I did an easy 3mi run at lunch yesterday mostly to continue loosening up the legs after LP and to get some more time in the sun for Louisville. Later in the afternoon I called Nick to see if he and Justin were riding, yes they were, so I headed out with them. We rode up 30 to Bloomington can back down. I love that ride, it’s tough and hilly all the way up to Bloomington, but we always fly back on the way down. We usually go up at 25kph and come back down at 40kph plus, with a tail wind you can hit 50kph on the flats. And it’s great to have a couple people with you to push each other, or at least have Nick to push Justin and me! The ride felt good and to be honest, I really didn’t feel any residual effects from LP. In fact my average speed for the ride was just over 30kph, a good sign that I can get back to full scale training for Louisville next week.

I forgot about this guy! Hilarious!

This week is a hard earned recovery week after LP and my schedule doesn’t call for anything more than 30mins of swimming, biking or running. I don’t think I’ll have a problem following this week’s schedule.

Last night I took the bike down to the workshop for a cleanup. After an Ironman your bike is usually a complete mess, covered in various gels, power bar, Gatorade and sweat. So off come the wheels and I spray it down with fantastic and give it a thorough cleaning. I’ll touch up any stone chips and give it a couple coats of wax. Today I’ll clean the chain and drive train and replace the 12-27 gear cassette with a 12-25 for Louisville.Tonight I’ll head out with Nick and Justin and tag along on their Thursday night training ride.

Congrats to Nick for completing a sprint tri down in California. Not only did he have to contend with a surf swim start over breaking waves, he cycled at 34kph and ran it out at 4:30km. The fields down there are very deep, I think over 30 guys in his age group and Nick was in the top 5. Amazing. Hopefully if I keep chasing him around, I'll get faster too!

Lake Placid Ironman

Up at 4:20 on race morning and then down for breakfast at the motel. Greg and Chris, owners of the Adirondack Holiday Lodge were doing a great job of catering to the Ironman crowd this year with a special early breakfast on race morning after serving an Ironman dinner the night before. There were a few of us having breakfast together. It was still pitch black outside as we looked out the windows at the front of the motel but we could see that the flags at the front of the motel were flapping away in the already brisk wind. Wonderful. We wished each other luck and headed back to our rooms to grab all our gear for the drive to LP.

The highway was busy with people making the trip into town and some roads were already closed. We finally found a parking space and I headed off to check my bike tires, load up my nutrition for the ride and fill my water bottle. We met up with Tim at the body marking area and then headed down to the swim start to get ready. Tim’s sister and her family were there to cheer Tim on and we all hung out on the hill overlooking the swim start until it was time to make our way down to the water. We passed through the swim start and made our way a little further back so we could get started without getting too beat up when the gun went off. As we were standing there, Armen came up. What a great surprise to see him out of 3000 people and be able to wish him luck in his first Ironman. Armen has been raising money for MS, in memory of his uncle, while he has been training for the race. Tim and I got in the water with about 3 minutes to go and slowly made our way up closer to the start line.

The Gun went off right at 7am and the melee began. It’s hard to describe what it looks like when 3000 people start swimming all at once, let alone describe how it feels. The course is a long rectangle and it took most of the way around once before I could find any open water to swim in without constantly making contact with someone else, or being kicked or elbowed by someone. I’m a good swimmer and comfortable in the water, but I can’t imagine how some other people survive it. Terry, Tim’s brother in law, told us later about the number of people that the kayakers brought back in soon after the start.

At the halfway point of the swim, you exit the water and run through a timing shoot to record the split time. I was 37mins and change for the first, as I re-entered the water for the 2nd loop, I thought to myself, hopefully I can find some clear space to swim and equal or better that time for the 2nd loop. It was better, but still a lot of swimmers all around you. I finished in 1:17:04, a couple of minutes slower that last year, but understandable with the crowd.

The run from the swim exit to the transition area if about 250m, it’s a long way. As I was running down the carpet I looked over to my right and saw my coach from last year, Rick Choy, it was great to see him and we wished each other good luck for the day. I grabbed my bike transition bag from the numbered rack and headed for the changing tent. It was chaos in there! At least 400 or more guys changing into their bike gear, along with another 100 or so volunteer helping them. I changed up quickly and ran for the tent exit and into the Olympic Oval to get my bike. I looked the Girls at the top overlooking the Oval, but couldn’t see them. I went to the wrong rack and then quickly to the right one and got the P3.

The bike course starts with a couple of tight turns and steep down hills, so you have to be really careful and watch out for everyone else. Within a couple of minutes we were out of LP and well on our way on the climb out of town to the start of the big decent into Keene. Sure enough, just as we were starting the decent, it started raining. I’m not embarrassed to say that I feathered my brakes the whole way down. I’m just not willing to take the chance of going flat out in the rain. One little misstep and your day is done, at best. At worst, you’re going to get hurt. Finally, this is the only hill that I’ve ever ridden that I’m always wishing it would end before it does, we were on the flattest section of the course from Keene to Jay. Once at Jay we headed up to Ausable Forks before turning around. We passed by our motel in Wilmington and made the long climb back to LP and then repeated the whole thing again. On the way back to LP, I saw Jason on the course and it was great to see him and he was looking great.

I finished the bike in 6:31:44 and was happy with that. LP is a course the rewards the patient athlete and I felt that I had gone hard enough but not too hard. I dropped off my bike to one of the bike catchers who then place it back in your spot on the bike rack, grabbed my run bag and headed for the changing tent again. There was a lot more room in the tent and it made it a lot easier to take a breath and get ready for the run. Once on the run I settled into a really easy pace and was just taking the first few miles really easy. At mile 3, I came up on Coach Rick again and we ran together for about 3 miles, it was great to see him and be able to talk to someone for a while a take your mind off things. I was running between each aid station and walking through and getting everything I needed before starting to run again. I was starving when I got off the bike and couldn’t wait to get to the first aid station to get something to eat. Those grapes and oranges never tasted so good! I didn’t get enough calories down during the bike and I knew it was going to affect my run. I saw Tim at the turn around and we ran together for a couple of minutes. I told him to get going and not let me hold him up, he is such a great runner I knew he would finish really well if he ran at his quick speed.

At about mile 10 my foot started acting up. I have, what I think, is a Morton’s Neuroma on the bottom of my left foot. The pain is described best as someone poking you in the bottom of the foot with a red hot fire poker. Then at about 15miles I was having pain in both my Achilles tendons, down close to the ankles, at least it took my mind off the foot pain. Not sure why that started up, I didn’t run over 15 miles in training and I was wearing new shoes, that could have been it. I eventually made it back to town. The final 2 miles is amazing in LP, the road is lined with people screaming and cheering and calling everyone’s name. I saw Tim’s family just at the entrance to the Oval and then the Girls up at the top of the Oval, I waved like crazy as I ran those last few meters to the finish line, and yes I did hear, you are an Ironman! Tim was in the finish and we congratulated each other, he went 12:10! An absolutely amazing run for a first time at LP. He’s such a great runner! I was collecting my gear bags and heard my cell ringing in the bottom of the bike bag, I got it out just in time, it was Steve, my brother calling from Singapore, he was just watching on his computer at work and called to say congrats, hearing from him was awesome!

My goal was to beat last year’s time of 13:47 and run a sub 5 hour marathon. I accomplished both and it was a bonus to finish under 13hrs in 12:54:25. Thanks to Rick for doing the math on the run to make sure I could get there. And yes, I did sign up for 2011.

Once again, thanks to the three amazing women in my life, having you share these experiences with me is what gives them meaning and your love, support and encouragement is what fuels my passion for the Ironman. I hope you all had fun too!

Next up, Ironman Louisville, August 29th, should be hot and humid, just the way I like it!

Day Before Race Day

Up early this morning to get everything organized and the transition bags packed. They have a great breakfast here at the Holiday Lodge and I carbo-loaded up on pancakes and home fries. Greg and Chris do a great job here making everyone feel as comfortable as home. The place is full of Ironman here for the race.

Took the P3 into the bike tech centre and asked them to remove the seat post and reinstall with carbon paste and re-torque it to specs. Hopefully it won't slip down during the race tomorrow! While we were waiting for the bike, I lined up and entered next year's race. It took over an hour in line!

We had a late pasta lunch, took a quick drive of the run course and headed for home. Very hot and humid here today, hopefully it will stay over for tomorrow. We had quite a downpour on the way back to the motel and I felt bad for all the cyclists we saw making their way along in the rain. Maybe a pizza later and then early to bed and hopefully to sleep!

Arrived!

We arrived in LP yesterday at about 1pm and after checking into the Lodge we headed down to registration and sailed right through, no line ups! After hooking up with Tim, and a quick look around the oval, we headed off to Mr. Mikes for a late lunch, excellent food! Also saw Jason in the oval, he looks very fit and ready to go. Back at the motel, I dumped out all the various clothes and equipment and started to sort it all out, fortunately, nothing was forgotten!

So…off to the pool last night for a short 1500m swim. I always swim with a pull buoy during the last week before a race, I find it mimics the feel of a wetsuit and gets me in the mood for an open water swim. The swim in Lake Placid is 2.4 miles or 3.8 kilometers or 152 laps of a 25meter pool. For the last 9 months or so I’ve been swimming the full distance in the pool at least once or twice a month so making the distance is not the issue here, it’s surviving the distance that is the issue. There will be 3000 of us come Sunday morning and when the gun goes off, everyone starts at once. Problem being that everyone is in the water, spaced maybe a foot or two apart, and when you take that many people in that tight a space and tell them all to start swimming as fast as they can at the same time, somebody’s going to get kicked or punched.

In addition, at Lake Placid there is an underwater cable marking the entire length of the course. Many people want to swim right on that line to minimize any wandering off course and if you want to get close to the line, you can expect to find the greatest concentration of swimmers and the best chance of getting a shot.

I’ll be starting well off to the right side of the course and will gradually move in towards the cable and hopefully find some space to swim and some friends that are moving at the same speed. Before Sunday, I’ll head down to the Lake and locate some on-shore markers to make sure I stay on track. Last year I swam 1:15hr, which was a personal best for me, I was very surprised when I saw that time on the swim finish clock and I took only a couple of minor hits. Hopefully this year will go the same way.

Tuesday Night Ride

Throughout my taper period I’ve been feeling tired and generally low on energy. I’ve been hoping that I’ll snap back one day this week and start feeling like I’m ready to do an Ironman. I think I’m starting to come around, just in time!

Last night Nick, Justin and Bob and I went out for a ride. I was scheduled for a 1hr ride and 40min run, but I decided to go for a ride with the boys instead of a doing the brick workout. It was scheduled to be a zone 1 (low heart rate) workout for me, so I stuck to the back of the pack and let them set the pace. It was a beautiful evening and we did the Durham Road 30 to Bloomington and east to Kennedy and back route. It was a good ride, I enjoyed it and I push hard a couple of times and it felt good. Hopefully an indication that I’m coming around just in time for race day.

Tonight is a short run and a swim and I’ll start packing everything up and making sure nothing gets forgotten for the trip to Lake Placid.

Victoria woman thrilled with new multiple sclerosis treatment

Valerie MacNeil, 39, plans to go cycling with her 11-year-old daughter Bhreagh after controversial surgery in Poland gave her renewed energy.Victoria mom Valerie MacNeil says going to Poland for a controversial treatment for multiple sclerosis has given her life back to her."I'm a human being again," MacNeil said. "It was worth every penny for me to feel the way I'm feeling now."

The treatment, developed by Italian Dr. Paolo Zamboni, involves opening blocked jugular veins to increase blood flow to the brain. The experimental treatment is not available in Canada. Last month, researchers from the University of B.C. joined a $2.4-million study involving 200 people to investigate Zamboni's theory. Zamboni says a condition known as chronic cerebrospinal venous insufficiency, or CCSVI, causes a buildup of blood and iron deposits that results in brain lesions.
Canadian MS sufferers have been lobbying for national research and clinical trials of the treatment. one Vancouver woman with MS has said she intends to file a human rights complaint claiming discrimination. MacNeil says she will add her name to the complaint.

But MacNeil wasn't willing to wait for Canada to approve the treatment. She paid $7,000 to travel to Tychy in Poland and says she is now looking forward to going bike riding and hanging out at the beach with her 11-year-old daughter Bhreagh.
"I told her: 'I'm going to rest up and she'd better be prepared for a new mom when she gets back from camp because we're going bicycle riding and to the beach,' all sorts of things I haven't done for two years," said MacNeil, 39.

"The change that I'm noticing is that I have much more energy than I had before and my mind is clearer. Because of that, I have much more motivation than I've had in years." Doctors found "both sides of my neck -- my right and left jugulars -- were blocked," she said."They did a successful angioplasty on my left jugular and recommended I have a stent put in on the right side."
MacNeil didn't notice any immediate change. But after resting for three days, she left Tychy to go touring in Krakow. That's when she started to see a radical change.
"I was able to do things I haven't been able to do in 10 years, even though I was only diagnosed with MS two years ago," said MacNeil.

"About five or six days after the procedure, in 30-degree weather, I went on a 2½-hour walking tour of Krakow," she added. "Halfway through, I stopped myself and said, 'Wait a minute, Valerie can't do this but I'm doing it.'
"It just dawned on me, I'm doing the impossible here."
She said she realizes the changes may be only temporary and there are no guarantees that her veins won't collapse again or close in a different area.
She's on blood thinners for at least a year and will be taking coated Aspirin for the rest of her life.

"My results might be gone in a month, in three months, in three years," she added. "But I would go through the same thing again to get the same result. I wouldn't think twice about it. "I'm not an invalid any more. I'm a normal person."

Last weekend workouts before LP

Yesterday’s workout was a 2hr ride/45min run brick workout. It was warm and sunny and I got out early this morning. The ride went well, I spent most of the time taking it easy but once I got good and warmed up, I let it loose on a few stretches. I’m still adjusting my seat on my new P3, fore and aft and tilt. I must have stopped on the side of the road and moved 5 or 6 times and I still don’t think I have it where it needs to be, but I think I finally found the right seat height with Nick’s help. I’ll be doing a couple of short rides this week and will try to fine tune it. The problem is what feels good and comfortable at hour one, is often not comfortable at hour 5 and 6! I ran 4 miles right after the bike and that’s it. All that’s left before LP is a few short workouts this week to stay loose and keep the muscles moving. Lots of packing to do and need to figure out a race nutrition/hydration plan. Ironman has switched drink sponsors from Gatorade to Power Bar and I haven’t been able to use it during training because it hasn’t been available for sale yet.

Lake Placid Gettign Closer!

As I write this posting we are 8 days and 15 hours and change away from the start of the 2010 Ironman USA in Lake Placid and I'm starting to get excited about it. They have released the Athletes Guide (do’s and don’ts) and the long awaited list of bib numbers. I’m not sure why everyone waits so intently for the race numbers to be issued. I guess at that point you have confirmed your entry and there’s no turning back! My number is 2016.

I’m resting and taking it very easy. I went for a 5 mile run in the heat yesterday and I purposely didn’t text Nick to see if he and Justin were riding last night. I knew they probably would be, but I know that if I went, I’d want to ride hard and that’s what I’m trying to not do. They did pass by on the way home, so Justin could pick up a few odds and ends for his bike. They are both training for Ironman 70.3 Miami in September and are well into their training schedules.

Tomorrow I'll go for a 2hr bike ride and follow up with a 3omin run, just enough to keep the neuro muscular pathways open and firing. Sunday morning swim, maybe 2000m and later a 1hr run. Otherwise I'll be tuning up the bike and gathering up all the assorted gear, clothing and all the other paraphernalia required for an Ironman!

PEI, Family, Fun, Food & Hills!

Canada's Newest Ironman Trains in PEI!
We are back from our vacation to the Island and we had an abundance of each! What a great time we all had being together and being able to spend some time some time with family and friends.

I was able to fit in my last long ride, a 180k ride basically around the centre of the Island. Scott, a native Islander and Ironman, (Lake Placid 11:39) had scoped out the route for me and he’s ridden it many times I’m sure. He mentioned that there were some hills that are very close in nature to the hills at Lake Placid, he was right! One thing about PEI, there’s always another hill just up ahead, so it was great training. Scott and I did a great 90k ride together just before we left and he gave me a firsthand demonstration of how he is able to ride those hills like they aren’t even there! It was a great ride and a lot of fun.

So, we are getting very close to Lake Placid, the athlete’s guide was published yesterday and we expect the race numbers to be issued any day now. Over the weekend I trained hard. Saturday was a 2500m swim, 125k bike followed by a 12k run, Sunday was a 3000m swim, 75k bike (with Nick and Justin) and a 8k run. For now the hardest training for Lake Placid is over and the taper starts. I’ll gradually reduce training volume over the next 10 days to rest up and get ready for the race on July 25.