode over 3000km’s this year on Verderstein tires and never had a flat. I may out them back on for the race. Not sure about those Michelins.

Sunday was the last day to run long…so I did a 16 miler. Again the weather was cool and rainy and I got wet again. I had planned to do a 4000m swim earlier on Sunday morning, but ended up doing only 1500m. The pool was crowded and I wasn’t swimming very well so instead struggling through it, I threw in the towel.

Well the good news is that the hard training is over and the taper starts today. Basically we have 2 more weeks here before we head off to Louisville for the week before the race.

Holmes MacMillan 1963 - 2008

We have all been shocked and saddened this week by passing of our much loved Holmes as a result of a recent brain injury. No words can describe the feeling of loss we are experiencing and are doing our best to remember all of Tim's wonderful traits and to be thankful for the time we spent together.

Hope for MS sufferers as Scottish scientist nears breakthrough

An Edinburgh scientist is nearing a breakthrough that will revolutionize the treatment of Multiple Sclerosis and change the lives of generations of future sufferers.

Edinburgh University's Professor Charles French-Constant, whose work has largely been funded with £2 million from the author JK Rowling, below, is working on a way of using stem cells to halt the deterioration of sufferers.

He is carrying out tests on mice and rats to try to find a way of using the cells to repair damage to the brain. Combined with the earliest possible detection of MS in patients, Prof French-Constant's work offers the best hope of eradicating its devastating effect on patients.

He recently appeared in a documentary made by journalist and MS sufferer Elizabeth Quigley, who sees his tests as a possible "cure", although sadly for future generations rather than herself. Prof French-Constant, head of the Edinburgh University Centre for Translational Research, is reluctant to talk so boldly, but is confident that progress can be made in combating the disease which affects about 10,000 Scots.

He said: "We need to identify targets – molecules that contribute to the repair process in the brain. We have identified one interesting new candidate and are progressing with that, as well as trying to identify others."Once we have a positive target we have to see if it is present in patients with MS, we can't assume that just because it's worked on rats and mice.

This means a treatment being available to patients in the UK is likely to be ten or 15 years away, although, for many people living with a history of MS in their family that will be a comforting thought.

Where MS comes from and what triggers it remains a mystery, but it is believed to be at least partly hereditary. It is sometimes known as the "Scottish disease" as this country has the highest concentration in the world. It can also be found abroad in areas which have a large Scottish community. Countries with similar latitude to Scotland also have high rates of MS, suggesting that temperature or sunlight could be a factor, and childhood illnesses are also common among sufferers who develop MS in later life.

Officially in for IM USA 2009

Well, I made it official today and I completed my registration for IM USA 2009 over the internet today. 363 days until we'll be in Lake Placid for the Ironman, hopefully a better day than this year's race. For a wrap up of the race click here.


Yesterday I did a 100 mile ride, 10 mile run brick work out. The ride was tough, I had a headache and just never seemed to get comfortable. Again I had a head wind to deal with on the way home. I had intended to go 112 miles, but when I got up to Beaverton the skies looked very dark and I thought I was really going to get it, so I decided to turn around a bit early and head for home. Once home I took a few minutes and then headed out for the run. The run went well and once I turned East, I finally had the wind at my back so I decided to take advantage of it and go a bit further than I had planned and get a 10 miler in. Later looking back at my log for the last two years, it was the longest brick I've ever completed, and it felt like it!

Today starts off two weeks of the highest volume training, I will try to get in a minimum of 20 hours each week for the next two weeks before the taper begins. The only thing that is bothering me is a mortons neuroma on the bottom of my right foot. It starts to hurt after three hours of so on the bike and really flares up on the run. It is a over use injury of a nerve bundle in that area of the foot and when it gets going, it feels like someone is sticking a hot poker into the bottom of your foot. I've been using Tylenol to keep it under control and I'm hoping that the taper will allow it to rest and heal up enough to not make an appearance in Louisville.

The weather is haeting up in Louisville, 95 degrees forecast for tomorrow!

Click Here for a Lake Placid Slide Show

I'm in for 2009 Lake Placid !!

Great Weekend But a Wet Race in Lake Placid

Just back from the weekend in Lake Placid. We arrived on Saturday around noon and after checking into our motel in Tupper Lake we headed for Lake Placid. Tupper Lake is about a 40 minute drive, but it was the only place left after I left it to late to get into someplace closer.

We scouted out the bike course and I rode a section on from Jay to Keene. It was hot and sunny and a bit steamy from some rain earlier in the day. It down hill all the way into Keene and after riding back up, I decided to do it again. Spent about 2 hours riding and got good look at that part of the course.

On Sunday morning we got up early and got back to the race site for the swim start, I’ve never seen a mass swim start at an Ironman and since I’m planning on doing this one next year, I thought it would be a good idea to see if it is as bad as everyone makes it out to be. The sky was over cast and it looked like rain. The swim start is fairly wide and it looked like people were lined up 10 to 15 deep and when the gun went off it looked pretty messy for the first few minutes. It seemed that a lot of people held back for a couple of minutes until the melee had passed. The swim is held in Mirror Lake and the conditions are perfect there. The lake was as smooth as a mirror, no waves, no currents, well marked and a 2 loop swim. This is the kind of swim that you will not be doing any off course swims.

That was as dry as those poor athletes were going to get that day. It started raining before most people had gotten on their bikes and it rained all day! Sometimes harder than other, but it was dreary and raining all day. I gotta hand it to anyone that took part in that, spectators included.

45 Days and Counting….So Much to Do!

Wow it is hard to believe that Louisville will be here in 45 days…or we’ll be in Louisville. It’s crunch time! The next 3 weeks will be heaviest training and this is the time to build strength and endurance for the Ironman. Lot’s to do on the bike in the next few weeks. Fine tuning of my position and lot’s of tweaking with everything else.

I’m starting now to formulate nutrition, hydration and pacing strategies for the race. I watched an interesting video cast from Endurance Nation yesterday where Patrick McCann talked about using your Garmin to follow a pace schedule for the marathon. Basically the first 3 to 6 miles are at a very easy pace, an all day long pace as he put it. Once the legs have adjusted to running, use the Garmin to pick up the pace to what he calls an easy pace, a pace that you can run comfortably at and use the Garmin to hold that pace through to the end. The thinking being that although the pace may seem too easy in miles 7 and 8, by mile 18 it will begin to get harder and harder to maintain that pace. That’s the time to use the Garmin to stay on track. If I do well, I’ll pass a lot of runners in the second half of the marathon. It is in the later stages of the marathon, where you see lot’s of people walking and if you can keep up a good pace, you’ll really move up.

Really looking forward to being in Lake Placid this weekend for Ironman USA. It will be great to get out on the bike course and do a loop to see what I’ll be in store for next year!

Ahhh….PEI!

What a great vacation! Thanks Grammie for letting us all invade your beautiful and peaceful Inn for too short a while. It was so great to be in PEI, if you’ve never been, go. It was great to see all our friends on the Island and I was sorry that we didn’t get to spend more time with them. The weather was absolutely amazing for PEI, sometimes with PEI, you take what you get, this time however the weather was outstanding, hot and sunny every day. We even had a humidex reading a few days, very unusual for PEI. It made for some great rides and some great runs. I didn’t swim, but I did get some great miles in on the road.

As I’m writing this, I’m fogged in! I was expecting a sunny morning when I got up, but it looks like we won’t see the sun until the afternoon. So I may need to push my long ride to Sunday. I need to get going on the bike and build up some strength. The countdown is now 50 days to IM Louisville! Yikes, that’s getting close. Basically 7 weeks to go, minus 3 weeks for taper and that leaves only 4 weeks of training time left. I’ve really got to make the best of it to beat my time from last year.

This weekend I’m off to Lake Placid to register for next year’s Ironman USA. I’ll take the bike and will ride one lap of the bike course on Saturday before watching the race on Sunday and then registering on Monday morning.

Happy Canada Day from PEI

We are in beautiful, sunny PEI for our annual vacation. Grammie has never looked better and the Inn is as warm and cozy as ever. It rained like crazy for the entire drive from Toronto, but the weather has been fabulous since we arrived. I was able to get a great run in yesterday; from New Glasgow up to Cavendish and back, lot's of hills! Today I got out on the bike for a 55k ride, a tune up before the real riding starts later this week. We attended the annual North Rustico Canada Day Parade today and will be going back over later for the fireworks.

Muskoka Triathlon 2008

What a great weekend. We headed up to Muskoka for the 2k/55k/15k Muskoka triathlon on Saturday around noon. We went directly to the check in and got all squared away so we wouldn’t have to do it on Sunday am. We met up with our swimming buddy Marty at the check in and he was a little nervous. This was his first try at this distance and it is a tough course with a lot of steep hills on the bike and a few rollers on the run. Saturday night we again, after last year, had the pleasure of staying at Tim’s Mom’s beautiful home just outside Huntsville. Tim’s Sister Chris and family came over for a great homemade spaghetti dinner and we had a great time.

Early to bed around 9:30 in anticipation of a 5:00am wake up! We did the obligatory stop at the Tim’s for breakfast and then off to the race site to set up. We were early and so had lot’s of time to get everything perfectly placed in the transition area. It was a beautiful cloudless morning and the lake/river was very calm. Eventually we made our way down to the swim start and got our wetsuits on. A couple of days before I had tried on my almost brand new 2XU wetsuit and boy, was it tight. I could have done the swim in it, but it wouldn’t have been comfortable. I had given Tim my Quintana Roo suit and it was a bit big on him, so the night before the race I had him try the 2XU and I tried on the QR, much better, the 2XU suit fit him better and I was happy about that.

The gun went off and we were swimming. The swim went well for me, always great to be in a wetsuit! I was off course a couple of times, but I felt good the whole way. I was 39:56 for the swim, about 30 secs faster than last year. Tim was finished in 46:47 which was a good swim for him, especially since it was his first tri, first open water swim and first time in a wetsuit! After a quick transition into the bike we were off. The bike went well for me for the first 10k. At that point I shifted to my small chaining for the first time and the chain fell off and jammed between the crank arm and the frame. Dam…I tried to get it back on by moving the deralllier, but it just would not un stick, so I had no choice but to stop and do it by hand. OK, fixed…not so lucky from that point on the chain was skipping every turn of the cranks and changing gears at random. It was like someone was changing gears whenever they wanted, on top of that it was making noise that was embarrassing, it sounded like I had no clue what I was doing!

I had to ride this way to the finish, twice on long hills I had to turn around and coast to the bottom of the hill after the chain had dropped off again and then ride back up the hill! So much for beating my bike split from last year. I was just waiting for the chain to break for the rest of the way back. I ended up 1:57:46 about 2 minutes slower than last year. I saw Tim on the out and back section and he looked good. His plan was to ride at his target heart rate and stay in his target zone. He did well and finished the bike in 2:01:47.

Finally back at the transition area, I did a sub 1 minute change (tied for 2nd fastest in the race!!) I guess I was just so happy to be off the bike! My run was the highlight of the race for me. After a couple of kilometers of running I caught up with a relay runner that was running at a 4:50/km pace and I stuck with her to the turnaround point. She was leaving for IM Cord A’Lene the next weekend. She sped up for the second half and I kept up the pace for the rest of the way. I finished the run in 1:14:04 and held a pace of 4:57/km, which for me is very fast. Again I saw Tim on the out and back section and he looked good. We quickly said hi and were off. The thought of him trying to catch me kept me motoring for the rest of the way back! He was only maybe a km or so back and knew if he thought he could he’d run me down!! Tim finished in 1:14:49, close. I know next year after his biking improves, it will be a lot closer, and I’ll have to work my butt off to stay ahead of him! With that great run, I ended up with a 3:54:20 finish about 4 mins faster than last year. Tim did a great job and got in at 4:10.

Hat’s off to Marty who finished his first Muskoka Tri and was using this as a tune up for his upcoming half IM in Newfoundland. It was a tough race for him, but he toughed it out and it will make a big difference for him at the Half IM in July.
All in all, a great weekend, with good weather and great times.

The First Hot & Humid Weekend

Well we finally got it, a hot and humid weekend and I made the best of it. Anytime I can get out and bike and run in conditions similar to Louisville, I’m out there. There’s just no way to get used to working out in that environment, other than finding a sauna to work out in. I got the bike all loaded up with water/Gatorade/gels and spares and headed out on Saturday morning. I biked up to Beaverton and back. I managed to average just under 30kph for the trip up to Beaverton, but the wind took its toll on me and I was pushed back to 28kph for the trip average speed. Plus I’m sure the first exposure to the heat and humidity slowed me a bit.

I had a bad case of the drops on Saturday. To start off, I launched a bottle of Gatorade out of it’s cage going over the railway tracks just by the Granite Golf Club on Durham 30. I was only riding for 45 minutes, so I was going to need that bottle, so I had to stop and pick it up. Then about 30 minutes later, I was on a fast downhill just before Aurora Road. I was going about 55kph and I hit a hole that wasn’t there last week. Again I lost a Gatorade, but I wasn’t stopping that time. Five minutes later I looked down to see that I had lost my Garmin 305 out of it’s mount. Great, it could of fallen off anywhere over the last mile or so. I took a good look for it on the way back, but there was no sign of it.

Cyclists fighting Multiple Sclerosis

Tour de Kentucky 2008 got underway yesterday for the second year, with its mission to raise funds for the National Multiple Sclerosis Society Kentucky Southeast Indiana Chapter.

Organized by Bill Turner, whose wife LeeAnne has been diagnosed with MS, the group of 10 cyclists stopped for a scheduled 15-minute break at the restaurant to record it as the fourth state visited during the eight-day odyssey."I'm the inspiration for him, but he does the work," said LeeAnne Turner of her husband's dedication to the event.

Members of the team traveled from their homes in Louisville Friday night to begin their trip Saturday morning at the Breaks Interstate Park at the Kentucky and Virginia state line. According to the Web site www.whyiride.com, through May 18, the team will pedal 740 miles across the state of Kentucky and the seven bordering states to raise awareness and funds to stop MS in its tracks. As of Sunday evening, the team had completed 166 miles and Monday's trip added 89.4 miles to the three-day total.

This year's team includes one woman, Jan John; the oldest member is Bob Redmon at age 67, while the youngest is 45-year-old Bill Piepmeyer. A part-time member of the team is Bill Piepmeyer's 10-year-old son, Steven. Steven rode with the group Saturday and Sunday, but had to go back to school on Monday; his dad said he'll join the team again on Thursday.


Lee Anne Turner said pit stops are scheduled 15 to 20 miles apart and that's when support personnel traveling in vans or the team box truck provide riders with plenty of water, fruit and power bars. And in the case of Monday's stop, a few enjoyed an ice cream cone during the break.

"The concept is there's thousands of virtual cyclists that follow the ride," said Bill Turner of the event, which raised $83,000 in 2007. Bill Turner said this year's goal is $100,000.

To learn more about Tour de Kentucky and how to sponsor the event, visit http://www.whyiride.com.

Running 101

Ok…the run, last year 1 ran the marathon in 4:27:43 which was the 27th fastest run out of 187 in my age group. I passed over 500 people on the way to the finish line. Gotta be happy with that result. Especially since at the end of the bike, I really thought I’d be walking the entire way. I was so tired and worn out after all those hills. I was so hot, dehydrated and low on energy that I didn’t even bother taking my Garmin watch out of my T2 bag and putting it on. I thought, there’s no way I want a detailed record of this mess!

So what happened? I don’t really know, a few things got me turned around. The crowd support at the transition area was amazing, hundreds and hundreds of people cheering each and everyone on whether they were walking or running. Like a shot of adrenaline straight into the bloodstream. That got me moving.

The run went out and back for a 2km loop and there was an aid station at the end. They run aid stations were awesome. They had everything, water, Gatorade, coke, ice, sponges, tons of food and snacks and great volunteers, at least 20 or 30 at each one. I stuck with the Gatorade for the first few miles and gradually started to feel better. Steph and the Girls were just under the bridge before the turn up to 4th street and seeing them and hearing their encouragement was another badly needed shot of adrenaline.

I wasn’t really conscious of the number of people I was passing, but I do remember being really surprised at how many people were walking. Lots of them. Sometimes in groups of up to 5 or 6. They would be walking along and talking about the race.  If you can walk and talk, why aren’t you at least jogging? That was contrasted by other people that were really in trouble. They were both cramped up and limping along, stopping to try to stretch out their muscles every few meters, or they were having digestive problems, not a pretty sight, I’ll leave it at that. They is not much you can do for people in that state, the damage has been done and it takes a lot to turn things around at that point. You do your best to try to encourage them along to the next aid station. That’s why they say Ironman is swim, bike, run and nutrition, a four part event.

The run is really where the rubber meets the road at the Ironman. Consider the entire starting field and the likelihood of every athlete running to their full potential on race day, never happens…why, what happens to everyone? Some will be eliminated due to improper training, usually a mistake made by training for a marathon, instead of training for a marathon after a 180k bike ride. Some others will be eliminated by pacing and nutritional errors that begin to show themselves on the run, like my walking and talking friends.

The idea here is to complete the bike ride and have set yourself up the opportunity for a successful run through the correct application of your training, nutrition guidelines and pacing strategies. After that it’s the One Thing that decides who runs to their potential and who doesn’t. But, beware, you know it’s coming…your body will have a conversation with your head at some point during the run that will go something like this…

Body to Mind: "Ok, this is really starting to hurt. I can keep going, but I need a really good reason to keep it up."
Mind to Body: "We’ll keep going because of the One Thing. Just keep moving, do the best you can do and we'll get there."

The One Thing is whatever motivated you to do this in the first place. Before the race you need to take a long, hard look in the mirror and figure out what your One Thing is. Make it good, this is no time for screwing around because if it’s not a good reason, your body will call your bluff when the chips are down.
My One Thing is thinking of Barb, her valiant struggle with MS and of how much I know she wishes she could be here experiencing this with me. No matter how much I hurt, it is nothing compared to what she goes through on a daily basis. That’s all I need to keep me going.

A successful Ironman marathon is one of not slowing down. Not slowing down is mostly a function of maintaining your focus, not fitness. If you are not cramping up and can still consume calories on the run, you can have a successful marathon. The difference between a good marathon and bad marathon is just continuing to move forward, as best you can, for the entire 26.2 miles. This year I’ve been doing a lot more running and will be looking to improve on last year’s 4:27, at least a 4:20 which would break me into the top 20 on the run, that would be awesome!

Biking 101

Last year for the 2007 IM, I spent approximately 185 hours biking a total of 3,250 kms. This year my goal will be do be closer to 200 hours and 4000/4500 kms. Last year I dropped from 77th after the swim to 148 after the bike, so I lost 71 positions. My official time was 6:58:33, but according to my bike computer, my actual riding time was about 17 minutes less than that. As soon as the bike comes to a rest, the computer shuts off, so it measures only the actual time the bike is moving. So what was I doing for 17 minutes??...well I stopped and got off the bike 4 times to pee and that cost was at least 2 minutes each time and I had to fix a flat tire at the 100mi mark, that took the other 8 minutes and change.

This year I’ll be looking for a bike time much closer to 6:00/6:15. I won’t be stopping this year to pee, yes…I’ll teach myself to do it on the fly. It’s common, lots of people do it. You need to make sure to move over and get out of the way of the other riders though. I’ll practice this summer on my long rides a couple times. It sounds gross, I know, but during the race, you are constantly dousing yourself with water to keep cool and your sweating, so you’re wet pretty much the entire time and it will just get washed away.

For me to maintain my 77th place after the swim last year, I would have to complete the bike 6:13, I think that’s a possibility. A 6:15 bike split would require me to bike at 28.8 km/per hour. So based on that, I will gradually build my long rides this summer with a goal of riding at an average of 29/30 kph.

MS Research Going on Around the World

Here are 3 great examples of MS research going on around the world. First, research in Italy on a new drug FTY720 which showed a 50% reduction in relapses and attacks those taking the drug over those taking a placebo with 67% of the participants remaining free of relapses after three years. Second, a Dutch study has found that the drug Prozac may slow the progression of MS and third, in England a new compound BGC20-0134 which encourage the immune system to rebalance itself. More details below…

Oral drug, FTY720, reduces disease activity in Multiple Sclerosis

A drug that can be taken orally reduces the number of attacks people with multiple sclerosis (MS) have, according to research that will be presented at the American Academy of Neurology 60th Anniversary Annual Meeting in Chicago, April 12–19, 2008.“All of the current treatments for MS must be injected, so having a pill you can swallow with a glass of water would be a welcome improvement for many people,” said study author Giancarlo Comi, MD, of San Raffaele University in Milan, Italy.The results reported are from an extension of a six-month study with 281 people with relapsing MS, two-thirds of whom took the drug FTY720 (fingolimod) and one-third of whom took a placebo.

After six months, those taking FTY720 had more than 50 percent fewer relapses, or attacks, than those who took the placebo. At that point, all of the participants could enter an ongoing extension of the study where all would receive the drug. A total of 173 people have finished three-years of the study. Continuous use of the drug led to sustained low relapses, with more than 67 percent of the participants remaining free of relapses after three years. In addition, the inflammatory activity associated with MS, as assessed by MRI scans, remained low, with 89 percent of patients free of disease activity and 75 percent of patients free of new or newly enlarged lesions.FTY720 is an immune-modulating drug that binds to a receptor site on immune cells, sequestering them in the lymph nodes. As a result, FTY720 reduces their ability to cause damage associated with the symptoms experienced by people with MS.

Prozac May Slow Progression of Multiple Sclerosis

A new Dutch study has found that people who took the popular antidepressant Prozac had fewer brain lesions characteristic of multiple sclerosis (MS), suggesting that the drug may slow the incurable disease.
Although the study was small, scientists said the results justify further research in those suffering with MS."This proof-of-concept study shows that (the drug) tends to reduce the formation of new enhancing lesions in patients with MS," Jop Mostert, a neurologist at the University Medical Center Groeningen, and colleagues wrote in a report about the study. In the Dutch study, the researchers randomly designated 40 participants with MS to 24 weeks of treatment with either 20 mg daily of Prozac or a placebo.

In total, thirty-eight people completed the study. Detailed brain scans were conducted every four weeks to check for new areas of neurological inflammation, an indicative sign of MS. At eight weeks, the scans revealed that those taking the placebo had a greater number of new areas of inflammation. However, during the final 16 weeks of treatment almost two-thirds the antidepressant group had no new areas of inflammation compared to about a quarter of those in the other group, according to the researchers.

Potential Treatment For Multiple Sclerosis Begins Clinical Trials

A potential treatment for multiple sclerosis (MS), developed by University of Greenwich (England) in association with Kings College, London, has begun clinical trials. The life sciences company BTG plc, which has licensed the research, is running the trials on a new compound, known as BGC20-0134.
Dr Laurence Harbige and Dr Mike Leach, from the Drug Discovery Research Group in the University of Greenwich School of Science, developed the new treatment following many years of research. Dr Laurence Harbige explains: "Although the cause of multiple sclerosis is unknown, there is strong evidence that it involves the regulation of the immune system through molecules in our bodies called cytokines.

In MS, the balance of these cytokines is altered, leading to inflammation in the brain which can result in serious disability."Dr Mike Leach adds: "This new treatment should encourage the immune system to rebalance itself, by inhibiting the production of inflammatory cytokines while promoting the production of helpful anti-inflammatory ones."Louise Makin, BTG's Chief Executive Officer, comments: "The effective treatment of multiple sclerosis remains a significant unmet need. We are pleased to have started clinical development of BGC20-0134, which has the potential to address different forms of the disease and has the advantage of being an oral product."

New support for MS researchers – and the people they serve

Dr. Samuel K. Ludwin is one of Canada’s leading researchers and world-renowned for his work on remyelination and demyelination related to multiple sclerosis. When he speaks, people listen.

“We have reached a unique time of exciting opportunities in MS research. Now is the time for Canada to chart a new course towards a cure for multiple sclerosis,” said Dr. Ludwin, a researcher at Queen’s University and Kingston General Hospital.
Dr. Ludwin has agreed to lead a new project for the MS Society of Canada, one that will attract high quality researchers to work in Canada on a cure for MS. The project will also help to keep some of our brightest young scientific minds engaged in multiple sclerosis research here, building on the world-class success of researchers like Dr. Donald Paty, Dr. Jack Antel and Dr. Jock Murray.

Dr. Ludwin also believes that success in the lab must ultimately reach the person with MS. “It is vitally important that research always be directed towards the individual, whether the research is about lab science trying to find the cause, cure and treatment of MS or whether it is clinical or health research aimed at improving the prognosis and quality of life for people with MS and their families.”

Swimming 101

Since November 2006 I’ve spent roughly 150 hours swimming about 250,000 meters. I now know two things for sure,

1. I still don’t know how to swim properly.
2. It’s going to take me a long time to figure it out and swim properly.

Most of the swimming I did back in 2006 and 2007 was at the Markham YMCA, where I would get in the pool and swim back and forth for anywhere from 60 to 160 lengths (1.5 km to 4 km) I didn’t pay much attention to my stroke, I didn’t think it was too bad and it seemed to the job. I managed to get my 4k time down from 1:32 to 1:20 and I swam the 4k distance 10 times in the pool.

So along comes the Ironman and in the water we go. The water was warm, 84/85 degrees and a bit of current both ways. My time was 1:17:46 which placed me 77th out of 187 in my age group. Not bad. The average for the group was 1:20:51. To give you an idea of the spread, the fastest guy was 59:26 and the slowest swimmer came in at 1:58. All in all, I was pleased with my swim. Open water swimming is very different than following the big black stripe on the bottom of the pool at the Y. It’s very easy to swim off course and add a few hundred meters to your swim and of course there is always the pushing and shoving of a mass swim start or just swimming in a group of people.

This year my swim training has been all different. Tim and I joined a Masters program in Stouffville. I wish I’d done it years ago. Since October we’ve been coached by Yorrick Tong. Yorrick has coached at the university level and he is a great coach. I can safely say that there is absolutely nothing remotely similar to my current stoke compared to the way I swam in 2006. Basically, everything I was doing was wrong. Arms, legs, hips, shoulders, head, breathing, catch, pull, push, everything. Wrong, wrong, wrong. All moving in the wrong way at the wrong time!

Most of the swimming we do with Yorrick is swim drills. Drills isolate one part of the stroke at a time to allow you to concentrate on that only until it is corrected, then on to the next problem. Yorrick’s goal for us is to correct our stroke so and allow us to swim efficiently and with much less effort. Less energy expended during the swim means more energy to use on the bike and run. We’ve come a long way in the swimming department. I’ll swim 4k this Sunday am and see where I’m at. Whatever the time is, I know it will be much less of an effort that it used to be.

MS Research: What does the “cure” mean?

For people living with multiple sclerosis the “cure” means different things to different people. For people who have just been diagnosed, the cure will stop MS in its tracks. For people who have lived with MS and have experienced loss of mobility and other serious impairments, the cure means repair of the nervous system and recovery of lost functions.For people with a family history of MS, the cure will allow their children or grandchildren to live a life free from MS.

The research funded by the MS Society addresses all three definitions of a cure. Research is multi-faceted but with clear purpose: to find a cure for MS, protect the nervous system and repair damage caused by MS, and improve monitoring and management of the disease.



MS Research Accomplishments During Past 10 Years

MS research continues to advance knowledge of the disease and treatment for people with MS. There is much greater understanding of this unpredictable, often disabling disease. Many of those accomplishments have taken place in the past 10 years thanks to the support of the Multiple Sclerosis Society of Canada and its sister national MS societies around the world, many governments and private industry. Here are some key advances:

There are treatments for some types of multiple sclerosis.
o They are useful in relapsing MS
o Their impact on development of disability still not clear

Researchers have developed "windows" into the disease through technology.
o MRI scanning assists doctors in diagnosing MS more quickly
o Canadians are leaders in MRI and other magnetic resonance technology to measure disease activity within the central nervous system

We have evidence myelin can and does regrow spontaneously which indicates repair is possible.
o Myelin repair and regrowth takes place in the early stages of MS
o Studies are underway using the body's own cells to repair myelin

Investigators have a better understanding of the nature of MS which means some types of MS can be more effectively managed. This is because of :
o Studies of MS tissue (pathology)
o Studies of the immune system (immunology)
o Studies of the way MS naturally progresses without treatment (natural history studies)

I'm back...!

I’m back….! and training hard for my second go at Ironman Louisville. This year’s race will be held on August 31 and we can’t wait to go back. It was a great experience for all of us last year and we are really looking forward to being in Louisville again this year.

Together we raised over $8000 for MS research last year and I thank you all for your generous donations. Over the last year there has been lot’s going on in MS research and I’ll bring you up to speed on all the good news in future posts. Raising money for MS and being able to share the experience with Barb and giving her my finisher’s medal are what really made the effort meaningful for me. I wanted her to keep the medal until she can get her own. I’ll show you what she did with the medal next post, it ended up back with me!

My training has been going well. I’ve been following my own made up training schedule, based on several different schedules that I’ve read. I am in week 29 of 46 weeks of training and time is flying by. With the great weather we’ve had this past couple of weeks, I’ve been able to get out on bike and have been really pleased with the fitness gains I’ve made over the winter and fortunately, knock on wood, I haven’t missed any training days due to being sick for the entire past 29 weeks.

This year we will be joined in Louisville by my business partner, Tim Hardie and his family. I think I talked the poor guy into doing this last year after my Ironman before he really had a chance to realize what he was getting into. He’s never actually done a triathlon before! He’s been training hard and following Don Fink’s ‘beIronfit’ training schedule. Tim is a great runner and capable of running a sub 3:30 marathon. In fact he did last fall and qualified for the Boston Marathon, which was held last weekend. He wisely decided to defer his entry and concentrate on his Ironman training instead. It just takes too long to recover from the wear and tear of a marathon and it would mean at a minimum, 2 or 3 weeks of reduce training. I’m sure his great running legs will make his day in Louisville.

The race has a few changes this year, first off, they have opened up the field and added about 800 spots over last year, the only place we’d actually see that increase would be the swim start, if they decide to go with a mass start, it would be a bit crowded to say the least. Last year due to flooding north of Louisville, the Army Corps of Engineers were not able to reduce the current in the Ohio River to an acceptable swim against level and they opted for a modified swim course and a one by one time trail start. The other changes will be a change in the run course; the University of Louisville plays football against the University of Kentucky on the same day. The run course last year went right by the front of the stadium twice last year. With 80,000 people at the game, it could get messy trying to run a marathon at the same time. The bike course has been changed due to a bridge closure and the general thinking is that they will be adding a long hill to make the new course work. Great, another hill!

Click Here to Read the MS Society Spring Newsletter, Featuring an Article about Barb & I.